Val Tobin's Blog

A Short and Sweet Review of Kelley Armstrong’s Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to read the next one.

View all my reviews

Romantic Suspense in Hollywood: “Injured Love” Series Unveiled

I have a fabulous cover designer. She lives in Australia (I’m in Canada), and she has created all my existing covers save one (that one, The Empress: A Promise of Rain, was created by Sharon Brownlie of Aspire Book Covers, and she’s from the UK and also fantastic). My fabulous Australian cover woman, Patti Roberts of Paradox Book Covers, has created two covers for me.

Injury by Val Tobin

First up is a new cover for Injury. I’m working on a sequel and wanted the two covers to have a similar look and feel. Patti redesigned the existing cover to give it a fresh look. She did a great job, and I’ve already uploaded it to all retailers.

I’ve also revised the blurb:

Nothing hurts like the truth.

When Oscar-winning actress Daniella Grayson wakes up to a nightmare, her world turns upside down. Police have arrested her mother for the murder of Dani’s father, a crime committed twenty years ago. As the media frenzy spirals out of control, Dani’s carefully constructed life crumbles.

With her career on the line and her personal life in shambles, Dani must navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood’s elite, fend off a dangerous ex-boyfriend, and uncover the truth about her father’s death. Amidst the chaos, she finds solace in the arms of Robert “Cope” Copeland, her loyal chauffeur turned bodyguard. But as secrets unravel and danger looms, Dani must confront her past to protect her future.

Injury is a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Will Dani find the strength to overcome her darkest fears, or will the shadows of her past consume her?

Second up is the new cover for book two in this romantic suspense series I’m calling the Injured Love series.

Insult to Injury by Val Tobin

Book two is called Insult to Injury, and it revolves around Dani Grayson’s best friend, Liz Logan.

Here’s the blurb:

When rising star Liz Logan lands the role of a lifetime in the new television series Injury, she never imagines it will come with a deadly price. As she navigates the treacherous waters of Hollywood fame, Liz finds herself the target of a relentless stalker who will stop at nothing to see her fail.

Amidst the chaos, Liz’s budding romance with her costar, Blake Bennett, offers a glimmer of hope and love. But as the threats escalate, trust is shattered, and secrets from the past resurface, putting their relationship to the ultimate test.

With danger lurking around every corner, Liz and Blake must confront their deepest fears and insecurities to survive. Will their love withstand the storm, or will the stalker succeed in tearing them apart forever?

Insult to Injury is a gripping tale of passion, betrayal, and the fight for survival in the glittering yet perilous world of Hollywood.

Injury is available for purchase now, and Insult to Injury is available for pre-order, with a release date of June 1, 2025.

Not My Writing Year. Someone Else’s. An Update from Tom Benson, Indie Author

My Writing Year – 2024

Apologies for the Missing Link

I apologize. Yesterday, I asked for a favour (a vote for The High Priestess) and somehow left out the link to vote. Two days are left for voting, so if you forgive my oversight and would like to support me and my work, please go to the Connections page for The High Priestess and vote for it.

Here are the details (link included):

The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return, book three of my urban fantasy series, Tales from the Unmasqued World, is a finalist in Connections eMagazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards. I’m currently number eight in the top ten and would appreciate your vote to help boost my rankings. All you have to do is visit the page for The High Priestess on the Connections website and click on the Vote bar.

It might take a moment to load. After you vote, it’ll display a “thank you” message, and then a “Thank You” page will load. From there, you can use a menu to view the other finalists or the Top Ten.

Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

Smashwords Summer Fun and a Favour

Smashwords is having its Summer Sale, which runs through the entire month of July. All my books on Smashwords are discounted by at least 25%, and my short horror story, “Storm Lake,” is available for FREE. To take advantage of this deal, visit my profile page on Smashwords, select the book you’d like to download, and click on the “Buy with Coupon” button.

Happy reading, and I hope you enjoy the stories!

Now, for that favour.

The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return, book three of my urban fantasy series, Tales from the Unmasqued World, is a finalist in Connections eMagazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards. I’m currently number eight in the top ten and would appreciate your vote to help boost my rankings. All you have to do is visit the page for The High Priestess on the Connections website and click on the Vote bar.

It might take a moment to load. After you vote, it’ll display a “thank you” message, and then a “Thank You” page will load. From there, you can use a menu to view the other finalists or the Top Ten.

Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

Cover Reveal: The Empress: A Promise of Rain

I’m so excited. I have a cover for The Empress: A Promise of Rain, book four of my urban fantasy series Tales from the Unmasqued World. This means the book will be published.

The Empress: A Promise of Rain by Val Tobin

If that sounds like there was a possibility the book wasn’t going to get published, you’d be correct. I figured once it was written I might reconsider, but I wasn’t about to spring for the cost of a cover or for professional editing if I decided not to release it.

When I mentioned this to some of my readers, they said they’d be more than happy to pay me to get a copy of the finished file even if it doesn’t have a cover and wasn’t professionally edited. I’m touched by their devotion. I’d be more than happy to share the file with those readers.

Why would I want to refrain from publishing it? Cost, mostly. Covers and editing are expensive and I don’t make much from my book sales. I figured since the sales aren’t there, I could continue writing, but I’d keep the files for myself until I had the funds from book sales to publish it. I don’t mind reading the unpolished file whenever I wish to visit those characters and that world.

Anyway, long story short, designer Sharon Brownlie of Aspire Book Covers posted a premade cover to Facebook, offering it for sale. Much to my surprise and delight, it was perfect for The Empress. I took it as a sign that the book should be published and bought the cover. So here it is in all its beauty. Thank goodness for credit cards and payment plans.

Readers of the series might correctly deduce that Josh, in his fae disguise, is the male in the background and Dakota is the woman in the foreground. It’s a perfect scene from the story, which at this point has almost 20,000 words written.

I’m expecting to get it finished by July and published in the fall. I’ll post again when it’s available for preorder.

For those of you who buy a book even though the series is incomplete, thank you. Your purchase might be the one that keeps an author from giving up on a series. If revenues don’t justify continuing the series, authors can’t continue writing it. I’m not talking about authors such as Georoge R. R. Martin. He’s got the resources to finish whatever he starts without worrying about how he’ll pay for it. Indie authors have to scrape out time and money to publish their books and they get sometimes just pennies per copy when they sell an ebook. Support indie authors whenever you can. Trust me when I say they treasure every purchase and every review.

Free Downloads of all Three Books in Unmasqued World Series for Limited Time

Amazon Freebies Promo of the Unmasqued World

All three books in the Tales from the Unmasqued World urban fantasy series are available to download from Amazon from March 27, 2023, until March 31, 2023.

The Fool: New Beginnings, The Magician: Infinity’s End, and The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return are all on sale this week. Download them for free–or borrow them via Kindle Unlimited to read for free.

Each story in the series is inspired by a different card from the tarot’s major arcana. The Fool is the first card in the major arcana (card 0), The Magician is the second card (card I), and The High Priestess is the third card (card II). If you know the tarot, you’ll know that The Empress will come next. I’m working on the first draft of that manuscript right now.

The Fool introduced the Davis family to readers: Kelsey and her son, Josh, and her ex-husband, Blair, who doesn’t really want to be her ex, but what choice does he have? She’s left him to open a bookstore cafe in the heart of the city. Their lives become more complicated when Josh’s school friend Dakota, a half-vampire, disappears, and her vampire father, Philip, shows up looking for her. Supernatural creatures mix with humans in this story of love and loss, hope and despair.

The Magician follows a secondary character from book one, aspiring Mage Chase Spenser. Student and part-time employee at Kelsey’s cafe, his world falls apart when he’s expelled from mage school for releasing a demon during an exam. Insisting he’s innocent, Chase and his girlfriend Jaycie work hard to clear his name. What they didn’t expect are family secrets that threaten their lives when uncovered. Kelsey, Josh, and Philip’s story also continues in this volume. The trio must try to get along because if they don’t, they’re dead–or worse.

The High Priestess is Jaycie’s story. Her unexpected news at the end of The Magician has her reeling, especially since she’s stuck in Hades. Can she save herself or must she wait for rescue? Jaycie’s not exactly the type to wait for a hero to show up–mostly because she doesn’t trust one to get the job done. Kelsey, Philip, and Josh’s peace blows up when reality comes knocking. A foolish decision on Josh’s part exposes them all right when Kelsey and Philip have found a small measure of happiness.

The Empress: A Promise of Rain will follow Dakota Lawson, Philip’s daughter and Josh’s lost love. Philip’s agony over his daughter increases as the repercussions of Josh’s previous decision continue to reverberate.

Escape into a world inhabited by vampires, lycans, fae, and other magickal creatures, where if you can’t beat ’em, you must join ’em.

Get them all on Amazon before the deal ends.

Kobo Sale on You Again and Gillian’s Island

Kobo has selected You Again and Gillian’s Island for a 30% off March special sale that began March 16, 2023, and runs until March 27, 2023.

To get the discount, use the coupon code MAR30 upon checkout. The sale is available to readers in the following countries: Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

To find the books on Kobo, use the following links to select the online Kobo store in your country (select Rakuten Kobo from the retailer options):

Gillian’s Island (To get the discount, use the coupon code MAR30 upon checkout): https://books2read.com/gilliansisland She avoids people. He’s the ultimate schmoozer. Can their love survive a vicious saboteur who’ll stop at nothing to destroy them?

You Again (To get the discount, use the coupon code MAR30 upon checkout): https://books2read.com/youagain The man she never wanted to see again has returned. Can Ellen give Gabriel a second chance without risking her heart or losing her life?

This Quarter’s Connections and One Day Left in Fool Promo

I have a short story, an article, and a first-chapter sample from The Hunted in this quarter’s edition of Connections eMagazine: Grab your copy of Connections here.

For fans of my Tales from the Unmasqued World series, the short story is a prequel featuring the mysterious lycan introduced in The Fool and identified as Patrick Growley in The Magician.

Note: If you’re interested in reading The Fool, today (May 26, 2022) is the last day of the #FREE ebook promo on Amazon. Grab it at this link while you can.

Thank you to everyone who supports my work.

Mom’s Favorite Reads eMagazine May 2022

Thanks, Mom’s Favorite Reads, for once again including one of my stories in your magazine. Those of you who’ve read my Tales from the Unmasqued World series will recognize this flash fiction story as a prequel scene to The Fool, as it includes one of the characters.

Mom's Favorite Reads

In this month’s issue of our #1 ranked magazine…

Crime and thriller author Shawn Reilly Simmons interviewed by Wendy H Jones. Plus, Author Features, Nature, Photography, Poetry, Short Stories, Young Writers, National Batman Day, and so much more!

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