When Swans Dance
A new business. The wedding of the year. But when a health scare jeopardizes their plans, can Steven and Rose learn to dance or will this be their swan song?
When Swans Dance
The Love Birds Book 2
by Katie Eagan Schenck
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance
A new business. The wedding of the year. But when a health scare jeopardizes their plans, can Steven and Rose learn to dance or will this be their swan song?
Fresh off the closing of his late mother’s estate, Steven is ready to start the next chapter of his life—marrying Rose. Though he struggles to find that ever elusive work/life balance, he’s optimistic about the future of his new law practice.
One double shift too many makes Rose an unhappy nurse, but all that overtime will not only help fund her upcoming nuptials, it might earn her the coveted head nurse position as well.
But when Steven suffers a health emergency, suddenly all of their plans—and finances—are thrown into a tailspin. Postponing the wedding makes the most sense, but Steven won’t hear of it. Rose fears if he doesn’t slow down, he’ll make her a widow before she ever becomes a wife. As questions arise over whether they’ll ever take that walk down the aisle, can a pair of swans help them find their way back to each other?
When Swans Dance continues the emotional saga of The Love Birds women’s romantic fiction series. If you like spunky heroines, tenacious heroes, and stories of rekindled love then you’ll adore Katie Eagan Schenck’s bittersweet tale.
Buy When Swans Dance to learn the steps today!
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads
When Cardinals Appear
The Love Birds Book 1
She has a promise to keep. But when her plans are thrown into a tailspin, will a persistent red bird show her how to let her dreams take flight?
Lanie McAllister is ready to move on. Wrestling with her mom’s death, the young woman just wants to settle the estate and soar off for good to her boyfriend in California—far away from painful memories. But she suspects the lucky cardinal she keeps seeing is trying to send a message when a flat tire puts her back in the path of the man who broke her heart.
With fate constantly throwing the man her mother always hated in her way, Lanie can’t seem to shake the wounds of the past. And when her current love makes a serious misstep and she discovers her ex harbors a secret, she starts to rethink what will make her truly happy.
Questioning her vow to her mother to never look back, is the cardinal a clue Lanie’s true happiness is hiding in plain sight?
When Cardinals Appear is the emotional first book in The Love Birds women’s romantic fiction series. If you like heroines who grow, overcoming loss, and second chances, then you’ll adore Katie Eagan Schenck’s bittersweet tale.
Buy When Cardinals Appear to read the signs today!
**Only .99cents!**
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads
Katie Eagan Schenck writes sweet romance and women’s fiction that warms the heart and gives all the feels. She has an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte and her debut novel, A Home for Christmas, was released in October of 2022. When she’s not writing she’s either drafting regulations for the federal government, baking delicious treats, or binging Hallmark movies. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and their three cats.
FOX TALE
FOX TALE
by Karen Hulene Bartell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Heights terrify Ava. When a stranger saves her from plunging down a mountain, he diverts her fears with tales of Japanese kitsune—shapeshifting foxes—and she begins a journey into the supernatural.
She’s attracted to Chase, both physically and metaphysically, yet primal instincts urge caution when shadows suggest more than meets the eye.
She’s torn between Chase and Rafe, her ex, when a chance reunion reignites their passion, but she struggles to overcome two years of bitter resentment. Did Rafe jilt her, or were they pawns of a larger conspiracy? Are the ancient legends true of kitsunes twisting time and events?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
I applied my makeup with an artist’s hand, blending three shades of eyeshadow and going heavy on the mascara. Then I slipped into the black cocktail dress I’d bought for the occasion–a fusion of chic and slutty.
Wish I knew what Rafe planned for my birthday. Dinner at an upscale restaurant? Pub food at a sports bar?
“A surprise,” was all he’d said.
What’s the fine line between dressed to kill and overdressed? Glancing at the mirror, I glimpsed the exposed décolletage, then examined my naked left hand. More importantly, is tonight the night? After dating for three years, the conversation had finally turned to rings and weddings, and with graduation a month away, I was eager to take the next step.
At six o’clock sharp, I sat by the door, butterflies fluttering in my belly.
Ten minutes passed, fifteen. I texted him. An hour later, I called. When he didn’t pick up, I left a voicemail.
At eight o’clock, I checked my email. No messages, no texts–radio silence.
At nine o’clock, I removed my makeup, the black, smoky taupe, mauve, and greige streaks on the cotton pad mirroring my mood. After showering, I picked at soggy leftovers as I studied my bare left hand. Leftovers…
When the phone dinged, I flinched. Rafe?
Mia–Guess who’s at Tootsie’s? And Rafe’s not alone. What’s going on?–
I sat back, stunned. He wouldn’t break up with me on my birthday–without even the courtesy of telling me–would he?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Author of the Trans-Pecos and Sacred Emblem series, Karen is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life, who writes multicultural, offbeat love stories. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved often, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Connect with Karen:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell
MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell
Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. .
Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q & A With …
Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist?
Yes, there occupational hazards to being a novelist. Because some of my characters have met with suspicious demises, I have an online search history that (hopefully doesn’t but) probably does put me on some sort of FBI-CIA-NSA watch list.
For instance, in Fox Tale, I researched suicide by jumping from dangerous locations, drug overdoses, the Japanese Yakuza (organized crime syndicate), and Senicide (the abandoned of elderly relatives).
So far in Silkworm, my current WIP, I’ve researched how surface warships bomb the land with chemical warheads, as well as how fast DF-27 hypersonic missiles could invade Taiwan. I’ve investigated J-11 and J-16 fighter jets, H-6 bombers, YU-20 military transport planes, Mirage 2000-5 fighters, S-35s, and AWACS surveillance aircraft. I’ve looked up how to assassinate people with guns hidden in umbrellas and how to tell the difference between standard military codes and “friendly” IFF codes to clear planes into China’s airspace. I’ve learned how to hollow out electrolytic capacitors and set detonating caps for plastic explosives inside them to demolish a concrete wall to assassinate a character.
So one occupational hazard of being a novelist is wondering if you’re on any FBI-CIA-NSA watch list—okay, on which list(s).
What’s your favorite fruit?
Pomegranates are a holiday fruit that never disappoints. Once I learned how to cut and deseed them, I began enjoying their arils in salads and charcuteries.
But before I cut into these luscious fruits, I love to display them with my Autumn, Thanksgiving, and early Christmas decorations. Their beautiful cranberry-red color adds a seasonal touch to the earthy fall colors, as well as counterpoints to the Christmas greenery.
So why are pomegranates my favorite fruit? Because they’re great for both seasonal decoration and fancy cheese, fruit, and meat platters.
How many people have you done away with over the course of your career?
How many people or characters have I knocked off? I’m happy to say I haven’t killed any person over the course of my career, but I have done away with numerous characters.
In Fox Tale, one of the final scenes takes place in Japan’s Aokigahara (Suicide Forest). As you might guess, two characters are lured to their deaths, while a third struggles with the decision to jump to her death.
Kissing Kin (which is being released three weeks ahead of Fox Tale) is a multigeneration novel, so several characters pass away, but I haven’t even dispatched an antagonist in that novel.
However, my current WIP, Silkworm, is a suspense intrigue thriller–a departure from my more usual genre–paranormal romance. In its story, Sino-American diplomatic relations decline as tensions between Taiwan and China intensify. So far, I’ve killed off three characters in that novel, and another three are missing and presumed dead. Who knows how many more I’ll end up dispatching before I’m through 😉
Ever dispatched someone and then regretted it?
Can’t say I’ve ever regretted dispatching a character, but I do think long and hard before writing any scene where I kill someone off. (I hate to rewrite.)
Uptown Flava BK Style
Uptown keeps making it, and Brooklyn keeps taking it.
Uptown Flava BK Style
by Shamarie Knight
Genre: Urban Fiction
Uptown keeps making it, and Brooklyn keeps taking it.
The long-standing rivalry between Harlem and Brooklyn persists at the High School of Environmental Studies, where the flashy Fly Boys of Harlem and the grimy Crooklyn Crew from Brooklyn are in constant conflict.
The tension is palpable, and when their beef gets personal, the outcome of their inevitable clash is uncertain. However, one thing is sure – it will not be a pleasant sight.
Shamarie Knight was born and raised in East Harlem, New York, and after graduating from the High School for Environmental Studies in 2000, he decided to continue his education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) to study Business. Later, Shamarie transferred to City College of New York in 2005, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Science with a minor in Creative Writing, which he completed in 2009.
Throughout my life, I have always been passionate about writing. I draw inspiration from various mediums such as television shows, movies, music, music videos, and books. Writing allows me to express myself freely on paper and share my ideas. It’s not just a hobby but a way of life for me. If you want to read more of my work, you can check out some of my other pieces on Medium.com. Be blessed, and stay safe.
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
Liars in Hell
In Hell, everyone’s pants are on fire.
Liars in Hell
A Heroes in Hell Anthology
by Janet Morris
Genre: Dark Fantasy Anthology
In Hell, everyone’s pants are on fire.
Hell is a real place. Anyone who has broken a commandment winds up there. That’s pretty much everybody.
Satan is the boss. You’re okay until you’re not. But never fear, all your friends are here. As well as everyone you’ve ever heard of.
For what they have been up to lately, be sure to check in. Thrill to new stories by Hell’s damnedest: Janet Morris, Andrew P Weston, Michael H. Hanson, S. E. Lindberg, Joe Bonadonna, Chris Morris, and Richard Groller.
The Seven Degrees of Lying – Janet Morris & Chris Morris
The Liar, the Witch, and the Ward Robes – Andrew P. Weston
Bait and Switch – S.E. Lindberg
Fibbers in Hell – Michael H. Hanson
The Münchhausen Trilemma – Richard Groller
Hell’s Bells – Joe Bonadonna
School of Night – Janet Morris & Chris Morris
**On Sale for Only $2.99 until the end of the month!**
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris. He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Bookbub
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
choice of print or ebook copy of Liars in Hell,
$10 Amazon giftcard
– 1 winner each!
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Season of the Runer
The dead are rising
Season of the Runer: The Trial of Two
Season of the Runer Book 1
by Abigail Linhardt
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery
The endless road and life of a monster-hunting Runer has gone stale for Tzarik and death is the only alternative. Tired of risking his life for the prejudiced people of Al’Myrah, it’s time to just let go. The only thing that stands in his way: A Runer cannot take his own life, breaking his oath to the dark magic that binds him to the hunt.
When a warlord from the far east threatens her family, Sybal, a young diamond mine heiress with a lavish lifestyle, takes action to protect her family and estate. But when her crime is witnessed, she must stand trial for murder. To save her own life, Sybal calls for a trial by Runing—a dangerous and often fatal dark pact with unknown magic.
Thrown together by law and dark magic oaths, Tzarik and Sybal find themselves entangled with an eldritch force when alone necromancer hell-bent on devastation, rises up, and ravages the eastern continents. Tzarik must conquer his desire for his own demise and train the empathic Sybal to save the people from a risen death.
WRITER’S DIGEST AWARDS HONORABLE MENTION WINNER
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads
Abi works part-time as a freelance ghostwriter, editor, audiobook narrator, and is one half of the partnership that owns Altered Reality Magazine. She hopes to one day make these passions her full-time job while she hunts for the next bohemian adventure.
She has published works of fiction, poetry, academia, and even won awards for her short stories in science fiction and horror. Her novel, The Trial of Two, was named an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 2021 self-publishing awards and won first place in the dark fantasy category in The BookFest Awards. Abi is also a proud mom of ferrets. She currently resides in Kansas.
She is one of nine children–all of whom share the creative spark.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the blitz HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
Ziggy’s Cigar
This one’s for the night owls of the world.
Ziggy’s Cigar
by Tony and Nicole Nesca
Genre: Graphic novel, Literary Fiction
One night in the life of a security guard in an inner-city highrise.
Full of after-midnight eccentrics and fringe-dwelling street people, this one’s for the night owls of the world.
Searching for Rebellion: Two Indie Authors Form Edgy Publishing Company
Tony Nesca and Nicole I. Nesca have one question – where have all the fearless artists gone? Unable to find a mainstream publishing outfit that suited their taste for grittier writing, the Nescas formed their own – Screamin’ Skull Press.
For the Beat Generation, controversy was the norm, not the exception. Creators like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Lucien Carr courted debate and made careers out of pushing the proverbial envelope with their poems, books, music and other creative expressions. Living on the fringes of society was considered to be more exciting and fulfilling than conforming to the mainstream.
Authors and married couple Tony and Nicole Nesca feel connected to that Generation through their own work, and their innate understanding of what it means to be artists whose work cannot be deemed ‘conventional’ by anyone’s standards.
Currently writing, editing and publishing their works through their self-publishing venture, Screamin’ Skull Press, Tony Nesca and Nicole Nesca have both cultivated individual styles but have the same mission.
“To be frank, we see too much pushed out into the world today that is bland and formulaic,” says Tony Nesca, whose unique, humorous and lyrical sixth novel, ‘Hobo’ is out now. “Every other book is a rip-off of another rip-off. The bookstores are packed with these endless vampire stories and dystopian fairy tales. Where is our Anais Nin? Our Hunter S. Thompson?” Our Virginia Woolf?
Screamin’ Skull Press exclusively publishes the worrk of the Nescas – raw, electric and with a free flowing mix of prose and poetry, their books are explorations of freedom, art, death, love, literary experimentation and living how one chooses.
“We knew that mainstream publishers wouldn’t have the courage to publish the kind of work that we want to create,” says Nicole Nesca. “It’s interesting – sometimes we wonder, could Henry Miller or Hemingway find success in today’s market?
It’s as if bravery is a dirty word in literature. Fearlessness, to me, is everything to a writer. Although we have our own styles, I think that’s one thing that Tony and I saw in each other when we met – that drive to find truth and peel back the layers in our own work.”
“I think we first fell in love with each other’s writing,” says Tony. “Which was a fitting beginning to our story.”
Tony Nesca and Nicole I. Nesca have published 19 distinct works through their Indie Press, and their journey toward a more rebellious future for literature continues.
Website * Facebook * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
Darker
Nine lives might not be enough…
Darker
Maw of Mayhem MC Book 2
by AK Nevermore
Genre: Paranormal MC Erotic Romance
So much for sanctuary.
Kit Parson doesn’t feel any safer than she was before she first stepped into the Maw of Mayhem, and things are going from bad to worse. Something big is definitely going down in the paranormal community… and inside Kit. Now that her inner beast has awoken, all it wants is out. The only thing Kit wants is Grim, but he’s got issues of his own.
Fingered for a crime he didn’t commit and injured by the witch’s spell, his cat Darke has control of their form. He doesn’t play well with others, and tensions with the crew are at an all-time high.
With the witches’ elite assassins on their trail, can Darke and the crew put aside their differences to keep Kit safe and get back to the MC? And as the clock ticks toward the vote with Grim’s reputation in shambles, will there be an MC to go back to?
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads
Grimdarke
Maw of Mayhem MC Book 1
Out of options and on the run after her psychotic father’s released from prison, Kit Parson heads to the only place she might be safe from him, the Maw of Mayhem MC. The unexpected move buys her time, but also puts her at risk. Surrounded by shifters, her inner cat begs to be released, and after witnessing a brutal attack on her mother as a child, she refuses to let the monster out. Totally doable, provided no bodily fluids are ever exchanged.
That takes the MC’s hot-as-hell VP, Grimdarke James, officially off the table. Mourning the recent murder of the club’s alpha and struggling to control his inner cat, the tattooed Viking god is on thin ice. If he goes feral again, he’ll be put down. Which makes his cat’s insistence that Kit belongs to him problematic, upsetting the delicate balance of the MC’s internal politics, and the woman blackmailing Grim.
But when Kit’s father catches up with her, Grim has no choice but to trust his cat, and Kit can’t deny their chemistry. Can they hold on to each other when everything is trying to tear them apart? After a gruesome triple murder propels them deeper into the paranormal world, they find themselves with unlikely allies, even as their enemies threaten to destroy everything they hold dear.
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads
**FREEBIE ALERT!**
Get the Prequel story, The Maw of Mayhem FREE!
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/am476oiskk
Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time.
She pays the bills editing, wielding a wicked hot pink pen and writing a column on SFF. She also belongs to the Authors Guild, is a chapter treasurer for the RWA, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$20 Amazon
Faeries Don’t Lie
Can Two Worlds Survive an Augury?
Faeries Don’t Lie
Heart of the Worlds Book 1
by TF Burke
Cover by Cristina Tanase
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Can Two Worlds Survive an Augury?
Releasing a Chandarion’s god-like magic into the world isn’t what sixteen-year-old Aunia, the village’s outcast, intends. She only wants to impress Mathias, a visiting seventeen-year-old pegasus flyer, who fiercely believes the choice—either Faery or Mortal world surviving—has come.
Her action calls forth the Boggleman, a soul-sucking ghoul, who abducts her dad, eats her faery friends, and sets Dagel demons on her isolated village. And worse.
The worlds of Ahnu-Endynia are full of faeries, pegasi flyers, myths, secrets, and themes of belonging, despite being misunderstood. And if you don’t watch carefully . . . You might be pulled into the Betwixt. . . the space between the worlds.
TF Burke currently works with NYT David Farland’s Apex-Writers as an admin and marketing specialist, where she schedules industry leaders for weekly multi-Zoom calls, provides content for social posts, and hosts several writer-focused Zooms.
Her published works includes hundreds of newspaper articles, blog posts across various platforms, anthologies, including MURDERBUGS, the second volume of the Unhelpful Encyclopediam a collection of short stories in WHIRL OF THE FAE, and the first book of the Heart of the Worlds Series, FAERIES DON’T LIE.
When not writing or wearing other hats, she can be found with a sword and a dagger in her hands for medieval-style fencing tournaments and melees, something she’s been doing since 2010.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
C.A. Milson 