Monthly Archives: October 2019
VBT – A SICKNESS IN THE SOUL
A Sickness in the Soul: An Ashmole Foxe Georgian Mystery
by William Savage
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GENRE: Historical Mystery
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BLURB:
“Many people wear masks. Some to hide their feelings; some to conceal their identity; and some to hide that most hideous plague of mankind: a sickness in the soul.”
Ashmole Foxe, Norwich bookseller, man-about-town and solver of mysteries will encounter all of these in this tangled drama of hatred, obsession and redemption.
This is a story set in the England of the 1760s, a time of rigid class distinctions, where the rich idle their days away in magnificent mansions, while hungry children beg, steal and prostitute themselves on the streets. An era on the cusp of revolution in America and France; a land where outward wealth and display hide simmering political and social tensions; a country which had faced intermittent war for the past fifty years and would need to survive a series of world-wide conflicts in the fifty years ahead.
Faced with no less than three murders, occurring from the aristocracy to the seeming senseless professional assassination of a homeless vagrant, Ashmole Foxe must call on all his skill and intelligence to uncover the sickness which appears to be infecting his city’s very soul.
Can Foxe uncover the truth which lies behind a series of baffling deaths, from an aristocrat attending a ball to a vagrant murdered where he slept in a filthy back-alley?
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EXCERPT
All might have continued on its stable course had not a day arrived when a stranger came to the house. Earlier that morning, Dr Danson informed Archibald Gunton, the butler, to his considerable surprise, that he was expecting a visitor. When he arrived, the butler was told, he must be admitted immediately and without question. He would await the man in his library.
The man came and spent barely twenty minutes with Dr Danson. No one saw or heard him leave. It was not until the butler entered the library about an hour later that he found the reason. His master lay slumped back in his chair, his mouth and eyes wide open. On his face, there was an expression that the butler later described to his mistress as being ‘as if he had looked into hell itself’. At his feet were his wig and a small dagger; the one which he usually kept on his desk. There was blood on the left side of his chest. It was obvious at once that the Reverend Dr Jonathon Danson, scholar of the occult and seeker after hidden knowledge, was dead.
As the news spread in the neighbourhood, two schools of opinion formed. The majority, considering Dr Danson’s circumstances, announced that it was plainly a domestic crime. An elderly rich husband takes a pretty, young wife, who was penniless before he married her. ‘Murder!’ they whispered amongst themselves. ‘Stands to reason, don’t it?’ A sizeable number reached a different conclusion; one based on rumours of the man’s strange interests. ‘Witchcraft!’ they muttered, or ‘devilry!’ Either way, that group were certain the powers of evil had come to claim one of their own.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
I started to write fiction as a way of keeping my mind active in retirement. Throughout my life, I have read and enjoyed hundreds of detective stories and mystery novels. One of my other loves is history, so it seemed natural to put the two together. Thus began two series of murder mystery books set in Norfolk, England.
All my books are set between 1760 and around 1800, a period of turmoil in Britain, with constant wars, revolutions in America and France and finally the titanic, 22-year struggle with Napoleon.
The Ashmole Foxe series takes place at the start of this time and is located in Norwich. Mr Foxe is a dandy, a bookseller and, unknown to most around him, the mayor’s immediate choice to deal with anything likely to upset the peace or economic security of the city.
The series featuring Dr Adam Bascom, a young gentleman physician caught up in the beginning of the Napoleonic wars, takes place in a variety of locations near the North Norfolk coast. Adam builds a successful medical practice, but his insatiable curiosity and knack for unravelling intrigue constantly involve him in mysteries large and small.
I have spent a good deal of my life travelling in Britain and overseas. Now I am more than content to write stories and run a blog devoted to the world of Georgian England, which you can find at http://www.penandpension.com. You can also follow me on Twitter as @penandpension.
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RZBGQ0K
The Ashmole Foxe Mysteries
All https://penandpension.com/my-writing#foxe
The Ashmole Foxe Mysteries http://bit.ly/2Abn1Ks
The Fabric of Murder http://relinks.me/B00W3SDJW8
Dark Threads of Vengeance http://relinks.me/B01FPQ2Q1Y
This Parody of Death http://relinks.me/B06XDNY81B
Bad Blood Will Out http://relinks.me/B079RCVQ4X
Black as She’s Painted http://relinks.me/B07H1SZN37
A Sickness in the Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WF3Y4VJ
Getbook.at/SoulSickness
The Dr Adam Bascom Mysteries
All https://penandpension.com/my-writing#bascom
The Dr Adam Bascom Mysteries http://bit.ly/2k43dSQ
An Unlamented Death http://relinks.me/B00RXGWIY0
The Code for Killing http://relinks.me/B01A2BY1LU
A Shortcut to Murder http://relinks.me/B01M1R78L3
A Tincture of Secrets and Lies http://relinks.me/B075LM2TZP
Death of a Good Samaritan https://relinks.me/B07NLCGK2Y
Blog
Pen and Pension: http://bit.ly/1Kb1Q4k
Author Page
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RZBGQ0K
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3161/
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WILLIAM SAVAGE: INTERVIEW
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Hard to say. Probably rum and raisin, or perhaps pistachio.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
This is hard. Most of them are unpleasant in one way or another. Perhaps the best I can do is say I’d most like to be a dragon. In Japanese mythology they’re symbols of good fortune. If I were a dragon, I’d also be able to fly and (better whisper here) incinerate anyone who annoyed me.
First book you remember making an indelible impression on you.
I can’t say any book has done this. I read all the time and only occasionally go back and re-read something. I can think of books which have caused me to think more deeply about things, and others which have affected me emotionally. But none have done this in a way you might call indelible. I’m simply too ready to change my mind about things in the light of new ideas or evidence. Clinging to something, however dear it has been, gets in the way of finding something else new and exciting.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
With a good deal of mental labour, in the case of a plot. I come up with scores of ideas, then throw most of them away. In the end, what emerges is usually an amalgam of a whole lot of initial thoughts, greatly amended and expanded as the writing progresses.
Characters are much easier. I decide I need someone and the broad outlines of who they are and what they’re like. Then I head onwards and wait until the new character has to speak. Once they do, it’s as if I can hear them in my head. What they say and how they say it tells me just about everything I need to know about them, so I go back and fill in any blanks I left when they first came into the story. Readers often say I am niggardly with physical descriptions of characters. That’s true. I do it deliberately. When I read a story, the characters come alive in my mind and I know what they look like. It really bugs me when the author starts to describe them in detail, because the written description rarely fits how I imagine them. If an author does this too much, I either skip over all such passages of description or throw the book down in disgust! I’d hate for this to happen with my readers, so I almost make them imagine my characters’ appearance in whatever way they want. That’s going to make it more vivid and more satisfying than listening to something I’ve been forced to come up with because it’s expected of me.
Describe your writing space.
I don’t have one space. Sometimes I sit in an easy chair with my laptop on a tray. Sometimes I sit at my (very cluttered) desk and write on my desktop machine. Sometimes I get a sudden thought, or a sudden piece of dialogue which needs to be written down, and I grab my iPad and do it there. I keep everything on Dropbox, so I can access it from any of the computers I use. For long stretches of writing, I use specialist word-recognition software on yet another laptop and dictate instead of typing.
VBT – IN OVER HER HEAD
In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety
by Krysten Lindsay Hager
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GENRE: YA
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BLURB:
Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her.
Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?
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EXCERPT
“Good luck at the photo shoot tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll be great.”
I stared out the window on the ride back to the hotel taking in all the sites. As I walked into the hotel I felt a new air of confidence. Instead of just reading about someone going out with a pop star to some fabulous rooftop hotel restaurant and being in the big city, I was living it. This was my life and not some YA book heroine’s. Tomorrow I was off on a modeling shoot. I was living a dream and proving how I was ready for a big life. This was my destiny. I could do this.
****
My alarm went off and at the same time an alarm went off in my brain saying, no, I could not do this. What was I thinking? Me, model? That’s where people take photos of you for the sole purpose of other people looking at them, which encouraged judgement and evil comments. People don’t just keep those comments to themselves anymore. Oh no, they grab their phone or laptop or whatever device helps them spew out unhelpful and cruel comments on people’s appearances online for all the world to see.
My stomach felt like spewing all over the nice hotel sheets I was wrapped in. Why did I ever think I was up for this? Those strangers online would destroy me within seconds. Girls like Harlow who were born with an undeniable beauty could do stuff like this and even then, I had seen strangers criticize her online when she posted selfies.
Being anxious always made all my senses go nuts. I ate two slices of toast and then my stomach did a weird flipping thing. Oh no, not today. Looking over at the clock I realized it was almost time for us to leave. Come on, stomach. You’re fine. Just relax and…nope, time to hit the bathroom. Why can’t I just be a big girl and go to this stupid shoot which most girls would kill to do without my stomach freaking out?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends…Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, Competing with the Star, Dating the It Guy, and Can Dreams Come True. True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book and the Dayton Book Expo Bestseller Award for childen/teens. Competing with the Star is a Readers’ Favorite Book Award Finalist. Landry in Like is a Literary Classics Gold Medal recipient.
Krysten’s work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily News and on Living Dayton.
Author links:
Website: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRYS65N/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VRYS65N
Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07VRYS65N
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07VRYS65N
Amazon IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07VRYS65N
Book One: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Come-True-Cecily-Taylor-ebook/dp/B079S3KJSH
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Krysten Lindsay Hager will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thanks for being here Krysten. Tell us about you as a person.
I love reading, music, getting lost in a good show, and mysteries. I read the modern Nancy Drew books to escape my own crazy world and to turn my brain off from writer mode.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
I would love to spend time with Seth MacFarlane to see his creative process because “American Dad” is one of my favorite shows. I’d also like to spend the day with Gloria Steinem and just listen to her talk. She has some amazing observations. I saw her speak in 2016 and she was saying we should talk to other people with different views than us to learn what’s important to them.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
It all came from wondering what if a regular teen had the opportunity to have her dreams of being an actress and dating her favorite pop star both come true. However, I wanted to have it happen in a realistic way with all the thoughts you’d have if you were really in the situation—like when the pop star tells her something about his life and she has to hold back saying, “I already know,” so she doesn’t look like a creepy stalker! Who wouldn’t want to see what it was like to live the life of your dreams and date your favorite pop star?
What is your writing process?
I listen to music when I’m what I call “noodling” on the story to inspire me. Right now, for the next book in the Cecily Taylor story I’m listening to a lot of Matt Pokora and Calum Scott. I also use this Focus essential oil that has peppermint in it before I start working. Then I go where the story takes me.
Tell us about your main character:
Cecily is a teen who has always wanted to act and knows she could do it if she just had the chance. Then the opportunity presents itself and she proves herself. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she can be vulnerable and anxious, and she’s also very loyal in love and friendship and in this book those loyalties are tested (separately) with both her boyfriend and her best friend, Lila. She has to learn to deal with insecurity and anxiety on her journey in this big life she’s thrown into. She’s funny and writing her observations about life and fame are one of my favorite parts of this series.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I’d love to see Laura Marano, Selena Gomez, or Demi Lovato, play her. I think they all would capture her vulnerability as well as her strength. Noah Centineo or Rob Pattinson could play Andrew Holiday the pop star. Lana Condor could play Lila the best friend character. Ariana Grande as Isla the pop singer would be perfect.
What are you working on next?
Right now, I’m working on the next book in the Cecily Taylor Series which has Cecily going back to New York and she’s acting in a music video for a different singer. I’m working on another YA book as well as some adult romantic comedies.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Be yourself on social media. People want to know the real you and not the person you think they want to see.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
Wired to Create. It talks about attributes and habits of creative people. I had a parent contact me about her teenage daughter who liked my books. She mentioned her daughter was a creative type and it made her nervous. She said she didn’t really know how to approach things with her and I recommended this book. She later told me they both loved it.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I have really crazy intuition to the point where people now listen and ask if I have weird vibes about anything. Sometimes I tell someone about a random dream and later that day that exact thing will happen.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
I’m torn between being able to bilocate because I hate traveling and my other one would be to be invisible. I’m snoopy by nature, so think of all the stuff I could overhear.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- I missed out on getting to hear Cathy Guisewite speak and get a book signed by her when she was in my city, so that’s on there
- I’d like to have one of my books made into a show or movie
- I want to publish more books in different genres
- I’d like to learn to speak Polish
- To read the whole Bible
Any final thoughts?
Yes, Gloria Steinem once said, “one of the simplest paths to deep change is for the less powerful to speak as much as they listen, and for the more powerful to listen as much as they speak.” That quote is on my mind a lot these days and I’d like to share it with your readers.
Book Blast – THE SEDUCTION OF LADY PHOEBE
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the faint of heart . . .
Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze . . .
For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control . . .
Read an Excerpt
Phoebe walked briskly into the large, sunny breakfast room, the train of her pale green nankeen riding habit draped over one arm.
She greeted her brother, Geoffrey, the sixth Earl of Cranbourne. “Good morning.”
When he looked up from his newssheet and met her gaze, Phoebe saw the fatigue etched in his face.
“Oh, you poor dear,” she said. “Is it the baby?” Miles was Geoffrey and his wife, Amabel’s six-month-old son.
“Yes,” Geoffrey replied. “He’s getting his first tooth. I dare say, had I’d known he would be in this much pain, I would have recommended to him that he not bother.”
Grinning, Phoebe said, “I am sure he would have appreciated the advice.”
Geoffrey handed her a section of the newssheet, and they sat in companionable silence until her sister-in-law joined them.
After pouring a cup of tea, Amabel asked Phoebe, “When do you leave for Town?”
She swallowed a piece of toast. “Next week.”
“I do wish I could go with you,” Amabel said.
“What a whisker!” Phoebe smiled. “You have no desire at all to go to London and dance attendance on me, and, indeed, I have no wish for you to have to do so. I am quite content to stay with my Aunt St. Eth. I much prefer the political parties the St. Eths attend.”
Her sister-in-law pulled a face. “But they are so dry.”
Phoebe laughed when Amabel wrinkled her nose. “I know, for you the subject is a dead bore, but I enjoy it extremely.”
Her sister-in-law frowned. “My dear, how will you ever find a husband if you are attending only political parties?”
“It is not as if there are no unmarried gentlemen at the parties,” Phoebe retorted. “Besides, I daresay I have met every unmarried gentleman the length and breadth of England. Not one has given me the smallest desire to marry. Perhaps I shall set up a salon and become a famous bluestocking.”
Her sister-in-law’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You cannot mean that!”
Phoebe tried to hide her exasperation. “I know you’ve tried very hard to bring about a match for me. I wish you would not persist. I shall marry when I find a gentleman I can love and not before.”
“But you must marry,” Amabel said. “You are almost twenty-four, and you are much too beautiful to become a spinster.”
“I am well aware of my age,” Phoebe said as mildly as she could. “I’m not on the shelf yet.”
After taking a sip of tea, Amabel said airily, “I have invited my brother to visit us.”
Phoebe creased her brows. “Evesham? I thought he was too ill to travel.”
“No, Arthur is indeed too ill,” her sister-in-law said. “I have invited my other brother, Marcus. He shall arrive in three days’ time.”
“Lord Marcus?”
Amabel hesitated before continuing, “He needs to marry now, and I immediately thought of you.”
At the mention of Lord Marcus Finley, Phoebe’s stomach clenched, and the humiliation she had not felt in years burbled within her, feeding her anger.
She took a breath and calmly but firmly said, “I have met Lord Marcus, we did not suit. Amabel, pray excuse me. I have just remembered something I must do.”
Phoebe rose and left the room. Upon entering her chamber, she closed the door with a snap. The control with which she had been holding herself threatened to unravel. Lord Marcus Finley was back.
Myriad feelings of fear, hurt, and despair assailed her. It confused her to feel almost as raw as she had eight years ago when he’d shattered her childish romantic ideas. She had pushed him out of her mind then and, other than the bad dreams, had not purposely thought of him since.
She’d hoped never to hear his name again and certainly did not want to meet him. She’d learned to protect herself, but still mourned her loss of innocence he’d stolen. She would not weep over Lord Marcus. No good could come of thinking of him. Forgetting that day had been easier when he had been safely across the ocean.
Phoebe breathed deeply and strode to her writing desk, a beautiful cherry secretaire. She furiously mended her nib then took a piece of hot-pressed paper, dipped the pen in the standish, and wrote her first letter to her aunt, the Marchioness of St. Eth.
About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.
She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Great Dane. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She’s currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.
Ella loves when readers connect with her.
Author Contact and Social Media:
Website: https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ
Buy Links for the Mass Market Paperback:
Kensington: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/38034
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe-Marriage-Game/dp/1420147285/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seduction-of-lady-phoebe-ella-quinn/1115119327
BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe/Ella-Quinn/9781420147285?id=7711374629459
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420147285
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Seduction-of-Lady-Phoebe-9781420147285/853764265
Ella Quinn will award a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Casting Call for Comedy Pilot – Manchester UK
We are looking for actors/extras/crew for a comedy pilot that will be pitched to various TV in UK, and also released on You Tube (Clips only) and released on Amazon.
The pilot episode is planned to be submitted to various film festivals in UK.
The pilot (of what is hoped to be a series) is based on the stage play of “The Community Centre”. A culturally diverse comedy, telling the hilarious stories of the likeable, entertaining characters.
Actors must be proactive in promoting the show on their social media accounts & also be skilled improvisers and have great comedy skills.
We are casting for various roles for both Cast and Crew.
Apply on StarNow: https://casting.starnow.com/listing/1040549/
Book Blast – HOUSE OF ASH AND BRIMSTONE
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Hell has come to collect…
…but Gisele Walker has no plans to pay the debt.
As a half-demon paranormal bounty hunter, Gisele is used to flirting with death, but stealing a curio and opening a portal to Hell’s demon court is more than your average day job.
Now, she’s partnered with an infuriatingly handsome demon, Shade, who has more levels of grey than she can count.
Who can she trust to help save the city as Baltimore burns to the ground and ghouls roam the streets?
With a white-hot attraction burning between them and secrets blocking their path, Gisele must face her past and venture into the twisted heart of the demon royal court.
But with no memory of her past…
…will she be able to save their future?
Read an Excerpt
He deepened the kiss with his need, eager for her. She felt his face flush hot beneath her hands.
She wanted to crawl on top of him, straddle him, and take things further. It was all she could do to hold back.
“Gigi.” He broke the kiss to murmur against her skin. “I’m not spying on you. I wouldn’t hurt you. I swear on my life. I know it doesn’t mean much, but—”
She stole his lips, using their third kiss to shut him up for a second time.
“I know,” she whispered, nose nuzzled against his cheek. “You protected me from the elghoul. Three times.”
She pulled back to study him, taking in the deep rise and fall of his chest. He looked back at her, for once unguarded and so filled with longing that she wondered how it could have taken her so long to see him for who he really was—for what he really wanted. She’d been so focused on her feelings of distrust, caught up in the fact that he was hiding something from her, that she’d neglected and ignored all the other things she’d felt.
“I believe you. But you also said you were going to kill me.”
His face fell. “If he orders it, I won’t be able to stop myself.”
She didn’t have to wonder who ‘he’ was. He could only be referring to the master he’d escaped from.
About the Author:
Megan Starks is the award-winning author of the Gatewalkers urban fantasy series and a game writer at Obsidian Entertainment. A Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, Writers Guild of America award nominee, and Pitch Wars alumna with an MFA in fiction, Megan enjoys reading and writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and fantasy novels. Whether it’s dark demons, brooding vampires, howling werewolves, or feisty witches, Megan loves it all.
When she’s not penning novels about magic and strong, kick-butt heroines, she enjoys playing video games and spending time with her husband and their cat, Sushi, in California.
Look for Night of Sunder & Sorrow, the sequel to House of Ash & Brimstone, coming in Spring 2020.
Get a free prequel to House of Ash & Brimstone by joining Megan’s mailing list at: http://www.fictivate.com/books
Crave more #Gatewalkers? For updates and to chat about writing, video games, coffee, and cute kitty-cats, come hang out on any of the author’s social media sites.
Social media links:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fictivate
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fictivate
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/fictivate
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16069896.Megan_Starks
Bookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/profile/2811299533
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Megan-Starks/e/B07YBKHQBV/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dwlkwf
Buy links: The book is $0.99 during the tour.
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/Gate1Amz
Amazon Print (won’t be live until released day): https://smarturl.it/Gate1AmzPrt
BN: https://smarturl.it/Gate1BN
Kobo: https://smarturl.it/Gate1Kobo
iBooks: https://smarturl.it/Gate1iBooks
GoodReads: https://smarturl.it/Gate1GR
Publisher (City Owl Press): https://smarturl.it/Gate1CO
Megan Starks will be awarding a prize pack of best-selling urban fantasy romance + a copy of House of Ash and Brimstone to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – ARIZONA CARESS
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Bobbi Smith will be awarding $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A dashing man from back east meets an unconventional Native American woman and they join hearts against all odds in this spellbinding tale of passion and western adventure from New York Times bestselling author Bobbi Smith.
Chance Broderick has plenty of charm and more than enough wealth, and his life among the Boston Brahmins offers plenty of tempting distractions. But when he receives word that his brother is in grave danger in the Arizona Territory, Chance dutifully travels west to help. There he finds wild, vast lawless lands full of surprises. But his greatest shock on the frontier is when he discovers that the tracker he’s hired is not the brash young boy he assumed, but a beautiful young Native American woman, Rori.
Raised by her Native American grandfather after the death of her white father and her Pima mother, Rori is an expert tracker who knows how to fend for herself. Chance is fascinated but she takes an instant dislike to him and nothing will satisfy her more than showing the arrogant man from back east a thing or two about how things are done on the frontier out west. Nothing could satisfy her more, that is, except the pleasure of his searing touch, his soft kisses. For Rori can’t help craving Chance as fiercely as he desires her and as they overcome the worlds of indifference and hostility which threaten to separate them, they find true love is their one destiny.
Read an Excerpt:
“Are you sure about this, Chance?” Doug asked his brother as they rode back to the Indian village.
“I’m sure. I made a promise to her grandfather to do my best for her, and I intend to do just that.”
A few villagers looked up as Chance and Doug rode back into the village and stopped in front of Rori’s lodge. Chance dismounted and strode forward to throw wide the door flap.
Rori was feeling sad and lonely. She was ready to pack up her few belongings and leave the Pima encampment, when she heard the sound of horses outside.
“Rori!” Chance called her name as he entered unannounced.
Rori never dreamed Chance would come back for her. His good-bye had been too final, too devastating. She stared at him in mute surprise, her defenses down.
Chance took one look around the lodge and knew he’d been right. She was unhappy and it was all his fault.
Rori was tired of fighting the loneliness that had haunted her since her grandfather’s death. For just that moment, she allowed herself to believe Chance had come back because he wanted her. She stared at him, her heart beating painfully. His next words to her were so callous and demanding that they jarred her from her young girl’s reverie.
“You’re coming with me,” he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
At his commanding attitude, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. As much as she would have loved to throw herself into his arms, she refused to give in to the desire. She knew Chance, and she didn’t trust him.
“I ain’t going anywhere with you, Broderick!”
About the Author: After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.
Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million copies of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, the USA Today Best Seller List and the Wal-Mart Best Seller List.
The rights to Ms. Smith’s books have been sold to China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Russia and Sweden. Bobbi has also written two faith-based contemporary novels – Haven and Miracles – using the pseudonym Julie Marshall.
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Arizona-Caress-Feels-Heat-Embrace-ebook/dp/B07VXYYLBW/
Barnes and Noble buy link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arizona-caress-bobbi-smith/1102041555;jsessionid=86840DBE0CD46B6CCED8E6BA4FD05E53.prodny_store02-atgap07
Bobbi Smith will be awarding $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – THE MONDAY BOOK
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
In the midst of pain, Shari Ramming saw an opportunity to learn and create The Monday Book to help others find themselves in their brokenness. With personal evaluations, she guides you to wholeness. Shari lays out steps to finding the treasure in the trauma of life: Acknowledge, Honor, Connect, Practice, and finally, Open to receive the gift of the lesson. Her simple straight-forward advice for fixing whatever feels broken is “begin and continue.” It seems hard in practice, but in showing up for yourself, you’ll find small ways to daily love yourself and become the cure for your own brokenness. Her message puts your problems outside so you can interact with them in a productive way. By seeing everything and everyone as a reflection of yourself, you’ll become more compassionate toward yourself and everyone else. Open yourself up to the true and best you.
Read an Excerpt:
I closed my eyes to rest. However, I saw that a wound had been revealed to me. It wanted to be healed. Facing this would be a challenge but I knew it would be transformational. I had to be a champion of my own life, my own health. I had to address the deeper issue of what had caused my disease. With many months or doctor’s appointments, a dramatic change in diet, rest in spirit, and loving support from my closest people, I began to move into a new space of gentle love for myself. I was getting exactly what I needed to shift into healing mode. Even my doctor looked my husband straight in the eye and said, “Do not give Shari ANY emotional stress until she gets better.” Within weeks I was served with divorce papers. My husband told me he knew I was weak so he offered to drive me there to sign them.
About the Author:
Shari Ramming writes on a broad range of subjects. She feels there is a great intelligence that is not of the mind. Loving her three grown children fiercely she uses verve and wanderlust to make her home in Austin, Texas. She is still learning.
Website: http://www.shariramming.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shariramm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shariramm
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16559530.Shari_Ramming
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monday-Book-Shari-Ramming/dp/1733043691/ref=sr_1_1
The author is awarding a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
VBT – GOOD COP BAD COP
Good Cop Bad Cop
by Sallie Moppert
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GENRE: Mystery
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BLURB:
When his mother is beaten to death by his alcoholic stepfather, fourteen-year-old Samuel Marlowe is rescued from seeking revenge against him by a chance meeting with Officer Edwin Hill. The veteran policeman takes Sam under his wing and even becomes the boy’s foster father.
Sam becomes a cop and works alongside his beloved mentor until Edwin is killed in a shooting. Hailed as a hero for his actions in the case, Sam feels like anything but. He begins a dark descent away from the stand-up policeman he once was, turning to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain and his PTSD.
The police captain assigns Sam a partner hoping to salvage what is left of him by forcing him to become a good role model for the young recruit. Needless to say, Sam is not pleased with the arrangement, protesting it up until the moment Junior Detective Dahlia Bennett enters his life.
Will he try to shake her loose? Does her by-the-book ideals and strong moral code rub off on him? Will his relaxed attitude and views on true justice start to influence her? What will ultimately lead to the two becoming a solid team? When Dahlia declares she wants to reopen some cases believing that the wrong person was sent to prison, Sam tells her straight out that in doing so, she would be putting her life at risk. As Dahlia persists, Sam is faced with the ultimate decision: let Dahlia reopen the cases and discover his crimes, or kill her to keep her from learning the truth.
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EXCERPT
Brian stepped forward, opening the massive doors with ease, and walked straight into the sea of microphones, camera flashes, and video recorders. Roderick followed a few steps behind his loyal attorney and stood at his side as he waited for the onslaught of the inevitable media coverage that was a result of the trial’s conclusion.
“People, please,” Brian started to speak, holding his hands up to halt the millions of questions that were being voiced to him all at once.
Once the media crowd quieted down, Brian addressed them:
“I am pleased to announce that my client, Mr. Roderick Morgan, was found not guilty for the deaths of his parents, Walter and Cassidy Morgan. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan adopted Roderick and raised him as if he was their own flesh and blood. There was no way that he would repay their love and kindness by brutally murdering them as they lay sleeping in their beds.”
Roderick nudged Brian, who turned to look at him.
“May I?” he asked.
“Of course,” Brian said.
Roderick stepped in front of Brian to better face the endless crowd of media before him.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout this dreadful ordeal,” he said, speaking in the sweet and innocent tone that had helped him to win over the jury a short time ago.
Roderick’s gentle eyes and sincere expression then suddenly transformed to that of smugness accompanied by a sneer. “But that proves that you are all stupid as hell,” he said with a wink. “Because I got away with murder. Adios!”
Roderick pulled his designer sunglasses out of his designer suit coat pocket and put them on as his personal driver pulled up in front of the courthouse with his golden Maserati. The media watched in stunned silence as Roderick descended the concrete steps to his car, not a care in the world. Brian followed solemnly behind him, his head lowered in shame at the admission of guilt by his client.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A New York native, Sallie has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, with a Specialization in Forensic Science. A lifelong mystery fan, she has combined her love and passion for writing with her interests in criminal justice, law, and forensic science.
Sallie currently resides in New York with her family and her “zoo,” which includes two dogs, two guinea pigs, a betta fish and a leopard gecko. She works as a freelance writer/editor and a legal assistant.
WEBSITE: https://salliemoppert.wixsite.com/mysite
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Cop-Bad-Sallie-Moppert
ZIMBELL HOUSE: http://zimbellhousepublishing.com/product/good-cop-bad-cop/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GoodCopBadCopNovel
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66482800-sallie
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Sallie Moppert will be awarding one commenter with a $15 Amazon/BN GC+ 3 commenters will receive a prize pack consisting of pen, key chain, and magnet (US/Canada only) to randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC or a prize pack – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Sallie, thanks for being here today. Tell our readers about you.
I am a very eclectic person – my interests are all over the place! I am an animal lover (my family has two dogs, two guinea pigs, two dwarf hamsters, two betta fish and a leopard gecko), a martial artist (I have a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and am working toward my black belt in Isshinryu Karate), and I am a self-taught crafter (crochet, knitting, sewing, embroidery). I love rock music, pizza and sports, especially hockey, as well as video games. I am also in the process of teaching myself to read Japanese.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Agatha Christie, hands down. She is my favorite author by far. As both a fan and a mystery writer, it would have been amazing to learn directly from her. I am currently in the process of collecting and reading all of her works, so I still am learning from her in a roundabout way. Out of the last 10 or so books I’ve read, I think I figured out whodunit before the reveal maybe once. That’s unbelievably impressive and I would love to be able to harness even a fraction of that talent into my own works.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Good Cop Bad Cop is a series of short stories, each with its own mystery, that follows the life of Samuel Marlowe from his first days as a cop to his rise to become the top detective in the department and the pressures he faces to uphold the law or to take matters of justice into his own hands. Sam learns that justice isn’t always black and white and has to decide whether to use his position as the lead detective at the department to stay on the straight and narrow as a good cop or venture off as a bad cop. Of course, the road he takes for either path is full of obstacles and challenges-such as the shooting death of his mentor, breaking up a kidnapping and prostitution ring across the country, or having his high school reunion held up by a former bully out for revenge-along the way, enough to make him reconsider his choices before he is too far down a dark path with no return (dun-dun-dun! *insert dramatic music here*).
What is your writing process?
My writing process usually starts with some sort of prompt or idea. From there, I figure out a few characters and give them names. I give myself a brief sequence of events so I have a basic idea of how the story is going to progress and then my muse takes me by the hand (or pen) and leads me on a fun journey! I like to allow my stories to develop on their own and let the writing take me where it wills, sometimes to unexpected developments and plot twists. I love when that happens; no matter how long or how much I write, there is always something new that can be created or discovered, which is awesome.
Tell us about your main character:
Samuel Marlowe is the main character. I love being able to write his dialogue, especially later on in the book when he really becomes snarky and he and his partner banter like an old married couple. He’s the one character that I still find myself rooting for even when he gets himself in trouble; Sam’s not the typical character that if he does something wrong, I want him to get caught or to get his comeuppance. I still want him to be able to come out on top, no matter what it takes, and overcome all of the things that he has gone through. It’s interesting to be kind of cheering on the “bad guy,” if you want to call him that, since he’s definitely not a squeaky-clean run-of-the-mill hero guy (but I love him anyway). I think the best way I found to describe him was that Sam was the last person you’d want to deal with as a criminal, but the first person you’d want on your side if you were a victim.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I would definitely love for Peter Scanavino (Detective Carisi from Law & Order: SVU) to play Sam. When I was working on the first story ever to feature Sam, that’s what he ended up looking like as I visualized the story unfolding. After that, the image just kind of stuck. To see Sam played out by Peter Scanavino would be pretty surreal and amazing.
What are you working on next?
I have several additional stories featuring Sam and his partners that I am putting into another collection. Beyond that, I have two more characters from other stories that I will be revising so that their tales are structured more like Sam’s – I like being able to write multiple stories with the same characters. I get to learn a lot about them myself as I write and I enjoy seeing my characters take shape and develop. The next two characters are a private investigator and a police-officer-turned-wrongfully-convicted-felon.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
The internet is your friend! I am in no way a social or outgoing person, so I have little interest in social media. However, it is a key factor in getting the word out about your book. Networking is also crucial. If you come into contact with people in the business or have similar interests, keep them in mind. I worked at a newspaper for a while and, after I published my work, I was able to reach out to someone I formerly worked with at the paper and she was kind enough to have an article about my book published. Also, get involved with writing groups and clubs. There is a lot of good information out there that might be able to help you either succeed or show you what not to do in a situation. I think my last bit of advice would be to do your research – marketing takes planning and a lot of effort.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
One of my favorite books of all time is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I read it for the first time as a freshman in high school and have read it a few times since. I also played the PC version of the book. Even having read it multiple times, the storyline still captivates me and I am intrigued by the characters, as well as the question of justice put forth by the killer. Such an excellent read!
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I can mimic the voice of Jigglypuff and/or Ditto from Pokemon – does that count? I think it should count 🙂
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
The power to control time would be amazing and extremely helpful (especially when my alarm goes off in the morning – I could freeze time and then hit snooze for quite a few extra minutes!). Plus, it would be great to be able to go back in time or go forward in time. I can only imagine the possibilities!
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Travel to Japan
- Travel to England and visit the Agatha Christie house and take the Jack the Ripper tour
- See my favorite hockey team win a Stanley Cup
- Become fluent/be able to read in another language (specifically Japanese)
- Visit all 50 states
Where can readers find you on the web?
There’s a few places where readers can find me.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodCopBadCopNovel
Website: https://salliemoppert.wixsite.com/mysite
I’m also on Fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own and write stories for video games, television shows, etc. and readers can come check out my stories there too!
Any final thoughts?
Just to say thank you for letting me share my work and also that I sincerely hope you enjoy the book 🙂
C.A. Milson 