Monthly Archives: July 2020
Book Blast – OUR FRIENDSHIP MATTERS
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.
Leah and Sasha are 17-year-old friends who had been close to one another since elementary school, but as the summer approaches they find their friendship tested in ways they never anticipated.
Following graduation, Sasha’s privileged life and perception of the world around her is suddenly altered when an old childhood friend persuades her to join in a campaign against an injustice after his best friend is killed by a cop.
But joining the protest has unforeseen consequences for Sasha, distancing her from Leah, who becomes jealous of Sasha’s new friends and finds herself on the opposing side, protesting alongside her group of new white friends.
As the tension mounts between the two bitterly opposed factions, a tragedy strikes and threatens to make Sasha and Leah enemies. Can they find a way to resolve their differences, putting them to the side and learn to accept each other’s viewpoints? Or is their long friendship finished for good?
Read an Excerpt
As I pulled up into Ricardo’s driveway, Victoria and two other girls who attended Eastview were standing there holding signs that said, “Justice for Mitchell.” I was sweating more than ever. Scared of both the police and the girls I didn’t even know who were going to be getting into my car.
“I didn’t know you were doing signs. I would’ve made me one.”
Ricardo and some guys were busy placing things in the car’s trunk.
“Are you okay? The time is now,” said Ricardo.
“I’m ready but a little nervous, too.”
“You shouldn’t be nervous. All we are going to do is go downtown and making a statement that we want justice. Once we are done, we’ll come back home. I won’t let anything happen to you but, if something breaks out, I need you to look for Victoria and get in your car and go home. And if something happens to me, I need you to look for Victoria then go to my house and warn my peeps.”
As the girls got into my car, Victoria told me I could march, and chant the same thing they were planning on saying.
I was missing Leah. This could have been a positive moment that we could’ve shared together. I was still hoping she would come to her senses and realize that our fight from our disagreement was all crazy.
We arrived downtown, and I parked in the garage.
“Why didn’t you park on the streets?” Victoria said.
“My parents always told me to park in the garage so nothing would happen to my car.”
She laughed at me and said, “Well, you are driving a Mercedes. I would do the same if I had an expensive car.”
About the Author:
Kimberley is a professional early childhood educator. She was born in the small town of Saint George, South Carolina, on September 12, 1982. Graduated from Woodland High School in 2000, Benedict College in 2004 with B.S., Child & Family Development, and from Ashford University in 2013 with a Masters in Early Childhood Education.
After receiving her education and being a military spouse, she held several jobs as a preschool teacher and a preschool director, but she wanted to her education to use by writing children’s books. She wrote her first book in college for her children’s literature course. She has self-published several children books on Amazon.
Currently, she is branching off into writing fiction YA, NA, and A novels on issues in society. She loves writing and would not change it for nothing in this world She is now published by Rhetoric Askew. Kimberley is the author of Our Friendship Matters.
https://www.kimberleybjones.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKimberleyBJones
https://www.instagram.com/historyforpreschool/
https://twitter.com/KimberlyBJones1
http://amazon.com/author/kimberlyboydjones.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-boyd-jones-88454a56/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAtYkf97rt4IcvPGQDrwlAA
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/628634226
Kimberley B. Jones will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – SKETCHES OF LIFE
Sketches of Life
by A. Gavazzoni
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GENRE: Action-mystery-historical
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BLURB:
In the middle of WWII, France has surrendered to Germany, and young Lily, half French and half American, has her life turned upside down. A careless girl full of dreams, Lily must leave France and go to her father’s homeland, taking her mother with her. Lily’s mother becomes completely dependent upon her teenage daughter, and Lily is forced to grow up quickly. Trying her best to support them both, balancing work and dreams of continuing her studies, Lily meets her first love and discovers passion and betrayal on her way. Ninon is a survivor. Alone in the world, she works as an exotic dancer in a French cabaret called Le Passioné, where she moves her hips to put food on her plate until a new and dangerous opportunity is presented to her. Although Ninon has lost faith in love and God, life will show her surprises can be found around every corner. France, the United States, Spain, Austria, and Argentina present the backdrops for an epic tale of people trying to adapt to a world in turmoil—one that’s filled with secrets and surprises.
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EXCERPT
“I have a job proposition for you, one I think you may find interesting. After I tell you about that, if you are interested, I’ll tell how I know all about your life.”
“Job proposition?”
“I’m part of a group of people who track down criminals. We capture them and take them to meet Lady Justice. There are plenty of bad guys out there, and we need help finding them. We need agents.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A. Gavazzoni is a Brazilian writer, a former professor of law and has been a practicing lawyer for 28 years. Her first series of self-published novels, Hidden Motives: Behind the Door, Lara´s Journal and The Brilliant Game, won several writing contests, gathered five gold medals, one bronze medal, five honorable mentions and was finalist of many great contests (B.R.A.G medallion (Gold Medal); Book Excellence Awards (Two Gold medals); e-lite awards (Gold medal), Golden Book Award (Gold Medal); IPPY AWARDS (Bronze Medal), Readers Favorite (three honorable mentions); Paris Book Festival (Three honorable mentions); Eric Hoffer Book Award (Finalist); American Fiction Awards (Finalist); Indie Excellence Awards (Finalist); Independent Author Network (Finalist); Indie Excellence (Finalist); The IAN book of the year awards (Finalist); The Kindle-book award (semi-finalist).
Adriana speaks Portuguese (her native language), English, French and Spanish and she loves to travel. Adriana loves to cook for her friends, to dance the tango, to work out, she is a voracious reader and a proud dog’s mom of two girls, Juno and Charlotte.
http://www.agavazzoni.com/
https://www.instagram.com/adri_gavazzoni/
https://twitter.com/a_gavazzoni
https://www.facebook.com/A-Gavazzoni-513404948849469/
Book video: https://youtu.be/nG4e1ARxqR8
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sketches-Life-Gavazzoni/dp/1708164669/ref
The book will be $0.99.
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
A. Gavazzoni will be awarding $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 today, Adriana. Tell us about you as a person.
I’m a Brazilian writer, I’ve been an attorney for thirty years, and I’m passionate about life and people. I love to make new friends, especially if they think different from me, as I love to discuss other points of views, and a good debate always excites me.
I’m a traveler. I love to pack a suitcase, which I can do in five minutes no matter how long the trip is going to be, and I’m always up for a new adventure in a different country.
I’ve been an amateur astrologer for twenty years, and I have all the planets used in astrology tattooed on my back—I also have a tattoo of Orus’s eye and one a dragonfly.
Dogs and animals make my heart happy, and I love all animals because I can see such an innocence and purity in them that I can’t see in the rest of the world.
I have attention deficit with hyperactivity, so my mind never stops, and I’m very creative, but I’m also unstoppable as my hyperactivity forces me to stay on the move all time. Reading and writing are two of the few things able to bring peace to my life. I’ve been trying meditation lately, and it works, also, but only for about ten minutes.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Can I chose more than one? Alive or dead? Elvis Presley, because I always admired his songs and his voice, and I would like to ask him a few personal questions. Antonio Banderas. I’ve been crazy about him since I was twelve because I think he is sexy and handsome. Jane Fonda because she is the most beautiful woman ever, and I can relate to her, and I want to know her secret for being so wonderful at her age.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My book is about strong women, so all the fearless and strong women I’ve met in my life were an inspiration, starting by my grandmother. She was born in 1906, from Italian immigrant parents who married at the age of fifteen. She lived her life and became a teacher, even though she needed to travel on horseback more than twelve miles to get to school every day.
The book also talks about resilience and the ability some people have to overcome life’s unpredictable difficulties and hard times and survive, rather than allowing themselves to be destroyed by circumstances. I’ve seen many people destroyed because they lose the control of events, and some people who have suffered greatly because they refused to adapt. I wanted to convey the idea of “adapt or die” in this novel.
Mossad also inspired me to write the espionage scenes, as I love to read about that group of secret agents and their investigations around the world.
What is your writing process?
I wake up early in the morning and have breakfast while watching the spectacular view of a lake I have in my backyard. After that, I’m full of energy, and I brew myself a strong expresso—my poison—and review everything I wrote the day before. I make corrections, discard, or change things (usually a lot of things), and after that, I let my characters tell me their story and I write for one hour every day.
Sometimes, if I find time to write at night, I listen to music, but in the morning, I prefer “the song of silence” and absolute peace.
Tell us about your main character:
Ninon is my main character in Sketches of Life. She lost everything, and she is alone in the world. She needs to survive and put food on her plate. She refuses to be a prostitute because she feels that would dishonor the family she lost during WWII, but other than that, she will do anything to survive and to fulfill her dreams.
Ninon accepts a dangerous job, and she travels the world conducting various missions.
She is the example of how someone can survive no matter the circumstances and how a person can be stronger day by day when life shows them they have no control over the events.
She’s experienced great tragedy and betrayal, which has caused her lasting trauma, but life is so unpredictable, and there’s always hope for a happy ending.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
For my first novels (Hidden Motives Series), I know exactly who would play the roles, but for Sketches of Life I still haven’t seen any actors/actresses who I believe could play Lily or Ninon.
What are you working on next?
I’m writing the sequel for Sketches of Life.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Don’t write for others; write for yourself. Think about what you would like to find in a book and add those aspects to your story, and you will have a manuscript other people will want to read.
Also, stop procrastinating! Authors write, so go on and start writing.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
I’ve been reading nonfiction for some time, and one of my favorite books is The Blind Blogger’s NYC Adventures: + How You Can Make YOUR Dreams Come True, by Maxwell Ivey Jr. He is a blind writer and blogger, and his books always show the life of the most fearless person I’ve ever read about, someone who’s able to overcome all the obstacles life has thrown his way.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I’m a great listener, so people love to tell me about their lives, and I always have good advice for those in need. I think I have a shrink buried inside me.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
I would love to have the power of teleportation and the ability to go wherever I want in minutes. I do that a lot in my mind, but doing that physically would be the best.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Turn my novels into movies
- Travel to China
- Speak Mandarin
- Have a shelter for abandoned dogs
- Study cooking at Cordon Bleu
Video
https://youtu.be/nG4e1ARxqR8
Where can readers find you on the web?
I’m pretty much everywhere:
https://www.agavazzoni.com
https://www.facebook.com/authoragavazzoni/
twitter: @a_gavazzoni
Instagram: adri_gavazzoni
My novels are on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a.+gavazzoni&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
VBT – BENNYTOWN
Bennytown
by Matt Carter
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GENRE: Adult horror/thriller
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NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.
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BLURB:
For nearly sixty years, Bennytown has been America’s most exciting family theme park destination. Under the watchful eye of cultural icon Benny the Bunny, the park has entertained generations of children with its friendly atmosphere and technologically innovative rides, acting as a beacon of joy and wonder, where magic is real and dreams come true.
Bennytown once saved sixteen-year-old Noel Hallstrom’s life, and to repay it, Noel has applied for a summer job. Though the work is messy and the hours are bad, Noel is happy to be a part of the Bennytown family, until he sees the darkness beneath the surface. Strange, mechanized mascots walk the park perimeter. Elegantly dressed cultists in wooden Benny masks lurk in the darkness. Spirits of the many who’ve died in the park roam freely, and every night the park transforms into a dark dimension where madness reigns and monsters prowl.
Noel is about to find out more about Bennytown than he ever wanted to know, and that its darkness might have designs on him.
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EXCERPT
“I believe in Bennytown,” Adam sniffled.
You weren’t supposed to cry at Bennytown, since it was a magical place where dreams come true. Bennytown was a themed wonderland of rides, shows, and fantastical worlds that let you escape from real life.
His parents and commercials repeated that to him on a regular basis, so it had to be the truth.
It didn’t feel really magical right now, though.
Adam sat on the curb in Happy Hollow, whimpering and wiping away tears. Bits of vanilla ice cream and chocolate smeared his chin. He wanted to kick Shawn for ruining everything. Mommy and Daddy always took Shawn’s side and barely listened to their other son. Even when Adam was right.
He wasn’t supposed to cry, but he did anyway.
“I believe in Bennytown,” he repeated.
Repeating the phrase helped ease the pain a little. The words had a power he found comforting, like saying he believed in Santa or the Easter Bunny. Unlike any of those mythical figures, these words had extra power because Bennytown was real.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Matt Carter has used his lifelong love for writing, history and the bizarre to bring to life novels like Almost Infamous: A Supervillain Novel, Pinnacle City: A Superhero Noir, and the Prospero Chronicles young adult horror series (all co-authored with Fiona J.R. Titchenell). Bennytown,is his first solo horror novel.
He is represented by Fran Black of Literary Counsel and lives in the usually sunny town of San Gabriel, CA with his wife, their pet king snake Mica, and the myriad of strange fictional characters and worlds that live in his head.
https://owlhollowpress.com/bennytown/
http://mattcarterauthor.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mattcarterauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6599726.Matt_Carter?
https://twitter.com/MCarterAuthor
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bennytown-Matt-Carter/dp/1945654538/
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bennytown-matt-carter/1136895043?
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bennytown
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781945654534
The book will be only sale for $0.99 during the tour
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Matt Carter will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thanks for being my guest today. Tell us about you as a person.
Would it sound too modest if I said there wasn’t much to say? I’ll do what I can. My name is Matt Carter, I’m 35 years old and have been writing and telling stories about as long as I can remember. I mostly write horror and science fiction, though have been known to dabble in pretty much any genre. I got my Bachelor’s in History, which has come up more in my writing than I expected it to, and am pretty much an obsessive horror movie nerd. And perhaps my one claim to fame outside of my writing would be the fact that, for a while anyway, I was technically the youngest person to have ever ridden on the Goodyear Blimp.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Probably Mark Twain or Teddy Roosevelt. Those guys would have some stories to tell, and I would be fascinated to hear what they’ve got to say.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Bennytown is my most recent novel, a horror story set inside of a fictional, popular American theme park. For 60 years it has been an American cultural landmark, all while hiding a dark and twisted history of death and madness that’s set its sights on the newest hire with its deranged designs.
Bennytown comes from a lot of places, predominantly my love for the horror genre and a good, gruesome haunted house tale, as well as my experiences working at a theme park when I was a teenager. While nothing truly as bloody and grim as what happens in Bennytown ever happened to me in real life, the behind the scenes experiences combined with my own innate fascination with urban legends and true stories of dark events that have happened at theme parks more or less made Bennytown an inevitability.
What is your writing process?
Sitting at my computer with coffee at the ready, I have an open Word document and fight the temptation to delve into my library of Steam games while trying to write something down. On a good day, I can get a likely unhealthy number of words. On other days, I’ll be staring at the page for a while, typing a little here and there, wondering how I ever learned a command of the English language in the first place.
Tell us about your main character:
Bennytown is centered around Noel Hallstrom, a 16-year-old who is signing up for his first summer job, and wins a position working at Bennytown. Noel has had some tragedies in his past that have led to him having some mental health issues, however, he believes he owes his recovery to Bennytown and wants to pay them back however he can. He is a bit naïve because of this, and easily blinded to some of the worse parts of the park because of it, however, all in all he starts out as well-intentioned and just wanting to have a fun summer job experience. That… well, that won’t last; this is a horror novel after all.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I think I’d like to see Tom Holland for Noel. I think he could play the well-intentioned but naïve side of Noel rather well, and I would be curious to see him tap into a darker side.
What are you working on next?
I’ve always got a handful of irons in the fire. At the moment, I’m working on a gothic haunted house story with my wife and frequent co-author, Fiona J.R. Titchenell. It’s definitely turning out rather spooky, and we can’t wait to unleash it upon the world.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
In the immortal words of Peter Quincy Taggart, “Never give up, never surrender.” Getting the word out about your books is not an easy process, and it takes a lot of work, but if you’re willing to put the work into it, you will be able to get the word out and get your book into the hands of readers. It will take some blood, sweat and tears, but in the end it’s usually quite worth it.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
This one is always a tough call, but at the moment it’s probably one of the following three: The Stand by Stephen King, Animal Farm by George Orwell or World War Z by Max Brooks.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I am really good at imitating voices. Give me a few minutes of listening to someone with a distinctive accent, speech pattern or both, and I can usually pick it up and imitate it in some capacity quite well.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Oh, teleportation, full stop. I mean, closer to Nightcrawler from X-Men rather than out of The Fly (I’d rather avoid being turned inside out, thank you very much). Just the thought of being able to travel anywhere instantaneously is quite exciting. And would save on gas money, which if you live near Los Angeles like I do, is very tempting.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Become a bestselling horror author
- Start a family, watch my kids graduate high school
- Experience zero gravity
- Visit all 50 states
- Learn how to spell exaggerated without the help of spell check
Where can readers find you on the web?
http://mattcarterauthor.weebly.com
https://www.facebook.com/mattcarterauthor/
https://twitter.com/MCarterAuthor
https://www.amazon.com/Bennytown-Matt-Carter/dp/1945654538
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52915835-bennytown
Any final thoughts?
Thank you for having me on your blog today, and if anyone who’s reading this likes a good, healthy scare, then plan your trip to Bennytown today! It might be safer than visiting a real theme park these days.
VBT- NICK BANCROFT MYSTERY SERIES
Nick Bancroft Mystery Series
by Bob Liter
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GENRE: Romantic Mystery/Suspense
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BLURB:
In THIS “GRIPPING” MYSTERY THRILLER SOMEONE TRIES TO BURN NICK BANCROFT ALIVE, BEATS HIM SENSELESS, USES HIM FOR TARGET PRACTICE AND WORST OF ALL HIS BELOVED CHICAGO CUBS DISAPPOINT HIM AGAIN! SOMETIMES A PI JUST CAN’T CATCH A BREAK! BUT WHEN HIS CLIENT IS A SEXY NUDIST, NICK BANCROFT WILL PUT UP WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING!
When a sexy nudist hires him to protect her from whoever is threatening her life, Nick Bancroft becomes the target. Someone tries to burn him alive, beats the hell out of him and, since that didn’t run him off, uses him for target practice. Meanwhile, two people are murdered, Nick’s true love, Maggie Atley, is more than somewhat perturbed by his relationship with his client, and a mysterious club seems to hold the answer. Nick survives an exciting but still losing season by his beloved Chicago Cubs, a vicious attack by a couple of huge dogs and eventually puts the finger on the bad guys.
Nick Bancroft Mysteries, written by Bob Liter
I’m an ex-newspaper reporter who inherited a run-down, one-man detective agency. My name is Nick Bancroft. I used to do investigation work occasionally for a friend Jimmy Jackson, who left me the business and stuck me with an office on the top floor of an old building in the wrong end of town.
I would have refused the inheritance, but I was sick of working where news had been converted to entertainment. And, besides, Jimmy had paid six months’ rent in advance for the office with a small apartment attached. Since I inherited the business I have helped solve a murder and got some press as a result.
In a small town like Centrel City, you can find bribery, graft, kickbacks, political influence peddling, criminal cover-ups, and sometimes murder. Now when I get involved in a case, there usually is a story I can sell to the upstate Chicago Times. I didn’t expect to make a living as a private investigator and freelance reporter, but I was wrong … sort of. It beats making money for someone else and it leaves time for my almost favorite sport of bowling and my passion for the Chicago Cubs.
It’s all in a day’s work; I can be tough enough when I have to be. On the other hand, I can be soft for the ladies, especially for an on-again off-again lover, Maggie Atley. Nothing is ever as it seems and I don’t quit until I find the answers. My name is Nick Bancroft.
Blurb #1 – Book One
Murder by the Book, written by Bob Liter
Nick Bancroft inherits a rundown detective agency and embarks on a new career as a hard-boiled detective. When date rape drugs show up in Centrel City, so does reporter Nick Bancroft. The drugs are discovered at two different murders with sex etiquette books left at the scenes. Nick is hired by the first victim’s father, Ramsey Sinclair, to find the killer. A Chicago detective, Miss Faustine, is also hired by Mr. Sinclair to work “closely” with Bancroft. His focus is interrupted when he begins a love affair with receptionist, Maggie Atley, from a neighboring office.
Bancroft is banking on solving the murders and selling the story to the Chicago Times. As the case unfolds there is enough danger, drama, and deception to fill a book. Nick finds few things are as they seem and in his enthusiasm he becomes the target of a shooter and also the target of charming Maggie Atley’s affections.
Blurb #2 – Book 2
August is Murder, written by Bob Liter
A sexy nudist hires Nick Bancroft to defend her from threats on her life; Nick volunteers to provide 24-hour protection. Now, he is the target and August becomes even hotter when someone tries to burn him alive. Nick is not one to turn tail and run, especially now with two murders and Lady Godiva to protect. Nick’s true love, second only to the Cubs and bowling, Maggie Atley, is more than somewhat perturbed by the arrangement with his beautiful client.
After weeks of investigation there are still unanswered questions. Who are the bad guys? What does a mysterious club have to do with the murders? Can Nick survive another losing season by his beloved Chicago Cubs? Is this the last inning for Nick and Maggie?
Blurb #3 – Book 3
Death Sting, written by Bob Liter
After an intimate breakfast together, while reading the paper to Maggie, Nick is baffled by a headline: Female Body Found Covered with Stings: The Sheriff Calls the Death an Accident. Free-lance reporter and private detective, Nick Bancroft, doesn’t believe it and is drawn to the case like a bee to honey. He learns the victim lived in a home for young unwed mothers who work as waitresses and hookers at a nightclub.
Murder suspects include an alcoholic handy man, the man and wife who operate the home, a nightclub operator and his henchman, and a sheriff’s deputy. Everyone is trying to stop Nick’s investigation, including federal agents.
Even when he and his earthy lover Maggie survive being dumped in a deep lake with weights tied to their ankles, Bancroft is unwavering in his pursuit of the truth. Will Maggie and Nick’s romance sink or swim before the case is solved?
Blurb #4 – Book 4
Point of Murder, written by Bob Liter
Nick Bancroft, a former investigative reporter, enjoys a mundane existence in Centrel City operating a one-man detective agency. He supplements his pauper’s wages selling news stories to the Chicago Times. In a small apartment, Nick and his roommate Maggie, share frivolous romantic lovemaking and the responsibility of feeding a stray cat that adopted them. On the surface it seems picture-perfect.
The bed of roses ends abruptly when Nick’s destitute young friend, Bobby Scalf, is found murdered with a blunt six inch spike in his head. Nick becomes a suspect when the second murder victim is discovered in the abandoned building where the boy lived.
While Nick tries to find out who killed the boy, he uncovers a web of corruption involving the town council, the school board, the police chief and the local newspaper publisher. Nick survives several attempts on his life, and that of his stormy lover, before nailing the killer and exposing the town’s secrets. Solving the town’s problems may not be enough to solve the problems festering between Maggie and Nick. Is it really over?
Blurb #5 – Book 5
And the Band Played On, written by Bob Liter
Freelance reporter and sometime private detective, Nick Bancroft, is tough enough when he has to be. On the other hand, he can be soft for the ladies. That’s how he ends up at an outdoor band concert, with Maggie, a librarian, divorcee, and his very talented lover. Nick is front row center to witness the murder of a well-connected private secretary of an important political figure.
It doesn’t earn him any points with the cops that he is on the scene before them, and it doesn’t earn him any points with certain influential politicians that he won’t get off the case. Not only is Nick drawn into the dirty details of the crime, someone is trying to kill him. During the investigation, Maggie and Nick come face to face with the events surrounding 9-11. Will the final case break their spirits and crumble their love, or will they emerge stronger and committed to life together?
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EXCERPT
August is Murder, A Nick Bancroft Mystery – Book 2
The first time they tried to kill me I was asleep. My office and apartment were on the third floor of a nearly abandoned building. My own coughing jarred me awake. I rolled to a sitting position from the sweat-wet bedding and continued choking on hot, acrid air. The sweat was no surprise. My air conditioner had quit. But this was more than August heat in Centrel City, Illinois.
A flip of the light switch near my bed did nothing to alleviate the darkness. I went to hands and knees and felt around until I found my pants and shoes, sat against the bed, squirmed into the jeans. Heat from the floor threatened to roast my rump.
“Don’t panic, Nick,” I said aloud. Should I try to save anything or just get the hell out? My files, I had to save my case files. I crawled into the office, stood, and pulled out the top drawer. I felt my way to the office door and opened it. A swish of even hotter air swept against my face.
What about Maggie? She might be in the office on the second floor. It was well past midnight. Why would she be there? I assured myself she was not. She was the reason why I now had a stray cat and a cracked heart. What about the cat? Any cat that came and went when the office door was locked wouldn’t be trapped in that old building.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Robert T “Bob” Liter (1923-2008) was born in Hartley, IA to Charles and Hazel Liter and grew up in Des Moines, IA. His sisters June and JoAnn, joined the family before the decade was over. Bob was a U.S. Navy veteran, and was honorably discharged after two tours of duty, one tour in World War II and the other tour in the Korean War. A Graduate from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, he earned his degree in journalism, and married Lillian in 1950.
What Happened Next
I came along 9 months later; my name is Martie. I was soon followed by my sister Jeannie and two brothers, Jeff and Ron.
Later in Dad’s journalism career he worked as a copy editor for the Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, IL until his retirement. Through the years he was also a writer. Early in his sideline career he was published in various True Confession magazines. When Dad retired to take care of Mom he continued to pursue his passion for writing. Much of his work has been available since 2002 in EBook format.
First Five Novels Available On Amazon NOW
It is my honor to introduce new readers to the Bancroft Mysteries where the character Nick Bancroft has an uncanny resemblance to my Dad, Bob Liter with his wit and bodacious gutsy approach to life. Then there is Nick’s on-again off-again lady, Maggie Atley, who is just like Mom, Lillian Liter, in the way she deals with a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist piggy.”
While Nick solves mysteries in the fictitious, but very real, community of Central City, IL he still finds time for his love-hate relationship with bowling, and his avid undying passion for the Chicago Cubs and Bears.
Website: http://www.BancroftMysteries.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BancroftMysteries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BancroftMyster1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bancroftmysteries/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/BancroftMysteries/
Author Page on Amazon: http://www.bit.ly/BobLiter (This sends a reader to where all the Buy Links Are)
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
It is hard for me to remember for sure. I do recall finding myself in imaginary situations and solving problems on how to be comfortable in those situations. Little to work with, my imagination was extremely active and the exercises of creating my own world helped me to adapt easily to various conditions real or unreal.
Do you have any phobias?
If I have a phobia it is a focus on lighting. When I am doing choirs in the house I want all the lights on. I am usually moving from one room to the other picking up or putting things away. When I am ready to settle down to read or watch television I only want the light in that room on.
Do you listen to music when you’re writing?
Yes, I find listening to jazz saxophone music a wonderful background for writing. The soft mellow tunes helps eliminate distractions.
Do you ever read your stories out loud?
Yes, I hope to narrate the 6th book in the Bancroft Mystery Series. The plan is for the first 5 books in the series to be available as Audiobooks by the 2nd half of 2020.
Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.
Bob Liter, author of Nick Bancroft Mysteries, was the inspiration for the main character in many ways. Nick has an uncanny resemblance to my dad with his wit and bodacious gutsy approach to life. Then there is Nick’s on-again off-again lady, Maggie Atley, who is just like my mom, Lillian Liter, in the way she deals with a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist piggy.”
VBT – ARRESTING THE WARLORD
Arresting the Warlord
by Gail Koger
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GENRE: Sci-fi Romance
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BLURB:
CeeCee Tsosie is a Navajo Nation police officer and shaman with the ability to control the weather. She’ll admit arresting Jake Jones, a Coletti Warlord, for speeding was not one of her better decisions. But hey, the law was the law and the drop-dead gorgeous warlord pushed every one of her buttons. She might have been a tad over-zealous with her rainstorm and stun gun, but the Jackass had it coming.
An alien serial killer is stalking the Navajo Nation. The Coletti Empire is hunting a galactic fugitive. Turns out they need each other’s help to stop the shapeshifting predator. Can she work with the Jackass? Can Jake convince CeeCee she’s the one? Only time, and the spirits will tell.
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EXCERPT
I shrugged. “If we don’t stop evil, who will? To protect and serve is in my DNA.” I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “Just like you.”
Time stopped as Jake’s mouth molded mine with a tantalizing tenderness. Our tongues tangled in a slow, sensual dance. Pure carnal desire beat inside me until I wanted to hump Jake like a deranged monkey. I sank down on a bed and beckoned to Jake. “I want your cock inside me. Now.”
“As my lady commands.” Jake’s armor shrank away.
I ran my gaze over his muscular body and raised an eyebrow. “Where’s your red plaid underwear.”
“I forgot to do laundry and decided to go commando.”
“I like your red plaid underwear. The socks not so much.”
“Highland warriors have worn those socks for centuries. I’ll get you some.”
“I’d rather have chocolate.”
“I think I can manage both,” Jake murmured, and his lips melded with mine.
Every nerve in my body did the Tango. Lordy, could he kiss. Now it was time to rock his world. Bending down, I thrust my tongue into his slit and dragged it out. In. Out. In. Out. The tight bud of tentacles rubbed against me. I drew it into my mouth and suckled it. The tentacles began to vibrate faster and faster. One tiny nibble and bam!
“Holy fuck,” Jake roared, his torso shaking in release. “Where did you learn that?”
“I’ve been in your mind. Remember all those pleasure houses you and the boys visited? This is your favorite sex act. Did I get it right?”
“Hell, yeah.”
I licked my lips. “Good to know.”
“Take your clothes off,” Jake growled.
“Yes, my lord.” Imitating his favorite pleasure house dancer, I did a bump and grind routine, and slowly disrobed.
Jake pounced. The next thing I knew, my back hit the bed and he was kissing me like a starving man. His calloused hands stroked my breasts, sending pleasure cascading over me. “I love the way you taste, the way you feel.” His wicked mouth nibbled on my ear. “The way you respond to me.”
Tentacles undulated against my pussy, electrifying every nerve ending. I sucked in a shuddering breath. Jake was everywhere, touching my mind, my body. I heard my shallow, ragged pants as I squirmed beneath him, wanting more. Desire blistered my senses. “Fuck me now!”
With one flex of his hips, Jake thrust inside me. I gasped as the delicious slide of his flesh sent pleasure sizzling through me. I dug my nails into the powerful muscles of his back. “God. Oh God. You feel so good.”
“Mine. Say it.” Jake’s body moved against mine, hot, aggressive, and perfect.
“Yours.” I met Jake kiss for kiss, touch for touch. Multiple orgasms shook my body and I came apart in his arms.
Jake’s body bowed and shook violently as he came. “Mine!”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department and to keep from going totally bonkers – I mean people have no idea of what a real emergency is. Take this for an example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am, but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with? To keep from hitting myself repeatedly in the head with my phone, I took up writing.
Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1598719.Gail_Koger
https://twitter.com/Askole
https://www.facebook.com/Colettiwarlordbooks/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089RQ6151/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i12
http://www.gailkoger.com
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Gail Koger will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – THE ROAD TO DELANO
The Road to Delano
by John DeSimone
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GENRE: Historical Fiction
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BLURB:
It’s 1968, and a strike by field workers in the grape fields has ripped an otherwise quiet central California town down the middle. Jack Duncan is a Delano high school senior who is on his way to earning a baseball scholarship, hoping to escape the turmoil infesting his town. His mother has kept from him the real cause of his father’s death, who was a prominent grower. But when an old friend hands Jack evidence indicating his father was murdered, he is compelled to dig deeper. This throws him and his best friend and teammate, Adrian Sanchez, whose father is a striking field worker, into the labor conflict led by Cesar Chavez. Road to Delano is the path Jack and Adrian must take to find their strength, their duty, and their destiny.
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EXCERPT
1933
Sugar Duncan was known around Lamoille County as a gambler who could farm, but Sugar called himself a farmer who understood a sure bet. He grew up a plowboy on a hardscrabble patch of Vermont hill country and had calluses before he knew he had brains. It was in the seventh grade, in Pete Colburn’s barn, waiting out a driving rain that he found his power. While playing seven-card stud he could see the patterns, he understood the odds. He lived by the bluff, and he lived well as far as a child of the Depression could. Before he reached high school, they were calling him Sugar because he was sweet about taking their money.
While his college buddies baled hay and slopped pigs to pay their way through Ag school at Vermont U, Sugar found it more profitable to relieve the hooligans and rumrunners of their easy fortunes at the card table above Markham’s Grill over in Providence. After four years of playing cards and a new degree, he left town to farm where the land hadn’t been wiped clean of its strength.
Sugar rode west to California’s Central Valley in a Pullman with a new pair of tan and white brogues stuffed with cash packed in the bottom of his steamer. FDR had just signed the Cullen-Harrison Act ending Prohibition, and a fifth of whiskey was now as cheap as an acre of California farmland. He hadn’t any choice. Returning to Vermont would mean he’d starve. With gasoline a luxury, his father had resorted to using mules to plow his hundred acres. Milk and corn prices had fallen so sharply, a farmer could live better by killing his cows than by selling their milk. California was the place he could make a living. And he intended to make that living as a farmer— eventually.
A couple of weeks after arriving in Frisco, Sugar stood on the running board of a dusty Model T on the road leading into Delano and surveyed the flatlands of the valley planted in golden September wheat. He removed his hat, wiped his brow with the sleeve of his seersucker suit, and his instinct told him there was a sure bet.
He ensconced himself in the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Each night around six, he made his way downstairs to a back room where he took up residence with a fresh deck of cards and a new bottle of Jim Beam, thankfully back in production, and waited. It didn’t take long for his table to fill. About a year later, he bought his first section of land.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
John DeSimone is a novelist, memoirist, and editor. He’s co-authored bestselling The Broken Circle: A memoir of escaping Afghanistan, and others. He taught writing as an adjunct professor at Biola University and has worked as a freelance editor and writer for nearly twenty years. His current release, a historical novel, The Road to Delano, is a coming of age novel set during the Delano grape strike led by Cesar Chavez. BookSirens said, “It’s more than a little Steinbeck, in a good way….” He lives in Claremont, Ca, and can be found on Goodreads and at http://www.johndesimone.com
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
John DeSimone will be awarding a signed copy of The Road to Delano (USA ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Book Blast – FULL TILT BOOGIE
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.
Breanna Casey has only ever wanted two things in life: to race and to get the hell out of Arkadia, Texas. Stifled beneath her family’s turbo-charged reputation, she’s got her thumb firmly on the self-destruct button. A night of hyper-driven racing and rebellion leads to a one night stand with the one guy who knows how to press all her buttons: Noah McKay.
Torn apart by the toll of his high-intensity enlistment in the Marines and guilt-ridden by what he’s seen, Noah McKay left the military to find peace. A chance encounter sends him working for the parents of a raven-haired Amazon goddess with a tongue that cuts sharper than any knife. Quiet is the last thing he’ll get.
Finally, she gets her chance. Calloway Racing wants her to drive for them. But that’s not all they want. A good friend of her father’s, Calloway insists she take Noah along for the ride. Suddenly, her dreams are feeling more like a nightmare. Will they be able to help each other, maybe even find love, when living life full tilt boogie?
Read an Excerpt
The tent was suddenly far too small and suffocating. Abruptly the song changed again. Silently I thanked the DJ for offering me a reprieve. To keep from smothering in Vic’s good intentions, I pulled away and sought refuge with what was left of my cake.
Let’s face it, going back to the table was an epic mistake.
With Vic and Cara on the dance floor and Isaac MIA, that left a surly Noah McKay as the only occupant. And I’d walked straight to him, ready for a fight.
“What’s your deal?” I shot as I tucked my purple skirt beneath my ass and sat down—hard.
He opened his mouth and his tongue slipped out and across his bottom lip, then he took seduction a step further and pulled the shiny, succulent flesh between his teeth.
“Sweet baby Jesus.” I pushed the cake away and let my forehead drop to the table. I couldn’t live like this. I was vastly inexperienced in such things—no matter how much swagger I put on.
He laughed. “My deal? I don’t know whether to throttle you or kiss you.”
About the Author:
Award nominated author of Two Hearts, One Stone and the Arkadia Fast Series, Leslie Scott has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. The happier the ending, the better. Currently, she lives and writes amidst her own happily ever after with her soul mate, son, and domestic zoo.
Author Links:
Website: http://lesliescottromance.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/df0G45
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-scott
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesliescottwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leslieSwrites
Buy Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/316cgpZ
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/2CogIG7
Leslie Scott will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Cover Reveal – THE DUTY BOUND DUET
DUTY BOUND DUET
by Sydney Jamesson
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GENRE: Psychological suspense
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BLURB:
DUTY OF CARE:
On her death bed Emily Derbyshire’s mother made her promise to take good care of her little sister. Keeping her promise, twelve year old Emily did exactly that and became five year old Rita’s benefactor and bodyguard.
After eighteen years of sisterly devotion Emily receives some shocking news! Rita has committed suicide. When disturbing details start to surface, Emily puts her highflying career on hold to seek out those responsible. She hires an American private investigator Robert Blackmoor; a motorbike riding, no-frills, computer hacker who will use any means necessary to unearth the truth.
Not surprisingly, Robert uncovers secrets from Emily’s troubled childhood and chips away at the glossy veneer of deceit which masks the truth behind, not only Rita’s life, but Emily’s imperfect life too.
Together they assemble the pieces of a sinister puzzle, revealing a cruel and corrupt world of exploitation and murder: a Dark Web into which Rita has become entangled.
As dark forces encircling Emily tighten their grip, and with everything to lose, she must make a life and death decision that she may live to regret.
THE CARETAKERS:
Emily Parsons is a product of a difficult childhood: self-reliant, fiercely protective and willing to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. She has even slayed a monster, or two … or three in the name of poetic justice, and yet she is haunted by the image of a beautiful blond girl.
Sixteen-year-old Louise Travis has been abducted.
Louise’ fate rested in Emily’s hands, but she let her slip through her fingers like gold dust, only to be swept away by a malevolent band of brothers.
By once again enlisting the help of computer hacker, Robert Blackmoor, Emily must find Louise before she is lost forever in a Dark Web of heinous crimes, cruelty and corruption. The clock is ticking, and Emily’s investigation is drawing the wrong kind of attention, but she will not back down. She is duty bound to protect those she loves.
With skeletons from her past being unearthed, who can she turn to, and who can she trust with her own sinister secrets?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sydney Jamesson is a USA Today bestselling author by night and an English teacher by day. She is nocturnal by nature and loves nothing more than staying up late, listening to music and being inspired to write. She has always written creatively; in her home is one enormous wastepaper basket full of discarded phrases, opening lines and pieces of dialogue that have hit her like lightning in the middle of the night. Her USA Today bestselling trilogy, THE STORY OF US sold worldwide, and she has been thrilled to continue Ayden Stone’s and Beth Parker’s epic love story in The Story of Us Series: Into the Blue, featuring Blue Genes, Blue Hearts and Blue Moon.
More recently, Sydney has focused on psychological suspense. THE DARKEST CORNERS was her first venture into the new genre: a complex love story filled with lots of angst, emotional scenes and edge of your seat suspense as a single father and a troubled young woman confront their deepest, darkest fears together. The twists come think and fast and the ending is unforgettable!
In her latest novels, DUTY OF CARE and THE CARETAKERS – THE DUTY BOUND DUET -readers explore the seedier side of the Dark Web; witness abduction, human trafficking, and a devoted sister’s willingness to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. It’s a real page turner, filled with incidents which are heart-breaking and heart-stopping in equal measure!
Author platforms:
Website: https://www.sydneyjamesson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sydney-Jamesson-516585008400062/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SydneyJamesson
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074207.Sydney_Jamesson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamessonauthor/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host via Rafflecopter.
C.A. Milson 