Monthly Archives: August 2020
VBT – TIDE’S END
Tide’s End
by Meredith Egan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Taylor Smythe dreams of having a loving family. But first, he has to rescue his little sister Jenny from the gritty underbelly of the child cyberporn industry. Taylor journeys from homelessness in the inner city to a community in the dripping forests of the Pacific Northwest to confront the relentless pounding of his fiercest pain. Can he become the big brother Jenny needs right now, and for the rest of their lives? Tide’s End explores the many faces of sexual assault and human trafficking, and how life can shatter for those most affected – the victims. Because #MeToo is more common than we can imagine. As is #ChildrenToo and even #BoysToo. It tears apart our families and neighbourhoods. And wherever there is suffering, there are guardians and helpers who still the relentless pounding to encourage Tide’s End.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
If this is what I have to do to rescue Jenny, I’ll figure it out, I thought as I drove along the dark, narrow roadway. My little sister is worth it, even if I feel like throwing up. Occasionally the overhanging trees dropped massive dumps of water onto my car. Or rather, into my car through rust holes and windows that didn’t seal. Every time there was the thunder of falling water, I ducked.
What the hell have you gotten me into, Marta? I thought, wishing daggers at the social worker who’d sent me here. Crawling further up the driveway, I turned a corner and gasped.
Holy crap, I thought, staring at the building in front of me. I’d stayed in dodgy motels. Run down apartments. But I’d never been in a place like this before. Ever. In my life. This place was huge, and gorgeous, and knew I wouldn’t fit in. I’d registered for the Survivors of Sexual Assault Retreat, but would it be okay? What would it take to blend?
The money I’d need to pay for the rest of the damned retreat was in my torn duffle. But this looked decidedly upper class, and, well…here I was hoping my junker would make it up the driveway. It’d been my home for the last three months…so not upper class.
Is this really what I need to do to get Jenny back? I’d just turned 19, and getting custody of Jenny Benny, being an epically amazing big brother for a change…that was the most important thing to me. Marta thought I’d better deal with my sexual…history first.
My mind bounced all over. Then it landed on maybe tonight I’ll get warm. Like, to my bones, warm. I smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Meredith Egan is an author of critically acclaimed novels, Just Living: a novel and Tide’s End: A Just Living novel. The stories are shaped from her work with crime victims and violent prisoners over more than thirty years. Meredith is trained in mediation and peacemaking circles., and has been honoured to learn from many First Nations peoples. Meredith coaches writers and other creative folks and offers workshops and training through her Daring Imagination work.
Meredith is the principal at Wild Goat Executive Coaching where her clients include leaders in the automotive, technology, government and small business fields. She lives at the Groundswell Ecovillage in beautiful Yarrow, BC. with her dog Mollie, and rambunctious feline sisters Firefly and Filigree. For fun she dabbles in cooking soup for her neighbours, and soaking in her hot tub with her four adult children when they visit.
You can find Meredith through her website, and on Facebook and Twitter for information about her novels, and her coaching work. Meredith welcomes opportunities to speak with groups about justice, and writing. Her books are available through Amazon and local bookstores.
Website: http://www.meredithegan.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meredith.egan.writer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildGoatCoach
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tides-End-Just-Living-novel-ebook/dp/B083HCP264
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Meredith Egan will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – MEMOIR OF A HOCKEY NOBODY
Memoir of a Hockey Nobody
by Jerry Hack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Biography and Autobiography / Sports
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Memoir of a Hockey Nobody is the unlikely true story of an average Canadian kid who grew up playing street hockey. Although he didn’t learn how to skate until his late teens, he took a shot at entering the world of professional ice hockey with, shall we say, haphazard results.
This is an “against all odds” tale of one man’s journey from Vancouver, to all over Western Canada, California, The Yukon, and Alaska. Seemingly blocked at every turn, from managers who believed that someone who came from such humble beginnings couldn’t be any good, to coaches who would rather see big names with bigger reputations. It’s a story of tragedy, triumph and determination. A roller coaster ride with hilarious anecdotes of all the characters he met along the way.
This is a tale for those who dare to live their dream!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“In the spring of 1980, the New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup, beating the Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games. Bob Nystrom scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime. I was happy, because finally someone other than the Montreal Canadiens won the cup. Despite rooting for the Canadiens when I was nine, I had grown to hate them. I was a diehard Vancouver Canucks fan by then. The Canadiens just kept on winning and winning. I was so tired of watching them win all the time. four straight years they won the cup without breaking a sweat. Little did I know that the Islanders were now on their way to doing the exact same thing. I would grow to hate them too. It was about a month after the Islanders had their first parade that I was over at the Aitken’s house. John and I still hung out, but not as often as in the past. At this time, I was eighteen and had my own vehicle, (a 1969 Datsun pickup). We were discussing how happy we both were that the Montreal dynasty was seemingly over, when the topic of his hockey team came up. He was always playing in one beer league or another. (At one time he played in the N.H.L. The “Natural Hockey League”) At this time he was playing on a team called the Burnaby Kings, and they were playing at the Columbian 4 Rinks. At one time, this was the largest indoor hockey arena in the world, and was even in the Guinness Book of World Records. As it turned out, the Kings were renting one of the rinks once a week, all summer long. Summer hockey was a new thing, all the other rinks became lacrosse rinks for the summer. John was telling me how terrible their goalie was. The guy’s name was Lonnie. I don’t remember his last name. John was telling me that the guy was the worst goalie he had ever played with. They had nicknamed him “Red Light Lonnie,” because he would let in so many goals. He said that Lonnie was so short that shots would regularly hit him in the head and deflect into the net. One time John said that the puck had been shot into the corner and Lonnie went to go get it, fell down, and while he was trying to get up, the puck went up on edge and had such spin on it after it hit the boards, that it reversed itself and curved right into the net. John said Lonnie was like “Bad Luck Schleprock” of the Flintstones.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Author bio: I was born and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia. My sisters and I were raised by hard-working blue collar parents. We were and are a tight knit family. I grew up loving sports but hockey most of all. In fact, it was my passion. I read about it, watched it and played it. I was an average student and a good athlete. I could play most sports without looking out of place. But I was born to be a goalie. I graduated from high school in 1979 and a year later began my journey playing ice hockey. 40 years later, I am happily married with a 12 year old daughter and loving life more than ever.
Website: http://jerryhack.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Memoir-of-a-Hockey-Nobody-108751680786091
BUY LINKS
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Hockey-Nobody-couldnt-proved-ebook/dp/B086BM79H2/
Indigo/Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/memoir-of-a-hockey-nobody/9780228828037-item.html?
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/memoir-of-a-hockey-nobody-jerry-hack/1136740350
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Jerry Hack will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tell us about you as a person.
I like myself. I always have. I enjoy being alone but not all the time. My brain never really shuts off and goes into some really crazy places. I love music, all kinds. I am a movie guy. Probably my favourite place to go, other than home, is the movie theater. Nothing like seeing it on the big screen. I am the world’s worst (or best) procrastinator. I once did all my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve after 5 O’Clock. I am a positive thinker and always look for the silver lining. I hate negativity and unnecessary drama. I think the strangest thing about me is that I am never in my dreams. They are usually about someone being chased but never caught.
If you could hang out with one famous person, who would it be and why?
Tough question. When you think about all the famous people throughout history there are so many choices. Isaac Newton, Shakespeare, Carl Sagan, Einstein, Tesla, etc etc. Any of these would be a great choice but I would like to pick someone I have something in common with. I love movies so much that I would have to say Morgan Freeman. I find the man fascinating and endlessly interesting.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
It’s my memoir. I grew up loving the game of hockey, especially the goalies. From the time I was 9 I never wanted to do anything else. I was born to be a goalie, I firmly believe that. The book chronicles my time chasing my dream, and all the obstacles I faced along the way.
What is your writing process?
This whole writing thing is so new to me, I don’t really have one. I find it easier when my wife and daughter have gone to bed and the house is quiet. But sometimes I like to have the TV on just for background noise. I write whenever the mood strikes me, it could be any time, day or night. Right now I’m writing this at 1:00 in the morning on a Saturday.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why?
Another tough question. The lead role would be me. I think Adam Sandler. He and I have the same sense of humour and easy going manner. But underneath he seems to have this sense of himself. He seems to have this underlying desire to be the best that he can be. My second choice would be Mark Wahlberg, just because I like him.
What are you working on next?
I really thought that “Memoir of a Hockey Nobody” would be my one and only book. But I never expected the overwhelmingly positive response that it is getting. The book has only been out for only four months and people are already asking me when I am going to write another one. I have decided that I am going to write a novel. It’s in the beginning stages and it’s going to be a comedic murder mystery. I know death is not really something to joke about, but this idea has been rattling around in my brain and I’m going to see if I can bring it to life. I am going to finish it and then let my wife read it. If she thinks it’s any good, I will try and get it published.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
If you can afford it, hire somebody to market it for you. Somebody who knows the publishing world. That was the smartest move I made. It’s not cheap, but it is well worth it. If you can’t afford it, there are many helpful YouTube videos that can guide you through the process.
What is your favourite book on your shelf right now?
11/22/63 by Stephen King. It grabbed me right from the start and I hated putting it down. Great story, great characters. In my opinion, his best book since The Stand.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I am somewhat ambidextrous. Not completely, but I can do a lot of things with either hand. I am left-handed when I write, eat, shave and brush my teeth, but I am right-handed at almost everything else like swinging a golf club or a baseball bat. I can eat using chopsticks in either hand. I work for a Japanese company and sometimes the management will take us out to dinner. They are always amazed when I put a pair of chopsticks in both hands and start eating.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
I don’t know if it’s a super power or not, but I would love to have the ability to be able to tell if someone is lying. Imagine what a different world we would live in if people were forced to tell the truth because you could tell when they weren’t.
List 5 things on your bucket list.
- To rent an RV and travel the United States and Canada to see sporting events (NHL, NBA, MLB, Nascar, PGA) and visit museums and historical sights.
- To take my wife and daughter to Greece.
- To see the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup (just once before I die please!!!)
- To be a better person than I was yesterday
- Pet a lion
Where can readers find you on the web?
Twitter: @jerryhack7
Instagram: jerryhack33
Any final thoughts?
Just thank you very much for having me on your website/blog! I really enjoyed the questions. Also, when you buy my book, partial proceeds will go to help my friend Suzanne, who is fighting stage 4 cancer. I am hoping to raise $3,500 to go towards her treatment. I have already raised over $700 so thank you to everyone who donates or has donated. If you so desire, there is more information on the Facebook Page. Thanks again, it was a pleasure being here.
Spotlight – THEY CALLED ME 33
They Called Me 33
by Karen Chaboyer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Karen longed for acceptance, validation and love, but had no ability to form healthy, meaningful relationships. Born into a large family already suffering the effects of two generations of residential school, and surviving her own nine years at St. Margaret Indian Residential School, Karen (like everyone she knew) had been systematically stripped of her dignity, identity, language, culture, family and community support systems.
Not wanting to be alone as an adult, Karen tolerated unhealthy relationships with family and partners. Still, she was coping. But after suffering further trauma, Karen turned to alcohol and other addictions to numb her pain.
Eventually, Karen found the strength to reach out for help. She learned to grieve through layers of shame and was finally able to embrace her identity. Karen also discovered what has long been known in her culture – the healing power of sharing your story. Karen would now like to share this book, her story, with you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
It took many years to write this book. I came up with the idea in 1994 thinking it would be easy: like writing a diary. But writing this book has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I did not know all the ghosts I had in my closet. In addition to my painful memories of residential school, looking back made me realize I had blocked many other painful memories, from both before and after residential school life. I went to my family with these painful memories, trying to find help in remembering some past experiences. I wanted to focus on what happened to me, so this could be my story. Many times, I had to stop writing because depression set in. I learned to listen to my body and focus on the feelings to find out what was triggering the depression. I realized I had to learn to grieve. This was an important discovery to me, as it was something I had never considered. I did not realize that my inability to grieve was preventing my healing journey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Karen Chaboyer is an Ojibwa mother and grandmother from Rainy River First Nations, a community in northwestern Ontario. She is proudly admired by her children, who have witnessed her transformation as she worked through layers of shame and learned to embrace her identity. A second-generation survivor of residential school, Karen now shares her experiences with audiences throughout the Toronto area, where she now resides. Karen’s goal is to educate people on the extent to which the tragedies of the residential school system have impacted individuals, families, communities and entire cultures to this day.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmchaboyer
Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52669557-they-called-me-33
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20155545.Karen_Chaboyer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-chaboyer-0bb09135/?originalSubdomain=ca
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/They-Called-Me-Reclaiming-Ingo-Waabigwan-ebook/dp/B0863BNJMF/ref=sr_1_1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Karen Chaboyer will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – SUB-LEBRITY
Sub-lebrity
by Leon Acord
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Memoir
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A droll, oddly inspirational memoir from the actor Breitbart once called “a gay leftist activist,” SUB-LEBRITY by Leon Acord (Old Dogs & New Tricks) is an honest, sometimes bitchy but always sincere story about growing up (very) gay in rural Indiana, achieving acting success outside the closet, and generating headlines with his very-public smackdown with Trump-loving Susan Olsen (Cindy, The Brady Bunch)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
One of my nemeses from the jock clique, Rick Sisson, was slumming, playing the bit part of an “Old Man” about to be poisoned by two murderous old ladies in Arsenic & Old Lace.
As Mortimer, I was to rush on stage, see the Old Man about to drink a glass of poisoned elderberry wine, grab him by the jacket, and shove him out of my crazy aunts’ house.
That was how we’d been playing it.
For closing night, he and his jock buddies thought of a hilarious prank. Instead of setting his glass of fake wine on the table before I grabbed him, he’d throw the full glass of Hawaiian Punch into my face! It was closing night, why not? Smear the queer!
The sizable high-school auditorium was packed with a rowdy closing-night crowd of parents, faculty and friends, unaware they were about to witness my humiliation.
The moment arrived. I entered, rushed to the Old Man with the glass near his lips, and SPLASH!
I was stunned. Rick rushed through the door and off stage before I could do a thing.
The audience erupted with laughter. Erupted! And didn’t stop!
I’d seen it on sitcoms all my short life. Actors forced to hold for a laugh. I lived for the moments on the Carol Burnett Show when something went wrong or when the actors tried not to laugh. And now, I was experiencing that myself. It felt wonderful!
Rick wanted me to feel like Carrie White. Instead, I felt like Cary Grant.
The two teenaged actresses playing my aunts just watched, trying not to laugh themselves.
I felt myself about to smile. I turned my back to the audience and fumbled through a desk on stage, pretending to blindly look for a handkerchief – a cover until I could wipe the now-gigantic smile off my face. The audience found this hilarious and continued howling.
Back in character, I gave up at the desk and turned to face the audience just as the laugh was softening. I instinctively yanked off my clip-on tie and began dabbing my wet face with it.
The audience screamed with laughter again – this time, the laughter morphed into applause.
The song from the Broadway musical Applause is right – it’s better than pot, it’s better than booze. Waiting out a long laugh break, instinctively finding ways to prolong it, riding it like a surfer on a wave, then crashing against the shore in a loud burst of applause, is the best feeling in the world.
I had flirted with the idea of being an actor, among other creative pursuits, all though childhood.
But in this moment, I knew. I’d spend the rest of my life chasing that feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Leon Acord is an award-winning actor and writer who has appeared in over 35 films you’ve never seen and 30 plays you’ve never heard of. Possible exceptions include the digital TV series Old Dogs & New Tricks on Amazon Prime Video (which he created, wrote & co-produced), and the stage hit Carved in Stone (in which he played Quentin Crisp in both SF and LA productions). His memoir, SUB-LEBRITY: The Queer Life of a Show-Biz Footnote, is now available in paperback & e-book on Amazon. He wrote his one-man show Last Sunday in June (1996) and co-authored the 2014 play Setting the Record Gay. He was a “Take Five” columnist for Back Stage West throughout 2009 and a former contributor to Huffington Post. He has also written for San Francisco Examiner and the journal Human Prospect. He currently lives in West LA with husband Laurence Whiting & their cat Toby. Learn more at www.LeonAcord.com
www.facebook.com/LeonAcordActor
www.instagram.com/leonacord
www.twitter.com/Sub_lebrityLeon
Blog: www.LeonAcord.com/blog
Amazon: www.bit.ly/SUBpaperback
Old Dogs & New Tricks website: www.odnt.tv
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Leon Acord will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tell us about you as a person.
My dad is a strong, outspoken man, a former president of his local auto-worker’s union, a political junkie, funny, quick, sharp, ambitious, and not a fan of bullshit. My mom is so nice, she would bend over backwards to keep from hurting someone’s feelings. She’s all about family, love, and home and hearth.
I’m the combination of those two personalities. I will go full balls-to-the-wall in pursuit of something, or in response to a perceived injustice, and then immediately feel guilty for going too far, for not thinking of the other person’s feelings first. I’m getting better at straddling the chasm between those two opposing forces, but it has taken me a while.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
They say one should never meet one’s idols. And that’s probably true. But I would love to have lunch with Quentin Crisp, whom I’ve played twice. But I doubt either of us would want to spend the whole day with each other!
What’s the story behind your latest book?
I’m an avid fan of celebrity memoirs. Since I was a kid. About two years ago, I noticed how many friends of mine had published books, from children’s book to self-help to memoirs. I joked on Facebook that maybe I should write my memoir. Out of the blue, a small publisher contacted me. I offered to write and send him some sample chapters, but he said not to bother – I could just call their editors, tell them my stories and they’d write it for me. Uh, no, that’s cheating! I decided to do it myself.
But then, I was instantly filled with insecurity. I’m not famous, after almost three decades in show business. I wondered, why would anyone want to read my memoir? That, for me, was the challenge. I needed to make the book entertaining enough, good enough, well-written enough, so people would forget I wasn’t famous while reading it.
What is your writing process?
You know, its different, depending on what I’m writing.
Back when I was writing scripts for my web series Old Dogs & New Tricks [2011-2016, Amazon Prime], I found I could only really write late at night, after the rest of the world went away and there was nothing but quiet, and the voices in my own head!
For SUB-LEBRITY*, it was completely the opposite. I was scribbling notes down constantly, during lunch, while working, not all day every day, but pretty much at any time every day. And then, on weekends, I would spend about eight hours a day typing my scribbles and organizing them into coherent thoughts and tales.
But either way, when I’m on a writing or acting project, I’m thinking about it constantly. So I’m always “working” whether I’m actively writing or not.
Tell us about your main character:
Me, me me!
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
Please, God, anyone but Andy Dick!
What are you working on next?
I’m going to publish the script to Jeffrey Hartgraves’ play Carved in Stone. That’s where I played Quentin Crisp, in a story set in the afterlife that also features Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. He bequeathed the rights to me when he passed, and I want the entire world to read his brilliant script.
As for writing, I have some ideas, including a different kind of memoir about the crazy year we are living through, and one or two other possible projects, but nothing really at the “talking-about” stage yet.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Oh gosh, I don’t have a clue! It was easier to promote my series. I could brag about the great cast, the incredible crew, even the plots. Promoting a memoir quickly starts to feel like beating a dead horse, because it’s just “me, me, me!” all the time. I’m lucky we found Goddess Fish, who’s helping us spread the word. And I’m good with social media. But this is my first book, I’m still learning. Ask me after the next one!
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
I’m currently reading two travel journals by my friend Erika Atkinson, Happily Lost and Miles of Memories. She’s a wonderful writer, so easy to get lost in her words. And given our current national situation, travel journals will have to stand in for actual travel for a while!
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I would’ve been an excellent stunt driver.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
May I have Wonder Woman’s golden lasso and a ticket to Washington D.C., please?
List 5 things on your bucket list:
Hmmm. I don’t really have a bucket list. I’m always actively looking for the next challenge, the next thing to get obsessed about, the second I’ve finished the last challenge or obsession!
That said, I would like to try another musical on stage again. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of those. I’d still love to play “George” in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I’d love to play Quentin Crisp again in another production of Carved in Stone. But sadly, I don’t see myself standing on a stage, with 150 people all breathing in my direction, any time soon.
Really, the only things I haven’t done at this point, acting-wise, are opera and porn. I don’t see myself trying either of those at my age.
Any final thoughts?
Just one. Please vote. Even if you gotta walk ten miles through a snowstorm. Its that important! I’m Leon Acord, and I approve this message!
VBT – LIFE FOR SALE
Life for Sale
by Linda Nightingale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Science Fiction Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Mayfair Electronics has created life.
But four of their Special Editions—sentient androids indistinguishable from human—have escaped. Rebel, Christian Aguillard and his owner, March, are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator’s plan to destroy him. They’ve discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure.
Trapped on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer’s next victim.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
“Why are you here? To spout more nonsense?” Spitting mad, Monica reared up in her enemy’s face.
“Not at all.” March’s hand flashed, almost too rapidly for Monica to see, and came down hard below her nose in a Judo-like attack.
Shocked and in pain, she stumbled back, switching modes as she pushed off the bed. “That’s it, whore. You’re a dead woman.”
“I don’t think so,” her rival gritted out, hands braced on her hips, her expression as cold and hard as her mediocre brown eyes. She shook her head. “Look, Monica, I know you’re aware of your actions. I’m going to give you a chance. You must deactivate until we can safely transport you to Dr. Cross for testing. Surely, you know something is wrong.”
“As they say in the films, you and whose army?” She squared her shoulders, preparing to strike without notice. “I didn’t do anything to that bloody dog. I didn’t do anything to you, fool.”
“You didn’t mention Anne.” The other woman seized Monica’s arm. “What did you do to Anne?”
Claws out, Monica lunged. March darted beneath her guard, stabbing at a spot beneath her left earlobe. Monica shoved her back. “Looking for my off switch, fool? It’s well hidden, like where Ms. Goodie Two Shoes wouldn’t even think about going.”
Her insane human rival stood at the locked door, her stance as much as saying to leave Monica would have to get past her. No prob. She stalked toward her rival, murder in her eyes. March didn’t move. When Monica threw a punch at her eye, she moved by the gods.
The American whore lurched back, crossing her arms across her face, anticipating Monica’s next attack. Forearm struck forearm. A human bone should break, but March stood her ground, her limb intact. She recovered too quickly, dealing Monica a hard blow beneath her cheekbone, barely missing her eye, slamming her back against the wall.
“I don’t know what you are, March Morgan,” she sneered. “But it’s not going to save your butt.”
“No, but I am.” Looking like an avenging angel, Christian—in a Houston t-shirt and khaki shorts, his long hair disheveled—had somehow appeared behind March without either of them hearing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
After 14 years in Texas, Linda returned home to her roots in South Carolina. She has 8 published novels, four of which are available from Audible.com in audio. For many years, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer. Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award for Excellence, the Raven Award in Anthologies, and the SARA Merritt. Sinners’ Opera is a finalist in the 2020 Raven Awards. She loves horses, sports cars, music, reading, writing, and piano—oh, and dressing up and hosting formal dinner parties.
BUY LINKS:
Life for Sale – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D2Z5XLC
Love For Sale – https://www.amazon.com/Love-Sale-Linda-Nightingale-ebook/dp/B00XCZ6EVY
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LNightingale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaNightingaleAuthor
Web Site: http://www.lindanightingale.com
Blog: https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839311.Linda_Nightingale
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lbnightingale1/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nightingale/e/B005OSOJ0U
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/linda-nightingale
Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nightingale/e/B005OSOJ0U/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda.nightingale.52/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Linda Nightingale will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a hammered silver and black agate necklace with silver chain – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Interview
Tell us about you as a person.
I’m something of a loner, but I do enjoy family and friends. However, both my sons live far away—one in England; the other in Houston. About me: Once upon a time, my husband (now an ex) and I had a horse farm. We bred Andalusian horses. I trained and showed them. They are the most magnificent and spiritual of the breeds, and the most beautiful. You’ve seen them in the movies, the fairytale horses with the long manes and tails, and arched neck, usually white. Oops, I’ve gone off on a tangent. That’s something about me.
I have a weakness for sports cars. My all-time favorite was a Sterling Gray Z3. I have my second Z3 now, exactly like the first one. It’s a 2002, the last year they made the model. I love Zippy Z. He’s sleek, drives like a dream, and is way too much fun. Top down, wind in your hair, cruising at 80, bugs in your face. Another tangent, sorry.
For most of my career, I was a legal assistant. Exciting, huh? Enough of that.
Finally, I love formal clothes. Man in a tux—I swoon. I love those lovely, long dresses and search for formal affairs where I can wear them. I host formal dinner parties and don’t even mind washing the china and crystal the next day.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
That’s a hard one. I wish II had a time machine. In chronological order: Charles II (English King—1660) was witty, charming, and known to be a ladies man. He had many children born on the wrong side of the banket, but never a legitimate heir. Oscar Wilde, the Irish-born writer. He, too, was witty, charming, and I love his writing. I’d like to discuss his life. He spent time in Reading Gaol (There’s a poem by the same name) for sodomy. The third and most certainly not the least, is Edward VIII of England. He seceded the English throne to marry “the woman I love”. Like Harry today, who only gave up being a prince, I can’t imagine why a man would resign a position to which he was born.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
In 2015, when I wrote Love for Sale, I don’t think I knew anything about the humanoid robots that were being developed. My imagination, a what if robots looked exactly like humans and had feelings like ours. That goes for the first book as well as Life for Sale, the second book in the series. The idea for Life for Sale was what if one of them suffered a major malfunction. Life for Sale follows March and Christian, the android, in a desperate race to stop a killer…on cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic.
What is your writing process?
I enjoy listening to music that fits the book. With Sinners’ Opera, I listened to piano because the hero is a concert pianist…and a vampire. With Life for Sale and Love for Sale, I couldn’t find anything that suited androids, but I suppose it could have classical. With my my WIP, a contemporary western, I’ve been listening to country. I like scented candles and wine, but I hold off on the latter. 😊
As to my writing process, I don’t write every day. Wish I did. Lately, because of circumstances that annoy me but are beyond my control, I write when I get a chance. I like to be alone in my house—to go off to the world the characters are creating—and interruptions knock me out of the story. I like to write early in the morning when everyone else is asleep.
Tell us about your main character.
Though the narrative alternates between the heroine’s POV and the hero’s, I consider the android Christian the main character. He’s handsome and charming, intelligent and programmed to love the heroine. But no special module was necessary. He loved her at first sight. You couldn’t spot him on the street as a machine. He’s kind and affectionate but with an independent streak his programming shouldn’t allow. March finds that out after she falls in love with him. Christian is tall, longish blond hair, and blue eyes. My fav, and I’m guilty of making several of my heroes fair rather than the popular tall, dark, and handsome.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
Probably Johnny Depp. In The Libertine, he delivers a monologue at the beginning of the film and at the end. I think it is very dynamic. He brings whatever character he portrays to life from Willie Wonka to the second of Earl of Rochester in The Libertine.. Here’s a link to the Earl’s monologue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfTPS-TFQ_c – Warning: It is rated R.
What are you working on next?
My WIP is a contemporary western. I’ve never written a western, and this is a fun project. I’m currently at 43,000 words, and the end of the tunnel is in sight. I do want to write a chapter about a horse race at the local Fourth of July Celebration. In The Wylder Years, horses star as much as my hero and heroine. Ash Colter was born in a small town in the west but raised in England. After his father’s death, he returns to manage the successful Marathon Ranch. He finds it a challenge but not as much so as a sassy tomboy ranch hand who has her own agenda for the herd of quarter horses. Sparks fly.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
I wish I knew. I advertise, blog, tweet, and use other social media. I don’t know what works best. With the release of Life for Sale, I now have eight books. I do think a really nice web site helps to spotlight your books.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
White Cliffs of Dover by Alice Duer Miler. The romance is set against World Wars I and II. It’s actually a saga poem. Both the language and the story are beautiful. I’d recommend it highly. The book is a little hard to find. I found it here.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
None. I wish I could play piano. If only I’d learned when my mom sent me to lessons, but I wanted a horse, so I learned to play by the finger numbers. My loss.
You are given the choice of one superpower. What superpower would you have and why?
Telepathy or Teleportation. In a way, they’re both traveling and learning new things. In telepathy, you go into another’s thoughts. Teleportation would save driving in traffic, and I could travel the world and fulfill some of the following from my bucket list.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- See my name on a flashing marquee.
- Own my perfect beach home facing the ocean
- Own one of the beautiful houses on The Battery in Charleston, SC. They face the Atlantic
- Visit Norway again.
- Visit my friend who has a condo on the ocean in Portugal.
Any final thoughts?
I appreciate my readers and love to hear from them at Nitethyme2003@yahoo.com Thank you for hosting me and my characters of your blog today.
VBT – THE WARS AMONG THE PAINES
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.
Spanning over 200 years of American military history, “The Wars Among the Paines” (Koehler Books, September 30, 2020), tells the complex story of a family defined by war, accounting in vivid detail its toll in blood, treasure, and emotional turmoil. Nearly 50 years in the making, “The Wars Among the Paines” is the debut novel by Vietnam veteran John M. Millar, who tells a story that illustrates how the consequences of America’s foreign wars escape the boundaries of the front lines, and ripple through generations of families, friends, politics, and the lives of we the people.
Read an Excerpt
OUR TOUR THROUGH EUROPE
Versailles was our first stop on the tour that Michelle had laid out. Because of my possible military service in the future, we avoided any of the communist countries. We chose to start in Italy after our trip to Versailles. The European railroad system was amazing for how quickly we got to our destinations. We took the overnight train to Naples, Italy, and then worked our way west through Italy. Our next stop was Rome for three days, Siena for two days, Florence for three days, Venice for a wonderful week, and finally for three days at Lake Como. We then traveled up to Switzerland, staying only a day each in Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, and Geneva.
Even after twenty-two years, Michelle would not go to Austria and Germany. To the French, those nations were still anathema for their actions in World War II. She preferred what she called the “romance countries” of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. Our next stop was Cannes then on to Aix-en-Provence, north of Marseilles. The next part of Tour Michelle was to Spain with several days in Barcelona and Madrid. We then spent three days in Lisbon, Portugal, before moving on to Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains. Our last days of the tour were in the wine region of Bordeaux and then back to Paris.
When I looked back on those over forty days of touring, I realized this was a farewell tour for us. We traveled first class on the trains, stayed at the best hotels, ate at the best restaurants, and made love passionately at every stop. I did not realize it at the time, but Michelle knew she was never leaving France again. That meant the likelihood of us marrying and settling in France were remote. Whatever path I took when I arrived back in the States, neither one was likely to lead me back to France and her.
This whirlwind summer tour was meant to keep us from thinking about this reality. It accomplished that for me. I would always remember it as a joyous summer with a touch of sadness. When we arrived in Paris, we stayed at a hotel near Orly Airport, from which I would be leaving in two days. There was much holding, kissing, lovemaking, and crying for those two days. I told her I had not made up my mind about whether to go to law school or Vietnam. I would call her first about my decision. Michelle did not come to see me off because she thought she would break down. I thought that was best because I knew I would break down.
About the Author:
John M. Millar has no traditional experience in writing a novel. “The Wars Among the Paines” is a result of a fifty-year process since returning from Vietnam in 1969. Millar grew up in Central Pennsylvania; and graduated from Cornell University in 1966. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1969; graduated from Officer Candidate School in July 1967; served as a First Lieutenant with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969; and received two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal and a Commendation Medal from the U.S. Army. From the Vietnam government, Millar received the Vietnamese Honor Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross for joint operations. He graduated from the Darden Graduate Business School, University of Virginia with a MBA in 1972. For the past forty-five years, he has served in senior executive positions in the department store, regional mall REITs and mixed-use town center development industries.
Website: http://thewarsamongthepaines.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warsamongthepaines/
https://www.koehlerbooks.com/writer/john-m-millar/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20171543.John_M_Millar
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wars-Among-Paines-John-Millar-ebook/dp/B086L4L5D7/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wars-among-the-paines-john-m-millar/1136756769
John M. Millar will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Book Blast – DARK MATTER
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.
“Survival is light years away.”
Earth is dying. The only salvation for humanity is colonizing space, yet so far that has failed. The last hope for survival exists on a planet light years away…and the mission is fraught with danger. Teenager Selina Alois leads a group of six high achievers who pass the exam of a lifetime to earn a position on the precarious expedition. As the mission launch approaches, dark secrets are exposed about the planet. Further digging reveals a sinister plot that not only risks humanity’s fate but also puts Selina and her team to the ultimate test.
Read an Excerpt
“We don’t have much time.”
The first words out of my mother’s mouth were not what I had expected. I had expected to find
both of my parents home from work early; I had expected them to want to talk to me; I had expected an endless stream of questions. But not this.
The urgency in my mother’s tone told me this was more than a melancholic response to my impending departure—this was much more. Frowning with concern, I looked from my mother’s knitted brow to my father’s taut jawline. I stood frozen in place, hesitant even to close the door behind me.
“Come in,” my mother rushed on impatiently. “We really don’t have much time.”
Obediently, robot-like, I took a segmented step. My father pulled me forward and deeper into the
kitchen until the door clicked shut behind me.
“You need to listen very carefully to what we’re about to tell you,” my mother told me sternly.
“We won’t have a chance to say anything twice. What you hear, you must never repeat.”
“If any of us are caught sharing this information, we’ll be executed,” my father cut in, voice low
and grave.
About the Author:
Alyssa Huckleberry grew up in San Diego as the oldest of four children. After earning a business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Alyssa spent a short time working in finance before transitioning to work in education. Today Alyssa works as a fifth grade teacher and she LOVES her job!
When she isn’t teaching or writing, you can find Alyssa running, reading, practicing yoga, traveling the world, or spending time with those dearest to her. She loves spending time outdoors, growing in her faith, and learning new things (hence, the great amount of time spent reading, traveling, and going on adventures!). A true lover of whimsy, she also believes everything is better with a latte in hand.
Alyssa’s first novel, Rescuing Racei, was published in 2004 (while Alyssa was still a high school student) and later won the San Diego Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel. Since then, Alyssa published three other books to complete the series: Stealing Splendiferous, Magicus, and The Maleku Map.
The Struggle is Real was an inspired piece written for an adult audience as a stand-alone work. Her latest novel, Dark Matter, is written for a young adult audience. It is the first book in what will be a science-fiction series imagining a future of space exploration!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssa.huckleberry/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3162224.Alyssa_Huckleberry
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alyssa-Huckleberry/e/B00J8X3RSM/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1
Dark Matter purchase links:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Alyssa-Huckleberry/dp/1734419865/ref=sr_1_2
Alyssa Huckleberry will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Book Blast – THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE
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.
“This is like drinking tea and honey on a cold day.” When tragedy struck, I thought for sure that my own life was at an end. I was wrong. This is the true story of how two stray rescue cats and a woman named Kitty, whom I finally met after a wild ride of internet dating, brought love, romance, and laughter back into my life.
Love was then.
Love is now.
Love is forever.
WINNER of the 2018 Stephen Memorial Award
FINALIST for the 2014 RONE AWARD
A True Romance Memoir
If you love reading feel-good memoirs, then don’t miss THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, where “Mike Meyer pens a tender tale of love, loss, and renewal. The depth of emotion is palpable…The Three Kitties will tug at readers’ heartstrings, as they ride through the emotional highs and lows of Mike Meyer’s remarkable story.” – InD’tale Magazine
Read an Excerpt
And, to add a delicious icing to the lovely taste of my life, I can say with total honesty to the whole world, my voice booming into the sky, my dancing feet not caring in the least who might see me, that I have been very fortunate to have done something that brings more sheer delight and wonderful pride to me than anything else that I have accomplished in my life: I have fallen madly, head-over-heels in love not once, but twice, and how many others can say that?
About the Author:
Michael Meyer is the author of mysteries, thrillers, humorous fiction, and non-fiction: Love and romance, laughter and tears, thrills and fears.
He has resided in and has visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to his own published writing. He has literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. He has lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left him. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as he has aged.
As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, he now lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.
Website: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005E7M8CW
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMeyersWritingLife/
Buy links: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CGND93E/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2
On sale for only $0.99.
Michael Meyer will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
C.A. Milson 