Monthly Archives: May 2021
Book Blast – DRIFTING
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.
Drifting brings light into the dark corners of mental health, bullying, and sexual assault.
Dean Knight has struggled against his personal demons for as long as he can remember. He thought he lost that struggle when he felt their knowing grip pull him deeper in the river, but he was saved. Saved for what? His memories are trapped within his mental illness. He hears his sister and father’s voices. The problem is, they’re dead, both killed in the same river that tried to claim Dean. As he struggles to remember, he discovers their voices aren’t pushing him to harm himself, but to discover the truth surrounding both their deaths. One person, Ella, has all the answers, but Dean can’t remember if she loved him or tried to kill him.
Roxanne “Rocky” Rivers struggles against her own demons, not voices, but a past trauma she can’t fully remember. She only knows everyone at school thinks she’s a slut and a head-case. A razor her only release for the pain. Rocky knows no one will believe a crazy girl who tries to kill herself.
Dean and Rocky find a connection. Can they find the strength and trust to help each other when neither can survive alone?
Read an Excerpt
The police won’t get here before he kills me. My mom stirs, reaches into her pocket, gets some keys. She reaches for the table she just tripped over.
So this is the way it’s going to end? My mom gets away while her insane boyfriend murders her insane son. Instead of fleeing though, she slips the key into one of the small drawers on the coffee table.
A crazy thought enters my head. She’s getting one of her bottles, and this has been an elaborate ruse so they can kill me and then celebrate. They’ll say I attacked him, and the police will believe it.
Danger to self and others.
She’ll get my money. He steps in front of me with his fists balled. This guy’s going to beat me to death while my mom drinks.
In the distance, sirens shriek. They won’t make it in time. I can imagine the red lights reflecting in pools of—
Blood spatters my face and foams from his mouth opened in a big O of surprise. He drops to his knees. Through the broken glass, I see cop cars flying up our road.
A gun drops from my mother’s hand.
I wonder if the bullet has gone through Paul into me, but I don’t feel any pain. He coughs again, blood gurgles from his mouth. He crumples to the floor.
The police burst through the door with guns raised just like on a cop show, only it couldn’t be any more real.
About the Author:
Steve Cross is an educator/freelance writer who lives in Poplar Bluff, MO. His credits include four young adult novels, two fantasy novels, and seven plays. He has optioned one script and sold another one. Plus, he’s finished as a quarterfinalist in Bluecat and in Fresh Voices screenwriting competition. He and his wife have one daughter and two grandchildren with whom they spend a lot of time. Cross loves Cardinals baseball, classic rock music, and character-driven movies. His favorite films are Dead Poets Society and Field of Dreams. Cross also likes to read, everything from Young Adult contemporary novels to screenplays, to horror and fantasy. At 62 and a cancer survivor, he believes his writing career is just now getting into full swing. His favorite type of screenplay to write is a psychological drama.
https://www.facebook.com/steven.cross.56/
https://www.facebook.com/stevecrosswordswrites
https://twitter.com/stevecrosswords
https://twitter.com/stevecrosswords
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/987662.Steven_Cross
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Drifting-Steven-M-Cross-ebook/dp/B093WRF6FC/ref=sr_1_1
Steven M. Cross will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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VBT – TWENTY FOUR SHORT STORIES
Twenty-Four Short Stories
by Michael Ross
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GENRE: Anthology
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BLURB:
Why can time consumed reliving memories provide enough motivation to carry on? Why keep a diary if you don’t want people to read it? Why let prejudice cloud your judgement? Why do the most simple of smells bring memories back to life? Why is it possible to believe the impossible? What does it feel like to take another person’s life? Will the good deeds we do come back to us in different forms?
These are of some of the questions posed in this imaginative collection of short stories involving, amongst others; a private detective with super powers, a loveable car salesman, a dour public health inspector, a vicar’s daughter with a dark secret, a sculptor with a destructive obsession, a young man with a passion for language, a reluctant public executioner, two sisters whose petty disputes hide something deeper, a job hunter with an unusual skill.
There are so many diverse characters and in this intriguing and imaginative collection of stories everyone has a tale to tell.
A collection of stories that will surely leave its mark on the reader.
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EXCERPT
From my window, I spot my fellow students grouped in excited conversation, circling around, probing each other with thoughts and words, questions and answers. After two years, we know each other well. I know they all wish they could play the violin as well as me, and in my turn, I wish I could be as happy as them. I wind down by running through scales for twenty minutes, and then I hear the old grandfather clock in the hall strike eleven—my other life beckons.
In Chinatown, it is easy to find a restaurant where you can spend £100 a head on a meal. At my parent’s place, six people can eat like kings for less money.
The walk from the rehearsal rooms takes the best part of an hour. I cast aside my musical mantle as I walk, so that by the time I reach Uncle Wong’s, I am prepared for my twice-weekly four-hour shift. This is the only payment my father and mother have ever asked of me. It is nothing.
Two years ago, my parents ushered me into the tiny lounge area above their restaurant, and wordlessly, my mother passed me my gift. My eyes moved to my father and then back to my mother. I could not speak. It was beautiful. Feeling its dark ebony grain, I turned it tentatively through my fingers, tilting, and twisting—gazing, unsure of my breath.
“Baba. Mamma. It’s beautiful, but you cannot afford it.”
“Shush, my son.” The look on my mother’s face said that my joy was all they required.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born and raised in Bristol, England. I spent my adult life in business, the majority of that time marketing cars. I eventually owned the largest Saab specialist in the world, before a divorce put an end to that part of my life.
This led me to leave Bristol to live halfway up a mountain in the Welsh Valleys; start a part-time six year English Literature course at Bristol University, and attend creative writing classes in Cardiff. My interest in English literature flourished and I have since won several prizes for my short stories. My first book, ‘Twenty Short Stories – Settling a score,” reached No 1 in the Short Stories Best Sellers and is still available, as is “Twenty-One (more) Short Stories,” and “Another Twenty-Two Short Stories.”
Also available are the first 5***** crime thrillers in the Tanner and Pin-up series:
Hand over Fist
Hand in Glove
Plus a 5***** light hearted rom-com “Chasing What’s Already Gone.”
I still live very happily halfway up that mountain in the Welsh Valleys with my wonderful partner, Mari, and our two rescue dogs, Wavy and Wenna.
Website http://michaelrosswriter.net/
Facebook www.facebook.com/michaelross.writer
Twitter https://twitter.com/mikerosswriter
Email mikerosswriter@outlook.com
The book will be free.
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY:
Michael Ross 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 $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Q&A With …..
Tell us about you as a person.
I would have been a multi-millionaire twenty years ago if not for a divorce which destroyed me and left me penniless. So writing is a good way to relieve me of some of my angst.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
It is so obvious I find it almost too embarrassing to write it down. William Shakespeare – imagine spending the day with that genius – gives me goose pimple to even think about it.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Twenty Four Short Stories is my fourth anthology and after a four year gap I had built up a collection of stories that I deemed good enough to go out in the big bad world all on their own. Words on Paper is a love story with hard edges that evolved from my imaginings of life for the people involved in an accident I witnessed as a schoolboy.
What is your writing process?
I only write when my brain pushes me towards the PC, if I am not right mentally I can leave the writing alone for months on an end. If I’m in the mood I can put in a fourteen hour day.
Tell us about your main character:
Many characters in an anthology; I hope readers find it to be an imaginative collection of short stories involving, amongst others; a private detective with super powers, a loveable car salesman, a dour public health inspector, a vicar’s daughter with a dark secret, a sculptor with a destructive obsession, a young man with a passion for language, a reluctant public executioner, two sisters whose petty disputes hide something deeper, a job hunter with an unusual skill.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
In Words on Paper – Emily Blunt because she comfortably portray my main character as a strong woman and yet vulnerable
What are you working on next?
My latest novel Words on Paper comes out next month, so I have already started on the third book in the Pin-up and Tanner thriller series. Already got an opening chapter that I am pleased about.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Be prepared to work harder than you ever have in your life.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
When the Crawdad Sings
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
No – I am very tedious and boring company.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Empathy is the most super power of them all. What a world we would have if everyone acquired it!
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Live in a cottage overlooking the sea.
- Visit Machu Picchu.
- Drive all down the West Coast of the US.
- Have a very long skiing holiday.
- Write an international well reviewed best seller.
Book Blast – FOSTERED IDENTITY
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.
Her teenage sister has run away. It’s her fault. And on her watch.
Shyla thought she was doing the right thing by helping her teenage sister get a little freedom. She never expected she’d bolt on her. Desperate to keep their mom from discovering she has a missing daughter, Shyla sets out to find her wayward sister.
A fluke encounter gives Shyla a clue. Only she gets a lot more than she bargained for. She finds her sister, but she gets pulled into doing a heist. An impossible heist. And not just any heist but that of stealing her mom’s million-dollar jewelry. Ones that recently arrived, with no explanation.
Damien is a good guy running from an awful past. When his brother ends up in the hospital, Damien is determined to stop the one man who has and is destroying their lives—their father. Damien will break all of his promises, even steal, if it will end their father’s control.
Shyla and Damien find themselves thrown together, not trusting each other but not having any choice. They will have to work together if Damien is going to stop his father once and for all. And if Shyla is going to protect her family. An impossible crime that will bring them surprises they didn’t see coming.
Can they catch a thief by being a thief?
Book 1
The Twisted Deception SeriesEmerald grew up in a foster family. It wasn’t an ordinary foster family. She was the first of eight girls to move in. The jewels that she was given to play with as a teenager, that she was told were baubles, are now resurfacing thirty-five years later. They are worth millions. And it appears worth stealing. Who is sending them out? And who wants them back at all costs?
“…fast-paced and kept me guessing. I like a mystery enveloped with family secrets and jewel thieves. I want more, and I want to know the secrets. I will be excited to read the second novel…” Author Christine H-Jackson
Read an Excerpt
“When did I come in? I had an accident, right?”
“You came in this morning. You had a lump on your head, with no idea how you got it. I don’t know if you were in the same fight as your brother?”
“My brother?” It came flooding back really fast. Jordan had been beaten and he was sure that if his dad hadn’t done it, he was at least responsible for it. “Where is he?”
The nurse nodded at the curtain. “The other side of that.”
Damien sat up and swung his legs over the side before the nurse could stop him, but she was there quickly, blocking his way. “Uh-uh. I’ll open the curtain so you can talk to him. But he is still out. He has come to a few times but still needs his rest.”
She got Damien settled and then briskly walked around and pushed the curtain back to the wall. “Anything else?”
Damien shook his head, not bothering to look at her as she left. His gaze was glued to his brother in the other bed.
“J? … Jordie? … Jordan?” When there was no response, Damien glanced toward the door before easing himself out of bed. Taking a moment to let the earth stop spinning, he grabbed his IV and made his way over to his brother’s bed. He reached for his brother’s hand. “Jordie. I am so sorry. I swear that son-of-a-bitch will pay for this. Never again. Never again.”
He made his way back to his bed, easing himself down. Resting his head on the pillow stopped it from pounding so much. At some point, he must have dozed off. Sounds brought him out of his sleep. This time though, he remembered where he was.
About the Author:
Take the adventure beyond your fingertips.
Multi-Award-Winning Author, Maggie Thom has written all types of stories but finally settled on her love of puzzles, mysteries, and rollercoaster rides and now writes suspense/thrillers/mysteries that keep you guessing and take you on one heck of an adventure.
She is the author of 8 suspense/thriller/mysteries. The award-winning Caspian Wine Series – Captured Lies, Deceitful Truths, and Split Seconds – and her other individual novels Tainted Waters, Deadly Ties, and Fractured Lines. And now a new series – The Twisted Deception Series – Fostered Identity, Book 1. On her website, you can find her free novel – Blurred Lines.
Her motto: Read to escape … Escape to read …
“Maggie Thom… proves her strength as a master of words, plots and finely chiseled characters… she weaves a brilliant cloth of the many colors of deceit.” Dii – TomeTender
Website: http://www.maggiethom.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormaggiethom
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-thom
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/maggiethom2
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549592.Maggie_Thom
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/maggiethom2/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Thom/e/B009WSTDG8/
Buy Links: THE BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR.
Amazon: http://mybook.to/FosteredIdentity
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fostered-identity-maggie-thom/1138918935
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fostered-identity
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=rqwgEAAAQBAJ
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/fostered-identity/id1556127213
For all book links: https://books2read.com/FosteredIdentity
Maggie Thom will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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VBT – TYING THE KNOT
Tying the Knot
by E.C. Bell
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GENRE: Paranormal mystery
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BLURB:
Marie Jenner just wants a Vegas holiday.
When psychic Crystal Demoines tells James Lavall that his uncle’s spirit is trapped in Las Vegas, Marie is thrilled. All she’ll have to do is help Jimmy “anything for a buck” Lavall move on to the next plane of existence, and then she and James can have the holiday of her dreams.
But she never dreamed that a lieutenant of the drug kingpin from Edmonton would be staying at the same hotel as her and James, and that James would become his new best friend. Or that she’d have to find Jimmy’s girlfriend Rita—who disappeared the same night Jimmy died—before he would finally move on. Or that the most powerful man in the hotel would be looking for Rita too. To find the money she stole.
And Marie never dreamed that she’d be planning a Vegas wedding in the middle of it all. But she is.
Looks like her dream vacation is about to become a nightmare.
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EXCERPT
WE DROPPED THE rental car off with the valet and got the keys for our room on the sixth floor.
“Can you remember what room your uncle died in?” I asked as we waited in a small crowd at the bank of elevators. A couple of people glanced at us, looking fairly aghast, and I wished I hadn’t said anything.
“Room 214,” James replied. “According to Crystal.”
The crowd around us backed away, and I guessed that people didn’t want to hear about someone dying here. Even though it was the truth.
The elevator opened and two men walked out. They pushed past us like we weren’t even there, and I glared, trying to think of a truly cutting remark to make. But I stopped, because there was something familiar about one of the guys. At least I thought there was.
Seeing people out of context sometimes made it very hard to connect the dots, memory-wise, but I was certain I’d seen him somewhere before. Not recently, but when I opened my mouth to ask James if he recognized him, he gently placed his hand on my arm like he could read my mind.
“Not now,” he said.
So I shut my mouth and watched the men walk past. They were dressed in suits, and I blinked when I realized I could see the outline of a gun under the armpit of one of them.
Who the heck were they?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
E.C. Bell is the author of the award winning paranormal Marie Jenner Mystery series. She lives in Alberta, Canada, and when she’s not writing, she’s scouting out new locations for her upcoming novels or renovating her round house where she lives with her husband and their two rescue dogs.
That’s right. Her house is round.
Join her mailing list on her website at http://www.eileenbell.com/ for news about new books, upcoming appearances and, occasionally, recipes.
Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ecbellmystery/
and Twitter at https://twitter.com/ApocalypseWoman
Marie Jenner Mystery series books, in order:
Seeing the Light
Drowning in Amber
Stalking the Dead
Dying on Second
Hearing Voices
Haunting the Haunted
Tying the Knot
Buy links for Tying the Knot
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tying-Knot-Marie-Jenner-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08ZSX5T13/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY:
E.C. Bell will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Q&A With ….
Tell us about you as a person.
Oh wow! You want me to be real, right off the jump! All right, here I am in all my unvarnished glory!
I dread the thought of going back out into to the world, once this pandemic is finally over. The idea of going to writing conferences and conventions and all the other public events exhausts me, and if I never had to do them again, I wouldn’t.
I live in Edmonton, Alberta, and I love my home town. (Not my province, so much, because it is painfully conservative here.) But my city is a wonderful place to live, and if you ever visit, don’t just go to the stupid mall. (Used to be the biggest one in North America, but I don’t think it is any longer.) Check out the festivals. They are so much fun!
Even though I don’t generally like being out in public, I LOVE doing launches for my books. It’s so much fun to find the perfect place, and get everyone together to celebrate. The best launch I ever put together was for Dying on Second, in which my main character, Marie Jenner, takes up softball.
I rented the ball diamond where all the action in my book took place, and after we did all the launch things, we played ball. It was so much fun! (And the cool thing is, everybody still talks about it. I love it!)
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Honestly, right now it would be the Prime Minister of Canada. I wouldn’t really have much to say to him, but I’d give him a chance to talk about this past year and a half, and what our country has been through. And I’d never tell anyone what we talked about.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
The idea for Tying the Knot was actually built into Seeing the Light, the first book in the Marie Jenner Mystery series. In it, James Lavall’s uncle dies of a heart attack, in Vegas, and I always knew that Uncle Jimmy “anything for a buck” Lavall’s spirit would be trapped there, and that Marie and James would end up going to Vegas to help him move on to the next plane of existence.
I was also pretty sure that Marie would need a holiday, because I was planning on putting that girl through hell in the series, and she would deserve it. (It wasn’t the holiday she’d always dreamed about, but hey, they rarely are!)
What is your writing process?
Before the pandemic, I used to get up at 5 AM every morning and write. That little habit fell by the wayside, but I hope I’ll be able to get it back, because I write best early in the morning.
And, I listen to TV shows when I write. (I can’t listen to music, because I focus too much on the lyrics. But old TV shows? For some reason, I have no problem!) I listened to “Supernatural,” “Star Trek,” and “Pushing Daisies,” among others, while I wrote Tying the Knot.
Tell us about your main character:
When the series started, my main character, Marie Jenner, could see and interact with ghosts, but seriously hated it. She wanted a normal life, which was why she’d moved away from her dysfunctional family and stalkery ex-boyfriend, and into the city of Edmonton. But ghosts found her no matter where she went, and so, she ended up helping them move on to the next plane of existence. Reluctantly, but she did help them.
Now, she’s a little more comfortable with her powers, but she still has lessons to learn about dealing with the dead, and also about dealing with the living. Which makes her ever so much fun to write!
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
This is a bit difficult, because I always saw Elliot Page, from the movie “Whip It,” though the character in that movie is a little young.(Marie is 25, in my head.) I’d envisioned a young woman who is tough, but who feels, deeply. Is good looking, but doesn’t realize it. And doesn’t realize the power she has.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on the last book in the series. I can barely believe that I made it to the end, but I have. It’s a hard book to write, because when it’s over, Marie’s life will be changed forever, and I feel badly about that. She was fun to work with, and I’m going to miss the girl.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
The best bit of advice I can give writers is, don’t forget to celebrate every aspect of the writing experience. And really celebrate when the book is finally out in the world. It is an amazing accomplishment, and we , as writers, have to remember that.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
Books, actually. Eden Robinson’s Trickster series. They are amazing books, and, after I finished the first one, I secretly wished that her main character could have a play date with Marie. It would be so interesting to bring those two characters together!
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Honestly, I don’t. Except, perhaps, for my ability to ignore how incredibly messy my house gets when I have a deadline coming up. I don’t even see how the dog has turned the living room into his own personal dog bed until the book’s in my editor’s hands. Then I look around and am amazed that someone could live this way. The dog loves it, but me? Not so much!
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Being able to see through walls, when I want. When I walk my dog, I often wonder what’s going on inside the houses I pass. (Snoopy, what can I say?) It might be kind of cool to find out.
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Go to the Yukon. I’d love to hang around up there for a year or so. The Aurora borealis (Northern lights) look so amazing in pictures, I’d love to see them in real life.
- Go to Newfoundland. (I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to the Rock?)
- I’d like to visit every Neanderthal site in existence. Man, Neanderthals intrigue me.
- I’d like to do the same thing for the Vikings.
- And, I‘d like to write the great Canadian novel. Hey, why not?
Any final thoughts?
Writers, don’t forget to celebrate.
Readers, don’t forget to review. Reviews are the lifeblood of a writer’s career, so please review the books you read.
Oh, and writers? Do yourself a favour and don’t read the reviews.
VBT – CLOCKWORK IGNI
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.
Long live the me! As Queen of Antrum, I rule an underground realm of demon hunters who love finding new caves. Hey, it’s boring down here; I’m glad they all have a hobby. Per usual, I try to act interested about their latest discovery, but all I hear is “blah blah blah new cavern blah blah blah Forbidden Tombs blah blah blah massive bronze pyramids blah blah blah creepy ticking sounds.” It’s a little odd, but I’m not worried.
My bad.
Suddenly, the Forbidden Tombs burst through the ground in my home realm of Purgatory. Bronze pyramids smash through abandoned buildings and highways, making rush hour a nightmare. Even worse, the metal structures attract tiny lightning bolts called igni, which are my very special supernatural buddies. Within minutes, every last igni gets stolen away.
Now. I’m. Pissed.
Whoever hides inside those pyramids? Time to dust off your mummies and shine up your sarcophagi. Because my husband, Lincoln, and I are breaking in and kicking ass.
Angelbound Origins
In which Myla Lewis kicks ass and takes names. Nuff said.1. Angelbound
2. Scala
3. Acca
4. Thrax
5. The Dark Lands
6. The Brutal Time
7. Armageddon
8. Quasi Redux
9. Clockwork Igni
10. Lady Reaper
Read an Excerpt
I stand in a small square room. A heavy iron door looms before me. All around, the walls are lined with intricately-entwined gears and springs. Tiny pieces whirl and tick away at high speed. With each click and swipe, a tiny jolt of worry ricochets down my spine. Sweat beads on my palms.
I’m girl enough to admit it. This scene freaks me out.
No question why, either. This isn’t just any metal portal. It’s Pandora’s Door. As in, the girl didn’t keep a box of nasties. Nope. Instead, something awful lurks behind this very entrance. If I pull on the handle, that magical whatchamacallit gets free. Based on what I’ve learned, the mystery something-something could make everything right again. In other words, my igni would return. I’ll move souls once more. The Great Scala is back. How perfect.
Or I could release an unknown scourge that destroys all the after-realms. Definitely not as cool.
A memory appears. I picture Verus giving me a solemn warning: “No matter how tempting the door may appear, you must step back and walk away.”
It’s logical enough advice. Plus, Verus is an oracle angel. In my experience, she’s right most of the time. Perhaps I should give up. Go home. Play with my kid. Smooch my hottie husband. Get a mocha.
That lasts all of five seconds.
Screw it. I’m going in.
I grasp the handle and pull.
About the Author:
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Website: http://www.BauersBooks.com
Blog: http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/category/christina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CB_Bauer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_cb_bauer/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cb-bauer-481b12139/
Web site: http://monsterhousebooks.com/authors/cbauer
Christina Bauer will be awarding an angel/demon necklace to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Book Blast – {THIS TALE IS TRUE}
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
They don’t make goddesses like they used to….
For eons they ruled, but modern times have been rough on the ancient deities— their temples collapsed, their worshippers wandered off, and their purposes were made redundant by industry and technology. And the Fates aren’t finished with them yet.
Mere days before the annual renewal of their immortality is to occur, the goddess of youth disappears. Without her and her restorative nectar, time and age will catch up with the goddesses. In the blink of an eye, they will shrivel and die, leaving the world to fend for itself, unless a skeptical mortal can find a way to save both worlds.
combines the humor one expects from Adams with magical realism and a dash of literary fiction, resulting in a boisterous read that pushes back against the boundaries of genre.
“Deborah Adams offers goddesses in peril and a protagonist who dares all to save the immortals in a wild, wacky, and wonderful romp. Imaginative, creative, fabulous fiction.” ~ Carolyn Hart, author of the otherworldly Bailey Ruth series
Read an Excerpt
There was no time or reason for social conventions, so Juno got right to the point. “Juventas is gone,” she said simply. “No one knows her whereabouts.”
As Fama had explained, this was already common knowledge throughout Olympus and therefore failed to bring the panicked cries of disbelief and horror Juno had expected. Instead there was silence as the assembled goddesses waited for orders. It hadn’t occurred to them that Juno was depending on them for help.
“I can hardly believe it myself,” Juno went on, misreading their silence. “And yet it’s true. Someone has made away with that bright spirit, the soul of youth and grace.”
”Are you sure she hasn’t gone on vacation?” Ceres asked snidely. “And why does a wandering child necessitate such fuss and bother? No one even mentions my daughter’s regular disappearance.”
“Without Juventas,” Juno reminded them, “we are unable to complete the rebirthing. That ought to be reason enough for even you, Ceres, to sit up and take notice.”
“No one understands how a mother suffers,” Ceres whined. {Half-sprouted tulips in Houston halted their ascent toward the sun.}
“We know it’s difficult for you,” Iris leaned over and patted Ceres’ pudgy hand, “but right now we must hold ourselves together and focus on solving the immediate problem.”
Ceres moaned as if she might collapse under the weight of her grief. In stark contrast, Juno remained stoic as always, her royal obligations taking precedence over the pain that swelled inside her. “We shall apply our talents to saving ourselves. With only two days until the renewal ceremony, there’s no time to waste. We must find Juventas’ kidnapper and make a deal to retrieve her and her nectar. Otherwise…” The consequences hung liked a honed sword in the air.
“But why would someone abduct your kid?” Ceres asked. “Interfering with the renewal ceremony would be disastrous for us all! A god would have to be crazy!”
“Well, crazy behavior among Olympians isn’t unheard of,” Fama pointed out. “All that in-breeding.”
Juno halted a fireball just before it left her fingertips. It was true that most of her family’s problems resulted from incautious couplings; still, bad habits hardly explained this sort of misbehavior.
About the Author:
Deborah Zenha Adams, recipient of the Macavity and Flair Awards, is an author, a naturalist, and a yoga educator. In {This Tale Is True}, a work of magical realism, she unveils the fate of ancient Roman goddesses as they struggle to survive in the 21st century.
The seven novels in her Jesus Creek mystery series were published under her own name, and other works appear under a variety of pseudonyms. She is also the author of numerous short stories and essays.
She has been a guest lecturer at numerous events, including Southern Festival of Books, Appalachian Studies Conference, Warioto Regional Library Board of Trustees Conference, Southeastern Booksellers Association, Georgia Library Association Convention, Emory University, East Tennessee State University Writers Program, and many others. She is a lifetime member of the Southern Literary Coalition.
Deborah-Zenha is available for interviews, speaking, and author events. Her signature workshops include Write Your Memoir (even if you aren’t a writer) and Write Your Yoga Memoir.
Learn more about the author and her books on her website.
Website: http://www.Deborah-Adams.com
{This Tale Is True} is available from your favorite local bookstore, as well as online stores.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0998494097/ref=as_li_tl
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wanderings-of-a-naturalist-in-india-andrew-leith-adams/1102064407
Books-a-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/this-Tale-True/Deborah-Adams/9780998494098
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780998494098
Kobo: http://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/this-tale-is-true
Deborah Adams will be awarding a $25 Visa gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
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VBT – MILLENNIAL MONEY QUEENS
Millennial Money Queens
by Maria Alcantara
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GENRE: Personal Finance for Women
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NOTE: The book is on sale for only $0.99.
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BLURB:
The ultimate personal finance guide for millennial ladies, finally live your dream life, banish debt, make more money and create true wealth.
Millennial Money Queens brings millennial women the crucial financial education and life-changing mindset training needed to succeed. Maria shares her decade-long experience along with top financial and psychology insights to empower you to live your dream life. Master your money mindset, start your dream business and invest like a pro.
In this book, Maria starts by giving your money mindset a makeover! We all operate according to belief blueprints we’ve inherited and developed, what she calls the money in our mind. Travel through time and learn how the blueprints for wealth and poverty were created and how they trickled through millennia all the way to our present society. During her career, Maria quickly noticed how some people could have astronomical sums of money and still feel poor, while others could create wealth time and time again while feeling like they were living their dream lives, sharing their fortunes, growing their riches and supporting the causes that mattered to them. They are vibrant, accomplished, healthy and wealthy individuals in every way. The first step to master money is to adopt their blueprint, which Maria has broken down into easy and clear steps, the cornerstones you need to finally have a solid foundation for financial freedom for the rest of your life.
Once your unshakable financial blueprint is in place, it’s time to get to work with the money in our world. The first step is to stop for most millennial women is to stop spending their well-earned money on debt, whether it is student loans or credit cards, the majority of millennial women spend extravagantly on interest payments. Maria shares the best proven strategy for millennial ladies to stop this money leak. Once your debt is in control, learn where else in your life there may be money leaks and how you can make the most of the current expenses we all have so you can live your desired lifestyle, this is the new way to budget. Whether it is in housing and moving to your dream home, transportation and driving your dream car or personal spending and funding your shopping sprees or trips to exotic destinations, learn about smart and conscious spending to truly live like a money queen. Spending is only a part of the money equation, to increase our wealth, we need to increase our income. We all have something unique to share with the world, Maria shares her secret process to help you find out what your superpower is that will allow you to build your million-dollar dream business. It’s time for millennial women to step into their power, to lead in entrepreneurship and create amazing organizations that will contribute to making our world a better place. With the access to technology and the education many of us have and can continue to gain, the sky’s the limit to what we can create! The final step is learning the money magic that will allow your wealth to grow exponentially. Investing has so far been kept out of reach for many millennial women who believed they weren’t ready to begin investing, who couldn’t afford the professional fees and who continuously postponed creating their portfolios, this ends now. Learn the best strategies to invest like a pro without the exorbitant fees and or the professional knowledge needed to succeed in the markets.
The truth is that many of us are actively keeping wealth away from us with limiting beliefs about ourselves and money and we are lacking the financial education and tools we need to create our wealth. This will no longer be your reality, once you read this book, you will be fully equipped with knowledge, secrets, tips and strategies you need to finally master money and live your dream life. With captivating stories of real millennial women, so you can learn from their journey and timeless wisdom from humanity’s greatest minds, you are in for a life-changing transformation. Maria believes that the true power in knowledge is in its application, so to help you embody the concepts and make the most of all the opportunities the knowledge in this book will give you, Every chapter includes a money queen move to help you put into action all the invaluable information that is being shared. It’s your time to shine and become a millennial money queen.
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EXCERPT
Social media has the magic of being able to connect people worldwide, but it also has created a very insidious culture of idolizing money. Especially for a generation who is so far going down in modern history as one of the worst with money, especially us ladies. This book’s mission is to change that and instead to empower our generation with the financial literacy it so urgently needs.
Financial wellness today has a lot less to do with where you were born or how smart you are and a lot more with what education you receive and how you behave with money. So far, the financial education you’ve received is slim to none, and so, your money life is in shambles. That changes now.
Any of these RKOI kids can blow their money just as any millennial woman who is given proper financial skills can understand money, make it work for them and become a zillionaire, self-made, amigas. Get ready for your money makeover.
If you want to become a millionaire but think it can’t happen for you unless you win the lottery or marry rich, think again. Making money, getting out of debt and growing a fortune is based on a few simple principles you are about to learn.
Applying these principles leads to stories like the secretaries Grace Groner and Sylvia Bloom who died with massive multi-million-dollar estates. Ignoring them leads to stories of boom and bust like Kim Basinger, who, despite living with crippling anxiety, won multiple academy awards and still had to file for bankruptcy.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Maria Alcantara is the founder of Millennial Money Queens, a leading financial empowerment movement for millennial women worldwide.
She is a chartered investment manager and money coach with over ten years of financial insights experience working with high-net-worth individuals to manage and grow their wealth. After a decade devoted to mastering money, she realized the gap existing between young women and financial education.
Deeply touched by the current state of millennial women’s finances, where many have fallen into debt, are unable to create inspiring opportunities for themselves and their communities, and are suffering financially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, Maria created Millennial Money Queens to create a much needed shift. After working with millennial clients and friends, she expanded her method to impact a whole generation, our younger sisters and our descendants. She specializes in using behavioural economics and finance to help women achieve financial literacy, freedom and independence. The results are life-changing, with the right financial and psychological preparation, young women are finally able to create purpose, independence and the confidence to live fulfilled lives.
Born and raised in Brazil, Maria witnessed the polarity of money. She vowed at a young age to make a difference in the world. During her childhood, her family moved to Canada where she studied economics, psychology and finance. She started out with big dreams like saving the rainforests of the world and creating animal-assisted therapy programs. The defining moment happened when she was not able to get funding to make those projects come to life. Feeling discouraged and powerless was a huge catalyst. Sometimes in our lives, our temporary defeats hold our most precious gems, Maria decided to master money so that she could personally fund all the projects that were important to her and reflected her values of sustainability, health, welfare and abundance for all.
Thus she embarked on a journey to understand the financial world. She worked in banking, brokerages and wealth management, carefully observing how people handled money differently and the effect it had on their overall life satisfaction. While money can’t buy happiness, the lack of can certainly create chaos in one’s life. She found this to be true most clearly with millennial women. With promising futures and careers ahead, the women she spoke with, read about and worked with all shared tremendous baggage of feeling insecure when it came to money. While many millennial women are incredibly well educated, many are uncomfortable discussing money, including negotiating their hard-earned salary and requesting equal pay. Maria dove deeply into the history of women and money and found that outdated societal beliefs widely held by both men and women still influence our behaviour today. In order to create lasting change, millennial women need to be the rising tide. It is our time to rise to our potential and pave the way for the younger generations. Financial literacy including both the psychological and external world perspectives of money are key to empowering women worldwide. That is Maria’s mission in creating the Millennial Money Queen movement.
Links
www.millennialmoneyqueens.com
https://www.facebook.com/millennialmoneyqueens
https://www.instagram.com/millennialmoneyqueens/
Book link
https://www.millennialmoneyqueens.com/products
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Maria Alcantara will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
Book Blast – JUSTICE
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.
A star athlete with a notorious reputation, Justine “Justice” Hayes is offered the chance to join the United States’ elite Special Operations Forces. SOF is standing up three new units called “Special Missions,” and Justice’s past as a master thief makes her perfect to lead one of these intelligence-gathering teams.
But an impossible condition stands between her and her dream job.
She has to survive the Navy’s most intensive and grueling SPECWAR training program: BUD/S.
Despite opposition, Justice soon finds herself wearing the rank of a Navy ensign and competing with some of America’s toughest men. Two of these SEAL candidates will come to test her mind and her heart, as much as her will to keep business and pleasure firmly separate. Temptations multiply when she crosses swords with the cocky helicopter pilot who commands her Special Missions flight crew.
Her vow to maintain a professional distance is finally shaken when an unorthodox training exercise goes terribly wrong. In the brutal aftermath, she needs a man who cares about her to help her fully heal. But which hero will ultimately win her…?
The gentleman? The leader? The wild one?
YOU CHOOSE!
In this unique Choose A Hero Romance™, the reader decides which hero will earn a happily ever after with Justice Hayes.
Love every hero in his own way?
You can have as many happily-ever-afters as you want!When you’re finished with one ending, simply choose another and keep reading.
All endings are available NOW
Read an Excerpt
Justice followed Pete inside his stateroom and banged the door shut. Loud noise: generated for reasons of temperamental satisfaction. She stood rigidly in place, lungs working hard. Beyond words. If the appearance of her eyeballs was anything like her vision, they probably looked like they’d been dunked in Red Dye Number Forty.
A man who knew what restraint actually was would’ve handled a woman in her condition—like a stick of dynamite on the tail end of its fuse—in a conciliatory fashion.
Maybe, All right now, what’s wrong?
Or, Come on, let’s work this out.
But no.
First thing out of Pete Robbins’s mouth was a Scottish accent. “She cannae take any more, Captain. She’s gonna blow!”
Astounded. Then murderous. Many more things, but Justice’s brain was actually spluttering. Robbins was mimicking Scotty from Star Trek. “You’re going to make a joke out of this?”
He shrugged. “Until I know what’s wrong, sure.”
According to the pressure in her ear canals, she was currently standing eight leagues under the sea. “What’s wrong,” she gritted back, “is that you’re dangerous.”
He perked up. “Oh, we’re doing Top Gun now? Cool.” He rolled into mimicking Maverick. “That’s right, Ice…Man. I am dangerous.” He gestured at her face. “Now you bite your teeth at me.”
She totally lost it.
Grabbing the collar of his flight suit in both fists, she slammed him back against the bulkhead. The metal wall rattled as if all the rivets were coming loose—she’d gained an unrealized amount of strength over the past months at BUD/S.
About the Author:
Tracy Tappan is a bestselling and award-winning author and the creator of the Choose A Hero Romance™ reading experience, a brand-new concept in storytelling where the reader controls the ending. You can find out more about this exciting new trend at http://www.chooseahero.com.
Tracy’s books in paranormal and military romance have earned both bronze and gold medals in the Readers’ Favorite contests, have finaled for the USA Book News and Kindle Book Awards, and won both the HOLT Medallion and the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) bronze medal for romance.
Tracy holds a master’s degree in Marriage, Family, Child Counseling (MFCC), loves to play tennis, enjoys a great glass of wine, and talks to her Labrador like he’s a human (admittedly, the wine drinking and the dog talking probably go together).
A native of San Diego, Tracy is married to a former Navy helicopter pilot, who retired after thirty years of service and joined the diplomatic corps. He and Tracy currently live in Rome, Italy.
Visit her website and join the gang on her monthly newsletter for giveaways, publication updates, and other fun and sexy news.
Website: http://www.tracytappan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracyTappanRomanceAuthor/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tracytappan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracytappanauthor/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-tappan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579061.Tracy_Tappan
Amazon Author Page: http://tracy.link/amazon-author
Choose A Hero website: https://chooseahero.com/
Tracy Tappan will be awarding one “Hero” coffee mug: Keith or Brayden or Pete, winner’s choice which one. (US only shipping) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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C.A. Milson 