Monthly Archives: August 2021
Book Blast – RUNAWAY ROYAL
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.
Will this runaway royal ever find her place…and true love?
All Princess Catherine Zara of Lysianna wants to do is attend college like everyone else her age. So she’s a royal and requires a security guard to move about in public, but if she goes to university, she doesn’t have to marry the man chosen for her. He’s not her true love, so why torture herself? All she has to do to get her life started is to run away to the US…
And then she meets Luke.
Luke Cobb wants to survive college with a degree in studio art and guarantees that he can show his paintings in the local galleries. All he needs is the right break to get his work mainstream and the right woman to stoke his dormant muse. When he meets Zara, he’s smitten and his creativity sparks.
Except, she’s a princess and he’s a commoner, which could be a big problem…
Read an Excerpt
©2021 Wendi Zwaduk, All Rights Reserved
She opened her sketch pad and created a list.
While I’m at university, I want to:
*be kissed properly
*buy a cheeseburger
*see a rock band play a concert
*have sex & lose my virginity
*have sex with a handsome man
She tapped her pencil against her lips as she debated the next item for her list.
*to meet the tall, dark and handsome artist downstairs
*to model for someone (nude?)
*to attend a real party
*to fall in love
She snorted. Love wouldn’t happen. Not for her. Before things got that far, she’d be found out. The law of averages wasn’t in her favor. If her stepmother didn’t tell someone she’d arrived at the college, Corinne would let the secret slip.
Still, she could dream.
Besides, the list was only one of dreams. It wasn’t like she’d created a checklist to live by. She’d come to the college to get an education, not fall in love. Even if she wanted to be with someone and experience those aspects of life, she had to finish her degree first. She’d paid the money to attend and refused to waste the chance—even for love.
About the Author:
Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library.
Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj
Website http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Blog https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/
Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Zwaduk/e/B003KA589U/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/wendi-zwaduk
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer
Buy links:
https://books2read.com/u/4jA1zD
https://www.firstforromance.com/book/runaway-royal
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJHSJBF/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/runaway-royal-wendi-zwaduk/1138737040
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=8zAhEAAAQBAJ
https://books.apple.com/us/book/runaway-royal/id1551834734
Wendi Zwaduk will be awarding a Prize Pack featuring a necklace inspired by the book and made by the author to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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VBT – THE HOTEL SERIES
The Hotel (Series)
by Michael James
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Series Blurb:
No one has ever escaped from the Hotel at the End of Time. Until now.
Vain only wants to be left alone, but the Hotel has other plans. Forces will align against her: a group of multi-dimensional felons collectively named The Wyatts; and their leader, Trick, a mild-to-medium psychopath with a fondness for impractical jokes.
The only way forward is to go back. Back to the one place in the world she swore she’d never return.
Back to the Hotel.
Blurb for: The Hotel at the End of Time:
Vain is the only person to ever escape from the Hotel at the end of time. On her way out, she took their prized possession: A Padlock that grants immortality.
They will do anything to get it back.
The forces of the Hotel are aligned against her: mundane items turned into weapons; a group of multi-dimensional felons collectively named The Wyatts; and their leader, Trick, a mild-to-medium psychopath with a fondness for impractical jokes.
Everything changes when Vain meets Emma, a timid grad student with impossible and terrifying powers. Together, they are propelled into an adventure that will see them battle the Wyatts, blow up several objects of significant value, and quite by accident, discover a way to stop the Hotel.
Even with Emma, Vain has a lot of problems to deal with.
She’s exhausted from being hunted.
Stopping the Hotel might kill them.
She has a hangnail.
But Vain is resourceful. Vain is clever.
And she always has a plan.
Blurb for: The Well at the Bottom of Everything:
Vain thought destroying the Portal to the Hotel at the End of Time would mean freedom for her and Roman, but her happy ever after is coming to an end.
A horrible mistake and a stray bullet force her to infiltrate the Hotel and contend with a new and terrible power: The Well at the Bottom of Everything.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken.
The Hotel will have its revenge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
The Hotel at the End of Time
The woman glanced over. “I’m Emma, by the way. Thank you for helping me.”
“I’m Vain.”
Emma blinked and positioned the rear-view mirror so it showed Vain her reflection. “Is that better?”
Vain shook her head. “My name. My actual name is Vain.”
“Are you, like, a street artist?”
Vain sighed. “I’m just me.”
“How did you know who those men were? How did you know they were after me?”
“They’re not men,” replied Vain. “They’re things. Their name is Wyatt. Their only job is to find people like you and take them back to a place called the Hotel. It’s a place I escaped from.”
“How are they all called Wyatt? Why do they look the same?”
“They’re from alternate Earths.” Vain waved her hand, shooing away the explanation.
“I don’t believe you,” Emma said. “I’m sorry. I know I’m supposed to humor crazy, but I’m exhausted. Please tell me the truth.”
“How about this? You go first. Explain how you threw a person with your mind in a way that doesn’t violate a couple dozen natural laws, and once you’re done, I’ll come up with a better explanation for duplicate psychopaths from various incarnations of Earth.”
The Well at the Bottom of Everything
“Can I help you?” The perky girl behind the counter smiled like she enjoyed her job. Vain was immediately suspicious.
“Two coffees, please.”
“Sure, what size? We have mediu, moyen and mittel.”
“Are those real words?”
“Yes.”
Vain waited for a further explanation. Sweat pooled in her lower back. The man behind her coughed, and she nearly jumped. The perky girl offered no further details, but smiled more aggressively. Vain examined the menu for clues with growing distress.
“I don’t know. The third one. Mitten. Two mitten coffees, I guess. Oh and Mark said he wants an everything bagel, but I’m not sure if he meant he wants all the bagels or if he wants everything on the bagel.”
“One everything bagel and two mittel coffees. No problem. How do you take them?”
Vain wiped her forehead. A car started outside the shop and she bit her cheek. “In my hands, please. That’s fine. Hurry.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Yes, okay. Give me two mitten coffees with cream and sugar and all the bagels in my hands. Here is some money. I’ll be on the couch.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Michael James spent his formative years writing, and when he wasn’t writing, he was writing. A mistaken belief that a “real” job would be more satisfying led him down a dark path that did not involve writing but did involve meetings. Fortunately, he has since course-corrected and is back on the right (write? Ha!) path. The Hotel at the End of Time is not his first book, but it is the one with the most Hotels in it.
He lives in Canada with his family. When he’s not writing, he does Canadian things – saying sorry a lot, being polite, talking about the weather, you know how it goes.
Website: https://www.michaeljamesauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeJamesAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMichaelJames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikejamesauthor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-James/e/B07P8GJS8K?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
The Hotel at the End of Time: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QG59SXL
The Well at the Bottom of Everything: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095CL2T6H
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Michael James will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q & A With …
Tell us about you as a person.
Yikes, you cut right to the chase. I’d say as a person, 99% of my mass comes from oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. I pretty effectively convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. Once, I saw a seal in real life. Oh shoot, I’m a writer. I always forget that part.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Remember that dude, Techno Viking? He was super huge on YouTube like ten years ago. Mostly I’d want to learn how to be that cool and also a viking.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
When I was little I fell into a Well, but unlike Batman, I didn’t get a super cool fear of bats that led me to a life of superhero adventures, instead I broke my leg. The book The Well at the Bottom of Everything has nothing to do with that at all, but it’s the only backstory I have that has anything to do with Wells.
PS my books are about human batteries in a time displaced Hotel, and there’s also a Well.
What is your writing process?
Oh, you know, pretty standard. The ghost of John Milton who lives in my library screams at me to be more talented and I bawl my eyes out while begging him to stop, only he doesn’t, and I guess I turn that into my creative process.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role(s) and why.
Vain would be played by Emma Roberts because that’s who I pictured when I was creating Vain.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their latest book?
Shoot, that’s a great question, and I don’t have a great answer. Probably advertising, but like get ready to spend a lot of money.
List 5 things on your bucket list.
Ohhh snap, I don’t have a bucket list, so I guess that is item number one. Get a bucket list.
In what way do you think that this current pandemic has changed the book & publishing industry?
This is super anecdotal, but everyone I know is reading way less because we’re all sort of going insane. It really sucks. PS my book will make you like 4% less insane though and that’s a guarantee
Any final thoughts?
Okay I can’t actually guarantee reading my book will make you less insane.
Release Blitz: Seventeen Butterflies
About the Book
Title: Seventeen Butterflies
Author: Anna Katmore
Genre: Contemporary Teen Romance
The embarrassment of being the only unkissed girl in high school is something Sandy Cardington refuses to accept. The first kiss project is her foolproof plan to finally get rid of the status at her 17th birthday party, while her parents are out of town.
With several kissable boys on her guest list, this should be a walk in the park. But she didn’t count on her older brother returning from college and throwing a wrench into her plans. To make matters even more complicated, he has a friend in tow, and the cute hockey player stirs unexpected butterflies in her stomach every time their paths cross.
While Sandy moves heaven and earth to make her party and project come true, it looks as if Thane Griffyn has his own plans to teach her the real meaning of a first kiss…
Buy on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
The nitty-gritty:
I’ve been a storyteller all my life, building bridges into different worlds. Already in kindergarten, I’ve seen the most fantastical things and wanted to share them with everyone. My teacher called me a liar back then. Today, I call it the first real flash of my spiritual gift and the cornerstone of my writing career.
When I got older, I’ve had many visions of a perfect career, while writing has always been more of a hobby and kind of a therapy for me when the longing for more magic in this world once again caught up with me in a crushing way. When my first book was finished, I couldn’t even imagine sharing one of my stories with others, ever. In fact, I only got used to the idea while I wrote my second book and learned in a very miraculous way where the many stories in this world really come from.
It’s funny how, at that point, everyone told me I can’t possibly make a living with writing. They even warned me not to quit my job. But after my debut novella PLAY WITH ME came out and sales skyrocketed within the first week, I knew I could do anything I wanted if only I never stopped dreaming.
That’s also part of what I teach my students in writing and spiritual workshops today. Always dream big! If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.
Some personal stuff:
“I’m writing stories because I can’t breathe without.”
Disney is my attitude to life, and if I could I’d save the world from itself. My Patronus is a wolf, my wand the broken twig of an apple tree, 13 ¾ inches with a unicorn hair core. I can’t deny that on some days, I prefer my book characters over real people, but there’s not a single day going by where I wouldn’t try to find magic in reality. And when I’m alone, I love to listen to the many stories of the wind in a mystic mid-summer night.
So you see, I’m lucky enough to live in an enchanting world of my own. It’s peaceful there and full of magical things, fairies and wonders. You’re welcome to follow me there – if you’re ready to open up your mind and leave everything you learned about reality behind. But beware, if you dare to step through this door, you may never want to leave again…
Author Links
Website:
Facebook:
German: www.facebook.com/annakatmore
English (brand new) www.facebook.com/annakatmorebooks
Cover Reveal – PREYING ON THE CHURCH
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the tour banner to see the rest of the tour.
Preying On The Church, is an inspiring novel about an African American middle-age woman Margie, who is well-known in her community through her job as a Realtor, serving as a representative on the Rockford Town Council, and giving her portion of life at Rockford Baptist Church.
A tragic accident happens that no one could ever believe. After a church shooting, Margie loses faith as her life is shattered into pieces losing someone close to her that causes her to journey through the five stages of grief.
It takes her to the lowest possible point of survival: isolating herself from friends and family, losing faith, drinking alcohol, almost getting arrested, and losing her job to realize she is on a path of destruction.
Read an Excerpt
“Where would you like to have the funeral?” asked Mr. Stephens. “There is an option
to have it at the convention center.”
“That would be great,” said Barry. “Then we can have all his teachers and friends
from school attend.”
“Okay, this is a book for flower arrangements and this one is for caskets and grave
markers. Browse through to see which ones you would like,” Mr. Stephens said as he
spread the books on the table.
Margie and Barry went through the books and picked the things that would best fit
for Jason.
They came across the perfect casket. The casket had a storm blue exterior with a
spruce blue interior and a football symbol inside, quoting a Bible verse.
After they came up with a decision, Margie wanted to go back upstairs.
“Barry, can you help me back upstairs?”
“You sure you don’t want to hang out with your mom and Burnie?” Barry posed as
they walked up the stairs.
“No, I’m not up to it,” Margie said as they continued to the bedroom. “Let Mom and
Burnie figure out the program for the homegoing service.”
Barry laid Margie down on the bed and sat beside her.
“Are you sure you want your mom and Burnie to do the program?” asked Barry.
“Yes, just make sure they leave room for Coach Mackey, Principal Jenkins, and his
teammates to say a few words.”
About the Author:
Kimberley is a professional early childhood educator and entrepreneur. She was born in the small town of Saint George, South Carolina, on September 12, 1982. Graduated from Woodland High School in 2000, Benedict College in 2004 with B.S., Child & Family Development, and from Ashford University in 2013 with a Masters in Early Childhood Education.
After receiving her education and being a military spouse, she held several jobs as a preschool teacher and a preschool director, but she wanted to her education to use by writing children’s books. She wrote her first book in college for her children’s literature course. She has self-published several children books on Amazon.
Currently, she is branching off into writing fiction YA, NA, and A novels on issues in society. She loves writing and would not change it for nothing in this world She is now published by Rhetoric Askew. Kimberley is the author of Our Friendship Matters and Preying on the Church.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberley.jones.3762584/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimberleyBJones
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberleybjones/
Website: https://www.kimberleybjones.com/
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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VBT – IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES
If The Light Escapes
by Brenda Marie Smith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Sci-fi (post-apocalyptic)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A standalone sequel to IF DARKNESS TAKES US
A solar electromagnetic pulse fried the U.S. grid fourteen months ago. Everything’s gone: power, cars, running water, communications, all governing control and help—gone. Now northern lights have started in Texas—3,000 miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with eighteen-year-old Keno Simms.
All that’s left for Keno, his family and neighbors is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a living on poor soil in the scorching heat. Keno’s still reeling from the the death of his pregnant sister. His beloved Nana is ill, Grandpa’s always brandishing weapons, and water is far too scarce. Desperate thieves are hemming them in, yet he can’t convince his uncle and other adults to take action against the threat.
Keno’s one solace is his love for Alma, who has her own secret sorrows. When he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive no matter what. Yet armed marauders and nature itself collude against him at every turn, forcing him to make choices that rip at his conscience. If he can’t protect Alma and their unborn child, it will be the end of Keno’s world.
IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a near-future reality, a coming-of-age story told in the voice of a heroic teen who’s forced into manhood too soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
OPENING LINES:
Bright green lights stream and pulse across the northern sky all night now, growing from thin and wispy to bold and fat, expanding, contracting, sending out bands of yellow streamers like they’re partying on ecstasy at some cosmic rave. The lights are pretty, and they’re hypnotic, and they creep me out to the core.
Northern lights every night for two solid weeks in Texas. Halfway to the equator from where they belong. They’re supposed to be a phenomenon tied to the magnetic poles—it’s a scientific fact.
Nothing is right about this. The only explanation I can think of is that the north and south poles are shifting. I don’t know what that means for the planet and the future of its creatures. We don’t have TVs or talking-head scientists to tell us…
The universe just won’t stop f**king with us.
Today, I’m hoeing corn in our front yard, sweat stinging my eyes. It’s blistering hot out here—early December in what used to be high-tech Austin, until the … sun zapped us with an electromagnetic pulse and took our power, our cars, the damned running water. It stopped pretty much everything—everything modern, that is.
It’s been fourteen months, and all the front yards in our subdivision are mini-cornfields now. We grow beans and veggies in the backyards. It’s a desperate attempt to keep us alive when our food stockpiles run out. Don’t know if it will work, but I’m doing my damnedest to make sure it does.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys.
Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their own limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.
Her first novel, Something Radiates, is a paranormal romantic thriller; If Darkness Takes Us and its sequel, If the Light Escapes, are post-apocalyptic science fiction.
Social Media:
Website: https://brendamariesmith.com/
Twitter: @bsmithnovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaMarieSmithAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenda_marie_smith/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52206957-if-darkness-takes-us
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Takes-Brenda-Marie-Smith-ebook/dp/B07WK9BQHN/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-darkness-takes-us-brenda-marie-smith/1133374442?ean=9781970137835
BookPeople Austin: https://www.bookpeople.com/book/9781970137835
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q & A With …
Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
I’d like to be a better version of myself—someone who has aged better than I have, who is more present and more helpful to my loved ones. I’d like to have better health so I could go out and meet more of my readers, have book events, visit friends and family, cook healthy meals, play ball with my grandkids, travel, and host lots of parties, large and small.
What did you do on your last birthday?
I was in the middle of a stylistic edit for If the Light Escapes, and I was on a tight deadline. So, I kept right on editing on my birthday, and postponed the celebrations for two weeks—until the edit was out the door. Then my kiddos came to visit me on the back patio at a distance, and my son and his girlfriend made the family’s 5-generation strawberry cake. It was delicious, I got some lovely gifts, but mostly I enjoyed my kids. And I did get some sweet phone calls and messages on the actual day.
What part of the writing process do you dread?
Ha! All of it? I don’t know if “dread” is the best word, but I do have anxiety over every bit of it from the first word on the page, to the critiques and edits, to the publication and marketing. It’s really a mix of excitement and anxiety that gets me too riled-up for my own good. I’m anxious about my story choices, my word choices, the punctuation, but mostly about my ability to tell a clear and compelling story with the depth I want it to have. Probably the most dread-inducing part is waiting for and receiving the first developmental edit from the publisher and wondering if I will be up to the task. Also, not fond of multi-tasking.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I get stumped sometimes on where I should take the story next, or on what story I want to start writing, what to add, what to cut, how to fill a plot hole. I usually make some notes, and then I spend a lot of time thinking, staring out windows, noodling around on the computer, reading other books, watching TV. I find if I take my mind off the problem, the answers usually bubble up. More often than not, I just start writing anyway, realizing that I may have to throw away a lot of it, but it will get my juices flowing.
Tell us about your latest release.
If the Light Escapes is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction thriller and a standalone sequel to If Darkness Takes Us. An electromagnetic pulse from the sun has fried the entire U.S. grid, and these books focus on a family’s struggle to survive without power, cars, communications, or running water in an Austin, Texas subdivision.
While If Darkness was written from a grandmother’s point of view, If the Light is told in the voice of her grandson, 18-year-old Keno Simms. He’s grappling with grief and family turmoil, he has to farm the yards of the neighborhood to grow their food, and outsiders pose threat after threat. His one solace is his love for Alma, and when he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive if he has to die to do it. But nature and militant marauders put his resolve to the test.
Book Blast – THE ACK ACK GIRL
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.
It’s 1941 and the German war machine has defeated all of Europe except England. In an effort to force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe is bombing villages and cities the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.
To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. Teams of courageous young women will now fight in anti-aircraft stations. Excited to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong has volunteered for one of the special teams. Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with the highly decorated and handsome Royal Air force pilot, Chris Fairfield.
“I have a couple of favorites. I like Night and Day and Blue Moon,” Ava sang a couple of lines from each and added a shoulder and body sway. “They’re good to dance to.”
“Nice moves.”
“Do you dance?”
“When necessary.”
She wondered what that meant, exactly. She heard her mother in her head advising her not to pry. But what if he had a fiancé and she liked to dance and that was the necessity? Sorry Mum, I have to ask. “Pleasant as this evening has been, flirtations and all, just curious but do you have someone special waiting for you somewhere?”
“No. If I had, I wouldn’t have invited you out.”
“I had to ask.”
“Understandable. What about you?”
“No one special is waiting for me either.”
“Good. Back to the songs. Sing Night and Day again.”
She sang the first line and as she did, Chris put his arms around her and danced with her. The warm touch of his hands felt through her uniform. “You’ve nice moves, yourself.” He pulled her closer. “Oh.”
“My mother insisted my sister and I take ballroom dancing when we were in our teens. She said it was uncivilized not to know how to dance.” Without missing a beat, he added, “We’d make a cracking good recruitment poster. Join the RAF or ATS—”
“And share the starry sky?”
“And share the starry sky, I like it.” He gave her one more whirl and stopped. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
Falling off a cliff, she had no better words to describe the sudden sense of loss. They hardly knew each other. He’d warned her he’d be going within days, but none of that made the loss less acute.
“Well, who knows what the future holds. Maybe I’ll get leave down the road and if I go home, we can meet for drinks or something.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“I don’t want to lose this.” He gestured wide a broad stroke of his arm to the sky. “More starry nights, I hoped you’d agree to write me.”
That jolted the life back into her. “Of course. I don’t want to lose this either.”
He kissed her, thoroughly, deeply, and like no other had.
About the Author:
I was raised in Chicago. My father, a history professor, and my mother, a voracious reader passed on a love of history and books along with a love of travel. My husband and I retired to the Pacific Northwest where we live with four crazy rescue dogs.
I am a retired police detective. After twenty-five years in law enforcement I decided to pursue my dream of writing. I’ve completed a historical-time travel romance series called Knights in Time. I currently write a historical suspense called The Bloodstone Series.
I am also working on a world war two series of novella romances.
https://twitter.com/chriskarlsen1
https://www.instagram.com/chriskarlsenwriter
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4822048.Chris_Karlsen
https://www.pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/_saved/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VDSQGDM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-ack-ack-girl/id1554149585?mt=11&id=1554149585&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ack-ack-girl
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-ack-ack-girl/9781393715412-item.html
Chris Karlsen will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
VBT – BLACK FLAG JOURNALS
Black Flag Journals: One Soldier’s Experience in America’s Longest War
by Dennis Woods
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
The story of America’s longest war is complicated and difficult to convey, unless you were there. Dennis Woods was there. By following his stories in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can sense the enormity of his combat experiences. Originally written for his daughter, Black Flag Journals is taken from the author’s nine battle book journals. It covers his time from the fall of the Twin Towers through his last combat tour.
Black Flag Journals contains not just stories from the first war of the new century, but a day-by-day record of events that other veterans may use to relate their own experiences. All who enjoy real life stories, and followers of history will connect with this first person account of America’s longest war.
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EXCERPT
The flight we were on this morning was an ordinary, run-of-the-mill resupply operation. Its purpose was to service Afghanistan’s numerous small camps and bases. What it carried, though, was not ordinary or run-of-the-mill. What we were delivering was an unusual allotment of artillery ammunition and GELON mounts. Part of my mission on this trip was about to be completed. However, once in the air, I was given a new defensive challenge to solve.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
CSM Woods combat tours include;
Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada, 82d Airborne Division.
Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia – Iraq, 82d Airborne Division.
Operation Desert Fox 1998, Qatar, 5th Group Special Forces.
OEF 2 Afghanistan, 82d Airborne Division.
OIF 1 Iraq, First Armored Division.
OIF 6 Iraq, First Armored Division.
OEF X Afghanistan, 173D Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
OEF XIII Afghanistan, 191st Infantry Brigade
CSM Woods civilian education includes a Master of Education, (training & leadership) from North Central University, Prescott AZ, and a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior, Albany, New York.
Military education includes the United States Sergeants Majors Academy class # 58, Army force management course, Jump Master, Drill Sergeant, US Army Recruiter, Infantry Small Arms Master Gunner, Artillery Master Gunner, Amphibious Warfare leaders’ course (USMC), Anti-Armor Leaders course, Machine Gun Leaders course, Artillery Mechanics repair course, Small Arms repair course, Nuclear Biological Chemical defense, and all levels of air load planning and hazmat certification USAF.
CSM Woods awards include; one Distinguished Service medal, one Legion Of Merit,( 5) Bronze Star Medals, 5 Meritorious Service Medals, 4 ARCOM, 4 AAM, 1 Humanitarian service medal, 2 Armed Forces Expeditionary medals, Afghanistan and Iraq service medals. German Jump Master Wings, Qatar Jump wings as part of 5th Group, Netherlands Jumpmaster wings. Other awards include; Department of Defense “Inventor of the year” (2003) with 45 separate inventions. CSM Woods saved the United States Government over one Billion Dollars through cost avoidance. He is also the first recipient of the GRUBER award for an outstanding field artillery professional.
CSM Woods is credited by the US Army Smart Ideas program as the inventor of;
• The 105mm Howitzer night direct fire sight system M913 GELON.
• The 155mm towed Howitzer night sight system.
• The dual use day/ night direct fire sight reticule.
• The Dual optic MILES Laser trainer.
• The Urban Assault kit (PALADIN) improved crew protection, 155mm system.
On his most recent tour to Afghanistan, CSM Woods pioneered the first use of artillery training rounds in combat as a form of scalable fire support designed to limit civilian death and collateral damage. He is the author of, ‘Black Flag Journals One Soldiers Experience in America’s Longest War’, and numerous magazine, newspaper articles, including training pamphlets concerning Artillery, night vision, and combat operations.
Twitter: @djwoodswrites
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Dennis-John-Woods/e/B01KU91GFI%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15660793.Dennis_John_Woods
Koehler Book: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/black-flag-journals/
Amazon Buy Link: BOOK IS ON SALE FOR $2.99 DURING THE TOUR
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-flag-journals-dennis-john-woods/1124419537
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Black-Flag-Journals-Audiobook/B08MBHSQQ9
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Coming Soon: Women’s Orgasm Erotica
Multiple orgasms? Oh, yes!
What does it feel like to climax? Coming Soon: Women’s Orgasm Erotica offers wild and thrilling tales of female sexual pleasure that explore that question in a variety of wondrous ways. From a fetish that will appeal to any book lover and a waitress who’s seduced by her very attractive customers, to the thrill of artificial intelligence that knows exactly how to please a woman sexually, you’ll discover how delightful it is to come and come again. Read about women who like to watch, and others who love to get naked and show it all off.
With 20 erotic stories by popular authors such as Ella Dawson, Katrina Jackson, D. L. King, and Donna George Storey, you’ll be turned on with every page. Whether they’re enjoying multiple orgasms, playing with sex toys, attending a sex party or taking a thrilling business trip, the characters in Coming Soon savor every moment of their arousal. Edited by the award-winning Rachel Kramer Bussel, these sexy scenarios range from sex with strangers to the deepest of intimacy among couples, all while reaching the peak of erotic fulfilment.
About the author
I want to write every kind of story. I know this sounds kind of pretentious but screw it, I’m going for it. I’ve always been an avid reader and started writing poetry in early grammar school. I think there are a lot of people who will say that they wanted to be Stephen King at one time or another, and the same holds true for me. I wanted to be Stephen King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury and Rod Serling, but it was in erotica where I really learned the mechanics of writing.
What started out as private stories and love letters, soon became publications in anthologies, the most recent of which being Cleis Press’ Coming Soon: Women’s Orgasm Erotica, which is due out 7/13/21 http://mybook.to/comingsoonprint.
To date, I have self-published a novella, Carnal Theory, and written one full length dark fiction novel that I am currently shopping around. I have the rough drafts of two science fiction books, one horror novella, one play, four children’s books, and I-don’t-know-how-many poems and several song lyrics. I meant what I said at the very beginning. I want to write every kind of story. (Except maybe westerns. I can’t watch two men stare at each other for ten minutes without screaming “Somebody shoot somebody already!“) I want to be known for not staying where I’ve been put. I want to always surprise people, especially myself. Because that’s what makes it fun for me. The feeling that even I don’t know what I’m going to do next.
Connect with me online
henrycorrigan.blogspot.com Twitter: @HenryCorrigan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henry.corrigan.35
Excerpt From “I’m Her” by Henry Corrigan
The bathroom she’d chosen was small but serviceably spare, wrapped up in the smell of industrial lemon. When the knock finally came, Catherine’s heart thudded as she threw open the door.
Wordlessly Dave or Pete or Brian slipped past, taking his place atop the toilet. Locking the door behind them, Catherine smiled at this stranger with his blue shirt and hungry grin.
They stared at each other for a long moment and then, with slow, conscious movements, began.
Catherine lifted her skirt as he unbuckled his belt.
She slipped her fingers into her underwear as he stroked
himself, his cock held tightly in his fist.
She teased herself slowly, stirring the soft hairs with her palm, gliding a finger between her lips, drawing out the warmth like a friend called out to play.
Dave or Pete or Brian bit his lip and stroked more quickly now, growing harder by the second. With deft fingers, Catherine slipped her underwear off and spread her thighs wide. Slipping a finger insider herself, she gasped and rolled the hood of her clit gently, sending light straight up her spine.
Soon enough the smell of lemon faded, replaced by the musk of their exertions. Her thighs were quivering, and his cock was
hard and red.
He’d brought condoms, but she made him use her own, squirting a dollop of lube into the palm of her hand. Straddling his thighs, she grasped him, the first time they’d ever really touched.
He sighed as Catherine lowered herself down but for her it was uncomfortable at first. Her inner muscles, too long unused, rebelled at his thickness, leaving her hissing as she rocked against him, back and forth.
Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds beyond the door. The whisk of luggage wheels and conversations, the thousands of people walking by. None of them would ever see her like this, her bare ass clenching as she rode this stranger, her breath coming in frantic gasps as he went deeper every time.
With a shudder Catherine rocked forward, now flush against his hips. She sighed and let her head fall back, the sensation not quite orgasm, but the pleasure of being filled.
C.A. Milson 