Monthly Archives: October 2022
KAINE
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.
I call on the fates to bring my love to me. As I will it, so mote it be… Nikki Sinclair isn’t interested in love. She’s happy as a model and doing her own thing. Besides, keeping people at bay means she won’t get hurt again. Then she runs into Kaine. He’s nothing like she expects and exactly what she never realized she needed. But he’s got a past. It’s up to her to decide if she’s willing to summon this bad-boy mechanic or keep going on as a solo act.,br>
Love can be a tricky thing. What if fate has its own idea for Nikki? She’s not willing to argue, especially if it means having her bad boy. Time to do some summoning.
“He gives you hell often, doesn’t he?”
“He does.”
“You turned him down.”
“I did.” She disengaged from her pretend suitor. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’m game to help a lady in distress.”
“I appreciate it.” She held out her hand. “I’m Nikki.”
“Kaine.” He kissed her knuckles.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kaine. Thank you. I should mingle, but you’ve saved me from a huge headache.” If she didn’t start circulating again, she risked losing her job.
“Okay, but if Eunice gives you a problem, you direct her to me. Just tell her Kaine McDermott wants to discuss it, and she’ll know.”
“You don’t have to cover for me.”
“Who says I’m covering? It’s an archaic rule. If you’d met me outside of tonight, we could be together, no problem. Inside, it’s off-limits? Silly.” He nodded. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, not wanting to leave him. He was a nice guy. Not grabby. Cute and seemingly sweet.
If only that no-dating rule hadn’t applied tonight. “See you.” She resumed circulating until the end of the event, then joined the other girls to change into little black dresses for the after-party.
She wasn’t a fan of mingling and schmoozing, but if she could actually flirt with Kaine again, then it might not be so bad.
About the Author:
Megan Slayer, aka 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 white hot 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 nominated at the LRC for Best Author, Best Contemporary, Best Ménage, Best BDSM 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
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A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a necklace created by the author.
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Grayality
Grayality
By Carey PW
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GENRE: LGBTQIA Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Love knows no gender.
Pate Boone, a twenty-six-year-old transgender man, embarks on a new adventure when his childhood best friend, and yes, ex-lover, Oakley Ogden, convinces him to escape their hometown in hopes for something new.
They land in Cloverleaf, a tiny rural town in Montana, so that Oakley can care for his granny who is battling breast cancer. She pressures the two young men to enroll in a nearby college. Pate immediately becomes enthralled with Maybelle, a young, vivacious freshman to whom he fears revealing his transgender identity. Still, he finds it impossible to resist Maybelle, even after he meets her ex, Bullet, a large, violent man determined to keep Pate away from “his girl.”
But there are others who accept Pate immediately, like Stormy. An outdoorsy, rugged freshman, Stormy warns Pate away from Maybelle and Bullet, but Pate’s too infatuated to heed these warnings.
Oakley tries to support his friend’s new love but finds himself entangled in his own emotional calamity when he unintentionally falls for Jody, a gay and ostentatiously confident drag queen. This new relationship awakens deep internal conflicts in Oakley as he struggles to accept his bisexuality, lashing out at Pate and causing friction between him and Jody.
Oakley must decide if he can overcome his insecurities so he doesn’t lose the love of his life. And Pate must discover if the love between him and Maybelle is strong enough for her to accept him as a transgender man, or if she will break his heart.
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EXCERPT
Pate held up his hand to stop me. “You didn’t pull away when he held your hand. Even he noticed that. You didn’t pull away from his kiss. You think he’s never hit on straight guys before? I think he’d know by now that straight guys pull away—”
“And gay guys don’t?” I asked.
“They don’t if they are interested. Oakley, sexuality is not either/or. Maybe you have some attraction to him. Maybe not toward just any man, but toward him.”
I had been so busy trying to analyze my repulsion toward guys that it had never dawned on me to consider what made Jody attractive to me. His emerald-green eyes alone were enough to mesmerize anyone. His skin was silky and soft like a woman. His frame was small and delicate. But thinking on it, it wasn’t so much those physical traits as it was his confidence and free spirit. I had never seen a girl perform and light up a room as if she owned it the way Jody had dominated the club in Billings. When he realized that I thought he was a girl when I made the date, his response was calm. He didn’t get offended or even embarrassed. Jody was going to keep being Jody. I hadn’t found that certainty for myself yet.
“It wouldn’t mean anything different than me preferring to stay a feminine guy,” Pate replied, shrugging his shoulder. “It’s not about girl or boy. It’s about the feminine and the masculine that’s in all of us.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Carey PW (he/they) is a debut author, college instructor, and mental health counselor. Carey is currently completing his next manuscript, Acing the Game.
Carey lives in Montana, and identifies as nonbinary, transmasculine (AFAB) and panromantic asexual. Due to the lack of resources in rural communities, Carey has discovered that writing about his lived experiences is a therapeutic outlet for him and hopes that his readers relate to his own personal struggles and triumphs shared through his characters’ narratives. Carey is particularly interested in exploring relationship conflicts around sexuality and gender differences. He has also worked as a high school writing instructor and college writing instructor, earning a B.A. in English Literature, a M.Ed. in English Education, and Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education all from the University of Georgia. In 2020, Carey earned his second M.Ed. in Counselor Education and works as a licensed clinical professional counselor, LCPC. He has a strong passion for working with the unique mental health issues of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Readers can learn more about Carey from his blog, http://www.careypw.com. When he is not writing, Carey is busy training for marathons, parenting his six cats, sharing his culinary talents on social media, serving on the board for the nonprofit Center for Studies of the Person (CSP) and learning photography.
Carey PW loves to hear from readers. You can find his contact information, website and author biography at http://www.pride-publishing.com.
Other links:
Author Blog: www.careypw.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careypatrickwertz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CareyPW2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerri.p.singer/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Interview With …
What are your favorite TV shows?
I’m a sucker for reality TV over scripted shows. I watch 90 Day Fiancé, Teen Mom, MTV’s The Challenge, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Big Brother, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, Little People, Big World, Fear Thy Neighbor, Bar Rescue, and more. It is something that I can sit down in front of and not think too much about. However, my husband and I tend to get rather analytical when we watch them! They induce good conversations on human behavior.
What is your favorite meal?
It’s hard to say that one meal is my favorite, especially since my husband and I cook so much good food! I’ll share some interesting meals that perhaps others haven’t considered. I’m an organ meat lover! I love tongue, liver, heart, you name it! My husband makes beef tongue by boiling it with veggies for hours until it’s super tender. Then he drains the broth into a pan and simmers it until it thickens and serves the tongue in the sauce. It’s good with some spicy zucchini noodles made with peanut butter, soy sauce, fresh ginger, siracha, and rice wine vinegar. For dessert, maybe some Irish cream boozy cookies!
If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
I’m actually working on my first series now. It’s about LGBTQIA people who develop special powers on their twenty-first birthday. Their powers are all connected to different animals in the animal kingdom, such as mammals, rodents, and birds. Some use their powers for good and others for evil. Members of the LGBTQIA community have different abilities. For example, transgender people have certain powers, and asexuals have different powers. It’s a dark fantasy romance with some elements of horror. I’ve wanted to write horror without necessarily making it my key theme. It’s way different than this novel, but I’m stoked about it.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
I can name people, but really, it’s broader. I idolize writers who have made it big like Stephen King. That’s really impressive. I also idolize writers who have a fan base that keeps their career going. I admire writers who take risks and write about controversial topics and themes. I admire writers whose works have remained popular over hundreds of years. I would also say that I idolize writers who write one really good novel and nothing else. It takes a lot to produce an impactful work.
How did you come up for the title of this book?
Grayality is playing on the words gray and sexuality. It’s about the gray areas of sexuality. Too often, I think people put themselves in a category, then are not open to exploring other kinds of relationships. But they may be more open than they think, especially for the right person. My husband was adamant that he could not be with a man when I wanted to transition. Now, he’s attraction to me, including sexual attraction, has not changed a bit, yet he originally saw it as impossible. He was a big inspiration for the book.
SOPHIA FREEMAN SERIES
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.
EARTH AWAKENED … SEED PLANTED … PATH REVEALED.
What begins as a special trip for eleven-year-old Sophia Freeman and her father, leaves her trapped on a mysterious island with a tree boy and fantastical creatures. Later, she learns she is dying from an eternal curse and the only way to prolong her life is to drink the island’s sacred water. Can Sophia and her companions reach the fountain and defeat the guardian before time runs out?
THEY MUST RISK IT ALL TO REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM … OR BE SEALED AWAY FOREVER.
Sophia Freeman and her best friend, Tim Charnal, must beat all contestants in a three-round Beyond Event organized by the mighty arbiters to free him from the penalty of murder and gain the islanders’ trust. Entering the hologram and surviving environments filled with everything from hammer-throwing cave giants to a slimy tentacled sea monster, they will need all their courage, wits, and skills. But how are they going to win when magic is forbidden?
EVIL RISING … ISLANDERS MISSING … AND FRIENDS BETRAYING.
With the increase in deaths of Pandilone Islanders, the arbiters devise a strategy to free the god demon within five days to lift the Eternal Curse. All goes as planned until iron-masked creatures kidnap magic users, weakening the army. To gain reinforcements, Sophia Freeman, Tim Charnal, and rescued Allen Chan must gather all six items to cast the Dream Spell, connecting them with Sophia’s father and his air force. But how can the trio succeed in time while surrounded by enemies and traitors aiming to stop them at any cost?
“So, Wondnair, what happened back there?” Tim asked, picking at his food. “Why did the arbiters put our victory on hold?”
Sophia hung her head in silent shame.
“Sophia’s body was taken over by, uh … someone,” said Wondnair.
“You mean … T-Tombermon? Why would he help us win?” Tim shook his head. “No, it can’t be true—”
“Look, no monster of that size would simply drop and let you two pass,” Wondnair continued. “Sophia was like its master back there.”
Holding her bowl tightly, Sophia watched her teardrop fall into her earthy soup.
“So, she broke the rules?” Tim couldn’t eat any more. “It’s over—we’re disqualified.”
Wondnair said, “We don’t know that ye—”
“I am so sorry, Tim,” cried Sophia. “We lost because of m-me.” She wiped her eyes. “You shouldn’t have come with me to fight that fountain guardian. Then this n-never would have h-happened.”
“Sophia.” He slid closer to her on the bench.
“I’m n-not the Ch-Chosen One!” She slammed her fist on the table.
Tim gently placed her head against his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. “Sophia, listen to me. The fight isn’t over.”
About the Author:
Thuan Doan was born in Indonesia, and grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Thuan has been fascinated by art from a young age, especially fantasy. He would wake up hours before school, sit outside the classroom, and scribble in his sketch book.
After college, he worked on a series of jobs, including: an advergaming association as a storyboard/concept artist, gaming company as lead concept artist, and graphic designer for various clients.
Thuan conceived his first middle-grade fantasy novel, Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain, during a trip to Gabriola Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2013. Then he took his work and settled in a small town of Enderby, where it’s peaceful and quiet. 4 years later, the story is complete. While book 1, 2 and 3 are being shared with the world, he’s writing and illustrating book 4 of the Sophia Freeman series.
Thuan is writing under a pen name of T.X. Troan. “X” stands for Xu, his grandmother’s name who passed away. And “Troan” is a combination of his parents’ names.
“No matter how this turns out, I want my family to be a part of this wonderful journey.”
T.X. Troan married Sarah, his original fan and longtime love, in 2016. They live in Enderby with their pack dogs and school of fish!
AWARDS
★ Entrada Publishing Incipere Award, 2020
★ Readers’ Favorite 5 star Badge, 2019, 2021 and 2022
★ Literary Titan Badge, 2020
T.X. Troan will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
GRAVE GIRL
Grave Girl
by Dan Padavona
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GENRE: Mystery/Thriller
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BLURB:
Every mind holds a secret. Some are more deadly than others.
Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.
But when a star athlete’s girlfriend disappears while camping, everyone blames the boyfriend. He’s volatile and dangerous. Did he murder the girl and bury her in the woods?
The sheriff’s gut tells him there’s more to the story than the boyfriend is willing to admit. The more he digs into the case, the more he worries someone is hiding a dark secret.
Is the boy a killer? Or is he the next victim?
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EXCERPT
McKenzie Ossman twirled a length of blond hair around her finger and took in the stars. Here, five miles beyond Kane Grove’s city lights, the sky was a frozen portrait of fireworks. She shivered against the chill and puffed out a condensation cloud, the cold already deep enough to penetrate her bones. By morning, frost would cover the landscape.
She accepted the bottle of Jack Daniels from Marshall and sipped. This was a terrible idea. As much as she wanted to get him away from the pressures of Kane Grove University and the constant attention he received from being a future NFL draft selection, she didn’t like it when he drank. Hazel-skinned, strong, body painted with tattoos, he was a Greek god when he was sober. But lately he’d taken to drinking too often. He changed after the alcohol hit his bloodstream, turning angry and short-fused, a bomb ready to blow.
Then there was the problem of getting back to campus on his motorcycle. She couldn’t trust him to drive buzzed. Sometimes he pushed the motorcycle past eighty in the dark, her arms wrapped around his waist, Marshall one wrong move from disaster.
Marshall Prisco was the proverbial diamond in the rough. Few small college football players attracted professional scouts, yet dozens attended Kane Grove football games for the chance to see him play. A senior wide receiver, he was unstoppable on the field, too fast and strong for the poor fools tasked with covering him.
McKenzie sipped from the bottle and winced when the alcohol burned her throat. Marshall held out his hand, and she wasn’t sure she should give the bottle back to him.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dan Padavona is the author of The Wolf Lake series, The Logan and Scarlett series, Darkwater Cove, The Scarlett Bell thriller series, and The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries. Many of his novels rank in the top-10 in Amazon’s thriller and mystery categories. He is a husband, a parent, and proud member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.
When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys photography, biking, weightlifting, and storm chasing. Dan has videotaped tornadoes from New York to Oklahoma and Texas and was nearly swept up by a strong twister outside Sweetwater, Texas. A self-proclaimed ice cream and gelato lover, Dan admits to spending too much time in the gym, compensating for his questionable nutritional decisions.
Website: https://www.danpadavona.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djpadavona
Instagram: @dan_padavona
Twitter: @DanPadavona
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3ZHMKFD
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Dan Padavona will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN 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 …
1.Tell us about you as a person.
At my heart, I’m an optimist, and this shows through in my thrillers, even though I write dark mysteries. It wasn’t easy to become an optimist. I grew up in a broken home and barely knew my father. Negativity surrounded me for many years, and I allowed myself to become a victim.
I now view my past experiences as gifts. They forged me into the person I’ve become and helped me establish a strong work ethic and sense of purpose.
2. If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
That’s a tough one. I suppose I could say Gwen Stefani because she’s been my crush since the 1990s, but I would choose either Eric Thomas or Tony Robbins, as I find both incredibly motivating. There is so much I could learn from spending a day with either of them.
3. What’s the story behind your latest book?
Grave Girl is the first book in the new Thomas Shepherd mysteries series. This series is the next step in the highly successful Wolf Lake series, in which I created these characters. I wanted to continue their stories while bringing new readers to my thrillers. It isn’t necessary for readers to experience Wolf Lake before the Thomas Shepherd series.
Thomas Shepherd is an intriguing character who readers fall in love with. He’s a sheriff with Asperger’s syndrome, and he spent his life learning how to show his feelings and accept love. In many ways, he models my own challenges from earlier in life.
Now, don’t make the mistake of thinking these stories are romantic mysteries. They most certainly are not. The killers and criminals Thomas and team face are deadly and frightening, many influenced by infamous thriller characters like Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill.
4. What is your writing process?
While I don’t enjoy outlining, writing from the seat of my pants gets me in trouble. My happy medium is to write story beats, which are brief summaries (a paragraph or less) of each chapter. Then I write the book based on those beats. This keeps me organized and on point, while allowing for creative expression and new ideas.
I generate a little over 2000 words every morning. Afterward, I follow a technique I read about in a Dean Koontz interview years ago. Throughout the day, I edit my last completed chapter until the prose flows and I’ve stamped out most of the errors. By evening, the last completed chapter is in “final draft form”. This means that my book is ready for my editor as soon as I finish the manuscript.
5. If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role(s) and why.
I often envision Thomas Shepherd played by a younger William Petersen. In the movie Manhunter, Petersen displayed amazing character range. His internally injured portrayal of a former FBI profiler would mesh well with Thomas’s life challenges.
6. What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their latest book?
Writers need to see themselves as creatives and marketers. Whether you publish independently or through a small house, they’ll expect you to get the word out on your own. The odds of your book going viral are very long.
Learn everything you can about Amazon’s AMS advertising platform, Facebook, and Bookbub. While I recommend researching how successful authors marketed their books, pay attention to what advertisers are doing outside of the writing community. Marketing experts exist in all fields. Learn from them.
7. List 5 things on your bucket list.
Whoa, that’s a big one. Parasailing looks awesome, and I want to live in nice house near the Finger Lakes of NY, particularly in Ithaca, my favorite community. Meeting Eric Thomas or Tony Robbins would be a trip. I’d like to bike around Skaneateles Lake on a beautiful spring day. Owning a beach house or condo on the ocean would also bring me great joy.
8. In what way do you think that this current pandemic has changed the book & publishing industry?
I don’t have statistics to back up my assertion, but I believe reading increased overall, and the swing from traditional printed books to e-books accelerated. Many authors worried that the pandemic would cause sales to tank, but my earnings increased, as did those of many of my friends.
9. Any final thoughts?
I just wish to thank all my readers for embracing my books. You changed my life, and I’m forever grateful.
DAUGHTER OF BELIAL
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.
Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .
Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.
Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.
But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.
Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.
Read an Excerpt
The front door slams behind me with a clamorous thud. I jump, frightened. Marcella Belleville’s ominous laughter sails through the air while the cloaked beings descend the steps to encircle me. Turning to and fro, I try to slip through an opening in their ranks, but they close in so that not even a hairpin could find a fissure for escape. A low chanting starts up, like a rumble from some vile private inferno.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
The primal beating of the drums grows louder, drowning out Marcella’s maniacal laughter. Blood rushes to my face. I hear a whirring in my ears.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
All I see is darkness. My heartbeat keeps time with the pulsing of the drums.
Suddenly I feel another presence. Ephemeral. Sinister. It also laughs. Its guttural wails blend with Marcella’s tinny falsetto as it, too, encircles and envelops me. No one is touching me. I know that. And yet…
It feels like hundreds of hands are caressing my body. Sliding up and down the sides of my torso. Untucking my shirt. Unfastening my trousers. Cupping my breasts. Pulling my hair. Wrapping icy, tentacled fingers around my throat…
It feels awful—delectable—disgusting—delicious, all at once. I hate it. The chanting grows louder.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.
“Stop!” I cry out, finding my voice at last. “Please. Stop!”
But it’s too late. Wispy black smoke fills my nostrils. My mouth freezes into a silent scream as the smoke fills every orifice in my head—eyes, nose, ears, mouth. The sound of babies crying mixed with horrific images of children laughing and playing in blood assault my senses. I know it can’t be real, must be a trick of some sort, an illusion, but I’m powerless to stop it.
About the Author
JENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.
Jennifer will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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A Particle of You: Love Poetry
A Particle of You: Love Poetry
by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis
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GENRE: Romantic Poetry
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BLURB:
A Particle of You: Love Poetry
by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis
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GENRE: Romantic Poetry
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BLURB:
In this new collection from well-established authors Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis, enjoy a series of love poems delicately crafted to stimulate emotional and endearing aspects of our deep connections with each other.
Cendrine and David have selected poems for this volume that perfectly capture feelings and nuances relating to romantic notions. They explore how love can fundamentally shape and change you, how it can feed your innermost muses/desires and ultimately how it can define you as a person, if you fully embrace it with every fibre of your being.
Love need not be scary or complicated. This collection shows us that even the simplest of intimate gestures can mean more to us when speaking from the heart and soul.
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EXCERPT
Loving You
Loving you is easy.
Your heart beats like
The midnight breeze,
Caressing the strings of my essence.
Loving you is easy.
Your smile tenderly
Invites reveries,
Exposing the chords of my mind.
Loving you is easy.
Your voice is like
Music to my inner ear,
And honey to my soul.
Loving you means completeness.
You answer the questions
Of my inner interactions.
You bless the seasons
Of my secret divinity.
God sent you to enlighten
The epiphany of my pen,
So that I can describe beauty
In words and thoughts,
And open the door to invisible realities.
Loving you makes me aware
Of my purpose in life.
Loving you brings me peace.
Loving you…
Loving you…
Is easy.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Cendrine Marrouat is a poet, photographer, author, and creator of literary forms. She has released more than 40 books, including Tree Reflections (2022), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Songs in Our Paths: Haiku & Photography (2020-2021), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018). Cendrine’s work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, Vardhaku, and Reminigram.
David Ellis is a poet, multi-genre writer/author and co-creator of literary forms, with a fondness for found poetry. He has released several poetry collections including Life, Sex & Death (which won an Inspirational Poetry Award), Soul Music the Colour of Magic, Lemons, Vinegar & Unvarnished Truths, See A Dream Within (based on the entire collected poetic works of Edgar Allan Poe), along with a Fifty Shades of Grey parody 50 Shapes of Cakes.
Think of him like a thriller novel – fast paced, relentless and impossible to put down!
Cendrine and David are the founders of Auroras & Blossoms, a platform dedicated to positive and inspirational creativity. Its flagship publication, the PoArtMo Anthology has given a voice to artists ages 13 and over from around the world for the last three years.
Cendrine and David have co-authored many books together, including Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography (2021) and Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020). They have also created several poetry forms: the Kindku, the Pareiku, and the Hemingku.
Website: https://abpositiveart.com
Email: info@abpositiveart.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ab_positiveart
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abpositiveart
• Website: https://abpositiveart.com/particle-you
• Purchase link: https://books2read.com/particle-you
• Video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em9UddIcF60
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis will be awarding an ePub copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
CUTTER KAUAI SEA ADVENTURES SERIES
Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures (Series)
Dagger Quest, Book 1
by Edward Hochsmann
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GENRE: Action/Adventure, Contemporary
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BLURB:
Dagger Quest
An aging Coast Guard patrol boat is all that stands between the world and nuclear annihilation!
The world is on the brink of war, with NATO mobilizing to counter a Russian threat to Poland and Lithuania and leaders openly discussing war options. In the midst of the crisis, a Russian bomber collides with a U.S. fighter off Florida causing the accidental launch of a nuclear-tipped hypersonic missile.
A Coast Guard cutter on a routine patrol finds a drug-laden sailboat smashed and adrift north of the Florida Keys. The boat’s damage is from a near miss by the Russian missile which has not harmlessly flown deep into the Gulf of Mexico as initially thought, but crashed somewhere in the Keys.
The Coast Guard crew is in a race against a vicious and powerful international crime syndicate to find and recover the Russian nuke before its discovery can trigger a nuclear war.
Exploring the friendship and teamwork of a typical ship’s crew, in the face of unexpected and hazardous challenges, Dagger Quest provides a fast-paced, taut story – excellent fare for both sea adventure and military thriller fans.
Dagger Quest Excerpt
Ben’s first encounter with the 252 Syndicate ends in a high-speed chase through Key West, Florida:
Ben slowed and veered right onto Flagler with a screaming of tires and modest fishtailing as he straightened on the new path. Their pursuers also swung in behind them from Roosevelt a few seconds later.
“Floor it! We’ll be hanging a right on Tenth in ten blocks, same tactic. Keep hitting that horn!”
Ben stayed on the horn, dodging through traffic at speeds approaching fifty miles per hour.
“Counting down,” Simmons said, “Fourteenth, Thirteenth, twelfth, Eleventh, slow down and prepare to hang a right, NOW!”
Ben executed another tire-squealing turn and straightened out, heading north on Tenth, gunning the engine and leaning on the horn.
“Stand by to hit the brakes!” Simmons shouted. “Steady, steady, NOW, hit the brakes!”
Ben stood on the brake pedal, tires shrieked, and the anti-lock braking chattered. After skidding to a stop in the middle of the street next to a large lagoon, Simmons shouted, “Get down!” He opened both doors on his side of the car, using the rear door for cover.
Ben dropped behind the seat as their pursuer began screeching to a stop. Suddenly, there was a tremendous crash with the sound of tearing metal and followed by a large splash. Simmons shut the doors and said in a normal tone, “OK, let’s roll. Back to the base, nice and easy.”
Ben shot up and saw several figures in combat gear with guns drawn running forward from an SUV stopped in the middle of Tenth Street. The car chasing them was coming to rest upside down in the lagoon. “WHAT—THE—HELL!” he shouted at Simmons.
“Come on, friend, we need to move it. It’s handled. We’re clear now, so stay law-abiding all the way, please.”
Ben stared at him for a few seconds, then pressed the accelerator. The engine raced briefly, and then, with shaking hands, Ben shifted into Drive.
“See, you’re a natural,” Simmons said with a smile. “You didn’t even realize you shifted into Park.”
BLURB:
Caribbean Counterstrike
Mission: Five days to destroy the enemy in the Caribbean before a catastrophic weapon is unleashed—but all he can think about is the woman he left behind…
The deadliest nerve gas ever made has fallen into the hands of a murderous Caribbean drug cult. The criminal 252 Syndicate has the gas in a secret lab on an oil rig servicing ship, but the ship has been taken for ransom by the Salinas Cartel in a violent drug war. The U.S. can’t use airstrikes and calls on Coast Guard Officer Ben Wyporek to lead his crew through a risky covert raid on the Salinas cult’s fortified island base. He accepts the assignment, but remembers a previous lethal encounter with the 252s and struggles to say goodbye to the love of his life, Victoria Carpenter.
Ben and his crew aboard the stealth-equipped Cutter Kauai must sneak into the harbor and tow the ship away. But if Kauai is detected and defeated, death by gas or at the hands of vicious adversaries will follow. Now, every decision Ben makes will determine the fate of his entire crew—and the chances of reuniting with Victoria.
This second book of the series builds on the friendships and teamwork of Kauai’s crew, this time in the face of several challenging missions and one potentially lethal encounter. It is a worthy sequel to Dagger Quest that sea adventure and military thriller fans will enjoy.
Caribbean Counterstrike Excerpt
Pan-Commonwealth Airways Flight 403 with 126 passengers and crew has dual engine failure in a thunderstorm and is headed for a forced landing in the Atlantic over a hundred miles north of the Bahamas:
Taylor grabbed the intercom handset and pressed the call button. Burgess answered immediately, “Cabin, here.”
“We’re going in, Chief. Get them ready for it. We’re going to try for the Hudson River scenario, so keep the aft doors closed.”
“Understood, Captain. I have two burly beauties from the RN on guard in the last row. You worry about bringing us in safe. We’ll be alright back here.”
Taylor smiled slightly. I might have known. God bless you, Richard! “Well done! I’ll ring the bell five seconds before contact. Get them moving as we come to a stop.”
“WILCO. Godspeed, Captain. Out.”
The scenario Taylor referred to involved the ditching of a similar Airbus in New York’s Hudson River when bird ingestion knocked out both its engines shortly after takeoff from La Guardia airport. The flight crew executed a masterpiece of judgment and skill, saving everyone on board. Not so easy this time. They landed in the sheltered water of a river—we’ll have waves and swells to deal with.
“Peregrine Four-Zero-Three, Miami Center, Nassau is losing radar contact. Observe you heading two one five magnetic, over.” Surveillance radar was limited to line of sight, and at this distance, the aircraft dropped below the radar’s horizon at around thirteen thousand feet. The controller would use the aircraft’s last heading, descent rate, and speed to estimate the impact point to be passed to rescue forces.
“Center, Four-Zero-Three, roger, estimate six miles to contact, over.”
Four-Zero-Three, Center, copy. Best of luck, Captain. Out.”
“No joy, Captain,” Patel said as he took his hand off the starter.
“Right, leave it. Give me flaps four at one thousand.” Taylor had held off the flaps until the last possible moment. They would reduce the aircraft’s touchdown speed dramatically, but also added significant drag. “Ring the cabin bell once you position the handle.”
“Will do, Captain.”
BLURB:
Bravely and Faithfully
A New Captain’s First Patrol Turns into a Fight for Their Lives
Young Coast Guard Lieutenant Haley Reardon has not even gotten her feet on the ground on her new patrol boat command when she finds herself and her crew supporting a dangerous covert mission. They must insert and retrieve a Defense Intelligence Agency operations team trying to seize a transnational criminal syndicate boss from a small Caribbean island controlled by a front company of the Chinese government and protected by a superior military force.
A honeymoon period would be lovely, but, as always, the world gets a vote.
Can Haley avoid leaving the DIA team to their fate, when attempting to rescue them could destroy her crew and boat and lead to war?
This third installment of the series conveys the humor, friendships, and teamwork of Kauai’s crew from the previous books, with a new series of exciting actions from search and rescue to combat. The crew and their new skipper must come together for the toughest mission they have ever faced.
Bravely and Faithfully Excerpt
Phillip Murray, his wife and two daughters have been retrieved from their stricken sailboat in the middle of Hurricane Jacob and are now en route to Kauai aboard the cutter’s small rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB):
The big crewman placed his hand on a grab handle and shouted, “Hold this, stay down, and keep your arms inside the boat!” Once Murray had a firm grip, the crewman pulled a strap across his lap, fastened it to a ring fitting on the deck, and cinched it. The small orange boat pitched up as it climbed another high wave, and the strap across Murray’s lap bit into him as they seemed to come near to vertical. Then the bow suddenly pitched down for yet another sickening drop to a tremendous splash.
That’s it! We’re done for! Murray thought as wind and water tugged at his body. But the boat came up again, the deck cleared, and from what he could see with his spray-fogged eyes, everyone was still there. He looked toward Gemma, sitting beside him with her free arm stretched across Jamie’s and Lydia’s chests, and placed his free hand over hers on the grab handle. They rode out two more monstrous wave events before reaching the cutter, which provided little shelter from the gale for the tossing boat.
Murray had turned to look at the nearby cutter when a gunshot rang out, followed by the thump of a line on the bow. Murray surmised the winds were too high for a standard heaving line, so the coastguardsman used a rifle to pass a line to the boat. The big boat crewman was hauling in a thin line that Murray knew was attached to the hook they would connect to the boat to crane it aboard. This was the time of maximum risk—with the cutter and boat writhing in the wind and seas, attaching the hook would be a nightmare. He leaned over to cover Gemma’s head with his body and closed his eyes.
And then he prayed.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Edward Hochsmann is the pen name of a retired U. S. Coast Guard search and rescue and law enforcement professional. The veteran mariner, aviator, college professor, and defense analyst has added “author” to his list of experiences. Ed likes reading, police procedurals, contemporary music on the road, and classical music in the office. After a career traveling from Australia in the west to Italy and Germany in the east, Ed has settled into a quiet life in the Florida Panhandle to focus on writing (and not shoveling snow!)
Ed has two novels published right now (plus one launching in August 2022) in the Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series about a Coast Guard patrol boat assigned to “special” missions. Dagger Quest takes place in the Florida Keys and involves an aging Coast Guard patrol boat dragooned into a search for a lost Russian nuclear weapon in a time of international crisis. The second, Caribbean Counterstrike, features the same patrol boat and crew, now with equipment and training upgrades, sent to recover a deadly nerve gas from a murderous Caribbean drug cartel. Bravely and Faithfully has Kauai, under a new captain supporting a covert raid on a Caribbean island held by the Chinese.
Ed’s second series, C6S: Patrol Force deals with a combined defense establishment and constabulary for a galactic economic empire called the Confederation of the Six Systems (C6S). Ed has published two novellas and a novel-length collection late last year.
Stay connected with Ed –
Website: https://www.edwardhochsmann.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20594307.Edward_Hochsmann
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edhochsmann/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/edward-m-hochsmann
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dagger-quest-1
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/caribbean-counterstrike-1
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bravely-and-faithfully-1
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INTERVIEW With …
What would we find under your bed?
Nothing I put there. All I can say is that it damn well better not be spiders!
What was the scariest moment of your life?
When my elder son got concussed at a water park was hands-down the worst. It was nothing like you would imagine—he was wild-eyed and writhing and I literally had to lay across him to hold him down for about an hour to keep him from pulling out his I.V.
The scariest involving me was when we almost crashed into the water when I was flying on a search and rescue case out of New Orleans. The other pilot got vertigo in a hover and didn’t tell me. My one thought before I finally got the bird back under control was “Please God, let us go into the water level (right-side up)!”
Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?
I like to have classical music on in the background when I write. I don’t actively listen to it, but I find I’m more focused and less easily distracted when it is on.
What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
I would like to build a big enough fan base to retire from my current job and live just on royalties.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Dagger Quest took about fifteen months. Caribbean Counterstrike about nine and Bravely and Faithfully (once I got un-blocked), about six.
C.A. Milson 