Author Archives: authorcamilson
VBT – OUR SECRET POWERS
Our Secret Powers
by Terje G. Simonsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Nonfiction, spirituality, consciousness, paranormal, psychology
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Is the paranormal normal?
Many readers will be surprised when learning that reputable scientists, among them several Nobel laureates, have claimed that telepathy is a reality. Their curiosity will increase when reading that Cleopatra’s lost palace and Richard III’s burial place were recovered by means of clairvoyance. And some will think it to be science fiction when finding out about Stargate—the espionage program where the American military and CIA engaged in the development of psychic spies!
Simonsen, a Norwegian historian of ideas, introduces an array of entertaining paranormal tales from history, archaeology, anthropology and psychology, and presents scientific research that has provided fascinating results. He argues that the stories we hear about telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition ought not to be dismissed as superstition
In step with spiritual and occult traditions, the author suggests that consciousness is not limited to our own head. Rather he thinks that all humans (and perhaps all living beings) are linked together in a “Mental Internet.’ Via this network we may exchange ‘telepathic emails’ with friends and family and make clairvoyant ‘downloads’ of information. Thus perhaps what we usually call ‘supernatural’ is completely natural but little understood communications via this Mental Internet?
Our Secret Powers gives us a engaged and entertaining analysis of a controversial subject and would make an excellent travel companion.
“Superb survey of the paranormal… Although serious in content, it is written in a light, often humorous, style which is a delight to read. As someone who has myself made a lifelong study of the paranormal, I cannot recommend it highly enough.” ~ fantasy author, Herbie Brennan
“Simonsen describes his book as “A travelogue from the twilight zone,”but he is far too modest. Our Secret Powers is a sprawling work, meticulously researched, in which the author deftly, and with engaging wit, pulls together the various strands of “psi”–telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition,telekinesis, and healing–and presents them for our consideration.” ~ Pulitzer-prize winner, Teresa Carpenter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Based on this idea, we launch a quite simple model, called the “Mental Internet.” The basic metaphor here is that somewhat in the way our computers are linked together via the Internet, the ‘consciousnesses’ of all humans, and perhaps all living beings, are linked together via some sort of Mental Internet. Consciousness, like the Internet, is—on some level—something that we are all doing together; it is networking. And telepathy is the communication that drives this network.
I therefore invite the reader to engage in a little thought experiment throughout the book: namely that an Internet Model of consciousness may have some relevance. Galileo once invited the Inquisition to look through his telescope in order to see what he himself had seen. But, as we know, the inquisitors were not very keen on having their horizons expanded and instead muttered murkily of ‘the work of the Devil.’ However, I take it for granted that the reader has a radically more open attitude than those darkened souls, and I am therefore confident that my invitation will be well received.
I find it intriguing to think that our everyday perception of Space and Time may, in some respects, be merely a mental frame, a habit. And therefore it might be possible to think outside the box in a more radical way. The proposed thought experiment about a Mental Internet allows for this, and telepathy can then be considered as the ‘emails’ sent and the ‘downloads’ made via this mental network. Many phenomena that otherwise would appear inexplicable will in light of this model fall quite nicely into place. More (much more) about this later!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Terje G. Simonsen is an author with a Ph.D. in the History of Ideas. He has increasingly focused his attention on the esoteric and occult traditions and on paranormal phenomena, as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, telekinesis, healing etc. Recently he published the highly acclaimed Our Secret Powers, based on his extraordinary knowledge within this field. Elegantly and with great personal wit and insight, he discusses parapsychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.
Simonsen has had his work praised by several of the world’s most renowned experts on the paranormal: The bestselling parapsychologist, Dean Radin, chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, says: ‘As an encyclopedic introduction to the psychic side of the fascinating but puzzling domain known as the paranormal, there is no better choice than Our Secret Powers.” And Stanley Krippner, expert on hypnosis, shamanism and altered states of consciousness, former leader of two departments in the American Psychological Association, says: “This is an outstanding book and it deserves all the attention it can get. Not only is Our Secret Powers a book for all seasons, it is a book for all reasons!’”.
http://www.paripublishing.com/authors/terje-gerotti-simonsen/
Author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/terjesimonsen
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8895604334/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Amazon.UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Secret-Powers-Clairvoyance-Precognition/dp/8895604334
Buy link Pari Publishing: http://www.paripublishing.com/books/our-secret-powers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Terje G. Simonsen 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
VBT – TURNAROUND FARM
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elaine Cantrell will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Dedicated career girl Holly Grant has no time for romance. She doesn’t need a man to complete her, thank you very much. Building Grant Realty takes all of her time and attention. If she can close a deal for Turnaround Farm, her business will take off like a rocket. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen.
Read an Excerpt:
As everyone started to eat, the tension at the table lessened. They ate in silence for a moment before Teddy nudged Dan’s elbow. “Hey, Dan, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Are you sleeping with Holly?”
The furor that broke out reminded Holly of the noise at a high school football game. Nikki’s voice rose above the commotion as she tied to justify Teddy’s little bombshell first to Dan and then to Holly. The noise made Michael cry, and when Teddy saw his brother crying, he started to roar himself. Without another word, Dan grabbed Teddy by the hand and carried him kicking and screaming to the restroom.
“Is he going to spank Teddy?” quavered Holly. The child was incorrigible, but she didn’t want Dan to hurt him.
Nikki shrugged. “I don’t know, but I doubt it.”
“You don’t seem too upset by it.”
“No, he’s mad at Teddy, but he won’t hurt him. Dan’s good with the kids. He’d be a great father, Holly, and his kids would probably be real cute.”
“I’m su…su…sure he would…they would,” Holly stammered.
“Yes, and one day he’ll own Turnaround. That’ll be a nice thing to hand down to his children, won’t it?”
Thankfully, Dan and Teddy returned to cut this awful conversation short.
About the Author:
Born and raised in South Carolina, I hold a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University and am a member of Romance Writers of America and Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators. I’ve been married for forty-five years to my college sweetheart. We have two sons who’ve given us three wonderful grandchildren. We also have a sweet calico kitty, and a devoted little black and white dog.
I’ve been writing since 2001 when my son asked me to proofread a book he’d written. I figured if he could write a book, so could I. My first published novel, A New Leaf, was the winner of the 2003 Timeless Love contest. If I wasn’t sold on writing before, that did it. I’ve been writing ever since and don’t have any plans to stop. Frankly, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. Writing is a strange compulsion that drives me to spend long hours in front of a keyboard when I could be doing important things like napping or eating chocolate. My house isn’t dusted as often, I rarely cook, and who cares if the laundry gets done or not. Yeah, no doubt about it, I’m addicted.
http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/elainecantrell
http://www.facebook.com/elainepcantrell
http://www.pinterest.com/elainecantrell
Turnaround Farm buy link: https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/
Elaine Cantrell will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – RETRIBUTION
Retribution
by Diane Demetre
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A gripping romantic suspense of betrayal, hope and love.
Jessie Hilton is tough. Since the age of fifteen, she has dreamed of being a principal dancer with the Australia Ballet Company. Now at twenty-four, she stands on the brink of fulfilling her dream unaware of a secret buried deep within her.
Ex-military officer, Brad Jordan is rebuilding his life with the help of his boisterous Border collie, Whiskey. After helping Jessie out of a tight spot, he discovers a kindred spirit in the ambitious ballerina.
But with the sudden attention of an unwanted admirer, Jessie’s life begins to spin out of control. Called back to her family home in country New South Wales due to her father’s unforeseen illness, she is torn between career and family. As her dream of being principal dancer fades, her stalker edges ever closer. But there is more to overcome than a lurking psychopath. Can Jessie and Brad confront their own past demons and finally be free?
Award winning author, Diane Demetre writes genre-busting stories which delve deep into the human psyche, and Retribution is no exception. Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript, Retribution is her first romantic suspense. If you love a cast of complex characters, a slow simmering romance and an intriguing plot, don’t miss this page-turning romantic suspense with a twist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
There she was, bolting up the hallway towards him like she did every time he returned. All amber eyes and happy face, she danced and pranced, speaking an exuberant welcome as best she could through her doggy larynx.
“How’re you doing, Whiskey? You miss me?” Reaching down, he rubbed his black and white Border collie’s lopsided ears. “You are the most beautiful girl I know. Come on, let’s chow down.” As he strode down the narrow hall of his weatherboard cottage, he weaved from side to side so as not to step on her paws. “So, what did you get up to this evening? Been protecting the castle?” He opened the fridge door and Whiskey shoved her nose in where she knew her dinner waited. BJ grabbed a bag of beef brisket bones and tossed it on the kitchen bench. He’d left the lights on out of habit, rather than for Whiskey. If there was light around him, the darkness within was somehow easier to bear.
He scanned the back yard, checking the perimeters that he’d planted with impenetrable, skyward-reaching bamboo. He never knew what he expected to find. Maybe he hoped it was all a bad dream and that everything would return to the way it was. But nothing would be the same again. Regret tore at his heart as he tore open the plastic bag of bones. “Here you go, girl. Take it outside. I’ll grab a beer and join you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Being a passionate woman who’s always done things a little differently, Diane’s diverse career began as a school teacher before she moved into a full-time career as a professional choreographer, director and dancer, strutting her stuff on many stages throughout Australia. She was responsible for the original multi-million dollar extravaganzas at Conrad Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast—Starz & Galaxies.
Following her onstage career, Diane’s thirst for knowledge led her into the field of self-development. Using her highly developed communication skills and love of people, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist and life coach, teaching individuals, couples and groups the methodologies of personal success and fulfilment.
With her business acumen, Diane launched into the corporate arena, working in a variety of positions as a consultant in marketing, special events, tourism, business strategies, quality management and human resource management. Combining her entertainment and business backgrounds, she returned to the stage as a keynote speaker and corporate facilitator, educating business leaders in the ‘new mindset’ for business and relationship building in the 21st century.
Assuming the pseudonym of the Goddess of Love, she appeared as a guest presenter on Gold FM radio, Gold Coast, a national radio program broadcast to 1.4million listeners. Her weekly program proved popular with Diane providing empowering advice on life, love, sex and relationships, sprinkled with a good dose of humour. Her passion for life and compulsive sharing nature made her a great inspiration to her listeners. As the Goddess of Love she also appeared as a regular guest on the national television program Beauty & the Beast, where her practical insights were televised to viewers across Australia.
When she launched into a writing career, Diane’s debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Books and Best Covers for 2015 and 2016.
Her romantic suspense, Retribution won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
WEBSITE http://www.dianedemetre.com
BLOG https://dianedemetre.com/blogposts
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/dianedemetreauthor
TWITTER https://twitter.com/DianeDemetre
AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Diane-demetre/e/B015P878H4/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Diane Demetre 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q&A With …
Diane, thank for being here. Tell us about you.
I was born under the western zodiac of Gemini and the Eastern zodiac of the Fire Rooster. I am a 31/4 and I like security, stability and process. I believe in the joy of life, the passion of love and knowing that ‘the truth will set us free’. I love dancing, entertaining, educating and anything that bubbles or sparkles. French champagne is a favorite 🙂
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Since he’s the protagonist of the greatest story ever told, I’d hang out with Jesus Christ to get his side of the story.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Retribution is my way of paying tribute to the people who have endured more than most. Those who have lived hellish childhoods, those who have fought for our freedom, those who have experienced unimaginable trauma and those who may never recover from their suffering. With the overarching theme of forgiveness and redemption, Retribution pays homage to the human condition in all its glory and misery.
What is your writing process?
I play different playlists which relate to the story I’m writing. Since Retribution is set in Australia, I listened to a lot of great Australian bands, and particularly the song, Great Southern Land, when I was writing the hero’s POV
Tell us about your main character.
Jessie Hilton is a ballerina. She’s tough, disciplined and ambitious, and driven to achieve her dreams, even against the worst odds. As a lover of the Australian Ballet and having access to past students and dancers, I created Jessie, an Australian Ballet soloist. Soloist is the final step before becoming a principal dancer, which is the highest position in any ballet company. For those who have the talent, dedication and grit to make it, the transition from soloist to principal is a career highlight. The incomparable Amber Scott from the Aussie Ballet is who I used for inspiration. https://australianballet.com.au/artist/amber-scott
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I modelled Brad Jordan, my hero in Retribution, on Chris Hemsworth. He would be perfect casting if a movie were ever to be made of the book. In so far as Jessie Hilton, my prima ballerina heroine, it would probably be Natalie Portman since she did such a brilliant job in the movie Black Swan.
What are you working on next?
My next book, Island of Secrets will be published on 14 October. It’s an epic love story that will make you laugh, cry and believe in the power of love. It spans forty years and is set on a privately-owned island off the coast of Maui. Currently, I’m writing the Diana Daniels Murder Mystery series. The first is nearly finished with another two story ideas ready to go. So, the end of 2018 and 2019 looks big on all fronts.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Become self-educated and learn from others who have achieved what you want.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
Too many to choose.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I love the being on the stage dancing, performing and speaking.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
The power of universal insight
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- Live a good life
- Laugh every day
- Be healthy, wealthy and wise
- Be free of negativity
- Be at peace…always
Any final thoughts?
There is more going on than we can ever imagine 😊
VBT – Room for Grace
About the Authors
Daniel Kenner rocked out to Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” while other infants sang “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” A proud member of Actor’s Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and National Players Tour 60, Daniel was a Presidential Arts Scholar at George Washington University and Scholarship recipient at The British American Drama Academy. Directed the Washington D.C. premier of Sarah Kane’s Crave. Author of the manuscript, Roux. Winner of the Rhode Island Playwriting Festival for his World War II letters home drama, Fields of Sacrifice. Adapted Les Misérables for high school stages.
Maureen Kenner’s heart was in the classroom. For thirty-five years she was a Special Education teacher in the Providence Public Schools. Born and raised in Dobbs Ferry, New York, Maureen graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in education and later earned a Master’s Degree from Providence College. Maureen was a vital influence at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School at Fox Point, working tirelessly as a mentor for the betterment of all children and their families. Honored with many accolades throughout her career, Maureen was awarded Providence Teacher of the Year in 2003. Living with cancer, as a model patient, Maureen exemplified integrity, courage, grace, and hope. For thirty-one years, through sickness and health, Maureen was the beloved soul mate to the late Jacob “Buddy” Kenner, her intense love recognized in 2016 as a Rhode Island Caregiver of the Year.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Title: ROOM FOR GRACE
Author: Daniel Kenner & Maureen Kenner
Publisher: Silver Boot Imprints
Pages: 200
Genre: Memoir & Biography
BOOK BLURB:
Stage 4 cancer for her and a debilitating disease for her husband: life crashed down in an instant. Maureen Kenner found resilience, however, in the lessons she learned from her Special Ed students in Providence, RI. Her students lived with their hearts opened despite struggles of the highest magnitude. Through these students, Maureen gains courage, humor, and the strength of spirit to face her devastating realities, head on. Maureen’s oral history was captured by her son Daniel who tenderly wrought this book out of their recorded conversations. Through anecdotes and hard-earned lessons, Maureen tackles challenge after challenge and reframes daily struggles with a positive outlook allowing her to transcend and conquer mortal fears with dignity and room for grace.
PRAISE:
“Maureen Kenner was one of those people who brightened every room she entered. Thanks to Room for Grace, that light is not extinguished. Although her story shares great sadness, Room for Grace is a book of hope and a celebration of life that sheds Maureen’s light on us all.” — Ann Hood, Author of The Obituary Writer and The Red Thread
“In these pages, you will find a story like no other. Maureen’s story is one of courage and love, a story that will move you to your core.” — David Flink, Chief Empowerment Officer, Eye to Eye
“The piercing light of Maureen’s compassion, love and intelligence, will leave every reader wanting to reach out in the spirit of service and live life to the fullest.” — Annie Lanzillotto, Author of Hard Candy: Caregiving, Mourning, and Stagelight
“Buddy Kenner was a big-hearted teacher, universally beloved by all, a warrior for the arts and their importance in the curriculum. Amazing and unique guy. Read this book.” — Tom Chandler, Rhode Island Poet Laureate Emeritus
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
Book Excerpt:
STAGE 4
Mary Poppins was my nurse on Day 6. “Pretend you’re at summer camp,” she joked, encouraging every step I made toward healing and recovery. “We’ve got a whole bunch of activities for you to choose from.”
“But instead of Newcomb and color wars and collecting orange salamanders or dancing to Tommy James and the Shondells,” I said, “today’s activities at the hospital include pain med management, ice chip crunching, and Dammit! Doll whacking…”
“Don’t forget IV pole walking,” she teased. “I always know when you’re coming because your IV pole is the squeakiest.” She tenderly guided me back into bed.
“But instead of early morning skinny dipping,” I said, “someone signed me up for the johnny gown flash mob.”
That really made her laugh. “I wish all my patients worked like you.”
“Well, you help make it easy,” I admitted. “I loved sleepaway camp. I’d pack my trunk with stamped stationary and Razzles, pick-up sticks and jacks. And my Magic 8-Ball. My bunkmates and I thought we could predict the future. Go figure. I could never have predicted this.” She wrapped a warm blanket around my feet. “One year,” I continued, “I was the last camper to be picked up and, on the way home, my sisters teased me that my parents wanted to leave me there.”
“That’s one of the reasons I love my job here,” she smiled. “The staff is a family. We’re planning a barbecue together this weekend.”
It was August 2013.
Dr. David Sanfred, our family practitioner, walked into my room at 6:45 a.m. and stood at the end of my hospital bed. “Maureen, we’re getting ready to send you home soon,” he said. And then, “It’s time to talk.”
It was time to face what I’d avoided all week.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but it’s very serious.” Though by our family’s side for many difficult situations, I’d never heard Dr. Sanfred’s tone this methodical. “We thought it was Stage 1 but the cancer metastasized from the colon to your umbilicus and has advanced to Stage 4.”
The hospital symphony went silent. I turned my head and watched the early morning sunlight peek through the window. “Is it curable?”
He gave my hand a soft pat. “No, it is not curable.”
I heard myself gasp.
I was in a panorama shot. I saw Mary Poppins outside the thin curtain share morning notes with the nurse coming on. They whispered, glanced sympathetically in my direction. I struggled for breath and gripped the Dammit! Doll.
“Will I be able to go back to my classroom?”
“No,” he cautioned, “you will not be able to teach right now. But soon. We hope.”
The tears kept coming. Mary Poppins came back into the room. She reached out and hugged me gently, with so much affection I could feel her heart break.
VBT – BREAKDOWN SERIES
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
BREAKDOWN is a unique and groundbreaking four-book suspense series that will keep you turning pages until the killer is finally exposed.
In this explosive new miniseries, the idyllic community of Shutter Lake, nestled in the peaceful Sierra Nevada Mountains, is rocked by a shocking murder. Four women, friends who moved to the area to find healing and solace, must now dig deep and overcome the scars of past troubles to find a ruthless killer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So Many Secrets, BREAKDOWN Book 2 by Vicki Hinze
THE BREAKDOWN DEEPENS… Seven years ago, Dr. Dana Perkins came to idyllic Shutter Lake seeking safety from a traumatic experience in Phoenix. She became the principal at Shutter Lake School–and found her refuge… until Sylvia Cole was killed and one of Dana’s best and brightest students, Vinn Bradshaw, confessed to the murder. A murder Dana is certain he didn’t commit. But who is he protecting? Why? Seeking the truth shatters Dana’s safety. Yet who could have predicted proving Vinn innocent would jeopardize her friends and neighbors… and expose so many secrets?
Read an Excerpt:
Five days.
Impossible to believe but that’s all it had taken for the idyllic vision of Shutter Lake, California, lauded by Country Living as the most perfect town in all of America, to prove perfection is a façade and all the safety and security sought and found in it had been an illusion.
One murder. Illusion shattered.
One murder, and so many secrets…
A shiver crept up Dr. Dana Perkins’s backbone. She stiffened against it, determined to reclaim her sense of security here. At the deli counter inside Stacked, a block off downtown’s main square, she ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and a bottle of Evian berry-flavored water, then glanced over to the cluster of two-dozen tables. About half-full. A lot of people were having a late lunch today.
Dana took a table surrounded by empties then settled in and reached for a sheaf of papers from her tote. She had been through the school records at least a dozen times, but maybe in the sandwich shop, she would be more objective, gain some new insight, and see something she had missed.
Oh, but she needed to be certain she hadn’t missed anything. After Phoenix, to retain her sanity she had to be absolutely certain she hadn’t missed any warning sign.
There had to be a reason this year’s best and brightest student had confessed to murder. Some logical, rational reason that Vinn Bradshaw, gifted future nanotechnologist, studious, popular basketball player, who exhibited nothing short of fantastic leadership skills, confessed. Vinn could not have killed anyone much less a prominent Shutter Lake founder’s daughter like Sylvia Cole.
Nolan Ikard, about thirty, tall and lean with sandy blond hair and a handsome man’s confident swagger, paused at her table. Nolan owned The Grind, a coffee shop sharing a common wall with Stacked that Dana frequented every morning on her walk from home to the school.
“How’s our favorite principal?” Nolan asked. “Things settling down any at S.L.S.?”
Many students, current and former, referred to Shutter Lake School as S.L.S. “Getting better,” she said because it was expected and not because it was true. “The students are still rattled, but then aren’t we all?”
He nodded and avoided her eyes, his own gold-flecked ones clouded and troubled. “Guess the kids won’t settle down until their parents do. Maybe we will all get back to normal soon.”
“Maybe we will.” Dana smiled.
He walked on to his favorite table beside hers and next to the front window. How many times in the last year had she seen him staring out that window as if he had lost his last friend? She’d been tempted often to ask if he was okay, or to offer to listen if he needed to talk, but something had held her back. She couldn’t say what, but she always followed her instinctive urges on things like that. In his case, she hoped she didn’t live to regret it.
About the Author:
Raised in New Orleans, Vicki Hinze began writing before Kindergarten but her journey to writing books included a lot of corporate pit-stops. Eventually, she settled in and her first novel landed an array of awards and on the bestseller list. With nearly 40 books published, she’s been back many times with awards in multiple genres and appearances on multiple bestseller lists, including USA TODAY. Vicki is recognized by Who’s Who in the World as an author and an educator and is best known for chilling suspense, trailblazing, and creating series that genre-blend. Her works include suspense, mystery and romance. Since 1994, this former VP of International Thriller Writers has written heavily about military and military families and in nearly all genres except horror. Hinze is a Floridian married to a former Hurricane Hunter/Special Operations Officer. She constantly pushes the boundaries on existing genres, opening the door for new novel blends.
http://facebook.com/Vicki.Hinze.Author
https://twitter.com/vickihinze
https://www.pinterest.com/vickihinze/
Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLD4513
The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – THE EXENE CHRONICLES
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Camille will be awarding a lovely pen and notebook to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Camille A. Collins’s lyrical debut novel speaks to the passionate engagement of adolescent girls—with music, with injustice, with love, with life. This is a courageous coming-of-age story, one that poet Nikki Giovanni recommends “sharing with our teenage sons and daughters.”
Collins’s 1980s southern California set novel is a literary debut that tackles social inequality with poetic riffs and heart-pounding angst.
Read an Excerpt:
With the endless choices of the Salvation Army thrift store came the opportunity to take on whatever costume, and with it, whichever fantasy role they chose. Much like their descendant courtship with melancholy, their love of the clothes and hairstyles of the late 1950s and early ’60s was not grounded in reality, but in the promise of some Shangri-la where girls beguiled with hooded eyelids and teased hair, the glimmer of pale, iridescent gloss on full lips.
“Lia! You’ve got to see what I found for you!”
Ryan gave up waiting and raced to the back of the store, where Lia was admiring jewel-encrusted pocketbooks, and grabbed her by the hand. In a row of old frocks, some of them musty and stained, others absurd in their grandiose embellishment of floor- length drapery, puffed sleeve, and sequin, Ryan had discovered a jewel.
“Stand still now.” Taking her by the shoulders, Ryan made Lia stand tall and straight while she held the sleeveless, pink satin, ’60s-style dress up to Lia’s small frame.
Stepping in front of a mirror with the dress draped against her body, Lia cried, “Oh my god. I love it! I can’t believe how rad you are!” She threw her arms around Ryan’s neck.
“It’ll be your Supremes dress,” Ryan decided.
Ryan wasn’t as lucky in finding anything special at the thrift shop that day. To strike out at the Salvation Armywasonething, butatthedrugstoretherewasnever any shortage of items for consolation. With exactly $8.37 worth of merchandise between them, the girls were delighted by the prospect of getting back home where, imprisoned inside their still girlishly furnished bedrooms turned out in fluffy white comforters and stuffed unicorns, which they clung to during witching hours, when they dreamt of being spirited away by those creatures come to life, they would work up their sadness like warm palms dredging up the dark forces of a Ouija Board.
As they clambered onto the bus that would take them back to their serene pocket of suburbia, the two girls clasped hands.
“I love you!” Lia squealed. “You’re my best friend in the entire world!”
“You’re mine too!” Ryan cried.
If spilling peroxide on the pale green bathroom rug, which caused a spreading white stain and made Ryan’s mom yell at the girls, wasn’t foreshadowing—a telling clue that all that conjuring had been unnecessary— then Ryan’s cocky attitude once the peroxide took hold, and she showed up to school the next day tossing her long blond hair all over the place, should have been. “Coming over after school?” Lia leaned over to whisper as they prepped for a science lab.
Ryan shook her head. “Elizabeth Cole’s sneaking boys over while her mom’s out. I’d invite you, but you don’t drink, don’t make out…” Ryan flung her hair off her shoulder and abruptly turned away.
Ryan’s introduction to Neil Jimenez two weeks later wasn’t exactly the dream prescribed by the clutching of those unicorns, or their infant attachment to Baudelaire’s feverish lamentations; neither was the fact that Lia would end up donning her pretty pink “Supremes” dress on the loneliest day of her life.
About the Author
Camille A. Collins has an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been the recipient of the Short Fiction Prize from the South Carolina Arts Commission, and her writing has appeared in The African-American National Biography, published by Harvard University and Oxford University Press; in The Twisted Vine, a literary journal of Western New Mexico University, and other places.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B07HGLR7FN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vu00_tkin_p1_i0
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4398269.Camille_Collins
Publisher Author Page: http://www.brainmillpress.com/the-exene-chronicles
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FB2MHT1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
Camille will be awarding a lovely pen and notebook to a randomly drawn winner.
Book Blast – AND THEN HE WAS GONE
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Joan Hall Hovey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
WHERE IS ADAM?
Julie Raynes’ husband is missing. Devastated and confused, she refuses to believe that he would leave her voluntarily, though her best friend thinks differently. However, her Aunt Alice, a psychic, tells her Adam has been murdered, and when she reveals how she knows this, any hope that Adam is still alive, dissipates.
The police also believe that Adam Raynes was murdered. And Julie is their prime suspect. Her life in ruins, Julie vows to hunt down whoever is responsible for Adam’s murder and make them pay for their crime.
In the meantime, David Gray, a young man who was pulled from a lake by a fisherman when he was 9 years old, wakens from a coma after nearly two decades. Unknown to Julie, Adam and David share a dark connection, a darkness that threatens to devour them both.
Read the first chapter at http://www.joanhallhovey.com/432547197
About the Author:
Writing gives me a sense of achievement and satisfaction that nothing else does. (Except having my babies.) And that’s not a bad analogy, if not an original one. Holding your published book in your hands, (especially that first one), running your fingers over its smooth cover, tracing your name there – is heady stuff! These days of course, knowing my readers are downloading my books onto their Kindles and ipads and Kobos, and so on is just as great. For me, a dream come true, even though it’s been awhile since I wrote my first book.
I am drawn to explore the dark side of humanity, and my intention is to give the reader a roller coaster ride that will resonate long after the last word is read. I know that I am truly blessed to be permitted to work every day at what I most love and need to do. I think you appreciate it even more when you’ve had to go to those awful 9 to 5 jobs you hated, because the bills have to be paid. And I’ve had my share of them over the years — hulling strawberries, waiting tables, grading eggs… (top that one). A couple of those jobs have left scars. I’ve been stalked by a psychotic customer when I was selling ‘CAA’. (Canada’s version of ‘AAA’.) I’ve been chased around the desk by a so-called pillar of society while working as a secretary. But while I wouldn’t want to repeat it, I wouldn’t take back a single moment of any of it. All is ‘grist’ for the writer’s mill.
The next best thing is hearing from my readers. You have been so generous in your comments, so kind to take the time in your own busy lives to write to me. Telling me that my novels kept you up all night, or that you couldn’t put the book down is music to my ears, and keep me going in the dark times that come to all writers, while I find my way about in the unknown, unlit territory of that next book.
***
In addition to her critically award-winning suspense novels including And Then He Was Gone and The Deepest Dark, Joan Hall Hovey’s articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Toronto Star, Atlantic Advocate, Seek, Home Life Magazine, Mystery Scene, The New Brunswick Reader, Fredericton Gleaner, New Freeman and Kings County Record. Her short story Dark Reunion was selected for the anthology investigating Women, Published by Simon & Pierre.
Ms. Hovey has held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries in her area, including New Brunswick Community College, and taught a course in creative writing at the University of New Brunswick. For a number of years, she has been a tutor with Winghill School, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.She is a member of the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick, past regional Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada and International Thriller Writers.
Her books are available at most online book stores, including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and more. Check out her website at http://wwwjoanhallhovey.com
She lives in Saint John, NB, in an uptown building over 100 years old, with her cat Bella. Aside from writing (and reading of course) She enjoys playing piano and spending time with her grandson. She is presently at work on her latest suspense novel.
Her novels include:
And Then he was Gone
The Deepest Dark
The Abduction of Mary Rose
Tragic Spawn
Night Corridor
Chill Waters
Nowhere To Hide
Listen to the Shadows
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Then-He-Was-Gone-ebook/dp/B01NBANC1Q
Joan Hall Hovey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – Curse of the Sea
About the Book
Title: Curse of the Sea
Author: Joni Parker
Genre: Urban Fantasy
A NATO training exercise goes terribly wrong when five warships from different countries are mysteriously transported to Eledon, the Realm of the Elves. The warrior, Lady Alexin, is charged to escort the troops back home to London in the year 2031 with the aid of the Wizard Ecstasy and a magic shrinking potion. Yet, when the authorities question her story, Alex is detained and imprisoned under suspicion of terrorism. Caught in a web of politics, betrayal and bungling bureaucracy, the confusing world of the future will push her magical gifts to their limit, and her own future will hang in the balance, caught between “justice” and the place she calls home.
Author Bio
Fantasy novels are Joni Parker’s writing passion. Thus far, she’s written two series—“The Seaward Isle Saga,” a trilogy, and “The Chronicles of Eledon,” the award-winning four-book series. Her latest project, “Curse of the Sea” is her eighth book and begins a new trilogy. Her work extends beyond novels into short stories with two appearing in an anthology, “Tucson and Beyond” by the Tucson Science Fiction Fantasy writers’ group. Joni’s retired from military and federal government service and devotes her time to writing. She currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.
Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLBT312
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkerJoni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniParker
Website/Blog: http://www.joni-parker.com
Giveaway
Win a print copy of “Curse of the Sea”!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OWVmMzUzNWJlY2NjOWExMTIxY2QwNzQ2NmEzMTdiOjU5NQ==/?
Book Excerpt
Chapter 2:
A short while later, Captain Jonas returned, accompanied by a middle-aged woman and a group of young sailors, male and female. The woman wore a mottled blue camouflage uniform and her blond hair was tucked under a dark blue cap with a brim and the name USS Lonestar emblazoned in gold.
“Alex, this is Captain Williams. She’ll take over…this place.” He grimaced as he looked around. “Captain Williams, I’ll check in later.” He nodded to her and marched out.
“Nice to meet you, Miss.” Captain Williams held out her hand.
Alex shook her hand and noticed the eagle pins on her collar. She was the same rank as Captain Jonas, equivalent to a Colonel, the rank of her foster father, Colonel Penser. “My name’s Alex. They allow women to be in charge of ships?”
The Captain’s smile grew. “Yep, sure do. Half my crew is female.” She winked. “The Captain disapproves.”
“I get the same reaction. Are you an American?” Alex’s smile broadened.
“Yes, ma’am, from Houston, Texas. Where’re you from?”
“I was born here, but my foster father’s from Texas. He’s a colonel and in charge of the Nyla Army Garrison. I thought I recognized your accent.”
“How long has he been here?”
“A long time. He said he was in a place called ‘Nam before.”
“You mean Vietnam?” The Captain rubbed her chin. “That was about sixty years ago.”
“Oh, he hasn’t been here that long.”
The woman paused, uncertain how to react and pressed her lips together. She turned to monitor the cleaning crew. “When was the last time this hospital was used?”
“We call it a healing house. I was here about three or four years ago. I guess no one’s needed it since.”
“What kind of equipment do you have? An X-ray machine?” She took notice of the bare walls. “What about electrical outlets? Running water?”
Alex shook her head. “We don’t have outlets for anything, but you can get water from the pump outside. We don’t have any kind of X equipment.”
“Uh, where exactly are we?”
“Seaward Isle. It’s part of Eledon, the Elf world. We haven’t had a shipwreck here in years and we just fixed the Elf grid to keep this from happening.”
