Category Archives: Book Tour
VBT – FEAR JUSTICE
Fear Justice
by C.C. Bolick
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GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
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BLURB:
Seventeen-year-old Rena Mason counts the days until she can leave for college. Every night her father drinks himself to sleep, leaving her to care for her younger brother. When her father is kidnapped by terrorists, her dreams of freedom become a nightmare.
Stunned that her father has a history with these terrorists, Rena knows she must run or be their next victim. She learns the tough guy at school has a reason to look after her – he’s working for a government agency with the same goal as the terrorists: find a woman who disappeared eighteen years ago. Time is running out since only this woman’s special gift can save the world from a looming nuclear attack.
Rena can’t trust anyone, especially not the stone-cold agent she’s falling for. Can they save the world before Rena’s feelings trap her in an agent’s fight for justice?
Fear Justice contains elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal, with a clean romance. It’s the first book in an exciting new series called The Fear Chronicles.
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EXCERPT
He smiled and held out a hand. “I’m Tony and no, I’ve never thought of myself as a nice guy.”
Staring at his outstretched hand, I hesitated. “Rena.”
Tony moved his hand closer and his eyes took on a look of intensity, as if daring me to shake his hand.
“What’s with the gloves?” I asked.
“Skin allergies. What’s with the hesitation?”
“Hesitation?” With defiance, I reached forward. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“What are you afraid of?”
As his hand gripped mine, my breathing sped and I fought to control my voice. Our skin wasn’t even touching. Hiding my feelings with Robbie had been easy, but this was… weird. “Why are you worried about who I date? You don’t even know me.”
“I know your name is Rena Mason. We’ve got physics together.”
A twinge of guilt caught me off-guard. “I haven’t noticed you before.”
“My dad taught me to blend in with my surroundings, like camouflage.”
“He was a hunter?”
“Not exactly, but he did teach me how to shoot before he left.”
“Left?” The instant his words were out, I felt a connection to him. It was a sadness that welled from deep inside, the knowledge that we were alike in a terrible way.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
C.C. Bolick grew up in south Alabama, where she’s happy to still reside. She’s an engineer by day and a writer by night—too bad she could never do one without the other.
Camping, fishing… she loves the outdoors and the warm Alabama weather. For years she thought up stories to write and finally started putting them on paper back in 2006. If you hear her talking with no one to answer, don’t think she’s crazy. Since talking through her stories works best, a library is her worst place to write… even though it’s her favorite!
C.C. loves to mix sci-fi and paranormal—throw in a little romance and adventure and you’ve got her kind of story. She’s written nine books including the Leftover Girl series, The Agency series, and The Fear Chronicles.
The Book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N53W6CK
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/CCBolick/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15857316.C_C_Bolick
https://www.instagram.com/cc_bolick/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3090
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INTERVIEW
Can you describe your dream home?
I have my dream home – my husband and I built it with the help of family and friends. It’s only about 1600 sq. ft. (I hate to clean), but the kitchen, dining room, and living room are all open at the center. We sacrificed some area for the dining room to make a huge living room for the kids to enjoy.
If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
We have cookouts fairly often – my husband loves to grill. I’ll cook almost anything including venison, but it all comes with a southern flair.
Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.
Someone wrote to tell me she loved all of my books – not just the first series but she’d read all eight and bought print copies. And she wanted me to continue the stories. Readers are busy, but it really means so much to an author for someone to take a few moments and drop a line of encouragement.
Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
I’ve always wanted to visit Australia.
Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
Fiona Jayde Media. She does an amazing job and has made twelve covers for me thus far.
VBT – ALICE, A MEMOIR
Alice, a Memoir
by Alice Gilmore
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GENRE: Non-fiction
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BLURB:
Few, if anyone, could have had a life like Alice Gilmore. It was almost unbelievable yet carried on under the cover of a respectable middle-class existence.
You might strongly disapprove of what she did, but Alice was determined. She overcame insurmountable obstacles to keep the love she longed for.
Her single-minded fight to live out her love makes a gripping, riveting story that one eminent literary person called ‘staggeringly readable’. It is shocking. Her methods will upset some, but are you with her or against her? Your decision.
This is no misery memoir. It’s a story told with joy, wit and fervour – the astonishing story of the overwhelming love Alice Gilmour was determined to live out.
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EXCERPT
I am going to tell you our story, my darlings. It is really only for you three and one other (you know who) but I can’t help hoping that the world will read it, which is why I shall probably publish it. But not for some years. When you’re fully grown up and have flown the nest. God knows what they will make of it, the world I mean, whoever they are, but I am not suggesting that any rules or taboos should be changed by our story, or new rules made. Leave all that alone. Our story, perhaps I should say my story, just is. You could tritely call it the exception that proves the rule. Perhaps that is just what it is: unique. I doubt that but it is certainly extraordinary. I have carefully chosen those words. Any old event of yawning banality is called ‘amazing’, ‘fantastic’, ‘unbelievable’, ‘fabulous’ in our current jargon. Whatever else people may call my story it is certainly extraordinary.
It is, above all, a love story, an all-consuming love story, though I have never felt consumed by love, rather continually renewed. But isn’t that what love should do to you? Consume you and renew you constantly like the phoenix. And it brought with it another constant emotion: fear. And pain. The fear of pain. The fear of the pain of losing it, this wonderful state. The word love doesn’t fully express what I/we felt. Another word that is more or less totally debased.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
If you want to know about my life and background read this book. I can scarcely add to what I have written about myself in there. I earnestly hope that the rest of my life is too uneventful to even consider writing anything else, I am no novelist. The life I have described was full enough and rich enough for me. God knows what I would come out with if I had to invent. If you find you need a good chef I shall consider anything not too energetic – which rules out most jobs in the kitchen.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/100110001-alice-gilmore
https://www.facebook.com/alice.gilmore.92775
https://twitter.com/AlicetheWife1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alice-a-memoir-alice-gilmore/1131732791
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/940716
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/alice-a-memoir
https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Memoir-Gilmore-ebook/dp/B07S8HK65K/
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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
What are your favorite TV shows?
Good four to six episode thrillers or police dramas. Good documentaries about current events. Some quizzes.
What is your favorite meal?
I start with grilled whitebait; go on to liver, not done with bacon and too much juice in the English way but fegato con salvia as the Italians cook it. That is liver lightly grilled with sage and sauté potatoes. Afterwards blackberry and apple crumble with lashings of clotted cream.
If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
It would have to be a family saga stretching through generations. That could encompass everything from love to war to adventure to business, religion, snobbery, treachery. It can all be in there.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
Difficult to think of one but I love Kate Atkinson’s prose. She can pack so much subtle humour into one sentence she makes me squirm with delight and she just keeps doing it. I think William Boyd is the best novelist writing in UK English at the moment. If I look back, Jane Austen, of course, and George Eliot, Dickens and Evelyn Waugh but I have a very special place in my heart for PG Wodehouse. Just listen to him when read out loud by a good actor. Comedy heaven.
How did you come up for the title of this book?
Oh, don’t. My title, Alice, A Memoir, about as dull as you can get, is a compromise reached after the publisher and I had wracked our brains trying to think of something that was not a clue to the content of my story. I am the worst inventor of titles in the world, I think.
VBT – SOUL READER
Soul Reader
by Lisa Zajkowski
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GENRE: Paranormal Romance
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BLURB:
When skeptic Marvin meets artistic Natalie in a coffee shop on a cold October morning, the two fall fast in love, but nothing is ever as easy as it feels.
Natalie believes that a divine something is guiding her life for her greater good, and it seems to be true. She lands her dream job and she and Marvin marry at a beachside castle. However, the ease and flow of their lives start to change. At the same time that Natalie becomes pregnant, Marvin experiences strange symptoms and visits his doctor.
When faced with a diagnosis that changes everything and odd dreams of the child that hasn’t yet been born, will Marvin let go of his skepticism or will he miss out on a lifetime with his loving family?
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EXCERPT
Marvin heads into his oversized master bath to start the shower. He is sensitive when it comes to nature, so he has a top of the line water purification system that allows him to use the ocean water in his home. It siphons water from the ocean, removes the salt and impurities, and leaves him with the smoothest, cleanest water in town. He is hopeful that the city will one day take advantage of such a resourceful product, but he isn’t surprised that they haven’t. The water is silky and hot as it rains down on his body. His showerhead is automated with voice command, so he can tell it if he wants jet stream, raindrops, massage or pulsating. Marvin’s home may be more modest than most in the area, but he never held back on the luxuries of things he liked. He turns the steam feature on as he shuts the water off and grabs his towel. He loves standing in the steam, with it smelling the way only steam in a clean shower can smell. He has always been very in touch with his senses and felt them all deeply: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vision, and the unspoken sixth sense. He is unconsciously aware of his intuition because his analytical mind has yet to bring it forth; however, it will happen when the timing is right. He steps out of his steamy fortress, his hair awry, and drapes his towel over the shower door. As he steps in front of the mirror, admiring his sculpted body, he wonders if Talie might be up, if she was even awake.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Lisa M. Zajkowski has an exhilaration for life while exploring all areas from the ethereal to the ordinary, and she appreciates learning something from every aspect. Her main theme in life is fun, as she indulges in laughter and looks for the positive in every situation. She also thrives on pushing the boundaries of the body while enduring in the sport of Triathlon, having completed a Half Ironman. However, it’s her first love of running that brings her an immense sense of liberation and connectedness with the beauty of the world. Lisa loves connecting with people, and being a massage therapist allows her to do this as she enjoys helping people facilitate healing within their innate body systems. She is comforted in the softer side of life while cuddling with her dogs and cat, and desires to own a horse ranch. Lisa revels in the freedom of being fluid in her writing, taking pleasure in all genres of authoring. She is currently working on Drama, Sci-Fi, and Horror novels.
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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
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Currently, Vanilla. It switches with mood and cravings. And even before I’ve submitted these questions, it has changed to mint chocolate chip that I put a little Almond milk in and make it more like a little milkshake.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
A Unicorn
First book you remember making an indelible impression on you.
“Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?” I don’t remember how old I was when I read it, probably around 10 years old. I loved how it gave such fluidity, to talk to ‘your god’ wherever you were. It also touched on several adolescent issues of young women.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
I get an idea and I build my characters and plot from there. It’s a ‘now’ process for me, meaning I don’t usually plan ahead the ways it’s going to flow. Upon re-write things may change and be more fine-tuned.
Describe your writing space.
I feel it’s pretty ordinary. I write on my couch in my living room. I have a beautiful view of the intracoastal with a slight obstruction of 2 bikes on their trainers. I sometimes take my laptop with me and will write in various places, but the couch is where most of the magic happens! I suppose someday I’d like a writing room, but I don’t know. I like the freedom an open space gives without the feeling of ‘having’ to go to a different room to write.
VBT – 13 STEPS TO THE CELLAR
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Teresa Mathews 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.
There were thirteen steps to the cellar. They were steep and they were narrow—but was a fall down them enough to have caused the twenty-seven deep lacerations to her aunt’s head?
Callie Harris travels from her home in Alabama to her aunt’s former mansion in Maine to unravel the haunting forty-year-old mystery of Dr. Laverne Harris Doss’ brutal death.
Why wasn’t a murder weapon found? Was her uncle justly convicted of the killing? Was his mistress involved? Or was the murderer the bearded stranger rumored to have arrived by train that night?
In the charming town of Richmond, located on the banks of Maine’s historic Kennebec River, Callie uncovers the community’s darkest secrets—a botched police investigation, a betrayed widow’s lie, a dead woman’s blackmail, and a wealthy philanthropist’s shame. The web of intrigue extends far beyond Callie’s suspicions and its connection to her personal story pierces her to the core.
Read an Excerpt
In passing, she leaned and straightened the flowers in the urn on her aunt’s grave. Squatting, she ran her fingers across the dates on the headstone, calculating her aunt had only been thirty-six years old when she died. She inched closer and studied the inscription, Dr. Laverne Harris Doss. Beloved doctor, daughter, and sister.
“My father’s beloved sister,” Callie whispered. “Oh, how he grieved for you, Aunt Laverne.”
About the Author: Teresa Mathews is a graduate of The University of South Alabama. She’s a member of the Mobile Writers Guild and serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association.
An avid gardener and artist, she has multiple book covers to her credit. Several years ago after visiting the site of her real-life aunt’s murder, Teresa discovered another passion–storytelling. Although inspired by an actual tragedy, Thirteen Steps to the Cellar is fiction.
Raised on the Gulf Coast, Teresa, her husband, and son now live on a farm with a second home on the sparkling white sands of Fort Morgan, Alabama.
https://instagram.com/teresamathewsauthor
http://www.amazon.com/author/teresamathews
http://www.facebook.com/TeresaMathewsauthor
http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Mathews_Teresa
THE BOOK IS $0.99 DURING THE TOUR: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWXJC6V/ref=as_li_ss_tl
Teresa Mathews will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT ~ Julian Fox: The Dream Guardian
About the Book
Title: Julian Fox: The Dream Guardian
Author: E.J. Miranda
Genre: YA Fantasy
It is said that dreams are just that: only dreams. But believe me, this is not always true. Some dreams are as real as the dreamer.
Thanks to their dreams, dreamers can receive the special visit of eternal wisdom that has inspired the creativity of great inventors, scientists, musicians, and even writers throughout the ages.
This creative wisdom is not always the type that appears to the eager conscience. Sometimes, a Defiler, a destroyer of dreams, is the one who tries to appear before the dreamer. These creatures were once humans, but they allowed their pain and desire for revenge to take over and seek the same miserable fate for the one who dreams.
You must not fear — Dream Guardians, also known as Kelsdrant, will always protect the one who dreams, even with their own life. They are people of flesh and bone, just like you and me, or at least they are on Earth.
The following story is dedicated to the fun, extravagant, and enlightening life of Julian Fox, the Dream Guardian.
Be prepared, dear reader. It is time to dream, laugh, reflect, and even maybe cry.
Welcome to the Land of the Wise Dreams.
Author Bio
E.J. Miranda is an avid reader, an enthusiastic traveler, and a passionate author. Her great sense of humor and love for nature have granted her a rebellious writing style: her approach describes the adventures of life, but in such a way that each reader can have an individual take on the matter. Her inspiration comes from her curiosity about other countries’ cultures and peculiarities. A few countries in particular which spark her curiosity are Colombia, Italy, Costa Rica, England, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Her favorite places to visit are historical sites and museums, locations that allow her to explore important and even overlooked details. She currently lives with her husband in Colombia, but frequently travels to Houston to visit her daughter and son. E.J. Miranda has a degree in tax accounting, but she prefers interacting with people to calculating their taxes. To learn more about her life and work, visit www.ejmiranda.com.
Links
VBT – TIME TRAVEL
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Roxanne San Jose will be awarding a PDF of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Angelie Thompson invented a time machine in 2015 and her boyfriend, John Salvador, was accidentally transported back to 1970. Left with no other option, Angelie journeys through time, searching for John. Along the way, she encounters several adventures, meeting new people on her desperate search for her lover.
Meanwhile, stranded in 1970 and with no hope of ever returning back to his own time, John begins a new life, working as a receptionist in Lesti Hotel where he finds a new love, Elisha.
Conflict arises among the characters due to their complicated relationships and when disaster strikes, it’s up to Angelie to save the world with her time machine invention.
The tale of ‘Time Travel’ highlights love, determination and friendship.
Read an Excerpt
The sound of metal in the time machine groaned as Angelie Thompson turned it to the left with her ratchet.
“All done,” she murmured to herself.
Standing up, she typed in the places and years in the time machine remote control to test it. The six foot black octagon shaped time machine lit up and opened its doors. Angelie smiled and said to herself, “Someday, I’ll use it again.”
Then she headed to the table where her “Best in Science” award and her twelfth-grade last-semester report card was to study her notes.
Time Machine Notes:
1. Make sure the red wires are connected to the blue wires.
2. Buttons for the dates and places in the time machine remote control must be connected to the time machine so it can transport in the correct time.
3. Time machine remote control must have batteries.
4. No injury
Angelie reviewed the notes and stretched her arm to ease the muscle cramps there. “Well, everything seems fine.”
As she looked back at the time machine, she heard a knock and turned to the door.
John Salvador, her boyfriend, stood before her and he held up a steaming cup towards her. “Honey, here’s your cappuccino to keep you functional.” He kissed her on the lips.
She replied, “Thanks, honey,” as she took the drink and sat.
He grabbed a chair and sat next to her then glanced at her time machine notes. “Did you finally finish your work?”
Angelie gulped, and then replied, “I think so. All the wires seem to be in place and transportation to the dates and places are working properly.”
He looked at the notes then stood up, walking toward the time machine. With a look of seriousness, he said, “I guess you’re ready.” He glanced over his shoulder to smile back at her. “Do you want to catch a movie to relax for a while? Buzz is the 2015 movie of the year.”
Angelie shook her head in response. “I don’t think so. Do you want to try it now?” With a pause, she added, “Do you think it’ll work?”
He walked over to the time machine and stood beside her.
She asked, “So, do you want to go to the year 3050 to see what the future looks like?”
He grinned. “Definitely.”
Angelie typed “3050” under the “year” in the time machine remote control and the door opened.
John’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
They entered the time machine nervously, stood still and held the handle on
the side. The machine cast a white smoke inside, blinding them temporarily, a signal that it had transported them to the year 3050.
Inside, the time machine, they remained nervous as they did not know what lay ahead of them. After ten minutes, the time machine’s automatic slide door opened behind a tree, allowing them to see cars that could fly. The people were dressed in odd suits, there were also robots, robotic animals talking to each other and no pollution in the air. The water was crystal-clear, the roads made of metal, and buildings built with glass.
About the Author:
I am born in the Philippines but I now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. I self-published my first book, Annagram, in 2015 about three countries fighting for an island.
Website: https://roxannesanjose.wixsite.com/roxannesanjose
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sjroxanne
Instagram: http://www.instagram/roxanne_sanjose
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/roxanneasanjose
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/roxannesanjose
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Travel-Second-Chances-Bundle-ebook/dp/B07R8C8W5B/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-travel-roxanne-san-jose/1131287594
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/time-travel-avid-second-chances-bundle
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/934333
Roxanne San Jose will be awarding a PDF of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – ONE OF TWO
One of Two
by S.R. Cronin
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GENRE: Sci-fi Fantasy
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BLURB:
Telepathy creates as many problems as it solves, as everyone in the secret organization x0 would admit. When new member Lola discovers another group of telepaths with a totally different approach, those problems multiply at the speed of thought.
Soon, Lola’s family and friends are in danger. Lucky for her, she’s not your average budding psychic. Each person she is close to has a special gift of their own. That’s good, because it’s going to take every power they possess to stop these others from tearing apart x0.
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EXCERPT:
Gabriel contacted Warren late Sunday night to tell him the teacher Maurice had been found. Warren was delighted, until he learned the teacher, too, was surrounded by a wall of impermeable energy.
“This group is stronger than I feared.”
“Maybe not,” Gabriel said. “The wall around the woman has weakened. It means they’ve had to move resources to protect the elder.”
“Well then, get more info from her.”
“It’s still strong,” Gabriel said “and we’re not sure she has much else to offer. We’re encouraged they can only do so much at once.”
“Yes, that is good news. You do fine work, Gabriel. I don’t mean to imply otherwise. I just think you’re hindered by the careful way we’re going at this. How much more effective would you be if you had the old man sitting in a chair in front of you?”
There was a second of silence. Warren supposed Gabriel was reading his mind.
“I don’t think kidnapping anyone is a good idea.”
“Bullshit. It doesn’t have to be kidnapping. I can find a way to finesse it. We need information. Would having this Maurice in a room with you help you get it?”
“Of course it would. A lot.”
“I thought so,” Warren said. “Then this nonsense has gone on long enough. I’m sending a car to your place tomorrow morning at six. You’ll fly on my jet to San Antonio. Most of the Entelechy is still here in New York, so take two of your best monads with you. When you land, another driver will take you to Maurice. There will be some muscle with him; they are totally at your disposal. This shouldn’t be hard. He’s an old man. I want to know everything about this organization. Do what you need to do.”
Warren hung up before Gabriel could object.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Sherrie Roth grew up in Western Kansas thinking there was no place in the universe more fascinating than outer space. After her mother vetoed astronaut as a career ambition, she went on to study journalism and physics in hopes of becoming a science writer.
She published her first science fiction short story and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next tale. When it finally came, it declared to her it had to be a whole book, nothing less. One night, while digesting this disturbing piece of news, she drank way too many shots of ouzo with her boyfriend. She woke up thirty-one years later demanding to know what was going on.
The boyfriend, who she had apparently long since married, asked her to calm down. He explained that, in a fit of practicality, she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and had spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good news, according to Mr. Cronin, was she found it at least mildly entertaining and ridiculously well-paying. The bad news was the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.
Apparently she was now Mrs. Cronin, and the further good news was they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved dearly, even though to be honest that is where a lot of the money had gone. Even better news was that Mr. Cronin turned out to be a warm-hearted, encouraging sort who was happy to see her awake and ready to write. “It’s about time,” were his exact words.
Sherrie Cronin discovered that over the ensuing decades Sally Ride had already managed to become the first woman in space and done a fine job of it. No one, however, had written the book that had been in Sherrie’s head for decades. The only problem was the book informed her it had grown into a six book collection. Sherrie decided she better start writing before it got any longer. She’s been wide awake ever since, and writing away.
Author Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Number46Ascending
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q
Blogs:
46 Ascending – https://46ascending.org/
Face Painting for World Peace – http://tothepowerofzero.org/
Fire Dancing for Fun and Profit – http://ytothepowerof1.org/
Treasure Hunting for a Good Time – http://zsquaredblog.org/
Leaving the Nest to Touch the Sky – http://ctothepowerofthree.org/
Touching the Sky to Save the World – http://dtothepowerof4.org/
Email me at lola.zeitman@gmail.com
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
S.R. Cronin will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC and a kindle copy of another book from the 46. Ascending collection (winner’s choice) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT – THE MAINE NEMESIS
The Maine Nemesis
by R. Scott Wallis
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GENRE: Suspense
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BLURB:
Fiercely independent, insatiably curious, and always up for an adventure, public relations hotshot Skyler Moore is a hero for our time. She’s decidedly not a sleuth by trade, but mayhem often comes knocking as she and her friends visit the small towns and big cities of America.
In “The Maine Nemesis,” Skyler decides to spend the summer at her seaside cottage in Wabanaki, Maine, with her best friend—celebrity chef Brenda Braxton—and they have no idea that murder will be on the menu. But women are turning up dead in the once sleepy village where nothing ever happens. With the residents up in arms and the rinky-dink police force overwhelmed, Skyler and her friends feel compelled to lend a hand to save the town they love so much. The backdrop is classic New England Americana: lobster rolls, the whole town out for the Fourth of July, and summer evenings cooled by the ocean breeze. That…and an occasional murder, a kidnapping, and a few dangerous liaisons.
Skyler’s mile-a-minute adventure will keep you turning the pages to see what comes next for her and her Down East ‘friends.’
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EXCERPT
During one typically mild Maine summer, slightly more than a few decades ago, while the United States of America was celebrating the anniversary of its independence from England, fifth-grader Skyler Elizabeth Moore was celebrating her freedom from being the only little girl on her street. While she got along fine with most of the kids in her class, she’d not yet made a best friend—besides her beloved Raggedy Ann doll—so when Brenda Braxton, along with her brother and aunt, moved into the white clapboard house diagonally across the street, Skyler made it her mission to show the new girl around their tiny New England town in order to win her friendship.
There were only a handful of houses on the street and most of them were only used in the summer, making for a very sleepy, almost ghost town-like existence for a pre-teen girl during the school year. Skyler would stare into the houses’ dark windows as she walked to school, trying to catch a glimpse of something moving inside. A forgotten cat. A caretaker. Even a ghost. She believed in them and was certain that big old empty houses were where they lived.
When the biting winter winds that came off the ocean turned soothingly cool and the town sprung back to life after Memorial Day, Skyler would get her hopes up that a new family—with kids her age—would magically appear on the block. Specifically, a girl. So, when she finally spotted one that early July day, she wasted no time.
The moving truck was still in front of the house on the corner, and even though her mother told her to wait until the family settled in, Skyler marched herself to the open door and stepped into the front hall. She scooted to the left to avoid getting hit by a couch that two large men lifted through the doorway and then she followed them into the living room.
There she was. A girl her own age, sitting on a moving box, eating a banana.
“My mom would be very proud,” she said when she noticed Skyler. “She was always pushing fruit on me.”
“I love bananas,” Skyler lied as she moved closer. “I’m Skyler. I live across the street.”
“I’m Brenda. And I guess I live here now.”
“Welcome to Wabanaki.”
“Such a weird name for a town.”
“It’s named after an Indian tribe. American Indian, not India Indian.”
“I’ll never be able to spell it.”
“I’m good at spelling. It’s easy. W.A.B.A.N.A.K.I. Wabanaki. Almost like banana with all the A’s after the letters.”
“I guess. Did you just let yourself in?”
“I did. Is that okay with your mother?”
“I’m sure she doesn’t care. I’m glad you came in.”
“Me, too.” Skyler couldn’t stop smiling. “Me, too.”
Skyler noticed that Brenda was a little on the heavy side with a roll of fat around her middle that peeked out between her shirt and shorts, but it didn’t faze her. Brenda had a hearty, infectious laugh and positive attitude despite what Skyler would come to understand was an arduous childhood. Her homework could have been eaten by the dog, or the vacation she was looking forward to could have been cancelled at the last minute, and she’d always manage to find the silver lining. Brenda’s attitude would balance well with Skyler’s sometimes dark outlook on life.
Skyler didn’t know it at the time, but Brenda’s father went missing in action during some U.S. military action somewhere on the other side of the world and her distraught mother had been committed to a mental asylum. Her father’s sister took charge of the children and moved them from a bustling, unkempt New York City (at the time) to the more idyllic world that was sleepy Wabanaki, Maine.
For Skyler, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The girls had the rest of the summer to play outside, have sleepovers, and get to know each other before the school year would begin. And they did just that. Sometime between building a girls-only tree house and starting a weekly lemonade stand, they’d become blood-sisters, cutting their index fingers and pressing them together to form a lifetime bond. It had been Brenda’s idea. She’d seen her brother do it with his best friend, so it wasn’t totally insane.
“It seems insane to me,” Skyler said. “But I’ll do it. If you want me to.”
“I don’t want you to do anything that would make you feel bad. And I know blood makes you scream and cry.”
“That was just that one time, Brenda, and it was only because that stupid treehouse nail went right through my leg. I’m not afraid of blood. I’m going to be a veterinarian. I’m going to have to get used to it.”
“I’m going to be a cook, I think,” Brenda said. “So, if any of your animals die, you let me know.”
“You are not cooking dead animals, Brenda!”
“What do you think steak and pork chops and hamburgers are? Dead animals.”
“But they aren’t dogs and cats. I’m going to care for puppies and kitties.”
“Veterinarians also take care of cows and pigs and horses and stuff, you know.”
“Well, maybe. But if they die—which they won’t, because I am going to go to a very good veterinarian school—I’m not letting you cook them. There will be a pet cemetery in the back behind my pet hospital.”
“That seems wrong.”
“It does, you’re right,” Skyler said thoughtfully. “Well, we’ll get your stupid brother to take the dead animals away somewhere. But, I’m serious, Brenda, the animals are not going to die. That’s why I’m going to be a veterinarian, to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Everything dies. My dad died. My hamster died. And our first dog died when he got run over by the trash truck.”
“That’s horrible. If I was older and if I had been there, I would have saved him.”
“She was a she and her head was smooshed into the road and they had to use a bunch of shovels to clean it up.”
“That’s so gross.”
“It was.”
“And sad,” Skyler said. “I’m super sorry.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t really see that happen. Actually, I don’t think that’s what happened to her. I made it up. I think she ran away.”
“That’s sad, too.”
“Not as sad as my dad dying,” Brenda said. “At least, we think he’s dead. He never came back.”
“Maybe he’s with your dog somewhere.”
“Maybe.”
“With your mom, maybe?”
“Well, that would just make me mad.” Brenda dug her fingernail into the bottom of her sneaker.
“Why?” Skyler asked.
“Because if they’re all together somewhere else, why are my brother and me here in Wabanaki without them?”
“Oh,” Skyler said softly.
“That would mean that they don’t love us.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But that’s what it would mean. And I don’t want to believe that.”
“Don’t. It’s not true.”
Brenda became uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments making Skyler a little uncomfortable.
“Maybe we should do it now.”
Brenda brightened when she remembered the task at hand. She pulled out her brother’s Swiss Army pocketknife. “Ready?”
“I am,” Skyler said confidently, even though she was trembling. “Because we’re going to be sisters forever.”
“That’s the idea. I don’t want to have to play with just my brother for the rest of my life.”
Brenda took Skyler’s hand in hers, turned it over so that her palm was facing up, and pressed the knife into her finger without hesitation. Skyler’s eyes widened as she watched a small bubble of scarlet red blood form. She looked into Brenda’s eyes. She smiled, cut her own finger, and they pressed them together while they screamed and laughed at the same time.
“There,” Brenda said when she was able to calm herself, “blood sisters.”
“Blood sisters,” Skyler echoed. “Can we go clean these cuts now? I don’t want to get tetanus.”
“What is tetanus?”
“I don’t know, but it’s something awful and if you get it inside you, you die.”
“I don’t want to die.”
“Me either. I have a lot of animals to save.”
“And I have a lot to cook!”
The girls took off to find water, soap, and Band-Aids, and to call it a night. The sun was setting and it was getting dark, the sign that another summer adventure must come to an end. But they’d have lots more. They ensured that with blood.
And an infection.
Brenda’s cut got infected, but it wasn’t tetanus…and she didn’t die.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
R. Scott Wallis is endlessly inspired by his surroundings and adventures. And he thrives on new chapters and creating unique projects to keep himself out of trouble. Scott started his working life as an advance person and assistant to a sitting United States Vice President. Later, he served as the creative director for a leading Washington think tank. That led to working directly for one of the richest men on Earth, conceiving and executing exclusive events for his billionaire friends. Tired of working for the man, Scott became a top-rated pop-culture podcaster and celebrity interviewer, while also dabbling in both the worlds of clothing manufacturing (creating his own baby clothes brand that was sold in over 300 stores nationwide) and retail sales, with his own well-received men’s clothing store.
Always willing to lend a hand or donate what he can, he’s an enthusiastic philanthropist, championing causes such as childhood bullying, animal adoption, and feeding the less fortunate. A wide-eyed world traveler, Scott has been to four continents, mostly by sea. While he loves exploring Europe and the Caribbean islands, it’s the vast United States that he likes best. He’s been to Alaska four times, Hawaii twice, and can’t wait to explore the eight states he hasn’t been to yet. Technically a Connecticut Yankee, Scott grew up in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, and lived for 25 years in the Washington, D.C. area, before recently discovering that the American West is where he is most at home. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Learn more at www.rscottwallis.com
Author Website:
Amazon Link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729813321/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_b7guCbE7B2WJN
The book is on sale for only $0.99.
Facebook Link:
https://www.facebook.com/skylermoorethrillers
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
R. Scott Wallis will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thanks for being my guest here today. Tell us about you as a person.
I’m constantly making up back stories for people—it’s a blessing and a curse, I think. Whenever I’m out in public and happen upon a stranger I think looks interesting, I instantly start wondering what they are all about…where they come from…what they do for a living…who they love. I’ve always had an overactive imagination—hence my fiction writing career—and making up things about people is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
It won’t come as a surprise to any of my friends, but I think it would be super fun to trail Ryan Seacrest for a day. He has a career I’d die for. Even though he’s not a fiction writer (okay, I’d love to hang with Stuart Woods or Carl Hiaasen, too), he is a master at all-things media, with a successful national radio show and various television hosting duties. Sure, I can hang with Kelly Ripa in the mornings and hold my own during celebrity interviews! But, alas, I’ll have to settle for my silly little pop culture podcast, the Swish Edition, to tide me over until ABC comes calling.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
I spent a great deal of time in Maine as a kid and I have an absolute affinity for the state’s southern coast and the quint tourist towns like Kennebunkport and Ogunquit. Endless lobster rolls, cool old farm houses, chilly summer evenings…I love it all. It was so different from sticky, humid Williamsburg, Virginia, where I grew up. When I invented Skyler Moore for my new series, I just knew that she had to be from Maine and that the first book would take place there.
What is your writing process?
I’m best first thing in the morning. I get up with the sun—my two rescue dogs kind of insist on it—and I work from about 6:00 a.m. until 10-ish. Four hours of writing and editing is about my limit. If I have any music on at all, it’s classical or jazz, as songs with lyrics distract me. If I’m working on an exciting, action-packed scene, I might put on movie scores, like the ones from “Casino Royal” or “Batman;” those really get me in the mood. When I write my first draft, I go as fast as I can and don’t typically go back and read what I wrote until the very end. I don’t outline, but I work from extensive notes; I know where I want to go, but I have no idea how I am going to get there until I’m done. It takes me about two months to completely finish a novel and I work seven days a week until it’s done.
Tell us about your main character.
Skyler Moore is an unmarried, middle-aged public relations hotshot who splits her time between Washington, D.C. and Wabanaki, Maine. She’s on the road a lot, too, and wherever she goes, mayhem tends to follow. She’s independent, curious, sarcastic, and doesn’t need a man to define her. While she is open to the idea of love, she’s been burned in the past, so she believes marriage is off the table. Her most treasured thing in life is her best friendship with celebrity chef Brenda Braxton.
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.
I will never answer this question! I believe very strongly that readers should envision the characters in their heads as they read along, and I’d hate to taint that by naming a famous person who I think could best play the role. That said, I have ideas of actresses who would make great Skyler Moores. But I’ll never tell anyone but the executive producers at Netflix someday.
What are you working on next?
Book two, THE NEW MEXICO SCOUNDREL, is also out now; book three, THE NEVADA SABOTEUR, is in the can and comes out September 27; and, a new thriller series kicks off with SCOUT’S HONOR: LIFELINE, on August 23. Yes, I have been crazy busy this year. Four books in 2019 is kind of insane, but it’s really all about building a following. I hope people will come on this journey with me.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?
Marketing is a writer’s second full-time job. There’s just no way around it. Every single day you have to do something to get your name out there. Blog. Guest blog. Have a great website. Post to social media daily. Pitch your books to local book clubs (I’ve been invited to go speak to a Las Vegas-area book club this coming September!). Do whatever you can to get eyes on your books.
What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?
“Drunk on a Plane” by Zane Mitchell. It’s a beachy mystery with great characters and fun dialogue. It’s quick and perfect for a summer vacation. I can’t wait to take his second book in the series on my upcoming plane trip back east.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Besides my killer radio voice or my extraordinary fiction writing skills, you mean? I guess I’m good at being funny and sarcastic. I like entertaining my friends. I guess it’s not some great talent, but I enjoy it. Plus, like I said before, I love making stuff up; I have a very active imagination with endless ideas for new stories and situations. I never get writer’s block.
You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?
Oh, I’ve thought about this a lot: I would love to be able to teleport myself through space to another location. Getting places forever annoys me, especially commercial air travel these days. I just want to BE in Maui. I want to magically get to my parent’s house without taking two different flights and an hour car ride. That would save so much time and headaches, huh?
List 5 things on your bucket list:
- While I like being an independent author, I’d love a big fat publishing deal with one of the big five. Walking through an airport and spotting my book in a store there would be a dream come true.
- Two words: Private Jet!
- World peace (yeah, I kinda gotta get a P.C. one in here, right?)
- I’d absolutely love to design and build a custom house someday. I want to pick out everything, down to the location of switches and plugs. I’ve thought about my dream house since I was a kid. It doesn’t have to be a mansion, it just has to be all mine.
- More cruises. I’ve been on nearly 30 vacations at sea, to Hawaii (twice), Alaska (four times), Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. I am happiest at sea on a big ship and I constantly dream of my next vacation. We’re off to Mexico from L.A. in October and back to Alaska for my 50th birthday next May with a bunch of family and friends. I can’t wait.
Where can readers find you on the web?
The best place is rscottwallis.com where you can learn more about me and my books. There are links there to my Facebook and Instagram accounts and an easy way to email me, too.
Any final thoughts?
Read more books! Buy more books! Books, books, books. They are my favorite things. While I love television and consume a lot of programs, I’d be lost without words on paper. You should see my stack of books waiting to be read; I buy more than I could ever get through.
