Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Guest Post & Giveaway: Monsterland by Michael Okon


We're thrilled to host Michael Okon's MONSTERLAND Blog Tour today! Leave a comment below to enter the book giveaway!



Title:
MONSTERLAND

Author: Michael Okon

Publisher: Wordfire Press

Pages: 232

Genre: Monsters

Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.

The last couple years of high school have not been fun for Wyatt Baldwin. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An on-going debate with his best friends Howard Drucker and Melvin over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can rock out with vampires at Vampire
Village, be chased by actual werewolves on the Werewolf River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon



My All-time Favorite Monster is…

My all-time favorite monster is…is…is I actually have no idea. Choosing a favorite monster is like choosing children, you simply can’t do it. When the spark of my book Monsterland came to me, I called my brother immediately and told him, “I’m going to write a story about a theme park with zombies.” He replied with a quick, “No.” He said, “You have to tell a story about a theme park with werewolves, vampires, AND zombies.” I started writing that night.

What I learned about writing books, specifically about monsters, is not limiting yourself to one type of monster to scare the audience. Werewolves, vampires, and zombies. Having the three most globally recognized monsters in the world, all on display at a massive theme park. What could possibly go wrong?

How would the story have turned out if I would have chosen one monster? I honestly don’t know. What would happen if Led Zeppelin only released one song on an album? The results probably would have been disastrous.

As of now, Monsterland 2 is scheduled for a May 26, 2018 release. I have three, actually four monsters in that one, with other monsters being alluded too. As for Monsterland 3, which I just started, there are three monsters named just in the first three chapters alone. What happens after that? Well, there are going to be more. Many more monsters in this interesting universe I’m creating.

But…if I had to choose one monster, just one superior monster to terrorize us lowly citizens, I would choose The Invisible Man. I’m incorporating The Invisible Man in an upcoming Monsterland novel. I say this because watching the original classic with Claude Rains…well…I was terrified. A zombie? Just shoot it. A vampire? Shine a light. A werewolf? They come out once a month and will fall with one little measly silver bullet.

But The Invisible Man is scary. A madman you cannot see. I’ve seen every classic horror movie, Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Blob, but nothing stayed with me like The Invisible Man. I guess that falls in line with ghosts, but again, a ghost can’t touch you. Right? Only The Invisible Man can. I believe when a monster cannot be seen, well, that’s the scariest type of monster I can think. It’s a primal thing, a monster always lurking and watching, and you have absolutely no idea.

Well, Jaws is really scary too. And Pennywise the clown is too. And Leatherface from…oh, nevermind. I can’t choose a favorite.



Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling is his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can  remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.

Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.



WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE
| TWITTER | FACEBOOK




GIVEAWAY


Michael Okon is giving away 2
autographed copies of MONSTERLAND!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering
    the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Two winners
    will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a copy.
  • This
    giveaway ends midnight December
    29.
  • Winner will
    be contacted via email on December 30.
  • Winner has
    48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!




a Rafflecopter giveaway



Monday, October 30, 2017

Musing Monday - Oct 30


Musing Monday is hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker It is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM QUESTION:   Have you ever met someone who really REALLY likes to talk about all the classic books they have read? If so what did you think?

Well, it's still Monday for about 50 more minutes. A powerful storm ripped through here Sunday and most of our town was without power and internet until about 9:15 pm tonight. Guess it is a good thing this didn't happen in the middle of summer or in the dead of winter.

Blog posts should hopefully become more regular as real estate slows down a bit. Since I couldn't accomplish much work today I decided to switch over my wardrobe to the fall and winter stuff and clean our bedroom. The church's annual tag sale is coming up and I find this is a good time to de-clutter.

Finished reading, A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard. Hope you caught my review on Friday. I haven't started anything new yet. I'm thinking next up will be The Rancher's Mistletoe Bride by Jill Kemerer or When the Bishop Needs an Alibi by Vannetta Chapman. 

As far as this week's question goes, I haven't run into anyone who likes to talk about all the classic books they have read. I'm glad of that because I haven't read nearly enough. To each his own.

Hope you have a great week.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Book Review and Giveaway: A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard

We return to Willow Ridge in A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard, the second book in her Simple Gifts series.

Having lived under her father's thumb too long, Loretta Riehl is determined to follow her own path in life. She decides to join Nora in her shop to sell her rugs and teach classes on rug making. She's also got a troubled heart. Drew Detweiler came to Willow Ridge under a cloud, but she can't deny her attraction to him. Will, her former fiancé, certainly isn't liking their growing closeness. When Drew sets out to discover the truth about Cornelius Riehl and his moods, he hopes to fulfill Loretta's wish to live in a peaceful, happy home again.

I simply can't say enough kind things about Charlotte's books. They draw you in right away and you can't help but push aside everything else to read them: her characters are so real; her settings are so beautifully described; you feel that sense of community right from the start. Perhaps the best part of picking up a book by Charlotte Hubbard is she has such a strong sense of genre and what her fan base enjoys that she delivers a great story every time.

With the Simple Gifts series she has created new successes and new challenges for the residents of Willow Ridge. While certainly a stand alone novel, the reader will get a rounder picture if they read the first book in the series before this one.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Hallmark needs to make a movie out of some of these books. They really are superb.

Pick up a copy of A Simple Wish to find out what the people of Willow Ridge have been up to.

EXCERPT:

Grinning, Drew dropped down from the buggy. As he clasped Loretta’s hand and escorted her to the other side of his open vehicle, she wondered if he was leading her down a path riskier than Will’s and far more dangerous. A path more daring . . . and passionate. When Drew placed his hands on either side of her waist, he paused before lifting her up.

Loretta’s heart went wild. Drew’s sapphire eyes held secrets and intentions she couldn’t decipher, and he brought to mind a fox in the henhouse cornering his tasty prey. Effortlessly he lifted her into his buggy and then hopped in on the other side. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important,” he said as he took up the lines. “If I’m not mistaken, Gingerich looked like a man come courting.”

Feeling downright wicked—yet too flummoxed to look over at Will on the porch—Loretta let out the breath she’d been holding. “You saved me from a really embarrassing scene,” she murmured as the buggy lurched into motion. “Once upon a time I loved Will with all my heart, but after Dat broke us up and he latched onto Molly so fast—well, I had second thoughts about his . . . sincerity. His true feelings for me. And now, well—”

Loretta faltered. The man beside her had lied to Molly about who he was when he’d gotten her in the family way, before poor deluded Will had married her. Everyone in town had officially forgiven Drew for deceiving Molly, and also for drugging his brother Asa with sleeping pills before he’d tried to marry Edith, but Drew was still a mysterious newcomer who played his cards close to his vest.

If Dat saw whom you were riding off with, he’d be even more upset than when he made you break up with Will.

It was true, yet Loretta didn’t regret what she was doing. For the first in a long time, she felt breathlessly alive.

Order Ebook

Order Print
Zebra
September 26, 2017
ISBN-13: 9781420138719
ISBN-10: 1420138715






Charlotte Hubbard is the acclaimed author of Amish romance and fiction that evokes simpler times and draws upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi. Faith and family, farming, and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle—and the foundation of all her novels. A deacon, dedicated church musician and choir member, she loves to travel, read, try new recipes, and crochet. A longtime Missourian, Charlotte now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and their border collie, Vera. Please visit Charlotte online at www.CharlotteHubbard.com.

Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in anyway. 



Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Book Spotlight: Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn

Act of Betrayal

by Matthew Dunn

on Tour October 23 - November 30, 2017



Synopsis:

ACT OF BETRAYAL by Matthew Dunn

In this riveting entry in the celebrated thriller series, former intelligence operative Will Cochrane—a "ruthless yet noble" (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) man from whom "Bond and Bourne could learn a thing or two" (Madison County Herald)—comes out of hiding to expose a conspiracy involving a past assassination that reaches to the highest echelons of the U.S. government.


Three years ago, intelligence officer Will Cochrane was brought in by a Delta Force colonel to assassinate a terrorist financier in Berlin. After the job, the commander vanished, and hasn’t been heard from since. The details don’t quite add up, and one of the CIA agents who was involved has been investigating the mission. He reaches out to Will for help, but before they can connect, the CIA man is poisoned.

Will is determined to uncover the truth about Berlin, even if it means putting himself in the crosshairs. Framed for multiple murders, the skilled former spy has gone deep underground to evade his enemies and the feds. But honor and loyalty to his old colleague thrust him into danger once again.

When Marsha Gage at the FBI discovers that Cochrane—one of America’s Most Wanted—has resurfaced, she immediately launches a manhunt, and she won’t stop until she brings the former CIA/MI6 operative in.

With time running out, Cochrane will use all of his training and formidable skills to outmaneuver the FBI and uncover a shocking conspiracy that will rock the foundations of our nation . . . if he can stay alive.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller

Published by: William Morrow

Publication Date: October 24th 2017

Number of Pages: 320

ISBN: 0062427229 (ISBN13: 9780062427229)

Series: Spycatcher #7

Purchase Links: Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Goodreads 


Read an excerpt:

IT WAS PAST midnight as  wind  and  rain  pounded  the  exterior of the tiny bookstore in Chicago. The store was closed and its owner was sitting at his desk checking the week’s receipts. The task wouldn’t take long—his store specialized in rare works that he sourced from around the world. He had some loyal customers, but they were few. This week seven people had made purchases.

The only light in the room came from his green desk lamp, old-fashioned in design to match the ambience of the shop. Aside from some electronic devices on his desk and recessed lights that cast a discreet yellow glow when turned on, the place looked like it could have been a purveyor of fine works established and un- changed since the eighteenth century. He’d constructed it that way: dark maple bookshelves; many of the books leather bound, all of them hardcover; two armchairs for customers to sit in when perusing potential acquisitions; an urn for his more discerning patrons who valued his loose-leaf tea collection; and a cage for his two lovebirds.

He was an old-fashioned guy at heart.

And though he could have done with more cash coming in, he’d deliberately established a business and identity that drew little attention. He playacted a shy man, his trimmed beard intended to put up barriers between him and others, his shoulders artificially stooped during the day as if he were ashamed of his six-foot-four physique, his cropped blond-and-gray hair functional because he had no woman in his life to impress, and his unneeded glasses covering one green eye, one blue. He was always in a smart three-piece suit because the attire was good at hiding his athletic frame and scars. Customers thought he was Edward Pope, a gentleman scholar from the South. They’d probably estimate his age was late forties. They’d be wrong about that and most other things. He’d led a hard life and was forty-five.

His name wasn’t Edward Pope.

It was Will Cochrane.

The assassin. The one Sapper and Kane were terrified of.

He wasn’t from the Deep South. He was raised in Virginia and earned a double first-class degree at England’s Cambridge University. And he’d been a bookseller for only under a year.

But he had to be Pope. In the eyes of the world, Will was a murderer. He’d killed people as a special forces French Foreign Legionnaire and assassinated targets in French intelligence black operations. He had been the West’s prime joint operative with the CIA and Britain’s MI6 for fourteen years, until he went crazy and killed a lot of cops and civilians in the States before throwing himself off the Brooklyn Bridge and dying.

His death was essential. He was America’s Most Wanted. He wasn’t what some thought of him—a psychopath. But he was a former special operative and killer. Had been all his adult life. It started when he was seventeen and walked in on four criminals suffocating his mother and about to kill his sister. His mother died; sister didn’t, because he grabbed his mother’s carving knife and ended the criminals’ lives before fleeing to the Legion. He wished he didn’t know how many people he’d killed since. It would be a lie. He knew every victim. Their souls lingered around him, taunting him, reminding him of who he was.

All 263 souls.

But the souls of the people they say he killed in the States didn’t hassle him.

Because he didn’t kill them. He never killed innocents, only those who needed to be killed.

But in the eyes of the law, that’s not the case and that’s why he had to fake his death and reinvent himself. A year ago, his situation was desperate, despite all of his training and covert operations experience in hostile countries. He’d received only one bit of help, but it was significant. Russia’s most formidable intelligence officer, code name Antaeus—now, thanks to Will, a defector living in the States—had cleverly managed to get $300,000 into Will’s pocket. Will didn’t know exactly why he’d done it. After all, Will had accidentally killed his family with a car bomb when in fact he’d intended only to kill the spy. But he suspected he knew why the Russian had become his benefactor: Antaeus wanted his generosity to plunge the knife that was Will’s guilt deeper.

Regardless of Antaeus’s motives, the cash helped set up Will’s new life.

Will’s family and close acquaintances were all dead. He’d be given the needle if cops found out who he was. The West he’d served with unflinching duty had hung him out to dry. He thought of himself as a scavenging dog, kicked out of its owner’s backyard and left to fend for itself. He was resigned to that, every day expecting the Feds to rush into his store and put a bullet in his skull. That’s what they’d do. No attempt to arrest. No negotiations. Execution only. Will wouldn’t blame them. They knew he’d cause carnage if given the slightest of chances.

He finished his accounts, took a swig of Assam tea, and frowned as he heard the female lovebird make an unusual sound. Like her male companion, she resembled a small parrot, her plumage green and yellow, face and beak red, large eyes pure white with black pupils. He’d taken the birds off the hands of an old lady who frequented his store. Her son, a merchant marine officer, had brought them back from exotic climes, though she couldn’t remember where because she was suffering from dementia. And she could no longer look after them, particularly now that the male had broken his wing. Will hated seeing animals in cages. But the female wouldn’t leave the male’s side. And for the time being, the male had to be kept in the cage until he was fully recuperated. Then Will would release them to a large aviary or the wild.

Their previous owner couldn’t remember their names, so Will called the male Ebb and the female Flo. Flo was now agitated, hopping about as opposed to what she usually did, which was nestling her face against that of her lover. Will opened the cage, knowing Flo wouldn’t go anywhere while Ebb was there. The former special operative bowed his head. Ebb was all wrong, flopping on the base of the cage, his good wing twitching, his broken one immobile. Will knew he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. What goes through a bird’s brain? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know whether lovebirds were in fact lifelong lovers or if that was a myth. But Will knew how he felt. He had to give Flo closure, let her be free, not allow her to think there was hope that Ebb would return to her. Gently he lifted Ebb. His body was warm but now limp. He carried him to the store’s backyard. Flo followed him. Will had hoped she would.

Will looked at Flo, who was perched close by on the branch of a tree. She was watching. It seemed she and Will didn’t know what to do.

“I have to let you know this is the end,” Will said to her. Actually, he was saying it to himself.

He snapped Ebb’s neck and buried him.

Flo looked at him before flying into the darkness. As tears ran down his face, he wondered if she hated him. Or maybe she understood. Of course, he’d never know.

He returned to his desk and stared at the birdcage. After brushing soil off his fingers, he looked at his laptop and saw he had a new e-mail. Nobody sent him mail apart from spammers.

But this one was different. And shocking. It was from CIA officer Unwin Fox, the man who, alongside Will, had been one of those involved in the Berlin operation. Aside from Colonel Haden, Will didn’t know who the other people on the small team were.

His heart was beating fast as he read the mail. Its tone was desperate. There was no way Fox could know that Will was alive. Something was terribly wrong. Fox wanted to meet. Tomorrow. In Washington, D.C.

In all probability it was a trap. Lure Will out, then bam! Swooped on by cops. But then again, Will knew what happened in Berlin. The law didn’t. This would have been far too implausible a tactic to entrap him.

What to do?

He looked at the lovebirds’ empty cage. The door was open. He glanced at the entrance to his store.

What to fucking do?

He opened the drawer in his desk, pulled out his handgun, grabbed his bag containing all he needed if he ever had to run, and left.

He knew he’d never return.

***

Excerpt from Act of Betrayal by Matthew Dunn.  Copyright © 2017 by Matthew Dunn. Reproduced with permission from William Morrow. All rights reserved.




Matthew Dunn

Author Bio:


As an MI6 field officer, Matthew Dunn recruited and ran agents, coordinated and participated in special operations, and acted in deep-cover roles throughout the world. He operated in environments where, if captured, he would have been executed. Dunn was trained in all aspects of intelligence collection, deep-cover deployments, small-arms, explosives, military unarmed combat, surveillance, and infiltration. Medals are never awarded to modern MI6 officers, but Dunn was the recipient of a rare personal commendation from the secretary of state for work he did on one mission, which was deemed so significant that it directly influenced the success of a major international incident. During his time in MI6, Matthew conducted approximately seventy missions. All of them were successful. He currently lives in England, where he is at work on his next novel.

Learn More About Matthew Dunn On harpercollins.com!



Tour Participants:

Stop by these great hosts for reviews, and giveaways!

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Matthew Dunn and William Morrow. There will be 5 winners of one (1) print copy of ACT OF BETRAYAL by Matthew Dunn. This giveaway is open to US & Canada addresses only. The giveaway begins on October 23 and runs through November 30, 2017.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

Monday, October 23, 2017

Musing Monday - October 23


Musing Monday is hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker It is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM QUESTION:   Are there any books you really want to see made into TV shows or movies?

Happy Monday. It's scary to realize that the last Musing Monday I posted was August 28, but that is the life of a REALTOR: you work steadily and take advantage of the few slow times there are in the year to catch up.

Right now, I am reading, A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard.  This is the second book her Simple Gifts series.

Making rugs for Simple Gifts has taught Loretta Riehl that an unassuming pattern can reveal surprising depth. People, too, have a way of defying first impressions. Drew Detweiler came to Willow Ridge under a cloud, but the handsome craftsman has gained the community's respect for his upholstery skills and commitment to making amends for his mistakes. As her new brother-in-law's twin, he's joining the family for dinners and Sunday visits at the Riehl house, and Loretta can't deny enjoying his attentions.

If only her dat were willing to let a little joy into his life. Cornelius Riehl grows more stern with each passing day, and Drew suspects there's more to his moods than missing Loretta's late mamm. Hoping to fulfill Loretta's wish to live in a peaceful, happy home again, Drew sets out to learn the truth. It's a journey that will bring to light painful realities--but also the chance to forge a new, honest, and loving future together...

As for this week's question: I would actually like to see most of Hubbard's books made into a television series. There is too much reality TV out there. That's why I stick to PBS and the Hallmark Channel if I watch anything at all. Maybe one of her Christmas novels could be made into a movie for Hallmark.

Hope you have a great week.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Book Review: Winter Warning by Jerome Charyn (Giveaway)

Isaac Sidel returns in this superb novel by Jerome Charyn.

Former New York police commissioner and mayor Isaac Sidel accidentally finds himself in the Oval Office. Not the typical President of the free world, he upsets a lot of apple carts on both sides of the political aisle. Is there any wonder there is a secret lottery to determine the exact date of Sidel's death? With a group of unusual allies, Sidel must outrun the lottery to save himself.

Winter Warning is not my first Sidel novel. Blue Eyes introduced me to Sidel who had fallen from grace due to a corruption scandal. While I haven't read the books in the series between Blue Eyes and Winter Warning, Sidel came right back to life for me the minute I opened the page of this final book in the series.

Raw, edgy, humorous, and action packed, you know you can expect the unexpected from the street cop who winds up Commander in Chief. The reader can't help in some ways draw parallels to our current political arena; except its the "Decade of Greed" instead of the Trump era.

Having read Charyn more than once, I can never decide if his ability to develop the perfect setting or his talent at creating such captivating characters is his greatest strength. As one who enjoys the psychology of characters, Charyn's novels provide tons of fodder for me to consider why certain characters act the way they do. With every book, I can't help but dive right in and be pulled deeper and deeper into the story's murky depths.

Winter Warning is a fascinating conclusion to the Sidel series.

Prices/Formats: $25.95 ebook, $25.95 paperback
Genre: Political, Espionage, Thriller
Pages: 256
Release: October 1, 2017
Publisher: Pegasus
ISBN: 9781681773483

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Amazon buy link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681773481

Barnes & Noble buy link:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winter-warning-jerome-charyn/1125829672

Indiebound buy link:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781681773483

Biblio buy link:
https://www.biblio.com/book/winter-warning-isaac-sidel-novel-charyn/d/988271727

iTunes buy link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/winter-warning-an-isaac-sidel-novel/id1238839750






Jerome Charyn published his first novel in 1964. He's the author of Johnny One-Eye, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, I Am Abraham, and dozens of other acclaimed novels as well as nonfiction works. His short stories have appeared in The Atlantic, Paris Review, American Scholar, Epoch, and Ellery Queen. Charyn's popular crime novels featuring homicide detective Isaac Sidel inspired a new animated drama series: Hard Apple debuts on the small screen in 2017, helmed by Hollywood insider James Gray (The Immigrants) and illustrated by famed artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka. Charyn lives in Greenwich Village, New York. 



Jerome Charyn's Web Site:
http://www.jeromecharyn.com/

Jerome Charyn's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jerome.charyn?fref=ts


Jerome Charyn's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jeromecharyn

Isaac Sidel Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/IsaacSidel/

Isaac Sidel Twitter:
http://twitter.com/IsaacSidel

Jerome Charyn's Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53408.Jerome_Charyn

Winter Warning Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34445219-winter-warning?from_search=true

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Winter Warning
blog tour site:

https://winterwarningblogtour.blogspot.com/


GIVEAWAY ($10 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Blast and Giveaway: Her Final Watch by Marguerite Ashton



Title: HER FINAL WATCH
Author: Marguerite Ashton
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Crime


Speaking second-hand truths can be deadly …


Detective Lily Blanchette will stop at nothing to solve a murder. Her current case involves the killing of an undercover cop working to bring down the mob for prostitution and drugs.

But Lily’s usual laser-like focus on the case has been disrupted.

Two weeks earlier, she learned she was pregnant by her murderous husband whom she’d killed in self-defense. Unsure whether to keep her baby or place the child of this cruel man up for adoption, Lily keeps the pregnancy a secret from her colleagues.

Under mounting pressure to solve the case, Lily arranges a sit-down with a local mob boss only to find out her suspect is also wanted by them. But before Lily can warn her team, she and her new partner, Jeremiah, are shot at, and another body is found.

When she discovers Jeremiah has a connection with the underworld, she is pulled into a conflict that swirls around the boss’s son who’s hell-bent on revenge.

To add to the complexity of the situation, Lily learns that her victim might still be alive if it wasn’t for opportunistic Assistant District Attorney, Ibee Walters, who has a twisted vision of justice.
As Lily gets closer to finding the killer, she unravels ugly secrets that point to Ibee and Jeremiah – placing Lily’s life and her unborn child in danger.



When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online library for crime writers who need help with their book research.

She’s a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.

A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but is now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible.


WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK



Marguerite Ashton is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter
  • This giveaway ends midnight October 31.
  • Winner will be contacted via email on November 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!



Guest Blogger: Mary Elizabeth Briscoe, Author of The First Signs of April



Wounds fester and spread in the darkness of silence. The swirling reds, oranges, and yellows of fall’s foliage dance alongside Mary-Elizabeth Briscoe like flames as she tears through the winding back roads of the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Desperate to outrun memories that flood her mind, no matter how hard she rolls her motorcycle’s throttle, she cannot escape them.

Shut down and disconnected, Briscoe has lived her life in silence in order to stay alive. Her grief is buried, and shame is the skin that wraps around her bones—but then, following the brutal murder of a local teacher, she is forced as a grief counselor to face her lifetime of unresolved sorrow. Will she finally be able to crack the hard edges of her heart and allow in the light of truth so real healing can occur?


What Happens in This Space of Mine

One of the things I like most about writing is its solitary nature. So, to ask me to discuss my writing habits and process is a bit like peeking into my sacred writing world. But, okay, I am willing expose the truth of what happens in this space of mine and what doesn’t.

My habits are less than disciplined I’m afraid. Sometimes days pass without a single word written. I often talk about how I need to be writing, but there are times it takes a good deal of shutting out the rest of the world enough to settle into my writing space-both literally and figuratively. In fact, just in the short time I’ve been writing this I’ve taken the dog out, graded assignments for a course I’m teaching-you see where I’m going. I’m often easily distracted. I do carry a journal and a pen everywhere I go because great ideas seem to hit at the oddest of times and places. So, my writing space can be anywhere, though I’m partial to a window seat and of course my office and desk. Once I get into my own groove, which includes setting the intention for my writing, some quiet instrumental music in the background, and occasionally staring out a window, I am able to find inspiration either through force of will or opening to it from within and I begin.

Unlike most people, I still prefer to write long hand. As a therapist who has used therapeutic writing in my work with clients, I know the benefits of writing in this manner. Besides, I’m a “technophobe” so I dread using the computer. Once I begin to put pen to paper, my words flow almost effortlessly and can carry me along for hours. There’s an adrenaline rush that comes and lifts my spirits and excites me with the passion that I have for this work. These are the moments that keep me coming back. I crave it and once I can settle myself into the rhythm its like nothing else I have ever known and I can’t wait to spend time with my characters, my stories my ideas.

So, my habits are less than ideal I suppose, but I manage to make it all work for myself, and produce and that’s all that matters in the end.

Mary-Elizabeth Briscoe is a licensed mental health counselor currently on sabbatical from her private psychotherapy practice in northeastern Vermont. She currently spends her time between Cape Cod, Vermont, and Ireland. She has a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University and is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and a Certified Trauma Professional. She has been a lecturer for Springfield College School of Professional and Continuing Studies St. Johnsbury, Vermont campus. She has contributed to Cape Woman Online and Sweatpants and Coffee magazine. This is her first book.  Visit her website, her Facebook, and on Twitter.


Link to book on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2x3hZ1n


Monday, October 16, 2017

Book Spotlight: Night in Jerusalem by Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy

Title: NIGHT IN JERUSALEM
Author: Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy
Publisher: PKZ Inc.
Pages: 246
Genre: Historical Romance


A bewitching love story that is also an extraordinary portrait of Jerusalem, its faith, spirituality, identity, and kaleidoscope of clashing beliefs, Night in Jerusalem is a novel of mystery, beauty, historical insight, and sexual passion.
David Bennett is invited to Jerusalem in 1967 by his cousin who, to the alarm of his aristocratic British family, has embraced Judaism. He introduces David to his mentor, Reb Eli, a revered sage in the orthodox community. Despite his resistance to religious teaching, David becomes enthralled by the rabbi’s wisdom and compassionate presence. When David discloses a sexual problem, Reb Eli unwittingly sets off a chain of events that transforms his life and the life of the mysterious prostitute, Tamar, who, in a reprise of an ancient biblical story, leads both men to an astonishing realization. As passions rise, the Six Day War erupts, reshaping the lives of everyone caught up in it.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Excerpt:

David lay awake thinking about Anat. He was intimidated by her sexuality, but also fascinated by her free spirit and daunting intelligence. He had never met anyone like her. He wondered if Jonathan and the others knew she preferred women lovers, and why she had confided in him. He became anxious, thinking perhaps she sensed he had sexual issues and was someone she could easily manipulate. 
Earlier, out on the roof, he had asked her why she preferred women. She had answered simply, “For the same reasons you do,” then adding, “I find women more interesting intellectually, as well as sexually.” 

Her directness was equal parts frightening and exciting. He wanted to know her better. Perhaps, with her, he could get over his sexual problem. The truth was, he desired her as much as he found her intimidating.



Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy worked as an actress and writer in film and television in the United States and IsraelNight in Jerusalem is her debut novel, which she has adapted to film. She lives in Ojai California with her husband and daughter.

She writes, “I lived in Israel in the 1960s, a naive twenty-year-old, hoping to find myself and my place in the world. The possibility of war was remote to me. I imagined the tensions in the region would somehow be resolved peacefully. Then, the Six Day War erupted and I experienced it firsthand in Jerusalem.

I have drawn Night in Jerusalem from my experiences during that time. The historical events portrayed in the novel are accurate. The characters are based on people I knew in the city. Like me, they were struggling to make sense of their lives, responding to inherited challenges they could not escape that shaped their destiny in ways they and the entire Middle East could not have imagined.

I have always been intrigued by the miraculous. How and where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny. How two people who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one another.

Israel’s Six Day War is not a fiction; neither was the miracle of its victory. What better time to discover love through intrigue, passion, and the miraculous.

Writing this story was in part reliving my history in Israel, in part a mystical adventure. I am grateful that so many who have read Night In Jerusalem have experienced this as well.”

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK




Thursday, October 12, 2017

New Release: Christmas Babies on Main Street by the Authors of Main Street



Nine individual stories from the bestselling Authors of Main Street - New for the 2017 Christmas Season!

This year, Authors of Main Street have combined their talents to bring you stories about love, the holidays, and babies. And not all of our babies have pudgy fingers and adorable toes...one of them has hooves and a mane!

~*~*~*~*~
Baby Blue Christmas - Kristy Tate

After a tragic accident claims the lives of baby Jamison’s parents, custody is awarded to both his aunt Sophie Rossi and his uncle Luke Mason. With Luke nowhere to be found, Sophie quits her demanding job with a prestigious law firm in San Francisco and moves into her sister’s farmhouse in Shell Beach to care for Jamison. After six months, she is doing the best she can, but mostly feels like an imposter trying to fit into her sister’s too big shoes. Still, when Luke Mason resurfaces and wants to be a part of Jamison’s life—and therefore Sophie’s—she resents his long absence and interference. Plus, she hasn’t really forgiven him for his teasing when they were in high school.

But as Christmas nears, Sophie and Luke’s shared concern for Jamison begins to draw them together, forcing both of them to rethink their plans for the future and to redefine their ideas of a family.


~*~*~*~*~
The Christmas Stocking - Carol DeVaney

Ellie had never wanted to settle for less than a happy home and the sound of pitter-patter dancing across her floors…but she had. Ryan Newsome had married her only to give him babies. One week after her second miscarriage, Ryan took the cowards way out and walked away.
Little did Ellie know, God was about to intervene.


~*~*~*~*~
Baby Steps and Snow Flakes - Jill James

After more than a decade as a foster parent, all Krista Green wants is to become a mother.
When Max Evans drops into her lap just before Christmas, she believes this is the one she gets to keep.

Morgan Fieldcrest finds out he has a child, and all he wants is to be a father to baby Max.
The only thing standing in his way is Krista and her distrust of anyone with the Fieldcrest name.
They will need baby steps and Christmas magic to work their way toward each other
in the pursuit of the best for baby Max.  


~*~*~*~*~
A Sister's Christmas Gift - E. Ayers

Naval officer Craig Jenski returns home on leave to discover his on-again-off-again would-be girlfriend has been tragically killed. He also discovers she has a twin sister who is now the guardian of a baby he didn’t know existed. His suspicions that the child is his prompt him to become a part of Brandy’s life, perhaps more so than he’d originally intended.


~*~*~*~*~
Lena Takes a Foal - Lizzi Tremayne


If there is one thing a veterinary school faculty of frowns upon, it's a relationship between a resident and a student...like oil and water, they just don't mix.

After a messy divorce, Kit Allen returns to his first loves -horses and his old veterinary school alma mater. Determined to earn a tenure track position, he excels at imparting his knowledge to students.
Becoming involved with anything but a pager—ever—isn't in the cards. Especially a talented and beautiful student in need of his help.

When Lena Scott’s horse lands on her, upside down, it has to be the dashing new resident, Kit, who finds her. Self-reliant she may be, but she's not bullet proof! She swore off relationships after her last romantic disaster and vowed to concentrate on graduating from vet school—and it's not yet a sure thing. Besides, she has more important things to think about than sea-green eyes and rugged good looks.

Lena has a secret…


~*~*~*~*~ 
A Family Christmas - Jude Knight


Trevor is heading home for Christmas, after three years undercover investigating a global criminal organization. He hasn’t spoken to his sister and grandfather since the case began. He hasn’t spoken to Kirilee, his target’s sister, since the day nearly nine months ago he married her and helped her escape. Will she want to stay married? And if so, will he?

In the heart of a storm, two people from different worlds question what divides and what unites them.
  
~*~*~*~*~ 
Small Town Christmas Baby - Stephanie Queen

Julie and Jack are excited about having a baby until a long-ago secret threatens to create a deep divide between their mothers. Can Julie count on Jack to come up with a Christmas miracle to keep them all together? 


~*~*~*~*~ 
Christmas in Eastport - Susan R. Hughes

A holiday visit to her hometown of Eastport brings Carly Nolan face-to-face with a part of her past she’d rather forget. That face belongs to Mitch Logan, the boy who broke her heart when they were seventeen. When their reunion leads to one passionate night, Carly is convinced that Mitch has changed and dreams of a fresh start with her first love. But after rumors and revelations shatter her illusions, she resolves to leave Mitch in her past for good—a pledge that becomes impossible to keep when it turns out there are not just two hearts on the line, but three.


~*~*~*~*~
Christmas in July - Leigh Morgan

Madelyn Grace recently returned to Door County, Wisconsin after twenty-five years away to try to renew her relationship with her daughter, Dr. Julie Grace. Drew Selleck, Sheriff of Fish Creek, never left The Door and never lost his love for Maddy. When they get together, old flames re-kindle, and long-held secrets are revealed.


For Drew, Maddy’s return in July was just the Christmas present he needed.

Available now for only 99 cents! Order here!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Book Spotlight: Death Comes by Sue Hallgarth


Death Comes gives us another glimpse into the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and her talented life partner. The year is 1926. Willa and Edith return to Mabel Dodge Luhan’s pink adobe in Taos, New Mexico. Willa is writing Death Comes for the Archbishop. Edith is sketching Taos Pueblo and hoping for a visit to the nearby D.H. Lawrence ranch. The previous summer they had stumbled onto a woman’s body. Now the headless bodies of two women add to the mystery. Sue Hallgarth presents an intimate portrait of Cather, Lewis, the spectacular New Mexico landscape, and the famous artists and writers Mabel Dodge Luhan gathered in Taos.





Sue Hallgarth is former English professor. She has written scholarly articles on Willa Cather and Edith Lewis, and this is her second book of fiction featuring the two of them. Her first book in the series On The Rocks, set in 1929 on the island of Grand Manan in New Brunswick, Canada. She lives in Corrales, New Mexico.



Blog Tour Schedule:
Oct. 11: The Book Connection (Book Spotlight)
Oct. 12: Debra Smouse (Review)
Oct. 14: Teddy Rose Book Reviews and Plus More (Book Spotlight/Giveaway)
Oct. 17: Jorie Loves A Story (Review On the Rocks)
Oct. 18: Jorie Loves A Story (Review Death Comes)
Oct. 19: Modern Creative Life (Interview)
Oct. 25: Silver's Reviews (Book Spotlight/Giveaway)
Oct. 30: Diary of an Eccentric (Guest Post)
Nov. 2: Jorie Loves A Story (Interview)
Nov. 6: CelticLady's Reviews (Book Spotlight)

Nov. 8: Donna’s Book Reviews (Review)