Beware, things are not what they seem – Zed by Jason McIntyre Review

Posted on September 2, 2015 by fundinmental

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Zed by Jason McIntyre!

I love this cover and joined the tour because of it. I am very happy I did.

This was a great story that had me asking, is this paranormal, science fiction, horror? WTF is going on?

Zed…The title alone had me curious and I love what Jason McIntyre did with this unique story.

I have some great things to share with you, so grab your coffee, get comfy and let’s begin.

Cover: Greg Simanson

MY REVIEW

The unusual title, Zed, and the gorgeous cover hooked me. Zed is a wild ride on a wave of evil and horror that will have you questioning the evil that lurks around us.

In the opening pages, Jason McIntyre included a map of Dove Cove and I love that.

Right from the beginning, with the little old lady, Karen, Jason got me. I love it. He grabbed me by the hand and never let me put the book down until the last page was read.

Tom worked for her in the group home for the mentally disabled.

Zed, Zeke, what can I say about him. He was different than the others and I thought him very creepy.

Jason McIntyre amazed me with his characters, good and bad. They each have their distinct personalities. Sometimes, the least likely people are the ones that step up and do the right thing, regardless of the outcome. I loved them all.

It’s so hard to describe this book without giving away the good parts. A bit of horror, suspense, thriller and mystery, Zed kept me reading until the last page was read. A creepy mystery in Dovetail Cove.

This is a MUST READ for those of you who love mystery, the best and worst of humanity and an ending I never saw coming but left me feeling just fine.

I received a copy of Zed by Jason McIntyre in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 Stars

SYNOPSIS

It’s the waning dog days of August, 1975 and Tom Mason’s in Dovetail Cove for the last few weeks of his summer job at the group home. His boss and the home’s owner is Karen Banatyne, one of the wealthiest folks in town. It seems like she’s got it in for Tom; she’s the only one standing in his way as he scrimps for a new camera.

But Karen has her own problems. A regulatory agency might cut off her funding, plus her hubby hasn’t been seen in a few weeks, and she’s not saying why. Most ominous of all, it seems as though something’s hiding in the hot spring north of the main beach and one of Karen’s ‘houseguests’ is about to come face to face with evil. Tom is too.

Buy on Amazon

Author Interview

What has inspired you to become a writer?

Inspiration to tell stories came early. I was the kid in the fourth and fifth grade sneakily reading Stephen King novels at 800 pages apiece behind my propped-up math text book. At eight, I was the editor of a short-lived school paper and we didn’t have enough content to fill the back page. I went home and hauled out my Mom’s old IBM typewriter to begin an epic serial about two young girls who are abducted by aliens in their backyard. I knew I had something when the other kids begged to know what would happen in part two. Alas, the teacher who managed the newspaper project got a transfer and part two of the saga never made it out. I guess, in a way, I’ve been writing towards the end of that tale ever since.

How do you come up with your characters and how do you make them so interesting?

I start in a very visual way. Without even closing my eyes, I can clearly see what’s happening and, as I noodle around on the ‘what’ of a story, I eventually start to form a visceral view of the ‘who’ in the tale. The people inside that vision have to become real to me, even before I start the first sentence. If they don’t then I don’t care about them. I have to care, or else I never haul them out of trouble. And, really, isn’t that what makes fiction great? Dumping someone you care about into a heap of worry and then methodically traipsing them out of said trouble in a believable and satisfying way.

My biggest conundrum is when a dazzling or lovely person gets in a trap and they aren’t pulled out in time. It’s the biggest challenge for me — I can’t save everyone and, sometimes, a character I adore needs to die so that things keep chugging for the whole story. Forgive me, readers. I will kill again.

What makes your stories and books different than other books you have read? Everyone has their own style, what is yours?

I mix and match genres, influences and types of stories. One major thrust of my writing life is to never repeat the same kind of book twice. I want to push myself to unearth new and different pieces of myself as I tell stories. So while a book like ZED has companion books that have a flow between them, there are nearly a dozen different genres represented among them. One might be a coming-of-age paranormal while the next might be a murder mystery and then I may discover that the next works best as a straight-ahead horror. There’s noir and crime books and even a western. Now, do they all look exactly like their home genres suggest? Not at a glance. They use the tropes from each genre but usually in a new mix. They meld into something that, I guess, looks and reads like a Jason McIntyre novel. Hopefully, readers enjoy the journey through all the different places I like to play. Oh, and I hope they get scared and a little upset along the way.

Do you plan on writing any other genres?

Future genres include something that no one who’s read my work will believe. I want to write a romance novel and a deeply historical fiction that is true to an extremely ancient time period. As always, I want to have fun with what I write, and produce something unique that interests readers, but pushes me into new territory.

Anything else you would like to discuss about you as a writer?

ZED is part of a mosaic novel. The only other writer I know who’s written this kind of a work is George RR Martin. His mosaic comprised of books written by a dozen different writers all working within one world and telling stories about the same characters.

DOVETAIL COVE works in a similar way. The characters flow in an out of the background of several books and the island setting is the same place, spanning a decade in the history of one place that has a succulent past and a lurid present. The difference between Martin’s mosaic and this one is that I’m writing all the pieces myself. Each DOVETAIL book stands on its own, with a distinct beginning, middle and end. But if you read more of them, the pieces of a much larger puzzle begin to fall into place. At present, ZED marks the fourth of ten books to be released. Others available now are BLED, SHED and DREAD. Look for new ones in 2015 and 2016.

Getting to Know the Author as a Person

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I travel as much as I can and spend time with my crazy kiddos. Readers and friends from social media will likely remember all the posts about the nutty things my kids say. I won’t even mention my wife here. She has her own cult following among my Facebook and Twitter feeds.

I have built a lovely studio in my home and use it to write music, paint when I’m able and, yes, nap profusely when the spirit is not moving me otherwise.

What relaxes you when you need to unwind?

Creation of every sort is about the most relaxing thing I can imagine doing. I adore many forms of music and art and, when I’m in the middle of drafting a new book, it’s the greatest escape from life’s stresses. I peel back the page and transport to an entirely new place as I write. The process of uncovering a story is food for my soul.

What are your favorite foods?

I have always loved to travel and try new experiences and dishes wherever I go. Lately, I’ve been on a jag for Eggs Benedict and have been trying that in as many countries and cities as I can. Now, of course, lots of places don’t have that so I’ve broadened it to ordering eggs prepared in whatever style is most prevalent in the place I’m visiting. It’s really interesting to discover the different cooking methods — not to mention the different kinds of birds’ and lizards’ eggs that have been brought to my table!

Have you ever had any paranormal experiences?

I’ve had what I call ‘inconclusive’ paranormal experiences. Things have happened that, even after intense scrutiny, a rational person might not be able to form a judgment as to whether it was explicable by science or by para-science. Rest assured, all strangeness in my world (paranormal or just odd and intriguing) eventually finds its way into a story or two. Writing, I’ve discovered, has really become my own form of torture, er, I mean self-therapy. I write to understand the events of the world, of people and of my own life.

Tell us anything you would like your readers to know about Jason McIntyre.

I once shared a bottle of expensive red wine with a homeless man. The throat infection I developed the following week nearly put me in the hospital and my health insurance had lapsed so I couldn’t get a scrip for antibiotics. I went through six tubes of topical Polysporin. Yep, I gargled the stuff five times a day until I could see straight again.

About Jason McIntyre

JASON MCINTYRE is the #1 Kindle Suspense author of THE NIGHT WALK MEN, bestsellers BLED and SHED, plus the multi-layered literary suspense, THALO BLUE. His first novel, ON THE GATHERING STORM, earned a spot in the Top 20 Debut Authors for the Goodreads Choice Awards.McIntyre’s debut novel, ON THE GATHERING STORM was VOTED as one of the TOP 20 DEBUT AUTHORS — Goodreads Choice Awards

Learn more and connect with the author at www.theFarthestReaches.com

Amazon Author Page

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Matchmaking with the Goddess of Love – Out of Practice Aphrodite by S E Babin

Posted on March 27, 2014 by fundinmental

The cover and title of Out of Practice Aphrodite by S E Babin had me smiling.

I love mythology and have read a few books about the Gods and Godessess lately, so Out of Practice Aphrodite jumped out at me.

Follow me as we learn more with an excerpt and guest post about the characters. Be sure and enter the fantastic giveaway at the end of the post.

Out of Practice Aphrodite (Book 1 of The Naughty Goddess Chronicles)

by S.E. Babin

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BLURB

Abby’s major screw-up brings the wrath of Zeus upon her head. He offers her a choice – work for him or spend the rest of her days hanging out in Hades with her ex-husband. For Abby, this choice is a no-brainer, especially when Zeus says the only thing he wants her to do is make a love match.

She’s the Goddess of Love. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Abby stumbles into an ex-lover, a dead demi-god and the realization that a crucial relic has been stolen right out from underneath Zeus’ nose. Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord, is behind the theft and murder and the faltering powers Abby is trying to keep secret. With Zeus breathing down her neck, she’ll need to keep her wits about her as she races against the clock and Zeus’ imposed two-week time period.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Not only is she struggling with a budding attraction to a sexy lawman and feelings for long-time friend, Hermes, she’s also trying to keep everyone out of the path of a vengeful goddess while saving the Earth and Olympus from the reign of a tyrant. What’s a goddess to do when the fate of the world rests upon her fashionable shoulders?

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EXCERPT

“Aphrodite. You’ve committed a grievous error and your attempt to show unconcern is failing you miserably.” Leaning down perilously close, he pushed his face into mine. Inhaling, he bared his teeth at me in a menacing grin. My heart skittered like prey when he reached out an elegant finger and tipped my chin up. I was forced to meet his eyes. Pools of emerald glittered dangerously, and I began to remember the reason Zeus still remained in power after so many millennia. My stomach churned in fear, and I wondered if this were the one battle I wouldn’t be able to escape.

“You know how I know, golden one? I can smell your fear. Sweet. Like sunshine and tears.”

I felt tears swimming to the surface and cursed my weakness. This was not good. I had screwed up over the years but had never faced more punishment than a slight slap on the wrist. Mistakenly assuming I held the favor of Zeus might be the last error I ever made.

I licked my lips nervously. “I–I understand,” I managed to choke out. “It won’t happen again.” And for once I meant it. Zeus had always been patient and had dealt with me much as a doting father would have, rather than how he normally handled others who had made less grievous errors in judgment. But now I could see the promise of punishment swimming in his gaze. It was something that terrified me more than I wanted to admit.

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GUEST POST – CHARACTERS

I love hearing about the characters and which is the author’s favorite, so my topic for S E Babin was her take on the characters in her book and who is her favorite.

Thanks so much for hosting me today!

I am excited to have you here, Sheryl.

I think I’m going to delve into the characters today. They’re always the most fun to write, but also the most difficult to flesh out. I love all of my characters, but Artemis happens to be my favorite. The focus in my debut is mostly all about Abby, but as the series progresses Artemis will get some more screen time.

Keto was a happy accident. I signed up for the beginner’s writing workshop at the 2012 Romantic Times Booklover’s convention and part of that class was receiving feedback from a published author in your genre. Since I was at a romance convention, and this book was a mixed-genre mystery, there were no authors that wrote in my field.

However, the author who gave me feedback still gave me some fantastic suggestions. And one of those suggestions was to add a character into Abby’s bedroom when she wakes up so there can be dialogue between them. Otherwise, it can get boring. She was absolutely right. Adding Keto in gave the book a spice it didn’t have before and allowed me to create someone who would be a nice cold bucket of water when Abby got too crazy.

Keto is a mysterious sort, and as the book progresses Abby realizes her friend has been keeping all sorts of secrets. I don’t delve into them too much in this novel, but things will be hitting the fan in the second book because all eyes are on Keto for a while. We figure out his origins and some of his past relationships. I even surprised myself with what happens with him…

And then we have Artemis. I adore her. She’s sort of frazzled and geeky, but she is also politically savvy when she needs to be. Not that she always is because sometimes she can insert her foot directly into her mouth with disastrous results. She speaks the truth even when no one else wants to hear it. Artie will also get more screen time in the next book. I’ve written a scene where Artemis goes completely crazy on someone who richly deserves it. And it isn’t pretty.

And to close up, there’s Hermes. Le sigh. He’s so sexy…and sweet…and genuine. Why Abby doesn’t snap him up right away is beyond me. I can’t always keep a reign on her. He’s super witty and fun-loving, but he is also serious and kind. He will be back in the next book, too. And he’ll also be a wrench in someone’s supposedly happy relationship. *wink wink*

After reading about your charcters, I find myself having to know what is so special about Artemis. Thanks, Sheryl, for stopping in and sharing all your wonderful characters with us.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheryl has had a book in her hands pretty much from the time she could hold things with her hands. Her love of reading turned into a curious exploration to see whether or not she could write her own. Beginning with random, terrible poetry and a slightly popular reimagining of Beowulf’s Grendel in her high school English class, Sheryl ended up spending way too much time in the library, killing any chance of her becoming a cheerleader or anything even remotely cool.

Sheryl has a fondness for humorous, lighthearted stories but also secretly covets bad-ass leather wearing chicks who curse too much. It helps if they’re funny, too. She writes a little bit of everything but is currently focusing on light paranormal mysteries. Visit her at http://sebabin.com/.

Twitter – @hungrybiblio / Facebook / Website – http://sebabin.com/

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GIVEAWAY

The author will be awarding a chocolate/coffee/wine-themed gift basket (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

“Do you have a favorite God or Goddess?”

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking on the image below:

To grab your copy of Out of Practice Aphrodite (Book 1 of The Naughty Goddess Chronicles) or to learn more about S.E. Babin, click on the cover below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~