Friday 56 #83 & BB #59 – Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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Next up on the shelf is Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

I have loved each and every Hannibal Lecter book and movie. Serial killers are some of my favorite villains and Hannibal Lecter is at the top of my list.

MY FRIDAY 56

There was an opinion he wanted. A very strange view he needed to share: a mindset he had to recover after his warm round years in the Keys.

The resons clacked like roller-coaster cogs pulling up to the first log plunge, and at the top, unaware that he clutched his belly, Graham said it aloud.

“I have to see Lecter.”

(page 65 in hardback)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

I want to tell you the circumstances in which I first encountered Hannibal Lecter, M.D.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Will Graham stands in a silent, empty house communing with a killer. An FBI instructor with a gift for hunting madmen, Graham knows what his murderer looks like, how he thinks, and what he did to his victims after they died. Now Graham must try to catch him. But to do it, he must feel the heat of a killer’s brain, draw on the macabre advice of a dangerous mental patient, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and follow a trail of microscopic clues to the place where another family has already been chosen to die–and where an innocent woman has found the Dragon first.

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Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, #1)
I am a “cover girl”.

This is the oldest cover on Goodreads. Which do you prefer?

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Giveaway – Seismic Crimes by Chrys Fey

Chrys Fey came to my attention when I had an opportunity to read Ghost of Death. I LOVED it and vowed to stalk her, looking for my next read. Now…Chrys Fey is back with her latest Disaster Crime story, Seismic Crimes. Be sure and read to the end to enter the giveaway.

She also comes up with some fantastic covers. What do you think? Would you pick it up just by looking at the cover?

SeismicCrimes_w10160_750

Want to know how Chrys chose the name for her villain, read on:

 How I Got the Name for my Villain
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Chrys FeyI believe all antagonists need a good name. A name that breathes evil, that can cause chills or ooze authority if the villain is a leader. Jackson Storm is one of the bad guys in Seismic Crimes and the worst of the worst. He kills without a thought, and he has committed every crime in the book, multiple times over. For fun. The leader of countless lesser criminals, he is responsible for the deaths of many innocent people and law enforcement officers alike. He even had ties to a police-killing Mob in Cleveland, Ohio.
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When I first wrote him into Seismic Crimes, I had no idea what to name him, so I left a line everywhere his name needed to be. 
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Ex: “Donovan isn’t here, but I can help you look for that bra.” He sneered at her. “I’m ___________ and you would be…”
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After I finished Seismic Crimes, his name still eluded me, so I came up with the idea of holding a contest on Facebook asking my followers for their suggestions. I got many great options, but one stood out for this notorious criminal—Jackson Storm.
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Thank you, Sherry Snider Fundin! Yes, YOU!!! 😉
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Jackson, usually a surname, makes a great first name. I’m a fan of using last names as first names (Donovan), but when you add “Storm”, a name that symbolizes chaos, you have a strong name that perfectly fits a man who
controls a horde of criminals.
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YAY!!! The name just popped into my head when I read about the story and I was so excited when you chose Jackson Storm for your criminal. I love a good bad guy and the worst of the worst is the best. LOL Thanks so much, Chrys and good luck with this great series.
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Want to know more about Chrys Fey, check out her website HERE.
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Author: Chrys Fey
Series: Disaster Crimes Series (Book Two)
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Format: Digital and Print
Page Count: 282
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 DIGITAL LINKS:
PRINT LINKS:
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BLURB:
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An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove hisinnocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.
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Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.
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When a tip reveals the killer’s location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?
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Want to know more about Chrys Fey, check out her website HERE.
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DIGITAL LINKS:
Amazon CA / NOOK / KOBO 
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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chrys Fey writes amazing short stories, novellas. Check out my reviews:

Ghost of Death

Witch of Death

Hurricane Crimes

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Giveaway & Review – Darkroom by Mary Maddox @Dreambeast7

Welcome to another exciting tour with Novel Publicity. Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the newest novel from Mary Maddox, and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter! It has some unique and super fun prizes including a photo essay book, gift card and signed books! There’s also a release week sale on, so grab your copy of Darkroom before the price goes up!

Grab your copy of Darkroom for only 99c!

Enter for a chance to win great prizes below!

MY REVIEW

I saw the title, Darkroom, for Mary Maddock’s novel and when I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read it. I am a photographer and love to read about characters who share my interest.

What is so important about a photograph that someone would kidnap torture and murder for it?

Kelly is a good friend and feels the police are not taking Day’s disappearance seriously. She takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. I don’t think she realizes how much danger she is in, but I, the reader, do. 🙂

Animal…poor Animal…Not the smartest kid on the block. Picture him as the muscle, drawn into something over his head, but he’s in so deep he must see it through. He’s not the main character, but I love a ‘tragic’ figure and want so much for him to make it through. Can he be redeemed? Mary Maddox is not afraid to kill off her characters, so be careful who you get attached to.

Drugs, wealth and greed rear their ugly head. I resent those who feel they are untouchable, that the rules don’t apply to them and I love to see them fall. On the other hand, I get frustrated with stupid characters doing stupid things, but it allows the story to go where it will.

The story was predictable, but the writing created a suspenseful feeling that gave me a sense of impending doom.

I received a copy of Darkroom by Mary Maddox in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  3 Stars

About the Books

There’s plenty of room for another grave in the mountains . . .

Talented but unstable photographer Day Randall has been living rent-free in Kelly Durrell’s Colorado condo for eight months. Day needs someone to keep an eye on her. Kelly needs someone to draw her out of her stable but not spectacular life. The arrangement works for both of them.

Then Kelly comes home one day to find Day gone. There’s no note, no phone call. Day’s car is still parked out front, but her room is starkly, suspiciously spotless.

No one seems to care. The police certainly aren’t interested in a missing bipolar artist, but Kelly knows something is wrong. Day wouldn’t just leave.

Alone, Kelly traces Day’s last steps through shadowy back rooms of Boulder nightclubs and to a remote mountain estate, where the wealthy protect themselves behind electric fences and armed guards. Along the way, she uncovers a sinister underworld lying just below the mountain snow, and a group of powerful people who will do anything to protect the secrets hidden in Day’s enigmatic photographs.

If she trusts the wrong person, Kelly herself will be the next to disappear.

“. . . tight, compelling, and convincing writing that is also witty and insightful.”
— Jon A. Jackson, author of Hit on the House and No Man’s Dog

“I couldn’t put this novel down. Darkroom is suspenseful and beautifully written. Kelly Durrell is a deftly-drawn, intelligent, and likable heroine.”
— Daiva Markelis, author of White Field, Black Sheep: A Lithuanian-American Life

“. . . unexpected plot twists and suspenseful action. The murder mystery is dark and menacing, and the characters are multi-faceted.”
— RT Source

amazon.com

 

ABOUT MARY MADDOX

Mary Maddox is a horror and dark fantasy novelist with what The Charleston Times-Courier calls a “Ray Bradbury-like gift for deft, deep-shadowed description.” Born in Soldiers Summit, high in the mountains of Utah, Maddox graduated with honors in creative writing from Knox College, and went on to earn an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She taught writing at Eastern Illinois University and has published stories in various journals, including Yellow Silk, Farmer’s Market, The Scream Online, and The Huffington Post. The Illinois Arts Council has honored her fiction with a Literary Award and an Artist’s Grant.

Connect with Mary on her website, Facebook, or Twitter

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Book Blast Tour Release for IndieLove Magazine by Sarah Gai

BB_IndieLoveMagazine_Banner copyFinding ways to create exposure for all authors is an important part of my blog and I love doing whatever I can for Indie authors, who don’t have the support of mainstream publishing houses.

MediaKit_Cover_IndieLoveMagazineIndieLove Magazine by Sarah Gai

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IndieLove Magazine is a new publication showcasing Indie Everything!!! From Independent

Authors, Musicians, Film makers, Actors, Art, Etsy Crafters. With Bonus features such as

content articles, recipes, DIY, not for profit and travel.

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EXCERPTS

Artist Sarah Sculley – IndieLove Magazine Article

NYT bestselling Author Nashoda Rose Interview with IndieLove Magazine

When was it that you decided that being an artist was your calling?

Yesterday. True! I graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 2002 as one of many fresh-faced graphic designers. As the years went on, the briefs came in, the changes, and changes, and late nights, and more changes, and the all-nighters, more changes and then having my creative ideas smooshed, I decided that maybe being a graphic designer was a bit soul destroying. So I painted and created as an outlet.

I showed my work when I lived in China and had sell-out shows. When I moved home to
Brisbane I thought I had to become a grown-up. Buy a house, settle down, procreate – all those picket-fence, 2.5 kids ideals. Silly me. I worked my tail off as a designer for a company that ended up making me redundant, one week before I was due back from maternity leave. It was an amazing blessing. It gave me the time, creativity and freedom to put everything I had into a solo show at Jugglers earlier this year. In my eyes, it was a massive success. I am entirely Since that show I’ve had so many opportunities become available for me to truly do what I believe is my calling – art. Yesterday was the first spare second I’ve had to sit down and think ‘oh my, everything is falling into place. I’m entirely happy, grateful and I feel like the real me. The universe is working with me and right here and now is where I am meant to be.’ This is that happiness that everyone has been talking about! Huh!

Question 1. Are you a planner or pantster kind of writer?

Oh a panster, no doubt about it. I don’t plan my books as I feel it steals some of the passion out of it. When I sit at my computer, I want to be able to go anywhere with the characters. No rules.

But because I write this way, I have a ton of deleted scenes and it takes me longer on the

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www.indielovemagazine.com

Facebook page /  Twitter  /  Instagram

IndieLove Magazine

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GIVEAWAY

Sarah will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER HERE

MediaKit_Logo_IndieLoveMagazine

  • To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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Free Vigilante Thriller – Missing by Susan Fleet

I am a big fan of Susan Fleet and Frank Renzi and want to invite you to pick up the latest story, Missing, for FREE from May 3-7, 2016.

I love a good vigilante thriller and will be grabbing a copy for myself. How about you?

MISSING, book 6 in the Frank Renzi series will be free May 3-7, 2016

ASIN: B014RQXMPW     20 reviews: Ave 4.4 out of 5 stars.

AMAZON BLURB

KIDNAPPING … MURDER … REVENGE

Donna and Hunter Gates appear to be the perfect power couple. He’s a wealthy New Orleans City Councilman. She’s a popular news anchor for a local TV station. One night when Hunter comes home, Donna and their two small children are gone. He asks NOPD Detective Frank Renzi to find them. Renzi soon uncovers a tangled web of lies.

Donna and Hunter both have dark secrets, secrets they will do anything to hide. Renzi fears Donna may already be dead. A ransom demand raises more questions. Is this a kidnapping? A cover-up for murder? Payback for past misdeeds? When one hostage is found brutally murdered, Renzi must unravel the Gates family secrets and find the killer before it’s too late.

Susan Fleet is also a huge music lover, so check out her website and learn more about her HERE.

If you would like to check out some of my reviews of her work, check out the links below:

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  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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Teaser Tuesday #67 – The Ice Bridge @KathrynG64

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TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a prolific writer and likes her imagination run free through many genres. The Ice Bridge looks deliciously wicked and I am always game for ghost and murder on an island…any island. But this is an island I am familiar with, Mackinac Island. I am originally from Michigan and have visited the island, so this story is one on my must read list. I never did see any ghosts or a murder, but it could have happened. 😈

I love the cover with the big splat of blood. I wonder where it came from, don’t you?

Add me to Goodreads

MY TEASE

Hannah, where are you? What’s happened to you? Please God, let her be okay.

(42% in Kindle)

GOODREADS BLURB

She’ll fall in love again…with a man and the island. Charlotte returns to her Aunt Bess and Mackinac Island, a quaint retreat that welcomes summer tourists and allows no cars to renew herself and write about the island’s ghosts.She’s come to help Bess with her heartache, an ended love with Shaun, and to renew a friendship with neighbor Hannah. In winter Mackinac closes down and everyone looks forward to the ice bridge that freezes across the Straits of Mackinac. Until Hannah disappears into the icy waters crossing it.Everyone says it’s an accident. But Charlotte and her admirer cop friend, Mac, don’t think so. Something isn’t right. Hannah was too smart to go off the path. So it’s murder…but why…how…by whom?In the end, it’s Mac-and perhaps Hannah’s ghost-who saves Charlotte and Bess’s lives when the killer decides they’re too close to the truth and tries to kill them, too.

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My Adventures – 2016 Spring Break

Spring Break 2016 has begun. Mr Wonderful works for a state college, so he has a week off for Spring Break. Hmmm…what will we do to entertain ourselves?

Spring Break is a sign…a sign that summer is just around the corner and our spring break started off with a bang. A thunderstorm arrived and while the wind blew and the rain came down, a rainbow appeared. It spanned my backyard and seeing that it is right after St Patrick’s Day, I wondered if the leprechauns were looking down on us, rewarding us for our love of our little piece of paradise. Alas, I found no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

rainbow copyright

As I looked out the front door, our azaleas are a riot of color and I marvel at their beauty. I love that I get so much enjoyment from something so simple as the flowers in my yard… Some yard work is on the honey do list, but so is some fun.

Pensacola is the home of the Blue Angels and we went downtown to welcome them home on Monday. I never tire of their aerial display and we were not the only ones to herald their return.

If you would like to check out more videos of our adventures, go HERE.

On Tuesday, the sun was shining and we knew rain was coming, so it seemed like a great time to head to the golf course for a round. I love to play and even a bad day at golf is better than a day at work…or working around the house. That will still be there tomorrow and I’ll get to it then.

Mr Wonderful had a busy day of his own on Wednesday, with errands to run and a cloudy sky, I passed on the Blue Angels practice that he went to and I cleared some email…a lot of email and wrote a couple of posts and reviews for next month. With spring, comes baseball season and Mr Wonderful was training his fill in guy for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He does a lot of games, but all work and no play makes him a dull boy.

Thursday…we expected a thunderstorm, so we knocked off a big to do job on the list. I had let the edging around the driveway get away from me, so I need to call in the big guns. That means my baby rototiller/edger and electric trimmer just won’t get the job done. But Mr Wonderful’s gas powered monster did a great job. As I sit here writing this, I hear the rumble of thunder, see the flash of lightning and marvel at the pouring rain. I enjoy a good storm every now and then. It washes the air clean, gets rid of the mess in my driveway from trimming and rids of the trees of the last of the dead leaves, allowing the new spring growth to thrive, but now there are seeds to add to the mix.

This time of year I spend a lot of time cleaning the pool. I have never seen as much pollen as I have this season and have battled it since early February, a small price to pay for a warm winter. I am out there every day, skimming and sucking up the leaves as I watch the temperature rise and the water call out to me. It’s looking good to me now.

Sunrise steam rising on pool

I love it when the air is cooler than the water and the sprites dance on the surface. So calm and inviting that it is time to jump in, relax for the rest of the week and prepare for our next adventure. Hope you will join me.

  • To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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