Giveaway – Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein @OWildWrites

Posted on May 11, 2016 by fundinmental

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Giveaway – Forest of Demons @amoscassidy

Posted on May 9, 2016 by fundinmental

A new voice in High Fantasy, Forest of Demons by Debbie Cassidy, is available for download today!

No one goes into the forest alone.

No one steps off the beaten path.

Nineteen-year- old Priya has lived in the shadow of the forest all her life. She knows the rules better than anyone. Do not go into the forest alone and never stray from the beaten path. Her village has lived in tentative peace with the inhabitants of the forest for decades, until the day that someone breaks the rules.

With first blood drawn, Priya’s dreams of leaving for the Capitol are put on hold as the village goes into lockdown. The unbearable heat shifts to a bone-chilling winter and just as Priya thinks she will be trapped forever, two strangers stumble into the village with a fantastical story that will shatter all her conventions, freeing her at a horrifying cost.

Now Priya’s dreams are coming true, but in a way she could never have imagined, and the burden of protecting her people falls upon her shoulders. Will Priya succeed in delivering a message that could save them all?

From the dusty heat of a small village, to the icy grandeur of the Capitol, Priya must make an impossible journey.

Freedom always comes at a price.

Grab your copy today!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Debbie Cassidy is a 35 year old multi-tasking ninja who lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her

three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuit s are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Debbie has been writing for eight years under the pen name Amos Cassidy with her best friend, Richard Amos, but Forest of Demons is her first solo venture, and the first book in a four book high fantasy saga.

You can connect with Debbie via her website at amoscassidyauthor.com. Check out her personal page and her other books under the pen name Amos Cassidy. You won’t be left without a great read while you wait for the next installment in the Forest of Demons saga.

Stalk Debbie Cassidy:

Facebook | Twitter | Website

Sign up to her Forest of Demons newsletter to get up to date information on new releases and take part in exclusive giveaways: http://eepurl.com/bVywM5

Sign up to the Amos Cassidy newsletter and receive two free novellas and information on new releases, exclusive giveaways and much more: http://amoscassidyauthor.com/amoscassidy-free-download/

GIVEAWAY:

$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Ends 5/25

Giveaway is provided by the tour organizer, hosts are not responsible in any way. You must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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Giveaway & Review – Deadly Dunes by E Michael Helms

Posted on May 7, 2016 by fundinmental

Deadly Dunes (A Mac McClellan Mystery Book 3)

E. Michael Helms

Let’s meet them now:

Interview with Mac McClellan

Today we’re pleased to welcome retired U.S. Marine-turned-private investigator Mac McClellan to {name of blog}. Mac retired from the Marines a few years ago after a twenty-four year career. He has graciously agreed to answer a few questions that might be of interest to the readers of {Blog} and his Mac McClellan Mystery series.

{Blog or Interviewer}: Welcome to {Blog}, Mac.

Mac: Thanks for having me. Good to be here.

{B/I}: Tell us a little about your background. When and where you were born, your education, military service, what brought you to the Florida panhandle after your retirement, etc.

Mac: I was born and raised in Brevard, North Carolina. I played baseball and football, and loved to camp and hike in the nearby mountains. After graduating high school I joined the Marine Corps on my 18^th birthday, August 8, 1990. My training ended just in time for me to participate as a rifleman in Operation Desert Storm. My unit was involved in taking the airfield at Kuwait City in late February of ’91. The Iraqis put up a good fight and it took us several hours to secure the area. I took a round through and through the left thigh during the battle and earned my first purple heart. Nothing bad, just a lot of blood.

After the First Gulf War I did a two-year stint with Division Recon until I blew out a knee during a training op. After rehab I transferred back to a rifle company. By the time President Bush Two decided to invade Iraq, I was a staff NCO. I served as platoon sergeant on my first deployment. Later I was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and served as company gunny during my next two deployments. My second deployment to Iraq was in 2004. It included the Second Battle of Fallujah in November. Fallujah was a bitch. Enough said.

What brought me to the panhandle? A good buddy of mine used to brag about the area all the time. We made plans for a fishing trip when our deployment was up, but he was KIA at Fallujah. My last deployment to Iraq was extended because of Bush Two’s troop surge. When I got home my wife told me she was tired of playing both father and mother, and wanted out of the marriage. I knew she was seeing someone, but we agreed to stay together a couple of more years until our twins, Mike and Megan, finished high school. Shortly after I retired, they left for college. Jill wasted no time presenting me with the divorce papers. We signed before a judge, I bought a camper, and headed for Florida.

{B/I}: So, your Marine Corps friend and your divorce brought you to the panhandle; why did you decide to stay?

Mac: It’s complicated. The Corps had been my home for twenty-four years. I was newly divorced. My wife was living in “our” dream retirement home with her Navy chopper-pilot boyfriend. The kids had flown the nest. I came to the panhandle to fish, relax, and think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

One morning I snagged a badly decomposed body while fishing near Five Mile Island. It turned out to be a popular young local woman who was supposed to be honeymooning with her husband in the mountains of Georgia or North Carolina. She also happened to be the niece of the local sheriff. We butted heads and I was warned not to leave Dodge. Then a baggie of marijuana was found stashed aboard my rental boat. Just so happens a bale of the same strain of pot had washed ashore near where I discovered the body. I knew then somebody was setting me up to take the fall. One thing led to another and I was able to solve the murder and bust up a connected drug-smuggling ring. Oh, and Kate Bell had a little something to do with my staying. She works at the local marina. We hit it off right away. She was a big help in solving the case.

{B/I}: Interesting. So you enjoyed the “thrill of the hunt” so much that you decided to take it up as a vocation and become a licensed private investigator?

Mac: (Laughs.) Not exactly. You can thank Kate and her “Uncle” Frank for that. I’m an old movie buff. One night Kate and I were coming out of the theater when she got a quick look at who she claimed was her former boyfriend. Problem was, the guy had been dead for twelve years. I tried to get her to listen to reason, but she kept insisting it was the same person. I went with Kate to see Frank Hightower. Frank’s a very close friend of the Bells, a retired cop who now runs his own private investigative company in Destin, Kate’s hometown. Kate had kept Frank informed about the murder and drug case I’d solved. Frank thought I had the makings of a decent PI. Together they conspired to get me to snoop into Kate’s old circle of friends and find out if there was anything to the boyfriend’s reappearance or not. In exchange for my time, Frank offered to pay all fees while I worked on becoming a bona fide investigator and Kate’s case. Voila—Mac McClellan, PI.

{B/I}: What makes Mac McClellan “tick?”

Mac: I’d say a strong sense of duty, dependability, and responsibility.

{B/I}: Those are certainly admirable traits. Any faults?

Mac: (Laughs again; pauses … thinking.) I’ve put on a few pounds. I need to drop about ten to get back to my fighting weight. And Kate thinks I drink too much. I guess she’s right. Maybe.

{B/I}: Moving along, are you a religious person?

Mac: No, not really. I went with my parents to church and Sunday school when I was a kid. I don’t think it did me much good. I’ve seen too much crap to believe in a loving and benevolent God. How many times have you seen coverage of some natural disaster on TV, like a tornado? They interview some guy standing outside his demolished house and he’s saying, “The good Lord was really watching out for us today.” And down the street a mother and her two young kids were crushed to death or sucked out of the house and killed. Where was the “good Lord” when that was happening? Life is a crapshoot. Call me agnostic. I’m not saying there isn’t a god, but if he/she/it exists, he/she/it doesn’t give a damn about the human race.

{B/I}: What does combat-hardened, former Marine Mac McClellan fear most?

Mac: Letting someone down.

{B/I}: Short and to the point. I like that. Favorite food?

Mac: Steak and shrimp. And BLTs.

{B/I}: Drink?

Mac: You buying? (Laughs.) Scotch, beer, ice tea—lemon,no sugar—and water.

{B/I}: Tell me the first word that comes to mind when I say: women.

Mac: Pedestal.

{B/I}: War.

Mac: Peace.

{B/I}: Surrender.

Mac: No.

{B/I}: Very good. What are you especially proud of in your life?

Mac: My kids. They’re both good people. Kate Bell. I’m a better man for knowing her. And I like to think I’ve done my best, or given my all when it comes to interacting with people in general. The Marine Corps had a lot to do with molding me into who I am today.

{B/I}: A commendable answer. One last question: is there a code or creed that you live by?

Mac: Absolutely—Semper Fidelis. Always faithful. To me, that says it all.

{B/I}: Thanks for being with us today, Mac. It’s been a pleasure having you.

Mac: Thank you. It was a pleasure being had. (Laughs.)

Everything about Michael and Mac speaks to me. We like a lot of the same things and I am eager to get this adventure on the ‘road’.

Mac reminds me of Tom Selleck in Jesse Stone and Magnum PI. He’s not the perfect hero, but he gets the job done. I don’t mind a flawed character, in fact, it makes him seem real to me.

I’m glad that he considers the Florida Panhandle the ‘Forgotten Coast.’ I love it here.

A visit for Mac turned into a move and it was his good fortune to meet Kate, a feisty, fun gal who won his heart. His managerial tone of voice rang familiar to me. I have one of those at home.

Michael Helms jumped right into the mystery Mac is hired to solve, when the professor of archaeology at Florida State University is murdered. I think we may be going on a treasure hunt.

As the bodies mount, greed raises its ugly head. Is anybody telling the truth…about anything?

I love the fun and lively banter between Mac and Kate. Romance and mystery seem to go hand and hand for me and Michael Helms has a good supply of that. Their personalities shine through making me want more of them. The location is familiar to me and adds a little something extra to the story. I loved tromping through the ditches and climbing trees with Mac. There was so much going on, I had to wait for the package to be wrapped up for me. I love when I can’t figure everything out for myself. A perfect read the season.

I recieved a copy of Deadly Dunes by E Michael Helms in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos

4 Stars

Loving the cover by Sabrina Sun…great name. 🙂

Hours after hiring Mac McClellan to investigate the supposed suicide of her archaeologist brother, single-mom Jessie dies in a car accident. Jessie had just showed Mac artifacts and a copy of a map Jake found, items that indicate Hernando de Soto and his explorers might have camped on Five Mile Island during the winter of 1539-1540. Studying the map, Mac determines the site lies in the middle of a planned resort, The Dunes. Declaring the area an historic site could shut the project down. Suspicions aroused, he forges ahead, even though he no longer has a paying client.

Everywhere Mac turns, greed abounds, and no one he interviews seems innocent, even Jessie’s closest friends the Deckers, who have adopted her teenage daughter. Ron Decker’s construction company is building the Dunes, and he is heavily invested in its success. Then there is the oily son and ex-stripper wife of an old curmudgeon who won’t sell the one lot the project still needs to acquire. Jake’s estranged wife Laurel had plenty to gain from his death, and as Mac continues to dig, he begins to wonder if Jessie herself had more at stake than he was led to believe.

No one is happy about Mac’s persistence, and someone is unhappy enough to crash his truck and frame him for yet another murder. But Mac isn’t giving up, no matter what the cost.

Goodreads

Amazon

Inside, the Golden Pole was about what I’d imagined. Loud music, mirrored walls, and flashy neon lights of gold, pink and red dominating the joint. A circular stage stood in the center of the room, with three polished brass dancing poles. Individual stools circled the stage front, with dozens of small tables backing them up. There were two U-shaped bars, one on either side of the room. Wide-screen TVs hung on the wall behind both bars, along with monitors so customers could keep up with the center-stage action without having to turn around to gawk. The joint was about half full, not bad for a Thursday night. . . .

The two dancers abandoned their poles, gathered their tips, and disappeared backstage as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey began to blare from the sound system. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a deep voice sounding like a ring announcer bellowed above the music, “fresh from wildly successful engagements in Baltimore, Charlotte, and Atlanta’s finest adult venues, please give a big round of applause for our featured performer, the beautiful, the luscious, the sexy . . . Miss . . . Kami . . . Kae!”

Whoops and hollers and shrill whistles bounced off the walls as a gold sequined curtain parted and none other than Hot Pink herself pranced around the stage, throwing kisses to the audience with both hands. She’d completed two circuits when the music changed from the theme to a saucy Latino song I’d never heard.

Kami kicked off the high heels, swung the long robe she’d been wearing in a circle over her head a few times, and tossed it to the back of the stage. She was down to a tight powder blue midriff blouse and white mini skirt. The skimpy outfit lit up under the house lights like it’d been dusted with silver glitter. The mostly male crowd roared its approval as Kami leapt into the spotlight, deftly grabbed the pole with both hands and went to work.

For the next ten minutes Kami made sweet love to the pole, keeping perfect time with the music, spiraling and sliding and grinding. That pole wouldn’t need polishing for a month. To the delight of the crowd she slowly shed one article of clothing and then another, teasing the most vocal guys gathered around the stage with money in-hand, until finally only a wisp of a G-string separated Kami from her birthday suit. She made repeated trips to the stage edge and back, so many bills bulging from the strings of her tiny bottoms that she was forced to make a pile of greenbacks on the stage floor.

Finally the music began to fade. Kami treated the audience to one more seductive thrust and grind, and then gathered her pile of cash and strutted off the stage to wild applause, hips bouncing like a Victoria’s Secret model. Reaching the gold curtains, she turned and blew a final kiss and disappeared.

Mac McClellan investigates a young archaeologist’s death whose recent discovery threatens to kill a planned multi-million dollar Florida waterfront resort.

Kami made sweet love to the pole, sliding, spiraling, grinding. It wouldn’t need polishing for a month.

She gathered the money and strutted offstage to wild applause, hips bouncing like a Victoria’s Secret Model.

E. Michael Helms grew up in Panama City, FL, on the beautiful coast of the Florida Panhandle. He played football and excelled in baseball as a catcher. Turning down a scholarship offer from the local Junior college, he joined the Marines after high school graduation. He served as a rifleman during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War until wounded three times in one day. Helms discounts it as “waking up on the wrong side of the foxhole.”

His memoir of the war, The Proud Bastards, has been called “As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written … a modern military classic,” and remains in print after 25 years.

The Private War of Corporal Henson, a semi-autobiographical fictional sequel to The Proud Bastards, was published in August 2014.

A long-time Civil War buff, he is also the author of the historical saga, Of Blood and Brothers.

Seeking a respite from writing about war, Helms decided to give mysteries a try. The first novel of his Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch, was published in November 2013 and was named Library Journal’s “Debut Mystery of the Month.” The second Mac McClellan Mystery, Deadly Ruse, premiered in November 2014. It won the 2015 RONE Award for “Best Mystery.” Deadly Dunes was published in March 2016 by Camel Press. Deadly Spirits is scheduled for release in January 2017.

With his wife, Karen, Helms now lives in the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys playing guitar, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, and is an avid birdwatcher. He continues to listen as Mac McClellan dictates his latest adventures in his mystery series.

Represented by Fred Tribuzzo, The Rudy agency.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter /Amazon / Google+

E Michael Helms is offering a $25.00 Gift card, four (4) ebook copies of Deadly Dunes in either .mobi, .epub, or .pdf (internationally, where legal), and one (1) autographed print set of the first three Mac McClellan Mysteries (Deadly Catch, Deadly Ruse, Deadly Dunes), U.S. & Canada only.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

En Pointe Author Services

http://www.enpointeauthorservices.blogspot.com

Giveaway – Seismic Crimes by Chrys Fey

Posted on May 5, 2016 by fundinmental

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?

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

How I Got the Name for my Villain

I 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.

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.

Ex: “Donovan isn’t here, but I can help you look for that bra.” He sneered at her. “I’m ___________ and you would be…”

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.

Thank you, Sherry Snider Fundin! Yes, YOU!!! 😉

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.

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.

Want to know more about Chrys Fey, check out her website HERE.

Title: Seismic Crimes

Author: Chrys Fey

Series: Disaster Crimes Series (Book Two)

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Format: Digital and Print

Page Count: 282

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

NOOK / KOBO / All
Romance eBooks

PRINT LINKS:

Amazon
US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

The
Wild Rose Press

BLURB:

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.

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.

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?

Want to know more about Chrys Fey, check out her website HERE.

HURRICANE CRIMES 99¢ SALE!

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

Amazon CA / NOOK / KOBO

All
Romance eBooks

The
Wild Rose Press

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Ghost of Death

Witch of Death

Hurricane Crimes

.

Giveaway & Review – Darkroom by Mary Maddox @Dreambeast7

Posted on May 4, 2016 by fundinmental

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.

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

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

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Book Blast Tour Release for IndieLove Magazine by Sarah Gai

Posted on May 3, 2016 by fundinmental

Finding 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.

IndieLove Magazine by Sarah Gai

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.indielovemagazine.com

Facebook page / Twitter / Instagram

IndieLove Magazine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Free Vigilante Thriller – Missing by Susan Fleet

Posted on May 3, 2016 by fundinmental

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:

~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Kindle Giveaway – Last Light by C J Lyons

Posted on April 29, 2016 by fundinmental

Welcome to another exciting tour with Novel Publicity. Today, I’m excited to share with you, my review of Last Light, by CJ Lyons! Also, make sure you check out the rafflecopter at the end of the post, because Novel Publicity & CJ are giving away scented candles, signed hardbacks. . . AND a KINDLE PAPERWHITE!

MY REVIEW

I love the simple cover for Last Light by C J Lyons and it has all the essentials, telling me the story will be a mystery and I do love my mysteries. It is books like Last Light by C J Lyons that are at the top of must read mountain of reading material. I loved the way the real story began…the hook. Now,.on to how we get there.

I meet the characters and feel their realness. I am being drawn into their lives, even though I was already hooked on the storyline.

Lucy used to be an FBI agent, who now works with an inexperienced crew she will shape and form to solve Cold Cases. I am a huge fan of the Cold Case Files and other crime shows, fact and fiction.

As soon as Lucy and TK got together, I felt they would click, but they both have to prove themselves to each other, above the rest of the ‘team’. I feel these two characters, each with their own flaws, weaknesses and strengths, will become tight.

I love Lucy, a person I may have been able to become, but TK is my fave…hard, pushing herself, untrusting, a loner. A person I would come to admire and respect. She is impulsive, loyal, fearless, teachable and learns from her mistakes.

A small town with asset forfeiture is a side story that had me very pissed off. It all sounds bad…is it corrupt? I can’t talk about the forfeiture storyline because I want you to experience if for yourself. I do want to mention it, because it really got me going. Just enough of a tease here and there to keep me anticipating the hammer to drop on the gang.

The suspects list kept growing and had me guessing. I can see the story playing out and I can hardly wait to get to know how the characters will solve the puzzle. I think they are the true story, above and beyond the mystery.

Last Light by C J Lyons did not blow my mind but it does have all the elements for a fantastic read and I want more of Lucy’s adventures.

I received a copy of Last Light by C J Lyons in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

About the Books

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CJ Lyons. For fans of Lisa Gardner, Tami Hoag, and Jeffery Deaver:
“Everything a great thriller should be–action packed, authentic, and intense.” ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child
After leaving the FBI, life should be easy, right? Wrong–not if you’re Lucy Guardino.
Lucy has always seen herself as a normal Pittsburgh soccer mom who happened to have a job chasing the worst of the worst. But after a violent predator targets her family and she’s injured, Lucy sacrifices her career with the FBI in order to keep her family safe.

What is she now that she’s no longer a FBI Special Agent? she wonders as she begins her new job with the Beacon Group, a private consulting firm that specializes in cold cases and bringing justice to forgotten victims.Lucy fears she’s traded being a kick-ass law enforcement officer for being a civilian mother hen shepherding a team of amateurs.

Her fears appear justified when she’s partnered with TK O’Connor, a former Marine MP struggling with her transition to life back home, and sent to rural Texas to investigate a case that’s more than cold, it’s already been closed with the killers behind bars for the past twenty-nine years.

But…who really killed Lily Martin, her infant daughter, and husband? Why was an entire family targeted for annihilation?

What price will Lucy pay when she fights to expose a truth people will kill to keep buried?

LAST LIGHT is the seventh Lucy Guardino novel, but they can be read out of order. If you enjoy captivating suspense, intelligent storytelling,strong and vulnerable characters, and a freight-train pace, then you’ll love this adrenaline rush of a heart-pounding thriller.

Join the millions of readers who’ve fallen for CJ’s Thrillers with Heart and grab your copy of LAST LIGHT today!

[box caption=”Learn More about the Author, Anne Zoelle ” state=”open”]

Pediatric ER doctor turned New York Times bestselling thriller writer CJ Lyons has been a storyteller all her life—something that landed her in many time-outs as a kid. She writes her Thrillers with Heart for the same reason that she became a doctor: because she believes we all have the power to change our world.

In the ER she witnessed many acts of courage by her patients and their families, learning that heroes truly are born every day. When not writing, she can be found walking the beaches near her Lowcountry home, listening to the voices in her head and plotting new and devious ways to create mayhem for her characters.

To learn more about her Thrillers with Heart go to www.CJLyons.net
Connect with CJ on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

GIVEAWAY

Make sure you check out the rafflecopter, because Novel Publicity & CJ are giving away scented candles, signed hardbacks. . . AND a KINDLE PAPERWHITE!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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Giveaway – Meddling With Murder by Ellie Campbell

Posted on April 28, 2016 by fundinmental

Meddling With Murder by Ellie Campbell

The pacing and tempo of Meddling with Murder simmered along happily until towards the end, where the tension mounted steadily and with great excitement.
~Back Porchervations

This laugh out loud, fast-paced story will keep you up reading past your bedtime.
~Shelley’s Book Case

It’s a fast-paced mystery, full of humor with really amazing and funny characters.
~LibriAmoriMiei

Genre – Cozy Mystery

Date of Release 9th April 2016

Number of Pages 300

Synopsis

Crouch End Confidential, the agency started by housewife and mother, Cathy O’Farrell, with ex-cleaner, Pimple is failing badly. Hardly surprising when Cathy’s too soft-hearted to charge their only clients, little old ladies seeking lost pets and a school kid searching for his stolen bike.

A new case involving a teenager in possession of an unexplained Glock pistol promises to change all that. Quickly Cathy’s deep in waters over her head, forced with hilarious results to pose as a mathematics tutor, a subject of which she’s truly clueless. There’s also the tricky situation of best friend and new mother Rosa hiring her to investigate her fiancé, Alec, plus the mysterious sabotage of Cathy’s friends’ cycle shop and a gang of yobbos dealing drugs at her children’s primary school.

Worst of all, an ill-fated trip to rural Norfolk has Cathy’s husband, Declan, intent on buying a post office and transplanting the family to safer climes, threatening to tear Cathy permanently from her beloved North London home.

Pretty soon Cathy’s risking her friendships, her marriage and even her life untangling all these messes. But that’s what you get for meddling in murder…

About The Author –

Ellie Campbell is a pseudonym for sister writing team, Pam Burks and Lorraine Campbell. Running wild as tomboys in Scotland, playing imagination games, they couldn’t dream that one day they’d co-author novels despite an ocean between them. From boring clerical jobs in London to a varied life of backpacking and adventure travel, both started almost accidentally as short story writers, Lorraine when working in publishing, Pam as a fun hobby while an at-home mother of three.

By the time each had 70 short stories published internationally, Pam was settled in Surrey, England, and Lorraine had finally taken root in Boulder, Colorado. Long telephone chats about life and fiction led to their current collaboration. They have produced five acclaimed novels – How To Survive Your Sisters, When Good Friends Go Bad, Looking For La La, To Catch A Creeper and Million Dollar Question. They write contemporary women’s fiction laced with humour, romance, and mystery.

When not hunched over computers, Lorraine, a certified ROTH ‘horse whisperer’, can usually be found messing about with her four rescue horses and Pam on a fund raising bike ride, madly cycling over mountains to Paris, Barcelona or Gibraltar on the back of her husband’s bone-shaking tandem.

Author Links:

Webpage: http://chicklitsisters.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ecampbellbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllieCampbellbooks

Google+ : https://plus.google.com/+EllieCampbellbooks/posts

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ecampbellbooks

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ellie-Campbell/e/B0034OURJ8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1710882.Ellie_Campbell

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliecampbellbooks

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/settings/authors#authors-search Ellie Campbell

Purchase Link: Amazon

Tour Participants

April 18 – deal sharing aunt – INTERVIEW

April 19 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

April 20 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

April 21 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 22 – Omnimystery News – INTERVIEW

April 23 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

April 24 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – INTERVIEW

April 25 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 26 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 27 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

April 28 – Lori’s Reading Corner – GUEST POST

April 28 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW

April 30 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

May 1 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

May 2 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY

Ellis Campbell is offering 3 ebooks for this giveaway. Entry is easy peasy. Just leave an email and us know:

What is your favorite thing about cozy mysteries?

Giveaway ends 5/4/16.

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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Queen of Likes @HillaryHomzie

Posted on April 21, 2016 by fundinmental

I saw so many fun things about his book, I wanted to share it with you. If you have kids, now is the time to some summer reading, so check it out and let me know what you think.

Queen of Likes by Hillary Homzie

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GENRE: middle grade/tween

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BLURB

Like everyone at Merton Middle School, Karma Cooper’s smartphone is almost another body part. She’s obsessed with her LIKES on Snappypic. When her parents shut down her social media account and take away her smartphone, Karma’s whole world crumbles. She has to figure out what she actually likes and how to live life fully unplugged. This book will jumpstart conversations about how social media is changing the ways tweens are growing up.

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GUEST POST

Why I named my main character Karma

Names are powerful. In the Judeo-Christian, we believe that the creator spoke the world into existence. It’s definitely not quite as quick on my end. But certainly there’s great power in a name. In fact, I spent quite a bit of time naming my characters. I wanted to make sure that names fit their personalities. In another words, I want to imbue their names with their essence.

Today, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about naming my main character of my new middle book, Queen of Likes. Before telling you why I named my character I’d like to describe her to you. Twelve year-old Karma Cooper lives in Portland, Oregon. Her parents were originally from San Francisco and discovered the Portland area while on a retreat (so they are former hippies). Karma’s a seventh grade and has achieved a certain status in her middle school because of all the followers she has on her social media account, Snappypic. By the way, this is a fictional social media platform so don’t go looking for it! I wanted to make sure that I kept the book feeling timely. After all, what social media platform is en vogue changes from year to year, month-to-month, sometimes even week-to-week. That’s why I thought it would be best to make up a site.

Karma is someone who in sixth grade was shy and didn’t receive a lot of social attention. However, when she began to post photos online, they generated some attention. She started to get more and more followers, which gave her a sense of belonging and increased her self-esteem. Unfortunately, she began to look outside of herself for validation. She viewed the number of likes she got on Snappypic as a measure of her value as a person.

I chose the name Karma because of two reasons. The first reason is because when my second son was in middle school he was friends with a girl named Karma, and I just thought it was such a memorable name. As a bonus, this girl a dynamic person and an independent thinker. I decided I’d really love to use that name from one of my books one day.

The second reason is that karma in Hinduism and Buddhism means the sum of the person’s actions in this and in previous states of existence and that sum decides your fate. Unfortunately, Karma thinks that all of her posts determine her fate. She’s not looking at the posts themselves but at people’s reactions to her posts. What she needs to learn is to look inside herself for what she likes versus what other people think of her. Her life doesn’t go the way she wants to go. At least at first. Her parents cut off her social media account and take away her phone. However, when she does a service project and volunteers in the local historical society (and takes a photography class), she learns to value herself. She stops looking outside of herself for validation. When this begins to happen, Karma’s life heads in a more positive and fulfilling direction.

EXCERPTS

Where are all my likes? I refresh the page. And . . .

Nothing.

I shake my phone as if that might help.

Still nothing.

This doesn’t make sense. I used the filter that everyone else on Snappypic is really into. It makes everything seem dreamy. But with only 45 LIKES, the sun is losing its brilliance and looks lonely and unloved.

Maybe I need to turn it off and on?

I turn off my phone and restart it. I text Ella Fuentes: Did you see my photo? I add a smiling emoji.

No response.

I know Ella’s up. It’s late morning. She’s my best friend. Maybe she’s reading or drawing, but she’s definitely up.

If she wasn’t doing something else, I’m sure she’d like my photo. I try a couple of other girls I know. Nothing. It’s late Saturday morning and all my followers have to be up by now.

As of 11:07 a.m. today, I have 12,032 followers on Snappypic. My followers are pretty much all the kids at Merton Middle School and a bunch of other middle schools around Portland. But I have two middle schools in Mission Viejo. That’s all the way down in Southern California. I didn’t know where it was until I checked it out in Google Maps. Usually between four hundred and nine hundred followers give me a thumbs-up on anything I post. So yeah, I get more LIKES than anyone I know at school.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself that this is happening to me.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links

Hillary is the author of the tween novel, THE HOT LIST (Simon & Schuster/M!X) which Booklist says “captures the angst of young teen friendships and fragile identities.” She’s also the author of the middle grade novel, THINGS ARE GONNA GET UGLY (Simon & Schuster/M!X), a Justice Book-of-the-Month, which was just optioned by Priority Pictures, and the forthcoming QUEEN OF LIKES (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin M!X, April 2016), which is about social media, as well as the humorous chapter book series, ALIEN CLONES FROM OUTER SPACE (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin), a Children’s Book-of-the-Month Best Books for Children. Emmy-nominated Suppertime Entertainment developed the books to become an animated television series and it was sold to ABC Australia. Hillary’s young adult fiction has been published in TEEN MAGAZINE and anthologized (MUDDVILLE DIARIES, Avon Books). She has sold non-fiction and fiction projects to Klutz Press/Scholastic Books, The Learning Company and John Muir Books. With her frequent writing partner, Steven Arvanites, she has had film projects developed by Brooklyn Weaver’s Energy Entertainment. Hillary got her start performing and writing sketch comedy Off-Broadway, and was a Heideman Playwrighting Award Finalist. Hillary holds a master’s degree in education from Temple University and a master’s of arts degree from Hollins University in children’s literature and writing. Currently, she’s a visiting professor of children’s literature and writing at Hollins University. Visit her on the web at www.hillaryhomzie.com and follow her on Twitter @HillaryHomzie and visit her on Facebook.