For love that is tested in the crucible of fate must burn, or die…
Publication Date: August 15, 2015
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Series: Dragonfriend #2
When a woman loves a Dragon, that love will change the world.
Six years have passed since Hualiama and Grandion defied the Island-World’s most sacred law. They burned the heavens together as Rider and Dragon. For his crime, Grandion the Tourmaline Dragon suffered exile and imprisonment. The Dragons forced Hualiama to forget her past.
Now, the suns must set upon the age of the Ancient Dragons. Amaryllion Fireborn, last of his kind, bequeaths Hualiama an astonishing legacy. She is the Dragonfriend. Raised by Dragons. Burned by Dragon fire. Oath-bound to a Dragon. Crossing the Island-World in search of her Dragonlove, she will forge an indelible mark upon history.
As war between Dragons and Humans engulfs the Islands, Hualiama must unravel the secrets of her tragic past in order to confront an evil that threatens the very existence of the Dragonkind. For love that is tested in the crucible of fate must burn, or die.
Marc is a South African-born author who lives and works in Ethiopia with his wife and 4 children, 2 dogs, a rabbit, and a variable number of marabou storks that roost on the acacia trees out back. On a good night there are also hyenas patrolling the back fence.
When he’s not writing about Africa Marc can be found travelling to remote locations. He thinks there’s nothing better than standing on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.
I was going to pass on the tour for Dragon’s Future by Kandi Wyatt, because I have been writing reviews nonstop and want to share them with you ASAP.
When I saw this awesome cover, such a beautiful dragon, I had to participate.
Welcome to the release event for Dragon’s Future by Kandi Wyatt! This is the book 1 of the middle grade fantasy series and it’s now available for sale!
About the Book
Every child of Woolpren dreams of becoming one, but only a few are chosen. Now, ten-year-old twin brother and sister, Ruskya and Duskya, have been selected to join an elite group of riders: dragon riders. Full of awe and excitement, the twins leave their mother, and their home, to train for their new lives.
Fifteen years later, dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. One day, Ruskya is at the general store in town when a man announces that he is recruiting new dragon riders. Ruskya goes undercover, and discovers that there is another colony of riders with their own agenda—a quest to find a mysterious plant that could restore the dragon population, or destroy it. When a battle erupts between the two colonies, it’s up to Ruskya and his friends to fight for their dragons’ future, and their lives.
Follow Ruskya’s quest as he finds courage and friendship in this exciting middle grade fantasy series by new author Kandi J Wyatt.
Kandi J Wyatt is a wife, mother of five, teacher, artist, and author. In her free time, she enjoys writing fantasy stories and Christmas programs, and drawing with graphite and colored pencils. Portraits are her specialty. Kandi also enjoys photography, thanks to her photographer husband who has let her join his journey as both his model and apprentice, and she occasionally serves as his assistant when he needs a “light stand with feet.” To learn more, visit kandijwyatt.wordpress.com.
Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth.
Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O’Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Siren’s Call. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.
Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other in order to quell the raging storm between them, and have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.
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Roane Publishing is giving away THREE ARC copies to three lucky winners!
You don’t even have to be a blogger.
If you are willing to leave an honest review before September 25th, you are eligible to enter.
How? Simply fill out the form! You have until Midnight of August 15th when three winners will be chosen by random drawing.
Join authors, Samantha Chase and Sara Humphreys, as they celebrate their sizzling new contemporary romance releases. This month long scavenger hunt will be full of fun, prizes, man candy, books, and more! Check in each day to find out what they’re looking for…and if you find it you could win!!
The Shaughnessy brothers have spent the years since their mother’s untimely death taking care of each other and trying to make their father proud. Oldest son Aidan is hard-working, handsome, successful-and still single. Sure, he’d like to have his own family someday, but who has the time?
She’ll show him how to find it
Zoe Dalton, a stunning designer Aidan meets on one of his construction jobs, has the beauty and heart to make Aidan realize how much he could be missing. But it’s not easy to break down walls you’ve spent years building up. Now there’s a major storm bearing down on the North Carolina coast, and it could be catalyst enough to force Aidan and Zoe into some major decisions of the heart.
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
Brave the Heat
by Sara Humphreys
Series: The McGuire Brothers, #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2015
The only fire he can’t put out…
Jordan McKenna is back in town, and Fire Chief Gavin Maguire’s feelings when he sees her after all these years are as raw as the day she left. Then he was just a kid wearing his heart on his sleeve. Now he spends every day trying to atone for the tragedy he couldn’t prevent.
Is the torch he carries for her…
Jordan’s life has not exactly worked out the way she expected. A divorced mother of two with a failed acting career, Jordan’s biggest concern about coming back to Old Brookfield was seeing her first love. But when a series of suspicious fires breaks out, Jordan and Gavin realize that dealing with the sparks between them may be the least dangerous of their problems.
Sara Humphreys is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me.
In 2013 Sara’s novel UNTAMED won two PRISM awards–Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best.
She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with her husband, their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups. When she’s not writing or hanging out with the men in her life, she can be found working out with Shaun T in her living room or chatting with readers on Facebook.
For a full list of Sara’s books and reading order, please visit her website.
Do you like to walk on the dark side? Check out Forbidden Things: Dissident by Nikki McCormack and get a taste of how bad things can get.
I love finding out about the covers of books. Do you choose a book by its cover?
INTERVIEW
Can you describe your dream home?
My dream home wouldn’t need to be too extraordinary. I would have a few special spaces, including a cat room or dedicated outdoor cat enclosure, a two or three story tower with a spiral staircase (the door to which would be hidden behind a movable bookcase) which would house my writing office, and I wouldn’t mind a movie theater. An ocean view would be a nice bonus.
That doesn’t seem to be too much to ask for. LOLIf we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
I would make seared ahi tuna in wasabi butter sauce. I love making this for dinner guests because it means I get to eat it too.
That would be great, because I don’t cook. I’ll do the clean up, though. Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.
I’ve gotten some great fan mail from my book, The Girl and the Clockwork Cat, but I think my favorite bit of fan mail is still from a ten-year-old girl regarding the short story, Beyond the Twilight Zone, published in the November and December 2007 issues of Cricket magazine. The letter reads:
“I absolutly love love love your magazine! my favorite story so far has been beyond the twilight zone, November-December. Way to keep the suspence going!”
The next sentence says that her favorite books are the Harry Potter series. Yeah, that one made me smile a lot.
It’s wonderful that you are able to reach a young audience and help them appreciate the love of a good book. Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
I would be tempted to go back to Ireland. One of my other books in progress begins there and I would love to see so much more of that country. Alternatively, I might ask to go to Malta to visit some of the ancient ruins there. I often find inspiration when I’m in any place where I can be surrounded by history. The older the better.
They both sound like a wonderful place to absorb the feel of a setting you are writing about. Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
Raquel Neira (http://kellieart.deviantart.com) did the cover art for Dissident. She was selected by my publisher to do the cover art for The Girl and the Clockwork Cat. I thought she did a great job on that project so I approached her to do the art for the Forbidden Things series when I decided to self-publish.
It is fantastic that the cover designer appeals to you so much, you are able to keep a working relationship going into the self publishing world. Congratulations and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Ascard power can strengthen, heal and create. It also has great potential to destroy, enough to topple entire governments. Indigo’s country places strict limitations on the use of ascard so she must channel her talents into the healing arts or risk severe punishment. An orphan from a disgraced family, trapped by her father’s treason, Indigo struggles to reclaim her place in a society that has driven her into an abusive engagement.
Then a mysterious stranger from a neighboring country contacts her using ascard. He needs help escaping his prison so he can bring an end to his emperor’s oppressive rule or die trying. His unshakable devotion to his cause and the passion hidden behind his cool arrogance move her to help him at the risk of being branded a traitor herself.
When the politics of society bring them together a second time, Indigo decides to use her growing powers to help him fight his war. If only she dared fight for her own future with such passion. Perhaps she can find the courage to do so by helping the man she has fallen for win his revolution. She might have exactly the power he needs to succeed.
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EXCERPT
Her attention wandered to the fountain sprouting up in the center of a nearby courtyard, simple and elegant like a great stonework lily. A man stood by the fountain, watching water droplets falling with the shimmer of multicolored gems in the bright sunlight. Long silver hair hung to the middle of his back like a frozen waterfall. His smooth pale skin and unusual hair marked him as Lyran, but his regal bearing and rich attire didn’t befit a slave or merchant.
Curious. “Have you seen him before?”
Andrea turned, following her gaze. “Who?”
“The man beside the fountain.”
“There’s no one by the fountain.”
Andrea’s reply tugged at her awareness, but the silver-haired Lyran was turning toward them now. His pale eyes met hers and the air pressed from her lungs as if a corset were being pulled too tight. The buildings lurched and spun in her vision.
“Indigo?”
She sank to her knees. Andrea crouched down with her, her eyes wide and frightened. She held Indigo’s shoulders tight, her lips moving. Indigo heard only the pounding of blood in her ears.
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ABOUT NIKKI MCCORMACK
Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12 (which is still tucked away in a briefcase in her office). Despite a successful short story publication with Cricket Magazine in 2007, she treated her writing addiction as a hobby until a drop in the economy left her with an abundance of free time to focus on making it her career.
Nikki lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her awesome husband, two sweet horses, three manipulative cats, and a crazy dog. She’s a wine and tea fanatic who loves sitting on the ocean in her kayak surrounded by open water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She also enjoys horseback riding, archery, PC gaming, dancing, good anime, etc. She studies Japanese and practices Iaido because she believes we should never stop learning.
Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L Reid is a paranormal series that will have you asking for more. I love the title and the cover spoke to me, kinda creeping me out. LOL
Check out the pretties and be sure to read to the end to enter the giveaway.
The Pretty Dark Nothing series has some of the most beautiful covers foreshadowing the story of the paranormal and supernatural. There was no way I was missing out on reading Pretty Dark Nothing, with a cover like that and the writing on the tombstone.
Quinn is being terrorized in her dreams, but the terror keeps escalating and now she lives in fear during the daylight hours. She is afraid to sleep, afraid to close her eyes, afraid to be alone, afraid of the dark, dark shadows that were after her. How long could she go without sleep, popping caffeine pills and sucking on energy drinks.
Aaron had died, along with his mother and sister, but he had been brought back to life. He came back with a gift and a curse. His music saved him after the accident. His father struggled at the loss, barely making it through each day.
Quinn was drawn to the new guy, Aaron. He was so mysterious and private, that he created interest for that very reason. He felt the connection too. Was it telepathy? Was it more than that?
Jeff is her ex boyfriend, even though it takes all her effort to stay away from him. He is now dating a snotty cheerleader and I think he is getting his due.
Marcus is Aaron’s best friend and has his eyes on Reese, Quinn’s best friend. He is a fun loving, big hearted, happy go lucky kind of guy. These two stick with Aaron and Quinn through thick and thin, half the time not even understanding what is going on. They are the yin and yang of friendships.
The love triangle in Young Adult is a common theme. As long as the story is written well and the relationships seem real enough, I can live with that. Teenagers can be dramatic and confused by such powerful emotions, but they are not alone. Love is love, no matter what age and being dumped is a personal rejection. I wanted her over the jock and moving on.
The novel is told from both Quinn and Aaron’s perspective. This caused the book to be drawn out and drag in parts, but it surprised me how quickly I became invested in Quinn, then Quinn and Aaron. Two damaged and lonely people drawn together. Heather kept the suspense and anticipation alive, even though I did not feel a sense of urgency. I was still very curious about why Quinn and Aaron seem to be so important – to who?
When Heather L Reid mentions Carl Sagan and Cosmos, I thought we had another connection.
Book II is available, so no waiting is necessary and I didn’t. I jumped right in to Pretty Dark Sacrifice.
I received Pretty Dark Nothing from Heather L Reid in return for an honest and unbiased review.
It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
I am excited to share Heather L Reid’s Pretty Dark series.
Just look at the beautiful cover and you can see why I couldn’t resists checking it out further. Then, I read – All it will cost is her blood – in the synopsis. Hmmm…
So let’s get to my review and the giveaway. You too can have a copy for your very own.
Title: Pretty Dark Sacrifice (Pretty Dark Nothing #2)
Publication date: July 28, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Heather L. Reid
MY REVIEW
Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L Reid is Book II in the Pretty Dark series, but I will do my best to only share my feelings and not include any spoilers.
Pretty Dark Sacrifice picks up where Pretty Dark Nothing left off.
Quinn still hasn’t mastered her powers and I am wondering if she needs a swift kick in the ass and to be told to “man” up. At least that is how I felt in the opening pages, but she quickly proved me wrong. She grew to be stronger, both physically and mentally.
Her best friend, Reese, is normally a happy go lucky girl and the kind of best friend we all wish we had, but her secrets were driving a wedge between them that she thought could not be avoided. Reese deserves a normal life and I want it for her.
Will Quinn fulfill the prophecy? Will she be the savior or the bringer of doom?
As Lilith inserts her evil presence, the story’s pace increases for me. I begin to feel a sense of danger and suspense. Just what I’ve been waiting for. I was enjoying the story, but wanted some of that extra kick. You know what I mean.
Humans, demons, sentinels, immortals and Lilith. The box, Eve and angels.
The angels make me think of the TV show, Supernatural. Just because they’re an angel, doesn’t make them good.
Can you change your destiny? Aren’t we given the power of choice?
A love story that lasts for eternity.
As the story develops the clash between good and evil threatens the humans very existence.
Quinn has grown and developed, gained confidence and fights doubts, determined to accomplish her goal – to save Aaron.
I was given a copy of Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L Reid in return for an honest and unbiased review.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since his body disappeared without a trace.
Everyone wants Quinn to move on, but she can’t, not after a spirit appears to her at Aaron’s memorial, convincing her he’s still alive.
When a mysterious box materializes on the very spot Aaron disappeared, Quinn finds she’s at the center of an ancient prophesy of betrayal, revenge, and sacrifice that takes her to the depths of the underworld to face Lilith—Adam’s first wife.
If Quinn can stop Lilith from unleashing the demon horde Eve, trapped inside the box during the Battle of Eden millennia ago, she will save the human realm and free Aaron from an eternity in torment.
All it will cost is her blood.
ABOUT HEATHER L. REID
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
A Taste for Mystery by K D Rose is currently on sale at Amazon for only 99 ¢ during the tour. You get two novellas for the price of one.
GUEST POST
I am excited to have K D Rose here to tell us about her books covers.
I am a *cover girl* so I love to hear how an author feels about their covers and the amount of work they put into the covers themselves.
So…take it away K D.
K.D. Rose Covers
Covers are one of my favorite things to do for my books. I love looking over stock photos and imagining covers that could work! For example, I literally have the most wonderful cover photo right now that I want so bad to put out but have no book for it!
My published books are a variety of cover work. Some of them I did myself, some I got from cover designers and some are half-in-half. Half-in-half means that I found a great photo and could do most of the design work but ran into a problem that my poor tech skills could not overcome so I went to a designer for that one issue or to smooth out the look. And really, to be honest, in most cases the eye of a professional designer is so much better. They just have the experience needed for the best layout. My eye is for picking great photos and that’s about it.
So here are some of my books and experiences:
My very first book. I worked with a talented graphic designer I know who happens to also be a talented writer, Jeremy Parker. I had very strong ideas of what I wanted for this journey to uncover the truth told via poetry, dialogues, short stories and essays. He totally got it and produced what is still my favorite graphic designer cover.
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Here is one of the covers I produced myself. The book is full of pictures like this, picked out exclusively to go with the poems they are set to. The book itself was written for teenage girls especially for empowerment during those years when feeling empowered can be so hard. I still love this cover and it’s my favorite of those I’ve done myself.
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Here’s a cover with an interesting story. This book was originally acquired by a publisher. It is book one of a YA/NA paranormal series. I already had a cover picked out but once it went with the publisher, their cover artist made the cover you see here. Then the publisher went out of business. I retained the cover artist so cover the book was now known by could stay. That cover artist is the talented Fiona Jayde.
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Here is my original cover that I had made for that book- this is one of the half-in half’s I talked about above. Part me, part designer— the talented owner of Amygdala Designs. Very different feel isn’t it. That is the great thing about licensing your own pictures and obtaining your own covers. Most likely I will use it for book 2 of the series which will only require small changes to the cover.
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For my three new releases out right now, one of which this blog post is for, simplicity was key. One was published by Three Worlds Press who used the cover I already had set for the book.
The Brevity of Twit looks like this. It’s a humor book about communication on Twitter.
Anger’s Children is all red with a bullet effect over the tag line.
Last, but not least, A Taste For Mystery went through several transitions, including getting a lot of feedback from wonderful authors on groups I belong to. Here is the final cover:
I’m happy with the way all my covers have come out. It helps when as an author I get to participate in the process. It gets the creative juices flowing plus I gain valuable experience from those who know design. All in all a win-win.
Thank you so much for taking the time to put together such an informative guest post, K D. I loved learning about all your covers and see that you strive for some of the things that grab me…simplicity being one of my favorites. I think a simplistic cover takes a lot of creativity to express the story inside.
I hope you enjoyed your visit, K D and I look forward to having you here again.
I love the cover in its simplicity. The light and shadows make me look a little closer for any hidden clues. Do you see any?
Add me to Goodreads now.
A Taste For Mystery (Two Novellas)
by K.D. Rose
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BLURB
A Taste For Killing
Mystery and Romance blend together when competing detectives Carolyn Woods and Jack Heart are both hired to solve a murder, only to realize they are working the same case. To complicate things, Carolyn and Jack have an on again, off again relationship. Then there is Evan Jones, a handsome architect— but he’s also a suspect.
Can Carolyn solve the case as more and more murders pile up? Will her relationship with Jack hinder their investigations? And what about Evan Jones? He seems like the perfect man, but could he actually be the murderer?
One thing is for sure: someone close to Carolyn and Jack has a taste for killing.
A Taste For Danger
Jack Heart drinks to excess daily. His apartment is in shambles, he’s isolated himself from all his friends, and he stumbles to the couch every night to sleep off an alcoholic stupor. All that changes when he receives a phone call with a job offer from a man he barely knew. Asked to go undercover in an elite business, Jack is thrown into the deep end and hasn’t a clue what he’s in for— or looking for— until he starts asking questions.
Suddenly, Jack must track down an embezzler inside a swanky corporation riff with politics, game-playing, and treachery. The deeper Jack goes, the more dirt he finds. Can this out-of-place detective survive and still crack the case? Not to mention some of women he works with have plans for him—plans that are way more than he bargained for.
One thing is certain: Jack’s taste for danger will take him to the edge of disaster.
EXCERPT
Jack made sure to get his parking pass from the secretary for tomorrow. He wasn’t made of money, and today was gonna cost him twenty bucks. Cheryl followed him out, and they took the elevator down together. Jack thought this little get-together might be a good chance to interview her. What was she head of again? He couldn’t remember. He’d have to ask her. His instincts told him to wait until the bar.
Jack made sure to put his briefcase in the trunk. Cheryl brought a satchel with her and sat up front. She directed him out. Apparently she lived not too far away from him, although in the city, even a block of traffic could turn a short drive into an hour. Stuck in rush hour, Cheryl made small-talk.
“So you dined with the big cheese today?” She opened.
“Word gets around fast.”
“Yes, anytime someone from HQ comes, everyone knows it. Knows to be on their toes.”
“I see.”
“What they can’t figure out is whether to be on their toes around you.”
Now he got it. She was on a scouting mission for the office. He wondered if they drew straws. “I’m just a nobody,” he said.
“I doubt that,” said Cheryl, “or the Deputy VP wouldn’t have taken such an interest in you. So what are you here to do?”
She said it smiling and casual, but underneath he could feel the shark in her.
“I’m not allowed to discuss the details,” he said.
“Oh my,” said Cheryl and raised her hands as if she was being held up. “Never mind. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“Thanks,” he said, then stayed quiet. She didn’t try to pry anymore. He wondered if she would after a few drinks. Wait. That was his plan. Who was playing who here?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT K D ROSE
K.D. Rose is a poet and author who currently has published “Heavy Bags of Soul”, “Inside Sorrow”, “I AM”, “Erasing: Shadows”, “Anger’s Children: Three Shorts That Will Blow Your Mind”, “A Taste for Mystery: Two Novellas” and her new release, “The Brevity of Twit”.
K.D.’s book, Inside Sorrow won the Readers Favorite 2013 international Silver Medal for Poetry. With fellow authors around the globe, KD was also a founding member of the e-magazine, INNOVATE.
K.D. has an eclectic mind and loves language, physics, philosophy, photography, design, art, writing, symbolism, semiotics, spirituality, and Dr. Who. KD Rose is an avid supporter of music, the arts, cutting edge science, technology, and creativity in all forms. K.D also has a chronic illness but doesn’t let it get her down. K.D. considers herself a “Spoonie” on the lam.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of adailyrhythm.
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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The Fisherman’s Son by Marilyn Peake is a middle grade fantasy. Her last newsletter announced it was free, so I quickly checked it out.
I mean look at that cover – dolphins, swimming and playing in the sunshine. I can almost feel the water flowing across my as I swim with the dolphins.
The Fisherman’s Son by Marilyn Peak is still FREE. Just click on the cover and get your copy. While you are there, be sure and pick up the other two, The City of the Golden Sun and Return of the Golden Age.
…Wiley collapsed on the couch, put his face in his hands, and began to sob uncontrollably. Deep in his heart, he expected that someone would come over to him and comfort him.
Do you think anyone did?
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(28% on Kindle)
SYNOPSIS
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THE FISHERMAN’S SON is a middle grade fantasy novel about the adventures of Wiley O’Mara. On the back of a magical dolphin, the twelve-year-old rescues six boys trapped in an ancient city under the sea. Along the way, he fights both The Beast in the Forest and a Fire Beast guarding the city of old.
REVIEWS
PIERS ANTHONY, author of the Xanth series, the Incarnations of Immortality series, the Adept series, and so much more!
Now I have read The Fisherman’s Son. This is a nice children’s fantasy, grounded in realism. Even the fantastic element is realistic, in that the dolphin doesn’t abridge the rules just for convenience; the right introduction has to be made. It’s not all right to make the excuse “I lost the cup because of a bear.”
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of the “Midwest Book Review”
The Fisherman’s Son is a delightful and colorfully narrated tale which documents Marilyn Peake as a story teller of considerable narrative skill.
Rebecca Brown, Founder of “RebeccasReads”
The Fisherman’s Son is a complex tale simply written, with fascinating detail & unblinking reality borrowing from legends & sagas deep within our collective memories.
Phillip Tomasso III, “The Best Reviews”
Marilyn Peake has burst onto the scene as a promising writer with the release of her first middle grade novel, The Fisherman’s Son.
…Peake is a talented, creative and passionate storyteller. The Fisherman’s Son is a thought provoking, heart-felt fantasy novel with a twist. It lends itself to great discussion questions to be reviewed with parents, teachers, or friends. Easy to pick up and read, hard to put down.
Beverly J. Rowe, “My Shelf”
The author’s descriptions of the underwater world are exhilarating as Wiley traverses the depths and meets up with wonderful undersea creatures and the fearsome dragon-beast that guards the entrance to the village.
This book would be a great read-aloud project for the whole family.
Tracy Farnsworth, “Roundtable Reviews”
Marilyn Peake launches her debut with a fast paced offering that contains excellent imagery amidst a coming of age story.
The Fisherman’s Son will appeal to readers both young and old.
This relatively quick read is a perfect offering for those who love fantasy.
Sharon Schulz-Elsing, Contributing Editor of “Curled Up With a Good Book”
Marilyn Peake’s first fantasy novel for young readers, The Fisherman’s Son, calls to mind all the mystery and wonder of Orson Scott Card’s earlier mythological works such as Hart’s Hope or Seventh Son in its quest-style tale, and in its evocative descriptions of a place much like early nineteenth-century Ireland comes close to the lush and luminous visual treatment of John Sayles’ magical film The Secret of Roan Innish.
…this children’s debut shines with fear, wonder, triumph and loss. Few readers will be able to resist this tale of a resourceful young boy…
Jennie S. Bev
This first book by author Marilyn Peake shows her tremendous talent in story telling.
In many ways, I found The Fisherman’s Son a strong novel for children.
Cheryl McCann, “Review-Books”
The Fisherman’s Son is a children’s novel filled with fantasy, adventure and the heroic qualities of a brave, young boy. Even though it is considered a children’s book, I certainly enjoyed the rich, descriptive text of this tale.
Covers are linked to Amazon.
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I have been toying with a way to make things stand out, such as synopsis, about the author and some important details, like commenting problems.
Which do you like better (this or the above), or do you have another suggestion? I would love to have your input. Thanks so much and happy reading.
A Thin Slice of Heaven by p m terrell has so much going on, I couldn’t help but check it out. A mass haunting and a new love, even though he does not belong in the land of the living.
I love this cover. I see it as a digital painting and think is is very creatively done. I am a “cover girl” and I am so happy to have p m terrell here today to tell us about her covers.
GUEST POST
A BOOK AND ITS COVER
When asked to select my favorite cover from my nineteen released titles, I find myself wavering. I have several favorites and for different reasons.
The Pendulum Files is the most eye-catching cover, and it placed as a finalist in the Best Cover Design in 2014. For that reason, when all my books are displayed together, my eyes always gravitate toward that one. It shows a ship at sunset on the open seas, which factors into the plot of the book where ships are being destroyed at sea but no one is taking credit for the action, leaving the United States government to unravel the mystery. The pendulum is on the cover as well; CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd continues to hear a pendulum and knows it will lead to the culprits.
The White Devil of Dublin has a white background, which is unusual in today’s market. It depicts the image of a man’s eyes, brows and nose, which is meant to represent the albino Viking invader of Dublin, Hvitr Bard, or The White Devil. The image is taken from an actual photograph of Hunter Dorton, the son of John Dorton, a renowned international photographer (www.johndortonphotography.com). John took the photograph of his son himself.
I have sometimes had input in the cover design but sometimes I will see the cover after the book is in production. My least favorite cover is a pink one. It was released eight years ago at a time when I truly disliked the color pink—I think it had more to do with my efforts to be taken seriously as a suspense novelist than with the color itself—and I was horrified when I saw the cover. Unfortunately, I had no decision-making influence.
Other covers have depicted places where the book is set: Vicki’s Key shows a haunted house in which CIA psychic spy Vicki Boyd moves; Dylan’s Song shows a cemetery based on an actual photograph taken in Ireland—the cemetery is central to the unraveling of Dylan’s story; and my latest, A Thin Slice of Heaven, shows the castle in which Charleigh is stranded for the weekend due to an unusual snowstorm. Her room is in the turret and the castle begins to come alive with ghostly hauntings and secrets from centuries past.
She had arranged to meet her husband in Northern Ireland for a second honeymoon, but when Charleigh arrives at the remote castle, she receives a message that he won’t be coming—and that he’s leaving her for another woman.
Stranded for the weekend by a snowstorm that has blocked all access to the castle, she finds herself three thousand miles from home in a country she knows nothing about.
She is soon joined by Sean Bracken, the great-grandson of Laird Bracken, the original owner of the castle, and she finds herself falling quickly and madly in love with him. There’s just one problem: he’s dead.
As the castle begins to come alive with secrets from centuries past, she finds herself trapped between parallel worlds. Caught up in a mass haunting, she can no longer recognize the line between the living and the dead. Now she’s discovering that her appearance there wasn’t by accident—and her life is about to change forever.
EXCERPT
He moved closer to her until he was leaning over her, looking deeply into her eyes. She felt his presence more than she recalled feeling any living being, and yet she knew… She didn’t know what she knew, she realized. It was beyond her comprehension.
Her eyes traveled along his shirt. It appeared custom made and fit him like a glove. She reached out to stroke the fabric. It felt coarse and yet soft, as if the fibers had originally been more abrasive than modern-day clothing, but it had been worn into a suppleness like her favorite pair of slippers. Her fingers traveled along the sleeve. She felt his muscle beneath it, rippling slightly as her fingertips pressed more deeply against him. The seconds passed as she continued moving along his arm until she felt the short, fine hair on the back of his hand. Then she traveled upward once more, memorizing the contours until her palm rested across his shoulder.
He never said a word but his eyes didn’t leave hers, even when her own scrutinized the hand-sewn seam of his shirt sleeve that lay a few inches below his shoulder, or the folds of fabric in the sleeve that was just short of billowing, or the carefully constructed cuff with the slightly misshapen, handmade buttons.
When her palm reached his face and her fingers followed the line of his jaw, she asked hesitantly, “How is it that I can—?” She stopped herself. Maybe she didn’t want to know. Maybe if she knew, he would disappear and she would be left alone in this massive castle. Perhaps if he wasn’t here, the moon and the stars would seem to disintegrate as well until she was left with nothing but the inky blackness of a night that would feel too long and too painful to endure.
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ABOUT p m terrell
p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, a multi-award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books in five genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, romance, computer how-to and non-fiction.
Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her suspense.
She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the real town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org.
p.m.terrell will be awarding a Celtic Butterfly Suncatcher similar to the one mentioned in the book, symbolizing both the never-ending cycle of life and the metamorphosis of a butterfly to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12 (which is still tucked away in a briefcase in her office). Despite a successful short story publication with Cricket Magazine in 2007, she treated her writing addiction as a hobby until a drop in the economy left her with an abundance of free time to focus on making it her career.
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3 Stars
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
Add me to Goodreads now.
p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, a multi-award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books in five genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, romance, computer how-to and non-fiction.
