“This is Chrys Fey reporting for Disaster 5 News. I am in Pensacola where a tsunami hit yesterday morning. I have Sherry Fundin with me, a survivor of the tsunami. Sherry, can you tell our viewers what happened, and how you survived?”
Well, Chrys, it was a gorgeous morning here in the Florida Panhandle. The sun was shining, the surfers were out and everyone was having a great time frolicking in the waves.
The first indication something was amiss was when the sea birds took flight in panic. I could feel a breeze that was different than normal and the hair on my arms and neck stood on end. Tingles ran down my spine…and the water rushed in. And it kept coming. It swept me off my feet, and I was driven down…down…down, being slammed into the pavement. I could feel the flesh being stripped from my body as I struggled to rise to the surface for a much needed breath of air. I frantically searched for anything to grab onto as the water rose…and rose…Just when I thought I couldn’t last any longer, someone reached out and grabbed my hand. I looked up and the most beautiful hazel eyes looked down at me. It was the best day of my life…Mr Wonderful had saved me…
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I love all the covers for this series and Kim Mendoza has done a mighty fine job with Tsunami Crimes by Chrys Fey.
I have been following Beth and Donovan’s journey through one catastrophe after another in this fabulous thriller series. They first met in Hurricane Crimes, and had one hell of an adventure in Seismic Crimes and Lightning Crimes.
Now they face the rage of a Tsunami in Oahu, on their honeymoon, no less.
I have fallen for the characters. I watch as they grow and develop into more complex individuals. Beth is strong, independent, loving and giving. Better think twice about messing with her and her man. Donaovan and Thorn are best friends and both are in love with Beth. Their testosterone levels are so high, I think they need to pull them out and measure their ‘meat sword’. LOL Their friendly rivalry makes for some humorous situations. I love a good villain and Jackson Storm fits the bill nicely.
The suspense builds, there is lots of action, and the suspense builds some more. Beth and Donovan are both targets and ya never know where the danger may come from. It lurks around every corner. Where and when will it strike?
Chrys Fey’s descriptive writing makes the story come alive, as if it is a movie playing out in my head. She has the ability to create doubt, even though I know the ending. She keeps the suspense at a fever pitch that goes on and on, never letting up, leaving me feeling wrung dry of my emotions. I finally reach the end and breathe a sigh of relief.
Excellent job, Chrys!
What disaster will be next?
5 Stars
BLURB: Beth and Donovan have come a long way from Hurricane Sabrina and the San Francisco earthquake. Now they are approaching their wedding day and anxiously waiting to promise each other a lifetime of love. The journey down the aisle isn’t smooth, though, as they receive threats from the followers of the notorious criminal, Jackson Storm. They think they’ll be safe in Hawaii, but distance can’t stop these killers. Not even a tsunami can.
This monstrous wave is the most devastating disaster Beth has ever faced. It leaves her beaten, frightened. Is she a widow on her honeymoon? As she struggles to hold herself together and find Donovan, she’s kidnapped by Jackson’s men.
Fearing her dead, Donovan searches the rubble and shelters with no luck. The thought of her being swept out to sea is almost too much for him to bear, but the reality is much worse. She’s being used as bait to get him to fall into a deadly trap.
If they live through this disaster, they may never be the same again.
Mac and Kate are back in Deadly Spirits and this time we will be hanging out with the Palmetto Paranormal Society investigating the haunted Navarro Hotel.
I haven’t met Mac in person…yet, but seeing as how he hangs around the Florida Panhandle, it may happen. His investigations lead to danger and mayhem. His personality and the fact that he lives in a trailer always makes me think of the Rockford Files and Magnum PI. He’s a bit old fashioned where it really matters, loyal and trustworthy. Even a bit of a prude…He even has a Dobie, my favorite breed of dog. So much is familiar to me, marinas, woods, fire towers, lighthouses, hauntings…
Action and mystery abound and Mac is on the case. E Michael Helms always includes some humor and I do love chuckles with my murder.
The downside to his job, he has a hard time collecting payment before his clients kick the bucket.
Mac has a hard time taking the whole ghost thing seriously, until…the scream. I am a skeptic too. As they walk around with their ghostly equipment and asking the spirits questions, I would be hard put not to crack up laughing.
I loved everything about Deadly Spirits by E Michael Helms. He has included a lot of extras besides the mystery…a critter to fall in love with, a dash of the psychotic and a pinch of the paranormal…a recipe for success.
I love Mac and this is my favorite adventure…so far. Michael has brought him a long way, making him more complex in his simplicity. I can hardly wait for more!
It’s New Year’s Eve 2016 and between football and the year end fireworks, I cannot quit reading.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When PI Mac McClellan’s girlfriend convinces him to join the Palmetto Paranormal Society, he becomes embroiled in a case of whooodunnit. The society president, while investigating an old hotel, is found dead at the foot of the stairwell, his neck broken. The man’s secretary and current squeeze stands horrified beside his body. Authorities rule the death an accident. Mac has doubts—no one heard the man tumbling down the stairs. Then the secretary dies in an apparent suicide. Two deaths in two paranormal investigations, and not a peep out of either victim. Mac suspects there’s more going on than a vengeful spirit.
Book 4 in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, which began with Deadly Catch.
ABOUT E MICHAEL HELMS
I was born in Georgia way back in the last century but grew up and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Florida in Panama City (beautiful beaches, girls galore–ah, the memories!). In 2004 my wife and I moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadows of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a land of stunning vistas and numerous waterfalls.
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I’ve been traditionally published since 1990 when my Vietnam War memoir, The Proud Bastards, launched. TPB chronicles my time as a combat U.S. Marine in 1967-68. It’s still in print after all these years, currently with Simon & Schuster/Pocket. I’ve since written a few novels in different genres. I’m also working on a collection of “Dinger, PI” short stories that are being published on Motive Means Opportunity, a crime/mystery blog I share with two other writers of the same ilk. Currently I’m writing the Mac McClellan Mystery series which is set along the coast of the Florida Panhandle where I grew up.
Jaye Frances can spin a tale and she continues Jewlel’s dark story in Reunion.
Adult Only.
This series will not be for everyone and it is rare for me to step into the genre, but Jaye Frances hooked me with her writing and not all of her books are erotica, so check them out below. You may be pleasantly surprised and find one that is for you.
Such a beautiful cover for Reunion by Jaye Frances, but I can guarantee you that the story inside is VERY far from simple. Violence, torture, rape and abuse beyond my imagination keep me riveted as I eagerly anticipate Jewel getting her revenge.
“Even in hell, there are rules…”
Reunion is Book II in the World Without Love series and it does need to be read in order.
We pick up where we left off and I was eager to read more of Jewel’s tragic story. Reunion did not start the way I thought it would and I love it when an author can surprise me.
I still concentrated more on the story than the sex, but it seems at this point, she is so lost that she’ll fuck anything that walks. I love figuring out why characters do what they do, so I am trying to figure out Jewel’s motivation. Is it her horrendous experiences making her reach out for human contact that is not about force or torture? Is it about control?
How evil must a person be to take someone to the edge of death for their own pleasure, smiling and enjoying the experience?
I can’t help but blush at the sex…but I do read it all. To me, it is pivotal to the story.
I must give this 5 Stars for scaring the crap out of me! It shows just how easy it is to get into something over our heads because it is hard to believe how EVIL, sadistic and savage people can be. BUT, I believe. Sooooo…be careful of who you trust.
I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and…OH NO…I am left with a huge cliffhanger. No worries, Book III, Redemption is out, so I will not have to wait for the conclusion of Jewel’s story.
To sum it up, I am surprised at how much I LOVE this twisted story. I can hardly wait to find out how she gets her revenge!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Reunion by Jaye Frances.
5 Stars
SYNOPSIS
In Reunion, Jewel’s story continues as she finds herself stranded in a far-flung corner of the world. Struggling to elude her captors and a network of bounty hunters, she meets her would-be savior, a man who promises to provide protection and comfort. Believing her nightmare has finally come to an end, Jewel begins making plans to return home, where she can start her life over again. But greed raises its ugly head, and the terrifying future she thought she’d evaded becomes a reality. Deceived by the only one she believed she could trust, Jewel is left defenseless against the sadistic abusers who take pleasure in teaching her their own form of discipline. With the dream of rescue and returning home to San Diego even further from her reach, she begins planning her revenge on the men who have stolen her life—and her future.
* * * * * *
Excerpt from Reunion:
A Note From the Author . . .
Reunion is the second book in the “World Without Love” series. The series is a continuing story and meant to be read in sequence, beginning with Book One, Betrayed. Both Betrayed and Book Three, Redemption, are available in Kindle eBook and paperback from Amazon.
The “World Without Love” series contains mature content and is intended for an 18+ audience
Chapter One
It came to me slowly . . . I was no longer in the water.
Although I was fairly certain the mattress underneath me was real, I needed to touch something solid, to confirm this wasn’t another hallucination.
I stopped myself just in time.
Until I was sure of the situation, I would remain dead-still, my eyes closed, listening for the subtle draw of someone’s breath, the crack of a stiff joint, or the rustle of fabric from a shifting leg. My captivity on the Kelsey had taught me the value of concealing both my intentions and actions.
My brain was muddled from the beating I’d taken during the storm, but this much was a safe assumption: Someone had fished me out of the ocean. They had brought me aboard their boat and laid me in this bed. I had no idea how long I’d been here, if the time was measured in hours or days. My appetite should have given me a clue, but I wasn’t hungry. Just tired and sore.
Forcing myself to lie there, feigning sleep, I listened . . .
The throb of diesel engines mixed with the sound of waves sloshing against the hull. Overhead, the constant footfalls from the deck indicated two, maybe three crewmen. In my mind’s eye, I could see them stomping about in their high-topped, neoprene boots, the distinctive heavy thud of thick rubber on grooved teak suggesting this was a working boat, possibly a fishing trawler.
The last time I’d regained consciousness on a strange ship, I awoke in searing pain, shackled to a makeshift rack and half-covered in freezing water. This time, my discomfort was far less severe—the cramp of aching muscles and the sting from a minor laceration on my shoulder.
I counted to sixty. Then again, to be safe. I wouldn’t make the mistake of opening my eyes too soon.
I moved a finger, swiping it across the scratchy cotton sheet. If someone was watching me, they didn’t see it. Maybe I really was alone in the cabin.
I shifted my right arm. I wasn’t bound. Whoever found me didn’t consider me a threat. But I wasn’t ready to make the same assumption about my rescuers. After what I’d been through, no one—at least in this part of the world—would ever again receive the benefit of the doubt. For all I knew there could be someone a few feet away, waiting for me to regain consciousness—someone really good at keeping their presence a secret.
There was no point in continuing to pretend I was asleep. Whether it was now or later, I would soon come face-to-face with the men on this boat. A few minutes, one way or the other, wouldn’t make any difference.
I opened my eyes enough to form a blurry image. Directly overhead, the upper berth of a bunk-bed covered me like the lid of a coffin. A twinge of claustrophobia tightened around my throat. I turned on my side to escape the smothering delusion and propped myself up on one elbow, surveying the space.
I was alone.
Although covered with a blanket, my clothing was gone. I was naked. But that didn’t necessarily indicate sinister intent. My shorts and top had been soaked with sea water, and removing them would have been the first step in raising my core temperature.
Needing a better view of my surroundings, I rolled on to my stomach. The movement forced me to stifle a moan—a reflex from the pain of shifting my weight from one part of my bruised body to another.
The cabin was tiny, not much larger than a handicapped bathroom stall. It made my assumption about the type of vessel even more likely. Small quarters were typical of the fifty to seventy foot class of trawler, where berth space was sacrificed for a larger cargo hold to maximize the volume of fish that could be stored during a single run.
I sat up, searching for clues. The more I could find out about my rescuers, the greater my initial advantage.
The small St. Christopher’s medal hanging from a wall-peg brought a vague sense of relief. It was a real stretch of logic, but I doubted someone who was part of the slaver’s network would be a regular church-goer.
ABOUT JAYE FRANCES
Jaye Frances is the author of “World Without Love,” a suspense thriller series with an erotic edge, including “Betrayed,” “Reunion,” and “Redemption.” Her other books include “The Beach,” a sci-fi supernatural tale about the possibilities—and horror—of wishful thinking, “The Kure,” a paranormal-occult romance novel, “The Possibilities of Amy,” a coming-of-age story of first love, and “Love Travels Forever,” a collection of poignant short stories. When not absorbed with her writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and taking pictures-lots of them. Jaye lives on the gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn is a fabulous short story that had me twisting, turning, wondering, WTF…hand jobs to fortunetelling to aura cleaning, Gillian had me laughing at the fun writing, wondering along with Susan where she would end up…and once again saying WTF!
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB:A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the “psychic” visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.
A COLD TOMORROW
Book 2 in the Point Pleasant Series Genre: Suspense/Mystery Length: 82,00 Words Publisher: Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Underground Imprint Publication Date: December 20, 2016
MY REVIEW
I LOVED the first book, A Thousand Yesteryears, so I was very eager to continue my journey down the road in Point Pleasant to see what happens next in this fantastic creature feature.
The cover alone gives me an eerie feeling, sending shivers up and down my spine as I try to guess at what lies ‘between the covers.’
Katie misses her sister, her best friend, Wendy, who disappeared three days ago. No one knows what has become of her.
One of the things that caught me early was Katie’s aversion to smells in the salon. I too have a problem with them. These smells of reality make it easy for me to feel as if I am there with her.
I love how Mae Clair develops the relationship between Katie and Doreen Sue, her mom. Reads like real life as the work through a not so good past.
The town has not been kind to Katie’s family, treating them like white trash. Maybe they want to think twice before they cast the first stone.
Ryan Flynn is called to Chester Wilson’s farm to investigate star snot and outer space grass. The mystery begins. Then, the cow…
“It’s been a weird day.”
“Weird how?”
Uh…let’s see…cow mutilation, phantom deputy, missing resident. Does that fit the bill?”
Point Pleasant is a hotbed for Mothman and UFO sightings, in real life too. Adds another element of reality for me. Could it be true? Is Mothman real? For the moment, Mothman is silent.
As things become stranger, Katie’s past comes to the forefront, her memories causing her to fear for herself and her son, Sam.
All of a sudden, something sets Mothman off and he is terrorizing the people of Point Pleasant. How would you feel if you were the only one of your kind…people so afraid of you, they shoot first and take names later?
The Mothman, aliens, Men In black, lights in the sky, mutilated animals, people feeling the compulsion to draw…There are mysteries galore that kept me on pins and needles, fearing for the characters I have grown to love.
Oh Yeah! I believe we will have a Book III.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Cold Tomorrow by Mae Clair.
5 Stars
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GOODREADS BLURB
Where secrets make their home…
Stopping to help a motorist in trouble, Katie Lynch stumbles upon a mystery as elusive as the Mothman legend that haunts her hometown of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Could the coded message she finds herald an extraterrestrial visitor? According to locals, it wouldn’t be the first time. And what sense should she make of her young son’s sudden spate of bizarre drawings—and his claim of a late-night visitation? Determined to uncover the truth, Katie only breaks the surface when a new threat erupts. Suddenly her long-gone ex-boyfriend is back and it’s as if he’s under someone else’s control. Not only is he half-crazed, he’s intent on murder….
As a sergeant in the sheriff’s office of the famously uncanny Point Pleasant, Officer Ryan Flynn has learned to tolerate reports of puzzling paranormal events. But single mom Katie Lynch appears to be in very real danger—and somehow Ryan’s own brother, Caden, is caught up in the madness, too. What the skeptical lawman discovers astounds him—and sends him into action. For stopping whatever evil forces are at play may just keep Katie and Caden alive…..
ae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.
Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with conflict, romance and elements of mystery. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.
Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• 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! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.
Anthony Renfro’s short story, A Vampire at Christmas, features a hot and sexy vampire.
Talan had been coming home from seeing his fiance, when robbers attacked him and left him for dead. In turn, a vampire took out the robbers and left him with an alternative, immortality or death. He passed out before making the choice, so the vampire made it for him. His blood tasted sweet, while the robbers had tasted salty. MMMM
Ever meet a Parrothead vampire? How about a vampire who’s favorite time of year is Christmas? Do they decorate trees with lots of blinking, sparkling lights? He hung pictures of sunrises around the crypt to remind himself that he was once human. He wears work boots and a Jimmy Buffet concert shirt. He would have played music if he felt no one would hear. His favorite song is Margaritaville.
Discovering Christmas had changed his feeding pattern. Now he chose mostly those who deserved it. And had something special for those he felt worthy.
How would you like to see Talan coming down your chimney?
I love Talan and the humorous/horror writing of Anthony Renfro.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB:Are you a Jimmy Buffett fan? Do you like Vampires? Do you like Christmas? This short story is about a Parrothead Vampire who uses his riches and Vampiric skills to bring joy to those in need during the holiday season.
The zombie tried to take off with Rudolf and he wasn’t going to allow it. It’s the little things that keep us sane and we all have a point in our lives, where enough is enough. A Zombie Christmas is comical and horrible at the same time. Can you picture zombie carolers singing Silent Night and Frosty? In times of trouble, there are those who stand up and give of themselves, expecting nothing in return.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB: In a Zombie Apocalypse, three men risk life and limb to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas morning.
The rich and complex characters in Blythewood, that made me think of a Harry Potter school for girls, took me on a grand adventure with surprising twists and turns in a phenomenal world full of rich detail, all while good battles evil.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB:At seventeen, Avaline Hall has already buried her mother, survived a horrific factory fire, and escaped from an insane asylum. Now she’s on her way to Blythewood Academy, the elite boarding school in New York’s mist-shrouded Hudson Valley that her mother attended—and was expelled from. Though she’s afraid her high society classmates won’t accept a factory girl in their midst, Ava is desperate to unravel her family’s murky past, discover the identity of the father she’s never known, and perhaps finally understand her mother’s abrupt suicide. She’s also on the hunt for the identity of the mysterious boy who rescued her from the fire. And she suspects the answers she seeks lie at Blythewood.
But nothing could have prepared her for the dark secret of what Blythewood is, and what its students are being trained to do. Haunted by dreams of a winged boy and pursued by visions of a sinister man who breathes smoke, Ava isn’t sure if she’s losing her mind or getting closer to the truth. And the more rigorously Ava digs into the past, the more dangerous her present becomes.
Vivid and atmospheric, full of mystery and magic, this romantic page-turner by bestselling author Carol Goodman tells the story of a world on the brink of change and the girl who is the catalyst for it all.
A Human Element is about man’s inhumanity to man, man’s callous disregard of other’s lives, but also, the lengths some people will go to do the right thing.
When her parents are killed and she is left alone, she is committed to finding the killer.
I felt such tension, suspense, fear and dread for the characters, that I was talking to them. Shouting at them. Telling them to watch out. He’s coming.
I LOVE this book. The further into A Human Element I read, the more engrossed I become. My heart beats faster as my eyes race across the words…faster and faster. I just have to know what is going to happen. I read on and it gets creepier and creepier.
One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.
Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.
But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.
I loved A Human Element by Donna Galanti, so to continue the story in A Hidden Element was a no brainer. This is Book II of the trilogy, which contains a mish mash of genres: science fiction, mystery, thrills and romance.
A Hidden Element does fill in some of the story from A Human Element, but for the full effect I recommend starting with Book I.
I knew bad stuff was coming and I was afraid for Charlie. He is an innocent, but will he be swayed to the dark side?
Some of the aliens want to just live among us, fit in with us, side by side.
Others want so much more.
Aliens or human, it seems like we all have the same wants and desires, motivations and ego, dark and light, good and bad.
Charlie: Tomorrow. He would tell her everything tomorrow.
Adrian: He couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow delivered.
Ben: Tomorrow. He would fix this tomorrow.
Donna Galanti can sure spin an amazing tale that will keep you reading. The characters captivated me as I journeyed along with them, trying their best to make the right choices. I struggled to figure out who was good and who was bad, who would be the betrayer and who would survive. There are plenty of surprises and suspense and food for thought.
What would we do if we found out aliens walked among us? I have a feeling it wouldn’t be good. Would it be like First Encounter or War of the Worlds? Would you be curious or afraid? Would you want them living next door to you?
I’m just saying….
5 Stars
ABOUT A HIDDEN ELEMENT: Evil lurks within…
When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him. Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown. Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?
Writing Your Last Line by Donna Galanti
What makes you decide to buy a book? Do you open it open up to the first page and decide on the first paragraph, or even first line? I have one friend who studies first lines. She roams a library or bookstore and randomly selects books to read their first lines then dissects them based on how drawn in she is. Did it grab her attention? Did it raise a question? Did it introduce the main character? And most importantly, does she want to keep reading?
Those first lines. They either grab you or they don’t. As writers, we only have a few seconds to impress readers enough so they will buy our book.
But what about those last lines? Those lines that complete a scene, chapter, or THE END itself that propel you to turn the page and read on, or that keep the story alive in your mind long after you’ve finished it.
One early reader of A Hidden Element was intrigued by the last lines of my chapters. She actually typed them up and sent them to me because she was so thrilled with how each one ended like a cliffhanger and kept her reading.
Here’s a sampling:
Killing was useful in so many ways.
The dark took her anyway.
She would do anything to save her family.
And that scared him more than anything.
She welcomed Death, but he did not come for her.
The nothing took him.
She screamed and ran into a darker hell.
The last words he heard whispered were, “forever dead”.
And it was not of this Earth.
He drifted away in it.
He could live with that, if only he could be a father to his sons.
The old fear hit him again in the gut.
The words shattered through him like hammer to glass – not from Earth.
He was empty inside, as he had always been.
The first stone flew.
The scars of Rachel and his sons seared his heart forever.
He was just a kid suddenly terrified of his own dad – and his own destiny.
He looked up at the open door that welcomed him.
After fifteen years the nightmare had begun – again.
They marched on toward a hidden enemy who watched – and waited.
Would you turn the page to read the next chapter – and the next? When you read these chapter lines together do they tell a story to you?
And what about our last lines in life? They are the final cliffhanger we leave the world with, leaving those we leave behind to wonder about.
Here are some cliffhanger last lines from famous folks. Would you want to keep reading about their life? Would their life story resonate with you?
Let us cross over the river and sit in the shade of the trees. – General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
I die hard but am not afraid to go. – George Washington, US President
Get my swan costume ready. – Anna Pavlova, ballerina
Go on, get out – last words are for fools who haven’t said enough. – Karl Marx, revolutionary
Why do you weep. Did you think I was immortal? – Louis XIV, King of France
I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. – Thomas Hobbes, writer
It is very beautiful over there. – Thomas Edison, inventor
All my possessions for a moment of time. – Elizabeth I, Queen of England
What will be your last line?
PRAISE FOR A HIDDEN ELEMENT:
“Chilling and dark…a twisty journey into another world.” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of When Shadows Fall
“Fascinating…a haunting story…”—Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath
“Will keep you up long past your bedtime…a pulse-pounding read.”—Allan Leverone, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Final Vector
PRAISE FOR THE ELEMENT TRILOGY:
“Unrelenting, devious but full of heart. Highly recommended.” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Code Zero
“Chilling and dark…a twisty journey into another world.” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of When Shadows Fall
“Fascinating…a haunting story…”—Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath
Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and the fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse that has lots of nooks and crannies, but sadly no ghosts. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com.
ENTER GIVEAWAY!
Prize Pak:
Win $15 Amazon Gift Card, e-book of The Dark Inside, Element Trilogy story collection, and become a character in the final Element Trilogy book!
I LOVE Lauren Carr’s romantic mysteries and I am delighted to be able to share Killer in the Band with you today.
There is also an awesome giveaway, so be sure to enter!
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN CARR
I love learning about authors, their inspiration, their likes and dislikes and those funny little things that give me insight into their personality. I am so happy to have Lauren Carr here, sharing some thoughts about her books and herself. Welcome, Lauren.
Lauren Carr is the bestselling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, and the Thorny Rose Mysteries. We caught up with the charming mystery writer during her most recent virtual book tour for Killer in the Band, the 3rd in the Lovers in Crime series.
Lauren, thank you so much for chatting with us. Right off the bat, I’m curious. Is it hard to break away from your successful Mac Faraday series to work on a different one?
Yes and no. I love Mac Faraday and the gang in Spencer, Maryland! But that’s not to say that I don’t love Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates. The Lovers in Crime mysteries are set in Chester, West Virginia, the real small town where I grew up. Joshua Thornton was my first protagonist featured in my very first books, A Small Case of Murder and A Reunion to Die For. Returning to Joshua Thornton, Cameron Gates, and their family is very much like going home again.
Killer in the Band focuses a lot on J.J. Thornton, Jr., Joshua’s eldest son. Are you planning to take a new direction with the Lovers in Crime?
No, not at all. Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates are the Lovers in Crime and they always will be. But, like real people, they don’t live in a vacuum. Joshua Thornton does have a family from his previous marriage who are going to insert themselves into Joshua’s marriage and the Lovers in Crime’s cases.
In Killer in the Band, J.J. returns home after graduating from law school and rekindles a romance with his first love, Suellen Russell, a woman twice his age. When it turns out she has information on one of Cameron’s cases, J.J. can’t not get involved.
When you sit down to write a book, a paragraph, or whatever you‘re working on at the moment, do you just sit down in front of the computer, or do you need an outline of some sort? Is there any other prep you need in order to organize your thoughts either before you write or in the process of writing?
I will think about a book, or a part of a book, for a long time before I sit down to write it. I thought about Killer in the Band for a couple of years before I sat down to write even one word.
For new books, I will have everything sorted out in my head, most especially the killer, how he or she did it, and how my protagonist captures them before I sit down to write it. These are the most important elements for me to have. If I don’t have those things sorted out, then I could end up halfway through a book and find that I have no ending, which would be a huge waste of my time.
I will write notes, but only to sort the mystery out in my mind. More than half of the time, I don’t even refer to them once I sit down to write. The process of writing out the notes helps to sort it out.
Who is your greatest inspiration to write? What person makes you believe in yourself, and how?
My mother and my husband. My mother was the first to encourage me to put my imagination on paper. It was easy since I have always been a big reader.
Also, my husband Jack, no matter how many rejections I would receive, always insisted that I keep on going—keep on writing. Even when I had writers block, he was there for me.
Do you have any aspirations to be similar or comparable to another author? Why?
Agatha Christie and Earl Stanley Gardner. They were my first favorite mystery authors, so they will always have a special place in my author’s heart. My complex mysteries have been compared to Agatha Christie and when that happens, it makes my whole day better.
What has been the biggest high since becoming a published author?
Seeing all of my books break through on Amazon to make the top one-hundred in sales in both cozy mysteries and police procedurals. When readers and reviewers began posting fabulous reviews, and even sending e-mails, I knew then that all those years of hard work and learning were worth it.
Has becoming an author changed you, or the way you think about certain things? If so, how?
I am definitely more confident about my writing. Also, I have become more open to other authors’ writing.
I turned down two offers from commercial publishers to independently publish It’s Murder, My Son, and I have never looked back. Before I decided to be an indie author, I was rejected by many literary agents and publishers for a variety of reasons. In a nutshell, they did not think that I could be a commercial success. One literary agent, a big one, told me how talented I was in a two-page letter, ending with a rejection because he did not know how to market me.
I did not fit into a box that they had created. But I have found an audience, and I am a success. Many indie authors, who commercial publishers and literary agents would refuse to talk to, have found audiences without the blessing of commercial publishers or literary agents.
This has made me believe that if you write what you love, even if it is not my cup of tea, or the cup of tea of a New York bigwig, then if you publish and market it correctly, there is an audience out there for you. It’s just a matter of bringing your work to them.
What is your greatest fear about being an author?
Writers block.
From the first word to the moment it became available for purchase, how long did it take you to write and publish Killer in the Band?
That is a very tricky question. I’ve been thinking about the plot for Killer in the Band for a couple of years. I’d say a year ago I sat down to start writing it, right after the release if Kill and Run, which features Joshua Thornton Jr’s twin, Murphy. I was more than halfway through writing the first draft when in March I was completely inspired by the presidential election to write Candidate for Murder. Since that book had such a timely theme, I had to set Killer in the Band aside. I returned to it in June.
I guess to answer your question, I don’t know.
And now, for something completely different…some slightly off-the-wall and possibly irrelevant questions. Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like!
What’s your favorite candy? Ice cream?
Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar King sized for candy. Rocky Road ice cream slathered in Magic Shell for ice cream.
Would the 8-year-old version of yourself kick your ass or praise you for what you’ve done with your life?
Praise me for what I have done, while sighing with relief because during my twenties & thirties, it was touch and go there.
Do you have any talents you haven’t shared with us?
I’m a gourmet cook and love it.
Imagine you’re the sole survivor of a plane crash at sea, and you awake stranded on a deserted and uncharted island in the Bermuda Triangle. Nobody knows you’re there, and you have nothing but the clothes on your back. You’re all alone, and there’s terrifying sounds coming from deep within the jungle. Late that night as you’re starving, a large suitcase washes up on the shore. You open it up. What’s in the suitcase?
A pink handgun with “Pink Lady” engraved on the muzzle, big box of dark chocolate to eat, a cell phone with all of the bars, and working laptop to write about my adventure while waiting for a ship full of handsome sailors to come save me.
What are you working on now?
Each series will continue to grow on their own with interconnecting mysteries occasionally. In January, there will be a new Thorny Rose Mystery, A Fine Year for Murder.
In A Fine Year for Murder, Jessica Faraday and her husband, Murphy Thornton, dive into the cold case murder at a family owned winery.
After ten months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?
As long as readers are clamoring for mysteries, I’ll be writing them.
MY REVIEW
OMG. She did it again. Lauren Carr has created another romantic suspense mystery that had me reading, ignoring my hubby and my mother, unable to put it down until the last page was read.
Killer in the Band is A Lovers in Crime Mystery that is chock full of wonderful characters, both human and animal. Her ability to bring them all to life is amazing. I laughed and cried, because she made me do it.
I cannot pick a favorite character. They are all amazing in their own way. It took me a little while to figure out the culprit(s). Even the bad guys have their reasons for doing for what they do and I could empathize with them…for a moment or two. BUT nothing justifies taking a life.
There is more than one mystery that will have to be solved and more than one villain. I felt so bad for both of them and that is when I know I have read a fantastic story.
Lauren does have a way of springing surprises on me that have my jaw hanging open, thinking, I sure didn’t see that one coming.
The animals…I just don’t know what to say. Some people do seem to have a special ability making it seem as if they talk to them. I do not want to spoil anything, but…have you ever looked in your critters eyes and wondered what they are really thinking?
The characters have trust issues that take time to work through, making it read like real life. I want to tell them…to be a go between and explain things, but that is not my place. I am just a spectator in this complicated story.
My emotion were high and low, happy and sad, and I was left with a good feeling when all was said and done.
I WANT MORE!!!!!!!
I received a copy of Killer in the Band from Lauren Carr.
Joshua’s eldest son, Joshua “J.J.” Thornton Jr., has graduated at the top of his class from law school and returns home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to Joshua’s and Cameron’s shock and dismay, J.J. moves into the main house at Russell Ridge Farm, the largest dairy farm in the Ohio Valley, to rekindle a romance with Suellen Russell, a onetime leader of a rock group who’s twice his age. Quickly, they learn that she has been keeping a deep dark secret.
The move brings long-buried tensions between the father and son to the surface. But when a brutal killer strikes, the Lovers in Crime must set all differences aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the cross hairs of a murderer.
Praise for Lauren Carr’s Mysteries:
“Lauren Carr could give Agatha Christie a run for her money!” – Charlene Mabie-Gamble, Literary R&R
“As always, Lauren Carr brings an action-packed story that is almost impossible to put down. Her mystery plots have so many twists and turns that I didn’t know if I was coming or going. And the action just didn’t stop from the very beginning till the very end.” – Melina Mason, Melina’s Book Reviews
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Kristine Mason writes some of the best suspense stories I have ever read, whether paranormal or mystery, and I was amazed…again…at her ability to take a ghostly story and make it read like a horror novel.
Celeste is psychic but she kept pretty quiet about it, helping out whenever she could.
Heavily pregnant, Celeste received a call for her sister, Eden, for help.
The gene had skipped Eden and had caused a rift between her and Celeste, but when events began happening at her new home, she felt Celeste was the one to call.
The house Eden and her husband had bought is haunted.
“You chase murderers for a living, I write about them…It’s fitting that we live in a murder house.”
Celeste thought she could handle the ghosts, stay grounded and in the land of the living.
It seems like she is learning more about her abilities by “living’ through new experiences. Could her over confidence in dealing with situation be her undoing? Would she come out of the trance or push her luck one too many times? And this time, her unborn baby’s life is at stake.
Celeste walked in the ghostly world trying to put the pieces together. She talked to the ghosts, but they were so cryptic it was hard to decipher their meaning.The mysterious deaths and the evil presence that resided in the house did not give up their answers easily.
What was HE after?
Her mantra, “the living are more powerful than the dead,” kept her grounded making her believe she could survive the evil surrounding her and release the ghosts from their torment.
Could her over confidence in dealing with the situation be her undoing? Would she come out of the trance or push her luck one too many times?
I love Celeste’s hubby, John. It took a while for them to work out some of the kinks in their marriage, but he is attentive, loving and funny. I can see him waggling his eyebrows as he offers to shave her bikini line.
I love Kristine Mason’s ability to surprise me and roil my emotions. The level of suspense in her writing kept me on pins and needles, afraid that this time Celeste had bitten off more than she could chew.
The characters come alive on the pages, making me feel their pain and suffering, their fear and anger, their sadness and regret. They are not always series and in danger, they have lives us normal people can relate to, with all the daily issues and problems that arise. They can be funny and happy, loving and giving, even when dealing with murder and danger.
I’m smiling, teary eyed…
I love the television show Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt and I can see that she has met her match in Celeste.
I never pass on an opportunity to read one of Kristine Mason’s novels and if you are a suspense and thriller lover like me, I think you will feel the same. I am patiently waiting for the movie/TV world to find her.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The walls are infected, the foundation is diseased…this house is poisoned.
CORE agent, Hudson Patterson and his wife, Eden, recently moved into a century-old mini-mansion. But their dream home has become a living nightmare—occupied by a malevolent spirit who will only share the residence with them and their daughter…in exchange for their souls.
Psychic Celeste Kain is four weeks away from giving birth. The last thing she wants to deal with is the dead. But when she realizes an evil presence is terrorizing Eden, she will go to any length to help her sister. Especially when she discovers there isn’t just one ghost in Eden’s house, but many other tortured souls trapped within its infected walls.
To put an end to the haunting, Celeste uses her unique gift to connect with the ghostly residents. But the wicked entity who has been feeding off the other spirits’ pain and misery has other plans. It wants Celeste and her unborn child, and imprisons her inside the ghost house. Now powerless, unable to free herself and in labor, Celeste needs to fight to find her way back to her body before the entity can take what it wants…her baby.
ABOUT KRISTINE MASON
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Kristine Mason is the bestselling author of the popular romantic suspense trilogies, C.O.R.E. Shadow, and Ultimate C.O.R.E. She is currently working on her next trilogy, C.O.R.E. Above the Law, along with a series of Psychic C.O.R.E. novellas.
Although Kristine has published a few contemporary romance novels, she focuses most of her energy on her romantic suspense stories, which she loves for their blend of dark mystery/suspense and sexy romance. She is fascinated with what makes people afraid, and is famous for her depraved villains whose crimes present massive obstacles for her heroes and heroines to overcome.
Kristine has a degree in journalism from Ohio State University and lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, four kids, and two dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s chauffeuring kids, gardening, or collecting gnomes. Oh, and she makes a mean chocolate chip cookie!Connect with Kristine on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kristinemasonauthor, Twitter https://twitter.com/KristineMason7 or email her at authorkristinemason@gmail.com. You can also find out more about Kristine’s books at http://www.kristinemason.net
All covers link to Amazon and I am an affiliate, BUT I cannot help but tell you. Kristine Mason is a master storyteller and I would highly recommend buying the book sets, because you will want to read them all! Except, I have yet to read the Reality TV series.
The Celeste Files of the Psychic CORE series are paranormal and supernatural novels that star Celeste, from the very first book in the CORE Shadow Trilogy, Shadow of Danger. I love the mix of psychics and ghosts, with murder and thrills. Check them out below.
5 Stars
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E Michael Helm’s Military Novels:
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Kristine Mason is the bestselling author of the popular romantic suspense trilogies, C.O.R.E. Shadow, and Ultimate C.O.R.E. She is currently working on her next trilogy, C.O.R.E. Above the Law, along with a series of Psychic C.O.R.E. novellas.
