Today I am excited to spotlight Issued the first novel in the Navy SEALs of Little Creek, a contemporary romance series by Paris Wynters. Fans of the marriage and arrangement trope will love this steamy new series.
Issued
She needs a total life reboot…even if it means marrying a stranger
Taya Maverick has just volunteered to marry a random Navy SEAL as part of the military’s new spouse-matching program. What other choice does she have? Her former best friend killed her father and torched her house. Taya’s determined to start over, but to be safe she has to disappear. The program is the perfect opportunity, complete with refuge and a built-in bodyguard. Her Navy SEAL husband can keep her safe, right?
After one spectacularly disastrous marriage, Jim Stephens nixes round two. But his commanding officer never accepts no for an order. While an injury may have sidelined him temporarily, Jim still needs to salvage his career after a mistake in combat puts him in leadership’s cross-hairs. Being the first in the pilot program guarantees him his rank and eventual active duty clearance…as long as he can last the trial year.
The I dos are barely uttered before Jim and Taya realize they’ve each miscalculated. Their sizzling chemistry might lead to bed, but neither is prepared to open their heart. And then Taya’s past comes knocking…
We watch for a beat or two, the sight of the princess issuing her not-so-subtle ultimatum bringing a genuine smile to my face. “I used to have a thing for Mary Crosby. Hell, I still have a thing for Mary Crosby.”
“Didn’t she play on Dallas?”
“She basically made the show.”
“Wow. That’s quite a claim.”
I knock her hand aside when she makes a grab for more popcorn, and one of my brows raise. The woman who shot J.R. made television history.
“And by ‘claim,’ I mean ‘an accurate and astute observation.’” The corner of her mouth lifts in an almost-smile when I release my buttery hostage. “Tell me more about your obsession with Ms. Crosby.”
“Mrs. Brodka,” I correct absently. “And it’s not an obsession. I just appreciate the classics.”
“Are we talking about the movie or the actress?”
My face heats when she lets loose a bark of laugher. “I was talking about the movie. It’s a good movie. Sue me.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, sweetheart. They don’t make space operas like they used to.”
I hesitate before sticking my big toe down the rabbit hole. “Have you ever seen Firefly?”
“I’m sorry? I’m alive and breathing, aren’t I? When I think about cinematic tragedies, canceling Firefly is right up there with the remake of Total Recall and the existence of Jurassic sharks.”
“Sharknado haunts my dreams.”
“I saw the movie and it left me feeling personally disrespected. You know there’s a movie called Aliens vs. Avatars?”
Settling deeper into the couch, Taya leans her head against my shoulder. The remnants of a grin linger around her mouth, and I want to lean in and kiss the vestiges away. My throat tightens. The weekend has not been kind, but for now, everything in my world is good and right. Is it wrong to want the feeling to last?
Dumbass.
Taya spends the next few minutes explaining which sci-fi movies she believes should be classified as acts of terrorism. I don’t always agree, but listening to the animated way she shreds plotlines and decimates directors and actors alike makes me wary of disagreeing. Her face lights up and she actively involves her hands the more passionate she becomes, and I can’t bring myself to look away. It’s as if I’ve been placed under some sort of spell and the world is moving in molasses around me while my heart races along. Listening to the sound of Taya’s voice is more satisfying than any ocean wave I can imagine. Righter than any curve I could master on my bike.
The credits scroll across the screen, darkening the room. Taya angles her body to face me, one knee propped on the couch and her head canted sideways on the cushions. I mimicked her position at some point, and the intimacy of being face to face, separated by only a handful of inches further stirs up emotions that have been building, but that I don’t want to examine too closely because they are new and terrifying. They feel like soap bubbles. Swimming in iridescent color and too fragile to live, and that the slightest prod will make them burst.
“Katniss has nothing on my emee, though.” Taya rolls her eyes, waving a dismissive hand in the air.
“Huh?”
“With the bow and arrow.” Taya searches my face, concern etched in her features. “You okay?”
My fingers tug at the extra material around the leg of my Wranglers. Shit. She probably thinks I zoned out from my TBI. “Yeah, fine. So, your grandmother was a professional archer?”
“In a way. Archery and horsemanship are part of Mongolian culture. Did you know many of the warriors in Genghis Khan’s army were women? Though, according to my grandfather, I inherited more of my father’s side than my mother’s. Of course, the comment was made after I accidentally shot him in the foot with an arrow.”
I laugh so hard, my head whips backward. “Let me guess, your father’s side can’t cook, either.”
Taya gently kicks me in the thigh, the corners of her lips curling up. I grab hold of her, so she can’t pull away, and rest her foot in my lap. When her smile fades around the edges and she clears her throat, I worry I might have screwed things up somehow without even trying.
About the Author
Paris Wynters is an adult romance author repped by Tricia Skinner at Fuse Literary. She lives on Long Island in New York with her family, which includes two psychotic working dogs. Paris is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago. Paris and her son are nationally certified Search and Rescue personnel (she is a canine handler). She is a huge supporter of the military/veteran community. When not writing, Paris enjoys playing XBOX (she is a huge HALO fanatic and also enjoys FORTNITE), watching hockey (Go Islanders), and trying new things like flying planes and taking trapeze classes.
The Diary of a Late Bloomer; A quirky coming of age novel L.M.L Gil Publication date: June 29th 2020 Genres: Coming of Age, New Adult, Romance, Sports
Every wallflower blooms at their own perfect time, but some like quirky Lo, take longer than others.
Lo is a sheltered 20-year-old who loves baking, manga/anime, and octopi. When she spots her college swim team’s tryout flyer sporting her favorite sea creature, an octopus she knows it’s a sign that she must join the Flying Octopi. The only things standing her way are her social awkward nature and the fact that she just learned to swim.
Will Lo find her place to shine or will her social anxiety DQ her dreams?
Late Bloomer is a new adult novel that is a cross between Bridget Jones’s Diary, Baywatch and Kuragehime.
“I
feel like the world is spinning around me,” I said.
“That’s
what it’s like to be drunk,” Nick commented.
“Yes,
but I also mean in general, even before drinking. My mom and dad are arguing at
night. They never argued before. My mom complains and my dad stays silent.
That’s the norm.”
“I
feel sorry for your dad,” Nick made a face.
“I
guess. I’m worried that they’ll get divorced.” I hadn’t even acknowledged the
fear to myself.
“It
happens,” was all he said to comfort me.
“Not
to my family,” I protested.
“If
you say so,” he shrugged.
“I
think my brother is lonely but I don’t know how to help him have friends.”
“He’ll
be fine. Plus, he didn’t seem lonely to me,” Nick replied. “You’re a
talkative drunk, aren’t you?”
“I’ve
never been drunk before. And Martin’s mad at me because I said stupid things,”
I complained.
“If
Marlin knows you, he should know most of the stuff that comes out for mouth is
dumb,” he grumbled.
“I’m
scared,” I wasn’t sure if my fear was of being drunk or just in general.
“You
won’t die so stop with the melodrama.”
“But
I feel like I’m in a tunnel,” I was having tunnel vision.
“That’s
because we are,” he sighed.
“Nick,
can I ask you for a favor?”
“You
want more from me than an escort home in a taxi?” he glared at me. “What favor
do you want?”
“Can
you hold my hand?” I looked at his hands, “I know you don’t like people
touching you.”
He
chuckled. “What makes you say that?”
“You
always avoid hugs and handshakes,” I replied.
“You’re
observant,” he scrunched up his nose. “People are dirty.”
He
reached over and grabbed my sweaty and sticky hand.
His
nose scrunched up even more, but he didn’t complain.
The
warmth of his hand calmed the nausea. He held my hand the whole ride and only
let go to pay the driver.
Author Bio:
L.M.L. Gil is a writer, a reader, and a dreamer.
When she is not writing, editing, or thinking about her next story, she is either in the kitchen testing out a new recipe or snuggling with her fur munchkins reading.
As a glutton, she equates a good novel to a scrumptious dessert, which leaves your heart a little lighter and a smile on your face.
She hopes her novels provide a sweet treat without the calories
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Everything about Under The Board walk talked to me, especially the title and cool cover, and now I am trying to decipher what cover I am supposed to use and because the title was changed too. I am disappointed about the cover and title, but the blurb still makes me want to read it. The second cover is the newer one.
Wounded artist Hallie Reed comes to Pajaro Bay for a summer job at the funky old amusement park owned by her college roommate’s family. But she finds more than she bargained for: danger, romance, and a new beginning await Hallie during her summer at the beach, and she—and the whole town—will be changed forever by what she finds Under the Boardwalk.
Welcome to the charming little village of Pajaro Bay, with its cast of quirky characters and its cottages overlooking the sun-drenched coast.
I added this on 10.4.12. Like I said above, I grabbed this because of the title, Under The Boardwalk and the fabulous cover. I still want to read it because I love anything beachy and I want to know what she finds Under The Boardwalk. How about you? Which title and cover speak to you?
If you look at her website, it’s obvious why she changed the cover and title and it does make the series appear branded.
I shared Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber for a tour, but I didn’t read and review it until the author asked me if I would like a copy. Of course, I said yes and I am so glad I did.
I have a thing for trees and love the cover. How about you?
I was first drawn to Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber when I saw the cover. I love trees, whether real or fantasy.
What would you do if you are ambling along a familiar trail, and all of a sudden, you find a tree that was never there before? I think I would run, but before they can decide to do the same, things begin to change with every step they take and they are whisked away, into another world.
Sarah, Dana, Ciara and Megan are in for the time of their lives and I am along for the ride. Katie Zaber did a fantastic job creating a world filled with wonder and magic. I quickly became immersed in her world, created in vivid detail with characters I immediately became involved with.
Of course, we have to have one who is in the spotlight and that will be Megan, though all peripheral characters have very important parts to play to make this book a whole. Each has their own personalities and talents that will come in handy. They are tight and their ‘family’ grows as the adventure moves along.
Action and adventure abound and they find their destiny in a place they never could have imagined. Of course, we have to have a bad guy, and he hits very close to home, but there is someone involved who never shows their face. Are they there to save her, or want her for themselves. AND why do they want her? I am curious about who this ‘person’ is and maybe I will find out in the next book, which I hope Katie is rapidly writing.
As I searched around, Ashes and Blood is the only book I have seen by Katie Zaber. If this is her debut novel, she did a bang up job and I can only imagine what is to come. I plan on being along for the ride.
If you are looking for a story to get lost in and escape the real world for a while, I highly recommend Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“I’ll start at the beginning. Long ago, before roads, before we built structures, before medicine was discovered, before the government was created, before man gained any knowledge, there were The Five. Independent from each other, The Five had a mutual respect for one another. They knew their roles in the world and their duty. They were gods…”
An adventure begins when an otherworldly tree captures the attention of Megan and her friends. The environment morphs around them, transferring them to an exotic planet. Stuck in a rural town still maimed by the plague, a chance encounter with a familiar face gives Megan and her friends some security during their adjustment period.
While settling into new, promising lives, they are attacked and stalked by planet Dalya’s humanoid inhabitants, who focus on Megan. One dark night, after an epic, magical attack, the Fae King’s knight is sent to fetch Megan. When she wakes up a prisoner, she learns that there is much more to this strange world, and it is oddly more like her own than she ever would have expected.
ABOUT KATIE ZABER
Katie Zaber is originally from Southern New Jersey. Her childhood home is just minutes from the Long Beach Island Bridge. When not writing, Katie can be found at wine tastings, sun bathing at the beach, going for hikes, screaming at Six Flags, reading, or in her favorite place, her kitchen, baking desserts and breads. She currently lives in Morris County, New Jersey with her boyfriend.
Such a great cover and tagline for Laying Ghosts, The Secrets of Selkie Moon #0.5 by Virginia King, I couldn’t resist grabbing it. It’s a quick read at 48 ebook pages.
Selkie’s home along, after declining an invite to spend time at a beachside resort with her honey, Andrew, who has to attend a conference. She has no use for beaches, other than to fear them and stay as far away from them as she can BUT…
She ends up at the beach anyway, when she receives a text:
Help me at Crystal Cottage. Rina.
She had lost touch with Marina, when she left with Frank and his band to go to London. Something doesn’t feel right and she has very bad memories of Crystal Cottage, but that won’t stop her.
Most of the characters leave a lot to be desired, even the possessive Andrew, who monitors her every move.
Wow, that was every which way of weird and surprising. I was tossed here and there, never knowing where I was going until I got there. I want more of Selkie…a lot more.
Love it!
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Ghosts used to moan. Now they … pho-o-ne.
A strange message, a deserted beach house, a shocking incident from the past … Selkie Moon’s life with change forever.
When
a text message from a long lost friend lures Selkie Moon to Crystal
Cottage, the chilling events from a house-party four years earlier wrap
her in ghostly fingers and turn her life upside-down.
A prequel to the Selkie Moon Mystery Series plus your bonus first chapter of The First Lie.
Read Laying Ghosts for a standalone 60-minute adrenaline rush or as a taste of the Selkie Moon Mystery Series: The First Lie, The Second Path, The Third Note and The Fourth Door
ABOUT VIRGINIA KING
When a voice wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you to write a mystery series, what’s a writer to do? That’s how I came to create Selkie Moon, after a massage from a strange woman with gifted hands was followed by this nocturnal message. I sat down at the keyboard until Selkie Moon turned up — a modern woman with a mythical name. Soon I was hooked, exploring far-flung places full of secrets where Selkie delves into psychological clues tangled up in the local mythology.
Before Selkie Moon invaded my life, I’d been a teacher, an unemployed ex-teacher, the author of over 50 children’s books, an audio-book producer, a workshop presenter and a prize-winning publisher. These days I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with my husband, where I disappear each day into Selkie Moon’s latest mystery. Bliss.
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let’s share some songs we’ve been enjoying lately! If you would like to play, and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below HERE
I have been binge watching Las Vegas and The Black Eyed Peas were on. I felt my foot tapping and the urge to sing along. How about you?
Mr Wonderful and I are frequent visitors to The Florabama, which is known as the Refneck Riviera. We have spent many wonderful hours drinking Bushwackers and Bloody Mary’s, alone and with friends, watching the waves roll in. Every year they have one of the world’s largest beach parties, the Mullet Toss, where people come from all over the world.
One day I walked in and immediately stopped at Chris Warner’s table…books…
Saved at the Alabama Florida Line jumped right off the table and into my hands. I loved signed copies and bought two books, hoping to see him again some time and buy more.
Have you every visited The Florabama on the Gulf Coast?
I love books that take place in a familiar location and Saved at the Alabama Florida Line by Chris Warner describes the place perfectly. I have visited The Florabama many times and we always take any visitors we have to share a cocktail and enjoy the view.
I walked into Florabama one day, me and Mr Wonderful were there for our Florabama fix and a delicious Bushwacker. I walked in the door and saw Chris Warner with his books and I immediately snatched a couple, getting them both autographed. With Covid going on, my hope to see him again and grab some more books from him went out the window.
All that being said, Saved at the Alabama Florida Line brought back memories of when I first moved to Alabama. I packed my dog and everything that would fit in my car and I drove to….Alabama.
I have visited the Redneck Riviera many times, I worked at Trinity’s and have the T shirts and sweat shirts to prove it, bought my first Mardi Gras ball gown at a small specialty shop in Fairhope, went to a party for the Kenny Stable Golf Tourney at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, spent a Mullet Toss weekend on Ono Island, have traveled 65 to 59 into Bay Minette and on to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, had a cocktail at Pink Pony Pub and bought the sweat shirt (it was chilly that day), went to a Jimmy Buffet concert on the Gulf Coast to raise awareness of the BP oil spill.
I remember my first glimpse of the white, sugary sands of Florida and thought, oh man, that looks so much like snow. It’s hard to describe unless you see it and walk through it yourself.
We travel from Point Clear to Seville Quarter here in Pensacola, with many stops along the way, enjoying cocktails, music and fun. After a little bit of partying, the Waffle House is a must stop to soak up the alcohol. Luckily, there is one right across the street from The Florabama.
Saved at the Alabama Florida Line has so many factual truths with a love story on the side. Who knows how many people have met there and gone on to have a love story of their own. I personally know of one couple, a good friend of ours and a woman we met at the Mullet Toss are still going strong years later. Ya just never know.
I loved traveling down memory lane, especially because I cannot be there due to Covid. I miss those moments of relaxation, with no cares, now worries. I long for those times and maybe a reread is in order because it will be a long time before I step through the doors again.
4 Stars
GOODREADS
Johnny Glass has had it with Nashville. Its many posers, pimps and politicians preyed on him for four difficult years, leaving him disheartened. A talented, struggling singer-songwriter, he still yearns to make a living doing what he loves, writing and singing songs. A former band mate lives in a broken down Airstream camper on the Florida-Alabama State line near the sparkling Gulf of Mexico—for free. Playing music and singing songs at the world-famous Flora-Bama Lounge and Package Store on the beach is his everyday gig. Johnny has a standing offer to join his buddy anytime, as the owner of the place is a lover of singer-songwriters, and could certainly use someone with his skills. Lucy Whitman is a sophomore debutante at the University of South Alabama and the privileged daughter of an Alabama State Senator. Uninterested in her life as a university student and sorority girl, Lucy tilts to the wild side on the weekends where she sings, unbeknownst to her overbearing parents, in a bona fide honky-tonk band at America’s Last Great American Roadhouse, the Flora-Bama. Instead of planned summer school, she has decided to spend the entire tourist season singing; and if it goes well, she likely won’t go back to South. For Johnny and Lucy, it’s love at first sight. Through joined artistry their relationship grows, and they become a popular on-stage duo. They enjoy each other and the creative fulfillment the partnership brings. However, Lucy’s mother and powerful father want nothing of their daughter playing a honky-tonk joint in Orange Beach. After gently trying to win her favor, they make their strongest, connected attempt toward altering her brazen life path; and it has devastating consequences—not only for Lucy’s music, but for everyone living on Pleasure Island: The beloved Flora-Bama may be shuttered—for good. Lucy’s father uses his political connections to deploy an army of state government agents against the beach bar, trumping up dozens of unfounded charges resulting in its indefinite closure. Already in financial trouble stemming from bad outside investments, a great recession and an unprecedented manmade environmental disaster, the bar cannot afford to be closed during the lucrative tourist season. Johnny and Lucy, the locals and the rest of the musicians join forces with the Flora-Bama’s loveable owner and come up with a plan to save the quintessential beach bar, and the community it faithfully supports. In doing so, Johnny and Lucy realize the grand futility of commercial success, and the bountiful wealth they already possess—from living and enjoying life, making music and many friends, in a beautiful, unforgettable place like no other. Saved at the Alabama-Florida Line is a romantic, satirical tale of forbidden love that seeks to draw semblance to Southern living, art, failed politics and pop culture.
Betting on Sin Maria Ann Green Publication date: June 26th 2020 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Greta has been here before. Like, literally. She was just in this Las Vegas penthouse a couple months ago. Back then she was meeting Finn, the handsome bachelor looking for love, on The Lock—the most popular reality dating TV show around. But when she was here last time she was dumped, and went home alone instead of engaged. Life sucks sometimes.
But, other times, that same life has a beautiful way of showing you why it sucked so hard before – so you can appreciate what comes next even more. Because now Greta is the next lucky bachelorette to have thirty or so men worshiping her while she breaks up with them one at a time. It’s weird to be recognized in public, and even weirder to have so many dudes fighting over her. Actually after just a couple days it’s kind of exhausting, especially when she’d rather send all but a couple of them home. Be careful what you wish for, right?
Throughout the whirlwind Greta spends more time with her personal cameraman, Oliver, than she does on Trysts with the guys she’s supposed to be falling in love with. And the more time she spends with Oliver the less she wants to spend with anyone else. Anyone. Even the guys here for her. It gets worse too. The fact that he’s behind the scenes instead of on the big screen…it’s not the only problem. He also has a girlfriend. And that’s a line Greta won’t cross. But she can’t stop wishing she’d met him before all of this craziness.
Will Greta get her head together long enough to focus on following the rules of the show, or will she screw up this second shot at love too?
*Content Warning: sex, alcohol use, and language*
If you like reality dating TV shows, romances with steam and heart, female leads with no time for conflict or bullshit, and redheads, then Betting On Sin might be your next favorite book. It has plenty of awkward moments, friends to lovers, and promises the most dramatic season finale yet. It’ll keep you up way too late, reading just one more chapter all night.
I watch as his eyes widen, and he bites his bottom lip for a moment. And I watch as he sits still. I watch him…not backing away, not stopping me from what we both know I’m doing.
I close my eyes, too scared of the rejection I know is coming.
Call me a coward, I don’t care anymore.
I close my eyes and hover in front of his face, waiting. I want to go the rest of the way; I want to so badly, I can feel the need of it prickling all over. But I don’t. I cant.
Not yet.
Instead, I wait for him to show me somehow, tell me, that this is what he wants too.
His hands find mine then, his fingers moving to intertwine with mine, and he leans forward. It’s just an inch. It’s not the rest of the way to me, doesn’t close the whole distance.
But it’s enough.
It’s enough to show me that we’re in this together. That I haven’t made everything up in my mind. That he wants me too.
So I go for it. I close the last bit of space between us until my lips crash into his. And it’s like…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
Even though it’s only a kiss, nothing else.
But it feels like home.
Like what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
Like nothing in the universe has been this right.
Author Bio:
Maria lives in Minnesota despite the frozen winters. Actually, she prefers snow drifts and icicles over summer and all that sweat running everywhere. She lives with her husband and little family, which includes a couple lazy cats who make great lap warmers. You can usually find her whishing that she lived in a secret cabin in the woods where she could be a hermit reading and writing all of the time. Instead she lives the suburban life where she pretends to her neighbors and the other moms around that she doesn’t swear like a sailor, have hidden tattoos, and love a good glass bottle of wine. She absolutely believes in unicorns and ghosts and hopes vampires and monsters are real too. She’s a coffee-in-the-morning and wine-in-the-evening kind of person, preferably with a nap in between. Maria prefers cats over dogs, books over people, and late nights over early mornings. She probably shouldn’t talk to anyone until she’s had her first cup of coffee. And if you ever want to hang out with her, you’ll have to be game for a horror movie or just a quick run to target for two (hundred) little things. Also, you couldn’t pay her to be in her twenties again; Thirties is where it’s at. She’s a creative, mouthy, introverted, proud bisexual, highly-sensitive INFJ, Slytherpuff, dork with a sweet-tooth.
Maria devours books, reading mostly in bed or listening to audio books in the car. Writing has been one of her passions for pretty much her whole life. So creativity is a necessity for her, always. After working in the mental health field for almost a decade, she’s now living her dream as a stay-at-home writer, kiddo wrangler, professional snuggler, and constantly-tired-person. When it comes to her writing, she specializes in dark and twisted thrillers or gritty, angsty contemporary romances. But no matter the genre, she always prefers writing deeply flawed characters with dysfunctional relationships. She’s pretty sure the whole “unlikable character” thing is a conspiracy because every character she loves have been labeled this way. Ridiculous. And because of this, she’s pretty much found it impossible to write anything without at least a little mayhem.
Maria was once told she painted with her words, and that phrase stuck with her – because writing really is an art, and good stories are true masterpieces. She’s always trying to grow and improve in her craft, shooting for a masterpiece of her own someday. And she plans to write forever because writing gives Maria the ability to disappear into new worlds and create people within twisting plots, all from the comfort of her couch. She will always believe that though not every story is for her, and her stories aren’t for everyone, every story has a reader.
Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a prolific writer and her Spookie Town Murder Mystery series has been a big hit for her. She is currently working on Book 7. Woo Hoo. Congratulations Kathryn.
Interview with Kathryn Meyer Griffith
What’s
next for you as a writer?
I am in a very different place than most
younger writers. I’m at a different part of my life and my writing career. I’ve
been writing now for over 48 years (that’s not my age…that is how long I have
been actually writing) and I’m slowing down. The feverish obsession to write
has faded some and I am very aware of the preciousness of time in a person’s life.
I’m almost 70 now and I want to enjoy my everyday existence as well as play in
my make-believe worlds. So…will I write my 30th novel, or 14th short story? I
do not know. If God allows me to, I will. I have been writing Dinosaur Lake and
Spookie Town Murder Mysteries now for over 10 years and I do miss my horror.
Perhaps I’ll write one more really scary vampire/witch/demon/ghost book before
my curtain comes down. Perhaps.
What
is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Keep writing. Write what you love to read.
Read. But…make time in between your writing to LIVE your life, make friends,
have fun. Believe me, life goes so quickly.
Anne Rice
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
Peter Straub
Michael Crichton
Jane Austen
Ray Bradbury
Robert Heinlein
Do you have
any unusual writing habits?
I love to write on my couch, on my laptop, with the TV on
and a cup of coffee or chocolate coffee to drink, or snacks. Some writers can
write with music playing…I can’t. But TV, yes.
What is the
name of your latest book and what inspired it?
All Those Who Came Before…is my 29th novel and the sixth
of my Spookie Town Murder Mysteries. People seem to love my quirky town cozy
murder mysteries so I just keep writing them, even though I am actually a horror/thriller
writer.
If you were
going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with
you what books would you bring?
The Bible
The newest Stephen King book
The newest/best-selling Murder Mystery
Newest best-selling SF book
What’s next
for you as a writer?
I am in a very different place than most younger writers.
I’m at a different part of my life and my writing career. I’ve been writing now
for over 48 years (that’s not my age…that is how long I have been actually
writing) and I’m slowing down. The feverish obsession to write has faded some
and I am very aware of the preciousness of time in a person’s life. I’m almost
70 now and I want to enjoy my everyday existence as well as play in my
make-believe worlds. So…will I write my 30th novel, or 14th short story? I do
not know. If God allows me to, I will. I have been writing Dinosaur Lake and
Spookie Town Murder Mysteries now for over 10 years and I do miss my horror.
Perhaps I’ll write one more really scary vampire/witch/demon/ghost book before
my curtain comes down. Perhaps.
Do you have
any advice for new authors?
Never give up. Keep writing. Write what you love to read.
Read. These days…advertise, advertise, advertise!
What is the
best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. Keep writing. Write what you love to read.
Read. But…make time in between your writing to LIVE your life, make friends,
have fun. Believe me, life goes so quickly.
THE HISTORY OF MY 5 BEST-SELLING DINOSAUR LAKE BOOKS:
I started the first DINOSAUR LAKE over 28 years ago and it
(stupidly titled back then as Predator…a title I fought with my publisher to
change, but they wouldn’t) and Zebra Paperbacks was supposed to publish the
first one in 1994. Last minute, though, after it was slated to go on the stands
in 6 weeks, covers printed and final editing done, they dumped it; dumped a lot
of their so-called horror authors and my book (which was to be my seventh
published novel; fourth with Zebra). Zebra said “no one wants to read
about a dinosaur.” Yeah? Jurassic Park came out soon after that. Oh well.
Anyway, disgusted at that time with publishers and everything to
do with writing I stuffed the manuscript into a drawer. Then in 2012 I decided
to try self-publishing and remembered that old manuscript. I took it out, rewrote
it and used it as an experiment in self-publishing. And boy did my readers love
it and buy it. So, over the next eight years I wrote 4 sequels: Dinosaur Lake
II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV:
Dinosaur Wars, and Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors. They are still among some of my
best-selling and beloved books; second only to my 6 Spookie Town Murder
Mysteries. Want to read more about my dinosaur books, look here: tinyurl.com/ycp5gqb2
The Prologue for All Things Slip Away filled me in on the highlights of the Spookie Town Murder Mystery Series Book I, Scaps of Paper, and thank goodness. It has been a while since I read it, so I needed a refresher. You could begin reading here, but I am loving this series so much, I would highly recommend beginning at the beginning. 🙂
NOW…it’s ten years later and Frank Lester, a Chicago Homicide detective that moved to Spooky town, has found the serial killer he thought he had taken out is back, and he is on the hunt…for revenge.
I read a lot of Young Adult novels, so it is refreshing to be meeting some older characters that carry baggage and memories, and lust does not override their emotions. The romance is a slow burn, but smolders throughout the pages.
There is so much more to the killer than meets the eye. He has his own issues and problems that he cannot overcome. He is driven to seek revenge. The villain is one of those bad guys that can evoke a moment of sympathy for him.
Abigail is Frank’s love interest, but he is not alone in his desire to date her.The sheriff has his eye on her too. Myrtle is a neighbor and she is quite the character. She gave me some laughs and I love some humor with my murder. My heart went out to Laura and Nick, and the rest of their family, two children whose mother is ill and they struggle to even feed themselves. The two kids broke my heart, yet put a smile on my face.
The suspense is ramping up as the pacing takes me to the next event and I am eager, yet apprehensive about HIS and Frank’s next meeting.
Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s has an ability to draw me into the story so deep that I feel like I am walking in Abigail’s shoes, being stalked, feeling like someone is following me, watching me, having me looking over my shoulder, ‘hiding out’, keeping low.
I love that Kathryn can stretch the story, all the while keeping me on edge. It has been months since HE has been seen…life goes on…but, we all know it isn’t over. The tension builds as I wait, wait for the explosion that is about to come.
Well, I guess you can tell how much I loved All Things Slip Away. The story is fabulous and kept me totally engrossed, the characters came to life on the pages through Kathryn’s words and I fell in love with them. The peripheral characters became just as important to me as the main ones. The mystery, yeah, we know who he is, sorta but that does not take away anything from the story.
I highly recommend any of her work. Kathryn has never disappointed me.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of All Things Slip Away by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Ten years ago Frank Lester, a Chicago homicide detective, thought he had rid himself forever of the Mud People Killer who’d kidnapped and murdered six people. Frank had shot him as he’d fled through a snowy night; had killed him, he believed, though a body was never found. But the killer wasn’t dead. He’d only been waiting to take his revenge on Frank and those he cares about now…ten years later. Frank retired early and is living back in his hometown of Spookie when the killer resurfaces to take up where he left off. Kidnapping more innocents and tormenting Frank and the people he cares about. Unless Frank and his artist girlfriend, Abigail Sutton, can find and stop him before he kills more people and perhaps both of them.
SPOOKIE TOWN MURDER MYSTERIES: FROM THE AUTHOR for Author Central:
I started writing this SPOOKIE TOWN MURDER MYSTERY (I called the town Spookie as a tip-of-my-hat to my horror roots…I began my career in 1984 as a Leisure & Zebra horror paperback writer) series way back in 2003 (that is why there are no iPhones and laptops in the first few books…I wanted to keep the timeline pure) for Avalon Books as hardcovers and since then, because people loved the stories so much, I have written six more and self-published them all in eBooks everywhere, paperbacks and audio books. Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (The Fifth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (The Sixth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), When the Fireflies Returned (The Seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery, which will be out in December 2020). Since 1984, I have published 29 novels (horror, romance, time-travel, paranormal and thrillers)and 13 short stories.
Thank you, the author Kathryn Meyer Griffith
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been a writer
for over forty-nine years now and has had twenty-nine novels and thirteen short
stories published since 1984. She began her writing career as a paperback
horror author in 1984 with Leisure and Zebra Publishing, but has since moved on
to write paranormal horror, romantic historical time-travel, suspense, romance,
thrillers, and murder mysteries. Her horror novel The Last Vampire, and her
thriller Dinosaur Lake (now a best-selling five book series), were both Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in 2012 and 2014. Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
NOVELS: Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 Epic eBook Awards Finalists in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (1st Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (2nd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (3rd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (4th Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (5th Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (6th Spookie Town Murder Mystery); soon, a 7th, When the Fireflies Retuned, out in December 2020, Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 Epic eBook Awards Finalists in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Memories of My Childhood, and a biographical short story Christmas Magic 1959.
“How much was the Uber Eats? I’ll
pay for it. I’m the one that dragged you out here,” Josh says.
“No, don’t worry about it. I got
it. Here’s your veggie curry.”
“It smells good.”
“How’s it taste?” Noah asks.
“Alright. It’s not as good as the
one we used to go to, but okay.”
“Oh shit, that’s right. Thai
Mondays. I forgot about that.”
“I didn’t. I’ll still stop over and
grab some when I get a chance,” Josh says.
“Hand me that sriracha sauce. It’s
not truly Thai until I’ve burned the roof of my mouth.”
“Here you go. Hey, you remember
that place we ate at on Fiji? What was it called, Chanatos?”
“Oh, wait, no it was Chantaro!”
Noah remembers.
“Yeah! That’s the place! You had
that Massaman curry and doused it in chili sauce?”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. That chili
sauce was hotter than Satan’s asshole, I swear. I paid dearly for that one,
both coming and going.”
“Bwhaahhaa!”
“Why are you laughing, Josh? As I
recall, you had a life ruining moment as well.”
“Yeah, that was the day I
discovered you never take a shart for granted.”
“Let’s toast to that one and never
eat there again,” Noah says.
“Never again,” says Josh, finishing
the toast.
“We’ve had a lot of crazy firsts,”
Noah reminisces.
“Remember our first zip line
adventure in Fiji?” asks Josh.
“Yeah. I screamed the entire way
down, then passed out.”
“Then there was our first trip to
Italy.”
“I was heavily medicated on
Dramamine,” Noah says, sipping his beer.
“And who could forget our first ski
trip in Colorado?”
“Yeah, I got drunk off brandy to
stay warm,” chuckles Noah.
“Why do most of our memorable
activities revolve around you being unconscious in some way?” Josh says.
“I can think of one first where I
was completely lucid.”
“What’s that?”
“Our first kiss,” Noah says.
“There were like 20 or more people staring
at us, I would call that less memorable and more anxiety ridden.”
“No, not that kiss. Our first real
kiss.”
“In the gazebo?” asks Josh.
“Yep.” Noah smiles.
“I was so nervous. I thought I was
going to swallow my tongue.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. It would have
made for an awkward good-night kiss,” Noah jokes.
“I never told you this before, but
that day on the bunny slope, when you were all tangled up in your skis and
falling over, was the day I realized how much I was in love with you.”
“You’re kidding, right?” A small
grin trickles over Noah’s lips.
“No, I was freaking out in the van
on the ride back, thinking about how to tell you.”
“That’s why you were so quiet? I
thought you were busy thinking about making out with Archer.”
“Like you would’ve noticed! You
spent the day practically dating my brothers! I couldn’t pry them off you.
Chloe made that super lame excuse to get them out of the house so we could be
alone together.”
Noah says, “Yep. I remember. The
gazebo was the perfect setting with the Christmas lights and the decorations.
Damn, all we needed was a Michael Bublé
song and we would’ve had our own Hallmark Christmas romance movie.”
“No, that would be too PG-Rated for
us.”
“We were PG. Until we got back to
LA, where you corrupted me,” Noah teases.
“I corrupted you? Uh,
excuse me. I believe you have that backwards. I remember someone dragging me
into the house and then having their wicked way.”
“That time I was the scared one.”
“We’d never gone that far before,”
Josh says.
“It felt right. Like we belonged
together.” Noah sighs.
“It did. We always fit together,
like puzzle pieces.” Josh pauses a moment. “You fit me perfectly our first
time. I wasn’t scared or nervous. You were so tender and loving.”
“Josh, I’d have done just about
anything to be with you. To have you.”
“I would have let you,” Josh says,
repeating that line from so long ago…
“Can I kiss you?” asks Noah.
“Please.”
Noah moves in to taste his lips,
gently at first, then nipping his upper lip. “You taste so good.”
“So do you,” says Josh, reluctantly
pulling his lips away.
“Again?” breathes Noah, heavily.
“Yes…mmm…how do you always do this
to me?” Josh’s eyes roll back in his head in pleasure. “Noah, we can’t use sex
to solve our problems all the time.”
“You’re right.”
“Is this a bad idea?” Josh says.
“Absolutely.”
“That’s what I thought. Just
checking.”
Author Bio:
T.L. always hated math, so it was a good thing she had a way with words. Since she was a shy and quirky kid; words were her best friends. She would imagine entire worlds in her head and talk to herself endlessly. Her mother wondered if she was speaking with ghosts for a while.
Her older sister was a voracious reader of trashy romance novels and would pass them down to her after she had finished them. T.L. was the only 10-year-old kid sitting in class reading “The Stud” by Jackie Collins during reading time. Oddly enough, she never got called out on it.
As she grew older, her tastes evolved, but one thing held fast; her undying attachment to love stories. One day out of the blue, she decided to write the love stories she always wanted to read instead of searching for her story. Since then, writing has been a dream fulfilled for her and she could not be happier.
She enjoys writing about love, regardless of gender and is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community.
T.L. calls the Pacific Northwest her home and enjoys the quiet rural life of her little oceanside home with her playful/crazy husband and their giant dog Noah.
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