This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sara R. Turnquist will be awarding a $30 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
She has nowhere to go. He has nothing to lose.
Lily McAllen has known nothing but hardship and rejection. Her brother, the only person she can lean on, takes a job at the Miller ranch. Now with no ally, she is alone, confined, and vulnerable. She becomes desperate to get away…by any means necessary.
Despite his best intentions, Daniel Hayworth is drawn into a fatal mishap. He feels responsible. And is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure Lily is cared for…even if that means proposing marriage.
Complicating matters, Geronimo and his raiding band terrorize the surrounding areas. Troubles mount and tensions challenge the growing attraction between Dan and Lily.
Will they make it to the church? Or find themselves victims of lies, disillusionment, or the ire of an Apache rebel?
Read an Excerpt:
She prayed he would not pull back. Why would she do so? Why did she wish him to be near? Why did that seem important?
As if answering her prayer, he leaned closer. “That’s just not possible.”
She clenched her hands. “Why not?” The words did not have much force behind them.
“Just…trust me.” His words were clipped.
The manner of his tone sliced through her, stinging as it cut. Her fight against her tears became futile. And one escape.
Why would he be so insistent? Was there something he didn’t trust her with?
Dan covered her hands with his larger ones. “Lily, I…”
What did he care to say? Would he speak things that would endear him to her? She should not listen, yet she waited.
“I only want to do the best I can by you. For you.”
This time it was she who sought his regard while he looked downward.
He continued, “I can’t do that if you won’t trust me.”
In the silence of the moments that followed, she considered his words. And she knew he had been right—there must be some give and take. And he wasn’t asking for much. Only hurt had kept her from seeing it.
She didn’t have ground to stand on anyway. The truth was she had nothing. No one. And nowhere to go. He had been and was being generous. This offer was a gift.
Nodding, she slid a thumb over one of his fingers.
He peered up at her, meeting her gaze at last.
The velvety brown she found there was so soft and deep that the world melted away. Her heartbeat slowed.
Perhaps her trust wasn’t for nothing.
About the Author:
Sara is a coffee lovin’, word slinging, Historical Romance author whose super power is converting caffeine into novels. She loves those odd little tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That’s what inspires her. Well, that and a good love story.
But of all the love stories she knows, hers is her favorite. She lives happily with her own Prince Charming and their gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it must happen in the wee hours of the morning.
Sara is an avid reader and enjoys reading and writing clean Historical Romance when she’s not traveling. Her books range from the Czech lands to the American wild west and from ancient Egypt to the early 1900s. Some of her titles include The Lady Bornekova, Hope in Cripple Creek, The General’s Wife, Trail of Fears, and the Convenient Risk Series.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Barbara Whitaker will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Seeking adventure, shy Kitty Greenlee joins the Women’s Army Corps. In 1944 England, as secretarial support to the 8th Air Force, she encounters her dream man, a handsome lieutenant who only has eyes for her blonde friend. Uncomfortable around men, Kitty doesn’t think the handsome officer could want someone like her.
Recovering from wounds, Ted Kruger wants to forget about losing his closest friends and have fun before returning to danger as a bomber navigator. When Ted recognizes Kitty as the girl who rescued him two years before, he must choose between dating the sexy blonde or pursuing quiet, serious-minded Kitty even though he knows he’s not nearly good enough for her.
As the war gears up with the D-Day invasion, will Kitty and Ted risk their hearts as well as their lives?
Read an Excerpt
“Starting Initial Point,” the pilot announced. “McGill take over.”
No dodging it now. The bombardier took the controls for the bomb run.
Seconds ticked away. Ted’s gloved hand clenched the pencil. He forced himself to relax before he broke another one. He couldn’t plot their course on the map without a pencil.
The aircraft reeled from explosions nearby. The bumpy ride made him think of an old truck driving at top speed over a rutted, muddy road in the middle of the night. Unable to dodge the holes, even though he knew they were filled with dynamite. Unable to stop. Just straight ahead until he blew up.
Come on, Come on. Get it over with and get out of here.
“Bombs away.” The beautiful, gorgeous words came through the intercom. The plane lurched upward at the loss of its heavy load. He let out a sigh.
“I’ve got it,” Rollins announced. The pilot took back the controls and maneuvered away from the drop zone.
Ted marked the spot on the map and started his calculations for the return leg.
“Hang on. We’re in the middle of it,” the pilot warned only an instant before an explosion jarred through them.
The plane bounced and shook.
Then another, louder bang.
Ted’s seat collapsed, tossing him to the floor. His head hit something.
Blackness alternated with blurry, bright light.
Fiery pain burned through his thigh. His hand searched for the wound. He gasped for air. His oxygen tube must have pulled loose.
Someone hovered over him. “Kruger’s hit.” It was McGill’s voice. Clutching his tightening throat, Ted watched as Mac stuck the tube of a walk-around bottle into Ted’s mask.
About the Author:
Barbara grew up in a small town in Tennessee where the repeated stories of local and family history became embedded in her psyche. Fascinating tales of wartime, from her parents and her in-laws, instilled an insatiable curiosity about World War II. After retiring from her sensible career in accounting, she began full time pursuit of her lifelong love of historical romantic fiction. Enjoying every minute of research, Barbara spends hours reading, watching old, black-and-white movies and listening to big band music.
Although Barbara and her husband have been longtime residents of Florida, they both still think of Tennessee as “home.” Visit Barbara’s website at http://barbarawhitaker.com. Or find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraWhitakerAuthor.
Welcome to my tour stop for Wired by the FBI by Glenn Painter. After checking out the book and author, be sure and enter the giveaway at the bottom of the page.
Hello Readers!
Welcome to my 15-week book tour which starts on April 14th
and concludes on July 30th.
This tour was planned before the onset of this terrible
covid-19 virus which has invaded our world.
I want to extend my deepest sympathy to everyone, especially those who
have lost loved ones.
A
donation from me will be going out immediately to the charity I have listed
below and I will also be donating 25% of any royalties from the book which is featured on this
tour, to the covid-19 Response Fund. This fund
gives support to preparedness, containment, response and recovery activities.
The 25% of royalties will be donated when I receive the final notification of
number of books sold. I am also encouraging all authors to make some
sort of donation to help with the recovery efforts. WE ARE ALL IN THIS FIGHT TOGETHER!
We all are wondering what the long-term impact this
covid-19 virus will be to our communities and our livelihoods, Every American,
as well as the companies that have worked very hard for every author have been
affected, but I have faith that we will recover from this terrible pandemic if
we all stick together and we all do our part – no matter how small.
I will also be donating, (over and above what
Goddess/Fish is offering):
$100 Amazon Gift
certificate to one randomly drawn commentator
$100 Amazon gift
certificate to one randomly drawn host.
These drawings will be done
via Rafflecopter that will be created by Goddess/Fish Promotions at the end of
the tour. To all of my fellow-authors –
please don’t forget our marketing representatives, book agents, reviewers,commentator’s,
hosts,etc..who are probably working from home and trying to help
us.
I will be posting all pertinent information on my web site www.gapainter.com
once the tour is
over. The Gift Certificates will be
mailed immediately after the tour is completed and the 25% will be posted once
I receive Royalties resulting in the sale of all electronic and print versions
of WIRED By The FBI.
I wish that I could do more, however, with every-one’s support, WE
WILL BEAT THIS TERRIBLE SETBACK.
Thank you, god bless all of you and
the United States of America.
Glenn
Painter
Wired by the FBI by Glenn Painter
GENRE: Suspense, Thriller
BLURB
Christian
Romano lives his life as a con-artist, burglar, drug dealer, and a ladies’ man,
using his good looks to con wealthy women out of jewels and money. When he is
arrested and jailed in one of the most violent jails in the U.S. (Cook County
in Chicago), a steamy affair begins with a nympho female jail guard. When he
loses control of the romance, Christian must end the affair by reporting her to
Internal Affairs. It turns out that she is already under suspicion for
supplying drugs to various gang members inside the jail. He has to decide if he
is “”rogue”” enough to help set her up for arrest.
Meanwhile, the FBI wants to recruit Christian to gather information against a
sadist ex-cop, Scott Mason, who has been arrested for murder. The risk?
Christian must wear a wire and testify. The reward? Witness protection for
Christian and his girlfriend and a modification of his prison sentence. Will
Christian risk his life for a chance at freedom? Will the female sheriff
“”get even”” with him? Or will his life end at the hands of
the jail’s drug lords or a lunatic former cop?
EXCERPT
Something’s wrong, my intuition told me, as I stepped out of
the stairwell and into the chaotic frenzy of the main hallway running under
Division One of the Cook County jail.
Sergeant Ricky Walsh opened the heavy, rusted steel door
leading to the death trap—that is A-B stairwell—then turned to me. “Romano,
take the stairs down four flights to the bottom, I will meet you there.”
There are four sets of stairs that lead to the main
boulevard on the first floor. They are legendary for the infamous men who have been
butchered there, the bloodstained walls are a testament to the violence that is
the norm in this building. As I begin my descent down the narrow and poorly lit
stairwell, the thought hits me: At least half a dozen men have been stabbed in
this exact place. The words taunt me as I step slowly down the stairs so that
Walsh will have time to beat me to the first floor in the old, decrepit
elevator.
When I finally make it down, I breathe a sigh of relief. But
it is not Walsh waiting at the huge, steel door I am to exit. Instead of the
old mick—who looked and walked like a bulldog with his perfectly groomed hair
and mustache—it was one of the lackey guards. They would often hang out on the
main floor waiting to proposition some poor woman coming to visit her man. I
open the door and step through quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion. But my
heart hangs in my throat.
During my trip down the stairwell, the heavy steel recorder
slid down my pant leg, stopping on top of my right foot. The ACE bandage, meant
to hold it in place, was also dangling and ready to pop out for everyone to
see. Panic set in as my mind processed a million thoughts, but I couldn’t break
my stride.
It was common knowledge that this is where inmates often
came out stabbing when sent to attack a guard by one of the gang bosses.
Looking past the guard, I saw Sergeant Walsh bearing down on us as fast as his
stubby legs would carry him.
“Hey Walsh,” I said, “the food poisoning is getting worse,
I’m gonna puke all over this guy.”ng around to see what was going on. These
guards tolerated zero bull, especially from a smart-ass like me.
I decided that it was quicker and easier to shove the
recorder under the waistband of my jail pants and pray it would stay. After
splashing water on my face, I poked my head out.
Walsh fell right in line with my cover. “We’re going to the
hospital, come with me!” he bellowed.
I exited the closet, pushing the recorder into my torso as
we walked past another guard. We traveled down the long hallway. Once we were far
enough out of earshot, Walsh found an unoccupied attorney visiting room. As he
opened the door, I scurried to the far corner.
“The hallway is clear!” Walsh yelled.
I pulled the recorder from my waistband and looked at it
with disdain. Then I wrapped it tight with the ACE bandage. Although the long
recording wires had to be reconnected and it only took a few moments, it felt
like forever.
Then it hit me: I’m wearing a wire against one of the most
violent hitmen Chicago has ever known, and this prick had been a Chicago cop.
He probably knows every person who works in this jail. Getting whacked in a
place like this costs less than a carton of cigarettes. What the hell have I
gotten myself into? But there was no backing out, and I still had to get back to
my tier.
Walsh looked at me, his brow furrowed. He quietly asked,
“You alright, kid?”
“I better be. I signed a deal with the devil, and it’s time
to pay up.”
I drew in a deep breath as we headed to the hospital, so we
could sign in and make it look legit.
How did my life get to this point? I wondered as I followed
Walsh. Growing up in Chicago, I was exposed to police corruption, murder,
drugs, gangsters, and sex, oh yes, lots and lots of sex.
I had no clue of what awaited me, but my unsavory legacy was
about to go down in history like crap down a toilet.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Glenn Painter is single and lives in Central Florida. He became interested in writing at an early age but did not make it his career until 2014 when he published his first book, Beyond the Sentence.
Glenn has
written this story from the notes by the man who actually lived it. However, extensive research was also require
in order to make the story factual.
Glenn has also
founded a company, ‘Prisoner Civil Right Services.’ He is an advocate for incarcerated
individuals who have had their rights violated.
He is in constant contact with these individuals, their families and the
council. Most of his stories are
inspired by ‘factual events’ that have happened to these individuals. This makes his stories both fiction and non-fiction.
Glenn says that
writing is very challenging, and you must love the trials and tribulations that
come with it. He believes that patience,
perseverance and determination are required essentials to see a book through to
being published. The journey is just as
important as the destination.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
“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.
Read an Excerpt
Megan
Today has been a whirlwind, and I’m not looking forward to tonight. I’m positive the elite members of society will flaunt their latest ensembles. A competition among the wealthy to win a proverbial pat on the back for the best dressed. A sport for the rich. They won’t work up a sweat—that’s for the poor. Instead, they compete with wits and money. Women prancing around wearing cage ball gowns, adorned with priceless jewels. Their main goal is to uncover juicy gossip while competing for the wealthiest bachelor. Men swirling this world’s version of expensive scotch talk business and watch women swoon. It can’t be very different from Earth’s aristocratic affairs, not that I ever attended. Movies and the internet displayed enough information to know what to expect.
I had assumed it would be a rather humdrum affair, but my opinion changes quickly, standing before the colossal golden doors. Realization hits me. I am so naïve.
It feels like I’m walking into a fairy tale, but the darker Brothers Grimm version.
Beautiful, handcrafted, golden double doors depict a grand party. Intricate artwork chiseled into the doors displays two long banquet tables of food, roasts on fancy platters, piles of vegetables, and dainty desserts. Between the buffet tables, people adorned with masquerade attire dance. They wave, inviting everyone to the party. Guests laugh, drink, and enjoy themselves under the watchful king. The artwork depicts the king having fun, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he studies everyone, meticulously watching individuals, judging their personality, appearance, and demeanor while in his presence. A crooked smile peels his lips back—it hints at his sly and cruel nature. I can’t help but look at the doors and realize this is a perfect portrayal of what awaits me.
Instead of a warm welcome, it’s a stern warning.
About the Author
Katie Zaber writes new adult fiction. With multiple projects spanning from being transported to an alternate universe, to past lives, reincarnation, and trapped souls, to prophesied pregnancies—there are more stories to tell. She lives in North New Jersey with her boyfriend.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sandra C. Lopez will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Single Chicas is a collection of stories about modern Latinas being in, out, and around the zany hurdles of relationships. One woman receives strange calls from a lonely soul, another seeks advice on how to love herself, and another wakes up in a parallel universe to a man she’s never met. These chicas will make painstaking effort to survive the complexities with humor and grace. Once again, López dazzles audiences with her brilliantly candid craft. Smart, witty, and funny, these stories will explore the true endurance of singlehood.
Read the Excerpt
I’ll never forget the day my brother gave me a stroke. Of course, being that he was my little brother, a stroke should’ve been classified a recurring condition by then. Instead, the most he had ever given me was a chronic eye twitch, which, now that I think about it, may have been an indicator of an on-coming stroke. But, yes, it was definitely a stroke I had when Benito (I always called him Benny) came over that day to tell me he was getting married.
My brain blew a short and my whole body went numb. I think, at one point, the world before me was engulfed in a white flash, and then somehow I ended up on the floor. When I finally got the feeling back in my jaw, the only thing I could muster to say was: “Are you a moron?” The clear answer was “yes.” He was a moron. Getting married? Was he out of his freaking mind? Oh, hell yeah! Let’s put aside that he was only 19, not even old enough to drink, for god sakes; let’s put aside that he’d only known the girl for 6 months, at most; let’s even put aside how annoying the girl was and how I couldn’t stand her. Why in the hell would he want to hang himself like that? Had he forgotten that marriage is basically a prison? Had he not paid attention to all the disaster stories I’d told him? Broken marriages from all around the table, starting with our parents and going all the way to our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, to damn near everyone else we knew. It all ended the same: divorce, the blissful release from a life sentence.
“Why, Benny, why?”
“Oh, Bea, don’t you even start,” he retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I don’t want to hear your putdowns on marriage…again. I’ve heard them over and over and over.”
“Well, have you heard that marriages basically suck the big weenie?”
“I believe I did hear that from you, yes.”
“Well, then tell me why? Why the fuck would you do something like that!?” Oh, I could feel my poor blood pressure rising. Good grief, the boy was going to give me a heart attack. I tried taking in a few calming breaths, but the whole thing was basically useless. I was in total freak-out mode. “C’mon, Benny, tell me, please, because I’m not understanding here. What, did she pull that voodoo-hoodoo crap on you? Did you crack your head on something? Have you just completely lost your mind? C’mon, you gotta give me something here.”
With an easy shrug, he said, “Oh…you know.”
“No, I don’t know!” Okay…one, two, three…breathe. I shot him a stern glance and asked directly, “Did you knock her up?”
He looked at me accusingly, his dark eyes narrowing. “You would think that, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, I don’t know what else to think.”
Benny shook his head with a petulant eye roll. I know that eye roll. It’s the same one he pulls whenever someone tells him to pick up his socks or wash his hands. In a huff, he simply stated, “No. I didn’t knock her up.”
“Then why?”
“Because she’s just…”
“What? Say something.”
“You know…” At a loss for words, he paused then added, “she’s just so…you know…great.”
A literary master at work here. “Great? What’s so great about her?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s a good answer,” I inserted wryly.
“Well, I can’t think with all these questions,” he snapped.
“I’m sorry, do you need a minute? I mean, I know I’m throwing really hard questions at you. Worse than poking your nose or scratching your balls, evidently.”
“Why you gotta be like that, huh?”
“Hey, I’m not the one ruining my life here. I’m not the one going after those little titties.”
Pulling his “talk to the hand” gesture, Benny turned to walk away.
About the Author:
Sandra C. López is a writer, artist, blogger, and book reviewer. She is one of today’s funny and influential authors in YA and chick lit. Her first novel, Esperanza, was published in March 2008 WHILE she was still in college. Her most recent and bestselling book is Single Chicas, a collection of humorous short stories about zany chicas. She is currently working on the next installment of the Single Chicas series called Holiday Chicas. Release date coming soon! When not writing her stories, Sandra supports the art and literary communities with freelance work and book promotion.
Welcome to my tour stop for The Prophecy by Erin Pemberon. I am always curious about book covers, so Erin is here today to tell us about hers.
ABOUT THE BOOK COVER – Guest Post
I didn’t have a whole lot to do with my book cover. I actually don’t even know who designed it, although I think it may have been Denise but I’m not sure. They sent it to me and asked what I thought. My response, “It looks good to me.” It’s supposed to be Ella, the main character in my book, after she has left the tower. Ella is the princess who is trying to reclaim her throne and her kingdom. She has magical powers that no one else has and she kicks butt with the sword, which is why she has a blade in this picture. She also has blonde hair and brown eyes like the woman on the cover.
Thanks for sharing and I am so happy you joined us today.
The Prophecy by Erin Pemberton
GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
BLURB
In
a land plagued by war, King Dorvin and Queen Shiara are expecting their first
child. They are excited until the good fairies tell of a prophecy; that their
daughter is the key to winning the war against the Shadow tribes. To protect
her, mages of the kingdom create a tower to keep her and her guardian hidden
until her eighteenth birthday. When Ella turns 18 she leaves the tower, only to
find that her parents are dead and the Shadow tribes now control the kingdom.
Trained as a warrior, and aided by the good fairies, Ella must now bring her
subjects together and prepare for the final war.
EXCERPT
“If you don’t tell me your name, you’ll find out the hard
way,” Ella responded calmly even though butterflies were carrying out their own
battle in her stomach. The magic was showing her just how far she could throw
him with its use. She was beginning to think of it as a whole separate entity
within her mind.
Just as she pulled her arm back in preparation of launching
him through the night sky, he shouted “Erek! I’m called Erek.”
Ella, bemused, smiled serenely at him as she placed him none
too gently back on the ground. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
Erek mumbled something under his breath but made no attempt
to say anything else.
“What are we going to do with him?” Ella asked, turning to
look at Tia.
Tia, ignoring Ella’s question, took a step closer to Erek,
grabbed the rope that bound him, and pulled him toward her. “What do you mean
we’re trespassing on your land? This land belongs to Dorvin, king of Fablina,”
she hissed, apparently taking care to spit in his face as she talked.
The ugly smirk appeared on his otherwise handsome face, a
mirthless laugh consuming him. “My tribe killed and replaced your king
seventeen years ago. This land belongs to the Shadow tribes, and you are as
good as dead.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links
I’m just a small town girl, living in Ohio and making up worlds for my characters to live in. A preschool teacher by day, I live with my amazing husband while dreaming of walking hand in hand with him on the beach just searching for seashells. Together, we have five incredible kids, who are starting to make their way in this world as they take on college, high school, and elementary school. I love Christmas, the beach, seashells, painting, reading anything fantasy related, and in my very little spare time, creating new worlds for others to enjoy.
I didn’t sign up to share a review, but seeing I had the book on my Kindle, here is a quickie.
I love the cover and traveling, so going on a safari with Naomi seemed like fun. Until….
Naomi found the prickly Dr Higgins with his throat ripped out by
hyenas. It seemed like she was the only one that thought something was
rotten in Denmark, so she decided to investigate.
I do enjoy a cozy. We have plenty of suspects, and some danger and
mystery. It was fun being along for the ride, seeing the sights,
spending a night alone with Naomi in the treehouse, and meeting all the
quirky characters. A R Kennedy’s writing made it easy to visualize as we
enjoyed seeing the animals and the wonderful scenery that is Africa.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sleuth on Safari by A R Kennedy.
3 Stars
Goddess Fish Promotions. A. R. Kennedy will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Naomi and her estranged sister are off on a trip of a lifetime—an African safari, a bucket list trip for Naomi on which she got a last-minute deal. Naomi thinks traveling with her sister will be the worst part of her African safari until she finds one of their fellow travelers, the unlikable Dr. Higgins, dead. She gets more adventure than she bargained for when she starts investigating what she thinks is murder but the luxury lodge says was a tragic accident. She only has a few vacation days, and a few game drives, to find the killer.
Read an Excerpt
Something red on the walkway, about fifteen feet away from me, toward his room, caught my eye.
I slowly walked toward it. From a few feet away, it looked like a blob, something spilled. As I stood over it, it looked like a paw print. Like the ones my childhood dog, Molly, would leave in the kitchen after playing in the mud. But it was red.
I looked to my left, down the walkway, toward the fifth cabin, Dr. Higgins’ cabin. “Dr. Higgins, you there?” I shouted. There was no answer. I hesitated but then stepped off the walkway. Slowly, I walked toward his suite, listening intently for any sound. I stood at his door, which was ajar. “Dr. Higgins? It’s Naomi from next door. Everything okay?”
With each step, I saw more red. Maybe he had spilled some wine. He liked the red wine. Not as much as Jack liked his beer but it was his drink of choice for the trip so far. He was still at dinner when Charlotte and I left last night. Maybe he came back to his room and had a few more glasses. And somehow spilled it everywhere outside his room.
Standing at the door, I yelled in, “Dr. Higgins? It’s Naomi. I’m going to come in, okay?”
No response. No refusal but no permission either. I went in anyway.
Seated in the sitting area’s plush chair, facing the window and the beautiful landscape, was Dr. Higgins. His head was hanging back. His hand was hanging down by his side, a broken wineglass on the floor next to it. There was even more red everywhere inside the room too. Maybe he’d had a late night after all.
I poked him on his shoulder and prepared for him to yell at me for entering his room unauthorized.
Still no response.
“Dr. Higgins, it’s time for our morning drive.” I tapped him again. “You’re late,” I added, just to annoy him.
Still nothing.
I walked around him to face him head on.
And I screamed.
About the Author:
A R Kennedy lives in Long Beach, New York, with her two pups. She works hard to put food on the floor for them. As her favorite T-shirt says, ‘I work so my dog can have a better life’. She’s an avid traveler. But don’t worry. While she’s away, her parents dote on their grand-puppies even more than she does. Her writing is a combination of her love of travel, animals, and the journey we all take to find ourselves.
Welcome to my stop for Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald. Which fork would you take? I love book covers and often grab a book for that reason alone. Sometimes it works against me. LOL Let’s send out a big welcome to Sigrid Macdonald.
TOPIC: MY BOOK COVER
Dear Sherry:
Thank you for having me on your blog and
for asking about my book cover. It took me a long time to choose this cover
because I wanted it to represent so many things.
Tara, my protagonist, has a dilemma.
Everything is going wrong in her life, with her marriage, on the job, and with
her moody teenage son. And, to top it off, she’s about to turn 40, and the
thought terrifies her. The only thing right in her life is her best friend,
Lisa. One night the two women have a typical night out on the town watching a
flick at the foreign film theater and going for a snack at the deli afterward.
It’s status quo. They do this all the time. But this night is different. This
night Lisa tells Tara that she is pregnant, and her partner, Ryan, may not be
the father. Tara is worried because Ryan has a history of domestic violence and
was incarcerated for assaulting his first wife. Tara doesn’t think Ryan will
handle this news well. But there is no time to find out because right after
that night at the movies, Lisa goes missing. Tara has no idea what to do.
The cover illustrates Tara’s
indecisiveness. A woman is standing, looking out into an empty field. She is at
a crossroads where she could go left, or she could go right, or she could walk
straight across the grass without a path at all. But Tara has no idea what to
do. She’s never been in this situation. It’s possible that Lisa could have
broken her sobriety and gone on a drinking binge. If that’s the case, Tara
doesn’t want to embarrass her by attracting publicity. Or maybe Lisa was too
afraid to tell Ryan about a baby that might not be his. But deep down, Tara
knows that Lisa would never take off without contacting her boss, her parents,
or Tara. She might not tell Ryan where she’s going, but she would let the
others know so they wouldn’t worry. So, now Tara is worried!
Eventually, Tara will make several
decisions, for good or for bad. It’s up to the reader to decide whether Tara
does the right thing in her search for her friend, along with her own shaky
sense of self-identity. As Charles Dickens said in the first line of David Copperfield, “Whether I shall
turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by
anybody else, these pages must show.” The same can be said for Tara.
Thanks so much.
Best,
Sigrid
PS I had a midlife crisis and pretended to
be 39 for several years! It was so much easier for me to turn 60 than 40, so I
wanted to give this particular issue to my character because we live in such a
youth-oriented culture that I think this magic number of 40 affects a lot of
people, especially women who are told that they need to stay young to be
relevant.
Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald
GENRE: Mystery/women’s fiction
BLURB
Finding
Lisa is a character driven story about a quirky Canadian woman named Tara who
is about to turn 40. She dreads the thought. Everything is going wrong in her
life from her stale marriage to her boring job to her hopeless crush on a
24-year-old guy. The only thing right in Tara’s life is her best friend Lisa
who has just confided that she is pregnant and the baby does not belong to her
partner Ryan, who has a history of domestic violence. Then Lisa disappears and
the search is on to find her.
EXCERPT
All the carts were taken at the supermarket on Tuesday. I
found one off to the side of the vegetable aisle. It had a defective wheel,
which resulted in me almost overturning a display of cantaloupes. The cart was
also enormous. No doubt this was a deliberate ploy on the part of the
supermarket to encourage excess shopping.
“I feel as though I’m driving a school bus,” I
announced to the frail, pale orange-haired woman to my left, who was squeezing
the small, unappetizing looking cantaloupes.
She smiled faintly and nodded. I wondered how she had the
strength to push the heavy cart through the long aisles of the grocery store at
her age.
“Mum, I’ll go with you to one of those Women against
Rape meetings if you want?” Devon
said to my astonishment, his voice rising at the end of his sentence.
“There’s only one condition. You have to watch 8 Mile with me.”
“8 Mile? Isn’t that the movie based on the book by
Stephen King?”
“Nah, you’re thinking about The Green Mile,” Devon
replied. “8 Mile is the story of a rapper in Detroit. It’s based on the
life of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers. Eminem even stars in
it,” he said with increasing enthusiasm.
“I think it’ll give you a better idea of where he’s
coming from. You know, you’re always talking about these girls who’ve been,
like, abused and what horrible lives they’ve had. You even feel bad about boys
who were taken advantage of by priests or their hockey coaches. So why don’t
you have any sympathy for Marshall? His mother was abusive. She was mean to
him, and she did drugs! Also, she, like, gave him something called Munchkins
syndrome,” Devon added uncertainly.
“Munchausen syndrome?” I asked, trying to picture the
tough guy with the tattoos and bad attitude as a small child with a
manipulative and controlling mother.
“Yeah, that sounds right. She made him feel sick when
he was totally healthy. And, Mum, I know you would respect the way Em felt
about his little brother, Nathan. He, like, didn’t wanna leave him alone in the
house with his mother when he finally split from Detroit. He’s also really keen
about his daughter, Hailie Jade. He talks about her all the time in his songs
and on TV.”
I pushed the buttons on the radio. The Steve Miller band was
singing, “Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future.” I had a
sense of motion. The car was moving forward, and with every traffic light I
passed, I was moving farther away from Lisa and our routine evenings at the
ByTowne Theatre. The rest of us were going ahead, and Lisa had been left
behind. I wanted to go back, not just to last Thursday night, but to my university
days, so I could live my life all over again.
I wanted to be sixteen or twenty-six again, making decisions
based on what I knew now. So many lost opportunities. How had I managed to
completely screw up my life? I’d done everything wrong except that I hadn’t
become a street prostitute or a serial murderer. Too late for the former—who
would want me? But there was still time for the latter.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Originally from New Jersey, Sigrid Macdonald lived for almost thirty years in Ottawa, Ontario, and currently resides in Weston, Florida. She has been a freelance writer for years. Her works have appeared in TheGlobe and Mail newspaper; the Women’s Freedom NetworkNewsletter; the American magazine Justice Denied; The Toastmaster; and the Anxiety DisordersAssociation of Ontario Newsletter. Her first book, Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement, was published in 2004. Her second book, Be Your OwnEditor, followed in 2010. Although Finding Lisa is written in first person, Macdonald only resembles her character in the sense that she once had a neurotic fixation on her hair, and she has always been called by the wrong name; instead of being called Sigrid, people have called her Susan, Sharon, Astrid, Ingrid and, her personal favorite, Siri.
Macdonald
is a social activist who has spent decades working on the seemingly disparate
issues of women’s rights and wrongful convictions; she has worked at the
Women’s Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Carleton University in
Ottawa, Ontario, and was a member of AIDWYC, The Association in Defense of the
Wrongly Convicted. She owns an editing company called Book Magic. Sigrid is a
public speaker and a member of Mothers against Drunk Driving, Ottawa
Independent Writers, the American Association of University Women, and the
Editors’ Association of Canada. Visit her website at http://bookmagic.ca/ or friend her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sigridmac.
Sigrid Macdonald will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour and comment, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.
Wicked is his name. He watched her from the dark, barely able to control himself.
Gwen saw him approach from the dark, tall, heavily armed and looking like the warrior he is.
At first I had trouble figuring out who was talking, him or her. It took a moment to catch the shift.
How she becomes a vampire is a bit different and so are these vampires. I am always on the lookout for an author that represents them in a new to me light. They are accepted as part of the human world.
When I heard Gwen say, “Well, hurray for me. Don’t I feel special?”, I knew I was going to love this character. LOL I love her sarcastic wit. She is a Halfling, half vampire and half human.
We have other supernatural characters visiting and, in my book, we can never have too many.
Have you ever felt like…one minute I was attracted to him and wanted him to kiss me and the next I wanted to punch him in the face and watch him bleed.
As Gwen sits at his beside, tears rolling down her face, I came close to crying with her. I love a story that evokes emotions.
He met his match in her, but will she be his mate? In the supernatural world, love and romance is on a different timeline and I love to go with it, letting the author take me where they will.
Kayden…I laughed and worried about him. He is a great warrior, but, deep in his soul, who is he really?
Great and a bit gory fight scenes and sweet lovin’. This is not erotica, but I highly recommend it for adults only. The sex scenes are more sweet and loving than erotic.
As I saw the end coming, I knew what would happen, with 500 pages left, I was racing through the pages as I see the story undold right before my eyes. I worry so much more for Kayden than I do for Gwen and Wicked. After all, they are the stars of the show and can’t be killed off…can they?
Whew…no cliffhanger, unless you count the tease, which did its job and hooked me. I have to know more and this is one of those series that I want to read to the very end.
I am hooked on the characters, the vampire warriors, and Evi’s ability to spin a tale that captured me totally, completely. I was afraid I would have to wait for the next book in the series, but, no worries. It has been written. The only problem I see is there is no Kindle version available. Hey, Evi, help a girl out, please. I have to know more!!!!!!!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Wicked Night by Evi Rhodes.
4 Stars
BLURB
Follow
the journey of a strong, independent, yet caring woman as she navigates the
supernatural world she is thrust into. Gwen steps out of a dysfunctional family
life and into a world filled with danger she never realized lives at every
turn, fiery passion, and a love that is ever binding. How will she handle her
strange new surroundings as well as the man with the intense and overbearing
personality who threatens to destroy the emotional barriers around her heart?
Wicked, the next in
line to become the vampire king, is caught off guard when he grudgingly agrees
to take on a charge, something he never wanted to do. He is unsure how to
handle the fierce and vibrant woman with the unsettling green eyes. It doesn’t
take long for them to clash, but will it end passionately or burn down around
them?
EXCERPT
Wicked stood in the darkness staring at his soon-to-be
charge and felt like a deer in the headlights. He couldn’t take his eyes off of
her and just stared, blinking with wide eyes.
“I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful,” he whispered to
himself. He was late meeting her but he
could not face her yet, not until the blood in his veins cooled and his
breathing returned to normal. The last thing he needed to do was make an ass of
himself by acting like a high-school boy hyped up on hormones. He had never in all his 148 years felt this
kind of draw toward anyone. He had the strongest urge to reach out and touch
her hair, to whisk her off her feet into his arms and kiss her until their lips
hurt and she breathlessly begged him to stop.
His blood felt as if it were boiling in his veins as the image of this
woman in his arms flickered across his mind.
Out of the blue, she laughed aloud, seemingly for no
apparent reason, but it was almost his undoing. It was like she was purring in
his ear; he could feel her breath against his skin as if she were standing
right beside him. He growled under his
breath and then turned around and closed his eyes as he ground his teeth
together in response to his body’s reaction. Good God, he wanted to march
across the short expanse separating them and do something that he would
definitely regret later, like push her up against the wall and take her right there. He could picture ripping open her jacket and
lifting her off the ground . . .
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Evi Rhodes has
always had a passion for writing and likes to spend as much time as possible
hanging out with the array of rescue animals on her farm in Ontario, sipping on
a cup of coffee and typing on her laptop.
In addition to
getting her degree in business as well as competing in her favourite equestrian
sport, dressage, she is an entrepreneur, and has coached many of a riding
enthusiast, but she has always found herself coming back to wanting to write
full-time.
“I just want to
be me and to be authentic. To tell a story that others can immerse themselves
in and enjoy is what I have always wanted.”
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Okon will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card, then 5 signed copies of the book (US ONLY) to randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
MY REVIEW
Michael Okon writes some great novels and I am excited to read Witches Protection Program. I am a sucker for a great cover and that gun has me very curious. What do you think it contains?
Wes is the black sheep of the family. Is it because of his reading disability? It made him seem slow and he had to work harder just to maintain what others found so easy.
Now…he was being sent to DUMBO at the Witches Protection Program, having to abandon his dream job. He doesn’t believe in witches, elves or anything magic, but I have a feeling that is about to change.
Enter Morgan…who denies her legacy as a witch and heir to Pendragon, a very successful make-up company.
I can’t help but laugh at Wes and Alistair. A comedy of errors…or should I say ego. Wes needs that chip knocked off his shoulder.
Morgan’s best friend is not a witch, but she aspires to be. Her spells made me think of Charmed (a TV show) and I couldn’t help but laugh at the wording of her spells. The question is…will they work?
Will the frog turn into a prince or will the prince turn into a frog? I laughed my way through the entire scene. Michael Okon’s ability to make me visualize the scene as it unfolds, makes it uproariously funny and sticks with me throughout the story.
Witches Protection Program by Michael Okon is Charmed. The magic and romance runs AMOK. The serious and humorous collide in this wickedly fun paranormal story of greed justice and romance.
4 Stars
Wes Rockville, a disgraced law-enforcement agent, gets one last chance to prove himself and save his career when he’s reassigned to a 232-year-old secret government organization.
The Witches Protection Program.
His first assignment: uncover a billion-dollar cosmetics company’s diabolical plan to use witchcraft for global domination, while protecting its heiress Morgan Pendragon from her aunt’s evil deeds. Reluctantly paired with veteran witch protector, Alastair Verne, Wes must learn to believe in witches…and believe in himself.
Filled with adventure and suspense, Michael Okon creates a rousing, tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern-day New York City.
Read an Excerpt
The narrator filled in more information. “It wasn’t until this land became my land that the government decided to create an organization to protect women at risk. The Davina Doctrine went against everything that the Willas stood for. Even though they ran the risk of persecution, the Davinas chose to work with law enforcement to expose the evil deeds of the rival sisterhood. President George Washington established secret legislation under Title VI of the Control Act of 1792. The law was enacted to protect the good witches that exposed the evil deeds of their sisterhood.”
The screen went dark. There was only a chair in the center of a dimly lit stage. A single spotlight focused on the top of the blond actress’s head. Wes was right; it was the actress he’d suspected. She had a hit sitcom and two Emmys, and there was some recent Oscar talk about her last movie.
“Yes. There are witches. Living among us. They are women who believe in using their power to protect love and life. And then there are some who use their powers for all the wrong reasons.”
The camera came to rest on her beautiful face. She winked saucily as she placed a triangular witch’s hat on her head. “Welcome to the Witches Protection Program.”
Alastair smiled broadly. “I love that part.”
“That was Jennifer Anis—”
About the Author:
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.
