Hope you enjoy this little bit of holiday cheer.
I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and good times with friends and family.
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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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Congratulations!!!
My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winner. So without further ado, the winner of Granny Hooks A Crook by Julie Seedorf is:
Emma M
Congratulations and happy reading. I hope you enjoy Granny Hooks a Crook!
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.
To see the Giveaway page, go HERE.
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To pick up your copy of My Date From Hell, or to learn more about Tellulah Darling, click on the cover below.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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The Crossroads Saga
Crossroads (Book 1)
Can two worlds collide in dreams?
Crossroads, Between, Beyond, Eternity, Halo City-novella
Protecting her from the fallen was his duty.
Falling in love was never part of his plan.
Loving her was forbidden.
Being with her was all that mattered, even if it meant he would be exiled for all eternity.
Claudia Emerson’s life is about to change when her good friend, who coincidentally shares the same first and last name, dies in a tragic accident after the homecoming dance. Distraught at the loss of her friend, Claudia’s dreams become tumultuous, and through them she mysteriously travels to another world called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth, where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. There, she unexpectedly meets Michael, a nephilim–half angel, half human. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit, which is an enigma, for she has no recollection of being there, and is told that no human has crossed over…until Claudia. Now that she’s been there, fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special, and it is up to Michael and the other nephilim to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. The situation becomes even more complicated when she is unable to hinder her feelings for her swoon-worthy guardian angel. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should, or will he be too blinded by human emotions and the struggles of being who he is?
Crossroads is FREE
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords
Download a copy today!!
Praise for Crossroads
“Crossroads contains action, twists and romance that has you flipping through the pages so fast that you’re at the end and ready for more before you know it.” ~Gabby, Nashville Young Adult Fiction Examiner/What’s Beyond Forks
“Watch out Edward Cullen! The angel Michael has officially given you a run for your money! Teens everywhere will add a new fictional boyfriend to their ever growing lists! OMWings! An amazing paranormal angel romance that stays with you long after the last page has turned. I need more!” ~Jennifer Howell with LateBloomerOnline.com
“Crossroads by Mary Ting has it all: danger, romance, suspense, incredible characters and an original plot that is sure to thrill. The action never stops as good and evil battle to the death. This well written and fascinating love story will keep readers entranced.” ~ReadersFavorite.com
TEASER
Though Phillip had already told me that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an alkin and a fallen, it was confirmed as I watched the battle. They looked just like the alkins as the two sides battled with swords. Watching, I noticed that Michael had one too, but where had it come from?
“No!” Michael shouted, suddenly standing directly in front of me. “You don’t need her. She’s just a human.”
“Get them!” Aden shouted again.
During the entire fight Michael stayed by my side, protecting me. They fought so swiftly that even with my flashlight it was hard to distinguish alkins from the fallen. I focused intently, trying to figure out who was who, but it was no use. They were too fast for human eyes. I pointed the flashlight, hoping to blind or distract them, but that also proved to be pointless. It was only useful for my vision.
In the blink of an eye they were here, there and everywhere. The clanging of swords colliding was painful to hear. As the screeching sounds continued, all I could see were sparks as the swords made contact, as if we were in the middle of a lightning storm. Fearful of any alkin getting hurt, I covered my ears, hoping that it would end soon.
Suddenly, Aden raised his hand toward the stars, and the fallen stopped. The sounds of the swords crashing against each other came to a dead halt. Aden started circling around Michael and me. As he drew closer, I could see that he looked exactly as I remembered him from my dream. The wrinkles on his forehead defined his age, and though I conceived him as evil, his voice scared me more than his appearance. Aden never lifted a finger to fight; instead, he relied on the fallen to carry out his battle strategies.
“Michael, come with me. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“There is nothing I want from you.”
“They’ve turned you against me. I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Aden’s eyes raged with anger.
“They didn’t turn me against you. I did it of my own free will.”
“Move out of my way!” Aden shouted.
“You’ll have to go through me first!”
As Aden continued to circle around us, I could sense movement from the fallen, edging closer to Michael and me. The alkin must have sensed it too as they positioned themselves right behind us and immediately began to attack the fallen.
Michael moved me to the left and then to the right, fighting while shielding me. Though the fallen were fewer in number than before, they were retaliating in full force. In the midst of all the chaos, I lost my grip on the flashlight, and it tumbled off the cliff. Instinctively I reached for it, and in that split second someone or something collided against me, and I plummeted off the cliff.
Gravity was pulling me faster than my body could resist. I’d always heard that at the moment of death, one’s life flashed before their eyes; all the moments that had brought them to that point, big or small. All I could think of was death itself and the one person who had changed my life forever—Michael.
Author Mary Ting
Bestselling/award-winning author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.
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BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE
Ends 12/15/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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To grab your copy of a Crossroad Saga book, or to learn more about Mary Ting, click on the cover below.
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Congratulations!!!
My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winner. So without further ado, the winner of My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling is:
Laura T
Congratulations and happy reading. I hope you enjoy My Date From Hell as much as I did!
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.
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To pick up you copy of My Date From Hell, or to learn more about Tellulah Darling, click on the cover below.
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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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I am happy to share the launch of Ya Series Insiders, with this fantastic Giveaway.
Be sure to check out all the blogs for more fun and games.
To kick off the launch of YA Series Insiders, the YASI authors are each giving away a set of one of the series that most inspired our own books, along with something special that relates to the series we have launching in 2014.
ENTER NOW! Scroll down to see the AMAZING prizes and then complete the form at the bottom of the post to enter!
Our big giveaway is here on the Tumblr, but we also have additional giveaways with signed books, jewelry, special swag, and other items at the following blogs:
Adventures in YA Publishing
YA Books Central
Page Turners Blog
Mundie Moms
All giveaways are one winner takes all. Enter any time between today, November 23, 2013, to December 31, 2013. Winners will be announced here on January 1, 2014. (See here for full eligibility guidelines.)
YA Series Insiders Launch Giveaway
From Jennifer L. Armentrout:
Signed Soul Screamers Omnibus Volumes 1, 2, and 3 by Rachel Vincent plus a stone gargoyle.
Jennifer says:
Soul Screamers is not only one of my favorite YA series of all time, I think I might have a tiny girl crush on Rachel Vincent. Okay. I might have a big author girl crush on her, but who doesn’t? She brings the action, the nonstop intrigue and swoon-worthy romance, and I like to think WHITE HOT KISS, the first book in the DARK ELEMENT Series does too. I’m giving away signed Soul Screamers omnibus Volumes 1, 2, and 3, and a stone gargoyle. Considering my characters are… well, gargoyles, that extra special prize seems a wee bit fitting.
From NINA BERRY:
Judy Blundell’s fabulous period mysteries, WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED and STRINGS ATTACHED, plus a beautiful early 60s-style double-stranded champagne pearl and rhinestone necklace.
Nina says:
The necklace for my giveaway is almost exactly like one Pagan wears in THE NOTORIOUS PAGAN JONES. The traditional elegance of the necklace, which she inherited from her mysterious mother, helps Pagan disguise her rebellious soul, and it can do the same for you… That’s all I can reveal now, but there will be more tidbits and giveaways when the book comes out in late 2014.
As far as why I’m picking Judy Blundell’s books? I’m in love with the complex period setting and three-dimensional characters, not to mention their film noir aura of mystery and danger. For the PAGAN JONES series, I take the reader back to the tumultuous years of the early 1960s, when “good” girls supposedly didn’t drink too much, stay out too late with boys, or get involved with Cold War politics. Too bad for the powers that be that disgraced teen starlet Pagan Jones knows that’s all nonsense.
As Pagan would say – you think spying on communist East Germany is hard? Try growing up in Hollywood.
From ANNE BLANKMAN:
Elizabeth Wein’s CODE NAME VERITY and a fabulous CZ ART DECO pendant similar to the jewelry my main character wears.
Anne says:
This Art Deco necklace is a style that was popular during the 1930s. Curious about the bird charms? Pay attention to the meanings of several characters’ names, and you’ll figure out why I chose this delicate necklace as something my main character, Gretchen, would wear.
It’s no secret why I picked Elizabeth Wein’s CODE NAME VERITY to give away. I love the story’s suspenseful, twisty feel, not to mention a mind-bending mystery that keeps readers guessing until the very end.
In PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG and its sequel, step into the treacherous world of the Nazi elite’s inner circle. Gretchen has always felt as though she belonged there…until she stumbles across a horrific secret that forces her to question everything she’s ever believed. Find out if she manages to break free when my book comes out this spring.
From MARTINA BOONE:
A signed four-book box set of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, plus a sterling silver Tiffany-style key necklace that ties into all the secrets that Barrie had to unlock to survive at Watson’s Landing.
Martina Says:
I love the rich, deeply Southern setting and the quirky characters in the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES books by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, as well as the swoon-worthy romance and the fun twist on magic. For the HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND trilogy, I’ve built a mysterious and magical Southern world with crumbling traditions and haunted histories, and I’ve thrown in three plantations, a 300-year-old feud, ghosts and guardian spirits, and hey, did I mention a breathless romance? Not to mention lots of magical family secrets that need to be unlocked.
I’ll admit though, the key has multiple meanings. Barrie, my main character, wears three of the real Tiffany keys in platinum and diamonds, and it has a lot of emotional significance. That’s all I’m going to say for now, but I’ll be providing more hints and giveaways between now and when the book comes out next fall. ☺
From LANIE BROSS:
A signed set of THE FURY trilogy by Elizabeth Miles plus a handmade necklace with a firefly charm.
Lanie Says:
I loved ENVY/FURY/ETERNITY because like FATES, it makes you question what is our choice, what is meant to be, and what should never happen! Enter our equally epic YASeriesInsiders’ giveaway to win a complete autographed set of the ENVY/FURY/ETERNITY series, plus a handmade necklace with a firefly charm and the quote “There will be no miracles today” in honor of my main character, Corinthe, and the ultimate choice she will have to make in FATES!
From TRACY CLARK:
The Infernal Devices Hardcover Boxed Set with a bold and feminine hammered spiral ring in recycled sterling silver.
Tracy says:
The spiral is an ancient and mysterious symbol found all over the world, which speaks to the mystery of SCINTILLATE and THE LIGHT KEY TRILOGY as a whole.
In my trilogy, the most mystical people around us have a name and a mythology. The truth about them has been aggressively covered up, but Cora discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and her role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—a conspiracy that could end her life and change mankind forever. The book is full of mysterious symbols, and Finn has a version of the triple spiral tattooed on his chest. How yummy is that?
For the book portion of my giveaway, I’ve chosen a series that I loved so much, I couldn’t be happy until I’d read them all. Then, I despaired when it was over. I loved the characters in THE INFERNAL DEVICES by Cassandra Clare enough to cry and fret over them. I loved the mystery and sense of place. It was fresh and yet, timeless.
From BREE DESPAIN:
The Abandon trilogy by Meg Cabot, a beautiful lyre necklace, and a $30 iTunes giftcard.
Bree Says:
I loved taking ancient mythological elements and giving them a fun, modern-day twist in my new Into The Dark series. Like Meg Cabot’s Abandon trilogy, INTO THE DARK: THE SHADOW PRINCE explores elements of the Persephone and Hades myth from Greek mythology—but in completely different and exciting ways.
I am also giving away a beautiful lyre necklace that is the ancient Greek symbol for music and storytelling, along with a $30 iTunes gift card. Music plays an important role in THE SHADOW PRINCE. Haden, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm has been sent to the mortal world to entice Daphne, an aspiring musician and the daughter of a rockstar, to return with him to the land of the dead because she is rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race. Where Haden is from, music is forbidden, but to get close to Daphne he must become immersed in her musical world. Music is what makes Haden and Daphne so different but becomes the emotional core that draws them together.
From CLAUDIA GRAY:
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, HOURGLASS by Myra Mcintyre, and SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo, plus a beautiful reproduction Faberge egg.
Claudia Says:
A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU is the first in a trilogy about the countless possible worlds that exist alongside our own — and Marguerite Caine’s struggle, through a thousand different realities, to hold on to one true thing.
Really, I think of this book as the YA version of A WRINKLE IN TIME. But fans of great YA science fiction books such as ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis and HOURGLASS by Myra Mcintyre should love A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU as well. And people who love the alternate Russia of Leigh Bardugo’s SHADOW AND BONE might be fans too. So I’ll give away copies of all three books … as well a beautiful reproduction Faberge egg, just like one that Marguerite encounters at one of the most dramatic — and romantic — moments of her adventure.
From S. E. GREEN:
A copy of THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin, a copy of I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga, and a complete set of the hit Showtime series, DEXTER. Plus some really cool evidence bags loaded with KILLER INSTINCT swag.
Shannon says:
Everyone has a dark side. Nature versus nurture. Destiny. Secrets. Wondering if you’re crazy. Repressed memories. The fine line between reality and psychosis. Being frightened by your own self. These are shared elements in my debut thriller and why I love shows like Dexter and books like I Hunt Killers and The Mara Dyer Trilogy. I’m a sucker for a good intrigue, a bit of gore, and a thrilling ride.
From KIMBERLEY GRIFFITHS LITTLE:
A hardcover set of Laini Taylor’s gorgeous novels, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE and DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT. Plus a silky belly dance skirt and jangling bead/coin hip scarf to send you off to the Goddess Temple of Ashtoreth.
Kimberley says:
I love DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT because of its exotic desert setting, lush descriptions, complex mythology, and delicious, sexy romance. That’s the same feeling and atmosphere I’ve tried to create in the two worlds of FORBIDDEN: the safety of Jayden’s family among the tents and women of the desert where belly dancing is like breathing, and the dangerous world of the Goddess Temples of Ashtoreth, where lush beauty adorns the candle-lit corridors and the sexual dancing lures young girls into the goddess lifestyle.
For some young women though, that beauty turns dark and dangerous. As hints of danger surface, Jayden becomes frantic to save her sister who has already succumbed, and finds herself swept along until she must choose between the temple’s mysteries and the boy she loves from the secret frankincense lands.
From SARA RAASCH:
A complete set of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy plus a chakram keychain for SNOW LIKE ASHES in honor of my main character, Meira, and her weapon of choice!
Sara says:
The themes in Lord of the Rings — ancient evil, underdog heroes, fully realized kingdoms, and breathtaking battles — have been the basis for generations of fantasy obsessions. Is it any wonder I can attribute some of my inspiration for SNOW LIKE ASHES to Tolkien’s epic masterpiece?
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GIVEAWAY
Congratulations!!!
My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winners. So without further ado, the winners of Vampire Blood by Kathryn Meyer Griffith are:
Sandy S
Melany
Laura T
Congratulations and happy reading. I hope you enjoy Vampire Blood as much as I did!
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.
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To pick up you copy of Vampire Blood, or to learn more about Kathryn Meyer Griffith, click on the cover below.
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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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SWEPT AWAY FOR CHRISTMAS
by MJ Fredrick, Tanya Michaels and Trish Milburn
BLURB
Christmas isn’t always snow-covered with a frosty chill in the air. Sometimes it’s sandy beaches with balmy breezes.
And sometimes we find love in the most unexpected places, a place like Starfish Shores.
Here Comes McBride
Shelby James has only truly loved one man — but Finn McBride broke her heart when emotional baggage from his past came between them. Now, Shelby is serving as maid of honor at a beach wedding where Finn is the best man. Will reuniting with Finn be a Christmas miracle, or the worst mistake she’s ever made?
Two Hearts a Leaping
After a break-up with her high school sweetheart, Harley Blume retreats to her brother’s home in Starfish Shores to lick her wounds and figure out what she’s doing next. But her brother is in the Coast Guard reserves and heading out of town, leaving her in the care of Liam Channing, his best friend since they played college football together. She’s never been able to keep her tongue in her mouth when good-looking, easy-going Liam is around. How is she going to find her way if she can’t keep her balance?
Cruisin’ for a Kiss
When Avery Phillips loses her magazine job right before Christmas, she heads back home to Starfish Shores to spend the holidays with the grandparents who raised her. The plan is to hit the job search hard so that she has a new position when the New Year arrives. What isn’t part of the plan is heading up a remodeling effort at her family’s beach motel or falling for the man helping to save the business into which her grandparents put a lifetime of work. As Christmas draws closer, will Avery stick to the original plan to leave town again or take a chance with Luke Taylor and a new life she never expected?
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EXCERPT
I chose this excerpt because it made me laugh out loud when I read it.
Two Hearts a-Leaping
by MJ Fredrick
The pole bent under the weight of the fish’s fight, and Liam put his hand over Harley’s to show her how to reel it in, how to let the fish play it out, then reel it back in. Impatient, she tugged the pole away and worked it herself, using the rhythm he’d showed her, a rhythm that he shouldn’t be thinking was like sex, with its give and take.
Seriously, Sam had been gone a little over twenty-four hours. Liam should have better self-control than to be lusting over his sister already.
He leaned over the edge of the boat, joined by Mia, to watch for the fish. A mackerel, most likely, and depending on the size, it might be good eating. He’d bet she’d let him clean it for her, if she wouldn’t let him help her bring it in.
“What is it?” she asked breathlessly.
“Don’t see it yet. You doing okay?”
She nodded shortly, concentrating on the pole and the reel and the rhythm. Her scarf had fallen loose and her hat was on the deck and her face was flushed, her eyes bright. God, he wanted to kiss her. Bringing her out here had been a bad, bad decision. At least in the bar, on the beach, he could walk away, she could walk away.
He needed to walk away now. He popped to his feet and crossed the deck to retrieve his fishing net. Mia followed, then headed back to the edge of the boat, her tail whipping furiously. Liam leaned over to look. Sure enough, she’d hooked a mackerel. He grinned.
“You want to reel him in, or grab him with the net?”
“I’ll reel him in.”
Liam reached over with the net, guiding the end of the pole to aim the fish, and scooped. He lifted the heavy flopping fish into the net so she could see it.
“Did you bring your phone? You could text a picture to Sam.”
She fished in her pocket and handed it to him. He traded her for the net, which she had to hold with both hands, while he opened the camera app and snapped a shot. Since she was bobbling the net, he tucked the phone in his own pocket and took the net from her.
“Dinner tonight?” he asked as she stared at it.
“Oh, no, I can’t eat him. Let’s throw him back.”
“Are you sure? He’s a good-sized one, and I have a chest right over there for our catch.”
“No, I don’t think I want to eat him.”
“If I catch something, will you eat it?”
“I guess, sure.”
He reached into the net and with some difficulty, snipped the hook from the fish’s mouth, and was about to dump him back into the ocean to swim away.
“Wait!”
He froze and looked over his shoulder at her.
“You said Mia would lick him.”
“Right.” He looked from woman to hopeful dog, reached into the net for the wriggling fish and grasped it in both hands before offering it to the dog.
Mia sniffed the length of the fish, then swiped her tongue along its length. Harley was still laughing when he tossed the fish back in the water.
And then Mia jumped in after it.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
MJ Fredrick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first publishing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching elementary music, and diving into her own writing—traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.
She’s a four-time Golden Heart Award finalist, and she won the 2009 Eppie Award with Hot Shot and the 2010 Eppie with Breaking Daylight. She was a 2012 Epic Award finalist with Don’t Look Back.
Website / Blog / Newsletter / Facebook / Twitter
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Four-time RITA finalist Tanya Michaels is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than thirty books. Her stories incorporate the same elements she values in real life—community, family and a sense of humor. Her current releases include the popular Colorado Cades trilogy for Harlequin American Romance.
She lives in Atlanta, GA with a very patient husband as well as two kids and a dog who are plotting against her. When not writing, reading, or spending time with her family, Tanya watches entirely too much TV. She’s also made Twitter her virtual home. Join her there to hear about her life as a writer and the outrageous things her kids say.
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Trish Milburn is the author of contemporary romance for Harlequin American Romance, paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne, young adult fiction for Bell Bridge Books and indie publishes her romantic suspense, women’s fiction and other titles. She’s a two-time Golden Heart award winner, a fan of walks in the woods and road trips, and is a big geek girl, including being a dedicated Whovian and Browncoat.
GIVEAWAY
The authors will award a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?
The tour dates can be found by clicking on the banner below.
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To get your copy of Swept Away for Christmas, or learn more about the authors, click on the cover below.
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BLURB
Three Army veteran misfits, a college dropout, an unmotivated high school graduate accused of murder, a controversial warden of a women’s prison, and a little girl with the gift of prophesy – these are the people 31-year-old Lara Kruger invites into her life after suffering a miscarriage, a divorce from an abusive husband, and unemployment.
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EXCERPT
The young child skipped through the tall trees and underbrush, unaware of the puddles created by recent rains or the low-lying tree branches and vines that swiped at her coveralls and scratched her bare arms. Hugging a doll that showed the wear of a favorite toy and a faint smudge of chocolate ice cream, the child pushed forward with determination. She knew where she wanted to go, and her face showed the intensity and resolve of a person much older than her five years. The black woman wearing the uniform 
of a prison guard struggled to keep up with her young charge. The thick green tangle of natural forest growth and uneven turf was more of a challenge to a woman her size and stature.
The child stopped when she reached a clearing, that place in the woods that wasn’t quite so overgrown and where the wild vegetation had been pressed from previous visits. In front of her was a tree, magnificent in size, ancient in age. She had reached her destination. She called it, quite simply, “the place.” Quietly, reverently, she approached the tree, reaching out and touching the familiar rough surface and its many irregular crevices. She squatted where some roots had pushed upward and were now gnarled and covered in bark before extending downward again deep into the soil. It was between two of these large root formations that the child placed the doll – a throne. Her hand explored the curvature of one darkened root, first touching the soft green moss, and then the small indented place that held water whenever it rained. It was moist. Satisfied, she knelt. Then, lowering her head and folding her dimpled hands together, she started to pray.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barbara Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency, representing adult fiction and nonfiction for authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. She is also the author of numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her award-winning novels have received national recognition, including the Independent Publishers Book Award, the Dana Award for Best Novel, and the Publisher’s Best Seller Award. Her novel, The House of Kane, released in 2008, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and her novel Just Like Family received special recognition by the 7-Eleven Corporation. Two other novels, The Gospel According to Prissy (released in the spring of 2013) and Shyla’s Initiative, both received an IPPY Award for Best Book in Regional Fiction. Her most recent young/new adult book, The Cadence of Gypsies, has been selected as an Amazon Best Read and received the 2013 IPPY Living Now Award.
In addition to being a frequent guest lecturer at universities and writers’ conferences, Ms. Casey served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003.
Follow the Author
Website / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads / Authors Den / Linkenin
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GIVEAWAY
Barbara will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
The tour dates can be found HERE.
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To get your copy of The Gospel According To Prissy by Barbara Casey, click on the cover below.
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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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This is such a fun title and cover, I just had to share it with all of you.
Did you get a chuckle or two from the post?
What is your Granny like?
Granny Hooks A Crook (A Fuschia Minnosata Mystery)
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Book Details
File Size: 294 KB
Print Length: 200 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1939816122
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (July 10, 2013)
ASIN: B00DVL2CVU
Cozy Mystery
Synopsis
Granny leads a secret life in the small, unique community of Fuschia, Minnesota. It’s not just her all junk food diet, multiplying pets, or her shocking bedtime attire that makes Granny one in a million. No, Granny is an undercover cop, charged by “the Big Guy” (the town’s police chief) of preventing theft in local stores. Granny takes her job seriously and daily foils many shoplifters using her trusty spiked umbrella and amazing acting skills. When some startlingly brazen burglaries begin to occur that Granny can’t solve, along with mysteriously appearing bad guys, disappearing clerks, and misplaced Corvettes, Granny begins to wonder if she isn’t ready for the wrinkle farm. Maybe, it’s fortuitous when she accidentally-on-purpose falls in the lap of an attractive older gentleman who is soon roped into her wild adventures, as they try to figure out what’s happening in their little town.
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Guest Post
GRANNY IS AS GRANNY DOES
I am a Granny. A Granny can be many things. Some Grannies bake cookies. Some Grannies sew clothes and blankets for their Grandchildren. Some Grannies are very good at taking care of a Grandchild. I don’t think I would qualify as any of those types of Grannies.
I do bake but only when my Grandchildren are here. My granddaughter, at a Grandparents day at her school, wrote that she loved to bake with me. I have her fooled. It is something I do because that is what you do with your grandchildren but it is not something that I do when they are not here.
I have made them quilts and sewed some quilts and other crafty items for them. They think I sew. I don’t sew unless it is something specific they ask for. My sewing machine doesn’t see the light of day unless it is a grandchild project. Yes, there are those types of Grannies that actually do those things all the time. They don’t have to fool their grandchildren by only doing it when their grandchildren come into their home.
I write about Grannies. Granny in Granny Hooks A Crook is a little unbelievable but I like fantasy. Granny is the best and most mischievous parts of my mother. She is the part of me that wants to be more daring. She is someone that looks old age in the face and wins. She lives in a community that is weird to say the least. But the rules in Granny’s community defy all the rules that we have that constrict us in our real communities. Fuchsia, Minnesota is the dream of a dreamer (me)that likes color in a world of colorless houses and doesn’t believe in the tight restrictions that keep us old people from believing we can be anything else but sick and useless.
My grandchildren took me out of a world of reality; taught me how to dream again and brought me back to a self I had lost when the real world intruded upon my dreams. I am like Granny, a little deceitful when it comes to letting them believe I am a baker, a cook and sew maker. That is a small part of the Grandma they know.
They know me as a woman that can take a computer apart and put it back together. They know me as a woman that can weave dreams into stories. They know me as a person that acts silly, rides some (small) roller coasters, dresses in pink and purple and likes weird, weird earrings. The Granny in my book Whatchamacallit? Thingamajig?, is a lot like me. My grandchildren helped me write this book. They know I will help them weave their dreams.
I had a Granny, actually two of them, but one I am going to highlight today. My Granny died when I was six years old and I have come to believe at my old age that Grannies never leave. They whisper and watch over our shoulders and give us strength courage and weird ideas. At least I am convinced mine did.
I did not tell my publisher what I thought the Granny in my book should look like. I didn’t communicate that. When the cover came back it was exactly as I pictured Granny. I suspect there was help from above when the illustrator created the cover. I was wearing the t-shirt I designed with Granny’s picture on the shirt as I was driving to a book signing. For some strange reason I started remembering and thinking about my Granny that died when I was six. I could not get her out of my head and then I realized why. The Granny on my book cover was an exact clone for my Granny. Granny in my book looked like my Granny. She had the same body, the same glasses, the same hair and the same nose and the same lips. I was sure and I couldn’t wait to get home to compare the two. I found a picture and yes, they were twins. I cannot tell you how moved I was at that moment.
If you are a Grandma or a Grandpa, let your light shine into the hearts of your grandchildren. Let them know who you are and who you were when you were young. Whatever your talent is as a Granny, it is your talent. Your Grandchildren will love you for it. If you want to be a little deceitful about one or two small things, like the Granny in my book and like me with my baking skills, I think it is ok. It means that you are stretching yourself to do something you might not be good at for someone you love. Just remember to have a sense of humor if you burn the vegetables. That is what I am known for in my family. That legacy about me will live on forever.
My Grandma died when I was very young. I don’t remember her baking or her sewing as she was in her 80’s when I was 6. She didn’t move very fast and I didn’t have her for very long but I will tell you what made her special to me and what I remember.
I remember her orchid crème that she always used. The smell even today reminds me of her. I remember her siting on her bed and letting me comb her long thin hair into a bun. I remember her smile. I remember her hugs, and now I also know she has never forgotten me. How else could my Granny in my book look like my Granny in real life without it being planned? Only Granny knows.
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About The Author
Julie Seedorf owns her own computer repair business, but her secret undercover job is writing. Her column “Something About Nothing” for a Minnesota newspaper is about nothing, which is what we talk about most of the time, always with something underneath the conversation. Julie has been a wife, mother, grandmother, housewife, barmaid, salesperson, activity director, full time volunteer and more. Her motto is, “If you dream it, you can do it.” Her Fuchsia Minnesota, published by Cozy Cat Press is her first journey in her undercover career. Having lived in small communities in Minnesota all her life, she knows the richness and uniqueness that only a small town can bring and with a little humor and imagination, she transforms those experiences into her imaginary Fuchsia community.
Webpage / Goodreads: Julie Seedorf / Twitter: @julieseedorf,
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Excerpt
Granny didn’t always like to get up in the morning. It seemed a waste of a good bed to get out of it so early in the morning. First, Granny would wallow in the warmth. She would squirm a little and enjoy the softness of the mattress. Granny would then open one eye to see if it was light yet. If it appeared that the sun was up, she would open the other eye very slowly, not wanting to get too excited. Getting up too fast always made her head spin.
Granny would then stick her big toe out of the blanket, trying to determine the weather. Her big toe was a good barometer. If it started turning blue, she knew it was cold and her toe was going to throb on and off for the day. If it stayed red, Granny knew that it would be a good day for her flip flops, even though she wasn’t supposed to be wearing them. Her kids harassed her about wearing her flip flops, something about not walking properly and being at risk of falling. She couldn’t make them understand that at her age she was always at risk for falling, so why not live dangerously in her flip flops.
Granny always looked around first before attempting the final lift out of her bed. She had to make sure there weren’t any kids or grandkids visiting before she threw off the covers. At her age it was easy to forget if her kids and grandkids had stayed over. Occasionally, she forgot they were there even before she climbed into bed. It didn’t bother her that her memory was a little foggy. It was a good excuse to use when she needed to get out of something she didn’t want to do, or if she got caught somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.
Usually, if Granny remembered before she went to bed that her kids and grandkids stayed over, she would dress in her granny gown pajamas. It was what they expected of someone her age and she didn’t want to ruin their expectations. But when Granny was by herself, she occasionally slept in the nude and occasionally she wore her hot pink, silk shortie nightgown with red hearts on it. Or she might wear her purple leather PJ’s that stated Sexy Granny and I Know It.
Granny’s secret PJ’s always made her smile before she went to bed. It made the creaky body and the saggy skin feel better. She still felt like that sexy granny inside. Her mind never did keep up with her body.
There were times her kids would visit unexpectedly in the morning and have breakfast waiting for Granny when she stumbled into the kitchen from her warm bed. She could see the horror on their faces if they caught her in anything other than her granny pajamas. She would be sent to the wrinkle farm faster than she could lose her flip flops.
Tour Participants
November 14 – Kelly P’s Blog – Guest Post, Giveaway
November 15 – Community Bookstop – Review
November 16 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Guest Post
November 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
November 18 – Christa Reads and Writes – Review, Giveaway
November 19 – Mochas, Mysteries and More – Guest Post
November 20 – fundinmental – Guest Post, Giveaway
November 21 – Musings and Ramblings – Guest Post
November 22 – readalot blog – Review
November 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight
November 26 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post
GIVEAWAY
One e-copy or paperback (Winner’s Choice)
Paperback U.S. Mailing Addresses only
Entry is easy peasy. Just leave your email and answer the question:
What is your Granny like?
Giveaway has ended.
Winner: Emma M. Congratulations and happy reading!
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To get your copy of Granny Hooks A Crook, or learn more about Julie Seedorf, click on the cover below.
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The cover lured me in and the blurb finished me off.
What’s not to love about an ex-Navy Seal and PI, assassination and Armageddon?
The excerpt makes me think of a scene on Bones, the TV show that is based on real-life forensic anthropologist, Kathy Reichs.
The haunting cover screams of bad things to come.
BLURB
Investigating an unlikely murder, Ex-SEAL and part time PI Craige Ingram discovers an officially sanctioned assassination. His investigation quickly stirs beyond the dirty backrooms of the nation’s capital with more killings across Europe and the Middle East. The dead woman is somehow connected to stolen artifacts from a time before Babylon. As he probes apparently unconnected clues, he locks horns with an enigmatic enticing secret agent with her own agenda and her own way of doing things. Craige faces train wrecks and deadly assassins doing business with a rich mercenary selling biotoxins, rare stamps, deadly nerve gases, and smuggled nuclear material to the highest bidder. As Craige peels away at the shadowy Operation Nymrod, he finds an elusive power-hungry dead-set mind – a driven obsession with a frightful arsenal of bioweapons ready to fulfill ancient prophecies with a very personal Armageddon that makes the monstrous last day of the twin towers of the World Trade Center pale in possibilities.
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EXCERPT
On the second-floor landing I spotted familiar faces from the department’s forensic team. The smell was worse inside. With that first look I didn’t need to be told that the pulpy lump with swollen pumpkin dimples where eyes should have been was one very bloated dead body. The corpse was well into being recycled. It no longer looked human. The body had been cooking in the sweltering oven of a Dixie mid-August scorching summer in this dreary one-flight walkup of apartments with no AC and painted-shut windows. Near the peeling paint archway and a worse kitchenette beyond I spotted Gray huddled with just over five feet plus, roly-poly Coroner-Medical Examiner Fred Dinkins.
“What you got?” I asked.
Gray indolently heaved a getting-paunchier fried chicken and beer belly and idly mumbled, “We’re not quite sure….” threw me that MacGerald we-got-trouble look. “Right now all I know for sure is, it’s no run-of-the-mill homicide.”
There was more in his look than his words. It was all over his face that things weren’t going the way he liked. I’d known that from the moment I disconnected from his call. He wouldn’t have made the call for a squabble between drifters over street drugs or a grocery cart of scrounged throwaway clothes. When a corpse is concealed, long term or otherwise and left to rot, decomposition can alter forensic evidence until it tells other stories—but not usually ones you want to hear. Dinkins had his work cut out for him and his crew. It’s one way perps buy themselves time, and concealment usually means there’s considerable more that went down. In my wildest night-stalks I could never’ve imagined how right-on-the-money that would prove to be. Ignorance is bliss…our SEAL team learned real quick. It can also get you killed.
Without looking up Dinkins said, “One more pitiable devil that died alone.” Piercing blue eyes peered over his ever-present black wire-rim glasses perched unsteadily on the end of his nose. In low-key measured words, “Prelim exam leads me to believe the corpse is female, but we’ll wait till we get the body to the morgue, see what the autopsy and lab tests tell us. I don’t want any second guessing the evidence. Besides, we’re about finished up here.”
The dreary apartment was busier than it’d seen in decades with double shifts of the forensic techs bustling-sorting the whens and hows of death. The cracker box kitchen adjoined a corner next-to-nothing squalid dinette area furnished with a dirty Masonite wobbly table barely big enough for two. In the front room the melon-round, no-neck head squatted square on the bloated chest of the oozing corpse. The whole misshapen inhuman mess had sagged into the soggy sofa.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.
Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention. Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.
“Without question, Hawk is one of the most gifted and imaginative writers I have had the pleasure to represent. His reading fans have something special to look forward to in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Intrigue, murder, deception and conspiracy–these are the things that take Hawk’s main character, Navy ex-SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram, from his South Carolina ancestral home of Moccasin Hollow to the dirty backrooms of the nation’s capital and across Europe and the Middle East.”
Barbara Casey, President
Barbara Casey Literary Agency
Stalk Hawk
Website / Amazon / Barnes and Noble
To get your copy of Nymrod Resurrection, or to learn more about Hawk McKinney and his books, click on the cover below.
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