Dalir’s Salvation by Nina Crespo – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 28, 2016 By 3 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nina will be awarding a digital copy of Dalir’s Salvation to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

To be with the man of her dreams, she’ll have to face her worst nightmares…

Ari is looking to live a normal life. But after she hits her head, normal is no longer an option. A mysterious, rugged man appears, whom only she can see… each night he fulfills her fantasies and leaves her begging for more. She’s sure he’s a figment of her imagination—until she finds out the hard way that he’s all too real. Now, to truly be with him, Ari will have to embrace the parts of herself she’s been desperately keeping at bay.

Dalir’s been burned by love before, yet he can’t resist Ari’s beauty and charm. And all it takes is one kiss to spark nights of passion. But there’s danger on the horizon that only Dalir and his friends in the band Thane’s Redemption can deal with. And the longer he stays with Ari, the greater the peril to them both. Will the two of them be strong enough to fight for their newfound love—and their lives?

Enjoy an excerpt:

Colby jogged up the stairs wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and a sweatstained T-shirt. His damp blond hair clung to his forehead. “Wouldn’t go down there if I were you. They’re moving furniture out of the sunroom.”

“For what?”

“They’re changing the back wall into a built-in bookcase.” Why couldn’t they just read the damn books instead of turning everything fucking upside down? “Where’s Thane and Reid?”

“They made themselves scarce early this morning along with Mace and West.”

Of course they had. Thane and Reid had led the team to stop rebellions, disasters, even a super virus from destroying humankind, but they couldn’t control their fiancées. The flush spreading over him and supernatural energy expanded in equal proportions.

A buzz emitted from the light switch.

“Whoa. Chill.” Colby raised his hands. “You’ll fry the circuits again. No electricity will only prolong the agony. Just do like the rest of us and leave.”

“You’re still here.”

“Not for long. I’m on recon duty.”

At least someone was getting some real work done. “Do you have a lead on Kell?”

“Possibly. The police in New Jersey are looking for a slasher. The victims’ wounds may have been caused by a sword.”

Knots tightened in Dalir’s gut. Since his escape, Kell had killed a woman scientist, kidnapped Lauren, and tortured Reid. Those were the incidents they knew about. Was he responsible for these murders, too?

About the Author: Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, kick boxing, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Curiosity about people and places, including what’s beyond the stars, fuels her writer’s imagination. This wellspring of inspiration allows Nina to create sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales, which she hopes will feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after. Current must haves include cupcakes with frosting and lots of sprinkles, and red wine chocolate blends.

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The Hardest Part About Writing by MH Snowy – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 28, 2016 By 12 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. MH Snowy will be awarding $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The hardest part about writing is…

The never-ending frustration that there’s never enough time to write.

There, I’ve said it. Now I’ll have to let you know what I mean.

In Harms WayFor me, writing is an interesting process of constant detailed struggle in amongst enormous fun-filled worlds. I start with a scene, and then identify the theme I’m expressing.

For example, my first novella, In Harm’s Way, started as a scene about Harm, the legendary warrior who performed amazing deeds, but who could never remember them; nor hope to repeat them when he could remember. Harm’s story is about heroism and truth. Okay: theme tick.

From there, I build more scenes, develop the characters, and set out the whole structure of the story, before writing the events in detail. Phew! Does that sound like a lot a lot of work to you?

And here’s my catch—due to my secret-identity, the main time I have to write is when I commute. Thank God for smart phones! For years, I’ve been writing stories on the train, one paragraph at a time. I tried writing at night, but that just left me spinning and sent my well-being down the toilet. Weekends, you say? I’ll get to that.

After weeks (or even months) of train-rides, I will have finally written each scene, and the story as a whole appears before my eyes. A few weeks later the scenes even hang together and the what of the story is ready. But a what does not a story make. Eh?

You see, unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Writing coherent words is hard work. Writing words that flow and zing is even harder. Welcome to the how of editing! Good bye weekends.

I’ve been writing Jeremy’s story for a while. The 12 Nights of Jeremy Sunson is the first novella, but a book in its own right. Jeremy’s story began life from momentary lapses in memory—as in ‘did I really do that?’ In Jeremy’s specific case, his confusion when game-hunters from the future blow up his apartment—and the evidence disappears the next day. To me, Jeremy’s struggle to save the world, and avoid the assassins who crave Armageddon, represents the unlikely hero in all of us. Jeremy’s an accountant on stress-leave: if he can make a stand, we all can!

In writing Jeremy’s story, I’ve learnt that creating individual stand-alone novellas is more difficult than to tell the same stories as one novel. But if I waited until I completed a whole novel, I’d be writing for ages. This way, though harder to write, lets my stories out to the world earlier.

But it still takes time: the how can take almost as long as writing the story in the first place. Good thing it’s so worthwhile. And the outcome after months of train-rides and hair-tearing weekends? The extracts and the previews on Amazon and Goodreads will give you an idea, but I’m quite chuffed.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, the sequel to Jeremy’s story is demanding more hair …

mediakit_bookcover_the12nightsofjeremysunsonHidden inside the most unlikely person can be the most extraordinary hero…

Jeremy Sunson is surrounded by crazy. Mrs. Abercrombie, upstairs, is widowed because her husband glued feathers to his arms, jumped off the building and tried to fly. His neighbour, Stuart, has gone mad since his wife died in a freak car accident— his only thread to reality the doomsday machine he’s building and his daughter… and, of course, there’s spacemen in Jeremy’s living room.

Every night, in glorious Technicolor, there’s a battle royal between two high tech assassins who continually blast Jeremy’s apartment to shreds. Each man has one mission: Red wants to kill Jeremy, Blue wants to save him!

Though his therapist insists he’s just having bad dreams—Jeremy knows better. It’s time to fight. He’s sick and tired of being sick, scared and tired! Armed with rare confidence and a baseball bat, this night, Jeremy fights like the crazy man he isn’t!

But how can he ever imagine when he’s won the battle, the war is only just beginning… over and over and over again?

The 12 Nights of Jeremy Sunson – ride a wave of laughter, fun and sci-fi fantasy all the way to Armageddon!

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“Dear me.” Dr Smith snapped up his ever-ready notepad, pen poised to take dictation. “Another dream? That is terrible,” he said with the grin of a Cheshire cat. “You must tell me all about it.”

But Jeremy didn’t have the energy to worry about Dr Smith’s behaviour. In mournful tones he related the story, unable to understand the way Dr Smith’s pen flew across the page, devouring every word that passed his lips. Jeremy shrugged—at least someone was getting a boost from his misery; though what that could be, he hadn’t the foggiest.

“Incredible … I mean, how terrible for you,” Dr Smith said, pen not pausing for a moment. “And they didn’t interact with you at all?”

“No,” Jeremy replied. “Though I’m pretty sure Fin scrunched his mouth at me.”

“He did what?”

Jeremy’s head snapped up. Dr Smith’s expression made Jeremy gulp. “Ah, he … he scrunched his mouth at me. I think. Raised it a bit on one side.”

Dr Smith jumped up and paced.

Jeremy followed the muttering figure with his gaze. “Does it … does it mean anything?”

Dr Smith stopped in his tracks. “Mean anything?” he said with a cry. “Why, it means everything!” He paced anew and then stopped. “Contempt, Mr Sunson. It means contempt.”

Fantastic, Jeremy reflected, now even my dreams think I’m a loser.

But Dr Smith continued. “It means you are not acting as Fin expects you to. He—your dream saviour, the alpha part of your personality if you will—showed that you are not assisting him with your behaviour. He is trying to save you and you are not helping yourself. Battle, Mr Sunson! Your dreams are instructing you to battle.”

About the Author:

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Melindra Hattfield Snowy, a part-time writer and full-time dreamer, who of course prefers to be known as MH. She is the author of In Harm’s Way, the first novella in Harm’s story published by Pygaso Productions, described as epic fantasy meets The Truman Show.

MH has also penned several short stories including We Three Laws of Robotics Are and The Secret Invasion of George Kranskii which explains how road rage is result the result of an alien invasion.

When not writing or occupied with her dual-identity, MH walks through the mountains with her partner or tries to unravel the secrets of her great-grandmother, an adventuress who disembarked from the French steamer Laos in 1931 seeking to uncover rumours of Mayan temples deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle, and disappeared, never to be heard of again.

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The Lizard’s Tale by Kurt Kamm – Q&A and Giveaway

September 27, 2016 By 14 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour. Kurt Kamm has stopped by to answer a few questions!

What are your favorite TV shows?

There is certainly nothing on network television worth watching. I watch the Bloomberg financial programs and like many of the BBC series, including Poldark and Downton. Ray Donovan and Homeland are also favorites. Now for a confession. If I am working out in my gym and need a distraction, I turn on Game of Thrones. What a crazy show. I have no idea what the plot is, but I can watch 15 – 20 minutes of any episode from any year and be entertained. None of it makes any sense, but there is always a great sword fight, a poisoning, people speaking strange languages, or a horde of warriors riding horses. Brainless entertainment, but entertainment for sure.

What is your favorite meal?

I’m big on carbohydrates because I exercise a lot. Every meal must have pasta, potatoes, or rice. Also, fresh/raw vegetables—snow peas, artichokes and avocados—are favorites. I don’t eat red meat, but seafood, fish or chicken is good. Barbequed lizard is not on the list for obvious reasons. Love desserts. Give me any dessert, I’ll eat it.

Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?

There is no author I idolize because of his/her personal life, but James Salter is my favorite author for his ability to write beautiful, simple but elegant prose and create haunting tales. He has been called “an author’s author,” and I fully agree. I think he’s underrated and under-read.

How did you come up for the title of this book?

Part of the book deals with Jorge’s (the Mexican orphan) obsession with geckoes. Geckoes and most other lizards can lose their tails and grow them back. This is a defense mechanism to distract predators—the reptile can release its tail, which keeps twitching and draws the predator’s attention while the creature escapes. The Guatemalan Beaded Lizard, a much larger reptile, is itself a predator and cannot release its tail. From the very beginning, I liked the tail—tale pun and for a long time the name of the novel was The Tale of the Lizard. My editor shortened it to The Lizard’s Tale and it is a perfect name.

What would you like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

I would like to have several major publishing houses bidding on my next book. After signing a seven-figure contract (excluding decimal points), the New York Times Book Review will devote not a single review, but an entire edition to my work. After that, Oprah will select my book and it will be a bigger seller than the Bible…..oh, sorry, I dozed off at my computer and just had a short dream. What would I like to accomplish next year? I have modest ambitions—start a new novel, have fun researching and writing it, and have at least one person tell me how much she liked it.

mediakit_bookcover_thelizardstaleKurt Kamm has written a novel that’s a literary crime novel, with a strong thread of non-fiction running through it. The Lizard’s Tale is a tale of crime—with an a wide-ranging cast of characters.

When the DEA goes up against the Sinaloa Cartel, an orphan and an endangered lizard are caught in the conflict. The action moves from Guatemala to Mexico to Catalina Island off the coast of California.

Alejandro, a middle class Guatemalan, wants his share, and makes a deal with the cartel. Now he’s risking his life to deliver the goods.

El Dedo, a brilliant financier, is the Sinaloa Cartel’s banker. He worries about what to do with the billions of dollars collecting dust in his underground vault.

Ryan, a DEA Special Agent, needs to make a high profile case to get a promotion. Is the big yacht headed for California carrying a Mexican drug shipment?

Kate, a wildlife officer on Catalina Island, smells smoke. When she heads out in the middle of the night to investigate a fire, she makes an astonishing discovery.

Jorge, an orphan from the streets of Mexico, is abandoned in the United States. Will he find his way back home and track down his mother’s killer?

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Dedo was one of the few outsiders at the top of the cartel hierarchy. He came from a different background than most of the drug lords, who had grown up in poor towns in the Sierra Madres where people suffered a hard existence living in hovels made of cinderblocks. Dedo had no poverty to escape. He grew up in Mexico City and lived a blessed childhood. His father owned a small Mexican chemical business that grew large when it began to supply the Cartels with the ingredients used to make methamphetamine. His mother was Swiss, and had worked for a chemical company in Basle when she met his father. Dedo inherited his intellect and business sense from his father. His grey eyes came from his mother.

When his father brought him to the State of Sinaloa for the first time, Dedo stood in the dust and blasting heat and felt the moisture evaporating from his skin. “Those mountain highlands,” his father had told him, pointing off into the distance, “are ideal for growing poppies. All they need is sunlight and moisture.” Then he turned and pointed in the direction of the Pacific Ocean, and continued, “And out in those valleys between the mountains and the coast, the climate is perfect for growing marijuana.” Finally, his father looked at Dedo and told him, “Fortunately for us, sunshine and water don’t produce methamphetamine. For that, they need chemicals—a lot of chemicals—and that’s why we’re here.”

About the Author: mediakit_authorphoto_thetaleofthelizardMalibu, California resident Kurt Kamm has written a series of firefighter mystery novels, which have won several literary awards. His newest novel, The Lizard’s Tale, provides a unique look inside the activities of the Mexican drug cartels and the men dedicated to stopping them.

Kurt has used his contact with CalFire, Los Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments, as well as the ATF and DEA to write fact-based (“faction”) novels. He has attended classes at El Camino Fire Academy and trained in wildland firefighting, arson investigation and hazardous materials response. He has also attended the ATF and DEA Citizen’s Academies. After graduating from the DEA Citizen’s Academy in 2014, he began work on The Lizard’s Tale.

Kurt has built an avid fan base among first responders and other readers. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School, Kurt was previously a financial executive and semi-professional bicycle racer. He was also Chairman of the UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation for several years.

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Red Hot Suspense by Various Authors- only $0.99 – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment

#RedHotSuspense

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Your Sixteen new book boyfriends are HERE to save you from the same-old, same-old.

Just when you thought the house was quiet, they’ll show up—dressed in black leather or a well-tailored suit—to throw you on the back of a bike or into an Aston Martin and speed you away just as the bullets start to fly. And when the danger is over, then they’ll throw you onto a bed or against a tree, because they’re as passionate as they are brave.

16 Top-Selling Novels! Over 3000 pages of romantic thrillers, mysteries, and suspense!

Stock up for your kids-went-back-to-school reading with this one great box set! 16 sizzling, suspenseful, thrilling romance novels that will make your pulse race!

These great books are just the things to add some spice to your life. Try great new authors, and add 16 new books to your TBR pile. Some are suspenseful, some are thrilling, but all are Red Hot!

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Get your copy NOW!

 Buy the set at Amazon, iBooks , Barnes & Noble, Google, or Kobo

This sizzling set includes the following red hot stories:

Jo Raven ~ Storm ~ Drop-dead gorgeous, kind, and hot in bed, Storm may not be what he seems. Who is the real Storm, and what is he hiding? Raylin had better find out before the bullets begin to fly.

Lacey Silks ~ Perfectly Seduced ~ Trusting a mouth-watering hunk who has lied to you is not easy. Especially when you have a fifty-million dollar target on your back, and he’s the only one who can help you.

Meli Raine ~ Finding Allie ~ Forced to work for her criminal stepfather, Allie desperately wants to escape. When rival Chase protects her during a bar brawl, can she be saved by this forbidden attraction?

Beverly Preston ~ Surviving Broken ~ After escaping Italy and the hands of her abuser, JC Mathews returns to Malibu to recover. The last thing she expects to find is a large, gorgeous intruder swimming naked in her pool.

Blair Babylon ~ Billionaires in Disguise: Rae ~ When Type-A personality Rae slips up and loses her scholarship, she’s desperate for a job to pay her tuition. Salvation comes in the form of tall, tantalizing Wulf—a BDSM club owner who’s prepared to show Rae just how good it is to be bad….

Olivia Rigal & Ava Catori ~ Flirting with Danger ~ Isabella had plans, big ones for her future. Instead she was thrust into the arms of a stranger. Gin, consumed with ambition, never imagined that his lust for Isabella would be his downfall.

JC Andrijeski ~ Black As Night (Quentin Black Mystery #2) ~ Profiler Miri Fox flies to Bangkok where her sexy employer, Quentin Black, hunts a murderer. Soon after she arrives, Miri herself becomes the hunted.

Daizie Draper ~ The Dirtiest Things ~ Although able to hold her own against gun-toting maniacs, a bounty hunter fears her righteous fury for the former BFF and lover who abandoned her and broke her heart is no match for dormant lust and affection when said idiot crashes back into her life and begs for her help.

Sarah M. Cradit ~ St. Charles at Dusk ~ Set amidst the lush and vibrant backdrop of New Orleans, this is the story of Oz and Adrienne. Of forbidden love, and startling heartbreak.

Olivia Hardin ~ Justice for All ~ Van’s had his eye on Kay since she walked into his classroom. But someone else is watching her too, and that person might not only derail her career but threaten her life

Felicia Tatum ~ Anxious Hearts ~ One passionate night changes Daphne and Zander’s lives forever.

Alison Foster ~ Magnificent Ruin ~ His eyes are full of ruin. I try to escape Tomas Keller, but with each step I slip ever deeper into his mystery. I can’t look away. He’s magnificent.

Violet Vaughn ~ Lease on Love ~ Lori reinvents herself as a ski instructor to move on from an abusive past, but Lucas isn’t done with her yet.

Annie Winters ~ The Vigilante’s Lover ~ Mia’s sexy letters to a prisoner was a crazy dare that spiced up her small-town life. It was fun. Thrilling. Harmless. Until he escaped.

Gina Robinson ~ The Spy Who Left Me ~ If only her heart didn’t react to her ex so traitorously. If only acknowledging that they even know each other wouldn’t get them both killed…

Natasha Boyd ~ Deep Blue Eternity ~ While in hiding, Livvy has to contend with a sexy, bearded, reclusive stranger who seems to be hiding something that has to do with Livvy’s past. Can she trust him to protect her? Why does she get the feeling Tom is protecting Livvy from himself… A first place Chatelaine Award winner for a Romantic Fiction 2015.

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A Highlander’s Christmas Kiss by Paula Quinn – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 27, 2016 By 1 Comment

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by the publisher. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of the book.

9_27-paula-quinn-christmas-kissA STRANGER’S SMILE
Christmas may be coming to Linavar, but Temperance Menzie is far from joyful. Grief-stricken over the death of her father at the hands of the Black Riders, she almost didn’t see the wounded stranger in the woods. And now she’s determined to give this braw, brooding Highlander the help she couldn’t give her father. But there’s a secret lurking in the depths of his blue-gray eyes. And Temperance won’t rest until she uncovers it . . .

A LOVER’S KISS
A killer for hire. It’s the last thing Cailean Grant ever thought he’d become, but being part of the Black Riders was his only way to survive. Now, his guilt grows day by day, along with his desire for the beautiful, brave lass nursing him back to health. As Christmas, the season of miracles, draws near and the truth of his identity threatens to come out, Cailean must risk the only thing he has left to lose – his heart.

Enjoy an excerpt:

She stopped walking and pulled on his hand to stop him as well. “Who am I to you?”

What? What had he said? He realized quickly enough, scowled, and then smiled, giving in to what his heart was telling him. “Ye are—” He paused, not truly sure what to say. He hadn’t wanted to care for her, but he did. He’d let her in, but how could he have denied her entrance? She’d been through much, thanks to him, and yet she still smiled, she still sang, she still had compassion to help him heal.

He began again, reaching for her. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her plaid- encased body, shielding her from the wind. “Ye are my candle in the dark.” He stopped again to take her in. He smiled. “I’m better at puttin’ a quill to m’ words than I am at speakin’ them.”

Her wide, beautiful eyes glittered like the snow dusting the braes. He wanted to lose himself there in the expectant hope that lit her gaze.

“You’re doing just fine,” she assured him softly. “Continue, please.”

He shoved aside everything on his mind but her. What was left scared the hell out him. “I canna—”

She waited in silence while he fought his demon for her. Her hope began to fade to disappointment.

It made him smile to think her hope was to be with him and she was waiting to hear him tell her.

“I canna take my gaze from ye, lass. No matter what I’m doin’, m’ eyes find their way back to yer rich dark hair fallin’ over yer flawless jaw, the relaxed curl of your bottom lip that tempts my legs to bring me to wherever ye are. I lay awake at night imaginin’ yer soft inhalations of breath. They fill my heart with something other than mortar and fury. I want to bring ye to me but I’m unworthy of yer dreams. Still, I want to be in them, as ye are in mine.”

“You see?” she said breathlessly. “Just fine.” She closed her eyes and parted her lips when he dipped his head to hers.

He moved his mouth over hers, basking in the intimacy of kissing her, capturing her short, eager breaths. His senses came alive and he used each one of them to fill himself with her. She tasted like passion and innocence. When he slipped his tongue over hers, she opened her arms and coiled them around his neck, covering them both in his plaid. He listened to her heart beating like ancient drums. Or was it his own heart he was hearing? He withdrew a hairbreadth so he could look at her again. The sight of her dreamy-eyed and wanting more nearly drove him mad. He brushed his nose across her temple to her hair, drinking in the scent of her, like the familiar fragrance of peat and pine. “Ye’re bringin’ me back to life, lass.”

He kissed her again, barely holding back the passion raging inside him to be released.

About the Author:9_27-paula-quinn  New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

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Top Five Christmas Memories by Olivia Miles – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post to win a copy of the book.

Olivia Miles shares with us her top five Christmas memories:

First Christmas with my Dogs – They were both still puppies, and I was living in an apartment in the city that actually had a fireplace. I went out and bought them each a stocking and filled it with treats and toys specific to their very individual personalities and traits. My one dog refused to miss out on any of the excitement of the day, and by about six in the evening, we noticed that he was falling asleep standing up and almost falling over…

Baby’s First Christmas – It was so special to pick out a Christmas dress for my daughter and help her unwrap toys. Christmas became fun again, and from that day forward, I feel like I am reliving it with a child’s enthusiasm.

The first time we brought my daughter to see Santa – Now this was not the happy experience one might think. The very first time was at the mall, and she just stared at me with tears welling in her eyes and her lower lip jutted out and I felt so horrible, I pulled her off and didn’t buy the photo, which I’ve been kicking myself about ever since. A few weeks later, Santa made a visit to a playgroup we attended and let’s just say the tantrum she threw was photographed, and the look on Santa’s face almost trumps my daughter’s horror.

The Christmas I burned all the food – We ended up having to order pizza. There was still wine, and the dessert was saved, and better yet….less dishes! Merry Christmas to me!

The Christmas I had to call Santa – As an incentive to motivate my then toddler’s behavior, I fell back on that age old “Santa is watching.” I can’t remember what she did, but there was the time she acted up so badly (which shocks me, as she really was always such a good girl!) that I had to make a “phone call” to Santa. Well, my daughter went ballistic and I was barely able to keep it together as I said into the disconnected phone, “Hello Santa? This is Avery’s mommy…” Someday she will laugh about this. Or try it on her own kids!

9_26-miles_christmascomestomainstreet_mmThe fifth and final novel in Olivia Miles contemporary romance Briar Creek series!

The mistletoe is out, and the gloves are off . . .

‘Tis the worst season to be single, but Kara Hastings won’t let a little Christmas funk spoil the festive season. Sure, running her own bakery is a little harder than she expected, but she can handle it. And she’ll prove it to a certain infuriatingly handsome, bossy Big City guy. She may be sugar and spice, but she can kick his butt twice.

Nate Griffin is in Briar Creek only for the holidays, and he refuses to fall for the whole “small town, candy cane-scented Christmas Wonderland” thing. He’s more interested in the fresh-faced cookie chef who always knows exactly how to get under his skin. So when Nate challenges Kara in the town’s big holiday contest, it’s not just the competition that starts to heat up. If he’s not careful, Kara won’t just melt his icy resolve against a small-town Christmas . . . she’ll melt his heart too.

About the Author:9_26-olivia-milesHaving grown up in New England, Olivia Miles attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec before settling in Chicago where she lives with her husband, their daughter, and two ridiculously pampered pups.

When she is not chasing after her little ones, she is hard at work creating feisty heroines and alpha heroes with a heart. A city girl with a fondness for small-town charm, Olivia enjoys highlighting both ways of life in her stories.

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Hope Ramsay’s Top Five Christmas Memories – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by the publisher.

Enjoy Hope Ramsay’s top five Christmas memories:

Christmas is my favorite time of year. It’s almost hard to pare it down to just five memories, but here goes.

1. The Christmas I was a freshman in college, all I wanted was a stereo for my dorm room – a very expensive item in the days before iPods or even portable cassette players. I was told in no uncertain terms that I was insane if I thought I would get any such thing. So I put it out of my mind on Christmas morning when the family gathered in the living room and gifts were handed out. My brothers started handing out gifts and everyone was having a wonderful time, except me. Because I didn’t get anything to open. Everyone just ignored me for the longest time, until there weren’t any more presents under the tree. And then Mom and Dad came into the room with a big box that had been hiding. Of course it was the stereo. My parents and my older brothers pooled their resources to get me just one present that year. But it was one I’ll never forget.

2. My First Christmas as a wife. We were celebrating with my husband’s family. The first year I wasn’t home for Christmas. We rented cabin up in the mountains of Georgia, trimmed a tree on Christmas eve, and the Georgia Good Ol’ Boy and I slept on a pull out sofa underneath the Christmas lights. It was magical.

3. The Christmas when my older brother brought home a 19 foot tree. My parents had soaring cathedral ceilings in their living room and my brother decided that we needed more than the usual 8 foot tree. That tree was enormous and took me right back to my childhood when an 8 foot tree seemed very tall.

4. The Christmas we decided to eat out at a very swanky restaurant. I made a beautiful Christmas dress for my daughter, who was four at the time, with a black velvet bodice and a red plaid skirt. I had some left over fabric, so I made my seven year old son a matching plaid vest. I remember walking into the restaurant’s dining room with my adorable kids and having everyone turn, look, and go awww.

5. The last Christmas my mother was alive. She was ill that year, and we knew it was the last one together. In fact, she became very ill late on Christmas Day and ended up in the hospital for her last stay. But for a moment, on Christmas Eve, everything was perfect and we were all together for one last time.

9_27-hope-ramsay_achristmasbride_mmA brand new contemporary romance series from USA Today bestselling author Hope Ramsay centered on a small-town wedding chapel!

A season of hope…’Tis the season in Shenandoah Falls and the first time Willow Peterson has been home in years. But she’s determined to fulfill the wishes of her recently deceased best friend and restore Eagle Hill Manor to its former glory—all in time to host the perfect holiday wedding. She just has to get the owner of the historic inn to hire her. Unfortunately, that means dealing with Scrooge himself…

After the death of his wife, David Lyndon has a bah-humbug approach to Christmas. But as December counts down and the wedding planning is in full swing, it’s harder and harder to stay immune to the charms of Willow, especially when he sees how much joy she brings his eight-year-old daughter. After a simple kiss under the mistletoe turns into something more, David is hoping he can turn the magic of the holiday season into the love of a lifetime.

About the Author:9_27-hope-ramsay-credit-wess-brownHope Ramsay is a USA Today bestselling author of heartwarming contemporary romances. Her books have won critical acclaim and publishing awards. She is married to a good ol’ Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her Southern heroes. She has two grown children and a couple of demanding lap cats. She lives in Virginia where, when she’s not writing, she’s knitting or playing her forty-year-old Martin guitar.

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Sins that Haunt by Lucy Farago – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 23, 2016 By 2 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lucy will be awarding a digital copy of Sins that Haunt to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

sins-that-hauntThe glitz and glamour of Las Vegas hide a multitude of sins. And in Lucy Farago’s show-stopping series, a lawyer and an FBI agent take a walk on the seedy side, where greed breeds a deadly desperation…

Civil attorney Shannon Joyce walks the line of law and order, but she learned from day one how to put up a good front—thanks to her con man father. Thirteen years ago, she left the east coast and her life of crime behind. Her high school sweetheart, Noah, was collateral damage, but some things can’t be helped. But now there’s no escape when her past comes roaring down the Strip—in the oh-so-tempting form of the man she left behind…

Special Agent Noah Monroe has Shannon exactly where he wants her—in the back of his car in handcuffs. Her grifter father has been murdered, and the FBI needs Shannon to keep one of his scams in play to bag the big bad guy who was financing him. Once again a pawn in someone’s else game, Shannon will have to trust her instincts to survive both the peril threatening her—and the passion Noah reignites…

Enjoy an Excerpt:

They eventually stopped at the last place she’d expected. The airport. Noah got out of the car and got in the backseat with her.

“What’s going on?” She should be sitting in an interrogation room, not visitors’ parking at the airport. “Is my father really dead?”

May God have mercy on her soul, but she hoped so.

Noah nodded once.

“How did he die?”

He lifted a dark eyebrow.

“Cut it out. You know damn well I didn’t kill him.” She didn’t lie, not anymore. “Am I glad he’s gone to a far worse place?” She shrugged. He’d not only screwed up her life but countless others’. His victims were in the thousands, if not more. “But when I left him, he was alive.” Not very happy but alive.

“When would that be?” he asked.

She considered telling him to go take a swim in shark-infested waters, then thought better of it. She had nothing to hide. “Two days ago.”

“What did the two of you discuss?”

“The weather,” she said. Jerk. No way would she admit to her father extorting money from her. Thirteen years ago she’d have told Noah everything. Thirteen years ago he hadn’t been a special agent assigned to a task force that could put her behind bars.

“Shannon, even if you and I didn’t know you hated the guy, the only time he ever talked to you was to coerce you into one of his schemes. So what was it this time?”

About the Author:lucy-faragoLucy Farago knows there is nothing like a happy sigh at the end of a good book. With the encouragement of her loving husband, she wrote her first manuscript. An unpublished historical, it sits in a file on her computer, there to remind her how much fun she had learning the craft and becoming part of an industry whose books make you believe anything is possible. A big fan of Agatha Christie, she set out to write her first romantic suspense novel. Thrilled to be a published author, Lucy also teaches yoga, enjoys cooking, and saying what other people are thinking. In her fantasy world, her beautiful Siberian husky, Loki, doesn’t shed and her three kids clean up after themselves. Alas, that fantasy will never see fruition.

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Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, or Nook.

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The Joined Realm by Robert Vane – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 23, 2016 By 16 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robert Vane will be awarding a $75 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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“Control the water, control the world”

From inside the lush expanse of the Inner Realm, the Ghosbane family and their fellow waterlords rule the Joined Realm through their mastery of the ancient aqueducts that feed the vast Drylands beyond their domain. After being accused of a terrible crime, Arlon Ghosbane, the inheritor of a secret legacy of the vanquished overlords of the Joined Realm, is forced to flee from his family and the only life he has ever known. Guided by a renegade howler intent on freeing his race, Arlon discovers that a world far different than one he had been taught about lies beyond his water-rich homeland. The fate of humanity will be determined by the decisions of a young fugitive and a former slave as they fight for the future of the Joined Realm.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Tattered banners displaying the sunflower sigil of this dusty frontier holding hung behind the lord and his men, all of them pressed together like a clutch of hens. The chamber’s walls looked like they could crumble at any moment, but at least they kept Raz’s pounding light at bay. Sand infested the rough-cut limestone of the floor, but Bellamy supposed that was inevitable in such a water-starved place. He busied himself trying to dislodge the bits of filth ensconced beneath his fingernails as Lord Lowen droned on. When Bellamy finished his manicure and looked up, he noted with annoyance that Lowen and his meager retainers did not have sand strewn in their hair or stuck in the crevasses of their fingernails.

“That’s quite enough, Lowen,” Bellamy declared, his tone as dismissive as that of a disappointed tutor. “Scribble your excuses on some parchment to send to our Lord Idris. I’ve heard enough of them. You are responsible for every drop of water that flows out from this portion of the aqueduct. That is your oath. You retain your holdings, and your life, only so long as you uphold that oath. You have failed.”

About the Author: Robert Vane has been writing stories since he was eight. It’s been his full time job for two decades – but not the stories he wanted to write.

Inspired by a lifetime of reading, beginning with “classics” like Privateers, the Amtrak Wars, Darkover, and the Belgariad to name a few (yeah, he’s old), Rob has been pecking away in his spare time. The Joined Realm isn’t the first full length novel Rob has written, but it’s the first that he felt ready to share. Big thanks to Amazon!

Keep reading and writing.

The Joined Realm is available on Amazon.com and will be $0.99 during the tour.

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The Truth She Knew by J. A. Owenby – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 23, 2016 By 11 Comments

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. J.A. Owenby will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

mediakit_bookcover_thetruthsheknew Mama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me.

For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love.

But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change. Suddenly, Lacey is face to face with the realization that maybe what she’s always seen as normal really isn’t. Her entire life—and everything she’s ever believed about herself and her family—is abruptly hanging in midair.

Lacey is left facing two paths, and she has to make a choice. The first means walking away from everything she’s ever known. The other means never really knowing the truth.

The Truth She Knew offers an honest and powerful glimpse into mental illness, the meaning of true love, and the psychological waltz that a daughter dances as she endures her mother’s unpredictable emotions, manipulation, and abuse.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Mama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me. She reminded me of this on a consistent basis, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t change her mind. Finally, I had to make a choice: her or me.

My heels clicked against the cold tile floor of the hospital and my heart fluttered as I searched the room numbers.

I rubbed my clammy hands against my jeans as I saw the ladies’ restroom and hurried toward it. I needed a minute before I reached her room. I pushed the door open and scanned the bathroom for anyone else. It was empty.

My purse landed with a thud on the bathroom counter. I turned the cold water on, splashed it on my cheeks, and wiped my face with a paper towel.

“Breathe,” I muttered. “She can’t hurt you anymore. You’re grown.”

My pep talk wasn’t working. Fear was gnawing at my stomach.

I reached into my bag, grabbed my powder compact, and touched up my makeup. My green eyes shone brighter against the redness left from my tears. I ran a brush through my long, blond hair and dabbed a hint of gloss on my lips, more out of habit than need.

“Let’s do this, Lacey. Suck it up,” I said to my reflection. I released a slow, deep breath and headed out of the restroom and down the hall toward the ICU.

About the Author: J.A. Owenby lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two cats.

She’s a published author of six short stories, and she is currently working on her second full-length novel. She also runs her own business as a professional resume writer and interview coach—she helps people find jobs they love.

J.A. is an avid reader of thrillers, romance, new adult, and young adult novels. She loves music, movies, and good wine. And call her crazy, but she loves the rainy Pacific Northwest; she gets her best story ideas while listening to the rain pattering against the windows in front of the fireplace.

You can follow the progress of her upcoming novel on Facebook and on Twitter.

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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