The Poseidon Project by E. William Podojil – Interview and Giveaway

January 16, 2025 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?

EWP: I’d apologize to someone with whom I was in a relationship. It didn’t end well, but we both ended up better off.

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

EWP: Anything that flies; dragon, phoenix, griffin, so my pet could take me places.

How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

EWP: I try and keep my books about people, all types of people, which is real life. People are the variables that can make a situation good or bad. I try to write about a diverse set of characters, how they are challenged, how they interact, clash, agree.

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?

EWP: The best piece of advice: Go for it and try. Worst piece of advice: You can’t do anything until you get an agent.

Are the experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

EWP: Many of my own experiences are woven through my stories, but so far, none have been based upon real events or people. I’m working on a project now that attempts to do that, so we’ll see how it goes.

The Poseidon Project is an international suspense thriller and the first book in The Herb Society Mysteries series

Molly Halloran and her friends have a secret past. Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is abducted and held for a steep ransom. Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world to meet the kidnappers’ demands. But when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the stakes truly are. Molly and her friends now must face their past in order to save the future. But not only their futures; the world’s.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The Spectrum’s engines roared, providing thrust to power the plane to takeoff speed as it lurched ahead down the runway. The plane’s power was evident as the acceleration force held them in their seats. This plane was designed to go fast, and the cabin was surprisingly quiet. As they hit takeoff speed, Taylor pulled back, and the nose lifted off the ground, followed shortly by the rest of the plane. The landing gear retracted immediately into the fuselage.

The passengers quietly stared out the large porthole windows as the Goose climbed out of Tucson. It was almost dusk, and Lukas spotted thousands of saguaro cacti dotting the sides of mountains that cast distorted shadows that looked like goblins. The exhilarating views captivated everyone. That is, for everyone except Donna, who sat rigid in her seat, hands clenched and her eyes squeezed shut. Lukas shot her a thumbs up in thanks to Donna—already not a fan of flying, but all in for a fifteen-hour flight halfway around the world just to support her friend. The plane’s angle leveled off, and soon Taylor emerged from the cockpit, curious how well the passengers had settled into their home for the next fifteen hours. Linda and Betty had their eyes shut, as Donna distracted herself with her laptop.

Taylor walked back to the crew stateroom for a few minutes. He and Diego had a brief conversation before Diego walked up to the cockpit. Lukas moved toward the back of the plane to set up his inflight internet connection and workspace. Linda and Betty awoke, startled and disoriented after their brief power nap, while Donna adjusted their seats to face each other, a small table between them. Betty remarked that it reminded her of a train.

“How’re you doing?” Taylor asked Lukas.

“Just trying to get set up here. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the way to Dubai. I need to connect with my team in Croatia to get some data and ideas on how I can get this ransom together. It’s still early morning there, so I’ll wait a few hours.”

“Why don’t you get some sleep until then?” Taylor suggested. I’m gonna try to myself. You mind?” Taylor pointed to the empty seat next to Lukas.

“Of course not.” Lukas stood to let him in. Taylor sat and reclined his seat. “I changed my mind. I’ll let the kids do the first leg, then I’ll replace one of them, and we rotate like that.”

Lukas saw that his mom and her friends were already starting to doze off, no doubt tired from the frenetic day. “Why don’t you sleep with me?” Taylor said, and then caught himself. “I mean not with me but next to me—you know what I mean. You make me all tongue-tied, Dr. Halloran.”

“Sure, I could use a nap. I’m relieved we’re finally on our way.” Lukas reclined his seat to the same angle as Taylor’s. The cabin was mostly dark, except for the LED accent lights that glowed a cool blue.

Taylor reached out and touched Lukas’ hand. “Is this okay?” He then intertwined his fingers with Lukas’. “This is better than okay. Sleep tight.” Lukas raised their joined hands and kissed the back of Taylor’s. Pretty soon, their hands were on each other’s thighs.

Heat rose from Taylor’s athletic legs.

Despite the sadness, stress, and emotion of this week, Lukas appreciated the kind soul sleeping next to him. As he was resting, Lukas suddenly felt a rush of panic. What am I doing? Random memories of Drew raced through his head as he tried to calm himself. He tried to rationalize his thoughts. Yes, I just met this guy. Yes, I promised myself I’d never get hurt again. But he’s such a nice man. What if he’s psycho? He pulled his hand away from Taylor and eventually calmed his mind and drifted off to sleep. When Lukas woke up, he noticed his mother sitting with her eyes open, staring at nothing, either deep in thought or terrified of something. Lukas walked over to her. “Ma, are you doing okay?”

“I think I’m okay. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I know. This has got to be tough for you…” “Honey, I’m not talking about your father. Of course, I’m concerned about him, but it’s only a matter of time until we can see him, hopefully.”

About the Author

Edited in Prisma app

E. William Podojil has worked as a writer, advisor and international business executive while living in the Netherlands and the United States. He studied screenwriting at UCLA. His first novel, The Tenth Man, was published in 2004, by Haworth Press. His latest novel, The Poseidon Project, will be published by Wild Rose Press in August, 2024 as the first book in the Herb Society Mysteries series.

Podojil currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website.

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Sensible Shoes by Cindy Causey – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 14, 2025 By 3 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cindy Causey will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

At her fiftieth birthday party, Tess Thomason, a plain-Jane, divorced mother and decidedly unprepared women’s newspaper columnist, is blindsided by her well-meaning family with a stack of gift cards she interprets as meaning she’s fat, frumpy, and wrinkled. Facing a lonely future and failing career, Tess embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking her readers along for the ride. But her resolve is nearly derailed by a hilarious season of family chaos that includes a surprise pregnancy, rushed wedding, and unexpected houseguests. In the midst of it all, Tess is drawn into a confusing new relationship with a man who is impossibly perfect for her. But if she can keep herself, her family, and her willpower firmly seated on the crazy roller coaster of her life, maybe Tess will find her own self-worth and a new love in the bargain.

Read an Excerpt

“Tess, Tess, I’m not expecting you to write like Sylvia. I’m not even expecting you to write about fashion. What I have in mind is a column to women, for women, about women. Real women. Like one of those influencers on the Internet. You know…funny, wise, poignant, and… relevant.”

The creeping dread, now fully formed, tossed a grenade into my stomach. She might as well have asked me to write like Shakespeare. “You want me to be funny, wise, poignant, and…relevant? Are you insane?”

Okay, I may have stepped over the line with that last bit, because Ruth’s face twisted a little in the ominous way I had seen so often just before she pounded her fist on the desk. “Just write the damn thing, Tess. I don’t care if you’re funny, wise, poignant, or what was the other thing?”

“Relevant,” I murmured.

“Relevant, for God’s sake. Just do it. I need a column for the women’s page starting next week, and you’re it. Write about what you know. Family. Food. The laundry. You’ve got family. You’ve got laundry. It’ll be a cinch.”

“But—”

“No buts. Just do it. It’ll be good for you. You need to get out of your rut.” She turned her attention to her computer screen.

As if in a trance, I rose from the chair and turned to leave. “Oh, Tess?” she said without looking at me.

“Yes?” Maybe she’s changed her mind; she saw my outfit, and she changed her mind.

“Happy birthday.”

About the Author: Cindy Causey taught herself to type in the 8th grade because she couldn’t write in her diary fast enough in longhand. A degree and career in advertising were the result. A fifteen-year stint as a copy chief at JCPenney Catalog led to the position of Internet Marketing Manager for JCPenney.com.

After 20 years at JCPenney, Cindy retired in December, 2007, and began working full time with her husband Scott in their multi-media production company, Dallas Media Center. They specialized in audio/video production and editing, vintage media transfer to DVD and CD, as well as website design and hosting. Cindy shuttered the company in 2021, three years after Scott passed away.

After her first book, a non-fiction work called Cherish the Gift: a Congregational Guide to Earth Stewardship, was published, Cindy began writing fiction. She found her voice in romance, the stories of the struggles two people endure on the road to happily ever-after. Her debut novel, A Different Drum was published in May 2009 by The Wild Rose Press, followed by A Hot Time in Texas that same year.

In early 2025, her latest novel, Sensible Shoes, a humorous look at a woman struggling with life after 50, was published by The Wild Rose Press. It will be followed in late 2025 by a romantic suspense novel entitled Saving Samantha.

Cindy makes her home in Dallas, Texas. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She would like to see the edges of the entire world from the deck of a cruise ship.

The Widow Woman Website | Author Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

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Domestic Violence the Unseen Impact and the Urgent Conversations We Must Have by Jo Cooling – Guest Blog and Giveaway

January 13, 2025 By 10 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Domestic Violence the Unseen Impact and the Urgent Conversations We Must Have

Introduction

I was on duty when a case came in that needed investigating. I opened the report, read the current concerns, and then read the history. There were fifteen previous reports, all relating to domestic violence. Another worker and I attended the home, and I decided to change my usual approach. I read through each report, explaining the actions Child Protection had taken in the past— Child Protection had referred the parents to counselling on numerous occasions— including parenting classes, anger management counselling, relationship counselling, and family counselling. Furthermore, removing the father from the home, moving the mother and children into safe accommodation and placing the children into foster care all on numerous occasions.

Realization and Response

After reading these reports aloud, I asked the mother, “What do you think Child Protection can do for you because from what I have read, we have tried everything.” The mother’s response was, “It sounds bad when you read the reports out like that. No one has ever done it like that before.” This moment highlighted the breakdown in their relationship and the ineffectiveness of repeated interventions. I recommended more in-depth, long-term counselling and warned that any further violence could result in removing the children for a lengthier period. This approach was aimed at emphasizing their toxic, codependent relationship and the need for a real change.

Sometimes, giving someone an answer isn’t helping them resolve the problem.

The types of Domestic / Family Violence

• Physical & Sexual
• Emotional
• Financial
• Verbal
• Abuse by proxy
• Familial Homicide

Cycle of Violence:

• Tension Building
• The Incident
• Honeymoon Period
• The Calm

The Facts

• Brain Development: Exposure to violence between ages birth and 3 years can cause permanent brain damage.
• Impact on Children: Affects behaviour, cognitive development, mental and physical well-being, and is a leading cause of homelessness.
• Prevalence: 1 in 6 women and 1 in 9 men experience physical or sexual abuse before age 15.
• Pandemic Effect: Domestic violence cases increased by 22 to 33% globally during the pandemic.

Discussion:

Examining critical incidents resulting in death or serious harm reveals that many domestic violence incidents had prior contact with the Child Protection System. The majority of perpetrators of family-domestic violence were once children exposed to violence, substance abuse, and parental mental health issues—issues that the Child Protection system failed to mitigate. This highlights the urgent need for reform.

Reforming Child Protection is not just a matter of policy; it is a moral imperative. Until we fix this broken system, we cannot claim to be effectively safeguarding our most vulnerable members of preventing the cycle of violence from continuing.

In the beginning, a tragic event started me on my journey to a destination and my love for helping children of all ages and their families.

However, what I was not prepared for was that the people who assisted me and paved the way for my advancement in my chosen career in Child Protection were the same people who tried to bring me down.

This book will give you insight into what it is like to work in Child Protection. It will show you the difficulties and sometimes dangers workers face on a daily basis. Furthermore, the novel will also highlight the satisfaction you get when you can assist a child and their family through a traumatic event.

My career at Child Protection spanned nearly a decade, and during that time, I was bullied by management. I observed management bully other workers; I was also aware of workers consuming drugs, both outside work hours and during work hours.

This novel is a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens at Child Protection when the public is not watching or listening.

Child Protection is not an easy career path, but it can be a good job if you like long hours, have a thick skin, keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and abide by everything that management wants you to do, even when you know it is wrong or unfair.

about the Author: The life of Jo Cooling is like living in a theme park: one minute, it’s like riding a roller coaster, baking cupcakes, cookies, and slices. With a kitchen covered with chocolate, flour, and cooking utensils. Also trying to develop new tastes and ideas for her growing baking business.

Sometimes, she feels like she travels through life in a Dodge ’em car. All the while, she works to complete two novels while caring for two Cavoodles, who believe their mother was placed on this earth purely to play with them 24 hours a day.

But no matter how out of control her life can be at times, eventually, she ends up sailing around on the Walt Disney teacup ride on top of the world. However, when she relaxes, the Cavoodles see this as an opportunity to snuggle on Mum’s lap.

Jo’s work career has been just as colorful as her current life. She has worked in horse and car racing, sold lingerie, designed websites, been a Personal Assistant, and worked as a Law Clerk.

Jo looks at life like a box of chocolates: each day unwraps a new layer, revealing unexpected flavors and textures.

Website | Instagram

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SECRET PLANS, VOL. III by Tami Knight – Guest post and Giveaway

January 8, 2025 By 14 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tami Knight will award a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why draw cartoons about climbing?
Have you sat around an evening campfire with fellow outdoor enthusiasts after a day of being out in the wilds? Whether you were hiking, climbing, skiing, paddling or something really nutty like strapping a parachute to your back and jumping from a high cliff…what did you talk about?

I’m guessing you told stories! Stories of drama, excitement, hilarity, silliness; stories where you made the summit and stories where you failed spectacularly because, oh, I don’t know, you were chased by a bear, you forgot your ski poles, or you paddled up the wrong lake.

I have paddled up the wrong lake. My friend and I eventually learned why locals gave us really strange looks when we put our canoe into the water and tossed in large mountaineering backpacks with ice-axes strapped to the back.

The stories we told one another nearly always became more and more preposterous as we one-upped one another with ridiculous tales that, by evenings end, were cartoonish in all dimensions.

Now, I loved reading books about climbing however nearly every one was very dramatic and while I learned a ton from them, there was something missing. The funny stuff was missing! I asked around about books with stories like what we told around the campfire. There just weren’t many.

Since I found drawing easier than writing and I always loved comic books and funny magazines like Mad Magazine, of course what else was I to do? I started drawing cartoons about climbing. And I was never able to stop.

It must be said, however, that the first cartoon I drew about climbing wasn’t about climbing. It was the story of a young climber who crashes a motorbike.

Tami Knight started drawing cartoons about climbers when the glaciers were a lot larger. C’mon in and enjoy Knight’s rats and humans as they get up to mountains of mischief! This book may even help you re-work yer primal scream!

And, dang, Jon Krakauer wrote the forward.

Enjoy an Excerpt

In 1981, Knight started to draw cartoons inspired by the absurdities of climbing. She found a wealth of material simply by observing the fanatical, oddball climbers she hung out with. In her cartoons, they were depicted as rats with long tails, beady eyes, and pointy noses. The rats were usually wearing climbing harnesses and chalk bags, but no clothing. Like Knight’s real-life friends, the rats were dirty, smelly, constantly broke, totally obsessed with climbing, and excessively fond of beer and single malt Scotch whisky. Many of the rats were surprisingly charming.

Knight had found her calling. She saw herself as the climbing tribe’s court jester, keeping inflated egos in check with affectionate ridicule. Her demented cartoons became a hugely popular feature in the most widely-read climbing magazines of the day. For North American climbers, she was our Charles M. Schulz, our Gary Larson, our very own R. Crumb.

Over the decades, Knight published six books of climbing cartoons. In this book, her seventh, almost every cartoon she’s created since 1981 has been collected in a single magnificent volume that provides a grimy window into our peculiar, alarmingly-addictive sport.

About the Author: Tami Knight has been drawing cartoons and illustrations about climbing since 1981. Her work is a regular feature in Alpinist Magazine but has appeared in climbing media all over the world. She was the 2003 recipient of the American Alpine Club literary award. Knight lives in Vancouver, Canada.

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Sanctuary by Ginny Fite – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 7, 2025 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ginny Fite will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sometimes losing your children is the only way to save them. The year is 2039. Chased by government goons determined to quarantine her and a virus that might kill her at any time, Jean Bennett races a thousand miles to Canada to get her five children to safety. On a journey unlike any they’ve ever taken, Jean learns who she is and what she must do to save her children.

Enjoy an Excerpt

THE infection hit with such ferocity and speed that all public transport had shut down by the end of my husband’s meeting in DC, sixty-five miles from home. No car, no commuter train, no way out.

In the five hours since he’d arrived in the city that morning, police had blockaded roads and barred highway entrances. Airlines delayed flights and then canceled them. Residents, under threat of arrest, huddled in their homes, and universities restricted students to dorms. Government officials shuttered public buildings, closing, and locking the gates.

Television news showed black-helmeted National Guardsmen herding panicked tourists back toward their hotels as they stampeded down unfamiliar streets. Coast Guard cutters patrolled the Potomac River; helicopters buzzed overhead. From Capitol Hill to the Ellipse, red lights on Constitution Avenue blinked on and off. Front pages of the morning newspaper skittered across empty streets.

I waited for Ted to call.

About the Author:Ginny Fite is an award-winning journalist and author of nine traditionally published novels, three collections of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a book of humorous essays on aging. A graduate of Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University, her 40-year career in communications included posts in newspapers, government, higher education, and a robotics R&D company. Pushcart Prize nominated, shortlisted for the 2019 SFWP prize, a finalist for the 2020 Bakwin Prize, winner of the FAPA gold medal in fiction for the collaborative novel Thoughts & Prayers, her stories have appeared in The Delmarva Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, Heartwood Literary Magazine, Coffin Bell, and the Anthology of Appalachian Writers. Writing about ordinary people who grapple with extraordinary circumstances, her novels span the genres of mystery, thriller, adventure, speculative, and women’s fiction. Learn more at the author’s website.

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Scars and Secrets by Thomas Grant Bruso – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 7, 2025 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess fish Promotions. Thomas Grant Bruso will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ralph Ashton gets more than he bargained for when police question him about the death of his ex-boyfriend Elijah Ray, whose body is discovered at the edge of the Saranac River.

When the local police visit Ralph and ask him about a critical piece of case evidence, Ralph becomes a prime suspect. He sets out to learn what happened to Eli the night he left his apartment and is startled to learn about his former boyfriend’s shady past.

As Ralph pursues a dangerous investigation, he discovers things about Eli he did not know while they were together.

Ralph’s life starts to unravel when he loses more people close to him as his mother lies in a hospital bed dying of cancer. Is learning about the truth of Eli’s death worth jeopardizing his safety?

Enjoy an Excerpt

The Saranac River empties into the mouth of Lake Champlain and a sliver of late-evening sun shimmies and slices across shavings of broken ice like a school of shiny fish.

I straighten the blue-and-white striped silk tie my last boyfriend gifted me and stare out at the early November landscape. The ground is dusted with newly fallen snow, and the river, a swollen malignant serpentine of icy water, snakes through a vista of evergreens and sycamores.

I catch my hard stare in the reflection of the large picture window of my therapist’s office.

Dr. James Matheson, basketball tall with peacock-blue eyes and warm brown skin, dressed in a rosy-pink dress shirt and charcoal-gray suit, coaxes me back to the present. His voice is butter soft and attractive, musically inclined and bilingual. Spanish on his mother’s side, I think.

My thoughts unravel like vines on a branch, disoriented, a broken fuse box with faulty wiring. I blow out a loud breath and turn to the long-legged and handsome therapist, my hands packed in the pockets of my khakis so he won’t see them shake. Men make me nervous and weak-kneed.

Dr. Matheson is patient and smiling, waiting for me to speak, to say something, since I’ve been standing in silence for the last fifteen minutes, staring out at the dismal day passing by.

I think about my mother who lies in the hospital dying. I’ve just come from visiting her, before my scheduled therapy session. Dr. Matheson wants to discuss it, from his stone silence and sensitive stares.

I glance at my wristwatch. I’ve been in Pretty Boy’s office for almost an hour, and I haven’t said much or given the good old doc enough to judge or dislike me or cancel my next session. I am surprised he has not asked me not to come back. Maybe he’ll call County Hospital and admit me to the psych ward on the fourth floor if I open my mouth and let him into my dark, sad life.

He does not reach for the phone. He sits poised in the high brown leather chair behind his polished cherry wood desk, with many medical certifications on the wall behind him.

He stares across the room at me, grins, keeping a professional manner, waiting for me to give him his money and time’s worth.

I drag myself toward the overstuffed leather chair across from his desk and collapse into it, as if it is my home base.

About the Author Thomas Grant Bruso knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since childhood.

His literary inspirations are Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jim Grimsley, Karin Fossum, and Joyce Carol Oates.

Bruso loves animals, reading books, and writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles.

In another life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers. In college, he won the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes and publishes fiction and reviews books for his hometown newspaper, The Press-Republican.

He lives in upstate New York.

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Nine Star Press.

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Under the Oak by Peter Hynes – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

January 6, 2025 By 22 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Peter Hynes will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Although his poetry has been published in several anthologies with other poet’s work, it has never been collected in a book of his own. This is the first. Under the Oak collects poems previously shared, and some that will be new to readers. We have tried to include a broad sample, hoping to find something for everyone to enjoy and re-read in the future.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from UNDER THE OAK

trust

he took your trust
and snapped it like a twig
then threw you and it away
without a backward glance
telling everyone who’d listen
it was you who broke him,
but he was always such a liar
there’s few who would believe him

it was too late
when you finally saw through
the thin tissue of his pretense
the damage was already done,
but at least that knowledge
dried your tears
even as it crystallized
the scattered shards
of your aching heart

About the Author: Peter Hynes is a Canadian. He began writing poetry many years ago, in high school. His poetry has been published in various anthologies and elsewhere since. This is his first book of poems. He was born in southwestern Ontario. He still lives in the province with his wife and their small menagerie.

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Buy Under the Oak: Poems by Peter Hynes (book 1) at Amazon, Amazon CA, Barnes and Noble, BookTopia, Walmart, or iBooks.

Buy The Costume Box: Poems by Peter Hynes (book 2) at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, or Booktopia.

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Lethal Impulse by Steve Rush – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 6, 2025 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Steve Rush will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo.

The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder.

Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him.

As Neil delves into the heart of the town’s secrets, will truth deliver solace? Or will Tess prevail?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Tess set the camera on the rear seat. She pictured the murder scene planned at the barn. “You can thank me when it’s over. I need your help with this next part because the doctor told me I’m not to lift anything over twenty pounds. This leukemia drains me.” She popped open the trunk.

“I heard about your diagnosis.” Vanessa embraced Tess. “I thought about going into oncology once I complete medical school. If I get accepted. That is a long way off. What has the doctor said about your prognosis?”

“We view my future differently. I’m hoping for remission.” Tess gestured to the trunk. “Climb in.”

Vanessa glanced inside the trunk. She retreated two strides. “Do I have to get in there? It looks grimy. Why did you not bring your car?”

“We’re documenting an abduction and murder, Vanessa. We can’t let anybody see my car or you with me. It will ruin the surprise. It’s only until we get to the barn.”

Vanessa clambered into the trunk. Tess swathed towels around Vanessa’s wrists and ankles before she bound them with paracord. Vanessa thanked Tess for the use of towels to prevent ligature marks on her skin.

Tess grinned. “A killer must focus on details, Vanessa.”

About the Author:

Steve Rush is an award-winning author whose experience includes tenure as homicide detective and chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm. He worked with the late Joseph L. Burton, M.D, under whom he mastered his skills, and investigated many deaths alongside Dr. Jan Garavaglia of Dr. G: Medical Examiner fame. His specialties include crime scene reconstruction, injury causation, blood spatter analysis, occupant kinematics, and recovery of human skeletal remains.

Steve’s book Kill Your Characters; Crime Scene Tips for Writers was named finalist in the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Nonfiction and Honorable Mention in the 2023 Readers’ Favorite Awards. Lethal Impulse won the 2022 Public Safety Writing Association’s Writing Competition for an unpublished novel, longlisted in the 2022 Page Turner Awards and joint first prize in the 2020 Chillzee KiMo T-E-N Contest.

Website | LinkedIn | Substack | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Publishing credits:

Kill Your Characters; Crime Scene Tips for Writers, Genius Books, June 2022
Blood Red Deceit, Wings ePress, (thriller) September 2023
After Her Deceit, Wings ePress, (thriller) October 2024
Lethal Impulse, The Wild Rose Press, (romantic suspense/crime thriller) October 2024
Upcoming 2025 releases:
The Shocking Truth (crime thriller) presale 02/15/25, and Deadline 4:59 (crime thriller), Wings ePress

Buy the book at Amazon, The Wild Rose Press, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, or
BooksAMillion.

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Where is Love? by Annie Caboose – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 6, 2025 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Annie Caboose will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

While walking in the garden one day, Annie, a curious little ant from Hillsville, meets a single poppy flower called Love. They become instant friends, sharing stories, laughing and talking for hours on end. Then one autumn day Annie goes to visit Love, but Love is not there. Remembering the rhyme that Love told her, she sets off on an adventure to find Love.

Love is with you every day.
Love is never far away.
Go search, go find and then you’ll see
All the places Love can be.

But don’t forget to look within
For often, that’s where Love begins.

May Annie’s story inspire anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved being, to look and perhaps still find them within their lives and within themselves.

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About the Author:

Annie, a.k.a. the Caboose, is the youngest of nine children. Her loving mother read her lots of children’s stories, including some she wrote herself. Inspired by her mom, Annie wrote her first book, Where is Love? She resides on a lake in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, fascinated by the many birds that live there too.

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Filed Under: Guest Blogs, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , ,

The Brave Prince in the Enchanted Forest by Beverly Brown – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 1, 2025 By 6 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Beverly Brown will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In the heart of a lush, beautiful serene forest, where butterflies, birds and bees freely dance in the gently breeze, a magical tale unfolds. Meet Prince, a majestic Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who loves this serene place that they call The Enchanted Forest. As the appointed guardian of this homeland by the beautiful Forest Fairy Princess Jenna Joy, Prince learns things about himself, makes new friends and protects the sanctity of the forest. This story is a heartwarming tale of courage, friendship and the beauty of nature. Follow Prince’s pawprints as he navigates his way through the forest and you will be immersed into a world of wonder and joy. You will be enchanted and reminded of all the magic and extraordinary powers that lie within the hearts of our loyal, furry companions.

Enjoy an Excerpt

In recognition of the Cavalier’s promise, Princess Jenna Joy placed a golden crown with red jewels, a symbol not only of royalty but also of untapped magical powers, atop his little head. She named him Prince, in honor of becoming the first leader of the forest.

At that time, a bolt of energy went through Prince’s body.

He felt different.

He felt special.

He felt more responsible.

He even felt taller.

About the Author: Beverly Brown is an author who has a passion for storytelling. With a 20-year career as a Human Resources Leader, she has honed her understanding of people and their unique stories – a skill she brings to her writing, infusing her tales with warmth, empathy, and insight.

Beyond the pages of writing and outside the corporate world, Beverly is a culinary enthusiast who finds joy in cooking and sharing meals with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.

She is an avid traveler, seeking inspiration in the diverse cultures and landscapes she encounters, and a dedicated gardener, nurturing her plants with the same care she pours into her storytelling. As a lifelong learner, Beverly is constantly seeking new knowledge and experiences, whether in her professional field or her personal pursuits.

Beverly is a certified Pet Grief Counselor and uses those skills to support families in managing the grief cycle of their beloved family pet. Through her Facebook group Paws in Paradise Support Group, she is helping to build another community where members support each other with compassion and understanding.

Her writing reflects this curiosity, offering readers stories that are as enriching as they are enchanting. Drawing inspiration from her personal experiences with her own fur babies, her stories are a testament to the gentle nature and loyal spirit of these charming canines.

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Filed Under: Guest Blogs, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , ,
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