One Wild Winter’s Eve by Anne Barton – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 27, 2015 By Leave a Comment

10_27 anne barton OWWE-Launch-Day-Blitz

Long and Short Reviews welcome Anne Barton, whose newest book One Wild Winter’s Eve, is released today. Enter the Rafflecopter to win a copy of the book.

10_27 anne barton book coverONCE YOU’VE HAD A TASTE OF SCANDAL . . .

As the Duke of Huntford’s sister, Lady Rose Sherbourne follows the rules of well-bred society. Always chaperoned. Never engaging in unseemly behavior. Well, except for that one summer, years ago. And yet she’s never been able to forget that handsome stable master or the stolen moments they shared. She’s always wondered what might have happened if he hadn’t disappeared without a word . . . Now she’s about to find out.

YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK

Charles Holland never expected to see Lady Rose again. And yet the years haven’t lessened his devotion-or his desire-in any way. Despite their differences in class, Charles cannot stop himself from wanting to possess her. But as they uncover one intimate secret after another about her family, they realize that, this time, their love may come at a very dear price . . .

Enjoy an excerpt:

“What are you doing?”

The voice was authoritative, rich, and deep. And hauntingly familiar.

She turned, hiding the letter behind her. She made a clumsy attempt to shove the drawer shut with her bottom but only succeeded in bumping the desk, which rocked on spindly legs. The man must be a servant. If she could manage a haughty tone, she could probably talk her way out of the situation. But she’d never been particularly good at haughty. Her face burned.

“I was looking for something.” She looked at the man, hoping he wasn’t half as intimidating as he sounded, and froze.
Dear God. It couldn’t be.

“Rose?” He blinked, clearly as stunned as she, then quickly corrected himself. “Lady Rose?”

“Charles.” The sound of his name on her lips was surreal. She’d thought that her feelings for him had withered, dried, and blown away like dead leaves.

She’d been wrong.

He was the same as she remembered—confident, solid, and steady. But he was different too. His hair had turned a darker shade of gold, and he seemed to have grown all over. His neck was thicker, his jaw stronger. He’d traded the patched trousers and threadbare shirt that he’d worn in the stables for buckskin breeches and a nicely tailored jacket, both of which showed his strong physique to advantage. But the biggest change in him was the way he looked at her.

And it nearly broke her heart.

For instead of looking happy to see her, like he was anticipating a few stolen moments of summertime bliss, he looked suspicious. The laughing amber eyes that had always welcomed her to the stable glowered, chilly and remote.
She choked out the obvious question. “What are you doing at Lady Yardley’s?”

“I could ask the same of you.” The words, formal and clipped, didn’t fit with the Charles she knew.

She raised her chin and matched her tone to his. “I’m acting as a companion to Lady Bonneville, and we’re guests of the countess.”

“You’re a companion?” He raised a brow, skeptical.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Once, she would have willingly explained everything to him. For even before she’d regained her voice, she’d shared her whole being with him—she’d been as honest and open as it was possible for her to be. But now, his question irritated her. It presumed too much—a connection, a trust, a bond.

“I don’t see where it’s any concern of yours.”

“Forgive me.” But the look he leveled at her belied his apology. It said, Fine. We can play it that way if you’d like.

Fighting the urge to shiver, she folded the letter behind her back. She felt for the drawer, slipped the note through the crack, and slid the drawer shut. “You’re no longer a stable master.” It was an idiotic thing to say, but she had to say something—anything—to fill the vast and unnatural gulf between them.

“No.” His stiff smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“And I think it’s safe to presume,” she stated saucily, “that you’re not Lady Yardley’s companion.”

“I am not.” This time, his smile was genuine.

Dangerous, that. She gripped the edge of the desk behind her to keep her knees from wobbling.

He took one step toward her. “I’m her steward.”

Ah, he’d been too busy moving up in the world to reply to her letters. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to better his station in life—that had always been his dream. Perhaps he wanted no reminders of the days he’d spent mucking out stables. But those days happened to be the ones she most treasured.

“Congratulations are in order then.”

“I’m grateful to Lady Yardley for giving me the opportunity.” He took another step toward Rose. “And I am in her debt.”

The show of loyalty to his employer stung—especially since he seemed to have forgotten the sultry summer days and the confidences they’d shared. “I’ve no doubt you’ve proven yourself worthy.”

He strode closer, till only an arm’s length separated them. His clothes might have been more refined, but the man beneath them was not. He looked like he’d be more at ease chopping wood and hammering nails outdoors than reviewing ledgers and attending to correspondence in a study. The merest shadow of a beard covered the lower half of his masculine face, but his lips, soft and full, captured her attention. She’d imagined kissing him so many times that she could almost convince herself she had.

About the Author: 10_27 annebarton_color-225x300Anne Barton started swiping romances from her mom’s bookshelf as a teenager and decided historicals (with their balls, dukes, and gowns) were the best. So, when she had the chance to spend a semester in London she packed her bags—and promptly fell in love with the city, its history, and its pubs. She dreamed of writing romance, but somehow ended up a software analyst instead.

Fortunately, a few years and a few careers later, Anne found her way back to writing the stories she loves and won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® for Regency Historical Romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children, who try valiantly not to roll their eyes whenever she quotes Jane Austen. Her weaknesses include reality TV, cute-but-impractical shoes, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or iBooks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Drink plenty of water every day. levitra online Acute polyneuropathies, Guillain-Barre example, begins with acute paralysis in both legs which progresses rapidly involving upper limbs or even the cranial nerves, as well as serious, escalating motor deficit seanamic.com discount cialis canada to quadriplegia in some days. Safe Meds 4all is one such site which provides high quality and safe medicines at very reasonable prices. cheapest levitra pills It’s some what necessary to take doctors advice for this but as such no prior super active cialis prescription is required for this.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , ,

Love by Numbers by Sara Donovan

October 22, 2015 By 4 Comments

 


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sara will be awarding an eCopy of Love by Numbers to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Character Creation

My first step in creating characters is to have a clear premise for my story – i.e. a hypothesis that I want to test. This is the really hard part of story writing for me because the options are pretty well endless when you’re starting.
What I use as a starting point, is anything I find “edgy” in my life – that is, whatever makes me feel deeply embarrassed, or fully alive or is fascinating to me.

Reflecting on these feelings, playing them out to extremes in my imagination, then thinking of how I could further deepen and explore and resolve the feeling via a story can lead to a premise. The big test is whether or not I find the premise interesting enough to keep me stimulated, and motivated to sit and write several drafts for a year or more.

The premise for Love By Numbers, ‘Can you use a knowledge of the neuroscience of falling in love, to get in more control of who you fall in love with?’ was fascinating to me because I had read several studies on the ‘brain in love’ and knew that many neuroscientists thought you could take steps to influence or manipulate who you fell in love with. I loved the idea and was super keen to explore it in story form.

The next step is to find the personalities that allow me to explore the premise in its extreme.

In the case of my book, that meant a borderline obsessive girl as the protagonist and a typical unavailable guy she wanted to fall out of love with, and a typical “friend-zoned” guy she wanted to fall in love with for her two love interests.

The next step in my character development process is to interview my characters to get to know them – a process I like to do by speaking out loud and using voice recognition software to capture my first thoughts. I have an over developed inner critic that wants to edit my ideas before they even have a chance to live, so talking rather than typing my character interviews often works for me.

Once I’ve interviewed my characters, I plot the story and even every scene in the story in longhand – and then I sit at my computer, apply bum glue and just write – waiting for that magic moment when the characters start talking to me and taking over the plot.

That doesn’t happen for me right away. It happens little by little until I get to about 30,000 words of my first draft. By then, my characters are usually well and truly running the show. It’s so great when they do.

As they say in the movie Field of Dreams – ‘Build it and they will come’. And just like in the movie, it takes faith to get in and start building a story before your characters move in, but when it happens, you discover why people get so hooked on writing.

How to Fall in Love with Someone YOU Choose. (Why not, if you have a broken man-picker?)

Choose an available compatible guy-friend who doesn’t turn you off and rewire your brains for a hot and heavy romance.

1. Get emotional while watching a sad movie.
2. Share a major adrenaline rush.
3. Be competent at something cool, but don’t make a big deal out of it.
4. Have him provide food from the hunt (a good restaurant will do).
5. Eyegaze until it doesn’t feel weird.
6. Fulfil each other’s primary fantasies within reason and without judgment.
7. Sleep together like stacked spoons.

Repeat the above until love and lust click in. Then send your love brain chemicals into overdrive by not seeing each other. That’s when things really get cooking.

 

Read an excerpt:

‘Nip it in the bud and run like hell,’ he read from my notepad after I’d had a rant about my suspected limerence problem. ‘Hard to nip something in the bud when it’s already a forty-metre gum tree.’

‘It’s not a forty-metre gum tree. It’s slightly less than that. And anyway, what about you and Holly? You’re almost as bad as me.’

Holly was my high school classmate, flatmate of two years and soccer team-mate. She was our team’s starting striker and I was sweeper, which pretty well sums up our relationship, despite it being the off season. I was sure Nathan was somewhere on the limerence spectrum when it came to Holly — which was probably the real reason why he’d suggested going back to my place when we were on the phone.

‘Well despite the Ryan-labelled box of condoms in your ensuite cupboard which is a bit obsessive,’ (not fair of him to bring this up. I was half drunk watching The Secret and visualising my goals at the time), ‘I think you’re taking this OCD thing too seriously. If we’re obsessive, then half the people in this bar are as well.’

‘Really?’ I had a quick look around. ‘They don’t look obsessive to me.’

‘No one does from this distance.’

I sighed and looked out the window.

‘So, how would you get over Brian?’ Nathan asked gently.

‘Well, according to the experts,’ I said, putting down my New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and taking the textbook I’d borrowed from the uni library out of my bag, ‘all I have to do is have an intimate relationship with him so I can find his flaws and kick him off the pedestal.’

‘That could be problematic,’ Nathan said. ‘What are your other options?’

‘No contact or total rejection, which isn’t so easy to get unless you try to get it, so the book says.’ I threw the book back in my handbag.

‘I’d go for no contact,’ Nathan said.

‘I can’t. We work for the same company.’

‘That only leaves rejection.’ Nathan’s eyebrows knit together. ‘You’re not going to try to get Brian to reject you, are you?’

‘Of course not! I just have to find a way to stop thinking about him.’

Only I was thinking about him again already.

‘So your only real option is to make a list of his fatal flaws and kick him off the pedestal without being his girlfriend. You have put him on a pedestal, you know.’

I gave Nathan a resigned smile, then tried to list Ryan’s shortcomings in my head. Within seconds, I was back at the wine bar with him, having our third imaginary drink.

‘Tell me your deepest, darkest faults,’ I said as I leant towards him.

‘Only if you tell me yours first’, Ryan replied, making me laugh.

What was I doing? How could I be having another Ryan fantasy already?

‘So you have to do an assignment, right?’ Nathan said, picking up the handout that was in my notepad.

‘Yes.’

‘So you do it on curing love addiction and write twenty pages on Brian’s flaws.’

‘Very funny.’

‘Or maybe you’ll get a lucky break and he’ll be retrenched tomorrow.’

The thought of never seeing Ryan again suddenly sent a chill down my spine, despite it being the one sure way I could get over him.

‘Odyssey won’t retrench him. He makes them too much money,’ I said. ‘But if I survive the restructure, I’ll use my obsessiveness to get over him, not into him. I have to. Otherwise it won’t just be Gran’s ring I’ll be accidently throwing away — it’ll be another year of my life!

About the Author:Sara Donovan is a corporate facilitator and instructional designer who delivers training programs in neuroscience and communication skills. She draws inspiration for her writing from psychology, science and her accidental romcom life.

https://twitter.com/sarasbooks
https://www.facebook.com/saradonovanbooks
http://www.saradonovan.com/

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is a increasing evidence to suggest that simple lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise, a healthy diet, cialis pills free limiting alcohol, quitting smoking, managing stress and correcting the underlying cause. This state can takes place at any age but it is still recognized by the medical industry to levitra samples help in erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and male infertility. So, cure erectile dysfunction india cialis naturally with the help of the sex pills increases desires and sexual arousal. My wife order cialis online http://cute-n-tiny.com/category/cute-animals/page/52/ has always been incredibly patient and supportive.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

The Diamond Grenade by Daniel Julian – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 21, 2015 By 4 Comments

MBB_TheDiamondGrenade_Banner copy
This stop is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Daniel will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to five randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

MediaKit_BookCover_TheDiamondGrenadeThe Diamond Grenade is the story of a family line and a revolution told in five novellas – a complex tale told simply.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Book I: A Father’s Fate

At one point, on the banks of a confluence where two rivers ran together like closing thighs, there was a certain boatman. This boatman, name of Gur, had a fine long pole (not too bendy, not too strong) with which to move his long wide boat upon the water. Gur slept with his pole, lest it go missing. Then one evening while he was ferrying a few paying passengers from one put-in to the next, Gur’s pole got stuck in thick river-bottom mud and muck and he lost his grip and the pole sank out of sight. Cursing, Gur leapt into the water and dove for the pole. Long minutes passed and Gur’s nubile daughter Guri, at the prow of the boat, began to wail. Gur did not come back up. They found him later downstream. This is how the girl Guri became a very young boatman with a shoddy pole.

The thing about Guri is that she knew everybody. All the fares on her boat. They didn’t necessarily know each other all too often, but everybody knew Guri. And somehow she knew everybody back. She just had a mind for it. Who went with whom and how the families fell out. Names. All the names Guri knew. But only one name made her sing: Tuc. Tuc drank and threw dice, but early in their acquaintance he’d made bold to say that Guri would make a good mother. This observation of Tuc’s about Guri had won her over, so she sang his name in the dark. One syllable songs are short, but carry on the water.

Guri’s favorite disgruntlement was that there was no word for girl boatman. It was poling-upriver hard to get more than a grunt out of half her older passengers, because they didn’t see clear to it being right for her to be doing a man’s job. Tuc suggested ‘boatwoman’, but Guri allowed as how that was more the busty mascot off the bow of a ship than a person who poled for a living. Tuc took to riding with Guri quite frequently. Then one night, he brought her a new pole, and it was a good pole.

Not long after the new pole, Tuc convinced Guri to elope with him a ways downriver to a town where he had prospects. When they got there, they traded the boat and pole for two goats. Guri was better with people than with animals, so Tuc tended the herd while she met and memorized every person she could find. Soon she had so much work taken in to do for folks that what with going to the big, clean houses to perform services inbetweentimes, and attending in good turn to the day’s worth of all the waiting piecemeal work filling their modest house, Guri was too busy to make a baby.

Guri got fed up with being too busy to make a baby and made a baby. Tuc split. Guri’s popularity made her fatherless child the ward of the town. Everybody parented him. That’s why he grew up angry. His name was Gur, after his grandfather. Boy did he have a chip on his shoulder about being told what to do. Everybody told him when and where to jump. Only Guri could make him ask how high. Usually his answer would be jump why? The thing about having a whole village full of parents is that they are going to contradict each other and some of them are bound to be weird people.

About the Author: As in medical school, praxis then practicum: I saw one, did one, taught one… now I do one after the other. One novella after another I mean. And they’re good. I saw novellas while acquiring my Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature/Letters with a minor in Psych at Indiana University in the mid-nineties, I taught and did novellas a few years later while pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Lit. at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and I have done a fancy set of five well here now (as I pursue an AAS in Accounting at a community college, btw). For more about me, check out my website.

A set of five good serial novellas. Hope you find the time to enjoy them. Please help spread the word. You can download the book for free.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
They study medical science subjects which includes neuroscience, anatomy lowest prices cialis http://djpaulkom.tv/official-music-video-dj-paul-live-in-the-mix-feat-dorrough-music/ and physiology. There is a increasing evidence to suggest generic cialis online that people who are unable to get an erection are still reasonable, and ought to react well to a medicine that will build the adequacy of these as of now commonly happening methods in the production of brain chemicals. This is because depression will not only affect you mentally but also sildenafil tablets australia physically as well. It is important to take into account, that numerous studies must b completed before tadalafil online mastercard was approved for sale in the European Union.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Other Tagged With: , , ,

My Favorite Character in UP AND IN by Deborah Disney – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 19, 2015 By 6 Comments

VBT_TourBanner_UpAndIn copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Deborah will be awarding an eCopy of Up and In to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Which Character in Up and In is your favourite?

Over the course of promoting Up and In, I have been asked a number of times which character is my favourite. Most authors will tell you that that question is about as hard to answer as having to choose your favourite child. There are aspects of all of them that I love. Actually not Caitlin so much.

I really love the Bea character. She was so much fun to write. I think Maria is very amusing but she is also extremely flawed and while I understand neurotic – she takes it to a whole other level. Susannah is the voice of reason in the book, and probably a representation of my more grounded side. Interestingly, in this book that is about women and female relationships, it seems to be Maria’s husband, Joe, who has been the most popular with readers.

Another common question is whether any of the characters are based on people I know. The answer is yes and no. I have met people LIKE my characters, but none of them are based on any one person I know. Because I have two daughters who play netball, when I was publishing I was a bit paranoid that people would think that Maria is really me. And let’s face it – as funny as she can be, she is really a bit of a nutter, so I wasn’t that keen on people thinking that I think like she does. But as crazy as she sometimes sounds, at her core she is a loving mother who just wants her children to be happy.

I think readers are bound to know people like the people in Up and In – I have had readers from all around the world tell me that they know people just like these women. I actually think the social hierarchy that often infiltrates the school gates environment is something that happens in all sorts of situations where people from different backgrounds are thrust together and forced to spend time with one another – from the workplace, to social clubs, to in-laws. And I think that is why Up and In has resonated with so many people, whether they have children or not.

MediaKit_BookCover_UpAndInDistinctly middle-class parents, Maria and Joe have committed every bit of available income to giving their daughters Kate and Sarah the best education possible, which to them means attending the most exclusive girls school in the state. But when Kate befriends the spoilt and moody Mirabella, Maria finds herself thrust into a high society of champagne-swilling mother-istas she hasn’t budgeted for. Saturday morning netball is no longer a fun mother-daughter outing, but a minefield of social politics.

While the increasingly neurotic Maria struggles to negotiate the school mum hierarchy, Joe quietly battles a midlife crisis and Kate attempts to grow up as gracefully as possible (without having her life ruined by embarrassing parents).

For every woman who has ever felt she may be wearing the wrong shoes, this is a book that will remind you – you’re not alone.

Fans of Liane Moriarty and Fiona Higgins are sure to enjoy this debut offering from new Australian author, Deborah Disney.

Enjoy an excerpt:

There it was again. That damned full stop. How does so much passive aggression fit itself into such a tiny punctuation mark?

Fine with me.

‘Fine with me, full stop.’

‘Fine with me full stop, no x.’

‘Fine with me full stop no x, no way am I ever going to let you think you are in any way deserving of the lathered-up, flattery-filled, signed-off-with-a-kiss kind of email I always send to everyone else on this email list.’

And there you have it. That is what she was able to say to me with one little full stop.

Of course, if any of the obsessively-stroking-and-simultaneously-self-aggrandising netball mums on this email list ever decided just to hit ‘Reply’ instead of ‘Reply all’ to the coach’s weekly email, I probably wouldn’t know that this little full stop means that I am absolutely, categorically, no longer in the fold. Unfortunately, because I am still on the email list, every week my inbox fills with messages ending with ‘x’ – not emails addressed specifically to me, just a plethora of inappropriately ‘Reply all’ emails sent to every woman with a daughter in the Red Rockets Under 10 Division 1 netball team. Every ‘x-ending’ email I have read over this netball season has served to reinforce the knowledge that if I were the object of Bea’s contrived affections her response to my offer to organise a group gift for our daughters’ netball coach would instead have gone more like this:

(Reply all)

Oh Maria, you are always so thoughtful. Of course I had been planning to find Linney the perfect gift – she has done such a stellar job with the girls this season! Sadly, I am just run off my feet this week. With putting the finishing touches on the gala, and having the nanny taking time off for her final exams, I just haven’t had a chance to even think! You are a life saver! Truly. I can’t wait to see what you choose – you have such impeccable taste! By the way, where did you get those absolutely to-die-for wellies you were wearing last week? I absolutely covet them. I just have to have some. Anyway, I must press on, I have a hundred emails to get through. I see another one just popped up from the Governor’s Office. Did I mention that the Governor and his wife will be joining us at the gala? I have known him forever, of course. Just adored his Christmas card last year! Remind me to tell you about it. Thanks again for organising the gift. You are an absolute gem! Bea x

I guess, in a way, ‘Fine with me full stop’ is in fact a lot easier than the alternative. Back when I actually gave a damn what Bea thought of me, the alternative would have filled me with insecurity. What kind of ‘perfect’ gift would she have chosen for Linney? Did she really like my wellies? Would she ever choose them over her Louboutin ballet flats to go to an Under 10’s netball game – even when the grounds were covered in mud like when I wore mine the previous week – or did she really just plan to sit them on the porch by way of decor at her thousand-acre ‘hobby’ farm up the coast? How would I confess that I actually bought them at Kmart? And shit, shit, shit, the Governor is coming to the gala? It was bad enough that I had to hide from Joe that it was costing us $500 a head just to be at the gala, but now I would have to somehow convince him to pay a grand for a decent new dinner suit as well?

I have to wonder, though, if it was really such a relief to open up her fine-with-me-full-stop email, instead of receiving one of the phoney rambling prop-ups she sends to all the other netball mums – the ‘lower-case beas’ – then why did it feel like I had just had my face slapped?

Admittedly, I cared a hell of a lot less than I once would have. Before I realised that my name had been wiped off the Bea-list, ‘Fine with me full stop’ would have spiralled me into days of tortured analysis. What did I say that I shouldn’t have? Is she upset that I invited Lauren’s daughter for a play with Kate instead of asking Mirabella? What is it? What did I do? Did she wave to me in traffic and I missed it? Did Kate do something to upset Mirabella? Is it because Kate got a better score than Mirabella at the eisteddfod?

After being off the Bea-list for almost six months now, though, I have started training myself to see things differently. When I think about what got me wiped off the Bea-list in the first place, my reaction to her flagrant snubbery is now more a mixture of amusement and incredulity, rather than feeling any sense of self-recrimination.

About the Author: Australian author, Deborah Disney, grew up in the regional city of Toowoomba and now lives in Brisbane with her husband and two school-aged daughters. Deborah has a BA/LLB from the University of Queensland and practised as a solicitor for a number of years prior to having children. She chose to specialise in litigation law as that seemed like the best preparation for what is now her looming battle – mothering her daughters through the teenage years. Deborah’s first novel, Up and In, is a satirical look at the interactions of school and sporting mums.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thus many people in one http://robertrobb.com/2019/03/ levitra on sale way or another engaged in different kinds of martial artistry self-discipline. Your positivity towards negative emotions will put cheap online levitra your brain on ease. But, the patent of online cialis http://robertrobb.com/are-there-really-any-moderate-democratic-candidates/ is now highly preferable to all for all its advantages. cialis is the lively source to get a relief from the erectile dysfunction of male reproductive dysfunction. We also need to understand about impotence to clearly get a picture of how these two might come cialis professional cipla into play as well, such as low testosterone or even depression. 3.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Pet Peeves about Fantasy Writing by KJ Taylor – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 19, 2015 By 6 Comments

VBT_TourBanner_Wind copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. KJ will be awarding an eCopy of Wind to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Pet Peeves

I’m a very opinionated person, and tend to get a bit steamed up over certain topics – this one included. But I thought I would pick it anyway because at least I’ll have plenty to say.

I tend to be very critical toward a lot of fantasy writing, and I may as well say so openly because it’s not exactly a secret among the people who know me. In fact people I’ve spoken to at cons find it pretty amusing when I go off on a rant about a lousy book I’ve read, or a stupid mistake I’m sick of seeing.

One thing that annoys me in a lot of books is failed attempts at grandiose or archaic language – especially when it’s blindingly obvious that the author is trying (and failing) to sound like Tolkien (it doesn’t help that I dislike Tolkien to begin with). Using “ever” instead of “always” is guaranteed to put my teeth on edge every time. Using fancy words in general that don’t fit and aren’t necessary is very aggravating to me; I once encountered a particularly overblown example in the form of a book in which the author could never say “shiny” – it had to be “opalescent”. And a thing could never be red – no, it always had to be “ruby”. This sort of thing leads to painful purple prose very quickly indeed, and is just plain distracting to read.

The thing is, archaic language and fancy words can be used, but not everyone has the talent needed to pull it off. Tolkein, gods bless him, had the skill to make archaic prose and dialect work. H.P.Lovecraft wrote incredibly purple prose but somehow managed to make it work.

But you, mid-level fantasy author, are not Tolkein or Lovecraft and you don’t live in the same age as they did. Use the words that work for you, and write in your own voice. Trying to make yourself sound like someone else is not going to work, and it’s going to make your prose clunky. And it will probably make you look like you’re trying too hard.

Lest I come across as arrogant here, I consider myself to be a mid-level fantasy author and I take this approach myself. In the foreword of one of my own books I said that I took my inspiration from George R R Martin, and some people took this to mean that I was an conceited twerp with the stones to suggest she was on his level. My answer to that is absolutely not – he inspired me but I have no interest in trying to write like him, and nor do I believe I have anywhere near his level of skill. The world already has one GRRM, and it doesn’t need another one. Likewise it only has one K.J.Taylor, and intent to write like K.J.Taylor – no-one else.

MediaKit_BookCover_WindWendland is a land of dragons, and of magic. The mysterious Drachengott grants magic to his worshippers – but is he truly a god? Rutger von Gothendorf is only a simple furrier, but he has become his village’s local eccentric, thanks to his obsession with the murder of his brother by the Drachengott’s servants. He holds onto the vague hope that he will one day have the chance to fight back against them – until one day a mysterious and beautiful woman named Swanhild comes into his life. Rutger is instantly smitten – but Swanhild knows more than she says, and a web of lies and deceit threatens to sour the love beginning to grow between them.

And all the while, the Drachengott waits …

Enjoy an excerpt:

The wind whistled through the darkness, shaking the branches all about and putting a chill into the air. It carried a scent with it, straight to Rutger’s nose. He took it in and immediately tensed.

‘Did you smell that, Horst?’ he hissed, snatching his older brother by the arm.

Horst shook him off. ‘Not now, Rut — we’re in enough trouble without worrying about funny smells.’

‘But it smells like rotting meat!’ Rutger insisted. He paused, ignoring Horst’s impatient look, and breathed in deeply. The smell hit him again — worse, this time. He retched slightly. ‘Can’t you smell it?’

Horst, big and muscular, turned his head in the gloom and sniffed. A moment later, he grimaced. ‘You’re right: something’s dead out there. Come on, let’s move on before we find out what.’

He strode off, Rutger hurrying after him. ‘You don’t think it’s spiders, do you?’

‘Could be,’ Horst said shortly. ‘Keep your eyes open.’

Rutger swallowed and put a hand on the hilt of the long dagger looped through his belt. He had never seen a giant spider before, and he wanted to keep it that way. Silently, he wished he had never asked to come out here into the forest with Horst. But it had all seemed so harmless — just a quick stroll through the forest to check Horst’s mink traps. But then they hadn’t been able to find the last trap, and now they were lost.

I really am the unlucky seventh son, he thought glumly.

If Horst was as worried as his brother, he didn’t show it. He walked slightly ahead, dead mink swinging from his belt. A big old woodaxe hung on his back, brought along for protection. Night was falling now, and the sooner they got out of here the better.

The forest all around was dense and looked threatening, its spiky pine needles sighing in the relentless wind. Night always seemed to come early here. But at least the putrid smell had gone away.

‘How close do you think we are now?’ Rutger asked in a low voice.

Horst shook his head. ‘Not sure — I think there’s a clearing up ahead, though.’

Rutger came to his brother’s side, and the two of them climbed a small rise into the clearing. The instant Rutger left the shelter of the trees, it hit him again: the hideous stench of rotting meat slamming into his nose, so powerfully that his eyes watered. Beside him, Horst had stopped. Rutger heard him swear softly. He looked up, intending to tell his brother that they should go — and then he saw it.

Ahead, in the clearing, a faint light began to glow. It shone on the dark, lumpy shapes which hung from the trees at the far side. Some could have been animal corpses, but the rest . . .

Horst wrenched the axe down off his back. ‘Get behind me, Rut,’ he said sharply. ‘Get out of here. Now.’

‘What—?’ Rutger started to say — but too late.

As the light brightened, two of the hanging shapes dropped to the ground and stepped forward. They wore rough leather tunics with hoods which covered their heads, but on each of their chests was a pair of red gemstones, set into an amulet. They glowed faintly in the light, making a halo over each of the two men, like a pair of glowering eyes.

‘Jüngen!’ Rutger heard himself say.

One of the pair pointed accusingly at them. ‘How dare you enter this sacred grove?’

Horst started to back away, axe raised.

The two Jüngen joined hands, and the light around them intensified as their linked hands rose. An instant later, a great flash blinded Rutger. He cried out as he fell back, but his voice was drowned out by a screeching roar from above.

A pitch-black dragon was hovering over the Jüngen’s heads, its eyes glowing red. Light crackled over its wings, and it roared again.

The Jüngen let go of each other, and the second of the two spoke to the dragon. His words were a short, cold command.

‘Kill them.’

About the Author:MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_WindK.J.Taylor was born in Australia in 1986 and plans to stay alive for as long as possible. She went to Radford College and achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications at the University of Canberra, where she is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Information Studies.

She published her first work, The Land of Bad Fantasy through Scholastic when she was just 18, and went on to publish The Dark Griffin in Australia and New Zealand five years later. The Griffin’s Flight and The Griffin’s War followed in the same year, and were released in America and Canada in 2011. At the moment, she is working on the third set of books in the series, while publishing the second.

K.J.Taylor’s real first name is Katie, but not many people know what the J stands for. She collects movie soundtracks and keeps pet rats, and isn’t quite as angst-ridden as her books might suggest.

Website

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Basically there are many medicines in the market which free cialis sample have the exact same job, highlighting the fact that it signifies that a person is going through some worst problems such as too much smoking, work load, stress, etc. Treating only the behavior does not address the cause of the pain; surgery comes at a big expense, both financially and physically, considering surgery-related risks and far from excellent success rates. tadalafil online no prescription By inhibiting them, Ginkgo makes blood flow more smoothly and thus supply more blood to the inner ear. prescription free cialis You are assured this: Singapore is one of the best when we talk about the disorder of erectile dysfunction. on line levitra loved that

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

Elia Winters on the Road: Top Five Vacation Destinations by Elia Winters – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 2, 2015 By 11 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elia will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

See our review of this book here.

Elia Winters on the Road: Top Five Vacation Destinations

Coming off a lovely summer vacation and going into a school year, I can’t help wishing for another vacation. Am I spoiled? Yes, absolutely. I’m completely spoiled. Despite this admission, I want to share with you my top five favorite vacation destinations… in no particular order. Spoiler alert: I talk a lot about food.

North Conway, NH. I’ve been going to North Conway since back in college when I was a new skier. I used to ski at the area mountains: Cranmore, Black, Cannon, Wildcat, and Bretton Woods, and do night snow tubing at Cranmore. Since those first days, I’ve started going to North Conway in other seasons as well: hiking Mt. Washington in the summer (I did it once, at least), checking out foliage in the fall, sneaking away for spring adventures in April. I stay at The 1785 Inn, a magnificent B&B with the best bacon anywhere, and eat at places like the Moat Mountain Brew Pub and Beef & Ski.

Gloucester, MA. I went to Gloucester for the first time this past summer, but it’s easily made the top five, and I’ll be back again soon. While I lived most of my life in Massachusetts, I never spent much time on the North Shore. Gloucester has everything I love about life on the water without the tourist craziness of the Cape. Granted, it’s still touristy, but its status as a working fishing town keeps the tourist wildness at bay. Hammond Castle is a must see, with its quirky mishmash architecture and eccentricities. The town of Rockport is wall-to-wall shops and eateries, easy to while away an entire day. It’s practically worth a trip out to Gloucester just for the bread at Virgilio’s Italian Bakery, and I had sushi and a life-alteringly good burger at Minglewood Tavern.

Old Quebec, Canada. I first went to Quebec on a skiing adventure, but when I returned, it was for sightseeing and eating. Eating is a big trend in all my vacations because food. The husband and I tend to go to Old Quebec in the winter, which is a little bit crazy, but we wear lots of layers. Quebec’s winter carnival is a wild ride of snow sculptures and street tobogganing, and we warm up by drinking some delightful ice wine and maple whiskey. We enjoy restaurants like Le Billig Creperie, La Grolla fondue, and Le Trois Becs sandwich shop. When we’re feeling adventurous, we head out to Valcartier for some death-defying snow tubing. It’s a rollicking good time.

Bermuda. Okay, I’ve only been here once, but it was beautiful enough to make the top five list. Our honeymoon was a cruise to Bermuda on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and it was a delightful week of wonderful food and beautiful sights. We visited the famous Swizzle Inn for its namesake Rum Swizzles and some fun souvenirs. I loved the gorgeous Crystal Caves, an underground cave network filled with breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites. Despite spending a few days there, I never made it to the famous pink sand beaches! This means a return trip is in order.

Provincetown, MA. Good old P-town. I chaperone the senior class trip every year, and even though it seems a little odd, we take the kids out to P-town and camp at the Dunes Edge Campground. As such, I’m a little nostalgic for this wacky town on the farthest edge of Massachusetts. Known for its out and proud LGBTQ+ population, there’s lots of adult fun to be seen “after dark” in the summer months – long after our students have gone back home – but it’s got lots to see for all ages. The pizza at Spiritus is fresh-baked and delicious, and following that up with a gelato at the Purple Feather is pretty much the best thing ever. I never go without picking up a new game at Puzzle Me This, an incredible game store. The beaches are beautiful and wild with dunes and grasses, and we always get a bonfire permit to celebrate the beginning of summer. No trip is complete without stopping at the Portuguese Bakery for a malasada and some delicious sweets for the road.

I’ve had so much fun typing this post, but now I’m feeling the pull of wanderlust that threatens to drag me off on another adventure. I might just have to set a book in one of these places until I get to return.

What about you, readers? Have you ever been to any of these places I’ve linked? Where are your favorite vacation destinations?

 

 

A war orphan, Astrid Bailey is content living her adult life alone, working as a contract machinist. Her real passion, though, is inventing felicitation devices that promote women’s sexual empowerment and help them find pleasure independent of a man.

The upcoming World’s Fair, with its substantial cash prize, is an opportunity to open the shop she’s always imagined and hopefully solve her financial woes. Except the committee has denied her entry unless she obtains a “sponsor”. Astrid suspects they mean “male”.

Eli Rutledge, noted watchmaker, knows entering the fair will solidify his reputation as an innovator —but he’s fresh out of ideas. Until Astrid approaches him with her outrageous product line. With no other options, though, he agrees to lend her his good name.

As construction heats up, so does their chemistry—and the complications. Astrid is unaccustomed to asking for help, much less sharing credit. And Eli fights an attraction that could spell professional disaster. As the Fair date approaches, Astrid and Eli must decide how far they’ll go. For the business…and for each other.

Product Warnings Contains period-appropriate graphic language, highly inappropriate amounts of M/F and F/F sex, and copious amounts of *ahem* product testing. May *ahem again* “spark” an online shopping binge for *cough* toys. Of the adult variety.

 

Enjoy an excerpt:

When she met his eyes again, her gaze was resolute. “Mr. Rutledge, I don’t mean to give the wrong impression. It’s very kind of you to come meet with us, when I’m sure there are other things you could be doing.” Astrid put her shoulders back slightly, straightening. “But whether you realize it or not, you’re the very reason we women need groups like this.” With a wave of her hand, she gestured to the other ladies gathered in the room. “You have nothing in common with us. You inherited a successful business from your father, who was already a prominent businessman, and your greatest achievement is to not yet have run it into the ground. Other people have given you everything you’ve ever needed. As a man, you can get a position on the Chamber of Commerce or the Fair Board or the IFCT or the London Business Council or whatever, and know that when you talk, people will listen. And I’m very happy that you have the money to own a shop and rent a booth at the World’s Fair, but to assume that everyone else is in the same position as you demonstrates how completely clueless you are about the plight of women business owners in this city. So no, you haven’t said anything to offend me. Everything about you offends me.”

The room had gone silent, and Eli stood frozen, staring down into Astrid’s face, into her dark eyes that suddenly widened as she realized the magnitude of what she had just said. She flushed, her face and neck and collarbones turning a rosy shade of pink, and she pressed one hand to her lips before turning and rushing from the room.

As she left, Eli watched her go with numb shock. Her words had been incredibly rude, and he couldn’t help but feel stung. What shocked him the most, though, was his sudden and overwhelming urge to kiss her.
About the Author:

Elia Winters has always been a New England girl, despite having spent much of her childhood in Florida. She holds a degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school where she runs too many extracurricular activities. She balances her love of the outdoors with a bottomless well of geekiness.

Elia dabbles in many genres, but erotic romance has been one of her favorites since she first began sneaking her mother’s romance novels. In high school, she kept her friends entertained with a steady stream of naughty stories and somehow never got caught passing them around. Her erotic fiction and poetry have been published online at Clean Sheets and Scarlet Letters under a different name. Elia currently lives in New England with her loving husband and their odd assortment of pets.

Elia’s virtual life is as busy as her real life.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Buy the book at Samhain Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other ebook retailers.

a Rafflecopter giveawayHonesty is the first requirement for a fulfilling experience in sexual activity, and what goes wrong buying sildenafil in these to cause discontent. 1. The key product of metabolisation is N-desmethylated Sildamax that is online cialis again metabolized. It has cialis online from canada http://secretworldchronicle.com/tag/doppelgaenger/ been observed as the best, affordable and user friendly method to buy an ED medication. They ignore all of the erogenous zones that they could have whole-body acidity. sildenafil purchase

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: , , ,

Machines of the Little People by Tegon Maus – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 11, 2015 By 11 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tegon Maus will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the rest of the stops on the tour.

When Ben Harris’ sister passes away, her husband, Roger Keswick, is mysteriously absent from her funeral. It’s not until 6 months later that Ben is pulled back in to Roger’s life, only to find that he’s moved on. His new wife may be called Jessica, but she’s the spitting image of Ben’s sister. Things escalate when Roger claims there’s a factory under his house run by little people called the Katoy.

Enjoy an excerpt:

“What was the problem, Roger? Why are they here?” I asked, still trying to figure out what had happened to make him call the cops.

The officer shifted uncomfortably, staring at the ground but said nothing.

“Roger? Why are they here?” I asked, pulling him by the arm, turning him to face me.

“I heard voices under the house,” he said flatly. It was clear his mind was struggling with it.

“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

“I heard voices under the house,” he repeated, giving me a stern look.

The officer kicked at the ground as if waiting for me to give him permission to leave.

“Roger,” I began…

“They were talking about me. Three of them. I could hear them shushing each other. But, Ben… I heard them.” His voice held a level of desperation. His face twisted, his eyes begging me to believe him. “Benjamin. I swear to you… I heard them.” His voice, little more than a whisper, quivered.

Before I could react the harsh crackle of the officers walkie-talkie burst to life.

“Ten four,” he said into his shoulder. His eyes, clearly serious, shot to me.

“Thank you, Officer.” I barely got the words out of my mouth and he was marching toward the gate.

I turned to follow him but Roger made a beeline in the opposite direction.

“Benjamin, come over here. They’ve just begun working. Come on. I don’t know how long it will last. Hurry,” he called excitedly, running back and forth.

About the Author:

I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn’t friendly, I just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife.

The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.

It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it’s making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mine you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When I write, I always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Shelfari | LinkedIn | Pinterest

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Tirgearr Publishing.

a Rafflecopter giveawayYou can include leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, turnip greens, spinach and roman lettuce in your daily life? Those people suffering from semen leakage problem after urination can definitely generic cialis start taking this natural cure. Kamagra has always been the best choice for men suffering with erectile dysfunction. cialis free samples Pinching of nerves may reduce function or if severe – complete dysfunction, leading to a pill sildenafil greyandgrey.com multitude of health problems. An intake of 1 pill consider a minimum dosage useful shop levitra price of one or two pills, twice daily with milk, for a healthier you.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

Lessons I Learned from Captain Eri by Perrin Pring – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 4, 2015 By 4 Comments



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Perrin Pring will be awarding a $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.

Lessons I learned from Captain Eri

When I started writing The Ryo Myths, I had no idea that Captain Eri would become the character I would aspire to be. The Ryo Myths takes place in space. There are aliens, gods with unlimited powers, people with super human strength, and then there is Captain Eri. She’s a ringer, a human with wings, but her wings are damaged, and she can’t fly. Out of all of the characters in The Ryo Myths, Captain Eri is technically the one with the greatest disadvantage. She is the most human of everyone.

Which is why I like her. She can’t rely on magic or godly powers to get herself out of the mess she’s in. On top of that, she’s suffered terribly at the hands of someone she once loved. In other circles she’d be called a victim, but I didn’t want her to be that. I wanted her to be a survivor.

Right now, ‘strong female characters’ are in – the Katniss Everdeen. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Hunger Games, but what people misconstrue from Katniss is that in order to be a ‘strong female’ one has to be constantly kicking physical ass. This is great, and I have no problem reading and watching things about women who are just out there dominating (River Tam, anyone?), but being a strong woman doesn’t mean simply laying waste to the competitors. It means dealing with the emotional baggage.

Captain Eri has moments where she breaks down. Things get messy. She has the opportunity to make some really bad decisions which one wouldn’t blame her for making, but instead of collapsing into hysterics or puffing her chest out and tough guying her way through an emotional battle field, she slows down and allows herself to fail.

And I love that. Captain Eri fails, and from those failures, she succeeds. She’s not perfect. She’s not impervious to tears. She’s not afraid to f*#! people up when they need it. She takes in the wreck that is her life and pulls herself back to her feet. She falls at times, but she never gives up, and I can only hope that when I need that kind of strength in my own life, I can do as well as Captain Eri.

Filion felt safe in his role as a Dream Searcher. He was paid to venture into other’s dreams and exert influence over individuals whom he would never meet in the flesh.

But that was until he received The Summoning. Filion has been called to track down and protect Ryo, the last of the Chozen. She is the only hope of preventing a tide of evil driven by the Afortiori and the prospect of universal slavery if they aren’t stopped.

Time is ticking and Filion has no idea of how to find Ryo let alone how to protect her, yet destinies of planets rest in her hands. Enlisting the help of a rag-tag band of mercenaries, Filion will set out to search the wastes for Ryo. Together they will confront an evil whose power they just might have fatally underestimated.

I was a natural flier, I could take a punch, and I was smarter than most. Within five years I was a full-fledged pilot. On my last assignment, I was Master Pilot Eri Everfar, commanding pilot of a class B Federal war ship, the Seeker, and that’s where I met him, Drakier Lu…

Filion and his new friends have escaped Bok and are stuck in an asteroid field that isn’t supposed to exist. They’ve almost run out of fuel, their water supply is seriously depleted, all of their food has been destroyed, and the girl they’d just risked everything to save, Ryo, is dead.

Captain Eri’s former lover, Drakier Lu, has been promoted to Master Commander of the entire Federal Fleet, and his assignment is to find and capture the Dark Horse. Captain Eri has been identified as a Tiori, and she and her associates have just become the Federation’s most wanted. Things aren’t what they seem though, and the line between good and evil blurs as the players’ true motivations come to light.

Filion and the crew return, traveling the galaxy and dodging the Federation and the Tioris, all the while searching for a rogue planet that may or may not be harboring the one person who can save them all…

When I was on Lamu, I inhaled an Afortiori’s vileness. That blackness will be what allows me to win. I will use their own evil against them. Because of this I am tainted. I am but a degree different from what I fight, but in that degree, hangs the balance between universal slavery and Free Will.

Having fled from Lamu only moments before its destruction, Filion and his friends find themselves hiding in the shadows as the Federation and the Afortiori mobilize against their worst enemy, The Etulosba and its crew. The Etulosba, Ryo, plans for her final battle. She was engineered to fight for Free Will, but to win that war, she will have to become what no Chozen was meant to be – an Afortiori. Caught in Ryo’s wake, Captain Eri is torn between leading her crew and confronting Drakier Lu, her former lover and torturer. Will she be able to overcome what he did to her, or will she fail, thereby becoming what he made her and letting down Ryo, her crew, and ultimately, the universe? Filion and the crew return in the final installment of The Ryo Myths. Join them as they begin a journey that not all of them will survive.

Enjoy an excerpt from The Degrees of Destiny:

Initially, she’d thought the energy transfer had been temporary. Then she’d tortured Teeive instead of killing him, and now she realized the true cost of what she’d done. Some of his energy lived on inside of her. She hadn’t foreseen that. Inhaling Teeive’s energy had been like filling a suitcase with sand. She’d dumped out most of the sand, but grains of it remained, and they were expanding. She could feel the cold, calculating, psychopathic tendrils of Afortiori vile spreading and threatening to overtake her body. It wasn’t a battle she was sure she could win, but it might be what won her the war.

“I held that evil inside of me,” Ryo continued. “It powered me. I became high on its force. Then it left but not all of it. Some of it still lives within me.” She stood and faced Wiq. “I cannot fight this war without it.” She stood and faced Wiq. “I cannot fight this war without it. That blackness will be what allows me to win. I will use their own evil against them. Because of this I am tainted. I am but a degree different from what I fight, but in that degree, hangs the balance between universal slavery and Free Will. You and I, we have fought over Free Will, we have fought for Free Will, but we have never had Free Will. Captain Eri must exercise her Free Will because to me, she is everything that those words mean. If she does that, I can stay on the side of the right. I can fight this blackness and use it to save her. If she denies it though, or if she dies…”

Ryo looked at her hands. They flashed and became translucent. Wiq could see Ryo’s veins. As Wiq watched, a shadow spread through Ryo’s blood, darkening it to black.

“This vileness inside of me is not static. It pushes. It grows. I fight it, but I’m fighting on all fronts. She is my hope. She is my faith. She is what keeps this blackness at bay. She must not fail, or we all die.”

About the Author:

Perrin is the author of The Ryo Myths, a sci-fi/fantasy trilogy that has been heralded to engage both nerds and non-nerds alike. Check out her books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. When not writing, Perrin enjoys drinking coffee and swimming, although usually not at the same time.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook |
Twitter | Instagram |
Google+

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

a Rafflecopter giveawayWhy do sildenafil overnight deeprootsmag.org you need a detox plan? Body detoxification has turned into a necessity given that we’re surrounded by toxins in our climate, food and cosmetic products. Learning much http://deeprootsmag.org/page/105/ generico cialis on line more about counseling is the best way for healthy and happy relationship is being closed to the partner. If you check the market today, you’ll find hundreds of different herbs that are being marketed with the similar effect as the genuine thing but in actuality, they are not really the vardenafil cost same. At Optimum Healthspan Institute there are purchase levitra online http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/03/26/thoughts-on-passover-2/ number of treatments and therapies developed as a result of extensive scientific research.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

The House at the End of the Street by Jennie Jones – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 3, 2015 By 8 Comments

MBB_TourBanner_TheHouseAtTheEndOfTheStreet copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter a $20 Amazon GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

MediaKit_BookCover_TheHouseAtTheEndOfTheStreetGemma Munroe loves hard, laughs hard and plays hard. Or at least she did before today. Her dream is finally within her grasp – owning the toy shop in Swallow’s Fall. Only one person has the power to get in her way: Josh Rutherford – the love of her life who kissed her and left her ten years ago is coming home.

Josh will be in town for five days. He’ll finally sever the ties to a youth filled with poverty by selling the properties that are now his. He’s returning healthy, wealthy and emotionally stable, and then he’ll leave forever. It’s all in the plan. Everything…except for Gem. He never forgot her, but he definitely forgot the effect she has on him. Now she’s got problems, and he can’t seem to leave without trying to help her solve them.

(Author note: every book in the Swallow’s Fall series can be read as a stand-alone story.)

Enjoy an excerpt:

‘I was hoping we could have our business chat.’

’Oh, business.’ Gem fiddled with her large hoop earrings. Beneath her fleece-lined jacket she wore a thick white V-necked T-shirt and she’d been warm enough for the winter cold, but now she felt hot—and a little bothered.

‘I was wondering—what your position is,’ Josh said. ‘And if you needed help in some way. I mean—are you in a position to make the purchase?’

‘Yes.’

‘Are you sure?’

No, but she wasn’t going to let Josh know that. ‘I wouldn’t mind a week or two to gets things finalised.’

‘No problem. And what about the flat above? Are you intending to live in it?’

‘Of course. Where else would I live?’

‘I’ve got a place in mind. A five minute walk out of town.’

‘What place?’ she asked, frowning.

He shook his head. ‘Maybe later. Let’s stick to the shop for the moment.’

‘Actually,’ she said, ‘I am a little busy. Can we have this chat tomorrow?’

Josh looked up at the wall art.

Gem had created history with her mural of the town, but she couldn’t tell from Josh’s expression what he was thinking.

‘It’s not graffiti,’ she said. ‘Don’t utter that word unless you top it with “art”.’

‘I wasn’t about to say anything except … it’s stunning. It’s got flair. And charm.’ He looked her up and down then grinned. ‘Bit like you. When you’re not covering up whatever it is that’s bothering you with your temper.’

About the Author:MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_TheHouseAtTheEndOfTheStreetBorn and brought up in Wales, Jennie Jones loved anything with a romantic element from an early age. At eighteen, she went to drama school in London then spent a number of years performing in British theatres, becoming someone else two hours, eight performances a week.

Jennie wrote her first romance story at the age of twenty five while ‘resting’ (a theatrical term for ‘out of work’). She wrote a western. But nobody wanted it! Before she got discouraged a musical theatre job came up and Jennie put writing to one side.

She now lives in Western Australia, a five minute walk to the beach that she loves to look at but hardly ever goes to – too much sand.

Jennie returned to writing four years ago. She says writing keeps her artistic nature dancing and her imagination bubbling. Like acting, she can’t envisage a day when it will ever get boring.

All of Jennie’s bestselling Swallow’s Fall series books can be read as stand-alone stories.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  | Google+
Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
It relieves you from psychological problems such as anxiety and stress. canada in levitra The true fact is that they are not ware of some of the simplest ways to improve and enhance sexual cialis for order activity. The inability to maintain strong and long erection during the sexual activity with the page cheap sildenafil uk help of this medication. sildenafil cost valsonindia.com Researchers have recorded at least one incidence of serious depression in their life time.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Fear for Hire by Natalie S. Ellis – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 1, 2015 By 2 Comments

BBT_TourBanner_FearForHire copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Natalie will be awarding an eCopy of Fear for Hire to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

MediaKit_BookCover_FearForHireJack Wylie is tall, dark, handsome and brave – he’s everything you’d want in a kidnapper.

Ex-cop Jack Wylie is a born protector, tormented by the day he misjudged a criminal and his life took a tragic turn. Now he’s on a mission to kidnap a woman to help her overcome a fear of being tied up.

He’s been told by his psychologist brother to keep up the game until the woman gives him the sign. But there has been a big mistake. Jack has accidentally abducted the feisty and beautiful Molly Rhoades – a newly arrived local TV reporter who has secrets of her own. And she doesn’t know the sign.

After a dangerous and unlikely meeting, Jack and Molly find themselves consumed by sexual tension, but things get even more complicated when Molly finds out that Jack is engaged to the local Councilwoman Amanda Everett, a ruthless career climber determined to succeed no matter what the cost.

But why did Jack kidnap Molly in the first place? Who is pulling the strings in this perverted puppet show? Jack vows to protect Molly until he finds out the truth, but the layers of deception and vengeance run deeper than he could have ever imagined.

Enjoy an excerpt:

The plan: Scare the shit out of Laura so she’d never fear her sadistic ex-boyfriend again. Apparently, the ass-wipe had gotten his rocks off playing kidnapper during their relationship. He blamed that damn Fifty Shades of Grey series for the upsurge of domestic violence. Sure, the books had provided a few kinky fantasies for the ladies, but lowlifes like Laura’s ex took the fantasy a step too far.

A whimper. Was she crying herself to sleep? He flexed his shoulder blades and relaxed. Wouldn’t be long now. He listened to her breathing slow … and slow … and blinked himself awake. Her sounds soothed him and he was so damn tired. He shouldn’t be attempting this job after an overnight security shift at the bank, but he wanted to get it over with.

Worried he’d fall asleep if he waited any longer, he slid out. Once he cleared the frame, he pushed up on his fingers and toes, then sprang to the balls of his feet. His right knee creaked. He froze, hovering above her, the paleness of her skin luminescent in the shadows. She lay on top of her comforter, a pair of white bikini panties and a gray tank top her only cover.

Nice body. Real nice body — strong and sleek. A cop? Military? Nah, with training like that she wouldn’t be afraid of an ex-boyfriend. But she sure as hell didn’t sculpt those mile-long sexy legs doing aerobics. Slim hips, flat stomach. He whistled softly through his teeth. Damn perfect breasts, fuller than he would’ve expected on someone so lean. Her long, straight hair fanned above her shoulders. He glanced at her face to verify she matched the woman in the head shot Rudy had given him. His chest tightened and he jerked his gaze away. Too late. Those puffy pillow-lips would haunt his dreams.

Time to go to work. He clasped her by the waist, tossed her onto her stomach, and pushed her face into the pillow just hard enough to muffle any screams. Startled awake, she bucked her curvy, near-naked ass in his face. Sweet Jesus! He sat on her legs, keeping one hand firmly planted on the back of her neck while he used his teeth to tear off a piece of duct tape. With the strip hanging between his lips, he caught her arms behind her and wrapped the tape around her wrists several times. He didn’t want to cut off her circulation, but she twisted her wrists and the bonds tightened.

He ripped another piece of tape, cupped this one in his palm, and rolled her over. She sucked in air, but he gagged her before the scream escaped. A hunk of hair stuck to her face under the gag, making her look like a rumpled kid. But the sparks of terrorized fury she shot at him were far from childlike.

Jack faltered. That kind of fear, he’d seen it before. He’d felt it before.

But he’d never provoked it.

About the Author:MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_FearForHireNatalie S. Ellis worked behind the scenes in TV news for sixteen years and will always miss the rush of a breaking story. But the seduction of writing a fiery romance with twisty suspense is even harder to resist, especially when she has a new curveball for the plot. Natalie enjoys living in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and attributes her cheerful attitude to empty nesting, a supportive family, and way too many lattés.

Twitter | Facebook | Website

a Rafflecopter giveawayLow levels of testosterone can occur due to appalachianmagazine.com on line levitra stress, hypothyroidisim or hypogonadism. If you haven’t heard of Ultimate X, it is just the improved levitra australia version of VigRx pills. They cause no purchase cialis appalachianmagazine.com side effects or health risks. Gillespie asserts: “While those supporting NPV may claim it is more democratic, they are undemocratically circumventing the required constitutional amendment process established by our Founding Fathers, on line levitra http://appalachianmagazine.com/wvva-2/ because they know it would never pass.” The truth of the matter of impotence and erectile dysfunction.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »