Dragon(e) Baby Gone by Robert Gainey – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

Diane Morris is part of the thin line separating a happy, mundane world from all of the horrors of the anomalous. Her federal agency is underfunded, understaffed, and misunderstood, and she’d rather transfer to the boring safety of Logistics than remain a field agent. When a troupe of international thieves make off with a pair of dragon eggs, Diane has no choice but to ally with a demon against the forces looking to leave her city a smoldering crater. Facing down rogue wizards, fiery elementals, and crazed gunmen, it’s a race against time to get the precious cargo back before the dragon wakes up and unleashes hell.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Modern times gave way to a general idea that reason and logic were enough to stop something from dragging you into the sewers and wearing your skin to protect itself from daylight. It’s easy to see why: it doesn’t happen to a lot of people, therefore it must not happen. I see it all the time, people who say things like “I’ve never seen a ghost, so they must not exist.”

Oh yeah? Because if spirits did exist, they’d all be tripping over their ghost dicks to haunt you? Do you understand the preternatural forces that conspire, the circumstances that line up, to create any kind of ghost? Let alone one that shows up in your room at night and moans about revenge or betrayal or rattles some chains and teaches you a valuable lesson about being selfish?

“Well, there’s no such thing as Bigfoot. All those pictures are super blurry and grainy,” they say, their voices nasally and snobby, like all the knowledge of the world is pumped directly into their tiny brains through their tiny phones. Go stand out in a remote Colorado forest one night. Turn off your phone, open your eyes and ears, and wait. When you feel those eyes watching, and when you know, deep in that primitive monkey brain, way, way down inside, that there’s more than just the animals you have names for sharing that clearing with you, then you can call me to tell me that there’s no such thing as Bigfoot.

That is, if you live to turn your phone back on again.

About the Author:

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Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

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Tour Book by Rachel Pfennig Hales – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel Pfennig Hales will be awarding a $10 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.

It’s show night. You’ve bought tickets and are waiting with your friends. The lights drop. The darkness swells in anticipation. A collective cheer grows. A breath of silence. Then, that first chord screams from the > speakers. Lights flash to flood the stage, radiating as the concert comes to life.

We are there, too, in the dark under the show, behind it, and above it. > Each prop or cool trick, every costume or scene change requires the hidden help of someone behind the scenes. In a few hours, you will have gone home, but we will still be here, tearing it all down. We will pack up the gear, load up more than a dozen tractor trailers, and head out to the next city. Tomorrow, we will build the production again in a new building. We’ll greet another audience. We’ll put on another show.

From load in to load out, watch a production build toward show time. Hear true stories from the rock and roll roadies who’ve helped create the world’s biggest concert tours with interviews from dozens of touring technicians.

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I can pick the roadies out of any crowd. A small army, surrounded by a sea of civilians, we tend to dress in uniform. Faces will be tired, maybe unshowered, 21 Hours Until Show Time 2and most likely wearing either a “Fuck Off” or “Fuck Yeah” defiance. Wear all black, always. That’s basic. We need to blend in, unseen backstage. Closed-toed shoes, preferably steel-toed boots. Cargo shorts or utility belt, even on nights off. Some will be missing chunks of fingers. Others may be missing full fingers. One I know will be missing an ear. Tattoos are a plus, worn as badges of honor, as are beards, mohawks, piercings and shaved heads. When in doubt, asking about these artistic identifiers always gets us talking. We walk in like we are taking over, and usually do. Our laminated backstage passes—discreet, yet purposefully visible to any who bother to look—grant us VIP access almost anywhere, including private clubs, closed liquor stores, and most likely, your hotel room, if we ask. We are not groupies. We are not fans. We are with the show. We are touring live entertainment technicians. We are roadies. If you go without pissing people off, you can stay. But out here, it is more than a job. It is a lifestyle. Like any community, there are certain rules you have to follow. Call it a pirate’s code, to self-govern the chaos. Some rules we’re told. Straightforward, and essential.

About the Author:

Rachel Pfennig Hales has always loved show business. From theater as a child, to a brief stint in television production, she found her niche in live event production. Rachel was able to start her career touring around the world with the Black Eyed Peas, and then with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now, she is the Client and Community Development Manager at Rock Lititz, helping with various touring rehearsals and building up the live event culture on campus. Rachel also does a lot of writing, within the live event industry and beyond. She has BAs from DePauw University, an MA in English Studies from National University, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.

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Hell Raising and Other Pastimes by Jayce Carter – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

Lots of people have told me to go to hell—I guess they finally got their wish.

I’ve finally accepted the fact I might not be entirely human, so you’d think life could give me a minute. Instead, I find myself sucked into hell at Lucifer’s demand, and I realize death is even more complicated than my life was.

I’m still searching for how to stop the missing spirits before it’s too late, and with no suspects other than Lucifer, I have to survive hell—where everything wants to kill me—so I can confront the devil himself. Not even my love life can be simple, though. Troy is terrified of his werewolf side hurting me, Kase and Grant are lying to me, and Hunter is keeping his own secrets. I know better than to trust anyone, especially the men who have taken over my life.

Get to Lucifer’s Court, find out the truth about the missing spirits, figure out exactly what I am, and try not to die along the way. Oh, and don’t fall in love with the men who will for sure break my heart and possibly get me killed.

Easy enough, right?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Hunter nodded, then tossed pieces of twine onto the table. “Rooms for the night. I’d say it’ll be better than sleeping on the ground, but they often rent these things by the hour.”

“Let’s just be glad they don’t have black lights here,” Grant said.

I nodded at the twine. “What’s with the rope? Does the bondage come complimentary? Come for the rooms, stay for the rope play?”

“You telling me you want me to tie you up, shadow-girl?” Hunter picked one up and reached across the table to catch my wrist. He tied it on me, the feeling of his strong fingers against me enough to make me wonder if the rooms might give us a second, spider-free, shot at sex. “These are enchanted to get us into the rooms. Think of it like a keycard, hell-style. We have four rooms, and the sigil on the bead matches the one on the door of the room.”

I twisted the string on my wrist. “There isn’t a bead on mine.”

“That’s because you’re approved for all the rooms.”

The statement sounded nice until math caught up with me and fucked me like it always did. “That means I’m not getting my own room, doesn’t it?”

Hunter didn’t even try to look sorry. “It isn’t nearly safe enough for you to sleep alone, shadow-girl. You’ll bunk down with someone else.”

“And let me guess—you’re offering?”

About the Author Jayce Carter lives in Southern California with her husband and two spawns. She originally wanted to take over the world but realized that would require wearing pants. This led her to choosing writing, a completely pants-free occupation. She has a fear of heights yet rock climbs for fun and enjoys making up excuses for not going out and socializing.

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Unbound by Kirsten Weiss – Spotlight and Giveaway

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Three Witches and a Metaphysical Detective…

Riga just wants to mentor three young witches and go home. Doyle witch Jayce wouldn’t take help if it landed on her. But when a man is murdered in front of their eyes, these two must learn to work together. Because a dead man is the least of their worries… Jayce Bonheim loves magic and Doyle, California. But she and her small town have been paying a deadly price for the fairy gate she and her sisters can’t close. Now, a society of dark magicians has returned to town, a deadly winged monster has come through the gate, and an old friend has been murdered. And the new mentor who’s supposed to help Jayce and her sisters seems to have an agenda of her own…

It was supposed to be a simple training gig for Riga Hayworth, not a murder investigation. Still reeling from a tragic mistake in her past, she’s determined to stay retired. But the murder and the town’s magic seem tied together. Can Riga resist the lure of an investigation?

A thrilling and funny paranormal mystery, packed with magic, mystery, and murder. Perfect for fans of Mercy Thompson, Supernatural, and Charlaine Harris. Buy Unbound and start reading this page-turning witch mystery.

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Dear Ms. Hayworth:

Where to begin? I suppose I must begin with my hometown, Doyle, which is located on a fairy gate. A fairy queen came through that gate in the 1800s, decided she liked the look of the place, and stayed. It did not go well.

In all honesty, I’m not sure if that’s the beginning of the tale either. It’s only as far as our records go. At any rate, the fairy queen tormented the town until the Bonheim sisters, triplets and witches, booted her out. However, when they returned the queen to her land, they were unable to completely shut the door behind her.

That’s when we learned the queen’s presence in our world had had its benefits. It seems she prevented other creatures from Fairy from invading our world. Now that the queen is gone, they’re returning.

The Bonheims have done a yeoman’s job dealing with these incursions. But the open gate has attracted the attention of dark magicians, including, most recently, a black lodge.

You’ve been recommended as someone with deep experience in dealing with both black lodges and solo practitioners of the dark arts. I propose to engage you to mentor the Bonheim sisters in magical self-defense. Enclosed is a retainer, in the hope that you will accept the commission.

(Please note there are two Doyles, so be sure to come to the correct Doyle, located between Angels Camp and Bear Valley. Please note there are also two Bear Valleys. The one nearest to Angels Camp is the correct one).

Sincerely,

Helena Steinberg

About the Author:Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/pie-town-mysteries, Tea and Tarot -https://www.kirstenweiss.com/tea-and-tarot-mysteries, Paranormal Museum- http://www.kirstenweiss.com/the-perfectly-proper-paranormal-mus-1 and Wits’ End – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-cozy-mystery-series books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-witch-cozy-mysteries, Riga Hayworth – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/riga-hayworth-paranormal-mysteries and Rocky Bridges – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/rocky-bridges-mysteries books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey – http://www.kirstenweiss.com/sensibility-grey-steampunk-suspense series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at her website.

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BookBub | Instagram | Facebook | Email (she’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

Book Series

Sensibility Grey Steampunk Suspense

Tea and Tarot cozy mysteries
Pie Town cozy mysteries

Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mysteries

Doyle Witch

Doyle Cozy

Riga Hayworth

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Creating Characters by Claire Gillies – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Claire Gillies will be awarding a signed copy of the book. (International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Creating characters, how I visualise them

On The Edge is my first novel, and I have to say this book took years to write! I originally started writing when I had a similar life experience to the main protagonist, Cat. Much like her, I left my office job to go live on a remote Scottish island. During the time I was living on the island, the book got put on hold for a few years; one reason being, I had no idea how to write! I know, not the thing you say, right? Learning this skill has taken time and I know I will keep learning as I go!

So, when it came to writing characters, I wanted to write about a regular girl from a humble background, facing struggles that many of us do. In my mind I knew she was a redhead, her features being very Celtic. Her image was there in my mind from the start, it was the other characters I needed time to visualise…

When I start writing now, I usually mark up the points of the story on post-it notes, then I write down bullet points under each character. These points relate to how they look; what eye colour, hair colour etc, but also their personality traits and common words they might use. These character profiles are essential when you’re in the middle of writing and you forget everything – “ah what hair colour did they have?!” So, I have learned the hard way that this happens often, and it is important to keep note of their personality points. A big part of my process now is Pinterest! When I have established the characters, I use Pinterest to bring them to life them in my mind. I’ve now adopted Pinterest into my process for my next two books and it really is a useful, but fun way to visualise. The love interest in On the Edge is gorgeous Irishman Patrick, a cheeky musician with dark features. To my surprise I found the perfect actor to reflect him – Poldark’s Aidan Turner….no wonder I enjoy this process of finding character images!

You can find the On The Edge Pinterest board under Claire Gillies.

Catherine MacGregor spends life daydreaming her way out of the perils of a dead-end job, and a dwindling love-life. Rather than face imminent redundancy, Cat finds herself giving up her life in the city, and moving to a remote Scottish island for a fresh start.

Unlocking her passion for art, things have never looked better, until the handsome but elusive musician Patrick Flannagan takes to the stage, complicating her best-laid plans.

Cat’s past could be catching up with her at last. Can she unlock her own secrets, and learn to love again, in time to save her brave new beginnings?

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“Hey, just because I don’t go around snogging boys! I’ve only recently split up with my long-term boyfriend!”

“That was two months ago!” Jess cried,

“I know – that’s recent!”

“No it’s not! It’s not like you’ve been left a widow and loved your husband ’til the end; you told me you’d fallen out of love with Dave a long time before you left. What are you waiting for?” Jess looked wide-eyed.

Cat chewed the inside of her mouth and looked down, unable to meet Jess’s gaze. “I don’t know”.

Just then the phone beeped, making the two girls jump.

“It’s fine, whatever the outcome” Cat assured herself loudly.

Jess pressed buttons on her phone, and silently read for what seemed to Cat an eternity.

“You are good to go my friend!” Jess wiggled on the bed and held her phone up to Jess to read “Single!”

The two girls whooped and bounced on the bed.

“You read that for a long time. Jeez, I can’t believe how much I wanted him to be single!” Cat screeched, then quickly covered her mouth in surprise and embarrassment.

“Well, the lovely Kate said he was with a girl for a few years. She was local, but she’s now living in Australia. They split up, not sure why.” Jess re-read the message aloud, and they both settled down on the bed.

“What now?” Cat grinned at her friend.

“Bacon and eggs?” Jess pleaded with big blue eyes.

“I’ll get my purse,” Cat smiled and for the first time in a long while, thought that life couldn’t get any better.

About the Author: Born and raised in the Highlands of Scotland, Claire’s homeland continues to be a stream of inspiration for her. A clothing designer too, Claire (Lorna) creates one-off bespoke garments using Scottish tweeds and tartans.

Claire currently splits her time between Scotland and Australia with her lovely Irish husband. She is a cat lover (without the cat) and can be found either drinking coffee, researching the best cake haunts, or watching yet another costume drama!

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Critical Hit by W.M. Akers – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. W.M. Akers will be awarding a $50 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.

Check out the Kickstarter Campaign for this project.

How do you win a game that’s trying to kill you?

A twenty-nine year-old clerk at a games store in the Appalachian hamlet of Jett Creek, Tennessee, Callie Myles lives for the weekly RPG sessions run by her beloved brother and gamesmaster, LB. Under his watchful eye, she and her friends wage war, harness magic, and battle evil. When the dice are rolling, they are heroes, and all of Callie’s anxieties slip away. The fun stops the night LB burns to death in a bizarre fire.

Asked by her friends to keep the weekly game alive, Callie does her best to set her grief aside. She puts on the monocle LB wore during sessions and finds herself sucked into a life-sized recreation of her brother’s game. Inhabiting the body of her beloved character, the legendary Arabeth, she thinks she has found the ultimate escape. Her paradise is spoiled when she discovers that something inside the game killed LB—and one of her fellow players was in on it.

To save herself, to avenge her brother, Callie Myles must pull on her armor and beat LB’s game from the inside out. If she gets killed along the way, well, at least she’s having a great time.

A fast-paced hybrid of mystery and adventure, CRITICAL HIT captures the breakneck joy of tabletop gaming, where life and death depend on the whims of a plastic die. It will be on Kickstarter from May 25 to June 25, and available on DriveThruFiction and Amazon after that.

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I left my friends behind. They were far below me now—thief, gladiator, bard, and mage—waiting on the frozen mud of the Blackbriar courtyard, waiting for the gate to break, for an army of thousands to pour through the door. I’d been with them, but I broke and ran—not from cowardice, but because I had a better idea.

Thud.

Wood splintered.

Thud.

Steel buckled.

Thud.

The doors exploded off their hinges. The Horde was inside.

I sprinted up icy steps, never doubting this was the only way. Far below, the Heroes were surrounded. For the first time in their lives, they looked small. I could not hear the battle. Up that high, there was no sound but the roar of the wind and, far above me, the creaking of bone.

I threw my bow over my shoulder and planted a foot on the lip of the wall. A snowflake caught on my numb lips. It tasted pure.

With a deep breath, I hurled myself into space.

The Hordesmen looked up. In their white armor, they were hard to distinguish from the ice on the ground. The ground that was, I realized, rushing up to meet me very, very fast.

If this doesn’t work, I thought, I’m going to look like such an asshole.

And then a shadow swept out of the darkness: a massive, keening, riderless bird.

I crashed into its side.

My fingers clawed desperately at its bloody feathers. The great beast rolled, and the ground surged to meet me, and I was more certain than ever that death was coming tonight. I hung on tight, and when the roll stopped, I thudded into the leather seat on its back and did not let go.

“Thank you,” I said, and the griffon screamed loud enough to knock a platoon of Hordesmen to the ground. I tugged on the reins. With a beat of its massive wings, it flung us into the clouds.

My breathing was steady. My hands didn’t shake. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Blackbriar Keep, shrunk to the size of a child’s toy. I wondered if any of my friends were still alive.

Didn’t matter. The griffon crashed into the slushy, frozen clouds, which soaked me from head to toe. The sky went black. There was no sound but the occasional thump of the griffon’s wings. And then we exploded above the clouds, where the Duke was losing the battle for the sky.

Of the hundred griffon-riders he had launched so optimistically before the assault began, only a handful were still in the air. In the light of a cold blue moon, they wheeled around their target: a hundred-yard long flying Horror made of sinew and bone. It snapped at the griffons and batted them aside with indifferent swipes of its barbed tail. The lances of the griffon riders clattered harmlessly off the beast, coming nowhere near their true target: the Queen of Skulls.

She was a smudge of green between the beast’s shoulder blades, a warrior whose armies had broken a continent and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocents. Only Blackbriar stood between her and Winterwind, and Blackbriar would fall unless she died. The griffon riders were never going to hit her. No one could make that shot.

No one but me.

For I was Arabeth of the Golden Mail. Arabeth the dead-eyed, Arabeth the level 12 marksman. Arabeth the best goddamned shot on the Plateau. I nocked an arrow, slowed my heartbeat, and lined up the shot that would end the war.

About the Author:

W.M. Akers is a novelist, playwright, and game designer. He is the author of the mystery novels Westside and Westside Lights; the creator of the bestselling games Deadball: Baseball With Dice and Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG; and the curator of the history newsletter Strange Times. Born in Nashville, he spent a lucky thirteen years in New York before moving to Philadelphia in 2019. Learn more about his work at his website.

Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Patreon | Facebook

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Mind Over Murder by Kathy DiSanto – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

She’s been gifted with The Sight, but she didn’t see this coming ….

When happy, upstanding citizens of New Frisco start to murder complete strangers, then die by suicide an hour or so later, crime reporter A. J. Gregson is determined to find out why.

Teaming up once again with CIIS Special Agent Jack Eagan—a man who’s rapidly becoming more than just another need-to-know fed—A. J. and a handful of others find themselves racing against the clock to stop the bloodshed.

Who or what is compelling these people? And who will be the next to die?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Apparently unaware of our presence, the unblinking intruder plunged a ten-inch sashimi knife hilt-deep into his left breast and ripped the blade across to his sternum. Blood jetted, hot and coppery, spraying the counters, the floor, and those of us unlucky enough to be standing nearest his left side … Then he toppled face first to the floor.

About the Author:

Award-winning novelist Kathy DiSanto writes in several genres: sweet romance, paranormal, dystopian science fiction, and urban fantasy.

Her love of words—bamboozle, finagle, sprocket, flabbergast—inspired her to study German in college, because gaining access to a host of words in another language was a fascinating prospect. How does one resist expressions like Kummerspeck and Freundschaftsbezeugung, for example? As she’s fond of saying, “That would take a better woman than I. (Or a better woman than me, if we’re sticking with the colloquial and conversational.)” In addition to sating her verbal appetite with marvelously multisyllabic, tongue-twisting words, studying the German language challenged her inner Grammar Stickler in strange and mysterious ways. Thus, she considers her choice of an otherwise questionable major a win-win.

Her career as an author officially began in 1997, when she published two books with Bantam’s Loveswept line. Her books to date include:

For Love or Money (Golden State Hearts Book 1)
Hunter’s Shadow (Golden State Hearts Book 2)
Amanda’s Eyes (A.J. Gregson series, Book 1)
The Alpha Genesis Option

In addition to writing highly regarded fiction, she worked for many years as a communications specialist for Texas A&M University. Since retiring, she has done freelance writing. All told, throughout her career and after, she’s written several hundred feature articles for magazines, the web, blogs, and newsletters.

The mother of two talented professional musicians—and G-Mom to the cutest little boy EVER—Kathy is also a dedicated rescue dog mama, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and a late-blooming home improvement fanatic. She enjoys writing, reading, going to the gym, walking the dogs, and dancing like nobody is watching anywhere her sons are playing.

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Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser/Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nancy Fraser and Peggy Jaeger will be awarding a $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.

Welcome to our 1980’s Dickens Christmas stories!

Two sweet vintage romances set in the New England town of Dickens where small town charm is on full, holiday display.

Both stories are prequels to stories found in last year’s holiday anthology, Christmas Comes to Dickens. Beginning October 18th, the Ladies of Dickens will release six brand-new, full-length Dickens holiday romances (one per week) to celebrate the season.

In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy Making Christmas by Author Nancy Fraser and Santa Baby by Author Peggy Jaeger. Both are guaranteed to whet your holiday appetites for what’s to come!

*****

Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser

A 1980s Vintage Romance …

It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.

Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.

When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.

Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?

***

Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger

It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens.

Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air.

Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep.

Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns.

But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?

Enjoy an Excerpt from Santa Baby

“What in the name of all that’s holy are you holding, Amy Dorrit?”

Willie Jackson stood at her office door, a lit cigarette dangling from a corner of his mouth, his leather jacket hanging open and his eyes as big and round as his county-famous blueberry pancakes.

“What does it look like?” Amy dug around in the carrier searching for a bottle, pacifier, something, to soothe the baby’s cries. “Lose the cigarette. It’s a baby and I’m pretty sure it’s hungry.”

He lifted those shocked eyes to Amy’s face. “Girl, you been keeping secrets from ol’ Willie?”

“Oh for Pete’s sake. Are you nuts, William Jefferson Jackson? It’s not my baby. I found it at the back door when I came downstairs.”

“Whose is it?”

“No idea.”

“What is it?”

Holding the small bundle like a football in one arm, she shoved the piece of paper she’d found at him. “Same answer. I haven’t looked yet. Here, read this. I found it tucked inside the blanket.” Once he had it, Amy placed her pinky finger over the baby’s lips. It immediately rooted, then latched on to suck.

“I knew it. It’s starving.”

“‘I’m sorry,” he read aloud, ‘but I can’t take care of her—’ well, we know it’s a girl –‘I have no job and no way to hold on to one with a baby. Please forgive me for leaving her like this, but I saw how kind you were yesterday and I know you’ll take care of her like I can’t.’” Willie scratched his head. “Well, shit. We got us a real abandoned baby, here, Ames ol’ girl.”

“Don’t curse in front of her.” She shot him an annoyed glare, her left eyebrow inching up her forehead to her hairline.

“It ain’t like she can understand me. She’s a baby, fer Chri-” Her other eyebrow followed its twin. “Er, pity’s sake.”

“I need something to feed her with.” She glanced around her office. “Can you get me one of the cake decorating bottles? The ones with the plastic tip? I think that’ll work.”

“What’a’ya gonna feed her? Frosting? You ain’t got no mother’s milk and you can’t feed her coffee creamer.”

“Dam-I mean, drat. You’re right. I can give her a little water to hold her over until I can run out and get her some formula.”

“Shouldn’t you call the police? I mean, she’s been abandoned, ain’t she? You can’t just keep her.”

About the Authors:

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

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***

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”

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What I’ve Learned from my Favorite Protagonist, Tess Lee by Patricia Leavy – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Leavy will be awarding a signed set of 3 novels: Shooting Stars, Twinkle, and Constellations to two (US only) randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What I’ve Learned from my Favorite Protagonist, Tess Lee

Writing fiction is a process of discovery. You learn so much—about your characters, the world, and yourself. My novels center on female protagonists, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. In some ways they have become my guides. As I’ve watched their struggles and triumphs, felt their pain and joy, I’ve learned about others and myself. It would be fair to say that over the years my characters have been among my greatest teachers.

Out of all my characters, I’ve learned the most from Tess Lee, her beloved Jack Miller, and their incredible friends. Tess is my masterpiece, not because of what anyone else may or may not think of her, but because of the once-in-a-lifetime joy I’ve had writing her story over a series of novels, and all she’s given me. Tess is a wildly successful, world-famous novelist and philanthropist. Despite her extraordinary success, she struggles to overcome the pain of childhood abuse and the loss of her family. Tess sees and cares about everyone, perhaps except herself. While she’s had a beautiful friendship with Omar, for over twenty years, since they met orientation day of college, she’s been unable to find lasting romantic love and truly give herself to someone until she meets Jack. A federal agent who has worked undercover in counterterrorism and suffered the death of his four-year old daughter, Jack has also experienced enormous darkness in his life, and until Tess, he’s been unable to love. These are two people that have suffered great loss, grief, and loneliness. They’ve lived in the dark. Yet, they never hurt each other. Rather, Tess and Jack are able to love each other in extraordinary ways, modeling what love looks like in action. They show us how to “do” love—how to treat those near to us with gentle grace. They show us how to move through trauma, without widening the circle of pain.

Tess believes that there is only darkness and light and love is the bridge between them, and she enacts this love in innumerable ways. Most notably, she uses her writing to address human suffering, offer a sense of hope, and ultimately transform darkness into light. She also helps her loved ones reconnect with one another. In Constellations, it’s her love that helps mend the relationship between Jack and his father.

From Tess I’ve learned so much: compassion and empathy; the importance of being someone who gives without expecting anything in return; and, how to deal with toxic males that lurk in the shadows. I’ve also learned what love in action looks like and feels like—how we should treat those we hold dear, what grace looks like. Perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned is simply this: Breathe. Just breathe.

Constellations follows Tess Lee and Jack Miller after three years of marriage as they navigate the meaning of love and family over a series of holidays. Tess is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack is a former federal agent. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. Both healing from past trauma, together they have finally built the life they wish to live. What will happen to their blissful union when Jack’s childhood family resurfaces? When Tess and Jack visit the Millers for Christmas, how will insecurity, a sense of missed opportunities, and the need for redemption test their relationship? When a terrible accident threatens everything in an instant, will they learn the true meaning of unconditional love? Their loved ones are along for the ride: Omar, Tess’s sarcastic best friend who calls her Butterfly; the female president of the United States, with whom Tess talks politics and bakes cookies; Joe, Jack’s friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he’s made; Bobby and Gina, their younger friends who never fail to lighten the mood; and the Miller family. Constellations is a novel about family – those into which we’re born and those we create – the human desire to belong and feel connected, the true nature of intimacy, and the power of love to heal and redeem. Written as unfolding action, Constellations is a poignant novel that moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Tess clung to Jack as they sped along the cliffside road on their Harley, winding around the last curve as they approached their house. When they arrived home, Jack carefully took off Tess’s helmet, kissed her, and grabbed the bag of fruit they’d bought at the farmers market. She pulled the scrunchie out of her hair, releasing dirty blonde locks down to her waist. They headed inside. “You thirsty, baby?” he asked.

She nodded.

He quickly tapped a coconut, stuck a paper straw in, and handed it to her.

“You’ve gotten so good at that,” she said, taking a sip.

“Yeah, just in time to go back to DC. I can’t believe we have to leave our Hawaiian paradise tomorrow morning. We’re crazy to leave Maui this time of year.”

“I know, baby. But we’ll be back in less than three months to throw Omar and Clay the tropical Valentine’s Day wedding of their dreams. Besides, it’ll be fun to see our friends.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Here, have some,” she said, handing him the coconut. “Let’s leave the pineapple out. We can grill it tonight for our Thanksgiving feast while we sit on the lanai and watch the sunset.” She kicked her shoes off, slipped her T-shirt over her head, and shimmied out of her shorts, revealing a hot pink string bikini. “Bet I can beat you to the ocean,” she teased, darting off.

Soon, they were splashing around in the warm water, the sun beating down on them. Jack wrapped his tanned arms around Tess and kissed her. They stared at each other, the energy between them electric.

“I could get lost in your big, brown eyes,” he said.

She smiled and said, “Come on, let’s dry off.” They walked to their pool and lay together on a chaise lounge.

“Jack?” Tess whispered.

“Yeah, baby.”

“I know you hold back sometimes, but you don’t need to.”

“Tess…”

“Baby, I know you do. There’s nothing that could ever happen between us that I wouldn’t want.”

He caressed the side of her face. “You’re so beautiful and delicate. I just want you to feel safe and loved.”

“I do and I always will.”

“You’ve been through so much. It wasn’t that long ago that Ray was stalking you; I know that brought up memories of your childhood abuse. I don’t ever want to be the cause of your pain or remind you of the ways you have suffered.”

“You couldn’t. You only push those thoughts further away. I trust you, Jack. Nothing could ever change that. I want to share everything with you. I’ve never felt as close to another human being as I do to you.” She ran her fingers through his wet, salty hair and said, “I still remember the first time we came here, before we owned this place. You took me in the shower and we were so free.”

He grazed his fingers along her cheek.

“I’m gonna rinse off,” she said. She untied her bikini top, let it fall to the floor, and headed for the outdoor shower.

Jack hustled out of his swim trunks and followed her. She flipped the water on, turned toward him, and smiled. He cupped her face in his hands, kissed her softly, and with one swift movement, swung her around and pulled her bathing suit bottom down. “Don’t let me hurt you,” he whispered. He pushed her against the wall and they made love passionately.

With his quivering body pressed tightly against hers, Jack kissed Tess’s neck and nibbled on her ear. Finally satiated, he turned the shower off and wrapped towels around each of them. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he carried her to a lounge chair. They resumed their tender kisses, Jack caressing the side of her face. He looked at her with unadulterated adoration.

“I love you so much,” he said.

“I love you too. More than anything.”

About the Author Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over thirty books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. She is also series creator and editor for ten book series with Oxford University Press, Guilford Press, and Brill/Sense, including the ground-breaking Social Fictions series. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books. Recently, her novel Film won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, her 3-novel set Candy Floss Collection won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Anthologies, and her novel Spark won the 2019 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction and the 2019 Living Now Book Award for Adventure Fiction. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” She has residences in Maine and Massachusetts where she lives with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.

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Dutybound by Mark Aaron Alvarez II – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Mark Aaron Alvarez II will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The world was their creation until they sought to destroy it.

Dutybound is the story of Terestria and its Virtues, heirs of nobility forced to face the Sins of their forefathers and bring their world from the brink of Darkness. Among them is Lucia Sanoon, High Maiden to the province of Moz and chosen of the Light Wings. The ancient relic, bestowed upon a long-forgotten civilization by the Light itself, was forged to harbor the Light’s essence if ever Terestria’s balance were threatened by the Darkness’ desire to corrupt the Light’s most-prized creation, Life. If successful and the long-standing covenant between the Light and its Protectors were ever to be broken, the Darkness would be free to roam Terestria and reclaim the land it had a hand in creating, bringing death and destruction to every corner of the world.

But as long as there is Light, there is hope. With the help of the Light Wings and its power, Lucia must heed its call to assemble the Light’s Virtues and lead them into battle against the very Sins that seek to destroy their world. But finding the four will not be easy, for much of the knowledge is lost and the understanding of one’s own morality is the only key to unlocking the power each of them holds within.

A story of faith and morality, Dutybound will lead you through a journey of self-discovery as our heroes face conflict from outside and within themselves. Duty, desire, envy, hope, hate, love, pride, and temperance all are challenged within this series in an epic tale that is sure to have you pondering your own true nature.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Today was a day of tragedy, although most did not know it. It was a dark, cloudless night. Not one sound broke throughout the grand-white city of Moz, sparkling like a diamond within the valley of a vast mountain range. Not a single ray of light could shed an ounce of joy upon the city, for it was already condemned by the haze that shrouded it. The mist hovered in the silence of the night, stagnant with the suffering of the land that lay below it. All the while, the people of Moz rested, unaware that all they held most dear teetered on the brink of ruin.

“Oh.” Ara sighed as she sat alone in a muddled study. Her face flushed as her eyes scanned over a piece of parchment at the base of a broad window. Her irises, like embers, were so round and passionate, glistening almost red as she eagerly inspected the letter her beloved had left her. But in that moment, as she realized what had happened, her eyes began to quiver, becoming trapped within garnet walls of fear. After everything they had faced, Stello had abandoned her, leaving their family broken.

About the Author: Mark A. Alvarez II is a Hispanic-American born in Houston, Texas. He’s a graduate of Texas State University, where he studied public relations and mass communication. He was an apprentice at the NEW Apprenticeship where he was certified in digital marketing. He is the CEO of Light Wings Promotions LLC, a digital marketing and creative branding agency in San Antonio, Texas, where Mark currently resides.

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