The Nefarious Series by Lucille Moncrief

The Nefarious Series

by Lucille Moncrief

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GENRE:  Dark Fantasy, Steampunk  (erotica elements)

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BLURB:

A captured mermaid, two vampire hives on the brink of war, and a bored, sadistic king weave a tale of forbidden love in this spin-off from Moncrief’s Nefarious series.

Follow Hannibal Steele, chief alchemist of the Scion Hive, as he races against the clock to produce the coveted Bone Elixir. Will he finish the elixir in time before the Great King Abaddon murders Hannibal’s love, Emmeline, princess of the rival Minoa Hive?

Find out in this thrilling, fast-paced tale set in a steampunk world, where the sea rises in anger at the capture of her princess, wolves howl within the hoary swirls of a white potion, and mermaids join forces with a lonely alchemist in the foggy Georgia night.

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 Individual Book Blurbs:

 Nefarious Volume One: A Dark and Erotic Tale

Penny Dreadful meets Fifty Shades

Book 1 of 6 of Lucille Moncrief’s the Nefarious Series

Talcott Henderson, dead for over one hundred years old, wants to live again. Enslaved and abused, he longs to destroy his maker and return to the world of the living. But first, he must replace himself with someone else. Armed with only a silver tongue and a fuzzy sense of right and wrong, he sets his sights on Elyse Delafayette, a lonely melancholic. But Samuel Quartermaine, a vampire hunter with a dark past of his own, bears a grudge against Talcott’s maker, and stalks Talcott from the shadows of the cemetery walls.

Will Talcott succeed in convincing Elyse to join the ranks of the undead before Samuel can stop him?

Fans of Dracula, steampunk, and gaslight fantasy will love this collection of dark and lurid tales. If you’re tired of sparkly vampires and sickly-sweet romances, sink your fangs into the Nefarious Series and get a bigger bite out of the vampire world.

Nefarious Volume Two: Honor the Suffering

Genre: Steampunk/Gaslamp Dark Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Alternative History/Horror

Blurb:

While the bombs rain overhead, Talcott Henderson and a group of fellow soldiers huddle in the cratered ground beneath the German front lines. Through the never-ending din of enemy fire, the voracious, blood-soaked machine of war haunts Talcott. Memories claw at him; kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. In the bowels of the earth a specter appears and offers him an eternal life free of guilt.

But what is the cost of an unmarred soul?

If you like dark and gritty tales, war stories and the supernatural, you’ll love this installment of the authoress Moncrief’s Nefarious series. Grab your copy today, travel through time, and escape into a breathtaking new world!

Nefarious Volume Three: The World is Our Exile

Can evil consume innocence?

Can the one who walks the line between both save it?

Elyse Delafayette, innocent yet darkly cynical, continues a naive flirtation with evil incarnate. Although goodness pursues her, she rebukes him. Although he seems sincere, she fears he is not.

Penny Dreadful meets Fifty Shades

Described as “captivating,” and “hauntingly beautiful,” the Nefarious series is a sophisticated, enthralling, and well-written tale of intrigue and devious desires. Set in a lurid, southern gothic world, follow the undead Talcott Henderson as he engages in a battle of wits with his intended, Elyse Delafayette.

But wait, what’s this? Half-ling dhamphyrs armed with hawthorn stakes, an energy-witch coven torn apart by infighting, and a corpse-like, ancient vampire king with an agenda of his own?

Enhanced with custom illustrations, this fast-paced steampunk series will leave you on the edge of your seat and hungry for more. If you are sick and tired of wimpy vampires and the flood of terrible books on the romance market, grab your copy today of the Nefarious series and relearn what a true escape into fiction is all about.

Nefarious Volume Four: The Dirigible Airship Disaster

Penny Dreadful meets Fifty Shades

Described as “captivating,” and “hauntingly beautiful,” the Nefarious series is a sophisticated, enthralling, and well-written tale of intrigue and devious desires. Set in a lurid, southern gothic world, follow the undead Talcott Henderson as he engages in a battle of wits with his intended, Elyse Delafayette.

But wait, what’s this? Half-ling dhamphyrs armed with hawthorn stakes, an energy-witch coven torn apart by infighting, and a corpse-like, ancient vampire king with an agenda of his own?

Enhanced with custom illustrations, this fast-paced steampunk series will leave you on the edge of your seat and hungry for more. If you are sick and tired of wimpy vampires and the flood of terrible books on the romance market, grab your copy today of the Nefarious series and relearn what a true escape into fiction is all about.

Nefarious Volume 4.5: The Heads That Rolled

Fans of Trueblood and all things dark and steampunk will fall in love with Lucille Moncrief’s Nefarious Series.

In the fifth installment of this newest generation of vampire lore, go back in time to the savage heights of the French Revolution. Heads will roll as the story follows the series’ anti-hero, Samuel Quartermaine, as he falls victim to the family curse and his father’s betrayal.

Book 4.5 is a wild ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat and reading long into the night . . . With the lights on, of course.

 

EXCERPT: Nefarious Volume Two: Honor the Suffering

Excerpt:

I obeyed and wished for everything he’d promised—to vanquish the knife that twisted my heart. He took my arm, pulled me to him, and his frigid breath grazed my neck. I heard a snap like a dry twig breaking, and sharp needles invaded the sensitive skin over my carotid.

With the wet, suctioning sting of his fangs in my flesh, I shivered as he withdrew my lifeforce. He smelled of ashes—the very color grey embodied—and clutched me to his breast as my knees buckled. My head swam with the shock of death, and an explosion rocked my consciousness and I cried out. He pressed his hand over my mouth, and my eyes almost burst from their sockets as he continued to suckle, and with my legs weakened, cradled me to the floor. His body turned from ice into the burning heat of an ignited coal and my vision tunneled. The sight of the room was but a tiny pinprick of reality. He released me.

My body tingled like the whole of me had fallen asleep, pressed and twisted beneath the weight of a decision that could never be reversed, blood drained and straining to stay awake. I watched him beneath drooping eyelids. He had the look of a man who knew what he was doing and had done it a thousand times before—his face set hard in singular determination—the flame in his eyes roaring to the denouement.

He bit his wrist, his blood blue as the midnight ocean, and pulled my hair, stretching my neck to expose the wound. He dripped his blood into the orifice and it burned—my veins a network of dynamite, his blood enkindling them. I groaned and twitched like an electrocuted ragdoll.

“Shh … shh. I only honor the suffering,” he whispered and pressed his hand against my mouth, holding me tight as I died.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lucille Moncrief, authoress of the steampunk and gaslight vampire series, Nefarious, was clearly a stodgy old librarian in a past life. She loves poring over history books and binge-watching PBS’s Secrets Of series.

Join her mailing list by downloading the free book, Hannibal Steele and the Bone Elixir:

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/9pmdoroswd

When Ms. Moncrief is not yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, you can find her staring out her window pretending to be pensive. She’s usually in a good mood and readily accepts follows and friend requests to her Facebook page.

To contact the authoress Moncrief and for more information on upcoming and past releases, please visit her website, www.moncriefs.net.

Website – www.moncriefs.net

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/Lucille-Moncrief/e/B073MFT2CM

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984216.Lucille_Moncrief

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/moncriefs.net/

Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/501377123571897

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lucille_moncrief/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/moncriefelle

Buy Information:  ONLY Book 4.5 is $0.99 during the tour.

Books 1 – 4 are all available for sale on Amazon. Book 4.5 is up for pre-order and will release on Oct. 25.

Books 1-3 are available in a boxset at this link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XQPT8X

All of the books are in KU except for the prequel, Hannibal Steele and the Bone Elixir.

It is free on Bookfunnel at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/9pmdoroswd

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Book One: Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FNWV9V

Book Two: Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073HPLN1D/

Book Three: Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XG61GB/

Book Four: Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079RMBYDR

Pre-Order Book 4.5: Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GMXJ1GG

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 Lucille Moncrief will be awarding a (US ONLY) signed paperback copy of Book 4.5 and a poster of the series (The series is illustrated) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The Sweetest October by Megan Slayer

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Megan Slayer will be awarding a prize pack featuring a necklace made by the author and a signed swag pack to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Love and Halloween are an odd couple, but they can be the best means to heal a broken heart.

Allison Prince never planned on leaving her job with the Waite Gazette, but when the chance to discover her past comes along, she can’t say no. She’s determined to learn about her grandmother and make the advice in her column more relatable. With her rescue dog, Woofy, beside her, she sets out to learn as much as she can about Hallowsville, Ohio.

Erik Greene doesn’t believe in love and isn’t fond of Halloween. He’s convinced his broken heart won’t heal—until he meets Allison and visits the local animal shelter. He doesn’t want a journalist snooping around Hallowsville. But Allison isn’t all she seems and the pup at the shelter proves love is possible.

Can he open his heart to new opportunities and chase the love of his life? Or is he destined to be the Dandy Devil of Hallowsville all alone?

Read an Excerpt:

©2018 Megan Slayer, All Rights Reserved

“I knew about you long before your emails, even if I didn’t realize I did.”

“Erik?” He had to have said something. He hated her.

“Mr. Surly?” Delilah laughed and shook her head. “No.”

“Does he ever smile?” She toyed with the class covering the counter. “Or would that break his face?”

“He’s good at distant.”

“Too bad. He’s cute.” She hadn’t wanted to blurt that out. “But petulant.”

Delilah’s brows rose and she stopped laughing. “Remember the cute comment when you’ve fallen in love with him and he doesn’t return your feelings. Trust me. He’s cute, but he’s a handful very few women want to take on.”

“He can be all the cute he wants. I can tell you he won’t make a move.”

“Why wouldn’t he ask you out?” Delilah asked. “You’re adorable. It runs in the family, you know. We’re all adorable.”

“Compared to you and the other women I’ve seen, I’m nothing great. I’m short, curvy and not perfect,” Allie said. She knew her limits. Her exes liked to remind her as to where she could improve. Erik would be the same. “Why aren’t you with him? Or are you? You make a handsome couple.”

“Erik? No.” Delilah rewrapped a spool of ribbon around the cardboard. “He’s not my type, but I’ve dated him. It was a disaster.” She tapped the spool on the counter. “You’re more his type.”

“No thanks.” She refused to even try when she had the feeling she’d be shot down on the first date.

“Well, don’t think you’ll cure him. He’s beyond help.”

“I don’t know what you mean, but I won’t.”

“Remember that.”

“I’m not looking to date anyone. I dumped my boyfriend right before I left because I found out he’d cheated on me. I don’t have time to go through that again. Plus, once the month-long trip down memory lane is over, I’m back at the Gazette.” So she’d slipped and said she was home. So what? The word change was a simple goof-up. Nothing more.

“We don’t have a paper here in Hallowsville,” Delilah said.

“Okay?” She didn’t understand. “You share one with the next town over? The county?”

“Nope.” Delilah put the ribbon down. “You are an Astor. You’ve got the right to stick around and since you’re in the newspaper business, you’d know how to run one. Why not stay a while after the month and give us a newspaper? There’s still a press and once people found out we had a paper again, you’d have business.”

“I write columns, not oversee publications.” Running a newspaper? Half the time she struggled with balancing her checkbook. The thought of accounts, advertising, stories…she’d sink in weeks.

“You helped run the student paper in college.”

“It was a free paper and mostly used by the students to line bird cages and for house-breaking dogs.” Her heart sank. “I don’t know anything about the day-to-day operations of a paper.”

“It’s not like you’d be running it alone.” Delilah left her stool and retrieved three spools of ribbon from the other end of the counter. “Hallowsville is a remarkable place. When we see a need, we find a way to fill it and come together while doing so. You might be better at running the paper than you think.”

“Delilah.” No matter what she said, she wouldn’t change her cousin’s mind.

“I hope you rethink the paper, but I really hope you stick to your gut feeling concerning Erik.”

About the Author:

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm. Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj .

Website: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Blog: https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com

Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Slayer/e/B008BJCFSC

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/megan-slayer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GV43J1Q/

Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/u/3G97vr

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sweetest-october-megan-slayer/1129446661

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sweetest-october

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-sweetest-october/id1434747968?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

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Reckless Beginnings by Tina Hogan Grant

Reckless Beginnings

by Tina Hogan Grant

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GENRE: Women’s Fiction  (based on true events)

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BLURB:

Tammy Mellows, a fourteen-year-old native of England, was shocked when her father and troubled older sister, Donna, moved to the States.

With her family now separated by divorce and divided by an ocean, Tammy felt helpless when she learned Donna had run away and couldn’t be found.

Thanks to her father insisting she stay behind in England to finish school, Tammy could do nothing for the next three years but pray that Donna would be found safe.

When Tammy’s lifelong dream of moving to the States was finally fulfilled, she had high hopes of looking for Donna. But with no leads and faced with turmoil in her own life, there wasn’t much Tammy could do.

After a forbidden secret love affair and a catastrophic dispute with her father, Tammy eventually meets Steven, settles down and has his child, only to discover he is a heroin addict. Thrown into a life of drugs and violence. Shadowed by his addiction, she becomes the silent and forgotten one. Living in fear of what Steven might be capable of and struggling alone to provide for her young son.

What consequences might she face if she leaves Steven? Is she ever going to find her sister alive? Will she have enough courage to conquer the impossible challenges of her twisted world and still come out on top?

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Excerpt:

“What do you mean she’s gone, John?”

Who was gone? Tammy wondered.

Her mother became angry. “She can’t just disappear, John! Someone must know where she is!”

Glued to the railings, Tammy was dying to know who and what they were talking about.

Then her mother began to cry hysterically while she held the phone tight and screamed into it, “She’s still a child, John. She’s just seventeen. You should never have put her in that home! She isn’t an object you can just discard because she’s in your way. She’s your daughter!”

Tammy remembered how her heart sank to the floor when she suddenly realized they were talking about Donna. Her sister had run away and was now missing. She wanted to race down the stairs and snatch the phone from her mother’s hands and ask her father WHY? Why had he put her in that awful place?

Donna had written a letter to Tammy and Jenny, telling them how much she hated being in the home. How no one wanted her anymore and she was going to run away. Frightened by what she had read, Tammy showed the letter to their mother. As upset as she was by both the letter and the fact that Donna had written to her sisters and not her, Rose never believed Donna would actually run away. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. She just needs time to adjust. It’s all new to her. We have to trust your father’s judgment. He said this would be good for her. I have to believe that. She is a very troubled young girl and needs help,” her mother had told her. But she had run away, and now no one knew where she was.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tina Hogan Grant was born in England and grew up in a small town on the Yorkshire Moors. She is the youngest daughter of science fiction author, James P. Hogan. After moving to California, she became a commercial lobster fisherwoman, fishing off the coast of Southern California for ten years with her husband Gordon.

For fourteen years, she’d had a notion of writing her debut novel “Reckless Beginnings”. But it wasn’t until the sudden death of her father in 2010 and a battle with breast cancer a year later that she made the decision to get it done. Seven years later, she finally completed it. She is now working on a sequel titled,  “Better Endings.”

She currently resides with her husband in the small mountain community of Frazier Park in Southern California. Together they enjoy anything that involves the outdoors, fishing, hiking, kayaking and riding quads.

Website: www.tinahogangrant.com

Buy Links may be found here: https://tinahogangrant.com/tina-hogan-grant-press-kit-book-reckless-beginnings/

Social Media Accounts

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tina.Hogan.Grant.Author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaHoganGrant

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tina_hogan_grant/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tinahogangrant/

Book Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1BilNEwsCI&t=5s

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One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gun Kiss by Khaled Talib

Gun Kiss

by Khaled Talib

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GENRE:   Thriller

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BLURB:

The United States media is abuzz with news of the mysterious disappearance of Hollywood movie star, Goldie St. Helen.

Ex-Delta Force Blake Deco receives a tip from a Mexican friend that a drug lord, obsessed with the beautiful actress, is holding her captive in Tijuana.

With the help of a reluctant army friend, Blake mounts a daring rescue.

What he doesn’t expect is to have feelings for Goldie—or that a killer is hunting them.

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Excerpt:

They continued through an arch that separated the living room and what was once a kitchen. The general pointed at a trapdoor’s opened hatch with stairs leading down. “We go inside,” he pointed below.

“After you, comrade.” Blake gestured him with the gun. “Do you guys still call each other that?”

No response.

They descended into a glowing stalagmite cave and walked past a grotto toward a metal bridge running above a narrow canyon. The temperature felt warmer here.

They reached a storage area with doors on both sides. Blake took a moment to study the few soldiers guarding the area.

“Tell them to drop their weapons and go join the rest upstairs,” Blake said.

Popov gave the order.

When the soldiers had walked past them, the Russian military leader led Blake to a steel door with a fingerprint lock system. He frowned at Blake.

“Do the Open Sesame thing,” Blake said.

Popov pressed his right thumb against the authentication device. The door slid open into a brightly lit chamber and shut after they’d entered.

The temperature-controlled environment had perforated steel walls, a concrete floor, and embedded ceiling lights. The center of the room displayed a series of pedestal casings with various treasures: a red Fabergé egg, a diamond ring, a dagger, and a gold pocket watch. The Deringer rested on a small, purple velvet pillow inside one of the glass cases.

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Interview with the Author:

1. How long have you been a published author?

I’ve been a published author since 2013 with my first thriller, Smokescreen, a novel about a plot to use a reporter in Singapore as a scapegoat to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister. My second thriller, Incognito, was published in 2017. It is a story about three specialists assigned to find the Pope who is missing. In the same year, my third novel, Gun Kiss, was also released. A former soldier rescues a movie star from an obsessed drug lord…and that’s when trouble starts.

2. Do you have any new releases coming soon?

I am in the process of rewriting a manuscript primarily set in South Australia. It’s called Spiral. The story begins at a winery where a dead body is found by a worker.

3. If you could co-write with another author who would it be?

Clive Cussler. My last novel, Gun Kiss, has been described as similar in style, so if the opportunity comes, I’ll grab it.

4. Do you listen to music while writing? If yes, what songs are your favorites?

Yes, I do, but not all the time; it depends on the scene. Usually it relates to a fast action scene to get my adrenaline going. I don’t have a favorite because there are so many intense scenes I like to change what I hear. When I wrote Smokescreen, I used to listen to the soundtrack of Nighthawks, a thriller movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams and Lindsay Wagner.

5. What genres do you write in?

I write thrillers with a dash of suspense and mystery. It’s like going on a rollercoaster ride.

6. If you could write anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Right now? Maybe London. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, and it would be nice to write a thriller set in the city or a town.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 Khaled Talib is a former journalist with local and international exposure. He has authored three thrillers since 2014.

The author’s works have been praised by NY Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, NY Times bestselling author Ruth Harris, USA Today bestselling author Jon Land, NY Times bestselling author Keith Thomson, K.J. Howe, and Jon McGoran.

His debut thriller, Smokescreen, was listed as one of the six “boundary-breaking indies” in 2016 by the IndieReader. His second novel, Incognito, won the Silver Award for the AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest 2017. Gun Kiss is his third novel.

Khaled, who is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, resides in Singapore.

Authors website : http://www.khaledtalibthriller.com

Twitter account: https://twitter.com/KhaledTalib

Author Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/khaled.talib/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khaledtalibbooks/

Author Amazon page:  https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00DYPSB72?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6940359.Khaled_Talib

Gun Kiss (YouTube) Book Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6uhYvbY7KQ

GUN KISS Buy links:

The book will be on sale for only $0.99.

Author website direct: http://khaledtalibthriller.com/books/

Amazon Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Gun-Kiss-Khaled-Talib-ebook/dp/B07CVGKQY6

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/823918

Kobo

https://www.amazon.com/Gun-Kiss-Khaled-Talib-ebook/dp/B07CVGKQY6

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gun-kiss-khaled-talib/1127553149?ean=2940155243199

Ibooks/Apple

https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/gun-kiss/id1380716623?mt=11

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Khaled Talib will be awarding a Amazon Fire 7 8GB tablet to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The prize is limited to U.S. and Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Waltz With Me Cowboy by Debra Holt

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

Calla Rose returned home to McKenna Springs to help save her family’s business… The Yellow Rose… a ninety-year old Texas dance hall. She also came home to heal. Being a victim and finding her trust level in men damaged, she is determined to succeed in this one thing for her family and nothing is going to deter her from doing just that. Now even a green-eyed cowboy/mayor with heart-stopping smiles and kisses that threaten to thaw the ice around her heart.

Ty Conners wasn’t looking for love. He had simply stopped in to welcome the latest business owner to town. But coming face to face with Calla Rose would prove an unforgettable experience in more ways than one and send his heart into a tailspin. Never a man to not face a challenge head-on, he prepared to get past the barricades she had erected between herself and the male population. But it was easier said than done, and just when he’s within reach of her heart, a lie brings memories of pain and distrust and Calla’s heart may be out of his reach for good.

Read an Excerpt:

“You’re right. It’s the best offer. And I’ll take you up on it.” She placed her hand in his in order to get a hand up from the step. Mistake. His hand was warm, and the warmth seemed to flow up her arm and fill her with a sense of peace that was most disconcerting. Once on her feet, she gave a slight tug and he released his grip. Was she sorry? Silly thought. Her mind was just tired from the long and trying day. The fresh air would do the trick to put things in their proper perspective… including the man beside her.

A few minutes later, Calla felt the tenseness leave the neck muscles and the corners of her mouth curved upward of their own accord. The windows were down, and the pickup was making its way along the country lane as it followed the curves of the river, crisscrossing bridges from one side to the other as it went deeper into the tall canyon. The breeze ruffled through her hair. Here she was, taking a ride in a pickup, listening to a lively George Strait swing tune on the radio, and a good-looking cowboy beside her. If those people from her old life could see her now… would they think she had lost her mind? Did she think she had?

Or would they think she had finally found it? That sudden realization brought a strange feeling with it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she had finally found where she belonged. But that couldn’t be… could it? The city life and a stately courtroom had been her mecca. How did things switch course in mid-stream on her? Calla’s gaze went to the man beside her and just then, he turned and gave her a look and smile that answered her unspoken question. Silly! She jerked her gaze back to the open window. How could he know what she was thinking? When she wasn’t sure of it herself?

About the Author:

Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers. Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most. She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and planning high-end weddings (ah, romance!).

When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure. She read her first romance…Janet Dailey’s Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary romances, is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles…and sighs…to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s.

Debra invites you to visit her website. She loves to hear from other aspiring authors or readers via email. Twitter is and Facebook at .
Website: http://www.debraholtbooks.com

Email: debraholtbooks@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraHoltBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraHoltBooks

Buy the book at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FRKGCGW/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb

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The Crying of Ross 128

The Crying of Ross 128

by David Allan Hamilton

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GENRE: Science Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

America has splintered into various independent republics after a brutal civil war. Against this backdrop, space exploration is on the cusp of new technological breakthroughs. Jim Atteberry, a mid-30s English professor at City College in San Francisco, spends his free time listening for alien signals on the amateur radio astronomy bands. His life as a single parent to his precocious daughter is turned upside-down when he hears an intelligent cry for help from the Ross 128 system and realizes we are not alone. This signal unleashes a chain of events pitting Jim and his brilliant, mysterious colleague Kate against a power-hungry scientist with his own secret agenda. Jim must learn the truth about the signal, the strange disappearance of his wife Janet, and the meaning of true love before it’s too late in this first contact thriller.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Whitt continued talking while he worked. “So, there are the two Americas, our own government of course, the Russians, Indians, Chinese… not to mention those terrorist groups out there who would love to exploit our human fears about hostile aliens and such.”

“I hadn’t thought about all that.”

“I’m sure if you spend any time at all on this question, you’d come up with a list of 50 organizations all wanting to know how you discovered the signal, and how to use that for their own goals.”

Whitt replaced the cover on the computer and wiped his hands on his coat. “There’s someone else you may want to consider, too. Someone closer to home as it were.”

“Who’s that?”

“I hesitate to say because I recognize how close you are.” He put his tools back in a small pouch.

“Who is it, Dr. Whitt?”

“How well do you know Kate Braddock? I mean, how well do you really know her?”

Atteberry threw his head back and laughed. “That’s insane! I trust her more than anyone in the world.”

“Oh, I understand, truly, I do. But the work she did in the past was highly specialized and top secret. Where does she come from? What kind of dubious alliances has she forged over the years? In short, she may have been playing you all along.”

“No, no, I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Fair enough, Mr. Atteberry, but if you’re considering who could be behind this mysterious tracer, I think you have to consider all possibilities. Even the ones that appear impossible.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

David Allan Hamilton is a teacher, writer, and multipotentialite. He is a graduate of Laurentian University (BSc. Applied Physics) and The University of Western Ontario (MSc. Geophysics). He lives in Ottawa where he facilitates writing workshops and teaches. When not writing, David enjoys riding his bike long distances, painting, and knitting.

Author Links:

 www.davidallanhamilton.com

facebook.com/davidallanhamilton/

twitter.com/DAllanHamilton

instagram.com/davidhamilton2561

goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=david+allan+hamilton

Buy Links:

Amazon.com

hard cover

 

paper back

 

kindle

 

Barnes & Noble

hard cover

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=9781773705675

paper back

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=9781773705668

nook

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=2940155275763

Kobo

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705682-item.html?ikwid=the+crying+of+ross+128&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Smashwords.com

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/834220

Indigo.ca

hard cover

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705675-item.html?ref=isbn-search

paper back

 https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705668-item.html?ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 

 

Our Secret Power by Terje G. Simonsent

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Terje G. Simonsen will be awarding a $25 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.

Is the paranormal normal?

Many readers will be surprised when learning that reputable scientists, among them several Nobel laureates, have claimed that telepathy is a reality. Their curiosity will increase when reading that Cleopatra’s lost palace and Richard III’s burial place were recovered by means of clairvoyance. And some will think it to be science fiction when finding out about Stargate—the espionage program where the American military and CIA engaged in the development of psychic spies!

Simonsen, a Norwegian historian of ideas, introduces an array of entertaining paranormal tales from history, archaeology, anthropology and psychology, and presents scientific research that has provided fascinating results. He argues that the stories we hear about telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition ought not to be dismissed as superstition

In step with spiritual and occult traditions, the author suggests that consciousness is not limited to our own head. Rather he thinks that all humans (and perhaps all living beings) are linked together in a “Mental Internet.’ Via this network we may exchange ‘telepathic emails’ with friends and family and make clairvoyant ‘downloads’ of information. Thus perhaps what we usually call ‘supernatural’ is completely natural but little understood communications via this Mental Internet?

Our Secret Powers gives us a engaged and entertaining analysis of a controversial subject and would make an excellent travel companion.

“Superb survey of the paranormal… Although serious in content, it is written in a light, often humorous, style which is a delight to read. As someone who has myself made a lifelong study of the paranormal, I cannot recommend it highly enough.” ~ fantasy author, Herbie Brennan

“Simonsen describes his book as “A travelogue from the twilight zone,”but he is far too modest. Our Secret Powers is a sprawling work, meticulously researched, in which the author deftly, and with engaging wit, pulls together the various strands of “psi”–telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition,telekinesis, and healing–and presents them for our consideration.” ~ Pulitzer-prize winner, Teresa Carpenter

Read an Excerpt

Based on this idea, we launch a quite simple model, called the “Mental Internet.” The basic metaphor here is that somewhat in the way our computers are linked together via the Internet, the ‘consciousnesses’ of all humans, and perhaps all living beings, are linked together via some sort of Mental Internet. Consciousness, like the Internet, is—on some level—something that we are all doing together; it is networking. And telepathy is the communication that drives this network.

I therefore invite the reader to engage in a little thought experiment throughout the book: namely that an Internet Model of consciousness may have some relevance. Galileo once invited the Inquisition to look through his telescope in order to see what he himself had seen. But, as we know, the inquisitors were not very keen on having their horizons expanded and instead muttered murkily of ‘the work of the Devil.’ However, I take it for granted that the reader has a radically more open attitude than those darkened souls, and I am therefore confident that my invitation will be well received.

I find it intriguing to think that our everyday perception of Space and Time may, in some respects, be merely a mental frame, a habit. And therefore it might be possible to think outside the box in a more radical way. The proposed thought experiment about a Mental Internet allows for this, and telepathy can then be considered as the ‘emails’ sent and the ‘downloads’ made via this mental network. Many phenomena that otherwise would appear inexplicable will in light of this model fall quite nicely into place. More (much more) about this later!

About the Author:

Terje G. Simonsen is an author with a Ph.D. in the History of Ideas. He has increasingly focused his attention on the esoteric and occult traditions and on paranormal phenomena, as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, telekinesis, healing etc. Recently he published the highly acclaimed Our Secret Powers, based on his extraordinary knowledge within this field. Elegantly and with great personal wit and insight, he discusses parapsychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.

Simonsen has had his work praised by several of the world’s most renowned experts on the paranormal: The bestselling parapsychologist, Dean Radin, chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, says: ‘As an encyclopedic introduction to the psychic side of the fascinating but puzzling domain known as the paranormal, there is no better choice than Our Secret Powers.” And Stanley Krippner, expert on hypnosis, shamanism and altered states of consciousness, former leader of two departments in the American Psychological Association, says: “This is an outstanding book and it deserves all the attention it can get. Not only is Our Secret Powers a book for all seasons, it is a book for all reasons!’”.

http://www.paripublishing.com/authors/terje-gerotti-simonsen

https://www.amazon.com/author/terjesimonsen

Buy link Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8895604334/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Buy link Amazon.UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Secret-Powers-Clairvoyance-Precognition/dp/8895604334
Buy link Pari Publishing: 
http://www.paripublishing.com/books/our-secret-powers

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Shadow’s Way by Barbara Frances

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be giving away a $25 Amazon/BN GC. Click on the tour banner to see the rest of the stops on the tour.

Prepare to be spellbound. Barbara Frances’ long-awaited third novel, Shadow’s Way, takes you to the coastal, deep South, where the past and the present mingle in a gothic tale of insanity, murder, and sexual intrigue.

You’ll meet the beautiful Elaine Chauvier, former actress and proprietor of Shadow’s Way, her family’s antebellum home; the esteemed Archbishop Andre Figurant and his fallen identical twin, Bastien; newly arrived Ophelia and Rudy, here to explore their Chauvier roots and their ties to Shadow’s Way; and the mysterious Madame Claudine. Under a veneer of piety and graciousness, i.e., the questions: What is good? What is evil? What is reality?

Read an excerpt:

The first encounter Ofelia had had with her sister’s unbridled cruelty occurred within weeks after her arrival. She had been in the breakfast area arranging flowers where she could easily hear Elaine’s raised voice in the next room. “Lily Mae, that half-breed sister of mine is just like her mother, a regular whore. She, too, is breaking up a nice family. That man she’s seeing is the father of two lovely girls, just like my father was.”

For several seconds Ofelia held the vase with shaking hands. This was intentional. Elaine knew where she was. Ofelia stomped into the dining room and smashed the costly vase at Elaine’s feet. Shards of glass flew in all directions while water ran into the cracks of the hardwood floor. Elaine jumped back with a slight scream. Fresh flowers were scattered around her shoes.

Ofelia picked up a large piece of glass and pointed it at Elaine. “Don’t you ever, ever call my mother that again, or I swear to God I’ll scar up that pasty white face of yours.” Elaine was more frightened than she had ever been. “You can call me a whore if that makes you feel superior, but don’t ever again call my mother that. You understand, you mean disgusting bitch.”

Staggering back a step or two, Ofelia dropped the shard stunned by the fierceness within her. “You bring out the worst in people,” she snarled in Elaine’s face and walked steadily out of the room, feeling that a kindred wolf spirit was within her.

Two chapters available at http://shadowsway.com/chapters.html

About the Author:

Barbara Frances has plenty of stories and a life spent acquiring them. Growing up Catholic on a small Texas farm, her childhood ambition was to become a nun. In ninth grade she entered a boarding school in Our Lady of the Lake Convent as an aspirant, the first of several steps before taking vows. On graduation, however, she passed up the nun’s habit for a college degree in English and Theatre Arts. Her professors were aghast when she declined a PhD program in order to become a stewardess, but Barbara never looked back. “In the Sixties, a stewardess was a glamorous occupation.” Her career highlights include dating a very gentlemanly Chuck Berry and “opening the bar” for a planeload of underage privates on their way to Vietnam.

Marriage, children, school teaching and divorce distracted her from storytelling, but one summer she and a friend coauthored a screenplay. “I never had such fun! I come from a family of storytellers. Relatives would come over and after dinner everyone would tell tales. Sometimes they were even true.” The next summer Barbara wrote a screenplay solo. Contest recognition, an agent and three optioned scripts followed but, weary of fickle producers and endless rewrites, she turned to novels. Shadow’s Way is her third book. Her first, Lottie’s Adventure, is aimed at young readers. Her second, Like I Used To Dance, is a family saga set in 1950’s rural Texas. Barbara’s fans can be thankful she passed up convent life for one of stories and storytelling. She and her husband Bill live in Austin, Texas.

Barbara welcomes questions or comments about Shadow’s Way at barb@barbarafrances.com.

http://shadowsway.com

http://barbarafrances.com

Buy the book at https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Way-Barbara-Frances-ebook/dp/B07FZ895H1/ref=sr_1_1

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Lovesick Titans by Amanda Meuwissen

Lovesick Titans

by Amanda Meuwissen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:   Gay Romance, Superhero

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

 Not even a Titan can always stand up to a God.

Malcom Cho is in over his head, wrapped up in a love affair with his superhero nemesis Zeus, who most people in Olympus City only know as Detective Danny Grant.

Lovesick Titans begins where Lovesick Gods left off, after a heist gone wrong that ended with a museum guard dead and Mal and Danny beaten and exhausted from their fight with the new threat in town, Cassidy Ludgate—Hades.

Unaware that Ludgate’s true motivation is revenge for the death of his father at Zeus’s hands, Mal wants only to keep Danny close, while Danny races to solve the cases surrounding Ludgate to stop him from whatever he has planned for them next.

What Mal doesn’t know is that Danny didn’t pursue him with the purest of intentions but sought to break his heart in retaliation for not being there when he needed him in the fight against Thanatos. Even though Danny no longer seeks that end, the lies between them loom like a shadow about to descend upon them both.

And Hades has only begun to toy with them…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

“Giving up already, Danny? You really are pathetic.”

Danny barely flinched at hearing his own voice coming from the mirrors across the room. Andre hadn’t finished a version of the Miasma Maker for the house yet. By tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest, he’d said. Maybe Andre would have pushed harder if Danny had told anyone he was being haunted by his reflection.

“Go away, Ludgate. Aren’t you getting enough of what you want? You could steal anything that suited you and I couldn’t lift a finger. If you’re not going to kill me, then just go away.” He wondered if he could fight back if Ludgate attacked him. He didn’t seem to have the energy to even raise his head.

“Looking to take the easy way out? Figures. Everything that makes you worth something you’ve already ruined. Better to get out clean now before you drag anyone else through the mud, right?”

Danny’s hand clenched tighter around the pill bottle. He dragged himself up from the bed and glared at his reflection, hating it—which was only too easy these days. “What do you even want from me?” he hissed, afraid to yell and bring John or Joey running. “You’ve already won. Even if we catch you someday, you won. You’re a better thief than Prometheus, and you’ve proven Zeus can’t stop you. So what do you want?”

The smug smirk on his reflection’s face made him want to punch it, but he knew that wouldn’t do any good. Even the half-healed burns that made Danny’s skin feel tight and sore while speaking didn’t seem to bother his reflection. But of course they wouldn’t bother him. The reflection wasn’t really Danny.

“It’s funny, you know,” the man in the mirror said. The pill bottle wasn’t in his hand; he didn’t need it. He seemed to walk closer to Danny, filling the mirror, which made Danny step closer too. “Funny that you think I’m Ludgate,” he said and then vanished just as Danny heard a whisper at his ear, “and not just in your head.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Finish Your Novel

I’ve lost count of how many times, usually while at a convention like I was this weekend at MCBA Fall ComiCon in St. Paul, Minnesota, where someone has mentioned to me that they too are a writer but have yet to complete one of their ideas.

I tend to offer the same advice in these situations, that I was also an idea-driven person without the ability to execute my ideas to fruition and complete a story, but what saved me…was fanfiction.

I think fanfiction lends itself to seeming easier than original fiction because there’s less pressure, you don’t necessarily have to build a world from scratch, so you can sit back and enjoy yourself more and let the story progress organically without that feeling of—this is entirely mine and I am solely responsible for it and everything someone might think of it.

Now, I don’t agree with that entirely, I think fanfiction and original fiction are only different because of content origin—everything else is just as important and worthwhile and wonderful—but the fact that it feels easier and freer and more fun is why I still write fanfiction today. It’s a vacation for me.

I was a young writer, struggling to fully realize any of my concept, so at first, I started with one-shot fanfics, i.e. short stories. Then I started to progress to chapter fics, amazed at how much easier it was to see an idea through to the end. From there, just finishing a novel-length story once gave me the confidence and drive to do it again and again, and I’ve never had trouble since.

Not to say I never have writer’s block, but if a story grabs me and the idea takes hold enough for my fingers to fly across the keyboard, I absolutely will eventually finish that idea, usually even longer than the typical 50-60k word length (I’m getting better at creating more concise novels with practice, though I know many of my fans love that I have epically long novels as well).

So, really my advice comes down to keep trying, but also, I’m once again being an advocating voice for fanfiction. If you just can’t seem to get any ideas flushed out fully, written from start to finish, no matter how much you plot and daydream, start small with finishing even just a short story, and also consider delving into fanfiction where you might have an easier time completing an idea before switching to the larger world-building of your own universes.

Like with everything else, finishing a novel takes practice, but you can get better over time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amanda Meuwissen has been writing and posting online for many years, including maintaining the website and blog for the software company Outsell. She is an avid writer and consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games, and is the author of the paranormal romance trilogy The Incubus Saga and young adult novel Life as a Teenage Vampire. Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their two cats.

 Author web links:

https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Meuwissen/e/B00IASVAJO/ 


http://www.amandameuwissen.com/

http://crimsondomingo.tumblr.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6831429.Amanda_Meuwissen

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaMeuwissen/

https://twitter.com/MissSuperCube

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amanda Meuwissen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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And then he was Gone by Joan Hall Hovey

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Joan Hall Hovey 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.

WHERE IS ADAM?

Julie Raynes’ husband is missing. Devastated and confused, she refuses to believe that he would leave her voluntarily, though her best friend thinks differently. However, her Aunt Alice, a psychic, tells her Adam has been murdered, and when she reveals how she knows this, any hope that Adam is still alive, dissipates.

The police also believe that Adam Raynes was murdered. And Julie is their prime suspect. Her life in ruins, Julie vows to hunt down whoever is responsible for Adam’s murder and make them pay for their crime.

In the meantime, David Gray, a young man who was pulled from a lake by a fisherman when he was 9 years old, wakens from a coma after nearly two decades. Unknown to Julie, Adam and David share a dark connection, a darkness that threatens to devour them both.

Read the first chapter at http://www.joanhallhovey.com/432547197

About the Author:

Writing gives me a sense of achievement and satisfaction that nothing else does. (Except having my babies.) And that’s not a bad analogy, if not an original one. Holding your published book in your hands, (especially that first one), running your fingers over its smooth cover, tracing your name there – is heady stuff! These days of course, knowing my readers are downloading my books onto their Kindles and ipads and Kobos, and so on is just as great. For me, a dream come true, even though it’s been awhile since I wrote my first book.

I am drawn to explore the dark side of humanity, and my intention is to give the reader a roller coaster ride that will resonate long after the last word is read. I know that I am truly blessed to be permitted to work every day at what I most love and need to do. I think you appreciate it even more when you’ve had to go to those awful 9 to 5 jobs you hated, because the bills have to be paid. And I’ve had my share of them over the years — hulling strawberries, waiting tables, grading eggs… (top that one). A couple of those jobs have left scars. I’ve been stalked by a psychotic customer when I was selling ‘CAA’. (Canada’s version of ‘AAA’.) I’ve been chased around the desk by a so-called pillar of society while working as a secretary. But while I wouldn’t want to repeat it, I wouldn’t take back a single moment of any of it. All is ‘grist’ for the writer’s mill.

The next best thing is hearing from my readers. You have been so generous in your comments, so kind to take the time in your own busy lives to write to me. Telling me that my novels kept you up all night, or that you couldn’t put the book down is music to my ears, and keep me going in the dark times that come to all writers, while I find my way about in the unknown, unlit territory of that next book.

***In addition to her critically award-winning suspense novels including And Then he was Gone and The Deepest Dark, Joan Hall Hovey’s articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Toronto Star, Atlantic Advocate, Seek, Home Life Magazine, Mystery Scene, The New Brunswick Reader, Fredericton Gleaner, New Freeman and Kings County Record. Her short story Dark Reunion was selected for the anthology investigating Women, Published by Simon & Pierre.

Ms. Hovey has held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries in her area, including New Brunswick Community College, and taught a course in creative writing at the University of New Brunswick. For a number of years, she has been a tutor with Winghill School, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers.She is a member of the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick, past regional Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada and International Thriller Writers.

Her books are available at most online book stores, including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and more. Check out her website at http://wwwjoanhallhovey.com

She lives in Saint John, NB, in an uptown building over 100 years old, with her cat Bella. Aside from writing (and reading of course) She enjoys playing piano and spending time with her grandson. She is presently at work on her latest suspense novel.

Her novels include:

And Then he was Gone

The Deepest Dark

The Abduction of Mary Rose

Tragic Spawn

Night Corridor

Chill Waters

Nowhere To Hide

Listen to the Shadows

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Then-He-Was-Gone-ebook/dp/B01NBANC1Q

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