Gracie & Zeus Live the Dream

Gracie & Zeus Live the Dream

by Elizabeth Roderick

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GENRE: Romantic Comedy

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BLURB:

Grace Morgan has been on the music scene long enough to know the life of sex, drugs & rock & roll is just a dream. But after a messy divorce, Grace wants to give her dream of being a music journalist one last shot.

She moves to LA with her 21-year-old foster son, Zeus. They live in a motel on cup noodles and hope, until Grace finally gets a break: a story about Inez Carter, hot-mess frontwoman of the popular band Karma Korn.

The story delivers more sex, drugs and rock & roll than Grace bargained for. Karma Korn’s drummer, Nelson, has Grace rethinking her post-divorce vow of celibacy. And after they’re invited to an elite Hollywood rave, where they mistakenly drink the electric Kool-Aid, Zeus is scouted to be the lead guitarist for another star band.

However, the story soon goes sideways, and things aren’t adding up. Someone is spreading rumors about Grace, trying to sabotage her career and reputation. Then someone tries to kill her. Grace is left frantically trying to connect the dots in the dwindling hope she’ll be able to salvage the story, her relationship with Nelson, and her life.

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Excerpt:

Zeus scrabbled around on the floorboards of the car, tossing aside empty iced tea bottles and crumpled napkins. Grace tried to keep her eyes on the road, wishing she’d ignored his tantrum and left him back at the motel. “Zeus, do you have to do this now?”

“Just a minute. I know I left one of my brain toys down here somewhere.” He burrowed deeper under the dashboard, and his foot kicked out, catching her shoulder.

Grace’s hand jerked on the wheel, and the car swerved over the yellow line, directly into the path of a truck hauling a load of port-a-potties. She yanked the wheel, her life flashing before her eyes as the honking truck barely missed her. Being flattened by a shit-mobile would have been a consistent end to it.

“Dammit, Zeus!” she barked as she straightened the wheel. “Sit in your seat like a big boy.”

She risked a glance. He’d somehow gotten one of his legs all the way under the passenger seat. “Zeus-”

He twitched and writhed, and the underside of the dash made a horrible cracking noise. “I’m super, super serial, Gracie. Help me, Gracie.”

She tried to smooth her short, golden curls back into place.

“Godammit! I’m gonna be late.”

“But I’m trapped! Help! This isn’t a cool situation!”

She sighed and pulled off into the parking lot of a strip mall. As she got out and tried to tug him free, she asked herself, as she did fifty times a day, how her life had come to this.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Elizabeth Roderick is the author of Gracie & Zeus Live the Dream a romantic comedy meets cozy mystery released by Cinnabar Moth Publishing LLC May 11, 2021 as well as many short stories in various anthologies.

She and her daughter help run a small, diversified farm in Eastern Washington. She is a musician and songwriter, and has played in many bands—mostly guitar, bass and keyboards.

Elizabeth’s stories are about love, death, gang warfare, and madness, with characters of the type that society generally shuns: addicts, convicts, and the neurodivergent. She is a neurodivergent person and a disability rights activist.

Elizabeth believes if people get to know those who live on the fringes of society, both in stories and in real life, they’ll find them more likeable than they originally thought.

http://www.talesfrompurgatory.com

Tweets by LidsRodney

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethroderickauthor

Buy Link

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The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Mimi Takes Europe

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elizabeth Cooke 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.

In this latest cozy mystery, Mimi, and her co-anchor, Nicole Marcel, on the Interview TV Show, TONIGHT, is at her peak of popularity in Paris. Charles Bleisante, who owns the TV Station, proposes a TV interview tour for the pair of certain cities on the continent.

The two, with Nicole’s lover, Detective Giscard Morency, are off, first to Barcelona, later to London. The interviews center on food: the cooking of a paella, in Spain; the braising of a Christmas goose in London, delicious episodes that attract a wide audience. However, certain nefarious incidents occur, in which Mimi is canine sleuth.

CNN–New York requests the co-anchors come to Manhattan for more interviews. There, Mimi helps solve a grisly murder that takes place in one of the highest billionaire luxury buildings in the world.

The resolution of this crime is revealed in Book Five of The Mimi Series: “MIMI TAKES MANHATTAN.”

Read an Excerpt

CNN-NEW YORK CITY

As media mogul and chairman of CNN, Victor Crofton had fallen in love with Mimi.

The combination of Mimi’s reaction to the Christmas goose livers – zoomed in on, by the CNN camera, as she lapped them up with obvious relish – and her breaking Karl’s case – his thefts and robberies – and the very look of her dog-grin with seven little teeth — had him hooked!

Well, The Chairman of the board of directors of CNN was entranced.

Victor Crofton. He lived in a posh apartment in Manhattan. He was also one of the original founders, along with Ted Turner, of the CNN network. He determined that Mimi should be brought to New York City for an Interview (or two or three) – which would raise her stardom – and that of CNN’s – to the stratosphere. Of course, Nicole’s beauty, as co-anchor, was an additional bonus.

Mimi would become more renowned than ever.

About the Author: Elizabeth Cooke, born and bred in New York City, graduate of Vassar College and The Sorbonne, is the author of several books about Paris, where she lived in the 1950s.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethBuffyCooke
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elizabethcookebooks
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elizabethcookebooks

Amazon Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Mimi-Takes-Europe-Elizabeth-Cooke-ebook/dp/B097C9KTGB/ref=sr_1_3

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On The Edge

On the Edge

by Claire Gillies

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GENRE:   Women’s Fiction, romance,

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BLURB:

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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Excerpt:

Before Cat could grasp her drink, she was approached by a younger man who looked a little nervous.

“Would you like to dance?” With his open, earnest baby-face, Cat put him at about eighteen, and was flattered.

“Yes, why not!” She fanned her face, trying to recover from the previous dance, ready to launch into another.  This one was different, still with a deal of twirling, but with variations involving kicks and a burst of graceful hopping.  Cat laughed as she missed a few steps, trying to keep up both with the music and her partner.  She loved the movement and the strength of the steps; they made her feel so alive, like her stint swimming in the sea earlier that month.  Her partner spun her around one last time, and the music stopped suddenly, and everyone clapped again.  The fiddler started playing on his own, a much slower waltz to which Cat was about to start gliding with her partner, until a cough came from behind them.

“May I interrupt?” Patrick smiled, and looked down at them both. 

“We’re just about to dance!” the boy said “Go find your own partner Paddy!”

“Come on now, Archie!” laughed Patrick, “you know I’m only good at the slow dances and there’s lots of girls lined up by the wall over there just waiting for you to ask them!”

The boy looked at Cat, then at Patrick, considering his prospects for a few moments.  “OK then,” he finished reluctantly, handing his partner over without any more complaint, heading quickly in the direction of the waiting girls.

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More about the Author:

Do you listen to music while you write? Why or why not? 

I’m a music lover. I’ve always been interested in seeking out new bands or composers. I’m particular about music and love the genres of world music, folk, rock, indie, shoegaze, classical, funk – the list could go on. Some friends have called me a “music snob”, maybe they’re right… I simply know what I like and what I don’t!

When it comes to writing, up until now I have gravitated towards no singing, as I’m easily distracted. I am a lover of soundtracks, and in particular ‘period drama’ movie soundtracks. I share this interest with my fellow author friend HD Coulter and we keep each other abreast of new soundtracks. I have even spent many an hour searching the internet in pursuit of music from an obscure tv show from the nineties, to find a dead end – the soundtrack was never released.

Writing my novel On The Edge, I immersed myself in the same music I would listen to on a day-to-day basis. When I lived on the Orkney isles, I would pull on my waterproof gear, shove on my big headphones and walk to my pub job. I felt content in my own world, cosy almost, as I made my way in all extreme weather conditions! Marching along the cobbled streets, I escaped into the music in my ears; glancing out at the rough sea from time to time, then a customary hello to the town cats (none appeared to have homes, but lurked around happily getting attention from passers-by as they kept eager lookout for the nearest rat!) It was one of my favourite walks.

When I listen to the following soundtrack music, I think of Orkney now.

Brideshead Revisited, The Santa Claus, North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell), and Little Women (1995). I would listen to these through all seasons…well, apart from the Santa Claus one. The Santa Claus reminds me of the snow blizzard that left me stranded on the island for many days, but the winter wonderland scene and mulled wine handouts from the local cafe more than made up for it!

So, for the first novel On The Edge, I listened to strictly no singing, but with different books comes different feelings. I wanted to capture a new mood for my next novel From Scotland with Love (due for release later this year!). Instead of purely music, I thought about what music my main character would listen to. I found the perfect two playlists on YouTube: Wanderlust (by Alex RainBird) and Best indie Folk of 2019 (by Indie Folk Central), they both were on constant rotation and captured how I saw the story.

For me it’s important to be flexible and see what elevates my inspiration. I listen to what feels good and what gets my creative juices flowing (even as I write this guest blog post, I am listening to a calming classical music!) Silence is not for me; music is the key that opens up my creativity.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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!

www.clairegillies.com

Tweets by ClaireGillies13

https://www.facebook.com/ClaireGilliesAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/clairegillies_/

The book is on sale for only $0.99.

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Claire Gillies will be awarding a signed copy of the book. (International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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The Wall Book Blast

This post is part of a book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. David Pereda will be awarding a $20 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.

THOMAS BERTRAM is an American living in San Salvador with his fiancée CECILIA. They own a popular neighborhood restaurant and plan to wed soon. Thomas’s dream is to obtain a resident visa for Cecilia and return to the United States.

DOMINGO JIMENEZ and his wife BLANCA own a small repair shop across the street. Domingo’s dream is to move to America as well so that his seven-year-old daughter NANCY can grow up speaking English and having a good education and a better life than he and Blanca had.

When armed gang members invade their neighborhood to demand “protection” money and threaten them with death if they don’t pay, Thomas and Domingo’s dreams for the future take on a new perspective. They decide to flee the country with their families through Guatemala and Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

But their journey is more challenging than expected, and they face a myriad of difficulties and must overcome multiple obstacles that put not only their dreams but also their lives at risk.

Read an Excerpt

The two young men who entered the restaurant in San Salvador were slender and about eighteen, maybe younger, with scraggly adolescent beards and fashionable jeans full of holes.

It was Monday morning, and Thomas Bertram was preparing the dining area for the lunch service. After tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Marines, Thomas’s entire body reacted physically to trouble when he saw it—and this was trouble. The hair on the back of his neck bristled, and he felt a swarm of tiny butterflies inside his stomach.

Gang members?

Thomas smoothed out the wrinkles on the clear-plastic tablecloth of the last of the six Formica-topped tables and rearranged the four matching chairs. As he straightened to his full height, he checked the time on the wall clock: 11:25.

“We’re not open yet,” he said in Spanish. “We open at noon.”

The young men didn’t answer. They wore tight jackets zipped up to the chest, one olive and the other red.

Tight jackets in summer in El Salvador?

Thomas realized how short and skinny they were when Olive Jacket strolled toward the counter near him—he barely reached Thomas’s shoulder. Red Jacket stayed by the door, staring at Thomas.

“Man, you’re tall,” Olive Jacket said as he slid past Thomas.

He had a squeaky voice, like a door needing oil. Thomas watched his receding back, wondering what the young men wanted, even though he had a suspicion—which was confirmed when he noticed the tattoo on Olive Jacket’s neck sticking out from under his jacket. He could only see a portion of it, but he knew what the letters meant: MS-13.

Definitely gang members.

About the Author:

David Pereda is the award-winning author of eleven thrillers and mainstream novels. His books have won the Lighthouse Book Awards twice, the Royal Palm Awards, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Readers Favorite Awards twice. He has traveled to more than thirty countries around the world and speaks four languages.

Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, Pereda had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, Pereda earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned BA degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He loves sports and has won many prizes competing in track and show-jumping equestrian events.

Pereda lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College.

Website: http://www.davidpereda.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Pereda-Writer/345490998614
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidPeredaAVL
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/davidmpereda
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/David-Pereda/e/B002BML17Q%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095137M8S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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Critical Hit A Gaming Mystery

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.

Read an Excerpt

Somewhere far from Blackbriar Keep, a barricade of empty beer cans and crumpled chip bags ringed a plastic castle. On the white grid that represented its muddy courtyard, four one-inch miniature Heroes were locked in deadly combat with the dozen figurines that represented a Horde of thousands. They were beautiful little figurines, but all eyes were on the other end of the table. Nothing mattered but Arabeth.

She had one leg raised, her bowstring drawn taut, and a look of extreme do-not-fuck-with-me on her face. I’d spent twenty-two hours painting her, deploying all my tricks to bring her plastic to life. From her forest green boots to the curls of her rich brown hair, every millimeter was perfect. Tonight, perfect was what it would take.

It was April 2003, when tops were cropped and pants were cargo, when fedoras and trucker hats still seemed like good ideas, when America was already getting bored with its new war. More importantly, it was a Thursday, which meant the back room at Critical Hit was ours. Stale beer and smoke polluted the air. Imitation wood paneling peeled from a drop ceiling that was nearly as stained as the pea green carpet. The walls were close, or I guess the table was too big, because you couldn’t shift your seat without banging into one or the other. Absolutely no breeze drifted through the little window on the far wall. Grimy lace curtains hid us from the rest of the games shop. It was a pit, but it had to be the happiest pit on earth.

The man who brought magic into that little room sat at the head of the table. One hand rested on his gut; the other twisted a beard flicked with red ale. His eyes—one bare, the other behind that ridiculous monocle—were slits. A playful smile drifted across his face as he tried to figure out what might happen next. He looked like a big, gentle grizzly bear. A stranger might have mistaken him for just another geek. They’d never have guessed that my big brother was the greatest gamemaster in the world.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“I think I already have.”

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: http://www.wmakers.net
Newsletter: http://strangetimes.substack.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ouijum
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wmakers
FB: http://facebook.com/ouijum

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Dutybound: Light Wings Epic Volume 1

Dutybound: Light Wings Epic Volume 1

by Mark A. Alvarez II

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GENRE: Fantasy

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BLURB:

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.

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Excerpt:

Dearest Ara,

Not long ago, I started feeling it again. Don’t you remember? The strengthening cold and bitter skies were only signs of its return. I can never forget the pain of Frailty’s War. I bear this burden of recalling the horror, and still, it pains me to know even you hold that, my dear. Unfortunately, I must tell you that soon we will not be safe. The fog has begun to grow thick, and wrath-filled winds blow from the north, where Pinea lies, building their empire with envy and hatred toward our sovereign nation. Though we won our place of power here in Moz, I can only say it came at a grave price, one that will plague our world if the bonds of our sins are not destroyed. It is critical that we protect what good is left in this world and amend the wrongs of the past.

I fear the worst for our family and would never forgive myself if I waited for its return. Thus, it is here in a place of faith that I tell you I must leave Moz to seek out its source and see to it that this force is driven to where it can no longer threaten us. But at all costs, please, remain here in Moz and wait.

With utmost importance, take care of sweet Lucia so that she grows into a bold and passionate maiden with prayers determined enough to protect and preserve us. I do promise to make it back to you someday. My love shall be with you both. Always.

Stello Sanoon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Aaron-Alvarez-II/e/B08ZJZCR83

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21271472.Mark_Aaron_Alvarez_II

Website: https://maalvarezii.com/mark-alvarez-ii/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maalvarezii

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maalvarezii

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

Amazon Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Dutybound-Light-Wings-Epic-1-ebook/dp/B08ZDWYVDZ/ref=sr_1_1

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Mark Aaron Alvarez II will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Hell Raising and Other Pastimes

Hell Raising and Other Pastimes

by Jayce Carter

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GENRE: Paranormal Erotic Romance

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BLURB:

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?

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Excerpt:

Why was it that men walked out of quickies like some sort of victory lap, but women felt like we had whore tattooed across our foreheads?

Troy had already headed downstairs after dressing. He hadn’t said a lot, had regained a little of that distance he’d had before. I chalked that up to the awkwardness of the moment.

Besides, I had needed a moment to get myself ready. I’d cleaned up as best I could, using a tiny bit of the water Kase had left for me. No one wanted to walk while still sticky…

Still, as I went down the stairs, as all four sets of eyes swung toward me, I felt like each of them could see what I’d done.

They’ve all seen you naked. They’ve all been inside you. There isn’t much mystery.

My cheeks burned as I tucked my hair behind my ear and tried to look as if I didn’t care.

Men could screw everything that walked. Why not me?

No one spoke at first, and I had a moment of thinking everyone would pretend nothing happened. We didn’t need to address anything, right?

“So what did you think of a knot, shadow-girl? Always wanted to try it myself, but I’m a chicken.” Hunter paired the words with a grin so wide, he looked like some sort of jester.

So much for pretending…

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Read an Interview:

1) At what point do you think someone should call themselves a writer?

I am a big believer that labels are for individuals to decide on. So if someone wants to call themselves a writer and they’ve never written a word, well, that isn’t my lane. It has no effect on me what they want to call themselves. The term writer is a tricky label for writers, though. I think learning to call myself one was one of the hardest things I’ve done! I still remember the first time I said it out loud to someone who asked what I did. I immediately felt like a fraud, like they were going to call me out and say I wasn’t really a writer, that it was some lofty title only for an elite few.

Eventually I realized no one cared what I called myself. I found out that the only person keeping my from claiming that title was myself. I’ve gotten better now, and I tell people I’m an author, but I still have a moment of fear when I do, like someone is going to ask to see my official author card and check my references.

So, basically? I think people should call themselves a writer when they feel ready to!

2) What is the difference between a writer and an author?

I think an author has published a piece of prose, whether that be a novel, novella, or short story. A writer is someone who writes or otherwise chooses to call themselves one. So I called myself a writer until I published my first book, at which point I called myself an author.

3) Have you ever considered writing under a pen name? Why or why not?

I actually do write using a pen name. The reason was pretty simple, really. I write explicit material and I wanted a bit of privacy. It isn’t to say I’m very careful about keeping my pen name secret. I am sure many people know what my real name is. I wanted the distance there in the event I became notorious (I’m sure we all know what I’m talking about here), so I could go to a parent teacher conference without the teacher saying, ‘hey, are you the person who writes those filthy stories with knotting?’ I like being able to tell people what I do instead of them knowing automatically by my name alone.

4) What does writer’s block mean to you?

I am one of those annoying people who don’t believe in writer’s block. By that, I mean I don’t see it as a mystical, magical thing that waits in the shadows and pounces on unknowing writers. I think there are many reasons people don’t write. For me, I can list a bunch: distraction, life stress, anxiety, fear of it not being good, not knowing where a story is going, health or injury, and good old fashioned procrastination. In short, there are lots of reasons a writer might not be writing, but I believe the majority of them can be dealt with and overcome. Once I accepted that most of the reasons I wasn’t writing were all about me, that I had an ability to handle them, I felt a lot more in control. Writer’s block was no longer the scary monster it had been, but just one of a number of issues that I had ways to overcome.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.

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

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

Website: https://www.jaycecarter.com/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jayce-carter

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jayce-Carter/e/B07Y4T7CHH

Amazon Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Raising-Other-Pastimes-Concerns-ebook/dp/B092JPHT6B

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/es/ebook/hell-raising-and-other-pastimes

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hell-raising-and-other-pastimes-jayce-carter/1139226451

Publisher: https://www.totallybound.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=71321

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

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Boy by Anna Hamilton

Boy

by Anna Hamilton

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GENRE: Drama/Family/Sweet Romance/Dementia

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BLURB:

Boy is a story about a few weeks in the lives of Hugh and Betty Roberts, an elderly couple living alone on a family farm in Iowa.  They are buried deep in grief over the loss of their only child and struggling to hang on to  the only life they have ever known when dementia sneaks in.  An unusual visitor brings a welcome distraction and reprieve just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Join this couple and other unforgettable characters as they prepare to share in a memorable and much needed Thanksgiving gathering at the old couple’s farm. What transpires is credited to friendship, love and the relentless power of hope. Directly or indirectly we are reminded of what really matters on this brief walk we call Life.

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Excerpt:

He had just finished the last bit of paint on the sign when the phone began to ring, startling him.  He hurried into the kitchen to grab a paper towel to wipe the paint off his hands, but before he could get to the phone, the ringing had stopped.  He heard Betty say “hello?”

With all of the strange happenings lately he shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d answered the phone.  Anything was possible, he thought as he walked back into the room and burst into laughter when he saw that she hadn’t picked up the phone at all, but a statue of Roy Rogers that sat next to her on the end table.  She was holding it up against her ear, as if waiting for someone to answer her greeting.

He couldn’t help himself.  “Who is it?” he asked.

Sitting Roy back down on the table she said, “They hung up.”

“They’ll call back,” he said laughing.  And they did call back, but by then Betty was no longer interested.  She had faded away again.

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What inspired you to write this book?

I wrote this story because I was so touched by my father’s dementia. Sadness lived beside me every minute of every day. The caretaking and its effects on the caretaker are huge. I was repulsed by the nursing home that had no visitors for its residents. The experience forever changed me. The importance of staying present with those on their way out of life slapped me in the face during this time which then became my goal, my mission, my message—hence, Boy. 

I had first written a memoir following my father’s death, set during the time he lived in the nursing home. I wrote about the characters that saved me from losing my mind long after they had lost theirs. These people were gifts to me.  When I returned to this writing for editing, I found it too raw, too personal, so I created a fictional story with characters from my lifetime. It became a very enjoyable task because as I wrote I returned to these people and even myself, in all the stages of my life. I returned to the farms that as a child I loved, the smells and the tastes of simple rural life.

When I had completed Boy, I felt as though the Band-Aid had been ripped off and I could begin again with my own life.  

——— Thank you for responding to my question so honestly. I have no doubt that this book will be something to change lives. Blogger Sue——-

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Anna Hamilton (1958- present) was born in Des Moines Iowa. She lives in Northern Minnesota along the Canadian border where she owns and operates a small restaurant in the village of Grand Marais. During the slower winter months she writes, preferring fiction over non-fiction. “Fiction” she says, “is much easier to create because you can be on the outside of a story looking in, rather than on the inside, fighting your way out.” Hence her first novel ‘Boy’.

When she is not working or writing, her time is spent mentoring children in need and advocates on behalf of both children and the elderly. She and her sister Sarah are currently working towards building ‘affordable’ housing for their community. Part of the proceeds from her first novel ‘Boy’ will be dedicated to help finance that project.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067350947195

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AnnaHughBetty

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7436469.Anna_Hamilton

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Anna Hamilton will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, in addition to the gift card, the author will offer a prize to a second winner: a store coupon from Between the Lines Publishing/Liminal Press (half price print book or free ebook).

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The Romanov Legacy

The Romanov Legacy

by Marilyn Baron

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GENRE: Suspense/Thriller Historical Romantic Fiction

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BLURB:

Two women, centuries apart, and the secrets that bind them

Melody, a young single mother, discovers she’s descended from the last Tsar, Nicholas II. She becomes the best hope of a secret global society, Guardians of the Romanov Legacy, dedicated to restoring a Romanov to the throne of a New Russia. A diary and an heirloom necklace inherited from her murdered grandmother hold the key to her identity and to the location of the Tsar’s lost shipment of gold.

She must accept the sacrifices her birth demands and trust the machinations of the estranged father of her child. To refuse means turning her back on her heritage, her daughter’s legacy, and the long line of her family’s women who were keepers of the secret. Will her longing for true love have world-changing consequences?

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Excerpt:

A tiny tear slipped down her cheek. But that was as far as she would display her emotions. She held her head up regally. After all, she was an Empress. She was determined to die with dignity. She wondered if Marie Antoinette had held her head high before it was unceremoniously severed and dropped into a basket.

“There won’t be a last-minute reprieve if that’s what you’re thinking,” warned Miss Cormier.

Would they actually go through with it? Would they really execute her in cold blood like they did the Tsar and his family? She was terrified they would. She could hear the sound of her heartbeat amplified. She was having a full-blown panic attack. She couldn’t breathe. She feared she would die of fright before they had the chance to cut her down in a hail of bullets.

Miss Cormier lifted her hand to give the command. Hatred flared in her eyes. What had she done to deserve the woman’s anger? Fallen in love? Then the guards raised their rifles in unison to open fire. She closed her eyes tightly so they couldn’t see the hope fade from her face. She couldn’t bear to confront her own mortality. She held her breath.

Then she heard the bullets ping. Where was she hit? How long would it take to die? She hoped it would be over soon. She sagged in her chair, mercifully blacking out.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Marilyn decided to become a writer when she read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her first short story was The Gold Lace Dress. She wrote her first book, East West Island, in grade school. It featured all of the children in her third-grade class and her teacher read it to the students in installments during class every day. She wrote and directed her first play at age 13, starring her brother and sisters and some of the neighborhood kids. The show raised money for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum.

Marilyn is a public relations consultant in Atlanta, a PAN member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) and winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. She is also a member of Atlanta Writers Club. Marilyn was past chair of the Roswell Reads steering committee and serves on the Atlanta Authors committee. She writes in a variety of genres from humorous women’s fiction, historical romantic thrillers, romantic suspense and paranormal/fantasy. She loves to travel and often sets books in places she’s visited.

She was born in Miami, Florida, and graduated from The University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism (Public Relations) and a Minor in English (Creative Writing). Go Gators! She lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband, and she spends a lot of time hovering over her two wonderful daughters.

http://www.marilynbaron.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Marilyn-Baron-286807714666748/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-baron

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Baron/e/B008PJFQPC%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092TXL3QT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-romanov-legacy-marilyn-baron/1139402507

Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-romanov-legacy-by-marilyn-baron-paperback/-/A-83226733

BAM: https://m.booksamillion.com/p/Romanov-Legacy/Marilyn-Baron/9781509235933

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Marilyn Baron will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Mind Over Murder

Mind Over Murder

by Kathy DiSanto

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GENRE:   Paranormal thriller

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BLURB:

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?

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Excerpt:

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I got the impression the attraction between us isn’t one sided.”

Caught in that killer blue gaze, I puffed out my cheeks, blew out a breath. “It isn’t.”

“Well, then? We’re both healthy, both single.”

Why did making a mistake suddenly sound so alluring?

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.

Website: https://kathydisanto.com/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathydisanto

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kathy_DiSanto

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3525940.Kathy_Disanto

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VJKSVFP

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Kathy DiSanto will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2021/05/blurb-blitz-tour-mind-over-murder-by.html

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