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Guest Author CAROL E. WYER showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash August 19, 2013 Leave a Comment

WELCOME BACK CAROL E. WYER

CAROL E. WYER

After completing a degree in French and English at Keele University, Carol Wyer became a language teacher in Casablanca, Morocco. She ran the EFL department at a private UK school (a non-magical Hogwarts), set up Language 2000 Ltd, teaching a variety of languages, including basic Japanese, and translated documents. Recurring medical problems forced her to give up teaching and become a fitness instructor. Thanks to older age, she now writes novels, articles and books that poke fun at getting older. Known for her light-hearted take on life, Carol has written two award-winning novels and now also tours giving talks on how to age disgracefully.
Connect with Carol at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Is your Grumpy Old Man getting under your feet? Is he wrestling with retirement? Are you wondering if you should bundle him up and entrust him to basket-weaving classes? Then this book could be the answer to your prayers. This light hearted guide is packed full of lively ideas, anecdotes and quips. Not only does it set out to provide laughs, but offers over 700 ideas and ways to keep a Grumpy Old Man occupied. From collecting airline sick bags to zorbing, you will be sure to find an absorbing pastime for your beloved curmudgeon. There are examples of those who have faced extraordinary challenges in older age, fascinating facts to interest a reluctant partner and innovative ideas drizzled, of course, with a large dollop of humor. Written tongue-in-cheek, this book succeeds in proving that getting older doesn’t mean the end of life or having fun. It provides amusing answers to the question, “How on Earth will my husband fill in his time in his retirement?” It offers suggestions on what might, or most certainly might not, amuse him. Ideal for trivia buffs, those approaching retirement, (or just at a loose end) and frustrated women who have an irritable male on their hands, this book will lighten any mood and may even prevent the odd murder.
Read my review here.

Read an excerpt

Without further ado, let’s look at the abundance of activities that your Grumpy can enjoy beginning with the letter A.

Introduce your Grumpy to the absorbing and completely time-consuming hobby of aviation, particularly aeroplanes.

First, get him a copy of Top Gun (or any good film about flying) to whet his appetite. Next, purchase a trial flying lesson. He’ll love it. Honestly, he will. Don’t be mean though, and get him an aerobatic flight. He’ll come home a horrible pasty shade of grey, and you’ll never get him to agree to that holiday to Alicante you hoped you could take next year.

Once he has “the flying bug”, ensure he signs up for flying lessons. Now, you’ll have to make some serious economies to fund this new hobby, and you’ll have to forget that holiday to Alicante for a while, but it’ll be worth it. He’ll soon transform into a new man, and which one of us wouldn’t fancy a Tom Cruise-a-like coming home after a long day up in the clouds?

Flying doesn’t just keep these Grumpy Old Men out of the house for an hour or two. Oh no, they have to get to the airfield early to set up, have a pre-flight briefing, a couple of cups of coffee and some cake, chat to their mates and ensure they have planned a route. Then, there is the actual flying, followed by a debrief, and the obligatory drink at the pub to recap the entire flight.

There are exams to be taken and much studying to be done. Many a night will be spent sitting at the dining table with pencils in their mouths, as they attempt to learn the principles of aviation law or meteorology. You’ll be able to relax on the settee and watch all those soaps without any dark muttering coming from the other end.

You may find that you will need to learn the phonetic alphabet though, just to show willingness and give him a hand. Let me assist you by starting with: Golf, Romeo, Uniform, Mike, Papa, Yankee.

If you can’t interest him in this particular hobby, then you could try him with a remote-controlled aircraft. This is the best of both worlds.

He can fly his aeroplane without taking examinations, wherever he fancies, and it won’t cost a fortune. There will be more about remote-controlled vehicles later.

Last but not least, you could offer him the chance to do some plane spotting. This is obviously the cheapest option, and can be enjoyed at the airport or in your back garden if you are fortunate enough to live under the flight path.

If he decides on the latter, you’ll be able to book that trip to Alicante. After all, he’ll see plenty of aeroplanes.

What do William Tell, Robin Hood, and Cupid have in common? The answer is archery or toxophily as it is also called. (You might need that piece of information for a pub quiz.)

Archery is one of the most ancient sports known to mankind. In ancient times and the medieval period, this activity was used for protecting people from enemies and for hunting wild animals. Today, it is regarded as a recreational activity or sport, and is looked upon as a way to improve concentration, mental strength, and precision … where was I?

Oh yes, sorry, I was thinking about Kevin Costner in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and got distracted. Today, two forms of archery are prevalent: target archery and field archery.

Sign your fractious man up for lessons and watch him improve, along with his game. Word of warning: don’t let him place an apple on your head “for practice”.

Question: What did the lustful maiden say to the handsome archer?

Answer: You make me quiver.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Non-Fiction, Humor
Published by: Safkhet Publising
Publication Date: 1st June 2013
Number of Pages: 106

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CAROL E. WYER,
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Author, Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Guest Author GLENN SHEPARD, M.D. showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash July 6, 2013 Leave a Comment

WELCOME DR. GLENN SHEPARD

DR. GLENN SHEPARD

Dr. Glenn Shepard was raised on a farm in eastern Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia on an academic scholarship and majored in psychology. As an undergraduate, he lettered in wrestling for three years in a row. Then, he went on to become the only person in UVA history to letter in wrestling again in his sophomore year in medical school.

After completion of med school at UVA, he went to Vanderbilt where he completed his residency in general and cardiovascular surgery. He spent two years in the Army at the Ft. Gordon Army Hospital in Augusta, Georgia and The Second Surgical Hospital in An Khe, Vietnam.

While in Vietnam, he wrote his first work of fiction, Surge, which is on his back burner of works to dig out of the attic and publish, with major revisions, in the future.

He trained in plastic surgery at Duke University, becoming board certified in General Surgery and Plastic surgery. He opened his own Surgery Center in Eastern Virginia, where he worked for 23 years, mostly in a solo practice, before joining a large, plastic surgery group.

For 28 years, he founded and directed The Peninsula Cranio-Facial deformities clinic that was staffed by volunteer medical, dental, social services, psychology, and speech pathology experts. The group treated over five hundred patients with cleft lips and palates, as well as a variety of deformities of the face and hand.

Shepard founded, funded, and directed the Riverside Microvascular Research Lab, in which he studied the basic science of wound healing, the development of of cleft palates, new techniques in palatal repair, and the regeneration of injured fingernails. He published numerous scientific publications on his work in the lab and clinic.

After the massive Earthquake in Haiti in January, 2010, Dr. Shepard emerged from retirement and joined the Notre Dame Hospital unit in Leogane, Haiti for a 10 day rotation. His empathy for the people and their problems as well as his admiration for the contributions of time and talent from medical personnel from all over the world greatly inspired his second novel, Relief Aid, Haiti.

All his adult life, he has studied and collected American Art of the Hudson River genre. Also, he collects paintings of the prominent Virginia artist, Barclay Sheaks. Currently, he’s writing the authorized biography of the artist.

For six years, he worked with two high school wrestling programs, one that was a perpetual state champion, and the other, a perpetual runner-up in the state meet. He wisely quit after a heavy weight wrestler broke three of his ribs.

Apart from gaining pleasure from writing as his primary hobby for the past twelve years, he is an avid fly fisherman, spending much of his free time fishing on the Chesapeake Bay and at his farm near Williamsburg. There he enjoys nature hikes, observing and photographing the abundant deer population, and always searching for new bird species that might wander off their migratory paths into his view.

Dr. Shepard has also become involved in aquaculture and raises hybrid rock fish, rainbow trout, and fresh water shrimp. While this is not yet a profitable enterprise, it provides a delicious seafood addition to his annual Bluegrass and Barbecue Party. While he has been known to play a mean banjo, he prefers to provide himself as an audience for the many and more talented singers and pickers in his area.

Connect with Dr. Shepard at these sites:

Q&A WITH DR. GLENN SHEPARD

1. Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Very much from both. Not For Profit combines my personal experiences fighting the spiraling price of hospital care, fired in part by many of our hospitals’ practices of expanding into fields of investments unrelated to health care delivery, and the current and exciting drone warfare that has dominated our nation’s headlines for the past couple years. The hospitals are creating billion dollar corporations that compete with consumer products offered by independent dealers, and winning the market because they don’t pay taxes on their profits. In the eastern part of Virginia, my home, are numerous military bases and ship building yards and I have a unique opportunity to talk to members of the Army, Air Force, Navy as well as the people that construct our nations largest aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines. I never broach any subject of classified material, but learning first hand of the new developments in military material and logistics is a strong stimulant to my researching the direction of our terrorist tactics and use of the newest weaponry.

2. Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
An outline of the direction and objectives of the book is essential before my books can begin. What happens after the first chapter depends on where the main characters decide to take the book. I never can outline the twists and turns the protagonists will take. They have a mind of their own, and I just turn them loose. This has been true for all my fiction writing, starting in 1986.

3. Your routine in writing?
I begin writing after coffee and cereal at 7 am and goes until my ideas are depleted, anywhere from 7 pm ’til 3 am. After my many years of surgery, when I became conditioned to the long hours of operating and patient care, my endurance is strong. When I sleep, the ideas come to me and I frequently have to awaken enough to jot down my sleep revelations. And I awake the next day full of new ideas, ready to write again.

4. Is your writing a full time job?
Yes. Since retirement, I write all the time. Apart from time spent with my hobbies of aquaculture, maintaining my small farm in Charles City County, and doing plays, opera, and movies with Barbara, writing is all I do.

5. Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Hemingway, Dickens, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but their styles, so great in the past, would not (in my opinion) make it to todays best seller list. Dan Brown, John Grisham, Tom Clancy are my favorites of current writers, with my all time favorite novel being The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

6. What are you reading now?
Currently, I have two books by Layton Green and two by Matt Iden that I read between writing breaks. All, very good reads, by the way.

7. Are you working on your next novel?
Relief Aid Haiti will be ready for publication in a couple months. Dr. Scott James, the plastic surgeon protagonist of Not For Profit, goes to Haiti to help a colleague with his backlog of surgery that followed the 2010 earthquake only to find that Haiti’s Minister of Finance has been kidnapped and the $5 billion Relief Aid Fund has been stolen. His arch enemy, Omar Farok the terrorist leader, is behind all this and spends the Haitian money to buy nuclear weapons for use against the United States. He is aided by his former nurse and computer geek, Ethel Keyes, and a group of Voodoo worshipers.

8. Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Scott James: Matt Damon: Ethel Keyes: Halle Berry (though I can picture Angelina Jolie, even with her recent surgery, as being the sex-pot the role calls for); Herb Waters: Daniel Craig (Craig generally plays the hero, but he is such an incredible character actor, he would be a great villain) ; Detective Pete Harris: Morgan Freeman (a kind, but strong man who could play the role in an outstanding manner).

9. Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
For the many years as a surgeon, I’d spend an hour or so of free time watching TV. That was an escape from the volumes of professional reading I continually had to do to stay abreast of Plastic Surgery. Since retiring for surgery, I’ve become an avid reader of fiction to stay up to date with current styles of writing. My good friend, Barclay Sheaks (a well known artist that died of Parkinson’s and is the subject of a biography I’m currently writing that concerns his battle with the disease), told me frequently that I could never be an author because I never read anything but surgery texts. I’d love for him to have lived long enough to read my books. I always told him, if a person can learn surgery, he can also learn to write. Of course, my rough learning experience gave grey hairs to my editor and mentor, Rich Krevolin.

10. Favorite food?
Seafood. Having lived in coastal Virginia, I have experienced the best seafood in the world. With my schooling in inland cities (Charlottesville, Nashville, Durham, and Augusta) before shipping of fresh fish from coastal cities was possible, the only fish available was catfish. Not good if you’re used to flounder, trout, rockfish, and tuna. When I returned home after 17 years away in school and the Army, I fully appreciated the salt water fish and shellfish. Three weeks ago I travelled to Seattle for an interview concerning Howard Behran, a famous artist, like Sheaks, whose art deteriorated after Parkinson’s. The fresh Copper River Salmon and Dungeness crabs were fabulous. I ate that 3 meals a day for the two days I was there.

11. Favorite beverage?
Jack Daniels on the rocks. A taste I acquired in my years in Tennessee.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Scott James is charged with murder after two bodies are found at his surgery center. Just weeks before the start of his capital murder trial, Dr. James is approached by a beautiful woman claiming she can help him gain information that would prove his innocence.

As James hunts down the evidence that might free him, he faces a barrage of threats to his life and liberty—and makes one chilling discovery after another: Corporate corruption. A conspiracy to frame him for murder and for terrorist acts. A secret drone-control operation that takes out targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The true identity and intent of his beautiful ally. And a plot to blow up the local hospital and surrounding community.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Medical Thriller
Published by: Mystery House Publishing
Publication Date: June 12, 2013
Number of Pages: 248
ISBN: 9780615765525

PURCHASE LINKS:

READ AN EXCERPT

Chapter 1

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, 6 a.m., Three Months Earlier

“Alpha Charlie, Alpha Charlie, get ready for action! The target’s on the move!”

The words vibrated in Charlie’s earpiece as he sat bolt upright, and flexed his 220 pound, 6 foot 2-inch frame. He had spent the last four days glued to the monitors, never leaving the control center, even as the other eight members of the Air Force forensics team took brief meal and sleep breaks. Alpha Charlie was a CIA-hired civilian contractor whose mission in Afghanistan was to control pilotless aircraft and destroy enemy targets. Ninety six hours ago, he was scheduled to return to his civilian job in America, when forensics identified the Al-Qaeda leader, Muhamed Bin Garza, only 230 miles away in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. He cancelled his flight home.

It had been two years since they had a positive ID on Bin Garza. And Charlie wanted blood.

The notorious Al-Qaeda leader was responsible for the suicide bombing in Mumbai, Amman, London, and Somalia, and had connections to the World Trade Center attack in New York. Now he was a sitting duck. He had been spotted while entering a complex of tents and adobe houses adjacent to the mountains and caves. He would be leaving any moment now. This was the one and only chance Alpha Charlie would ever have to eliminate Bin Garza. Bin Garza’s death would be the ultimate notch in his gun barrel. His job back home could wait. He had taken out terrorists before, but Bin Garza was the trophy he had been training and waiting his whole life for.

Alpha Charlie was stationed in one of two identical Quonset huts on the base, both sitting within 50 meters of each other. In the first hut, the US Air Force forensics team was housed. Their function was to make the drones airborne, to locate and identify targets, and to land the vehicles when their missions were completed. Alpha Charlie sat in a single chair in the second hut.

But this was no ordinary chair. It was a one-of-a-kind control chair loaded with hundreds of computer systems that required delicate manipulations. At the end of each armrest were two joysticks, one for each hand. Both were equipped with a dozen buttons, some black and others red, all with separate and distinct functionalities. Ever since he was 12 years old, Charlie played video arcade games. He had mastered the games almost immediately, having innately good reflexes and hand-eye coordination. He also lacked moral qualms… about anything. After winning several gaming competitions in his late 20s, he was contacted by the CIA and accepted their offer to move from murdering virtual foes to slaughtering real ones.

The CIA granted him access to a new program which involved piloting drones. Very quickly, Charlie had learned to operate them as well as the Air Force’s best pilots. His penchant for video games made his skills acute, and these gaming skills readily transferred to drone operation. His immediate mastery of the pilotless aircraft meant an underlying talent that many of the professional pilots lacked. They were readily trainable, but not one had the innate ability to pick up the controls of an aircraft with which they had no experience and so quickly be able to operate it with such a sharp degree of precision. Charlie had even proven himself to be brilliant under pressure and once he tasted actual combat, he gained a voracious appetite for it. The thrill of killing a virtual terrorist couldn’t compare to the rush of killing one made of flesh and blood.

Air Force Colonel Ben Edwards, the director of the operation, ran into Charlie’s hut. He glanced at Alpha Charlie’s hands as they moved the joysticks. Edwards marveled at how Charlie’s fingers glided over the controls and easily performed maneuvers that his other “pilots” struggled with.

Suddenly Edwards saw it – the blinking red light on the fuel gauge. One hundred pounds of fuel left. Seventy two miles of “life” left in the fuel tank, not enough to get the aircraft halfway back to Kandahar. He screamed, “Charlie! You’re running out of fuel!”

Alpha Charlie pretended not to hear. He had already extended the flight time five hours using the updrafts of the mountains to conserve fuel and lowering the speed to 320 MPH, but he was concerned. An hour ago, he ordered his Global Hawk fuel carrier, yet it was not on his radar screen. Well, that’s a problem he didn’t have time for.

His focus remained locked on the three monitors in front of him. Screen A showed a scurry of activity in the small, peaceful Haqqui tribal village. Bin Garza was going for a ride. That was it! Charlie’s waiting was over. He leaned forward and watched carefully.

In the center of the village, a 1960s Mercedes sedan and a 1980s Chrysler New Yorker were parked in front of an adobe house. Alongside the two cars, a small entourage surrounded three men who had just left the house and were walking to the vehicles. A dozen cheering villagers reached to touch the men as guards pushed them aside. On Screen B, the forensics experts focused on the faces of the men and enlarged them. Screen C showed a broad view of the 5 square mile area surrounding the target.

Screen A showed the men getting into the two cars, while screen B flipped through stills of the faces. Then the camera fine-tuned portrait quality images. Charlie heard excitement build from the other hut, “That’s definitely Bin Garza!”

“And that’s his number two, Shakel, with him! We can get two for the price of one, if we hit ’em now!” The third man on the screen kept his shumag pulled over his face and was not able to be identified.

Colonel Edwards shouted across the room, “Alpha Charlie, we have Al-Qaeda’s two top men together. Targets confirmed! It’s now or never. Get ’em!”

Alpha Charlie turned to Screen A, the target monitor showing live pictures from the MQ-4A Global Hawk drone he controlled. This model was the largest and best equipped drone in his fleet, but it was brand new and untested. It had been airborne for nearly 48 hours and circled the area at 50,000 feet, filming the area where Pakistani intelligence had said these men were staying. Sweat dripped down Charlie’s brow as he saw the plummeting fuel gauge now reading empty.

Time was running out. Charlie focused the camera, centering it on the now moving car.

A pissed off Edwards looked at Screen C. “Fuck! There’s a hill! They’ll disappear behind it in 20 seconds! Charlie, you gotta strike NOW!”

Alpha Charlie did not respond, but he heard Edwards. He had one shot and didn’t want to fuck it up. His mental clock ticked down – 20, 19, 18; he remained calm and showed no signs of tension. His left hand guided a blinking red target square over the car. With the image of the square fixed to the target, Charlie centered the X.

CLICK! The Hellfire missile locked on the Mercedes. Twelve, 11, 10…

Charlie quickly touched the red trigger button with his thumb and fired the 5 foot long missile which carried over 30 pounds of explosives. At a speed of 950 MPH, the missile would be paying the Mercedes a surprise visit within 3 seconds.

But would it get there in time?

The Mir Ali Village, 6:04 a.m.

A high-pitched WHIRRR, like that of a model airplane, filled the sky above the village. The driver of the Mercedes looked up and saw the silvery flash of reflected sunlight emerging from the obscurity of the mountain behind.

As the driver accelerated, he saw the 5 foot long Hellfire missile speeding towards them. Bin Garza screamed in terror as he gripped the seat of the car and braced himself. The explosion was tremendous, ripping the men and car to pieces.

A hundred feet away, the unidentified man in the shumag, Omar Farok, felt his Chrysler bounce around like a toy ball. The concussion of the impact nearly deafened him. He watched from the Chrysler as a fireball swallowed up the Mercedes; then, there was only a blinding cloud of smoke and dirt.

Fortunately for Farok, his driver was familiar with the terrain of this village and the Chrysler instantly turned left onto a mountain path dodging around three trees. As the Chrysler slammed to a halt, a petrified Farok dove out of the car and ran into a mountain cave. He sat trembling in the cave as he watched another Hellfire missile devour the Chrysler in a ball of red flames, engulfing his driver as he tried to escape.

Farok’s voice echoed inside the cave, “American pigs, I swear on Allah’s blessed name, you will pay for this!”

The Kandahar Drone Control Center, 6:05 a.m.

Col. Edwards and his forensics team cheered!

But Alpha Charlie did not celebrate, even as the refueling aircraft in the sky above saved his drone from sputtering to the earth on its last pound of fuel. Sure, Charlie was pleased about the millions that he had made from this kill. This extra money would allow him to shift his drone control station and missiles back home and continue his missions from there, but still, he wasn’t about to jump up and down and cheer. He’d done his job.

He stood as bottles of Dom Perignon were uncorked. Without fanfare, Charlie grabbed a drink and downed it. Then, he poured himself another.

As he swallowed, he thought to himself, ‘All in a day’s work’.

Chapter 2

The Surgery Center, Jackson City, N.C., 7 p.m., Three Months Later

If you were to walk into my cosmetic surgery office, you’d see that I designed a space that is healing, orderly and serene. There are no crystals or there is no new age music playing, but there’s a little waterfall and many of the walls and open spaces feature my favorite flower – the orchid.

My orchids are always resplendent with gorgeous colored blooms – hot pink, deep magenta, white with mauve spots. I care for all the plants myself by watering them, limiting the amount of sunlight, and constantly measuring and altering the composition of the soil. In my office, you’ll always find a colorful Doritaenopsis.

My favorite is the pure white Phalaenopsis to the left of the waterfall. When I first opened my office, a patient sent that to me, but it was solid blue — an unnatural color for an orchid. I sensed that someone blue-inked the roots, like the blue roses in Kipling’s poems. Saturating a flower in ink always seemed wrong and angered me in the same way that a bad facelift did. In my mind, there were absolute rights and wrongs in this world. A person’s face shouldn’t be stretched so tight that their eyes and lips get distorted, and a white orchid should remain pure white.

I became obsessed with that Phalaenopsis, nurturing it (in a back room, of course) until it bloomed again and this time, it was the purest white of any orchid I ever had. I look at the broken pieces of Orchis sitting in my waiting room every day and I try my best to put her back together. And most of the time, I succeed. Except today. Today was not going so well…

“Why’s it taking her so long to recover from the anesthetic?” I asked as I removed my surgical gown and gloves. I arched my back, stiff from bending over so much. After 12 hours of surgery, I was exhausted. I’d just hit 40 and I was really starting to feel it.

I smiled at my anesthesiologist, Dr. Boyd Carey. “Two face lifts, two liposuctions and three augmentation mammoplasties is enough for one day.”

Dr. Carey did not return the smile. He looked over his half-frame glasses and shrugged. “If you hadn’t bowed to Keyes’ ridiculous demand to keep her privacy by sending your two nurses home early, her “auggie” would have only taken 45 minutes.” Carey was a thin vegan who would’ve probably been happier if he ate a burger once and awhile. Fine wrinkles in his 45-year-old dark skin made him look 60.

I took off my surgical cap and finger-combed my hair. “Come on now, Boyd. Relax. Hey, at least we aren’t working in the tobacco fields.”

“Oh God, you’re not going to start in again on your childhood stories of slaving away in the fields to pay for college—”

“I could if—”

“Please, spare me.”

Carey turned to the patient for a minute and then tilted his head back and faced me again. “No. She’s still sound asleep. And that’s another thing, Scott. We should have given her Propaphol, like we do on all our patients. She’d be awake by now. But no! You always grant all your patient’s every wish and kiss their surgically-raised asses.”

Ethel Keyes had been my office manager for the past two months. She was a hard worker with a sweet personality; everyone who came in contact with her liked her. I had never before employed anyone who so quickly endeared herself to everyone. And it probably didn’t hurt that she was a 32-year-old blonde who looked like a high fashion model.

Just a few days ago, Keyes had confided to me that she always felt uncomfortable with her body as she thought her breasts were too small. She had done such a great job in the office, revamping my billing system, changing the office health insurance to a less expensive and more comprehensive plan, and computerized all my office records, that I offered to do a breast auggie surgery for her – pro bono.

However, it was a mistake. Beyond the ethical issues involved in operating on employees, she proved to be a difficult patient from the beginning: refusing Propaphol as her anesthetic because it killed Michael Jackson; forbidding the use of the second best medication, intravenous Versed, because she didn’t like its amnesic properties, and insisting on an older style of anesthesia, Valium and Demerol, but in reduced doses.

She argued that she was sensitive to all sedatives. Sure enough, it took only 2 mg of Valium and 50 mg of Demerol to knock her completely out. Most people required 10 mg of Valium and 100 mg of Demerol with touch-up medications given as the patients got “light”. No additional drugs were needed today as she slept soundly. And kept on sleeping even after the procedure ended and Dr. Carey and I waited … and waited for her to wake up.

I leaned over the OR table and tapped her cheeks lightly. “Ms. Keyes, Ms. Keyes, can you hear me?”

Her response was a snore.

I clasped my hands behind my back, pressing on my tired paraspinal muscles. My perpetual smile turned to a frown.

Dr. Carey growled, “She hasn’t had enough sedation to hurt a fly. You should just go home. I’ll watch her until she wakes up. At least one of us should be able to enjoy this evening.”

“No. I’m not leaving until she’s awake.”

“Fine. Go into your office.” Carey reached out, cupped her left breast and with a smirk uttered, “I’ll keep you abreast of everything here.”

“Jesus, Boyd, get your hands off of her. She’s under for Christ’s sake!”

“Alright, Sir Galahad, guardian of fair maidens. Go get some coffee and I’ll call you when she’s awake enough for discharge. It shouldn’t be long.”

I hesitated before leaving the room. “I’ll be in the waiting room. Call me and I’ll be back in a second it there’s a problem.”

As I left the OR, I pulled out my IPhone and called my wife, Alicia. I told her of the situation with Keyes.

She answered, “Alright, do what you have to. But there’s always something to keep you there late. The boys wanted to see you and— I’ll put the boys to sleep and keep your tuna casserole hot in the oven,” she sighed as she continued, “Again!”

I walked to my waiting room to talk to Anna Duke, the friend that was to pick up Keyes after surgery. But when I got there, she wasn’t there so I sat down on the sofa and relaxed.

This room is my favorite part of the office. It’s got a huge skylight, custom stereo, a waterfall with a 4 foot drop, and a dozen blooming orchids. I turned on a Miles Davis CD and flicked on the multi-colored lights that glowed behind the flowing water. When my architect had told me that it was impossible to put everything I wanted in this room without knocking down all the walls, I paid him his fee and let him go.

Then I went online, did my research, and installed it all myself. I’m sure I could have hired someone else to do it faster, but I found that I really enjoyed learning about plumbing and wiring. In fact, I’d had so much fun doing it, next on my agenda is to buy and fix up an old Victorian house in the low country of the Carolinas one day. The operative word being “one day” since these days I really couldn’t imagine doing much of anything else with my 80-hour work schedule.

I sat back, smelled the sweet fragrance of his cymbidium and zygopetalum orchids, closed my eyes, and dictated the seven operations I performed that day.

* * * * *

Meanwhile in the operating room only 30 feet away, a shadow caught Dr. Boyd Carey’s eye. Carey quickly turned and saw a light reflect off of something in the air, something swinging at him.

It hit him hard in the neck, almost knocking him over. Immediately, he reached towards his neck and felt a painful jab and a burning sensation.

He tried to turn to face his attacker, but his body wouldn’t move. Again, the hand slammed him with the sharp object. Carey wanted to lift his arms to protect himself, but they dropped limply at his side. His legs grew weak. His muscles quivered uncontrollably.

His mouth opened to scream, but he couldn’t make a sound. Both knees buckled and his body dropped to the floor.

* * * * *

I heard a THUMP! I ran to the OR, opened the door and saw Dr. Carey lying there!

I looked over at the OR table. Keyes was still sleeping with the monitors showing a normal blood pressure, pulse, and EKG.

I dropped to my knees beside Carey. There was no pulse. Jerking the stethoscope from his white lab coat, I listened to his chest. There was only a faint bump…bump…bump. I pounded my fist on Carey’s chest and listened again. Placing the heel of my hand on his lower sternum, I compressed the chest six times before blowing into Carey’s mouth. His heart sounds were slow and distant.

For the first time in my surgical career, I felt panic-stricken. What had happened? I’d only been gone a few minutes.

Quickly, I dialed 911. “A man’s been stabbed. He’s dying! I need help. Please send an ambulance STAT!”

THANKS TO AUTHOR, GLENN SHEPARD,
I HAVE THREE (3) SIGNED COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY 20th AT 6PM EST

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VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
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I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Author, Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Guest Author LAYTON GREEN showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash June 8, 2013 1 Comment

I am always happy when an author comes back to visit because it means that he has been busy on another book. Which in turns, means another book to add to our list. So without further ado, Mr. Layton Green!!! Welcome back!!!!!

LAYTON GREEN

Layton Green is the author of the Dominic Grey series. Please visit him at at www.laytongreen.com for additional information on Layton, his works, and more. You might find him in the corner of a dark and smoky café in Bogotá, researching the next Dominic Grey novel.

Connect with Layton at these sites:

Q&A with Layton Green

On Writing and Reading:
-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
A: For sure. I believe all writers draw (or are at least inspired by) personal experience, and I am always on the lookout for interesting current events. I try to infuse each Dominic Grey novel with at least one timely current event or issue (such as the Zimbabwean political situation for The Summoner, the scientific search for eternal life with The Egyptian, and the conflux of social media and demagogues in The Diabolist).

-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
A: Good question, and it depends. Usually I start at the beginning, create a rough outline, and fill it in as I write. Sometimes, however, an ending does present itself earlier.

-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
A: I had idiosyncrasies before I became a serious writer. Now I write every day in the mornings for at least a few hours, and more during the day as my schedule permits. I used to write at night, but it’s tough with a family.

-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
A: I’m also an attorney.

-Who are some of your favorite authors?
A: Dan Simmons, James Lee Burke, Dennis Lehane, Michael Gruber, Herman Hesse, Murakami, Roger Zelazny, Ray Bradbury, China Mieville, Martin Amis, and many more. There’re a lot of seriously talented authors out there.

-What are you reading now?
A: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite novels of all time.

-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
A: I am working on the next Dominic Grey novel. I can’t say much, except that it involves an esoteric and highly intriguing cult, and that Grey will be going south of the border . . . way south.

Fun questions:
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Great question – assuming Spielberg buys my novel and we have unlimited choice (‘natch), I’d go for Christian Bale as Grey. I’m having trouble casting Viktor. I’ve tossed around Liam Neeson, Javier Bardem (with heel implants) and Donald Sutherland. Any thoughts??

-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
A: Read.

-Favorite food?
A: Baby back ribs. Or sushi. Or a dry-aged ribeye. Or great pizza.

-Favorite beverage?
A: Zaya rum, one ice cube, pinch of lime.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this gripping thriller, the bizarre murder of a Satanic priest in San Francisco draws Dominic Grey and Viktor Radek, private investigators of cults, to the scene. Witnesses claim a robed figure, seemingly able to appear and disappear at will, set fire to the priest. When the leader of another Satanic cult in Paris dies under similar circumstances, the case only grows stranger… and more dangerous.

Convinced that a charismatic New Age prophet is behind the murders, the investigators undergo a perilous journey into the world of the occult as they try to penetrate the prophet’s inner circle. From the catacombs of Paris to London’s nefarious East End, from the haunted walls of York to a monastic fortress in the Sicilian wilderness, the case plunges Viktor and Grey into a vortex of black magic, ancient heresies, and the dark corners of their own pasts.

The Diabolist is a chilling novel that not only pulsates with action and suspense, but also mines a trove of fascinating historical, philosophical, and paranormal research to probe some of our closest held beliefs. From the opening pages to the astonishing conclusion, this latest installment in one of today’s most original new thriller series is not to be missed.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 388 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (June 4, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611099846
ISBN-13: 978-1611099843

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, LAYTON GREEN,
I HAVE ONE (1) SIGNED COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JUNE 22nd AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Author, Giveaway, Guest Author, Partners In Crime Tours, Partners In Crime Tours, Showcase

Guest Author HELGA ZEINER showcase and giveaway ENDED

CMash June 1, 2013 4 Comments

It is with great humility, and also excitement, to welcome back a special and talented author, who I can also call friend, as she kicks off her 2nd tour with Partners In Crime Tours. Welcome back Helga Zeiner!!

HELGA ZEINER

Born and educated in Germany, Helga left her home country when she was 18 to travel the world and experience the magic of life she was passionately reading about.

She spent the next 15 years in exotic places like India, Thailand, Australia and Hong Kong, where she worked her way up into excellent managerial positions in large international companies. To achieve this she had to further her education and enrolled at night classes at the ‘Chinese University of Hong Kong’ for her Diploma in Management Studies.
Love eluded her for many years. She was nearly 40 when she finally met her dream man and settled in Canada, where she now lives, neatly tucked away in the wilderness. She has previously written several suspense novels which have been published in Germany.
Her first novel written and published in English is called. ‘Section 132”. A thrilling fact-based page-turner about a young girl forced into a polygamous marriage that has received countless 5-star reviews.
Birthdays of a Princess’ is her second novel and will be published in June 2013.
Connect with Helga at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

To be famous and be admired by total strangers can be very dangerous.

Her little girl has always been her princess. In fact, she was so lovely, Melissa entered her toddler into child beauty pageants, making her a star from an early age. But her dreams and hopes are shattered one October morning, when Melissa watches a breaking news story on television. A young girl has been filmed by bystanders, committing a brutal assault in broad daylight in a downtown Vancouver Starbucks…and it looks like the girl is her daughter.

From this moment on, a story unfolds, so shocking, that it will hold you captive and you will find yourself reading faster and faster into the night.

Read my review here.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by: POW WOW Books
Publication Date: May/June 2013
Number of Pages: 290
ISBN: 978-0-9868798-7-6

PURCHASE LINKS:

Read an excerpt:

Prologue
She wakes up earlier than usual. It’s not even eight yet. The apartment feels empty, but that doesn’t surprise her, because it is empty most mornings. To make sure, she gets out of bed, opens the curtains, waddles down the narrow hallway, stops at the second bedroom and listens briefly. Not a sound. Of course not. She would have heard the flat door open, no matter how late. She is a light sleeper.The kitchen greets her with familiar comfort. Welcome, my lonely friend. Make yourself a cup of tea. Sit down by the window. Look out, check the weather, think about what to wear for work. Stop listening. Nobody is home but you.Just another day in the big city.Vancouver is still sleepy. Yawning and slowly stretching like a lazy lion, rubbing its exhausted eyes, waiting for the helpers to brush the filthy remains of last night’s excitement from the concrete floor of its den.The water kettle switches itself off and she pours the boiling water over the tea bag and waits one minute, standing in front of the kitchen counter. It has to be exactly one minute, no point in doing anything else but stare at the twirling surface inside her cup. Sixty seconds later–the second dial on her kitchen clock is within her periphery—she discards the bag, heaps three generous spoonfuls of sugar into the cup, followed by so much cream that the tea instantly cools to drinking temperature, and sits down at the kitchen table.Still thinking it’s just another day.A gentle traffic hum outside, no sound inside her kitchen. Correction: no sound inside her flat, this two bedroom, one bathroom borderline apartment. Borderline because its location touches a good neighborhood and the Eastside. The street she lives on stops the filthy guts of downtown spilling over into suburbia. Her kitchen window points toward the high-rise monuments of downtown Vancouver. Very pretty at night, not so attractive at daytime when the not-so-high and not-so-modern buildings that envelope the skyscrapers become visible. She doesn’t want to look at the decaying grey buildings any longer that provide a battle ground between city planners who want to sell it to developers and Eastsiders who have occupied them.Just another day. And it is so quiet.Melissa turns on the TV, not realizing that it is exactly eight o’clock now. The channel is set on CTV and there is a ‘Breaking News’ banner flashing in bright orange below the female morning anchor. She increases the volume. The excited voice of the lady anchor fills her kitchen. She takes a sip of her sweet, sweet tea and leans back a little.“We have a developing story of a brutal attack on a customer at Starbucks coffee shop on Robson Street. Apparently a young woman has stabbed another woman inside Starbucks. Our reporter Emily Jackson is on location. Emily, what can you tell us…?”The upper body of a reporter, holding a microphone in one hand and fighting her wind-swept hair with the other, comes into the picture. Melissa hadn’t noticed that it is quite windy outside. Well, it’s October, at least it’s not raining. Behind the reporter a yellow band is restricting access to the crime scene. She sounds overly excited. “From what we have learned, a young woman has suddenly attacked a woman inside the coffee shop you see right behind me. We don’t know yet if the customer was already seated or still standing in line to place her order. We also don’t know the identity of the attacker or of the victim yet or have any information about the motive. Apparently the attacker suddenly produced a knife and threw herself at the woman, yelling obscenities on top of her voice. As you can see behind me, police have cordoned off the area and are processing the scene.”The anchor interrupts her. “Do we have any information about the condition of the victim? Is she badly hurt? Or…”An autumn gust blows hair over the reporter’s face. She nearly loses her microphone, trying to control the strands with both hands, but fumbles it back into position when she realizes that the camera is focused on her again. One side of her pretty face is completely covered with hair. It looks ridiculous and Melissa catches herself thinking the reporter would look a lot prettier if she had a different hairstyle.“The ambulance has transported the victim to the emergency ward of St Paul’s…”The reporter’s voice travels along Melissa’s attention span and loses its grip. Background noise quality. She likes that. And God, her tea is good.

Another developing story news-flash banner demands her attention again. The anchor sounds triumphant: “We have just received a video-clip from one of our viewers. We would like to warn you that some viewers may find the content of this video-clip offensive in nature…”

The clip starts. The picture is shaky, the filmmaker hassling for a good position between other coffee-shop customers who have jumped up to look what is going on in the middle of the room. The back of shoulders and heads pop in and out, screams of horror and confusion can be heard. Their unedited sound quality provides an unnerving authenticity to the unfolding drama.

An arm rises up in the air and down again, in kind of a wood chopping motion. Up and down, in one swift move, no hesitation whatsoever. In fact, the chopping goes on. Up and down, up and down—accompanied by ‘Oh my God’s’ and ‘Oh no, oh no’s’. The filmmaker edges closer, seems to get up on a chair, because he is above the scene now, holding his iPhone or whatever device he’s got, high above the center of the customer-circle that inched away from the dangerous situation. The victim of the attack is on the floor now, mercifully blurred by the rapid movements of the inexperienced cameraman, or maybe by CTV’s editing. The attacker, the young woman, wearing a black hoodie, is over her and chops into her with such vengeance that Melissa can feel the force of her hatred, furious and powerful. The victim is trying to protect her face and chest with crossed hands. The mad attacker continues to stab her wherever she can—face, arms, torso, it is impossible to make out exactly in the shaky clip where her knife slices into.

Bodies pop in and out of the picture and mercifully block most of what is going on. Several of them finally muster enough courage to intervene. The picture goes even more shaky and blurry. Then the anchor speaks again.

“We have word from the police that the victim you have just seen being attacked inside Starbucks on Robson about an hour ago is in critical condition. The young woman has been overpowered by three heroic young men…”

and now it happens, it’s not ‘just another day’ any longer

“they were performing a citizen’s arrest and held her captive until the police arrived…”

the anchor’s voice fades, just like the reporter’s before, because all of Melissa’s focus concentrates on what she sees on the screen. Meanwhile the filmmaker has managed to muscle himself closer to the group of guys who have pulled the young women off her victim and have now pinned her to the ground. Her face appears. The filmmaker zooms in. She smiles victoriously straight into his camera, as if she has achieved a very special feat.

Melissa is standing now, holding on to her cup of tea, frowning with the exhausting task of connecting what she sees on the screen with the reality of her life. It can not be. It can not be. But it is.

The tea cup slips from her weak hands, falls to the floor, spills its content on the cheap vinyl kitchen floor before rolling under the table.

It is. It is.

It is…her daughter.

Review and endorsement:

In Birthdays of a Princess, Helga Zeiner has captured the inner thoughts of an abused teen with amazing sensitivity. From my own experiences in 25 years of Forensic Psychiatry both in private practice and at Youth Forensic Services the psychopathology of the characters is accurate and realistic.
Dr. Paul Janke
Forensic Psychiatrist, M.D., F.R.C.P., Vancouver, BC

THANKS TO AUTHOR, HELGA ZEINER,
I HAVE ONE (1) EBOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
EBOOK—OPEN TO ALL

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JUNE 15th AT 6PM EST

If you’d like to join in on an upcoming tour just stop by our sites and sign up today!

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

Follow Helga’s Tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Author, Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Guest Author TJ COOKE showcase and giveaway ENDED

CMash April 30, 2013 3 Comments

Today is old friends day, which means a new book to put on our TBR list. TJ was here this past November, which you can see here, and is back to tell us about his newest book. So without further ado, Mr. TJ Cooke!!! Welcome back!

TJ COOKE

TJCooke, otherwise known as Tim, was formerly a legal executive and adviser to the BBC’s Eastenders. Since then he has dovetailed his career between advertising copywriting, freelance journalism, screenwriting and novels.

Tim has written numerous television and radio commercials for a variety of well known companies. He has written many hours of broadcast drama, notching up writing credits for some of UK’s most popular series, including London’s Burning, The Bill and Bad Girls.

His debut novel ‘Kiss and Tell’ is available via Amazon Kindle. Tim currently lives in Devon.

Connect with TJ at these sites:

Q&A with TJ Cooke

CM: Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
TJ: I would imagine that most writers draw on their own experiences to a greater or lesser degree. Having been through many ups and downs, been fortunate enough to travel to interesting places and taken on a variety of roles in differing professions it would be foolish not to use these experiences. It gives you the confidence to write with authenticity.

CM: Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
TJ: That’s an interesting one. With ‘Kiss and Tell’ I had two definite story arcs, one concerning Jill Shadow’s journey, from a poor background to a successful lawyer, and the other regarding the drugs story, or stories, which feature in the book. Both started from the beginning and I wasn’t sure at first how they would merge or even end. With ‘Defending Elton’ my latest release, I started with a ‘what if’ concept and allowed the story to develop organically. Neither had a ‘set-in-stone’ conclusion from the outset, but fortunately they came along quite naturally as the characters drove the plots forward.

CM: Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
TJ: I’m definitely a morning person. I find I’m more alert then. In an ideal world I’d start writing around 7 or 8 am and see how long I can go for. Of course life tends to get in the way sometimes! More often than not I break in the middle of the day and if possible have a later afternoon or early evening session. There are also times when I just can’t sleep and every now and again have no choice but to write down the things that are whirling around in my mind… often if I’m in the middle of a first draft and have an idea that can’t wait!

CM: Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
TJ: It seems like it’s a full time job at the moment. I would like it to be one anyway, but a lot depends on how things go with these first two novels. I also enjoy my advertising work. I write and create radio commercials and would like to keep doing so. It’s a great release for a mad creative mind!

CM: Who are some of your favorite authors?
TJ: Many and varied. I admire John Grisham, Val Macdermid, Sophie Hannah, Mark Billingham and a host of others. Grisham perhaps not so much for his actual writing but his skill at finding a winning formula. Val and Sophie I like because I find they can paint intriguing pictures and conjure up atmospheres. I also like Mark Haddon, I’m a big fan of his ‘Curious Incident’ novel.

CM: What are you reading now?
TJ: Right now I’m so caught up in my books that I don’t have much time to read. However, I look forward to a little space sometime and am on the lookout for something. I saw something the other day about a new book called ‘Poppet’ by Mo Hayder and might give that a go.

CM: Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
TJ: I am in the planning stage for my next novel. It’s a further adventure for Jill Shadow. In fact I’ve got three further stories for her mapped out. I will be doing a story breakdown first, then will get busy writing.

CM: Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?

TJ: Well that’s funny because when I was actually writing ‘Defending Elton’ I always imagined it a as movie. In the book narrator Jim Harwood describes Elton as looking like the actor Forest Whitaker, so there’s a clue there! In ‘Kiss and Tell’ Jill would be the key to casting success. A few years back it would have been a Jodie Foster type, but right now I’m not too sure… someone sharp and intriguing, with sexual chemistry she ‘s probably not that aware of…

CM: Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?

TJ: Both. I enjoy both so much. It’s only the pressure of time which stops me reading more, and the fact that as I have a problem with one eye I tend to get very ‘reading tired’. I guess you can’t beat a good read because it allows you to cast and direct your own film, whereas a movie does that for you. But I love the atmosphere of a strikingly original piece of cinema. A fair chunk of David Lynch’s work and some of the Coen brothers films were fine examples. As for TV, well I used to write tv dramas but seldom watch them now. I’m not a fan of formulaic tv drama, even though I felt it wise to learn the art of writing them!

CM: Favorite food?
TJ: Too many choices! Beautifully cooked French food, Italian, a spicy Thai or India curry… or if I’m snacking at home its cheese on toast with Worcestershire sauce.

CM: Favorite beverage?
TJ: If alcoholic it would be a nice red wine or a crisp medium cider. Non alcoholic then blueberry and pomegranate juice.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When London lawyer Jim Harwood is introduced to the beautiful and enigmatic Sarena he is instantly smitten. However, with his jealous work colleague Loren on their tail, their dalliance comes to a sudden and catastrophic end.

Though Sarena’s demise was accidental, Jim knows that to a jury it will look like a classic ‘love triangle’ murder. He reckons he has no option but to distance both Loren and himself from the crime scene, and does so by providing the police with both an alternative scenario and a far more likely suspect…

…Enter the hapless Elton Spears, an unhinged and gullible ‘care in the community’ patient. Jim knows that Elton is potentially dangerous, and that he has committed previous crimes which might suggest he’s the likely assailant. He seems the perfect patsy. Indeed, Jim seems to have all bases covered… not only does he use all his criminal law experience to frame Elton, but he represents him too, thereby having control and conduct of his case…

Jim’s strategy to escape from culpability seems as risky as it is reprehensible, and when things start to go wrong at Elton’s murder trial he not only regrets his actions but seeks a path to redemption. He may have cleverly outwitted the authorities, and skilfully manipulated the system, but as Sarena’s death comes back to haunt him he discovers that playing with truth is a very dangerous game…

Described as a ‘devilishly clever and inventive tale’ and a ‘tense and edgy thriller’Defending Elton is full of neat twists and turns, which keep you guessing how things will turn out, right to the unexpected end.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1482751801
ISBN-13: 978-1482751802

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, TJ COOKE,
I HAVE ONE (1) EBOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO ALL–EBOOK

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 17th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Author, Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Guest Author Doug Richardson and giveaway ENDED

CMash April 1, 2013 21 Comments

I can’t believe how fast the months are going by. Already April! And April is going to be a busy month here at CMash Reads. You ready? Let’s kick off with today’s guest, Mr. Doug Richardson! Welcome to the group!

DOUG RICHARDSON

Doug Richardson was born in Arcadia, California. The son of a career politician, Doug grew up outside Sacramento and inside the state Capitol. He used to talk his way into then-Governor Ronald Reagan’s office, just to get a handful of jellybeans.

Doug left Northern California for Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema. For as long as he could remember, Doug had wanted to be a movie director. But in pursuing his goal he discovered how movies are really made: in the writing.

After finishing college, Doug signed a two-year contract with Warner Brothers. In 1989 he garnered national attention when his spec screenplay was the first in Hollywood to sell for a million dollars. Doug’s first feature film, the sequel to DIE HARD, DIE HARDER, was produced in 1990. He has since written and produced feature films including the box office smash BAD BOYS and, most recently, HOSTAGE. To date, Doug’s features have grossed over 800 million dollars worldwide.

BLOOD MONEY is Doug’s fourth novel, preceded by DARK HORSE, TRUE BELIEVERS, and THE SAFETY EXPERT.

Doug continues to write and develop for feature films and television. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two children and four mutts.
Visit Doug at his website here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The disillusioned Marine’s plan seems simple enough: steal a refrigerated tractor trailer loaded with frozen blood product; drive the pirated cargo from Reno, Nevada to the Port of Long Beach; collect a million dollars. Yet even the most deliberate plans can go sideways. On his campaign south, the Marine’s “inner idiot” takes charge, leaving a smattering of dead bodies in his wake.

In the dark before dawn, a telephone rings. Kern County Sheriff’s detective Lucas “Lucky” Dey, no stranger to being awakened with bad news, answers the call. But this time, the voice on the phone tells Lucky that his ill-fated younger brother has been gunned down on a blackened desolate highway.

As Lucky chases the former Marine and his black semi-rig into the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s thrust into a landscape of competing agendas. Conrad Ellis, the multi-millionaire entertainment mogul, demands justice for the murder of his starlet daughter. Ambitious federal attorney Lilly Zoller is determined to turn any opportunity into her personal spotlight. Rey Palomino, the morally-challenged contractor, colludes with the former Marine hoping to crawl out from under a crushing debt. LAPD detective and dedicated single mom Lydia “Gonzo” Gonzales, reluctantly accepts her assignment to “babysit” the unrestrained Kern County detective hell-bent on avenging his brother’s death at any cost.

A knee-breaking private detective, some unwitting feds, and a coterie of gang-busting L.A. Sheriffs deputies further complicate the scenario and round out the cast of characters in this explosive and unpredictable thrill ride.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, DOUG RICHARDSON, I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO ALL

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 15th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am anIndieBound affiliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Author, Giveaway

ENTRY PAGE “TROUBLE IN THE TAROT” by Kari Lee Townsend ENDED

CMash February 26, 2013 10 Comments

FEBRUARY 26th to MARCH 12th, 2013

TROUBLE IN THE TAROT

by KARI LEE TOWNSEND

SYNOPSIS:

TROUBLE IN THE TAROT (book 3 of the Fortune Teller Mysteries – March 5, 2013)
For psychic Sunshine Meadows, sometimes fortunes can be deceiving…Lately Sunny has been experiencing a period of big opportunity: her business in Divinity, New York, is thriving, and Detective Mitch Stone has finally agreed to take Sunny on a date. But thanks to her clairvoyant abilities, Sunny knows better than anyone that life deals out bad cards along with the good.When Sunny agrees to read tarot cards at the annual summer Solstice Carnival, she meets her Granny Gert’s “arch nemesis” Fiona Atwater, and is overcome by a vision of Fiona in a violent argument. Sunny knows trouble is brewing when Granny and Fiona start having squabbles all over town. But the fighting comes to a head when a local baker gets run over by a big white Cadillac—and Granny and Fiona are found at the crime scene.Sunny knows she should step aside and let Mitch handle the investigating, but she’s not about to ignore her visions and leave her granny’s life in fate’s hands…

THANKS TO AUTHOR, KARI LEE TOWNSEND

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS BOOK, ALONG WITH

A SIGNED BOOKPLATE AND BOOKMARK TO GIVE AWAY.

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DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
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GIVEAWAY ENTRY “A BULLET FOR CARLOS” by Giacomo Giammatteo ENDED

CMash February 5, 2013 3 Comments

FEBRUARY 5th to FEBRUARY 19th, 2013

A BULLET FOR CARLOS
by GIACOMO GIAMMATTEO

SYNOPSIS:

Detective Connie Giannelli’s life has been torn apart several times. First when her mother died and then years later when she found out her Uncle Dominic was in the mob. Her life is about to be shredded again, and this time it could destroy her.

Connie’s love of family and her badge are both threatened when an undercover drug bust leaves two cops dead and the drugs missing. Internal Affairs is looking for any excuse to take her badge, but she’s not worried about them finding the missing drugs—her secrets could prove to be far worse.

Now Connie’s racing against the clock to figure out who killed her partners and took the drugs—dirty cops or Uncle Dominic’s friends. And she has to do it before IA pins the whole damn thing on her.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, GIACOMO GIAMMATTEO

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) EBOOK COPY OF

THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: FROM READING THE SYNOPSIS,
WHAT DO YOU THINK MIGHT BE ONE OF HER SECRETS ?*

*EBOOK–OPEN TO ALL*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 19th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

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