And the winner is…

CMash July 11, 2013 1 Comment

**….of Sins & Needles and On Every Street by Karina Halle**

CONGRATULATIONS!!

6 Maria Smith Tweet about the Giveaway
An email has been sent and the winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to all that entered.

ADDENDUM 07/3/13
Due to an obtaining issue, another winner will be chosen. It is:

8 James Coyne Follow @CherylMash on Twitter
An email has been sent to the winner and he has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase, WOW, WOW Tours

Guest Author TRISHA SLAY showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash July 9, 2013 1 Comment

WELCOME TRISHA SLAY

TRISHA SLAY

Trisha Slay is a writer with a passion for storytelling. She has studied at the Institute of Children’s Literature as well as furthering her skills through online workshops. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and the Atlanta Writer’s Club. She enjoys participating in writing groups and spends a great deal of time improving her craft. Not So Long Ago, Not So Far Away is her first novel.

Tricia hopes Not So Long Ago, Not So Far Away would be compared to Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. She has said that “If those two books had a Star Wars-obsessed little sister, I’d like to think she would be my novel.”

Tricia lives between the Atlanta metro area and the North Georgia Mountains, but hails originally from Ohio…by the way of the San Francisco Bay area. When she is not working on her next book (tentatively titled Sometimes We Strike Back), her interests include: 70s pop culture; unsolved mysteries; Star Wars (original trilogy); historic movie theaters; haunted history; reading (especially YA novels); nutrition/weight watchers/healthy vegetarian cuisine; hiking (exploring the National Forest trails with her guy); yoga/meditation; miscellaneous crafting projects (that rarely turn out as envisioned); and writing letters she never intends to mail.
Connect with Trisha at these sites:

GUEST POST

I am one of those annoying writers for whom ideas flow freely. Characters and half-formed plot lines seem to spring out at me from every direction. I never, ever struggle for a new story idea to develop.

Does that sound like bragging? Many talented authors have trouble finding the seeds of inspiration that will easily bloom into narrative, so my declaration may ruffle a few feathers. That said, my intention is not to boast. Oh, no. The truth is, a surplus of ideas is not always a good thing.

At any given time, there are four or more unborn stories pinballing around in my head, competing for my attention. The constant cacophony makes it rather difficult to focus on any one idea and nearly impossible to maintain the level of attention required to finish the first draft of a novel. I am constantly being tempted to abandon a writing project to pursue the Next Big Idea. And yet, resolutely ignoring new inspirations for weeks and months at a time doesn’t feel like a good solution. After all, story ideas are a lot like snowflakes…each one is beautiful and unique, but they can quickly melt away.

That is why the care and feeding of ideas is such an important topic for me.

The most oft-repeated piece of advice in every creative writing class – Always carry a notebook – is not bad advice, but it’s incomplete. While it seems absurdly obvious, the notebook will not do you any good unless you also have a writing implement and a free hand to scribble out those wild, fleeting bits of fantasy. I commute an hour to work (each way) and I cannot tell you how many plot twists have popped into my head while navigating through heavy traffic. This is where the voice memo feature on my iPhonecomes in handy. Once I’m safely parked, I’ll play back my own excited babble to see if I’ve captured something worth being transcribed into my trusty notebook…or something that should be deleted and quickly forgotten.

Which brings me to another, fairly obvious point. The practice of faithfully jotting down ideas day in and day out quickly results in page after page of vague, half-formed bits and pieces that may or may not support a full story. So, the next logical step, is to regularly go back through those pages to determine if anything tempts the writerly brain to explore and expand.

If I find any treasure among the flotsam and jetsam in my notebook, I’ll sit down with pen and paper, set a timer for 30 minutes, and free write. There’s only one rule for this exercise – keep the pen moving for the full 30 minutes. Write, write, write. Do not stop. Do not read. Do not edit or censor anything. If I find myself losing interest or feeling blocked, that’s a good indication that this little spark of inspiration that seemed so promising will burn out quickly without producing a finished story. However, if I’m still excited by the possibilities after 30 minutes, I move on to the fun part.

This is the artsy crafty phase where I allow myself to get a little weird. Some of the things I do to feed and grow my inspiration may not appeal to everyone, but here’s some of the projects I’ve used to build the creative fires:

Create a collage or vision board for the story
Design a front cover for the finished novel.
Search Pinterest, Google Images, Flickr, Photo Pin &/or DeviantART (my favorite) for characters and/or settings in my story
Write the back cover copy (yes, before writing the story)
Write letters from the main character(s)
Using only doodle drawings (arrows, circles, stars, hearts, flowers, etc) map the main plot
Draw a map of the setting

Now, I love these types of projects a little too much so I have to be careful not to get stuck in my arty phase for too long. But it can be equally dangerous to rush into the first draft too soon. Usually, I’ll reach a point when I feel near to bursting with the need to start writing the story. Then and only then, will I launch into the first draft.

One warning…in the earliest stages of nurturing a new inspiration, I strongly recommend keeping your project a secret. Don’t discuss it with anyone. The earliest stages are so very fragile. Discussing what you want to create prematurely is the surest way to destroy it. Trust me. Nothing kills a promising concept faster than premature feedback.

Now tell me, what are your secrets for nurturing a new writing project?

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s a terrible thing to live under a question mark….

When Erika’s best friend, teen beauty queen Cassandra Abbott, disappears during the early hours of Memorial Day 1977, Erika isn’t exactly surprised. After all, they’ve been plotting and planning Cassie’s escape for months. But then Cassie’s departure unleashes a whirlwind of questions, suspicions and accusations that Erika never expected.

She’s lying to the police. She’s being bullied by older students. Worst of all, she’s starting to doubt she ever REALLY knew Cassie Abbott at all.

Under the weight of scrutiny and confusion, Erika struggles just to breathe…until a strange new movie transforms her summer with A New Hope.

For Erika, Star Wars changes EVERYTHING. So she volunteers to do chores for a local theater owner to gain unlimited access to a galaxy far, far away from her current reality.

At the Bixby Theater-a beautiful but crumbling movie palace from a more civilized era-Erika discovers new friendships, feels the crush of first love and starts an exciting new romance with Super 8 film making…but she can’t hide in a darkened movie theater forever.

As the summer wears on, tensions escalate over the unsolved mystery surrounding Cassie’s disappearance. Someone seems to think Erika knows too many of Cassie’s secrets. Eventually, Erika must step out of the shadows and, armed only with her Super 8 camera and the lessons she’s learned from Star Wars, fight to save herself and the theater that has become her second home.

Not So Long Ago, Not So Far Away is a quirky, contemporary, coming-of-age novel set during the earliest days of the Star Wars fan phenomenon.

BOOK DETAILS:

Print Length: 316 pages
Publisher: Deeds Publishing (May 1, 2013)
Language: English
ASIN: B00CXAE60K

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO CRYSTAL AT WOW!,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
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GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY 23rd AT 6PM EST

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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 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

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.

Giveaway, Uncategorized, Winners

And the winner is…..

CMash July 5, 2013 2 Comments

…of a signed copy of Steve Berry’s novels, winner’s choice

CONGRATULATIONS!!

10 Stephanie Parry Be a Public Follower of ‘ CMash Reads’

An email has been sent and the winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Forever (Hachette Book Group), GCP/Forever, Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Forever Presents: UNDONE by SHANNON RICHARD showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash July 5, 2013 5 Comments

WELCOME SHANNON RICHARD

SHANNON RICHARD

Shannon Richard grew up in the Panhandle of Florida as the baby sister of two overly protective, but loving brothers. She was raised by a somewhat eccentric mother who showed her how to get lost in a book, and a father who passed on his love for coffee and really loud music. She graduated from FloridaStateUniversity with a Bachelor’s in English Literature, and lives in Tallahassee. She’s still waiting for her Southern, scruffy, Mr. Darcy and in the meantime writes love stories to indulge her overactive imagination.
Connect with Shannon at these sites:

DID YOU KNOW?

The song “We Run” by Sugarland was the inspiration for the title, Undone
Bethelda Grimshaw was inspired by the character Rita Skeeter from Harry Potter.
According to Shannon, Coffee is the most important meal of the day. Wine is the second.

GUEST POST

Discovering the Hero and Heroine

Brendan King:

Characters reveal themselves slowly to me. I figure out one thing, and then it leads me to another realization. The first thing that I knew about Brendan was that he would be the type of guy to help out a stranded girl on the side of the road, whether it was his job or not. I also knew that he was the type of guy that would flirt with said girl while he helped her out, and do it with a cocky, but charming smile plastered across his face.

I’d always known that Brendan was going to help Paige with her car problems, but I hadn’t known that he was going to be a mechanic. Then I had this image of him wearing those grease stained blue pants and shirt, and that equally dirty baseball cap. It just fit, and was sexy as all get out, so I just went with it. I also knew that Brendan was going to have experienced his own hardships in life. It’s what helps him relate to Paige, and it’s what leads him to want to help her.

He also has a bit of a temper, but that has more to do with his protective side. He’s always had to watch out for his baby sister and he doesn’t take it very well when anyone messes with someone he cares about. He starts to get protective of Paige pretty early on. His feelings for her grow fast and it isn’t something that he expects, but it is something that he embraces. He doesn’t run from her. No, he chases her and it’s lucky for him that he catches her (or that she lets herself get caught).

Paige Morrison:

The first thing that Paige revealed to me was that she was this down on her luck girl in a place that she was not familiar with. The second was that she was an artist. I liked that she had this funky creative side to her. It helped me figure out her clothing style too, which is another thing that ostracizes her in this town.

I knew that she was going to be a little spicy tempered and have a fairly smart mouth on her. And while some people are put off by it, Brendan is turned on by it. He likes that she isn’t this meek little thing. She stands out, and for Brendan this is a good thing. He greatly appreciates that she’s different and at the end of the day it’s one of the things that draws him to her. She’s this breath of fresh air for him, and he’s saving her from drowning. But Paige is stronger than she knows. She just has to find her strength. And as she makes a place for herself in this town that she didn’t fit in before, she discovers who she is.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In UNDONE there are things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:
Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called “buck urine”
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King.

But after losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn’t easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who’s interested in much more than Paige’s car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Forever Yours
Publication date: July 2
Number of pages: 368
ISBN: 9781455544684

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO JULIE AT FOREVER/GCP,
I HAVE ONE (1) EBOOK COPY TO GIVE AWAY VIA NETGALLEY
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY 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

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.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase, The Book Trib/Media Muscle, The Book Trib/Media Muscle

Guest Author BELLA ANDRE showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash July 2, 2013 Leave a Comment

WELCOME BELLA ANDRE

BELLA ANDRE

Bella Andre is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, and has sold more than 1.5 million books. Her books have appeared on Top 5 lists at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. After signing a groundbreaking seven-figure print only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s Sullivan series will be released in paperback in a major global English language launch in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia in continuous back-to-back releases from June 2013 through April 2014.

Known for “sensual empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into nine languages, and her Sullivan books are already Top 20 sellers in Brazil. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top digital writers in America” and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and most recently in TIME magazine. She has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100-year-old log cabin in the Adirondacks.
Connect with Bella at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Marcus Sullivan has always been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings when their father died. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned turns out to be a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Known throughout the world by only one name—Nico—pop songstress Nicola Harding is seen as the ultimate sex kitten. But it’s all a lie. After a terrible betrayal she refuses to let anyone else close enough to find out who she really is…or to hurt her again, especially the gorgeous stranger at the bar.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But instead, a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated begins…

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA (June 25, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10 0778315576
ISBN-13 978-0778315575

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO LIZ AT MEDIA MUSCLE/THE BOOK TRIB,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY 16th 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.

Giveaway, Winners

And the winners are….

CMash June 29, 2013 3 Comments

**…..of The Fort by Aric Davis**

CONGRATULATIONS!!

11 Josie Haney Hink Tweet about the Giveaway

19 Sheila Korman Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

32 Rita H (My Home of Books) Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to all that entered.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase, The Book Trib/Media Muscle, The Book Trib/Media Muscle

Guest author LISA RENEE JONES showcase & giveaway
CONGRATULATIONS!!

CMash June 28, 2013 7 Comments

WELCOME LISA RENEE JONES

LISA RENEE JONES

The author of more than 30 best-selling novels, Lisa Renee Jones has impressive roots in the business world as the owner and CEO of a multi-state staffing agency that was consistently recognized by The Austin Business Journal and Dallas Women magazine and grossed up to $16 million in sales. In 1998 her company was listed seventh in a list of fastest growing women-owned businesses by Entrepreneurmagazine. She has brought this aptitude to the business of marketing her novels to create a smashing success using social media.

Her publishing career began in 2007 and has grown to encompass her successful self-publishing career as well as more than 30 books with Simon & Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave.

Connect with Ms. Jones at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

BEING ME is the continuing story of Sara McMillan, an ordinary high school teacher with an uneventful life whose surprise acquisition of a storage unit key leads her to discover the journals of a woman she never met. Riveted by the journal writer’s erotic adventures, Sara begins to obsess until she takes steps that lead her to living out the other woman’s life. But the writer’s path is dark and the men Sara meets are darker still—can she solve the riddle of what happened to the writer before she meets the same fate?

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (June 11, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 147672721X
ISBN-13: 978-1476727219

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO ALISSA AT MEDIA MUSCLE/THE BOOK TRIB,
I HAVE ONE (1) SET, 2 BOOKS, TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY12th 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.