Category: Guest Author

Guest author JACKIE FULLERTON showcase & giveaway ENDED

WOW!!  How time flies.  It has been quite a while since today’s guest was here, back in July of 2010, but am delighted that she is visiting again today.  A very warm welcome back to Ms. Jackie Fullerton!

JACKIE FULLERTON

Jackie Fullerton is a successful businesswoman and attorney who grew up in rural Ohio.

A mother of five, Fullerton returned to college when her last child was in grade school. She graduated summa cum laude from both Franklin University, where she earned her BS degree in business, and Dayton University, where she earned her MBA. Fullerton later attended Capital Law School, where she graduated cum laude. She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1993, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, in 1995, and the Supreme Court of the United States in 1996. Although she is not in active practice, Fullerton volunteers her legal services at a local homeless shelter.

An active member of the Columbus, Ohio, community, Fullerton has served on several boards and commissions, including the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Franklin County ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health) Board; Community Shelter Board; Habitat for Humanity Board; and Court Appointed Special Advocates of Franklin County, Ohio (CASA).

Fullerton divides her time between Ohio and Florida, with her husband, Tom, and their dog, Flash.

Connect with Jackie at these sites:

http://www.jackiefullerton.com/index.php https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jackie-Fullerton/10150117090530361

GUEST POST

Creating Anne Marshall

For me, creating my characters is the easiest part, or at least the most fun.  Since I write fiction, I can be as creative and outlandish as I want.  However, my basic characters do tend to come from personal experiences. People I know, either intimately such as friends and family, or casually like the lunatic who works in the pod next to me. I might change the color of hair, or even the sex, but the basic personality is the same.

My protagonist, Anne Marshall, is me—or my alter ego. Alright, Anne is young and I’m in my 60s; Anne is slim and in shape while I am overweight and find exercise hazardous to my health; Anne has dark hair and dark eyes where I am a blond with blue eyes. Other than those minor differences, we are one in the same. We shared the same experiences of balancing work, school and relationships while attending law school at night. We have the same deep friendships with study group members, and the same need to continually fix other people’s problems.  And, most importantly, neither of us has the good sense to avoid danger.

For Anne’s trusty sidekick, it made sense that it should be her father. Their relationship was unique and extraordinary; I just didn’t realize he was dead until I was halfway through the first book, Piercing the Veil. This was one of those 3:00 in the morning realizations I seem to have more often than not. By making Anne’s father a ghost, I was able to give Anne the superhuman qualities an amateur sleuth needs, while exploring the father-daughter relationship in a way I could not if he were alive.  I could also pull on my relationship with my own father. Many of the conversations between Anne and James are ones I know my father and I would have.

During the writing of my second Anne Marshall book, Revenge Served Cold, I realized I had the wrong killer. In fact the real killer had not even been introduced yet. So I had to create a woman from the suspect’s past. A sultry and vengeful woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. That was fun. Then I had to create and weave in the back story. Don’t be afraid to go back and rewrite your book, no matter how far you are in the process.

Since Anne Marshall is the same character throughout my books, the most challenging aspect was to continually create Anne. Readers expect to see growth in the characters, otherwise they will become stale. Conflict is a good way to show growth, so I introduced a handsome sexy detective in Ring Around the Rosy to test Anne’s relationship with Jason. That was more fun than it should have been.

Don’t be afraid to characters. You will find if you just jump in, they have a way of developing on their own.

Jackie Fullerton is now retired and living in Florida with her husband, Tom, and dog, Flash. Flash makes his debut in Ring Around the Rosy, the third book in the Anne Marshall mysteries.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Law student and amateur sleuth Anne Marshall and her attorney fiance Jason Perry leave their Midwestern town for a Florida vacation at the home of Jason’s parents. When they land in Florida, they find that Jason’s father has discovered the murdered body of his wife’s best friend, Maude. The only clue left behind is a note pinned to her that is the second verse of the nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosy.

Unable to pass up the opportunity to investigate a juicy murder, Anne soon discovers that Maude’s brother was killed in a hit-and run accident several months before. The first verse of Ring Around the Rosy was pinned to his chest. Anne thinks the perp is a serial killer who will strike again.

When Maude’s son, Ron, is brutally attacked and left for dead, Anne knows his work is just beginning. Racing against the clock, Anne soon finds herself in a serial killer’s crosshairs while battling an untimely attraction to homicide detective Don Reynolds.

Ring Around the Rosy takes you on an adventure from present to past and back again as Anne and her crime-solving partners shift in to high gear to stop a killer before he strikes again!

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Thomas House Publishing (December 14, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 098438152X
ISBN-13: 978-0984381524

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO REBECCA AT THE CADENCE GROUP,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 21st AT 6PM EST

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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.

 

Guest Author LORI FOSTER showcase & giveaway ENDED

You may remember today’s guest because her last visit here was this past October.  And she is returning, which means one thing, another book for us to read.  Welcome back Ms. Lori Foster!


LORI FOSTER

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. She also received the Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy and Contemporary Romance. Lori believes it is important to give back to the community as much as possible, so she routinely arranges events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Connect with Lori at these sites:

http://lorifoster.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-Foster/233405457965 https://twitter.com/lorilfoster

Q&A with LORI

Where do you do most of your writing?
My office is in the downstairs of our house. It’s like an apartment – 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchenette, French doors facing the pond, big screen TV, treadmill… it’s where my 2 youngest boys were before they moved off to college. Since they’re all grown and on their own now, we had custom desk built for the space and while we’re in town, I write there.

We also have a lake house we bought last year, and we’re in the middle of having part of that space remodeled to include a better desk area for me. Before the remodel, I wrote from the patio table in the sun room at the lake house, facing the lake. J

Who is your favorite literary character?
I have several. Hard to pick just one. I guess currently it’d be Nucking Futz Nix from Kresley Cole’s “Immortals After Dark.” If she doesn’t write that book soon, I’m going to insane! LOL. Love all her work.

What is, in your opinion, the key to a great romance novel?
Great romance!!! I don’t care who the characters are, what their backgrounds are, the conflicts – both emotional and external – that they have to deal with. If the romance is there, popping off the page, then I’ll love it. We as readers have to feel it, and we have to believe it.

What is, in your opinion, the key to a great romance in real life?
I’ve only had one real romance – my oh-so-wonderful hubby – so I can only speak from my own experience. He’s my best friend, always there for me, supportive beyond belief, committed to our family, hilariously funny, very, VERY aware of me as his wife. J He constantly gives me compliments I don’t deserve, and I know, without a single shadow of a doubt, that he loves me. No matter what else happens, knowing that makes it okay.

Do you have any tips for readers who are looking to become published authors?
Write what you love. Don’t share you work with anyone until it’s DONE. Don’t give up.

Can you tell us something about yourself that not a lot of your readers know?
Hmmm. I’m artistic. I love to doodle and paint (water colors and acrylics are my faves.) I LOVE being on or near the water, as in a lake, on a boat, tubing or skiing. I write with very loud hard rock music playing. Kid Rock and KORN are faves.

You are constantly writing–do you have any quirks that come out as a result of that?
My mind wanders. You might be talking to me, and I’m off listening to dialogue in my head. It’s sooo rude. I try not to, but… it happens. Movies help. When I’m at the movies I can get engaged in even a mediocre flick, mostly action and horror, but I do see other things.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Starting a book. I love those first few scenes, getting to know the characters. Least favorite part is doing any type of edits. Bleh. I especially detest copy editor remarks. I don’t know why.

Which author inspires you most?
I started writing out of a love of Linda Howard, Catherine Coulter, Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Jayne Ann Krentz… They all inspire me!

Do you think that romances with dangerous elements are more fun to write?
I love writing romances with kick-ass characters. Whether there is real danger or not, I want to know that a character can handle him/herself. Alpha dudes are my favorites. I sort of like the woman-in-distress, guy to rescue theme. But I also enjoy the broken wing hero (emotionally hurt) who needs a strong woman to break past his barriers. Fun, fun.

All of it is fun! Writing is a blast. It’s almost a crime that I get paid to do something I enjoy so very much. J

· A cop’s craving to know more about the woman next door could prove fatal in the steamy new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster. As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking. Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice’s secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire….

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.

Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice’s secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire—and into the line of fire….

WATCH THE TRAILER

BOOK DETAILS:

Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN (April 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373777612
ISBN-13: 978-0373777617

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

THANKS TO VERONICA 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 MAY 20th AT 6PM EST

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WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
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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.

 

Guest Author JADIE JONES showcase and giveaway ENDED

Ever since meeting Jodi, from WOW!, I have had the opportunity of hosting  many talented authors.  Today is no exception.  Jodi is stopping by to introduce us to Ms. Jadie Jones.  Welcome ladies!

JADIE JONES

Young-adult author. Equine professional. Southern gal. Especially fond of family, sunlight, and cookie dough.​​

I wrote my first book in seventh grade, filling one hundred and four pages of a black and white Mead notebook. Back then I lived for two things: horses and R.L. Stine books. Fast forward nearly twenty years, and I work with horses as a coach for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) and hoard books like most women my age collect shoes. Its amazing how much changes… and how much stays the same.

​The dream of publishing a novel has hitch-hiked with me down every other path I’ve taken (and there have been many.) Waitress, farm manager, road manager, bank teller, speech writer, retail, and more. But that need – the call from within to bring pen to paper – refused to quiet. Finally, in 2009, I sat down, pulled out a brand new notebook, and once again let the pictures in my head become words on paper.

​Then I got married. Moved. Life sped up the way that it does, claiming each day faster than the last. I became a mother, and my manuscript reverted to something I would do one day. Thankfully, babies take naps, and there’s only so much daytime television a person can stomach. And Tanzy, that main character of mine, was shouting at me from my office: “Hellooo? We aren’t done yet, Jadie.” So I pulled her out. I read our story. I tore it to pieces. And then I put it back together again.

​As a child, my grandfather would sit me in his lap and weave tales about the Cherokee nation, and a girl who belonged with horses. His words painted a whole new world, and my mind would take flight. My hope – my dream – is that Tanzy’s journey does the same for you.

​Confession time: Jadie Jones is not my name. It’s a pen name I created to honor two fantastic women who didn’t get the chance to live out their professional dreams. First, my grandmother – a mother of four during post World War II America, who wanted to be a journalist so bad that even now when she talks about it, her blue eyes mist and she lifts her chin in silent speculation. And second, a dear friend’s mother who left this world entirely too soon. To Judy Dawn and Shirley Jones, Jadie Jones is for you.
Connect with Jadie at these sites:

http://www.jadiejones.com/ https://www.facebook.com/jadie.jones.5 https://twitter.com/JadieJones1

GUEST POST

I recently returned from a weekend event in New York, where I got to spend a lot of time speaking with Moonlit enthusiasts. Seeing someone’s eyes light up when they ask me about my book is one of my favorite things in the world. Several times, I was asked if any of the characters are based off of anyone I know. My answer always comes as a surprise: Tanzy’s horse Moonlit and the relationship they share was inspired by a horse I had in college named Luna.

Tanzy loses Moonlit to her mother’s grief: in a drunken rage, her mother sells Moonlit to a stranger for one dollar (fun fact: the sale of a horse is only official and legal if there is proof that at least $1 changed hands.) I didn’t lose Luna that way, but I did give her up when I really, really didn’t want to. She had a cancer virus that affects horses, and developed a large tumor (about the size of a grapefruit) above her knee. I spent every dime I had on surgeries, chemotherapy, and a treatment called cryonic freezing. But nothing worked. I was out of money and the vet was out of options. He said she had months to live. So I posted an ad online, seeking help. A couple of weeks later, I gave her away to a woman in Florida who promised she’d do everything she could to save her.

She did. An experimental treatment removed the tumor on Luna’s leg, which was the biggest threat because it had started warping the bone underneath, and a horse can’t live on three legs. She will always carry the virus, but many measures are in place to lessen the chance that new tumors will erupt. Since then, she’s given birth to many babies, most of which quickly earned national titles. Luna herself earned the title “Horse of the Year” several times over.

In retrospect, my journey with Luna, losing her, and the wonderful things that happened because of it had a hand in inspiring the plot of Moonlit in two ways. One, the ripple effect of a single action, and how often times our paths are circular. And two, for better and for worse, nothing comes without a cost.

       

ABOUT THE BOOK

From Amazon:  Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: WiDo Publishing (April 16, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937178331
ISBN-13: 978-1937178338

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO JODI FROM WOW!,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.

PRINT-OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS
or EBOOK-OPEN TO ALL
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 18th AT 6PM EST

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WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
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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.

 

Guest Author TJ COOKE showcase and giveaway ENDED

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:

http://www.tjcooke.com/index.html https://www.facebook.com/tim.cooke.1485 https://twitter.com/timscribe

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.

 

Guest Author DEBRA WEBB showcase and giveaway ENDED

Don’t you just love it when you receive unexpected treasures?  Then you know how I felt when Marissa, from GCP/The Hachette Book Group, thought of me and sent not one, but all 4 of the series.   And when I read the synopsis, I wanted to share with you.  So, grab your coffee, and please help me welcome Ms. Debra Webb to CMash Reads!!

Debra Webb, born in Alabama, wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain—and a five-year stint with NASA—that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has penned nearly 100 novels, including her internationally bestselling Colby Agency series.  Debra’s debut romantic thriller series, Faces of Evil, propelled her to the top of the bestselling charts for an unparalleled twenty-four weeks.

Connect with Ms. Webb at these sites:

www.debrawebb.com https://www.facebook.com/Debra-Webb-Author @DebraWebbAuthor

ABOUT THE BOOK

Debra Webb’s USA TODAY bestselling Faces of Evil suspense series is back with the chilling fourth installment, RAGE.

A woman has been brutally murdered and the scene is one straight out of a Charles Manson playbook. A former profile for the FBI, Jess sees beyond the heinous parlor tricks of a demented killer.

Once again her unorthodox tactics have her colleagues in the Birmingham Police Department at odds with her, especially when the victim’s husband, a decorated detective, becomes the focus of her investigation. When she discovers an unexpected witness in an autistic child, both Jess and the boy become targets of a killer who will stop at nothing to protect an act of rage no one saw coming…

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Forever Mass Market
ISBN-13: 978-1-4555-2764-9
$5.99; April 30, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

THANKS TO MARISSA AT GCP/FOREVER,
I
HAVE ONE (1) SET, 4 BOOKS, TO GIVE AWAY.
      
OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 17th AT 6PM EST

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

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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.

 

Guest Author HALLIE EPHRON

Today I have the honor and opportunity to introduce you to an award-winning author, who is currently on tour with Partners In Crime Tours and has been receiving rave reviews, at the request of William Morrow Books.  A very warm welcome, please, for Ms. Hallie Ephron!!

HALLIE EPHRON

An award-winning mystery reviewer, Hallie Ephron is the author of Never Tell a Lie (a Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist that was also made into the Lifetime Movie Network film And Baby Will Fall) and the Edgar- and Anthony Award-nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery.
Ephron lives near Boston.
Connect with Ms. Ephron at these sites:

http://hallieephron.com/ FACEBOOK https://twitter.com/wmmorrowbks

ABOUT THE BOOK

There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is a compelling novel of psychological suspense in which a young woman becomes entangled in a terrifying web of deception and madness involving an elderly neighbor.

When Evie Ferrante learns that her mother has been hospitalized, she finds her mother’s house in chaos. Sorting through her mother’s belongings, Evie discovers objects that don’t quite belong there, and begins to raise questions.

Evie renews a friendship with Mina, an elderly neighbor who might know more about her mother’s recent activities, but Mina is having her own set of problems: Her nephew Brian is trying to persuade her to move to a senior care community. As Evie investigates her mother’s actions, a darker story of deception and madness involving Mina emerges.

In There Was an Old Woman, award-winning mystery author Hallie Ephron delivers another work of domestic noir with truly unforgettable characters that will keep you riveted.

READ AN EXCERPT

Mina Yetner sat in her living room, inspecting the death notices in the Daily News. She got through two full columns before she found someone older than herself. Mina blew on her tea, took a sip, and settled into her comfortable wing chair. In the next column, nestled among dearly departed strangers, she found Angela Quintanilla, a neighbor who lived a few blocks away.

Angela had apparently died two days ago at just seventy-three. After a “courageous battle.” Probably lung cancer. When Mina had last run into Angela in the church parking lot, she’d been puffing away on a cigarette, so bone thin and jittery that it was a miracle she hadn’t shaken right out of her own skin. Mina leaned forward and pulled from the drawer in her coffee table a pen and the spiral notebook that she’d bought years ago up the street at Sparkles Variety. A week after her Henry died, she’d started recording the names of the people she knew who’d taken their leave, beginning with her grandmother, who was the first dead person she’d known. Now four pages of the notebook were filled. Most of the names conjured a memory. A face. Sometimes a voice. Sometimes nothing—those especially upset her. Forgetting and being forgotten terrified Mina almost more than death.

Mina found lists calming, even this one. These days she couldn’t live without them. Some mornings she’d pick up her toothbrush to brush her teeth and realize it was already wet. She kept her Lipitor
in a little plastic pillbox with compartments for each day of the week, though sometimes she had to check the newspaper to be sure what day it was.

Now she started a new page in the notebook. At the top she wrote the number 151, Angela’s name, and the date, then she opened the drawer to tuck the notebook back in. There, in the bottom of the
drawer, were her sister Annabelle’s glasses. Mina picked them up.

The narrow white plastic frames had seemed so avant-garde back in the 1960s when Annabelle had decided she needed a new look. She’d worn them every day since. It was probably time—good
heavens, past time—to throw them away, along with Annabelle’s long nightgowns, flowered cotton with lovely lace collars that she used to order from the Nordstrom catalog. Mina preferred short gowns that didn’t get all twisted around her legs when she turned in her sleep.

It was odd, the things one could and couldn’t throw away. She’d kept Henry’s New York Yankees cap, the one he’d worn to Game 5 of the 1956 World Series when Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in Yankee Stadium, and she wasn’t even a baseball fan.

And then there were the things you had no choice but to carry with you. She touched the side of her face, feeling the scar, raised numb flesh that started at her cheekbone and ran down the side of
her neck, across her shoulder blade, and down into the small of her back. Mina tucked Annabelle’s glasses back into the drawer along with her catalog of the dead. She picked up her cane and stood carefully.

What she really didn’t need was to fall again. She already had one titanium hip, and she had no intention of going for a pair. She knew too many people who went into a hospital for a so-called
routine procedure and came out dead.

She carried her tea outside to the narrow covered porch that stretched across the back of the house. After an icy, miserable winter and a soggy spring, it was finally warm and dry enough to sit outside. Her unreplaced hip ached, and the old porch glider screeched an appropriate accompaniment as Mina settled into the flowered cotton cushions she’d sewn herself. She took off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose, and the world around her turned to a blur. She was legally blind without her glasses, but she’d been secretly relieved when the doctor told her she was far too myopic for that laser surgery everyone talked about.

“Oh, shush up,” she said when Ivory gave a plaintive mew from inside the storm door. “You know you’re not allowed out here.”

She put her glasses back on, and the porch and the marsh beyond snapped into focus. Mina rocked gently, taking in the view from Higgs Point, across the East River and Long Island Sound, and on to the Manhattan skyline. As a little girl, she’d watched from this same spot behind the house where she’d lived all her life as, one after the other, Manhattan’s skyscrapers had gone up. When the Chrysler Building poked its needle nose into the sky, she’d imagined that her bedroom was in the topmost floor of its glittering tiara. Then up went the Empire State, taller and without all that frippery at the top. It had been a dream come true when Mina, single “still” (as her mother so
often reminded her) and just out of school, got her first job there. Mina remembered wearing a straight skirt with a kick pleat, a peplum jacket, a crisp white collared shirt, and a broad-brimmed
lady’s fedora that dipped down in the front and back, thinking that was all it took to make her look exactly like Ingrid Bergman. Movies, the war, and where you could find cheap booze were all anyone talked about in those days.

Two years later, the dream turned into a nightmare. For years after, the roar of an airplane engine brought the memory back, full force, and yet there she had been living and there she remained, right in the flight path of LaGuardia Airport. It was only after the long days of even more terrifying silence after 9/11 that the waves of sound as airplanes took off, one after the other, had become reassuring. All is well, all is well, all is well.

Right now, what she heard was a buzz that turned into a whine, too high pitched to be an airplane. Probably Frank Cutler, her across-the-street neighbor. Installing marble countertops or a hot tub. Making a silk purse or . . . what was it they called it these days? Putting lipstick on a pig.

At least he wasn’t rooting around in her trash or practicing his golf swing again. The last time she’d asked him to please, please stop using her marsh as his own personal driving range, he’d grinned at her like she’d cracked a particularly funny joke.

“Your marsh?” he’d said. Then added something under his breath. And when she politely asked him to repeat what he’d said, he told her to turn up her hearing aid. Ha, ha, ha. Mina’s eyesight might be fading, but her hearing was as sharp as it had ever been. The buzz grew louder. Perhaps he was using a band saw. When he got around to adding dormers to the second floor, maybe he’d find the front tooth she’d lost playing under the eaves with Linda McGilvery when they were five years old. Linda, who’d been fat and not all that bright but awfully sweet, and who’d died of leukemia, what, at least forty years ago, though it still seemed impossible to Mina that she could remember so clearly something that happened so long ago. Insidious disease. Mina had been a bridesmaid at Linda’s wedding. Awful dress—The sound morphed into a whinny, and then into whap-whap-whap, yanking Mina from a billow of pink organza. It was a siren, not a saw. And it was growing louder until she knew it had to be right there in her neighborhood. On her street.

As Mina hurried off the porch and up the driveway, the sound cut off. An ambulance was stopped in front of the house next door, its lights flashing a mute beacon. Sandra Ferrante lived in that house,
alone for the past ten years since her daughters moved out. Two dark-suited EMTs jumped out of the ambulance and hurried across grass that hadn’t been mowed in months, pushing their way past front bushes that reached the decaying gutters and nearly met across the front door.

A third EMT—a man in a dark uniform who nodded her way—opened the back doors of the ambulance, unloaded a stretcher, and wheeled it up to the house. Had the poor woman finally managed to kill herself? Because as sure as eggs is eggs, drinking like that was slow suicide.

Mina stood there, hand to her throat, waiting. Remembering the ambulance that had arrived too late for her Henry. It didn’t seem possible that that had been thirty years ago. He’d died in his sleep. By
the time she’d realized anything was wrong, he was stone cold. Still, she’d called frantically for help, as if the medics who arrived could restart him like a car battery. A massive pulmonary embolism, the doctors later told her. Even if he’d suffered it at the hospital, they said, he wouldn’t have survived. That was supposed to make her feel better. Finally Sandra Ferrante was wheeled out. A yellow blanket was mounded over her. Mina found herself drifting closer, trying to overhear.
Was she alive? Coherent?

Sandra lifted her head and looked right at Mina. She raised her hand and signaled to her. Asked the EMT to wait while Mina made her way over.

Up close now, Mina could see that the whites of her neighbor’s watery eyes were tinged yellow, and she could smell the sour tang of sweat and urine mixed with cigarette smoke.

“Please, call Ginger,” Sandra said. Ginger? Then Mina remembered. Ginger was one of the daughters.

Sandra grasped Mina’s hand. Mina gasped. Arthritis made her fingers tender.

“Six four six, one . . .”

Too late, Mina realized Sandra was whispering a phone number. Mina tried to repeat the numbers back, but they wouldn’t stick. The EMT pulled out a notebook, wrote the numbers down, tore out the
page, and handed it to Mina. She’d also written Bx Met Hosp and underlined it. Bronx Metropolitan Hospital.

“Please, tell Ginger,” Sandra said, pulling Mina close. “Don’t let him in until I’m gone.”

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Mystery
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Number of Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780062117601

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

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

Follow the Tour:

April 1 Review by Kelly @ Kelly’s Lucky You
April 2 Review by Heather @ SavingFor6
April 3 Review by Nicole @ bless their hearts mom
April 4 Review by Kriss @ Cabin Goddess
April 5 Review by Mary @ Mary’s Cup of Tea
April 8 Review by Kathleen @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
April 9 Review by Teena @ Teena in Toronto
April 10 Review by Melissa @ Must Read Faster
April 11 Review by Vicky @ Deal Sharing Aunt
April 13 Showcase @ HottBooks
April 15 Review by Kristin @ Kritters Ramblings
April 16 Review by Melina @ Melina’s Book Blog
April 17 Review by Frishawn @ WTF Are You Reading?
April 18 Review by Sandie @ Booksie’s Blog
April 19 Showcase @ Omnimystery
April 20 Review by Tammy @ The Self Taught Cook
April 21 Review by Linda @ Bookvisions
April 23 Review by Kathleen @ Celticlady’s Reviews
April 24 Showcase @ CMash Reads
April 25 Review by @ Views from the Countryside
April 26 Review by Mason @ Thoughts in Progress
April 30 Review by Amy @ The Crafty Book Nerd
April 30 Review by Fenny @ HotchpotchBlog

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.

Guest Author Kelly Meding

Don’t you enjoy finding out about “new to you” authors?  Well…..Stephanie, from Simon & Schuster, is back again today so that she can introduce us to another author.  Welcome Ms. Kelly Meding !!

 

NAME

A native of the Delaware seashore, Kelly Meding lives in Maryland, with a neurotic cat that occasionally meows at ghosts. After discovering Freddy Krueger at a very young age, Kelly began a lifelong obsession with horror, science fiction, and fantasy, on which she blames her interest in vampires, psychic powers, superheroes, and all things paranormal. When not writing, she can be found crafting jewelry, enjoying a good cup of coffee, or scouring the Internet for gossip on her favorite television shows.
Connect with Kelly at these sites:

http://kellymeding.com/wordpress/?p=3 https://twitter.com/KellyMeding

GUEST POST

Thank you so much for having me here to chat about my new release, TEMPEST, and the evolving dynamics of villains.

TEMPEST is the third book in my MetaWars series with Pocket Star.  The books are set in a world where superheroes are real.  Meta-powered humans once brought the United States to the brink of disaster with their battles, and they killed each other to near-extinction.  During the final deciding battle, the remaining heroes and villains suddenly lose their super-powers.  The villains are locked up on ManhattanIsland, which is turned into a giant prison.  The surviving heroes, however, are all children between the ages of ten and fifteen.  These confused, orphaned kids are put in foster homes.

Fast-forward fifteen years, and the now-adult former heroes-in-training receive their powers back as suddenly as they lost them.  The imprisoned villains (called Banes) receive theirs back, as well, and one of the questions these former bad guys have to consider is: do we break out and go back to being bad, or do we stay put and allow the authorities to deal with us?

The first book in the series, TRANCE, chronicles how the survivors band back together to stop an old enemy intent on murdering them all.  Banes are viewed as threats, period.  This is all Teresa and her five fellow heroes know them as.  The Banes killed their parents and mentors.  They caused havoc around the country.  This view holds fast until the end of the novel, when one Bane lends a hand, and Teresa begins to wonder if some of the Banes have truly reformed.  This confusion leads to conflict within the group, especially from Renee and Ethan, who have very strong and personal reasons for hating the Banes.

In the second book, CHANGELING, the Banes are less present, because a different enemy is attacking Teresa and her team.  This enemy comes from an unexpected direction, and they aren’t Meta at all.  It gives Teresa more to consider about Meta unity, and the possibility of all Metas uniting against this new, equally super-powered threat.

This possibility of change was one of the big building blocks of TEMPEST.  I used this book to really explore the hero/villain dynamic of the MetaWars world.  The book’s narrator, Ethan “Tempest” Swift, can manipulate the air.  He uses it to fly, to create manageable cyclones, and can make a targeted wind drill to blast holes in solid rock.  And at the start of the book he’s keeping two big secrets from his teammates–one of which is the fact that his father is one of the Banes imprisoned in Manhattan.  And he’s the same Bane who murdered Ethan’s mother.

When Teresa asks for volunteers to go into Manhattan and search for some missing prisoners, Ethan jumps at the chance to get onto the island and confront the man he knows only as Jinx.  Having this conflict in place gave me a chance, as an author, to explore family dynamics, and the notion of what makes a man a “villain.”  Is it only his deeds, or is it what he also holds in his heart?  Jinx is more than his label as a bad guy, and Ethan is confronted with these layers head-on as he gets to know other Bane prisoners.

Villains are most dynamic when they are more than just their dastardly deeds.  The HBO series “Oz” is probably one of the best examples of hero/villain dynamics out there.  The good guys do bad things.  The bad guys might not be as bad as you think.  A character you sympathize with at the start becomes an irredeemable scumbag by episode ten.  I absolutely love this series, and I highly recommend it (if you don’t mind a lot of f-bombs being dropped on you).

ABOUT THE BOOK

The third novel in Meding’s MetaWars series focuses on an X-Men-like group of young people with superpowers who must find a way to work together when the public doesn’t trust them and the government wants to control them. When Ethan “Tempest” Swift accepts an assignment in Manhattan, the island suffers an unexpected assault. Forced to side with old enemies to uncover who’s responsible, Ethan begins to question his place in defending a world that sees him as its enemy. Charlaine Harris, author of the True Blood books, called the first book in the series “a fast-paced adventure that rocks along to a very tense climax.”

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Pocket Star (April 22, 2013)
Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
Language: English
ASIN: B0092PY5WS

PURCHASE LINKS:

S&S

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.

Guest Author Jesse Peterson

Stephanie, from Simon & Schuster, is stopping by, to introduce us all to one of their authors who is presently on tour.  So without further ado, Ms. Jesse Petersen!

JESSE PETERSEN

Jesse Petersen grew up a geek in love with Star Wars, video games (King’s Quest, anyone?), books of all kinds, and even the occasional RPG. Eventually she grew up, at least in body, but she still loves anything with whimsy, and her books reflect that. Whether it’s funny zombies or monsters in group therapy, you’ll find books that mix giggles with gore.
Connect with Jesse at these sites:

http://www.jessepetersen.net/ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessePetersen https://twitter.com/jessepet

ABOUT THE BOOK

A quirky and funny urban fantasy e-novella about a support group for the legendary monsters we all know and love. Led by Natalie, one of Frankenstein’s creations, the monsters—including Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, the wolfman and a mummy—meet regularly in NYC to discuss living unknown, and the pressures of staying anonymous in the modern world.  When the Invisible Man is killed in a manner eerily reminiscent of how H.G. Well’s Invisible Man meets his demise, the group bands together for both security and sleuthing. Lighthearted, accessible, and humorous, CLUB MONSTROSITY is a unique and modern twist on the legendary monsters of everyone’s childhood.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Pocket Star (April 29, 2013)
Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
Language: English
ASIN: B008X6R6OG

PURCHASE LINKS:

S&S

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 an IndieBound affiliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.