Guest Author, Showcase, Simon & Schuster

Guest Author Kelly Meding

CMash April 23, 2013 1 Comment

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:

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:

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, Showcase, Simon & Schuster

Guest Author Jesse Peterson

CMash April 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

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:

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:

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.

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

Guest Author ANDREW GROSS

CMash April 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

I hope you are sitting down because we have a very special guest here today and I’m sure you will be staying awhile. It is with great pleasure to introduce, Mr. Andrew Gross!!! Welcome!!

ANDREW GROSS

Andrew Gross is the author of the New York Times and international bestsellers 15SECONDS, EYES WIDE OPEN,THE BLUE ZONE, THE DARK TIDE, DON’T LOOK TWICE, and RECKLESS. He is also coauthor of five number one bestsellers with James Patterson, including JUDGE & JURYand LIFEGUARD. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. He lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife, Lynn.

Connect with Andrew Gross at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner from Andrew Gross, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds and The Blue Zone. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence.

A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom–and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.

A fast-paced, riveting tale with strong, compelling characters, No Way Back is an edge-of-your-seat read with nonstop action and a complex mystery.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Fiction/Thriller
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: 4/2/203
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 978006165982

PURCHASE LINKS:

Read an excerpt:

He was handsome.

Not that I was really checking anyone out, or that I even looked at guys in that way anymore—married going on ten years now, and
Neil, my youngest, my stepson actually, just off to college. I glanced away, pretending I hadn’t even noticed him. Especially in a bar by myself, no matter how stylish this one was. But in truth I guess I had.

Noticed him. Just a little. Out of the corner of my eye . . .

Longish black hair and kind of dark, smoky eyes. A white V-neck T-shirt under a stylish blazer. Late thirties maybe, around my age, but seemed younger. I would’ve chalked him up as being just a shade too cool—too cool for my type anyway—if it wasn’t that something about him just seemed, I don’t know . . . natural. He sat down a few seats from me at the bar and ordered a Belvedere on the rocks, never looking my way. His watch was a rose-gold chronometer and looked expensive. When he finally did turn my way, shifting his stool to listen to the jazz pianist, his smile was pleasant, not too forward, just enough to acknowledge that there were three empty seats between us, and seemed to say nothing more than How are you tonight? Actually the guy was pretty damn hot!

Truth was, it had been years since I’d been at a bar by myself at night, other than maybe waiting for a girlfriend to come back from the ladies’ room as part of a gals’ night out. And the only reason I even happened to be here was that I’d been in the city all day at this self-publishing seminar, a day after Dave and I had about the biggest fight of our married lives. Which had started out as nothing, of course, as these things usually did: whether or not you had to salt the steaks so heavily—twice, in fact—before putting them on the grill—he having read about it in Food & Wine magazine or something—which somehow managed to morph into how I felt he was always spoiling the kids, who were from Dave’s first marriage:
Amy, who was in Barcelona on her junior year abroad, and Neil, who had taken his car with him as a freshman up at Bates. Which
was actually all just a kind of code, I now realized, for some issues I had with his ex-wife, Joanie. How I felt she was always belittling me; always putting out there that she was the kids’ mother, even though I’d pretty much raised them since they were in grade school, and how I always felt Dave never fully supported me on this.

“She is their mother!” Dave said, pushing away from the table. “Maybe you should just butt out on this, Wendy. Maybe you just
should.”

Then we both said some things I’m sure we regretted.

The rest of the night we barely exchanged a word—Dave shutting himself in the TV room with a hockey game, and me hiding out
in the bedroom with my book. In the morning he was in his car at the crack of dawn, and I had my seminar in New York. We hadn’t
spoken a word all day, which was rare, so I asked my buddy Pam to meet me for a drink and maybe something to eat, just to talk it all through before heading home.

Home was about the last place I wanted to be right now. And here it was, ten after seven, and Pam was texting me that she
was running twenty min late: the usual kid crisis—meaning Steve, her hedge-fund-honcho husband, still hadn’t left the office as promised, and her nanny was with April at dance practice . . .

And me, at the Hotel Kitano bar, a couple of blocks from Grand Central. Taking in the last, relaxing sips of a Patrón Gold
margarita—another thing I rarely did!—one eye on the TV screen above me, which had a muted baseball game or something on, the other doing its best to avoid the eye of Mr. Cutie at the end of the bar. Maybe not looking my 100 percent, knockout best—I mean,
it was just a self-publishing seminar and all—but still not exactly half-bad in an orange cashmere sweater, a black leather skirt, my Prada boots, and my wavy, dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Looking decently toned from the hot-yoga classes I’d been taking, texting back to Pam with a mischievous smile: Better hurry. V. sexy guy @ bar and think he’s abt to make contact. *grin* And giggling inside when she wrote me back: Hands off, hon! Ordered him esp for me!

Then better get your ass here pronto 🙂 I texted back. “Yanks or Red Sox?” I heard someone say.

“Sorry?” I looked up and it was you know who, who definitely had to be Bradley Cooper’s dreamy first cousin or something. Or at
least that’s what the sudden acceleration in my heart rate was telling me.

“Yanks or Red Sox? I see you’re keeping tabs on the game.”

“Oh. Yanks, of course,” I said, a glance to the screen. “Born and bred. South Shore.”

“Sox.” He shrugged apologetically. “South Boston. Okay, Brookline,” he said with a smile, “if you force it out of me.”

I smiled back. He was pretty cute. “Actually I wasn’t even watching. Just waiting for a friend.” I figured I might as well cut this off now. No point in leading him on.

“No worries.” He smiled politely. Like he’s even interested, right? “Who happens to be twenty minutes late!” I blurted, thinking I might have sounded just a bit harsh a moment ago.

“Well, traffic’s nuts out there tonight. Someone must be in town. Is he coming in from anywhere?”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “Park and Sixty-Third!” Then I heard myself add, not sure exactly why, “And it’s a she. Old college friend. Girls’ night out.”

He lifted his drink to me, and his dark eyes smiled gently. “Well, here’s to gridlock, then.”

Mr. Cutie and I shifted around and listened to the pianist. The bar was apparently known for its jazz. It was like the famous lounge at the Carlyle, only in midtown, which was why Pam had chosen it— close to both her place and Grand Central, for me to catch my train. “She’s actually pretty good!” I said, suddenly not minding the thought of Pam stuck in a cab somewhere, at least for a while. Not to mention forgetting my husband, who, for a moment, was a million miles away.

“Donna St. James. She’s one of the best. She used to sing with George Benson and the Marsalis brothers.”

“Oh,” I said. Everyone in the lounge seemed to be clued in to this. “It’s why I stay here when I’m in town. Some of the top names in the business just drop in unannounced. Last time I was here, Sarah Jewel got up and sang.”

“Sarah Jewel?”

“She used to record with Basie back in the day.” He pointed to a stylishly dressed black woman and an older white man at one of the round tables. “That’s Rosie Miller. She used to record with Miles Davis. Maybe she’ll get up later.”

“You’re in the business?” I asked. I mean, he did kind of look the part.

“No. Play a little though. Just for fun. My dad was actually an arranger back in the seventies and eighties. He . . . anyway, I don’t want to bore you with all that,” he said, shrugging and stirring his drink.

I took a sip of mine and caught his gaze. “You’re not boring me at all.”

A couple came in and went to take the two seats that were in between us, so Mr. Cutie picked up his drink and slid deftly around
them, and asked, motioning to the seat next to me, “Do you mind?”

Truth was, I didn’t. I was actually kind of enjoying it. And I did have a rescue plan, if necessary. I checked the time: 7:25. Wherever the hell Pam was!

“So this friend of yours,” he asked with a coy half smile, “is she real or imaginary? Because if she’s imaginary, not to worry. I have several imaginary friends of my own back in Boston. We could set them up.”

“Oh, that would be nice.” I laughed. “But I’m afraid she’s quite real. At least she was this summer. She and her husband were in Spain with me and my . . .”

I was about to say my husband, of course, but something held me back. Though by this time I assumed he had taken note of the ring
on my finger. Still, I couldn’t deny this was fun, sitting there with an attractive man who was paying me a little attention, still reeling from my argument with Dave.

Then he said, “I suspect there’s probably an imaginary husband back at home as well . . .”

“Right now”—I rolled my eyes and replied in a tone that was just a little digging—“I’m kind of wishing he was imaginary!” Then
I shook my head. “That wasn’t nice. Tequila talking. We just had a little row last night. Subject for tonight with friend.”

“Ah. Sorry to hear. Just a newlywed spat, I’m sure,” he said, teasing. This time I was sure he was flirting.

“Yeah, right.” I chortled at the flattery. “Going on ten years.”

“Wow!” His eyes brightened in a way that I could only call admiring. “Well, I hope it’s okay if I say you surely don’t look it! I’m Curtis, by the way.”

I hesitated, thinking maybe I’d let things advance just a bit too far. Though I had to admit I wasn’t exactly minding it. And maybe in a way I was saying to my husband, So see, David, there are consequences to being a big, fat jerk!

“Wendy,” I said back. We shook hands. “But it sure would be nice to know where the hell Pam is. She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.” I checked the time on my phone.

“Would it be all right if I order up another of whatever you’re drinking?” He raised his palms defensively. “Purely for the imaginary friend, of course . . .”

“Of course,” I said, playing along. “But no. One more of these and I’ll be up at that piano myself! And trust me, I wasn’t playing with anyone in the eighties . . . Anyway”—I shrugged, deadpan— “she only drinks imaginary vodka.”

Curtis grinned. “I’m acquainted with the bartender. Let me see what I can do.”

My iPhone vibrated. Pam, I was sure, announcing she was pulling up to the hotel now and for me to get a dirty martini going for
her. But instead it read: Wend, I’m so sorry. Just can’t make it tonite. What can I say . . . ? I know u need to talk. Tomorrow work? Tomorrow? Tomorrow didn’t work. I was here. Now. And she was right, I did need to talk. And the last place I wanted to be right now was home. Will call, I wrote back, a little annoyed. I put down the phone. My eyes inevitably fell on Curtis’s. I’d already missed the 7:39.

“Sure, why don’t we do just that?” I nodded about that drink. I’m not sure exactly what made me stay.

Maybe I was still feeling vulnerable from my fight with Dave. Or even a little annoyed at Pam, who had a habit of bagging out when I needed her most. I suppose you could toss in just a bit of undeniable interest in the present company.

Whatever it was, I did.

Knowing Dave was out for the night on business and that it was all just harmless anyway helped as well. And that there was a train every half hour. I could leave anytime I wanted.

We chatted some more, and Curtis said he was a freelance journalist here in town on a story. And I chuckled and told him that I was kind of in the same game too. That I’d actually worked for the Nassau County police in my twenties before going to law school for a year—having signed up after 9/11, after my brother, a NYPD cop himself, was killed—though I was forced to resign after a twelveyear-old boy was killed in a wrongful-death judgment. And that I’d written this novel about my experience, which was actually why I’d been in the city today at a self-publishing conference. That I’d been having a tough time getting it looked at by anyone, and that it likely wasn’t very good anyway.

“Care to read it?” I asked. I tapped the tote bag from my publishing conference. “Been lugging it around all day.”

“I would,” Curtis said, “but I’m afraid it’s not exactly my field.”

“Just joking,” I said. “So what is your field?”

He shrugged. “I’m a bit more into current events.”

I was about to follow up on that when the pianist finished her set. The crowded room gave her a warm round of applause. She got
up and came over to the end of the bar, ordered a Perrier, and to my surprise, when it arrived, lifted it toward Curtis. “All warmed up, sugar.”

Curtis stood up. I looked at him wide-eyed. He shot me a slightly apologetic grin. “I did mention that I played . . .”

“You said a bit, for fun,” I replied.

“Well, you’ll be the judge. Look, I know you have a train to
catch, and I don’t know if you’ll be around when I’m done”—he put
out his hand—“but it was fun to chat with you, if you have to leave.”

“I probably should,” I said, glancing at the time. “It was nice to talk to you as well.”

“And best of luck,” he said, pointing as he backed away, “with that imaginary friend of yours.”

“Right! I’ll be sure to tell her!” I laughed.

He sat down at the piano, and I swiveled around, figuring I’d stick around a couple of minutes to hear how he played. But from the opening chords that rose magically from his fingers, just warming up, it was clear it was me he was playing when he coyly said he only played “a little.”

I was dumbstruck, completely wowed. The guy was a ten! He wasn’t just a dream to look at, and charming too—he played like he was totally at one with the instrument. He had the ease and polish of someone who clearly had been doing this from an early age.
His fingers danced across the keyboard and the sounds rose as if on a cloud, then drifted back to earth as something beautiful. It had been a long time since goose bumps went down my arms over a guy.

Donna St. James leaned over. “You ever hear him before, honey?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“His father arranged a bunch of us back in the day. Sit back. You’re in for a treat.”

I did.

The first thing he played was this sumptuous, bluesy rendition of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and the handful of
customers who were paying their checks, preparing to leave, started listening. Even the bartender was listening. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Whatever my definition of sexy had been an hour ago, forget it—he was definitely rewriting it for me now.

I didn’t leave.

I just sat there, slowly nursing my margarita, growing more and more intoxicated, but not by the drink. By the time he segued into a sultry version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” it was as if his soul had risen from that keyboard and knotted itself with mine.

Our eyes came together a couple of times, my smile communicating, Okay, so I’m impressed . . . The twinkle in his eye simply saying he was happy I was still there.

By the time he finished up with Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” goose bumps were dancing up and down my arms with the
rise and fall of his fingers along the keys. With a couple of margaritas in me—and fifteen years from the last time anyone looked at me quite that way—the little, cautioning voice that only a few minutes back was going, Wendy, this is crazy, you don’t do this kind of thing, had gone completely silent.

And when our eyes seemed to touch after his final note and didn’t separate, not for a while, I knew, sure as I knew my own name, that I was about to do something I could never have imagined when I walked into the place an hour before. Something I’d never, ever done before.

Tour Stops

Don’t forget to visit because many of these stop have a book to give away!

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.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Page Turner Book Tours, Showcase

Guest Author Dan Wright

CMash April 18, 2013 4 Comments

Today, my friend Kate, from Page Turner Book Tours and Read 2 Review is stopping by to introduce us all to today’s guest. I ask for your help in giving them a warm welcome to CMash Reads! Welcome author, Mr. Dan Wright!!

DAN WRIGHT

Dan lives in the UK, his hometown being Canterbury, Kent. A huge fan of both Fantasy and Manga, he has a style that combines both within his writing, which lets him tell stories that are both dramatic and tongue-in-cheek at the same time.

Dan also runs his own website, blog and even a wiki page that goes into detail of the world of Draconica. He is also a reviewer for the website Read2Review and also reviews books independently on his own website.

Authors who have inspired Dan are Douglas Adams, J.R.R Tolkien, Harlan Ellison, Alan Moore, Joss Whedon, H.P Lovecraft, George R.R Martin and Hiromu Arakawa.

Connect with Dan at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Benji Dragonkin aspires to be a hero, just like his mother – Queen Daniar Dragonkin. He wants to become a famous warrior so that he can save the day – and win the heart of his long time friend, Lydia Taurok. But with his mother being overly protective of him, and a dark side to his father that threatens to tear their family apart, Benji has a long way to go just yet.

Zarracka Dragonkin, still a prisoner of Daniar, plots her revenge against her sister – and Benji may just be the key to her victory.

And in the land of Drewghaven, the Kthonian Knights arise once more, determined to once again bring forth their revenge against the men of the world. Their leader, Jihadain, seeks to settle old scores with Daniar – and break her spirit in the process.

With villains gathering and allies faltering, Benji sees this as a chance to prove himself a true warrior. But even more harrowing is a warning that his mother receives, forshadowing a greater evil:

“She is coming…”

BOOK DETAILS:

Print Length: 311 pages
Publisher: Pandragon Publishing; 2 edition (February 22, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00BK848K4

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO KATE AT PAGE TURNER BOOK TOURS,
A TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN ORGANIZED.

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 25th

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
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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.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase, The Cadence Group, The Cadence Group

Guest Author Dr. Ismael Nuño showcase and giveaway ENDED

CMash April 16, 2013 10 Comments

I think you are really going to enjoy today’s guest. Rebecca, from The Cadence Group is stopping by with the esteemed cardiac surgeon and author, Dr. Ismael Nuño!! Let’s give him a very warm welcome to our group!

Dr. Ismael Nuño

Dr. Nuño was born in Mexico. He received his MD in 1976. He received training in General Surgery and subsequently in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Nuño was in the Army for a period of ten Years. He was Deputy commander for 5^th Mash during the Gulf War. The last 15 years of his career were as Chief of Cardiac Surgery at LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He is now retired and lives in Marina del Rey, California.
Connect with Dr. Nuño at his website here.

GUEST POST

What I learned from writing a book

The process of writing a book is not only dynamic but very insightful as well. The opinion of the author is changed multiple times as his or her opinion changes depending on what he wants the perception of his reader to be. I chose multiple short stories for the reader to be quickly moved by the topic that I was developing for them. The introduction deals with my giving CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) to my older sister at 35 thousand feet while flying from Los Angeles to Paris. In the chapter Catharine, I describe how my 18 year old daughter succumbs to Anorexia Nervosa after four years, and because of changes in her heart from the anorexia, I found her one morning, lifeless, no breaths, no pulses and I had to give her CPR. I remember that terrible morning when I found her how I did not know what to do first, Begin CPR or call the paramedics. Each had a sequence and each had an implication. If I call first the paramedics on 911 I will get help but it will keep me from beginning the resuscitation. If I give her CPR, I delay help from getting to her. Now it is a simple sequence that I would choose, at that moment, it was an eternity and the implication was that no matter what I did, would carry consequences from that point on.

My opinions about my chapters are now different in how I perceive them. As I lived moments when I saved someone’s life or lost it, I had a quick opinion about them. I did not stop to ponder all of the implications about each accomplishment or loss. Now I do. I find in retrospect, honor, and respect about each life that I was able to keep. I celebrate life now. I remember and honor death. I am able to mix all of those emotions with the honor and respect I have for my family as well. Of all of the times I missed my children’s birthday parties, I can now stop and honor each one of them. Perhaps not to my children’s satisfaction but I can justify what I did and why I did it.

My thoughts are dynamic. My emotions are varied and my respect is solid. I matured and developed sophistication as I wrote each chapter. Each chapter was written with a purpose. Each chapter was given a legacy, and a place in time. History will chronologically put it in its proper place.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Borrowed from Amazon:
As one of America’s former leading cardiac surgeons, Dr. Nuño healed patients’ hearts. Fixing “broken” hearts gave him a unique and intimate view into the power of the heart. Even coming face to face with death and losing patients, there is a beauty that can exist even in loss. The Spirit of the Heart is a collection of heart-warming stories that resonate at the core of our humanness. He graciously offers the insights he has gained from occupying a front-row seat at some of life’s most real and raw moments. These tender stories teach us about what it means to be human, to be connected to others, to love, to live, to forgive.

BOOK DETAILS:

Hardcover: 202 pages
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing (October 12, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0985906103
ISBN-13: 978-0985906108

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO REBECCA AT THE CADENCE GROUP,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

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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.

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

Guest Author COURTNEY COLE showcase and giveaway ENDED

CMash April 15, 2013 8 Comments

Our friend Marissa, from Grand Central Publishing/Forever, has another treat for us today. She is stopping by to introduce us to another amazing bestselling author, Ms. Courtney Cole. Welcome to CMash Reads.

COURTNEY COLE

Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family. She’s always working on her next project…or staring dreamily out her office window.

Connect with Courtney at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn’t understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn’t there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her¿but he quickly realizes that he’d better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother’s death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issuesand stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay?

BOOK DETAILS:

ISBN: 9781455578283
Published by: None
Genre: FICTION
Published on: April 30, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO MARISSA AT FOREVER/GCP,
I HAVE FIVE (5) EBOOKS TO GIVE AWAY

OPEN TO ALL

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 29th 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

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YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
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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, Partners In Crime Tours, Partners In Crime Tours, Showcase

Guest Author Merry Jones

CMash April 14, 2013 Leave a Comment

This is going to be a busy week here at CMash Reads!! Are you ready? And today I have the honor to introduce you to a very special guest. She is currently on a VBT, and receiving rave reviews. So without further ado, Ms. Merry Jones!!!

MERRY JONES

Merry Jones is the author of THE suspense novel THE TROUBLE WITH CHARLIE, as well as the Harper Jennings thrillers (WINTER BREAK, BEHIND THE WALLS, SUMMER SESSION),and the Zoe Hayes mysteries (THE BORROWED AND BLUE MURDERS, THE DEADLY NEIGHBORS, THE RIVER KILLINGS, THE NANNY MURDERS).

Jones has also written humor (including I LOVE HIM, BUT…) and non-fiction (including BIRTHMOTHERS: Women who relinquished babies for adoption tell their stories.)

Jones has a regular contributor to GLAMOUR, and her work has been printed in seven languages and numerous magazines. Her short story, BLISS, appears in the anthology LIAR LIAR, a project of the Philadelphia Liars Club.

In addition to the Liars, Jones is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Authors Guild and International Thriller Writers.

For the last fifteen years, she has taught writing courses at a variety of institutions, including Temple University and Delaware County Community College. She has appeared on radio and television (local and national), and participates in panel discussions and workshops regularly.
Connect with Ms. Jones:

SYNOPSIS:

The biggest trouble with Charlie is that he’s dead. His soon-to-be-ex-wife, Elle Harrison, comes home from a night out with friends to find his body in her den, her kitchen knife in his back. And, oddly, Elle has no memory of her activities during the time he was killed.

Another trouble with Charlie is that, even though he’s dead, he doesn’t seem to be gone. Elle senses Charlie’s presence–a gentle kiss on the neck, the scent of his aftershave wafting through the house, a rose that seems to move from room to room on its own. And a shadow that appears to accuse her of murder–and with whom she argues.

In the process of trying to prove her innocence, Elle investigates Charlie’s death–and his life. A psychiatrist diagnoses her with a dissociative disorder that causes her to “space out” especially when she’s under stress. This might explain the gap in her memory, but it doesn’t clear her.

As Elle continues to look into Charlie’s life, she uncovers more and more trouble–an obsessed woman who might have been his lover. Siblings with unresolved bitter issues. A slimy untrustworthy business partner. And wealthy clients with twisted, horrific appetites.

Before she knows it, Elle is involved in more murders, a struggle for her life, and a revived relationship with Charlie, whom–for all his troubles–she has come to appreciate and love only after his death.

Read an Excerpt:

PROLOGUE

Sometime before Charlie moved out, I began reading the obituaries. It became a daily routine, like morning coffee. I didn’t just scan the listings; I read them closely, noting dates of death, ages of the deceased, names of survivors. If there were photos, I studied faces for clues about mortality even though they were often grinning and much younger than at death. Sometimes there were flags at the top of notices, signifying military service. Salvadore Petrini had a flag. Aged 64. Owner of Petrini’s Market. Beloved husband and father and stepfather and brother and uncle. Viewing and Life Celebration at St. Patrick’s Church, Malvern.

Some notices were skeletal, giving no details of the lost life: Sonia Woods went to be with the Lord on August 17. Viewing Friday, from 9 to 11, First Baptist Church. Service to follow. These left me disturbed, sad for the deceased. Was there, in the end, really nothing to be said about them? Were their lives just a finite number of breaths now stopped?

For weeks, I followed the flow of local deaths and funerals. I tried to surmise causes of death from requests for memorial contributions in lieu of flowers. The American Cancer Society. The Vascular Disease Foundation. The American Heart or Alzheimers Association. When there were epigraphs, I read about careers accomplished, volunteer work conducted, music played, tournaments won. Lives condensed to an eighth of a page. Less, usually.

Though the notices were brief, the words and patterns of language had a gentle rolling rhythm, comforting, like prayers, like nursery rhymes. And between listings, stark and straight lines divided one death from another, putting lives neatly into boxes, separating body from body. Soul from soul. Making death quantifiable and normal, a daily occurrence neatly announced on paper in black and white, on pages dense with ink, speckled with gray smiling photos. Smiles announcing that death wasn’t really so bad.

I don’t know why I was compelled to read those listings every day. At the time, I’d have said it had to be about the death of my marriage. After all, my own life, in a way, was ending. My life as Charlie’s wife was dying, but there would be no public acknowledgment of that demise. No memorial service. No community gathering to mourn. Maybe I read the listings to remember that I wasn’t the only one grieving, that others had lost even more. Still, I would have felt better if the obituary page included dead marriages and lost identities: Mrs. Charles Henry Harrison (nee Elle Brooks) ceased to exist on (date pending), when the couple’s divorce became final. Maybe it would help to have some formal recognition of the demise of my former self. Maybe not.

It’s possible that my own losses brought me to the daily obits. But I doubt it. Looking back, I believe what drew me was far more ominous. A premonition. An instinct. For whatever reason, though, every morning as I chewed my English muffin, I buried myself in the death notices, studying what I could about people who were no more, trying to learn from them or their photos or their neatly structured notices anything I could about death.

Of course, as it turned out, the notices were useless. None of them, not one prepared me for what was to happen. According to the obituary columns, the circumstances of one’s life made no difference in the end. Dead was simply dead. Final. Permanent. Without room for doubt. The pages I studied gave no indication of a gray area. And the boxes around the obituaries contained no dotted lines.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Suspense

Published by: Oceanview Publishing

Publication Date: Feb 5, 2013

Number of Pages: 272

ISBN: 978-1-60809-074-7

PURCHASE LINKS:

Get a copy for yourself:

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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.

Giveaway, Guest Author, Hachette Giveaway, Showcase, The Hachette Book Group

Guest Author LISA VERGE HIGGINS and giveaway ENDED

CMash April 13, 2013 14 Comments

I was thrilled when I received today’s guest’s latest book from Jennifer and Jihan from The Hachette Book Group, especially since I had reviewed her previous book, The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship. And even more exciting, she is stopping by to visit today. Welcome Lisa Verge Higgins!!!!!

LISA VERGE HIGGINS

Lisa Verge Higgins is a RITA-nominated author of fourteen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into fifteen languages – twelve of which were penned while studying for her PhD in chemistry. Lisa made her first foray into mainstream women’s fiction with The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship (2011). The novel went on to win the 2011 Golden Leaf Award for Best Single Title. It was also selected as the first Best Read of 2011 by Barnes & Noble’s General Fiction Book Club and landed on their Top 20 list. Lisa Verge Higgins currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three daughters.
Connect with Lisa at:

Q&A with Lisa Verge Higgins

Welcome to CMash Reads

-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
What a great question! I draw a lot of inspiration from personal experiences. For example, I once took a three-and-a-half-month backpacking trip through Europe, from Scotland to Rome. In my latest book, FRIENDSHIP MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER, the three characters—Monique, Becky and Judy—decide to put their lives (and troubles) aside to take a trip to Europe together. Travel can be a wonderfully transformative experience and I knew that’s what my girls needed to do, in order to deal with the difficult issues in their lives. One of the lessons I learned during my travels actually forms the theme of the book: Sometimes getting lost is the only way to find what you’re looking for.

[To peruse Monique, Becky & Judy’s snapshots, visit me at pinterest at http://pinterest.com/lisavergehiggin/friendship-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder)

-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
As a former science geek (I used to be a chemist) I guess I can’t help but be methodical about the creative process. What starts out as just a spark of an idea—a theme, perhaps, or a character who has grabbed hold of me—grows as I start to do research. Eventually I write character charts and then a scene-by-scene plot outline. It’s only when I start writing the first draft that I cut myself loose and see where the story takes me, which is often far off the original mark. That’s okay—that’s the magic!

-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
In the research-and-plotting-stage I’m a completely normal individual. During the first-draft process, however, I’m an absentminded mess! I’ll put a cup of hot coffee in the cabinet and stick the peanut butter in the refrigerator. I have to put an alarm on my phone so I don’t forget to pick up the kids from school.

What I’ve started to do after my workday is to play word games like Boggle or do a crossword puzzle to try to shake myself out of the “zone” in order to have a conscious conversation with my husband and kids. Fortunately, they’re used to it!

-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
I am a full-time writer but like so many others, I’m also a full-time mother. On my Facebook page, my most popular posts start “Under the Category of ‘Life With Two Teenage Daughters and One of Marriageable Age.’” It used to be “Life With Three Teenage Daughters,” but my oldest is now of legal drinking age so she insisted I come up with a new title. Since I get some of my funniest posts from their antics, I figured I should oblige. 😉 Those kids and my deadlines keep my life wonderfully full.

I invite you all to join me at www.facebook.com/lisavergehiggins

-Who are some of your favorite authors?
So many books, so little time! In terms of women’s fiction, I’m a huge fan of Kristin Hannah, Kristin Higgins, Jodi Picoult, Luanne Rice, Nancy Thayer and Emily Giffin. But I also read across a lot of genres. I love Stefanie Pintoff’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century mystery series set in New York. I spent last summer working through George R. R. Martin’s EPIC series, Game of Thrones. I’m also a fan of big juicy historical novels, like Michelle Moran’s MADAME TUSSAUD.

-What are you reading now?
I’m reading Emily Giffin’s HEART OF THE MATTER and loving it!

-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Right now I’m working on RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS which will come out in April 2014. It’s a road-trip book, a combination of the movies “Thelma & Louise” and “Pay it Forward.” It’s about a woman, Jenna Elliot, who offers a friend a random act of kindness. That act later returns to her in ways that she never could have expected.

I encourage your readers to sign up for Book Alerts! to receive an email when it comes out: http://www.lisavergehiggins.com/

Fun questions:

-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Judy would definitely be Diane Lane—in fact, that’s who I posted as her doppelganger on my pinterest page. She’s strong and comfortable in her own skin. Monique would be Halle Berry, hands down (heck, if I got to pick….) Becky is a little harder to cast. I guess she’d be a younger, more vulnerable Cameron Diaz.

-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
I read all day, for pleasure and for work, so when I’m kicking back it’s often to watch TV or a movie.

-Favorite food?
If I’m in a restaurant, I’ll order anything that has goat cheese. At home . . . sausage and peppers over pasta. Colorful, healthy, filling . . . my favorite comfort food.

-Favorite beverage?
Lately? Frangelico on the rocks. Heck, I’m under deadline! 😉

ABOUT THE BOOK

What is the appropriate amount of time to grieve the loss of a spouse? Four years, two weeks, and three days after losing her husband to cancer, Monique Franke-Reed isn’t ready to let go. She still speaks to him when things get rough; summoning him in the bedroom they once shared, awaiting that familiar whisper.

In the days before his passing, Lenny created a bucket list of things they should do once he recovers – which includes rappelling down an alpine ledge, visiting the catacombs of Paris, and taking in the magnificence of The Last Supper – but, sadly, he loses his battle. An ever-reluctant Monique can’t bring herself to keep her promise because completing the list means that she is ready to move on; however, she contemplates the list with a new perspective when she notices changes in her best friends.

Judy – once a backpacking free spirit – is coping with the onset of empty nest syndrome as the last of her five children heads off to college. Meanwhile, Becky continues to laugh it off whenever she trips over smooth surfaces or bumps into people clearly within view. However, she is dealt a shocking blow when she seeks out an explanation for her diminishing night vision and learns that, over time, she will lose her sight.

Realizing that Becky is slipping into a world filled with anxiety, Monique sees the bucket list as the perfect opportunity to whisk her friends away for a European adventure and allow Becky to take in the sights for the first and last time. Together, the threesome embark upon a transformative journey that offers each woman new insight to help cope with the fears and loss they are facing.