Guest Author BERNARD BESSON showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash October 31, 2013 4 Comments

WELCOME BERNARD BESSON

BERNARD BESSON

Award-winning thriller writer Bernard Besson, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1949, is a former top-level chief of staff of the French intelligence services, an eminent specialist in economic intelligence and Honorary General Controller of the French National Police. He was involved in dismantling Soviet spy rings in France and Western Europe when the USSR fell and has real inside knowledge from his work auditing intelligence services and the police. He has also written a number of prize-winning thrillers and several works of nonfiction. He currently lives in the fourteenth arrondissement of Paris, right down the street from his heroes.

Julie Rose is a prize-winning, world-renowned translator of major French thinkers, known for, among other works, her acclaimed translation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, which was published by Random House in 2008. She has translated twenty-eight books, including many French classics, and writes on the side. She lives in her hometown of Sydney, Australia, with her husband, dog and two cats.
Connect with Bernard at these sites:

GUEST POST

7 insane—but true—things about French thrillers
by Anne Trager, founder of Le French Book

Ah, ze French! Who doesn’t love to dream about being in France? But how much do we really know about French thrillers? Here are some key things everyone should know about them. OK, they are not all that insane, but hey I did get your attention. 😉

– First of all, the French call a thriller a “thriller”—pronounced “TREE-lair.”

– French crime fiction has the same categories as you find elsewhere: action/suspense, detective and procedural, and noir.

– There tends to be more crossover between these subcategories.

– Historical novels are often less esoteric, and more focused on historical detail.

– Criminal suspense novels often concentrate more on confrontation with the bad guy, rather than with some shadow terrorist organization or mafia.

– The French love psychology and terror, can be more intellectual, and, surprisingly, less noir.

– Thriller crime writing in France has always been diverse. In the past you could find pulp spy thrillers by Gérard de Villiers and classic detective novels by Simenon, just like today you can fin quirky police procedurals by Fred Vargas, psychological thrillers by Sylvie Granotier, American-influenced suspense by Maxime Chattam, Nazi-conspiracy action by David Khara, and geopolitical eco-thrillers by Bernard Besson, just to name a few.

– According to the French specialist of all things noir and thrilleresque, the blogger Claude Le Nocher (http://action-suspense.over-blog.com/), “French suspense, noir and action novels seem to be getting closer to American-style thrillers, but without losing their French identity. French writers do not want to imitate North American or Scandinavian writers. Their imagination is linked to French culture and French society, with its qualities and faults.”

These are some of the reasons why we at Le French Book (http://www.lefrenchbook.com) are working to bring this very vibrant creative French culture to new readers.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A stylish, fast-paced spy thriller about the intrigue, economic warfare and struggles for natural resources promised by global warming. The Arctic ice caps are breaking up. Europe and the East Coast of the Unites States brace for a tidal wave. Meanwhile, former French intelligence officer John Spencer Larivière, his karate-trained, steamy Eurasian partner, Victoire, and their bisexual computer-genius sidekick, Luc, pick up an ordinary freelance assignment that quickly leads them into the glacial silence of the great north, where a merciless war is being waged for control of discoveries that will change the future of humanity.

BOOK DETAILS:

Release date: October 30, 2013
List price: $9.99
Direct-to-digital translation (all major ebook outlets)
Isbn: 978-1-939474-94-0 (Kindle)/ 978-1-939474-95-7 (epub)
113,000 words/285 pages

PURCHASE LINKS:

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Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase

Guest Author SONJA LEWIS showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash October 30, 2013 Leave a Comment

WELCOME SONJA LEWIS

SONJA LEWIS

Sonja Lewis is a former newspaper journalist for The Albany Herald, in Georgia USA. Now living in Battersea, London, Sonja is a full time writer. She blogs at www.sonjalewis.com and also for the Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ sonja-lewis When Lewis moved to London fifteen years ago she set up and managed a successful communications consultancy, where she worked with high profile clients including The Royal National Institute for the Blind. She also freelanced for The Guardian and studied for an MA degree in journalism. Lewis was later accepted on to a range of writing courses with the Arvon Foundation where she met her mentor Jacob Ross, who later became heavily involved in the proofreading and editing process of her novels. Lewis’ first novel The Barrenness was incredibly well received, appearing in The Voice, and WM Magazine in the UK, US national media including CNN, Black Enterprise and The Tom Joyner Morning Show along with a host of regional media across Canada and the US. The Blindsided Prophet by Sonja Lewis is available now as an eBook RRP £2.99, and will be available in paperback from mid October 2013 (published by Prymus Publications, RRP £8.99) online at retailers including Amazon.
Connect with Sonja at these sites:

Q&A with Sonja Lewis

Writing and Reading:
-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Sure I do. The fact that I didn’t have children and was perceived as being unhappy sometimes, prompted me to write The Barrenness. I don’t have a specific connection as such to The Blindsided Prophet, although I find the theme of thinking and taking responsibility for one’s thoughts intriguing. I wanted to create a larger than life character, a global thinker, to demonstrate the importance of thinking as a communications skill.

-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
I often start with the engine of the story—the main reason for writing it, the compelling event that drives it. I want the reader to know upfront what the story is about and why they should read it. This is often not the beginning of the story so to speak but answers the question why the story is worth telling in the first place.

-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
I need to be committed to a story before I decide to write it. I am often in full flow in my head but when I sit down to write, poof it goes away, which is why I try to write several chapters and imagine even more before I commit to an idea and do research, unless it is the research that has grabbed my attention.

I do like to imagine that I am in my own room of sorts, my writing sanctuary in my head, a bit odd to some. And when I’m writing I don’t like anyone around me, not even in the house, although I can write in cafes. I have noticed though that I do more thinking and planning in public places than actual writing.

-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Yes, writing is what I do full-time now, though I do still serve as a communications advisor with Pocket Living.

-Who are some of your favorite authors?
I enjoy reading Tony Morrison, James Baldwin, Gloria Naylor, Amy Tan, Claire Keegan, Andrea Levy, Andrea Lee, Zoe Heller, Maggie Gee, just to name a few. As for non-fiction, I am a big Malcolm Gladwell fan.

-What are you reading now?
I have two books on the go – Mary Munroe’s Mama Ruby & Pam Grout’s E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality.

-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Uncharacteristically, I haven’t started yet because I haven’t decided what to do next. I have two novels that I plan to re-work, one with the Voting Rights Act at the centre, and the other, racism in the southern US in the 80s.

A year ago, however, after losing both my in-laws, I kicked around the idea of doing my first novel set in England, perhaps a historical romance. My mother-in-law’s story, in particular, is quite intriguing, major joys and pains. What a fascinating woman!

Fun questions:
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Will Smith as Isaiah, who is the main character – although maybe he is a bit old now but yeah, sounds good!

Jill Scott – Mae Cook, who is his mother figure.

Freema Agyeman as the beautiful, reckless Lucky Lee. Freema and I go to the same hairdresser and though I have never been a fan of Law & Order or seen her in anything else, I was struck by her presence.

-Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
Keyboard or no one would be able to decipher. My handwriting has deteriorated over the years. Sometimes I can’t read it, but I do take pen to paper in the middle of the night quite often.

-Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
That is a hard call but going to great restaurants need not be a leisure activity but I do so enjoy as well as catching plays in London. But for me, just me, I love running.

-Favorite meal?
Pan fried fish, seabass, salmon, etc., with risotto and spinach. If no risotto on the go, give me chips (French fries). Simple pleasures are the best! Oh yes, fish has to be filleted. If not, have to choose duck!

ABOUT THE BOOK

1980 was the year of an unforgettable tragedy in Coffee, a small town in Georgia, when a mass killing at a church claimed the lives of twelve innocent people. Fourteen-year-old prophet Isaiah Brown, failed to predict the massacre that took the lives of his beloved mother and grandfather. Traumatised and inconsolable, young Isaiah fled the scene, disappearing into a woods close by, where he went blind. Fifteen years later, at God’s bidding, Isaiah must return to Coffee, to repent and free himself from the years of guilt he has endured. God has entrusted him with the knowledge that will save the people of Coffee from an even worse trauma than they encountered in 1980.
Days before he is due back in the town where he was an outcast for so many years, he experiences a vision from the past; he sees his mother and father’s forbidden love-story and his miraculous birth. He goes ahead with his trip back to Coffee, where he is faced with a town that has been unable to move on from the nightmare of the 1980 devastation. Visions continue to haunt him; not only from his family’s past, but also from the town’s past. Soon he learns the shocking and inconceivable secret that has been hidden from him. Isaiah knows what he has been sent to do but he starts to defy his own nature, whilst falling for the reckless Lucky Lee, and he ultimately begins to question whether he can remain a prophet. Will he be blindsided by the discovery about his past and his love for Lucky Lee? Or will he be able to prevent the impending tragedy?

The Blindsided Prophet explores thinking at the deepest level and whether we have a say in shaping our thoughts, ideas and beliefs, or whether we are at God’s mercy. The idea that we must take responsibility for our thoughts and actions is a powerful theme. The Blindsided Prophet employs science and religion, whilst not mutually exclusive, to unravel themes of prophecy, incest, pain and love. Sonja Lewis conducted extensive biblical and scientific research whilst writing the book, and drew inspiration from a number of non-fiction authors including Joseph Murphy and Robert Waggoner as well as the fiction works of Tony Morrison and Gloria Naylor.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: SDL Communications
Publication date: 9/20/2013
Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-0-9567105-3-6 (trade paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-9567105-5-0 (e-book Amazon)
ISBN: 978-0-9567105-4-3 (e-book Smashwords, Sony, Apple, Kobo, Diesel, Barnes & Noble, etc…)

PURCHASE LINKS:

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I HAVE TWO (2) EPUBs TO GIVE AWAY.
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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, Harper Collins/William Morrow, Partners In Crime Tours, Showcase

Guest Author JAMES BARNEY

CMash October 29, 2013 1 Comment

WELCOME JAMES BARNEY

JAMES BARNEY

James Barney is the critically acclaimed author of The Genesis Key. He is an attorney who lives outside Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.
Connect with James at these sites:

Q&A with James Barney

Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
— I definitely draw from personal experience. For instance, some of the action in the opening chapter of The Joshua Stone was inspired by my experiences as an engineering officer aboard a fast-attack nuclear submarine. The scenes in Russia were inspired by my visit to Moscow a few years ago. And the descriptions of particular buildings and locations in Washington, DC were all based on my personal observations.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the storyline brings you?
— More of the latter. I have a rough idea where the story will go, and I generally know how it will end. But I let each chapter develop on its own and allow the story to change as necessary to keep it interesting and exciting.

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
— For me, it’s catch-as-catch-can. I write when I can find the time and have the inspiration. My favorite time to write is early in the morning when the house is quiet and my mind is clear.

Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
— I’m a lawyer by day.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
— Michael Crichton, Stephen King, Douglas Preston, Lee Child, Steve Berry, James Rollins, John Grisham, Scott Turow, and others.

What are you reading now?
— “Our Kind of Traitor” by John Le Carre’

Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
— Yes. All I can say is it will be another exciting adventure for Mike Califano and Ana Thorne.

Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
— Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
— Depends on my mood.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Some secrets belong to the past. Others refuse to stay there…

In 1959, in an underground laboratory in a remote region of West Virginia, a secret government experiment went terribly awry. Half a dozen scientists mysteriously disappeared, and all subsequent efforts to rescue them failed. In desperation, President Eisenhower ordered the lab sealed shut and all records of its existence destroyed. Now, fifty-four years later, something from the lab has emerged.

When mysterious events begin occurring along the New River Valley in West Virginia, government agents Mike Califano and Ana Thorne are sent to investigate. What they discover will shake the foundations of science and religion and put both agents in the crosshairs of a deadly, worldwide conspiracy. A powerful and mysterious force has been unleashed, and it’s about to fall into the wrong hands. To prevent a global catastrophe, Califano and Thorne must work together to solve a biblical mystery that has confounded scholars for centuries. And they must do so quickly, before time runs out . . . forever.

READ AN EXCERPT

PROLOGUE

Thurmond, West Virginia

October 5, 1959

IT was time. Dr. Franz Holzberg stood at the security desk of the Thurmond National Laboratory and waited patiently for the guard to buzz him through the heavy steel door that provided access to the lab. Funny, he thought as he waited. They don’t even know what they’re guarding. He shook his head and considered that thought for a moment.

If they only knew . . .

A second later, the door opened with a loud buzz, and Holzberg stepped into a steel enclosure about five feet square and seven feet tall. He turned to face the guard and pulled a chain-link safety gate across the opening.

“Ready?” asked the guard.

Holzberg nodded, and the compartment in which he stood suddenly lurched downward and began its long descent toward the laboratory spaces, nine hundred feet below the ground.

Two minutes later, the elevator shuddered to a halt, and Dr. Holzberg exited into a wide, empty passageway, about twenty feet across and two hundred feet long. The cracked, concrete floor was sparsely illuminated by overhead industrial lighting. A pair of rusty trolley rails ran down the middle of the corridor—a remnant of the mining operations that had once taken place there decades earlier.

Holzberg took a deep breath and savored the pungent smell of sulfur and stagnant water. After three long years of working on this project, he actually felt more at home underground than in the charmless cinder-block rambler that the government had provided for him “up top,” in Thurmond.

He started off toward the laboratory at the end of the corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly throughout the vast space. As he walked, the protocol for Experiment TNL-213 streamed through his mind for the thousandth time. Today is the day, he reminded himself, allowing just the faintest of smiles. Today, God would heed his command. Just as God heeded Joshua’s command at Gibeon.

Holzberg passed through the laboratory’s heavy security door and entered a long, rectangular room resembling a tunnel, with unpainted cement walls, ceiling, and floor.

The middle of the room was dominated by a large pool of water, twenty by thirty feet across and thirty feet deep, with a steel catwalk extending across it. A sturdy steel railing circumscribed the edge of the pool. Overhead, four long rows of incandescent bulbs illuminated the entire room with bright, white light. High up on the walls, thick, multicolored bundles of wires and cables snaked like garlands across sturdy brackets, with smaller bundles dropping down at uneven intervals to various lab equipment and workstations around the room.

Holzberg spotted four technicians in white lab coats busily preparing the lab for the upcoming experiment. He acknowledged them with a nod and then quickly made his way to an elevated control room overlooking the pool. He entered without knocking and greeted the room’s sole occupant, a bespectacled man in a white lab coat. “Good morning, Irwin,” said Holzberg in a thick German accent. “How are the modifications coming along?”

Dr. Irwin Michelson swiveled on his stool. He was a wiry man in his midthirties, with disheveled black hair and a two-day- old beard. He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

“They’re done,” he said.

“Done? You’ve tested it?”

“We changed out the power supply, like you suggested, and increased the cooling flow to two hundred gallons per minute. We tested it last night and were able to generate a ninety tesla pulse for twenty-five seconds with no overheating. We probably could go higher if we needed to.”

“Good. And the sensors and transducers?”

“All set.”

Holzberg nodded appreciatively to his tireless assistant.

“Sehr gut. Then let’s proceed.”

It took nearly three hours for Holzberg, Michelson, and their team of four technicians to complete the exhaustive checklist for TNL-213.

This experiment had taken three years to plan and had required millions of dollars in upgrades and modifications to the lab.

Nothing would be left to chance today.

By early afternoon they’d finished their thorough inspection of the equipment. They’d checked, double-checked, and triple-checked each of the hundreds of valves, levers, and switches associated with the lab’s “swimming pool” test rig. Everything was positioned according to a detailed test protocol that Dr. Holzberg carried in a thick binder prominently marked top secret—winter solstice.

Michelson knelt on the steel catwalk that bridged the 160,000-gallon pool of water and carefully inspected a rectangular steel chamber that was suspended above the water by four thick cables. Numerous electrical sensors were welded to the exterior of this chamber, and a rainbow of waterproof wires radiated out from it, coiling upward toward a thick, retractable wiring harness above the catwalk.

“Transducers are secure,” Michelson said over his shoulder.

“Good,” said Holzberg from the railing. He made a checkmark in his notebook and read the next step of the protocol aloud. “Mount the seed.”

Michelson stood and turned slowly to face his mentor.

“So it’s time?”

Holzberg nodded.

Michelson dragged a hand over his unshaven face and cracked a smile. “God, this . . . this is incredible.” He was barely able to contain his excitement. “This’ll give us a whole new understanding of the universe.”

“Perhaps,” said Holzberg.

“Right, perhaps. And perhaps the Nobel Prize, too.”

“No,” said Holzberg firmly, his expression suddenly turning dark.

“But . . . if this works, we could publish our findings. By then the government—”

“Irwin, no. We’ve had this discussion before.”

Michelson sighed and looked deflated. “Right, I know. Not until the world is ready.”

Holzberg inched closer to his protégé. “Irwin, this is a responsibility you must accept. Einstein himself was confounded by this material.”

“Einstein was overrated,” Michelson mumbled.

“Perhaps. But that does not change the fact that we have been entrusted with something very special here. We must study and solve it. Until we do, it is simply too dangerous to expose to the world. That is our burden. Do you understand?”

Michelson nodded sheepishly. Holzberg patted his younger colleague’s shoulder.

“Good. Now, let’s get the seed.”

The two men made their way to the far end of the room, where a circular vault was mounted flush with the cement wall. The vault door was protected by a bank-grade, dual-combination lock with twin tumblers. “Ready?” Holzberg asked.

Michelson nodded.

One after the other, the two men turned the pair of dials on the vault door four times each, alternating clockwise and counterclockwise. When the last of the eight numbers had been entered, Michelson pulled down hard on the heavy handle in the center of the door, and the vault opened with a metallic ka-chunk. He swung the door open slowly, and, as he did, the vault’s lights flickered, illuminating the interior with an ethereal blue light.

There was only one object in the vault: a clear glass cylinder about eight inches high and four inches in diameter housing an irregular black clump about the size of a golf ball. “The seed,” Holzberg whispered as he reached inside and retrieved the cylinder, cradling it carefully in both hands. He held it up to the light and peered inside. “Your secrets unfold today.”

Thirty minutes later, with the seed securely mounted in its special test chamber, and the chamber lowered deep into the pool, the two scientists returned to the control room for their final preparations.

“Transducer twenty-one?” said Holzberg, reading aloud from the test protocol.

Michelson pressed a button on the complex control panel and verified that transducer 21 was providing an appropriate signal. “Check.”

“Transducer twenty-two?”

Michelson repeated the procedure for transducer 22.

“Check.”

“That’s it then,” said Holzberg, turning to a new page in his notebook. “We’re ready.”

He checked his watch, which indicated 4:15 p.m. Then he picked up a microphone that was attached to the control panel by a long wire. “Gentlemen,” he announced over the lab’s PA system. “We are ready to commence experiment 213. Please take your positions.”

In the lab space below, the four technicians quickly took up positions at their various workstations. One after another, they gave the thumbs-up signal that they were ready.

“Energize the steady-field magnet,” announced Holzberg.

A loud, steady hum suddenly filled the lab, followed by the sound of rotating equipment slowly whirring to life.

Several seconds later, Michelson quietly reported over his shoulder that the steady-field magnet was energized and warming up.

“Remember,” Holzberg said, “bring it up slowly.”

Michelson nodded. “We’re at thirteen teslas and rising,” he said, his attention focused on a circular dial on the control panel.

“And the cooling water outlet temperature?”

Michelson glanced at another gauge. “Sixty-two degrees.”

Eight minutes later, Michelson announced they were at 25 teslas, the peak field for the steady-field magnet.

“Outlet temperature’s creeping up slightly,” he added with a hint of caution.

“What about delta T?”

Michelson pushed a button and read from a gauge on his panel. “Nothing yet. Zero point zero.”

Holzberg pressed the microphone button and announced to the lab, “Prepare to energize the pulse magnet.”

There was a flurry of activity in the lab space below as the technicians quickly went about opening valves, flipping switches, and starting various pumps and other equipment. Eventually, all four gave the thumbs-up signal.

“Ready,” reported Michelson.

Holzberg swallowed hard. This was it. He paused for a moment before giving the final command. “Energize it now.”

Michelson pulled down on an electrical breaker until it clicked loudly into place. A deep buzzing sound immediately permeated the entire laboratory. The overhead lights dimmed momentarily and then slowly returned to their original intensity. “Energized,” he reported nervously.

“Bring it up slowly.”

“Total field is twenty-seven point three teslas.” Michelson was slowly turning a large knob in the center of the control panel.

“Outlet temperature?”

“Seventy-eight degrees.”

“Keep going.”

Michelson continued turning the knob slowly until the magnetic-field strength had reached 70 teslas. There he paused and quickly checked his instruments.

“Outlet temperature is one hundred twenty-two degrees and rising,” he said nervously. “We don’t have much more room.”

“Any delta T?”

Michelson checked again and shook his head. “No. Still zero point zero.”

“Keep going,” said Holzberg.

Michelson nodded and again twisted the dial clockwise. He read out the magnetic-field strengths as he went.

“Seventy-six point four. Seventy-eight point zero. Eighty point two . . .”

“Temperatures, Irwin.”

Michelson quickly turned his attention to the outlet temperature gauge. “One hundred forty-five degrees and rising.”

“Keep going,” Holzberg said.

“Eighty-one teslas,” said Michelson nervously. “Eighty-two. Eighty-three.”

His voice cracked slightly. “Uh . . . we’re getting close to the outlet limit.”

“Any delta T yet?”

Michelson quickly checked. “No. Zero point zero.”

“We need a higher field.” Holzberg touched Michelson’s shoulder and nodded emphatically for him to continue.

Michelson’s voice grew increasingly nervous as he continued reporting the rising magnetic-flux levels. “Eighty-seven point three. Eighty-eight point four. Eighty-nine point six . . . ninety point one.”

Suddenly, there was a loud beep, and an amber light began flashing on the control panel.

“Outlet temperature alarm,” Michelson reported. “One hundred seventy-five degrees and still rising. Should I bring it back down?”

“No,” said Holzberg firmly. “We need a higher field.”

Michelson started to protest, but Holzberg cut him off.

“Irwin, the flux levels!”

Michelson snapped his attention back to the control panel. “Ninety-three point one . . . ninety-four point four . . .shit.”

Another shrill alarm sounded on the panel.

“Core temperature alarm!” Michelson shouted above the noise. “We’ve got to shut it down!” He began turning the knob counterclockwise.

“No!” Holzberg barked, grabbing his arm. “Check the delta T.”

Michelson wiped his brow and checked. “Delta T is . . . zero point one seconds.”

“My God,” Holzberg whispered. “It’s working!”

“Zero point two seconds,” Michelson reported, still holding down the button. “Zero point three . . . zero point four.”

“Bring it up just a bit more,” said Holzberg over the constant noise of the two alarms.

“But—”

“Do it!” Holzberg snapped.

Michelson swallowed hard and slowly tweaked the knob clockwise to increase the power to the pulse magnet.

“We’re gonna lift a relief valve.”

“What’s the reading?”

Michelson pushed the delta T button. “Whoa . . .”

“What is it?”

“Ten point five seconds. That’s incredible.” He continued holding the button down. “Fourteen seconds . . . twenty . . . thirty . . . fifty . . .”

“We’ve done it!” Holzberg exclaimed, patting Michelson on the back. “Okay, you can bring it back down now.”

Michelson quickly began twisting the knob counterclockwise. After several seconds, however, he suddenly looked confused.

“What is it?”

“Outlet temperature’s . . . still going up.” Michelson quickly pushed the button for delta T again. “Holy shit.”

Holzberg leaned in close and observed that the dial for delta T was now spinning rapidly clockwise. An odometer-style counter below the dial indicated that the accumulated value was now at 500 seconds . . . 600 seconds . . . 700 seconds.. . . The dial was spinning faster and faster.

“Shut it down!” Holzberg bellowed.

“I am. Look!” Michelson showed that he had already twisted the knob for the pulse magnet all the way to the left.

“Cut the power!”

At that moment, a thunderous scream erupted in the lab space below, and thick plumes of steam instantly billowed up from the pool. The technicians could be heard screaming emphatically to each other.

“Relief valves are lifting!” Michelson yelled over the cacophony.

Holzberg was just about to say something when suddenly there was a blinding flash of white light below. Instinctively, he shielded his eyes.

“My God,” Michelson shouted. “Look at that!”

Holzberg uncovered his eyes and gazed in awe at the spectacle now occurring in the lab below him. A brilliant aura of light was hovering directly above the reactor pool, swirling in undulating patterns of blue, green, red, and yellow. The aura lasted for several seconds before giving way to a violent, blinding column of light that shot suddenly out of the pool, straight to the ceiling.

Holzberg again shielded his eyes.

A split second later, there was a loud whoosh and the entire lab filled with blinding white light. The control room windows shattered instantly, and Dr. Holzberg hit the floor.

The blinding light and whooshing sound subsided after several seconds, leaving in their place a terrifying jumble of alarm sirens and horns and the panicked shouts of the technicians below. Holzberg groped on hands and knees through the broken glass until he found the prone body of Dr. Michelson, who was either unconscious or dead.

“Irwin!” said Dr. Holzberg.

There was no response.

With effort, Holzberg pulled himself to his feet and gazed in utter disbelief at the chaos unfolding below him.

“Mein Gott,” he whispered. “What have we done?”

A second later, a man in a black leather coat suddenly appeared in the lab space below, seemingly from nowhere. Who is that? Holzberg wondered, utterly confused. And why does he look familiar?

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: 10/8/2013
Number of Pages: 416
ISBN: 978006202139

PURCHASE LINKS:

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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.

Mailbox Monday, Meme, Monday Memes

Mailbox Monday

CMash October 28, 2013 3 Comments

October is being hosted by Gina @ Book Dragon’s Lair

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Click on title for synopsis via IndieBound (I am an IndieBound affiliate)

These were delivered between Oct. 4th to Oct 26th.

Oct. 4th Shadow’s Curse by Alexa Egan from S&S

Oct. 8th Deadline, Low Pressure and Lethal by Sandra Brown won via Hachette Book Group

Oct. 16th A Get Well Tote Bag with Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell,

The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff,

The Good Father and The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain and

The Center of the Universe by Nancy Bachrach from the ladies at Media Muscle /The Book Trib

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

Guest Author LORI FOSTER showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash October 25, 2013 1 Comment

WELCOME BACK 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:

Q&A with Lori Foster

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
The ideas are just… there. I’m so amazed by authors who can teach this stuff, because it’s impossible for me. I’ll be minding my own business (often working on a different book) and bam! I get hid upside the head with characters who want on the page – or sometimes they just show up on the page without even introducing themselves first – and sometimes that’s not enough for them. They want their own books too!

It’s almost magical to me. I could never dissect the process or explain it.

It just is.

Once the characters are there, THEY tell me what the idea is. They lead me through the plot, sometimes page by page – although sometimes they tell me the whole story right up front.

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
I prefer to write at my desk at the lake house and I write from the morning, say around 10 am (after I’ve finished emails and online stuff) until 5 or 6pm. When I’m under a close deadline that expands with me starting earlier and going later in the day. I’m only at the lake house during mild/warm weather though, and I like my office space at home too. At the lake house, my desk overlooks the lake, and at home my desk faces French doors that lead to the pond. Water inspires me!

I LOVE my music playlist. I have a lot of Kid Rock on there. He’s my fave. Also KORN. Lots & lots of KORN. Some Marilyn Manson. Cage the Elephant. Nirvana. I have a few artists where I like only one song – like “Rumour” by Adele, or “List of Demands” from Saul Williams. Overall I have around 200 songs on my playlist.

What is your favorite book?
Of my own? Hmmm. Probably “My House, My Rules,” from one of the Bad Boy anthologies.

Of others? Well, I love the Sherbrook series by Catherine Coulter. If I can only pick one, maybe “Perfect Partners” by Jayne Ann Krentz. It was so brilliant!

What’s on your nightstand right now?
Clock, lamp, decorative tissue box, plug for my iPad, a pair of eye glasses (I have several around the house) and CRASH INTO YOU by Katie McGarry. It’s *amazing.* I’d have finished reading it by now, except we just welcomed our 3^rd grandson into the world and that occupied me for a few days.

What are you working on next?
I just finished Dash’s story. Dash is the brother of the hero from the first book, RUN THE RISK. I think readers will be surprised with Dash now that it’s his turn to reveal his soul. I know I was surprised! I kept thinking, Dash, you devil! Lol.

And now I’m ready to get started on Cannon’s book. Cannon (You met him in GETTING ROWDY) will actually star in the first book of a new series set for Sept 2014. I really enjoyed him in GETTING ROWDY, and he has a larger role in Dash’s book, DASH OF PERIL (April 2014) so I hope readers like him as much as I do!

Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
My favorite pastime is anything with family. We have big family parties at my house. I look for reasons to invite all 60+ people over.

I also love, love, love going to movies. Horror and action are my favorite movie genres, but I can comedy and romance in a pinch. Drama… almost never. Who needs more drama? How is that entertainment?

Also really love the outdoors for relaxing. Hubby and I love to go to Hocking Hills (Fantastic place! Look it up!) or Cumberland Falls or The Natural Bridge. We have a small lake house and I spend much of the summer there. Boating, swimming, skiing… just being outside and seeing the birds and fish and hearing the breeze in the trees and feeling the sun on my skin… Love it.

Favorite meal?
I love roast and mashed potatoes, stuffed pork chops, beef stew and bean soup and sauerkraut with ribs… I’m a country girl.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An alpha hero’s attraction to the one woman he can’t have could draw him into a killer’s snare.

Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn’t the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. However, the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance— including a past that might come back to haunt them both.

Avery spends her nights working for tips…and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy’s protective presence. As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she’s finally found…and the passion she’s always wanted.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Contemp. Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN Books
Publication Date: October 2013
Number of Pages: 400
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-77779-2

PURCHASE LINKS:

Watch the trailer

THANKS TO VERONICA AT MEDIA MUSCLE/THE BOOK TRIB,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO US and CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS NOVEMBER 8th AT 6PM EST

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

DISCLAIMER

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

ADDENDUM

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

Giveaway, Guest Author, Showcase, WOW, WOW Tours

Guest Author SARA CONNELL showcase & giveaway ENDED

CMash October 24, 2013 1 Comment

WELCOME SARA CONNELL

SARA CONNELL

Sara Connell is an author, speaker, and life coach with a private practice in Chicago. She has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, NPR, The View, FOX News and Katie Couric. Sara’s writing has been featured in: The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, Psychobabble, Evolving Your Spirit, and Mindful Metropolis magazines. Her first book, Bringing in Finn; an Extraordinary Surrogacy Story (Sept 4, 2012 Seal Press), was nominated for Book of the Year 2012 by Elle magazine.
Connect with Sara at these sites:

GUEST POST

Even before the seven-year journey I took to have a child, I would have said that every birth is extraordinary. The phenomenon of an egg and a sperm joining to create a human life is, to me, miraculous. Paradoxically, I’d always thought, the way an egg and sperm come together—through sex—is a wonderfully basic thing that anyone, regardless of education, creativity, skill or life advantages can do.

Nine years ago, when my husband and I gave ourselves over to the primal desire of having a child, this is what we wanted: a totally normal conception followed nine months later by an extraordinary event—the birth of a healthy child.

Normal, however, did not turn out to be our path. Instead of dinner out and making love, we drove back and forth from the fertility clinic and took turns injecting hormones into my stomach and behind. We worked up to IVF and got pregnant! With twins! Five and a half months into the pregnancy I went into pre-mature labor and the twins were delivered, stillborn. A year later: a miscarriage, more IVF (six rounds in all). The word “extraordinary” did not enter into conversation during this time, unless it was to describe our extraordinary feelings of grief, despair, and loss.

We took a break. And during this time, my mother, who had, according to her, never done an extraordinary thing in her life, saw a story about a post-menopausal woman who’d become pregnant and made the collosally generous and yes- extraordinary- offer to be a surrogate for our child.

Fearing our fertility clinic might refer us to a team of psychiatrists, we proceeded with caution, trying to guard our hearts. But to our surprise, our doctor did not dismiss our idea. While the viability of a woman’s eggs are influenced by her years on the planet, it turned out that the uterus does not age in the same way. (definitely extradordinary!)

After batteries of tests, my mother was cleared to be a “gestational host” ( a woman who carries the biological child of a couple). My eggs were joined with my husband’s sperm and then transferred into my mother’s uterus—and on the second joint IVF attempt, we heard the amazing news: we were pregnant and the pregnancy was advancing.

My mother moved in to our house in Chicago. We read Harry Potter books to the baby. We took walks and cooked my mother nourishing meals of her favorite foods. And in February 2011, thirty-nine weeks after we received that call of congratulations from our doctor, Finnean Lee Connell came into the world. Two beautiful hands, ten perfectly shaped toes, a face with a tiny nose that lifted up at the end like my husband’s. A beautiful, vibrant new life that the doctors in the delivery room pronounced, perfectly, wonderfully, “normal.”

At two and a half years, Finn is talking, running, making friends and running to the potty – sometimes making it, sometimes not- when he needs to go. He is – as many parents truthfully but obnoxiously say- our greatest joy; in every way “normal” and most definitely, extraordinary.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bringing in Finn is the true story of a couple who wanted nothing more than to have a family and a mother who would do anything for her daughter. After unsuccessfully trying to conceive naturally, years of fertility treatments, miscarriage and a late term loss of twins, Sara and Bill Connell were emotionally and financially depleted and at a loss as to how they could have a family. When Sara’s mother Kristine offered to be their surrogate, the three embark on the journey that would culminate in Finnean’s miraculous birth and complete a transformation of their at-one-time strained mother-daughter relationship.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Seal Press
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN-10: 1580055419

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO CRYSTAL AT WOW!,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
PRINT-OPEN TO US/CANADA RESIDENTS or EBOOK-OPEN TO ALL

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS NOVEMBER 7th 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, Harper Collins/William Morrow, Partners In Crime Tours, Showcase

Guest Author STEPHEN BOOTH

CMash October 23, 2013 2 Comments

WELCOME STEPHEN BOOTH

STEPHEN BOOTH

Stephen Booth is an award winning British crime writer, the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in twelve novels set in England’s beautiful and atmospheric Peak District.

Stephen has been a Gold Dagger finalist, an Anthony Award nominee, twice winner of a Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, and twice shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year. Ben Cooper was a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and in 2003 the Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers the most pleasure”.

The Cooper & Fry series is published all around the world, and has been translated into 15 languages. The latest title is DEAD AND BURIED, with a new book, ALREADY DEAD, published in June 2013.
Connect with Stephen Booth at these sites:

Q&A with Stephen Booth

Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
I think all writers make use of their personal experiences, though they may not be recognisable by the time they appear in a fictional story. In fact, it’s quite therapeutic to take something that’s happened to you and write about! I try to make my Cooper & Fry novels as contemporary as possible, so my characters’ lives will be affected by things happening in the real world at the time. Actually, since I’m working on a novel up to 12 months before it’s published, I’m trying to predict the future a bit.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the storyline brings you?
When I set out to write a new book, I have no idea what’s going to happen, or how it will end. I write in a very ‘organic’ way, starting with vague ideas about a few characters and a place they belong to. I write around them until I start to know who they are. Then I put them into a situation where they’re under pressure (this will normally involve a murder or a dead body, of course!), and I watch what they do. So the story arises out of the characters, and it’s always a discovery process for me as I write it. Luckily, I’m writing about police detectives, so I rely on them to do their part of the job and ask all the questions!

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
I’m one of those writers who doesn’t really have a routine. I know the way to kick-start the creative process at any time of the day is to sit down and start writing. But I do most of my writing in the evening, sometimes into the early hours of the morning. It’s quieter then, with fewer distractions. One of the drawbacks to working from home is that everyone knows you’re there and available! So it’s hard to create the sort of structured working day you have in most jobs. When I’m writing, I tend to listen either to music, or to drama and talk programmes on the radio. Something I’ve just heard in the background can often pop an idea into my head (BBC Radio 4 is wonderful for this).

Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Yes, I’ve been a full-time writer for the past 12 years. Before that, I was a newspaper journalist. I started my first reporter’s job at the age of 21, after I graduated – so I suppose writing (or at least editing) has always been my job.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
I grew up on Agatha Christie and the great, classic British crime novelists (who all seemed to be female). Of that older generation, the writer who can still produce something new and interesting after all this time is Ruth Rendell. Some of her books, like ‘A Judgement in Stone’, are extraordinary achievements. But I have many other favourites, including Reginald Hill, Peter Robinson and Michael Connelly.

What are you reading now?
I’ve been asked by the British Library to write introductions for two novels being re-issued in their Classic Crime series. They’re by a long-forgotten British mystery writer from the Golden Age called M. Doriel Hay, and they’re classics of their period.

Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Yes, I’m currently writing book #14 in the Cooper and Fry series, which is called ‘The Corpse Bridge’. I hope the title suggests there might be a dead body or two! The story uses an aspect of the Peak District’s history and folklore to create a modern-day mystery. The old ‘corpse ways’ were routes taken by mourners carrying a coffin for burial, sometimes for miles over difficult terrain. When the local land-owning aristocrat decides to re-develop the villagers’ burial ground for his own commercial gain, new corpses start to appear…

Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
I’m asked this question a lot, since the Cooper and Fry novels are currently in development for a TV series in the UK. And readers definitely have their own opinions! But as an author I think it’s very risky to start getting pictures of an actor in my head. There are no actors exactly like my mental image of Ben Cooper or Diane Fry, and the danger is that you can lose your original character if you focus too much on an actor. If and when it comes to casting, it will be someone else’s interpretation of the character, and I’m quite relaxed about that.

Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
No contest here! I must be one of the few people left in the world who doesn’t own a TV (and I never have). For me, there’s a huge difference. When you’re watching TV, the story is going on over there in the corner of the room. But when you’re reading a book, the story is taking place inside your head. And the pictures are better too! I do watch movies, but I tend to go for something spectacular and undemanding, where I’m not expected get involved with the characters too much. Cinema does that very well.

Favorite food?
Cantonese Dim Sum

Favorite beverage?
I’m a rare teetotal Brit, so an Apple and Mango juice will suit me, thanks!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The helicopters are halted. The search for fifteen-year-old Laura Vernon ends when her body is found, murdered, in the forest.

On his hunt for the killer, detective Ben Cooper begins to suspect the people of Derbyshire are guarding some dark secrets-secrets that Laura might have known. Further complicating his investigation, Cooper is paired with an unfamiliar partner: Diane Fry, a woman as tenacious as she is alluring. Together they learn that in order to understand the town’s present, they must unearth its past.

Black Dog is like Twin Peaks by way of Tana French, and the first novel in the multiple award-winning Cooper and Fry series.

READ AN EXCERPT

The spot where Ben Cooper stood was remote and isolated. A passing walker wouldn’t have been able to see him up here among the bracken, even if he’d bothered to look up.

Cooper turned round, wafting his hand across his face against the flies. He was looking through the trees and thick brambles as if towards the end of a dark tunnel, where the figure of Harry Dickinson was framed in a network of branches. Cooper had to squint against a patch of dazzling light that soaked the hillside in strong colours. The old man stood in the glare of the low sun, with hot rocks shimmering around him like a furnace. The haze of heat made his outline blur and writhe, as if he were dancing a slow shimmy. His shadow, flung across the rocks, seemed to wriggle and jerk as its shape fragmented among the bracken and brambles.

The expression in Harry’s eyes was unreadable, his face lying partly in the shade from the peak of his cap. Cooper couldn’t even tell which way he was looking, whether he’d turned away or was staring directly towards him in the trees. He wanted to grab the old man by the shoulders and shake him. He wanted to tell him that somebody had disturbed this spot, and recently. The evidence was right there for anyone to see, and to smell.

There had been two people here, and at least one of them had been looking for more than just rabbits. The smell that lingered under the trees was of stale blood. And the flies had found something even more attractive than Cooper’s sweat to feed on.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Fiction/Crime
Published by: Witness / HarperCollins
Publication Date: 10/8/2013
ISBN: 9780062301963
Series: 1st in the Ben Cooper & Diane Fry Series

PURCHASE LINKS:

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

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Guest Author, Partners In Crime Tours, Showcase

PICT Presents STEVE ALTEN

CMash October 23, 2013 1 Comment

Inline image 1

WELCOME STEVE ALTEN

STEVE ALTEN

Steve Alten earned his Bachelors degree at Penn State University, a Masters Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Delaware, and a Doctorate of Education at Temple University. Struggling to support his family of five, he decided to pen a novel he had been thinking about for years. Working late nights and on weekends, he eventually finished MEG; A Novel of Deep Terror, a thriller about Carcharodon megalodon, the 70-foot prehistoric cousin of the great white shark. MEG went on to become an international best-seller, with movie rights sold. The Mayan Calendar plays a big part in his Domain series — another international best-seller sold in the U.K. as THE MAYAN PROPHECY series. Steve’s other work includes The LOCH — a modern-day thriller about the Loch Ness Monster, The SHELL GAME — about the end of oil and the next 9/11 event, and GRIM REAPER: End of Days — a modern-day Dante’s Inferno which takes place in New York when a man-made plague strikes Manhattan. His best work yet, THE OMEGA PROJECT – was released in August 2013. As an author, Steve has two goals. First, to continue to work hard to become a better storyteller and create exciting page turning thrillers. Second, to remain accessible to his readers. Steve reads and answers all e-mails, uses the names and descriptions of his loyal fans as characters in all his novels, and even hires readers as editors, depending on their particular expertise.
Connect with Steve at these sites:

Q&A with Steve Alten

ABOUT THE BOOK

In The Wizard of Oz, a runaway finds herself transplanted to a strange land, only to learn it was all a dream. In Planet of the Apes, an astronaut awakens to find himself in a strange land, only to realize he is still on Earth. The Omega Project ups the ante, and neither the hero nor the reader will know the true reality until the very last page. In 2028, twelve astronauts and a scientist are cryogenically frozen for 30 days beneath the Ross Ice Shelf to prep for a mission to Europa. Only one will awaken… 12 million years in the future!

READ AN EXCERPT

When the oil stopped flowing death became a game of musical chairs. Accepting isolation over the insanity of anarchy, I remained alone in my fortress of solitude, waiting for the world’s population to drop from seven billion to just under six hundred million, knowing that if I could safeguard my chair then maybe I’d live to see a different, wiser world. Instead, I found myself quarantined against a society gone mad in every sense of the word. After sixteen months of rationing, I was forced to venture out of my prison — and that’s when I met my new companion.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Fiction
Published by: Tor/Forge
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 0765336324

PURCHASE LINKS: