Friday, June 28, 2013

FREE on Amazon ~ Snapshot to Destiny by Christie A. C. Gucker


Synopsis:

Willow Reese has always been drawn to photography. So much, that she owns a small photo lab where her customers who haven’t moved into the digital age can still get their film developed.

Her clientele range from grandmothers with photos of grandkids, to morticians with pictures to make you cringe, and one very sexy professional photographer named Spencer, who she’s always been sweet on.

But one day, her whole world shatters when a she finds that a series of photos cause her to have a reaction that will shake the foundation of everything she’s always believed in. Her life will never be the same, not unless she chooses to make it remain as it was destined. Can Willow find happiness in what life already has destined for her, or will she change everything that she desires?

Amazon Buy Link

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Cover Reveal - Scorched Treachery by Rebecca Ethington


Title: Scorched Treachery (Imdalind #3)
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Expected release date: July 12th 2013
Genre: Paranormal (with action and romance)
Age Group: Young Adult
Cover designed by: Okay Creations

While Joclyn is trapped in the tormenting hell of Cail’s mind, the battle around her only continues to grow and spread.

Edmund has infiltrated the underground hallways of Prague, guiding the massacre that would end the lives of the last of the great magical race. In her attempts to stop him, Wynifred has been captured and her magic restrained. Chained up in the ancient dungeons of Prague, her fate is left in the hands of her father, who has tried to kill her before.

With Ryland’s screams and Sain’s fragmented sights as her only company, Wyn must rely on something that has been hidden deep inside of her for centuries to help them break free.

Ilyan’s whole life has been building up to one purpose. Protect the Silnį»³. He knows what he must do, and he has no doubt in his ability to do so.

But when his father’s magic removes Joclyn’s mind from her body, he is left protecting the shell of the one person he loves. Desperate to find a way to break her free of her prison, he makes a choice. And that one choice changes everything.

Now, Ilyan finds himself bound to Joclyn in a way that he never knew to be possible. They say that blood is thicker than water, but Black Water burns, and Ilyan’s heart may not be strong enough to keep the water pumping through his veins and give the girl he loves back into his brother’s care.

Even if he can, it may not be safe to do so.

Reading order: Kiss of Fire (1), Eyes of 
Ember (2), Scorched Treachery (3)

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About the Author

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RebeccaEthington_zpsdb867f4c.jpgRebecca Ethington is a story teller and author from Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then in stage with years of theatrical performances. Rebecca’s first stint into the world of literary writing, The Imdalind Series, was released in October 2012 and since its release each book has been found in several top 100 lists on Amazon.

Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her crazy family.





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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

£6.19 Per Witching Hour by Joanna Mazurkiewicz


Synopsis:

Julia Taylor works as a recruitment consultant for Paranormal Personnel in London. Her days at work seem normal. She sees clients that regularly are looking for work; she searches for new vacancies, updates CVs and visits employers.

Everything is pretty ordinary for her, apart from the fact that Julia is half elf and Paranormal Personnel is not an ordinary recruitment agency at all because all jobless supernatural creatures come to the agency to look for work. Fairies, vampires, witches, hags, wizards, mermaids, elves, giants and trolls, they all need to find employment, and during this economic climate, this seems pretty challenging.

Julia doesn’t want her life to be complicated, but when her day is interrupted by the shapeshifter with the chain saw, she just has to deal with him as she always does. She is normally calm, confident and is not afraid to stand up for herself, but when the meeting with Nathaniel’s Corporation goes not as well as she had hoped, she wants to bury herself under the ground and die.

Then, to make matters worse, Mr. La Caz gets under her skin, lighting up a fire inside her. She accidentally reads his thoughts and learns that he craves her; he wants to suck her dry, but she is convinced that he is not even a vampire.

*Mature New Adult Paranormal Romance novel - contains adult situations, high sexuality, violence, suited for ages 17 and up*

Amazon / Goodreads

Review: I love witchy and paranormal type mixes in stories as you all should know by now so I really found this one to my liking very much! There was ongoing action, sexy spots, and a good mystery to boot! I am now sitting here in anticipation on the next book because that cliffhanger is killing me! ;)

About the Author:

Joanna Mazurkiewicz was born in Poland. She moved to United Kingdom when she was only nineteen and just finished high school. She had aspired to be a writer upon completion of the Harry Potter series but also enjoyed reading books like ‘Gone with the Wind’, ’Animal Farm’ and ‘The doll’.

She graduated from Swansea University with a bachelor degree in American Studies. While studying in the UK she made a decision to start writing fiction in English.

The “Whispers of the Sprite” is her first debut novel and she is currently working on the other projects. Joanna lives in Cowbridge, a small town in South Wales near Cardiff with her boyfriend Bruce. She enjoys cycling around Welsh countryside some of which has become the settings in her first series.

Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / ipage

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Zombie, Incorporated Blitz


Synopsis:

Twilight. With zombies.

Eighteen-year-old Katie Allred is socially awkward and unpopular at school. The only child of parents who had her right out of high school, Katie is herself about to leave the nest, even though she hardly feels ready.

Katie’s new after-school job at the Zimble Box Corporation draws her into the complex social strata of high school cliques and backstabbing friends in ways she never imagined. Katie soon discovers there’s something very strange about the “in” crowd at school---and about her employer, too. Shortly after starting her new job, the Contagion breaks out, plunging her town and the entire nation into chaos as zombie shadow forces come out into the open, ravaging the streets. Katie goes into hiding and her parents disappear, along with almost everyone else she knows.

But Katie soon discovers she has special powers that help her survive. She’s a Beacon, someone with the innate ability to help zombies produce children. It’s a power her employer — and what little remains of the U.S. government — both want to exploit for their own ends. Not only that, it runs in her family---which has a secret past Katie never knew about until now.

Enter Agent Morehouse of the FBI Special Zombie Control Unit. A reformed zombie working undercover, he suppresses his urge to eat human flesh in order to serve and save humanity. But Agent Morehouse can’t help but be attracted to a Beacon like Katie, and she to him. Even as they fight zombies the world over, they must fight their intense attraction to each other, hoping to keep Katie from suffering Agent Morehouse’s terrible zombie fate.

Goodreads / Amazon / BN

Guest Post:Getting To Know Jill Elaine Hughes

1. I love pizza with black olives and sausage.

2. I'm always ready for a new episode of Breaking Bad.

3. When I'm alone, I read.

4. You'd never be able to tell, but I have a tattoo in a secret spot.

5. If I had a halo it would be orange.

6. If I could speak Swahili I'd move to Africa.

7. I can never be a beekeeper because I’m allergic to bee stings. (They can kill me!)

8. I wrote and illustrated my first horror story when I was in fifth grade.

AUTHOR BIO:

I'm an independent author of New Adult (mature YA, 18-26) fiction as well as a full-time freelance journalist based in Chicago. I've contributed to the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Chicago Reader and many magazines as a journalist over the past 15 years. And like most New Adult fiction authors these days, I've gone the self-publishing route for my work since most publishers haven't caught up to the readership trends in this emerging shelf category. My writing is usually laced with humor and also often has sexual and/or dystopian elements.

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Giveaway - Skarlet Kiss by Elise Whyles Tour

The Forsaken Series, Book 5

Can one who served the enemy find love in the arms of a condemned man?

Una has spent her life serving Amuliana, the goddess of immortals. Now she stands on the brink of a change, one that can her give back the life she lost to Amuliana's meddling. But the change that comes will shatter the peaceful existence she knows and give her a new understanding of love and life. Unbeknownst to Una, her ancestors were the Forsaken, immortals who were cast out for the crime of a jealous vampire general.

Liam, an outcast among the dragon clans, has spent centuries seeking the one who condemned him for a crime he did not commit. When he comes face to face with Una, he must make a difficult choice—seek revenge or save a pure heart from the darkness threatening their worlds.

The dragon warrior and the human girl will unite to face enemies they've never experienced as a fallen vampire general's army stalks them. As Una gains strength, her immortal gifts are returned and she becomes a threat to the imprisoned general who's seeking power over the immortal world. He can't afford to let Una survive, because her life will ultimately cost him his.

Together, Liam and Una must fight their way back to the vampire world and the safety offered by her sister. Can love survive amid the treachery and danger, or has Liam finally found his mate only to lose her to the evil plaguing their worlds?

Content Warning: explicit sex, emotional torment, graphic violence

Buy Links: Beachwalk Press Amazon Barnes & Noble All Romance eBooks

Excerpt:

Thick, rolling clouds kept the air moist as Liam paced the confines of his home. Ice covered the stone walls, snow swirled and danced along the floor of the cave. He shivered, the rattle of scales music to his ears. After two hundred years, he was finally able to break out of the horrid humanoid form.

Padding to the mouth of his cave, he stared out. White clouds soared around the mountain's peak. Snow danced along the ledge, piling where it was easiest. The air was cold, crisp, sweet, much as it had been when he'd grown up in the Highlands.

He tapped his claws against the stone, his eyes searching through the mist, for what he did not know. The need to search, to find an answer to the elusive want had plagued him for days, disturbing his hunting, his rest. Nights were filled with the image of a female, her hair flowing over her shoulders, wide, trust filled eyes staring at him. Her hands outstretched, reaching toward him. The visage tickled at his memory of another woman, one dressed as a slave, following the footsteps of a vampire…one he'd feared.

Curling his tail around himself, he settled on his haunches, shoulders hunched against the chill as he stared out over the human realm. Faint, his hunger stirred. Soon he'd need to hunt, both for food and for the one who had done him ill. The sharp point of his tail beat a slow, steady rhythm against the floor as he tilted his head, listening to the howling winds, the bitter screams of the winter weather, and the elusive sound of a beating heart.

* * * *

"Do not dawdle, Una, our time grows short." Harsh, bitter, Anagor's voice scraped along her nerves as she hurried through the stone corridor. Stale air and dust sat in her throat, gagging her as she scurried among the debris. The sound of claws on stone sent shivers up her spine as some unseen vermin darted from her path. The heavy cloak she wore hid the shimmering fabric of her priestess robes but did little to battle the cold soaking through to her flesh.

"'Tis cold, this place we are being sent." Una shivered and ducked beneath a heavy beam. Her hand pressed against the icy stone as she struggled to maintain her balance on the uneven ground.

"You may think so."

Anagor's sneer pricked at the ready temper she'd struggled to control. Biting her lip, she kept the sharp retort to herself. She glanced up, her gaze falling on the thick wooden door Anagor stood before. He grinned as he gripped the handle and pulled. Dust and pebbles rained down as it creaked and groaned in protest before scraping along the ground to open. Shock ripped through Una as the pale streak of light spread along the frozen ground, wrapping around her with its icy chill.

Snow slapped at the ground, swirling in a maelstrom of white. It blew through the portal into the opening, piling around her sandal clad feet. Teeth chattering, she rubbed at her arms as Anagor stepped back, reaching for her cloak, all but shoving her into the freezing air.

"Duty does not wait for one who whines," he snapped, his grip tightening around her arm.

Bitter winds lashed at her dress, whipping the fabric around her legs. Her cheeks and toes burned, and fog formed in front of her with every breath. Her skin tightened, prickles of heat dancing along the surface. Wrapping her arms around herself, she fought to ward off the chill even as she felt it sinking deeper into her skin.

"My lord, I would hurry, but this wind…it is so cold, I fear I'll freeze."

"Nonsense. Amuliana would not send you forth to freeze. You have served her well."

Una stumbled, her hand catching at Anagor. Pain ripped through her, shredding her heart as she wavered, yet it wasn't her pain. Rather, it was his. His pale eyes stared at her, hate stirring in them, along with something else. Something terrifying.

Backing away from him, Una trembled. Her fingers clutched at her clothes, wrapping them tighter around her. Each step back she took, he advanced two, his eyes fastened on her throat. He grinned, a merciless expression which revealed blackened nubs for teeth and puss filled gums.

"What is this?" Una swallowed, the rising fear pushing any thought but escape from her mind.

"My penance has waited too long, Una. I will have what I seek this night." Anagor licked his lips, his eyes darkening with hunger.



About the Author:

Born in a small community, Elise Whyles lives in Canada with her son and husband. She’s currently working on the next book in the Canadian Heros Trilogy as well as the next book in the paranormal romance series Forsaken. Elise writes in multiple genres, paranormal, contemporary, erotic, m/m. To learn more about her or to drop her a note please stop by her website.


Author Links: Site / Twitter / Facebook

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Gravitational Pull by Marissa Carmel



Synopsis:

Touch me, and bring me to life...

How do you move on when you don't even know where you were going in the first place? The Spirit Stalker is dead and I have finally started to erect my life. But I quickly discover, that just because the structure is built doesn't mean the foundation is sturdy.

As much as I try to manage my abilities, I can't completely control them. The physical impossibility of the relationship I have with Justice has reached a boiling point; our fundamental problem, my inability to control myself from absorbing his power, and his fear of touching me because of it.

As if that wasn't deal- breaker enough, a new threat looms on my horizon - Darklings. They are grim reapers of the immortal world who surface every five-hundred-years to feed off the souls of magical beings who are weak, aimless, lost; those who have given up and want to move on.

They also hunt power. Which means, they're hunting me. Abandoned by the one person I need the most, I find myself in Melenia's realm. There, I’m courted by Siberian, a dangerous pixie who covets me, hunted by Death personified; all the while hiding my powers and my ancient bloodline. The pixie prince is alluring, and I feel so broken and vulnerable. I know giving in to him means giving myself over to him. But right now, I don't care. All I want is to feel anything other than the loss and rejection Justice left me with. Anything other than pain.

So what do I do when I'm scared to be touched, even though I know it's the only way to bring my soul back to life?



About the Author:


Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up on her ever growing DVR library. She is currently working on the sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull and the third and final installment of the Vis Vires trilogy, Constellation.

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / BN

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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Review Animate Me by Ruth Clampett

Synopsis:

She seemed far beyond his reach…could love draw them together?

For years shy animator Nathan has carried a torch for Brooke, the beautiful and dynamic Director of Development at their animation studio, even creating B-Girl, a comic-book heroine in her likeness. When a new project throws the two of them together, lovestruck Nathan finally seizes his moment – only to find Arnauld, head of the animation studio, claiming exclusive rights to Brooke’s affections.

Review: Oh wow this was an adorable love story of an animator, Nathan who falls in love with a girl when he hears her speak at a meeting but figures she is so far out of his league he never tries to approach her until she shows up in a "geek" store he happens to be working at as a favor and begins to realize maybe he could have a chance with her after she apparently is flirty with him.

I just loved this but obviously we can't have a story without it's drama and here that drama is called Arnauld who happens to be Brooke's boyfriend who loves every minute of making Nathan's life miserable and he can do so double whammy style bcause he is also the head of the studio!

Ruth weaves a wonderful tale and makes you want to reach in and help out the love birds because you know in your heart they sooooo belong together but will it be a happy ever after?


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Review - Fall For Me and Sacrifice by K. A. Last


Synopsis:

“Angels aren’t supposed to fall in love, especially with each other. But for the record, you were worth it.”

Grace Tate is a Protection Angel and Vampire Hunter, and she has always followed the rules. But some rules are made to be broken…

Until now the fight against evil has been simple, and falling in love was never part of the plan. So what happens when it’s beyond Grace’s control, and when she least expects it she falls for the wrong person?

All hell breaks loose, that’s what.

At Hopetown Valley High, not everything is as it seems, and the one person Grace thought was her enemy becomes her most important ally.

Blood will be shed, lives will be lost and friendships will be tested. It all comes down to one decision, and when Grace tries to save all those dear to her, she realises not everyone can be—or wants to be—saved.

Amazon

Review: I've never been big on angel stories but this one had vampires mixed in as well so I picked it up and it was okay, better than I expected plus it had a lil Australian chatter in there and I loved that! It was a fairly quick read and I feel good enough about it to pick up the next in the series.

K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. She now resides in a peaceful leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children and a rabbit named Twitch.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Monday, June 17, 2013

Poison by Molly Cochran


Synopsis:

After the riveting—and romantic—events of Legacy, Katy has won Peter’s heart and is now claiming her place in the magical world. Though half the students at her boarding school come from witching lines, the use of magic is expressly forbidden at Ainsworth, so as to keep the witching world hidden from the blue-blooded preppies, aka Muffies, who also walk the halls.

But the Muffies have at least a notion of magic, because Katy catches them staging a made-up ritual—and to her astonishment, the girls collapse at Katy’s feet and fall into comas. When Katy is blamed, she becomes desperate to clear her name and finds herself battling all odds to harness her growing magical powers in order to save the Muffies and dispel the Darkness once more.

Purchase Links:

Amazon / BN / Indie Bound / Book Depository

Review:

I have to begin by saying how much I LOVE the cover for Poison! I always feel right at home in a library and this cover just rocks!

Now I have not read Legacy yet and I always have to wonder when I read books out of order if I have missed any crucial moments or introductions. But with that said I can still tell you that I really enjoyed Poison. The writing was swift and flowed nicely. The characters were fun and entertaining whether good or bad even the Muffies! They were a fine piece of work!

As much as I enjoy just witch stories in general, I do believe the section in this story that I found the most interesting was the added storyline of King Arthur.

I think most anybody that has an interest in adventure mixed with a little witchy/paranormal in it would like reading this and I do recommend it to all.


About the author:

Molly Cochran, author of the teen paranormal romances LEGACY and POISON, has written 26 published novels and four nonfiction books under her own name and various pseudonyms. Her books include New York Times bestselling novels GRANDMASTER and THE FOREVER KING, coauthored with Warren Murphy, and the nonfiction DRESSING THIN, also a NY Times
bestseller. She has won awards from the Mystery Writers of America (Best Novel of the Year), the Romance Writers of America (Best Thriller), and the New York Public Library (Outstanding Books for the Teen Age).

SEDUCTION, the third installment in the LEGACY series, is scheduled for release later this year through her publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Two eBooks, THE TEMPLE DOGS and THE FOREVER KING, are currently available through online retailers. A third, GRANDMASTER, will be available soon.

Molly has lectured extensively and has taught writing at the college level as well as at a women's prison (where she was NOT an inmate). She also writes a blog on writing technique which appears on her website.

She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.



Author Links:

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads


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Vampire Elite

Synopsis:

How can you make a choice between saving your people and destroying the one you love?

A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing members of another race of immortal beings, the Amiti, forcing them to become their blood suppliers—bloodstock—and locking them in underground cells, where they are treated like livestock. Now, the few remaining free Amiti are making a final attempt to strike back. The Queen of the Amiti has been proclaimed a traitor and executed. Her death makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who becomes the last hope of her dying race. Arianna totally embraces her mission and is ready to fight for her people to the last drop of her blood but encounters an unexpected challenge—the vampire King Tor. The Amiti Queen and the King of the vampires are drawn into a trap of love where each has to make the ultimate choice: to kill their loved one or risk the extermination of their people.

Vampire Elite is an epic story of a bitter conflict between two peoples, and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers. Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into their hidden universe.

Excerpt:

As the auctioneer spoke, two Sekhmi in eveningwear—a male carrying an elegant dagger and a female a silver tray covered with glass vials—approached the Amiti girl.

“She’s barely eighteen, ladies and gentlemen. That’s a good three years younger than the youngest bloodstock you’ll usually come across. Look at her; she’s stunning, simply stunning, and as you can see, we’ve kept her well conditioned, in excellent health.

The auctioneer paused as the male Hunter grasped the Amiti’s hand and held it above the tray. The girl showed no resistance, her only display of anxiety the butterfly fluttering of her thick eyelashes. He raised his other hand, and the dagger flashed in the light as with a swift motion he slit the Amiti’s palm. The dark, intoxicating scent of fresh
blood filled the room as it poured into the vials.

Simone’s gums began to itch and burn, and she covered her mouth with her hand so no one would see her fangs punching down. It was considered terribly rude to expose one’s fangs in public, even among other vampires. But she needn’t have worried; everyone’s attention was riveted to the stage and the blood flowing from the girl’s wound. The room vibrated with bloodlust and sexual arousal.

The female Sekhmi approached Simone’s table, offering the Royal Pride the first of the blood samples. Knowing that all eyes were on her, Simone forced herself not to hesitate and took a small sip—and was immediately flooded with euphoria.

“For this magnificent specimen, we open the bidding at ten million U.S. dollars,” announced the auctioneer.

About the Authors:

Irina Argo is a combined pen name for two authors, Irina Kardos and Jo-An Torres.

Irina

Irina’s world is dark. She works as a clinical psychologist in a Juvenile Correctional Facility dealing with the extremes of human behavior on a regular basis and takes care of her paralyzed husband who suffered a stroke several years ago. To bring light into her life she writes. Writing has always been her passion. She is originally from Russia where she was employed as a TV journalist.

Jo-An

Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness who has emerged to follow her dream, to someday write a book of her own. She owned a costume shop for 15 years and was able to satisfy and excel in her creative nature. She is an over-achiever and believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and ignore the nay-sayers. Her philosophy is based on Shakespeare "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves." She currently resides in California with her 5 cats and 1 husband.

www.vampire-elite.com

Facebook.com/VampireEliteSeries

Twitter: @TheVampireElite

Friday, June 14, 2013

Guest Post - Sunny Benson - January Exposure

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Sunny Benson on Facebook & Twitter

Website



10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sunny Benson

I’ve always loved science. As a kid I asked for a robot, a microscope, and a chemistry set for Christmas. I also requested a frog dissection kit, but never received it. I don’t think my mom thought I’d actually use it, which is funny, because as a little kid she dissected a dead mouse she found to ‘see what was inside’.

I became a lacto-ovo-vegetarian thirteen years ago after seeing an episode of cops that featured the officers busting a cock fighting ring and finding live, injured chickens discarded in a covered trash can.

I have three bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, and computer science and a master’s degree in IT.

I was a high school science teacher before my current occupation as a computer scientist.

There is an old family story regarding my name. One Sunday after church, my family went for brunch at Perkins, a huge treat for us since we didn’t often eat out very often. I was six years old, and my little sister Tracy was four. When the waiter took my order, I ordered my eggs sunny side up. So of course, applying kid logic, when it was her turn to order, Tracy asked for her eggs Tracy side up.

When I donned my new fledged wings of adulthood, I procured a tattoo of a Sun, because of my name.

I was born in Fargo and lived there for the first few weeks of my life, but actually grew up across the border in Fargo’s twin city Moorhead. Go Spuds!

I attended Space Camp as a teenager and won the “Right Stuff” award.

I’ve been an insomniac since I was a teenager. The only time in my adult life that I’ve slept well was during my pregnancy with my son.

I have double jointed elbows. So do my mom, my two sisters, and at least one of my daughters.

The Orange Moon Affair by AFN Clarke

The Orange Moon Affair - by the bestselling author of CONTACT - is the first book of a compelling new thriller series, an action-packed conspiracy with a hero and heroine you hold your breath for. If you enjoy the action of Robert Ludlum, the intensity of Brad Thor and the international intrigue of Daniel Silva, then this book’s for you!

Ex-British Special Forces soldier Thomas Gunn is drawn back into his old life of international intrigue and danger following the murder of his billionaire father. The deeper he digs the more complicated the puzzle becomes until he finds himself working for MI5 uncovering a global conspiracy that puts the freedom of the western world at grave risk. His girlfriend Julie becomes his accomplice surprising him with her loyalty, strength of character and physical prowess.

While traversing the globe being shot at, shot down and losing loved ones – a haunting question tears at his soul – was his father really at the heart of this evil conspiracy? Or was he a pawn in a larger more insidious game that even he could not control?

Seeking the final answer could cost Thomas dearly, ripping from him all that he most loves and cherishes and leaving him questioning his past, his future and what kind of person he is or wants to become. The final outcome depends on him. Or does it?

As a former Captain of Britain’s elite Parachute Regiment and son of an MI6 operative the author brings his own unique and eye-opening experiences to the character and exploits of Thomas Gunn, as well as an unsettling blurring of the lines between fiction and reality when exploring the ruthless abuse of power and position for personal gain.

“… The Orange Moon Affair is timely, eye-opening, fast-paced … you will find you want to turn the next page, and the next page, and the next … the first of the Thomas Gunn series … you don’t want to miss them!” 5 Stars, Remy Benoit.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Thriller

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with AFN Clarke on Facebook & Twitter




Are Mentors Important? by AFN Clarke

My first book Contact took two years to finally be accepted for publication. Two years and seventeen rejections from publishers, not because they didn’t like the book but because they weren’t willing to take the risk on a tell-it-as-it-was soldier’s story about a highly controversial time in history.

Then I received a rejection letter from John Blackwell of Martin Secker & Warburg (an imprint of William Heinemann) with an impressive list of Nobel Prize winners. It was a rejection with a difference though, because John suggested that if I decided to rewrite certain sections of the book, they would be willing to take another look. Taking a week off work, I went to Spain, holed up in a rented apartment and rewrote Contact. That version was accepted and the book became an instant best seller.

So what has that to do with mentoring? Simply put, John Blackwell along with his colleague Peter Grose became my mentors at a crucial time in my career as an author, steering me gently through the minefield of having a bestselling book, the lunacy of instant fame and myriad interviews that came with its success. But that was only the tip of their contribution to my career.

I was to learn that they had a unique way of relating to authors. A deeply personal relationship where they did not just advise and discuss writing issues, but quietly debated the intricacies of writing and the reasons why people feel the need to write books. They never forced their opinions on me but rather initiated intriguing discussions to open my eyes to a new way of looking at my work and its impact on a reader. Their wealth of experience left me humbled and yet uplifted, eager to continue to write and explore this extraordinary medium.

It’s this kind of mentoring that is crucial to any author and I owe a lot to John and Peter, but all was not in total agreement at the time and I still had a very important lesson to learn about trusting myself as an author and not totally surrendering to my mentors.

After CONTACT was published I wrote the first draft of The Orange Moon Affair, a thriller that involved drug dealing, arms smuggling and financial corruption. The story was set around an American car company in Belfast, and was sourced from actual events surrounding the Delorean Car Company of which I had some personal knowledge and experience.

But to my frustration John rejected the book because he simply didn’t believe the basis of the story. Several months later, Delorean was all over the news for drug smuggling and unimaginable acts of corruption. John apologized, as my story had actually been profoundly prophetic. He wished he had published it ahead of Delorean’s downfall. But publishing after the fact wasn’t an option.

Yet the basic concept stayed with me, and now thirty years later The Orange Moon Affair has a new lease on life. It’s been completely rewritten as the first book in an ongoing series of action-packed thrillers dealing with global conspiracies that pose intense dangers to our world today.

I guess I’m a slow learner, but I’m glad that I finally followed John’s advice that “if you really believe in your work, don’t let anyone stand in your way, even your editor”. When John died in the late 1990s, it was a savage loss, but I think he would be proud of my work to date and would relish the expansion of creative opportunities and the freedom that the move from printed books to eBooks gives authors today. And I hope he’s still willing to give me a gentle nudge in the right direction when I need it.

AFN CLARKE is the son of a British MI6 operative, pilot, sailor, screenwriter, father of four who’s lived all over the world, served in the British Army and recovered from the physical/emotional traumas of war. His bestselling memoir Contact was serialized in a British newspaper and made into an award winning BBCTV film. He’s insatiably curious, loves heated discussions and has a rascally sense of humor. He now writes fiction of various genres – thrillers (The Orange Moon Affair and An Unquiet American); human drama (Dry Tortugas), humor/satire (Dreams from the Death Age; Armageddon), horror (Collisions) with more coming soon. For more information visit http://www.afnclarke.com, connect on Facebook or Twitter (@AFN Clarke).

Never Too Far Blitz - Thomas Christopher


Synopsis:

A harrowing story of love and survival.

In a future of scarce resources, where the possession of gas and diesel is punishable by death, a teenage boy and a pregnant girl must save their impoverished family. They risk their lives on a terrifying journey to sell stolen fuel on the black market.

Goodreads / Amazon


About the Author:

Thomas Christopher grew up in Iowa, where he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. After living in Seattle and Montana, he received his MFA at Western Michigan University. He has published short stories in The Louisville Review, The MacGuffin, Redivider, Small Spiral Notebook, Cooweescoowee, and other places. He was also awarded an Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant and was a finalist for the Matthew Clark Prize in Fiction. Currently, he lives in Wisconsin with his wife Jessica and their son Holton.

Thomas' Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Indelible Cover Reveal - Bethany Lopez


Title: Indelible
Author: Bethany Lopez
Expected release date: July 9, 2013
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designed by : B Design
Photo by Kelsey Kukal-Keeton
Cover reveal organized by:AToMR Tours

Book Synopsis:


After a year of partying, Sam decides to buckle down and focus on college. Things are going great until a one-night stand leaves her pregnant and alone. Raising a child while going to school isn’t easy, but Sam is determined to be strong for her daughter. She doesn’t have time for guys or relationships, and takes great care to protect her child and her heart.

Judd doesn’t fit the mold of a college ballplayer. His long hair and tattoos may fit the life he’s created for himself, but baseball is the one thing he takes seriously.

When he meets Sam, he’s immediately drawn to her curves and refusal to put up with his crap. When Judd learns the truth, can he handle the responsibility that comes with loving a single mother?


Sam yearns for the fire that Judd fuels in her, but her child’s needs have to come first. Can two people at different stages in their life find a way to make a life together?

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011.

Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, 

family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When 
she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, 
traveling whenever possible.


Author social media links:

IAN

Webpage

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

American Girl On Saturn Cover Reveal - Nikki Godwin

Synopsis:

The summer after graduation is supposed to be that first real taste of freedom - but not for eighteen-year-old Chloe Branson. Just as that breeze of freedom is making its way into her galaxy, her secret-service-agent dad drops a meteor-sized bomb of bad news on her and her sisters. An attempt has been made on the lives of Canadian boyband, Spaceships Around Saturn, during their USA tour, and the guys have to go into hiding ASAP. The only problem? In the midst of the crisis and media frenzy, their dad volunteered to hide the guys...in their house.

Six-year-old Emery is as ecstatic as any self-proclaimed Saturnite would be, but Chloe and her seventeen-year-old sister Aralie watch their summer plans crash and burn like a falling star. The SAS guys aren't happy with the situation, either. Bad boy Jules picks fights with Aralie about everything from his Twitter followers to his laundry, and heart-throb Benji can't escape Emery's fangirlisms for more than three minutes.

But after the super-cute Milo kisses Chloe during a game of hide-and-seek, she finally understands what Emery means when she talks about SAS being "out of this world." If this is what Saturn feels like, Chloe doesn't want to come back to earth.


Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO

Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Don’t Bite the Bridesmaid by Tiffany Allee Blitz

Synopsis:

Alice Shepard needs one thing: a date for her sister's wedding. And not just any date. A hunk who will make her fiancĆ© rue the day he left her for her best friend. Her drop-dead gorgeous neighbor fits the bill—even if he is a bit quirky and never comes out during the day—and Alice has downed just enough appletinis to ask him. But she makes it quite clear that there will be no funny business.

Spending a week on a cruise ship full of humans while sleeping close to his sexy next-door neighbor sounds like a helluva bad idea to vampire Noah Thorpe. But his friends need time to get him out of a shotgun wedding—a vampire bonding that will tie his fate to a female vampire he's never met. And Alice's offer comes at just the right time. What could possibly go wrong?

Amazon / BN / Itunes / Kobo


About the Author:

CPA-turned-romance-author Tiffany Allee used to battle spreadsheets in Corporate America, and now concentrates on her characters’ battles to find love. Raised in small-town Colorado, Tiffany currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver. She is happily married to a secret romantic who tolerates her crazy mutterings.

She writes about ass-kicking heroines and the strong heroes who love them. Her work includes the suspense-driven From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency series which revolves around a group of paranormal cops solving crimes and finding love, and Don’t Bite the Bridesmaid, a lighthearted paranormal romance (Entangled Publishing).


Facebook / Twitter / Website / Blog

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Epiphany Sneak Peek - Christina Jean Michaels

Synopsis:

“I had my first psychic dream when I was nine. Psychic implied power, and powerful wasn’t a word I’d use to describe myself. I couldn’t foretell the future or conjure visions at will, but I couldn’t think of a more fitting word to describe what I sometimes saw in my dreams.”

For 23-year-old Mackenzie Hill, tossing her life down the garbage disposal is easy after a painful incident shatters her life. Her heart is bleeding, and moving to Watcher’s Point is a chance to start anew, only she isn’t prepared for the guy who walks out of her dreams and into the flesh.

Literally . . . because she’s been dreaming about this sexy stranger for years. Mackenzie is even less prepared to face the dark nature of her dreams. They’ve turned disturbingly gruesome, full of blood and murder, and when they begin to coincide with the media’s headlines, she and Aidan realize her visions might be the key to stopping a madman from killing again.

Only Aidan has painful secrets of his own, and perhaps the biggest danger of all is falling for him.

Excerpt:

Something inside me cracked right along with Aidan’s expression. Everything he’d been hiding spilled from his eyes.

“Aidan . . .”

“I need a drink.” He strode away, leaving me glued to the spot where he’d trapped me. A crash resounded from the kitchen, followed by splintering glass. I willed my feet to move, ignoring the little voice of reason pointing out that maybe I should leave him be for now.

He was sweeping broken glass into a dustpan when I walked in. “Are you okay?” Instantly, I wished I could cast a net and pull back the stupid, inconsiderate question. Of course he wasn’t okay. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not . . . okay.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know what you meant.” He emptied the dustpan into the trashcan and then opened a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, all the while refusing to meet my eyes.

“Mind sharing?” I asked. If there was ever a time for drinking, it was now.

“I thought you were beyond corruptible.”

I recalled how he’d said something similar on Halloween. “You remember more about that night than you let on, don’t you?”

He pulled two tumblers from a dark cherry wood cabinet. “I remember you.” Amber liquid sloshed into both glasses as he poured, and moment later he closed the distance between us.

“Straight up?” The question sounded like a challenge.

“Sure.” I gulped down the whiskey and ignored the burn as it slid down my throat. Heat ignited low in my belly, though whether from the alcohol or Aidan’s scrutiny, I wasn’t sure.

He leaned against the kitchen sink and finished off his own drink before pouring another. “I’m sorry I blew up on you. I didn’t come here to make friends . . . to complicate things.”

“I’m a complication?”

His laughter was empty, cold as a morgue. “You’re about as complicated as they come.”

I stared at the bottom of my glass. “Why’s that?”

“You look at me as if you see right through me. It’s unsettling.”

“I don’t mean to unsettle you.”

“Consider me unsettled. Problem is, I think you’re using more than eyesight.” He glanced at me and, never breaking eye contact, finished the whiskey in one long gulp.

I gripped my glass. I’d rather have my teeth pulled than tell him how often I’d dreamed of him over the years. “Can I have another?”

He grabbed the bottle and moved toward me, and I saw him in my mind’s eye as he’d been in the drawing; bare chest, subtle muscles, hair narrowing down to his belly button . . . I stumbled back as he poured a refill.

“Thanks.” The smooth whiskey went down easier the second time.

“Did you dream about me too? Is that why you followed me on Halloween?”

I took another step back, but he advanced until the edge of the counter bit into my spine. “I didn’t.” The lie sounded weak, even to my own ears.

“I think you did. The way you looked at me, like you saw a ghost or something . . .” Brushing against me, he set his tumbler on the cool granite. “At first, I thought maybe you recognized me from somewhere—”

“No,” I interrupted, desperate to lead him away from the subject. “You were imagining things.”

“No, I wasn’t.” He gently pried the empty glass from my fingers and set it next to his. Nothing stood between us now; not even the last shred of my secret.

I held fast to it anyway, like a child unwilling to let go of a tattered teddy bear. “You can think whatever you want. Doesn’t make it true.”

“Doesn’t make it not true.”

About the Author:

Christina Jean Michaels was born in Paradise, California, but she has found the true home of her heart in Eugene, Oregon where she finds plenty of inspiration for storytelling.

When she was young, her mother said she hated words. Now she can't imagine not writing. She became an avid reader when she was thirteen and discovered the world of Sweet Valley High.

About a year later she realized she could play God and write about her own characters. She has been writing in some form ever since.

She lives with her husband and their four children—three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-loving boys and one girl who steals everyone’s attention.

Spotlight Tour - Obsession - Sofia Grey



Synopsis:

Josh Delaney is the ideal honey trap. His charm and model good looks would be enough for most women, but coupled with his psychic ability to read their thoughts, he’s impossible to resist. Suspicious husbands employ him to test their wives, to see if they can be tempted to stray.

High profile couple Suki and Gabe Bridgewater have the perfect marriage, or at least, that’s the image they portray to the world. Behind closed doors, Gabe’s dominance in the marriage is unravelling and he decides to test Suki, using Josh as bait.

For Josh it should be just another easy job, but two things go horribly wrong.
One, Josh falls in love with Suki.

And two, Gabe refuses to let her go.

Amazon / BN / All Romance



About the Author:

Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

Website / Pinterest / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Very Bad Things Cover Reveal - Ilsa Madden Mills

Title: Very Bad Things (#1 Briarcrest Academy)
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Expected release date: September 10, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Cover designed by: Toski Covey Photography and Sommer Stein from Perfect Pear


Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description: 

Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen year old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…or is she?

Leaving behind her million dollar mansion and Jimmy Choo’s, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five year old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love.

His gym and his brother are all he cares about…until he meets Nora and realizes he is not the master of his own fate. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference. 

As they struggle to stay away from each other…secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy…where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17836829-very-bad-things


About the Author 

Ilsa wrote her first work at the age of twelve when she penned a little ditty about a handsome prince who had no sense. Since then, she’s written plays, poems, and numerous short stories. Very Bad Things is her first full-length novel and part of a new series called Briarcrest Academy.

She graduated summa cum laude with a master’s in English from an esteemed university in the South, where she now resides. After graduation, she taught writing courses, directed plays, worked with autistic children, helped start a children’s clothing company, and eventually had a family. Now, she spends her days with two small kids and her Viking husband. When she’s not typing away at a story, you can find her drinking too much coffee, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully maintained chocolate stash.

She loves to hear from fans and fellow avid readers. You can find her on Facebook and a soon to come author website.

Author social media links: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-IlsaMadden-Mills/164946810330135?ref=hl

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17836829-very-bad-things</ a>



Being Kalli Cover Reveal - Rebecca Berto

Synopsis:

There are two things you should know about Kalli Perkins.

1. She’d rather do it in public than be alone with a guy.

2. She loves her little brothers more than her mom does.

Kalli doesn’t pretend to be a good girl. At nineteen, she’s never been in love and doesn’t ever intend to be. She has her issues handled. She’s managed to keep the secret of what happened to her nine years ago from her mother, although her mother’s usually high anyway and barely notices Kalli or her little brothers.

One night at a party, Kalli makes a bet with her friend, Nate, that could change everything. Their friend, Scout, tells them there’s no uncrossing the friendship line once it’s crossed—even though they were both drunk. But Kalli can’t imagine how anyone could want her damaged self for anything more.

She didn’t count on Nate. Nate’s very capable of satisfying her not only under her clothes, but in her heart, too.

She just doesn’t know it yet.


Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO

Rebecca Berto is a new adult contemporary romance author. She is also a freelance editor.

She writes stories that are a bit sexy, and straddle the line between Literary and Tear Your Heart Out. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.

Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Guest Post/Feature - Chasing the Lost by Bob Mayer

Synopsis:

NY Times Bestselling Author, former Green Beret and West Point Graduate, Bob Mayer.

“A pulsing technothriller. A nailbiter in the best tradition of adventure fiction.” Publishers Weekly ref Bob Mayer

Horace Chase arrives on Hilton Head Island to pay his last respects at the Intracoastal Waterway where his late mother’s ashes were spread and to inspect the home his mother left him in her will. He’s been recently forced into retirement, his divorce is officially final, and now he’s standing in the middle of the front yard of his ‘new’ house where a tree has crashed right through the center of it.

What could possibly go wrong?

Within six hours of arriving on Hilton Head, Chase is exchanging gunfire with men who’ve kidnapped a young boy and tried to grab the boy’s mother, Sarah Briggs. Soon he’s waist deep in an extortion plot to funnel a hundred million dollars of Superbowl on-line gambling money into an offshore bank account or else the boy dies.

Dave Riley has long retired from the military and living peacefully on sleepy Dafuskie Island off the coast of South Carolina. Sort of. Actually he’s bored, feeling old, and just a bit cranky running his deceased uncle’s small-time bookie operation.

Horace Chase, meet Dave Riley. Riley-Chase.

Chase and Riley assemble a team of misfits and eccentrics as they take on the powerful Russian mob in the lawless tidal lands of the Low Country to get the boy back.

Meet Erin: Chase’s long-ago summer fling, now a veterinarian and not interested in men any more, at least that way. But her suturing skills and her knowledge of the island bring assets the team needs. Especially after Chase’s first visit with the Russian requires a bit of the former.

Meet Gator: an ex-Ranger, iron-pumping, fire-breathing hulk of a redneck, with a soft spot in his heart for Erin, and steroids burning in his muscles to hurt people. As long as Riley and Chase point him in the right direction, the rest of the populace should be all right.

Meet Kono: a Gullah, descendant of the free slaves who fled to the barrier islands in the 19th century and developed their own culture. He nurses his own pain and secrets, but heeds Chase’s call to renew their childhood friendship. Especially when he learns the target is the Russians.

It adds up to a fiery confrontation to rescue the young boy, and settle some old scores.

But Riley and Chase need to remember a basic tenet from their days in covert operations: Nothing is ever as it appears.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Thriller

Rating – PG

More details about the author

Connect with Bob Mayer on Facebook & Twitter

Website

*********************************************

Guest Post - A Day in the Life of Bob Mayer

Thanks for having me guest post on your blog. I appreciate the opportunity as my 51st title, The Green Berets: Chasing the Lost is now out and #1 in Men’s Adventure, even though a woman is at the core of the story. Aren’t they always?

A Day in the Life of Bob Mayer

I wake up with my wife and two hairy yellow labs shoved in between us: Cool Gus and Sassy Becca. I can teach labs how to sleep very well. Which actually, isn’t that hard to do. I grab a cup of coffee, go downstairs and turn on the computer. I’d like to say I had the self-discipline to write a thousand words before checking email, but show me someone who really does that, and well, they’re weird.

Let me back up. First I take the dogs outside for their morning ritual (TMI?) and walk up the stone walkway to our mail box, which is a workout by itself, and get the NY Times. My wife will then read the entire paper. I mean the entire paper. She’s a walking font of useless information.

Until I need that information as she’s my “story whisperer”. She can ‘stream’ story to me when I need it. She also always has the remote control when we sit in bed in the evening and watch whatever it is she decides I need to watch. I’m much smarter because of that. For The Green Berets: Chasing The Lost, I had a really cool ending, which had a great twist. I was talking to her about the story one day, and she took that great twist and took it a step from awesome into totally wicked. Readers seem to agree so far from the reviews and emails I’m getting.

Anyway, I then bring up what I wrote the previous day and start there. I always have what I call a story grid; an excel spreadsheet. The first column is chapter #; then start page #; end page #; then location, time and date, and a brief summary of action in a scene. Thus each line is a scene. This is not an outline. It’s a summary of what I’ve written so far because I am terrible with details. I need that sheet to remind me what I wrote. My wife knows she can hide something from me in the fridge simply by putting it behind something else.

I split my time between writing, promotion, and running Cool Gus Publishing. I broke from NY Publishing in 2009, because I looked forward three years and saw the landscape being very different. And it is. I have over fifty titles now, and by publishing them through my own company, I do so much better than I ever did even when I was hitting the NY Times Bestsellers list. We also work with a handful of authors and are looking to sign two or three more (We’re publishing Jennifer Probst’s new series early in 2014) authors who have a following.

I work seven days a week and rarely take time off. I traveled all over the world when I was a Green Beret, so my traveling days are done and I’ve used up all of my adrenaline. I let my characters in my books use the adrenaline. In this book, Chasing the Lost, my hero from my first six Green Beret books, Dave Riley is now retired and living on Dafuskie Island (where Pat Control taught school) and my hero from Chasing the Ghost, Horace Chase, moves into a house on Hilton Head, one I actually lived in for a couple of years. The story has a woman at the center and works on the theme of how far should one be loyal?

It’s a great read, at least that’s what readers have been saying, with a hell of an ending that you won’t see coming, because I didn’t see it coming until my wife gave it to me.

Hope you enjoy and feel free to visit us at CoolGus.com