Monday 25 February 2019

Sherlock and Me by SJ Slagle

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(Sherlock and Me series)

Cozy mystery
Date Published: March 2019

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Super sleuth Lucy James is hired to find the Colt pistol that may have belonged to Billy the Kid. Hampered by dishonest weapon experts, a pawnshop murder and unusual architecture at a downtown casino, her investigation is rocky at best. A massive snowstorm has blanketed Reno leaving Lucy to slog her way to interviews with uncooperative witnesses. Her father’s abrupt firing from his job as the host of a local children’s television show and the impending marriage between her best friend Cindy Floyd and her detective fiancĂ© Skip Callahan grab chunks of Lucy’s fleeting attention. But she is determined to find the missing gun before the next snowstorm even though she on and off relationship with handsome professor Eric Schultz is off again. With sheer tenacity and a pair of thick snow boots, Lucy muscles through to the mystery’s resolution. It isn’t easy but the mystery and murder never are.


About the Author

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SJ SLAGLE started her writing career as a language arts teacher. Her initial interest was children’s stories, but she moved on to western romance, mysteries, and historical fiction. She has published 24 novels, both independent and contract. SJ contributes regularly to guest blogs and has her own blog called anauthorsworld.com in which she discusses the research involved in the books she writes. SJ has established Twitter and Facebook fan bases, a quarterly author newsletter and a website under her pseudonym: JEANNE HARRELL at jeanneharrell.com.

Her first historical fiction novel, LONDON SPIES, was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2018 and Slagle was a finalist in the 2017 UK Independent Book Awards. She was given the Silver Award with the International Independent Film Awards for her screenplay called REDEMPTION. SJ conducts writing/publishing symposiums in her local area. OSLO SPIES, her second historical fiction novel will be published in September. She lives and works in Reno, Nevada.

Contact Links

Purchase Links

Friday 22 February 2019

Justice Gone

About the Book:
When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down. A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase. Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers get there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture. Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge? Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr Tessa Thorpe, wrapped in the divisive issues of modern American society including police brutality and disenfranchised returning war veterans.

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

Who is Big Brother, really

Although much of the buzz has dissipated, there had been a lot of heated discussion concerning the government spying on its citizens as well as others around the world. Do we really have anything to fear (assuming of course we're innocent of anything illegal)?

In my opinion, (and you know what that's like if you've read my Opinions [link] post, the concerns are rather negligible for us ordinary slobs. But for high profile figures, there could be the potential for blackmail, a dangerous situation for politicians and policy makers. In that scenario, the democratic process risks being compromised. J. Edgar Hoover was infamous for this manner of wielding power, but he did not have today's technology available to him, and so his scope and reach were limited. Trump advocates are already accusing the media of these spy tactics in the campaign to undermine him, although it could be argued that sophisticated methods are not really necessary to make him look bad when his own mouth frequently receives his foot. But we're getting off track here - I have no wish to get into partisan politics.

So far, the government does not appear to be using this control over the commonplace Jane and Joe. We can rationalize to ourselves that it is unable to do so, because it's a bloated bureaucracy and the masses are so overwhelming as to make the idea untenable. Besides, the government has other means of control, not just laws, but influencing our minds through the media. " "Yes, Virginia, there is a government controlled media."

But the government's battle for our minds pales in comparison to the overbearing force that assaults us every day by the sales strategists of today's merchants. Through insidious stealthy algorithms, they track our every move in cyberspace, and have been doing so for a decade or more, keeping us in the unrelenting grip of commerce and consumerism. And since I am mainly addressing the bookworld, I will take some examples from therein.

How many of us get those Amazon emails that explain themselves with the line "Based on your recent activity, we thought you might be interested in this…"  What is even scarier for me are all those books in the list by Anthony Bourdain, which causes me to ask, "Was I drunk? I don't remember browsing cookbooks."

How about those sidebar adverts from Barnes and Noble on your Yahoo email page, with a parade of books distracting you as you peruse your messages? As an author who frequently checks my book links on vendor sites, which instigates those particular books to appear, imagine my pleasure as I see my own books marching across the screen, secretly wishing everyone could see them. But alas, they are for my eyes only. Someone else will get a different procession of titles gliding past them based on what they had looked at. It reminds me of that film, Minority Report, where the bill boards recognize you by your eyes and display custom-tailored advertisements.

But it's not only the big firms who are stalking you. As a groundwater geologist, I had to procure equipment for my trade, obliging me to surf the web, and for months I had ads for resistivity meters and water level indicators from small esoteric companies popping up everywhere on diverse websites, harassing me like panhandlers who just wouldn't leave me alone unless I coughed up and clicked on them.

So really, who IS Big Brother?

The other feature of annoyance is repetition. How many times and in how many places do we have to be reminded of the latest film or book? Or when watching television, seeing the same commercials for a cell phone or brand of toothpaste, playing ad nauseam every 15 minutes.

And then the scary part - when the cyber entities gang up on you, the latest being collusion with your email accounts. I get emails from Yahoo with the subject " Nicholas, check out your most Personalized coupons, and in the body of the message, Top Deals Picked Just for You!  On Gmail, as a header above my Inbox, there is Promotions, with a list of those beseeching my investment.     

So who is to blame for this aggressive, in-your-face solicitation?
We are.
That's right. And although we can get annoyed and complain, companies still spend millions upon millions of dollars to employ such campaigns. The reason for them to do so is simple - it works!

The assumption these Big Brothers make, that we are empty headed, hedonistic consumers, can't be true. Or is it?

So beware, now that I'm marketing my new novel, you just might find Justice Gone springing out at you everywhere you go on the Web, demanding "Buy me, buy me, buy me!"

UPDATE - Just got an email from Amazon giving me personalized recommendations - my own books!


About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.

Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc.

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Follow the Author:
Website * Goodreads * Amazon



Thursday 21 February 2019

With the Magic









Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer girl.






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As the eighth earl of Kellworth, Gareth is accustomed to getting what he wants. Then he encounters a woman he suspects is from the future--a utopian future that he feels compelled to see. He intends to get what he wants, but it will involve dealing with fae magic. And that could lead to disaster--for his heart.



Dr. Catherine Ryan is drawn to the handsome guest at Twickenham Manor, with his odd combination of childish excitement and old eyes that have seen too much pain. She loses her heart to him before she discovers the truth of when he’s from. Now she faces the biggest decision of her life!






Snippet: 

"I will now introduce you to something called a zipper.” The valet held up a pair of blue trousers with faded material.
“Has someone already worn these?” Gareth curled his lip in disgust.
“No, my Lord. It is considered fashionable to wear jeans—that is what these are called.” He continued, “to wear jeans that have been distressed.”
“So it’s fashionable here to wear the castoff closing of a common laborer?”
“Some of the most expensive styles have holes in them, by design, my Lord. As I said, comfort is frequently the key unless one is attending a special event and then all comfort is cast to the wind. These jeans—please remember to use the correct term—are of an expensive designer brand. ’Tis made of cotton, and you will appear to fit right in.”
Gareth peered more closely at the fabric, amazed at the perfectly straight stitches. He pinched the waist of the trousers between his fingers. The fabric was softer than he’d expected.
“Machines now make these, my Lord.”
“Hence the consistency.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Geoffrey’s voice pitched a little higher as his enthusiasm grew. “Now, let me show you how a zipper works. It has greatly increased the ease of dressing and has done away with much of the need for awkward buttons.” He pulled on a tab, and the trousers opened. The valet pulled up on the tab, and the opening disappeared.
“Let me try that.” Gareth took the garment and studied the teeth-like metal parts that held the two sections of the fabric together. “Clever.”
“If you will now put them on, my Lord. You may find it easier if you sit.” The valet indicated a chair. “They are close-fitting, so I would suggest you exercise caution the first time you close the zipper lest you pinch anything . . . tender.”
Gareth chuckled at the man’s delicacy. “If dressing is so much simpler now, why are there still valets?” he asked as he tried to slide one foot into the trousers. 
“We are nearly obsolete, my Lord.”

Gareth had to maneuver the fabric in order to get his foot through the narrow leg opening. He shot the valet a flat look. “How does this make it easier to dress?”




To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our  Official Event Page 
  




Wednesday 20 February 2019

AWAKENED



I am so excited that AWAKENED by Stacy R. Collins is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Stacy R. Collins, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC courtesy of Stacy and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


Title: AWAKENED (The Gatekeepers Book 1)
Author: Stacy R. Collins
Pub. Date: February 21, 2019
Publisher: 48fourteen
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 410
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

When seventeen-year-old DEVYN CARTER arrives at school, she expects the day to be as boring and mundane as usual, but when she meets the new, hot substitute teacher, and the even hotter transfer student, Devyn’s life transforms into anything but normal.

With these newcomers, also come some harrowing revelations that thrust Devyn into a group of warriors, the Order, dedicated to ridding the world of the monstrous creatures known as Moon Children.

It quickly becomes clear that Devyn’s role in the Order is more than anyone had thought. Pressed into training the skills she never knew she possessed, Devyn finds herself faced with the toughest decision she has ever had to make: leave the Order and return to her life for what little time humanity has left, or give up all she has ever known to assume a role she never chose and risk her life to save the world.

From the author of Grave Little Secrets comes this EPIC new fantasy series that tests limits, explores love, and unveils a world hiding in plain sight. Hold on to your seats!

Exclusive Excerpt!

 


About Stacy:
Stacy has always enjoyed writing stories that are creative and packed with suspense. As a child she would write short stories to share with her friends and teachers. As she got older, she dabbled in poetry and even tried her hand at writing song lyrics, but her passion was for novels.

Her debut novel, Grave Little Secrets, is a suspense filled novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering who is behind all the threats. Who could know the secret that Alex has sworn to take to the grave with her. Grave Little Secrets is scheduled to be released early 2017, so be sure to snag your copy.

Apart from writing, Stacy enjoys spending time with her family. She also loves to read and listen to music. If she’s not running around the yard with her kids, she is curled up on the couch with a book in her hand, getting lost in the magic of the words. Stacy currently resides in a small town in South Carolina with her husband, Richard, her four lovely children, and one fur baby.


Giveaway Details: All International
1 winner will receive an 10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Ends on February 28th at Midnight EST!



Tuesday 19 February 2019

QUEEN TO ASHES



I am so excited that QUEEN TO ASHES by Mallory McCartney is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Mallory McCartney, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC courtesy of Mallory and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.



Title: QUEEN TO ASHES (Black Dawn #2)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: Clean Reads Publishing
Formats: eBook
Pages: ?

“You lived your entire life feeling like half of you was missing. Fight for the missing part. Fight for this.” 

Emory Fae has abandoned everything she thought she knew about her previous life on Earth. Stepping up to her role as Queen of Kiero she makes a startling sacrifice- feigning her allegiances to Adair Stratton, the man who murdered her parents and casted Kiero into ruin. Emory’s memories slowly piece together, and she soon realizes the Mad King may not be all he seems— and the man who was once best friend, may be fighting beneath the surface. 

With the King’s attention on her, can she buy Black Dawn Rebellion enough time to recuperate their forces? And when the times comes, will she be able to kill Adair, ending his tyranny and rising herself as the rightful Queen? Fighting to hide her secret, Emory navigates the brutal trials of the Mad King, trying not to lose herself in the process. 

Sequel to Black Dawn, now a bestselling series, the sparks are ignited, as Emory learns the cost of freedom, and her title. Will the rebels unite in time? A sinister force has spread across the land, stripping everyone bare- their betrayals, their secrets, their intentions. But above all, what will their decisions cost? By refusing to give in to the darkness, will Emory rise as Queen?

Renegade and Black Dawn will be available in the following #Vancouver area locations : Chapters Burnaby, Indigo Surrey, Chapters Coquitlam, Indigo West Vancouver, Indigo Granville (2505 Granville St) and Indigo Robson (1033 Robson St) in December!

Title: RENEGADE (Black Dawn 0.5)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Pub. Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Clean Reads Publishing
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 274
Find it: Amazon, B&N, TBD, Goodreads


“The time for Kiero’s reign in prosperity is over.”

Six years before the Black Dawn Rebellion, Adair Stratton and Emory Fae are following in their parent’s footsteps and living at The Academy, a home for those who are gifted. The pressure to uphold the future of their parent’s dream falls on them. An outcast and feared by most, Adair longs to break away from the expectations dictating his future. Even if Emory tries to make him see differently. An unexpected group of friends keep him there, but as whispers of unexplained disappearances start reaching from the capital, Adair starts to doubt The Academy is all it seems.

An unexpected visit ignites new tensions as the roguish king from across the Black Sea, Tadeas Maher of the Shattered Isles, and his heir, Marquis Maher sail to Kiero. Notorious for their pirating and wrath- for the first time in years, they demand the Fae’s listen to their proposition for a new treaty, holding the news of Nei’s father’s abrupt death over them. Caught in the middle of politics- Adair and Emory, with the help of their best friends Brokk and Memphis search for the one thing that matters most- finding out the truth.

In this gripping prequel to Black Dawn, their world is tipped upside down as unlikely alliances are made. War ravages through Kiero and is torn apart by acclaimed Kings. Through the throes of betrayal, lies, hidden magic and love, Adair is faced with a life changing decision- to fight or to bow to the darkness within him.

Title: BLACK DAWN (Black Dawn #1)
Author: Mallory McCartney
Release Date: February 14, 2017
Publisher: Clean Reads Publishing
Pages: 352
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, TBD, Goodreads

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and bringing Emory back she will discover she is the long lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.

With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.

Some things are better left in the shadows.


Exclusive Excerpt!

Chapter One
Adair
The vastness of the sky consumed him. It always had, ever since  he  was  young,  but  tonight  seemed  different.  The  churning dark clouds cast a purplish hue, bleeding with the softness created from the moon. The stars shone between the pockets, obscuring the scene and making it beautiful. Far below him, the Ruined City laid in its grave, quiet and still, the broken buildings reminding him of splintered  bones.  The  wildness  of  the  forest  beyond  that  seemed entrancing,  calling  him  into  its  depths,  whispering  its  secrets  to only him.

Adair Stratton tugged his button-down jacket tighter around him, trying to block the wind from his lookout post. It had taken years  to build his kingdom to what it was now, but he was relieved for  the  hidden  lookout  posts  that  led  outside,  on  the  edge  of  the mountain, and, to him, the edge of the world. Because it was here, and  only  here,  that  the  voices  started  to  ebb,  the  darkness  in  his veins  smothering  ever  so  slightly.  In  this  brief  and  flickering moment of clarity, his mind wandered to the girl who was locked in  the  cells  of  his  kingdom,  waiting  for  him.  Emory  Fae,  the Princess of Kiero.

He  popped  his  collar  up,  shaking  his  head  and  sighing. Under the blanket of night, he could trace back to the man he used to be, the echo of his humanity. Thinking of her, he could see the splaying  of  memories  come  back  to  life  all  around  him,  of  his friends,  of  the  Academy.  And  it  was  in  these  sparse  moments  of lucidity,  he  allowed  himself  to  remember.  Relishing  it,  pushing back  that  yearning  for  destruction,  pushing  back  on  the  voices, trying to lock  them  away. And like every other night, he lost. The wind howled, making the edges of his coat and pants tug upward, his hair standing on end from the sudden chill.

His  boots  kicked  against  the  slick  mountainside,  his  heart racing  as  the  smooth  voices  filled  his  consciousness.  Adair,  this kingdom is yours. Make her bow, make her bleed and pay for what she has done.”  He closed his eyes for a beat, digging his fingernails into his flesh.  Why  do  you  wait?  You  know  what  you  want.  What  you  have always  wanted.”   Images  were  thrown  at  him;  so  quick  and enthralling, it swept his breath away. The inky crown, embedded with  roses  and  thorns,  laid  delicately  on  top  of  her  ebony  hair. Memphis  Carter,  the  once  commander  of  the  Black  Dawn Rebellion,  bowed,  pleading  for  his  life  as  Adair  smirked.  His darkness  whisked  away  any  trace  of  rebellion.  Emory  was  by  his side as they watched the world continue to burn, until it was only them. Always, for  them.

Adair  snarled,  then  said,  “Leave  me  alone.  Please.”   Their snickers bounced around him, their whispers tugging at his heart. “Do  not  falter  now,  our  Dark  King.  You  have  come  so  far,  achieved  so much. The binds your father tried to keep you in, you broke. The Academy kept you in, you turned it to ash. We are a team. We know the desires of your  soul,  how  you  revel  in  watching  the  world  shudder  in  your  reign. You have always been more. A reckoning force that no one can stop. Can never stop.” 

He became still, his muscles taut. Opening his eyes, his gaze fell  a  thousand  miles  away,  to  where  the  Academy  had  stood. Where a boy that once wanted to explore the world and not shackle it had lived. He knew both were dead now. Ice coursed through his body, spreading through his core faster than he could register. His pulse  slowed,  the  roaring  emotions  he  felt  slowing  as  well. Darkness  encased  him,  pulling  him  down,  down,   down.  Locking him  away,  roaring,  snarling,  and  clawing  at  him.  A  slow  exhale escaped  from  between  his  dry  lips,  and  as  he  stood,  every movement was precise, a predatory grace. Flicking his gaze below him  once  more,  and  instead  of  the  dark  beauty  that  he  was  met with earlier, the world around him was bleeding. Dark, black blood gushed  from  the  mountainside,  thickly  caking  the  field  and  the Ruined  City.  Echoes  of  screams  filled  the  air,  and  Adair  was transported, reminded of his bloodshed, of his control and power. “Do not disappoint us, our King.”

The  corners  of  his  lips  tugged  upward  as  he  whispered  to the wind, “I won’t.”

Inside  he  screamed,  ripping  at  his  mind,  battering  against the  iron  wall,  only  to  be  drowned  entirely  by  it.  He  turned smoothly, walking back into his world, each step anchoring him to his intentions.  Make them bow and make them pay. Make  her  pay.  He didn’t  look  as  he  stepped  off  the  side  of  the  cliff,  freefalling.  He plummeted, the wind howling, the cool night air stinging his skin. He  laughed,  relishing  in  the  exhilaration  of  adrenaline,  before  he was wrenched up, his body breaking down into particles of smoke and the darkness. Cutting through the sky, he didn’t think, he just reacted to the power inside of him, and everything else bled away. Arching, he cut through the clouds, moisture collecting around him like  glinting  crystals,  before  they  exploded,  and  he  cut  down, racing towards the mountain range. The moon bathed his path in luminescent  light,  and  it  was  mere  seconds  before  he  slammed through the wall, through stone and wood. The smoothness of the throne  room’s  granite  made  his  footfalls  silent  as  the  guards  on their rotation jumped at his arrival.

He scoffed. “You all seem uneasy.”

They  bowed  their  heads,  their  low  murmurs  cutting  over one another.

“My King, we weren’t expecting you.”

“The losses, my King.”

“What is our course of action?”

“Enough!” he snapped, his cold voice bouncing off the walls and silencing them instantly. He looked at the black marble and his throne, smooth, each curve carved precisely, the bones of monsters long forgotten inlaid in it. Taking a steadying breath, he looked at each guard, quietly stating, “You will all do your duties and leave the Rebellion to me. As for the girl, bring her tomorrow, along with the  other  prisoner.  Each  decision  I  make  has  a  purpose,  and  you aren’t  doubting  your  allegiance  to  me  now,  are  you?” Shifting uneasily, the guards paled in the soft light, swallowing nervously. Their silent answer enough. Pacing, he snapped, “Now, leave me. Return to your stations.”

They  bowed,  each  footfall  a  distant  tick  against  his  mind, until  the  stillness  of  the  night  filled  him,  and  he  was  alone  once more. Striding, he threw himself on his throne, legs hanging over the  edges,  hands  propping  his  head  up.  Far  above  him,  the  stars glinted  down,  the  sky  opening  him  up  to  the  thousands  of uncharted miles in between space and time. And he thought of the girl who had defied it all. 

Chewing his lip, he started to count down the seconds, the minutes,  and  the  hours  until  he  was  alone  with  her.  And  they would both see what side of him would decide her fate. 



About Mallory:

Mallory McCartney is the author of the bestselling Black Dawn series. She currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband and their three dachshunds Link, Lola and Leonard. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.


Giveaway Details:
One lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Giveaway ends March 15 at midnight, EST!


The American Outsider by Homa Pourasgari

  "A charming read with characters who come to life on the page—and who live for a cause whose urgency shines through the story." ...