Saturday 31 October 2020

Author Acceleration by Krista Dunk

 

Non-fiction: writing, research & publishing guides/adult & continuing education

Date Published: November 1, 2020

Publisher: 100X Publishing


So, you want to write a book…but where do you begin? You have creativity, wisdom and stories to share, but how do they go from being ideas to being published?


In Author Acceleration, author and publisher Krista Dunk shares her knowledge and insights to help aspiring authors write books their readers will love. Many people have books inside them, books other people need to read, and carry them around for years, never releasing them. Whether they’ve started writing and gotten stuck or never dared to even try, there are common obstacles that can stop authors in their tracks. Krista addresses these author obstacles, giving readers practical solutions and new perspective to help them succeed. Author Acceleration also gives aspiring authors an excellent foundation of knowledge for how to develop the concept and content for their books, writing and skill building, publishing options, and book marketing ideas. If you’re ready to write, be sure you have this book in your author toolbelt!

 

Excerpt


For some people, being an author is a calling. For some, writing and storytelling is where their creativity lies. For others, they feel compelled to tell their story and impact people. Still for others, being an author is a hobby. Whether you write as a hobby, have a calling or hope to make writing your full-time work, all of those take dedication, know-how and help.

For those who like the idea of being able to self-publish as many books as they have in their hearts and minds, it’s very possible. You can do it with a little support and know-how. Like learning to ride a bike when you were six or to drive when you were 15, this author thing can be mastered and won’t be perplexing anymore!

As authors, we have a great opportunity. Our voice and message in written form can be far-reaching, going even beyond our lifetimes. We have a weighty responsibility. Our words will influence others, even those we may never meet. We have a unique creative outlet and expression. Authorship affords us a special way to release the gifts, messages, creativity and wisdom God has placed inside each of us. Being an author is an amazing thing.

After the many things I’ve done in my lifetime, I believe #AuthorLife is the best life. What will author life look like for you? I hope it is filled with joy and a confident satisfaction, knowing you’ve written many books your readers love and have made a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

 


About the Author

Krista Dunk is an author, speaker, real estate investor, the project director for 100X Publishing, and founder of the Author Acceleration Academy. A teacher at heart, Krista has written nine books so far. Her first book, Step Out and Take Your Place, published in 2011, helps people of God discover their God-given gifts and calling by taking a journey to seek Him. She has also published a workbook and journal to partner with her first book, a devotional, the first book in the Ninja Kitty children’s book series, books in The Abundance Plan book series, and most recently Author Acceleration, a book for authors and aspiring authors.

As a child and young adult who struggled with timidity, Krista now finds herself speaking and training in front of audiences large and small. She is passionate about helping people get a vision for how their life could look and to step out into it. Training, coaching and working with authors has been one of Krista’s greatest joys.

 Krista and Chris, her husband of 27+ years, live in Washington State with their two teenagers.


Learn more at: www.KristaDunk.com

 

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Wednesday 28 October 2020

Hollywood Enigma by Alexa Aston

Hollywood Name Game, Book 5

Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 29, 2020


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From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – the final book in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

 

She’s a legal shark—sleek and deadly—but doesn’t trust anyone beyond her small circle of family and friends.

He’s internationally famous—and yet a mystery to the world as he cloaks himself in privacy.

Can they shed their fears and open their hearts to one another?

Actor Wynn Gallagher is at the peak of his fame, playing superhero Carbon Man in the Alpha Tharra Universe film franchise. While the role has made him wealthy, he’s ready to move on to newer challenges—but his ironclad contract will keep him tied to the role for years to come. Seeking legal advice, he approaches Scarlett Corrigan, one of the top entertainment attorneys in Los Angeles.

Scarlett is the younger sister of Hollywood’s highest paid actor, Rhett Corrigan, but she’s made a name for herself in entertainment law. She thrives on challenges and readily accepts Wynn as a client, but she puts the brakes on the strong attraction between them, not wanting to mix business with pleasure.

Eventually, Wynn and Scarlett become involved but tragedy strikes not once, but twice, threatening to end their relationship before it has a chance to grow and flourish.

Can Wynn and Scarlett overcome overwhelming odds and find lasting love?

 

Hollywood Enigma is the fifth and final book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

 

Other Books in the Hollywood Name Game Romance Series:

 



Hollywood Heartbreaker

Hollywood Name Game, Book 1

Release Date: August 6, 2020

 

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston comes a stunning new Contemporary Romance series. Book One in the exciting Hollywood Name Game series has arrived. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

 

Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life.

He may be rich and successful—but he’s just this side of miserable.

Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?

Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn’t even on the back burner anymore—it’s completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog—and totals the car of Hollywood’s leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job—as the sexiest man alive’s personal assistant.

Rhett Corrigan is bored with the movies he makes and the drop-dead gorgeous model he’s dating. He’s afraid that Hollywood has typecast him—and that he’ll never be able to break out of his action mold and try new acting challenges. When Cassie Carroll literally slams into his life, she brings a breath of fresh air and common sense to his world. She pushes him to be a better actor and a better man.

Can these friends become lovers—and can their love survive—in a tabloid-happy town that thrives on rumors and backstabbing?

Amazon


 


Hollywood Flirt

Hollywood Name Game. Book 2

Release Date: August 27, 2020

 

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – Book Two in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! 

She’s Hollywood royalty whose trail vanished a dozen years ago.

He doesn’t do relationships and thinks commitment is a four-letter word.

They Google each other . . . and sparks fly . . .

Sydney Revere, the daughter of a famous movie couple, left Hollywood behind over a decade ago. Christened The Wild Child by the media, she reinvents herself as a serious student who becomes an attorney and marries a safe, predictable man. When her husband cheats on her and the law loses its glitter, Sydney returns to Hollywood. Her father hires her to storyboard his upcoming movie, No Regrets—and then stuns Sydney when he offers her the job as his assistant director.

Dash DeLauria is a rising actor who hasn’t trusted a woman since his mother left. He’s now the guardian of his mentally-challenged brother. Dash is looking to grow professionally and after he wins the lead in No Regrets, he finds he’s lost his heart and soul to Sydney. With both their careers on the upswing, life is sweet.

But Sydney’s ex-husband isn’t finished with her yet. Discovering who she really is—and that she’s wealthy—he tracks her to California, ready to start over with her again.

No matter what it takes . . .

 

Amazon

 

 



Hollywood Player

Hollywood Name Game, Book3

Release Date: September 17, 2020

 

She has zero friends . . . and is wary of men, living life as a recluse.

His only friend is 90 and when she dies, he’s adrift.

Can a dyslexic actor and a shy loner find happiness together?

Famous from the time she was fourteen, London Russell lands the cover of Sports Illustrated to cap off her modeling career. Leaving the fashion world behind, she follows her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. Thanks to an ex-boyfriend’s vicious attack on her, London becomes a recluse who turns out hits but never tours—and can’t trust a man. Her life changes course when she encounters a Hollywood screenwriter and director and agrees to write the theme song for their next movie.

Knox Monroe grew up as America’s darling, a child actor featured on several popular television series. After his mother’s betrayal, Knox drops out of sight, returning years later to make the successful transition to adult roles. A known womanizer and loner, Knox meets London by chance. Through her connections, he winds up with the lead role in a new movie.

Will London be able to open her heart and move past Knox’s player reputation? And will Knox knock down the emotional fortress that he’s built around his heart?

In Hollywood, anything’s possible. . .

 

Amazon

 

 


Hollywood Double
Hollywood Name Game, Book 4
Release Date: October 8, 2020

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – Book Four in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series – has arrived. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

She’s a Hollywood leading lady who’s never found love – except with Jax, her Basenji.

He’s divorced from a cheating wife and refuses to ever give his heart away again.

Together, their smoking-hot chemistry leads to movie magic . . . and murder . . .

Mac Randall’s life turns upside down when he walks in on his wife and her lover. He finishes his tour of duty overseas and leaves the army, becoming a popular stuntman in Hollywood. When the actor Mac doubles for is murdered, Mac is surprised to find himself cast as the film’s leading man—at the suggestion of the actress who will play opposite him.

Keely Kennedy has built a solid career in Hollywood, rising from supporting roles to leading lady, but she’s been unlucky in love. She becomes close friends with Mac Randall, her new co-star, while she helps him prepare for his first on-screen role. Friendship blossoms into love during their shoot and despite several mishaps on the set, she knows not only has she done the best work in her career on this film, but she believes Mac will become an instant star.

Before production is complete, though, the murderer surfaces—ready to kill the film—and its two stars.

Hollywood Double is the fourth book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

Amazon

 

 

 

 Excerpt

 

Wynn had never experienced such a physical rush as he did sitting next to Scarlett. The tall beauty fascinated him. Over the years, he’d quietly seen a few women but as his success mounted, he’d almost lost interest in the opposite sex. Or rather, they’d lost interest in him. No one wanted to know Wynn as a person. Every woman seemed more interested in being seen with Wynn Gallagher, the superstar, and what that could do for them. He found himself shrinking inside until he’d almost disappeared.

Scarlett was different. A highly paid professional in a competitive field. Comfortable in her own skin. She came from a world where she mingled with the rich and famous on a regular basis. She didn’t seem impressed sitting next to Carbon Man. She treated him as Wynn, a guy—not Wynn, the megastar.

That was a huge turn-on.

He noticed people seated at tables around them began rising. Scarlett scooped up her casino money and he said, “You must’ve done Sarah a good favor to get double the money to play with.”

Those mesmerizing gray eyes looked at him with amusement. “I helped her work out a problem that arose at the last minute.”

With a straight face, he said, “It involved a demanding donor who wanted a front row seat to tonight’s action, I’d guess.”

The corners of her sensual mouth turned up. “I believe it did. Fortunately, this donor came alone. No plus-one. Since I ended a relationship this morning, it was easy to insert this fussy donor into my plus-one’s seat.” Her smile widened. “Problem solved.”

“Was this a longtime plus-one?” he asked.

She shrugged. “A couple of months. I had the feeling Chaz was more interested in the people he would see tonight and chat up than he was spending time with me.”

“Then Chaz is a fool,” Wynn said. “I’ve known you less than two hours and see you’re smart, capable, interesting, and incredibly beautiful. If I were your plus-one, it would be hard to get rid of me. I’d be stuck to you like glue.”

Her eyes lit with interest. “You would?”

“Definitely.”

 


About the Author

 

Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She’s a binge fiend (The Crown and Ozark are favorites) who enjoys travel, sports, and time with her family. 

Her historical romances bring to life loveable rogues and dashing knights, while her contemporary romances are light and flirty and sometimes contain a bit of suspense.

 

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Monday 26 October 2020

Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras

 

Romance, Holiday Romance 

Date Published: October 27, 2020 

Publisher: Kensington, Zebra Books 


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Event planner Julia Fernández is in Chicago for an internship that she hopes to turn into a full-time job. She’s ready to live on her own, out from under her familia’s expectations that she take over their catering business in Puerto Rico and away from their year-round baseball fever thanks to her three ball-playing brothers. Ex-MLB pitcher Ben Thomas knows what it’s like to have different dreams than your family intends for you, but since his injury-caused early retirement, he’s been struggling to find the sense of family baseball once brought him. When he volunteers as the emcee for Julia’s big holiday fundraiser for a local youth center, he finally begins to find a sense of purpose working with the kids and alongside Julia.  

She’s focused on organizing the best holiday event the youth center has ever seen, not on romance. But Ben…he’s got a game plan for them that includes both. 

 

Holiday Home Run was previously released as part of the holiday anthology A SEASON TO CELEBRATE.

 

  

 

About the Author

Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today Best-Selling author & 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. Her books have earned Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly & Booklist, hit the top 5 on Barnes & Noble’s Top 100 Book Bestseller list, & notched Amazon #1 Bestseller status. Her latest release, Island Affair, made it onto O, The Oprah Magazine’s “28 of the Best Beach Reads of Summer 2020” list. Priscilla earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and currently serves as adjunct faculty in the program while also teaching the online class “Romance Writing” for ed2go. She’s a self-professed romance genre junkie, who’s also a sports fan, beach lover, Zumba aficionado, and hammock nap connoisseur. Follow her at prisoliveras.com and on social media via @prisoliveras and https://www.facebook.com/prisoliveras.

  

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Sunday 25 October 2020

Crazy Rich Aliens by Jay Cannon


Science Fiction

Date Published: August 2020


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Penda is heiress to one of the richest families in southeast Asia. Her dream is to create a startup that will commercialize space travel to Mars. To go her own way will ruin her relationship with her family, which is already strained from her being openly gay. Paul, her twin brother, wants to maintain family traditions and is angry with Penda for turning her back on them. Worse, Penda’s business partner is Paul’s ex-fiancée.

At an elaborate costume ball, Penda and Paul meet Luke, a gorgeous stranger wearing an alien “costume”. They join him on an exotic yacht and after a night of partying, wake up on Tauran, a planet of gender-neutral beings. After their initial shock, Paul comes to view the trip as a business opportunity, while Penda prefers to learn about Tauran culture.

Penda soon falls for the amiable Timbor (Luke), heir to the richest fortune in the galaxy. Then the warm welcome to Tauran evaporates. Terrorists abduct Penda. She escapes but is relentlessly hunted. She must now evade government agents, xenophobes, and Timbor’s jealous suitor on a strange planet, while foiling a plot to invade Earth, and defending her new friend, an alien.


Praise for Crazy Rich Aliens:


Crazy Rich Aliens is more than a parody." —New York Times bestselling author Andrew Shaffer

A rip-roaring tale with Cannon’s trademark engagingly quirky aliens.” —Hugo Award-winner Morgan Gendel

JC Canon’s strengths are on full display in Crazy Rich Aliens. The complex characters and detailed world-building will keep you coming back for every last bit of this fun and engrossing tale!” —J.D. Sanderson, author of AROUND THE DARK DIAL





Excerpt


Excerpt from Crazy Rich Aliens, Chapter 11


Join our rebellion. The group here, representatives of their species, gathers information, collects supplies, and creates distractions to cover for more aggressive and disruptive acts by our fighters. They are hiding in caves outside of town where the magnetic properties of the hills keep them hidden from Tauran scans. We could use your help.”

I’ll try to speak with Timbor. What else can we do?”

Chato reached between the workers at the table and picked out what looked like small pellets and showed them to Paul and Su-Yee. “Place one of these into Timbor, Kandra, and Murta’s pockets. Don’t worry if you can’t do all of them. They will aid our friends in the field to track and kidnap them and force the release of our people. We just want to go home.” Chato placed a hand on Paul’s chest, its eyes pleading.

Paul slid the hand away and shook his head. “Won’t they just recapture you from your planet?”

They took us by surprise in the initial attack. Our defenses will keep it from happening again.”

It wouldn’t be right to betray people who have shown us nothing but kindness.”

So, you asked to be brought to Tauran?”

No, but—"

You haven’t asked to return?”

Yes, but—”

And you are free to walk around anywhere you like?”

I have concerns over our treatment and their real intentions,” said Su-Yee. “I’m willing to speak to Timbor, but if the Taurans are as vicious and conniving as you say they are, I’m afraid we would put our own lives in peril.”

One of the larger aliens at the table stood and took a swat at Chato, knocking it back and yelling something. Chato responded and the alien abruptly stood and continued the shouting while stealing glances at Paul and Su-Yee.

Paul edged into the doorway, now filled with onlookers, pulling Su-Yee with him.

Chato shoved the alien back to its seat. “They don’t trust you. Run!” An alien across the table fired a weapon at Chato, slamming its body into the wall.

Paul grabbed Su-Yee’s hand and pulled her down the narrow corridor, dodging bodies as they went. They heard yelling behind them, but they didn’t turn to look. It must have been a call to arms, as the aliens in the corridor attacked them. Their weakened states and smaller frames made it easy for Paul to shove past them. He even tossed a couple at their pursuers.

They reached the storage room and closed the door behind them. Paul wedged a shelf against it. “It won’t hold long.”

What do you suggest?”

Paul responded by lifting the grate from the floor and glancing at Su-Yee for approval.

Su-Yee shook her head. “There’s alien sewage and dead bodies down there.”

Paul nodded, then jumped into the darkness. Su-Yee shrieked, stamped her feet, and pounded her fists against her sides. As the door gave way, she jumped down after him.


About the Author

Jay Cannon (JC) grew up in the projects of western Michigan. After high school, he joined the Navy where he worked on the flight deck of aircraft carriers. After leaving the Navy, JC spent twenty years as a computer programmer, mostly at startups, in the United States, England, France and Sweden. After working at Microsoft for sixteen years, he retired and moved to DC where he joined Congress as a technical fellow. At the end of the fellowship, he and his wife moved to Richmond, Virginia and joined the James River Writers where he writes. He has written two technical manuals, five science fiction novels and a poetry book.


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Thursday 22 October 2020

#BookBlitz :: In Debt To Her Millionaire Foe (Millionaire Foe Quartet # 2) by Aarti V Raman

 



She Hates Him But She’s In Debt To Her Millionaire Foe 

Releasing on 25th October


About the Book:

When the songbird owes the business tycoon...

Former gangster, Devansh Thackeray has finally managed to carve the life he’s always aspired to.
Building a chain of seven-star hotels all over the world, a reputation for being an honest businessman...and all the women he could ask for.
Ansh’s life is perfect. Or so he thinks.
Because he is about to hit by a lightning bolt from the past that’ll make him question everything he’s worked so hard for.
And her name is Kahini Palekar.
Kahini’s life is a nightmare.
She works three jobs to pay off the loan sharks circling her.
But, Kahini doesn’t mind because she also gets to do the only thing she’s always wanted to do.
Sing.
Even if it is at a shady nightclub in the backstreets of Goa, the beach paradise of India. 
Kahini’s day of reckoning arrives when Ansh arrives back in her life, right when she’s almost assaulted by the manager of the nightclub.
Ansh offers both salvation from her debt and a chance to sing at the most exclusive wedding of the decade.
But there’s just one catch.
Kahini hates Ansh’s living guts and blames him for the destruction of her life.
Even though he was the boy she once recklessly gave her heart to.
Can Ansh get to the bottom of the problems plaguing Kahini or will this songbird fly away again after repaying her debt to him? 
Meet the Millionaire Foes - rising from ruin through ruthless ambition, these self-made tycoons have everything. Except, the heart of the one woman who means everything.

The Millionaire Foe Quartet series contains four steamy romances set around the world, each of which can be read as a standalone. 



Read an Excerpt from In Debt To Her Millionaire Foe (Millionaire Foe Quartet # 2)


In her head, Kahini Palekar was singing at a concert hall in Mumbai. Maybe the NCPA or the Andheri Sports Complex. She’d read about these places on page three gossip columns of the dailies. Read about the singers and starlets who performed there on a regular basis to thousands of adoring fans.
Decent, adoring fans who didn’t viscerally strip her naked every time she stepped on stage. Or middle-aged lechers who were always hoping for something more than a singing performance.
She’d never had formal lessons from a professional music teacher. Growing up dirt poor in the slums of suburban Mumbai didn’t run to music lessons.
Her mother had been the domestic help in nearby apartment buildings and her father had been a mill worker until the mid-90s when the mills had shut down leaving her father broke and bitter. Turning him into a mean drunk who knocked his wife around when the mood struck him, he’d had taken off when Kahini was a young girl. 
Her much older brother, Vijay, had been the de-facto head of the family till…
Kahini shut her mind to the memories that still had the power to make her grieve and concentrated on the song.
It was a sweet ballad and she followed it up with a popular Hindi number that had the men clapping and whistling for her. A couple more Hindi songs and the crowd were good and going.
The spotlight ceased to bother her because she was doing the one thing she loved most.
 
Singing.

It didn’t matter that her current venue was a cheap, fleabag bar instead of a jam-packed concert venue. That she was getting paid peanuts for her midnight performance.
Or that she had a seven-am breakfast and lunch shift at Vincent’s Fish Fry Shack at Bogmalo Beach followed by her evening job sweeping the floors of the nursing home in downtown Panjim.
Then, she had to show up at Grungy’s tomorrow at midnight and sing till two am before grabbing a couple of hours of sleep, before starting the whole routine again.
Most days, Kahini didn’t know what month it was.
She just lurched from job to job to job based on her time cards and crashed on the mattress in the garret she called home near Calangute. It was the only reason she’d agreed to moonlight as entertainment at Grungy’s. Because it was so close to home.
Well, that, and she needed the money she earned from tips. The lechers in the bar did pay dearly to hear her sing.
If, in return, they needed a little bit of titillation and fantasy then who was she to deny them that small, harmless pleasure?
The short dress with the slit and the heels and the garish makeup that made her look years older than she really was. And it all contributed to the funds she desperately needed to pay off the loan sharks.
Her life had been reduced to the lowest common denominator and she didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. It was harrowing… brutally hard and the only solace she found was in the singing.
It didn’t matter where she sang, or whom she sang to. In her head, she was in another place, a kinder place.
She wrote a different story for herself when she sang.
 
~~~

Two hours later…

Kahini faced her rescuer and old enemy with defiance.
“What do you want, Ansh?”
He made a cutting gesture with his hand. The glint of his expensive steel wrist watch caught in the fluorescent light.
“What are you doing, Kahini?” he asked in a frankly bewildered voice. “Why are you here, in this filthy dressing of this filthy bar singing for these despos?”
Kahini smiled a bitter smile full of reproach and recrimination. Making her look decades older than the twenty-five she really was.
“Surviving.”
And she walked out without a backward glance.


About the Author:

Hi, I’m Aarti V Raman aka Writer Gal. I have been a former journalist, editor, and even a sometime-teacher before I plunged into my dream job. That of being a full-time writer.
In fact, my three favorite words are ‘happily ever after.’
This comes in handy as I primarily write bestselling contemporary romantic women’s fiction, which is all about living happily, after going through some hard times.
My more notable works include the Geeks of Caltech and Royals of Stellangård series, Something Old, Something New, More Than You Want, and The Perfect Fake among others. My chicklit family drama, The Worst Daughter Ever, has been picked up for screen adaptation.
I always love to hang with you, my dear reader friend. I’ve created Writer Gal’s Reader Pals on Facebook for this reason and I hope to see you there.
If not, I’m there on all social media as @aartivraman but I’m most active on Instagram




The Throbbing Moon and the Three Season Tango

Memoir biography

Date Published: August 11, 2020

Publisher: Bublish


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The memoir of a magnificent woman who at the end of a life that has changed so many lives for the better, asks us all to see the beauty in one another. This memoir calls to a deeper belief in ourselves – that whatever disappointments, anguish and uncertainty life brings – we have the strength and ability to summon gratitude, compassion and acceptance to see our way through. An avid writer, her work has also been featured in SurvivorNet, Share Care Cancer Support and on her blog, A Crack in the Wall, which was selected as one of Healthline.com's 2020 Blog of the Year awards.


About the Author

Michele Wheeler was a caring mother with twin daughters she adored. She was an easy friend that loved to smile and laugh. She was a devoted wife. Michele was a universally respected co-worker that never shied away from hard work and knew how to have fun doing it. She was a scientist. She was also someone who found herself in the devastating position of being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. After surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation she lived cancer-free for four years. Cancer resurfaced, and she battled it fiercely for nearly five more years, before dying peacefully at home on June 23, 2020. During her last years, Michele fought to find her way past debilitating fear and rage to stay present, and not let cancer be what defined her. Though difficult, she succeeded. She lived on her own terms and left us with a moving memoir full of stories and wisdom, laughs and tears, hope and love.


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Monday 19 October 2020

Love, Scandal, and Second Chances by Shilpa Suraj



~ Cover Reveal ~

Love, Scandal, and Second Chances
by Shilpa Suraj


About the Book:
Arav has only ever loved one woman, Disha. But, she broke his heart to further her ambitions. 
Years later, she's achieved everything she set out to but at a steep price. She wants to come home but home doesn't want her and her work won't let her.
Arav knows Disha needs his help and the boy he once was can't walk away. 
But while his heart is large enough to forgive, it hasn't forgotten. 
Can they overcome the bitter hurt of their shared past, face the scandalous present and find their way back to each other? Is this their second chance at love or a first chance at redemption?


About the Author:



Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.







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Third Degree by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara, & Charles Salzberg

Third Degree

by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara, & Charles Salzberg

on Tour October 1 - November 30, 2020

Synopsis:

Third Degree by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara, & Charles Salzberg

”Cut Loose All Those Who Drag You Down”:

A crooked reporter who fronts for the mob and who’s been married eight times gets a visit from his oldest friend, a disgraced and defrocked shrink. The man is in deep trouble and it’s clear somebody is going to pay with his life.

”Beaned”:

After smuggling cigarettes, maple syrup, and coffee, Aggie discovers a much more sinister plot to exploit what some consider a precious commodity: the trafficking of under-aged children for the purposes of sex.

”The Fifth Column”:

Months after America’s entry into World War II, a young reporter uncovers that the recently disbanded German-American Bund might still be active and is planning a number of dangerous actions on American soil.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime
Published by: Down & Out Books
Publication Date: October 5, 2020
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 978-1-64396-162-0
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Read an excerpt from ”The Fifth Column” by Charles Salzberg:

I met with the managing editor, Bob Sheldon, and then he handed me over to Jack Sanders, the chief of the metro desk. Both nice guys. Both came from the same mold that gave us Dave Barrett and Bob Doering, my Litchfield bosses. I walked out of there thinking I’d done pretty good. As much as I hated to admit it, I think they were impressed with my having gradu- ated from Yale. “We don’t get many Ivy Leaguers wanting to work here,” the managing editor said. “I’d be happy to be the first,” I replied. And that was true.

That afternoon, it was the Herald Tribune’s turn and I didn’t think went quite as well. I could tell they were looking for someone a little older, a little more experienced. And I was sure my nerves showed, not especially what you want when you’re trying to impress someone and convince them you’re the right man for the job.

That morning, as I was leaving for my interviews, my aunt asked what I’d like for dinner. “I’m sure you could use a home- cooked meal,” she said, then started to probe me for my favor- ite foods.
“No, no, no,” I said. “I’m taking you out for dinner...”

“I appreciate it, Jakey, but you really don’t have to do that.” “Are you kidding? I want to do it. And believe it or not, they actually pay me for what I do at the paper. So, I’ve got money burning a hole in my pocket and what better way to spend it than taking my favorite aunt out to dinner. Just think about where you’d like to go. And do not, under any circumstances, make it one of the local luncheonettes. If I report back to my mom that that’s where I took you, she’d disown me.”

“You choose, Jakey. After all, you’re the guest.”

I got back to my aunt’s around 3:30. She was out, so I decided to catch a quick nap. I was beat, having been up before five that morning, meaning I got maybe three fitful hours of sleep. And even the excitement of being back in the big city didn’t keep my eyelids from drooping. And I had no trouble falling asleep, despite the sound of traffic outside the window.

I was awakened by the sound of Aunt Sonia unlocking the door. I looked at the clock. It was 5:30 p.m. I got up, straightened myself out, and staggered into the living room just as she was headed to the kitchen carrying two large paper bags filled with groceries.
“Remember,” I said, “we’re going out for dinner.”

“Are you sure, Jakey,” she said as I followed close at her heels into the kitchen.

“One-hundred percent sure. Here, let me help you put those things away.” She smiled. “You won’t know where to put them,” she said as she placed both bags down on the kitchen table.

“You think with all the time I spent here as a kid I don’t know where the milk, eggs, bread, flour, and everything else goes? And even if I didn’t, I’m a reporter, remember? I think I can figure it out.”

“I’m sorry, Jakey. I guess I can’t get the little kid out of my mind. I’ll put this bag away, you put away the other.”

“So, what’s new around here, Aunt Sonia?” I asked as I ferried eggs and milk to the icebox.

“New?”

“I mean, it’s not the same old Yorkville, is it?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Jakey.”

“You do read the papers, don’t you? We’re at war with Germany, Italy, and Japan. This is Yorkville. It’s crawling with German-Americans, right?”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“I really don’t see much of a difference,” she said, stowing away the last of the groceries in the cabinet next to the stove. I got the feeling this was a subject she was not interested in dis- cussing, which made it all the more appealing to me. Maybe that accounts for my going into journalism.

“There’s got to be a little tension, doesn’t there? I mean, wasn’t there that big Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden a few years ago?”
“I don’t really pay much attention to the news, Jakey. Of course, I read everything your mother sends me that you wrote. But the news, well, it’s very upsetting.” She shook her head back and forth slowly.

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said as I pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Have you decided where we’re going?” Aunt Sonia said. I could see she was still uncomfortable talking about anything having to do with the war. And then it hit me. Her son, my cousin Bobby, who was several years older than me, pushing thirty, in fact, recently enlisted and was now somewhere in Eu- rope. No wonder she was reluctant to talk about it.

“I thought the Heidelberg might be fun. I remember you taking me there as a kid. It was like one big party. I remember someone was at the piano playing these songs I’d never heard before. And this very strange music...”

She smiled. “Oom-pah music. And you were so cute. You got up and started swaying back and forth.”

My face got warm. “I don’t remember anything of the sort,” I said, embarrassed at the thought of doing something so attention-grabbing.

“You can ask your mother if you don’t believe me. But just let me change and freshen up and we’ll get going.”

***

Excerpt from ”Third Degree” by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. Copyright 2020 by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. Reproduced with permission from Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. All rights reserved.

 

Read an excerpt from ”Cut Loose All Those Who Drag You Down” by Ross Klavan:

There are people who don’t like to hear that I’ve been married eight times, but for myself, I don’t trust anyone who’s only been married once.

Ex-Doctor Solly had only gone to the altar a single time, but he made up for it by having an obsession with hookers and by sleeping with at least three of his patients, which is a very bad thing to do especially for a shrink, hence the “ex” in ex-doctor. Women either can’t get enough of him or they immediately sense they’re standing beside Satan and they take off. But Ex-Doctor Solly has been married this one time and that was to the last woman that I’d married and why she agreed to that, frankly, to this day, I’ve never figured out.

They’d even had a kid together. She’d never wanted kids, not with me. And Ex-Doctor Solly? To him, having a child sort of balanced out with finding a tumor who wanted toys. Maybe she had the kid to get at me. Maybe she married him to get at me. Maybe it had nothing to do with me. But here’s Ex-Doctor Solly, heaving for breath with his skinny ass in my chair and graced by the holy light of Netflix flashing across his face.

“Jesus, gimme a fucking drink already, what are you waiting for, the Messiah?”

“I only have some...”

“Fine. Wait. Hold on, wait a minute.” What’s left of my Denver edible pops open his saucer eyes; he’s turning it round and round and round. “Where’d you get this?”

“Tanya brought it back for me from...”

“Good, great, OK, easy to get more,” as the rest of the cookie is crushed into his
mouth, mercilessly, fingertips pushing, shoving. It all disappears. “ButIstill- needadrinkgivemeanythingyouhave,” he says.

“I can’t understand you, schmuck, your mouth’s so full that...”

“A DRINK!” like he’s chewing on stinging bees, forcing a swallow. “Dick! What kind of friend are you, don’t you see? This is as bad as it gets.”

I come back with his drink, fit it into his hand, and Ex-Doctor Solly then slumps and slouches and leans forward, and if he could have X-rayed the floor, he would have.

“It’s bad, Dick, really, really bad,” he says. “Not bad like all those bads before. This is, like, bad whether we say so or not.”

“I’m not lending you money.”

“Dick. I’ve killed someone.”

“You’ve...”

“NO! Wait! Did I say ‘killed someone?’ Don’t listen to me, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m in a manic state...”

A small plastic box of meds makes rattling sounds in his hand, and he pops two of
something, I don’t know what. Swallows with the scotch, leans back, and blows a breath like he’s doing his own, personal nor’easter. Let me also tell you this: he’s looking worse than lousy. Even worse now that he’s actually stepped into the room. Everything’s settled on him, all of it, settled on him like in his mind he’s sliding awake and open-eyed into the back of an empty hearse—and a cheap one at that.

“It’s not exactly that I killed someone,” Ex-Doctor Solly says. “It’s that I was around someone who was killed. I was with somebody who died. Some people think I’m responsible for this death. Even if I’m not, they’re gonna make me responsible. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“No,” I say.

“Do you have any more dope?”

In the kitchen, I stare at my one surviving edible lying peacefully in the drawer, and I now hide that away after a weak moment, which means I was toying with the stupid idea of playing “good host.”

I call to Ex-Doctor Solly, “Nothing left, I’ll get you another drink.”

By the time I’m back to the ex-doctor, he’s shivering enough to make the ice in his scotch glass clatter.

“You’re not gonna puke, are you?”

“Probably later,” he says. “I’m mixing scotch with THC and two anti-anxiety medications. OK. I’m all right for...” he looks at his watch, takes his own pulse, nods professionally, and finishes, “...maybe the next three hours and 17 minutes. That’s my educated guess.”

***

Excerpt from ”Third Degree” by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. Copyright 2020 by Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. Reproduced with permission from Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Ross Klavan

Ross Klavan

Ross Klavan has published two other noir novellas with Down and Out: “I Take Care Of Myself In Dreamland” and “Thumpgun Hitched” both in collections with Charles Salzberg and Tim O’Mara. His darkly comic novel “Schmuck” was published by Greenpoint Press in 2014. Klavan’s screenplay for the film Tigerland was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and was directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Colin Farrell. He’s written screenplays for InterMedia, Walden Media, Miramax, Paramount, A&E and TNT. As a performer, Klavan’s voice has been heard in dozens of feature films including “Revolutionary Road,” “Sometimes in April,” “Casino,” “In and Out,” and “You Can Count On Me” as well as in numerous TV and radio commercials. In other lives, he was a reporter and anchorman for WINS Radio, RKO Network and LBC (London, England) and a member of the NYC alternative art group Four Walls. He lives in New York City.

Catch Up With Ross Klavan On: Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

Charles Salzberg

Charles Salzberg

Charles Salzberg, a former magazine journalist and nonfiction book writer, has been nominated for two Shamus Awards, for Swann's Last Song and Second Story Man. He is the author of 5 Henry Swann novels, Devil in the Hole, called one of the best crime novels of 2013 by Suspense magazine, Second Story Man, winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award, and his novellas Twist of Fate and The Maybrick Affair, appeared in Triple Shot and Three Strikes. His short stories have appeared in Long Island Noir (Akashic), Mystery Tribune and the crime anthology Down to the River (edited by Tim O'Mara). He is a Founding Member of New York Writers Workshop and is on the board of MWA-NY, and PrisonWrites.

Catch Up With Charles Salzberg On:

CharlesSalzberg.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

Tim O'Mara

Tim O'Mara

Tim O’Mara is the Barry-nominated (he didn’t win) author of the Raymond Donne mystery novels. He’s also the editor of the short crime story anthology Down to the River, published by Down & Out Books. Along with Smoked and Jammed, Beaned completes the Aggie Trilogy.

Catch Up With Tim O’Mara On: TimOMara.net, Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

 

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Giveaway!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Ross Klavan, Tim O'Mara and Charles Salzberg. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on October 1, 2020 and runs through December 2, 2020. Void where prohibited.

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