Sunday, 21 October 2018

BEFORE




Catina worked her way through college as a TV reporter and a dating game show host. She's a sucker for Young Adult romance stories (both real and make-believe). She has a panache for match-making and loves that many of her "set-ups" have resulted in marriages. 

After spending most of her adult life in Las Vegas, Catina traded in tumbleweeds for earthquakes and now lives with her husband and four children near San Diego, California. If she's not home, chances are you can find her at the beach, Disneyland or In-N-Out Burger.
Angela Larkin writes clean teen romance and is a big fan of kissing (in life and in books). She's been a gold miner, a pool cleaner, a mannequin dresser, and a teacher. She's lived a true romance: meeting her husband in a case of mistaken identity. They recently moved with their four children from the sparkling city of Las Vegas to the shade of the North Carolina Pines. Chances are, she's reading past bedtime.





True love doesn't always mean a happy ending. Presley and Landon finally have a chance at a real relationship when they travel back in time, but their leap backward to two months before his accident has altered reality: Landon has no memory of Presley. 

Hurt and lonely, Presley is still determined to save his life, even as Landon's death-date looms. He's alive for now, but nothing is like it was . . . Before.












Snippet:

My mom reaches across and gives my knee a squeeze. “Okay, then. But either way, we have to get to the bottom of this. Tell us everything you know about this girl.”
          I’ve been avoiding this moment—the time I would have to come up with something they’d believe about Presley. I’ve considered accusing her of being a crazy stalker. Violet would probably approve of that story. I could tell them she’s just some girl I met at a party. But it didn’t really matter what I made up, because if she said something different, no one, including the media, would know whom to believe. “Has anyone heard how she’s doing?”
          My parents look at each other and then back at me. “Not too hot, I’m afraid,” Dad says. “She’s been put into one of those medically induced comas. I guess she had a pretty bad head injury.”
          The news turns my stomach. I had no idea it was that serious. “I felt sorry for her,” I say.
          “We all did,” my mom says.

          “I felt sorry for her and it was just weird how she grabbed onto me like that. I felt bad just walking away.” I planned on coming up with a better story, but this was at least partly the truth. “I mean, how would that have looked? You guys are all upset about how it went down, and I get it, but think about how it would have looked if I shook off some bleeding girl so I could go smile for the cameras?”





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Friday, 19 October 2018

Leonardo da Vinci Gets a Do-Over


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Innovators in Action, Book One
Juvenile Fiction
Publisher: Science, Naturally!

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The passing of great Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci—artist, anatomist, engineer, inventor—marked the end of an era. The world hasn't seen a visionary like him since.

… Until now. On a school trip to Florence, three American middle school students think they are in for a treat when a man who claims to be Leonardo da Vinci, brought back to life with a mission to better humankind, crashes their tour. Too bad he isn't really the celebrated Master of the Renaissance … or is he? Tag along as Max, Tad, and Gina assist Leonardo on his quest while discovering the secrets of his life and teaching the Maestro about science, math, history, art, and more! Will the students be able to help Leonardo evade the mayor of Florence's selfish grasp so he can complete his quest before his time is up… again?

Leonardo da Vinci Gets A Do-Over is the first adventure in this new and exciting Innovators in Action blended fiction series.



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About the Author

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Mark P. Friedlander, Jr. is an attorney in Fairfax, VA. An Air Force pilot in the Korean War, he loves studying technology, history and science. He has written extensively, for both adult and young adult audiences, on subjects ranging from Shakespeare to aviation history, contagious diseases to forensic science. He can be reached at Mark@ScienceNaturally.com.






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Thursday, 18 October 2018

The Ugly Priest


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Contemporary Fiction
Date Published:  June 2018
Publisher: AuthorHouse

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The Ugly Priest is a telling story of a priest’s missteps with the women who haunt his life, and his struggle to repair his soul and restore his vocation. It is a story of deceit, vulnerability and the loss of commitment. It displays the devastation of human frailty and reveals weaknesses that even a priest can’t escape.

If Father George Bernard had only known early on that the job of being a priest pounds the hell out of a man, his life choices might have been different. That pounding hit him countless times over his twenty years as a priest inflicting considerable damage on his soul and resulting in some bad choices. Jennifer was one, Helen another. He succumbs to the vulnerability every priest battles throughout his lifetime. The temptations of the flesh have a power his vocation is hard pressed to withstand.

The Ugly Priest reveals a vocation in shambles, deteriorated not only because of Father Bernard’s moral lapses but also because of his life’s lack of substance and value. His duties at Immaculate Conception Parish on the West Side of Chicago are tedious and distressing. The sin, dying, dishonesty and infidelity of his parishioners drains him. Deepening his distress is his life at a rundown, disintegrating parish with an outdated liturgy and a pastor who is a rude, spiteful and offensive old man. Father Bernard’s attempt to save himself from his cheerless, desolate life leads him down a dangerous path. Can he salvage his failing vocation and repair his troubled soul? Will he find the strength to restore the spiritual meaning and substance that once guided him as a priest?



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Excerpt


That was twenty-two years ago, the last time he had seen Jennifer, but certainly not the last time she had entered his mind. But now there she was, her face so vividly displayed, her gentle voice, her seductive sense of humor, all of it summoned by a simple yet consuming scent. He didn’t notice it at first, but once it came to him, it was overwhelming.

 It began with the pungent odor of burnt tobacco radiating from the driver and flooding the interior of the taxi. Suspended from the rearview mirror, a bag of potpourri made a futile effort at masking the smell. Father George Bernard considered opening the window, but the typical brisk Chicago wind thwarted his wish for fresh air. The temperature was a bit chilly as well, an unusual occurrence for late September in the city. The taxi passed Midway Airport and the rectory of Immaculate Conception Church, his destination, was not much farther.

He could tolerate the smell for a couple of minutes. He inhaled deeply once and then immediately again, trying to decide which scent dominated – the foul odor of tobacco or the sweet smell of…. What was the odor wafting from that bag dangling from the mirror? It was one he knew, something from the past. His past before the priesthood? Before the seminary? Before every part of life became bland, colorless, unremarkable, never leaving an impression on anyone? He drew another deep breath. Yes, that was it. Hyacinths. The now recognized smell filled his nostrils; the image it reconstructed, many times buried and as many times resurrected, took shape, waiting only for the right moment, like the right bouquet, to reemerge.

Jennifer Roland. It was the cologne Jennifer wore. Hyacinths, the scent that overwhelmed him over thirty years ago under that viaduct and ten years later kissing again in front of the A & P when he was visiting his parents before their move to Arizona.

He never forgot. Twenty years a priest and he still remembered countless times; each time those wonderful and bizarre days of his adolescence arose and the thought veered to the viaduct; when from somewhere, or maybe someone who passed or just in his imagination, the smell of hyacinths wafted near him; when his vocation faltered and thoughts surfaced of that second kiss. He raised his face toward the ceiling of the cab and exhaled a noise from his throat that disturbed him. He recognized it; that imperceptible puff of air rising from his chest. That regular sound of embarrassment and shame his body crafted whenever thoughts of Jennifer surfaced. A deep inhale and a rapid exhale. His head shook slightly. Staring out the taxi window at the passing homes, his breath built a vapor on the glass with each heavy exhale. The waft of hyacinths continued to fill his nostrils. Jennifer Roland.

The taxi swerved to avoid something on the road as it sped through an intersection. His head bumped slightly against the window and with the minor jolt he smiled again at the recollection of Jennifer.

Hyacinths.

Again Jennifer forced the realization that he still had a weakness for that sweet-smelling scent. Images of her advanced to memories, and memories of Jennifer Roland made him perspire and shake. Glancing at his reflection in the taxi window he pressed his lips together and closed his eyes.

Jennifer Roland.

The kisses. They were dreadfully amazing. Delightful.



About the Author

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A former South Side Chicago boy and seminary student, Stickann’s Catholic upbringing sparked the need to write novels that illustrate the impact religion has on people. His two previous books - Glory Be To the Father, the Son... (2001), and Hobbledehoy Boy (2013) show how a strict religious upbringing can stunt the social growth of a person, particularly young boys. The Ugly Priest looks at the other side of the religious spectrum, the priest, and the religious implications of a weak vocation and unsettled soul.



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Wednesday, 17 October 2018

Max Dedge


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Book One of The BreakThrough
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Date Published: July 29, 2018

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The time of the uniborg was foretold on a distant planet.

So, what does it have to do Max Dedge, loose wheel and occasional detective?

This is just the start of the galactic event known as The BreakThrough, an event that could erase human existence, an event that could spell doom for planet Earth and possibly for history itself. It’s also an event that Max Dedge is blissfully unaware of at the moment.

And that’s a good thing. Because Max Dedge is about to find himself shot at on an alien world, fried by magic in Mexico, investigating corporate underhandedness in New Jersey, following leads on a vanished Rabbi in France, and being chased by certain death from one world to another and in between. At his side, the wizard Jracilla who has trained all her life for this day, thief and nemesis Arturo Delgado who is forever up to no good, and Sylvester… a very special phone.

Max Dedge in The Time of The Uniborg combines a unique fantasy experience with a mystery that binds two worlds and beyond, setting the stage for the epic adventure of The BreakThrough. The BreakThrough is set against a dynamically changing universe filled with characters who will helm their own titles.

Max Dedge in The Time of The Uniborg is just the first step into a universe of magic and time travel, rogues and wizards, space jalopies and portals to other worlds, taking you to the precipice of what you thought science fiction and fantasy could be and then throwing you over the side.



Excerpt

Later, Max lay in the dark, in the most comfortable bed in the shittiest little motel that still had two rooms in Las Cruces. The motel sat on a lot with an abandoned Carl’s Jr. and a burned-out gas station, but none of that had mattered. Max had been falling asleep at the wheel and knew he’d never make it as far as El Paso. After a large dinner of chili verde, beans, rice, and enough chips and salsa to choke a mariachi band, Max had wanted nothing more than to stop and sleep. Thanks to Sylvester, he did.

Max rested peacefully, digesting his huge dinner, waking only when the alarm on his Velocity 3200 rang loudly. He turned it off, wishing for a snooze button (but he had disabled that feature after hitting it about a hundred too many times). He looked around the darkened room and asked, “What the hell time is it?”

Sylvester replied, “My apologies, sir. The time is 4:17am.”

Max thought for a moment. “I didn’t set the alarm for 4:17am, Sylvester.”

“No, sir,” Sylvester replied. “You did, however, ask me to notify you should I find any connection between Chambéry and your current case.”

Max knew that Sylvester would have been working on that problem around the clock. With Sylvester’s processing speed, that was like putting an army of college interns onto a case of beer. Telling Sylvester to let him know when he found something, without specifying when that was appropriate, was Max’s fault.

Max sank back into the soft, sinking mattress and sighed. “Okay, Sylvester. What did you find?”

“There is some historical evidence, sir, that the Tretonians may be distantly related to the people of Chambéry,” Sylvester told him.

And Max’s eyes opened in the dark. He’d been hoping for a connection to the bombs in San Francisco, to the gun in Leodinym, to the clock in Pentress, but…“Sylvester? What the hell are you talking about?”

Sylvester replied with an understanding, “The story is rather complicated, sir. If you would prefer, I can tell you in the morning.”

Max wouldn’t hear of it. “You’re not going to tell me you found Tretonians in France and not explain it,” he growled.

Sylvester hesitated. “That isn’t exactly what I was reporting, sir.”

Max practically jumped from the bed. “Just tell me the story!”




About the Author

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Author and occasional philosopher and monologist, Ken La Salle’s passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives. Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue collar roots, which have given his writing a progressive and environmentalist view. You can find a growing number of his books and performances available online. Find out more about Ken on his website at www.kenlasalle.com.





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The Search for the Stone of Excalibur





I am a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, I was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked my new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with my mother and two young nephews. We had a great time and I thought I’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, I had changed careers. I have now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in my MG adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! I also teach online novel writing for aspiring authors and I find that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds me enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. I love doing research for my book series. I love animals and have written two animal rescue stories. I have two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.





A modern day adventure as our protagonists search for Excalibur and the treasures it holds! This is a must-read for Middle Graders keen on action, adventure, and Arthurian stories! 

Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur. 

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. 

Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them? Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. 

As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped. 

Book extras include some historical background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur's time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding archaeologists. For coloring-in enthusiasts, ten original black and white illustrations including 2 maps make for more enjoyment!





Snippet:

“He gallops through the village with his head tucked under one arm, striking terror into the hearts of his murderers, his betrayers.” Sheldon rolled his r’s ferociously as he warmed to the telling of what was obviously his favorite ghost story. His voice sank to a hoarse whisper.
As he spoke, thunder grumbled in the distance. Adam looked up, startled, as the lights flickered once or twice. Kim gulped, glancing around nervously. A pool of brightness from the kitchen spilled out into the shadowed hall where darkness lurked beyond. Adam shivered and hoped someone would think to turn on a few lights when they went upstairs to bed. Jasper grunted in his sleep and shifted under the table. Adam leaned down to stroke the dog’s head. He glanced at Kim, who was clutching Smudge in her arms, gazing wide-eyed at Sheldon. Justin appeared to be unconcerned, but his clenched knuckles betrayed his uneasiness.

By the time the story of the Headless Horseman had ended, Adam’s mind was filled with images of screaming victims fleeing for their lives. He could see rivers of blood, and he could hear the hooves of the Horseman’s spectral black horse clattering on the cobblestones, along with crazed laughter as the Horseman swung his ghostly sword in the air.




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Tuesday, 16 October 2018

Love Will Find a Way


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Romance, Women’s Fiction
Date Published: September 2018

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Drake Parker is a young 45-year-old ambitious stockbroker who has gallbladder cancer and it is inoperable. He has maybe a year to live. His tan skin, white teeth, and crooked smile have been his trademark, but now after days of being a shut-in, he can barely recognize the face staring back at him. That’s when he determines it’s time to accept the inevitable. That is also when he makes his bucket list of things he wants to do.

Trinity Hunter is every inch the image of the successful businesswoman with the extra appeal of long hair, almond-shaped eyes, and dimples on her high cheekbones. This camouflage softens a fast-talking take charge businesswoman who is pushy, but fun-loving and sure of herself until she finds out she has a rare cancer, desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor. The cancer has advanced and she is given a year to live.

Parker determined not to give in to depression and self-pity begins work on his bucket lists and on an outing, is run over by the free-spirited Trinity Hunter who is out for a jog on the Lake Ontario boardwalk. The two enjoy a very powerful romance until Parker accidentally learns that Trinity has been keeping a secret from him: She too is dying of terminal cancer.

Two lonely people, both terminally ill, have a short-lived love affair, sharing a series of adventures in which they live out their childhood dreams.



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 Excerpt



Drake Parker is a young 45 year old ambitious stock broker who is told he has gallbladder cancer and it is inoperable. When he asks, he is told he has maybe a year to live. His tan skin, white teeth and crooked smile has been his trademark, but now after days of being a shut in he can barely recognize the face staring back at him. That’s when he determines it’s time to accept the inevitable. That is also when he makes his bucket list of things he wants to do.

Trinity Hunter is every inch the image of the successful business woman with the extra appeal of long hair, almond shaped eyes and dimples on her high cheek bones. This camouflage softens a fast-talking take charge business woman who is pushy, but fun loving and sure of herself until she finds out she has a rare cancer, desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor. The cancer has advanced, and she is given a year to live.

Parker determined not to give in to depression and self-pity begins work on his bucket lists and on an outing, is run over by the free-spirited Trinity Hunter who is out for a jog on the Lake Ontario boardwalk. The two enjoy a very powerful romance until Parker accidentally learns that Trinity has been keeping a secret from him: She too is dying of terminal cancer.

Two lonely people, both terminally ill, have a short-lived love affair, sharing a series of adventures in which they live out their childhood dreams.


About the Author

 photo Love Will Find A Way Author Juanita Tischendorf_zpsdnmlyyu0.jpg
Juanita Tischendorf has written several works of nonfiction books that include “Who Says I’m Small”, “The Madman, The Marathoner”, “Til Death Do Us Part?” and “An UnFair Advantage (A Murder In Oklahoma)” and the self-help book, “The Selfie, (Adolescent/Teen Girl Self Development)”.  She released her first fiction book “Body of Evidence” in 2016, and currently promoting her next book, “Playground In My Mind”.

Juanita completed a writing course at the University of Washington, has taken a James Paterson training course.  Juanita is a member of the Writers Guild of America.

Her achievements and awards include a career profile by Rochester’s “About Time Magazine, and a taped interview by the Syracuse NY cable TV  for “Successful Women in Upstate New York’’ segment.  She appeared on the WOKR-TV program entitled “Shades of Gray”, received the 2003 Editor’s choice award for outstanding achievement in poetry and is listed in the 1991 edition of “2000 Notable American Women”.


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Monday, 15 October 2018

The Secluded Village Murders


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Cozy Mystery
Date Published: September 2018
Publisher: BQB Publishing

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From a small secluded village in Connecticut to the English Countryside, readers are taken on a roller coaster of events and quirky characters as amateur sleuth Emily Ryder tries to solve a murder that everyone thinks was an accident.

For tour guide Emily Ryder, the turning point came on that fateful early morning when her beloved mentor met an untimely death. It's labeled as an accident and Trooper Dave Roberts is more interested in Emily than in any suspicions around Chris Cooper's death. For Emily, if Chris hadn't been the Village Planner and the only man standing in the way of the development of an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint village of Lydfield, Connecticut, she might have believed it was an accident, but too many pieces didn't fit.

As Emily heads across the pond for a scheduled tour of Lydfield's sister village, Lydfield-in-the-Moor . . . she discovers that the murderer may be closer than she thought.


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 Excerpt



Picking up speed, she passed the rows of Victorian houses with their pilastered front porches and attached shutters in homage to last century’s Colonial Revival. She’d grown up here, always lived here except for college and her transatlantic jaunts. But at this moment, her village might as well be a scattering of old photos.

Before she knew it, the rain was beating down harder, her wiper blades barely able to keep up. Among the nagging questions flitting through her mind was how could Miranda Shaw have suddenly gotten wind of her leaking roof? Or   did somebody just put her up to it, to get Chris rushing pell- mell in the rain so he would . . .

Emily eased her foot off the pedal, barely able to see through the downpour. She switched the wipers on high and kept her eyes on the road, intent on avoiding an accident.

Minutes later, she pulled into Miranda Shaw’s place at a slow but steady crawl. As she reached the circular drive, straining her eyes through the thwacking blades, she peered up two stories above the stone archway.

There she caught sight of the familiar gangly figure climbing higher toward the peak of an eight-sided turret. At a point where the grayish-blue slate, copper flashing, and a mullioned window merged, the figure suddenly became a shuddering blur.

Emily honked her horn, blasting as loud as she could. But it was too late. The figure flopped over and slid down the turret, glanced off the aluminum ladder and toppled like a broken doll.


About the Author

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Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run.  Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Moon Games is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.



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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." ...