Pages

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Blog Tour: Chasing Shadows


A Brita Madison Paranormal Mystery

Paranormal Mystery/Crime Drama/Police Procedural
Date Published: January 26, 2015


"Only the living are so persistent. The dead seem to understand that time is no longer an issue for them."

Brita is at best a reluctant psychic, and Chief of Police James Weston is the "poster boy for conservative." Can he accept the unimaginable?

Brita Madison has found a sanctuary in Williams, Arizona, a refuge from the multitude of visions and voices that have chased her all her life. Then one vision touches her soul, and she finds herself embroiled in the middle of a missing person's case with a woman’s life at stake. Little does she know that this is only the beginning.
Purchase Links
EXCERPT

Brita's visions uncover a trail of murders centered around the historic Route 66. As Brita steps deeper into the world she has been trying to escape, she and Weston are in a race against time to identify the serial killer. This journey threatens to tear apart their lives as well as those closest to them.

"Chasing after the shadows left behind by sick minds is damaging to one's soul when you are just following the clues. Vicariously experiencing the trauma through visions like Brita's would have to tear at the very fabric of your being." – Chief of Police James Weston

Chief Weston sat down at his desk and opened the take-out carton of moo goo gai pan he had picked up on the way in from the accident scene. He couldn't believe he had been so far off track with this one. He had been certain it was foul play. Secretly, he knew that he had been hell-bent on proving that Brad was the perp. Was he getting that jaded? Was he so bored that he was starting to create crime where there was none?
Shaking his head in frustration, he thought about his time as Chief of Police. Most of the town folk believed he somehow inherited the position when his dad died, but that wasn't true. He earned the title. He had studied hard in college, majoring in criminology, making top grades. He could have gone anywhere, but he was a small town kind of guy.
His ex-wife, however, wasn't. His college sweetheart, Jenna had only lasted three years before packing her bags and leaving. He had not spoken to her since the divorce was final. Sometimes he did wonder if she and her graphic design degree had made it to the big time. Maybe she was right. Maybe this town was just too small for big ambitions. Were his ambitions more than Williams could meet? The truth was that he didn't have the answer to that question. He just knew that he wanted to make a difference, to be one of the good guys.
Tossing the take-out carton in the trash, he finished off his soda. He wasn't looking forward to going out to Miss Madison's house to take her statement. Obviously, she knew something or she couldn't have located Crista, but he just didn't believe this psychic crap. He wasn't a Bible-thumper, but talking to the dead or in this case, the nearly dead … come on! Whatever the story was with Brita Madison, he would get to the bottom of it. He grabbed his keys and headed out. Best to get it over with.
Weston knocked firmly on the front door of Miss Madison's house, knowing it was important that she view him as an authority figure, one who wasn't going to fall for her line of bull. He saw her approaching through the glass panes in the upper half of the front door. She pulled the door open quickly, turned, and motioned for him to come in. Realizing he had just lost his authoritative edge, he sighed heavily and followed her into the living room. He was impressed as he looked around her log cabin. It looked a lot like what he hoped to build one day if he ever saved up enough money to buy some property.
Brita motioned for him to have a seat on one of the two couches situated in an L-shape in front of the fireplace. He sat on the one closest to the door and placed his hat beside him. He took out his notebook and a pen.
Seeking to take control of the situation, he said, "Now, Miss Madison, I'd like to start from the beginning—" 
'Would you like something to drink? I just made some fresh coffee." Brita was still angry with this man, and she didn't plan on making this easy for him.
"Sure. That sounds good," he replied amiably, not wanting to appear too ill-disposed toward her. Brita headed for the kitchen area. From where he was sitting, Weston could see every move she made, and it was obvious she was deliberately taking her time.
"Miss Madison—"
"Sorry, I can't really hear you very well. Wait until I get back in the living room." With her back turned to him, she chanced a small grin. This might turn out to be fun, she thought. Picking up the two cups, she walked carefully back into the living room and set his coffee on the end table. "Okay, what were you saying?"
Weston cleared his throat, feeling less in control by the minute. "Miss Madison, I need to know how you knew where to look for Crista Long."
She looked him right in the eye for a few seconds before responding. "I believe I explained that to you this morning, did I not?"
Shaking his head, he realized that this was not going to be an easy task. This woman obviously had a few screws loose. "Miss Madison, you and I both know that your having visions is just a ploy for getting attention. Nonetheless, I need to know the truth, or I'm going to have to charge you for lying to a law enforcement officer in the course of an investigation."
Brita had done a lot of research as an editor and was familiar with laws, at least enough to know that he was just trying to intimidate her. "First of all, I didn't lie. Your not believing me does not make me a liar. Besides, you would have a hard time proving I lied about anything since I'm the one who found her," she retorted. Feeling like she had won this round, she pushed back on the couch and drew her legs up beside her.
Waving his hand dismissively, Weston said, "Have it your way." Brita could barely keep her laughter in check at the way he had managed to avoid the issue. "Then tell me from start to finish about your so-called visions," he demanded. 


Dannye Williamsen


Paranormal abilities related to the mind intrigue me because they draw attention to the possibilities that lie outside the acceptable range of thinking for most people. Stories that embrace the paranormal make the reader want to dig deeper and reach higher to partake of such miraculous experiences, to step outside the humdrum of one's normal life. Whether the stories are mysteries, suspense, or romance, the paranormal element allows a writer to present a unique perspective.

As an empathic writer, I experience an altered state when I sit down to the keyboard. I am not able to daydream about my story or work it all out in my head when I am away from the keyboard. Once my fingers are on the keys, I step into the characters emotionally. In writing the story, I experience intensely personal relationships with them, despite their being fictional. I feel their pain, their joy, and allow them to lead the way in unfolding the story. In writing all my books, including the nonfiction, it has been a dedicated investment of energy, and I am truly grateful for the experiences.
  

Sandy Wolters 
I started writing paranormal romance relatively late in life. I was fifty-years old when I published my first book. Many would ask why it took so long to start a writing career that I was so compelled to do, and I really only have one answer. Life experiences finally brought me to the place where I felt I had something to offer. 

The romantic influence of my writing career came easy because I married my high school sweetheart, and we’ve been together ever since. I thank the stars above for him every day of my life. I’m living the romantic dream, people, with the man I was destined to be with, and it feels wonderful! Every romance I write, he is right there in the forefront of my mind. 

The paranormal influence of my writing also came at a young age but was much more subtle. My books have always contained hints of the supernatural, anything from ghosts of loved ones to psychic abilities. My personal experience with the paranormal started at a young age and blossomed over the years.







Goodreads



Thursday, March 26, 2015

Blog Tour: Murder, Mystery, & Dating Mayhem


Humorous Chick Lit with a Dash of Murder/Mystery
Date Published: March 1, 2015


My name is Izzy. I drink too much, am clumsier than a newborn foal, and my brain-to-mouth filter often malfunctions. My daredevil husband killed himself in a parachuting accident five years ago and my best friend Jack has decided it’s time I jump back in the dating pool. He’s perfectly happy to throw me in if I don’t listen. Just when things in the dating world start to heat up, my grandma dies. Only her knitting group of Jessica Fletcher wannabes is sure it’s murder. I’m not convinced but I’m always up for a bit of excitement as long as it doesn’t lead to a night in jail. Well, more than one night anyway. Will I miss my chance at love because I’m chasing imaginary killers? Did someone really kill grandma or am I and my merry band of geriatric thieves imagining things?



Purchase Links




I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between tennis, running, traveling, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my fifth book.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Blind Confession


Historical Romance
Date Published: February 25, 2015


A heart closed to love ...

Abandoned by the woman he loved, Captain Marteinn wants to escape his misery by winning the summer games in Lagenheim. The champion is entitled to ask one favor from the jarl and he’s prepared to request his freedom.

A woman desperate for passion ...

Taken to Scandinavia after the Normans invaded England, Mercia works hard to prove her loyalty to the Vikings. Despite multiple offers of marriage, she fears she’ll never find true love. Until she meets a brooding warrior, who ignites a hidden passion she can’t ignore.

Purchase Link


Excerpt


Mercia counted herself among the luckiest of women to be seated at the high table. Although she’d grown up with Lady Rachelle in England, she’d worked as a maid in her uncle’s household. To be included as a family member now, was something she’d never expected. Since her escape from the war-torn country, she’d found happiness in Norway. Instead of working as a servant, she served as Rachelle’s companion, which meant nothing more than wearing pretty gowns and helping manage her household.
She reached for a piece of bread, her gaze travelling across the guests below. She gasped when she spied Lady Kara’s friend, Captain Marteinn, standing nearby. Chestnut curls framed his magnificent features, and his high cheekbones and slightly slanted eyes gave him the look of an exotic heathen deity. The rare combination set him apart from the other men. And his broad shoulders and narrow waist didn’t escape her attention.
“Is everything all right?” Rachelle leaned close. “Are you ill?”
“No-no.”
“Your hands are trembling.” Rachelle felt Mercia’s forehead. “No fever ...” Then she followed her gaze. “Oh, the despondent stallion all the women whisper about.”
Ridiculous. It was mere coincidence the captain came into her line of vision when he did. “I don’t know what you’re prattling on about.”
Rachelle laughed. “Flushed and trembling—all symptoms of a very familiar sickness I suffered from several years ago when I met my husband. He’s very handsome, Mercia. But don’t subject yourself to a man who already loves another woman.”
She was still staring at him. “What woman?” Perhaps she already knew the answer. When she’d joined Kara earlier in the day, she’d overheard part of the conversation her friend was having with the captain.
I no longer entrust anyone with my secrets or my heart.
“Kara Dalgaard.”
Unable to stop staring, she winced when their gazes finally met. His eyes flashed with interest, but she immediately turned to face Rachelle. “Is he headed this way?”
“I thought the captain didn’t pique your interest. You’re a bad liar, Mercia.”
“Tell me, please.”
“Indeed, he is.”
Her heart pounded. They’d never been formally introduced. Why couldn’t she control herself? A few stolen glances shouldn’t make her shake as if she’d never met a handsome man before.
“Lady Rachelle.” Marteinn bowed.
“Captain Marteinn. Always a pleasure to see you. I enjoyed the death match today.”
Mercia sucked in a breath. The Saami hadn’t died, although it had been a brutal fight.
His wonderfully shaped lips twitched. “May I ask after the lady?”
“My dearest friend, Mercia.”
Again, the captain bowed elegantly. “We met briefly outside today.”
“I don’t believe we had the opportunity to actually speak, Captain Marteinn.”
“Forgive me.”
Was that a hint of a smile in his eyes?
“Did you watch the wrestling match?” he asked.
Do your duty, be polite. Spare Rachelle any embarrassment. “I’m afraid that I didn’t.”
He raked his fingers through his hair, visibly disappointed.
“She’s not accustomed to the games,” Rachelle explained. “Whenever we sponsor similar activities at home, Mercia always finds an excuse to run off.”
She slumped in her chair. Her friend was trying to help, but the effort only served to make her look foolish. It wasn’t for lack of interest—she enjoyed seeing men compete. But something stirred inside her whenever they stripped down to their braes. That’s what made her avoid the games, her response to half naked men.
“A timid creature,” he observed none too kindly. “Some women aren’t meant for vigorous activities.”
Mercia cleared her throat, leaning forward. “Let me assure you, Captain, I am not timid, just easily bored.”
Their eyes met again and held for what felt like eternity. Heat flooded her belly as she took in the intensity of his stare. “I’ll remember that,” he said, then walked away.
“Another arrogant Viking.” Mercia watched him disappear into the crowd. “No wonder I can’t find a companion—these men are hardly distinguishable from the beasts they keep.”
“You fell prey to his trick.”
She shook her head, then turned back to her friend. “What do you mean?”
Rachelle patted her hand, chuckling softly. “He tested your wit. And from the way he reacted, I think you exceeded his expectations.”




Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Violetta Rand spent her childhood reading, writing, and playing soccer. After meeting her husband in New England, they moved to Alaska where she studied environmental science and policy as an undergraduate before attending graduate school. Violetta then spent nearly a decade working as an environmental scientist, specializing in soil and water contamination and environmental assessments.
Violetta still lives in Anchorage, Alaska and spends her days writing evocative New Adult romance and historical romance. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys time with her husband, pets, and friends. In her free time, she loves to hike, fish, and ride motorcycles and 4-wheelers.


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Blog Tour: Lexi Goes on Vacation to the Outer Banks by @janicekingsbury


Children's Book
Date Published: October 2014


Ms. Janice and Mr. Rob have vacationed in the seashore town of Duck in North Carolina for 10 years. Duck is a friendly place with sandy beaches where children and dogs romp to their hearts content. This year Lexi, a new addition to their dog family, will come too. But the vacation will be like no other and as the sun sets on the beach it promises to be a long night, one the family will never forget!

Full color illustrations appeal to children and make the book come alive. The action and adventure encourage children to read to the end and learn new vocabulary. Even reluctant readers will want to finish the story.


Excerpt



“And go to the beach they did. Lexi couldn’t get enough. He chased birds and chased birds. He chased birds so much that Ms. Janice nicknamed him Bird Dog. He was having the time of his life. He had never been to a place where he could run so fast and far. He galloped like a stallion with his long mane flying in the wind. Sometimes he would wade in the ocean to cool off. Then off he would trot to chase more birds.”



Purchase Links


Janice Wills Kingsbury grew up in New Jersey.  She worked as a teacher and later as a School Psychologist for 18 years.  Janice also taught reading and has a love of children's literature.  Janice is also involved in animal rescue. Her children's books are written from the heart and portray her love of and knowledge about children and animals. The stories will capture children's interest and imagination.  Age 6-12, but suitable for all ages, even adults.



PROMO Blitz: Seams in Reality and Cracks in Reality by @GraySpear with #giveaway






Young Adult Fantasy / Thriller
Date Published: Sept 26, 2014 & December 25 2014

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

SEAMS IN REALITY is the first book in the Seams in Reality Series.

As a freshman in a suburban college near Chicago, Andrew leads a mundane life until he meets a professor named Tonya. She is secretly a master sorcerer, and she invites him into a conspiracy of magic. Only those few who possess exceptional talent may join. A resourceful young woman named Charley has the same supernatural gift. She accompanies Andrew on his journey into a dark profession, and romance quickly blooms between the young apprentices. When Andrew meets Blake, a sorcerer who knew his grandfather, Andrew becomes embroiled in a game of lies and treachery. Blake's thirst for power leaves a trail of casualties, and in the end, only Andrew can stop him.

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

CRACKS IN REALITY is the second book in the Seams in Reality Series.

The Vault is a fortress in the desert protected by the United States Army, and it contains the most dangerous, forbidden secrets of sorcery. Blake, master sorcerer and fugitive from justice, has a plan for robbing the place. He will create a tangled web of lies to trick the Army into delivering the treasure into his hands. He intends to use the stolen knowledge to destroy his enemies and become the most powerful sorcerer on Earth.

Two apprentices are on a mission to kill Blake. Andrew is a war mage, a genius at psychic combat. Charley is a young woman who commands physical sorcery. Their instructor, Tonya, will turn the two teenagers into warriors capable of defeating Blake, if they can endure the extreme mental and physical tests.

Tonya's training is just the beginning for Andrew and Charley. They must discover Blake's hidden objectives, and they don't have much time. A government agency called the Bureau of Physical Investigation has the same assignment, but the agents are unprepared for the dangers they will face. Other surprising threats await the apprentices as they pursue their enemy along a trail of bloodshed.




About the Author


Alex Siegel grew up a math and computer geek. At the age of twenty-five, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell. He continues to make a good living as a software developer in Chicago. In his late twenties, he took up creative writing as a serious pastime with the intention of eventually making it his career. This goal has been elusive, but failure is not an option. In 2001, his wife gave birth to triplet boys. People often ask him how he still finds time to write. In 2009, he began the Gray Spear Society series, and he hopes it will be his key to literary fame.

Author Links


Purchase Links

Amazon


Giveaway
$10 Amazon Gift Card


 photo readingaddictionbutton_zps58fd99d6.png

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Blog Tour: Sex. Coffee. Time Travel by @tymslyder


Romance / Adventure / Suspense
Date Published: Jan 20, 2015


(Time Frame Series Book Two) 
In Book Two, Adventure-Romance author Lesley Meryn has her 'second date', a little bit of Time Travel, with the volatile yet seductive scientist Miles Sherwood. She wakes up to a spring day in 1765 Yorkshire. Miles should be there, waiting for her, but he's nowhere to be found.
Circumstances spin rapidly out of control. Someone keeps trying to kill her new Eighteenth Century companion and self-appointed protector, Mick Kenning, a handsome and hunky stableman at the New Inn. Lesley helps him to foil these clumsy, but persistent and mysterious attempts on his life.   
As the days pass, Miles remains missing. The clock is literally ticking down the days. She has less than two weeks to find him or she may be trapped in the past. Has Miles fallen victim to the very real dangers of an earlier time?
Complications multiply with the appearance of an elusive, badass, Highwayman. With a hefty price on his head, agents of the Crown have arrived at the New Inn to track him down. For Mick it's personal, he despises the Highwayman. The Highwayman, not satisfied with jewelry, and coins, stole away the woman Mick once loved.
Will Lesley find Miles in time? What has happened to him? Will Mick ever find out who wants him dead? Will he ever find outwhy?
Balancing between high adventure, sword fighting, fisticuffs, pistols, and daggers, Lesley must use her wits, imagination, and every trick from her own books to find Miles, survive the Eighteenth Century, and return to her own time. 



Buy Links



Elle Brookes grew up in Los Angeles, California, but lived in Jamaica for three years when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. She moved to San Francisco and studied at the California Culinary Academy, and went on to become a private chef to a well-known L.A. based television production company.
From an early age Elle was a voracious reader of adventure stories and from elementary school through high school, she started writing her own stories of places foreign and exotic.  She studied Art History and continued writing in college, focusing on short stories. 
A dedicated and passionate traveler, Elle has explored river caves in Jamaica and Costa Rica, hiked glaciers in New Zealand and Iceland, and done dogsledding in Greenland and Iceland. She's danced a fa'a Samoan haka and slept in a fale on the island of Savai'i in Samoa, hiked in the northern mountains of Thailand along the border with Myanmar in the Golden Triangle, and in Haiti, she witnessed a white goat ceremonially sacrificed to Erzuli Freda by a powerful Houngan. For a time she did Performance Driving in Southern California, and has years of study and experience dedicated to fencing, theatrical combat, archery, and horsemanship.
Elle currently lives in the central highlands of Costa Rica with her dog Pixie, and her hedgehog, Quiller.Website:  www.tymslyder.com

Facebook

Twitter:  @tymslyder




Monday, March 9, 2015

Blog Tour: Slice of Life


6 Chapter Novella

Fantasy
Date Published: January 12, 2015

"This was no longer her world against the queen. It was the queen's world against her."

The Queen wants to destroy the life force of earth and has destroyed the last being that can stop her. Or so she thinks . . .
The last powerful mage in the world, Princess Aura, is the sole witness to the nefarious plot. The good news is she knows how to stop it. The bad news? She can't do it alone.
Aura must summon someone she hoped never to see again. Saint George, her lover who left five years ago for another woman. And another. And another. 
Can they work together long enough to defeat the queen and save the world? 
Told collectively by a troupe of digital artists, Slice of Life employs every medium available: prose, pictures, poetry, illustration, audio scenes, and music, to provide an immersive and exciting reading experience. 


Review


This novel is beautiful. Not just in the writing itself, but the illustrations that come along with and serve as perfect supporting pieces to the novel. You don't find Fantasy novels with illustrations much, and I think it is something that should be more common. It was great to see the world through the authors mind, not only via her descriptions, but through the illustrations. 

This is a fun spin on the Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. I adore fairy tale re-tellings and this was no exception. 

Buy Links



Ellie Ann is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of thrillers, science fiction, and comics. She was born in Thailand, raised in a small farming village in Iowa, resided in the Texan Desert, and now lives in the Ozark Mountains. 

Twitter: @elliesoderstrom


Release: A Simple Change



Contemporary Romance
Date Published: March 9, 2015

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

My name is Alisha, I am a goody, goody. I follow the rules, I work hard and study while everyone else parties and hooks up. I'm ok with that, I'm use to it. My life isn't simple though, I have a secret-I'm in love with my next door neighbour, my best friend Kyle Jacobs.
 Kyle Jacobs is popular, hot, wanted by every girl in school. I am the exact opposite, I'm invisible, unnoticed, I haven't even kissed a boy.
 One girly weekend to a spa for a makeover changes everything. I start getting noticed, even Kyle is starting to act differently around me.
 Somebody though doesn't like this new change, doesn't like how Kyle and I are blurring the lines from friendship to something more.

New adult contemporary romance with mature content. Recommended for 17+ due to mature language and adult situations



About the Author 



J.L. Ostle was born in Antrim, Northern Ireland, now living in Carlisle, England. J.L. Ostle is a full time mother looking after her cute, active little boy.
When she she hasn't got her head stuck in a book or writing, she's watching movies, or doing activities with her friends and their children





 photo readingaddictionbutton_zps58fd99d6.png