Blog Tour — The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids

This is my post during the blog tour for The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids. The Christmas Party is an addictive psychological thriller with a jaw dropping twist.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 19 till 31 December. You can see the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/blog-tour-the-christmas-party-by-mikayla-davids

The Christmas Party

By Mikayla Davids

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Age category: Adult

Release Date: 12 November 2022

Blurb:

A family reunion. A shocking secret. A night to die for…

On a snowy December night, the Bailey family are gathered at an isolated hotel in the English countryside. They’re reuniting for the first time since the accident that shattered their lives ten years ago.

It’s a time for love and forgiveness. But more than one guest has an ulterior motive:

The perfect daughter
The alcoholic

The single mother
The liar

The handsome husband
The adulterer

The beautiful sister
The jealous sibling

The murderer…

As the clock strikes midnight, one member of the party is found dead at the foot of the grand marble staircase.

Everyone is a suspect. But which one of them is a killer?

This completely addictive psychological thriller is packed with chilling twists that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of The Hunting Party and The Chalet.

Chapter 1

Erin

Now

It’s the first of December and I feel excitement bubbling up inside me as I sit at my desk, looking out at the crisp, cool winter’s morning. I’ve always loved this time of year, it’s a time of hope, a time of joy, a time of promise. For me, the beginning of December marks the start of a new chapter and is a far more exciting month for fresh starts than dull and dreary January. December is a month of connecting with others with memories to be made and good times to be had. As my manicured hands run along the fold of the gold envelope I smile to myself. It’s taken a long time to work up the courage to do what I’m about to do. The time is right and I’m finally ready to put my plan into action.

I slide the gilded invitation into the envelope and then seal it. Picking up my silver fountain pen, I write the familiar name and address with a flourish. I sit back, surveying my handiwork, and I feel a calm settle over me. I haven’t seen my mother or my two sisters for the last ten years. Making any kind of contact with them is a really big deal for me. But I think the time is right to mend broken bridges and my therapist agrees.

So I’m inviting them to our annual Christmas party. The one me and my husband Aaron throw every year at our gorgeous country hotel. There have to be some perks to owning a sprawling manor house, and this is definitely one of them. In the last few years, our Christmas party has become part of the festive calendar for many of our friends and Aaron’s family. I adore playing the hostess, choosing the perfect food, the perfect decorations, the perfect entertainment and then welcoming all of our guests. It gives me a huge sense of satisfaction when an event I’ve organised is a hit. Except, I’ve always felt like something is missing. Because even though it’s our Christmas party, the hotel is actually filled with all of Aaron’s family and, if I’m honest, the majority of our friends here are his too. Sure, his family treats me as one of their own by now. We’ve been together for over nine years and his friends are also my friends by extension. But there’s no-one here for just me.

I’ve decided now is the time to change that. Whatever happened in the past, I’m sure we can all move on from it. After having children of my own, my darling twins Ophelia and Jasper, I’ve realised just how important family is. Christmastime is the ideal moment for forgiving and forgetting.

‘Here’s your tea.’ Nia, one of our waitresses, and my most trusted member of staff, comes into the room and puts a tea cup down on my polished oak desk.

‘Thank you. Can you send these out in this morning’s post.’ I gesture at the expensive invitations and Nia immediately scoops them into a tidier stack to take with her.

‘Is there anything else you need?’

‘There’s a couple coming in for a wedding consultation at noon, it’s in the diary. Make sure you’re on hand for refreshments.’

‘Certainly,’ Nia replies, flicking her raven hair over her shoulders and taking the bundle of gold envelopes with her as she exits the room.

All I have to do now is wait for the replies. I’ve included photos of Ophelia and Jasper as well as a heartfelt letter to each of the women I’m desperate to be reunited with: my mother Nadia, my older sister Sasha and my younger sister Leah.

I gaze out of my big bay window. I love this view of the gardens, it’s the reason I chose this room to be my office. The terrace, dotted with rattan garden furniture, gives way to a formal rose garden. The flowers have already withered and died for this season, but we have some colourful winter shrubs blossoming at the moment and the pops of purple, pink and blue cheer up the space in the absence of the roses at this time of year.

Beyond the terrace we have an extensive lavender field. In the summertime, the scent is simply divine and the purple rolling field is such a pretty picture. This spot is popular with the brides who get married at Burcott House. They love to have their photoshoots amongst the blanket of purple and it’s a big part of the attraction for couples wanting to get married here. We also have a team of staff employed to make all sorts of lavender-scented products, from soap to gin; Burcott House lavender products have a steady stream of sales through the year. Our guests love to purchase our lavender-scented gifts as a memento of their stay, the locals in the nearest village adore the lavender honey we make, and our online sales are on the up as well. The lavender enterprise is just one of the many projects I’ve been working on since Aaron officially let me take over the management of the hotel when the twins went to school, and our profits have quadrupled in that time.

Curving alongside the lavender fields is a narrow road that leads to the cottage where we live as a family. I can just about spot the top of the roof from here. We do sometimes stay in the hotel if the rooms aren’t booked, for a change of scenery, but it’s wonderful to have the quaint four-bedroomed cottage to return to after a busy day. It helps me separate myself from work demands and gives me the chance to switch off in a way I can’t if I stay at the hotel. I’m lucky that my commute is only a ten-minute walk along the charming lane between the two buildings.

We’re miles away from the nearest village and the rural, tranquil location is such a draw for our returning customers. A haven away from the hustle and bustle of the world. I find looking out at the scenery surrounding the hotel so soothing and I need that right now because I’m nervous. What if my mother and sisters don’t reply? What if they say no and refuse to come? But I can’t think negatively, I just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I’m going to get on with my party planning. There’s so much to be done.

Because I want to make sure this will be a Christmas party that none of our guests will ever forget.

Links:

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63288618-the-christmas-party

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-christmas-party-an-absolutely-addictive-psychological-thriller-with-a-jaw-dropping-twist-by-mikayla-davids

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLRMLKQC

About the Author:

I’ll let you into a little secret… Mikayla Davids isn’t my real name, it’s just the pen name I write under. I could be the person sitting opposite you on the train, furiously tapping away at a laptop, or the woman scribbling in a notebook on the table beside you in Starbucks. Everyone has their secrets. And this is mine.

But I will tell you I’ve lived and breathed fictional worlds all my life. I’ve been the child who spent hours in the library, the teenager who stayed up turning pages way into the night, the publishing editor who poured every working hour into helping authors achieve their dreams of being published. Now I’m the secret writer who’s finally ready to share my own stories.

I write about family dramas, complicated relationships and everyday moments that can suddenly turn into nightmares.

I hope you’ve been gripped and entertained by my novels. I’d love to hear from you if so, you can contact me across any of my social media pages or sign up to my newsletter.

Author links:

– Website: https://mikayladavids.wixsite.com/mikayladavidsbooks

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mikayla-Davids-Books/100087612423864/

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikaylaDBooks

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikayladavidsbooks/

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mikayla-Davids/e/B0BLW7TVSV

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23035621.Mikayla_Davids

– Newsletter: https://5dc081df.sibforms.com/serve/MUIEAN-JMbrDvFi2g6nVZnS2aEJqjL38geJMfjtXVx1b7xJVGqW3u3aAWrH6ml5ZD7MFuk0SwRfqTq2ai6v-CfKKOybcWUWFyYSRw4F14KfQChjzwLHTmggK27iDtyUZ64nUdFzB9q4DLW7vni0uaYm7nEWY9GYmG2fX3J0HaLzK3TrIiyHFCV2ACVPj5ubJZxQVgocILhO16HkB

Giveaway

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Christmas Party. Two winner both win an ecopy of The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids and get to name a character in the sequel to The Christmas Party (US Only).

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Book Tour–The Question is Murder

This is my post during the blog tour for The Question is Murder by Mark Willen. The Question is Murder is a standalone crime mystery book about a journalist who writes an ethics column and finds himself enmeshed in a murder investigation that challenges his intellect and his ethics.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 3 till 16 October. You can see the tour schedule here.

The Question is Murder
By Mark Willen
Genre: Crime/ Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: May 2021

Blurb:
Washington D.C. newspaper columnist Sam Turner, known to his readers as Mr. Ethics, faces his toughest moral dilemma yet: Can murder ever be justified?

That’s the question posed to him by a mysterious young woman who says she is being stalked and harassed by an ex-lover too powerful to be stopped any other way. Sam knows that journalists should never get personally involved in a story, but he finds he is being drawn deeper and deeper into this one whether he wants it or not.

So when Senator Wade Morgan turns up murdered, Sam fears the worst. Worried about his own involvement, the man who normally has all the answers is now the one making questionable decisions.

As his investigation into the Senator’s death begins to spin out of control, Sam finds he can’t let go-even as the case grows more complicated and the threats against his life become more immediate.

With the fate of a young woman at stake and his own life in jeopardy, Sam can’t back down until the killer-whoever that may be-is brought to justice.

But this is D.C., and justice can be in short supply.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

About the Author:
Mark Willen was born, raised, and educated in New England, where he developed a special appreciation for the values, humor, and strength of its people, as well as the sense of community that characterizes so many of its small towns. After college, he moved to the Washington, DC area, where he quickly learned how the other half lives.

As a journalist, he has been a reporter, columnist, blogger, producer, and editor at The Voice of America, National Public Radio, Congressional Quarterly, Bloomberg News, and Kiplinger.

Mark retired from journalism in 2010 to devote himself to writing fiction. As a former graduate-level teacher of journalism ethics, he also tries to help people figure out the right thing to do in difficult situations through his blog, TalkingEthics.com

Mark has a Masters of Arts in writing from Johns Hopkins University (2010) and a Bachelor of Arts in government from Dartmouth College (1969).

The Question Is Murder is Mark’s debut mystery, but there is always an element of suspense in his novels. His earlier Jonas Hawke series, three books set in a small but troublesome town in Vermont, were also published by Pen-L. His short stories have appeared in The Rusty Nail, Corner Club Press, and The Boiler Review.

Mark lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Janet. He can be reached by emailing mark(at)markwillen.com.

Author links:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Instagram
– Goodreads

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Question is Murder. One winner wins a $25 Amazon gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Sam reads the email a second time, then a third, not sure whether to dismiss it as a prank or call the police. He prints it out and then reads it again, looking for some clue to the sender’s frame of mind.

It’s probably a stunt. Sam gets more than his share of cranks and weirdos. There’s something about writing a newspaper column and calling yourself “Mr. Ethics” that attracts them. Some people just take offense at the notion of a guy sitting behind a computer trying to tell them there’s a right way to behave.

He takes a deep breath and reads the email again, a blue felt-tipped pen in his hand. He studies the words, the grammar, even the sentence structure, looking for oddities or inconsistencies. Nothing jumps out.

He doesn’t need this. Not now.

But then maybe he does. Maybe it’s just what he needs. Something to take his mind off of Lisa, not unlike the migraine that makes you forget the sprained ankle, at least for a while.

He turns back to the email. He needs another opinion and knows it should come from his boss, but he doesn’t want to lose control. Brenda would be cautious and call in the executive editor or a lawyer, maybe both, and that would mean days of delay. He’s not going to use the email in his column, so whatever he does shouldn’t come back to hurt the newspaper. He wants to help if he can, and he doesn’t want anyone to get in his way. He’s too old for bureaucratic games.

But he does want another opinion.

He gets up, grabs the printout, and walks down the hall to the newsroom. It’s eerily quiet, nothing like the newsrooms he grew up in. Gone is the chaos of constant motion and loud conversations carried on from opposite ends of the room. Gone too are the ugly metal desks shoved together so close you can smell the whisky on your neighbor’s breath, hear him belch or argue with an official or a source on the phone. Some had hated it, but Sam thrived on the synergy it produced, the bonds it created, the shared excitement of doing something he believed—still believes—is important.

He walks the maze, heading to Molly’s corner. “Hey,” he says as he comes up behind her.

Her right hand rises in a silencing gesture, and he realizes she’s on the phone. One of those ear things hidden by her hair. How was he supposed to know?

While he waits, he glances up at the silent TV monitors on the wall and tries to guess why the weatherman is moving his arms around in a circle. After a minute or so, Molly ends the call and turns to him.

“What?” she asks, not unfriendly but not friendly either. Busy is the vibe he gets.

Sam was once Molly’s editor and mentor as she learned her way around Congress, which was Sam’s beat for twelve years. She still comes to him for advice, though not often, and he will seek her out when his ethics column needs the perspective of someone younger, or a woman.

He hands her the printout without speaking and watches her read it, biting down on her lower lip, a habit he’s grown used to. He averts his eyes when she looks up and catches him staring at her. He glances around her cubicle while she finishes, then turns back to her, focusing now on her hands, which grip the printout on either side, as if she’s worried he’ll have second thoughts and try to take it back. He’s never noticed how graceful her hands look, with long supple fingers, as though she was born to play the piano. Or type. The thought makes him smile.

Molly hands back the email and frowns. “So what’s the question?” she asks.

“Do you think it’s for real?”

She purses her lips and turns her head slightly. Her blue eyes, accented with eye shadow she doesn’t need, seem to settle on a photograph of her and Kyle, her fiancé. They are wearing hiking gear and standing atop a boulder, Molly’s bleached-blond hair blowing lightly in the wind. Their wedding is set for Memorial Day weekend, less than three months away.

“Look, Sam,” she says finally, picking up her water bottle and taking a swallow, making him wait for what’s coming. “Every woman has some rat-bastard in her past she’d love to blow to kingdom come, but they never actually do it.”

“Some do.”

“Not many. And probably only on the spur of the moment. More passion than planning, and never with advance notice.”

“This is different. He didn’t dump her. He’s stalking her and she’s scared. She doesn’t see any other way out.”

Molly tilts her head slightly and he’s not sure what that means. She reaches for the moisturizer she keeps on her desk. He watches her squirt some in her palm and then rub it carefully on the backs of her hands. He feels himself getting annoyed. Since Lisa asked him to move out, he has less patience for everything and everyone. He reminds himself of that and takes a deep breath.

“I can’t ignore it,” he says.

Molly shrugs, making it clear she doesn’t agree.

“Why’d you ask my advice if you already had your mind made up?”

He walks away without answering. On the one hand, he sees her point, but he’s disappointed she isn’t more concerned, more helpful. It surprises him that Molly isn’t able to put herself in other people’s shoes more often. Seeing the other side of an issue—any issue—is an important skill for a reporter. Call it empathy.

But maybe he’s just annoyed because she doesn’t agree with him.

Back in his office, he forwards the email to the IT department. He deletes the content, but they can analyze the IP address or whatever they look at to try to determine where it came from. He doesn’t have much hope, but it’s worth a try. Then he turns back to the email and rereads it.

Dear Mr. Ethics:

 Is murder ever ethical? I hope so because I don’t have a choice. An ex-lover is destroying me. I broke up with him and now he’s ruining my life. He got into my laptop, stole all my data and used it to stalk, embarrass, and almost bankrupt me. Now he’s moved on to even worse stuff. He’s killing my hope for any kind of normal life, so killing him is a form of self-defense. Justifiable homicide, right?

I can’t go to the police for reasons I can’t explain here. And I can’t give you any more details because I can’t risk you figuring out my name.

So can I murder him? And no, I’m not kidding.

Sincerely,

Truly Desperate

Sam jots down several notes. The tone strikes him as strangely calm and rational. She’s making a logical argument, not what you’d expect from someone stressed and frantic. Or crazy. Is it a hoax? Maybe a college kid bored with her ethics class and looking for term paper ideas. Or an author concocting a crazy plot for a thriller. Or maybe someone pissed off at Mr. Ethics and hoping to draw him into a discussion that will embarrass him if made public.

But maybe not.

It doesn’t matter. He has to answer her. Keep her talking, try to get more clues so he can stop her on the off chance she really is planning a murder.

He turns to his keyboard and after several false starts comes up with his reply.

Dear Truly Desperate,

I’m going to assume this is a not a prank because I have no way of knowing, and I want to give you the benefit of the doubt.

From the little you’ve told me, I can assure you that what you propose is not ethical. Justifiable homicide applies only when your life is in imminent danger, and you haven’t convinced me that this is the case. I don’t think you’ve convinced yourself or you wouldn’t be asking me.

You need to go to the police. If you can’t do it yourself, is there someone who can do it for you? If necessary, I might be willing to do that, depending on the details. And with the newspaper behind me, the police will feel obliged to take it seriously.

If you don’t want my help, I suggest you talk to a mental health professional or a social worker or someone experienced in cases involving domestic partner abuse (which this obviously is).

If you’d like to talk about this more (and I will treat any conversations we have confidentially), you may call me at any time (cellphone number below).

Above all, don’t do anything rash.

Regards,

Sam Turner (a.k.a. Mr. Ethics)

 

Star Revelations

Blog Tour Star Revelations by Steven Paul Terry

This is my post during the blog tour for Star Revelations by Steven Paul Terry. In Star Revelations a TV Star on a terrifying journey of misdirection and murder, must learn who she is, and bring a message from another world, hundreds of earth years in the future.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 28 February till 13 March. You can see the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/blog-tour-star-revelations-by-steven-paul-terry

Star Revelations (Star Revelations #1)

Blurb:

Get their attention before it’s too late… The Quiet War has begun…
Acclaimed journalist and media celebrity Diana Willis can snag the inside scoop and truth on any story. But when her helicopter mysteriously malfunctions and plummets to the ground, everything changes, sending Diana down a maze of murderous intrigue and confusion. Waking up from a coma eight weeks after the crash, she struggles with the recurring dreams that reveal an extraordinary past life. Now, Diana’s hellbent on uncovering the secrets about those past memories.

Delving into a world of mind control and past lives, the truth is more terrifying than she ever imagined as she travels back in time to face the perpetrators of America’s most confidential and sinister projects. Teaming up with an unlikely ally, an elusive interdimensional mentor from her other life, Diana is able to restore her psychic and telepathic powers. Suddenly, they’re in more danger than ever before as their enemies seek world domination through mind control and media manipulation.

Can Diana use her powers to expose the truth, learn who she is, and bring a message of faith and freedom from another world, hundreds of earth years in the future?

“I returned from your future and there is no fear. I am courageous and free…”

Links:

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59564950-star-revelations

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/star-revelations-by-steven-paul-terry

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09L7GQRMM/

About the Author:

Steven Paul Terry was born in London, England, where he went to school before moving to Australia where his education continued. He’s spent three decades traveling the globe as a professional speaker, challenging and inspiring audiences to live a great life through his executive coaching strategies.

Terry divides his time between Colorado and Mexico. When not touring, he enjoys writing by the ocean, where he is also an avid swimmer and diver.

Learn more about Steven Paul Terry at StevenPaulTerry.com

Author links:

– Website: http://www.HeroActs.com

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeroActsEntertainment

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenpaulterry

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpaulterry/

Star Revelations Excerpts

Prologue

It is a future time in a distant world. A woman sits on an elegant chair arranged by a fountain in a courtyard surrounded by a sumptuous garden. She is dressed in a silvery robe and her long blonde hair lies draped over one shoulder. She appears to be in her mid-forties but is many years older, and those who know her consider her strikingly beautiful.

Birds and insects flutter among the blossoms. In the distance, majestic spacecraft streak silently through the sky. The ambiance is one of harmony and balance, between human and nature, between individual and society.

The woman knows that such peace and balance are not by accident, that nature itself is always in a state of entropy, that humans are disposed to fear and violence. But her people have learned how to rise to and maintain themselves at a higher level of being, above ignorance, greed, hypocrisy, vindictiveness, and prejudice. She knows there are dark forces within the galaxy keen on disrupting her kind’s way of life and interrupting their message of faith and progression.

She is one of the chosen messengers of a special communications group called Secret Transmissions Allied Response (STAR). She receives telepathic messages through the chasm of time and space, calls for help from a faraway planet named Earth, specifically from a group of people gathered at a place known to them as Mt. Shasta.

The messages are frantic and the distress they evoke is immediate and visceral.

Help us, there is a bomb…

Many will die…

We are waiting…

You are our liberator…

On her lap rests a small open book; as she receives these messages, she thinks of a response and its words appear on the blank pages.

The bifurcation of your world has begun…

Control and Fear or Love and Freedom…

Dystopia or Utopia…

Your choice…

Giveaway

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Star Revelations. These are the prizes you can win:

– a $10 Amazon gift cards

– 2 $5 Amazon gift cards

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Lola’s Blog Tour–A Suffragette in Time

This is my post during the blog tour for A Suffragette in Time by Connie Lacy. Thrown back in time to the 1850s, Sarah Burns becomes a suffragette who finds danger and romance where she least expects to.

You can buy A Suffragette in Time for only 99 cents for the duration of the blog tour! You can buy your copy here.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 15 till 21 November. You can see the tour schedule here.

A Suffragette in Time
By Connie Lacy
Genre: Time Travel Clean Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 28 October, 2021

Blurb:
Thrown back in time to the 1850s, Sarah Burns transforms herself into a suffragette. But traveling the speaking circuit can be risky in a time when men believe a woman’s place is in the home. It can be downright dangerous when she shares the stage with anti-slavery activists whose fiery rhetoric triggers violence.

Her uneasy alliance with an arrogant abolitionist may be heading toward romance, but it’s a bumpy road with perilous obstacles, including slave hunters intent on kidnapping anyone they can sell down south. Living with a family operating a station on the Underground Railroad doesn’t make life any easier.

A Suffragette in Time is a fast-paced time travel story set against the backdrop of one of the most acrimonious periods in American history, as the fight over slavery escalates toward the American Civil War. Danger, romance and one woman’s personal battle to make the world a better place.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo
– Apple
– Indigo
– Angus & Robertson

A Suffraggette in Time is only 99 cents for the duration of the blog tour!

About the Author:
Connie Lacy worked for many years as a radio reporter and news anchor, with a couple of brief forays into TV news along the way. Her experience as a journalist shows up in some of her novels. She also dabbled in acting in college and community theater. She uses those experiences in some of her books as well.

Her novels are fast-paced stories featuring young women facing serious challenges set against the backdrop of some thorny issues. She writes time travel, speculative fiction & historical fiction – all with a dollop of romance.

She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. She and her husband live in Atlanta.

Author links:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Instagram
– Pinterest
– Goodreads
– Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of A Suffragette in Time. These are the prizes you can win:
– 2 winners win an autographed paperback of A Suffragette in Time (US only)
– 10 winners win an ecopy of A Suffragette in Time via BookFunnel (Open International)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Book Tour–Dead Man’s Hex

Dead Man’s Hex (Drop Dead Witchy #2)

By Ani Gonzalez

It’s a cruise ship to Hell. Literally.

Sun, sand, and ghosts. Sounds like the perfect working vacation, no? The supernatural cruise would be a chance to get a tan, enjoy a variety of cold drinks with colorful umbrellas, and make some money leading ghost tours along the Mid-Atlantic coast…or so I thought. I didn’t count on a seasick hellhound Chihuahua, a stowaway ghost, and a crazy cult cramping my style. Now I’m fighting Octonomicron acolytes, trying to keep myself in one piece, and save humanity at the same time. Oh, and that tan? So not happening.

Links:

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58823726-dead-man-s-hex

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JM1PKBD

First book in the series:

Hex Marks the Spot (Drop Dead Witchy #1)

By Ani Gonzalez

“Going to Hell is easy. Going back home is a different story.”

Links:

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42402070-hex-marks-the-spot

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/hex-marks-the-spot-drop-dead-witchy-book-1-by-ani-gonzalez

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JL2SRZ5/

Dead Man’s Hex Excerpt:

“NO,” POOKIE said. “Hellhounds and water don’t mix.”

“Hey, it pays the bills,” I replied, peering at my laptop screen.

We were in the Delacourt Manor dining room, a relatively peaceful space with an octagonal table, carved wooden chairs, and a brand new and rather expensive brass chandelier. The morning sun streamed through the windows, enveloping us in a comforting, summery warmth. I sat at the head of the gnome-carved table, checking my calendar as my hellhound Chihuahua lay on his pillow, soaking up the rays.

It would have been an idyllic scene, if it weren’t for the claw marks on the dining room door and the deep gashes on the floor. My newly acquired home—my family’s ancestral abode, no less—had a few Lovecraftian drawbacks.

Pookie’s obsidian eyes narrowed. “You’ve always been cheap, but you weren’t this concerned about money before. Did the television gig money run out?“

“Not yet, emphasis on yet, but I have a mortgage now.” I gestured toward a wall sadly in need of fresh wallpaper. “And a house that needs, er, maintenance.”

Pookie laughed. “Are you worried about feeding the tentacled beastie in the attic? Let me reassure you as to that. The sustenance it requires is not one you find at pet stores, and I’m not volunteering.”

Sadly, Pookie wasn’t exaggerating, for once. I’d gone as far as to let the government’s paranormal strike team, PRoVE, investigate the whole house with their computers, sensors, and magic users. Their best guess was that our unwanted housemate consumed only magical energy, preferably the kind found encased in a magical being.

A hellhound like Pookie would qualify as a full meal. As would I, given my necromancy. My ancestors, all witches, had also made the grade, as they were all killed by something very much like my supernatural cephalopod roommate.

Yes, it turned out my ancestral home was literally trying to eat me.

Oh, not right now. PRoVE had helped me install protections, so the creature was temporarily contained. As long as the house was standing, the transdimensional hexes implanted in it would be kept at bay, giving me enough time to figure who had put them there, and how I could take them out.

The house—an undeniably gorgeous Victorian that had so much gingerbread trim it could pass for a wedding cake—was extreme, even in this neighborhood. Yes, I lived in the famously haunted town of Banshee Creek. Yes, many people lived in haunted houses in this Northern Virginia village. However, I was the only who kept a magical katana—now resting against the table beside me—around for protection.

Which left me with an extremely difficult mission, and a big pile of home repair bills. I had a successful career as a paranormal investigator and—ugh, I guess I have to admit this—influencer. However, keeping the house and its newly installed protections in one piece wasn’t cheap, which was why instead of focusing on handing my supernatural squid housemate an eviction notice, my attention was on the big pile of house repair bills.

I already had a frighteningly large estimate from the electrician and a similar one from the plumber. The roof, I already knew, was in bad shape. Liam Hagen, Banshee Creek’s resident contractor, was now touring the house and likely daydreaming about the luxury pickup truck he’d buy with my checks.

I needed money fast, and Danny Demento’s Paranormal Summer Cruise paid extremely well.

“Uh-oh,” Pookie sighed. “I know that look. It’s a prelude to an episode of epic bad judgement.”

“Hey, you turned your back on the luxurious demonic lifestyle of Gehenna Heights,” I replied. “In this plane, my spoiled hellhound friend, money problems are not a state of mind. We need the cash. Look, it’s just three days. That leaves us plenty of time to hunt down the Octonomicron cultists. I promise I’ll let you bite some of them.”

“You don’t think Captain Eileen was acting alone then?” Pookie asked. “I thought that was the official PRoVE theory. She’d been in the organization a long time, had become obsessed with this particular old cult, and decided to bring it back all by her lonesome by triggering their old traps and the supernatural critters contained within.”

“No, I don’t,” I replied. “And neither does Caine. He’s just using that for his reports. He hates admitting that he doesn’t know.”

Caine Magnusson was the leader of PRoVE. You may have seen the group’s all-seeing eye logo, watched its YouTube channel, or heard about its goofy antics as harmless paranormal investigators, and thus you may have surmised they were just a bunch of adventure-seeking bikers and eccentric academics. But, believe me, that’s just a cover. PRoVe was a government organization tasked with investigating supernatural occurrences. The organization was old—created by President Andrew Johnson by an executive order dating back to the 1800’s—and Captain Eileen Childs was by no means their first renegade. She was, however, Caine’s first brush with betrayal, and he had not taken it well.

Eileen, burning with the hatred of the supernatural that had caused her to study magic and join PRoVE, had read the Octonomicron books and fused them to try to kill me, Cole Hunt, the town’s guardian ghost, and Sara Parker, the vampire who managed the pizzeria. Caine felt the betrayal deeply and was determined to find the cause of it. However, we had found no leads regarding the Octonomicron books, so PRoVE’s official story was that Eileen had acted alone.

None of us believed it, though. Whoever the Octonomicron people were, it was clear they were many. They had a printing press, they had blogs, they were distributing materials. Oh, maybe some of their victims, like Eileen, acted independently, but there was a group behind it. One that had likely been around for centuries. One that had killed my family.

And I had to find out who they were.

That is, right after I got my roof repair estimate. Liam’s footsteps echoed through the house, the spring in his step sounding ominous. Anything that made my contractor happy would be bad news for my bank account.

I drew in a deep breath. “I’ll take the cruise job, put down the repair deposits, and leave Liam to fix the house. Then, I promise, we’ll go on a long, productive road trip and get to the bottom of this.”

I pulled up Danny Demento’s e-mail. All I had to do to secure a last-minute berth was reply and show up. The VIP treatment was nice, and it explained how Danny had been able to assemble such an impressive lineup of presenters, entertainers, and hosts for his trip. Nearly every high-profile paranormal investigator, medium, and parapsychologist I knew was attending.

“The job,” Pookie drawled, “is a weekend cruise down the Mid-Atlantic coast with a bunch of weirdos doing silly magic tricks. Trust me—there isn’t enough money in the world.”

“Danny Demento is not a weirdo,” I replied, typing in my registration information. “He is a marketing genius. He started with a national chain of seasonal Halloween costume stores, expanded into a line of haunted house attractions, and is now doing haunted cruises. He’s brilliant.”

And he was pulling out all the stops for this tour. The materials promised arcane rituals, esoteric knowledge, and the fulfillment of one’s secret dreams and desires. The itinerary itself was a series of run-of-the-mill coastal paranormal investigations—spooky lighthouses, haunted hotels, and ghost ships—but Danny made it sound epic. He even promised world domination. Typical Demento over-sell.

“He’s had more bankruptcies than I’ve had reincarnations,” Pookie replied. “The haunted house gig went kaput, and he had to sell the stores at a loss.”

He had me there. Danny’s finances went up and down like a roller coaster. When he was up, he was minting money, but when he was down, he went totally broke. This cruise seemed to be one of his upswings.

“You need to stop watching financial news,” I mused, reviewing Danny’s email. “It’s not good for you.”

Three days of sand and surf, surrounded by some of the most influential people in the paranormal industry. That didn’t sound too bad. I’d be able to gather information and check out if anyone had noticed the Octonomicron materials and their distinctive eight-armed symbol around. My colleagues were huge gossips, so that wouldn’t be hard. By the time the job was over, I’d have some idea of what my next step should be. Right now, all I had was a pile of Octonomicron books, Eileen Childs’s tapes, Sara’s haphazard memories, and a long list of questions.

Pookie yawned. “I’m a demon. I can’t resist a train wreck. I just don’t want to be a part of it.”

“But disaster hasn’t hit yet,” I continued. “He has money now, and he’s willing to pay a handsome fee. That’s the bottom line. You can stay if you want to, but I’m going.”

Pookie snorted. “As if you could get by without me.”

“Try me,” I said, hinting the send button.

Pookie’s eyes went wide. “Well, aren’t you the independent—wait, a minute. Are you taking the ghost guy? Am I being replaced by Mr. Tall, Dark, and Only Corporeal to You?”

My head snapped up. “The ghost—you mean Cole? No, he’s not coming. Of course not.”

Cole Hunt wasn’t just the town’s resident guardian spirit. He was also my old high school crush. He’d helped us defeat Captain Eileen, and he also wanted to solve the mystery of the Octonomicron. He thought there was an older and more dangerous force at work, and he would be a useful ally—

“Oooooh,” Pookie sighed. “Cole and Claire, sitting in a ship, K-I-S-S-I—”

“Oh, stop,” I said, scowling at him. “That doesn’t even rhyme.”

“‘Nipping’ would rhyme,” he replied. “But then he’d have to be a werewolf, not a specter.” He frowned. “Can a ghost even board a boat? Isn’t he stuck here?”

“He’s not going,” I said through gritted teeth.

Even if I wanted to have Cole around, which I wasn’t willing to admit, it wasn’t worth enduring Pookie’s teasing. And the hellhound was probably right. Ghosts tended to stay put. Cole was likely bound to Banshee Creek, the haunted town he was devoted to.

So, no beach trip with Cole Hunt. I wasn’t disappointed about that, not at all.

“Turn that frown upside down, witch girl,” Pookie drawled. “It’s not too late to back out from this sand flea-infested three-day cruise to beach hell.”

“Actually,” I said. “The confirmation e-mail just hit my inbox, so it is too late. We leave for Norfolk tomorrow.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Pookie said with profound insincerity. “I’ve longed to see Norfolk again. We had so much fun there the last time.”

And by ‘fun,’ he meant the exact opposite. The Norfolk supernatural community could be strange, not that I was judging or anything. We were all a few nachos short of a combination plate in this business, but Norfolk was missing an entire enchilada.

“I’m glad you’re so excited,” I replied, ignoring his sarcasm. “We leave in the morning, which doesn’t give us much time to pack.”

“Luckily, I travel light,” Pookie said.

“But I don’t,” I said, as I pulled up my work packing list.

Monster hunting didn’t require a large wardrobe, but my day job was a different story. I’d become a paranormal celebrity thanks to my stint as the host of the Celebrity Medium television show. I liked to think that my popularity was due to my scintillating personality and my deep knowledge of paranormal history, but looks were a big part of it. My lavender hair and stylish clothes were part of the draw, and that, unfortunately, required a lot of effort and a ton of luggage.

I got up from the table. “I better go hurry Liam up. If I don’t start packing soon—”

I jumped as a shrill scream rang out. The sound echoed through the room, making the thin glass of the old windows vibrate. Pookie yawned and glanced up at the ceiling.

“Did you warn Liam about the attic?” he asked.

“No,” I replied, leaping out of my seat, my heartbeat quickening. “I forgot.”

Luckily, I remembered to grab my sword before heading for the stairs.

About the Author:

I’m a USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romantic comedy and cozy mystery (whew, that’s a mouthful!) set in Banshee Creek, Virginia, The Most Haunted Town in the USA. My books feature feisty, irrepressible heroines dealing with a host of paranormal critters (ghosts, cryptids, pagan gods…the sky’s the limit) and mysteries. They find love and laughter (and sometimes corpses) along the way, and readers get to follow them every step of the way.

I love quirky towns with spooky stories, and, thanks to my books, I get to “live” in one year-around. In real life I live in a Virginia suburb (which is sadly lacking in ghosts) with my husband, three children, two cats, and one adorable dog.

Author links:

– Website: http://www.anigonzalez.biz

– Newsletter: http://anigonzalezblogs.blogspot.com/p/newsletter-signup.html

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AniGonzalezAuthor/

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ani_gonzalez

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14252282.Ani_Gonzalez

– Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ani-gonzalez

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ani-Gonzalez/e/B014HVKSYK/

Giveaway

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Dead Man’s Hex. These are the prizes you can win:

– a $25 Amazon gift card

– a $15 Amazon gift card

– a $10 Amazon gift card

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Book Blitz–Wedding at White Sands

This is my stop during the book blitz for Wedding at White Sands by Catherine Mann. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 22 till 28 June. See the tour schedule here.

Wedding at White Sands
By Catherine Mann
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
Private Investigator Allie St. James needs the case of the century to pay her bills. She doesn’t need a seven year old client who claims someone’s trying to kill his dad. But somehow her soft heart lands her at a corrupt Florida Key’s resort and into a fake marriage with the boy’s hunkish – widowed – father.

Entrepreneur Jake Larson lost his wife in a car accident that left him with injuries ending his career as an agent for the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations. He has no use for relationships, not even for his matchmaking son. But since White Sands Resort scammed his parents, Jake reluctantly agrees to assist state police in their investigation. Even when protecting his cover means getting close to a pretty female private eye who’s disrupting not only his case, but also his very peace of mind!

You can find Wedding at White Sands on Goodreads

You can buy Wedding at White Sands here:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble

Here’s a taste of the story–

Chapter One

“How much do you cost?”

“Pardon me?” Allie St. James, Private Investigator, glanced from the open file to the scruffy male silhouetted in her office doorway.

Great. Another client who couldn’t pay. More than her services, he looked like he needed an ice pack and a new pair of jeans. He also lacked a few front teeth, but then what elementary school kid didn’t?

“What am I gonna have to pay you?” The gap-toothed boy shuffled into her cluttered workspace, the glass door smacking him on the bottom as it closed.

“Well, that depends.” Her boardwalk mall agency attracted an odd assortment of wander-in clientele, but this one took the prize. For safety’s sake, she would play it through, discover who his parents were, then chew them out for allowing their son to roam the streets of Fort Walton Beach, Florida unsupervised.

Allie tossed aside the file, just missing the lopsided pile of unfinished billing. Palms flat against the edge of her desk, she pushed to her feet. “I’ll need some information first, like your name.”

“Oh, uhm.” He inched further inside, his tennis shoes squeaking against cracked tiles. “Robbie. Uhm, I mean Robert. Robert Larson.”

“Hello, Robert. I’m Allie St. James.”

He chewed his bottom lip indecisively while tracing the grouting with his toe. Rush hour traffic honked and roared past as she sized up her prospective client. He must be around seven or eight, like her youngest nephew. Robbie’s white blond hair shone, the chili-bowl style cut glistening with health. New high tops. Video game sticking out of his backpack.

The little guy came from money in spite of the busted knee on his jeans. Possibly a neglected rich kid? Plenty of parents substituted toys for attention. She could identify with that. After all, she’d lived it with her own father. Her old man may have been prompt with his child support payments, but his time had been in short supply.

The boy looked ready to bolt out the door. She had to get him talking, fast. Allie snagged a note pad from her middle drawer. “Why do you need to hire me, Robbie, uh, Robert?”

Prepared for his pitiful saga of a missing Spot, she perched a hip on the corner of her gunmetal gray desk. Maybe a playground bully had stolen his book-order money. That would explain the black eye and torn jeans. Her foot swung a lazy dance above the overflowing trash can while she waited.

“Somebody’s trying to kill my dad.”

About the Author:
USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann writes contemporary romance for Harlequin, Tule, Sourcebooks and Berkley. With over seventy-five books released in more than twenty countries, she has won a RITA Award, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Bookseller’s Best Award. She’s also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. After years moving around the country bringing up four children, Catherine has settled in her home state of South Carolina. The nest didn’t stay empty long though as she is active in animal rescue. Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online frequently on Facebook.

You can find and contact Catherine Mann here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Instagram
– Pinterest

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Wedding at White Sands. Three winners will each win an e-copy of Wedding at White Sands by Catherine Mann (US Only).For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Lola’s Blog Tour–Spent Identity

TOP 10 FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IN WINTER

Marlene M. Bell – Spent Identity Tour

• Sit in front of a fire in our new library and read mysteries with Leo.
• Binge shop on the Etsy website to help other entrepreneurs.
• Take photographs of our Horned Dorset sheep and surrounding landscape.
• Sit in front of my personal computer and write during thunderstorms.
• Set up giveaways for my Facebook friends who read, write and raise sheep.
• Watch feel-good movies on the Hallmark channels with my husband.
• Buy research books for novels to write, new characters, scenes and plots.
• Design punch hook rug patterns for my huge yarn collection
• Browse my cookbook collection and cook a gourmet meal for my husband.
• Fish for bass and crappie in the pond on our property.

 

This is just a list in no particular order. All ten situations are my favorite things do in the winter during downtime when the trees lose their leaves and the air turns crisp. We raise sheep, so this involves a certain amount of outdoor activity when the animals are fed twice a day. I’m a photographer and artist seeking out beautiful sunsets and cloudy skies to use in my catalog business. Many of the pictures taken contribute to the merchandise offered to our sheep clients and collectors of everything sheep and lamb.

I’m also a shopping maniac. Back in the 1980’s when eBay began as a marketplace, I purchased sheep related gifts and eventually sold my own work there. I hoard mail order catalogs and frequently purchase all over the world for our home. Vintage or new products eventually land in our home, especially if they involve a sheep. As my business and publishing company says, I am Ewephoric about sheep and writing.

It’s all about hobbies and the outdoors for me. In a time when we are stuck inside our homes, I’m fortunate to roam our fifty acres and spend time with the wildlife. Because we raise animals as part of the food chain, I’m able to travel as needed. The cats, Leo and Hollywood make sure that I’m not gone from the house too long!

This is my stop during the blog tour for Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell. This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 4 till 24 May. Scroll down to enter the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a prize package. You can see the tour schedule here.

Spent Identity (Annalisse Series #2)
By Marlene M. Bell
Genre: Mystery/ Suspense
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
To find her missing aunt, she has to unearth the secrets of the past. But lies and deceit run though the very heart of their town…

What started out as a promising relationship with adventurer and tycoon Alec Zavos has fizzled into an uncertain future for antiquities expert Annalisse Drury. Returning to Walker Farm in Upstate New York to see her Aunt Kate should have been a welcome homecoming and distraction. Instead, she finds the childhood home she expected to inherit is for sale, without her permission. What’s worse, Kate’s ranch manager makes a gruesome discovery in the barn: the body of an unidentified man, dead by foul play.

Annalisse turns to Alec for help. She and her aunt shelter on his estate in the Catskills while the authorities canvass the scene. But when Kate herself disappears without a trace, Annalisse fears the worst: that one of the many secrets of her hometown has ensnared her family—a secret someone is willing to kill for to keep hidden.

You can find Spent Identity on Goodreads

You can buy Spent Identity here:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Apple Books
– Google Play
– Smashwords
– 24 Symbols

Spent Identity won the 2020 Independent Press Award for Best Mystery!

First book in the series:
Stolen Obsession (Annalisse Series #1) by Marlene M. Bell

“People die, but legends live on.”Links:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– B&N
– Apple Books
– Google Play
– Smashwords
– Kobo

About the Author:
Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning writer and acclaimed artist as well as a photographer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News, to name a few.

Her catalog venture, Ewephoric, began in 1985 out of her desire to locate personalized sheep stationery. She rarely found sheep products through catalogs and set out to design them herself. Order Ewephoric gifts online or request a catalog at TexasSheep.com.

Marlene and her husband, Gregg, reside in beautiful East Texas on a wooded ranch with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, along with Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats that believe they rule the household—and do.

You can find and contact Marlene M. Bell here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Bookbub
– Goodreads
– Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Spent Identity. One winner will win a prize package (US Only) with a total value of $350. The prize package contains the following items:
– 1000 piece puzzle (High Tide)
– Large Beach tote. Handmade in US
– Jewelry Organizer with author’s logo (key design) Made in US
– Vintage silver cuff bracelet (Greek Key design)
– Autographed copies of both books in the Annalisse Series
– Companion lined notebook.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Book Blitz–Know You by Heart

This is my stop during the book blitz for Know You by Heart by Laurie Winter. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 7 till 13 October. See the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/book-blitz-know-you-by-heart-by-laurie-winter

Know You by Heart (Warrior of the Heart #5)

By Laurie Winter

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age category: Adult

Release Date: 7 October, 2019

Here’s the Blurb for your enjoyment:

After a bomb blast ended her career with the military, Alice Liddell arrives at a veterans’ retreat in hopes of healing. The last person she expects to stumble upon is pro-football quarterback Micah Palmer. Even more surprising, she forms a friendship with this fellow lost soul.

Since his injury a year ago, Micah Palmer has struggled with addiction and recovery. He agrees to volunteer at the veterans’ retreat for good PR but after meeting Alice, his attention shifts from his own needs to helping her. When he begins training with Alice for the approaching football season, he discovers the challenge benefits them both.

While Micah works to break down her defenses, Alice is determined never to lose her heart. But the charming football star might be the one man strong enough to ensure she no longer has to take on life alone.

And here is an excerpt of the story just for you.

Excerpt #1:

Micah studied the multitude of scars covering the right side of her body. They didn’t detract from how smoking hot she looked in a bikini. Her scars were part of what made her special. The pain lingering from her injuries was the one thing he wished he had the ability to take away.

Alice lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.” After a brief silence, she lowered slowly onto the deck chair, her body stiffened and her face grew pale. “Where did it happen? Yes, email me the details. I’ll be there,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know. Stay safe. Bye.” When the call ended, Alice set down her phone and looked past Micah.

Her eyes were flat and expressionless. “What’s the matter?” He exited the pool and sat on the chair beside her. “Who was that?”

“A friend who’s still in the service. She called from a base overseas to tell me one of our CST sisters was KIA yesterday. Gail was out on a mission, and the team came under fire. She took five bullets.” A sob escaped her mouth.

“I’m so sorry.” Meaningless words were not enough, but he had no idea what else to say. Her pain ripped through him. After a minute of crying, Alice pulled back her emotions.

“Her body will be flown back to the states for burial.” She leaned forward and cupped her head in her hands. “I’ll need time off to go to the funeral.”

“Take all the time you need.” He had no problem with her leaving but didn’t want her going alone. “I’ll come with you.”

Straightening, she shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. Gail’s won’t be my first military funeral.”

He firmly held her hand, which felt like ice. “You’ve done so much for me. Let me do something for you.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to.”

She lifted her gaze, and a single tear fell, landing on his hand covering hers. Micah used his thumb to wipe off the dampness from her cheek. Seeing her hurting gave rise to a fierce protectiveness—a feeling stronger than anything he’d ever felt. Unfortunately, his physical strength couldn’t fight off her grief. He’d need to dig deeper. “I know you’re capable of taking on the world, but what I’m saying is, from now on, you don’t have to do it alone.”

You can find Know You by Heart on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45565191-know-you-by-heart

You can buy Know You by Heart here:

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Know-You-Heart-Warriors-Book-ebook/dp/B07X2M99PB/

Other books in the series:

– Home Field (Warriors of the Heart #1): https://www.amazon.com/Field-Warriors-Heart-Laurie-Winter-ebook/dp/B0719DXJL6/

– True Horizon (Warriors of the Heart #2): https://www.amazon.com/Horizon-Warriors-Heart-Laurie-Winter-ebook/dp/B076GZ4WVK/

– After All (Warriors of the Heart #3): https://www.amazon.com/After-All-Warriors-Heart-Book-ebook/dp/B07BST4T8G/

– Winner Takes All (Warrior of the Heart #4): https://www.amazon.com/Winner-Takes-Warriors-Heart-Book-ebook/dp/B07L7FXVW1/

A Bit About the Author:

Laurie Winter’s head has always been full of stories. Then a dream gave her the inspiration to put her thoughts into written words, sharing a part of her heart and soul. Now, she creates authentic characters who overcome the odds and find true love. She keeps her life balanced with regular running. When not pounding the pavement or the keyboard, she’s likely fueling up on wine and cheese curds.

Follow Laurie as she lives out her dreams at lauriewinter.com.

You can find and contact Laurie here:

– Website: http://lauriewinter.com

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieWinterAuthor/

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauriew_author

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3467635.Laurie_Winter

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Winter/e/B0719P553X

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriewinter_author.

And, yes, there is a giveaway. (Love giveaways, don’t you?)

One lucky winner will win a prize pack including:

A $25 Visa gift card

A Cup of Sunshine mug

4 Berres Brothers flavored coffee packets

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Louisiana Latte by Rebecca Henry

 

This is my stop during the book blitz for Louisiana Latte by Rebecca Henry. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 25 till 31 March. See the tour schedule here.

Louisiana Latte
By Rebecca Henry
Genre: Chick Lit Comedy
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 28 February 2019

Blurb:
Deb hadn’t flown in over 20 years. In 1989, at the age of 22, Deb was enrolled at Griffiss Airforce Base to become a commercial pilot. Somewhere between dating her yuppie fiancé and planning their wedding in Chicago, Deb developed claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces. I blame the yuppie. Deb couldn’t get on a plane for love that day, but she could do it twenty years later for money. Money was worth dying for.

You can find Louisiana Latte on Goodreads

You can buy Louisiana Latte here:
– Amazon
– Bookdepository
– Austin Macauley Publisher

About the Author:
Rebecca is the author of The Lady Raven A Dark Cinderella Tale, and her latest novel, Louisiana Latte, a chick lit comedy. Rebecca Henry is also a world traveler, living abroad. She is a serious vegan, gardener, crafter, and practices yoga.

You can find and contact Rebecca Henry here:
– Website
– Goodreads

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Louisiana Latte. One winner will win a swag bag. US Only.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And here’s a taste of Louisiana Latte

Excerpt #1:

I moaned rolling off the bed. I could hear the shower running and figured Deb needed me to get her a bottle of shampoo out of her overnight bag. I walked into the open bathroom. Why doesn’t Deb shut the door, I wondered. “Deb, you need something?” I asked, leaning against the granite counter.

“Oh, Becky, there you are! Yes! I need help.” I blinked, confused. “Okay, like you need some shampoo or something?”

“No, Becky, I need you to come here.” I blinked again. “Like to the shower?”

Deb was submerged in water as it cascaded down her tan body behind a white shower curtain. Her silhouette perfectly outlined. I checked the rings to see if maybe the shower curtain was coming loose and that’s the help she needed.

“Yes, come here, but don’t look at me, I’m naked.” I shook my head, completely bewildered. “Okay…I’m here, right outside the shower now,” I said skittishly.

Deb placed a tan leg on the ledge of the tub. A stiletto was strapped to her foot. “Do you need me to take off your shoe, Deb?” I inched a little closer to the stiletto. “Did you forget you were wearing them?” I asked.

“Oh God no. I never shower in hotels without wearing my shoes, you can catch athlete’s foot!”

“Why didn’t you just borrow my flip-flops?” I asked, astonished, extending a finger at her stiletto. “Because I don’t do flip-flops. Becky, listen, I need you to hold out your arm.” I took a step back, staring at her soaking wet stiletto. “For what?”

“I can’t shave my legs on one foot in these heels, I’ll fall over and break my neck! Please just stick out your arm so I can grab onto it. I’ll be super-fast.” I didn’t respond, staying perfectly still. Maybe if I don’t move, she will forget I’m here, I thought. “Becky! Please! I’m going to injure myself if you don’t help me. It will only take a minute I promise!” Reluctantly, I slowly placed my arm inside the shower curtain, never taking my eyes off her soaking wet stiletto. “Becky, make sure you don’t look, okay?” I cocked my head. “Remember, I’m naked,” Deb said through the curtain.

“Okay” was my only response. There I was having my arm being used by my older sister as a human guard rail while Deb shaved her legs wearing six-inch designer shoes. Who knew a business trip to Louisiana would require so much diva work.

 

A Guest Post by Morgan Dun-Campbell

The Post

It’s tricky to pinpoint how I came up with the idea for this novel, because I don’t really find that ideas are triggered by external circumstances – they almost seem to come from nowhere. In fact, the premise for the novel I am currently working on actually came to me in a dream, which has never, ever happened before. I woke up, thought it was a really fascinating idea, and quickly jotted it down. In terms of The Girl on Camera, I came up with the earliest version of it several years ago, when I was just thirteen. If anything, I think some of my most imaginative novel ideas have come from this time period, and I do wonder if my current ones are as exciting! Over the years, I’ve revisited this premise between working on other projects, because I still think it’s fairly unique, and applicable. There is a certain hook to it.
I’ll try my best to identify exactly how the idea came about. I’ve always been interested in conflict, and how characters with opposing personalities might interact with one another. For a couple of years in my early teens, my favourite film was The Breakfast Club, so this may have been influential! I also know that before I started The Girl on Camera, which at that time was called Camp 101 (a reference to Room 101 from 1984), I began a novel from five different viewpoints, who all had contrasting personas – one of them was a movie star, one of them was a recluse, etc. – and they all ended up trapped in a supermarket, on the same day. I think they were hostages in a robbery, and they all had different reasons for being there at that particular time. The movie star was, I think, visiting the town temporarily and staying in a hotel, her bodyguard was in his room, so she’d ventured to the supermarket alone. So, I would say that this novel about the people in the supermarket inspired The Girl on Camera, in part. The original version of The Girl on Camera was also much more focused on the day to day life of Rory (or Anna, as she was called at the time), there were originally several chapters set in her office at work.
In terms of reality TV, when I was younger, I went through a phase of being fascinated by the concept of being famous, and of celebrity status. This was when my other greatest passion, second to writing, was acting. I’d rehearse monologues from well-known movies, go to auditions, and was a member of the ITV Television Workshop. I’ve attended a few casting calls over the years, too – including Daisy Ridley’s part in the new Star Wars’ movies! However, I’m not really interested in any of that anymore – if anything, I think being famous seems like it would be quite scary. Particularly losing your privacy so drastically. So, I suppose my interest in fame, my fascination with conflicting personalities, and a random spark of imagination, was how I came up with the idea for The Girl on Camera.

And here’s information about the book.

This is my stop during the blog tour for The Girl on Camera by Morgan Dun-Campbell. This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 6 till 26 August. See the tour schedule here.

The Girl on Camera
By Morgan Dun-Campbell
Genre: Thriller
Age category: New adult, Adult
Release Date: March 14, 2018

Blurb:
Reality TV is about to get real…

“Are you ready to win the heart of the nation? Compete with seven other contestants for the cash prize? Change your life forever?”

Twenty-six-year old Rory Stevens is thrilled to be selected as one of eight contestants for new reality show: The Retreat.

However, on the second day of filming – during a televised broadcast from the show’s host – all power shuts off with no explanation: leaving the contestants, quite literally, in the dark.

Completely stranded, it is now up to Rory and her seven companions to figure out what is happening.

And then one of them disappears…

For fans of Naomi Alderman, Dave Eggers and John Marrs.

You can find The Girl on Camera on Goodreads

You can buy The Girl on Camera on Amazon

About the Author:
Morgan Dun-Campbell lives in London. She has an MA (Distinction) in Creative Writing and Publishing, has participated in two Arvon literary writing courses, and has worked as an intern for numerous publishing houses, including Penguin Random House and Bloomsbury. The Girl on Camera is her first novel.

You can find and contact Morgan Dun-Campbell here:
– Blog
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Girl on Camera. Five winners will each win a prize bundle including a signed copy of the book The Girl on Camera, a bookmark, and a small box of Celebrations. Giveaway is UK and US only.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway