Thursday, March 31, 2011

Recap of March Sponsors

March has been a busy month for the blog, but I'd like to take the time to thank my sponsors, Sandy Edwards and Delyse Trink for their support.  Here's another recap of their books.


VEGAS, BABY by Sandra Edwards
Book two of the Soul Searchers series picks up where Broken Wings left off. Rio Laraquette's back in Vegas and settling into her normal routine—except that Eddie LaCall has invaded her space. The two share a mutual attraction and an undeniable connection.

When Eddie's scarred past comes back to haunt him his attachment to Rio strengthens even though neither completely trusts the other. Just when it looks like a poker tournament is bringing them together, their budding relationship gets backburnered when a stalker goes from creepy to dangerous, making several attempts on the reluctant lovers' lives.

Will these two souls—who've been searching for each other across eternity—finally get to share a lifetime together, or will they once again end up as star-crossed lovers?

Buy Links: Kindle US -- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LGTM6C
Kindle UK -- http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004LGTM6C
Nook -- http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?ean=2940012618948

THE CRIMSON-EYED DRAGON by D.M. Trink
Is it risky to surrender to your curiosity?
What underlying attraction compels Jared to buy the majestic silver dragon, and will it lead him and his friends Griffin, Chase and Amber into inescapable danger?
When he brings home the dragon statue, Jared initiates a chain of events that propels
him and his friends into an incredible adventure solving clue after clue.
Will they be able to decipher the mystery before the lurking danger manifests?

SECONDARY TARGETS by Sandra Edwards

What would you do if you found out everything you thought you knew about your father turned out to be a lie?

After being bitten by the genealogy bug, Grace Hendricks awakens a conspiracy that's been lying dormant—ever since she disappeared shortly after her father's funeral eleven years ago. Now, here in the present, his military records have been tampered with and his death certificate is no longer on file.

In an effort to unravel the mystery she turns to Eric Wayne, an old flame she thought she'd tucked safely away into the past. Eric has no intentions of getting involved with Grace and her crazy allegations, until he realizes that someone else is buried in his former commanding General's grave.


CRAZY FOR YOU by Sandra Edwards
CRAZY FOR YOU is a rags to riches tale set against the backdrop of the 80s, movie stars and rock-n-roll.

Roxanne Simon is a successful author and an award-winning actress who’s also a bit neurotic. After she appears on a popular talk show the world is left guessing: is rock star Frank Garrett the father of her four year-old son?

Once Frank learns the true parentage of Roxanne's son, he's determined to make her pay. When he stumbles upon her weakness, he decides to use it against her. But is he prepared to see her pay the ultimate price in his quest for revenge?

Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Review of TORC OF MOONLIGHT by Linda Acaster

4.5 stars out of 5

Obsession, possession, or something else?  These are the threads that author Linda Acaster so expertly weaves in Torc of Moonlight, the first book in the Celtic Goddess Trilogy.  The story revolves about students, Nicholas Blaketon and Alice Linwood and art professor Leonard Harkin.  Nick goes to Hull University to play rugby and get girls, that is, until he meets history major, Alice.  Alice is a serious and very shy student and keeps herself apart from anything that might resemble a friendship.  All she wants to do is find the ancient shrine of the Celtic water goddess, Yslan.  As soon as Nick sees Alice in a lecture hall, he is smitten, but it turns into something more like total obsession in knowing and having Alice.

Leonard Harkin is a man haunted by dreams and is on the verge of descending into madness. He believes the nightmares all stem from paintings that he’s done of Alice, paintings that somehow represent so much more.  Enter in our last character, that of an ancient Celtic leader, Ogrinius Licinius Vranaun, who is desperate to come back into the land of the living, and he’ll do it anyway he can even if means possessing a human like Nick.  The problem is though every time Orginius inhabits Nick’s body, Nick has no memory of what has transpired and believes that everything relates to the wonderful and magical qualities he sees in Alice except for the memory of the tingles he feels when he’s with her. 

The author draws you in with her descriptive and lyrical style of writing.  You can see, hear and almost feel each scene as it unfolds.  They come alive and transport you to the English countryside and the celtic landmarks.  I have a minor complaint though—sometimes the descriptions seem to overtake the storylines.  I found myself skipping some to get back to the action of the story and for that I have deducted half a star, but that did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.

The riveting climax of the story will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Is it real or a nightmare?  Can you drown in a hallucination?  Both Nick and Alice are careening toward their fate, but who is actually in control?


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Interview with Kate Hamilton


Briefly describe your journey in writing your first book.
I had made the decision to write some time previously and for once did not wish to launch in unprepared. I had the luxury of time and opportunity. After doing some research, I realised it was good to read, write a first amateur novel to begin and then steadily learn the craft of writing. This inevitably took me on a long and wide journey visiting many wonderful authors - Dickens, James, Wharton. Then it gradually became more contemporary as I began to study my peers.

Did you approach literary agents and traditional publishers?
My first novel A Symphony of Time was put forward to the second round of the waterstones/faber&faberWOW competition. On the strength of that it was picked up off the slush pile of a leading London agent. But their response was extremely slow and in the end they did not choose to publish it. 

I then had interest from a publisher, but again did not go too far as I we disagreed over the moral content of the novel.

Why did you choose to publish on kindle?
The timing of my discovery of kindle publishing was Heaven sent. I had been disillusioned by the dictatorship of the traditional publishing route. I felt I had valid things to say and feel freedom of speech is one of the values that are upheld by kindle.

Do you design your own covers?
One of the unexpected exciting things about self-publishing is that I can use my artistic gifts and love doing my own cover design.

What has been the worst thing about independent publishing so far?
What I refer to as the secretarial side. Things like struggling with file formats and getting to grips with how various forums work have taken up more time than I would have liked.

And the best thing?
Discovering a whole new world of interesting people who love to communicate. The publishing industry is vast, but so far I have come across a great deal of good will. It is exciting to be on the frontier. Kindle has been my way through to the world so far. I love books, however and it would be wonderful to be picked up by the traditional publishing route too after a while. So many great authors were self published at first. So in a way I am following tradition. It was thrilling to think my work had become available to the world.

How did you feel when you made your first sale?
Truly grateful. Thrilled.

What kinds of social media are you involved in?
Kindleboards has been a real learning curve. Facebook and twitter. Goodreads and Librarything. I also have my own blog on my website which I enjoy writing. http://www.kate-hamilton.co.uk

What is next for you?
I am working on my next romance 'CONCILIATION', which is a historical romance set in the Regency period in England. I hope to have this published before Easter.

Monday, March 28, 2011

EVERY BOX HAS A LID


by Misty Baker of Kindle Obsessed
A few months ago, (right in the middle of a heated argument about the complexities of Follett versus Creasey) I realized something. We are naive. 

Our culture has groomed us to "like" certain things. We are fed the "New York Times" best-seller lists as if it was candy. "Here you go kids...Grade A, teeth rotting literary gold. Dig in!" We scour "Entertainment Weekly" in hopes of being led to cinematic greatness, watch reality TV with journals in our hands, feigning devastation if we fail to compile the latest trends in fashion, and spend $4.00 on a bottle of water, simply because we saw Brad Pitt carrying it, (while at the same time bitching about the cost of gas) We are an impressionable breed of creatures; are we not?

Now, I'm fully aware that what I'm saying to you is a tad hypocritical, that bashing my "own kind" (aka reviewers) is slightly unorthodox, hell... even frowned upon, but sometimes it's important to cross lines, make waves, say "enough is enough."

What am I talking about exactly?  Indie books. (stop rolling your eyes!)
I am asked on a daily basis why I review indie books, and the answer is very simple.  They are books. Yes... yes... I know what some of you are thinking. "What makes you think it's going to be worth a damn?" And to that I say "What makes you think it's not?"

When did the words "indie book" start meaning "piece of crap?"  There are hundreds of thousands of you out there that don't feel that way about the words "indie music" so why should you feel that way about a book?  The fact of the matter is... we are no longer living in '40's where eBooks are a far fetch (if even thought of) idea.  Life has changed, the way we operate on a daily basis has changed, so why shouldn't our frame of mind change?

I have been reading (and reviewing) indie books for almost 2 years now.  I have (at the same time) also been reading traditionally published books. Do you want to know what the difference is? Price.
That's right... the only significant difference I can find between the two is the price I pay when purchasing it. 

There are some shit indie books out there, (we all know this) but if we are being honest with ourselves, there are just as many traditionally published pieces of crap.  As a matter of fact I just finished one that made me want to hurl it into a sink hole.

Who's to say, that if Stephen King was offered the chance to self publish "Carrie" way back in the day, that he wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity to do so?  It's important for us to remember that at one point, EVERY AUTHOR WAS AN INDIE AUTHOR, doing what thousands of others are doing right now... writing the "Next Great American Novel" in their sports equipment, laundry laden basements.
So I issue this challenge, from one avid book reader to another. Step outside of your comfort zone.

Am I insisting your trash on the Big 6 and never buy another book at Barns and Noble? Of course not... that's completely ridiculous; what I AM asking, (however) is that you don't lock yourself into societies man made bubble. Make up your OWN mind on what you deem worthy of your time, attention, and money. It is, after all, YOUR time, attention, and money.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Amanda Hocking - What a Difference A Year Makes!

Photo credit: Star Tribune

I first met Amanda Hocking on Kindleboards last year when I had published my own novels.  Kindleboards is a great place to meet other authors.  It was because I had met so many wonderful authors, Amanda included, that I decided to try and give other indie authors as much exposure as possible through author interviews on my blog.  It was my way of paying it forward for all the wonderful support I found in that community.


This week Amanda has signed a 7-figure deal with St. Martin's Press to publish a four book young adult paranormal romance series called the Watersong series.  They're shooting for a fall 2012 release. The Wake is the first book in the series. 


I am so happy for Amanda.  She has worked hard for her success.  It's not a fluke.  Here's her interview from August 2010 that she gave me as part of my author interview series.  
http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/2010/08/interview-with-amanda-hocking.html



As you can see from that interview, Amanda has been writing books for a long time.  She tried to go the traditional publishing path, but as she said back then about her agent/publisher search "I've been rejected about a thousand times."


Congratulations, Amanda, on all your success.  YOU GO GIRLl!


Here's the article from the NY Times about the deal: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/self-publisher-signs-four-book-deal-with-macmillan/


   Search Amazon.com for Amanda Hocking

Today's Sponsor: CRAZY FOR YOU by Sandra Edwards


CRAZY FOR YOU is a rags to riches tale set against the backdrop of the 80s, movie stars and rock-n-roll.

Roxanne Simon is a successful author and an award-winning actress who’s also a bit neurotic. After she appears on a popular talk show the world is left guessing: is rock star Frank Garrett the father of her four year-old son?

Once Frank learns the true parentage of Roxanne's son, he's determined to make her pay. When he stumbles upon her weakness, he decides to use it against her. But is he prepared to see her pay the ultimate price in his quest for revenge?

Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.

UK Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ B003WJRJ4Q

Review Snippets:
The Romance Reviews ~ “The novel is like watching an 80's soap opera like Dallas or Dynasty." – *Best Contemporary Romance of 2010 Nominee*

From Readers Favorite Book Reviews ~ “Ms. Edwards takes the reader back to the 1980's, to a world of starving musicians, sex and drugs. She portrays the scene quite well.”

Author bio:



Sandra is  an award-winning author with eclectic tastes. She writes in a variety of genres such as paranormal (mostly time travel and reincarnation), contemporary, and suspense. Her books often push the  envelope and step outside the boundaries of conventional romance. She lives in the U.S. (west coast) with her husband, two kids, four dogs and one very temperamental feline.



Crazy For You Excerpt:
Frank hovered behind Jameson, like a wildcat guarding his prey, as the butler answered the ringing doorbell.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Sterling.” Jameson’s casual greeting told Frank this man had been there before.
“Roxanne is expecting me.” Jerry ignored Frank as he passed through the foyer and headed toward the stairs.
“Wait a minute.” Frank followed him. “She doesn’t need a doctor. She’s not sick.”
Jerry stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to Frank. “First of all…I’m not that kind of doctor. Secondly, Roxanne is my patient and I would thank you not to interfere.” Saying what he had to say, Jerry headed up the stairs.
“What the hell kind of doctor are you then?” Frank chased after him.
Jerry stopped again, halfway up the stairs this time. Glancing over his shoulder, he glared at Frank. “If it’s any of your business…I’m a psychiatrist,” he said, annoyed.
“She doesn’t need a shrink.”
Jerry bit back his temper. “Let me tell you something about Roxanne Simon…I’ve been treating her for more than five years. She suffers from a mental disorder called manic-depressive psychosis.”

     



Thursday, March 24, 2011

Interview with Jennifer Hudock


Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?

The Goblin Market was inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem of the same name. I'd read the poem when I was younger, but it wasn't until college that I really dove in and analyzed it.

When the younger of two sisters is poisoned in the Goblin Market and kidnapped by the goblin king, Kothar, it's up to elder sister Meredith to save her and bring her home. As she journeys through the market and goes underground into the faerie kingdom, she discovers that her ties to that world run much deeper than her poisoned sister.

Fantasy and intrigue, darkness and despair, there's even a bit of romance in The Goblin Market.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I originally recorded The Goblin Market and offered it as a free episodic podcast through my website and iTunes. After I finished the podcast, I submitted to a small press that focuses on fantasy, but after a few months of waiting decided to withdraw and publish it on my own.

I have had other work traditionally published in magazines, ezines and journals, but at this time in my life I am content with self-publishing. You have more control over the end product, as well as your promotional strategies, and I'm a bit of a control freak.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
I have worked with critique groups in the past, but do not belong to one at this time. I am a huge supporter of the critique group because authors tend to tell you straight up what they think of your work, and how they think you can improve it. I have definitely seen improvements in my own writing after working with a centralized group.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish to Amazon?
As I mentioned above, I'm a bit of a control freak. I started to think about the amount of promotional work I would have to do on my own, even if I was picked up by a small press publisher, and realized there were more benefits to self-publishing beyond the higher royalties. I could control my price, choose my own cover artwork and wouldn't have to worry about a publisher telling me they didn't like one of my character's names, so I'd have to change it. I actually know people that have gone through that publishing on the traditional route, and the very idea makes my skin crawl.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
I did work very closely with an editor, which is such an important part of the process. As writers I think we sometimes refuse to see beyond the greater picture when we create something, and a good editor can help you break that habit and look at details you might have missed.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
It's a lot of hard work getting the word out there about your work, but it's very rewarding. I can take a look at my numbers be proud because I made them happen.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
The Goblin Market is available on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
I am an avid Tweeter, and I also spend a lot of time on Facebook, KindleBoards and KindleChat when I'm not writing.

   

Interview with J.R. Tomlin


Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?
Wings of Evil is a fantasy set in a post-medieval world. The main character is a young woman named Liada. The Priests have always warned that the First Ones are dangerous and to be feared. She has never questioned their teachings even though she longs for adventure. But when Liada finds Tali, she realizes something important, something terrible--the Priests have been lying. The little elemental creature is alone, injured, helpless... and she is a First One.

Liada's life depends on keeping her new friend secret. But the Priests soon are hunting them, and they are on the run from the Priests' winged Quag--hunters and killers of First Ones. As they flee into an adjacent empire, she meets a mystery man who becomes her only ally. But are his goals really the same as hers? Can she trust this man who fights by her side, or could he be even more dangerous than her enemies? All of their lives hang in the balance.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
Yes. Both my co-author and I have had novels published with small publishers and for about the past year an agent pitched one of my novels--without selling it, I should mention.  I can't tell you what a relief it is to realize one can have people read your work without going through years of that. More people? Fewer? I'm not sure, but I write to be read. For me, writing is a matter of storytelling. To tell a story, someone has to listen to it.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
I have never found a local group that worked for me since the ones I've checked out focused on short stories. I've never been a short story writer although I have written and sold a few. It's just not my focus. I am a novelist. So the groups I've been in were online. I was active in the Online Writers Workshop and am still active in Critique Circle.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish to Amazon?
The changes in publishing are, in my view, tectonic in nature. The whole landscape of publishing is changing before our eyes. I was skeptical when it all started. I thought at the least that the changes would take decades. When I realized I was wrong and that the changes are now, it was so exciting, I had to be a part of it. At the same time I was reading advice from writers like Kris Rusch that this was the way forward. So I jumped on the bandwagon.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
No. Both my co-author and I have an education in editing and I have a beta reader who is versed in editing. I think over-editing is something that writers are prone to. If you read the comments in his series on the Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing by Dean Wesley Smith, he discusses this tendency. Yes, you have to get the errors out as much as humanly possible. But the last thing I want to do is lose the voice in my work.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
That I don't know a THING about graphics! This is where having a publisher does come in handy, although a couple of my covers from publishers were pretty bad, now that I think about it.

But there are things self-publishing that you have to think and worry about that you don't when a publisher handles it. Formatting. Covers. Blurbs. Running them by people who are experienced helps.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes, it seems to me it's a good idea to take advantage of all possible venues. Besides, although I don't want to sound negative, there have been times when Amazon did things I thought were wrong, so I don't want to be solely dependent on them.

It is available on Nook and Smashwords.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
I blog quite actively. I am somewhat active on facebook and on a number of forums such as Kindleboards and Nookboards. I try to make it more just talking to people than blatant marketing.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Yes. It is so hard, but Kris Rusch points out that the real means of marketing your books is putting out another one. And then another. So I'm trying to concentrate on that and put the marketing in the cracks. It's hard though. I find it easy to become addicted to time on forums.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?
I'm so new at it, I'm not sure I'm a good person to give a lot of advice. I strongly suggest reading all of Joe Konraths blogs. And Kristine Kathryn Rusch's. And Dean Wesley Smith's. By that time, you have so much advice from professionals that you should know what to do. The Kindleboards are extremely helpful. Don't turn down advice.

Sure there are things like make sure your manuscript isn't full of errors, but the real need is to have a great story. I can't tell someone how to do that.

What’s next for you?
I'm actively working to get out several new novels within the next couple of months. My co-author and I are working on three fantasies. I am also going to put out my first historical novel that takes place in the Scotland of William Wallace --although it is about a very different Scottish hero, Andrew de Moray.

So that's keeping me pretty busy.

   

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Review of FINAL VECTOR by Allan Leverone

 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book that was so realistic that it scared you?  I don’t mean horror or true-crime, I mean a fictional book that affects you so profoundly that you keep looking over your shoulder to make sure the bad guys aren’t right behind you. 

This is the kind of book you’ll find with Final Vector by Allan Leverone.  The author takes an everyday guy with a regular job—Nick Jensen, air traffic controller at BCT, the Boston Consolidated TRACON in Merrimack, New Hampshire—and spins a tale of intrigue, murder and a band of terrorists bent on blowing the president’s plane out of the sky. I initially thought this book was going to be pretty similar to other thriller books I’ve read, but that’s not the case here.

The author does an excellent job of revolving the story around Nick and he makes you care about the guy.  Without giving anything of the plot away, Nick’s life is turned upside down by a personal tragedy.  That tragedy, however, is what sets the plot into motion.  The other characters could be anyone you’d pass by on a street in any city in America.  Tony Andretti, the Syrian born terrorist, has lived a model life in the USA for the past 10 years, waiting for his moment to shine and kill the leader of the free world.  He carefully recruits a band of home grown young men who are dissatisfied with America. These men more or less worship the ground Tony walks on whether is through true hero-worship or Tony’s own brand of intimidation, and they relish the thought of striking a blow against America.  Mr. Leverone gets inside these guys head’s and lets the reader understand how they think.  Lastly, there’s Kristin Cunningham, the cute petite FBI agent, who has been defying people’s expectation of her for her entire law-enforcement career.  The author bounces chapters between Nick, Tony and Kristin bringing the reader up to speed on their activities and slowly reveals how they are all connected. 

By reading the book blurb, it’s easy to see that everyone ends up at BCT, but that’s the only thing that’s easy about this book.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat, reading pages as fast as you can, to see what happens.  Trust me, it’s not the cookie-cutter kind of ending where the FBI comes in with guns blazing and saves the day.  No, it’s much more clever than that.  Nick, our everyday guy, has to figure out a way to disarm three terrorists, save his colleagues and live.  That’s a huge job and I highly recommend that you read this book and find out what happens. You will not be disappointed.


  

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Blog Tour Stop: Allan Leverone

Write what you know – or don’t
By Allan Leverone

That’s the conventional wisdom, the advice agents and publishers and others in the know dispense to those of us crazy enough or deluded enough to try making stuff up for other people’s entertainment. “How can I convince people to take my work seriously and maybe even get published?”

“Write what you know.”

The problem with that theory, though, seems pretty self-evident, at least to me. No one knows enough about everything to write a book off the top of their head. Sure, I’m an air traffic controller, and I wrote an aviation thriller. The air traffic control sequences and the aviation aspect in general posed little problem, that much is true.

But I’m not a terrorist, I know next to nothing about weapons, either large or small. I’ve never been to Arizona, where some of the action in FINAL VECTOR takes place, nor have I been aboard Air Force One. I’ve been to Washington, D.C. a few times, but never to the Pentagon. I’ve been to Hull, Massachusetts, a beautiful little town, but the Hull marsh I write about in FINAL VECTOR does not exist, at least as far as I know.

So when the experts tell you to write what you know, it’s really not that simple. Sure, cops and ex-cops write police procedurals, lawyers write courtroom dramas, ex-CIA guys write spy thrillers, but my opinion is that with enough research, anyone could write an aviation thriller or a police procedural or a courtroom drama.

What those people “in the know” really mean when they tell you to write what you know is that it’s easier and more effective to market an aviation thriller written by a pilot or controller, or a police procedural written by a cop, or a spy thriller written by an ex-CIA agent, than by just some guy off the street.

People love experts, which is understandable. It’s kind of a cool feeling, as a reader, to get an authentic glimpse into a world we know nothing about. But as a writer it’s just not necessary. Enough research can make a guy who has never been a cop write like one, or a guy who’s never been an air traffic controller write like one.

What’s funny about that is FINAL VECTOR isn’t the first novel I wrote, it’s the third. But it is the first novel I sold, and the other two were completely unrelated to aviation or to air traffic control. So in that sense, I guess the people “in the know” were right on the money. My aviation thriller sold, my other two manuscripts did not.

I’m extremely fortunate to have worked for nearly thirty years in a career field which made the subject matter of that third manuscript attractive to a publisher. Since it’s way too late in the game for me to change careers and become a cop or a lawyer of a CIA agent, I’m thinking maybe I should write another aviation thriller next.

Hmm. This writing business is really a head-scratcher.


Monday, March 21, 2011

Today's Sponsor: SECONDARY TARGETS by Sandra Edwards


Book Blurb:
What would you do if you found out everything you thought you knew about your father turned out to be a lie?

After being bitten by the genealogy bug, Grace Hendricks awakens a conspiracy that's been lying dormant—ever since she disappeared shortly after her father's funeral eleven years ago. Now, here in the present, his military records have been tampered with and his death certificate is no longer on file.

In an effort to unravel the mystery she turns to Eric Wayne, an old flame she thought she'd tucked safely away into the past. Eric has no intentions of getting involved with Grace and her crazy allegations, until he realizes that someone else is buried in his former commanding General's grave.

Buy Links:

Review Snippets:
"I'll admit that I could never say no to the high-concept premise, and I'll also share the news: Sandra Edwards has once again written a book that absolutely delivers on the premise." -- Steve Windwalker --Kindle Nation Daily

"An excellent thriller...filled with secrets and deception, love and romance, spies and intrigue..." --Readers Favorite Book Reviews

Author Bio:


Sandra is  an award-winning author with eclectic tastes. She writes in a variety of genres such as paranormal (mostly time travel and reincarnation), contemporary, and suspense. Her books often push the  envelope and step outside the boundaries of conventional romance. She lives in the U.S. (west coast) with her husband, two kids, four dogs and one very temperamental feline.



Secondary Targets Excerpt:
The early morning view from the table on the terrace at Cherilyn’s beachfront home hypnotized Eric, but he fought its magnetic power. A faint scent of salt drifted through the sea air and the water was amazingly calm, except right up along the shoreline where it rolled lazily in and out. Eric pulled his gaze away and stared at the mocha-black coffee steaming in his mug, the muddy liquid fueled his imagination.
If the General had belonged to some covert organization, not unlike the one Cherilyn professed to be a member of, that would explain a lot of the man’s secrecy just prior to his death.
Maybe the General’s colleagues had wanted something he wasn’t willing to relinquish. But what? What could the General have had that would’ve caused his associates to put a bullet in his head?
Was it incriminating evidence? Eric had no doubt that just such a thing was going to be found at the end of the trail, wherever that might be. But he didn’t believe for a second that it had caused the General’s death.
The man he’d known, had served under, was much too loyal to build a case against his colleagues without a good reason. Eric didn’t know what bugged him more. The notion that the General would be mixed up in a mess like this in the first place. Or, that Eric couldn’t figure out what would make his former commanding officer turn on his own kind. As far as he could see, there was only one thing that would induce the General to do that and she was sitting an arm’s length away. Grace.