Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Interview with K.K. Weil, SHATTERPROOF



Thanks so much for having me today! I’m excited to be here.

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Shatterproof is a complementary novel to my first book, At This Stage, but it is a stand-alone, so you don’t have to read the first one to read the second. While Shatterproof is a romance, it is also an emotional story of a young man trying to deal with complex family dynamics, compensating for his inability to save his mother by helping other abused women, and figuring out whether he is destined to become his father in the process. Here’s a blurb so you can get an idea of what it’s about.

Griffin Stone knows the stats. Sons of abusers become abusers. This is his single fear.

After witnessing firsthand his parents’ tumultuous marriage, Griffin worries that he, too, harbors an explosive dark side. Can he escape from his father’s rage-fueled ways or is he destined to become part of the cycle?

Unable to persuade his mother to leave and wrestling with his resentment towards her for staying, Griffin volunteers at Holly’s House, a safe haven for abused women. Through sculpture, Griffin gives these women pieces of themselves they’ve long forgotten. Holly’s House is the only place where Griffin finds peace and purpose.

Until he meets Frankie Moore.

Frankie is an aspiring photographer, finding beauty in things most people miss, including Griffin. Griffin is attracted to her free-spirited, sassy attitude but fears Frankie will trigger the most intense part of him, the one he must keep buried.

Frankie’s got to get her act together. Her anything-goes behavior is leading nowhere fast. She’s hopeful that her latest hobby will be a building block for the future. But when a stranger appears on the other end of her camera, looking as complex as he is handsome, Frankie thinks this might be just the change she needs.

Do you have a favorite character?
Griffin is my favorite character in Shatterproof. I love how introspective he is and how deeply he cares for those closest to him. His relationship with his mother is complex. He will always be there to take care of her, but battles with his conflicted feelings toward her.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?
When I was writing my first book, At This Stage, Griffin wasn’t even initially in the book. As I started to write about him, he took on a life of his own. I did toy with the idea of changing the direction of the book for him, but decided that I wanted to continue with my original plan. But I knew I couldn’t let go of him. I would give him his own book, with a backstory completely different than the book I was writing. That’s how I came up with Shatterproof.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
My publisher provides a questionnaire to the authors about cover ideas. In mine, I described the tone I wanted for Shatterproof. I knew I wanted it to be on the darker side, to reflect the book. My cover artist, Debbie Taylor, captured exactly the tone I was looking for. I’m very grateful for the job she did.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I work at home and whenever the weather is warm enough, I write outside. Even though I’m always cold, I’ll happily bundle up if it means getting another day outdoors before the winter blows in. I’ve always got coffee sitting next to me and it’s generally quiet while I work. I know a lot of people are more productive with background noise, like a TV or the radio. I tend to talk to myself when I write, though, so too many background voices distract me. Sometimes, I do listen to music without lyrics, like classical or jazz.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I’m definitely a pantser. In fact, at first, I don’t even start at the beginning of the story. I write down (yes, write - old school - with a pen and notebook) random scenes, out of order, as they pop into my head. Then, after I’ve compiled a bunch of them, and my head starts to spin, I sit at the computer and start from the beginning. A lot of the notes get thrown away, but they give me an idea of where I want to go and who my characters will be.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Yes, here are a few:

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
I regularly post on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KKWeilAuthor) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/KK_WEIL). I also have a website where I post my upcoming events and quirky facts about me (http://kkweil.com). I participate in blog tours and do as many guest stops as possible. You can find my schedule on the Find Me page of my website.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
I do find it challenging. There are only so many hours in the day and when I’m trying to market a new book, it takes a lot of time away from writing. I try to take care of the marketing things early in the day so I have the rest of the day to write.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I love reading, traveling and experimenting with new foods. When I can do all three on vacation, that’s pretty great!

What’s next for you?
My current work-in-progress is about a young woman who owns a small crepe shop with her grandmother on the NJ shore. She uses her shop to help the homeless, and has a special interest in doing charitable work for them. When a gorgeous, mysterious guy comes into her shop and starts leaving her songs on napkins, she’s not sure what to make of him. Family issues cause her to be cautious in relationships, but she’s different with this guy. The more she learns about him, though, the more she realizes she knows nothing about who he really might be.
 

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/11/vbt-shatterproof-by-kk-weil.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 


#Excerpt: WHISKEY DEVILS by Brandon Zenner

  Excerpt:

We walked directly across the hall, to a second door leading to a second warehouse. It was like those Russian Matryoshka dolls that get pulled apart to reveal smaller dolls nesting inside. A warehouse within a warehouse.

Nick took me to the door and knocked.

My previous work took place down the long hall to the left, in a room around the corner in the rear of the building, and I looked over my shoulder to where I normally worked with Becka. She was nowhere to be seen. Whatever Nick was about to show me was entirely new, but I had a very good idea of exactly what was behind that thick door.

A sliding viewing port opened, and a set of eyes looked out. The viewing port closed, and the sound of a heavy lock clacked from the hollows of the metal door. A moment later it opened and we stepped inside, shielding our eyes from the glaring light.

“Holy hell,” I muttered, stepping into the room. The temperature was hot in there, muggy, and my eyes were practically blinded from the succession of thousand-watt high pressure sodium light bulbs lining the ceiling. A sea of tall marijuana plants filled the room, all set in carefully arranged rows, some attached to an elaborate hydroponic system. The smell of fresh marijuana was as thick as soup. A silver tray holding orange slices and a knife sat on a table by the door.

“So.” I turned to Nick. “What exactly do you need me to do?”



BLURB:

Evan Powers has become the new manager in Nick Grady’s well-established marijuana growing operation. Led by his roommate and best friend, little has changed in Nick’s secretive business since the late ‘60s, which is just the way the aging hippie would for like it to remain. However, Nick’s complex past comes full circle, thrusting Evan in a scramble to decipher the truth behind the enigmatic lives of the people he holds dear. Deep in the woods, demons will be unleashed.

Links:

Vote for this book on the Kindle Scout program: 
 

Information about the Kindle Scout program: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author bio:
Brandon Zenner is an American fiction writer. His short fiction has been published in both print and online publications, the first being submitted when he was just 19 years old. THE EXPERIMENT OF DREAMS, his debut eBook thriller, has reached Amazon's top-ten charts within its genre many times. His categories of choice are thrillers, dystopian, crime, and science fiction.


Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Interview with Cornelia Funke, THE GOLDEN YARN


How did your childhood—growing up in a small German town—shape your love of books and storytelling?   
I am sure it did in even more ways than I am aware of. I felt the world to be very small in my home town and only books (and tv:) gave me doors and windows on a world so much vaster and so much more adventurous. They were whispering promises with they pages - of so many places to discover, so many parts to play in life. They spoke of friendship, of betrayal, of heroes and cowards….they questioned the reality I was surrounded by and taught me that reality is in fact a many facetted thing. Books taught me to not just be a German girl from a small town, but an English girl discovering Narnia, an American boy called Huckleberry, and Indian boy meeting a bear and a panther in the jungle. Books open our minds in so many ways. They make us shape shifters and realize we are not alone with whatever fears, hopes or dreams we have.
  
You’ve expressed in the media before how, as a child, you were drawn to children’s fairy tales…but often the stories had “teeth” and a bit of a dark undercurrent. How did those stories influence your own writing?
Yes, in Germany I grew up with the original Grimms Tales - which are much darker and ‘grown up’ than the Disney versions:0 (though I loved those too!) I didn’t like fairy tales as a child - which child does? - I think I realized that i didn’t fully understand what they are about. Fairy Tales are time machines into a medieval past and often even pagan pre-christian times. They remember hunger and the winter’s cold being a mortal danger, they remember wolves in the forest and with the witches old goddesses long forgotten. No, I didn’t like them. But I couldn’t stop looking at my fairy tale books and listening to the scratchy LPs that told me those tales over and over again at night. So…yes, they were a vast influence. But I re-discovered them at the age of 50 and of course I found very different things in them at that age.

Nevertheless - as this sounds as if as a child I read nothing but Grimm’s fairy tales ….Narnia was at least as important, Michael Ende’s and Astrid Lindgren’s books and….Star Trek! I had to invent a new episode for my brothers every night!:)

You recently started your own publishing company, Breathing Books. How exciting! What is the mission of the new company and what do you vision for its publishing future?
Breathing Books was originally planned to be a label under which I could have creative adventures like my Mirrorworld App - storytelling that explored both paper and screen. But when my US and UK publishers asked me to change the beginning and the end of my new book The Golden Yarn, although it had already been published, I suddenly had to become a publisher of traditional books as well. I had always planned to also publish my out of print-titles myself so printed paper may become more dominant in BreathingBooks than we thought:) Then there are titles not published in English yet….and I would love to create books richly illustrated where art and word play together. 

THE GOLDEN YARN is the next installment of the MirrorWorld series – without giving away any spoilers, can you tell us what readers are in for?
I think this third book for the first time shows the whole world behind the Mirrors as it travels as far East as Kazakhstan. It will reveal the Mirrors’ makers and more about Jacob’s father. It will take Will back through the Mirrors and….no, I think I shouldn’t say more:)

Your stories are so imaginative and transporting.  How do you occupy that creative headspace in order to imagine these worlds? Does it come naturally or do you have any creative or writing rituals that help you suspend reality and enter this other world?
It comes quite naturally. I guess I was born a storytelelr, but nevertheless - stories want to be fed. I research very much - on fairy tale, history, places I use as my setting - and for years now I have been writing my first notes and my very first draft by hand into A4 notebooks, adding photos, paintings, sketches I did myself…these notebooks are a vastly inspirational tool for me. They taught me to play intensely with visual material, to feed my worlds with the magic of the world we live in and…on the way…to enjoy myself both with pen and pencil, I have more than 40 notebooks by now and consider them my greatest treasure. Nothing makes me see the worlds I explore more clearly. As for suspending reality - I believe that only reality feeds our imagined worlds. They are al mirrors of this one, so I don’t try to suspend it:)

What is next for you? 
I am currently editing A GRIFFIN’S FEATHER, which is a sequel to DRAGORIDER. It will be published in Germany in autumn 2016 and in the US and UK probably in spring 2017. Then I just finished the first picture book I wrote in English and illustrated myself, It will be called THE BOOK NO ONE EVER READ. I plan to send out 200 free copies to independent booksellers in spring to say thank you for everything they did for me in the past. We’ll then publish the hardcover edition with Breathing Books hopefully in April. In summer there’ll be a revised edition of the first RECKLESS book, newly designed and revised by me with all the knowledge I have about that world by now.

I hope we’ll be able to offer hardcovers of all three books with the new design and the original titles in summer, including fairy tale quotes to open the chapters and reveal some of my sources. And then - last but not least:)

I am writing THE COLOR OF REVENGE, a sequel to the Ink-books. I plan to publish it in three installments, as writers did in the 19th century, of probably twelve chapters, but let’s see…so far it’s just an idea. But ten chapters are written.


Blurb:
Jacob Reckless continues to travel the portal in his father's abandoned study. His name has continued to be famous on the other side of the mirror, as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. His family and friends, from his brother, Will to the shape-shifting vixen, Fox, are on a collision course as the two worlds become connected. Who is driving these two worlds together and why is he always a step ahead?

This new force isn’t limiting its influence to just Jacob’s efforts – it has broadened the horizon within MirrorWorld. Jacob, Will and Fox travel east and into the Russian folklore, to the land of the Baba Yaga, pursued by a new type of being that knows our world all to well.

Amazon buy link:

Author bio:
Cornelia Funke—known as the “German J.K. Rowling”—is a New York Times bestselling author, one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People,” and one of the most successful storytellers of our time: Her books have worldwide sales of more than 20 million copies, have been translated into 37 languages and published in 43 countries.  Her bestselling MirrorWorld series, which includes Reckless, Fearless and a MirrorWorld interactive app, have been hailed as Provocative, harrowing, engrossing,” “Dark, enigmatic” and “Smart…full of twists and turns and the unexpected.”   


Funke made international headlines this fall when she launched her own publishing company, Breathing Books (see stories in The Guardian, Publishers Weekly).The decision to start Breathing Books came as a response to a creative difference between Funke and her U.S. and U.K. publishers, who required certain changes be made before moving forward with publication.

In December, Funke will release THE GOLDEN YARN, the third installment of her MirrorWorld series; it will be the first launch under Breathing Books. In many ways, Funke—who now lives in Los Angeles—is redefining what it means to be a published author; her bold approach to publishing across a wide variety of platforms is charting the way for the self-publishing revolution.  

Monday, December 28, 2015

Interview with Laura Wharton, JULIA'S GARDEN


Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
In Julia’s Garden is the first in the Lily McGuire Mystery series. It is set contemporarily in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, though the mystery is in history. Lily McGuire is a divorced, 40-something snarky landscape architect who specializes in historic garden restoration. In the opening pages, an old man brings her a journal that once belonged to Julia, a socialite who vanished in the 1940s. The journal may hold clues to the reasons behind her disappearance as well as to something tragic that happened in Lily’s life, so the story is a puzzle mystery.  

Do you have a favorite character?
Definitely Lily. She’s sassy, smart, and knows how to protect herself. This last strength is also her weakness: she is so protective of her feelings that she may miss out on something fantastic (a little romance, perhaps) if she remains closed to possibilities in her life.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
I love the cover of In Julia’s Garden. It’s by Francois Thisdale, a Canadian artist. I was introduced to him by another mystery writer friend of mine. He was easy to work with, and after a very brief introduction to the kind of cover I had in mind, he sent me sketches. We decided on one that conveyed a significant element of the story (the journal that once belonged to Julia), and I sent him a descriptive passage of how I imagined it. I will absolutely use his services again on future books in this series. I then sent the art to the cover designer who has worked on most of my books, and she worked her magic by adding the title, back cover blurbs, etc. The result of her efforts is what you see on the cover.
 
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
My writing process in fiction is far less stringent than that of the writing I do for my fulltime job, which must be extremely tight and targeted. For fiction, I generally jot down bits of dialog, or scenes, or even sketch out a character—one element that might drive a story. When the ideas start to flow, I start writing and worry about precision later. I prefer silence when I write so that I can “hear” my characters’ voices in dialogs.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Absolutely, and I would not let a manuscript become a book without his eyes on the project first. My editor was recommended by another author. He lives in Michigan, and I live in North Carolina. We’ve never met, and I think we’ve only talked on the phone one time. Most of our correspondence has been through email (and the comments on the side of the manuscripts, which are sent electronically back and forth). We don’t always agree about everything, and I’ve yielded to his way of thinking often. In all, though, he helps to make my stories the best they can be.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?
Marketing is by far the hardest piece of the publishing puzzle, in my opinion. I use social media (Facebook, Twitter) and blog tours like this one to help spread the word about my books. I still have book events like launch parties and book signings. One other approach I’ve added to the mix recently is to have a “Bookery” (a booth) at arts and crafts festivals and street fairs. At these events, people passing by can see the books and meet me, and that has certainly helped. I am hearing more comments about audio books this year than I did last year, and of course, e-books for Kindle are quite popular. I still sell a solid number of paperbacks each time, so the physical book is far from dead.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
An excellent question! I do find it challenging to balance the marketing and writing efforts because I also have a fulltime job and a family to tend to. I know others have done all this (and more) forever, so I’m not anything special in this area. One thing that might set me apart, though, is that I don’t have to commute to my job: I just slide my chair from my novel-writing desk over to my full-time job desk and turn on another computer. Not having a long commute is certainly better for me, since the drive to the closest (large) city is nearly an hour away. When I did have to commute, I’d be so tired in the evening, I couldn’t do much of anything else. I’m so thankful for both my full-time job and for the stamina I have left to devote a little time each day to working on a manuscript or marketing. 

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?
Congratulations! You’ve entered into a fascinating, ever-changing arena. Cultivate your knowledge of how to set up a business (the legal ins and outs as well as the marketing of market your work), because once your “baby” is at the editor’s, the hard work really begins. It’s also a lot of fun to be in complete control of the look (and feel) of your work as well as the process of selling it. And for those writers who are shy, I encourage you to figure out a way to put on an external “extroverted” game face for signings, events, and talks with others. Being open to possibilities is key to happiness in this game of self-publishing.
 
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
My other passions besides writing are my family. I love being a mom—best job ever! I also love sailing, swimming, and being around water (in it, on it, under it). I enjoy drawing and painting, sewing (quilting in particular), and cooking. I enjoy gardening, and studying history. (I’m a bit of a history freak.)

What’s next for you?
In the way of writing? I’m working on the second in the Sam McClellan Tales, the other series I started this year, which has to be to my editor by the end of the year so it can be released next spring. (What possessed me to start two series at the same time is beyond me.) The first in that series, Deceived, came out in May, 2015. The next Lily McGuire Mystery will be out in fall of 2016. They are very different types of stories (Deceived is an adrenalin rush, whereas In Julia’s Garden is more of a puzzle mystery), and the characters are, too. 

Thank you for hosting me! I really appreciate it!


BLURB:

Lily McGuire has her plants and her work as a landscape architect. What she doesn’t have (a man to date or an adventure to have) is just fine with her, thank you very much. Yet her world turns as chaotic as the grand old mansion’s garden she is restoring when a stranger presents her with the gardening journal of a 1940s socialite-gone-missing. Snarky and somewhat misanthropic, Lily must search its pages for clues to the young beauty’s disappearance and a potentially deadly mystery, despite the warning that she should tread carefully: the journal was the cause of Lily’s best friend’s death.

The book will be .99 during the tour.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Referred to as the American P.D. James, Laura S. Wharton is the author of sea adventure/suspense/mystery novels for adults and mysteries for children. Award-winning adult titles include Deceived: A Sam McClellan Tale, The Pirate's Bastard, and Leaving Lukens. Wharton also is the author of four mysteries for children, including the popular award-winning Mystery at the Lake House series, and others. Most of her books involve adventure, fun, a little history, and sailboats. (She is a recovering sailor who could backslide at any moment!)


Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas!





Hard to believe that another year has gone by and 2016 is right around the corner. I'll be spending the holiday with my family and friends. Hope you'll do the same!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!



Thursday, December 24, 2015

A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC: Twas the Night Before Christmas...

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

 

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.  


 
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

 

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;





He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"
 


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

#FREE Sweet Christmas Short Story: SECOND CHANCE CHRISTMAS by Debra Elizabeth


This story is FREE for a limited time only. Grab a copy while you can!

Megan Duffy needed to get away after a broken engagement and a few days at her family's cabin could be just what she needed. She was looking forward to the peace and quiet, that is, until she meets hunky store owner Ryker McCabe. Can Ryker put the light back in her eyes and heal her broken heart?

Amazon link:

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

#Review: AN OATH SWORN by Diana Crosby


  4 of 5 stars
 
I've been reading Scottish highlander books by a number of different authors and while I liked Ms. Crosby's Colyne McKerran, I was disappointed that there wasn't more Scottish to him. He's a lord in his own right, but aside from fleeing the countryside, there's not much exposition of Scotland. Colyne was wounded trying to get a writ to the French king explaining who kidnapped the King's bastard daughter, Marie. As luck or fate would have it, Marie comes upon Colyne and tends to his wounds, but she keeps her identity a secret. She's not sure who she can trust anymore. I loved Marie's feisty character. She's no shrinking violet, that's for sure. The passion that blooms between these two is believable and I was routing for them throughout the book. There were a couple of unexpected twists and turns that kept my interest to the end. However, Scotland is such a beautiful country and I would have liked to seen more of it in the story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.


Amazon buy link: 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VEG4T1A

Monday, December 21, 2015

#Excerpt: HOUSE OF PAWNS by Keary Taylor


House of Pawns
Keary Taylor
(House of Royals, #2)
Publication date: December 15th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

The town of Silent Bend is about to explode into a war. Alivia swore to take the House from Jasmine after what she did, but it won’t happen without retaliation. The whole town is caught in the crosshairs of their manipulation and the body count is climbing.
The explanation for Ian’s change is one he just can’t accept. To Alivia, it should fix all their problems, but Ian has become everything he hates most. And Liv accepting her fate and position will test their relationship to the breaking point.
The threat of the King’s arrival looms just weeks away, and Alivia knows he will kill her as soon as he comes. She’ll need supporters at her side—immortal ones. And that means turning old enemies into loyal subjects…
Sequel to:
House of Royals

EXCERPT:
Dirt stains my hands, freezes my fingers. There are streaks of it all over my jeans, caking the sleeves of my coat.
“What the hell are you doing?”
My heart leaps into my throat and I whip around.
Sheriff Luke McCoy stands five yards behind me, hands on his hips, a look of confusion and horror on his face.
I don’t have an answer for him, so I go back to my task.
“Alivia.” I hear him walking toward me. “What are you doing, and why does it look like someone crawled out of that grave?”
“Because someone did,” I huff. My hands are numb now, making it difficult to maneuver the dirt. Thankfully, it’s still freshly turned enough that it’s not packed yet.
“And who might that have been?” he asks and his voice hardens with each syllable.
“Circumstances change people, you understand that, right?” I’ve got the hole half filled back in.
“What are you talking about?” Sheriff McCoy, now that he’s caught on to what this hole means and its implications, joins me in filling it.
“I told you a few months back that I was a good person. That I wanted nothing to do with the House.” My lungs burn from the effort of breathing hard in this cold air. “But circumstances change people.”
“What happened, Alivia?” he demands.





Author Bio:
Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.


Hosted by:


XBT250

Friday, December 18, 2015

Fantastic $.99 SALE #Romance Release: A TOUCH OF PASSION by various NY Times and USA Today Best-selling Authors



Lose yourself in a touch of passion. Whether it’s the beauty in a song or the magic of a kiss, the agony of heartbreak or the hunger of yearning, explore ecstasy and desire in these captivating full-length novels. Written by twelve bestselling, multiple award-winning, USA Today and NY Times authors, this boxed set has it all: Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Romantic Suspense, Victorian Romance, Western and Literary Fiction. These sensual tales of love will leave you with a smile on your lips and music in your heart.

The Music of Us by Uvi Poznansky (Bestselling Author)
Lenny goes as far back as the moment he met Natasha during WWII, when he was a soldier and she—a star. Natasha was a riddle to him then, and with all the changes she has gone through, she still is. 

Love Me Tender by Mimi Barbour (NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author)
How could Anne return to Texas knowing that her son would be meeting a father who didn't know he existed? And how could she go back to face the only man she'd ever truly loved?

Just in Case by Elizabeth Marx (Bestselling Author)
Revell’s been pining for her all these years. Scarlett’s never thought she was good enough for him. What if the love you thought would always be yours turns out to be forbidden? 

That Unforgettable Kiss by Tamara Ferguson (Top-10 Bestselling Author, Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Award Winner-New Adult)
Since Kate Callahan will be running the family construction business someday, she doesn’t have time for love. Until fate steps in by way of an unforgettable kiss from architectural intern Michael Murphy.

Concealed in My Heart by Regina Puckett (Bestselling Author, Readers' Favorite Book Award Winner)
Charity Fields is married to her childhood sweetheart and has the job of her dreams—until a terrible lie and a heartbreaking betrayal turns her life upside down.

The Belle and the Officer by B. J. Robinson (Top-100 Bestselling Author)
Historical romance. A Mississippi plantation. A southern belle. A Union officer. Alice Caldwell is young and in love in when the raging war disrupts her world and destroys her plans to become engaged. Her beau marches off to fight.

Seduction by Laura Taylor (Bestselling Author, 6-Time Romantic Times Award Winner, RWA RITA Finalist, and 2-Time MAGGIE Award Winner)
“A lovely translator, once betrayed under the worst possible circumstances, is seduced into love by a brilliant government consultant.” (Romantic Times Book Reviews)

Perfect for Him by Suzanne Jenkins (Bestselling Author)
As they danced, Jason whispered words of love to Harley, while her oncologist’s terrifying diagnosis kept ricocheting in her skull. To ensure he’d be okay after she was gone, Harley would take matters of love into her own hands.

Nellie by Cynthia Woolf (Bestselling Author)
Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. Nellie Wallace, a widow, needs a husband but never expected a man like him. Can Nellie and Blake make a marriage out of mutual need, without love being involved?

Jack Who? by Lisa Gillis (Bestselling Author)
The mission, that fateful day? Pick herself up, dust the ex off, and get dirty with someone else. However, Marissa Duplei finds that sexy, inked-up, metal musician Jack Storm is no ordinary revenge fling.

Ambrosia by the Sea by Traci Hall (USA Today Bestselling Author)
After a bitter betrayal by her late husband, self-taught chef Celia Langdon moved to the sea, where dive shop owner Dax Smith dared her to heal from the heart.

The Single Daddy Club: Derrick by Donna Fasano (USA Today Bestselling Author)
Ex-military man Derrick is solitary and satisfied—until Timmy’s dropped into his lap and Derrick must become a daddy. Fate has denied Anna a family of her own, but she has plenty of love to give, if only someone would notice.


BN buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-passion-uvi-poznansky/1122885381

Amazon buy link: