Friday, March 29, 2019

Interview with Cristelle Comby, EVIL EMBERS


What are four things you can’t live without?
Access to the internet, some good quality chocolate, a bottle of carbonated water and a comfortable bed.

What is your favorite television show?
Ouch, though to name just one. I watch a lot of TV. When I was younger I was drawn to films, but my attention shifted to series these past couple of years, because there’s more character growth in those. I like that a lot in a show.
Bearing that in mind, I think my answer would be “Breaking Bad”. I cannot think of another show that had such emphasis on character growth. If you look at the main characters both in the first and the last episode…they’re entirely different people—complete opposite. And that is good television.

If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?
Again, difficult to choose just the one. If “Doctor Who” makes the list (there’s a lot of books too afterall), I wouldn’t mind being the Doctor and having “all of time and space” to enjoy. Just with a touch less running for your life type of situations and a dab more getting laid instead—if at all possible.

What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
“Evil Embers” the second book in my Vale Investigation series just came out. It’s a mix of classic noir detective and urban fantasy. Each book can be read as a standalone, and chronicles the exploits of private investigator Bellamy Vale, Death’s envoy on Earth.
In “Evil Embers” Vale is desperately looking for a simple, vanilla case—no monster of otherworldly creatures involved. When businessman Eli Smith hires him to find his missing sister, Sarit, Vale is all too happy to oblige. Of course, if he’d known what monsters and unsavory creatures were lurking about in Smith’s shadows, he might have thought about it twice.

What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
One of my favorite authors is Jim Butcher; I love his Dresden Files series. A few years ago, Jim posted writing tips on the web and explained some of his creative process—I think it was on LiveJournal or something like that. I read it all, copied the lot on Word, printed it and still have it in my desk. There are some great gems in there, especially on story structure.

 
BLURB:

After narrowly preventing the destruction of Cold City, PI Bellamy Vale needs a rest. Or rather, he needs a plain and simple vanilla case—no monsters or otherworldly creatures involved!

When foreign businessman Eli Smith shows up at his doorstep with a thick wallet and a request to find his missing sister, Vale doesn’t think twice before agreeing.

If he’d known body-hopping demons and smoke monsters came attached to this job, however, he might have.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she still resides.

She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.

She is the author of the Neve & Egan Cases series, which features an unlikely duo of private detectives in London: Ashford Egan, a blind History professor, and Alexandra Neve, one of his students.

Currently, she is hard at work on her Urban Fantasy series Vale Investigation which chronicles the exploits of Death’s only envoy on Earth, PI Bellamy Vale, in the fictitious town of Cold City, USA.

Twitter :

Website :

Goodreads :


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Thursday, March 28, 2019

#Excerpt: TRAIL BLAZER by Michelle Diener


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michelle Diener will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


He's on a mission . . .

She's running for her life . . .

And if they get off-planet alive, she'll have to trust he won't reveal her darkest secret.

Tally Riva is not what she seems, and even she's not happy about it. Infected, invaded, she's not quite sure how to describe it, but on a disastrous mission to a ghost ship, something burrowed its way into her body. Into her mind.

When her commander decides the best cure for what he thinks is Tally's trauma is to send her on the famous Veltos Trail, Tally goes without revealing what's really behind her mental anguish. Anything to be seen as normal again, anything to ignore what she's afraid is happening to her.

But Veltos isn't the safe place it seems. The chosen military personnel lucky enough to be offered the chance to walk the Trail are supposed to be the only people on Veltos. But Ben Guthrie, a captain in Arkhoran Special Forces, knows they're not. He and his team have been on Veltos for a month already, tracking suspicious enemy activity, and he's gone undercover on the Trail in search of a satellite his superiors are sure has been shot down.

When Ben's worst fears become reality, and they find themselves hunted by a cunning enemy through the thick forests of Veltos, Tally and Ben fight together to survive. And Tally has to decide if accepting the changes inside her will save them both, or be her doom.

TRAILBLAZER is part of the Verdant String series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. Other books in the series include Interference & Insurgency (Two Novellas of the Verdant String), and Breakaway and Breakeven.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Trailblazer-Verdant-String-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B07P6PJ51H

Excerpt:

Ben stood outside to watch the military runner come in.

The flare of the engine was visible because dusk had already fallen and the sky was the indigo blue that shouldn't be unique to Veltos, but somehow was. There was just something special about the color here.

“Nervous?” Irwin stepped out to join him and looked up, following the runner as it fell toward them.

Ben glanced at him, wondering if the guide actively worked to be this annoying, or whether it was just a gift.

“Should I be?” He kept his tone mild.

Irwin glanced at him, shrugged. “Most people are a little nervous to meet their fellow Trail walkers. It's a two week journey, and there's no getting away from anyone who's difficult.”

And certainly no getting away from them if they were the guide.

Ben crossed his arms and watched the runner touch down lightly on the hoverpad a thou away. It was close enough that he could hear the hum of the engine and the silence when it cut off.

“So you never said which warship dropped you off.” Irwin had turned to watch the runner, too.

“No, I didn't.” Ben kept his answer short.

Irwin gave a snort. “Super secret, huh?”

Ben said nothing.

“Do you Arkhorans actively try to irritate the living shit out of the rest of us, or is it just how you're made?”

Irwin's comment was so similar to what Ben had thought about the guide, he couldn't help the laugh that burst from him.

“Let's leave it at 'super secret'.”

About the Author:

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her at her website, or online at Twitter and Facebook.

Website: https://www.michellediener.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/michellediener
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michelle.diener.author
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/michelle_diener/

 

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

#Excerpt: ALPHA CHALLENGE by Lia Davis


Alpha Challenge
Lia Davis
(Shifter of Ashwood Falls, #10)
Publication date: March 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Feral. Unstable. Hungry.

Words that describe a rogue, not a den mother.

Rhea Scott has crawled out of the darkness lingering in the deepest part of her soul. Keeping her grounded are her pack, the kids she protects and cares for, and a partner she keeps at a distance. Mating with Alec would be a fatal mistake—he’d crash and burn with her if the darkness ever won.

Nothing will stop Ashwood leopard Marshal, Alec Andrews, from claiming Rhea. The stubborn female thinks she's protecting him by denying the mating pull, but she’s wrong. He’ll tear down the walls she’s built around her heart and show her they belong together.

The war is supposed to be over, but a new enemy has risen from the fallen Onyx Pack's ashes. After children are kidnapped, Rhea's wolf goes into maternal protection mode and she won't rest until the kids are home safe. No one is going to stop her, especially that hotheaded, sexy, alpha male, Alec Andrews.



EXCERPT:
Standing, she stretched and picked up her cup. Just as she thought, cold. She crossed the living room to her kitchen. She placed the cup in the microwave and push the quick start button to warm her cocoa. A knock sounded on her front door.
Glancing at the clock and noting it was still early—7:00. The knock sounded again and she went to answer it. Alec’s handsome, cocky smile greeted her when she opened the door.
Damn if all her lady parts didn’t spark to life seeing him. Her wolf nudged her move closer, take a bite. Stepping aside, she motioned him inside. “Come in.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets as he moved farther into the living room. “I came by earlier, but you weren’t home.”
“I went for a run.” She closed the distance between them.
He looked into her eyes and she could see his cat looking back at her. Damn, he smelled good. “Why are you here, Alec?”
His gaze narrowed and he tilted his head slightly. “Come to see you.”
There was something else beside him just stopping by. No matter how much he’d chased her, he never showed up out of the blue. He’d call first. “You saw me earlier.”
Okay, that might have been uncalled for, but she was tired and amped up at the same time. She didn’t have the energy to fend him off.
He opened his mouth then closed it. After several more attempts he finally formed words. “We need talk.”
She raised a brow. “We do?”
Frowning, he stepped closer so the heat from his body washed over her. His scent enveloped her, tearing down her resistance against him. It’s been too long since she’d had sex. She couldn’t do it with anyone as long as her mate was in the Pack.
“You should leave.” She turned to put some space between them.
Alec grabbed her upper arm and pulled her into his body. She whimpered and internally cursed herself for the weakness. He pressed his lips to her neck and her pussy ached and pulsed. Damn him.
“I want you so bad it hurts. I’m tired of waiting, Rhea.” His breath was hot against her flesh.
When his words sank in, her heart danced and her blood heated. Her wolf howled. “What…wait.”
Pausing, he studied her with brows drawn. “Don’t run from me, from us. If I’m not your mate tell me, and I’ll leave.”
Leave? Her heart hammered and her stomached soured at the thought of Alec not being in her life every day. He couldn’t leave the Pack because he was the Marshal, which meant she’d have to be the one to leave. She’d known he was her mate from the moment she met him thirty years ago. However, she was in mourning and still messed up from the head job Royce did on her. Becoming the den mother had helped her heal and focus. Alec had become a friend.
When he finally admitted she was his, she tried to deny it. She ran and pushed him away because he didn’t deserve someone as broken as she was. Someone with a past like hers.


Author Bio:
In 2008, Lia Davis ventured into the world of writing and publishing and never looked back. She has published more than twenty books, including the bestselling A Tiger's Claim, book one in her fan favorite Ashwood Falls series. Her novels feature compassionate yet strong alpha heroes who know how to please their women and her leading ladies are each strong in their own way. No matter what obstacle she throws at them, they come out better in the end.
While writing was initially a way escape from real world drama, Lia now makes her living creating worlds filled with magic, mystery, romance, and adventure so that others can leave real life behind for a few hours at a time.
Lia's favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers, but it's her home and she loves it!

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Tuesday, March 26, 2019

#Review: A LORD APART by Jane Ashford


  3 of 5 stars

Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, feels unprepared to put the estate in order after the untimely death of his aloof parents. All his life he has felt marginalized by his parents who traveled the world and the piles of paperwork they left behind gives him no insight into why they were always absent during his childhood. When he finds that Rose Cottage on the estate has a new owner, Miss Penelope Pendleton, he's even more confused. Who is this woman and how did she come to own a cottage on his estate. When he meets Penelope, there's something about her that soothes his soul. They embark on a journey together to organize stacks and stacks of paperwork trying to find out why Penelope was left the cottage.

I enjoy Miss Ashford's books, but I was on the fence about this one. Most of the book is Daniel and Penelope sorting through hundreds of years of paperwork. It was rather boring until they stumble upon evidence that his parents may not be what they seemed. The slow build-up of their romance was sweet, but I didn't really feel a connection. The Foreign Office agents added intrigue to the storyline although it was wrapped up very quickly.
 

I'll certainly read the next book from Ms. Ashford, but I'm hoping there's more than stuffy and dusty paperwork at the center of the story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review and was not obligated to leave a review.


Monday, March 25, 2019

#Review: FINDING LORD FARLISLE by Cassandra Dean



  4 of 5 stars

Lady Alexandra Torrence is considered to be a bit odd by the ton because of her interest in investigations of paranormal activities. When she has a chance to investigate claims of a spirit at Waithe Hall, her childhood friend, Maxim Farlisle's home, she doesn't hesitate to take on the case. Memories of Maxim and all the good times they shared bombard her the moment she steps into the entry hall. Maxim had meant the world to her, but he's been dead for 11 years. She has never loved anyone else. It doesn't take long for Alexandra to receive the biggest shock of her life. Maxim is alive, but he's not the same boy she remembers.

This was a sweet novella about two young people who never forgot the feelings they had for each other. Poor Maxim has not had an easy life these past 11 years, but with the help of Alexandra, some of his memories are unlocked. I really liked these two and was routing for them to rediscover their feelings for each other. While I enjoyed the story, I found the epilogue jarring. There was hardly a mention of Alexandra and Maxim and it was a total disconnect for me. I debated between a 3 or 4 star rating of this book. In the end, the story was intriguing enough to warrant the 4 star review.

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

BLURB:

Eleven years ago, Lord Maxim Farlisle vanished. Lady Alexandra Torrence mourned her childhood friend, but she never expected to find him returned, living in his family's abandoned estate. As the two rediscover their connection, the promise of young love burns into an overwhelming passion-will they discover a love that will draw them together or will the past tear them apart forever?

Buy Links
Amazon:

iTunes

B&N

Google Play

Kobo

Smashwords

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cassandra Dean is an award-winning, best-selling author of historical and fantasy romance. She is a 2018 recipient of the coveted Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award.

Cassandra is proud to call South Australia her home, where she regularly cheers on her AFL football team and creates her next tale.

Visit Cassandra’s website at http://cassandradean.com
Join Cassandra’s mailing list at http://cassandradean.com/extras/subscribe
Follow Cassandra on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraDean
Twitter @authorCassDean
Contact Cassandra at cassandra@cassandradean.com






Friday, March 22, 2019

#Excerpt: THE NEXT TO LAST MISTAKE by Amalie Jahn


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Amalie Jahn will be awarding a $20 mazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


Tess Goodwin’s life in rural Iowa is sheltered and uncomplicated. Although she chooses to spend most of her free time playing chess with her best friend Zander, the farm-boy from next door, her skills as a bovine midwife and tractor mechanic ensure that she fits in with the other kids at East Chester High. But when her veteran father reenlists in the Army, moving her family halfway across the country to North Carolina, Tess is forced out of her comfort zone into a world she knows nothing about.

Tess approaches the move as she would a new game of chess, plotting her course through the unfamiliar reality of her new life. While heeding Zander’s long-distance advice for making new friends and strategizing a means to endure her dad’s imminent deployment to the Middle East, she quickly discovers how ill-equipped she is to navigate the societal challenges she encounters and becomes convinced she’ll never fit in with the students at her new school.

When Leonetta Jackson is assigned as her mentor, she becomes Tess’s unexpected guide through the winding labyrinth of cultural disparities between them, sparking a tentative friendship and challenging Tess to confront her reluctant nature. As the pieces move across the board of her upended life, will Tess find the acceptance she so desperately desires?

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1611532647/ref=as_li_tl
Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-next-to-last-mistake-amalie-jahn/1129761093?ean=9781611532630
Apple – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-next-to-last-mistake/id1439682885?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-next-to-last-mistake

 

Excerpt:

Mom smiles sympathetically and glances up, realizing I’ve stepped into the room. “Tess, did you know Alice’s family keeps a plot of farmland down the road on the other side of Spring Lake? You said you grow soybean and sorghum and cotton?”

Alice nods.

“Tell Tess about the farm’s history. It’s fascinating.”

I can’t imagine Alice, with her chewing gum and chic hairstyle and fitted slacks working on a farm. I slip onto the empty chair beside her as she begins to explain.

“The land was my great-great-grandfather’s, bought with his own wages after the emancipation. He was a butcher, not a farmer, but he kept the land planted every year for his kids to harvest. By hand, of course. Said he didn’t want them to forget where they came from. Said he wanted to make sure they had a physical connection to their past. Anyway, when he died, he passed the land and the tradition on to his kids, and my great-grandfather and great uncles did the same with their families. To this day, my dad plants every spring and my brother and I harvest every fall. It’s a small plot. Not nearly as big as the one my dad and his brothers and sisters picked, but still, it’s enough to get your muscles burning.” She holds out her hands, and I can make out scars on her fingertips. “My cousins are secretly plotting to sell their portion of the land once it’s our time, but who knows? I might join the Black Cotton movement.”

“Black Cotton?” I ask.

“Yeah, there’s this amazing fifth-generation cotton farmer here in North Carolina who started this company, Black Cotton, as a way for other black, small-acreage cotton farmers to sustain profitability. But they don’t sell the cotton to the clothing industry; they sell it as décor, like in bouquets and stuff.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Have you ever seen real cotton before? Like still on the stalk?”

I shake my head.

“Most people haven’t,” she says, smiling. “It’s actually quite beautiful. Maybe you’d like to help us with the harvest in the fall and you can see it for yourself?”

That Alice is willing to share this part of herself with me fills my farmer heart to overflowing. “I’d love that,” I tell her.

Smiling satisfactorily to herself, Mom backs out of the room. “I guess it’s a good thing Alice asked about our farm back in Iowa,” she says, revealing the origin of their conversation. “Kinda cool you both know a thing or two about agriculture.”

There’s a tug. The pull of an invisible connection strengthening the bond between us. I wonder how many threads it will take to seal our friendship and how many connections we’ll discover as the days go by. Surely there are others.

About the Author:

Amalie Jahn is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 8 young adult novels, including The Next To Last Mistake, her latest release (Light Messages Publishing 2019). Amalie is the recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval and the Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for her debut novel, The Clay Lion. She is a contributing blogger with the Huffington Post and Southern Writers Magazine, as well as a TED speaker, human rights advocate, and active promoter of kindness. She lives in the United States with her husband, two children, and three overfed cats.

When she's not at the computer coaxing characters into submission, you can find Amalie swimming laps, cycling, or running on the treadmill, probably training for her next triathlon. She hates pairing socks and loves avocados. She is also very happy time travel does not yet exist. Connect with her right here in the present day at these social media sites:

Websites – http://www.amaliejahn.com and lightmessages.com/amalie-jahn
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AmalieJahn
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AmalieJahn
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amalie.jahn.official
 

Visit http://www.amaliejahn.com to join Amalie’s FREE Readers Group and in addition to receiving promotional discounts, sneak peeks, and monthly newsletters, your membership will now grant you exclusive access to bonus material (shorts and novelettes) delivered right to your inbox!

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

#Excerpt: FOR THE REIGN by Debbie Cassidy


For the Reign
Debbie Cassidy
(For the Blood #3)
Publication date: March 19th 2019
Genres: Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Reverse Harem, Urban Fantasy

It’s hardly a fair race when you’re racing against time.
The Fangs and I have the answers we were looking for, but for me those answers come with a death sentence. But I’ll be damned if I got out easy. I’ll be damned if I go out before I can see our mission through.
Just as I’m coming to terms with my fate, hope drops into my lap like a succulent fruit. But hope can be deceptive, and I’m not one for putting all my eggs into on basket. The mission must remain my focus, but with obstacles stacking up, getting to the finish line may just take some divine intervention, but the cost…The cost might be more than I’m willing to pay.
The Vampire Diaries meets The Walking Dead in this Post-Apocalyptic Urban Fantasy with a slow burn Whychoose Romance

Author Bio:
Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head - in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.


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Monday, March 18, 2019

#Excerpt: BAD LUCK CHARLIE by Scott Baron


Bad Luck Charlie
Scott Baron
(The Dragon Mage, #1)
Publication date: March 15th 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Charlie Gault had all the luck. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the good kind.
It was looking like Lady Luck had quite a grudge against him. In fact, at this point merely crashing the multi-billion-dollar ship he had helped design would have felt like winning the lottery compared to his current dilemma.
If only he were so lucky.
Things had started off all right––that is, until a freak wormhole unexpectedly swallowed his ship, leaving him stranded on an unknown planet far, far from home. With the crew’s lives at stake, Charlie had no choice but to stop his whining, put on his big boy pants, and step up to save them all, and much to his surprise, it actually looked like he might succeed.
Of course, that was when things really went sideways in ways that made merely crashing on an uncharted planet seem like a walk in the park.
Suddenly faced with alien space pirates, talking dragons, and something that seemed very much like magic, Charlie found himself adrift, feeling like a space age Robinson Crusoe––only his man Friday was a blue-skinned alien, and this wasn’t just a desert island. It was a whole new galaxy.

EXCERPT:
“Starboard heat shield seven is gone!” Charlie called out as calmly as he could over the din of their ship more or less tearing apart. He was going to carry out his duties like a professional if it was the last thing he’d do, and the way things were going, it was starting to look like it might be.
“Copy that.” Captain Reynard bellowed over the noise. “Gaspari, redirect the primary debris shield to cover as much of starboard seven as possible. Pull power from wherever you have to!”
Rika Gaspari, his second-in-command began frantically throwing switches, inverting the power flows, her hands a blur of activity as she carried out her orders. The ship’s rattling lessened, but did not cease.
“Still low on power, Captain. The atmosphere has some powerful radiologic properties that are wreaking havoc with our phase shielding. I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.”
“Then pull power from life support.”
“Sir? Won’t we need that?” Charlie asked as he struggled to keep the engines from redlining into critical and blowing them all to hell.
“Not if we don’t survive atmospheric entry. First things first. Right now, getting down in one piece is the most important one,” the captain replied.
Rika did as she was ordered. A moment later the crew felt the ever-present breeze of recirculating air that moved about them cease. It was something they were so familiar with that they didn’t even notice its presence until it was abruptly gone.
“Done, Captain,” Gaspari announced, her close-cropped hair sticking to her damp forehead. “Twenty seconds until we clear the exosphere.”
“Copy that. Jamal, are you suited up?” the captain asked over internal comms.
“Affirmative, Captain,” he replied. “Prepped and standing by with backup fire suppression.”
The chief of security and emergency services had geared up the moment things began to sway out of parameters, which was just before they were unceremoniously sucked through a massive wormhole and spat out Lord knew where. His foresight was a good thing. It was looking like things were about to get a whole lot worse.
The ship bucked and tossed, its hull glowing bright orange as the edges of the strange world’s atmosphere pummeled it with brutal intensity. It was a rough ride in command. Captain Reynard knew the rest of his crew were being subjected to a vicious beating in their compartments. He just hoped they had strapped in. They launched with twenty-four living crew aboard, and he planned to keep it that way.
The command module’s power flickered and dimmed.
“Losing primary power,” Gaspari said.
“I see it,” Charlie replied, already in motion, rushing from his seat to the door to the adjacent engineering compartment just off the bridge.
His team in main engineering down below would keep the reactors powered up. It was his job to keep that power flowing to the controls during flight.
Smoke greeted him as he manually opened the door with the backup access crank tucked into the wall panel.
“We got a fire?” Reynard asked, sniffing the air.
“Negative, Captain. Just some blown circuits and overloaded wires,” Charlie replied as he stuck his head in and surveyed the damage.
The room was small, just row upon row of circuit racks and relays. A harness chair sat in front of a work bench, never before used. Of course, for the maiden flight of the ship, why would it have been.
“The damage looks relatively minimal,” Charlie informed them. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll have it sorted.”
“We don’t have a couple of minutes.”
“I’m on it. Let me know when the main control power surges normalize and level out.”
Without another word, he slid through the narrow gap he’d opened in the door and set to work. The blown circuits were the easiest to repair, and luckily the most vital as well. The smoldering wires nearby––while important––were not crucial to staying aloft.
“Powering off navs and switching your panels to emergency reserve. Nobody touch anything until I say so. We’re already maxing the load,” he yelled out through the door.
Melted circuits went flying, his nimble fingers quickly replacing them with the backups stored in neatly-arranged cases mounted to the wall nearby. A mere thirty seconds after he began, he called out to the others once more.
“Okay, we’re good. It’s powered back up. Test the system.”
Captain Reynard feathered the controls. The ship responded as well as could be expected given the circumstances.
“Controls are functional. Gaspari, how are secondary navs and telemetry?”
“We’re limping, but it should be enough,” she replied.
“Okay, we’re good. Get out of there, Charlie.”
“Just a sec, Captain. I need to swap a few wires and reroute some of this charge so we don’t fry everything if there’s another power surge. It’ll just take me a minute.”
“Can it wait?”
“It can, but it shouldn’t.”
“All right, then. But be quick. We may have to make a much more abrupt landing than would be ideal.”
“Believe me, the last place I want to be is stuck in here,” he replied, setting to work.
He had just replaced the first of the failing wires when the ship bucked and slammed him into the wall, the emergency protocols sealing the re-powered door shut with him inside. He frantically clawed for the crank handle, but the turbulence was too much. Miraculously, he was thrown backwards––right into the harness chair. The back of the chair, that is.
Gotta get strapped in, he realized with a desperate grunt as his body switched from weightless to crushing Gs as the ship lurched and dove.
Charlie slammed into the ceiling with a rude crunch, held weightless a moment, hovering just out of reach of anything from which to push off, then was thrown to the floor, pinned by the G-force.
The pressure relented for a moment, allowing him to breathe. Charlie ignored the pain racking his body and dragged himself into the harness chair and strapped in snugly, and not a moment too soon, as the ship flipped upside down, then dove in a tight spiral.
Stuck in the memory foam chair, Charlie cried out, then fell silent as the pressure of the mounting G-force drove the blood from his head, rendering him unconscious.
He wouldn’t remember the crash. But he would never forget the aftermath, nor the folly that had led up to it.


Author Bio:
A native Californian, Scott Baron was born in Hollywood, which he claims may be the reason for his off-kilter sense of humor. Before taking up residence in Venice Beach, he spent a few years studying abroad before settling into the film and television industry, where he has worked off and on for some time. Scott not only writes, but is also involved in indie film and theater both in the U.S. and abroad.


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Sunday, March 17, 2019

MARCH GIVEAWAY, #FREE books and $50 Amazon gift cards


Hi All,

For the month of March, I’ve teamed up with the folks at the eBook Betty site to give away, ASSASSIN’S CURSE, the first volume in my epic fantasy series, The Witch Stone Prophecy.



In addition, there are other free books available and two $50 Amazon gift cards are up for grabs. Be sure to check out the giveaway page. GOOD LUCK!

Here's the link to enter the giveaway:


Interested in ASSASSIN’S CURSE? Here’s the blurb:

When elite assassin Jeda received his assignment to kill a witch and deliver her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire, he had no idea it would be his last. The witch stuns him with an elemental blast, but not before he's able to throw his knife. When Jeda regains consciousness, the dying witch is performing a compulsion spell between him and her daughters. 

Now bonded to the girls, Jeda's old life is forfeit. His only thought is to take the girls and run as far away as he can. He has no idea that the twins are the ones spoken of in the long-lost prophecy of The Witch Stone. Forces are gathering: the white witches want to teach them; the black witches want to use them; the Countess wants her grandchildren back, and the guild has sent their best assassin to bring them back. Jeda must use all of his skills to stay one step ahead of them all, but will it be enough to save himself and keep the children of prophecy alive?
 

The adventure continues for Jeda and the twins in book 2, Witch's Curse.

Amazon has discounted the digital version only $3.99!

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