Monday, July 30, 2018

Cross Drop by Elizabeth Hartey - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elizabeth Hartey will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Nikki

I’m not a saint. Never claimed to be. I’ve played the game and scored my fair share—both on and off the field. This is why I should have known better than to fall for a hockey player. But I did. I fell fast and hard.

Now I’m left with the painful consequences, reminded every day of how reckless I had been by giving him my heart so easily—so willingly. Dalt broke me in the cruelest of ways, and because of him I’ll never be able to love again.

Dalt

Nikki changed me. She made me want to be a better man. My days playing off the field were over because she owned every little piece of my heart…until she left, leaving behind a gnawing ache where my heart used to be.

Now she’s back, and it’s painfully clear she hates me, ignoring me, pretending like I’m nobody to her. But that’s just too damn bad. I want answers. I want a goddamn explanation.

And most of all…I want her.




Read an Excerpt:

“Hey.” The intelligent greeting the only thing I could think of to say. When she looked up and hit me with those baby blues I had to remind myself to breathe.

“Hey.” One word. That was it and she started walking off the field toward the field house. I stood baffled for a moment. I’d never had a problem talking to a girl before and they usually didn’t walk away from me when I did. I ran to catch up to her.

“Great game. You were amazing out there.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She just kept walking, even picked up the pace like she was trying to get away from me.

“I’m…I’m Dalt by the way.” Like an idiot I stuck my hand out to shake hers. She stopped and stared at my outstretched hand but didn’t make a move because her hands were full with her bag and some of the equipment.

“I know who you are, hockey boy.” The words ‘hockey boy’ came out like they tasted sour on her tongue. And she started walking away from me again. I couldn’t believe it. When I caught up to her, she stopped and turned to me.

“What do you want, hockey boy?” She threw me off my game so bad, I think I stuttered.

“I…um…your name would be nice for starters.”

“For starters?” She quirked a brow.

“Then I thought you might like to get a beer or a burger or something at the Thirsty Whale.” She scanned my body from head to toe and back up. Then the damnedest thing happened.

“No thanks. I don’t do dates. Not looking for a boyfriend. I just like to, you know, keep my options open.” Say what, now! Had she just turned me down for a date?

About the Author:
As a lover of the northeast US, Elizabeth moved with her husband to the Poconos several years ago to open a Chiropractic Clinic. Four children and a menagerie of animals later, she has finally found time to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing novels. The wild ride of writing books is one of the most difficult things she’s ever done in her life. But the opportunity to get her stories out of her head and down on paper and send them out into the world is also one of the most wonderful things she’s ever done. A dreamer at heart, romance is the genre she spends most of her time writing and reading into the wee hours of the morning. And having readers fall in love with her characters as much as she does is almost as exciting as giving birth (just not as painful!) When not juggling work responsibilities and writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking the beautiful hills and woods around her home, swimming, knitting, watching old classic movies and travelling.




Amazon Cross Stroke (book 1) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078T4JR2M/

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Natalie's Wedding by K.T. Castle - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 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.

Kassandra never thought she’d be in another committed relationship, but now she’s living with her boyfriend Josh. Things can’t get any better. But they can get worse.

Natalie has dropped a major bomb on her, confessing she believes her husband is having an affair. Kassandra is always ready to help a friend, but accepting that one of their marriages isn’t working goes against everything she believes about the people she loves. Wanting to help their friend overcome this difficult situation and provide Natalie the support she needs, Kassandra and the girls pull a lot of strings to help Natalie uncover the truth. In the process, Kassandra discovers remarkable similarities between Josh’s recent changes and those in Natalie’s allegedly cheating husband. She’s always been an independent woman who prides herself on her own success, and when she digs up one dirty secret after another, she can’t help but wonder if her man’s womanizing days are really behind him.

Sometimes, love makes us twist reality to avoid hurting those we hold closest to our hearts. Join Kassandra and Natalie as they struggle to reconcile their fears in love with the truth.


The book is available for a limited time for only $0.99


Read an Excerpt:

“There’s just no fucking way Andrik’s sleeping around on Nat. No way!” I’d heard Josh say the same thing several different ways on our drive home. He not-so-gently gripped the steering wheel of his Challenger.

“I know. I can’t believe it, either.” I was running out of replies, and I had no idea how to make him feel better, seeing as since I struggled with it myself. Honestly, I was more worried about Natalie than anything else. I’d only seen her that upset one other time, when she told us she couldn’t have children. All her life, she’d wished for the perfect family and somehow, against all odds, became a mother with the best husband in the world. The possibility of Andrik hurting her so deeply and taking away her dream seemed surreal.

“I’m sure it’s some sort of misunderstanding.” Josh couldn’t let it go. “You have to make Nat talk to him. He isn’t an asshole. He worships the ground she walks on. It makes no fucking sense.”

“I’ll check on her tomorrow,” I said. “Tell the rest of the girls about it. Natalie needs us.” I rubbed my pant legs, my hands feeling cold and unpleasantly damp.

“But make sure she talks to her husband.” He gave me a determined stare before looking back at the road. “Andrik isn’t that kind of man. I wouldn't be surprised if Ed had a fling on the side, but not Andrik. Never him.”

“What makes you so sure?” His words surprised me. Edward was his best friend, and Josh had no problem picturing him cheating on his wife. Why couldn’t Andrik cheat on Nat? He’d cheated before; in fact, he’d cheated on his previous wife with Nat, and that was how they fell in love. He’d been married before he broke his wedding vows and ultimately left his family to begin a new one with my friend. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t discard the possibility that he’d do it again.

“There’s just something about the way he looks at her. It’s so obvious how much he loves her. He’s still in love with her. I’m just sure.” Josh switched gears angrily, and I was afraid he’d wreck the clutch and not even notice. He’d regret that later. “It’s like when you told me you thought Dzed was cheating on Babah.”

“Shut the hell up!” What did my grandparents have to do with anything?

“Exactly! Not fucking believable.” He shook his index finger at the windshield before slamming his hand bitterly back down on the wheel.

“Why do you have to use my grandparents as an example?”

“I couldn’t use any of our parents.” He shrugged. Josh’s mother had raised him on her own, and my parents had died when I was five. While our families weren’t the best illustration, I still held onto the greatest memories of my parents as a couple. “I’m sorry, babe,” he added. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m so fucking shocked.”

“I couldn’t tell.” I chuckled softly and rolled my eyes. “And I feel the same way. I just don’t understand why you feel so strongly about this.”

“I really like them. They’ve been kind of an example to me. I look at them, and that’s the kind of life I want with you.” Josh moved his hand from the wheel to take mine. “Of course, it’s nice that there’s not such a big age gap between us.” He winked at me, then let out a long, slow breath. “I guess I also feel really protective of Nat. She’s too sweet. I don’t want her to hurt, especially since I consider her our personal cupid. We might not be together if it wasn’t for her.”

About the Author: K.T. Castle loves reading, writing, and painting. She's on a quest to find the words, forms, and colors to materialize the worlds and people of her imagination. She loves reading Romance, especially Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, and Paranormal. She never saw herself as an incurable romantic, but lately, that's what she finds herself musing about. Love is found everywhere, regardless of whether it comes from a nice person or an ass—mundane or even vampire.

When she's not busy with work, in front of a computer placing many thoughts in order, she does her best to be creative or relax with a good TV series and snacks. Some of her favorite characters are Lucifer, Jace, Clary, Affton, Cable, Poppy, Zack, Maleficent, and Ariel.

Social media links:

Facebook: @KTCastle.author https://www.facebook.com/KTCastle.author/
Google+: K.T.Castle_author https://plus.google.com/+KTCastle_author
Twitter: @KTCastle_author https://twitter.com/KTCastle_author
Pinterest: KTCastle_author https://www.pinterest.com/KTCastle_author

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Monday, July 23, 2018

The Clock Flower by Barbara Casey - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Barbara Casey will be awarding a $20 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.



Mackenzie Yarborough, one of the three FIGs—Females of Intellectual Genius—finds herself facing a terrifying death of an ancient evil dragon while in China working on a secret research project and trying to discover the truth of her birth parents.














Read an Excerpt:

Dara knew that once she started researching the ancient writing systems and language of Shandong Province, there was no way she was going to waste her time attending her required undergraduate classes when she could be working on her research. Therefore, with Dr. Chu’s permission and using the syllabi she received on the first day of classes, she simply completed all of the course work in advance and turned it in. Most of the professors only wanted a report anyway. “Now with that out of the way, I can turn my full attention to the Longshan period dating 2500-1900 BC and researching the early writing, language, and human sacrifice at the Shang Dynasty capital of Anyang,” she told Mackenzie, Jennifer, and Carolina during another one of their nightly visits by phone.

“I am so impressed, Dara,” said Carolina. “Not surprised that you could do it, but still impressed.”

Jennifer and Mackenzie agreed.

Dara had something else to tell them. “I was going to wait to talk to you about this once I had all of the details worked out, but since Mackenzie might be going to China over our winter break to visit the Yellow Sea Laboratories, I’d better go ahead and let you know what I am thinking.” Then she told them about Dr. Wu inviting her to the small village of Dawenkou in the Shandong Province over the winter break in order to meet the rest of the archeology team and see the dig site and their research facilities. “I was hoping the four of us could go together—check it out. Dr. Wu said you are more than welcome.” She hesitated, and when no one said anything, “Mackenzie, Dr. Wu said that the Yellow Sea Laboratories is also in the Shandong Province and near Dawenkou where the dig site is.”

“That’s right—Ling told me it is in the town of Puli.”

Carolina interrupted, “Did you say Puli?”

“Yeah, have you heard of it?” Mackenzie asked. “I don’t think it is a very big town—Ling calls it a village. It is located on the Yellow Sea, and it is near Qufu where Confucius lived. That is where her family and ancestors are from although she was born in Hawaii. And other than what I am doing at MIT, that is also where the research on the Clock Flower Project is being conducted.”

“Talk about coincidence,” Jennifer mumbled. “Well, I’m in,” but she couldn’t say anything else. The pounding in her chest, the painful heaviness of the rock, and the brilliance of the bright yellow and red took her breath. As the pain eased, she once again heard the delicate tones of the banhu—a little more distinct this time—a few more notes—another measure to be added to the symphony.

Carolina’s heart started to race, and it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Taking little breaths, she managed to say, “That goes for me, too.” Putting her hand on her chest and taking a deep breath, willing her heart to stop pounding, “I’ve never been to China, and this is too good of an opportunity to miss. Maybe they will let us tour the research lab, Mackenzie. And it will be great fun to see an actual working archeology site, Dara.”

But those weren’t the reasons she wanted to go; she knew when it concerned the FIGs, there was no such thing as coincidence. Larry had told her that he believed Mackenzie’s mother was from Puli and that is where she returned after giving birth. Something was happening which she didn’t understand. She had heard her mother’s warning, and she knew she needed to go to China. She needed to be with her girls. And she needed to protect Mackenzie.

About the Author:
Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books where she is involved in acquisitions and day-to-day operations and oversees book production.

Ms. Casey's two middle-grade/young adult novels, Leilani Zan and Grandma Jock and Christabelle (James C. Winston Publishing Co., Trade Division) were both nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award. Shyla's Initiative (Crossquarter Publishing Group), a contemporary adult novel (occult romance/mystery), received a 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and also an award of special literary recognition by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. The Coach's Wife (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a novel for adults (contemporary/mystery), was semi-finalist for the 2005 Dana Award for Outstanding Novel and listed on the Publisher’s Best Seller List. The House of Kane (ArcheBooks Publishing), released in 2007, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination. Another contemporary novel for adults, Just Like Family, was released at Christmas 2009 when it received “Special Recognition from the 7-Eleven Corporation,” and The Gospel According to Prissy, also a contemporary novel written for adults, received a 2013 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Book in Regional Fiction.

The Cadence of Gypsies, a novel written for young/new adults, was released in 2011 and was reviewed by the Smithsonian Institute for its List of Most Notable Books. In 2012, The Cadence of Gypsies was expanded into a four-book mystery series called THE FIG MYSTERIES: The Wish Rider (2016), The Clock Flower (2018), and The Nightjar’s Promise (to be released in 2019).

Ms. Casey also writes book-length nonfiction for adults. Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly was released in 2016 and has been optioned for a major movie. In 2018 her book Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave was released and it has been signed for a major movie.

Ms. Casey's award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction anthologies. Ms. Casey's essays and other works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation). Other award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in both national and international publications including the North Carolina Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.

Ms. Casey is a former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as guest author and panelist. She has served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. She is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and writers’ conferences around the country including the SCBWI Regional Conference, the Harriett Austin Writers Conference in Athens, SIBA (Southeastern Independent Book Sellers Association), Florida Writers Association, and the University of Auburn, Montgomery.

In 2018, Ms. Casey received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with her husband and Benton, a hound mix who adopted her.


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Thursday, July 19, 2018

Bluebonnet Ballerina by Carol Kilgore - Book Blitz and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Carol Kilgore will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Gracie Hofner returns, and chaos reigns—including a couple of ghosts trying to save their granddaughter. But as Gracie dances from problem to problem, she’s unaware the music has been orchestrated into a murderous symphony.

When a different melody reaches Gracie’s ears from a guitar played by the new tenant living in her garage apartment, her tension vanishes. She listens unseen, cocooned in the shadows on her patio, and wonders who he’s longing for—and how it would feel for someone to crave her that much.

She can’t dwell on those thoughts, however. Problems of murder and missing prisoners abound. To say nothing of the ghosts. No one ever said being a law enforcement consultant would be easy.

Bluebonnet Ballerina follows Jalapeno Cupcake Wench and is the second book in The Amazing Gracie Trilogy.





Read an Excerpt:

“I don’t even know where to begin. Oh, yes I do! With this.” Gracie pulled out her phone and found Donovan’s photo. She handed it across.

A smile spread across Ariana’s face. “Look at those eyes. Does this sexy hunk have a name?”

“Donovan Beck.”

“Tell me you like him and he likes you and it’s not some kind of police thing.”

“I thought I liked him, but…”

“Gracie.” Ariana motioned with her fingers for Gracie to tell her more, but Gracie kept her mouth shut. “Come on, spit it out.”

“He’s a good kisser.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I met him on the job, but he wasn’t the reason I was on the job. Bastion sent me to a bakery—Jalapeno Cupcake—and Donovan was there helping his sister. She’s the owner and just had a baby.”

Ariana sipped her water. “Does he know what you do?”

“Sort of.”

“And?”

“He doesn’t like it.”

“Is that why you think you don’t like him?”

Gracie shook her head. “He’s controlling. We went out once—probably not again.”

“Is he really controlling, or is that an excuse?”

“No excuse. A combination of thinking he can tell me how to do my job, spend my time, and even unwarranted jealousy.”

Ariana leaned forward. “Who’s he jealous of?”

“The guy who came to look at your old apartment.”

“I see. Tell me about him.” She smiled again.

“My mother sent him.”

About the Author:
Carol Kilgore is the award-winning author of The Amazing Gracie Trilogy. In addition, she is the author of In Name Only (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FC8OG2), Solomon’s Compass (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C0F8DZ2), and Secrets of Honor (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NH0QTO6), three standalone romantic suspense novels set along the Texas Gulf Coast.

She and her husband live in San Antonio, the setting for the Amazing Gracie books, with two quirky herding dogs who still require help opening the food bin and the door.

You can learn more about Carol and be the first to know when the third book in the Amazing Gracie Trilogy will be released by visiting her website and subscribing to her newsletter at http://www.carolkilgore.net or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolkilgore.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carol_kilgore

Carol is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Forbidden Fires by Bobbi Smith - Book Tour and Giveaway


When Ellen Douglass saves the Union officer from the cold river, she doesn't think this one action will so alter her future. But as Price holds her is his arms, they try to forget that they fight on opposing sides and will be kept forever apart.




Excerpt

On the Mississippi near Memphis
The sound of the Sultana’s explosion brought Ellyn Douglass upright in bed. She ran from her room to find her grandfather already in the hall.
“What was that, Grampa?”
“It may have been a steamer . . .”
They rushed out onto the observation area to see the sky glowing a fiery red in the river’s direction.
“I’ve got to get to town,” he told her.
“I’ll come with you,” Ellyn offered.
“No. Stay here. If I need you, I’ll send word.” He hurried inside to get ready to leave.
Ellyn looked out toward the Mississippi. The steamer was farther south, drifting with the current. She decided at first light she would go down to the river.
At dawn, Ellyn hurried up to the observation area and searched the river for some sign of last night’s disaster. It was then she noticed something caught in a tree. Rushing from the house, she sought out Franklin.
“We have to get on the river right away.”
“Why?”
“Did you hear the explosion last night? I was checking this morning and I think there’s someone trapped in a tree.”
They hurried down to the river dock where the skiff was tied up. They pushed off and headed toward the flooded grove of trees.  
“It’s a man!” Ellyn was shocked by the sight of the lone figure stranded motionless in the treetop.
Franklin maneuvered them in close and awkwardly managed to get the unconscious man into the boat.
“Is he alive?” Ellyn asked as she knelt next to him.
“Seems to be, but he’s cut up pretty bad.”
Ellyn tore off a strip of her petticoat and started to bandage the man’s bloody head wound. Much of his clothing had been ripped away from the force of the blast and he had been burned in several places.  
The man groaned softly, and she reached out to soothe his brow.
“Hang on, mister. . . . Just hang on. . . .”

Guest Post

Writing Tips For New Authors

Hi Everybody!  
I’m Bobbi Smith.  I sold my first book to Zebra in 1982 and have since published more than 40 books.  It’s been a wonderful career.  I knew I wanted to write when I was 10 years old, and I’m thrilled that I got to live my dream.
Now, the reason for my blog- I’m going to share some of the wisdom I’ve gained over the years and I hope it helps you sell your book and write many more!

1.  For your first book, write what you love.  You don’t know if you’ll sell it or not at this stage of your career, so do it strictly for the joy of it.  I wrote my very first book long-hand during my son’s nap time. It took about two and a half years to finish, and I can remember crying when I finished it.  I was working part-time at a bookstore then, and I told my friend at work how I’d finished the book and how I’d cried.  I said to her,  “What am I supposed to do now?”  She gave me the best advice ever.  She replied, laughing, “Sell it and write another one!”  And she was so right!  I was blessed enough to sell my first book.  I learned a lot from that moment.  My publisher said they would buy it if I added another 150 pages to it.  (It was already more than 400 pages long.)  As excited and determined as I was, I did it.  It wasn’t easy using white-out to correct and change things, but the result was my first real book on the bookstore shelf!  A sidebar here – I also learned that the publisher had control over the titles as well.  My title was ‘The Mist And The Dream’.  When copies of the cover showed up in the mail, I discovered my publisher had changed the title to ‘Rapture’s Rage’.    It’s still my favorite book, because I wrote it from my heart.

2.  Be open to new ideas!  My first few books were centered here in the heartland and a very wise editor said to me,  “If you want a career, stop writing about the Mid-West.”  And so was born my thrill to writing westerns.  I grew up loving western TV shows, so I had no problem making cowboys my heroes!  I became know as the ‘Queen of the Western Romance’ at Romantic Times magazine.  What an honor!

3.  Regarding editors, they are very smart.  They know what will sell, and they are always looking for the next great book.  Listen to any advice they may give you and take it for what it’s worth.
  
4.  Make sure you have a friend who will proofread your manuscript for you.  I know time and again, I’ve made mistakes that I missed.  It’s always good to get someone you trust to look over your work.
  
5.  Join a writers’ group.  Authors are a strange bunch of people (who else has all those characters talking in their heads?), but when we all get together we have fun!    It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to plot with.

6.  And last but not least, never give up!  Enjoy every moment of your creativity!  It’s so wonderful to write a story that is all yours!

Good luck to you all!

                                                                  Best, 
                                                                  Bobbi Smith


About the Author

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.

Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists.

When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

You can follow Bobbi on Facebook in the group Bobbi Smith Books.

Bobbi has been awarded the prestigious “Storyteller of the Year” Award from Romantic Times Magazine (New York) and has attained positions on the New York Times Best Seller List, the USA Today Best Seller List, the Walden’s Best Seller List, B. Dalton’s List, and the Wal-Mart and K-Mart Best Seller Lists.

The foreign rights to Ms. Smith’s books have been sold to China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Russia and Sweden. Smith’s current publisher is Amazon. Bobbi has written two faith-based contemporary novels - Haven (https://bobbismithbooks.com/product/haven) and  Miracles (https://bobbismithbooks.com/product/miracles)- using the pseudonym of Julie Marshall.

Copyright © 2018 Bobbi Smith.



Giveaway
Bobbi will be awarding $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder by Mary Cunningham - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Mary will be awarding a $20 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.

Andi’s step-mother is a real piece of work! But is Ruby a murderer?

Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will lead to the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby will be the main suspect.

Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with the charming local sheriff, Manual Rodriquez. After an embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, a chance to check out an eyewitness to the murder leads her to Las Vegas.

In Vegas, a mysterious meeting in the Bodies Exhibition, a body preserving in the prep-room, and an evasive owner of a dance studio, give Andi clues to help Ruby. But when Andi is mercilessly drugged and locked in a storage room, she realizes dear old step-mom isn’t the only one in jeopardy.




Read an excerpt:

“Tell me what’s going on. Slowly, and about fifty decibels lower. Why are you in jail?”

“Well, honey, I’m not sure. Oh, I know what they’re saying, but I didn’t do anything. I swear. Well, at least nothin’ I can remember. You see, it all started on the cruise ship dance floor, quite innocently, mind you.”

“What started?” I located my slippers and shuffled to the bathroom.

“As I was saying before you interrupted, it all started on the dance floor. You know, they play such romantic music on these cruises like, Shadow of Your Smile and Mandy. Oh, don’t you just love Manilow? Well, anyway, Lenny and I were having a lovely time, and he was obviously enamored, if you catch my drift.”

I knew this was a mistake. Still, I asked, “Lenny who?”

“Why, Lenny La Mour, of course!”

I drew a blank.

“Lenny La Mour,” Ruby huffed, “The famous Las Vegas performer? He’s the reason I picked this cruise. He had his own humongous nightclub and everything. Oh, Andi Anna, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of him. Why, women my age swoon at the sound of his voice. But, I suppose your generation only has eyes for that Bon Ami person.”

“Uh, are you, by any chance, talking about Bon Jovi?”

“Well, you know who I mean.”

About the Author:
Author, Mary Cunningham, grew on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.

Childhood experiences, and a recurring dream about a mysterious attic, inspired characters, Cynthia and Augusta Lee, for her award-winning middle-grade series, Cynthia's Attic. The setting is in her childhood home in Southern Indiana. Family stories and ancestors comprise the storylines. There are currently five books in the series: The Missing Locket, The Magic Medallion, Curse of the Bayou, The Magician’s Castle, and Legend of Lupin Woods.

Through a horrifying stint as a travel agent, the character, Andi Anna Jones, travel agent/amateur sleuth, inspired her latest adult mystery series. Book # 1, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder was released Nov. 30, 2017. The author is currently writing Book # 2 of the series, along with another middle-grade series, The Adventures of Max and Maddie, a historical time-travel, and the biography of a former Army brat/University of Connecticut women’s basketball player who started a non-profit foundation to create scholarships for children of deployed veterans.

Cunningham is a member of The Georgia Reading Association, and the Carrollton Writers Guild.

When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.

Review Blurbs for Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!

“If Evanovich's Stephanie Plum were a travel agent, she'd fit right in working this case alongside Andi, a wanna-be detective readers are sure to love.” —Regan Black, USA Today bestselling author of the Escape Club Heroes and Knight Traveler novels.

Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder...WOW. Snappy dialog, quirky characters, opens with a curious bang and yanked me through the pages. A fun, fantastic read. —Jean Rabe, USA Today Bestselling author, Piper Blackwell Mysteries.

“Grab a margarita and hold on tight; you're in for a wild ride.” —Karen MacInerney, Agatha Award nominee and author of the Dewberry Farms Mysteries

“Charming, lively, and unpredictable, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder excels in a vivid story mystery fans will relish.”—Diane Donovan, Senior Editor Midwest Book Review

Purchase Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder:


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My publisher has a special promo going on Smashwords. Through July MM&M is half price. Here's the linkhttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/756600

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Friday, July 13, 2018

Freaking Fast by David Pereda - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. David will be awarding a $20 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.


The city is Asheville, North Carolina, and the year is 2066. As renowned mathematician Alexandra Martin travels in her self-driving car to assassinate the love of her life, she reminisces about how they met and fell in love fifty years earlier in middle school when she was a thirteen year old poor math whiz and he a wealthy teenager. Alex recounts her struggles to be admitted to the best private school in the county, her happy teenage years running track, and her close relationship with three handsome and charming boys: Xavier, the intellectual; Andrew, the golden boy; and Vitali, the suave foreigner. One by one, she visits the three boys of her youth, now successful professionals in their sixties, one of whom is her intended victim.







Read an Excerpt:

Year 2066
8:30am. Asheville, North Carolina

Today I’m going to kill the love of my life.

This deliberate act should not to be misinterpreted for what the sensationalistic media will surely call a crime of passion, because it isn’t. There’s nothing passionate in what I am about to do. My action is premeditated, has been planned for a long time, and will be executed for the benefit of our city, our country, and our crumbling world – as well as for my own peace of mind.

I know people say things they don’t mean all the time, especially when they are stressed out, upset, or angry. People lie either to hurt others or to protect themselves or simply because they like to lie. I swear that every word written here is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. May He also forgive me for this murder I’m about to commit.

I have chosen this date for a reason. Today is my birthday, and the anniversary of our first kiss, fifty years ago. I turn sixty-three years old today. Five decades ago, I would have been considered an old woman at this age, gray-haired and wrinkled, and possibly overweight. But that was then. Nowadays, thanks to the medical advances of the past fifty years, of which I have partaken freely – they’re there, right, so why not make use of them? I’m in the prime of my life. I look and feel not a day over thirty and have the sculpted body, the vigor, and the mental acumen of a highly intelligent woman in her twenties.

When I was a teenager, there was this beautiful model named Cindy Crawford, who in her sixties looked like she was in her late thirties and was an example to women all over the world. She was to me. But the world has evolved, and that was then, and this is now. Were Cindy Crawford alive today she would look like my older sister or maybe my young-looking mother, even though we would both be about the same age.

But I digress. I have, perhaps, too much on my mind. Images of the past keep streaming through my head. I think of the love of my life, him, and wonder what could have been but wasn’t; what was and shouldn’t have been.

I feel like crying as I see my life play out, in black-and-white like an old movie, on the screen of my mind.

About the Author:
David Pereda is the award-winning author of nine novels, including Havana Blues and However Long the Night, as well as the Havana Series of thrillers featuring the dashing Doctor Raymond Peters and the beautiful but deadly Cuban assassin Marcela. He has traveled to more than thirty countries and speaks four languages. Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, David had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, David earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned bachelor degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

He lives in artistic Asheville, North Carolina, with his youngest daughter Sophia, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College. He loves sports and is an accomplished competitor in track and show-jumping equestrian events.




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Thursday, July 12, 2018

Perfect Mistake by Sophia Karlson - Book Tour and Giveaway


Simone Levin had a dream job as a safari pilot until an unexpected pregnancy clipped her wings. Tired of juggling motherhood with her demanding flight schedule, Simone applies for an office job, unaware that her new boss is Carlo Carlevaro, the man who’d ditched her before finding out he’d knocked her up. Carlo returns to East Africa only to kill another fire—Ivory trafficking from his lodges threatens to destroy his company. Finding Simone back on the payroll comes as a pleasant surprise. As his employee, Simone is off-limits, but she is the only one he trusts to help with his undercover investigation. With time running out, Simone and Carlo strive to expose the trafficking ring, but working together rekindles their mutual desire. When Simone is implicated as a trafficker, revealing her daughter’s existence to Carlo seems inevitable. Acting on her instincts might come too late as the syndicate retaliate and hone in their threat. Will they survive to give their love a chance?





Excerpt

Simone went to stand next to him. “Why am I here?” 

He turned to her. The dark shadows under his eyes were somehow more accentuated in the play of lamplight than in the bright sunshine. “Let’s talk somewhere else.” 

“Where do you suggest? The guests are bound to arrive soon and you know we can’t walk around by ourselves after dark.”

“Come to my room.”

She inhaled sharply, her hands clenching into fists. “Is that why I’m here? Do you really think–”

With a soft groan, Carlo curled his fingers around her arm and pulled her onto the deck, away from the other people sitting in the lounge. “To your room then,” he whispered, “although I much prefer mine. And no scenes, if you please.” His hand was a ring of fire around her arm, propelling her to the wooden walkway. 

He walked next to her but let go of her arm. 

A few steps from her tent she stopped. “I don’t care who hears this. If you think we’re going to carry on where we left off four years ago you are very much mistaken.”

He didn’t blink an eye. “You seem to be singularly one-track-minded, Simone.”

Heat rose to her cheeks; it spread down her chest to her treacherous heart, which pounded at the thought of him. Why was he still able to do this to her? Being alone with him was the worst possible idea. 

“Well, if not for that, why march me to my tent as if you would have your way–”

“You may still be devilishly tempting, Simone, but now that I’m your boss you’re completely off limits.” 

Guest Blog

Background of the book

Perfect Mistake is a mismatch of a lot of things that came together over a couple of years. I used to work in the safari tourism industry and got properly hooked on going on safari. I’ve been lucky to have traveled widely, and I can honestly say that the level of safari service I’ve experienced have been unsurpassed anywhere else I’ve been. When you are in the African Bush, in an unfenced camp, people really take care of you and you get thoroughly pampered.
Once on an educational trip for work purposes, we were canoeing on the Zambezi River, when we came across a headless crocodile. Seeing this predator’s body floating down river was so out of tune with the rest of our experience. The ranger then told us that the crocodile was a victim of poaching, and that the poachers left just the body behind. The experience left me quite distraught, and usually, when on safari, the rangers won’t go past carcasses like these with guests. This experience, combined with the increasing rhino horn poaching and elephant poaching for ivory has made my stomach turn for years. Perfect Mistake is my way of adding my voice to the conservation effort – a different way for sure, but just maybe the book will talk to someone out there.
The last puzzle piece for this book is from experience I gathered in Madagascar. The roads there are practically non-existent, and driving 250 kilometers can take an easy eight hours. So we ending up flying from where we stayed to the capital Antananarivo whenever we needed to travel out of Madagascar. Seeing the pilots in action triggered idea for my heroine and hero, who are both pilots in Perfect Mistake. Being a female pilot comes with a few challenges which was really the foundation of my story.



About the Author

Sophia Karlson has lived in France, Germany, East Africa, Madagascar (not the movie, the country) and now finds herself back on home ground in South Africa. As a teenager, she devoured romances with far flung settings, loving to travel through books. After school her itchy feet took her around the world, but now she doesn’t get much further than the school run and the daily walk with her very demanding beagle. She writes contemporary and erotic romance, wanting to take readers on a journey of their own. She loves hearing from readers, follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.karlson.5, Twitter: @SophiaKarlson, on the web at www.sophiakarlson.com.



Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Mistake-Sophia-Karlson-ebook/dp/B07CXWFKQ2


BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfect-mistake-sophia-karlson/1128760824

Giveaway
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

His Untamed Love by Anya Summers - Book Blast and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Anya will be awarding a $15 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.

Visiting the Black Elkhorn Lodge and Resort is Mia Evans’s last option. She’s bordering on a nervous breakdown. Everyone in her life she thought she could count on deserted her. And, to make matters worse, she has the foulest case of writer’s block in the history of the world. She figures getting herself out of the prison her apartment in Chicago has become will help jar her life and her writing out of the rut they are in. But she isn’t prepared for the surly, sexy cowboy – who looks like her every dark fantasy come alive – riding into her life on his trusty steed.

Cole Stewart only loved one woman in all his thirty-five years, until he lost her forever and swore he would never love another. Since then he’s had a revolving door with the subs at his lifestyle club Cuffs & Spurs, all with the unwritten rule that he doesn’t get involved or do relationships of any kind, period. That is, until Mia Evans, the burned-out, anxiety ridden author, needing to get away from her real life, nearly runs him over with her car. Seeing the haunted expression in her gaze and a body he craves, the Dom in him knows he must have her, must taste her and feel her writhing beneath him. But will he be willing to risk his heart for the untamed passion he finds in her arms?



Read an Excerpt

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Mia whispered.

Peering at the craggy mountains, she shifted her vehicle into park and killed the engine. She gawked at the main building of the Black Elkhorn Lodge and Resort, although resort was a term she would use lightly. It was the furthest thing from a resort Mia had ever viewed. Not that she’d vacationed at a plethora of them in her lifetime but at the few she had visited, there had been pools with sexy bartenders ready to refill your beverage, not miles upon miles of untamed wilderness to behold and brave.

Whereas… this?

Mia was about as out of her element as a whale on dry land. What did she actually know about the great outdoors? Nothing. She wasn’t a survivalist or outdoor enthusiast. The closest she’d come in the last few years to the great outdoors was a walk in the park near her apartment. But here, slate gray spears of rock touched the vast blue sky, almost competing with one another in height and savage beauty. Mountain slopes were blanketed with dense forests of pine and evergreen. The mountains surrounded the resort property, which was nestled inside a lush valley with tall grass and rolling fields. The chestnut-colored log cabins were charming, with a rustic appeal, and blended with the land of rugged outdoors.

Mia was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a breathtakingly beautiful land that filled her with hope and was absolutely terrifying—all at the same time. Fear of the unknown, of being lost, abandoned and alone in the wilderness hummed in her system, right in step with the inherent desire to explore the world around her. She understood she was in a panic-inducing conundrum.

Kind of like the rest of her life.

About the Author

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher http://www.maggiemaegallagher.com/. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

Visit her website here:

http://www.anyasummers.com
Visit her on social media here:

http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
http://www.twitter.com/AnyaBSummers
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
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Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
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Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers and Blushing Books!

Dungeon Fantasy Club Series

Her Highland Master, Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Master-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01E9UB8SO/
To Master and Defend, Book 2 https://www.amazon.com/Master-Defend-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01FNG23HI/
Two Doms for Kara, Book 3 https://www.amazon.com/Doms-Kara-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01GXGOAK0/
His Driven Domme, Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Domme-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01IIUY8Y2
Her Country Master, Book 5 https://goo.gl/YWhLqm
Love Me, Master Me, Book 6 https://goo.gl/QlTE9u
Submit To Me, Book 7 https://goo.gl/Or8pYr
Her Wired Dom, Book 8 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRJY9TF

Pleasure Island Series

Her Master & Commander, Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/Master-Commander-Pleasure-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B06Y5SVVB9/
Her Music Masters, Book 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711R9D1H/
Their Shy Submissive, Book 3 https://goo.gl/ufyJLn
Her Lawful Master, Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/Lawful-Master-Pleasure-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B073SRDNNT
Her Rockstar Dom, Book 5 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VSGP8Q
Duets & Dominance, Book 6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TG9RYC
Her Undercover Dom, Book 7 https://goo.gl/HKhVba
Ménage In Paradise, Book 8 https://goo.gl/qce2BD
Her Rodeo Masters, Book 9 https://goo.gl/HDZw6v

Cuffs & Spurs Series

His Scandalous Love releasing March 8, 2018
His Wicked Love releasing May 8, 2018
His Untamed Love releasing July 9, 2018
His Tempting Love releasing September 6, 2018
His Seductive Love releasing November 8, 2018
His Secret Love releasing January 8, 2019
His Cherished Love releasing March 8, 2019
Purchase Links

Amazon https://goo.gl/6KLva3
Nook https://goo.gl/2kZhzM
iBooks https://goo.gl/aJ1E2B

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