Lost and Found by C.M. Sage - Book Tour and Giveaway

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sometimes things are lost for a very long time...and then they are found.

Take Gracie for example, a woman who lost everything, her life, her family, even her name, but now she is a Cathalian warrior of Antecede blessed with powers, which aren't yet fully realized.  Her elder and nemesis, Donavan, finally granted the former professor an opportunity to train a new warrior.  Her joy turns to shock when she meets her great, great, great, great grandson, Henry, accompanied by his wisecracking best friend, Milo.  Henry recognizes his long dead ancestor right away, and it doesn't take the Cathalians long to realize that this meeting was no accident.

Gracie and the warriors of Antecede soon discover that they aren't the only ones laying a claim on their new charges.  Menacing enemies from the South and their hired mercenary assassin, Revilan, the Bowman, have also taken an interest.  Come along with Gracie, Donavan, and their fellow warriors on a perilous quest to protect all that is good and right from the evil that threatens it, and along the way discover what else was lost.

Read an Excerpt

Gracie hadn’t seen Donovan since he rendered her and her charges unconscious, except to sense him speaking to Henry earlier in the day. He appeared to be his normal, arrogant self then, but right now he looked a bit wild. He was truly splendid like an untamed avenger, and she was a little in awe of the warrior coming towards her. Again, it was unfortunate for Gracie that she wasn’t as quick as her little beasties and didn’t think to try making herself scarce. She had never mastered that skill as a mortal or as a warrior. Drama followed her wherever she went. She met Donovan’s stare head on, shoulders back.

He stopped, breathing hard, hands on his hips, not far from where she stood, and now she realized Donovan wasn’t just angry, he appeared almost unhinged, and something else, some other undefined sentiment, which he quickly tried to hide. She caught the emotion with her amplified senses but failed to decipher it before it disappeared. Her elder’s appearance perplexed and confused Gracie. He was pale, and it was no small thing for a man so bronzed to look like a ghost. As if on cue, the wind picked up upon his arrival, and his hair whipped around his face. Donovan held Gracie’s stare until she dropped her eyes because the residual fire in his unnerved her.

Interview

Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

Hmmm…I love listening to music and dancing.  I have several exercise or anthem playlists, and I love to just dance.

What is your favorite quote and why?

I have so many favorites!  But I love Zelda Fitzgerald’s “No one has ever measured (not even poets) how much the heart can hold.”  How can you not love it?  The words and the idea are so beautiful.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Again…so many favorites, but I think Diana Gabaldon.  Outlander just really moved me…I read it over and over again.  I give it to friends.  I think I have three or four copies.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Telling a good story and creating characters that make a person feel something…whether they love them or hate them.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

This is going to sound crazy, but I have no idea.  It just sort of came to me slowly in dribs and drabs.  I didn’t have a big epiphany.

About the Author:

Lost and Found is author C.M. Sage’s first book in the Chronicles of Antecede fantasy adventure trilogy.  She loves writing, reading, and traveling.  Most of all she loves spending time with her beloved family and friends...and yes, that includes her furry friends.  Life would have been much less sunny without them.

Visit the author’s website and subscribe to her newsletter at:

https://cmsage.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/authorcmsage

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cmsage

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4YG6QWW

https://www.amazon.com/C-M-Sage/e/B0B4RQSPTS

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Secrets of a River Swimmer by S.S. Turner - Book Tour and Giveaway

 

Goddess Fish Promotions is organizing a Virtual Book Tour for Secrets of a River Swimmer by S.S. Turner, an Adult Literary Fiction available February 8, 2022 from The Story Plant.

As Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter, he's ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined. And through this journey Freddy's story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?

In the tradition of inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an affecting story of people on the cusp of change.

Read an Excerpt

From Page 21-22

My thoughts drift to picture what life as a gillie must be like. I imagine you start the day by carrying all the fishing equipment your fat and wealthy clients will need for a day of luxurious and fully-catered fishing. You carry everything while they take it easy, and you locate the best spot to fish for the largest possible salmon. Your local knowledge about fishing spots has to be extraordinary. You then set up the fishing rod, position your client in the right spot, and talk them through what they need to do to catch that magic fish they’re all searching for. Of course, your clients are always searching for the largest catch of the season, so they can go home and brag to their friends and family about what skilled fishermen they are. It’s obvious to you, if not to them, that the subtext is being able to sing to the world that they have massive willies, bigger than everyone else’s.

Beyond fishing, you’re forced to listen to whatever the hell it is your clients want to talk about for the eight long hours you’re on the river. Your clients are all obscenely wealthy, so it’s more than likely you’ll hear a lot of moaning about all the small things in life they’d like changed. Many of them will complain about local wind farm developments, council plans to develop their neighborhood, and, of course, the big one: immigration. They all believe immigrants are responsible for all the problems in the world. These people are your quintessential NIMBYs, and will always complain about progress if it affects them in any way, no matter how minor. You do whatever you can to bring the conversation back to fishing because it’s an easier conversation for you, and less productive grounds for their complaining. They’re slowly sucking the life out of you with their negativity, so you carefully select your words to bring the conversation onto a more positive pathway. And, of course, your ultimate back-up plan, as it is for many British people, is to pull out the ultimate conversation filler when you’re at rock bottom: the weather. Yes, it’s a desperate move and the equivalent of holding up a white flag, but needs must.

Interview

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

I’m generally happy being me these days. But I’ve had days I wished I was someone else when I was younger. On those days, I always wished I was Superman, but Superman from the eighties when he had a sense of humor and his underwear was far too tight to pass as good dress sense. I love the idea of flying in to save the day and making everyone’s lives better whilst also providing them with a giggle or two before I fly away.

What did you do on your last birthday?

I got up at the crack of dawn and headed to a nearby beach with my golden retriever Mia who passed away a few months ago. Mia was my best friend so all memories with her in them are special. On my birthday, we went for a long beach run together followed by a glorious swim in the ocean. Mia rolled on the sand with so much joy that day. After the beach, I met my wife Jess for a lovely lunch at a local café. It was a great day.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

I love most of the writing process! However, the most challenging part for me is editing the sections of the first draft which clearly need to change. I know which sections fall into this category because they don’t energize me as much as they should when I read them back. The famous advice to “kill your darlings” is exactly what it feels like when I delete those large sections of writing which appear to be friends who so wanted to make the cut but didn’t. I often feel a tinge of sadness as I bid them farewell for the greater good.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Not often but I’ve experienced it a few times. It’s like someone is patting you on the back and telling you to leave the writing alone for the day because you’re a liability. I’ve always found being physically active to be a great way to get the little grey cells moving again when writer’s block strikes like that. When I’m in the depths of physical exhaustion during and after a long run I’m always amazed by way the ideas start to flow again.

Tell us about your latest release.

Secrets of a River Swimmer is a fictional novel about change and finding meaning in life.

It starts with the main character Freddy gazing at a majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter. He's ready to jump in and end his less than fulfilling life. But what happens next is not what he expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy begins a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined on dry land. And through this journey, Freddy's story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?

The novel shares a number of key themes with The Alchemist and Life of Pi in that it’s an exploration of the pathway we all follow towards living a meaningful life.

About the Author:

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn't align with his values. In recent years, he's been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations. He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens.

https://www.thestoryplant.com/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

Buy Links:

Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JWTK3WN/

B&N- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer-s-s-turner/1139673873 

AppleBooks- https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/id1591209788

Indigo- https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/9781611883213-item.html

Kobo- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

Giveaway

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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Goddess of the Wild Thing by Paul DeBlassie III - Book Tour and Giveaway

Winner of the Independent Press Award and the NYC Big Book Award for Visionary Fiction!

Eve Sanchez, a scholar of esoteric studies, is driven into unreal dimensions of horror and hope as she encounters a seductive and frightening man, criminal lawyer Sam Shear.

Sam introduces Eve to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life. Struggling to sort through right from wrong, frightened yet determined, Eve nears despair.

Goddess of the Wild Thing reveals the dramatic tale of one woman’s spiritual journey where metaphysical happenings, unexpected turns of fate, and unseen forces impact her ability to love and be loved.

In the magical realm of Aztlan del Sur, a mythopoeic land of hidden horrors and guiding spirits, Eve, with three friends and a wise old woman, is caught in an age-old struggle about love—whether bad love is better than no love— and discovers that love is a wild thing.

Excerpt

“Shirley spoke up, “Maybe we just gotta give it up and say there’s no good out there and no damn good men.” Shirley spat on the sidewalk, as she was prone to do when attitudes turned south and a pissed-off mood overrode a physician’s reserve. A petite woman, hovering around five-foot-three, she was a spitfire to friends and foes. Her red hair was a fine match for her spicy temperament. She never hesitated to snap her tongue, making an envious woman or cocky man shrivel and long to crawl into a nearby hole and cry. Shirley lived as a healer and a warrior, a woman who cared tenderly for the hurting and raged viciously at pretense and abuse.  

Eve, Shirley, and two other friends, Tanya and Samantha, were plagued by man troubles the way pollution settles in during dusty days and humid nights in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of Aztlan del Sur. They were four esteemed professional women who could have any man they chose. Yet time and again, they went for the lower, the bad, the  worst. They sabotaged the good, the permanent. Commitment was a frightening consideration for four women who’d suffered childhoods of parental dysfunctional neglect and split-ups. They often quipped, “We found each other because like finds like.” Tonight, Eve’s troubles were front and center. She’d done it again or at least worried she had. The glitch in the man was in the type she attracted: charmers—striking and untrue. Suffering had begun. Time was critical. To stick it out or get out was her dilemma.  Things with a new man had taken a terrifying turn.”

Interview

What should readers expect when they pick up your book?

Readers say Goddess of the Wild Thing transports you into an amazing spiritual journey exploring the power of fate and love.

What inspired you to write this book?

As a psychotherapist with over thirty years of treating survivors of bad love, I was jettisoned out of nonfiction to tell a tale of relationship horrors and human transformation.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

In Goddess of the Wild Thing, there’s a pivotal scene in which a wise old woman struggles against evil, a sacrifice needed before a young woman finds her path on her quest for love 

What are your future ambitions?

I’m finishing my third metaphysical thriller, Goddess of Everything, a tale of mother love gone bad and the need to break free.

The best book/s you ever read?

I’m always reading the best book! Tim Prasil’s Guilt is a Ghost, Isobel Balckthorne’s The Unlikely Occultist, The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates rank #1 among my current reads. As for what has an abiding spot on my desk, it’s Algernon Blackwood’s The Complete John Silence Stories — a wellspring of inspiration and revolutionary thought.

How long have you been writing?

Writing and psychotherapy have been my gigs for thirty-five years. The past five years have seen the publication of my metaphysical thrillers, The Unholy and Goddess of the Wild Thing. Goddess of Everything, a thriller of mother love gone bad and the need to break free, is coming out in 2020!

Anything else you might want to add?

It’s a thrill to be featured on your blog today, and I hope Goddess of the Wild Thing spins the phantasmagoric yarn your readers will find provocative and hopeful for matters of life and love.

Thanks...

About the Author


Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico. He specializes in treating individuals in emotional and spiritual crisis. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, Visionary Fiction Alliance, Depth Psychology Alliance, International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.

Website: pauldeblassieiii.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Wild-Thing-Paul-DeBlassie-ebook/dp/B07656JLNR

Giveaway

Paul DeBlassie III will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Alice, a Memoir by Alice Gilmore - Book Tour and Giveaway

Few, if anyone, could have had a life like Alice Gilmore. It was almost unbelievable yet carried on under the cover of a respectable middle-class existence.

You might strongly disapprove of what she did, but Alice was determined. She overcame insurmountable obstacles to keep the love she longed for.

Her single-minded fight to live out her love makes a gripping, riveting story that one eminent literary person called ‘staggeringly readable’. It is shocking. Her methods will upset some, but are you with her or against her? Your decision.

This is no misery memoir. It’s a story told with joy, wit and fervour – the astonishing story of the overwhelming love Alice Gilmour was determined to live out.

Excerpt

And then one day he was gone. 

A whey-faced professor and his wife, both good friends, knocked on my door and practically pushed me back into the house out of sight of anyone (not that anyone could see our front door from the road) to tell me that David had been shot dead while giving a lecture at the university. A student had come into the room waving a gun and looking for some girl he loved who had dumped him in favour of a female and then come out about her lesbianism. The gunman, already clearly unbalanced, had got a lot of ribbing about his inadequacy in causing her to change sides, so he was after both of them. They were in David’s lecture. He wanted to shoot them in front of the whole class, lesbian seducer first, former girlfriend to watch it before getting hers. All this came out later when it emerged that he had told his roommate what he was going to do and the wretched roommate had simply not taken this wimp seriously. He didn’t even own a gun but that was quickly remedied with some dollars and a driver’s licence. 

David knew the gunman well and as people dived for cover suggested he sit down if he had come for the lecture. He was reported as saying, ‘Howie, why don’t you give that to me, sit down and pay attention? You could use some of what we’re dealing with here.’ When this failed he stood between the gunman and the students and continued to try to talk him down. He was, apparently, having some success when a female voice shouted in fear, ‘Why don’t you fuck off, you inadequate creep?’

Interview

Do you have any tattoos?  Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

Absolutely not, none. Apart from the visual aspects of tattooing the idea of sticking needles into myself for fun repels me. I hate the thought of any sort of needle or anything like that being stuck into me. It makes me quiver with horror. I always have to look away when even a drop or two of blood is being taken from my arm. To subject myself to perhaps hours of it revolts me. It isn’t the pain involved. It is something else. I always say that there is no fear of my ever becoming a heroin addict. The needles render it out of play.

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Roughly the same. The big change was ten years ago when my husband, the love of my life, was killed. Before that the world was a completely beautiful place. Since then it can only ever be partially beautiful; there will always be a reserve of pain in part of me.

How long have you been writing?

In small amounts, for the last fifteen to twenty years.  I had one very busy period after my husband was killed to try to get my memoir finished in case the truth about my life leaked somehow to my children. I wanted my version in their minds first.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

If you don’t actually physically enjoy it, then don’t. If you do, it is a glorious way to spend your time and your mind. Just go for it no matter what.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

I can’t. Not because the blurb has everything. It doesn’t. It is because there are certain aspects of this story that should be revealed as you read it. I hope that anyone who is thinking of reading the book is on spoiler alert and that reviewers don’t blow the important core of the story but they will. It only takes one short sentence. But what looks like the central matter actually isn’t. That is simply a means to an end. The theme of my story is… but I cannot say it until you have read it. It is there on the page, not the obvious one that will get the publicity but a more subtle one that runs parallel with the one that will be talked about.

About the Author

If you want to know about my life and background read this book. I can scarcely add to what I have written about myself in there. I earnestly hope that the rest of my life is too uneventful to even consider writing anything else, I am no novelist. The life I have described was full enough and rich enough for me. God knows what I would come out with if I had to invent. If you find you need a good chef I shall consider anything not too energetic – which rules out most jobs in the kitchen.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/100110001-alice-gilmore

https://www.facebook.com/alice.gilmore.92775

https://twitter.com/AlicetheWife1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alice-a-memoir-alice-gilmore/1131732791

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/940716

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/alice-a-memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Memoir-Gilmore-ebook/dp/B07S8HK65K/

Giveaway

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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The Road to Reality by Dianne Burnett - Book Tour and Giveaway

Get ready to laugh. Get ready to cry. Get ready for a whirlwind of an adventure. Settle in for a powerful, poignant story of inner strength and courage-and get a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Survivor, the world's most popular reality show.

Spinning their mutual love of exotic adventure into gold, Dianne Burnett and her former husband, TV producer Mark Burnett, co-created Eco-Challenge, an expedition-length racing event televised on Discovery Channel that catapulted them into the arena of reality TV and set the stage for Survivor-a modern-day Robinson Crusoe with a million-dollar prize. But Dianne and Mark's fairytale marriage did not survive their Hollywood success . . . she found herself left behind, her contributions unrecognized. She lost her partner in life and began to lose her identity. In that experience, she found an opportunity to grow.

A fascinating, fast-paced, heart-warming "page-turner," The Road to Reality takes readers on a roller-coaster ride-complete with a zesty romance, as well as the ups and downs of going for your dreams-while it imparts the lessons learned as Dianne discovers what really matters in life is something beyond fortune and fame.

Excerpt

“Di, imagine us rafting down those,” Mark said, pointing at the foaming, churning waters as the helicopter suddenly dipped lower. I looked down at the rushing Colorado river tipped with whitecaps. No, thanks. Just flying around in a helicopter was plenty daring for me. I pulled baby James tighter, and resumed my silent chanting of The Lords Prayer, my typical pastime when in whirlybirds.

“And over there,” Mark said, pointing to looming cliffs, “they’ll repel 1,000 feet down feet down the sheer faces.” I imagined sliding down a rope that stretched the length of the Empire State Building and shuddered. It was the spring of 1994, and James and I had flown to Utah to be with Mark on the latest phase of planning for our first Eco-Challenge already being billed as “the toughest adventure race in the world.”

Interview

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

No.

Do you have any phobias?

Claustrophobia.

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

Yes.

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

Yes. It helps in editing.

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

I am the main character.

About the Author

Dianne Burnett is an author, producer, and actor of stage and screen. She is also a philanthropist and entrepreneur. Dianne and her ex-husband, Mark Burnett, joined their creative forces to invent Eco-Challenge, the impetus for Survivor, which kickstarted America’s reality-television show craze and went on to become the longest-running and most lucrative reality TV series of all time.

Following the success of Survivor, Dianne produced and acted in the stage play Beyond Therapy at the Santa Monica Playhouse, served as Executive Producer of the indie film Jam (which won Best Narrative Feature at the Santa Fe Film Festival), and acted in Everybody Loves Raymond. In memory of her mother, Joan, who lost her battle with esophageal cancer in 2010, Dianne formed Joan Valentine—A Foundation for Natural Cures, a nonprofit organization that serves as a resource for those seeking alternatives to traditional medicine.

She also recently launched a multimedia platform and social network: called theotherside.com, it explores alternative views on everything from relationships to health. Formerly of New York, Dianne now lives in Malibu, California, with her family.

LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/TheRoadToReality/

https://dianneburnett.com/

Buy Links: 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Journey-Real-Life-Survivor/dp/1401941001

Giveaway
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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Piper Robbin and the American Oz Maker by Warwick Gleeson - Book Tour and Giveaway

WORLD WAR OZ from coast to coast.

An adult fantasy that takes one of America's favorite tales and transforms it into a dark and epic landscape few can escape much less understand. Imagine Potter meets Avengers in Emerald city and you're getting close.

After a homicidal alien from Orion arrives on Earth intent on annihilating human life, the 21st century's greatest sorcerers create a network of seven Oz-like city worlds designed to harbor the human race in a newly formed utopia while also protecting it from the alien entity. But the alien is far more magically powerful than anyone suspected. Piper Robbin, ancient daughter of the Earth's greatest sorcerer inventor, Edison Godfellow, must sacrifice all to defeat the implacable force that calls itself "The Witch Queen of Oz," and quickly, before Earth becomes only a cold cinder floating among the stars.

Excerpt

Suddenly outside on the street, she stood facing in the direction of the Cambodian take-out, her entire nervous system tingling and parts shaking as if with Parkinson’s due to the abrupt teleportation against her will. The night fell black and splattered with garish light. She looked up to see the Wall Street corpse directly above her, and she swore he was staring down with an oafish mocking expression as if he knew something she did not. Then the ground quaked, and like balloons filled with molten glass, every window in her apartment building exploded. The shrieks of burning people next. How many she did not know, but she knew she must save them. 

     

Before Piper could act, a whip of turbulent energy uncoiled like a sun flare from her living room window eight stories above. She observed the Wall Street corpse nearby disintegrate into a memory of burning sparks. She immediately recognized the nature of the force—a Tao magical wavelength strong as a thunderstorm yet contained, compressed to a small vortex, and potent enough to kidnap half of Brooklyn.

Interview

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

My best imaginary friend was a female, and she was strong, beautiful, and smart. Her emotions and mental faculties and integrity were the polar opposite of my own mother—with whom I had a bad relationship that never resolved. My imaginary friend actually respected me, and as I grew older, I fell in love with her as we continued to seek adventure in the Twilight Zone. 

Do you have any phobias?

Up until my early twenties I had a bizarre fear of mannequins. I could not get within a few feet of a store mannequin. I would get an inexplicably uncomfortable feeling, a variation of dread that’s hard to describe. It gradually faded as I aged. It’s not an issue now. I never understood it. Was I frightened by a mannequin as a tot?

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

Absolutely not, just too distracting for me. 

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

I’ve found an excellent line editing technique is to read the work out loud, or at least hear the voice in your mind and throat, and while pretending you are giving a reading with your favorite authors and your worst enemies in the audience. Your brain will highlight the necessary edits, and quite often, ones you would never have noticed otherwise.

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

Piper Robbin is a blend of elements, a fusion of who I could be (if female) with others I’ve known—a observations, quirks, hopes and dreams, reactions to both horror and absurdity. Her ultimate desire is survival, for herself, her loved ones, and others. She wishes to do the right thing, and yet, in the course of events, must constantly balance acts of good and evil. Despite her tremendous powers, she is human at the core, and therefore fallible and given to bouts of pettiness, error, and delusion. She is also a duality of flashy and innocuous. She can be either, as the moment dictates. She wishes to begin a new life, to see things from a new perspective, but fate dictates otherwise.

About the Author

Warwick Gleeson is a dedicated writer of screenplays, short stories, novels, and poetry. He has lived in both LA and NYC and worked many different jobs in his life, everything from roofer to waiter to small business owner to government analyst. He was the major writer, creator, and senior story editor for another project published by Del Sol Press called "War of the World Makers" that debuted in 2017. The novel has since won four national novel awards (two first place and two place) for SFF. Warwick is a big fan of great SFF television writing, like the kind you find in Emerald City, Gotham, The Expanse, and Umbrella Academy. He now lives in Tuscon, AZ, with a fat lazy cat and his most wonderful wife who is also a writer.

https://www.amazon.com/Warwick-Gleeson/e/B07QJ8L9BF

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19036873.Warwick_Gleeson

The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour

Giveaway

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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The Hierophant's Daughter (Disgraced Martyr Trilogy #1) by M. F. Sullivan - Book Tour and Giveaway

By 4042 CE, the Hierophant and his Church have risen to political dominance with his cannibalistic army of genetically modified humans: martyrs. In an era when mankind's intergenerational cold wars against their long-lived predators seem close to running hot, the Holy Family is poised on the verge of complete planetary control. It will take a miracle to save humanity from extinction.

It will also take a miracle to resurrect the wife of 331-year-old General Dominia di Mephitoli, who defects during martyr year 1997 AL in search of Lazarus, the one man rumored to bring life to the dead. With the Hierophant's Project Black Sun looming over her head, she has little choice but to believe this Lazarus is really all her new friends say he is--assuming he exists at all--and that these companions of hers are really able to help her. From the foulmouthed Japanese prostitute with a few secrets of her own to the outright sapient dog who seems to judge every move, they don't inspire a lot of confidence, but the General has to take the help she can get.

After all, Dominia is no ordinary martyr. She is THE HIEROPHANT'S DAUGHTER, and her Father won't let her switch sides without a fight. Not when she still has so much to learn.

The dystopic first entry of an epic cyberpunk trilogy, THE HIEROPHANT’S DAUGHTER is a horror/sci-fi adventure sure to delight and inspire adult readers of all stripes.

Excerpt

VII

The Light Rail

Cassandra’s absence was not her first discovery. That was her (officially) broken watch, whose blank face reflected her own bleary one. Then came the porter’s uniform, folded beside her unconscious body with such tight creases it looked as if it had been ironed: it smelled like the lavender of the woman who had pinned her against the cool metal of the train car to multiply the current’s kick. That, plus the ache in her stiff muscles, meant the woman was no hallucination. Dominia had escaped Japan, and now had a whole new level of problems. Who was she? Miki Soto. A card sat atop the uniform, its front embossed with a black-petaled, red-outlined lotus. Familiar symbol, but one she couldn’t place in her post-electric haze. She sat up to rub her head and neck with a pained sigh that turned into suffocation as her hand found the necklace gone from her throat.

Her palms were wet with sweat beneath her gloves. She stripped them off to feel around on her chest, then cried out to confirm Cassandra gone. Up the General sprang, then back down on hands and knees in search of her beloved’s remains. No trace.

Dominia knew where she was: with that same woman who had left the uniform. A disguise for the train, in exchange for her wife’s body. Cassandra! Oh, poor Cassandra, forever dying in Dominia’s mind, much as she forever stood in her flowing black dress, whose lace she smoothed while they waited outside the throne room of the Hierophant. Telling her, “You look beautiful, don’t worry; you’re so smart and funny, everyone will love you.”

Interview

Do you have any tattoos?  Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

You know it! I have three tattoos, all literary quotes. I’d like to be covered in them, but they’re pretty expensive, so I’m waiting for The Disgraced Martyr Trilogy to come out to get the next! One, a quote from Ginseberg’s poem “America”, is on the front of my shoulder; the other two are Charles Bukowski poems: one on my forearm and one on my left bicep. The Ginsberg one has been with me since I was in Ohio, when I was nineteen; one of the Bukowskis (“the price of creation is never too high”, from the poem “final story”) was actually a gift from a friend about two years after. About two years after that I got the Bukowski poem “art” tattooed in its entirety, since it’s so short. Both Bukowskis were done in Tucson, at two different parlors—the second one on my lunch break from managing the office of the window and door company I worked for!

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Not really…three years ago would be the even better question! Back then I was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Tucson with my ex-boyfriend in a really crumby situation. Struggling to balance working and writing…every writer knows how it is. I’m doing much better now, my life has completely turned around. The magic of literature, I think. It brought me a very fine, different boyfriend, a very fine home, a very fine cat…I’ve even gone to the gym and quit smoking cigarettes in the past three years! 

How long have you been writing?

Since I could hold a pen! I wrote my first coherent short story in third grade but in second grade, every Wednesday was writing day, where we had to sit at our desks and make little picture books…I was by far the most prolific in the class. Doomed from the start! Then, in middle school, I tried (and failed) to write my first novel, but at the age of fifteen, I discovered NaNoWriMo, and that was it. I was stealing time in my high school’s computer lab to write, writing on days off, writing while home sick (sometimes “sick”), writing in class, writing in bed. I’ve written…I don’t know, fifteen or sixteen novels including my short and undesirable ghostwriting career, twenty if you include the failed drafts of Delilah, My Woman written from scratch each time. This book, The Hierophant’s Daughter, is coming out on my 28th birthday, which means I’ve been writing novels for close to half my life by now. I’m positive I’ve written 1,000,000 words by this point, and as for hours spent, if it’s not already 10,000, it’s very close. 

Some might say I’m mentally ill, but I prefer ‘dedicated’.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Make it part of your routine, no matter what—and don’t ever let anybody convince you to settle, either for being less than the writer you want to be, or for producing a work that’s beneath you.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

A secret cabal of prostitutes called the Red Market starts to play a pretty significant role in this book, but doesn’t reveal its true importance until BOOK II, THE GENERAL’S BRIDE. Oh—and keep an eye on that dentist! 

About the Author

M.F. Sullivan is the author of Delilah, My Woman, The Lightning Stenography Device, and a slew of plays in addition to the Trilogy. She lives in Ashland, Oregon with her boyfriend and her cat, where she attends the local Shakespeare Festival and experiments with the occult. Find more information about her work (and plenty of free essays) at https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com!

Author Links:

Blog: https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TheRealMFS

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/M.-F.-Sullivan/e/B013DDEQVE

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14199461.M_F_Sullivan

Buy/Review Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hierophants-Daughter-M-F-Sullivan/dp/0996539565

NetGalley: http://netgal.ly/AYYlKV

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42921564-the-hierophant-s-daughter

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hierophants-daughter-m-f-sullivan/1129918390

Giveaway

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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Soul of the Storm by Jean M. Grant - Book Tour and Giveaway

Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to rustic Vermont with a friend—where she's surrounded by reminders of her devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.

Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He's never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.

Thrown together by coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the pain of the past?

Excerpt

Charlotte sat on the top porch step instead of in a rocker. Her breath puffed in a misty cloud before her as she waited. Again, the scent of a fire from the back pit infused the air. She traced the knots in the planks of the porch with the toe of her shoe, ignoring her thudding pulse. Matiu shuffled through the side door. She rose to help him with the cups. 

“Hi.” 

“Kia ora,” he said, smile deep and teeth bright beneath the lamps. “It’s colder tonight.” 

“You need a jacket,” she said with a nod to his thinner long-sleeved top that clung nicely to his muscles. 

“I’ll sit closer to you. Nice quilt.” 

“I’m always cold. I won’t have much heat to share.” 

“Logging in my assessment file.” He tapped his temple. 

She shivered from nerves as he settled beside her on the top step. 

“Ya know, we could have tea inside,” he suggested. 

“What about consorting? Besides, I like the clear sky and fresh air. Night is my time.”

He nodded. “Ah, clear skies are amazing. I prefer morning. Not sure about tomorrow. Neil’s sick with the flu, and so is Kelly. They work on the search and rescue team, and Kelly also does mucking with us for the US Forest Service. Seems like the germs haven’t left for the season.” 

“Nor the cold temps. Both tend to bite us in the ass in April.” 

“I was serious. You going to share that quilt with me?” He inched closer. 

“Nope. Get your own.” 

He pressed a hand to his heart. “Shot down!” Tea splashed as his laugh vibrated. 

Her pulse quickened with the idea of sharing warmth with him. 

He said, “I’m knackered. That paddle got me sore. Bit more wind today than I’d expected.” 

“You’re not the only one.” 

He was so close. She subtly inhaled his natural scent. She couldn’t place it. Probably his shampoo… combined with sweat and cooking oils. They sat quietly, unsure what to say next. His nearness upset her equilibrium. She drank the tea.

Interview

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

I adore New Zealand and live in New England. I wanted my characters from both places. I also love to hike, have some heartache in my past (I lost my sister young), and I just sat down one day and churned this idea onto paper. I submitted the idea to my editor and the rest is history. It’s interesting how real life (and our imagination) can inspire us. I don’t usually have a set specific moment when I get inspired, but rather my stories are overlapping memories, life experiences, or ideas generated from visiting places, speaking to people, or daydreaming. This one though came fast and easily.

What 5 words would you use to describe your main characters?

Oh, I’ll dig out my Character Development charts for this one! I enjoy spending a good deal of time with my characters before I even type the first word of the story. I make charts, analyze their backstory, and dig into their goals, motivation, conflict, emotional wounds, mannerisms, and many other things.

Matiu Christiansen: spiritual, restless, outdoor enthusiast, ambitious, competent, even-keeled, but messy! (Okay that was more than 5)

Charlotte MacGregor: Practical, guilt-ridden, over-organized, reliable, naturalist.

Some of my characters are like fire and water: opposites attract! But in this case, I had more overlapping commonalities that naturally brought these two together.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

I am an outdoors lover, so all those outdoorsy scenes: climbing a rocky cliff beside a waterfall, kayaking the Mad River, and the final rescue scene up the Long Trail.

The best book/s you ever read?

Outlander! All of them, including the novellas.

What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller?

Voice and character(s) we can relate to. The real/rawness to some characters or plot lines. Of course, I do appreciate a good mystical or paranormal adventure, too. It all comes down to characters, and a polished manuscript with relational writing. We want to be inspired. We want to be swept away or cry. We want to close the book with a sigh of completion and connection.

Have you started your next project?

Always! I am juggling the promotion of three books coming out each a month apart (don’t ask…I did not plan this, but I am riding this fun wave!). I’m writing the third book in my historical trilogy and have an idea percolating for a mainstream/upmarket edgy women’s fiction.

Anything else you might want to add?

Thanks for hosting me!

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About the Author


Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.

Social Media links:

Website   https://www.jeanmgrant.com/

Twitter   https://twitter.com/JeanGrant05

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/jeanmgrantauthor/

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16582543.Jean_M_Grant

Bookbub  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jean-m-grant

Amazon Author Page  https://www.amazon.com/Jean-M.-Grant/e/B0728KFXP9/

Giveaway

Jean M. Grant will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Oh, Baby! by Jill Blake - Book Tour and Giveaway

Lena Shapiro. Successful surgeon. Dutiful daughter. She sacrificed her personal life to build her career and take care of her mother and sister. Now thirty-nine and single, she watches her peers pairing off and having kids, and wonders if she missed out on her own chance at happiness.

Assigned to mentor a visiting colleague, Lena finds herself falling for the man instead. But Adam Sterling is all wrong for her: he’s too young, too arrogant, and too willing to push personal and professional boundaries. And he’s leaving L.A. for a job on the opposite coast.

With the date of Adam’s departure looming ever nearer, will Lena retreat to the safety of her familiar solitary life, or will she take a chance on an uncertain future with the man who might make her dreams come true?

(Please note: This is a steamy contemporary romance that contains mature themes and explicit content, meant for adults 18 and over. It is a stand-alone novel, with no cliff-hangers, and a guaranteed HEA.)

Excerpt

Copyright © 2019 by Jill Blake

Adam folded his arms across his chest, blocking her way. “The world won’t grind to a halt if you cut back your hours or take a day off once in a while.”

“I know that,” Lena said, glancing at the clock. “I’ll make some adjustments. But right now I feel fine, and I still have patients to check on.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re still hooked up to an IV.”

“Which the nurse is about to remove. Dr. Goodman said I’m good to go. He didn’t specify where.”

“Because any reasonable person getting discharged from the ER would go home.”

“I’ll go home after I finish rounding,” she said.

He glared at her, then cursed, pivoted on his heel, and strode out of the room.

Lena stared at the privacy curtain that continued to sway in his wake.

Where was the feeling of triumph at having won the argument? She should be glad that Adam was finally gone. But all she felt was deflated. 

“Here we are,” the nurse said, bustling in with a clipboard. “We’ll go over your discharge instructions after I get that IV out.”

Minutes later, Lena was alone again, pulling on her clothes. There was a cursory knock, followed by the squeak of wheels.

“Your carriage, Princess.” Adam pushed the wheelchair toward her.

She blinked against the prickle of tears. Damned hormones. “I can walk.”

“Not to your car,” he said. “Hospital policy.”

“But—”

“Your patients are all taken care of,” he said. “Your partner will see the post-ops shortly. He said you should go home, and congratulations on the pregnancy.”

Interview

Tell us about your book, what inspired it?

Oh, Baby! addresses an issue that is particularly close to my heart. Specifically, the difficulty of achieving work-life balance.

Doctors spend years in school and then in training before becoming full-fledged attending physicians. During this time, we often work 80-120 hours a week, sacrificing our personal lives and relationships in the process. In some medical fields, this kind of brutal work schedule persists well beyond the training period. 

Oh, Baby! deals with the consequences of this unforgiving lifestyle. The heroine, Lena Shapiro, is a successful surgeon who suddenly realizes that she’s thirty-nine, single, childless, and facing a very lonely future if she doesn’t do something drastic to change her life. Assigned to mentor a visiting colleague, she finds herself falling for the man instead. But Adam Sterling is all wrong for her: he’s too young, too arrogant, and too willing to push personal and professional boundaries. And he’s leaving town in a few months to pursue a job on the opposite coast. 

This is a romance, so Lena and Adam eventually get their happily-ever-after. But how they get there is a whole other story…

What is your favorite scene in the book?

It’s about a third of the way in. Adam, the hero, has just been rebuffed by the heroine. He phones his older sister, Amanda, to get some insight into the female psyche. What he gets is an earful of the chaos that Amanda, a mom of three, is struggling to contain. You can read an excerpt of this scene on my website.

How long have you been writing?

Writing – since I could hold a pencil. I am happy to report that those early efforts have all been destroyed. 

Publishing contemporary romances – since 2013.

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

I’d like to keep on writing, and keep on publishing, and maybe when the kids are grown and I can retire from medicine, I can turn to writing full-time.

What’s something unusual or fun that most people don’t know about you?

I speak Russian, as well as a smattering of French and Hebrew. Oh, and medical Spanish—which means I can’t give you directions to Pasadena en español, but I can ask you where the pain is. On second thought, even if my Spanish were better, I’d still have trouble giving you directions, because I am what they politely call “geographically challenged.”

Anything else you might want to add?  

I love hearing from readers! You can contact me through my website or via Facebook

To sign up for giveaways and get notified when I have a new book out, you can sign up for my  newsletter.

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About the Author


A native of Philadelphia, Jill Blake now lives in southern California with her husband and three children. During the day, she works as a physician in a busy medical practice. At night, once the charts are all done and the kids are asleep, Jill writes steamy romances with smart heroines, sexy heroes, and guaranteed happy endings.

Website: https://www.authorjillblake.com/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/UMZZ9

FB:  https://www.facebook.com/jill.blake.3386

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00B1ZIHKS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6899971.Jill_Blake

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jill_blake_

Book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour

Oh, Baby! (A Prescription: Romance! Book) - https://amzn.to/2SLCaZ2

Giveaway

Jill Blake will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway