Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Exile in Darkness by Annalisa Carr - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Annalisa Carr will be awarding a $30 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.

Heritage and magic matter to the London covens. Aristocratic witch, Isabella Pethany, has heritage but not magic.
Underworld powerbroker, amnesiac vampire Maldit, has magic but no heritage.
Lukas Sindis, coven sorcerer and famous psychopath, has both.

Isabella’s null magic status makes her an embarrassment to her family, but since her sister was murdered, she is all they have left. Guilt makes her willing to do almost anything to compensate for her lack of value, but her grandmother’s proposal to match her with Lukas, in a bid to bring strong magic back to their bloodline, is a step too far.

When Maldit rescues a strange witch from hunting vampires, his main concern is to limit trouble in his territory. Witches are notoriously troublesome, and this one is no exception. Her proximity slashes through his damaged memory, allowing him to catch glimpses of his forgotten past.

Drugs have suppressed Lukas’s magic for almost twenty years, filling him with a reservoir of trapped power. When he escapes, his magic bursts free, falling like a tidal wave on Maldit and Isabella, sweeping away the spells paralysing both of them.

The dark secrets of the London coven are about to explode into the light of day.



Read an Excerpt:

Isabella? Isabella Pethany?

Whispers of her own name floated through her mind. She pushed the pillow aside and sat up, pressing her hands against her ears. It didn’t stop the insistent repetition of her name.

Someone called to her, but who would do a thing like that at this hour of the morning? The family would all be asleep by now, and the only servant awake should be the doorman.

Her imagination was running riot. She lay down, closing her eyes, but the feeling of being summoned didn’t go away.

Isabella. Isabella. Isabella.

Her name echoed around her skull, louder now.

She sat up abruptly. Next to her, Alfie stirred, growling in his sleep. She ran the palm of her hand over his shaggy flank and switched the bedside lamp on, before walking to the window and drawing the curtain back.

Pools of dim light surrounded the bases of the old-fashioned streetlamps. Between them, the pavement was dark, and the trees in the square cast black shadows over the iron railings. She opened the window and leaned out.

“Isabella?” The voice was a seductive whisper from below. It was definitely real this time, vibrating through the air, rather than her mind.

She squinted into the shadows.

The vampire from the bar stood on the opposite pavement, his figure almost hidden in the darkness.

Maldit.

Her heart beat faster.

His face tilted upwards towards her second-floor window, green eyes glinting.

“What do you want?” She pressed two fingers to the point in her neck where the skin was thinnest. Her pulse hammered against them.

About the Author:

Annalisa Carr lives in the English Lake District with her two cats. She writes in multiple genres, but has a weakness for paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

As a child Annalisa wanted to be a scientist, wear a white coat and explore outer space. She worked as a scientist for a very long time, but never got to fly a spaceship or even travel beyond the solar system. This was a huge disappointment given the reasons for her career choice, so eventually she made up stories instead. Probably just as well, as she is claustrophobic.

Exile in Darkness is set in the same world as the Children of Poseidon series; a slightly skewed version of London.

Annalisa also writes dystopian science fiction under the name ‘Anne Cleasby’.



Buy link for Exile in Darkness: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P1JLVF7

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Monday, April 29, 2019

Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr. - Book Blast and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author 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.

When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.

A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.

Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?



Read an Excerpt

Tessa had given much thought as to how she should dress for the occasion. Her first instinct was her Karen Kane pants suit, but dismissed that idea to wear her copper-brown print kaftan in its stead.

Now, with its folds caught in the vigorous September breeze, giving the illusion of a multitude of miniature flags fluttering around her, her thick locks of hair dancing around her head, she spoke to the crowd, slowly, deliberately taking her time. “Hello, my fellow citizens.” She stopped to survey the mass of people standing in front of her. Dramatic pauses replete with eye contact, if not overdone, were quite effective in getting one’s message across. Not surprisingly, Tessa knew how to get her message across, a special art in the realm of behavioral scientists. Public relations firms, advertising companies, political campaigns, all hired an army of psychologists to sell a product. And Tessa Thorpe, as someone who had thirty years’ experience as a criminal psychiatrist, could sell as well as any of them.

“We are here today for two reasons, two very important reasons that are essential to our well-being in a modern society. Freedom is one, and justice is the other.”

Enthusiastic cheers.

“When the call for war came, we were told that our enemies hated our freedoms. We were told that the citizens of Iraq had been held hostage by a ruthless dictator who denied his own people these freedoms. Our invasion of that country was sold to us as Operation Iraqi Freedom. And so we sent our young men and women off to war, the most traumatic experience a human being could ever go through, with the belief that they were fighting for liberty and freedom. And yet, one of those whom we had sent…had come back to us only to have his own freedom denied. His single offence at the time he was approached by law enforcement officers was that he was exercising his freedom to stand on a street corner.”

This elicited a roar from the crowd.

“This is not merely tragic, it is an act of deplorable fraud, being denied the very thing he fought for!”

More heartfelt cheering.

“When I was young, we were made to pledge allegiance, an oath that ended with the phrase, ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ Well, Jay Felson was denied liberty…let us make sure he is NOT DENIED JUSTICE!”br>
About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.

Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc.: http://plainofjars.net

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone, was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.

Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.


Buy links:


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Wednesday, April 24, 2019

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!

Thanks...

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:

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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