Sunday, March 31, 2019

GUEST POST BY KATE PARKER




ABOUT THE BOOK 

Everyone hides secrets. Some provoke murder. 

Olivia Denis discovers her father kneeling over the body of a man . . . a man who supposedly drowned in the Channel years before. Olivia wants to ring for help, her father wants to hide the body, but a mysterious phone call brings Scotland Yard to the murder scene.

Olivia can’t stand by and let her maddening, disapproving father hang. To prove his innocence – and learn his secrets – she must work with a master spy. The search for clues takes Olivia to the continent and the Kent countryside, Hastings and London, pushing her deeper into the world of danger and deception.

As war between Germany and Britain stalks closer, the hunt for a Nazi collaborator intensifies. With a mounting death toll, Olivia knows she must unmask the killer or be the next to die.



Book Details:

Title: Deadly Deception

Author: Kate Parker
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery

Series: The Deadly Series, book 4

Publisher: JDP Press (March 22, 2019)

Print length: 316 pages








GUEST POST BY KATE PARKER


Kristallnacht


In writing historical mysteries, it’s always important to remember what was happening in the world at that time. For Deadly Deception, a key event occurring during the four weeks of the story is Kristallnacht.

The bare facts about Kristallnacht are simple enough. On November 7, 1938, a seventeen-year-old Polish-German Jewish student shot a Nazi embassy official in Paris. The student, who had grown up in Germany but whose parents were born in Poland, was angry at the treatment of his family. On October 28, Germany had expelled many Polish-Jewish citizens who were living in Germany, but Poland refused to let them in. Thousands of people were trapped at the German-Polish border, unable to get into either country, left without food, shelter or their basic human needs being met. Winter would soon kill them all by cold and illness. The parents of the student were in this borderland.
The embassy official died of his wounds on the morning of November 9th. In retaliation that night, “spontaneous” attacks, well-organized and led by Nazi SA thugs, looted, attacked, and burned thousands of Jewish owned businesses, homes, and synagogues all over Germany and Austria, which had been annexed into Germany. So much glass was broken from shop windows that it looked like the roads were paved in it, giving the event the name Kristallnacht, which means the night of broken glass.

The army, the police, and the fire brigades all over the country were ordered to look the other way. While many members of these organizations were happy to stand back and let the attacks go on, or where afraid to act against the orders of the Gestapo, some policemen and firemen did try to stop the destruction.

The destruction went on all night and into the next day. When it ended, 91 people were killed and 30,000 males between 16 and 60 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Hundreds of buildings were burned and destroyed. Thousands of homes were ransacked. All compensation money paid by insurance companies was confiscated by the Nazi government. The government fined the Jewish community in Germany and Austria one Billion Reichsmarks in damages, blaming the Jews for starting the fires.

Since the war had not yet started, newspapers from various countries had reporters in Germany who reported on the violence and destruction of Kristallnacht. Citizens and governments around the world protested against the riots.

This was considered the beginning of the Holocaust. Jewish children were barred from attending school starting November 15, and by December, Jews were banned from most public places in Germany. Jewish newspapers were closed. Jews were no longer allowed to possess weapons. If found in possession of a weapon, the penalty was twenty years confinement in a concentration camp.

In the ten months from Kristallnacht until the beginning of World War II, more than 115,000 Jews were able to leave Germany for other European nations, the US, Palestine, and Shanghai, China. This was despite the resistance from other nations to take in German refugees. The German government was in favor of Jewish emigration because the government would then take everything they left behind, buildings, home furnishings, businesses, to give to their own followers.

Olivia Denis, the heroine of Deadly Deception, is in Berlin to help two older women escape to Britain when Kristallnacht is about to begin. She’s warned by a German army colonel she first met in London in Deadly Scandal that they must leave that day. The colonel isn’t a Nazi or a fan of their politics, and he is happy to warn Olivia of the coming danger. From the train heading for France, the three women see the fires of Kristallnacht.

Kristallnacht is just one event in Deadly Deception. Olivia’s greatest wish is to hurry back to London, because her father has been charged with murder and with the police not looking for another suspect, she needs to prove her father innocent.

The Deadly Series, including the latest, Deadly Deception, can be found in e-books and paperbacks at your favorite online retailers, including:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes  |  Kobo



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Parker grew up in Washington, D C, spent several years along the Carolina coast, and now finds herself in the Colorado front range. All the time, she has been busy plotting to spend more time in her favorite city, London, where her books are set. So far, she hasn’t been able to build a time machine, so she has to visit historical sites and books to immerse herself in the details of life in bygone days.
2019 will see the publication of her fourth Deadly Series book, Deadly Deception, as well as a novella, The Mystery at Chadwick House. Chadwick House will both be for sale at the usual retailers plus given away to the readers of her newsletter. It is her first contemporary mystery. Later in the year, Kate plans on publishing the second Milliner Mystery. Her daughter has informed her this year she will also become the servant of a large, exuberant dog.

Connect with Kate:
Website  |   Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes  | Kobo 






Friday, March 29, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: MATTHEW WILLIAM




ABOUT THE BOOK


Space-sheriff Joe Corbit may have just found the greatest collector's item in the history of the universe.


He also may have doomed the human race.



When a distress call leads him to the ruins of a lost, alien civilization, he finds an illegal archaeological dig underway. The Chinese Galactic Empire is working alongside the Martian mob in order to smuggle an ancient artifact across state lines.


One deadly shoot-out later and Joe finds himself the sole custodian of the curious relic. His plan is to auction it off to the highest bidder, that is, until he finds out why the Chinese were after it in the first place.


They believe it to be an ancient alien super-weapon.



All Joe has to do is hold off the most powerful space fleet in galaxy, long enough to prove that this whole 'ancient alien super-weapon' thing is being blown way out of proportion.



You see, Joe is hellbent on selling this artifact. Even if it kills him.



Book 
Details:

Title: The Star Collector


Author: Matthew William


Genre: Sci-fi

Publish date: March 27, 2019


Print length: 250 pages






   

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH MATTHEW WILLIAM


A few of your favorite things: Sitting by the fire with a little bourbon and my wife and cats.
Things you need to throw out: All my crappy clothes.


Things you need in order to write: My laptop.
Things that hamper your writing: My laptop.


Things you love about writing: Creating new worlds.
Things you hate about writing: Feeling like I have to perform. It’s not something you can do mindlessly, it has to be concentrated effort.


Easiest thing about being a writer: Not having to wake up early.

Hardest thing about being a writer:
Fear of writing something people will hate – or worse – be indifferent to.

Things you love about where you live: The nature out in the country is really beautiful.
Things that make you want to move: The lack of stimulation that a city can offer.


Things you never want to run out of: Contact lenses.
Things you wish you’d never bought: Usually, it’s a bag of chips the moment after I eat the last of the crumbs.


Words that describe you: Friendly. Deep thinking. Kind.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Grumpy. Anxious. Lazy.

Favorite foods: I’m a fan of almost all food, so it’s so hard to whittle it down to just a few. I guess sushi would be near the top. Or a spicy curry. Or a good Italian sub.
Things that make you want to throw up: I’m not a fan of carrots.

Favorite music: Indie rock of all sorts.
Music that make your ears bleed: Death metal could probably do the trick.

Favorite beverage: A nice coffee. Cranberry juice. Yuengling beer.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Pickle juice, I guess.

Favorite smell: Tomato plants. There’s nothing like that smell, and it brings me back to being a kid.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Having to clean out a liter box.

Something you’re really good at: Basketball.

Something you’re really bad at: Snowboarding, skateboarding, anything that involves a board and balancing on it. 


Something you wish you could do: Speak Chinese.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I feel like learning to write in cursive was a colossal waste of time. But, since I was only seven years old, I didn’t really have anything better to do, so it’s a wash.

Something you like to do: Host dinner parties.

Something you wish you’d never done: Thinking I could sing in front of a crowd.

People you consider as heroes: Single moms and dads.

People with a big L on their foreheads: People who litter. I mean, it’s the simplest thing in the world to just put your trash in the bin and it makes everything look so much nicer.



Last best thing you ate: We went over to a friend’s house who’s a pro chef. He made fish tacos. I almost died.

Last thing you regret eating: When I tried to make the fish tacos myself.

Things you’d walk a mile for: See answer to 2 questions ago.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: See answer to 2 questions ago.

Things you always put in your books: A sprinkling of humor.

Things you never put in your books: Any of the real bad swear words.

Things to say to an author: “I blew through your book in one day!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Where do you get your ideas from?” I don’t really hate that question, per se, but I find it interesting that I get it so often. And I don’t really have a good answer for it. The ideas just sort of appear one day.

Favorite places you’ve been: Amsterdam – perfect mix of cool, pretty and lived in.

Places you never want to go to again: The DMV.

Favorite genre: Anything sci-fi. Old school, brand new, indie authors. I love it all.

Books you would ban: I don’t think books should ever be banned. That being said, some of the Star Wars new canon books would be ideal candidates.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: All of my favorite writers, but only one at a time.
People you’d cancel dinner on: The people who made the decision to cancel “Community.”

Favorite things to do: Writing. Video games. Watching movies.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Taxes.

Things that make you happy: My job, my friends, my wife.

Things that drive you crazy: My job, my friends, my wife.

Most embarrassing moment: Some campfire guitar playing comes to mind.

Proudest moment: Unplugging a seriously clogged bathroom drain this past week.

Biggest lie you’ve ever told: “It’s fine.”

A lie you wish you’d told: I think I told all the ones I wanted to tell.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Took the dive to move to another country.

Biggest mistake: Not saving enough when I was younger.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Moved to Sweden when I was 23. I wanted to try out life in another country and had friends in Malmö. So I decided to go for it. 

Something you chickened out from doing: I went to do relief work in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when I was 19. I was there for one week and had the opportunity to stay longer, but wimped out. I was too young and didn’t really have the courage to be away from home so long. I still regret that one.

The last thing you did for the first time: Played D&D
.
Something you’ll never do again: Life’s too short to say never. It’s also too long to say never.









ALSO BY MATTHEW WILLIAM

The Enoch Pill









ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Matthew William grew up in the woods of Pennsylvania, reading the works of Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, and other science fiction writers with abbreviations for middle names.



Currently he lives in Sweden and keeps himself occupied with podcasting, expanding his fiction library, and spending time with his wife and two cats. He enjoys connecting with other fans of good storytelling on social media.

Connect with Matthew:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |. Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: ANDREA KANE





ABOUT THE BOOK


What would you do if your daughter was kidnapped and given only a week to live?



Lauren Pennington is celebrating her junior year abroad when life comes to a screeching halt. At Munich’s Hofbräuhaus, she engages in an innocent flirtation with a charming stranger for the length of a drink. Drink finished, Lauren leaves—only to be snatched from the streets and thrown into an unmarked van. 

Officially, Aidan Deveraux is a communications expert for one of the largest financial firms in the world. In his secret life, the former Marine heads the Zermatt Group, a covert team of military and spy agency operatives that search the data stream for troubling events in an increasingly troubled world. When his artificial intelligence system detects Lauren’s kidnapping, Aidan immediately sees the bigger picture.



Silicon Valley: Lauren’s father, Vance Pennington, is about to launch a ground-breaking technology with his company NanoUSA—a technology that the Chinese are desperate for. No sooner does Aidan arrive on Vance’s doorstep to explain the situation than the father receives a chilling text message: hand over the technology or Lauren will be "dead in a week".



In a globe-spanning chase, from the beer halls of Germany, to the tech gardens of California, to the skyscrapers of China, and finally the farmlands of Croatia, Aidan’s team cracks levels of high-tech security and complex human mystery with a dogged determination. Drawing in teammates from the Forensic Instincts team (introduced in The Girl Who Disappeared Twice), the Zermatt Group will uncover the Chinese businessmen responsible, find the traitors within NanoUSA who are helping them, and save Lauren from a brutal death.



Book Details:


Title: Dead in a Week

Author: Andrea Kane

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Series: A Forensic Instincts/Zermatt Group thriller
, book 7

Publisher: Bonnie Meadow Publishing, LLC (March 19, 2019)

Print length: 320 pages
On tour with: Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours










INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA KANE


Q: Andrea, what’s the story behind the title of your book?
A:
For starters, Dead in a Week introduces a whole new team of international investigators: the Zermatt Group, an exciting “core-four” who work hand-in-hand with member of the Forensic Instincts team to solve a high-stakes global crime. NanoUSA is a Silicon Valley company about to release groundbreaking technology that the Chinese are desperate to get their hands on. Vance Pennington is the VP of Manufacturing there, and his teenage daughter is kidnapped in exchange for the technology—and given only 7 days to live. It’s a race to the finish with the clock ticking on Lauren Pennington’s life.

Q: Tell us about your series. Is this book a standalone, or do readers need to read the series in order?
A:
Dead in a Week is both part of my Forensic Instincts series and, at the same time, the first of the Forensic Instincts/Zermatt Group novels.  It introduces a whole new team, one that folds FI team members into the mix. The Forensic Instincts series (which consists of 7 books so far, including Dead in a Week) features a maverick investigative team that operates both inside and outside the boundaries of the law to solve difficult cases. Each team member is unique and brilliant unto themselves—from a behaviorist, to former FBI and military, to a tech-genius, to a claircognizant, to a former pickpocket, to a human scent evidence dog.  (Quite an eclectic team, wouldn’t you say?)

Q: Where’s home for you?
A:
Warren, New Jersey.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
A:
Count your blessings and take life in baby steps.

Q: What do you love about where you live?
A:
It’s private, but not secluded, and nature is everywhere.



Q: Have you been in any natural disasters?
A:
I call the one cruise we took a natural disaster since Hurricane Felix came with us. The trip was way too treacherous for the ship to have been allowed to leave port, and everyone on it was violently ill. Thankfully, there were no other casualties.

Q: What is the most daring thing you've done?
A:
Submitted my first manuscript. It was like baring my soul on paper and waiting for it to be judged.


Q: What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
A:
That the biggest trauma in life is the one you’re going through right now.

Q: What makes you bored?

A:
People who love to hear themselves talk, but don’t have anything interesting to say.

Q: What makes you nervous?

A
: Anything that has to do with praying for good health or dealing with doctors.

Q: What makes you happy?
A:
My family.

Q: What makes you scared?
A:
The unknown and sometimes change.

Q: What makes you excited?
A:
Typing the words “The End.”

Q: Do you have another job outside of writing?
A:
My family and my writing are my loves and my jobs.

Q: How did you meet your spouse? Was it love at first sight?
A:
We met at college. It was best friendship at first sight. Love blossomed from there. To me, there’s nothing better.

Q: Would you rather be a lonely genius, or a sociable idiot?
A:
I hate being lonely, but I couldn’t tolerate being an idiot, so I guess I go for door #1!

Q: What’s one of your favorite quotes?
A:
“There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” –W. Somerset Maugham

Q: What would your main character say about you?
A:
That I’m as much of a perfectionist as she is!

Q: What’s one pet peeve you have when you read?
A:
Hanging endings. I want to read a whole book, not one that ends by informing you that, if you want to know what happens, wait for the next book. Sequels are great, but make each one complete. Oh, and I really dislike books that are based entirely on misunderstandings. I keep wanting to shake the characters and saying, “Yoo-hoo, there was a letter explaining all this to you, but it flew out the window five minutes before you walked into the room.”

Q: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing?
A:
That I made a difference in someone’s life, whether it was as simple as a much-needed and relished break in their routine or that something in the book or the characters helped them through a terribly difficult or traumatic time.

Q: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
A:
Always, always, the words “The End.” Because as much as I’m elated that I’ve completed my book, I always feel as if I should do more, add more, change more, because nothing is ever perfect—and I’m such a Type A+ perfectionist! I also hate saying good-bye to characters who have become like friends to me. That’s one of the reasons I love writing the Forensic Instincts series: I always know that when I type “The End”, the FI team will be back.

Q: What are you working on now?
A:
I’m hard at work researching and writing my next Forensic Instincts novel. As always, it’s both an overwhelming process and a labor of love.



READ AN EXCERPT FROM DEAD IN A WEEK

Munich, Germany

20 February

Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. local time

Normally, Lauren Pennington loved the sound of her combat boots clomping across the cobblestone apron. But right now, all she could think about was the growling of her empty stomach, urging her to move faster. She was oblivious to everything else—the couple on the corner sharing a passionate, open-mouthed kiss, the guy puking up his over-consumption of beer into the storm sewer grating, and the man watching her every move as he talked into his cell phone in a language that Lauren wouldn’t have recognized had she been paying attention.
She walked into Hofbräuhaus’ main hall, took a seat at one of the wooden tables, and placed her order. Minutes later, the waitress came over and brought Lauren’s food and drink. Barely uttering a perfunctory “Danke,” Lauren bit into a pretzel the size of her head and took a healthy gulp of Hofbräu.
The semester had ended, and she was entitled to some carbs and a dose of people-watching at the historic Munich brewery. Pretzels and beer were addicting, but people-watching had always fascinated her. Despite a whole winter semester of her junior year abroad studying art history at the Ludwig Maximilian University at Munich, she still enjoyed playing the tourist. Not at school, but every time she strolled the streets, studied the architecture, chatted with the locals.
Hofbräuhaus was less than a mile from campus, but the brewery’s main hall had a reputation all its own. With its old-world atmosphere of wooden tables, terra cotta floors, painted arches, and hanging lanterns, how could anyone not feel a sense of history just being within these walls?
Maybe that’s why Europe called out to her, not just here, but from a million different places. Museums. Theaters. Cathedrals. She wanted to experience them all, and then some. She’d be going home to San Francisco in July, and she hadn’t been to Paris or London or Brussels. She’d gotten a mere taste of Munich and had yet to visit Berlin.
When would she get another chance to do all that?
Not for ages. And certainly not with the sense of freedom she had as a college student, with little or no responsibilities outside her schoolwork to claim her attention. On the flip side, she felt terribly guilty. Every February, her entire family traveled to Lake Tahoe together. It was a ritual and a very big deal, since her father rarely got a day, much less a week, off as a high-powered executive. Her mother usually began making arrangements for the trip right after the holidays. In her mind, it was like a second Christmas, with the whole family reuniting and sharing time and laughter together.
This year was no different. Lauren’s brother, Andrew, and her sister, Jessica, were both taking time off from their busy careers to join their parents at Tahoe—no easy feat considering Andrew was an intellectual property attorney in Atlanta, and Jess was a corporate buyer for Neiman Marcus in Dallas. Lauren was the only holdout. Lauren. The college kid. The baby. The free spirit who always came home from Pomona College to nest, especially for family gatherings and rituals.
Her parents had been very quiet when she’d told them about her plans. Lauren knew what that silence meant. After the phone call ended, her mother would have cried that she was losing her baby, and her father would have scowled and written off her decision as college rebellion. Neither was true. But no matter how she explained it, her parents didn’t understand. They’d traveled extensively in Europe, and to them, it was no big deal. But it was Lauren’s first time here, and to her, it was like discovering a whole new world—a world she felt an instant rapport with. It was like discovering a part of her soul she’d never known existed. And she had to immerse herself in it.
She’d entertained the idea of flying to Lake Tahoe for the week and then returning to fulfill her dream. Her parents would definitely pay for that. But given the long international travel, the flight changes, the time differences, and the jet lag, Tahoe would put too much of a crimp in the many plans she had for her break between semesters. She’d had invitations from school friends who said she could stay with them during her travels—friends from Germany and so many other countries.
The world was at her feet.
No, despite how much she loved her family, she had to do things her way this time. There’d be other Februarys, other trips to Tahoe. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She was still drinking her beer and lamenting her situation when a masculine voice from behind her said, “Hallo. Kann ich mitmachen?”
Turning, Lauren saw a handsome, rugged-featured guy, gazing at her with raised brows. He was asking if he could join her.
“Sind Sie allein?” he asked, glancing to her right and to her left.
“Yes, I’m alone,” she answered in German. “And, yes, please join me.”
The man came around and slid onto the bench seat. He propped his elbow on the table, signalling to the waitress that he’d have the same as the lady. The waitress nodded, hurrying off to get his refreshment.
He turned his gaze back to Lauren. “You’re American,” he noted, speaking English that was heavily accented.
“Guilty as charged,” she responded in English. “Is it that obvious?” She gave him a rueful look.
He smiled, idly playing with the gold chain around his neck. “Your German is quite good. But I picked up the American…what’s the word you use? Twang.”
Lauren had to laugh. “It’s my turn to take a stab at it, then. You’re French? Slavic? A combination of both?”
“The last.“ His smile widened. “You have a good ear, as well.”
“Your German and your English are excellent. I guess I just got lucky.”
“Speaking of getting lucky, what’s your name?” he asked.
His boldness took her aback, but she answered anyway. “Lauren. What’s yours?”
“Marko.” He held out his hand, which Lauren shook. “I’m in Munich on business. And you?”
“I’m an exchange student. I’m on break, and I’m looking forward to enjoying some time exploring Europe.”
Marko looked intrigued. “I can give you a few tips.” A mischievous glint lit his eyes. “Or I could travel with you for a few days and give you the best taste of Munich you’ll ever have.”
Lauren felt flushed. She was twenty years old. She knew very well what Marko meant by “the best taste.” She should be offended. But she couldn’t help being flattered. He was older, good-looking, and charming.
Nonetheless, she wasn’t stupid. And she wasn’t in the market for a hookup.
“Thanks, but I’m tackling this trip on my own,” she replied. “I’m meeting up with friends later, but I’m good as planned.”
“Pity.” The glint in his eyes faded with regret. “Then at least let me give you some pointers about the best sights to see and the best restaurants and places to visit.”
“That would be fantastic.” Lauren rummaged in her purse for a pen and paper. Having found them, she set her bag on the floor between them.
She spent the next twenty mesmerizing minutes listening to Marko detail the highlights of Munich and other parts of Bavaria, as she simultaneously scribbled down what he was saying.
“Thank you so much,” she said when he was finished. “This is like a guided tour.”
“Once again, I could do it in person.”
“And once again, I’m flattered, but no thank you.” Lauren signaled for her check, reaching into her bag and retrieving a twenty euro bill when the waitress approached the table. “The rest is for you,” she told her.
“I’ll take care of that,” Marko offered, stopping Lauren by catching her wrist and simultaneously fishing for his wallet. Evidently, he was still holding out hope that she would change her mind.
“That’s okay. I’ve got it.” Lauren wriggled out of his grasp, leaned forward, and completed the transaction.
“You’ve been a tremendous help,” she said to Marko as she rose. “I’m glad we met.”
This time it was she who extended her hand.
Reluctantly, he shook it. “I hope we meet again, Lauren. I’ll look for you the next time I’m in Munich.”
Still smiling, Lauren left the café and walked through the wide cobblestone apron outside. There were little tables with umbrellas scattered about, with patrons chatting and eating. Sated by the beer and pretzel, she inhaled happily, and then, walking over to the sidewalk, began what she expected to be a thoughtful stroll. Maybe she’d text her parents this time, try explaining her position without all the drama of a phone call.
She was halfway down the street when she heard a male voice call after her, “Lauren!”
She turned to see Marko hurrying in her direction. “Here.” He extended his arm, a familiar iPhone in his hand. “You left this on the table.”
“Oh, thank you.” How could she have been so careless? She protected her cell phone like a small child. “I’d be lost without that—“
As she spoke, a Mercedes van tore around the corner and came screeching up to them.
The near doors were flung open, and a stocky man jumped out, his face concealed by a black hood. Before Lauren could so much as blink, he grabbed her, yanking a burlap sack over her head and tossing her over his shoulder.
"Merr në makinë,” he said in a language Lauren didn’t understand.
By this time, Lauren had recovered enough to struggle for her freedom. Her legs flailed in the air, kicking furiously, and she pounded on the man’s back as he carried her and flung her into the back of the van.
Marko jumped in behind her, slamming the doors shut and barking out something in the same dialect as the other man—neither French nor Slavic—as the stocky barbarian held her down.
Finally finding her voice, Lauren let out a scream, which was quickly muffled by the pressure of Marko’s hand over her mouth. She could taste the wool of the sack, and she inclined her head so she could breathe through her nose.
A short-lived reprieve.
Marko fumbled around, then shoved a handkerchief under the sack, covering her nose and mouth. Lauren thrashed her head from side to side, struggling to avoid it. The odor was sickeningly sweet and citrusy.
Chloroform.
Tears burned behind her eyes. Shock waves pulsed through her body.
Oh God, she didn’t want to die.
Marko clamped his other hand on the back of her head, holding it in place while he forced the handkerchief flush against her nose and mouth, making it impossible for her to escape.
Dizziness. Nausea. Black specks. Nothing.
“Shko,” Marko ordered his accomplice, shoving him toward the driver’s seat.
The van screeched off, headed to hell.

***
Excerpt from Dead In A Week by Andrea Kane. Copyright © 2019 by Andrea Kane. Reproduced with permission from Andrea Kane. All rights reserved.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Andrea Kane is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including fifteen psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romantic suspense titles. With her signature style, Kane creates unforgettable characters and confronts them with life-threatening danger. As a master of suspense, she weaves them into exciting, carefully-researched stories, pushing them to the edge—and keeping her readers up all night.

Kane’s first contemporary suspense thriller, Run for Your Life, became an instant New York Times bestseller. She followed with a string of bestselling psychological thrillers including No Way Out, Twisted, and Drawn in Blood.

Her latest in the highly successful Forensic Instincts series, Dead in a Week, adds the Zermatt Group into the mix—a covert team of former military and spy agency operatives. With a week to save a young woman from ruthless kidnappers, this globe-spanning chase, from the beerhalls of Germany, to the tech gardens of California, to the skyscrapers of China, and finally the farmlands of Croatia will keep readers guessing until the very end. The first showcase of Forensic Instincts’ talents came with the New York Times bestseller, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, followed by The Line Between Here and Gone, The Stranger You Know, The Silence that Speaks, The Murder That Never Was, and A Face to Die For.
Kane’s beloved historical romantic suspense novels include My Heart’s Desire, Samantha, Echoes in the Mist, and Wishes in the Wind.
With a worldwide following of passionate readers, her books have been published in more than twenty languages. 

Kane lives in New Jersey with her husband and family. She’s an avid crossword puzzle solver and a diehard Yankees fan. Otherwise, she’s either writing or playing with her Pomeranian, Mischief, who does his best to keep her from writing.

Connect with Andrea:
Website
  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble






 

Monday, March 25, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: J.C. EATON




ABOUT THE BOOK


There’s a lot of noir surrounding this rare pinot.

As the vineyards in Seneca Lake, New York, prepare for the seasonal “Deck the Halls Around the Lake” festivities, someone is determined to keep pinot noir off the wine list. Hijacked trucks and sabotaged ingredients have made it a hard-to-acquire vintage for the six local wineries—including Norrie Ellington’s Two Witches Winery.

The case of the stolen and spoiled wines gets stranger when Arnold Mowen, owner of the company distributing the wine, is found dead, the apparent victim of a hunting accident. As Norrie tries to find the connections between the pinot’s problems and Arnold’s death, she uncovers a conspiracy among many locals whose hatred for the wine distributor was bottled up for far too long . . .


Book Details:

Title: Pinot Red or Dead?

Author: J.C. Eaton

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: The Wine Trail Mysteries, book 3


Publisher: Kensington Lyrical Underground (March 2019)


Print length: 206 pages









IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH J.C. EATON


Ifs


Q: If you could live in any time period which would it be?
A: Ann and Jim – Right here. Right now. We cannot live without hot and cold running water, HVAC, or our TV!
Ann – Ancient Rome in 79 A.D. but nowhere near Mt. Vesuvius.
Jim – Turn of the twentieth century on the French Riviera.

Q: If you could step back into a moment or day in time, where would you go?
A: Ann – 1964 in Kingston, New York, when folksinger Phil Ochs, who shared a taxi with her, invited her to join him in Woodstock and meet his friend, Bob Dylan. She refused. Of course, she was only fourteen! Jim – Back to Spain in 1986. Best time ever!

Q: If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
A: Ann – museum curator for antiquities.
Jim- cowboy.

Q: If you had to do community service (or already do volunteer work), what would you choose?
A: Ann and Jim – We’ve both volunteered at animal shelters and continue to help rescue pets in need of homes.

Q: If you could choose a fictional town to live in what would it be and from what book?
A: Ann – anywhere in the Cotswolds from Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity series.
Jim – Salmon Cove, Maine, Lee Hollis’s Death of a Lobster Lover.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
A: Ann – Salamanca, Spain where they have the best paella in the world.
Jim – The French Riviera, but only if he had a fancy convertible. 




Ands


Q: 5 favorite possessions:
A: Ann – old Russian samovar, rock collection, Latin club t-shirt that’s one step away from disintegrating, Euro pillow, ancient computer.
Jim – old Boston sweatshirt, old Ren-fest sweatshirt (Hmm, seems we’ve got a theme), rock collection, TV remote, special frying pan.

Q: 5 things you need in order to write: 
A: Ann – absolute quiet, computer, chocolate, Coke, dictionary.
Jim – pad and pencil, decent pens, comfortable recliner, comfortable sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Q: 5 things you never want to run out of:
A: Ann and Jim – toilet paper, computer paper, water, chocolate, Tylenol.

Q: 5 favorite places you’ve been:
A: Ann – Russia, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Peru.
Jim – France, Spain, Mexico, Russia,  Puerto Rico.

Q: 5 favorite things to do:
A: Ann – write, swim, hike, eat, talk.
Jim – sleep, write, exercise, walk the dog, go to ball games.

Q: 5 things that drive you crazy:
A: Ann and Jim – Arizona drivers, being put on HOLD,  grocery shopping, doing taxes, cleaning the litter box after you’ve just cleaned it.

Whats

Q: What’s your all-time favorite movie?
A: Ann and Jim – The Court Jester with Danny Kaye. We love it!

Q: What’s your all-time favorite city?
A: Ann and Jim – Ottawa.

Q: What’s your favorite meal?
A: Ann – Wonton soup, NY style egg rolls, spare ribs.
Jim – spaghetti and meat sauce. 

Q: What’s your favorite dessert?
A: Ann – Chocolate mousse, Jim – banana split.

Q: What’s your favorite beverage?
A: Ann – Coke.
Jim – Earl Grey tea.

Q: What’s your favorite ice cream?
A: Ann – Chocolate chip.
Jim – chocolate-chocolate

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do when there’s nothing to do?
A: Ann and Jim – READ!!!

Q: What’s your favorite candy bar?
A: Ann – Hershey’s.
Jim – Milky Way.

Q: What’s your favorite movie snack?
A: Ann  and Jim – popcorn.

Q: What’s your favorite social media site? Would you rather tweet or post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest . . .?
A: Ann and Jim –We’d rather post on Facebook.

Q: What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
A: Ann and Jim – our keys!

Q: What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
A: Ann – our cat.
Jim – the default blank screen. 


Q: What movie genre do you prefer: drama, comedy, action, adventure, thriller, or horror?
A: Ann and Jim – all of the above.

Q: What’s your all-time favorite place you’ve visited?
A: Avila, Spain.

Q: What’s your latest recommendation for:
A: Food:  Shrimp in garlic sauce.
Music: The Band, Rolling Stones.
Movie: The Court Jester, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Dirty Dozen.
Book: Rosemary Simpson’s What the Dead Leave Behind.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


J.C. Eaton is the pen name for wife and husband authors Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp.

Ann I. Goldfarb

New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground), and The Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name.
  
James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching.

Connect with the authors:
Website Facebook  |  Twitter Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  B&N  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  IndieBound



Saturday, March 23, 2019

GUEST POST BY KAYA QUINSEY




ABOUT THE BOOK


Valentine in Venice

Valentine Wells returns to Venice. After having visited ten years earlier when she was just sixteen years old, it was where she had impulsively met Lorenzo Dipachio. Her first kiss. Her first love.

Now twenty-six, Valentine is a successful wedding photographer in Chicago. Still impulsive, Valentine is recently divorced after being married for about a minute in Las Vegas. And she doesn't miss the irony of being a divorced wedding photographer. Also dealing with her mother's recent diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's, Valentine's father convinces her that she needs a break.

Now that she is back in Venice, Valentine wants to prove to herself that she's no longer the impulsive, daring girl who got married (and quickly divorced) in Vegas to a man she barely knew. Now, she is living by a new set of rules: planned, cautious, and carefully executed.
But her plan is challenged when she falls (literally) into the path of her first love, Lorenzo. And with Valentine's Day around the corner, will Valentine be able to keep herself from making another big mistake?

A Coastal Christmas

Author Kaya Quinsey returns with her trademark blend of romance and adventure, in this page turning story about a love to remember and a Christmas never to forget.


Successful broadcaster Jessica Beaton has it all: the perfect New York City apartment, high-flying career, and handsome boyfriend. And with Christmas around the corner, she has her sights set on one thing. A ring.


But Jessica is humiliated when her co-host and boyfriend, Brett Fanshaw, almost proposes to her on-air before backing out, leaving her dumped and embarrassed on national television. In the midst of her heartbreak, Jessica leaves to go home to Pebble Shores for the holidays for the first time in years.

While retreating at her family's seaside cottage to evaluate her life, Jessica finds herself butting heads with Dean Adams, the mayor of Pebble Shores, who isn't thrilled to have the media spotlight shed on their small town. Jessica couldn't imagine anyone being more of a Grinch.
Over the Christmas season, Jessica finds herself more enamored with life in Pebble Shores, the community spirit, and to her own surprise, Dean Adams. Can a small-town mayor and big-city broadcaster have the romance that Jessica always dreamed of?

Paris Mends Broken Hearts

Gwendoline Delacroix finds herself fleeing Paris in a desperate attempt to escape the memories that haunt her in her French countryside chateau. Following the aftermath of WWII, she had become a widower and desperately missing her husband, Jean. Although her loyal and quirky staff do their best to keep her afloat, Gwendoline eventually takes charge and in a quick turn of events, finds herself at the Hotel de la Belle Paix - the hotel run by her brother and sister-in-law in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

Over the summer, Gwendoline finds work at an animal sanctuary run by an eccentric aristocrat. With new friends, an elderly cat, and a glass of wine in hand, Gwendoline proves to herself and everyone else that there is life after lost love.


Entertaining? Of course! Joyful? Undoubtedly. Champagne? Bien sur! In Paris, nothing is predictable, and everything is extraordinary.


Book Details:


Title: Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around The World

Author: Kaya Quinsey

Genre: Sweet Romance, Anthology

Publisher: Books To Go Now, (February 5 2019)

Print length: 154 pages







GUEST POST BY KAYA QUINSEY



It should come as no surprise that my books are heavy on the romance. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a hopeless romantic. So when my publishers at Books To Go Now suggested an anthology of my three sweet romance novellas (Valentine in Venice, A Coastal Christmas, and Paris Mends Broken Hearts) be published in time for Valentine’s Day, of course I said yes! It resulted in Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around the World. And it certainly doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to read about love.

A common thread that runs through my books is a love of food. In Valentine in Venice, on more than one occasion I go into detail about the delicious food Italy has to offer. The same thing goes for Paris Mends Broken Hearts (kouign amann’s are to die for) and A Coastal Christmas (who doesn’t love gingerbread and cinnamon sprinkled into their coffee?)

I love cooking – in fact, you can find a few recipes tucked away in the back of each of my novellas to date. I’m going to share one of my personal favorites today (it’s also a favorite of my fiancés), which I hope you can enjoy with a good book in hand.

Oatmeal-Cherry Tarte


This is an easy, healthy recipe that can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or as a delicious (and healthy) dessert at the end of the week. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup of whole-wheat flour
½ cup of rolled oats
½ cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
¾ cup of whole milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
a sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup of frozen (or de-pitted fresh) cherries

Directions

1.    In a bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.

2.    Pour into a greased baking dish.

3.    Top with cherries.

4.    Bake at 375 ° for 30 to 40 minutes (or until golden brown).

5.    Enjoy!


Check out my Love it Or Leave it Interview with Kaya from January 2019!




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaya Quinsey is the author of Paris Mends Broken HeartsValentine in VeniceA Coastal Christmas, and most recently, Love, Amour, Amore: A Collection of Three Love Stories From Around The World. Her work has sold in seven countries. She holds her undergraduate and master’s degree in psychology. Kaya’s passion for culture, travel, and psychology blend for a reading style that is fun, full of surprises, and easy to read. A romantic at heart, Kaya’s writing offers a contemporary twist to traditional love stories. Through her stories, she hopes to inspire readers to fiercely chase their dreams.

Connect with Kaya:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |    Instagram 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  

Thursday, March 21, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: MARY E. CALVERT





ABOUT THE BOOK: THE HEALER OF GUILDENWOOD



Margaret Ann Shepherd just wants to be a normal high school senior and not be seen as the least bit weird. But nothing extraordinary ever happens to anyone who is not a little odd . . .

When Margaret Ann wakes one morning acting as though she’s just stepped out of the Middle Ages, everyone starts to doubt her sanity. But what really happened on the night in question? Placed in therapy to get to the bottom of her eccentricities, memories emerge of another body, another world, another life lived over the course of one night. 

In The Soultrekker Chronicles Book I, The Healer of Guildenwood, Margaret Ann struggles to make a new life with a new name, Arwyn, in a world where elves, mortals, and dwarves live beneath a shadow of tyranny, groaning for redemption. Arwyn must carefully navigate her abilities in combat and the art of healing, which she learns from a mysterious old hermit who seems to know more about her than he willingly admits. And when she accidentally attracts the attention of a brutal dictator, Draigon, her new world becomes even more dangerous. Is she truly an elf, revered by some, feared and hated by the powers that be, or do her passionate tendencies hint at a mortal nature?

Elf or mortal, her soul was borrowed for a purpose she can scarcely imagine. Arwyn will either fall into despair over her lost life . . . or discover that which she was born to be.






Book Details:


Title: The Healer of Guildenwood 

Author: Mary E. Calvert


Genre: Fantasy, YA


Series: The Soultrekker Chronicles, book 1  


Publisher: Westbow Press (October 2016)


Print length: 288 pages












ABOUT THE BOOK: THE SECRET OF THE HOLD



In book two of The Soultrekker Chronicles, Margaret Ann Shepherd, still under hypnosis with therapist Dr. Susan Renfroe, continues recounting memories of the night she lived an entire other life as the elven maiden, Arwyn, in the beautiful but troubled land of Bensor.

A perilous journey smuggling fugitive dwarves leads Arwyn to the enchanting realm of the elves, where a lukewarm reception by the elven lord, Valdir Velconium, a man plagued with secrets from his past, makes her wonder if she will ever find the place she truly belongs. Yet an unexpected meeting with an intriguing stranger challenges her resolve to aid the Alliance in its upcoming rebellion against the dictator, Draigon, forcing her to choose between two men who seek to win her heart. It is a choice between love and duty that could ultimately destroy Arwyn when Draigon springs a trap of his own.

Or, it could force Arwyn to do the unthinkable.







Book Details:


Title: The Secret of the Hold 

Author: Mary E. Calvert


Genre: Fantasy, YA


Series: The Soultrekker Chronicles, book 2


Publisher: Veritana Press, (January, 2019)


Print length: 390 pages






   




LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH MARY E. CALVERT


A few of your favorite things: Christmas lights, waterfalls, photo albums.
Things you need to throw out: My box collection. A good box is hard to throw out.


Things you need in order to write: A shower (in which to collect my thoughts).
Things that hamper your writing: Three teenage boys, a husband, two dogs, and a slight case of ADD
.

Things you love about writing: Figuring out another piece to the puzzle, whether it’s a word, a paragraph or an entire scene, and seeing it come together to create a beautiful picture that enhances the overall story and moves it forward.
Things you hate about writing: Coming up with unusual names of fantasy places and characters.


Easiest thing about being a writer: The commute
.
Hardest thing about being a writer:
Book marketing.

Things you love about where you live: Being unable to go two miles in any direction without running into a body of water.
Things that make you want to move: Wanting to live in a house that is actually on a body of water.

Things you never want to run out of: Chocolate, toilet paper.
Things you wish you’d never bought: All of those Donny and Marie Osmond albums from back in the 70s.


Words that describe you: Weird, Quirky, Friendly, Optimistic.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: Quiet, Technically-challenged.

Favorite foods: Crab legs, steak, fried chicken, sautéed mushrooms, chocolate.
Things that make you want to throw up: Baked beans.

Favorite music or song: Anything Josh Groban, Old Sting and the Police, Contemporary Christian.
Music that make your ears bleed: Rap.

Favorite beverage: Coffee with flavored creamer.
Something that gives you a pickle face: Lemonade.

Favorite smell: Anything that reminds me of Christmas.

Something that makes you hold your nose: My son’s socks.

Something you’re really good at: Scrapbooking, Interior design/decorating
.
Something you’re really bad at: Technology
.

Something you wish you could do: Play the violin.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Play the violin because, trust me, it’s not something you would ever want to hear me do.

Something you like to do: Travel, snow ski, water ski, scrapbook.

Something you wish you’d never done: The last dive on a trip to the British Virgin Islands in 2001, when I ended up with the bends and had to be airlifted to Puerto Rico for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Not a great way to end a vacation.



Last best thing you ate: Filet mignon

Last thing you regret eating: That same filet mignon, which sat in my stomach the following night like a brick .

Things you’d walk a mile for: A photo op.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: A room full of cobras, pit vipers, scorpions and black widow spiders (duh!).

Things you always put in your books: Symbolism
.
Things you never put in your books: Anything considered “R” rated.

Things to say to an author: “I LOVED your book!,” “I just wrote you a review on Amazon,” “When is your next book coming out?”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I’ll be sure to write you a review on Amazon” (and then never do).

Favorite places you’ve been: Italy, Santorini, Greece, The Lake District of England, Disney World
.
Places you never want to go to again: Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Favorite books: Anything set in reality but with an element of fantasy, like the Outlander Series.

Books you would ban: Harlequin romances.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Chip and Joanna Gaines
.
People you’d cancel dinner on: Most politicians.

Favorite things to do: Scrapbooking, decorating, traveling with my family
.
Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: Scrubbing the bathroom, ironing.

Things that make you happy: Traveling with my family.
Things that drive you crazy: Wasting an hour or two getting sucked into social media or the news.

Proudest moment: Getting my first book published and people telling me they loved it!
Most embarrassing moment: Singing along to “Happy Birthday” and then realizing it was to ME it was being sung!


Biggest lie you’ve ever told: I was raised by apes in Africa.
A lie you wish you’d told: I’m sorry, but I’m busy this weekend. I have to go visit my uncle in prison.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Married my husband
.
Biggest mistake: Going on that date with that person I should’ve lied to.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Putting life on hold to go live in Europe for a year
.
Something you chickened out from doing: Marrying the guy to whom I should’ve lied to get out of the date with.

The last thing you did for the first time: Went on a book tour.
Something you’ll never do again: Eat “Kaestur Hakarl,” also known as “rotten shark” in Iceland 
.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Mary E. Calvert grew up in Virginia, the daughter of a Baptist minister.  Even as a youngster, she had a propensity for telling stories and quickly became recognized in school for her writing abilities. Reading The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings in middle school changed the focus of her story telling, and she found herself making up the tale of a young woman from this world who suddenly pops into a fantasy world of magic, mystery, elves, dwarves and wizards. When in high school, she realized this story had taken on a life of its own and started to put it onto paper, spending hours over three summers locked away in her room on her typewriter. By the time it was completed, Mary was ready to move on to other challenges, so she put her fantasy novel away in her closet where it collected dust for years.

Realizing it would be difficult to make a living as an author, Mary went on to study psychology at Furman University and then on to get a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Georgia. For thirteen years, she worked as a psychotherapist in a psychiatric hospital for adolescents in Atlanta, Georgia. Over those years, she learned quite a bit about the human psyche, something that would later have an important influence over the development of the characters in her books. It was in 1997 when the idea struck to re-write the story she had written as a teen, only with more twists and turns and from a more adult perspective. The decision was enough to breathe new life in Mary, who determined to finally realize her dream of becoming a published author, and she set to work on re-writing her fantasy novel.

Soon afterward, Mary met her husband, dated, got married, had their first son, moved half-way across the country to Colorado, and then gave birth to their twins, all while grabbing tidbits of time here and there to write a page or two of her novel. In 2006, her masterpiece complete, she employed the services of an editor who informed her that no one would publish her book being the length it was and that it would be better as, say, a trilogy. But after receiving a succession of rejection letters from agents and publishers, Mary decided to take a break from writing to re-evaluate her story. Though discouraged, she was determined not to give up on her dream or the story she fully believed in. It was then that she decided to re-write all three books, telling the story in first-person point of view and deepening the message of the trilogy by weaving a spiritual element throughout.

In 2012, Mary and her husband, Rob, decided to take a break and move their family to Italy for a year of traveling, homeschooling, and immersing themselves in Italian culture. It was during this time, while living in a 300-year-old converted horse barn, that Mary went about the task of re-writing her books to reflect these changes. And she found that with the echo of her footsteps on cobblestone streets still ringing in her ears and the exhilaration of standing in a white-washed village clinging to a cliff above the Mediterranean still so fresh in her mind, it sent her writing to new heights. She returned to the states, ready to be published for real. The question now was “How?”

After another upheaval, which led her family to move from Colorado to the Midwest, Mary made the decision to self-publish her trilogy. Like most new authors who struggle with going it alone, Mary went with a “hybrid” publisher for her first book, The Healer of Guildenwood, Book One of the Soultrekker Chronicles, published in October, 2016. Having learned more about what to do and what not to do with the first book, and having been introduced to more seasoned authors who were able to walk her through the publishing process, Mary published the second book in her fantasy trilogy, , through KDP, Amazon’s self-publishing arm. She has just returned from her very first book tour and gets excited when she sees the growing number of positive, enthusiastic reviews for her books on Amazon. Mary looks forward to the release of the final book in the trilogy but also has a sequel to The Soultrekker Chronicles in mind, a story that follows the adventures of one of the trilogy’s characters upon coming to this world from the fantasy realm.


Connect with Mary:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: LAUREN CARR




ABOUT THE BOOK


It all started with a chance encounter in the city with Blair, his late wife.



Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, working under the guise of a book club, dig into the events surrounding his late wife’s supposed death halfway around the globe. A state department employee shoots himself in the back three times. A CIA operative goes missing. A woman is targeted by an international assassin three years after being declared dead in a terrorist attack overseas. 



Nothing is as it seems.



In his most personal cold case, Chris fights to uncover why the state department told him that Blair, the mother of his children, had been killed when she was alive. What had she uncovered that has made her a target? Who terrified her so much that she had gone into hiding and why are they now after him?



Book Details:


Title: Winter Frost


Author: Lauren Carr


Genre: Mystery


Series: The Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, book 2


Publisher: Acorn Book Services (January 28, 2019)


Print length: 290 pages






   

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH LAUREN CARR


A few of your favorite things: Chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.
Things you need to throw out: Diet and exercise.


Things you need in order to write: A comfy chair and fully charged laptop.
Things that hamper your writing: Family members needing things.


Things you love about writing: Escape from the real world.
Things you hate about writing: Proofreading.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing
.
Hardest thing about being a writer:
Taking care of business.


Favorite beverage: Coffee with lots of sugar and mocha flavored cream.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Coffee without cream and sugar.

Something you’re really good at: Cooking. I’m a gourmet cook.

Something you’re really bad at: Cleaning up the kitchen after cooking a gourmet meal. (That’s the only reason I ditched the idea of becoming a caterer.)



Last best thing you ate: Chocolate marble cake with cream cheese frosting.

Last thing you regret eating: Chocolate marble cake with cream cheese frosting.

Things you always put in your books: Four-legged characters. I believe pets are as much a part of families as people. 

Things you never put in your books: Explicit sex and graphic violence just for the sake of sex and violence.

Things to say to an author: I love your books so much that I recommended them to my _____.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Attached to this email, you will find a spreadsheet of the grammatical mistakes in all your books.

Favorite places you’ve been: Cruise of the Caribbean.

Places you never want to go to again: New York City.

Favorite things to do: Horseback riding
.
Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: House Cleaning.

Most embarrassing moment: High School.

Proudest moment: Toss up between when my son won the county science fair, graduated high school, or got an article published in a national magazine.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Marry my husband
.
Biggest mistake: Put mustard on his cheeseburger a couple of weeks ago. (At least, that’s what he’s been telling me.)



BOOK TRAILER FOR WINTER FROST



CHECK OUT ICE (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery, book 1)

 





ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Thorny Rose, Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries—over twenty titles across four fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Connect with Lauren:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

Sunday, March 17, 2019

FEATURED AUTHOR: LAURA CHILDS



ABOUT THE BOOK


Theodosia Browning serves tea and solves crimes in Charleston, a city steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It is Sunday afternoon, and Theodosia and Drayton are catering a formal tea at a hot-air balloon rally. The view aloft is not only stunning, they are also surrounded by a dozen other colorful hot-air balloons. But as the sky turns gray and the clouds start to boil up, a strange object zooms out of nowhere. It is a drone, and it appears to be buzzing around the balloons, checking them out.

As Theodosia and Drayton watch, the drone, hovering like some angry, mechanized insect, deliberately crashes into the balloon next to them. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.

Sirens scream, first responders arrive, and Theodosia is interviewed by the police. During the interview she learns that one of the downed occupants was Don Kingsley, the CEO of a local software company, SyncSoft. Not only do the police suspect Kingsley as the primary target, they learn that he possessed a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag that several people were rabidly bidding on.

Intrigued, Theodosia begins her own investigation. Was it the CEO’s soon-to-be ex-wife, who is restoring an enormous mansion at no expense? The CEO’s personal assistant, who also functioned as curator of his prized collection of Americana? Two rival antiques’ dealers known for dirty dealing? Or was the killer the fiancée of one of Theodosia’s dear friends, who turns out to be an employee—and whistle-blower—at SyncSoft?


Book Details:

Title: Broken Bone China

Author: Laura Childs

Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: A Tea Shop Mystery

Publisher: Berkley (March 5, 2019)

Print length: 336 pages





LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH LAURA CHILDS


Things you need in order to write: Diet Coke, a bit of chocolate, and lots of quiet.
Things that hamper your writing: E-mails and phone calls.

Favorite music: Beach Boys, Rolling Stones. I saw both groups in concert this past year. Have tickets, will travel!
Music that makes your ears bleed: Polka music. Really guys, just really.

Favorite beverage: Good French red wine.
Something that gives you a pickle face: Cheap white wine.

Something you’re really good at: Marketing. I have a knack for knowing exactly how to promote a product.
Something you’re really bad at: Anything mechanical. Even a mousetrap baffles me.

Last best thing you ate: Truffle pizza.
Last thing you regret eating: 99 cent taco. But not because it didn’t taste good.

Things you always put in your books: Dogs.
Things you never put in your books: S – E – X. My cozy mysteries are G-rated, good for girls to grandmas.

Things to say to an author: Hi, will you sign my book?
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in the next book: Hi, when is your book coming out in paperback?

Favorite places you’ve been: Paris, London, Hong Kong, Bali.
Places you never want to go again: Beijing (because of the dangerous air quality!).

Favorite genre: Mysteries, thrillers, history, art history – basically all books.
Books you would ban: None. I don’t believe in banning books.

Things that make you happy:
Hearing from all my readers. They are my biggest inspiration to keep coming up with inventive and crazy new plots.
Things that drive you crazy: People who think I really don’t have to work at this.

Most embarrassing moment: Not getting picked for softball in 5th grade.
Proudest moment: Making the New York Times bestseller list – then doing it again and again.

Biggest lie you ever told: My agency partner and I were pitching an agricultural account and he told them my dad was a turkey farmer. I didn’t deny it. (Yes, we got the account)
A lie you wish you’d told: I wish I’d pitched Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live on my credibility as a comedy writer. (This was when I wrote some United Way public service spots that his cast recorded.)

Best thing you’ve ever done: Financed a dog training school for a good friend. (It’s still going gangbusters after 19 years!)
Biggest mistake: Should have bought more real estate.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I started my own advertising agency when I was 29. All these older art directors and account guys warned me not to – they said it was too risky. At the end of my first year, I was earning twice what they were.
Something you chickened out from doing: Parachuting with my Uncle Bob to celebrate his 90th birthday.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Laura Childs is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Connect with Laura: 

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Buy the book: 

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