Absence of You

by Sarah Elle Emm

Released on 17th May, 2016

 

Synopsis

Absence of You, a collection of poems, takes you through stages of love, from the first moments of falling, to heartache, to healing and growing. With Sarah Elle Emm’s simple, yet powerful, words and rhythm, venture through the ups and downs on this heartfelt journey.

About the Author

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of ABSENCE OF YOU, LAST VACATION, the HARMONY RUN SERIES, and MARRYING MISSY. She has lived in Germany, England, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and traveled extensively beyond. Her writing cave is currently located in the Outer Banks. When she’s not leading kitchen dance parties with her daughters, she writes poetry and fiction.

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This Feature is a part of the Blogger Outreach Program by b00k r3vi3w Tours

 

LOST PATH TO SOLITUDE

(A Follow-Up to Dogs With Bagels)

by Maria Elena Sandovici

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Date of Publication: February 12, 2016
# of pages: 315

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Once you leave home, can you ever return? Two characters, mother and daughter, contemplate this question in Lost Path to Solitude. Twenty-five years after leaving Romania in order to follow the man she loves to New York, Maria Pop still struggles with accepting her decision. She is determined to go back and recapture the poetry and joy of life in Bucharest, even at the expense of risking her marriage. Meanwhile, her daughter, Liliana, second-guesses her own choice of moving to a small town in Southeast Texas, ironically called Solitude, where she finds herself lonely, bored, and nostalgic for the fast pace of life in New York City. Facing the claustrophobic social climate of a town that goes to bed early, as well as the constrictions of her emerging academic career, Liliana longs for something that would give her existence meaning. The parallel soul-searching and the frustration they experience does little to bring mother and daughter closer. Instead, as each struggles with finding her own place in the world, they become increasingly critical of each other. Will their relationship survive the growing pains they each must suffer in their quest for self-fulfillment?

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This was a hard book for me to get through. It is a follow up book, but I don’t think you have to read the first book to read this one, but it might shed more lights on the characters and their outlook on life.

None of the characters resonated with me, Maria (the mother) was very self absorbed and hard to like, perhaps it was her Romanian upbringing. Lilli had her own issues and was seeking her happiness but perhaps going about it the wrong way (but then how does anyone learn if they don’t do things the wrong way?!) It seemed like the men, Alex and Victor, were the only sane ones…but they had their own battles to fight as well.

Despite my feelings about the characters, the book is a look into most families and the dysfunction that you will find between parents and their children. Each character does learn something about themselves, but mostly Maria and Lilli. I am not sure that anything Maria learned really stuck with her until maybe the end. It still seemed like she was being catered to by her husband, but perhaps that is what made him happy.

I did get tired of all the F* bombs dropped in the book. I will say this about any book that I read, find another word! Some will say that it is because the characters live in NY and that is common there. It may be, but that doesn’t mean you have to use that one word over and over again.

We give this 3 paws up.

 

Maria Elena Sandovici moved to Texas on a Greyhound bus in the summer of 2005. It would be the beginning of a great adventure. Born in Bucharest, Romania, a place she loves and where she returns often, she’d spend the requisite time in Manhattan to call herself a New Yorker, but also to know she was looking for something else. Her debut novel, Dogs with Bagels, is very much a New York story: the story of an immigrant family forging new identities for themselves in the city that never sleeps.

Her second novel, Stray Dogs and Lonely Beaches, is the story of a young woman traveling the world in search of herself. This theme persists in Lost Path to Solitude, her third novel, in which characters suffering an identity crisis are caught in a search for the ideal place to call home. Three locales dominate the story: New York City, Bucharest, and an imaginary, caricaturized town in Southeast Texas, called Solitude.

In addition to writing fiction, Maria Elena Sandovici paints every day. She has a studio at Hardy and Nance Studios in Houston, and also shows her daily watercolors on her blog, Have Watercolors Will Travel, accompanied by essays about whatever inspires or obsesses her at any given moment.

To support her art and writing, she teaches Political Science at Lamar University. She is also the well-behaved human of a feisty little dog.

Her favorite places in Texas are Houston and Galveston.

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5/23   Missus Gonzo  –  Review

5/24   It’s a Jenn World – Author Interview #1

5/25   Country Girl Bookaholic  – Promo

5/26   Forgotten Winds  — Review

5/27   Texas Book Lover  – Guest Post #1

5/28   My Book Fix Blog – Excerpt

5/29   Hall Ways Blog – Review

5/30   The Page Unbound – Author Interview #2

5/31   StoreyBook Reviews      – Review

6/1     A Novel Reality – Guest Post #2

 

 

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The Madness of Mercury (A Zodiac Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Midnight Ink (June 8, 2016)
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738749129
E-Book ASIN: B01A5OGTRS

Synopsis

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti’s life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city’s newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet’s Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who’s caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy. To add to the confusion, a young man claiming to be a long lost nephew arrives. The longer he stays, the more dangerous things become. Is the young man truly a member of the family? Can astrology confirm that? Julia’s not sure, but one thing she does know is that Mercury wasn’t merely the messenger of the gods—he was a trickster and a liar as well.

Review

I really enjoyed this book and when the killer was revealed I could not have been more surprised!

I’ve always been curious about astrology and what all it means when Mercury or Neptune are in your house, and while you won’t learn exactly what all of that means, there is a lot of discussion about charts based on your birthday and birth place. I’ve had a chart done in the past but it has been awhile so this has me curious about what the stars say for me.

I did guess a few things but wasn’t sure exactly how they tied in to the whole story until the end. And of course my suspect was someone else entirely.

I also liked how they had to deal with a “cult” where the leader had many people in power snowed and thinking he was a good guy when he really wasn’t and what it took to uncover his deception.

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries from Midnight Ink.  She was fascinated by astrology at an early age and this was the inspiration that gave birth to Julia Bonatti, San Francisco astrologer and her newspaper column Ask Zodia.  Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.  Connie lives in Los Angeles with her family and a constantly talking cat.

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DEATH UNDER A FULL MOON (Wilbarger County Series #2)

by Dianne Smithwick-Braden

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Date of Publication: February 4, 2016
# of pages: 268

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This second installment of the Wilbarger County Series joins Sheriff Wade Adams and Lizzie Fletcher as they investigate murder. Wade and Lizzie attend a dinner party near the small community of Rayland, Texas. One week later, one the guests is murdered.  With his only female deputy out on maternity leave, Sheriff Adams makes a quick decision to deputize Lizzie. That decision proves to be good for the department but damaging to their relationship. The Sheriff and his deputies follow every possible lead to no avail.  Lizzie happens to overhear a conversation that gives them the break they need. With little time to spare, Sheriff Adams and his team rush to prevent yet another death.

AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE * BLACK ROSE WRITING

Rayland, Texas is a special place to my family.  Family stories and my own memories were the inspiration for Death under a Full Moon.

Although it is located in the northeast corner of Foard County, Rayland is less than five minutes from our family farm. People who live nearby in Hardeman or Wilbarger Counties are said to live “at” Rayland.

My grandmother and her four older sisters were raised in Rayland. My grandfather lived across the Pease River near Chillicothe, Texas. He would ride his horse across the river to visit her while they were “courting.” Granny and Pawpaw were married in 1938.

Mama never lived at Rayland, but she often visited her grandparents there when she was a child. She recalls several businesses and going to see her aunt who worked at the local laundry. Mama and Daddy were married in 1958 at church in Rayland.

During the summers, my brother and I would stay with Granny and Pawpaw while our parents were at work. Sometimes we would drive through Rayland and across the riverbed to visit our great-grandparents who lived near Chillicothe. Other times, we would go with Pawpaw to buy cotton burs at the Rayland Gin. Those burs would be spread on the driveway and the barnyard to keep the sand from blowing.  After his business was finished, we’d go to the spring or the riverbed to play. If we weren’t too muddy, our visits would end with a trip to the store. He’d treat us to a coke (any kind of carbonated soft drink) while he visited with his friends who owned the store.

The store was a cross between an old fashioned general store and a modern day convenience store. Outside, you could buy fuel for your tractor, truck, or car. Inside, you could purchase groceries and hardware.  I remember wood shelves painted white stocked with loaves of bread and other grocery items. The wood floors creaked as you walked across them.

The last time that I tried to visit the spring, time and erosion had taken a toll. The natural spring, of course, is still there, but it looks nothing like the spring of my memories. The banks of the Pease River are much steeper than they were in the days of my childhood. It wouldn’t be possible to drive across now. I’m not sure that it would be safe to try to ride a horse across.

I still drive through Rayland when going to visit my family. Sadly, Rayland is practically a ghost town now. The store closed long ago although the building still stands. All that remains of the gin are the decaying office building and the cotton scales. There are only a few inhabited houses left.

All is not lost. There are still working farms and families who live “at” Rayland.  There have been new homes built in the past few years on neighboring farms. Maybe one day, Rayland will again be a thriving community.

 

 

Dianne Smithwick-Braden is a native Texas raised in rural Wilbarger County on the family farm. She is a graduate of Vernon High School and West Texas A & M University. She currently resides in Amarillo, Texas with her husband, Richard. She has been a high school science teacher in Amarillo since August of 1990.  Dianne is an avid reader of fiction but murder mysteries are by far her favorite genre. Death under a Full Moon is her second novel and the second installment of the Wilbarger County Series.

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5/23       Byers Editing Reviews & Blog – Author Interview #1
5/24       My Book Fix Blog – Review
5/25       Missus Gonzo  – Promo
5/26       Margie’s Must Reads – Excerpt
5/27       Country Girl Bookaholic  – Review
5/28       Books and Broomsticks – Author Interview #2
5/29       StoreyBook Reviews  – Guest Post
5/30       Hall Ways Blog– – Review
5/31       Texas Book Lover – Author Interview #3
6/1         Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books – Review

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***The 99 cent sale***

Get it while it’s just 99 pennies!! For a limited time, you can get your copy of The Right Design for just 99 cents from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

 

Interior designer Carrie Newman could not have envisioned a more perfect life for herself. She had a great job doing what she loved, wonderful friends, and a close relationship with her sister and brother-in-law. Add in an amazing man who she’d hoped would soon become her husband, and her life was perfect. Until one devastating decision ruins her relationship and changes the course of her life.

Determined to make a new start, Carrie leaves Texas and heads to Palm Beach to pick up the pieces of her shattered and broken life. The last thing she expects is to find herself attracted to her first client at her new job—Brad Larson, who has proven himself time and time again to be cad.

But there’s something beneath the surface of Brad’s arrogant exterior that keeps her craving more of him—something almost sweet that Carrie can’t seem to resist.

Is Carrie ready to take another chance on romance? And will this new design of her life prove to be the right one…?

“Carrie Newman?” he asked in an über-sexy Australian accent. Her toes curled at the sound of his voice. He reached out his hand and said, “I’m Oliver. Jane sent me over to help you unpack your boxes.”

Whether it was the Florida sun or the handsome man who stood in front of her that hit her like a heat wave, she blinked a few times more, and shook his masculine hand. “Thank you for coming, but I can manage. There are only a few of them anyway.” She pointed to her tightly packed car.

“I don’t mind.” Oliver smiled and clasped his hands, his voice sounding eager and more than ready to help.

I certainly could use your help in more ways than one, she thought to herself, calculating that it had been quite a while since she’d last had sex, which was way too long in her opinion. Shaking naughty thoughts away, Carrie regained her composure. “Thank you. I’d certainly appreciate your assistance.” She turned toward her car and pressed the unlock button, and then he took the lead. Between telling him which room to put the boxes in and passing one another between entranceways, Carrie tried to ignore Oliver’s flirtatious smile and the dimples indented in his cheeks. Finally, they unpacked the last two boxes from the car, leading them to meet in the kitchen.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, but thank you for coming.” She observed sweat beading the sides of his forehead. “Can I get you some water? I think I have another bottle in the cooler.” She pointed to the cooler Sara had packed for her.

He wiped the sweat off with his forearm. “No, I’m okay. Thanks, though.”

“Okay.” She looked around her kitchen and awkward silence filled the room.

“Would you like to come to Nick & Johnnie’s tonight? I’m working as a bartender there, and I’d love to buy you a drink.”

Carrie blushed and bowed her head. “I’d love to, but I’m kind of tired,” she lied as his face turned somber. “But maybe soon,” she added, giving him a polite grin.

Oliver beamed. “Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you again.” With one last glance in her direction, he reached into his wallet, pulled out a card, and handed it to her. “Call me if you need anything else. I work full time for Moving Waves, but call anytime—even if you need a handyman—I do it all.”

She wanted to say, “I’m sure you do,” but kept quiet. Shaking her head once again at the dirty thoughts that swam back into her mind, she took his card and smiled at him. “You’ll be hearing from me if I need anything.” She followed him out the door and watched him get into the truck.

“Goodbye,” he said after rolling down the window.

“Bye,” Carrie said quietly as she waved her hand in the warm air.

Isabella Louise Anderson grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has been featured on several blogs. Isabella lives in Dallas with her husband.

Her short story, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, was featured in Simon & Fig’s Christmas anthology, Merry & Bright, in November 2013. The Right Design is her first novel.

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Title: All of Me

Author: Jonali Karmakar

Length: 69 pages

Publication Date: May 29, 2016

ASIN: B01G0P8JGK

 

Synopsis

All of Me is a collection of thirteen little stories that have been gleaned from real life as well as imagination. Exploring a range of genres, these throb with everything primal to human nature: fear, angst, joy, love, and longing. Some stories are designed to elicit smiles, chuckles, and maybe even a belly laugh or two whereas some are meant as a reality check. Universal in nature, each story provides a glimpse of what women empowerment or a lack thereof can mean in a person’s life.

From a small hamlet in India to the roads of Australia; from a mother’s betrayal to a daughter’s confession; from an extra marital affair to a same sex relationship learn for yourself the what, how and whys.

Originally written for anthologies and ezines, these stories have been revisited and updated for this new collection.  

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Excerpts from stories in All of Me:

1

Instead there were so many questions that started to raise their bantam heads. Why did she drive the winding lanes into the past to warm herself? What was it that she was hoping to find? Had she really blamed Palash for naught? Over the years had she made him less a person who had lived and breathed and more the dream of one? It was not impossible what he had accused her of. 

Ira looked at the man before her and matched him to her memories of him. They seemed two very different beings! Waves of humiliation washed over her until she was rigid with misery. The purpose of this trip was lost on her.

For a while she let his words run through her head like cool water on a headache and dared to examine her sentiments in the privacy of her thoughts. She let the long buried memories surface and in the one moment saw everything and wanted not to, wanted to make it go away, to unknow. In finding closure she had unearthed a truth that she wasn’t willing to face ever. 

2

She liked her job. It was good. Brought in quick money. Left her enough hours for cramming her boring science papers. What else can one expect? There were quite a few perks too. Posh parties where cocktails, five star food and good contacts flowed uninterruptedly not necessarily in the same order. Whatever. It was fun.

Okay it wasn’t a job to be proud of she agreed. But she wasn’t ashamed of what she did. Still it was a put-outer when people shriveled their nose after learning about her profession. As if she reeked! So she didn’t advertise her work much. Clients came in on their own. She had a reputation. Word of mouth was her advertisement. 

Namita was one of the best. A little pricey but satisfaction guaranteed. Naturally her clientele list included only a handful. She liked to stick to her regulars. Knowing each other intimately created a comfort zone which she thought was essential. Mutual enjoyment was her mantra. She diligently noted their likes and specially their dislikes. Their preferences for toys. The usual. 

It was a little tricky with the fly-by-night customers. It usually meant a day call. She preferred evenings. If the money was good she accepted. But she didn’t compromise with her three-days-a-night policy. In such situations Namita ditched one of her regulars by calling in sick. A little ditching was healthy especially since her work was so damn physically tiring. She only accepted them after seeing their medical certificates. It irked some but she never budged. She didn’t want to pickup something nasty from them. If they wanted her it was on her terms.

 

About the Author

Jonali Karmakar is a fiction writer with a Masters in English. Writing is not just her passion but her way of dealing with life. She loves being able to escape into the worlds she creates. Everything that she writes becomes a part of her and she wants her readers to know the woman behind those words. In addition to being an educator, she works as a content editor for a local news portal. She has been providing editing, proofreading and translation services for the past few years.

Jonali’s work has been published in several journals, anthologies and poetry collections both national and international. An avid reader, she loves flipping pages of anything and everything on the table and reviewing the same on her blog Eclectic Moods. She feels that reading and writing are the flip sides of the same coin. Writing is her way of communicating with the world. When she’s not writing or teaching she loves to experiment with her paintings.

She has quite a few accolades to her name.

 

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From Titans (Book #4) by Mary Ting

Everyone is searching for Mason.

Zeus sent Hermes, and the Oracles have used their magic, with no success. A sparkle of hope arises when Eris, the goddess of Chaos, sends an invitation to her wedding engagement party. She’s holding Mason hostage, and Skylar and her friends only need permission to enter Eris’s world to rescue him.

At the party, Eris gives them one condition: In exchange for Mason, they must travel to the Land of Reverse and bring back the bottle of gold water King Midas used to wash himself free of his gift. Further chaos follows when Eris not only sets up a hunt in the Labyrinth of Crete, but makes a bargain with the Titans she rescued.

The Titans possess power more than anyone anticipated, and Cronus is hungry for revenge after his own children locked him up in Tartarus. No one is safe. Not even the humans.

Summary for Book 1:

Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day?

Don’t blame Mother Nature.

Skylar Rome can’t wait to spend her last summer before college with her cousin, Kayla. Everything changes when they meet the Grand brothers. Skylar is sure she should stay away from Mason Grand, but their attraction is undeniable. Then Skylar’s life erupts into turmoil. She steps into a world where descendants of ancient gods have super powers, evil beings chase her, and questions arise about her own identity. She is running out of time and running for her life, while trying to unravel the mystery of what they want from her.

Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will Skylar find the answers she seeks, or will she die trying?

Praise for the Series

“From Gods takes mythology to a whole new level of imagination with its incredible plot and amazing characters. It’s full of hotness that you never want to end!” Michele, Insane About Books

“From Gods by the AMAZING AUTHOR Mary Ting is OMGods good!! If you even LIKE Greek Mythology, set aside some time because you will DEVOUR Mary Ting’s Demi Gods and Vultures!!!” Mindy, Books Complete Me

 

Grab a FREE copy of From Gods this weekend ONLY!

From Gods (Book #1) by Mary Ting

Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day?
Don’t blame Mother Nature.

Skylar Rome can’t wait to spend her last summer before college with her cousin, Kayla. Everything changes when they meet the Grand brothers. Skylar is sure she should stay away from Mason Grand, but their attraction is undeniable. Then Skylar’s life erupts into turmoil. She steps into a world where descendants of ancient gods have super powers, evil beings chase her, and questions arise about her own identity. She is running out of time and running for her life, while trying to unravel the mystery of what they want from her.
Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will Skylar find the answers she seeks, or will she die trying?

Excerpt

“Mason, MASON, MASON!” Skylar panicked.

“I know. Skylar, hold on tight. I’m going to brake.”

“But there are cars behind us.”

“We have no choice. Don’t worry. I got this.” Mason pushed down on the brake forcefully. The car hydroplaned to the right. “Hold on.”

Skylar gripped the first thing her hand found. The water from the road jetted up into the air like in a water show, but the car kept gliding sideways, until finally it spun in a full circle and stopped. With no time to waste, Mason turned it to the right and accelerated, hoping to dodge what was coming toward them.

Out of nowhere, a long piece of ice, taking the form of a spear, darted through the trucks’ tires and punctured some of them. More ice spears came soaring out of the rain, but this time ten or more sphere-like ice balls followed, denting the sides of the trucks. One went through a windshield. With flat tires, the trucks now glided as if skating on ice, maneuvering from side to side.

“Did you do that?” Skylar asked excitedly.

“No. Must be Poseidon’s kids. Where the hell are they?” Mason spread his right arm out in front of Skylar as if to protect her. “Bend down, Sky.”

One of the trucks hit another and veered off, hitting yet another one. The crash caused the trucks to flip and tumble, heading straight for Mason’s car. With a look of shock, Skylar held her breath. There was no time to move, think, or get out of the car, so she closed her eyes and prepared for the crash.

Seconds before impact, Mason’s car flew up into the air and over the trucks. Somehow, as if by magic, the water created a liquid bridge, guiding the car safely over, and then it thumped hard onto the ground on the other side. Without looking back, Mason sped away as the sound of screeching brakes and metal hitting metal blasted behind them.

 

Author Mary Ting

International Bestselling, Award-Winning, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

 

 

 

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$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 6/13/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Synopsis

Falling for the wrestler she had been assigned to interview wasn’t part of Danni’s plan, until Vinnie Valentine pinned her heart in a flash.

Disgruntled with her job as the office assistant for a national sports magazine, Danni Stone impersonates a reporter to prove herself to her boss. Her assignment? Spend thirty days on the road with Vinnie Valentine, a sexy professional wrestler.

Life isn’t going well for the Heavyweight Champ. Vinnie is struggling with a manipulative boss, prepping for the most important match of his career, and feuding with his arch-enemy, Thorn. The last thing he needs is a nosy reporter following him around—even if she is hot.

Thrown together in close quarters, Danni can’t help falling for Vinnie, and she unwittingly becomes a key player in his title match. Their mutual attraction grows, and late one night, they give in to the lustful feelings they’ve been fighting.

As their relationship deepens, Danni considers telling Vinnie her secret. But before she can confess the truth, Vinnie discovers she isn’t the reporter she claims to be. Her lie threatens to ruin everything between them. Will their relationship be destroyed by her deception or will their love win out?

Thoughts from Kelli

Hi everyone,

Today I’m sharing an inside look at the making of my sizzling contemporary romance, A Deceptive Match.

A Deceptive Match is a full length novel set in the world of professional wrestling. Wrestling has always been a part of my life, so it was only natural that one day I’d write a book with wrestling as the backdrop. But this book is different from all of my other books because the entire story came to me in a rather unusual way—in a dream.

One morning I woke up and said “Uh-oh!” and grabbed the pen and paper next to the bed. (I keep it there in case of inspiration.) I knew that if I didn’t immediately start writing down everything in my head, it would be lost forever. So I sat there, furiously scribbling the outline. At this point, it was just the bare bones of the plot and the characters, but I knew I was onto something.

Over the course of the day, more bits and pieces came through. Now I had a subplot, secondary characters, and knew more about what was happening in this wrestling romance that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I was fortunate enough to actually “see” the book in my head like a movie—some scenes were missing, but I had a clear picture to work from.

People who have read the book and know about my love of wrestling always ask me the same questions: Which wrestlers are the characters based on? How do you know all this stuff? How much of it is real?

It’s easier to answer the second question first. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to be on friendly terms with a bunch of wrestlers. My husband and I would go to matches and hang out with the guys after the shows. (No, I wasn’t a ring rat.) I picked up a lot of terms and got a real feel for what they did and how they experienced life on the road.

At the time, the thought of being a writer never even crossed my mind, so I had no idea that one day I’d use what I learned in a book. When I got the idea for A Deceptive Match, I was able to incorporate much of what I knew into the plot through Danni’s point of view.

The male characters in the book (Vinnie, Ev, Thorn, and Nick) aren’t based on any one wrestler or any real person. I specifically made sure that Vinnie and the others aren’t linked to real wrestlers, because it would take away from the story. Like characters in any book, I invented whatever quirks, flaws, and backstory I needed to help move the plot along.

And how much of it is real? Well, anyone who knows anything about wrestling can tell you that it’s technically termed “sports entertainment” for a reason. But that doesn’t discredit all the training, hard work, and other sacrifices the wrestlers go through every day. A Deceptive Match touches on the subject of what’s “real” and what goes on behind the scenes that most fans are unaware of.

 

About the Author

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 95 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels.

In 2016 Kelli is re-releasing her romances previously published by Amber Quill Press. Visit her website and blog for a full title list, book summaries, and other information as it becomes available.

Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative non-fiction guide based on her 15 years of experience as a writer. It’s filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.

If you like to be scared, check out Kelli’s horror ebooks: Dead Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.

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Synopsis

From the Power of the Matchmaker series: LOVE IS COME

Nelle Thompson lives a life of privilege during the turn of the century New York City. When her parents are killed in a terrible accident, she’s forced to live with her aunt’s family in a small town in Connecticut, and treated as a poor relation with no financial independence. Broken hearted and riddled with insomnia, Nelle’s health begins a downward spiral. When a locked part of her heart blossoms around her cousin’s fiancé Mathew Janson, Nelle doesn’t know if she can endure one more heartbreak. Miss Pearl, owner of the local apothecary shop, becomes a mother figure to Nelle, but a fateful summer day has Nelle questioning everything she’s ever believed and wondering if she’ll ever love again.

Review

Another great book in the Matchmaker series. Like a few other books, i was surprised at the very small role of Pearl, the Matchmaker. In fact, she didn’t even appear until at least 25% of the way into the book. But no matter, the story was still very enjoyable and it was a refreshing step into the past when things were simpler but not as advantageous for women as Nelle found out when she lost her parents and everything outside of a small trust was left to her uncle.

Nelle finds a new purpose for her life and even someone that fills her heart, but the bad thing is that he is involved with her cousin.

This is a clean romance but well worth the read.

We give it 4 paws up.

Synopsis

A seemingly mundane computer clean-up leads to an electrifying quest for an enigmatic—and deadly—treasure in this gripping techno-thriller.

After selling his dorm-room startup for millions and effectively retiring at the age of twenty-five, Alex Fife is eager for a new challenge. When he agrees to clean up an old PC as a favor, he never expects to find the adventure of a lifetime waiting for him inside the machine. But as he rummages through old emails, Alex stumbles upon a startling discovery: The previous owner, a shady antiques smuggler, had been trying to unload a mysterious object known as the Florentine on the black market. And with the dealer’s untimely passing, the Florentine is now unaccounted for and ripe for the taking. Alex dives headfirst into a hunt for the priceless object.

What starts out as a seemingly innocuous pursuit quickly devolves into a nightmare when Alex discovers the true technological nature of the Florentine. Not just a lost treasure, it’s something far more insidious: a weapon that could bring the developed world to its knees. Alex races through subterranean grottos, freezing morgues, and hidden cellars in the dark underbelly of Los Angeles, desperate to find the Florentine before it falls into the wrong hands. Because if nefarious forces find it first, there’ll be nothing Alex—or anyone else—can do to prevent a catastrophic attack.

 

The author is donating all of his proceeds from sales of The Florentine Deception to charities to help underprivileged and low-income students.

1,620 books sold,  $8,173.00 donated as of December 31st (with $182 pending)!

Let’s help him reach his goal of selling 2,000 books and donating $10,000!

Visit his website to see the list of charities.

Buy the audiobook:  Amazon * Audible

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Trailer

 

About the Author

Carey Nachenberg is Symantec Corporation’s Chief Engineer and is considered one of the inventors of Norton AntiVirus. As Chief Engineer, Carey drives the technical strategy for all of Symantec’s core security technologies and security content. He has led the design and development of Symantec’s core antivirus, intrusion prevention and reputation-based security technologies; his work in these areas have garnered over eighty-five United States patents.

In addition to his work in the cyber-security field, Carey has also recently published his first novel, a cyber-security thriller entitled “The Florentine Deception,” and is donating all proceeds from sales of the novel to charities supporting underserved students and veterans. Carey holds BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from University of California at Los Angeles, where he continues to serve as Adjunct Professor of Computer Science.

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Giveaway

Win 1 of 5 copies of The Florentine Deception, winners can choose between print, ebook or audiobook (open internationally)
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