Death by Didgeridoo (Jamie Quinn Mystery Book 1)
Self Published
Print Length: 111 pages
ASIN: B00GVJ4WOY

Synopsis

Reluctant lawyer, Jamie Quinn, still reeling from the death of her mother, is pulled into a game of deception, jealousy, and vengeance when her cousin, Adam, is wrongfully accused of murder. It’s up to Jamie to find the real murderer before it’s too late. It doesn’t help that the victim is a former rock star with more enemies than friends, or that Adam confessed to a murder he didn’t commit.

 

The Case of the Killer Divorce (Jamie Quinn Mystery Book 2)
Self Published
Print Length: 109 pages
ASIN: B00HJE3UES

Synopsis

Reluctant lawyer, Jamie Quinn, has returned to her family law practice after a hiatus due to the death of her mother. It’s business as usual until a bitter divorce case turns into a murder investigation, and Jamie’s client becomes the prime suspect. When she can’t untangle truth from lies, Jamie enlists the help of Duke Broussard, her favorite private investigator, to try to clear her client’s name. And she’s hoping that, in his spare time, he can help her find her long-lost father…

 

Peril in the Park (Jamie Quinn Mystery Book 3)
Self Published
Print Length: 140 pages
ASIN: B00KRQ0E1M

Synopsis

There’s big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn’s boyfriend, Kip Simons, the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can’t figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there’s a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it’s too late.

 

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3
Print Length: 338 pages
ASIN: B00NB78KDS

 

 

Thoughts from the Author

THEN, WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Picture yourself in the stands at a baseball game, not just any baseball game, but the last game of the 2014 World Series–winner takes all. You’ve invested a lot to be here, having spent a small fortune on a ticket (that was very hard to come by) and an entire day of your life driving, parking, and fighting the crowds, all so that you could watch this game. The man sitting next to you, clearly a Giants fan, is decked out in so much orange and black that he could be an advertisement for Halloween. In between cheering for his team, your seatmate observes how quiet you are and asks: “Hey, man, who are you rooting for?”

“Nobody in particular,” you answer.

The man is flabbergasted. “Then, why are you here?”

Why, indeed? When you have no stake in the outcome, no skin in the game, why would you stick around? That is the reader’s dilemma. Authors are asking a lot of them: to invest money in a book and to spend precious time reading it, but what’s in it for them? What do they get out of the experience? For a reader to enjoy a book, to be satisfied with his expenditure of time and money, he doesn’t necessarily have to like the characters or have anything in common with them, but he must be invested in them. In other words, he needs to be rooting for somebody, to care about at least one character’s plight, to wonder how that character will resolve the issues in his life and whether he will learn anything along the way.

A good example of the reader’s dilemma is The Kite Runner, a 2003 novel set in Afghanistan where the protagonist, Amir, sacrifices (spoiler alert!) his friend Hassan by not rescuing him from his attackers. Amir not only justifies his behavior, but takes out his guilt by treating Hassan horribly, causing him to be ostracized, and possibly ruining his life. This protagonist is not likeable or admirable and we are universally appalled by his actions, so, why do we keep reading to the end? Why was this book a runaway bestseller? With an initial printing of 50,000 copies, this book went on to sell seven million copies and was also made into a movie. Everyone loves Harry Potter, the boy wizard, but nobody liked the jealous, weak and morally-bankrupt Amir. Even when Amir tried to redeem himself years later by helping Hassan’s son, the reader felt no respect for him. Too little, too late, we thought. But we read on–and not just to find out how Hassan’s life turned out. We kept reading because we were both fascinated and horrified, convinced that we would have done the right thing if faced with the same choices. In other words, that we were not Amir! But then, we wondered whether we would have been too scared to try to rescue our friend from his vicious attackers, whether we would have been willing to admit that we stood there and did nothing. The novel struck a chord because it made us explore our own characters; it made us think about how we would act in such an impossible situation. How would we deal with jealousy? With guilt? Would we be willing to risk our lives to redeem ourselves or to right a terrible wrong?

As readers, we were invested, big time! But then, just when we thought the stakes couldn’t possibly get any higher and that Amir’s regret and guilt couldn’t get any worse, we learned that Hassan wasn’t only a servant boy, he was also Amir’s illegitimate brother! Gut-wrenching stuff, for sure. And that’s the answer to our question–we stick around because of EMOTION. A novel without emotion is like a paper doll. It can be a beautiful paper doll, but it will never be three-dimensional no matter how hard it tries. Clever dialogue, sharp prose, interesting characters, lovely scenery, may be enough to hold our interest, but we will always leave feeling dissatisfied.

My Jamie Quinn Mystery Series opens with my protagonist Jamie Quinn mourning the death of her mother. Nothing can pull her out of her depression until her aunt calls in a panic because her disabled son Adam, Jamie’s cousin, has been accused of murdering his music teacher. The love Jamie has for her aunt and cousin, the guilt she feels for not being there for Adam in the past, for not being there for her aunt in the present, all motivate her to come back to life. In this first book, Death by Didgeridoo, there’s enough guilt to go around, as well as some jealousy, revenge and regret, but there’s also playfulness in the dialogue and some fun scenes between characters. Emotion gives a story genuineness, but not necessarily realism. Until I wrote my book, I’d never heard of anyone else being killed by a didgeridoo, so that’s kind of far out there, but the interplay between Jamie and the other characters, as well as the doubt and insecurity Jamie expresses are sentiments the reader can relate to.

To sum up, I will quote you an Amazon book review I once read: “I wasted eight hours of my life reading this book and I’m writing a review to save you from the same fate!” What a kind soul, to want to save strangers from wasting their time! As an author offering advice to new authors, I hope to do the same because, if you’re not going to write with emotional resonance, then, why are you here?

About the Author

Award-winning author, Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law and debt collection.

She is the author of “Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person”; “The Fight for Magicallus,” a children’s fantasy; a humorous short story entitled, “If You’d Just Listened to Me in the First Place”; and two books of humorous essays: “I’m Not Talking about You, Of Course” and “A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities,” which are part of the “Quirky Essays for Quirky People” series. Both books of humorous essays won the “Indie Book of the Day” award.

Her latest works are “Death by Didgeridoo,” first in the Jamie Quinn series, “The Case of the Killer Divorce,” the second Jamie Quinn mystery, and, just out, “Peril in the Park,” the latest in the popular Jamie Quinn series. Coming soon, “Engaged in Danger”–the next Jamie Quinn mystery!

Blog *  Goodreads

 

Tour Participants

July 13 – Back Porchervations – Review

July 14 – Omnimystery News – Interview

July 15 – Frankie Bow – Spotlight

July 16 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Guest Post

July 17 – Tea and A Book – Interview

July 18 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview

July 19 – Latte Da – Spotlight

July 20 – Jane Reads – Review, Guest Post

July 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review

July 22 – EditingPen – Interview

July 23- StoreyBook Reviews – Guest Post

July 24 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post

July 25 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

July 26 – Brooke Blogs – Review

A Date With Death: Cozy Private Investigator Series
(Flora Lively Mysteries Book 2)
Publisher: Mirrorball Books (April 15, 2015)
Print Length: 183 pages
ASIN: B00W7GUVQI

Synopsis

Amateur sleuth Flora Lively is back to investigate another mystery, and this time the body count is rising …

When Flora’s best friend returns to England with a Spanish film crew in tow, Flora is thrilled to land a job on set at a glamorous country house. But when a member of the crew is brutally murdered, and the priceless Infanta Tiara stolen, suspicion falls on everyone at Hanley Manor – including someone far too close to home.

When an arrest is made, Flora is plunged deep into a puzzling mystery, with no idea who she can and cannot trust. Surrounded by suspicion and bitter rivalries, she must keep one eye over her shoulder at all times. Because the murderer is about to strike again …

A Date With Death is a cozy English village mystery, ideal for readers who love cozy reads with romance and humor, and British mysteries on Kindle.

(Book #2 in the Flora Lively British cozy mysteries series)

Amazon US * Amazon UK

Excerpt

Flora said goodbye to Celeste and Eduardo, then headed back down the main staircase, her hand trailing along the polished curved banister, enjoying the feel of the old wood under her fingers and imagining the countless hands that had done the same over the last two hundred or so years. She figured she’d retrace her steps to get back out to the garden, then head across the lawn and go into the trees at the same point Sidney and Marshall had disappeared from view. This Nook place couldn’t be that difficult to find.

At the bottom of the stairs she saw Sidney heading towards her. He was carrying a large silver tray piled with dirty dishes and muttering to himself. Flora, on an impulse she didn’t understand or analyse, ducked into a recessed doorway next to a huge Chinese-patterned urn. Sidney strode past, still muttering. He stopped across the hall in front of a closed door, then reached into a deep pocket with his free hand, pulling out an enormous ring of keys. He rattled it like a jailer, then grabbed a key and jabbed it into the keyhole. As he swung the door open and hoisted the tray through it, Flora caught sight of another long corridor, dimly lit and narrow. Then the butler kicked the door closed with his heel, and Flora heard it being locked again from the other side. She frowned. Odd to keep a service door locked like that. Wouldn’t it make life difficult for him and the other staff? Every one of them would have to have a key, for a start, and locking and re-locking doors all the time didn’t seem very safe from a fire safety point of view. Wouldn’t it be simpler to put a No Entry sign up and leave it at that?

She stepped out of the doorway. Weird. Maybe the family who owned Hanley Manor insisted on keeping doors locked, to stop prying eyes. A shuffling sound to her left caught Flora’s attention, and she turned to see a young woman step out of an alcove only five or six feet from where Flora herself had been hiding. The woman’s eyes flashed in alarm when she saw Flora; she whirled around in a mass of wild, dark hair and fled into the music room. Flora followed, but there was no sign of the woman in either the music room or the next room along.
‘Hello,’ Flora said. Her voice sounded hollow and too loud in the vast space. Every wall was crammed with ancient paintings, some so dark and discoloured it was impossible to discern colours or features. She turned in a circle, wondering if the woman was hiding in here. Which would be ridiculous, of course. The faces on the closest paintings stared back at her, their expressions either bleak or sneering. The silence felt so absolute it was almost a noise in itself.

Flora retraced her steps, and found her way back to the small lobby area with the benches and the coat racks. She stepped out of the dark house into the sunlit gardens with a sense of pure relief. And there was Marshall, slouching on the lawn, kicking at something in the grass, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his cargo shorts, familiar and incongruous as hell. Flora smiled, then headed over to greet him.

Hey, Lively,’ he said, looking up and shielding his eyes from the sun. ‘You are gonna love where we’re sleeping.’

About the Author

Joanne Phillips lives in rural Shropshire, England, with her husband and young daughter. She’s the author of romantic comedies Can’t Live Without, The Family Trap and Cupid’s Way, and the Flora Lively series of contemporary mysteries. Can’t Live Without was an Amazon top 100 bestseller in 2012 and her books regularly appear on category bestseller lists. Before becoming a writer, Joanne had jobs as diverse as hairdresser, air hostess and librarian, but now divides her time between writing and finding creative ways to avoid housework. She’s a fan of super-dark chocolate, iced coffee and Masterchef.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Participants

July 15 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

July 16 – Christa Reads and Writes – Review

July 17 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Guest Post

July 18 – 3 Partners in shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – Guest Post

July 19 – Book Splurge  – Review, Interview

July 20 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview

July 21 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post

July 22 – Lilac Reviews – Interview

July 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight

July 24 – Omnimystery News – Guest Post

July 25 – Frankie Bow – Interview

July 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

July 27 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post

July 28 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review

Synopsis

At age 17, Carmel founds herself in a mental institution thanks to an ice dagger, and a woman who apparently isn’t human.  After being rescued and arriving at the H.O.T, House of Talents.  A house where no one is entirely human. She learns that she’s Talented and has the ability to control Water and Ice.

At the H.O.T, Carmel learns to control her Talent, makes new friends, a few enemies, and begins to fall head over heels for a handsome guy. Who has a few secrets of his own? Carmel begins to realize that many people want her dead because of who she is.  However she has no idea why. Can she figure it out or will she die. Look inside to find out.

Excerpt

“I think if they wanted us to know about their true identity,” he put the word identity in quotation marks, “then they would have told us.”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just I don’t honestly know about this whole angel thing.” I glared at him. “But if you believe in it, then I want argue about it. However, I do think you should keep it quiet.”

Excerpt #2

“Mikey said the road is open. That cop is bad.” Well, I did have my suspicions but he was a cop for Christ sake. A cop wouldn’t lie right? I did a U-turn and glanced in my rearview mirror, the cop was now trying to get that guy out of the car. Yeah, Mikey didn’t know what he was talking about.

The Talented 2 – Past Lives Revealed is set for release later this summer

Synopsis

Carmel’s time at the H.O.T hasn’t been all that pleasant.  She’s gotten drugged, captured, and had to endure her painful change.  When Carmel finally starts to enjoy her life at the H.O.T with her friends and her boyfriend Devon; Queen Ice, her annoying past life, contacts her.  Queen Ice not only tells her about the impending battle between the good angels and the evil angels, she also continues to pop up in Carmel’s mind, showing her images from her life in the past.  Now, Carmel, her friends along with her boyfriend, race to find a sword that they believe will give them leverage in the battle to come.

Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as it seems.  There are others who are aware of the sword, and they’ll do anything to retrieve it before Carmel does.  In addition, Carmel can’t use her Water or Ice Talent to help in the battle and she doesn’t know why!  On top of that, there’s one or more people in Carmel’s group who aren’t whom they say they are.  Can Carmel find the sword?  Will she be able to figure out why her Talents aren’t working?  Can she discover who in the group is lying to her and the others about who they really are?

About the Author

Desiree Morrow was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She wrote her first book when she was thirteen years old, because she ran out of books to read inside her home. She loves reading books as much as she loves writing her own. Desiree also loves food and sweets, if she’s not reading, she’s probably eating a cupcake or two. She published her first book The Talented under a publishing company she started title Floebe Publishing. Desiree writes to provide an escape for anyone who wants to live in a fantasy world, and not worry about the trouble of everyday life. She also writes to inspire. This is Desiree’s first novel, and she plans to release the second part in The Talented series during late summer. The Talented is a five part series. Right now she is working on another story, which she hopes to release in the fall. She writes fantasy romance fiction under the pen name Desy Smith.

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Amazon

Synopsis

The highly effective team of genetically enhanced soldiers code-named Chaos Company has returned to the United States to be commended for their bravery. While on leave the team finds themselves at odds with the highly dangerous mercenary Liam King, who has been contracted to assassinate President Jennifer Grey. Chaos Company thwarts Liam’s attack, but at the cost of their team leader’s life.

With their leader killed the team looks to Corporal Desmond Striker to guide them in a hunt for Liam. During their hunt the team will find themselves in the cross-hairs of a private military company and have their abilities pushed to their limits. Before Chaos Company finally comes to blows with Liam they will discover that their greatest threat is a leader within their own country.

Excerpt

“Wake up mate!” the man said, slapping an unconscious man in the face.

The middle-aged man woke up moved around hysterically. He didn’t realize he was constrained to a metal chair. Ropes were tied to his feet and handcuffs bound his wrists, causing him to fall over on his side the moment he rocked in his seat.

“Agh! Dammit!” he ached. All he saw was a bright light shining in his face. Outside of that there was nothing but darkness. The echo from his voice and the cold damp floor helped the man realize he was in a closed empty space. It didn’t take long for his eyes to adjust and discover he was inside the unfinished basement of his own home. He looked up at the man who had woken him but could not see his face. What he could see was the man about him wearing a military grade Kevlar vest and urban camouflage pants, attire that did not sit well with the restrained man.

The man standing over the captive stopped pacing back and forth for a moment, juggling the thought of smashing his boot into the frightened captive’s chest. After a long moment of silence he picked the captive up.

The prisoner shook vigorously, failing to keep his composure. “Do you know who I am?” the prisoner tried roaring in a threatening tone, but his voice faltered.

“Brian R. Fraser,” his capture said with an Australian accent. “Governor and native of Wisconsin. You got your MA in Political Science from UCLA before attending law School at North Carolina State. You’re married to Sarah Fraser, your high school sweetheart. You’re a fan of barbeques, hunting, and for some reason that’s…f*ing beyond me…ranting about international affairs you have no stake in.”

“Bravo.” Governor Fraser said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. “You googled me. If I wasn’t tied up I’d applaud you for being competent with a laptop.”

“I also know you cheated on your bar exam.”

Keeping a cool head during a crisis was a trait the press had identified with Fraser. He took a breath, and swallowed the fear that occupied him. “So you paid off one of my friends. Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Fraser’s kidnapper stood in front of him and pulled out a needle filled with a greenish-yellow liquid. “How about this? You know what this is?”

“Some kind of dope you took to make you think going after me was a good idea?”

The Australian laughed while twirling the needle in hand. “I like that. Calm under pressure. But you see that’s how all men like you start.” He dangled the needle between his fingers. “It’s a heavy sedative. I borrowed it from your doctor. Well, you could say I traded him for it.”

“A trade?”

“Yeah. I took this and he took a bullet to the head. Seemed like a fair trade.” The Australian said while shrugging his shoulders.

About the Author

Christopher Slayton was born and raised in New Castle, Delaware. During Chris’ high school years he earned two All-Conference awards in lacrosse and three national awards in JROTC. Chris attended the University of Delaware, where he earned a B.A. in Psychology. While in college Chris was a UD ambassador, and wrote sketches for his school’s comedy show. Chris was a member of his school’s Tae Kwon Do team, where he earned multiple honors in nine tournaments. Chris has incorporated his passion for both martial arts and videogames into his writing, helping him finish his first ebook Chaos Company.

 

 

A CHARMING FATALITY: Magical Cures Mystery Book 7
Cozy Mystery
Print Length: 165 pages
ASIN: B00YLLHOX0
Publication Date: July 10, 2015

Synopsis

Bubble. . .Bubble. . .
Whispering Falls’ resident potion maker, June Heal, is the first witch in the magical village to make a big money deal with the Head To Toe Works, a national chain specializing in spa and natural products.

Cures and Trouble. . .
June is going to need to use her own stress relief potion she made especially for Head To Toe Works after she discovers the dead body of Burt Rossen, the co-owner of Head To Toe Works, on the belt of the assembly line of her stress free lotion product.

Magic Stirs. . .
A new baby is born in Whispering Falls and giving Oscar Park, June’s fiancé and Whispering Falls’ sheriff, the itch to get a wedding date set and gives June an ultimatum.

And Trouble Doubles. . .
June is forced to use her witchy ways to figure out who stole her secret potion after it turns up missing. Rumors are flying around like broomsticks that June is a witch and used a spell to murder Mr. Rossen. Someone wants her out of Head To Toe Works, but who? Will the killer get to June before she can walk down the aisle?

Praise for the book

I enjoyed reading this story and following the path of Oscar and June. I have been a huge fan of Tonya Kappes she is a great writer. This book is just as great as other books she has written. I can’t wait to see what she writes next! ~Community Bookstop

…a cute murder mystery.  ~Readalot

This is great escape and relaxation reading.  ~Laura’s Interests

I found myself totally surprised by the revelation of the murderer and the motive… ~Book Babble

About the Author

Tonya Kappes is a USA Today Bestselling Author.

I write fun humorous fiction, some with romance and some with a little mystery.

More than anything I love to connect with readers! I’m a huge fan of them and LOVE getting to know them. Making readers smile, and remembering not to take life too seriously is how I like to write. I’m addicted to coffee, McDonald’s Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy to keep her going!

When I’m not writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, I’m busy being the princess, queen and jester of my domain which includes my BFF husband,  three teenage boys, two dogs and one ornery cat.

And be sure to stalk me on Facebook,  Twitter, TSU, Instagram!  Website

 

Tour Participants

July 10 – Community Bookstop – Review, Giveaway

July 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight, Giveaway

July 11- readalot – Review, Giveaway

July 12 – Laura’s Interests – Review, Giveaway

July 13 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway

July 14 – Tea and A Book – Review

July 15 – Griperang’s Bookmarks – Interview, Giveaway

July 16 – Frankie Bow – Guest Post, Giveaway

July 17 – Book Babble – Review

July 18 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

July 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Guest Post

July 20 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Interview, Giveaway

July 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight

July 22 – Queen of All She Reads – Spotlight, Giveaway

July 22 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review

July 23 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post , Giveaway

July 24 – Nadaness In Motion – Review, Giveaway

July 25 – Moonlight Rendezvous – Review, Giveaway

July 25 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – Spotlight, Giveaway

 

 

Title: Wolf Trouble
Author: Paige Tyler
Series: SWAT, #2
Pubdate: August 4^th, 2015
ISBN: 9781492608509

Synopsis

He’s in trouble with a capital T

There’s never been a female on the Dallas SWAT team and Senior Corporal Xander Riggs prefers it that way. The elite pack of alpha male wolfshifters is no place for a woman. But Khaki Blake is no ordinary woman.

When Khaki walks through the door attractive as hell and smelling like heaven, Xander doesn’t know what the heck to do. Worse, she’s put under his command and Xander’s protective instincts go on high alert. When things start heating up both on and off the clock, it’s almost impossible to keep their heads in the game and their hands off each other…

Amazon * Apple * BAM * B&N * Chapters * Indiebound

Paige Tyler’s sexy, action-packed SWAT series is back this August with the release of Wolf Trouble! To celebrate this latest release, Corporal Xander Riggs has agreed to sit down for a Q&A with us:

If you could go back and change one thing about your past, what would you change?

“I would have left the narcotics squad I was in back at the KCPD before things went to crap. Of course, if I had, I wouldn’t be a werewolf right now.”

Excerpt

Xander had to pick his jaw up off the floor of the training room when Gage introduced the newest member of the SWAT team. He didn’t know what to expect, but it sure as hell wasn’t Officer Khaki Blake. Tall with an athletic build and just enough curves to fill out the SWAT T-shirt, she had the biggest brown eyes and softest looking lips he’d ever seen. She had her dark hair back in a bun, so he couldn’t tell how long it was, but he’d bet money it fell past her shoulders. She smelled way too good to be believed, too—like a slice of frosted spice cake in a uniform.

Shit. He was practically panting. If he didn’t get a grip soon, he was going to start drooling.

He gave the other guys a covert glance to see how they were dealing with her scent and was stunned to see that none of them reacted at all. Why not? His nose wasn’t that much better than theirs. He knew for a fact that several of the other guys—Cooper Landry and Jayden Brooks specifically—could smell a hell of a lot better than he could.

Maybe everyone was so mesmerized by finally getting to see a female version of their kind that the rest of their senses had stopped working.

Gage had left it up to Xander to fill the guys in on what had gone down at the meeting with Deputy Chief Mason while he’d headed home to get ready for his trip to Washington State. While the guys had been pissed that the top brass was playing politics with the team, they’d been intrigued at the idea of adding a female werewolf to the Pack.

They’d bombarded him with dozens of questions, none of which he could answer. Was she as fast and strong as they were? Did her abilities manifest themselves in completely different ways? Would she be as aggressive as they were and able to handle herself in a fight? Were there more like her out there, or was she the only one?

Not all the questions were so general. Brooks wondered what she would look like, Max Lowry wanted to know if she would smell like them, and Eric Becker… Well, Becker just wanted to know if she liked to wear yoga pants. God, that kid had an obsession with those things.

Xander had told them what he knew—that no one except Gage knew a damn thing about female werewolves. And Xander wasn’t so sure how much their commander knew, either.

While Xander was lost in thought, Gage turned the floor over to Khaki, who was currently explaining how much she appreciated the opportunity to be in SWAT.

“I know I won’t be handed anything, but I look forward to proving to every one of you that I belong in the Pack and on the team.” She spoke in a light, lilting voice that surprisingly filled the large classroom. Xander could definitely pick up the Midwest accent, so she probably wasn’t originally from the Pacific Northwest. “I’m not asking for anything from you but a chance to do prove myself.”

About the Author

Paige Tyler is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Courage and Other Demons (Book 1) Synopsis

The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?

<—— Offered for Free 7/17 – 7/22 on Amazon, get it now!

Excerpt

“Are you ready to start?” Sloane asked as I stepped into the room.

“Yes,” I said, the word catching in my throat. Simon stood next to me and placed his hand protectively on the small of my back. I was scared and felt better knowing he was next to me, even if he were only there as my friend.

Liam took a small, black velvet box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a silver ring inside. I noticed with surprise that it was a Claddagh ring, very similar to the ones Simon, Finn and Erin wore, and I thought back to the time when Simon had said he was pretty certain someone would give me a Claddagh ring at some point. This one looked older and more worn than Simon’s, but it still had the two hands coming together to hold a heart with a crown above it.

Once everyone had an opportunity to inspect the ring, Sloane turned to me. “It’s not too late to change your mind,” she said.

I shook my head, ready to get it over with once and for all. I tried not to think about everything this ring meant—about how dramatically my life might change in the next few moments—because I knew if I did I wouldn’t be able to go through with it. I could still feel Simon’s hand on the small of my back and the heat from his skin reached through the cloth of my shirt and up to my heart, and knowing he was there with me made what I had to do a little easier. My heart was pounding wildly against my ribs as I took the ring from Liam’s extended hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I slipped it on my right index finger. As soon as the ring touched my skin, I felt as if I’d been punched in the chest. I plummeted to the ground, sitting on my heels, my hands braced in front of me on the floor, trying to steady myself against falling any further. I was experiencing an extreme sense of vertigo and I felt like I was capable of falling well beyond the boundaries of the floor. I could hear Simon and the others asking me if I was okay. I could feel their hands on me, but they felt so distant. The room was getting darker and darker, and I was finding it hard to breath. I closed my eyes against everything I was seeing, too afraid to face whatever was happening to me.

“Don’t fight it, Maggie Girl,” I heard a woman call to me, using the nickname my grandfather used. “Don’t fight it. Let yourself come to us. Open your eyes.”

When I opened my eyes, I didn’t see Simon or the other faeries. Instead I saw a dark room filled with people, young and old and each wearing clothes from different time periods. My great-great-grandmother approached me and put her hand on my face affectionately. Her hair was completely white and tied into a braid at the back of her neck. Her eyes were the same blue as mine, and she looked peaceful and kind.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for you,” she said, smiling gently.

“Grandma Margaret?” I asked. She nodded, still smiling.

I looked around at the other people in the room.

“Your ancestors,” she said, answering my unasked question. “The O’Neills and the Breslins. Come. Sit.”

“I can’t,” I protested. “Simon. He’ll be worried.”

“That, my dear, is an emotion Simon is going to get to know very well. He’ll spend a lot of time worrying about you in the days to come. Besides, he’s waited two hundred years for you. He can wait a bit longer.”

I saw Simon’s face swim before my eyes and felt that he was simultaneously close and distant.

“Do something, Erin!” I heard him say frantically. “She’s feverish. Something’s happening to her.” I felt his hands on my face. My own hands ached to reach out to him, to assure him that I was okay.

Then I felt Grandma Margaret’s hand on mine, and the feel of Simon’s hands on my face faded away. “Come,” she said, pulling me deeper into the room. I felt myself teetering between the two worlds—the one with the room full of faeries and the one with the room full of my ancestors.

“Simon,” I said through the fog of my consciousness, “don’t leave me.”

He rubbed his hand across my cheek and whispered, “Never. I will never leave you.”

I closed my eyes and slumped in a heap to the floor, and as I did I felt Simon’s tears falling on my cheeks.

“Get the ring off her!” he yelled to someone I couldn’t see. “It’s going to kill her.”

I felt myself being lifted off the floor in Simon’s world and realized he had me in his arms, carrying me out of the room and up the stairs, and for a moment I was lost in the feeling of being so close to Simon. I could feel his arms around me, cradling me, the warmth of his hands reaching through layers of clothes and warming the skin beneath. I didn’t want to leave the circle of their protection, but the pull was so strong.

“Come,” Grandma Margaret urged, and Simon slipped a little further away.

“Am I dead?” I asked her as I sat down at the table with the group of strangers who were each a part of me—the strangers whose DNA ran through every cell of my body and made me who I was.

“Finn, please!” Simon was growing more and more frantic, and more and more distant. “Do something!” I was in my bed in Simon’s house, but I didn’t feel his hands anymore. I tried to open my eyes, to see his face, but he was slipping away from me.

“No. Not dead. Just taking a much needed mental vacation.” My grandmother chuckled. “It’s the ring,” she explained. “It was meant to pull you here with us for a while.”

“Then it is me,” I confirmed, dread filling up in the pit of my stomach. “This is how we know that the ring ‘fits’ me.”

Simon was gone. Everything in his world was gone from my sight. My touch. I could no longer hear his frantic insistence that someone help me.

“Yes,” she said, putting her hand gently on my face. “The ring fits you, Maggie. It was made to fit you.”

“Why me?” It wasn’t a complaint, but a genuine question.

She didn’t respond.

I tried to pull Simon back to me. I’d started to tremble with the knowledge of what was happening and wanted to feel his protective embrace, but he was gone.

“So, what happens now?”

“Now you spend some time with us getting used to the idea of what’s to come,” she said. The others in the room—the rest of my ancestors—had faded away. I was alone with Grandma Margaret.

Abandoned Courage (Book 2) Synopsis

Maggie O’Neill had a rough junior year… She fell in love with Simon. She found out Simon was a faery. She spent some time with her dead ancestors. An evil faery with control issues came after her and brought his groupies to kill her. …but that was nothing compared to what’s in store for senior year. She’s the new girl at faery boarding school and is subjected to something she never thought she’d have to deal with in her entire life—mean girls. To make matters worse, she’s seeing less and less of Simon, her faery guard is smothering her in their efforts to protect her, and the evil faery is still stalking her, determined to kill her before she can kill him. She starts to wonder if she’ll make it to graduation. Then the unthinkable happens and she wonders if she’ll be able to survive even one more day.

 

Defining Courage (Book 3) Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Maggie O’Neill is a high school dropout. If her parents knew, they’d probably kill her, but that’s the least of her worries. Balor—the evil faery from hell—is still stalking her, someone is still betraying her, and the mean girl at school is still mean. The worst part of her life, however, is figuring out how to live it without Simon. Will Maggie discover a way to defeat Balor? Will she ever be able to out-snark the mean girl? Will she find Simon? Tune in next week—uh, read the book—to find out.

About the Author

Jill Daugherty lives in Denver with Bailey, the world’s cutest dog. By day, she works with gifted children and their teachers. By night, she writes. A lot. She is the author of the Courage series, which has received glowing reviews. At the insistence of her readers, she has started work on a spin-off series.

 

Author Website * Twitter  * Facebook * Google+ * Goodreads * Amazon * Virtual Tour Page 

 

Title: Do Not Forsake Me
Author: Rosanne Bittner
Series: Outlaw Hearts, #2
Pubdate: July 7^th 2015
ISBN: 9781492612810

 

Fate brought them together. His past may tear them apart.

Miranda Hayes’ life was changed the day she faced down infamous gunslinger Jake Harkner…and walked away with his heart. Their fates have been intertwined ever since. Hunted by the law, fleeing across a savage land, their desperate love flourished despite countless sorrows. Now, twenty-six years later, their family has finally found some measure of peace…balanced on the knife’s edge of danger.

Jake has spent his years as a U.S. Marshal atoning for sins, bringing law to the land he once terrorized. But no matter how hard he fights the demons of his brutal past, the old darkness still threatens to consume him. Only Miranda keeps the shadows at bay. But when outlaws looking for revenge strike a fatal blow, Jake risks losing the one woman who saw past his hard exterior and to the man inside.

He always knew there’d be the devil to pay. He just never realized he might not be the one to bear the ultimate price.

 

Amazon * Apple * BAM * B&N * Chapters * Indiebound * Kobo

 

Character Interview

This July marks the release of Do Not Forsake Me, Rosanne Bittner’s long-awaited sequel to her beloved title Outlaw Hearts. To celebrate, we’re pleased to welcome father and son Jake and Lloyd Harkner, who have agreed to sit down with us today to answer a view questions about their relationship and the impact it has on this latest release.

Name one quality you have that you hope your children have?

JAKE: That’s hard for me because I’m not too sure I have any – I guess it would be the ability to protect my family and maybe my devotion to my wife.

LLOYD: Love and respect for my wife and family.

Excerpt

In this excerpt Jake has been gravely wounded and Randy has been through the hell of thinking she was losing him. She is talking with a reporter who wants to write about Jake.

“Ma’am, if I may ask … how do you do it?” Jeff asks.

“You’re a mother, a grandmother, and wife to a man who has to be difficult to live with.”

Randy glanced at Jake’s guns lying on the table.

“No one understands my husband the way I do, Jeff. No one. I know every detail about his life, including when he was a little boy. I know how he thinks and what his needs are. I know how he suffers silently on the inside. That’s how I do it.” She wiped at her eyes.

“Jake has a good heart. He treats me with total devotion and respect, so no, he’s not difficult to live with. We’ve had some really bad times, a couple of them a big test of our marriage, but deep down I’ve always known how much Jake Harkner loves and needs me.”

She seemed to be in another world for the moment. “And years ago, not long after we’d met and then gone our separate ways, thinking it was best because he was a wanted man, Jake rode out of my life and I headed west to find my brother. The people I traveled with left me at a trading post when they thought I was dying from a snakebite, and the men at the trading post were … awful. I was in terrible pain, sure I was dying … and one day I heard Jake’s voice, felt him lift me into his arms and promise me he’d never let me out of his sight again. He’d tracked me down and come back for me. I remember how gentle he was when nursing me back from death, bathing me, feeding me, keeping me warm … and never once did he take advantage or touch me wrongly. I knew then all I needed to know about him. I fell totally, deeply, madly in love with the real Jake Harkner.”

About the Author

USA Today bestseller and award-winning novelist Rosanne Bittner is known as the “Queen of Western Historical Romance” for her thrilling love stories and historical authenticity. Her epic romances span the West—and are often based on Rosanne’s personal visits to each setting. She lives in Coloma, Michigan, with her husband and two sons.

Giveaway 

5 copies of Outlaw Hearts

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sherlock Academy by F.C. Shaw

Teachers in disguise, secret libraries, hollow books . . .

All these and more await eleven-year-old Rollie Wilson at the mysterious Sherlock Academy of Fine Sleuths.

When Rollie and his best friend, Cecily, are invited to attend a school where children learn the art of detection just like the great Sherlock Holmes, they discover a strange burglary has been committed and a mystery is afoot. Determined to investigate, Rollie discovers that appearances can be deceiving, the truth can be hurtful, and friends sometimes turn into foes.

Does Rollie have what it takes to follow in Holmes’s footsteps? Can he use his skills to solve the mystery and save the school from an unknown villain?

Praise for Sherlock Academy

For anyone who’s ever wanted to be Sherlock Holmes, this is your chance. –Adam Glendon Sidwell, Bestselling Author of Evertaster

My students love this book, and have asked for it again and again. It makes them feel as if they are in the story; they keep wanting to know what might happen next. Delightful story that invites anyone who loves mystery to dig in and figure it out! – Amazon Customer

Excerpt

The letter arrived by courier during breakfast.

“Go on, Rollie, read it aloud to us.” Mrs. Wilson, his mother, nudged his shoulder.

Rollie stared at the letter in his hand, his brown eyes wide with excitement.

“Who would send him mail?” Edward, an older brother, snorted.

“I don’t even get mail and I have a girlfriend,” Stewart, Edward’s twin, added.

“Maybe that’s it!” Edward exclaimed, grinning his lopsided smile. “Got a secret girlfriend, Rollie? I’ll bet it’s Cecily Brighton!”

“I wish I’d get a letter,” Lucille, a younger sister, pouted.

“Me too!” Daphne, her twin, chimed.

“Find a boyfriend and you’ll get mail,” Edward quipped.

Stewart slapped a high-five with his twin. The two teens snickered and elbowed each other.

“Stop it, boys. Let Rollie read it aloud,” Mrs. Wilson scolded as she brushed Rollie’s sandy-blond hair with her fingers.

Rollie cleared a dry throat unnecessarily. In a high voice common to boys of eleven years, Rollie read the letter aloud. When he was finished, the entire Wilson family started talking at once with high-handed opinions, as was their custom.

“Whoever heard of the Sherlock Academy?”

“Why Tuesday?”

“It’s the first of the month.”

“I want a letter!”

“Me too!”

“Get a boyfriend.”

Amidst all the banter around the breakfast table, Rollie sat silently regarding his hash browns, the only food he ever ate for breakfast. His middle fluttered with butterflies.

 

Want a FREE Kindle verison of the book?

Sherlock Academy is now available in select Costcos throughout Utah, Idaho & Arizona. On your next trip, grab a copy! AND if you take a picture with the book and tag @FutureHousePub and @Costco on Twitter we’ll gift you a free Kindle version of the book!

 

About the Author

F.C. Shaw started writing stories when she was eight years old. She loves children’s stories, Sherlock Holmes, and mysteries, so had to write a book combining all three. She spends her afternoons writing for kids, and her nights dreaming of new stories. She lives with her husband and two sons in a home they have ambitiously dubbed The Manor in California. When she’s not plotting stories, she teaches visual arts in local schools and enjoys a good game of Scrabble.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

 

 

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash or a $50 COSTCO gift card

Ends 8/9/15

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.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway