Archive for November 23, 2016

ghost-of-christmas-past-banner

The holidays are upon us and what could be better than a holiday story!

Michael has the perfect one to take you away for a little while.

I had such a great time reading The Ghost Of Christmas Past and I think you’ll be surprised when you read it.

There’s a lot to share today so I’ll get to it.

Michael has a special sale.

And there’s also a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

The Ghost Of Christmas Past

A Novella

by Michael Hebler

20503218

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My Review

The title probably has you thinking this a retelling. Wait, though. It may start that way, but very quickly the author steers you in another direction. The focus shifts from the person being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past to the ghost itself.

In order to save lost souls, the ghost needs its light to guide them. When the light is lost, the ghost must now go on a journey of its own. Go into the past and discover who it once was and regain its light to save Christmas.

In many places written in prose similar to Charles Dickens, it reads like a classic. As the characters are introduced, past and present, their lives deepen the story, and it tempted to skip ahead to see their stories conclusions. I resisted though.

For me to enjoy a story, I require strong, genuine characters who’s welfare means something to me. They need to have flaws, and I don’t have to like all of them or approve of what they do. But, they need to be believable and the author needs to keep them true to their personalities.

Michael’s characters could walk off the pages. I tried to picture them in my head from his descriptions and they came to life. Once that happened, I couldn’t put the book down.

I’ve read Michael’s Chupacabra thrillers and very much enjoyed them so I was curious about reading a story in a different genre.

Strong writing and atmospheric detail made this a fulfilling read and I enjoyed the direction the author chose with his tale.

The Ghost Of Christmas Past gets my highest recommendation for all readers.

5 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

Based on Charles Dickens’ character of the same name, the first of three spirits from A Christmas Carol is the center of its own story when taken on a spiritual journey to find meaning for its existence.

The Ghost of Christmas Past has had its fire extinguished.  Lost souls cannot find their way to righteousness without the Spirit’s luminescence to guide them through their shadowed memories.  To rekindle its flame, the Ghost of Christmas Past must journey back to a life long forgotten.  Guided by the Christmas Angel, the Spirit braves witness to how it lived as a boy in life, and learns what will become of Christmas should it fail.

~~~~~

EXTRA!  EXTRA!

Michael running a KDP promotion from Wednesday until the end of Cyber Monday. The e-book for The Ghost of Christmas Past will be $1.99 (from $4.99) the entire promotion.

Grab your copy HERE.

‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’ placed as a Finalist in the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards.

ghost-of-christmas-past-seal

~~~~~

Intended Audience

The Ghost of Christmas Past is unique.  The novella has appeal to readers of all ages, nationalities, and gender. Thanks to Mr. Charles Dickens, the main character name, Ghost of Christmas Past, is already as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, and the general population has shown remarkable interest in learning the backstories of supporting characters from popular works of fiction.  The most notable example would be the novel Wicked by Gregory Maguire, the backstory of the witches from Oz. The Ghost of Christmas Past will appeal to fans of drama, mystery, fantasy, Literary Fiction, the supernatural, and Christianity.

Like A Christmas Carol, The Ghost of Christmas Past is not heavily religious but a story based around a Christian holiday.  In 2014, more than 52 million religious books sold in the U.S., representing an increase of over 10.5% from the previous year. (Nielsen.com: Focusing On Our Strengths: Insights into the Christian Book Market)

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a paperback copy of the coloring book

A Christmas Carol: A Holiday Classic

and a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Author Michael Hebler

Michael Hebler

Prior to becoming an award-winning author of his dark fiction Chupacabra Series, Michael was a full-time international film publicist who had worked on multiple titles for Walt Disney, Pixar, Lionsgate, Lakeshore Entertainment, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, and the 2013 Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Language Film, “La grande bellezza” (The Great Beauty).

Born in the early 1970’s in Los Angeles County to a salesman and homemaker, Michael dreamed of following his passions for entertainment and storytelling by acting. It was while studying theatre arts at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, did he realize his penchant for stories were better suited on the page rather than the stage. But creating tales with suspense, laughter, and heart is not Michael’s only love. Hebler also enjoys volunteering in his local community, as well as aid in the capture/spay/neuter/release feral program.

To date, Michael’s publications include NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA, CURSE OF THE CHUPACABRA, and LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA (Books I, II, & III of the six-part Chupacabra Series) as well as his first publication, THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS, a holiday picture book for believers of any age. Michael’s fourth book in the Chupacabra Series, DAWN OF THE CHUPACABRA will be available in print and for ebook on October 13, 2015.
Michael currently resides in Southwest Florida.
Author Links:
Email:

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

ghost-hampton-banner

Title: GHOST HAMPTON
Author: Ken McGorry
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 450
Genre: Paranormal Thriller

ghost-hampton-cover

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My Review

Imagine it. A successful but not very well liked lawyer gets a conscience. Well, kind of. After he’s injured in an accident, Lyle Hall, a taciturn lawyer, comes out of it with an infinity for other people’s pain. A long dead ghost in the guise of a young girl shows him a vision of his own daughter’s grave marker and wants his help. Georgie has four days to live and Lyle is on the clock to save her before her time is up.

There are complications. Lyle and Georgie aren’t on the best of terms. His case to save the old Victorian mansion, Old Vic, where Jewel, the young ghost resides, spreads like fire over the internet as its said have once been a brothel and is now haunted. Paranormal investigators come out of the word work and descend on the town, along with a sexy, feisty TV reporter, Silk, after the next big scoop.

Torn between his old selfish desires and the word of a ghost that his daughter will die, will Lyle make the right choice?

This book has a lot to offer. And you can tell the author knows his stuff.  He gives you  laughter, suspense, and a bit of the sexy stuff, along with the paranormal creepiness. And his characters are a modge podge of personalities so genuine, you think you recognize some of them.

I got a whole lot of everything in this story and that, along with the easy flow of the writing, made the enjoyment double fun.

4 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

Lyle Hall is a new man since his car accident and spinal injury. The notoriously insensitive Bridgehampton lawyer is now afflicted with an odd sensitivity to other people’s pain. Especially that of a mysterious young girl he encounters outside a long-abandoned Victorian house late one October night. “Jewel” looks about 12. But Lyle knows she’s been dead a hundred years. Jewel wants his help, but it’s unclear how. As if in return, she shows him an appalling vision—his own daughter’s tombstone. If it’s to be believed, Georgie’s last day is four days away. Despite Lyle’s strained relations with his police detective daughter, he’s shocked out of complacent convalescence and back into action in the real world.

But the world now seems surreal to the formerly Scrooge-like real estate lawyer. Lyle’s motion in court enjoining the Town of Southampton from demolishing the old house goes viral because he leaked that it might be haunted. This unleashes a horde of ghost-loving demonstrators and triggers a national media frenzy. Through it all strides Lyle’s new nemesis in high heels: a beautiful, scheming TV reporter known as Silk.

Georgie Hall’s own troubles mount as a campaign of stationhouse pranks takes a disturbing sexual turn. Her very first case is underway and her main suspect is a wannabe drug lord. Meanwhile, Lyle must choose: Repair his relationship with Georgie or succumb to the devious Silk and her exclusive media contract. He tells himself seeing Georgie’s epitaph was just a hallucination. But a few miles away the would-be drug lord is loading his assault rifle. Berto needs to prove himself.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Book Excerpt:

He heard her here. She was one of the whisperers. It seemed weirdly flattering at first.

           Ensconced in the MediCab that exhausted evening of the detour, Lyle had the windows down, allowing in fresh air and the angling rays of the setting sun. Commuter traffic from the train station had been annoyingly redirected onto Poplar Street. Fred crept forward, foot on the brake, with eight more cars ahead of them. Wrung out after his wrongheaded foray to Southampton, Lyle’s arms and shoulders ached; muscles, joints, his hands too. And he felt the onset of what Dr. Susan Wayne called “free-floating anxiety.” In Lyle’s case, a blob of uneasiness that could intensify into inchoate dread.

He was slumped in his Mr. Potter when the imposing shambles of a house came into view on his right. Everybody called it Old Vic. Sporting dumb old “No Trespassing” signs as long as anyone could remember, it was commonly held that Old Vic was once a brothel. Long ago, when Bridgehampton was part of the East End’s whaling industry, before it grew into a high-end summer getaway, real-estate bonanza and snob haven.

            Then there’s the suburban legend that Old Vic was haunted. Who says? No one and everyone, whether they believe it or not.

            The MediCab was crawling by Old Vic when Lyle first heard the whispers. He rose on his elbows, his chair secured to the van’s floor, and listened. Cats in heat. No, wait. This was more subtle, conversational. A furtive murmur that piqued his curiosity. He needed to listen again.

            “Hey Fred, make a right at the corner, please?”

            “Course correction, Mr. Hall?”

            “I want to circle back for another look at the old house. And Fred, call me Lyle, okay? Lyle is fine.” It had been six months with the same driver.

            Fred made the turn. Any such whim of Lyle Hall’s, he knew, was good for a crisp off-the-books twenty. It was even worth a twenty to stop at the ATM—Lyle would entrust Fred with his debit card and pass code to avoid the hassle. He also let Fred smoke.

            Fred drove around the block clockwise. From each side street Lyle got a view of Old Vic’s battered cupola poking above the trees and roof lines of summer homes. It was unsettling—the cupola, a little booth standing atop the third story, was Old Vic’s most exposed and weather-beaten feature. Any paint was scabby and vestigial. The cupola’s large oval oculus suggested a blinded Cyclops, its leaded glass shattered by determined boys with BB guns long before Lyle was born.

            They turned onto Poplar again, and approached the house.

            “Slow down, please, Fred? Actually, could you park?”

            Fred did so. Odd request, but Mr. Hall is, or was, a real estate tycoon.

            “And roll down the windows, please? And mind turning off the radio? …Thanks. Cut the engine too, please, Fred? …Thank you.”

            If Mr. Hall wants to smell Old Vic, Fred figured, this could be worth more than one folded twenty. He glanced at Lyle through his mirror, lit a butt, and texted his wife.

            To the west, clouds glowing orange and pink were eclipsed by the hulking old house. It grew darker. The last of the traffic was now gone. Lyle strained to hear. He tried to listen harder, if that’s possible.

     Quiet. Listen.

Author Ken McGorry

ken-mcgorry

Ken McGorry has been writing since third grade. (He learned in first grade, but waited two years.) He started a school newspaper with friends in seventh grade, but he’s better known for his 23 years as an editor of Post Magazine, a monthly covering television and film production. This century, he took up novel-writing and Ghost Hampton and Smashed are examples. More are in the works, like the promised Ghost Hampton sequel, but he’s kinda slow.

Ken lives on Long Island with his wife and they have two strapping sons. There are dogs. Ken is also a chef (grilled cheese, and only for his sons) and he enjoys boating (if it’s someone else’s boat). He has a band, The Achievements, that plays his songs (try https://soundcloud.com/ken-mcgorry). Back at Manhattan College (English major!), he was a founding member of the venerable Meade Bros. Band. Ken really was an employee of Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons one college summer, and really did mow Dan’s lawn.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

arfc_salebanner

Today we are sharing a sale from the CUPCAKE series by Bethany Lopez and a bonus scene! This series is a romantic comedy/suspense series that is available now. Check out the book information below and grab Always Room for Cupcakes while it’s on sale for 99 cents!

 

arfc_sale

PURCHASE LINKS

cupcake-4
Always Room for Cupcakes (Cupcakes, #1) is on sale now for just .99¢!

Amazon | iBooks | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 

 

cupcakeoverload

Purchase Links for Cupcake Overload (Cupcakes, #2)

Amazon | iBooks | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

.

***NEWS*** The next book in the CUPCAKES series will be called Lei’d with Cupcakes and it will be released in March 2017!

BONUS SCENE FROM THE SERIES:

??Cupcakes Series ~ Bonus Scene??
I was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide my grin while Elin and Elena chattered on excitedly about our upcoming trip to Hawaii.
We were in the midst of chaos.
Machines were dinging loudly, children were laughing and yelling, and everyone was talking over each other, trying to be heard.
Cade looked uncomfortable, out of place, and like he was hoping a meteor was about to crash down and take out the pizza joint and put him out of his misery.
He had on a black skull cap, a dark t-shirt and black jeans, and he was adorned with his usual jewelry. Thick, silver rings, rope bracelets, and a few chunky necklaces.
He was my shit-hot oasis in a sea of yuppies and stay at home moms.
Even without his cut, it was obvious that my man was one bad-ass mother, and the last place he expected to be on a Friday night was at a family fun place. He was more suited to a smoky bar with classic rock playing on the juke box, and loose women on the prowl.
But did he let on to my twins that he’d rather have his beard taken out with tweezers, one hair at a time, than playing skeeball and grabbing a slice with them… not on your life.
He was grinning as Elin talked about snorkeling, seeing sharks, and going whale watching.
I was about to suggest it was time to go, and let Cade off the hook, when I saw Elena stiffen and drop her head, allowing her hair to curtain her face. I turned my head to see why she was hiding, and saw a group of boys walking into the pizza place, laughing as they looked for an open booth.
“Who are they?” I asked, placing my hand on Elena’s knee.
She shook her head, causing her hair to move, but didn’t reply.
“Lena?” I prodded. When there was still no response, I looked up and caught Elin watching his sister. “Elin?”
“They’ve been giving Lena a hard time in English class, ever since Ms. Cotton made us stand up and read our poems out loud.”
“Why?” I asked sharply. “What have they been doing?”
“Calling her names and stuff,” Elin said, giving the boys a dark look over my shoulder. “I’ve told them to back off. I think that JJ likes her, and that’s why he keeps messing with her.”
“If you like a girl, you don’t show it by being an asshole,” Cade bit off, my gaze swinging to him when I caught his tone.
“Swear jar,” Elin said automatically.
“Gosh, not now, Elin,” Elena said, finally speaking, but still not putting her head up. “Can we just go?”
“Sure, baby,” I said, grabbing my purse and starting to rise.
“I’ll meet you at the truck,” Cade ordered, and my pulse started dancing nervously.
“What are you going to do, Cade?” I hissed, glancing back and forth at the twins who were watching Cade warily. “You can’t beat up a bunch of eleven and twelve-year-old boys.”
“Don’t worry, Darlin’, I’m just going to talk to them,” Cade assured me as all six foot three of him rose and stepped into the aisle. “Meet me at the truck.”
“C’mon, guys,” I said, ushering the twins to the exit. Of course, once we got outside, we didn’t go to the car, we pressed our noses to the glass to see what was happening inside.
We watched as Cade sauntered over to where the boys were piling into their booth. They all jumped when he spoke, and I saw a few of them start to visibly shake as they looked my biker babe over.
I saw one kid raise his hand, and Elin whispered, “That’s JJ,” then get out of the booth to stand next to Cade who put a hand on his shoulder as he spoke to him.
The kid’s hair flopped as he nodded rapidly, and I swear, I could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
Cade picked up his hand, then brought it back down on JJ’s shoulder, said something to the kid, then something to the group of boys, before turning and striding casually to the cashier where he paid our bill.
We watched as he walked out, eyes on us as we peered back at him from our viewing spot, and our heads all turned toward Cade as he opened the door and turned to us.
“Can you ever just do what I ask, Lila?” he asked, his tone frustrated, but his face amused.
I shook my head slowly, dying to ask what he’d said to those boys, but knowing he wouldn’t answer in front of the kids.
“I didn’t think so,” Cade said, then fished the keys out of his pocket and added, “Let’s go.” But before he could step off of the curb and head to the parking lot, Elena rushed forward and threw herself against him.
I bit back a watery sigh as Cade bent low and kissed my daughter on the top of her head.
“Let’s go home,” he said softly, and I heard Elena say, “Thanks, Cade,” her voice muffled against his shirt.
“Anytime, sweet girl,” was his reply.

Author Bethany Lopez

A1nt0F1SfnL._UX250_
Sign up for my Newsletter for more information about my writing: http://eepurl.com/Rcmrn

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She’s a lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn’t reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out burgers.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

.

.

InkSlinger-Blogger banner-New

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg