I am so excited that POWER OR FIVE by Alex Lidell is available now and that I get to share the news!
If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Alex Lidell, be sure to check out all the details below.
This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card, International, courtesy of Alex and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.
Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out… Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.
River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to… a female. A mortal female.
Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone… especially for Lera herself. Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.
Check out the Excerpt:
Shade’s neck bobs and he catches my wrist, the few inches of air between us suddenly thick. Crackling. His mouth opens slightly, the elongated canines near and sharp and glistening with danger. My chest tightens, my breath suddenly gone from my lungs.
“You . . . have long lashes,” I say, leaning closer. “Girls would kill for those.”
“I have many long things,” Shade breathes, his hand cupping the back of my head, tangling in my hair. “Patience, it seems, is not one of them.”
I open my lips to respond, only to find Shade’s mouth covering mine, his lips soft and warm enough to heat a whole palace. My own mouth yields in answer, and Shade’s kiss deepens, the hand in my hair tightening until my whole scalp tingles. Sings. Stars.
Shade pulls away slowly, his canines gently scraping my lower lip as I moan softly into him.
My heart pounds, the warmth between my legs a downright flame, and I try to catch my breath. “Did you plan that?” I demand.
Shade grins, makes a noncommittal sound, and turns back into his wolf, demonstratively making a circle on my bed before curling up with his tail over his nose. His body manages to press against my back, his rhythmic breathing soothing and steady.
“Why do you do that?” I ask when I can speak again. “Stay in your wolf form so much?”
No answer.
“Being a wolf to avoid talking to me while lounging around on my bedding is a dirty, cowardly trick.”
Shade snorts, buries his head deeper beneath his paws, and settles into a calm sleep punctuated by soft snores that turn into whimpers when I shift out of reach. Frowning, I move closer, resting my hand on the sleeping wolf’s flank. The whimpering stops, the rhythmic rise of his chest and his twitching eyelids speaking of a dream-filled slumber.
~~~~~
About Alex:
Alex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books. Alex is represented by Leigh Feldman of Leigh Feldman Literary. She lives in Washington, DC.
WHITE WITCH by Larry D. Thompson Publisher: Story Merchant Books Pages: 291 Genre: Thriller
My Review
When I read the synopsis I was a bit worried that there was so much going on things would be confusing. Not the case at all. The author starts you off by taking you back to Jamaica in 1817. You get a brief history of the White Witch, a nasty woman, and the Maroons, the poor slaves that were at her mercy. Then he drops you in modern day Jamaica and the White Witch may still be up to some of her tricks and the Maroons are still fighting for freedom and what is rightfully theirs.
An American company comes in to strip mine on land supposedly owned by the Maroons. One side attacks, the other returns the favor. The bodies keep piling up. A few brave people band together to settle the conflict once and for all. But will they survive to get their day in court?
I loved the mix of mysticism and modern culture clashing. I was kept guessing whether the Obeah priestess had a hand in certain events. There were some weird things happening at her old plantation. It lent a heavy atmosphere to the story. And it had many of the characters wondering too. Not all of the attacks could be explained away and with people switching sides and having their own agendas and beliefs, nothing was certain.
I’ve acquired a taste for the author’s writing and plan on reading more. White Witch is a fast read. The story flows smoothly. And the mystery and suspense gradually build, leading to a thrilling conclusion.
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BOOK BLURB:
Jamaica is a place where the surreal is simply everyday reality. When a ruthless American aluminum company plans to strip mine the Jamaican rainforest, they send former Navy SEAL Will Taylor to Montego Bay to deal with local resistance on their behalf. But he’s unaware that the British had signed a treaty deeding the rainforest to the Jamaican Maroons, descendants of escaped slaves, over 300 years ago. The Maroons fought and died for their land then, and are more than willing to do so now, whether it’s the British or the Americans who threaten them this time around.
Upon Will’s arrival, a series of inexplicable murders begin, some carried out with deadly snake daggers that were owned and used by Annie Palmer, a voodoo priestess better known as the White Witch. She was killed 200 years prior, but is said to still haunt the island at night, and the local Jamaicans are certain she’s responsible for the gruesome murders, her form of retaliation against the new turmoil taking place in the rainforest.
And Will has been forced directly into the middle of it. After a few close calls, he’s finally convinced to leave his company and join forces with the Maroons, headed by Vertise Broderick, a Maroon who resigned from her position at the New York Times to return to Jamaica to stop the mining. Together they hire a Jamaican attorney to prove that the Maroon/British treaty is still valid to stop the mining, and they take it upon themselves to solve the White Witch murders, because the legend of the White Witch can’t possibly be true…
Will returned to his room, too wound up to sleep. He stripped to his underwear and flipped channels on a large screen HD television until he ran across First Blood with Sylvester Stallone. Having lived that life for a few years, he never passed up the opportunity to watch it again. He settled back and had drifted off to sleep when his cell chimed. He glanced at the television to make sure it was not coming from there and found Fred Astaire waltzing Ginger Rogers around a ballroom. He turned off the television and reached for his phone.
“Taylor.”
“Will, Alexa here.” It was nearly three in the morning and Alexa was still at her desk. Smoke drifted from a cigarette in her ashtray while she sucked on a Tootsie Pop. She was on the speaker phone. When Will answered, she walked to her window and stared at the lights of Baltimore.
Will turned on the nightstand light, glanced at the clock, and swung his feet into a sitting position on the side of the bed. “Yes, ma’am. Little late for a booty call.”
“Cut the crap. Kaven was just found at Rose Hall. He’s dead.”
“What? Are you sure? I just saw him a few hours ago.” Will got to his feet and began pacing the room. “Shit.”
“Must be those goddamn Maroons. He called me last night once he got back from Accompong. He told me about what happened up there. By the way, they let the pilot go. They said they had no beef with him.”
“So I heard. What was Kaven doing at Rose Hall? When I saw him, he was going to his room.”
“How the hell should I know? I got a call from some local detective. They found his employee identification in his wallet. When the detective called here, the operator knew I was still in my office and put the call through to me. You need to get to Rose Hall now.
“Yes, ma’am,” Will agreed.
“And I’m flying down there tomorrow before this gets any more out of hand. See if you can keep anybody else from being killed until I get there.”
Will’s cell went dead. He put it on the nightstand and picked up the hotel phone. Pleased to find it working, he punched the key for valet parking.
“Good evening, Mr. Taylor. How can I be of assistance?”
“Bring my company Land Rover to the front as quickly as possible.”
Getting assurance that it would be there when he got downstairs, Will hung up and walked to the bathroom. Five minutes later he was met at the hotel entrance by a valet.
“Can I give you directions, Mr. Taylor? It’s a little late at night.”
“No thanks. I know exactly where I’m going.” Will got in the car, fastened his seat belt, and left the hotel.
When Will got to Rose Hall, he turned onto the road they had just come down the evening before. At the top of the hill he could see the mansion, now well lighted. He dodged tree limbs and utility wires and parked among several other vehicles. Police cars were positioned so that their headlights focused on the steps of the mansion where Will could see the yellow police crime scene tape. He walked up a path from the parking lot between the police cars that faced the mansion to the yellow tape where an officer stood watch. The officer came to attention as Will approached.
“Sorry, mon. I can’t let you past here. We’re investigating a murder.”
Will kept his voice even but controlling. “I know, officer. That’s why I’m here. Name’s William Taylor. I’m head of security for Global American Metals. Here’s my identification.” Will tried to hand him an ID. The officer just shook his head. “Officer, the dead man is one of Global’s employees. Can you get someone in authority to let me up there?”
Before the officer could reply, Miles Harper, the St. James Parish Chief of Detectives, approached. Harper was a lean, fit man with a shaved head and a no nonsense manner. He was dressed in a brown suit, yellow shirt, and matching tie. He looked like he just stepped out of GQ Magazine, even at three in the morning.
“Mr. Taylor, I’m Miles Harper, Chief of Detectives in this parish. I was told by your company to expect you.”
Will extended his right hand. Harper ignored it. Instead, he nodded at the officer and motioned for Will to follow him. Harper went up a dozen steps and turned to Will as he stood beside Kaven’s body, sprawled on his back with dagger in his chest. Will bent over for a closer look and found that the handle of the dagger was in the shape of a snake. At the top of the handle was the snake’s head. The snake’s eyes were two bright rubies.
“Shit,” Will muttered, “He was almost killed because of one snake on the road today and now someone finished the job with a, what would you call this, a snake dagger?”
“That’s as good a name as any, Mr. Taylor. My officers reported what went on up in Accompong and the incident with the boa.”
Will continued to study the body. “Looks like he’s been dead a couple of hours. I last saw him about ten last night. Who found him?”
“The hotel has a security guard that roams the mansion grounds and up to the club house in a golf cart. He spotted the body.”
“Where’s your coroner?”
“He’s a local Justice of the Peace, not a medical doctor. He won’t set foot on these steps until morning. My men here won’t go past the tape either. They believe the White Witch did it.”
Will shook his head in disbelief. “Come on, Chief, this is the twenty-first century.”
“Old beliefs die hard, Mr. Taylor. Come on. Let me show you something.”
Harper stepped around the body and climbed the steps with Will behind him. Entering the ballroom, Will said, “I was just in this room yesterday evening during the storm.”
Harper turned to study Will. “Would you care to explain?”
Will covered the details of the previous day and their time in the mansion while they waited out the storm. “You know a woman named Vertise?”
Harper nodded his head. “She’s a local. Works for the paper and tends bar for the hotel. Since you were in this room a few hours ago, come over here.”
Harper led Will to a glass display against one wall with pictures of two snake daggers above it along with the history of the daggers. The glass had been broken and the daggers were gone.
“You see this case when you were up here?”
Will studied it and thought back to the day before. “Can’t say I did, Chief.
It was pretty dark in here, lit only by candles since the storm knocked out power. I wandered around the room but never glanced toward this case. And I don’t believe anyone else mentioned it. Now that I think about it, Vertise told us the legend of Annie Palmer and her using a snake dagger to kill an overseer. evening during the storm.”
Harper turned to study Will. “Would you care to explain?” Will covered the details of the previous day and their time in the mansion while they waited out the storm. “You know a woman named Vertise?” Harper nodded his head. “She’s a local. Works for the paper and tends bar for the hotel. Since you were in this room a few hours ago, come over here.” Harper led Will to a glass display against one wall with pictures of two snake daggers above it along with the history of the daggers. The glass had been broken and the daggers were gone.
“You see this case when you were up here?”
Will studied it and thought back to the day before. “Can’t say I did, Chief.
It was pretty dark in here, lit only by candles since the storm knocked out power. I wandered around the room but never glanced toward this case. And I don’t believe anyone else mentioned it. Now that I think about it, Vertise told us the legend of Annie Palmer and her using a snake dagger to kill an overseer. Surprising that she didn’t show us these daggers when she was telling the story.”
“Interesting,” mused Harper. “You have any idea why your man would come up here in the middle of the night?”
“Not a clue. Have you checked his cell phone? He always carried it.”
“Yeah. The last calls were with you yesterday afternoon and one with Ms. Pritchard later in the evening.”
Will nodded. “He called me from Accompong, warning me of trouble up there. I should have gone with him.”
Harper shook his head. “Whether you were there or not wouldn’t have made any difference. Just would have been one more person that was in my police car that rolled, assuming, of course, you didn’t take a bullet up on the mountain.”
“Understood.”
“How did you get in the mansion?”
“Vertise said she knew where a key was hidden and let us in.”
“Strange that she could get into the locked mansion. It was my understanding that only the manager of Rose Hall had a key. He locked it and left when the storm was hitting. The hotel spent a fortune on period pieces to recreate how it looked two hundred years ago. One of his jobs is to make sure they are not stolen.”
“Any signs of a break-in?” Will asked.
“This is not for publication, you understand, but when I got here the mansion was locked and the lights were off.”
“So, you’re saying that someone got into the mansion, stole two daggers, let themselves back out, killed Kaven, and left no trace.” Will paused to absorb all that he had just said. “Wait a minute. If someone wanted to kill Kaven, why not just use a gun? Why go to all the trouble of getting that dagger to do it?”
“I’ve been wrestling with that very question,” Harper said. “It’s illegal for a private citizen to own a gun in Jamaica, but that doesn’t mean they are not available if you know the right people. My working hypothesis is that the killer or killers wanted the public to think voodoo was involved, or maybe even the White Witch. The only other possibility that comes to mind is that the Maroons are trying to send a message to Global. They tried to kill Tillman in Accompong and failed. Maybe the message is that they finish what they start. Either way, someone is trying to make trouble for your company. I have another problem that may not be apparent.”
Will looked quizzically at the detective.
“As you can see, there were two snake daggers in this case. One’s accounted for out on the steps. The other is gone. Nearly everyone around here thinks that they are voodoo daggers with magical powers. They were found in an overseer’s grave during the restoration of the mansion thirty years ago.”
“Does ‘everyone’ include you? Looks to me like the killer or killers are just trying to mess with the minds of my co-workers, maybe keep some locals from hiring on with us.”
Harper stuck his hands in his pockets. “Not up to me to decide if they’re magic or not. I’ve got a murder with one of those daggers. My job is to solve the murder and along the way, find that other dagger before someone uses it.” Will’s eyes searched the room in a futile effort to see any clues to the crime.
Then he focused on the chief. “Look, I’m going to need a gun. My company is obviously under attack. I’m licensed to carry back home.”
“No way, Mr. Taylor,” Harper exploded. “Foreigners are not permitted to have guns in Jamaica. For that matter, as I just told you, neither are Jamaicans. And I want you to stay the hell out of my investigation. We don’t need your help. Understand?”
“Yeah, I understand. You know that each of our mines on this island is permitted a certain number of guns for our guards. I’ll just get one of those.”
“The hell you will. Don’t you dare go behind my back. Those guns never leave mine property. I have an officer that inventories them. If one turns up missing, I’ll confiscate every damn weapon that Global has and put you under house arrest. Clear, Mr. Taylor?”
Will clinched his fists and tried to hold back the anger that was apparent in his face. Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the mansion, pausing only to gaze at Kaven and say a prayer for him and his family. At the bottom of the steps, he got in his car and glanced toward the mansion. The lights from his car somehow caught the ruby eyes of the snake, making them appear briefly to be alive. Will shook his head, put the car in reverse, and returned to the hotel.
~~~~~
Author Larry D. Thompson
After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, Larry spent the first half of his professional life as a trial lawyer. He tried well over 300 cases and won more than 95% of them. Although he had not taken a writing class since freshman English (back when they wrote on stone tablets), he figured that he had read enough novels and knew enough about trials, lawyers, judges, and courtrooms that he could do it. Besides, his late, older brother, Thomas Thompson, was one of the best true crime writers to ever set a pen to paper; so, just maybe, there was something in the Thompson gene pool that would guide him into this new career. He started writing his first novel about a dozen years ago and published it a couple of years thereafter. He has now written five highly acclaimed legal thrillers. White Witch is number six with many more to come.
Larry is married to his wife, Vicki. He has three children scattered from Colorado to Austin to Boca Raton, and four grandchildren. He has been trying to retire from the law practice to devote full time to writing. Hopefully, that will occur by the end of 2018. He still lives in Houston, but spends his summers in Vail CO, high on a mountain where he is inspired by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
His latest book is the captivating thriller, WHITE WITCH.
Anthony Renfro has just released a new batch of short horror stories all in one book!
Check out Nightlight Tales #2.
This is FREE right now on Amazon.
Click on the cover to grab your copy!
Description
The Headless Fountain Man: A simple photo. A quick snap shot. One woman’s perfect picture is about to become her scariest nightmare.
Fear of the Scarecrow: This short story is about a desperate man hungry for revenge. Sometimes revenge comes with a price.
It Sleeps at Dawn: A short story about a Vampire who stalks the Appalachian Mountains. A traditional Vampire who uses fangs instead of guns. He hunts. He kills. He sleeps at Dawn.
The Dead of Winter: This short story is about an apocalyptic nightmare in a crisp frozen landscape filled with winter and living corpses.Two men try to find safety in this dead world. Hoping to ride out the night. Hoping to find warmth and shelter. Hoping not to become food for the zombies.
Gluten-Free: Death by Gluten? One man commits suicide in a most unusual way.
The Lot: A Christmas Tree lot isn’t all it seems to be. It hides evil deadly secrets.
The Dragon: A simple machine. Able to answer requests. Able to play music. Able to turn on lights and answer questions. Fun and enjoyable technology, but what happens when this machine is able to manifest actual things. In this short story two guys worst fears will come to life.
Webs: A pyramid in the deep dry desert. What secrets lie within its walls? One explorer is about to find his greatest desire and his worst nightmare inside this ancient artifact.
Gas Station of the Dead: This short story is about a former tanker truck driver who decides to use his skills to deliver gas to those in need during the Zombie Apocalypse.
A Zombie Christmas: This short story is about three men who risk life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas Morning.
A Zombie Christmas 2: A boy lost. A family desperate. It’s Christmas in a Zombie Apocalypse and Mike Beem is once again aiming for another Holiday miracle. His goal this year isn’t toys for the kids in the neighborhood. His goal this time is trying to save one small life so another family doesn’t have to suffer the way he suffered.
Flesh for the Zombies: When Mike Beem’s community is savagely attacked, he must exact revenge on those who wronged him. He must put aside all the good he has ever accomplished in order to become someone else. A man without a moral compass. A man without right or wrong. A man who is a cold blooded killer. Will he get his justice or will he die trying? The answers lie within the pages of this short story.
Zombie Beach: Mike Beem has given it all up and run off to live by the beach. Life down on the coast isn’t all that it should be. Days of lying in the sun are replaced with brutal survival. Mike does his best to not only survive, but to rebuild a life among the ruins of these beach side towns.
Excerpt from The Headless Fountain Man
Kim was approaching the annual Canadian Comicon when she was startled by a headless statue sitting inside a large silver fountain. This statue had black Chuck Taylor’s on its feet, red socks on its bare ankles, blue jeans, and was wearing a tee-shirt that read “Water you looking at.” She took out her camera and instead of taking pictures of the various people in cos play costumes (Star Trek, Star Wars, and Frozen seemed to be the lead choices, Frozen, weird, I know, but hey it is a Comicon), she decided to take a picture of this statue, sitting there on its butt, dressed like it was heading for a skateboarding convention, with no head on top of its body. Its head had been replaced with a large white geyser of water that sailed into the air and splashed all over the headless figure and the ground around it.
Her finger froze before she took the shot, something about this statue felt all wrong, something about it didn’t seem right. She focused the lens, and thought she saw the statue raise an arm and wave at her. She paused, and pulled the camera away from her face, opening both eyes. She looked at the statue in the dusky light. It was still sitting there spewing water from its neck, arms and legs unmoving. She shook off the goose bumps, raised the camera to her eye, and snapped the shot. Then she snapped a couple more because you didn’t know which one would be the money shot, best to have backups.
I decided to do this feature as I have so many great children’s books to share. From picture books, to books for beginning readers, to middle graders, I have plenty of fun ones.
Today I’m sharing a couple of spooky fun children’s books and an interview with Author Terri Bertha!
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Interview with Author Terri Bertha
Where did the idea for Spooky Twisties come from?
I started Spooky Twisties with one story about a group of kids that go out to play their annual game of ghosts in the graveyard. After reading it to critique groups and others, I was encouraged to write more. The ideas for the other stories come from everywhere, as I observe people and kids, listen to conversations and think of weird “what if” scenarios to what I notice around me.
Did you create any of your characters based on someone you know?
No, not really, but my characters are a mishmash (composite) of people’s personalities I’ve met or observed.
Do you have a writing routine and where do you do most of your writing?
I normally like to write early morning at home, when my mind is fresh. Very rarely would you find me up late at night writing. It just doesn’t flow then.
What kind of books did you enjoy as a young reader?
During grade school summers, I enjoyed making trips to the local library for Agatha Christie books, loving her mystery plot twists, and the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Along with Christie’s books, I was also attracted to scary psychological thriller TV shows such as The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Older, I enjoyed Edgar Allen Poe, James Patterson and Stephen King.
And five fun shorts:
Favorite movie? It’s a Wonderful Life
Dog or cat person? Dog (especially the Labrador retriever), but have owned both dogs and cats. We have a 5 year old fox red lab named Dexter.
Favorite beverage? A nice glass of dry red wine or a good strong cup of coffee
Cake or pie? Definitely pie. Always requested a lemon meringue pie for my birthday instead of cake. Also enjoy coconut cream and apple.
Any Phobias? I don’t do well with heights, and I like to have my “space” around me standing in lines at the grocery store or movies.
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Spooky Twisties I
13 Tales Of Terror
by Terri Bertha
Genre: Middle Grade / YA / Supernatural
My Review
I flew through this collection. I’m a fan of short stories and children’s scary books. Some of these were quite short. Some were longer. They go from creepy to kind of dark. Nothing so dark I wouldn’t recommend to young readers.
The author had a great idea when she had the characters enter into each others stories. The cast seems normal enough. A group of neighborhood kids hang out together. Do what kids do. Then there’s those ones that make you pause. Something isn’t quite right about them.
I grew up on a dead end street. All of us kids hung out together. Got into trouble together. But never did we have anything happen like what happens to these kids. Good thing too, or I’d need some professional help. LOL Seriously though, you might think there’s no way these kids could handle what goes down, but kids can surprise you. I believe they accept the strange and scary much better than us adults.
On a lighter note, the author dribbles in some fun dialogue and humorous scenes. The character’s feel genuine as kids say and do the funniest things.
Spooky Twisties is the perfect title for this book full of unexpected and surprising endings. Several of them had me sitting back thinking I never saw that coming.
I’d recommend this to young readers and adults. Fans who enjoy tales similar to R. L. Stine’s Goosebump books will get a kick out of these.
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Synopsis
Lindsay, Nick, Chris, Amy, and Paul are just a few of the kids in the neighborhood that enjoy each other’s company, hanging out together. From the usual antics that preteens enjoy, like playing in the graveyard, trick or treating, and celebrating birthdays, the kids find themselves in some unique situations that lead to unexpected ending twists.
Spooky Twisties I offers 13 tales of terror that will grab you from the start, and leave you with chilling surprise endings.
Adventures are speckled with humorous dialogue to frightening calls for help in working through their series of unusual encounters. Even though the chapters have individual story lines, many are intertwined with characters that are not so likable. For instance, Creepy Guy and Dan the Security Guard seem to have a ‘fixation’ for Lindsay and Amy who are best friends. Then there is old Mrs. Miller who appears to have lived on the street forever, but has found a secret to anti-aging. ‘Easter eggs’ or ‘hidden references’ mesh, and just when you think you’re headed towards a ‘fairy-tale’ ending, a strange unforeseen chilling conclusion occurs leaving the reader saying, “I didn’t see that happening!”
I really enjoyed the first Spooky Twisties collection and had even more fun with this next batch. It’s one weird thing after another with a humorous twist thrown in. Think Sand Lot with a spooky twist. Things that go bump in the night instead of a huge dog chasing you.
The author is up to her usual antics. The character’s are interwoven into each other’s stories. They have to deal with some strange goings on. And the endings are never what you expect.
And the book cover. How could young horror fans resist. As a young girl I spent hours in the library looking for covers like this. Then I’d race home and lose myself in the creepiness. Couldn’t resist them then and still can’t now.
I had such a blast with these stories. And I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite. They were suspenseful with just the right amount of spooky for the younger reader. Made me wish my son was still little so we could read them together. I did the next best thing. I had him read them after I was finished and we compared our favorites. It made me want to read them all again.
Creative. Spooky. Humorous. Unpredictable. Perfect ingredients for fun.
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Synopsis
What happens when your average suburban town becomes a nexus of the paranormal and occult and no one told you about it?
Spooky Twisties II is the second book in the Spooky Twisties Series offering 13 standalone yet interconnected ‘scary’ short stories continuing the supernatural adventures of Amy, Nick, Chris, Lindsay and their friends.
Follow the horror and humor as the kids encounter and work through more unexplainable weird events in what was once an ideal normal community. From deciphering an old map and learning about an old town rumor, finding a briefcase of money, babysitting a small boy who has some strange habits, and being revisited by ‘old friend’, lead the tweens into some bizarre, creepy dilemmas. The kids also learn that magic sets and items bought from the town psychic have greater powers than what they originally imagined.
‘Easter eggs’ or ‘hidden references’ tie these tales together along with ‘twisted’ endings, leaving the reader saying, “I didn’t think that was going to happen!”
Don’t be afraid, as I’ll hold your hand and together we’ll re-enter their Spooky world, with a Twist!
Terri Bertha is author of the Spooky Twisties Series for Middle Grade/YA. Each book consists of thirteen interconnected stories which follow a group of friends as they navigate their way through supernatural events in an idyllic community during the course of a ‘normal’ day. A mix of horror, humor and ‘twisted endings’ make for fun and entertaining reading.
Terri has lived her entire life in the rolling hills and three rivers of western Pennsylvania and the majority of her working years as a Systems Engineer for a large corporation. When her sons were born, she took a hiatus from work, and tutored math and reading while being a substitute teacher in local schools. She returned to the workforce and retired a few years ago.
The brutal murder of a business tycoon leaves Afton Tangler and the Twin Cities reeling, but that’s just the beginning of a gruesome crime spree…
Leland Odin made his fortune launching a home shopping network, but his millions can’t save his life. On the list for a transplant, the ailing businessman sees all hope lost when the helicopter carrying his donor heart is shot out of the sky.
Now with two pilots dead and dozens injured, Afton Tangler, family liaison officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, is drawn into the case. As she and her partner investigate family members and business associates, whoever wants Leland dead strikes again—and succeeds—in a brazen hospital room attack.
The supposedly squeaky clean millionaire has crossed the wrong person—and she’s not finished exacting her revenge. The case explodes into an international conspiracy of unbridled greed and violence. And as Afton gets closer to unearthing the mastermind behind it, she gets closer to becoming collateral damage…
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About Author Gerry Schmitt
Gerry Schmitt is the author of the Afton Tangler Thrillers, and, writing under the pseudonym Laura Childs, the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels, the Tea Shop, Scrapbooking, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. She is the former CEO of her own marketing firm, has won TV and radio awards, and produced two reality TV shows. She and her professor husband enjoy collecting art, travel, and their two Shar-Pei dogs.
I enjoyed the characters a lot. Max and Afton seem to play off of each other well as far as figuring things out. ~Valerie’s Musings
This is one of those books where the bad men are really bad, and everyone in the case is hiding something to have a money profit… ~Varietats
Afton was a likable character for me. She seemed in tune with some of the other characters. She is good at her job. ~A. Holland Reads
Shadow Girl by Gerry Schmitt is one of the most gripping and chilling books I’ve read this year. ~Back Porchervations
The mystery and suspense aspect of this book was great. This was a definite page-turner. ~Bookworm Cafe
Can I just say Wow! It’s been awhile since I sat and read a book that terrified me with precision action that intrigued me so much it was impossible to put the book down. ~Texas Book-aholic
It starts off with a bang (literally) and the suspense never lets up. I love stories that grip you right from the start and this thriller fits the bill. ~Brooke Blogs
This is a serious thriller with a lot going on. There’s surface to air missiles, conspiracies to kill no matter who gets hurt and what has to be done, and characters with some seriously shady backstories. ~I Wish I Lived In a Library
From page 1 I was engaged in a thrilling and suspenseful ride! ~My Reading Journeys
As the chapters unfold we get a good look at things from both the good guys’ and the bad guys’ perspectives. This gives you a first-hand understanding of the killer’s motives, but in no way takes away from the suspense or the desire to see Afton and Max bring her to justice. ~The Book’s the Thing
A page turner like you never read before, Shadow Girl is a deeply rooted thriller in the art of murder, mystery, and revenge. ~Bibliophile Reviews
Richard Goodman is the caretaker of a unique institution that trains disabled
youth in the art of watchmaking. But he is no ordinary administrator.
He possesses extra sensory powers he does not fully understand and
cannot control. But an innocent outing to Coney Island results in him
obtaining a more disturbing ability, along with a terrifying prophecy
that he will die in less than three days. As the clock of his life
counts down, a still greater threat emerges. An uncanny assassin who
will destroy everyone he knows and loves. Unless he can discover who
the killer is. And stop him in time.
“VISIONS THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY” has won the READERS VIEWS 2016 LITERARY
AWARD (Best Adult Fiction – Classics)
and
the 2017 GLOBAL EBOOKS AWARD (Bronze – Horror Category)
and
was a FINALIST in the 2016
FORWARD REVIEWS EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS (Horror Category)
“My hands feel peculiar. I attempt to lift them from the steering wheel and find there is an odd adhesion; they yield with an audible smack. I take my eyes off the road for a moment.
I look down.
Blood. My hands are covered in blood.
The clock ticks again. It is 5:54 a.m.
Oh yes; I remember now…
In four minutes, I will be dead.”
So begins Visions Through a Glass, Darkly, my attempt to create something completely different in the genre of psychological horror.
Although this tale of suspense, terror and other-worldly events is fictional, many of its characters existed in one form or another. Some of the events described – even those supernatural – actually occurred. The school described in the novel was quite real.
This is unusual, complex literary fiction and designed to be unconventional. In all honesty, it should carry a warning label. The novel starts slowly, lulling you with back story then grabbing you by the throat. It may disappoint an impatient reader looking for a quick fix or a formulaic approach. At times, the story line may seem to be just a background for the real tale: the horror in the mind of the main character, Richard Goodman.
But there is a story, of course, and it centers on Mr. Goodman, an administrator for a school that instructs disabled people in the art of watchmaking. There is a stark glimpse not only into the Lilliputian world of the watchmaker, but also into the lives of people with physical disabilities.
Goodman can be described as a psychic being driven mad by his own inimitable gifts over which he has no control. Demons come to him at night and invade his nightmares. The dead may stop over to pay him a visit at any time, but each time conveying a message that something or someone believes he must hear.
But Goodman is to acquire one more unique ability, along with a terrifying prophecy delivered by a Coney Island fortune teller that he has less than three days to live.
As the clock of his life counts down, a still greater threat emerges: An uncanny assassin who will destroy everyone he knows and loves. Unless he can discover who the killer is. And stop him in time.
Richard Goodman is a conflicted character, as so many of the characters in this novel are. He is tortured not only by the result of his unique abilities, but by the memory of an event that occurred when he was nine, and by his failure to reconcile with a father who committed suicide. He believes his life is a runaway freight train he is not in control of. But at the same time he holds out hope. A part of him believes that he can control his destiny and that a higher power may be watching over him.
Ultimately, Visions Through a Glass, Darkly is a parable with intense philosophies to relate. Nonetheless, I don’t suggest all the answers, and as to many things, I leave a blank space for the readers to fill in for themselves. As such, this novel may mean different things to different people and it was intended to be perceived that way.
It was my wish that some of this would scare just about anyone and that I might write words capable of bringing the hardest hearts to tears. By writing Visions I tried to convey what, to me, is the essence, the center, the core of true horror: To be alone.
I hope you find that Visions contains a passage or two like nothing you’ve ever read. I hope you find that some of it is beautifully written. I believe in the power of ideas and of words and I will try to make them beautiful when I can. Maybe this is because I also believe that their power to reach us lies in their beauty.
One more thing… As to the ending of this novel – as you may find in the ones to follow – nothing is as it appears to be.
Regards,
Dave Aboulafia
.
~~~~~
.
DAVID I. ABOULAFIA is an attorney with a practice in the heart of New York
City. He spends the wee hours of the morning writing books that
terrify and amuse. His days are spent in the courts and among the
skyscrapers, and his evenings with the trees, the stars, his wife and
his dog in a suburb north of the City.
Spring is the perfect time to grab a good romance read.
Check out Abigail Drake’s The Enchanted Garden Cafe.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
The Enchanted Garden Cafe Abigail Drake
(South Side Stories, #1)
Publication date: May 1st 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
For her sixth birthday, Fiona Campbell’s mother, Claire, made her a peace sign piñata filled with wishes for a better planet instead of candy. When she got her period, her mother held a womanhood ceremony at their café and invited the neighborhood. On her sixteenth birthday, they celebrated with a drum circle.
Fiona grew up trying to keep the impulsive Claire in check, and their struggling café afloat. She plans to move out, but first must find a way to stop a big corporation from tearing down their business and destroying her mother’s livelihood.
Claire thinks karma will solve their financial and legal problems. Fiona prefers a spreadsheet and a solid business plan. The last thing she has time for is Matthew Monroe, a handsome complication who walks through their door with a guitar on his back and a naughty gleam in his eye. But when disaster strikes, and Fiona’s forced to turn to him for help, will she learn to open her heart and find she can believe in something magical after all?
The cab let me off right in front of the café. People sat at the small tables we’d set up on the sidewalk, and others hovered near the door, listening. It was quite a crowd, and as soon as the sound of the music reached my ears, I understood why.
Matthew sat on a barstool, strumming his guitar. Mom softly kept the beat with a set of bongos she had tucked between her legs. Moses played his saxophone, the sound twisting and winding though Matthew’s music like an intricate quilt. A young woman with braided hair and skin that glowed in the candlelight belted out a soulful melody about love and loss and hope.
I stopped, as enthralled by the music as the others. The woman had a lovely voice, and Moses was a genius, but Matthew grabbed my attention and held it. His black shirt and jeans accentuated his sleek, muscular body.A necklace with a yin and yang symbol carved in wood hung on a leather cord around his neck. His dark hair brushed his shoulders, as soft and smooth as silk, and his elegant fingers flew skillfully over the guitar, making it moan and sing and cry with a hauntingly beautiful sound. I’d never heard anything like it, and Matthew was as mesmerizing as his music.
As soon as the song finished, Matthew’s eyes met mine. I’d been caught watching him but couldn’t look away. This time he didn’t smile. He stared back at me, his expression as haunted and sad and beautiful as the song he’d played.
Mom came up and touched my arm. “Isn’t he amazing?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
Author Abigail Drake
Award winning author Abigail Drake has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, fun, and sexy. Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three boys (probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left.
Abigail, who also writes young adult fiction under the name Wende Dikec, is the winner of the prestigious 2017 Prism Award for her book Traveller, and the International Digital Award for her young adult book, Tiger Lily. In addition, she was a finalist in the Golden Pen, the Golden Leaf, the Dante Rossetti Book Award, and the Cygnus Award for Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction.
For more information about Abigail, visit her website at www.abigaildrake.com.
On the remnants of oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Dauphin Island, Joe is a typical Nob Platform teenager, except that her Mom left a year ago for a more social Platform, and her Dad sometimes forgets she exists. But she knows she wants a career in Communications, so her high school senior project “See-Saw” focuses on long-distance underwater connections. Drayton, Joe’s best friend, discovers lights moving on Land at the same time Joe picks up SOS signals with her See-Saw.
Though Land has been silent since technology was destroyed during the Moralist Revolution, Joe and Drayton discover that the Platform Planning Commission (PPC) seems to be ultimately responsible for the Bone Virus that precipitated the Revolution. They enlist the help of Flox, a debunked scientist, to take them to Land to investigate the remnants of human Land society—before the PPC can stop them. What they find on Land will forever change the course of their lives and the lives of all Platform Dwellers.
~~~~~
Enjoy this glimpse inside:
Are those—what are those?”
“This is tidal for her,” Drayton says and picks up a cake. “Twinkie. Still in the plastic from when great-grandfather brought them over from Land. She only breaks these out for special guests.”
I feel warm inside. I like Mrs. Coleman. “She’s so generous. And sweet.”
“Yep. She must have big plans. She’ll show you great-grandma’s wedding dress next. Maybe her preserved flowers coupled with the story of how she had the first Platform wedding. No officiant or Council. Just an ‘I do’ and done. It’s one of her favorite topics of conversation lately.”
Mom liked to tell stories, too. I wish I had paid more attention during our mother-daughter dates. Especially when she told me about how she met Dad and when I was born. What her grandmother had told her Land was like.
“It’s nice how she talks to you,” I say softly. Drayton hands me the Twinkie ceremoniously. “Thank you.”
“You do have good manners, Joe,” Drayton says and opens his Twinkie. He holds it like a glass and toasts. “To the power of preservatives.”
I open mine carefully. It smells sweet and ripe, like some of the flowering vegetable plants that Lisette grows. I put a small bite in my mouth, and I revel in the flavor. “Tastes like sunshine.”
Drayton finishes the last bite of his. “On a cloudless day. Come on, eat up. It’s almost time.”
I shake my head and take another small bite. “I want to enjoy this. Savor each bite. I don’t have these every day.”
“Neither do I. But what’s the point in drawing the pleasure out? It’s there, then it’s gone. Great while it lasts.”
“I hope that isn’t how you feel about people, Drayton.”
“Some of them.”
“Stop teasing.” I take the last bite of Twinkie and swallow it. “Delicious. Let’s go see these lights.”
~~~~~
About Author Katarina Boudreaux
Katarina Boudreaux is a writer, musician, composer, tango dancer, and teacher—a shaper of word, sound, and mind. She returned to New Orleans after circuitous journeying.
Her chapbook “Anatomy Lessons” is available from Flutter Press. Her play “Awake at 4:30” is a finalist in the 2016 Tennessee Williams Festival. Her novel “Still Tides” is a semi-finalist in the 2016 Faulkner-Wisdom competition.
I’m such a pushover for anything unicorns. And just look at that fun cover. This sounds like loads of fun!
Check it out.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
The Trouble with Unicorns D.T. Dyllin
(Team Unicorn Talia, #1)
Publication date: April 30th 2018
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Paranormal, Romance
Part-time demon tracker, full-time optimist …
Talia White does what comes naturally to a unicorn: Balances the scales between light and dark with hefty doses of love and joy.
Faced with a string of high profile demon possessions, Talia is determined to do her job, despite the fact that she finds herself strapped with a brooding dragon warrior as her new guardian.
That’s the trouble with unicorns … they’ll accomplish their goal one way or another, even if they have to get a little stabby to do it.
D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes paranormal, sci-fi, and contemporary romance. Basically, anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-heart is what first drove her to begin twisting her own tales of scorching romance.
D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, and two spoiled German Shepherds.
Thanks to everybody for your well wishes about my pink eye. It’s all better now. Just in time for a five day weekend. I’ve been watching the telly, reading a bunch of books and taking some relaxing naps. I love a good nap. When I was younger, I wouldn’t take them. Thought it was a waste of time. Now I like to fit them in here and there. I wake up 20 to 30 minutes later feeling rested and alert. Do you like to take naps?
I hope you don’t mind, but I’m sharing more pictures of my plants.
This is my sega from last week.
Now that the sega has sprouted I cut off the old leaves and the sprouts are now opening and looking like leaves. It’s also about a foot taller.
And remember this from last week? It was just one bloom.
Just one week later.
See how the flowers bloom from the top down. If you look closely, you can see the third bloom starting to turn pink. The yellow and green buds below will grow and turn pink, stacking one on the other. It happens really fast.
And I thought I’d share a recent picture of Flora. She’s growing and growing.
That’s all folks.
Have a fabulous Sunday!
*****
My new books this week.
*****
And here are some FREEBIES for ya.
Click on the covers to get your copies. Remember to make sure they’re still free before you hit that buy button.
![Brownies & Betrayal (Sweet Bites Mysteries, Book 1) by [Justesen, Heather]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512qpk6yBoL._SY346_.jpg)
![A Throne for Sisters (Book One) by [Rice, Morgan]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5103g7Q9HoL.jpg)
![Murder, Curlers, and Cream: A Valentine Beaumont Mystery (The Murder, Curlers Series Book 1) by [McFarlane, Arlene]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YXVmWtEdL.jpg)
![Famished: An Ash Park Novel (Volume 1) by [O'Flynn, Meghan]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51exxO72UrL.jpg)
![Girl in Trouble (An Alex Mercer Thriller Book 1) by [Claflin, Stacy]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NAxXSEgrL.jpg)
![Someone Else's Daughter: Book I (A Miranda's Rights Mystery 1) by [Lanier, Linsey]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51a0R6NR2mL.jpg)
![Boogie House: A Rolson McKane Southern Mystery [Book 1] by [Braddy, T. Blake]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516j55dMUzL.jpg)
![Winter Wind by [Rain, J.R.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51iGNn3%2BkFL.jpg)
![Hideaway: An EMP Thriller- Book 0 by [Hayden, Roger]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/517BK71bbXL.jpg)