Archive for the ‘Guest Post’ Category

High Couch Of Silistra By Janet Morris ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: December 28, 2025 in Dystopian, Fantasy, giveaways, Guest Post
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High Couch of Silistra, first of the notorious
Silistra Quartet, brings us to a realm where thought alters probability, where
creativity is inextricably linked to the urge to own and dominate, and where
the universe itself is amenable to a focused mind.

Rooted deeply in humanity’s mythic past yet unaware
of the planet Earth, High Couch of Silistra begins one woman’s mythic quest for
self-knowledge – with surprising results.

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High Couch of Silistra

The Silistra Quartet Book 1

by Janet Morris

Genre: Dystopian Epic SciFi Fantasy Romance

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Biology shapes reality…

One woman’s mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow…

Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized
stars.

Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.

“Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure.” – Charles N. Brown,
Locus Magazine

“The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in
tomorrow’s universe”

– Frederik Pohl

“The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is Janet Morris’
Silistra series… Estri’s character is most like that of Ishtar who describes
herself as “‘a prostitute compassionate am I'” because she
“symbolizes the creative submission to the demands of instinct, to the
chaos of nature …the free woman, as opposed to the domesticated woman”.
Linking Estri with these lunar and water symbols is not difficult because of
the moon’s eternal virginity (the strength of integrity) links with her changeability
(the prostitute’s switching of lovers). […]

Morris strengthens the moon imagery by having Estri as a
well-keepress because wells, fountains, and the moon as the orb which controls
water have long been associated with fertility, […] In a sense, she is like
the moon because she is apparently eternal, never waxing or waning except in
her pursuit of the quest; she is the prototypical wanderer like the moon and
Ishtar. She is the eternal night symbol of the moon in opposition to the
Day-Keepers […]

 At her majority (her
three hundredth birthday), she is given a silver-cubed hologram letter from her
mother, containing a videotape of her conception by the savage bronzed
barbarian god from another world. […] If Estri’s mother then acts as a bawd,
willing her lineage as Well-Keepress to her daughter, then Estri’s
great-grandmother Astria as foundress of the Well becomes a further mother-bawd
figure when she offers her prophetic advice in her letter: “Guard Astria
for you may lose it, and more. Beware of one who is not as he seems. Stray not
in the port city of Baniev …look well about you, for your father’s daughter’s
brother seeks you”. Having no brother that she knows of does not stay
Estri from undertaking the heroic quest of finding her father.”

 – Anne K. Kaler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine

Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

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I am Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, former Well-Keepress of Astria on the planet
Silistra. I have begun three times to tell this story, and three times I have
been interrupted. This, then, the fourth attempt, will surely prove successful.

Perhaps you have heard of Silistra, the planet that was catalyst to the sexual
revolution in the year twenty-two thousand, seven hundred and four Bipedal
Federate Standard Time, or of the Silistran serums that lengthen life and
restore vitality in virtually any bipedal life form, or perhaps you have at
some time contracted the services of a Silistran telepath, or a precognitive,
or a deep reader. It is possible that you have in your own home the
scintillating, indestructible web-cloth woven by our domestic arachnids, or
have seen holograms of our golachits, those intelligent builder-beetles who
exude from their mouths a translucent, superhard substance called gol and
create from this gol, under the guidance of the chit-guards, the formidable and
resplendent structures in which we live and work.

And perhaps you have seen no web-cloth, no gol, never been ill, and are not
interested in sex. If so, you may never have heard of Silistra.

I carry Silistra in my mind’s eye, here under this alien sun. In my mind alone
can I look out the east window of my beloved exercise hall in Well Astria and
see the sun’s rising burst upon the jewel-like towers and keeps of the Inner
Well and a thousand rainbows arc and dance in the greening sky.

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What is something unique/quirky about you?

I breed Morgan horses. I consult with Morgan breeders to help them choose breeding combinations to achieve a desired result.

I am also a song writer; I play bass guitar with my husband Chris who sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I wrote my first novel, High Couch of Silistra in 1975; a friend sent it to an agent who chose to represent me; I had already written the second book in the Silistra Quartet and my agent told me not to disclose that until they finalized the contract for the first one. When the publisher learned of the others, Bantam Books bought the succeeding three. When the fourth book was published, the series already had four million copies in print. Suddenly I was a novelist specializing in environmental, gender, historical and political subjects. In the process, Chris became my editor and ultimately a co-writer. Since then, we have co-authored many books.

Who is your hero and why?

Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it. Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. I’ve worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

All of them. I write cinematically, our books are vivid adventures I undertake without knowing the destination.  I, the Sun, The Sacred Band, and Outpassage are particularly suited to film. The Threshold Series is a feast of opportunities for today’s special effects creators.

What inspired you, to write The Silistra Quartet?

The Silistra Quartet was a unique departure for me and it included issues of women’s rights in the 70’s before Handmaid’s Tale.

Convince us why you feel High Couch of Silistra is a must read.

The Silistra series in which High Couch of Silistra is book 1 blazed a new trail in science fiction and fantasy, many critics saying that I had created a new pantheon of warrior women giving rise to heroines like Xena. Today it is more important than ever for everyone to accept women in leadership roles and I would like to think we had something to do with gaining them more recognition.

Who designed your book covers?

Most of my covers, including High Couch of Silistra, are realized by Roy Mauritsen, a gifted graphic artist.

Advice to writers?

As for advice to writers, here is all I know: write the story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop. Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that makes the reader choose to continue; if I, as the writer, can’t feel what it’s like being there, my readers can’t either. So close your eyes, look at your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell me what you see. Tell me what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If you lose touch with it, wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes to you, and from you, to me.

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Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in
1976 and published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris
Morris or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy
series Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a
mythical unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She
created, orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell,
writing stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The
Little Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet
in the 1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the
Abyss, and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies
in Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian
and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this
landmark series. The third edition is the Author’s Cut edition, newly revised
by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the
fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical
and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several
book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal
weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national
security topics.

Janet said: ‘People often ask what book to read
first. I recommend “I, the Sun” if you like ancient history;
“The Sacred Band,” a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; “Lawyers
in Hell” if you like historical fantasy set in hell;
“Outpassage” if you like hard science fiction; “High Couch of
Silistra” if you like far-future dystopian or philosophical novels. I am
most enthusiastic about the definitive Perseid Press Author’s Cut editions,
which I revised and expanded.’

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Enter the High Couch of Silistra Giveaway Here

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Tamanrasett By Edward Parr ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: November 25, 2025 in Excerpt, giveaways, Guest Post, Historical
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Tamanrasett organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Edward Parr will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Tamanrasett

By Edward Parr

 

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

TAMANRASSET is historical fiction set on the edge of the Sahara as the ancient world begins to fade and great empires collide. Four strangers—a mature Foreign Legionnaire, a Sharif’s wrathful son, an ambitious American archaeologist, and an abandoned Swedish widow—become adrift and isolated, but when their paths intersect, the fragile connections between them tell a story of survival and fate on the edge of the abyss. Blending the sweep of classic adventure with the horror of a great historical calamities, Edward Parr’s TAMANRASSET is a saga about the crossroads where nomads meet.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Demoreau knelt beside Lieutenant Claussen. The Sergent had been in plenty of actions during more than twenty years of service in the Legion: The sun beating down, the barrel of his rifle smoking and hot from constant firing, the taste of sand and sulfur in his mouth as he and his comrades fought off their enraged enemy with nerves of steel and cooler heads. “Que voulez-vous? C’est la Legion!” A part of him relished it. He had a calmness of mind gained through years of experience and training. As he raised his rifle to aim at the advancing tribesmen, he recalled to his mind the melody of a fine composition, the death waltz by Saint-Saëns, which unrolled in his inner ear, turning his blood to ice. He hummed the tune as his rifle fired and his deadly accurate shooting dropped one rider after another.

Claussen was a good Lieutenant and had plenty of courage, but that did not mean he couldn’t benefit from Demoreau’s experience. The Sergent turned and faced his commander: “We’re being overwhelmed and losing too many men, Sir: We can’t maintain this position. We must move east onto the ridge where there’s cover among the rocks.”

“I know, but it may be too far, Sergent,” Claussen replied.

“Yes, it might,” the Sergent agreed, “but we still have to go: We’ll certainly all be killed if we stay here.”

Claussen looked distraught, but as he looked Demoreau in the eyes his nerve was hardened. Everything had to be done “par règlement” in the Foreign Legion. He nodded: “Yes, give the order, Sergent. Withdraw to the ridge; smartly, now.”

© 2025 by Edward Parr and Edwardian Press (New Orleans, Louisiana)

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Author Guest Post

A Journey Fraught with Peril

My novel Tamanrasset: Crossroads of the Nomad was inspired by the amazing body of action-adventure stories written about the French Foreign Legion which are set in the tumultuous early 20th century of northern Africa. As much as I enjoy these stories when taken in isolation in the spirit they were written at the time, its difficult to ignore subsequent events. I knew that if I were to write a new adventure of that era, I would absolutely need to show both sides of the story: Who were the Legionnaires? Who were the people fighting the French Foreign Legion, and what were their objectives? What were they really like?

As I continued doing research, it seemed to me that not only were a lot of the potential characters in the story Muslim, but that in some fundamental way Islam is a part of that place. There can be no doubt that writing about Islam and writing Muslim characters is fraught with peril. Just ask author Salman Rushdie: his novel, The Satanic Verses, contains a plotline where the Prophet is alleged to have transcribed verses dictated by Satan. This resulted in Iran’s Supreme Leader issuing a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s assassination, followed by years of threats, hiding, and even a violent attack on the author in 2022. But I will say that there is nothing like that in my novel. For the record, I specifically wanted readers to see the Muslim characters as real, sympathetic people, people practicing a rigorous but perhaps even understandable religion, a religion where the meaning of Qur’anic verses have been argued over for centuries in the same way as verses of the Bible, Old and New Testaments, are argued over by Jewish and Christian scholars. The people of northern Africa are a varied and diverse people who for the most part live in communities of kind, like-minded individuals, men and women. In the end, I even elected to hire a sensitivity reader, a Muslim woman educator in Morocco, to give me her thoughts. I incorporated all of her invaluable suggestions.

I also wanted to make clear that the anger experienced by the native people of northern Africa, regardless of religion, was in some cases justified, and that any violence that ensued came not from religion per se but from the treatment of the native people whose countries were actually being violently conquered by France. Once France began to march soldiers directly into Morocco, it’s hardly surprising that locals would push back. On the other hand, I had no interest in vilifying the French Foreign Legionnaires who served in northern Africa. The vast majority of those soldiers enlisted in the Foreign Legion for personal reasons – some joined to avoid the law, to become a soldier the only place they could, or to find adventure, among many other reasons. Most Legionnaires were not French, and the aims of the French government were mostly irrelevant to them. The Legion asks its recruits to dedicate themselves to their fellow Legionnaires and to serve with honor even in the most desperate and the most boring deployments, and that’s the ethos and brotherhood I wanted to depict.

In the end, I hope the story is one that can be taken at face value and without assuming any underlying ideological objective on my part. The story is, ultimately, about the vast emptiness of the Sahara, and those who were there before the world changed and the vast unknown places disappeared forever. Needless to say, the array of people there at the time was remarkable.

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About Author Edward Parr:

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Edward (“Ted”) Parr studied playwriting at New York University in the 1980’s, worked with artists Robert Wilson, Anne Bogart, and the Bread and Puppet Theater, and staged his own plays Off-Off-Broadway, including Trask, Mythographia, Jason and Medea, Rising and an original translation of Oedipus Rex before pursuing a lengthy career in the law and public service. He published his Kingdoms Fall trilogy of World War One espionage adventure novels which were collectively awarded Best First Novel and Best Historical Fiction Novel by Literary Classics in 2016. He has always had a strong interest in expanding narrative forms, and in his novel writing, he explores older genres of fiction (like the pulp fiction French Foreign Legion adventures or early espionage fiction) as inspiration to examine historical periods of transformation. His main writing inspirations are Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Bernard Cornwell, Georges Surdez, and Patrick O’Brien.

 

Socials: Website / LinkedIn / Goodreads / Amazon / Reddit / Instagram / Facebook

Purchase Links: Amazon / B&N

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Sister Acts By Sharon Adelman Reyes ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: November 14, 2025 in giveaways, Guest Post, women's fiction
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Book Details:

​ SISTER ACTS

by Sharon Adelman Reyes

Category:  Adult Fiction (18+),  448 pages
Genre: Women’s Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Lake Grove Press
Release date:  August 2025
Content Rating: PG: Very mild profanity, mild romantic scene with some kissing.

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Synopsis:

​Four sisters. Four clashing personalities. Four different ways of living in the world.

Sister Acts explores the impact of loss on three generations of one family –- in particular, the degree to which, to paraphrase Phyllis Chesler, women are capable of inhumanity toward other women. At times heartbreaking and at times hilarious, the novel illuminates the resilience that can come from knowing one’s roots and the estrangement that can result from trying to escape them.

Sophie Malinsky’s sudden death leaves her Left-wing Jewish family in disarray. Rather than bringing her young daughters closer, the loss creates a tangle of jealousies and recriminations. Rose, the eldest, recognizing their father’s limitations, at first tries to become a surrogate mother for her three sisters. But they resent her efforts, each one channeling – or repressing – her grief in a different way. In the absence of Sophie’s love and guidance, two sisters lose their way. Naomi moves to Mexico and tries to shed her Jewish identity. Betti ends up in Nashville pursuing a dream, never realized, of stardom as a rockabilly musician. A fourth sister, Marla, strives for dominance from an early age. Her jealousy of Rose leads to a toxic rivalry that persists well into middle age, affecting their own daughters as well. Lurking behind the conflicts is a family secret that Sophie had planned, but failed, to reveal. Decades later, when Rose finally uncovers it, the Malinskys’ saga finally comes into sharp focus.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon ~ B&N
​add to goodreads
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Guest Post From Author Sharon Adelman Reyes
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  Why write?

Why write? For me, writing is like indelible ink laid down on the fabric of our lives. Fiction in particular is a way of discovering who we really are and what we truly think. Writing a novel gives me a feeling that I cannot be silenced and that my ideas will always have an audience. My evolution as a writer is also the story of my life. Sister Acts is the latest chapter. It’s not a memoir – the characters are fictional – but it does draw on the experience of families in which early loss leads to lifelong dysfunction.

As a child, I wrote for the sheer joy of creative invention. In high school, I took a turn towards self-expression, usually through poetry. When I launched my career as an educator, I began to write stories drawing on my observations of children, youth, and family dynamics. Later, as a college professor, my writing took on an academic tone. (Thankfully, that didn’t last long.) Looking for ways to bring deeper meaning to the printed page, I began to explore the genre of narrative research through observations and interviews. From there it was a short step to creative non-fiction, telling true stories using literary techniques. Once again writing was enjoyable!

Finally, I formed a writing group with a non-competitive circle of women engaged in diverse projects. At the time, I was the only non-fiction writer, exploring educational themes using journalistic techniques. Soon I became rather envious of my fiction-writing companions, who seemed to be having more fun with the printed word. Why not join them? I thought. So I took the plunge and began writing short stories. It was addictive! It took a few years, but those stories formed the nucleus of a novel that would become Sister Acts.

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Meet Author Sharon Adelman Reyes:

Sharon Adelman Reyes is a writer, editor, and equestrienne in Oregon, living on the slopes of an extinct volcano and looking out on an active one. During a lengthy professional career, she has published various works drawing on her experiences in multicultural teaching. Sister Acts is her first novel.

connect with the author: goodreads

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SISTER ACTS Book Tour Giveaway

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Unfollow Me By Kathryn Caraway ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: November 12, 2025 in giveaways, Guest Post, Memoir, suspense
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First comes the true story.

Then comes her fictional revenge.

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Unfollow Me

A Terrifying True Story of a Sadistic Stalker

by Kathryn Caraway

Genre: True Crime Memoir

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#1 Amazon New
Release!

What if the man
stalking you worked in IT—at the police department?

“Think it couldn’t happen to you? Think again. Read. This. Book.” —John
DeDakis, Award-winning novelist, writing coach, and former editor on CNN’s
“The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”

This true crime case is told with brutal honesty,
exposing the silent terror of stalking. Gripping details of kidnapping,
intimate partner abuse, and surveillance using everyday tools engrained in
society—and most households—uncovers systemic blindspots. From
overlooked police reports to exhausting court battles, it’s a story of a
woman’s resilience in the face of relentless fear. A must read for fans of true
crime, survival stories, and psychological thrillers.

Stalkers don’t just
hide in the shadows. Some log in.

Kathryn meets Todd, a charming IT expert for the police
department. He coaxes her into a brief relationship and turns a normal breakup
into a reign of terror. Todd isn’t just obsessed—he’s inside Kathryn’s home
network.

He doesn’t have to be in her house to watch her. Or hear
her.

He sees her text messages—on his screen.

He can follow her car without ever leaving his house.

And he even tells her why: “You are mine. And I don’t
share.”

When Todd asks Kathryn if she wants to see death coming, she
tells him no. Now she waits for it every day. Dismissed by officers, Kathryn
builds a case police can no longer ignore. But the more she learns about Todd’s
past, the more she suspects he might be tied to the unsolved murder of a woman
she has only one thing in common with: Todd.

And if she’s right, she might be next . . .

“A powerful, riveting
account about a woman being victimized by a modern-day monster.” —Kirkus
Reviews

“Urgency of feeling
pulses throughout . . .” —BookLife

“An inspiring story
of survival . . . the horrors of stalking and its devastating effects on the
mental health of those targeted . . .” —Chanticleer Book Reviews
& Media

“The specificity of emotion, the
physiological response to trauma, and the intellectual clarity . . . give this
book its power.” —Independent Book Review

“Unfollow Me kept me on the
edge of my seat from beginning to end. Caraway’s will to get justice in her
case and her composure through it all shows a resilience that not many
possess.” —Memoir Magazine

* 2024 Grand Prize Winner in Narrative
Nonfiction (Journey Award, Non-Fiction Overcoming Adversity)

* 2024 1st Place Winner in
Thriller/Suspense (Clue Award)

* 2024 1st Place Winner in
Non-Fiction Cover Design

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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He Follows Me

by Kathryn Caraway

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

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Kathryn Caraway
thought a conviction would end the nightmare. She was wrong.

Todd Bennett is getting out of jail—and he hasn’t forgotten
her. The government offers her a lifeline: new name, new life, new country. But
freedom comes at a cost and safety is an illusion.

U.S. Marshal Wes Kade doesn’t care about feelings. He cares
about results. Cold, disciplined, and relentless, he has built a career on
keeping people alive. But something about this case doesn’t add up. He realizes
this isn’t personal—it’s war.

With nowhere left to hide, Kathryn must face the terrifying
truth that some nightmares never end.

A gripping
psychological thriller where survival isn’t just about escape—it’s about
fighting back.

 

Wow! I have absolutely DEVOURED this book, and Kathryn
Caraway has become my new favorite author! He Follows Me is the fictional
follow-up to Unfollow Me, and it does not disappoint. What starts as a
semi-cozy read turns into a tense thriller with an absolutely explosive ending!
Give this one a read, especially if you have read Unfollow Me!  – Goodreads reviewer

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Here’s the Thing About Stalking: It Never Ends

The man who stalked me was convicted. On paper, the story looks over. But in real life, it lingers. It never really goes away. A conviction doesn’t erase the obsession. It doesn’t guarantee my safety.

Well-meaning people might say, “He’ll move on. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

But there’s plenty I worry about. When he asked me if I wanted to see death coming, I never realized how that split second answer would define the rest of my life. I answered “no” and have waited every day since for a death I won’t see coming.

A conviction is not closure. A sentence completed is not guaranteed safety.

A job application being rejected because of his criminal history could incite him.

A woman he is interested in who learns about his past and pulls away could put me back in his crosshairs.

Or maybe, one day, he will simply wake up and decide I ruined his life.

The truth is, he doesn’t need a reason at all. That’s why I remain vigilant about my anonymity and my safety. I don’t see it as fear; I see it as survival. As I traversed the publishing process, I’ve been asked variations of the same question that I’m sure readers will have once the book is commercially available:

“Since he was convicted why can’t you just publish under your own name?”

“If your story is true, why can’t you use real names in the book?”

For me, the answer is simple, though it’s not always understood by others: publishing my true crime memoir has the potential to enrage him. To lead him straight back to me.

Sometimes they come back.

By my count, I am his sixth victim. The seventh was a witness in my stalking case. So even though he moved on to another, he still circled back to me. It happens.

Amie Harwick, who was once engaged to Drew Carey, had a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend and stalker, Gareth Pursehouse, that expired. It wasn’t renewed. Five years after it expired, Gareth Pursehouse killed Amie Harwick.

That’s the thing about stalking. It is not a neat, contained story. I don’t consider myself a survivor of stalking. In fact, I fear the moment that I let my guard down, he will resurface.

Maybe it’s been years. Or a decade has passed and a feeling of safety returns. The joy of simple things eases their way back into my life like going to the grocery store and not scanning every vehicle in the parking lot or every face in the aisle.

I’ve moved on, but I can never be certain that he has. Maybe he is waiting for me to slip online. Maybe he is waiting for a moment of vulnerability—a relative’s funeral announcement that lists my name along with the date and time of service; or a birthday party or wedding details posted on social media that he thinks I will attend.

And, just like that, I will suffer a death I won’t see coming.

Being a victim of stalking influences every decision I make—right down to the name printed on the book cover. I keep my circle tight. I stay aware. And above all, I will not apologize for protecting myself.

If you’re among the 1 in 3 women or 1 in 6 men who have experienced it, you know that’s the thing about stalking—it never ends.

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Kathryn Caraway lived life as the target of a stalker for years.
After her perpetrator’s conviction, Kathryn founded the Unfollow Me Project to raise
education and awareness of the debilitating effects of stalking, as well as to
offer support to those being stalked. For more information, go to https://unfollowme.com.

Website * Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bluesky * Tiktok * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Unfollow Me

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

What Goes Around By Michael Wendroff ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: October 19, 2025 in Excerpt, giveaways, Guest Post, thriller
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A relentless thriller that explores the unbreakable bonds
that transcend time.

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What Goes Around

by Michael Wendroff

Genre: Thriller

‘Relentless and gritty, Wendroff
expertly weaves a narrative that begs, “just one more page”.’ J.D. Barker, New York Times bestselling
author

EVIL HAS MANY FACES

Chilling murders terrorize a town and bring together two detectives to face
the hardest tasks of their lives. Jack Ludlum, who relies on his brawn to get
things done, is now paired with his archenemy, Jill Jarred, a brilliant
investigator with keen intuition. As they delve into the secret world of incels
and white supremacists, and conflict between local authorities and the FBI
rages, a media frenzy further complicates the mission.

Is there a serial killer on the loose? Or something entirely different? Will
the detectives’ clashing personalities be their undoing, or can they unite to
stop the killer before they kill each other?

What Goes Around is a
dynamic thriller that examines the intricacies of love, loss, and the
unbreakable bonds that transcend time. With its pulse-pounding pace,
captivating characters, and a revelatory twist that challenges the boundaries
of life and death, this novel will keep you hooked from the first page to the
last, and thinking long afterwards.

‘Starts off at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up until it reaches its
unexpected conclusion.’ Lisa Black, New
York Times bestselling author of the Locard Institute thrillers

‘An adrenaline-fueled novel, the action breathlessly driven by two
detectives relentlessly pursuing the bloody trails left by a serial killer with
a dark sense of justice, deadly groups of white supremacists, and one lonely,
alienated boy caught up in the violence.’ Kathleen Kent, New York Times bestselling author

‘Fast-paced propulsive thriller that doesn’t let up – highly
recommended!’ Lori Brand, author

 

‘I could barely put this book down! The
twists and turns. The references to current political climate and the
unanswered “who dun it” questions kept me engaged until the last page. Great
read. Fast paced and an unexpected ending. Kudos for Wendroff’s debut novel!’ –
Amazon review

 

‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story
keeps you on the edge of your seat. He is a colorful writer and the characters
just come to life. They become very real, and the interplay between them is
really intriguing. I highly recommend this book.’ – Amazon review

 

**Paperback
edition just released Oct 7, 2025 – Get it now!**

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Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

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“It was midnight in the garden-less apartment. Good and evil were still at odds.

A cold wind whipped by, rustling the leaves while he was wrestling with his thoughts.

He hadn’t slept at all the prior night and couldn’t think straight now. He didn’t want to be

there but ended up going along—mostly to make sure things didn’t get too out of hand.

He and Dylan had watched Jose enter the basement apartment a few minutes

earlier. They checked their supplies one more time under the moonless sky. They peered

at each other, dressed in black, faces covered in charcoal powder, the whites of their eyes

the most evident part of their visages. A cat screeched in the distance. An owl fled to the

heavens. Dylan nodded to him.

He took out his hammer, and with one loud crash, he smashed through the window,

pieces of glass exploding around him.”

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When did the title “What Goes Around” come to you?

I have to admit that it came from my publisher, not me. My name had been “Perennial.” My publisher came to me and said that for a thriller, they thought they could do better. Now, in my marketing career I would often have ad agencies come in and show me a number of ads and I would normally end up having them make revisions or come back with new ads. I thought the same thing would happen here, but it didn’t. As soon as they suggested What Goes Around, I knew that was it! Not only does it sound like a thriller, but it totally ties into the entire book’s theme. Plus I also think the potential reader that sees the title completes the phrase in their own mind, so I’ve already made a connection with them.

 

Described as relentless and gritty and about to go into second print…what do you want us to know about the book?

 

It’s actually now into its third printing, I’m proud to say. It was published in the USA,UK and Australia in hardcover. You can get it at The Island Book shop in Venice. It is also available on Amazon in eBook and audiobooks. I’m amazed how popular audiobooks have become. And to my surprise, my agent sold foreign translation rights in Japanese, Hungarian, and Italian.

You mentioned, “relentless and gritty,” and I was thrilled to see that the author who said that has now made it to #1 on the bestseller list. In fact, JD Barker’s full quote was, “Relentless and gritty, Wendroff weaves a narrative that begs, ‘just one more page…'” And that’s exactly what I wanted to achieve–a page turner that the reader can’t put down.

 

Promoting the book is a challenge but with an MBA in marketing and your background in the publishing field in a literary agency you may’ve seen what it takes. And now that you’ve achieved a lifelong goal of writing your own book, what’s next?

 

I always wanted to write a book and it was really the pandmic that got me going-there was that periodof time when you couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even play tennis or go to the beach. So I was out of excuses and went at it. Rightnow, I’m spending a lot of time promoting it. Authors have to realize that today, writing is only 50% of their time, the other 50% is marketing. I’ve done a lot of podcasts, been reviewed by a lot of bloggers (I’m really happy the reviews have been great), and attend a lot of events, including book clubs. The bookclubs sem to really enjoy having a real writer at their meetings, providing insights about the novel as well as the writing and publishing process. In fact, I’d be happy to join any of your readers book clubs (contact me at wendroffm@gmail.com).

My next goal is to write my second book. I’ve plotted it and researched it, so now time to start writing! It will be another thriller and feature the two main characters from What Goes Around, as publishers tend to like series. It’s like building a brand.

 

What inspires you to write and tell us about your process. Do you write at a certain time, place…You mentioned your office and pool area.I notice you recently enrolled in the Citizens Police Academy in Venice to learn to shoot a taser….what are other things you enjoy researching for your stories. Do you feel it worked for you starting with an outline?

 

I love writing, and my process is plot, research, write, and edit.

I usually write in the mornings, when I’m freshest, either in my office or at the pool. The water inspires me, that’s another reason Venice is great-beaches, ponds-I don’t even mind the alligators staring at me.  I usually sit at my pc to get the story going, and not worry about things like grammer or the specific words, I just want to get the writing flowing. The next morning I will reread what I’d written, and try to make it real writing. Make sure every word fits with the others, make sure each sentence fits with the others. Add the analogies and metaphors. After that’s done, I’ll start scribbling out the next party of the story on my pc, which will be re-written the next day. That process of write then rewrite continues everyday, until I can write my favorite two words: The End

 

But before I actually start the writing itself, comes the plotting. There are actually two types of writers-plotters and pantsers.Pantsers simply sit in front of their computers and write by the seat of their pants. They have no idea where the story is going. That’s not be. I have to know everything upfront, so after ideating I write a detailed plot outline. I need to know not only what the ending will be, but where I’ll plant the red herrings, and where I’ll put the twists and turns. Nut it’s not like things won’t change. Once I became really attached to one of my characters, and the plot called for the character to die, but I couldn’t do it. I had to change the plot. Another time I did kill off a character I loved, but my wife yelled at me because I was walking around for a week in depression. She said “They’re not real!!.” But to an author, they are real!

 

The other thing I do before writing is the researching. Sure there’s Google and Chat GPT, but what I found is best is talking to people who do the types of things that are in your book. Living in Venice, I had a lot of resources. I’d come to know FBI agents and police officers and chiefs. And the Venice Police department is great. It was important for my book to talk to a female detective and they put me in touch with one of their own, Courtney Zak. She was great, and a lot of her insights are in the book. The Venice Police Department actually runs a “Citizens Police Academy” where you can learn about all the different facets of the things they do, and I just finished it, which I highly recommend for anyone.

So talking to people for research is critical. Now, I don’t think I spoke to any serial killers…

 

Anything you want to share about family, kids, upbringing? I like that quote your mother said when you were born, “Nice to see you again.”

 

My mother was an editor at major New York City publishing firms. I distinctly remember her on a weekend sitting cross-legged on her bed, manuscript pages, strewn about, and red pen in hand writing editorial comments all over the pages. So at least I was prepared for my editor’s comments on my book. They weren’t in red pen, but the comments in the margins of the word document were as instructive. But I wasn’t surprised.

She remarried a literary agent, who had many thriller and mystery writer clients, so I probably got my love of the genre from reading all those books, free! Unfortunately he’s no longer with us, but I think still had an impact. My agent had been shopping around my manuscript to publishers, which takes a lot of time. But the very next day after my stepfather died, my book was sold! So I think I had a little help from above.

 

Is there an anecdote you could share about authors you ran into when growing up?

 

Actually, I’ve got one for both!

My stepfather was a literary agent and one of his clients was the bestselling author, Robert Ludlum (many know him for the Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon). Once I got to stay at his winter home in St. Thomas. I remember waking up one morning, going into his living room and seeing him on the couch writing on a yellow legal pad with a pencil. That’s how he wrote his 450 page novels, by hand! While I admired Ludlum’s plotting and prose, I couldn’t do that! Thankfully, when it came time for me to write What Goes Around, I had a PC!

 

Regarding Capote, I grew up in a bit of a literary milieu, then went to NYU for business. It was when writing my MBA thesis that I was able to marry my love of books with my new love of marketing, as my thesis was on “Marketing in the Publishing Industry.” In fact, the industry’s trade journal, Publishers Weekly, excerpted my thesis in 3 editions, and paid me. That was the first time I got paid for my writing–I liked that!

 

During the research for it I interviewed a lot of publishing executives. One time I was waiting outside the office of the Editor-in-Chief for Simon& Schuster, and finally the door opens, and I’m ushered in and who do I meet–Truman Capote! As a thriller writer, meeting the author of In Cold Blood was amazing! And he looked exactly as you’d imagine.

 

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

 

Believe in yourself and never give up.

 

Write every day, even if it’s only 10 minutes.

 

Learn your craft–there are so many opportunities! Online courses (I took courses on BBC Maestro from Lee Child and Harlan Coben). Conventions-Thrillerfest in NYC puts on great craft seminars. There are writing groups too. Read in your genre and never stop learning.

 

What advice would you give to your neighbors about life?

Wow,that’s a big question.

But I guess it boils down to be nice. Because, What Goes Around, Comes Around!

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Michael Wendroff

Author of “What Goes Around”

https://amzn.to/43wg9Cz

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Michael Wendroff
is the author of What Goes Around, a
debut thriller published by Bloomsbury, which bestselling author Eric Rickstad
calls a “brilliant debut,” and bestselling author Lisa Black says, “starts off
at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up until it reaches its unexpected
conclusion.” Plus, #1 bestselling author J.D. Black says, “Relentless and
gritty, Wendroff expertly weaves a narrative that begs, ‘just one more page…’”

The book was
inspired by what his mother said to him the second he was born: “Oh! How nice
to see you–Again!”

Michael has an MBA
in marketing from NYU, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He is a global
marketing consultant. He shares his time between New York City, Sarasota,
Florida, and Lake Garda, Italy. He is married and has three wonderful children.

His mother was an
editor (watching his mother scribbling in red ink on manuscript pages at home
on weekends prepared him for his own editor’s comments!). She remarried a
literary agent, so Michael was friendly with many authors, and even spent a
vacation with Robert Ludlum. Watching Ludlum hand-write his 450 page novels on
yellow legal pads didn’t dissuade Michael from trying to write a novel (though
he’s thankful for his PC).

What Goes Around was launched in the USA, UK, and Australia,
and foreign language rights have been sold in Italian, Japanese, and Hungarian.
The hardcover went through 3 printings, and now the trade paperback is
available (along with audio book and e-book).

Fun fact:
Michael’s great-grandfather was brought over by Thomas Edison from the
University of Copenhagen to work with him. He holds a number of patents,
including for plastic buttons. Michael proudly wears button- down shirts
whenever he can.

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE
for special content and a $30 giveaway!

.

What Goes Around

.

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Switched By Angela Lam ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: October 12, 2025 in Dystopian, Excerpt, giveaways, Guest Post, Science Fiction
Tags: , ,
4

 

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What would you do if you woke up a different age and gender?

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Switched

by Angela Lam

Genre: Dystopian Cyberpunk SciFi Fantasy

A global phenomenon is rewriting the laws of biology,
causing men over fifty-five and women between eighteen and forty to suddenly
and inexplicably switch their ages and genders. No one understands it, and no
one can stop it.

Maxine thinks she can stay on the sidelines, supporting her brilliant
boyfriend-turned-girlfriend Jo—an audacious biotech pioneer, who’s breaking new
ground with brain-to-brain communication. But when the transformation strikes
Maxine, her reality is flipped upside down.

Now facing an unexpected future, Max must grapple with their identity,
struggling to align who they were with who they have become. Can they reclaim
control over a life that’s no longer theirs, or will they be swept away by the
changes they never asked for?

Amazon *
Bookbub *
Goodreads

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That night, Maxine could not sleep. She lay next to Jo and rubbed a suddenly rough, large hand over her five-o’clock shadow. Her chest and back strained against the seams of her nightshirt. She sat up and tugged the shirt over her head. Through the slats in the plantation shutters, the moonlight illuminated the fact that her breasts had hardened and flattened. A few gray hairs sprouted around the nipples. When her toes pinched against her socks, she removed them too.

“Can’t sleep?” Jo rolled over and gasped. “Oh my.”

The shock in her voice propelled Maxine out of bed. Her legs had thickened, and her center of balance had shifted with the adjustment of the contours of her body. If she moved too quickly, she felt the strain in her muscles. Every motion existed in two timelines—the one in which she imagined the movement and the one in which the movement was accomplished. The discordant space between thought and action unsettled her. Her body no longer responded with ease, but inched along with mysterious aches and pains, much like she’d experienced during adolescence when she could not sleep because her bones were growing.

In the bathroom, Maxine flicked on the lights and grabbed the edge of the sink. Her broad hands were speckled with age spots. Feeling an urgency to urinate, she sat on the toilet seat. Something dangled between her legs, but she was too groggy to care. She released the stream until it tinkled to a stop. With an unsteady hand, she dabbed herself down there before she realized she no longer needed the tissue. Just a shake of her new penis, and she was clean.

Standing, she flushed the toilet and washed her hands. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she understood why Jo had gasped. She looked just like her father before he had died. A wizened old man with a crinkly face; beady, dark brown eyes beneath bushy gray eyebrows; and a bulbous nose. Turning away from her reflection, she dried her hands.

Back in the bedroom, she struggled to get into bed. Her knees were locked.

Jo rushed out from under the covers and padded around the mattress. “Let me help you.”

She told Maxine about the time her mother had been ill and how the in-home health aide had shown her how to get her mother to sit on the edge of the bed first before swinging her legs onto the mattress. The two-step process was odd and cumbersome, but with Jo’s assistance, Maxine was able to lie down again.

“I look like my dad,” Maxine said, her hands folded over her chest. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Dad.”

If only she could talk to her father, then maybe everything would be all right.

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How long have you been writing?

 

I started writing professionally at sixteen years old when I went to work for the San Jose Mercury News.

 

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre? 

 

I am a voracious reader. Before my concussion, I read 75 books a year in every genre, from nonfiction to fiction. My favorite genres are romance, women’s fiction, thrillers, science, humor, memoir, literary, and current events.

 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? 

 

I prefer listening to music when I write. Most of my novels have a soundtrack. Switched includes the songs, “This Little Life” by Cordelia and “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Ellish among others.

 

Pen or type writer or computer?

 

I write my notes in a notebook by long hand, but I write the first draft on a computer.

 

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?

 

Having a voice was important, and when I wrote, people listened. Of course, I feel it was the right decision. Everyone needs to have a voice.

 

Advice you would give new authors? 

 

I teach writing through Gotham Writers Workshop, and I always tell my students to write from their hearts without caring about the market. Some authors are good at pandering to the market, and others are better at creating a market for their unique style. But if you aren’t writing what you want and need to say, who cares if anyone is listening?

 

What makes a good story? 

 

I’m an old-fashioned Aristotelian and believe in a beginning, middle, and end.

 

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? 

 

I follow the principle of cause and effect based on character which allows me the freedom to write without an outline. I outline after the first draft to shape the story as needed in subsequent drafts.

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Angela Lam writes across all genres, from romance (The Women
of the Crush series) to memoir (Red Eggs and Good Luck) to thrillers (No
Amends) and science fiction (Switched). Sometimes, she writes under a pen name
to keep things interesting (The Heroic Adventures of Madame X). The rest of the
time, she is busy exploring mixed-media art and teaching others what she knows.

Website *
Facebook *
X *
Instagram *
Bookbub *
Amazon *
Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE
for special content and a $10 giveaway!

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Switched

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~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Rising Ember By Sara Wright ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: October 4, 2025 in Dystopian, giveaways, Guest Post, YA Fantasy
Tags: , , ,
8

 

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A kingdom divided will burn.

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Rising Ember

The Ember Crown Book 1

by Sara Wright

Genre: YA Dystopian Fantasy

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Dangerous games. Kill or be killed. Can she
survive a king’s ruthless arena?

Clarissa craves an escape. An orphan forced
into criminal acts with other kids by their caretaker, she longs to break free
and become a healer. But when an archenemy provokes a deadly confrontation, the
seventeen-year-old awakens hidden powers in an explosive and fiery defense.

Seized by soldiers and taken to the capital
along with her only friend, Clarissa trains alongside other slaves to fight in
the royal army. But surrounded by mysterious strangers and running low on
trust, the desperate captive fears graduation day will be her last.

Is Clarissa destined to die in chains?

Rising Ember
is the thrilling first book in the Forbidden Chronicles YA dystopian fantasy
series. If you like strong-willed heroines, nail-biting drama, and clean
slow-burn romance, then you’ll love Sara Wright’s action-packed adventure.

Buy Rising Ember to ignite destiny
today!

**Get signed
& special editions with maps, bookmarks & sprayed edges at Sara’s Store!**

 

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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From a Headache to a Dystopian Universe: The Surprising Origins of Rising Ember

Discover how a single sentence from my husband during a migraine spiraled into a clean dystopian fantasy series full of elemental powers, rebellion, and love.

One day I had a massive headache. The world was on pause while I lay there with my eyes closed until the meds kicked in. My lovely husband held me in his arms and caressed my hair. The problem was I was wide awake and needed to get a million things done. So, I did what any storyteller or bookworm would do—I asked him to tell me a story. And he did.

This is what he came up with:

“There was a world with people, and they have fire eyes. They wield fire. Like they can turn it on and off like a switch.”

That was it, the entire story. It only took that to get me piecing everything together in my head. Soon I had a short story rough draft written in the world (read Altered Rain). To get inside the characters’ heads, I would listen to a particular song (“Lacrymosa” by Evanescence, if you’re curious). This ultimately inspired me to pen a novella, offering a peek into a world overtaken by the primary antagonist (read Ruined Ashes). That one line led to a short story, a novella, and a full six-book series.

At first, I didn’t know if the stories were pure fantasy or pure dystopian. Some scenes that played in my mind leaned very fantasy with horses and medieval style weaponry. But then one day, a scene of the protagonist heading to the upper levels on a lift formed, and I saw the realm more clearly.

This world was set within the ruins of the past. While they have futuristic technology, it doesn’t work everywhere. Sometimes using a horse or an old-world weapon is necessary. Your access to technology is determined by your societal status.

It kind of reminded me of The Shannara Chronicles, a post-apocalyptic world with elves, dwarfs, and other fantasy creatures.  Except, instead of elves and dwarves, humans developed elemental powers. Rising Ember is a blend of the old with the new, which is something I really love to explore in all my books. An urban setting with hovercars and force fields, but also rural communities that feel more old-world fantasy.

While I love to write what I want to read, I knew that wasn’t enough to publish this book. I needed to meet the reader’s expectations, too. At this point, I wasn’t sure what genre I was going to steer the story toward. So, I dived into the top young adult dystopian and fantasy books, both traditional and indie published to find out what readers wanted within these two similar yet distinct genres. It was a bummer reading all those books (just kidding).

You can’t really read through the YA dystopian genre without considering one of the most popular books in our modern era—The Hunger Games. One thing I love most about this franchise is how many layersSuzanne Collins weaves into the narrative. From the simple act of Katniss feeling uncomfortable in her clothes, to the cinnamon roll love interest, Peeta, there are so many interesting arcs and tropes throughout the story.

But I believe the most iconic part of the books is the arena. While I included this aspect in the story, there were other influences that altered how I presented it. A little American Ninja Warrior anyone? Maybe combined with your worst nightmares?

But what about the fantasy aspects I wanted to include? How could I incorporate fire wielders in the middle of a dystopian world?

Well, I found several books that incorporated some type of superpowers—one being Red Queen. The thing I loved about this series is that Mare isn’t entirely ignorant of the world the way Katniss was. Mare became a pawn, but she knew it and immediately fought back. But maybe the aspect I admired most was Cal’s fire and the betrayal twists throughout the narrative. The bond between the two main characters was also electrifying (pun intended).

Then I came across two interesting indie series by the same author—Recruitment and The Crue Chronicles. Storylines occur in the same world, and superpowers come into play. While they’re a little more tech manipulation than in my story, the power struggles between the elite and those emerging into the world ignite the right kind of rebellion that I am trying to balance in my story.

I read Shadow and Bone—a fantasy set in a broken czar styled world with characters who could manipulate powers. And the blend of old-world and new-world technology was fascinating to me. The interplay of darkness and light, along with the chosen one trope, really had me hooked.

The only thing I really wasn’t fond of was the heat levels of the romances in Red Queen. Because my romance writing style is a lot more like The Selection or The Princess Trials (without the 30 something girls competing to win over the guy). I’d rather see the intensity of the main characters holding hands for the first time. Or finally confessing their feelings in the middle of a battle rather than having a fade-to-black scene.

When I came up for air, I realized I wasn’t writing pure fantasy or pure dystopian—I was writing dystopian fantasy. Which is perfect for me because I love to blend sci-fi and fantasy elements.

From these inspirations, I created a futuristic kingdom discriminating against and imprisoning fire wielding humans—descendants of an ancient accident—because they are viewed as “other”. Since it’s a long-standing real-world problem, its inclusion in the story felt organic. The protagonist’s orphan status, a result of past genocide, is consistent with the dystopian setting.

Pure sci-fi element stories aren’t really my thing. You see, I’ve always been drawn to blending sci-fi and fantasy where futuristic tech and elemental powers coexist. One of my readers said that she was a fantasy reader that fancied herself a sci-fi queen. And that’s something I hear from a lot of fantasy readers. They’ll watch sci-fi, but they won’t read it.

Maybe it’s because I grew up on Disney princess movies and Star Trek. Maybe it’s because I was obsessed with Lord of the Rings but also devoured The Handmaid’s Tale. My obsession with combing sci-fi and fantasy with romance subplots has firmly taken root in my stories. Elements from all my favorite stories usually weave their way into my worlds—especially the beautiful dresses for those swoony dance scenes.

I say all of this because the inspiration of a story can be complicatedly woven with a multitude of decisions. I suppose everything from an author’s life makes its way into a book they create. Even though it started with a single sentence from my husband mentioned while having a headache, it was a lifetime of reading, writing, and dreaming that brought Rising Ember, the first book in the Forbidden Chronicles universe, to life.

Want to explore this world of clean, romantic sci-fi fairytales? The spark of this alliance starts right here.

Sara Wright

YA dystopian fantasy

High-stakes—elemental powers—no-spice

Sarawrightbooks.com

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Sara Wright is
the author of The Progenitor Chronicles and Forbidden Chronicles,
a YA dystopian fantasy series packed with rebellion, elemental powers, and
clean slow-burn romance.

She currently
lives on Earth, her favorite vacation planet, with her husband and their very
opinionated fur baby. But most days, she’s off exploring shattered kingdoms,
star-spanning civilizations, and the occasional multiverse with her lifelong
companions: Imagination and Creativity.

Raised on bedtime
stories and fueled by a steady diet of fantasy, sci-fi, and a sweet topping of
romance, Sara now writes tales for readers who crave action, heart, and hope.
When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cycling, hiking, or singing dramatically
to songs she swears are soundtracks to her books.

Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour
HERE for special content and a $10 giveaway!

.

Rising Ember

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Duality By Sunny Hart ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: September 14, 2025 in Excerpt, giveaways, Guest Post, Romance
Tags: ,
6

 

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She’s their executive assistant by day, and the city’s
vigilante by night.

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Duality

The Archers Book 1

by Sunny Hart

Genre: Why Choose RH Romance

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Executive assistant
by day… vigilante by night…

Evelyn Harper lives a double life. By day, she is the
unassuming assistant to the Stone brothers and their best friend, efficiently
managing their security firm’s operations. By night, she runs the Archers, a
vigilante organization delivering justice for those that the legal system
fails.

For years, she’s successfully kept her two lives separate,
using the information she’s privy to at the security firm to save more lives
with the Archers. But when a threat targets her men, Evelyn’s two worlds
collide. Evelyn must reveal her true identity and harness all her skills and
resources if she’s going to keep them alive.

But when the four men discover her betrayal, will they let
her help them or will they turn her and her organization over to the very
corrupt system that Evelyn fights?

Duality is the gripping first book of three in The Archers
series, full of action, intrigue, and romance as Evelyn fights to protect her
loved ones and uphold her brand of justice. It is a MFMMM slow burn
contemporary romance with dark themes but is not a dark romance. If you love
strong female characters and a harem that adores their FMC, this is the book
for you!

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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A few days later, I was typing up some meeting notes from a department head meeting that morning when the door to the far office opened and footsteps approached my desk. I didn’t lift my eyes from my screen as the person stopped at my desk.

 

“Evie, do you have the—”

 

I handed him the folder, sitting next to me without looking up.

 

“Oh, and I need the—”

 

I handed him the second folder, hiding my small smirk.

 

“And I didn’t have time after lunch to—”

 

I handed him the hot mocha that was sitting at the corner of my desk.

 

“Marry me?” Sebastian’s blue eyes were smiling as he leaned his hip against my desk. His suit jacket was off, and his sleeves were rolled up, allowing me to see the muscular forearms the tabloids drooled about. He was a striking man with a lean, athletic build and sandy blonde hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. A lesser woman would have swooned over the proposal, but I had been getting the same proposal from him at least once a week since I started working for him and his brothers.

 

“No.” I smiled primly at him, my lips pressed in a thin line to hide my amusement. “Will that be all, Mr. Stone?”

 

He put a hand to his chest like I stabbed him and dramatically staggered away from my desk. “Evie, you wound me.”

 

“Shall I call the cleaners to get the blood out of the carpet?” I asked dryly, turning my attention back to my computer as the door next to me opened and Alexander stepped out. His sharp suit was a dark gray that made his blue eyes seem brighter than usual.

 

“Are you bothering Miss Harper again?” Alexander rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated by his younger brother’s antics.

 

“I’m never a bother. Right, Evie?”

 

“Only on days ending with y,” I responded in a flat tone but couldn’t hide the smirk on my face.

 

He really wasn’t a bother. That was just how Sebastian was. He took the goofy kid brother act to the extreme and was always pranking his older brothers and Adrian. He did his best to crack the professional mask I wore and had an uncanny sense for when I was having a bad day, going out of his way to cheer me up.

 

“I know you love me.”

 

“Like one loves a root canal.”

 

“If you’re done bothering Miss Harper, I need her.”

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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

 

I’ve always written as a way to process the world whether that be journaling or writing short stories. One November, I challenged myself to write a full book from beginning to end and that’s how By Her Sight was written. I fell in love with the why-choose genre and the rest is history!

 

When did you first consider yourself a writer? 

 

Probably not until I had finished writing the first three books in the Unitam Realm series. That feels like a long time but it took a bit for my mindset to shift and be like “I can really write a book!”

 

Do you have a favorite movie? 

 

I love the Marvel universe but especially the earlier Marvel movies. Captain America is one of my favorites!

 

What inspired you to write this book? 

There’s a lot of injustice in the world and there are many, many people that the justice system fails. Evelyn came to life from the part of me that wants to burn it all down sometimes. Obviously she doesn’t and she creates the Archers after something devastating happens to her but writing the Archers series helps give me hope.

 

 

What can we expect from you in the future? 

 

I’ll always be writing! I’m too far deep into the life now and I have too many stories swirling in my brain. I’m excited to finish up the Archers series and maybe dive back into my Unitam Realm series for a prequel trilogy.

 

How did you come up with the name of this book? 

So originally this was going to be a duet and the duet’s title was going to be Duality. But as my alpha and beta readers will tell you, I can’t limit what I write at all so the duet quickly turned into a trilogy but I loved the name Duality too much to let it go so I made it the first book’s title. Duality means “an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something” which I think fits Evelyn’s life at the start of the book perfectly!

 

Who designed your book covers? 

 

The amazing Inessa at Cauldron Book Press!

 

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story? 

 

Oh I have no control whatsoever LOL! I am a plotter so I like to start with a plan but usually somewhere along the way it goes off the rails and I’m changing direction. However, there have been times in a series when I unconsciously write something at the beginning that ties in perfectly at the end and it is usually driven by a character’s actions.

 

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors? 

 

Too many to count! I love everything by Devyn Sinclair, Tessa Hale, J Bree, Grace McGinty, and Nadia Lee. Their books are staples in my library!

 

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? 

 

Some of them come right away. Usually my FMCs are always pretty formed in my head before I start writing. There’s always one guy in the group that fights me. For Duality, that guy was Marcus. He seemed to like fighting anyways so it worked out!

 

Do you see writing as a career? 

I’m hoping to turn it into one! But that’s a long term goal. Right now, I don’t want to put that much pressure on my creativity. Instead, I’m happy writing as the words come to me!

 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? 

I like to write to music or work in a coffee shop! My first book, By Her Sight, was written almost exclusively to the Hamilton soundtrack actually. There’s something about a bit of noise that allows me to shut off part of my brain and dive deep into the story.

 

Advice they would give new authors? 

The first draft is you just telling yourself the story. It’s supposed to be messy and imperfect! Remember writing is a marathon not a sprint!

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Sunny Hart lives in the rolling hills of the Kentucky
Bluegrass. She has spent her entire life expressing herself through writing and
short stories until one NaNoWriMo she challenged herself to write a book to
share with the world. By Her Sight is the first book Sunny has published but is
one of many floating around in her head. When not writing, Sunny is spending
time with her dogs and horse and working her ‘day job’ as a business strategy
consultant.

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $10 giveaway!

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Go HERE to enter.

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Duality

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Bitter Pill By Rowan St. George ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: August 30, 2025 in giveaways, Guest Post, Romance
Tags: ,
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Bitter Pill is a gang romance with bullying themes.

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Bitter Pill

by Rowan St. George

Genre: Dark Bully Romance

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Strands of sandy blonde and storm blue eyes cast me in
shadow
The bully stalks my heart, each word meaner than the last
Tell my soul to run to higher ground; I’m rooted in place
The Dragon boss hunts for vengeance and I’m an instrument in the game
Twisted desires and a touch that burns me to the core
The monster is awake and I want him anyway

–a poem by Alyssa Stanton

Liam Masters
I’ve always been torn between two worlds: the real one that’s gritty and full
of potential danger and the one with beauty and grace that I don’t deserve.
Pushing the pretty things away wasn’t so hard. Keeping away from them proved to
be far more difficult. When I’m the boss, I realize it’s time to call in a
favor from the one female I swore I’d leave alone. But temptation comes
knocking and once I have the taste in my mouth, I want more until it’s all
mine. The problem with monsters is they’re not supposed to bask in the sun.

Alyssa Stanton
I fell in love with my childhood friend, but the older we got the more that
feeling got twisted up in his mean words and deeds. Leaving it all behind to
explore my personal interests seemed like the best way forward until an
unimaginable loss brings me back home and into a calculated web. The danger
isn’t just from the very real bullets, but also from the boy turned monster who
makes me feel everything I’ve always wanted. The problem with princesses is
they’re not supposed to love the dark.

Bitter Pill is a gang romance. It is both a second chance and an
enemies-to-lovers story. Bitter Pill has bullying themes and may not be
suitable for all readers. A list of possible triggers is listed in the book.

Amazon * Books2Read * Bookbub
* Goodreads

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From Chapter 1

Alyssa Stanton

 

Liam Masters had been the bane of my existence since we were kids.  So, opening the door at 7 am on Sunday morning to see his best friend, and one of the three pain in the asses, I’d tried to avoid since coming back to Harbor Run did not bode well for my mood.  I’d already spent a sleepless night looking through my father’s office trying to figure out what the hell had happened.

 

“What the fuck do you want, Sebastian?” I asked, glaring at him, flexing my hands in a fist and releasing again, agitation stirring deep in my core.  I peered around him to see if he was alone, only slightly relieved he seemed to be.

 

“Good morning, to you too, sweetheart,” Sebastian smiled, widely as he pushed into the doorway past me as I huffed, throwing up my hands in frustration.

 

“What the fuck? Come right on in, then!”

 

Sebastian surveyed the space like he hadn’t been here before.  Of course, that was many years ago, and the house definitely had changed. The artwork and other items had been removed.  My eyes swept the same space, and sadness threatened to bring me to my knees.  It had been two weeks since my father shot himself in the back garden where my mother loved to spend her time.  My brother, Henley, still hadn’t spent the night in the house since he’d found the body. I supposed it was good we’d opted to have my father cremated and buried at the bottom of my mother’s grave at the cemetery in town without a service.  Maybe we’d do a celebration of life ceremony when we started to feel again, but I wasn’t sure when that might be, and I suspected Henley would never care.  The rawness of never being able to speak to my parents again was a bitter pill to swallow.  There was a certain unreal quality to being an orphan, even in your 20s.  My mother had been gone for about 10 years now, and the memories of her dealing with her cancer treatments still left me cold, especially given how painful it was at the end when the cancer had settled in her bones.  The devastating blessing was that she didn’t survive long in hospice care though she did get to rest with the powerful drugs in her system.  The house had been so quiet at times that I almost ran screaming through the halls, but I always stopped myself just in time.  What would crying and shouting really accomplish?

 

Sebastian’s deep voice brought me back to his unwanted presence in my house.  I watched transfixed as he pulled out an envelope from his jacket pocket and extended his arm out to me, but he was rooted to his spot on the floor and curiosity got the better of me, so I moved forward to take it out of his hands.  His smirk goaded me as I opened the flap finding a folded document.  The shock spiked through me when I saw the deed to my house.  Our house had belonged to a Stanton since my great grandfather had come to America from England.  The property sat on 10 acres of land with a path that led down to the private beach.

 

“I’m gonna need the keys.  You can pack a few things now, and then in a day or so you come back with some boxes,” Sebastian said, matter of factly.

 

I was having trouble finding my words, “your serious?  This isn’t some cruel joke cooked up by your leader to piss me off?”  I asked, folding up the deed and placing it back in the envelope.  I wanted to tear it up into tiny pieces, but I knew the document I held in my hand was likely just a copy.”

 

“You wish, sweetheart,” Sebastian said, taking the envelope back.

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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

When I was about 14, I started writing poetry and short stories. I’ve always wondered if I would have started writing on my own or if it’s because my mother put the idea in my brain when I was younger.   She said I wrote a story in 3rd grade that made sense and I should pursue writing.  

If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

I’d want all the things I love around me: my pets, close family/friends, a favorite book or two.  I also want to be in a beautiful place like the beach or mountains.

What are you passionate about these days?

Animal causes, nature photography, and creativity

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Introvert. Dreamer. Compassionate. Idealist. Independent

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think you’re a writer in your heart/soul.  So, in my teens/early 20s.  Publishing, whether traditional or self-publishing, is “the icing”!  

Do you have a favorite movie?

Pride & Prejudice (Knightly/McFadden version particularly) is one.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie? 

Tristan.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m a fan of bully romances (even though I sometimes wonder why – I guess we can tolerate a lot in fiction), so I wanted to write one of my own.  

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’d love to write a romantasy.  Other than that, I definitely want to keep exploring different subgenres in romance.  Maybe a mystery.  

 

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

The fun part of creating characters is that I get to pick out names I like and use them as my made-up people.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?  

Getting to explore a new subgenre in my writing, and hoping it works as well as some I’ve read.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

Liam is complicated.  He feels more than he allows anyone to know, including himself.  Alyssa knows what she loves and wants.  But she can’t fathom why her best friend/crush could change so much. 

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?

I had the princess part of the FMC first, then realizing the journey she would be forced to face made pawn a natural fit (The Princess Pawn).  

What book do you think everyone should read? 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

No, the characters definitely don’t show up at the same time.  

Do you see writing as a career?

Yes. But for me, at this point, it’s my creative outlet.  I work a day job that is fine, but uninspiring.  

Do you read yourself and if so, what is your favorite genre?  

I love reading and right now my favorite genre is romance.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? 

It really depends on my mood as I’ve done both.

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?   That’s a tough one; maybe Stieg Larsson’s dragon tattoo series.  Or Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches series.  Or Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.

Lisbeth Salander is a bad ass. 

Advice they would give new authors?

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t get a plan/outline together for a book idea.  Take one chapter, one character, etc at a time and it will build into a novel.

Describe your writing style.

Descriptive (I hope)

What makes a good story?

Ultimately, something that makes you feel (sometimes that as simple as entertained or transported). 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? 

So far, I’ve kind of let what I come up with lead the way.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Believe in abilities (talent) and keep writing/creativity an active part of your life, always (even if it’s not published).

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Rowan St. George writes romance and poetry, finishing her
first book, The Princess Pawn, in July 2020. She is ride or die about reading
and wants to explore as many subgenres in her writing as her TBR does. Rowan is
an INFP, loves period pieces, just as much as sci-fi shows, and wishes
daydreaming was a full-time job. She grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives
in North Carolina with her family.

Website * Facebook * FB Group * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon
* Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Signed Paperback and Swag Pack,

$30 Amazon

 – 1 winner each!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

World Explorer Family Cookbook By Nabila Khashoggi ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: August 14, 2025 in giveaways, Guest Post
Tags: ,
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Book Details:

World Explorer Family Cookbook

by Nabila Khashoggi


Category: Middle-Grade Non-Fiction (Ages 8-12), 215 pages
Genre: Cookbook
Publisher: Full Cycle Publications
​Publication Date: May  2025.
Content Rating: G

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Book Description:

The Spartan & the Green Egg World Explorer Cookbook contains family-friendly recipes from across the globe. With beautiful photography and easy to follow instructions, this cookbook makes cooking educational and fun for adventurers. Ideal for sparking creativity and curiosity, it’s a must have for anyone looking to explore the world through food. From simple dishes kids can prepare themselves to meals that invite adults to join in, it’s the perfect opportunity for family bonding in the kitchen. Each recipe is paired with historical culinary fats of the country of origin. Whether making Mahjouba from Algeria or Chiles Rellenos from Guatemala, you will gain new skills while discovering cultures worldwide.  Let the Adventure Begin!
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GUEST POST
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Cooking With Kids

One of the greatest joys I’ve discovered while creating The Explorer’s Cookbook is seeing families cook together. There’s something magical about a child standing on a stool, proudly stirring a pot, or measuring flour with a look of deep concentration. Though to be fair, my youngest is tall enough now to not need any help towering over the counter! Cooking with kids isn’t just about making food, it’s about making memories, building skills, and sparking curiosity.

When I set out to create this cookbook, I wanted the recipes to be approachable for little hands and big imaginations. I pictured families whisking batter, sprinkling herbs, and asking questions about where the recipe came from. Those moments are golden, because they blend learning, creativity, and connection all in one.

Start With Simple, Success-Ready Recipes

Though the cookbook is not strictly for kids, it is designed with families in mind. And you know, kids gain confidence when they can see (and taste) the results of their work quickly (so do adults!). In The Explorer’s Cookbook, I’ve included plenty of recipes that don’t require complicated techniques or long cooking times. Flatbreads, fruit skewers, and no-bake desserts are perfect places to start. These dishes are easy enough for beginners, yet still full of flavor and cultural inspiration.

Make It a Sensory Experience

Cooking engages all the senses: smelling spices, feeling textures, hearing the sizzle of a pan, seeing vibrant colors, and of course, tasting the results. I’ve found that when kids are encouraged to explore with their senses, they’re more likely to try new foods. Let them smell cinnamon before it goes into a dish or taste a tiny pinch of sea salt and compare it to table salt.

Embrace the Mess

Yes, flour will end up on the floor, and someone will probably crack an egg a little too enthusiastically. But the mess is part of the fun. Keep the atmosphere light and focused on the joy of the process rather than perfection. I promise, the smiles will be worth it.

Connect the Food to the World

One of my favorite ways to engage kids is to connect the recipe to a place and a story. If you’re making sushi rolls, talk about Japan. If you’re baking pita bread, explore maps of the Middle East. This transforms the act of cooking into a mini cultural lesson: exactly what The Explorer’s Cookbook is designed to do.

Cooking with kids is about so much more than dinner. It’s about fostering creativity, patience, curiosity, and connection. It’s about laughter, teamwork, and that magical moment when everyone sits down together to enjoy what they’ve made.

So pull up a stool, hand your little chef a spoon, and open the cookbook. Adventure awaits…right there in your kitchen.

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Meet Author Nobila Khashoggi:

Born along the sun-kissed shores of the Mediterranean and raised amid the rich cultures of Europe, Nabila Khashoggi blends global inspiration with entrepreneurial passion. She founded NABILA K, a lifestyle brand offering skincare, makeup, home ambiance, and products that celebrate indulgence and well-being.

Nabila sparked her young son’s imagination with fantastical bedtime tales of a boy and his adventurous friends traveling the globe inside a living green egg — a whimsical extraterrestrial guide. These enchanting narratives blossomed into Spartan and the Green Egg, a colorful children’s graphic novel and chapter-book series that introduces young readers to environmental stewardship, cultural diversity, and the wonders of our world.

​connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~  instagram ~ goodreads
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World Explorer Family Cookbook by Nabila Khashoggi Book Tour Giveaway

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

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