Posts Tagged ‘guest post’

The Wild Horse Peaks Novels by Brenda Whiteside ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: February 26, 2023 in giveaways, Mystery, Romance, suspense
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The Art of Love and Murder

A Wild Horse Peak Novel #1

by Brenda Whiteside

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Mystery

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A woman searching for her past. A sheriff hiding in his present. Their future together threatened by murder.

Forty-three years after the airplane crash she survived killed her parents, Lacy Dahl is looking for answers. When her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew and disputes the identity of her father, someone is willing to murder to keep her discoveries hidden.

Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the death of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy, he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts make that impossible saving Lacy may be his only redemption.

Just as she begins to believe the present is more important than her past, Chance’s connection and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. When the truth is revealed, will the revelations free Lacy and Chance…or destroy them?

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Guest Post by Author Brenda Whiteside

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STRONG WOMEN OF FACT AND FICTION #girlpower

 

What’s the definition of a strong woman? Would you define female strength different than male strength? In days gone by, I think we did, but the lines have blurred especially in fiction. Kick-ass women heroines are extremely popular. Girl Power!

 

The fact is, even in real life the lines have blurred. Take for instance, FDW and me. June 22 is our wedding anniversary. For the first thirty-seven years of our marriage, my husband always surprised me with a gift or greeting…surprised because I never remembered the date. Now, that’s just backwards. Women are supposed to be the sentimental ones, right? Then one year, we moved into a house with a new phone number. This is back a few years when everyone had landlines. The phone number ended with 22. At last, something I could relate, make a connection, give me a hint to the date we were married! I’ve remembered the date ever since. FDW is mushier than I am. Nowadays—we can admit such things.

 

The heroines of my Wild Horse Peaks books have varying degrees of physical strength, but, for me, inner strength makes for a more compelling story: living through the deaths of parents and a husband; standing up to a stalker; leading a double life to avoid a murderer; surviving abuse; facing a Nazi mad-woman. Each woman endures hardships and comes out on the other side with a shining inner strength.

 

What’s your definition of a strong woman? Do you prefer the muscle variety packing a gun? Do the women of the west, enduring hardships and loneliness strike a chord? Do you enjoy reading about heroines whose attitude says everything about strength?

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Southwest of Love and Murder

A Wild Horse Peak Novel #2

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Writing murder mysteries is all in a day’s work until an obsessed fan brings Phoebe’s stories to life.

Mystery writer, Phoebe Anderson, owes her success to killing her first husband on paper seventeen years earlier. Now, someone has actually done it. Taking a few days to re-group on an isolated ranch, she doesn’t expect romance…or murder…to find her.

Mason Meadowlark is happy with his wild cowboy ways, avoiding love since the death of his baby and the end of his marriage twenty years before. When Phoebe shakes up his routine, he fights to control his emotions, fearing the pain of opening his heart again.

With an obsessed fan close on her heels, Phoebe is thrown into her own murder mystery…and the next target on the psychopath’s list is Mason.

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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The Power of Love and Murder

A Wild Horse Peak Novel #3

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Penny’s secrets can ruin the presidential contender who ordered her family’s murder…and mark her as the next hit.

Penny Spark’s desire to reconnect with family this Christmas exposes her true identity—a secret she’s hidden for thirteen years from the political powers that murdered her family.

Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets Penny, he believes this holiday season could be the start of life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world.

With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender who targeted her family. Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hopes for a new life…and love.

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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The Deep Well of Love and Murder

A Wild Horse Peak Novel #4

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A vengeful ex-husband and bloody fight for land threaten a love-struck couple’s happiness.

After an abusive childhood and bad marriage, Laura Katz has finally found a home, stability…and possibly love. But her blissful refuge as nanny on the Meadowlark Ranch, miles from Flagstaff, shatters when her ex is released from prison, determined to reclaim her.

Randy Silva, the Argentine foreman, has plans for his own ranch, but a brutal land grab is underway. As the battle escalates, Laura steals his heart, but there are outsiders who stand in their way. He’s in a vicious battle for his land—and the woman he wants by his side.

Stakes are high, as the attacks on Randy and his ranch draw blood. While the vengeful ex-husband stalks Laura, a mob-backed land developer teams with a desperate gambler. Uncertain where the next attack will come from—will their love be caught in the crossfire.

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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A Legacy of Love and Murder

A Wild Horse Peak Novel #1.5

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Inheriting an Austrian Castle is an Alpine fairytale for August, until someone begins targeting the heirs.

August Myer arrives in Austria to meet her great-grandfather and explore his castle estate filled with priceless art, only to find he’s died under suspicious circumstances. As one of his heirs, her life is in danger, turning her Alpine adventure into a nightmare of veiled threats, unexplained accidents, and murder.

Inspector Tobias Wolf splits his time between catching criminals and fighting the spread of neo-Nazism. But when the beautiful, intriguing American crosses his path during a murder investigation, ensuring her safety challenges his priorities…and his heart.

When August learns the handsome inspector is concealing secrets, and the death of her great-grandfather is somehow connected, she takes the investigation into her own hands. Can Wolf save her before the killer strikes again?

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**Get it FREE when you subscribe to Brenda’s newsletter! **

https://brendawhiteside.com

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Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and romance. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart so won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.

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

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

The Key To Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice ~ Review And Giveaway

Posted: February 15, 2023 in giveaways, Guest Post, reviews
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Book Details:

Book Title:  The Key to Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+) ,  270 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: The Total Human Press
Release date:   Jan 3, 2023
Content Rating: PG-13 + M because one of the characters swears a lot, and she drops some f-bombs. Also, there are short flashback scenes that reveal the mom’s history and it includes rape (not graphically depicted in the novel)

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My Review

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Okay, I confess. The cover for this book was the first thing that hooked me into wanting to read it. Then I read the description. What a cast of characters. And the locale. The southern states. That’s my stomping ground.

So, I opened the book and started reading. And before I new it I was half way through. It was getting really late and I shrugged. Already up too late, might as well see how it ends. What a hoot this was. I really enjoyed the characters, and their back and forth dialogue was spot on. Felt so real and familiar, like I recognized them. Have you ever read a book and thought you’d seen the movie? That’s how well the author showed me her story. And my funny bone got tickled often.

This book was not only a week long crazy road trip for the characters. It was a TRIP to read!

5 STARS

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Book Description:

In an attempt to secure an unexpected inheritance—and hopefully find a few answers—two estranged sisters and their newly discovered brother embark on a comically surreal trip through the Deep South to retrace the life of the mother who abandoned them as infants.

On a Tuesday afternoon, sisters Jesse Chasen and Jennifer McMahon receive a phone call notifying them that their birth mother has died, leaving behind a significant inheritance. But in order to obtain it, they must follow a detailed road trip she designed for them to get to know her—and that includes finding a brother they never knew existed.

For the next week, this ill-assorted trio treks across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to meet their mother’s old friends, from circus performers to a juke joint owner, each of whom delivers a shocking vignette into the life of a young mother traumatized by loss and abuse. Along the way, these three siblings—Jesse, whose fiery exterior disguises a wounded, drifting musician stuck in a rut; Jennifer, whose carefully curated family life is threatened by her husband’s infidelity; and Jack, whose enigmatic Jackie, Oh! persona in the New Orleans drag queen scene helps him escape the nightmares of Afghanistan that haunt him at night—must confront their own demons (and at least one alligator). But in chasing the truth about their real mother, they may all just find their second chance.

​This uproarious debut novel is a reminder that sometimes, the family you’d never have chosen may turn out to be exactly what you need.

Buy the Book:
Amazon
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Guest Post

What do I hope readers take away from my novel?

Heartbreak and Humor: Life is a Layered Experience

Here’s what I hope that readers will take away from my novel The Key to Circus-Mom Highway.” The novel is about family, forgiveness, and the absurdity of the world we live in. Even when serious themes are at play, there are also humorous things all around to keep you laughing if you pay attention (in the book, as in life). That’s an important takeaway because life itself is a layered experience. We might be experiencing great challenges, difficult setbacks, and heartbreaking loss. But… there is also beauty around us at all times; and ridiculous, humorous things; and people who care about us.

A few of the life themes that I explore in the book, layered throughout the ongoing string of humorous events, are 1) how our first impressions of people aren’t always the most accurate, and how those impressions–especially negative ones–can change as we get to know that person better; 2) how, even with people who initially seem very different from us, we can find common ground as human beings; 3) how we put up defensive walls to protect ourselves after we’ve been hurt, and how those walls often keep out the people who love us and who might be trying to help us; 4) how we don’t have to be ruled by our past experiences and the things that have hurt us–we can decide at any moment to start anew and be a phoenix rising from the ashes; 5) how things in our lives can change in a heartbeat–our relationships, our external circumstances, etc.–and we can choose to allow our habitual reactions to change as well; and 6) when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with others and change our perceptions and take down our defensive walls, we actually feel less alone in the world because we can feel the love and support that surrounds us.

The biggest thing I hope that people take away from the book when they read that final page and put it down is a feeling of happiness, satisfaction, and hopeful about the potential second chances in their own life.

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Meet the Author:

Allyson Rice is a writer, mixed media artist, and a producer with Atomic Focus Entertainment, currently splitting her time between Los Angeles, CA, and Rehoboth Beach, DE. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. After spending many years as an actress on stage and on television, she left acting and spent the next decade running yoga/meditation retreats, women’s retreats, and creativity retreats around the country. After that, she pivoted to focus on her own creative work. In addition to her writing and art, she’s also a photographer.

Some random bits of Allyson trivia:

  1. She’s been skydiving, paragliding, bungee jumping, ziplining through a rainforest, and scuba diving with stingrays;
  2. she has an extensive PEZ dispenser collection;
  3. she played Connor Walsh on As the World Turns for seven years;
  4. she’s been in the Oval Office at the White House after hours;
  5. she’s related to the Hatfields of the infamous Hatfield/McCoy feud; and
  6. her comedic rap music video “Fine, I’ll Write My Own Damn Song” won numerous awards in the film festival circuit. 


Also available from Allyson is her line of women’s coloring books (The Color of Joy, Dancing with Life, and Wonderland), and The Creative Prosperity PlayDeck, an inspirational card deck about unlocking and utilizing your creative energy in the world. They’re available on www.Allyson-Wonderland.com.

She’s currently at work on her second novel and her fourth women’s coloring book.

Also, anyone who signs up for Allyson’s periodic author newsletter on her website will be entered in a drawing to have a character in her next novel named after them, and a free book will be given away in each newsletter to a subscriber!

Connect with the author: website ~ Allyson Wonderland ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ instagram ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ goodreads ~ bookbub

 
Enter the Giveaway:

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice Book Tour Giveaway

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Copper Waters by Marlene M. Bell ~ Guest Post And Giveaway

Posted: January 2, 2023 in giveaways, Mystery, suspense
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Copper Waters tour banner

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Copper Waters by Marlene M. Bell. In Copper Waters a rural New Zealand vacation turns poisonous.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 2 till 15 January. You can see the tour schedule here.

Copper Waters

(Annalisse Series #4)

By Marlene M. Bell

 

Genre: Mystery / Suspense
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 5 December 2022

Blurb:

A rural New Zealand vacation turns poisonous.

Antiquities expert Annalisse Drury and tycoon Alec Zavos are at an impasse in their relationship when Alec refuses to clear up a paternity issue with an ex-lover.

Frustrated with his avoidance when their future is at stake, Annalisse accepts an invitation from an acquaintance to fly to New Zealand—hoping to escape the recent turbulence in her life.

But even Annalisse’s cottage idyll on the family sheep farm isn’t immune to intrigue.

Alec sends a mutual friend and detective, Bill Drake, to follow her, and a local resident who accompanies them from the Christchurch airport dies mysteriously soon after. A second violent death finds Annalisse and Bill at odds with the official investigations.

The local police want to close both cases as quickly as possible—without unearthing the town’s dirty secrets.

As she and Bill pursue their own leads at serious cost, the dual mysteries force Annalisse to question everything she thought she knew about family ties, politics, and the art of small-town betrayal.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“Nothing’s sinking in.” I pass the note to Alec and prepare myself. “Would you mind reading it aloud?”

“She and Ethan traveled together.” He gazes at me.

“Okay, we’d considered that.”

“Kate has business to conclude in New Zealand before she returns to New York. She asks me not to mention this to you until she arrives in the States but didn’t give a reason. Kate says she’ll meet you in person when she’s ready.”

“Seriously? Where does she plan to live? With me in Greenwich? The Goshen farm could be sold by now. Does she mention Jeremy finding her another place?”

Alec scans the page randomly. “No, she didn’t.”

I scratch my scalp and shake my head. “Then my sheep station trip to New Zealand is perfect timing. I have to leave now and see if I can catch her before she skips out. Ethan must know where Kate is. If it’s all the same, we’ll hang on to the tickets for our April trip, and I’ll buy my own way for this flight.” Tugging at my sweatshirt with clammy hands, I take the note from Alec and sail it into the flames, watching paper crinkle and burn on the log.

He steps forward, his chiseled profile gawking at the fire in disbelief.

“Were you ever going to tell me about Kate’s message?” A sob chokes my windpipe. “If it weren’t for Ethan’s invite, I doubt that we’d be talking about Kate.”

“Babe, I thought by staying neutral…” He twists his lips and looks at his shoes. “Seeing your reaction now; it was a mistake not to tell you.”

“That totally blows.” I ball my hands into fists. “More like you were afraid that I’d run down there to find her.” I’m mad enough to send smoke signals, so I take slower, calming breaths.

“If I’d told you… Yeah, I worried you’d run off. The ordeal in Italy, then Peter Gregory terrorizing you, and Helga has had barely enough time to settle around here. Your safety doesn’t include encouraging you to hop on a plane to another country so soon after a trauma like that. Waiting for Kate’s return felt right to me. At some point, I hope you’ll see things from my side. Kate put me in the middle, but it’s you I worry about.”

Willing myself to relax, I take his hand to get him to focus on me instead of the floor. “I know that.”

Peter Gregory, an old coworker from my past job at another gallery, is responsible for a young woman’s murder in Lecce, near the Mediterranean Sea on Italy’s eastern shore. Alec and I went to Southern Italy for a working vacation that spun us into solving more than one homicide in order for Alec to sell his dad’s Signorile Corporation, a sports car company.

“After a shower, I’ll give your mom a call from the car on the way home. I might have trouble getting a flight out on the spur of the moment, but if I do, I hope you’ll help me.”

“Anna, we should discuss this.” He catches my wrist. “I’d like to go along. Say the word, and I’m on that plane with you. Allow what’s happened with Kate to simmer. You might feel differently in the morning.”

Grasping Kate’s locket beneath my shirt, I slide the chain over my head and cup Alec’s hand, dropping the necklace there.

“Hold on to my locket while I’m gone. It’s the most precious thing I own. That way, you’ll know I’m coming back to you.” On my tiptoes, our salty kiss calls a loneliness— In a flash, two people are about to have a hemisphere drifting between them from outside influences that want to manipulate us. “Gen will be here to see Noah in a few hours, and you have him until Sunday. Let me go, Alec, and please wait for me at Brookehaven. I have to make this trip by myself. If there’s the slightest chance that Kate’s with Ethan or he knows where she is, I have to go. I’ve already lost precious time.” I start for the drawing room doors and remember something left undone. “Oh, and sorry for the sticky mess in your stable office.”

In a dead run, I’m biting a quivering lip. On the way to Alec’s bedroom suite, I send Chase a text to hold Ethan’s box and note for me at the gallery. True to form, Kate shoves us all out of our comfort zones, where I’m certain to find a disaster waiting for me to book a ticket to New Zealand in a mad rush.

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Guest Post

It’s 2012 when we arrive in Texas at our new home—with one-hundred-twenty sheep and lambs in multiple trailers. A 1500 mile drive we hope to never make again with so many animals! My husband and I didn’t know a soul in Texas except the previous property owner and a couple of her friends from the golf club and retirement community behind our acreage. We were introduced to so many of the neighbors during a welcome barbeque once the property closed escrow and became ours. Unfortunately, there were so many people here that night we forgot most of their names.

That meet and greet neighborhood get-together gave us the idea to begin a tradition on our ranch. We have a huge shop building at the top of the hill with old sycamore trees surrounding it for shade. The area presented the perfect venue for tables and chairs—ideal to hold Chili Cookoffs during the fall months. Autumn in East Texas is colorful beyond belief! We got to work on the event and invited the neighborhood including friends from the Holly Lake Ranch residents and our local volunteer fire department.

We combined the cook-off into a fundraiser for the department and asked the HLFD attendees to bring a few of their fire trucks and equipment for display since many of them were on call that Saturday evening. The group brought nineteen pots of excellent chili to sample and afterwards, we voted for four prize winners in various categories. In addition, I supplied three tables with silent auction gifts where all proceeds were given to the fire department’s general fund.

Everyone had such a good time while we raised several thousand dollars for the fire department. Since autumn is lambing time for our flock, we haven’t been able to make this a yearly cook-off as we’d hoped, but we’re often asked when we plan to set up another cookoff in the future. Pots of chili were the best thing to introduce ourselves to the area residents.

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Earlier books in the series:
Stolen Obsession (Annalisse Series #1) by Marlene M. BellSpent Identity (Annalisse Series #2) by Marlene M. BellShattered Legacy (Annalisse Series #3)

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About the Author Marlene M. Bell:

 

Marlene M. Bell

Marlene M. Bell is an eclectic mystery writer, artist, photographer, and she raises sheep in beautiful East Texas with her husband, Gregg, three cats and a flock of horned Dorset sheep.

The Annalisse series has received numerous honors including the Independent Press Award for Best Mystery (Spent Identity,) and FAPA— Florida Author’s President’s Gold Award for two other installments, (Stolen Obsession and Scattered Legacy.) Her mysteries with a touch of romance are found at marlenembell.com. She also offers the first of her children’s picture books, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! Based on true events from the Bell’s ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb.

Author links:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Bookbub
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Instagram

 

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There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Copper Waters. This giveaway is open to domestic USA residents only. One winner wins a prize package containing:
– An autographed copy of Copper Waters
– A New Zealand black-tipped wool throw
– Hammered copper tea kettle
– a $50 VISA card

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For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

He thought he’d seen it all….. Gone Before by Terry Korth Fischer

Posted: February 8, 2022 in giveaways, Mystery
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour Gone before organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Terry Korth Fischer will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

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

Gone Before

by Terry Korth Fischer

Genre: Mystery

Synopsis

Small-town detective, Rory Naysmith, thought he’d seen it all, but a young woman’s brutal murder is especially hard to stomach. Doubly so, when he recognizes the murder’s MO is identical to that of Tobias Snearl—the killer he put behind bars a decade before. His frustration grows after a series of senseless accidents plague those dearest to him, and a second woman dies—this one too close to home. Searching for answers, Rory races against time, plunging deep into the murder investigations, drawing ever closer to becoming a casualty of the dark, angry deeds himself, until he finds no one is who they pretend to be—and none are beyond evil’s reach.

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Guest Post

Behind The Writer: A Day With Terry Korsh Fischer

I try to write every day, usually early before the day’s distractions have a chance to intrude. I love the predawn hours when no one is around, and the world starts to stir. If I’m up at four or five, I can put in a full eight-hour day before lunch and have the balance of the day for family, friends, and other activities.

 

It takes two cups of coffee to hit my creative stride. During my wakeup-warmup period, I check social media, read and answer emails, and tend to author chores. The caffeine and the connections usually limber my writing muscles. One or two hours is a good productive stretch, then a break. I enjoy the yard and sunshine, and fresh air. And even in less than idyllic conditions, I can be found under the patio cover getting an outdoor fix. Then it’s back to the keyboard for as long as I can stay productive—on a good day, accomplishing one or two more sprints.

 

I rarely return to writing after noon. Instead, I prefer to meet with friends, try a new restaurant, or indulge in a movie matinée. In addition, I volunteer at my church, regularly visit the county library, and am a thrift store junky. Those activities, plus cooking, occasionally baking, rarely cleaning, fill my afternoons.

 

In the evenings, I read. I love a good mystery and have a daunting TBR pile. Debut authors and old classics are among my favorites. Watching prime-time television isn’t essential to me, but now that streaming apps and on-demand movies are readily available, I might watch a crime or a mystery show before picking up a book. It is fair to say, I end every day by climbing inside a story.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“I think my guardian angel is off for the Fourth.” The detective studied the cloudless sky and tried not to think about his foot. It didn’t work. “Just use the crowbar to break one of these frickin’ stones loose.”

The jack handle didn’t do the trick. Opening the trenching tool and using the pick end, Thacker swung it against the largest stone. It bounced off the surface.

Rory suppressed a scream as pain shot from his knee down his encased leg. “Easy!”

“Sorry, boss.”

“Try removing one of the outer stones. Loosen them, and maybe we’ll be able to budge these. I’ll hold the light, and you make room for these damn jaws to unclasp. Try finding the cornerstone.”

A fine layer of perspiration covered Rory’s face. He felt defeated and a little nauseous. He leaned back on his elbows and looked at the sky. “Thacker,” he said, “this is damn unlucky.”

The rookie moved down the mound to the edge of the pile. Using the crowbar and a lot of muscle, he attacked. Finally, he was able to roll one stone out of position. Then another. He was still three feet from Rory’s crevice, working his way toward the more enormous boulders and Rory’s ultimate freedom, when the rock he was prying loose rolled out of place. He hesitated. “There is something funny here, boss.”

“I could use a good laugh.”

“Not ha-ha funny, peculiar funny.” “Tell me anyway.”

“There’s someone else in this rock pile.”

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Author Terry Korth Fischer

Terry Korth Fischer writes mystery and memoir. Her memoir, Omaha to Ogallala, was released in 2019. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies in print and online. Terry is a member of Sisters in Crime, Pennwriters, Inc, and Clear Lake Area Writers. Transplanted from the Midwest, Terry lives in Houston with her husband and their two guard cats. She enjoys a good mystery, heat and humidity, and long summer days. Visit her website at https://terrykorthfischer.com

   

Social media contacts:  Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon / Goodreads 

Bookbub / BookGems / Blog / Newsletter

Buy links: Amazon / B&N / Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

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Hell Holes Series by Donald Firesmith ~ Reviews and Giveaway

Posted: August 2, 2021 in giveaways, Guest Post, horror, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Science Fiction
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A Slave’s Revenge
Hell Holes Book 4
by Donald Firesmith
Genre: SciFi, Paranormal Horror
When demonic aliens kill his father and transport 15-year-old Paul Chapman, his sister, and mother to Hell as slaves, he learns just how far he’ll go to survive, get revenge, and regain his freedom.
After killing his father, a marauding band of alien demons captures 15-year-old Paul Chapman, his mother, and his twin sister. Taken as slaves and food to Hell, a planet orbiting a nearby star, their survival is extraordinarily difficult and far from certain. As the years pass, Paul learns he only has two choices: live as a powerless slave or die as food for his masters. How much must Paul collaborate with his demon masters to survive?
Hell Holes 4: A Slave’s Revenge is a prequel to the first three books in the series. Paul Chapman, its protagonist, is also a character in Hell Holes 3: To Hell and Back.
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Goodreads * Amazon

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Oweynagat (which is pronounced “Owen-ne-gatt” and means Cave of the Cats) is the name of an actual cave located at Rath Croghan, Ireland. Ancient legends state that many evil and destructive creatures have emerged from the cave, especially on Samhain, the start of the Celtic New Year. These include a three-headed monster, wildcats, and red birds whose breath withered plants. Referred to as the hell-mouth of Ireland by medieval texts, the cave is also said to contain a portal to another world. It seemed a fitting place to be the source of the hellhounds that attacked Aileen’s village and killed her parents, the terrible event that led to her joining the Tutores Contra Infernum.

With the exception of the hell holes, I have taken great pains to ensure that the Alaskan settings in the book are as they are in real life. To achieve this level of realism, I flew to Alaska, drove the Dalton Highway up to the Yukon River, and toured Eielson AFB. I have relied heavily on Google maps, Google maps street view, photographs of Coldfoot and the Trucker’s Café, and both photographs and articles on military equipment such as Strykers and Pave Hawk helicopters. I also used multiple military advisors.

Video of Dalton Highway Site of the Forest Fire

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To Hell and Back

Hell Holes Book 3

The beautiful young photojournalist, Aileen O’Shannon, is not who she seems. For centuries, she has been a demon hunter, a sorceress who has tracked and killed small bands of demons that occasionally crossed into our world. But that changed when she joined Dr. Jack Oswald’s expedition to study one of hundreds of huge holes that mysteriously appeared overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle.Instead of small sporadic incursions, hordes of demons now pour from these hell holes like water from a sieve. With bombing little more than a losing game of whack-a-mole, Earth’s armies are unable to destroy the portals. When Jack suggests a desperate plan, he is drafted to join Aileen and a team of other sorcerers and Army Rangers to travel to the demon homeworld. Once there, they will unleash a plague virus and set off a nuclear bomb to destroy the portal complex. It’s a suicide mission. But Aileen has given Jack’s wife her word to bring him back safely, and the demons have already killed three men under her protection. Just how far will Aileen go to avoid losing another?
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Demons on the Dalton

Hell Holes Book 2

When hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appeared overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, geologist Jack Oswald picked Angele Menendez, his climatologist wife, to determine if the record temperatures due to climate change was the cause. But the holes were not natural. They were unnatural portals for an invading army of demons. Together with Aileen O’Shannon, a 1,700-year-old sorceress demon-hunter, the three survivors of the research team sent to study the holes had only one chance: to flee down the dangerous Dalton Highway towards the relative safety of Fairbanks. However, the advancing horde of devils, imps, hellhounds, and gargoyles will stop at nothing to prevent their prey from escaping. It is a 350-mile race with simple rules. Win and live; lose and die…
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This is book two in the series. My review may contain some spoilers.

 My Review

It started with mysterious holes appearing overnight in the tundra of the North Slope in Alaska. A team of seven, including Jack, a geologist, his wife, Angela, a climatologist, Aileen, a reporter with a secret power, and four others are hired by Exxon Mobil to investigate. When the very hounds of Hell crawl out of one of the holes and start killing, the team races south on Dalton Highway, one of the ten most dangerous roads, trying to reach Fairbanks and safety. Soon, imps and gargoyles join the hellhounds in pursuit. Only three of the team members make it to the SUV and begin their escape. The Demon War has begun.

Jack told his story of how it all began in the first book. Now, Angela tells what happens next.

As the three survivors race down the highway, they encounter more and more demons. And the demons have some surprising tricks up their sleeve that don’t bode well. It’s attack after attack. Every time it seems like they’ve found safety, it goes to hell in a hand basket. Even the military, with all of their technology and weapons, don’t stand a chance.

After what I’ve just read, I have now decided that if there’s ever an apocalypse, I’ll take zombies over demons any time. Some of these of creatures are dumber than a box of rocks, but they are guided by higher demons, smart ones, and can inflict major damage.

The author sure doesn’t give his characters a break. And he keeps the action and suspense at full throttle. How many demons are there? Do they have a weakness? And most important, how do we stop them? The answer is one you can’t begin to imagine.

I take from the ending that there’s more to come. I have an idea where it will go and sure excited to see how that works out.

4  Stars

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What Lurks Below

Hell Holes Book 1

It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to investigate, and he picks his climatologist wife and two of their graduate students as his team. Uncharacteristically, Jack also lets Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist, talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all…
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I love unexplained acts of nature. Makes for such a chilling plot. When holes start appearing in the Arctic Circle , a team of experts is sent to investigate. Once they arrive, things get worse as more holes appear. And then something straight out of Hell crawls out. A horde of otherworldly creatures that have only one thing in mind. Killing mankind. With nowhere to run, the team seeks shelter in an old station. But the horde won’t be denied, and like an octopus with a sealed bottle full of yummy bait, they will find a way in.

I was almost rubbing my hands together in twisted anticipation before I started this one. Mysterious holes appearing. Something beyond imagining crawls out. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Oh yeah. I knew I had to read this book.

There’s a mixed bag of character’s. Ones you come to like and respect and some not so much. The author doesn’t seem to mind killing off either one. Keeps you on edge when things get down and dirty. Which doesn’t take long at all.

The story is strong and there’s a sub plot that makes things even more interesting. Also, the blend of science fiction and horror leaves the story wide open for the author to go in many different directions.

The ending. Well, it’s an end, but also a cliff hanger. That’s because this is really the beginning of something much bigger. I’ll be grabbing the next one immediately. Got a good feeling about this series.

   4  Stars

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Donald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction including science fiction (alien invasion), fantasy (magical wands), and modern urban paranormal novels.
Prior to recently retiring to devote himself full-time to his novels, Donald Firesmith earned an international reputation as a distinguished engineer, authoring seven system/software engineering books based on his 40+ years spent developing large, complex software-intensive systems.
He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.
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A Quiet Apocalypse by Dave Jeffery ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: March 18, 2021 in giveaways, Guest Post
Tags: ,
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A Quiet Apocalypse
by Dave Jeffery
Genre: Dystopian Horror
The end is hear…
A mutant strain of meningitis has wiped out most of mankind. The few who have survived the fever are now deaf.
Bitter with loss and terrified to leave the city known as Cathedral, the inhabitants rely on The Samaritans, search teams sent out into the surrounding countryside. Their purpose, to hunt down and enslave the greatest commodity on Earth, an even smaller group of people immune to the virus, people who can still hear.
People like me.
My name is Chris.
This is my story.
“A Quiet Apocalypse is told from the perspective of ex-schoolteacher Chris, a hearing survivor. He has lost everything, including his freedom, and through his eyes we learn of what it is like to live as a slave in this terrible new world of fear and loss. I was keen to write a piece that preyed upon people’s traditional misconceptions of deafness as an illness, and the imposition of ‘hearing’ norms. It is a story that has poignancy in any understanding of the struggles of minority groups.” – Author, Dave Jeffery
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Cathedral
A Quiet Apocalypse Book 2
CATHEDRAL … The world has changed. So have the rules.
In the silence of a quiet apocalypse, there is Cathedral. It is a city like no other, sanctuary for the survivors of a terrible plague that has deafened the world. The walls protect the small community. Rituals and laws maintain order to prevent a return to chaos.
But Cathedral is a dangerous and complex place. For citizens like Sarah and newcomer Paul it can be either home or prison.
They just have to decide where their loyalties lie…
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What are A QUIET APOCALYPSE and CATHEDRAL about?

In A QUIET APOCALYPSE a mutant strain of meningitis has left most of the world population either dead or profoundly deaf. Those who are immune to the virus can still hear and are enslaved by the deaf populous to replace the sense they have lost. The novella is told from the perspective ex-schoolteacher Chris, a hearing survivor. He has lost everything, including his freedom, and through his eyes we learn of what it is like to live as a slave in this terrible new world of fear and loss.

In the story, those who were culturally Deaf before the virus came have survived and are now seen by those deafened by the illness as The Harbingers of the strain of meningitis that has left them incapacitated. It is thought that The Harbingers are not brought back to the city, instead they are executed as a statement.  This develops into something quite different in the second book. I was able to draw upon both work and life experiences as I was keen to write a piece that preyed upon people’s traditional misconceptions of deafness as an illness, and the imposition of ‘hearing’ norms.

CATHEDRAL focuses squarely on life in the titular city alluded to in the original book. This time the narrator is Sarah, a deafened citizen of Cathedral who falls in love with a man rescued from the wilderness beyond the city walls. Cathedral has its own social order, its own laws, traditions and brutal punishments. To those inside its walls, the city represents safety, security and order. To those outside, it is a place with almost mythical prominence, a place steeped in folklore. The drama unfolds as Sarah and her new lover struggle to find common ground in their differing perspectives of the same city. We learn more about how far human beings will go in order to reduce their fears and maintain stability and, for me, it is a far more frightening book than the first.

What inspired you to write this book series?

The germ of the idea for the A QUIET APOCALYPSE series came when I was working as a mental healthcare worker with the Deaf Community back in the late 90s. A hearing person suggested that the thought of being deaf was scary and this is contrary to people who are culturally Deaf who consider their deafness, not as a disability, but as integral to their sense of social identity. The book explores this concept of fear and the ambiguities of disability and empowerment, but in an extreme manner. The book started out as a short piece for an anthology that never transpired. I lost the completed draft when my computer did a software update leaving me only with my outline, but I used my recollections of the final short story to develop the piece into the novella which, to be honest, exceed my expectations in terms of critical response.

What can we expect from you in the future?

THE SAMARITAN: A QUIET APOCALYPSE BOOK 3 will be out later this year. It tells the story from the perspective of one of the hunters from CATHEDRAL searching for hearing people to take back to the city. I’m currently working on two novels, THE DEVIL DEVICE (Crossroad Digital and Audio Books) which is the fifth book in my BEATRICE BEECHAM supernatural adventure mystery series, and a science fiction/horror book called HYMNS FOR DEAD STARS (Demain Publishing). I envisage both novels will be released in 2022 and may well feature another Silver Dagger Book Tour!

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in the A QUIET APOCALYPSE series?

CHRIS is a teacher who has lost a daughter and wife to the virus known as MNG-U. He has retained his hearing which makes him a valuable commodity to the residents of CATHEDRAL. He wears a home-made caliper on his right leg after his failed bid to escape left him with a shattered kneecap. He is desperate to be free but worries about life beyond the uneasy safety of his rural prison.

CROWLEY is a deafened farmer who has enslaved Chris for his own ends. He is angry and scared and desperate not to lose his prize to The Samaritans (search squads from Cathedral looking for hearing people to capture and take back the city). He spends his time getting drunk and berating Chris via a tell pad, a device with a screen and keyboard that allows him to communicate.

SARAH is a resident of CATHEDRAL and was once a successful musician. She is now deafened and, like all in the town, subject to its laws and rituals. Music is banned and she hides sheet music which she reads in secret when at a low ebb. She is accepting of this at first, because the alternatives having to fend for herself beyond the wall in what is known as The Wilderness. She mourns her family and her best friend, and despite the sense of community is crippled with loneliness.

ALICE is Sarah’s friend in CATHEDRAL. She holds what is known as a High Role, which means she has status in the town, and influence on the council. Alice has shut out the pain of the past, where she lost her son and husband to the disease and compensates by ‘mothering’ Sarah and offering guidance. She is deeply hurt when Sarah starts to reject the rules of Cathedral, what will she do to address it?

Who designed your book covers?

My book covers for A QUIET APOCALYPSE and CATHEDRAL were designed by Adrian Baldwin and the covert art was by Roberto Segate.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

No. I think I have been able to capture what I set out to achieve and, as a piece of dystopian fiction in a very flooded market, I think its key concepts are very unique, enough for it to stand out with the right level of public support.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

Yes, I learned that the story is not over! About halfway through the second draft of CATHEDRAL I had already formulated the plot to another book set in the same universe. The next title is

THE SAMARITAN and it is currently with my publisher.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

In A QUIET APOCALYPSE I think the main character, Chris, would be ideal for David Tennant, as I had him in mind when I wrote the story. For CATHEDRAL I can see Sarah, the main protagonist, played by Emilia Clarke.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

The book has a unique premise, there has never been a story that talks about an entire population having to deal with losing their hearing on a grand scale and to what lengths they will go to in order to survive and keep themselves safe. It is a story about personal and social isolation, where the only monsters are other people trying to survive. The book also explores what it means to be in a minority group, where your only perceived value is to serve others.

There is a wonderful review from The British Fantasy Society that sums up how this has been achieved, and it can be found HERE.

What did you edit out of this book?

CATHEDRAL contains several brutal scenes, but I kept them in place yet toned down the horrors by giving differing viewpoints. One was from that of the main protagonist, Sarah who lives in the town of CATHEDRAL and accepts its laws, as vile as they might be. The second viewpoint was from newcomer Paul who is witnessing the rituals for the first time, and how he reacted to them. This allowed a balance between the justification for what is ritualized murder, and the rejection of it for those who do not understand its relevance in that particular society. Paul, in effect, becomes the reader, the social conscience in the event.

Is there a writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

Steinbeck because his writing style seems so effortless, but I accept it probably wasn’t at the time of putting the MS together. He is such a master of characterization and I would love to share some of his insights.

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Dave Jeffery is author of 15 novels, two collections, and numerous short stories. His Necropolis Rising series and yeti adventure Frostbite have both featured on the Amazon #1 bestseller list. His YA work features critically acclaimed Beatrice Beecham supernatural mystery series and Finding Jericho, a contemporary mental health novel that was featured on the BBC Health and the Independent Schools Entrance Examination Board’s recommended reading lists. A third edition of this book will be released by Demain Publishing in 2020.
Jeffery is a member of the Society of Authors, British Fantasy Society (where he is a regular book reviewer), and the Horror Writers Association. He is also a registered mental health professional with a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Health Studies.
Jeffery is married with two children and lives in Worcestershire, UK.
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House Of Madness by Sara Harris ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: March 1, 2019 in giveaways, Guest Post, Paranormal or fantasy, thriller
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House of Madness
by Sara Harris
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
 
Can You Ever Truly Put the Past Behind You?
Tim and Adelaide Smithfield are haunted by memories of loss too raw to
forget, and too painful to remember. Their 11-year-old daughter,
Michaela, has her own set of sensory processing challenges, not to
mention an overwhelming sense of guilt that she might be at the root
of her parents’ problems.
The sprawling ranch house on the outskirts of the quaint West Texas town
of Big Spring promises a fresh start for a young family on the verge
of collapse.
But the house is haunted by memories of its own… and a guilt that West
Texas’ famed thunderstorms can’t wash away.
 
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house of m excerpt
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“Mother!”
Addie shook her head. “Sorry, Mack. I didn’t sleep well last night. What?”
“Are all Ritchie’s bad people?”
“I suppose it would depend on the person.”
Addie’s stomach rumbled. A couple of donuts were left in the box. Neither had equally dispersed sprinkles, so it’s not like Michaela would be eating one. Addie took a deep breath and chose the most smashed of the two before she continued.
Time to put the past to rest. Time to be normal.
Addie chewed the pastry and swallowed the bite. It tasted like sawdust. “Do you think Ritchie is the name of a bad guy?”
Michaela nodded. “Ritchie is mean. I don’t like anyone named Ritchie.”
Adelaide said a mental prayer for any of Michaela’s future classmates who had the bad luck to be named Ritchie.
Michaela folded her paper towel in half, then in half again. “Ritchies slam doors. And they don’t like dogs.”
Addie glanced at Tim. He must think he’s the only one among us who has a mind that operates halfway decent.
“Well baby, don’t judge all Ritchie’s just from one.”
Michaela shrugged and stacked the pepper shaker on top of the salt. “I don’t know. You’ve always said anyone that doesn’t like dogs can’t be trusted any further than you could throw them. And I don’t think I could throw Ritchie very far.”
Addie tried to conceal a laugh, but it escaped anyway as a snort. Sometimes, Michaela’s thought process was so entirely off the wall that it came full circle and made a bit of sense.
Tim, however, wasn’t laughing at all. “Who is Ritchie, Mack? Someone in one of your classes at school last year or something?”
Mack stared at her dad. A deadpan stare that had proven to give parents of non-autistic children the creeps. “Ritchie gets mad. He likes to slam things.”
An icy breeze brought goosebumps to Addie’s arms.
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house of m guest post
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I began writing the House of Madness when I lived in the actual house I wrote about.  Everything was so strange in that house — from the steel reinforced windows to the multiple safe rooms in the house.  This story was so spooky that, as I wrote it, I slept with the lights on for three weeks.

Several of these spooky elements were real – including the little girl, Michaela, talking to the French speaking ghost in the closet mirror. Only this happened when we lived in Italy, which was really bizarre. I would think any ghosts living in the mirror in Italy would speak Italian?

People often ask me if I believe in ghosts. I have to say no – with all the spooky occurrences that have happened to me during the course of my life, if I actually believed in ghosts, I would never sleep with the lights off again! Hehe!

My most memorable ghostly occurrence was in Galveston, Texas. We were staying at one of the most haunted places on the island, the Tremont Hotel – room 333. My family and I checked in after hours, put the do not disturb sign out like we always do, unpacked, had a pillow fight, opened the TV cabinet and pulled out the television and positioned it to where it faced the beds, then went out on the town. We arrived back to the room about midnight to a spotless room. We asked the front desk if they always tidied rooms after guests checked in. They said housekeeping left at 5, and nobody would have come in the room without out consent with the do not disturb sign on the door. I wish could have brought that awesome ghost home with me!

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Sara is a mother of four, animal lover and advocate, and conservationist.
Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Lonesome
Dove are among her favorite shows/movies and books. Sara holds her
B.A. in History and is the author of the historical romance series,
An Everlasting Heart, from 5 Prince Publishing and recently debuted
into the children’s book realm with Chunky Sugars (5 Prince Kids),
written for her own chunky baby.
 
 
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Flesh by Laura Bickle ~ Review and Giveaway

Posted: October 17, 2018 in giveaways, Guest Post, horror, YA
Tags: , , , ,
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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I love making decorations
for this time of year. I looked around at the materials I had rolling around my
craft room and raided the displays at the dollar store to come up with some
Halloween luminaries to perch in my windows.
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For this project, I used:
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Two wide-mouth jars
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A plastic witch
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A plastic ghost
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Black sand
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Glue gun and glue sticks
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Plastic spider rings
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Ribbon
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Two LED light strings – I used pumpkins and bats
I already had the jars, glue, spiders, and ribbon, but found the LED
lights, sand, witch, and ghost at my local dollar store. So I’ve invested about
five bucks in this project. I won’t too feel
bad if it doesn’t turn out!
First thing I did was stuff the witch in
a jar and the ghost in jars. I had originally intended to use mason jars, but I
didn’t have any with mouths wide enough to squeeze the plastic sculptures
through. So I used some plastic jars I had handy. I settled the witch and ghost
in their new homes, then poured some black sand around their feet to simulate
ground. You could also use glitter or black salt or fine pebbles.
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Then I put some batteries in my lights and tested them out. I think
that I could use fairy lights for this step, too, but I liked the bats and
pumpkins.
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I arranged the light strings in the jars. I used a pencil to push them
around so that they showed most clearly from the front. I made sure that the
tail of the light string, with the battery pack, extended outside of the jars. I
wanted to be able to turn my luminaries on and off and change batteries without
digging the whole string out of the jar, though you could leave it in the jar,
too. Here’s what they looked like:
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Then, I screwed on the lids. Since my lids were plastic, they didn’t
damage the thin wire. I made sure that the wire fed out the back side of the
jar. If I needed more room, I would have cut out part of the lid or put the
pack behind the figure inside the jar, but this seemed to work fine with these
materials.
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I cut two lengths of ribbon and fished out a couple of spider rings
from the bag of spiders. I cut the ring part off the spiders so that they would
lie flat.
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I made a bow with each ribbon and glued one to the top of each jar. In
the center of the bow, I glued a spider.
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And I was done! Here’s what my finished luminaries look like:
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I can’t wait to put these in my window on Halloween!

Flesh
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by Laura Bickle 
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Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal/Fantasy
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My Review
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Charlie isn’t afraid of the dead. It’s her tenth grade classmates that can send her screaming. Halloween is rolling around again and she isn’t expecting much excitement. Especially after the fiasco from last year. Her parents didn’t appreciate her throwing a party at their funeral home.

This year Charlie is keeping a low profile. She’s not looking for trouble but trouble finds her when a deceased classmate, Amanda, who’s body should be resting in a morgue drawer, gets up and starts munching on corpses. That’s just the beginning of many bizarre events that start happening. Faster than you can say Ghoul Girl, she’s scrambling to hide Amanda and find out why the dead aren’t staying dead.

This book is tagged as YA Horror and there were some gruesome scenes. Like the one where Amanda starts chowing down on live worms like they’re gummies. And when she chews on a corpses arm like it’s a drum stick. Those scenes made me squirm. But Laura also made them funny. The family dog, Lothar, loves Amanda because she shares her kibble. Yep he’s a man eater, kind of.  He even liked the worms.

Flesh doesn’t have tons of action, but there’s enough to keep the story moving fast. The character’s act genuine. And there’s a legend about Bob the Catfish that adds an interesting twist.

I was torn over how to rate this book. Keeping in mind this was aimed at the younger audience, I went with 4 stars. It didn’t wow me but I had fun and I think it hit the mark for the young adult readers.

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symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign
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Book Description:
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The dead are easy to talk to. Live people, not so much.
Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party. But navigating her life as a high school sophomore is an anxiety-inducing puzzle to her. She haunts the funeral home with her parents, emo older brother, Garth, their pistol-packing Gramma, and the glass-eyeball-devouring dachshund, Lothar.
Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. The bodies seem tied to a local legend, Catfish Bob, who has resurfaced in the muddy Milburn river near Charlie’s small town. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead.
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Amazon     BN     Kobo     iBooks
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About the Author:
 
Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology-Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.
More information about Laura’s work can be found at 
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www.laurabickle.com
 
https://twitter.com/Laura_Bickle  
 
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Laura.Bickle
 
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The Last Hellfighter ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: October 5, 2018 in giveaways, Guest Post, Historical, horror
Tags: , , ,
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Friday the 13th 3D: 36 Years in the Making
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Guest Blog by Thomas S. Flowers
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As a horror fan I feel rather
fortunate that so many of my favorite thrillers released on the year of my
birth. A quick Google re-search will reveal a VHS candy store of goody gore and
lovable murderers, from The Thing to Poltergeist to Halloween III (the one
without Myers) to Amityville II: The Possession (the one that was like The
Exorcist but with incest) to The New York Ripper to Pieces, Parasite, The
Slumber Party Massacre, and… Friday the 13th…PART 3D (cue groovy disco music).
And among the other entries in the franchise, PART 3D is I would say my second
favorite. There are many factors that play into my rating but unless you’ve
seen it you probably won’t understand. So, do me a solid and go pop in that
flayed VHS cause this review will be chopped full of SPOILERS. Readers…you
have been warned!
Directed by: Steve Miner
Writing Credits:  Martin Kitrosser, Carol Watson, and Sean S. Cunningham.
Music by: Harry Manfredini
Special effects: Martin Becker
Release Date: 13 August 1982 (USA)
“Having revived from his
wound, Jason Voorhees takes refuge at a cabin near Crystal Lake. As a group of
co-eds arrive for their vacation, Jason continues his killing spree.”
Among many reasons why I love
Friday the 13th part III, one would be that it is the first true Jason Voorhees
slasher. Yup. Obviously part 1 was really about mommy Voorhees, a character who
wasn’t even given a first name until…what, part 2? And while fantastic in its
own right, it was not a “Jason” movie, not yet anyway. Now some would
say, “But hey, Tommy, what about part 2? Isn’t that considered a Jason
Voorhees movie, it does have Jason in it after all?” And I would of course
nod my head knowledgeably. Yes, part 2 does have Jason…but not the Jason. What
we got was a backwoods deranged potato sack wearing weirdo who at times
certainly had classic Jason mannerisms, but in the end still just an inbred
acting mongoloid. Now that said, part 2 has its charm and some really excellent
kills, but if you want Jason as we love him today (hockey mask and all), you
gotta start with part 3.
Part 3 is also really awesome
because it has what every good indie horror movie should, a cast a
unrecognizable actors and actresses. While still young, parts 1 and 2 had some
fairly recognizable cast members, including Kevin Bacon, John Furey (a known TV
actor), Harry Crosby (son if Bing Crosby), and not to mention the late great
Betsy Palmer who was one of the most veteran and highly respected actors on
set. Part 3? Nadda. They didn’t even have Chong, of the Cheech and Chong
variety, star as the lead stoner, instead they dressed some dude named Chuck in
a blue bandanna, green button down, and red pants with not quite as much weed
as Up In Smoke.
I’d be amiss not to comment on
what PART 3 has no other addition does. Shelly. Shelly is the best part of this
movie. From humble awkward to cartoonish to a astonishingly flamboyant runner,
Shelly is still by far my favorite character in the film. Sure, he fails to get
the girl Vera and he’s socially immature, who isn’t?!? Shelly does have a few
things going for him. Sweet yo-yo skills and a magic box that is literally
“his entire world” full of tricks and gags to annoy the entire gang
of friends, and the largest white-boy fro ever shot on a 3D film.  On a low par, I wasn’t all that thrilled with
leading lady Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell).
She seemed too annoyed at times. Bored. And too drawl. The best part
about her, I thought, was her really strange back story of a previous
“unfilmed” encounter with Jason Voorhees. An encounter that sounded
almost as if it were some kind of sexual assault. Going back to the amazing
documentary
Crystal Lake Memories, actress
Dana Kimmell confirms this backstory, but she says that producers did not want
to pursue it in any kind of depth. This revelation is kinda dark for a Friday
the 13th film as they typically follow a blood, guts, and gags methodology.
So, we’ve covered the more manly
killing machine Jason. We got the actors. Next is the music. Harry Manfredini,
who scored most of the Friday the 13’s, including the original, crafted one
hell of a soundtrack for this third installment. Part disco, part horror, 100%
awesomeness. It is also one of the few, if not only, horror sound track to
garner its own cover band by the name of Nilbog. Check them out on YouTube.
Link provided below.
But like any horror slasher
flick, there’s gotta be a seemingly solid foundational plot. In PART 3, Chris
Higgins invites a gang of friends to include a pregnant bestie (who gets
slaughtered later btw…also a very dark moment for a Friday the 13th movie),
two stoners, a Mexican chick, and Shelly. They met up later with lurch looking
boytoy Rick (Paul Kratka). Events escalate into a series of weed smoking, beer
drinking, skinny dipping, practical jokes, and heartfelt life lessons until
Shelly and Vera end up pissing off a low-level biker gang. After Shelly runs
over some of their motorcycles, the b-squad gang vows revenge that never really
materializes. Instead, after following Shelly and Vera back to the cabin, they
are quickly dispatched by Jason.
After Chris goes off with Rick to
blow off some steam, the night consummates in more weed smoking and beer
drinking, a sexual encounter, and Shelly in a wet suit. I know, sounds amazing
doesn’t it? Where does all this debauchery go? To one of the coolest kills.
Once Shelly is dispatched, Jason finally obtains his moniker look by putting on
the hockey mask that Shelly was so kind enough to bring along. Jeez, imagine if
he brought a faded Captain Kirk mask? Talk about a lawsuit! Anyways, with Jason
now complete, he causally strolls out on to the deck where a waiting Vera is
fishing for Shelly’s dropped wallet on the edge of the lake. He aims at her,
much to her confusion, as she thinks he’s Shelly. Just as she says,
“Wait…who are you?” Jason pulls the trigger on the speargun popping
her eye out the back of her head. Simply amazing. Its the small things folks.
More killings ensue until finally
Rick and Morty…oops, Rick and Chris arrive back at the cabin. With everyone
gone and blood everywhere, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and
two together. During the attack, ole handsome lurch Rick gets his eyeball
popped out his socket, which must have been a real thrill for kids who matched
this back in 1982 in 3D. And finally, Chris and Jason go toe to toe. During the
struggle, one of the surviving bikers revives just to be killed again, but
distracting Jason long enough for Chris to throw a noose around Jason’s neck
and shove him out the barn. When that proves useless, she plants an ax deep in
his skull. That seems to have done the trick and as the credits roll, the cabin
is surrounded by police and paramedics.
For me, my horror appetites are
not hard to please. And PART 3D, given some of its flaws, is a groovy good time
for a slasher flick, and especially a Friday the 13th slasher flick.
.

The Last Hellfighter

Thomas S. Flowers


Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror


Publisher: Darker Worlds Publishing


Date of Publication: Aug 10, 2018

ISBN: 1724369202 / ASIN: B07FFND86J
Number of pages: 277 (Kindle)
410 (paperback)
Word Count: 78K
Cover Artist: Michael Bray
.
Tagline: They thought vampires were fantasy. They were wrong.
.
Book Description:
.
In the year 2044, reporters from the Public Relations Ministry gather at the home of Benjamin Harker, the last surviving member of the Harlem Hellfighters. At the age of 144, he is the oldest recorded man alive. Hidden among them, Clyde Bruner is looking for a different kind of story. Across the United States, despite the Great Walls and patrol drones built to keep America secure, something has found its way in. And now towns are vanishing during the night. Entire populations, gone. Only to return after the sun sets, changed, unholy, and lethal. And whatever this evil is, its spreading west.
According to a bedtime story Bruner’s grandfather told him when he was a boy, Benjamin Harker has seen this before. He’s faced this scourge. Fought this evil. Survived them. Killed them. From the trenches of the Great War to the jungles of Vietnam to the sands of Iraq, Harker will search his past to save our future.
But as each city light extinguishes across the country, is there no time left to stop what’s coming?
.
Amazon
.

 

Excerpt:
.
“Hey, Mr. Green. Any ships due in tonight?”
“Huh?” the older man grunted, his full attention glued to the small box television set. Family
Feud was on and Silas never missed an episode. As long as Julius had worked
with him at least, in these past four months on the night shift, the seasoned
longshoreman who acted very content with his life—who moved slow and never
liked causing “trouble,” as he called it, to his superiors, could recite the
most complex trivia questions.
Julius looked back to his monitor. Part of his job was to watch for ships that may have
wandered off course, or even scheduled docks on the quay. The program displayed
on his monitor was linked to AIS Marine database that monitored all vessel
traffic around the world. He kept the screen displaying his assigned port—which
showed a few red, which meant docked and inactive. The one that concerned him
was another ship, inbound and blinking green.
“Mr. Green?” Julius pressed. 
The older black man sighed loudly, turning away from his small TV screen. “What? Why the hell
would—listen son, you can’t let this job spook you. Working nights on the dock,
I know, the long hours can get to you. But trust me, this sure beats working
days out in that sun all day offloading ships.”
“But look,” the younger longshoreman pointed his screen.
Frowning, Silas rolled his chair over to the computer monitor. The green blinking ship
reflected off his thick glasses. He pushed them back up on his nose, “That
ain’t nothing, probably just a glitch in the system.”
Julius looked at the screen and then out the large window that overlooked the Port of Jerusalem.
He’d just moved to town not more than six months prior from Bangor and he
wanted to make a good impression.
“Okay,” the younger man said.
Silas nodded in quiet victory and rolled back over to watch his show.
Julius continued glaring at the blinking green ship as it approached the port on the screen. He
swallowed hard as it inched closer and closer. He glanced at the old man as he
howled at some man on the TV having missed a question that Silas thought was a
“no brainer.”  On the monitor, the green
blinking ship was upon them. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Closer.
And closer.
“Mr. Green, I don’t think is a glitch,” Julius protested.
Exhaling loudly, Silas stood and turned. “Listen, young blood, I’ve been doing this job for
twenty years and I’ve never heard of no ship coming in that wasn’t on the
manifest.”
Julius shrugged. “Yeah, but…” he gestured to the screen.
“There is no ship coming—”
Just outside, a large wave crashed against the port levee walls. A thunderous metallic screech
vibrated off the walls of the little trailer office on the wharf. Manuals and
notebooks and ship logs fell from the shelves as the ground itself felt as if
it was opening. The small TV still playing Family Feud rattled off the table
and crashed to the floor, sizzling out. The florescent bulbs above them burst
raining shards of glass and casting the room into a yellow gloom. The
horrendous grinding seemed to go on forever, shaking and shuddering the world.
And then it was over.
Silas Green was the first to prop himself off the floor. Looking around cautiously, as if any
wrong move would send the world into chaos again.
Julius propped himself up, moving into a crouch. He peeked through the blinds. “What the heck
was that?”
“Shit!” the older man hissed.
Julius glanced over his shoulder at him. “What? You okay?”
Silas held up what remained of his TV. “No, damn tube is busted.”
Shaking his head, Julius peered back out the blinds. “I think we should go check the dock.”
He stood, not waiting for approval and went through the door of the office.
“Hold on, young blood.” Silas gave the TV a final kiss—he’d had the device for more years than
he cared to confess, and then set it down on the floor as gently as he could.
Standing, he opened the bottom drawer of his desk and retrieved a flashlight.
Outside, Silas trotted to catch up with Julius who was standing at the edge of the wharf
looking up into the gloom.
“Somethings out there,” the young man said.
Silas wafted the fog around his head. “Can’t see shit out here.”
“Use the flashlight,” Julius suggested without taking his gaze from in front of him.
“Oh,” Silas grunted, flicking on the switch. A beam of bright white broke apart the misty
smoke like haze. He shined out toward the wharf and at first still could not
see anything. And then the fog parted as if controlled by some unknown force,
separating and unfolding around a large cargo ship.
Silas traced the hull to the edge of the ship deck. “Mother of God,” he whispered, taken back by
the sudden massive size of the ship. He’d never been this close to one. The
larger vessels normally dock at Freeport.
Julius stepped toward him, asking, “What do we do?”
The older man couldn’t think—this wasn’t on the schedule, the ship manifest, nothing. This
ship shouldn’t be here. The harbourmaster would have said something. Hell, his
superintendent would have damn sure said something. It would have been on the
log. Silas moved the beam of light to the wharf itself, noting the broken
shards of rock in the thick cement and the thick crack in the hull of the ship.
It was taking on water for sure—it hadn’t even bothered slowing down. It
ploughed into the quay. But why? Wasn’t there someone steering this damn thing?
This wasn’t right. Something about this—everything about this wasn’t right.
“Mr. Green?” Julius pressed, whispering hotly.
Silas looked at him, the kid was rattled; he was rattled. He took a deep breath. “Okay, listen,
I’m going to call this in—pray the lines in the office are still operating.
Here, take the flashlight.” He handed it to Julius. “Stay put, yell out if you
see anyone. Some dumbass is going to pay bigtime for this screwup and it ain’t
going to be you or me.”
He gave one final glance at the monstrous freighter and started off for the office. Inside,
he could use the phone on the floor. He scooped it up and dialed his
supervisor.
“Green, there better be a good fucking reason why you’re calling me at—” Silas’s
superintendent started through the speaker of the phone.
“A ship crashed into the port,” Silas blurted.
“What?”
“A ship, some damn cargo ship. Large motherfucker.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“No, I ain’t fucking with you, sir. A cargo ship crashed into the port, took a good-sized
chunk out of our wharf too.”
“Was it on the manifest?”
“No—that’s what I’m saying. This ship ain’t supposed to be—”
A scream from outside on the dock jarred Silas from the phone.
“Julius, what the hell was that?”
“Green, what’s going on?” his superintendent asked, sounding more and more irritated.
Silence.
“Green?”
“Hold on, sir.”
Silas set down the phone, ignoring the muffled protest from his superintendent
on the line. He glared at the open door and crept toward it. There were no
other sounds, and he didn’t like that one bit.
Stepping outside he called, “Julius?”
It was hard to see through the fog as it rolled across the walkway.
Silas squinted, peering through the gloom turned yellow by the glow of the dock lights.
“Julius, what’s going on?” he called to the dark shape in front of him.
And then he heard it.
A sucking sound.
He stopped.
The dark shape unfolded.
The fog parted slightly, revealing a tall, bald woman with pale skin. Her eyes burned red. She
was looking at him with an expression of mild satisfaction, the look of a
thirsty soul finally getting a cup of water. She was holding Julius, cradling
him almost as if they were dancing.
“Who are—” Silas started, until he saw her teeth, her large fanged front teeth, salivating in
blood. He took a step back as she let Julius go. His body crumbled to the wet
dock.
“No,” Silas managed to say, like a child refusing to go to bed.

 

And then she was upon him. 
.
About the Author Thomas S. Flowers:

.

Who doesn’t love a good story? Thomas’s favorite books include All Quiet on the Western Front, Salem’s Lot, and Hell House.
In his own writings, he aspires to create fantastic worlds with memorable characters and haunted places. His stories range from Shakespearean gore, classic monster tales, and even stories that hurt him the most to write about, haunted soldiers and PTSD. Residing in the swamps of Houston, Texas, with his wife and daughter, Thomas’s debut novel, Reinheit, was eventually published with Shadow Work Publishing, along with Lanmò, The Hobbsburg Horror, FEAST, Beautiful Ugly, and Planet of the Dead.
His veteran focused paranormal thriller series, The Subdue Series, filled with werewolves, Frankenstein-inspired monsters, cults, alter-dimensional insects, witches, and the undead are published with Limitless Publishing.
In 2008, Thomas was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army where he served three tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2014, Thomas graduated from University of Houston-Clear Lake with a Bachelors in History. He is the senior editor at Machine Mean, a site that reviews horribly awesome and vintage horror movies and books from guest contributors who obsess over a wide range of strange yet oddly related topics.
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Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Machine Mean / Newsletter
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Embracing Your Divinity by Laura Emily ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: August 20, 2018 in Excerpt, giveaways, Guest Post, Inspirational
Tags: , ,
4

Embracing Your Divinity

by Laura Emily

Synopsis

Laura Emily teaches us to appreciate and notice our inner being.
By taking the reader on a journey through her own experiences, Laura teaches us to listen to the
universe and allow ourselves to follow the path the universe is trying to take us on. She tries to
make us understand that even though we may not think the universe is on our side or that things are
not meant to happen, something has not happened yet because we, as individuals, are not yet ready
to receive this event. Once we accept the universe’s plan and allow things to happen, whether they
are good or bad, only then can we truly reach our full potential.

Purchase links: Amazon US / Amazon UK

Author Bio:

Laura Emily, also known as The Happiness Coach, considers it her mission in life to help uplift the
planet and encourage a shift in the consciousness that people have today. Laura currently does oneto-one coaching through her website, http://www.beagoodsoul.com, to help others achieve their
goals, fulfill their dreams and awaken their connection to the Universe.

Social media links

YouTube / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

~~~~~

Enjoy the Excerpt

.
“I enjoyed every day and was grateful for every morning, every afternoon and every evening. I
surrounded myself with people I loved and people who made me feel great. As the months rolled on
I started visualising my life to come surrounded by great friends and a wonderful man. I did not
visualise this to bring it to me, I visualised it only because it made me feel wonderful. Looking back
I can see how aligned I was to the Universe because I spent everyday happy. I would drive to work
and say in my mind, ‘I have the most amazing husband, friends and family.’ Eventually, this image
of a handsome stranger became a familiar image in my mind. I saw a checked shirt and an
impressive physique with thick hair that I could run my hands through and a sense of humour that
always kept my cheeks rosy. Many times in my visions he would stop by for a cup of tea and ask
for ‘a real cup of tea made by a real English lady,’ as he was not English himself. Sometimes I would imagine him busy at work in his office, sometimes I would imagine him relaxed and playing
his guitar to me and sometimes we just danced in the rain in Central Park. One of my most popular
visions was him and I walking through the park, dancing, talking, laughing and sometimes he
would stop me in my tracks and sing to me. He adored me and his spirit made me fly. To me, he
was real. He was so real that anytime I felt down I would go to him in my mind. I remember a
particular time that I was feeling incredibly sad and I was crying in my car on my way home. I
relaxed myself and went within and poured my words out to myself. I spoke out all my feelings and
frustrations, but I did it as if I was with him and telling him about my day. After I had done this I
naturally visualised his response. He was so gentle with me, he was kind, he spoke to me with love
and comforted me. To be honest, I did not even realise I was doing this because it just all came so
naturally. Like I said, he was real to me and after he comforted me I felt a lot happier.
“Then, one day, after having an inspiring conversation with my older brother, I decided to book
a trip to New York City. It was a place I had been to a couple of times and have always wanted to
eventually live once I found a way of doing so. After hanging up the phone with my brother I
walked into my job that day and told my boss I would be leaving. Many people laughed at me,
some told me I was irresponsible but I was making decisions with my heart now, not my head, and
in that month my life changed once and for all.
“On August 8, 2015, two weeks before I was due to fly, a message popped through on a social
media website from a handsome gentleman in the United States. When I say handsome, I mean the
most handsome man I had ever seen with the kindest blue eyes, the biggest smile and the most
intoxicating laugh I had ever heard. After a brief chat, he wished me well and left the conversation.
I was desperate to talk more. I did not know his name or where he was from but I wanted to. I
wanted to know everything about him. It was not just how I felt about him, it was how he had made
me feel through a few words we had shared back and forth. He had so much energy it was
infectious.
“The next day he reached out to me again. I was over the moon. The more he shared his life
with me the more I realised how wonderful he was. He was kind, generous, ambitious, funny and he
loved the Universe like I did. His name was Bobby. He was a business man doing extremely well in
his field. He had toured in a band for many years previously and he still liked to play guitar and sing
now and then when he had the time. He had written many beautiful songs and sang many to me. His
voice was unique and totally perfect and I could barely listen to a song without feeling a rush of
emotions.
“When he asked me what was going on in my life I told him I was traveling to New York City
for a month. He was so excited about the idea and keen to hear about my adventures. Within a
couple of days he had asked me if he could fly over from where he was in San Diego and take me
out because he thought it would be a shame if we never got to have lunch together. I was thrilled.
We made immediate plans and within two days he had his flight and hotel booked and time off from
his hectic job.
“A week later there I was in an apartment on the Upper West Side, which was perfect and
everything I had visualised. Three days after I landed he knocked on my door. I ran down to let him
in and finally got to see those blue eyes in front of me. His trembling lips kissed me and it has been
magic ever since. He spent five days with me before he flew back home and I was grateful for every
minute. We explored the entire city on foot. We shared tasty food over storytelling and the driest
wines we could find. One of my more memorable evenings was sitting at a beautiful restaurant
enjoying Italian food and wine. After the meal was over he leaned in and asked if I wanted to walk
with him to Central Park for a dance. I was beaming from ear to ear as we walked up one block to
where the park was located. Here, we shared our first dance and as we did, it began to rain. There I
was, dancing in the rain in Central Park just as I had visualised. It only rained for about three
minutes. To me, it felt like the heavens had opened to allow me the moment I had once visualised
where he and I were dancing in the rain under a tree in Central Park. I thank God for that moment
still.
“The very next day we were walking alongside the park again and he turned to me and asked if
I liked the idea of getting married in Central Park. I was lost for words. This was something I had
always wanted but never expressed to him. It was like a moment of perfect fate had brought us
together, like he could read my thoughts, like I was stepping into my own self created future. Later
that day he walked me to a spot in the park that he said would be great for a wedding. It was a busy
area but we managed to find a spot to stand and enjoy the view. As we did this I heard some music
playing in the background but not just any music. It was a piece of classical music that I used to
play and visualise walking down the aisle to many years prior. Where was it coming from? I looked
around to see a man playing the cello and playing this exact piece of music perfectly. All I can say
is that I was absolutely stunned. Not only that, after pointing out how beautiful this music was to
Bobby he then turned to me and said, ‘I have always wanted this song played at my wedding. It
would be perfect for you to walk down the aisle to.’
“To this day he still asks for his cup of tea from a real English lady and I always say yes.
Everything about him is what I visualised and nothing has been left out. This for me was my biggest
moment of realisation that we can create exactly what we want and as long as we always go with
thoughts of love we will always receive.
“I believe that if I had not followed my instincts to leave my job and get on that plane then we
may not have met. Our instincts are our inner being guiding us and our inner being never gets it
wrong. One thing I have learned these last few years is to only make decisions out of love. Do not
make haste. Do not make decisions out of fear or revenge or anger because sadly, they will not end
well. Living in alignment will always bring you what you want.”

~~~~~

GUEST POST FROM AUTHOR LAURA EMILY

To be honest, being a writer was never in my plan but I did love reading growing up. It wasn’t until I felt I had so much to share that I just had to write it down and that was how ‘Embracing your Divinity’ was born. I had been through so many changes in such a short space of time and I knew others would have experienced things similar so I wanted to help them. I realised that so many people felt powerless within their lives and I wanted to change that. I wanted to show people what they could really do. We are all so powerful and we have so much support that we may not even realise. If there is anything about your life that you do not like you have the power to change it.
I just wanted to share my knowledge with everyone.

This story is the tree trunk to my enlightenment. Starting with my own journey, I have branched out and been blessed by receiving the time and wisdom of many good souls who wish to also share their stories with you. These souls are not just any souls, they are my friends, relatives, inspiration and masters of these teachings. Some are all four, and I have been lucky enough to meet them along my precious journey.

Some have discovered the Law of Attraction and turned their lives around, some have had the pleasure of finding happiness and enjoying alignment, some have experienced physical manifestations, some have healed themselves and others are simply living in amazement every day as to what they can achieve. I hope that you can relate to our journeys and that they give you comfort in your awakening.

As an example, here’s an excerpt from ‘Embracing your Divinity’. It’s my true story of how I manifested my boyfriend…

“I enjoyed every day and was grateful for every morning, every afternoon and every evening. I surrounded myself with people I loved and people who made me feel great. As the months rolled on I started visualising my life to come surrounded by great friends and a wonderful man. I did not visualise this to bring it to me, I visualised it only because it made me feel wonderful. Looking back I can see how aligned I was to the Universe because I spent everyday happy. I would drive to work and say in my mind, ‘I have the most amazing husband, friends and family.’ Eventually, this image of a handsome stranger became a familiar image in my mind. I saw a checked shirt and an impressive physique with thick hair that I could run my hands through and a sense of humour that always kept my cheeks rosy. Many times in my visions he would stop by for a cup of tea and ask for ‘a real cup of tea made by a real English lady,’ as he was not English himself. Sometimes I would imagine him busy at work in his office, sometimes I would imagine him relaxed and playing his guitar to me and sometimes we just danced in the rain in Central Park. One of my most popular visions was him and I walking through the park, dancing, talking, laughing and sometimes he would stop me in my tracks and sing to me. He adored me and his spirit made me fly. To me, he was real. He was so real that anytime I felt down I would go to him in my mind. I remember a particular time that I was feeling incredibly sad and I was crying in my car on my way home. I relaxed myself and went within and poured my words out to myself. I spoke out all my feelings and frustrations, but I did it as if I was with him and telling him about my day. After I had done this I naturally visualised his response. He was so gentle with me, he was kind, he spoke to me with love and comforted me. To be honest, I did not even realise I was doing this because it just all came so naturally. Like I said, he was real to me and after he comforted me I felt a lot happier.
“Then, one day, after having an inspiring conversation with my older brother, I decided to book a trip to New York City. It was a place I had been to a couple of times and have always wanted to eventually live once I found a way of doing so. After hanging up the phone with my brother I walked into my job that day and told my boss I would be leaving. Many people laughed at me, some told me I was irresponsible but I was making decisions with my heart now, not my head, and in that month my life changed once and for all.
“On August 8, 2015, two weeks before I was due to fly, a message popped through on a social media website from a handsome gentleman in the United States. When I say handsome, I mean the most handsome man I had ever seen with the kindest blue eyes, the biggest smile and the most intoxicating laugh I had ever heard. After a brief chat, he wished me well and left the conversation. I was desperate to talk more. I did not know his name or where he was from but I wanted to. I wanted to know everything about him. It was not just how I felt about him, it was how he had made me feel through a few words we had shared back and forth. He had so much energy it was infectious.
“The next day he reached out to me again. I was over the moon. The more he shared his life with me the more I realised how wonderful he was. He was kind, generous, ambitious, funny and he loved the Universe like I did. His name was Bobby. He was a business man doing extremely well in his field. He had toured in a band for many years previously and he still liked to play guitar and sing now and then when he had the time. He had written many beautiful songs and sang many to me. His voice was unique and totally perfect and I could barely listen to a song without feeling a rush of emotions.
“When he asked me what was going on in my life I told him I was traveling to New York City for a month. He was so excited about the idea and keen to hear about my adventures. Within a couple of days he had asked me if he could fly over from where he was in San Diego and take me out because he thought it would be a shame if we never got to have lunch together. I was thrilled. We made immediate plans and within two days he had his flight and hotel booked and time off from his hectic job.
“A week later there I was in an apartment on the Upper West Side, which was perfect and everything I had visualised. Three days after I landed he knocked on my door. I ran down to let him in and finally got to see those blue eyes in front of me. His trembling lips kissed me and it has been magic ever since. He spent five days with me before he flew back home and I was grateful for every minute. We explored the entire city on foot. We shared tasty food over storytelling and the driest wines we could find. One of my more memorable evenings was sitting at a beautiful restaurant enjoying Italian food and wine. After the meal was over he leaned in and asked if I wanted to walk with him to Central Park for a dance. I was beaming from ear to ear as we walked up one block to where the park was located. Here, we shared our first dance and as we did, it began to rain. There I was, dancing in the rain in Central Park just as I had visualised. It only rained for about three minutes. To me, it felt like the heavens had opened to allow me the moment I had once visualised where he and I were dancing in the rain under a tree in Central Park. I thank God for that moment still.
“The very next day we were walking alongside the park again and he turned to me and asked if I liked the idea of getting married in Central Park. I was lost for words. This was something I had always wanted but never expressed to him. It was like a moment of perfect fate had brought us together, like he could read my thoughts, like I was stepping into my own self created future. Later that day he walked me to a spot in the park that he said would be great for a wedding. It was a busy area but we managed to find a spot to stand and enjoy the view. As we did this I heard some music playing in the background but not just any music. It was a piece of classical music that I used to play and visualise walking down the aisle to many years prior. Where was it coming from? I looked around to see a man playing the cello and playing this exact piece of music perfectly. All I can say is that I was absolutely stunned. Not only that, after pointing out how beautiful this music was to Bobby he then turned to me and said, ‘I have always wanted this song played at my wedding. It would be perfect for you to walk down the aisle to.’
“To this day he still asks for his cup of tea from a real English lady and I always say yes. Everything about him is what I visualised and nothing has been left out. This for me was my biggest moment of realisation that we can create exactly what we want and as long as we always go with thoughts of love we will always receive.
“I believe that if I had not followed my instincts to leave my job and get on that plane then we may not have met. Our instincts are our inner being guiding us and our inner being never gets it wrong. One thing I have learned these last few years is to only make decisions out of love. Do not make haste. Do not make decisions out of fear or revenge or anger because sadly, they will not end well. Living in alignment will always bring you what you want.”

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