Reader's Shadow Issue 2 December 2012 by Kate Bainbridge

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READER’S SHADOW CONTENTS… Pages 4 - 5: Welcome Letter Pages 6 - 7: Animal Andy Spotlight Page 8: Burly And Grum Promo and Review Request Page 9: Tall Tales With Mr K Spotlight Pages 10 - 12: Read 2 Review December Dates Pages 13 - 17: A Ranger’s Holiday by Mysti Parker Page 18: Bardo Promo and Review Request Pages 19 - 20: Campaign Of The Gods Promo and Review Request Page 21: Inhale Promo Page 22: The Declaration Series Promo Pages 23 - 24: The Spirit Archer Promo and Review Request Pages 25 - 27: Waning Moon Spotlight Pages 28- 29: Page Turner Book Tours Promo and Current Tours Pages 30 - 31: Buried Pasts Promo and Review Request Pages 32 - 34: December’s Featured Author: A Pirate’s Ransom spotlight Pages 35 - 37: Christmas Memories by Kathryn Meyer Griffith Pages 38 - 40: Dark Heirloom Spotlight Pages 41 - 44: Hex And The Single Witch Promo and Bewitching Book Tours Promotion Pages 45 - 46: Seer Society Spotlight Pages 47 - 48: Anomaly (Becoming Milla Blaire) Giveaway Pages 49 - 50: Odessa Promo and Giveaway Pages 51 - 52: Prophecy Promo and Giveaway http://read2review.com/

Read 2 Review Page 53: Paper Crane Bytes Promo Pages 54 - 55: Blood Is Power Spotlight Page 56: Hysteria Promo Pages 57 - 59: Interview with SJ Drum Pages 60 - 62: The Ice Bridge Essay by Kathryn Meyer Griffith Pages 63 - 64: Unlucky Dip Promo and Review Request Page 65: Partners In Crime Tours Promo Pages 66 - 67: Ain't Finished Yet Promo and Review Request Pages 68 - 69: What I've Learned Since My Novel “Playing The Genetic Lottery” Was Published guest post by Terri Morgan Page 70: Application Form Page 71: Feedback Form

Welcome to the December Issue of Reader’s Shadow. What a month it’s been! http://read2review.com/

Read 2 Review What’s your November been like? Mine’s been completely hectic!! From going on the WWE tour at the start of the month to ending up in hospital in the middle of the month, it’s been hard to catch my breath. Work has been incredible this month, from running tours and much more. I love what I do and I hope that shines through in what you see before you both in the magazine and on the sites. So it’s December, a time for sharing, caring, giving and being with family. I will be spending the time with my family at my parents. Helping Dad to put together the Christmas meal and playing Elf while Dad’s Santa on Christmas morning when we hand out gifts. What do you do for Christmas? I hope you have a fantastic time. If you don’t celebrate Christmas I hope you enjoy this holiday period. As the year closes I would like to extend a massive thanks to all who have helped 2012 be a fantastic year. Most of what has been achieved this month wouldn’t have been possible without you! I hope we manage to make 2013 just as amazing! Reader’s Shadow would like to share some fantastic news with you this issue. We have been joined by a Beta reader and also a cover design. Please join me in welcoming Marian Lanouette and MM Shelley to the team! Without further ado, welcome to this second issue of Reader’s Shadow. We hope you enjoy what we have put together for you. We have included many chances for you to get involved from contests to reviews and feedback to applying for the next issue. We hope you will join us for many of these. We put everything together with our readers in mind, we always want to bring you the very best. We hope we have succeeded. Happy reading! With much love, Kate ~*~ “I started blogging one year ago. Through the year I have connected with some wonderful people. When I connected with Read 2 Review, I found them not only helpful but also willing to help me in everything I did not understand. They have helped to promote my blog, offer advice and just general support in everything. I look forward to working with these wonderful people for years to come.” ~ Suzie Welker, The Bunny’s Review “I really enjoy working with Kate at Read2Review.com. She's always there to lend a hand whether it be reviewing books, interviewing authors or hosting giveaways. Her dedication to promoting the written word is unparalleled. Her communication skills are top notch. She is prompt, courteous and efficient when responding to my email correspondence, and she's always introducing me to new ways in which I can promote our authors. Her support of our endeavors from blog tours to read-athons is something I can depend on. I highly recommend Kate's services to everyone in the book industry from readers to authors to publishers. She is a class act.” ~ Nicole Langan, Tribute Books “I found working with Kate and Read2Review easy and friendly. As a long time, over forty years, writer, I've submitted quite a few articles for their informative http://read2review.com/

Read 2 Review and entertaining magazine Reader's Shadow and they've always been meticulous about the way the articles read, look and sound. They've also reviewed one of my fifteen published novels, my thriller, Blood Forge, and the review was gracious and detailed. I've also found them easy to communicate with at all times about anything. They're eager to grow and learn and help readers and writers in any way they can. Their magazine Reader's Shadow, though still new, is proving to be a possible bonanza of help and information for the aspiring or established writer...not to mention an entertaining read for any reader interested in books, the writing of books or about those who write the books. I hope their site will grow and expand as time goes by. It's nice to have friends like Read2Review.” ~ Kathryn Meyer Griffith ~*~ We would like to thank the following for contributing to this issue of Reader’s Shadow… Bloomsbury Publishing, Candice Stockstell, Chris McKenna, Ella Medler, George Stratford, Gerri Brousseau, Great Minds Think Aloud, Great Minds Think Aloud UK, Jenna Kay, J.D. Brown, Kate Tenbeth, Kathryn Meyer Griffith, Kathy Rygg, Kendall Grey, Mike Evers, Mysti Parker, PJ Sharon, Page Turner Book Tours, Partners In Crime, Rebecca Ryals Russell, Roxanne Rhoads, Sheenah Freitas, SJ Drum and Terri Morgan. ~*~ You can contact the Read 2 Review and Reader’s Shadow team on the following social media links, we hope you like the chosen pictures…

~*~ The Reader’s Shadow Team are: Manager/Editor: Kate / Beta Reader: Marian / Cover Designer: MM

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“Animal Andy has some mystery, some excitement and plenty of really great animals. This is a fun book for emerging readers.” Amazon reviewer Available in all ebook formats from Muse It Up Publishing Available in print from Amazon Ten-year-old Andy Ohman is spending his summer working at the Aksarben City Zoo where his dad is curator. There are rumors the city might close the zoo due to budget cuts. An anonymous donor has given the zoo an antique animal carousel, and Andy’s dad is hopeful it will help boost attendance. Andy’s doubtful that an old kiddie ride will make a difference. He doesn’t see what’s so special about it. But when he takes it for a spin, he unlocks the magic that will help save the zoo. Other Reviews:

“My 5th grade son loved this book!!! In fact, he was up late trying to finish the book. He couldn't put the book down and can't wait to read more. Highly recommend!!” Amazon Reviewer Excerpt: Andy’s knees wobbled and buckled as he stumbled off the carousel’s platform. He thrust forward, collapsing into a heap on the ground. Shaking his head a few times, he flinched when a snort escaped his mouth. A flash of turquoise caught his eye. He scrambled up as a skinny-necked bird with short legs and a long, plump body strutted over. It stopped a few inches away and let out an ear-

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Read 2 Review splitting squawk. Only a peacock could make that sound. “What are you doing over here?” the bird asked. “Are you out of your mind? Don’t you know this is the kind of thing that gets all of us into trouble?” Andy froze. He was sure the peacock had just spoken to him. “Well, don’t just sit there, zebra, we need to get you back to the pen,” the bird snapped.

helps kids create their own interactive eBook, and an active member of SCBWI. She earned a degree in magazine journalism from Iowa State University and has worked for the McGraw-Hill Companies’ business publications division in New York City. She was also the editor in chief of Women’s Edition magazine in Denver, CO. She currently lives in Omaha, NE, with her husband and two children.

Andy whipped his head from side to side. Nobody was around, and he didn’t see a zebra. “Did you just talk?” "Don't get all high and mighty on me," the peacock said. "It's socially acceptable for a peacock to speak to a zebra." "Why do you keep calling me a zebra?" Andy narrowed his eyes at the bird. “Well, I don’t see any other escaped animal standing in front of me,” the peacock said. Andy lowered his gaze and saw four black and white striped legs beneath him. He craned his neck and saw a thin, black tail swishing behind him. Puzzled, he glanced at the carousel and saw an empty brass pole where the zebra had been. He stumbled backward. "No, no, no,” he said, shaking his head. "How…it can’t be,” he breathed. “There’s just no way. I…I…I’m a zebra!” Book Trailer About Kathy: Kathy Sattem Rygg is Editor-in-Chief for the children’s online magazine Knowonder!, author of the children’s iPad app “Magic Story Factory,” which http://read2review.com/

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review Beyond the Forest: Groblins tend to keep themselves to themselves and very few people even know they exist. Grum has been thrown out of his home by his two brothers and has to prove that he's brave before they will let him back. Grum decides that the best way to show them he's brave is to go and find a human and bring it back home. Along the way he meets Burly, a mellow kind of bear, who takes him under his paw and together they go to town! They soon get into trouble and along the way discover cupcakes, carnivals, kittens and what humans are really all about. But will Grum manage to convince his brothers that he's brave?

a deer and a few ducks and the day becomes very exciting! The Birthday Surprise: Burlington Bear (Burly to his friends) and Grum the groblin are best friends. It's Burly's birthday and he's looking forward to a lazy day on a tropical island beach but neither he nor Grum are aware there is a bank robber on the run until it's too late! There are lots of new characters - Detective Finn and his daughter Tara, King the crab, Gruel the bank robber and his gang The Toolkits. Burly's birthday surprise takes on a whole new meaning as they try to help Detective Finn capture the gang! The Halloween Adventure:

The Secret City: Burlington Bear, Grum the groblin and Max are best friends. Burly and Grum show Max a secret city in the the middle of the forest but hunters are tracking them down. They knock out Burly, capture Max and want to turn the Secret City into a tourist attraction. Throw in some big cats, Grum's mother and brothers, Mike the Angel,

Burlington Bear (Burly to his friends) and Grum the Groblin go trick or treating for the very first time with their friend Max. Not only do they collect lots of candy they come across a fairy with attitude and a chilled out creature of the night - the evening does not go as expected! Burly And Grum series by Kate Tenbeth

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“Young readers will find this a great book full of adventure. Highly recommend for those beginning to read chapter books!” Amazon Reviewer Available in all ebook formats from Smashwords Available in print from Amazon The third-graders at Coyote Run Elementary thought the teacher's lounge is where teachers eat candy out of vending machines, watch TV and get to play video games. They didn't expect it to be a tropical island where they are kidnapped by pirates, a circus where they learn the flying trapeze, or a crime scene where they solve a jewelry heist. Each chapter of this young middlegrade fantasy tells the story of a different student's adventure in the teacher's lounge accompanied by their mysterious new teacher, Mr. K. Only one student, Sam, decides to boldly go into the teacher's lounge by himself where he discovers something completely different yet.

Other Reviews: “Ms. Rygg blends a perfect story for young readers, enticing them into a magical room called the `teacher's lounge,' entertaining them with stories of how this mystical teacher communicates with his students.” Amazon Reviewer Please check out our feature on Kathy Rygg’s other book ANIMAL ANDY

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We have a lot to come during December 2012 some with a host of fabulous Christmas giveaways and we want you to enjoy the events with us! December 1st: * Winners announced for the 2012 1 year Read 2 Review Blogiversary Contest December 2nd: * Shadow Caster by Stephen Colter (Spotlight) and MASSIVE 50 book giveaway December 3rd: * Book And Trailer Showcase Tours: Santa’s Little Helper Scavenger Hunt December 4th:

* W. Lynn Chantale (Spotlight) and Giveaway December 9th: * “An idea for a book that turned into three” a guest post from Lori Pescatore and giveaway December 10th: * Book And Trailer Showcase Tours: I Want That One by Paige E. Roberts (Interview) December 11th: * “My Christmas Top 10’s” a guest post by Jennifer Wright and giveaway

* Character Interview by Louann Carrol December 5th: * “Conspiracy Theories” a guest post by Dina Rae and giveaway

December 12th: * Thrones Of Desire: Erotic Tales Of Swords, Mist And Fire by Mitzi Szereto (Spotlight) and giveaway December 13th:

December 6th: * In Interview with David Russell and giveaway December 7th:

* In Interview with Vickie Johnstone December 14th:

* Hybrid House Of Slide by Juliann Whicker (guest post) and competition

* Page Turner Book Tours: Shadow Man (Lash Series, Book 2) by Tara Fox Hall (Review)

December 8th:

December 15th: http://read2review.com/

Read 2 Review * In interview with Lorena Bathey and giveaway December 16th: * “How did the idea of ‘Moonlight’ come to you” a guest post by Katie Salidas

December 25th: *Page Turner Book Tours: The Tide Breaker by Sonya Watson (Review) December 26th: * In Interview with Emily Walker and giveaway

December 17th: * An excerpt and giveaway from Ami Blackwelder December 18th:

December 27th: * “Mystical Traditions and how to fictionalise them” a guest post by Stephen B. Pearl and giveaway

* “Solstice” a guest post from Rhiannon Paille and giveaway December 19th: * First Rule Tours: Remnants Of Life by Georgia L. Jones (Guest Post)

December 28th: * “What a reviewer looks for when accepting a book” a guest post by Sue Morris December 29th:

December 20th: * In interview with Carmen DeSousa and giveaway December 21st: * Partners In Crime Tours: The Disappearance Of Grace by Vincent Zandri (Review) December 22nd:

* In Interview with Thomas Drinkard and giveaway December 30th: * The Spirit Archer and Campaign Of The Gods by Mike Evers (book feature) December 31st: * In Interview with Mathew Bridle

* “What my protagonist would like for Christmas” a guest post from Terri Morgan December 23rd: *First Rule Tours: Dark Halo by Christopher Kokoski (Guest Post) December 24th: * 15 Days Of Christmas Tour hosted by Avery Olive (Interview)

YOUR CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED… We are always on the look out for new and exciting posts to feature on Read 2 Review. We would love for you to join us! We also like to promo any blogger events that are happening. If you would like to join us at Read 2 Review please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!

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The Must Read programme has been introduced to help push our authors. We have tailored the plan to push your books on several different social media networks and also promote you heavily on our website. We will never charge you for the team reading and reviewing a book, however with our ever growing book list we have introduced a priority read and review section to this plan. This we feel will help to push book sales and encourage people to try your work. Programme Details

possibly can. With that in mind we have set up our own version of the Loyalty Card. The details are as follows: If you buy 3 months of a level 1 programme you will receive 1 month level 3 for free If you buy 3 months of a level 2 programme you will receive 2 months on the level 3 for free

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A Ranger’s Holiday by Mysti Parker An EXCLUSIVE holiday story from the writer of the fantastic Tallenmere Series. Razor glided over naked trees in the dormant winter chill of the Wildewoode Forest. His half-elf master Galadin Trudeaux waited below, shrouded to near-invisibility under his concealment spell. The hunting hawk made his silent dive on an unsuspecting rabbit. Talons and beak ensured a quick, efficient death. The little thing didn’t even have a chance to squeal. “Nice one, old boy.” Galadin dropped concealment and hurried to the carcass before Razor tore into it too much. Bending down with his hunting knife, he cut off a nice morsel of warm meat. Razor, eyeing his prize, climbed onto his master’s sturdy leather arm wrap. Galadin stood with the catch in one hand and offered the meat with the other. The hawk wasted no time gobbling it down. The sun sat lower than Galadin expected in the white winter sky. “We better get home. Cali’s been anxious enough about dinner tonight. She’ll probably skin us both.”

“Ow! Are you never going to forgive me for being gone? You try being a slave.” Razor opened his beak. Galadin ducked away. Readjusting his eye-patch, he said, “You’re hardly a slave, you spoiled bird.” He weaved his way down the narrow footpath toward the main forest road. Rounding a bend that cut along an eroded hillside, he dodged to avoid a jagged rock that jutted into his blind spot. But, his foot hit a patch of mud, and down he went like a felled tree. Razor, needing neither leash nor hood, hopped away gracefully to a nearby bush. His master, on the other hand, took a full mud bath in a much-deeperthan-it-looked hole. Rising from the muck like some earthen monster, Galadin sat up and swiped mud from his one good eye. He did a quick inspection of himself. Brown, gooey globs dripped from both arms and ran beneath his shirt. He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “Cali’s going to kill me.”

Razor nipped his shoulder.

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Hands sticky with dough and coated with flour, Caliphany slid the loaf pan in the oven. “Oh, I forgot to preheat. Better fix that.” She opened the fire box and searched the kitchen for the striker. “Where is that thing?” Sighing in frustration, she held her hand a few inches from the wood. Her palm tingled, burning with familiar pinpricks as a compact puff of blue fire shot into the tinder, setting it ablaze. Being a ranger and fire mage had its advantages. “There,” she said with a self-satisfied grin. “My first loaf of bread.” Mollie skipped through the front door, leaving it open to the chilly wind. “Mama, why are you cooking?” Caliphany, fearing for her bread’s life, ran for the door and let out a squeal. A chicken flapped in her daughter’s arms. Feathers floated onto her unruly curls, through the air, and all over the floor. Snatching the bird, who clucked indignantly, Caliphany tossed it out onto the porch. Door secured once more against the elements, she turned to her daughter. “Mollie, where is your father? I thought he’d be back by now.” “He’s hunting,” Mollie said, arms crossed and pouting. “My chicken was cold.” Caliphany smiled. “I know, my darling, but I’ve cleaned the cottage from top to bottom. Our guests will arrive soon. I want our Year’s End dinner to be perfect.” “But, Mama, you never cook.”

“Well, today, I am. Now, clean up and put on your new dress.” “All right, Mama.” Mollie dragged her feet and hung her head all the way to her room. Caliphany found the broom and swept up brown feathers until the floor was spotless. She glanced at the clock. “Where is Galadin?” He was supposed to be here helping watch Mollie. Her mother, Ellawen, had offered to come early and babysit, but Caliphany wanted to handle the holiday on her own this year. Not once had she celebrated away from the Aranea manor or the palace in Leogard, where servants prepared everything. Since becoming a wife and mother with her own household, Caliphany had tried hard to master domestic life. Most high elves couldn’t understand why one of their kind, especially the king’s niece, wanted to get her hands dirty. Even her mother remained skeptical. She put away the broom and checked on the bread. Besides being a little lopsided, it was rising nicely. Outside the kitchen window, smoke plumed from the smokehouse, where Galadin had venison curing for their feast. He’d already prepared a nice selection of side dishes. Why he needed rabbits, she had no idea, but if this bread came out a success, she could brag about contributing something to dinner, too. Mollie’s voice rang out from the pantry. “Uh-oh.” Never certain what her precocious daughter might be into next, Caliphany’s muscles tensed as she rushed to the scene. Mollie, with a few rogue feathers still stuck in her hair,

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now had a thick coating of honey gluing them down. The honey jar wobbled on its side, and a viscous stream meandered onto Mollie’s new red satin dress with the fur-lined collar.

table, head in both hands, and wept bitterly. He knelt at her side. “Cali, don’t cry. It’s fine. But, what happened?” “I made bread.”

Caliphany clapped a hand to her forehead. “Mollie…why?” “I was trying to reach the honey for your bread, Mama. I was trying to help.” “I didn’t ask you to help! Today is supposed to be perfect, and now look!” Under the sticky mask of honey, Mollie’s bottom lip trembled. Caliphany righted the jar and took one of her daughter’s messy hands. “I know you were trying to help, sweetheart. Let’s get you a quick bath.” **** Galadin released Razor into his warm hutch and covered it to keep out drafts. He opened the cottage door, expecting to be greeted by his wife and daughter, but all he got was a face full of smoke. “Cali! Mollie!” He ran through the black cloud into the kitchen. Ducking beneath the smoke layer, he honed in on its source—the oven. He grabbed a mitt, opened the door, and coughed as a thicker cloud of smoke billowed out. Cali, with a towel-wrapped Mollie in her arms, ran from the bedroom. “Oh no!” Galadin took the pan from the oven, opened the kitchen window, and dumped the charred remains outside. He sped through the cottage, opening every window to let the smoke escape. He’d just finished when he heard a sob. Behind him, Cali sat at the dining

“Oh.” “Then Mollie brought her chicken in the house, and then she spilled honey all over herself. I had to give her a bath and forgot the br-e-a-a-a-d.” She melted into more tears, while Galadin rubbed her back and looked at Mollie. The little girl shrugged and retreated to her room. “Cali, it’ll be all right. We can make more bread.” She raised her head and started to say something, then grimaced. “Why are you all…?” The sobbing resumed with a vengeance. He’d almost forgotten about his mud bath. “Long story. I’ll clean up. Don’t worry.” There was nothing he wanted more than to give Cali and Mollie a wonderful Year’s End. After their long separation and dangerous work as scouts, they deserved some peace and quiet. He knew how much this holiday meant to Cali and loved her more than ever for wanting to make it special. Cali gave him a half-hearted smile when he kissed her cheek. Bang, bang, bang! They both gasped, “They’re here!”

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Galadin hurried to the door and opened it to find a stack of colorful boxes. “A little help, please!” his mother-inlaw, Ellawen, called out from behind them. Shyler, Galadin’s former first mate, now blind, stood beside her. “I told ya I could get those, me lady. Or you could have let the driver do it instead of sending ‘im off so soon.” “Button up,” Ellawen admonished playfully. “Galadin’s our host, so it’s his job.” “Right.” Galadin took the packages from her arms and set them on a side table. Ellawen removed her gloves and looked from her daughter to her sonin-law. “We stopped to pick up Shyler, but it appears we may be early. You said five-o-clock, did you not?” “Yes, Mother,” Cali whimpered. “And Galadin—you’re…” Ellwen’s face broke into a smile, which evolved into laughter. “My goodness, this reminds me so much of when Sirius and I were newly married.” “It does?” Cali asked. Galadin didn’t fail to notice how his wife perked up at stories of her late father. “Oh, yes.” Ellawen hung her scarf and cloak on the coat rack. “I tried so hard to make things perfect. Sirius did too. And the harder we tried, the messier things were.” Mollie came running, wearing a plainer green, but clean, dress. Ellawen caught her granddaughter in a happy

hug. The two giggled, and so did Cali, just a little. Mollie kissed Ellawen’s cheek. “Did you bring presents, Grandmama?” “What do you think?” “We have presents for you, too!” The two of them burst into giggles. Cali flashed a smile at Galadin. Tonight would be even better, he thought, once everyone was sound asleep and he had Cali all to himself. Cali hugged her mother. “I’m sorry. I burned the bread, and Mollie ruined the dress you got her. The whole evening’s a shambles.” “Nonsense.” Ellawen waved a dismissive hand. “I think another carriage just arrived.” Galadin assumed his usher duties and opened the door again. Jayden and Serenya Ravenwing had arrived, each holding one of their twin girls. Once the wood-elf family of four was all inside, Cali whispered, “Oh no, you’re still covered in…” “Mud!” Jayden exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us this was a costume party? Let me guess, Trudeaux, you’re a oneeyed pig.” “And you’re still short. Welcome to the sty!” Caliphany glanced from her exhusband to her current one and rolled her eyes. Serenya tiptoed to give Cali a onearmed hug. “The venison smells wonderful. Thanks for inviting us. Would you like to hold Fallon?”

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“I would,” Cali said. She took the chubby baby, who immediately fisted her pearls and drooled on them. “My, how they’ve grown! I’m so sorry everything’s…” She gave Galadin a pointed look. “…a mess. Nothing turned out quite right, I’m afraid.” Serenya pulled out a doll from her shoulder bag and presented it to Mollie. The toddler threw her arms around Serenya’s neck. “Thank you, Renny! I love it!” “I made it especially for you, sweetheart.” Serenya sat cross-legged on the floor, and Mollie settled on her lap. “On the contrary, Cali, I’d say today is just perfect. We’re all together, everyone’s healthy and happy. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” “Here, here!” Jayden said, nuzzling baby Alina’s cheek. “Let’s eat! I’m famished.” They feasted until their bellies begged for mercy. Galadin refused their offers of help while he cleaned up and enjoyed the happy chatter of a full cottage. Theirs was an unconventional family, but it worked, nonetheless. The horrors they’d shared seemed like nothing more than a bad dream tonight. Jayden played the violin while Serenya sang. Shyler regaled everyone with tales from their sailing days. Caliphany and Ellawen sat on a quilt and played with the twins. Mollie danced and giggled until she wore herself out, soon falling sound asleep on Jayden’s shoulder.

even though Cali offered their bedrooms. Galadin peeked in on sound-asleep Mollie and kissed her cheek. He’d almost forgotten about his much-needed bath, so he eased into his bedroom and closed the door quietly, thinking Cali might be asleep already. Instead, she stood there wearing nothing but a towel. “Ready for your bath, Captain?” He couldn’t get out of his clothes fast enough. About Mysti Parker: Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April 2012. Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud writer of Unwritten, a blog recently voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

He whispered to Cali, “Mind if I tuck her in?” Cali smiled. “Sure, go ahead.” All their guests bedded down in the den in sleeping bags and on the sofa, http://read2review.com/

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review Nikki finds herself in a world between realms, the Bardo, and time is running out. Soon her essence will be scattered forever. Can she pull herself together? Bardo , based loosely on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, follows Nikki, a young schoolgirl who has an.... unfortunate accident and finds herself trapped in the Bardo. It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be long before she'll be scattered across the realms. With only a dog to guide her, can she re-unite herself in time to escape? Fun, fast and humorous, Bardo asks questions about some deep issues, including who we really are, the nature of life and death and why schools insist on students wearing school uniforms when there are much more fashionable options available.

in Scotland and then Austria, before giving up his day job to explore the Far East. Presently Chris is working as an English language teacher in Asia and has lived and worked in many countries including: China, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. We would tell you where he lives now, but by the time we do he'll probably be living somewhere else.

Create Space Amazon Barnes & Noble About Chris McKenna Chris McKenna was born in Scotland in 1983. After graduating from university he worked as a programmer http://read2review.com/

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review When Norse god Týr suspects his friend Thor is cheating in the phenomenal board game ‘Campaign of the Gods’ he takes matters into his own hands and searches out the only being in Asgard who can help solve his problem. But things are not what they seem… And once the forces of Hel are unleashed, only legendary Viking berserker Ivar Ragnarsson and his men can possibly save the day. They just have to work out when in history they are first - and why are the local townspeople so strange? Create Space Amazon Barnes & Noble

About Campaign Of The Gods by Mike Evers… Campaign of the Gods is the second book in a series of 3 novellas which will be called The Hopfield Tales. They are intentionally quite short and are designed to be relatively accessible to children, some of whom may not have the concentration or patience to read full-sized novels. The first one is called The Spirit Archer. Each story has (or will have) a historical or mythological element to it and is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Hopfield. All of the books have people, locations or objects which are (or were) very real. For example, Robin Hood's grave (which is near the Yorkshire town of Mirfield), Ivar Ragnarsson - who was a Viking leader,

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the Hopfield Stone in Campaign of the Gods - which is actually called the Mirfield Stone, and the monastery 'The Community of the Resurrection' which is likely to be a location in the 3rd novella. Eventually, my hope is that The Hopfield Tales will be published as a single volume, and it is in this context that I hope all 3 stories will be considered. However that is likely to be in at least a year or so. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the novellas. They are also available in paperback thanks to the hard work of GMTA Publishing. Mike Evers In His Own Words… I was born in Singapore way back in 1970 and spent my formative years in Wales after my family moved there from Australia in 1976. I’ve since resided in numerous places, including: Sussex, Kent and Poland. After school I did a BA in History at the University of Wales, Swansea; and later, a Masters’ degree in International Conflict Analysis at the University of Kent at Canterbury. This has given me an educational background which I have for the most part managed to avoid capitalizing upon - so far.

Raymond Feist and David Eddings. My later influences are far too eclectic to mention, but include George Orwell, James Herriot and Michel Foucault. I also enjoy gaming (especially First Person Shooters and RPGs) on PC and PS3. As an author I usually write Fantasy or Urban Fantasy, quite often with a twist. My first novel - The Chaosifier mixes fantasy, adventure, humour and philosophy in a modern day setting. For various reasons it is unavailable at the moment, but I plan to re-publish a 2nd edition in the not too distant future. My most recent work, the novella ‘The Spirit Archer’ brings a different angle to one of the most famous characters in English legend. I have aimed these books at teens and young adults in particular – though older readers have told me they’ve enjoyed them greatly too. I enjoy working with GMTA and really love the passion and enthusiasm they bring to the publishing process.

I currently live in West Yorkshire with my wife Joanne and son Joseph. I spend a few days a week teaching English in a local college. This is a career I have been doing for 12 years or so and it was in doing a certificate in education in Huddersfield that brought me to the area in 2004. My interests are fairly varied and include reading pretty much anything. I particularly enjoy reading historical accounts and fiction with a magical angle. My early influences include JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Roald Dahl, http://read2review.com/

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WARNING: This book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. NOT SUITABLE FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams... After years of suffocating under her boss's scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won't let anything--or anyone--stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won't take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams. Gavin Cassidy hasn't been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in

every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he's summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan...nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country. The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face. Inhale is currently free from the following places:

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A thrilling, passionate and beautifully written dystopian trilogy in which ageing is no longer feared and death is no longer inevitable. For fans of the Hunger Games. The Declaration combines an amazing vision, a great baddie, with endearing male and female leads. Anna Covey is a Surplus. She should not have been born. In a society in which ageing is no longer feared, and death is no longer an inevitability, children are an abomination. Like all Surpluses, Anna is living in a Surplus Hall and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. She is quietly accepting of her fate until one day, a new inmate arrives, and Anna’s life is thrown into chaos. The Resistance is seen from Peter’s point of view and expands upon Gemma’s frighteningly real future outlined in The Declaration. The year is 2140. Peter and Anna are living on the Outside as Legals. Impatient to see action as an agent in the Underground, Peter is tasked to infiltrate Pincent Pharma Corporation and find out what’s going on in the secret Longevity programme. Peter must feign reconciliation and win the trust of his grandfather, Richard Pincent, one of the most powerful men on the planet,

who is chasing the holy grail of modern science – a drug which will reverse ageing and make people look young again. The Legacy is a thought-provoking thriller in which Gemma Malley once again opens up a philosophical debate about eternal life, scientific advancement and morality. The truth is too terrifying to bear: Longevity is not working. The drugs long sold as the secret to eternal life are rapidly losing their effectiveness and a terrible virus is stalking the country. In a vicious battle of values Pincent Pharma claims that the underground activists have deliberately contaminated a batch of Longevity drugs and soon no one is safe as the angry mobs retaliate by torching the houses of suspected sympathizers. But someone knows all the secrets hidden by Pincent Pharma and has the key to exposing everything. New Look Paperbacks, Published 8th November 2012, £6.99. Also available in eBook format.

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review Some secrets are meant to be shared; and a boy’s encounter with England’s most legendary archer will change his life forever. In 1237, a man journeys to a priory in Yorkshire to seek refuge and treatment for battle wounds. He is betrayed and murdered. His final, dying act is to fire an arrow through a window, asking to be buried where it lands. Nearly eight hundred years later, a schoolboy’s incredible discovery will lead to a friendship that will alter his life forever. And he’ll hear some tales and secrets of England’s most legendary archer of all. Create Space Amazon Barnes & Noble

About The Spirit Archer by Mike Evers… The Spirit Archer is the first book in a series of 3 novellas which will be called The Hopfield Tales. Each story has (or will have) a historical or mythological element to it and is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Hopfield. All of the books have people, locations or objects which are (or were) very real. For example, Robin Hood's grave (which is near the Yorkshire town of Mirfield), Ivar Ragnarsson - who was a Viking leader, the Hopfield Stone in Campaign of the Gods - which is actually called the Mirfield Stone, and the monastery 'The Community of the Resurrection' which

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is likely to be a location in the 3rd novella. Eventually, my wish is that The Hopfield Tales will be published as a single volume, and it is in this context that I hope all 3 stories will be considered. However that is likely to be in at least a year or so. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the novellas. They are also available in paperback thanks to the hard work of GMTA Publishing. Campaign of the Gods is the second Hopfield Tale. The third one has thw working title of Mark of the Legion. Mike Evers In His Own Words… I was born in Singapore way back in 1970 and spent my formative years in Wales after my family moved there from Australia in 1976. I’ve since resided in numerous places, including: Sussex, Kent and Poland. After school I did a BA in History at the University of Wales, Swansea; and later, a Masters’ degree in International Conflict Analysis at the University of Kent at Canterbury. This has given me an educational background which I have for the most part managed to avoid capitalizing upon - so far.

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In the year 2057, in a post-apocalyptic world where a polar shift threatens the survivors of a widespread pandemic with extinction, sixteen-year-old genetically enhanced Lily Carmichael has more immediate problems. Her uncle is dying of cancer and her healing abilities are ineffective against the blood ties that bind them. In order to find a cure, Lily must leave the protection of her quiet town and journey to the trading city of Albany, all while avoiding the Industry, an agency that would like nothing better than to study and exploit her abilities. Seventeen-year-old Will Callahan has been searching for his father since severe storms blasted through the Midwest, killing his mother and sister. When he learns that his father may be in the city, he catches a ride with Lily, a girl who has come to his rescue more than once. As the two embark on a dangerous journey, the tension between them grows. But the secrets Willâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeping could put Lily in far more danger than traveling to the city with him, and if he was any kind of

man, he would have told her to run the minute she found him. Amazon e-book B&N Smashwords Print copies through Create Space Is inspiration in the stars? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy to be here with you today, sharing my thoughts on what Christmas means to me and how the season inspires my writing. Christmas time has always been a bitter sweet mix of joy and sorrow for me. In the Christian culture in which I was raised, the birth of the Christ child symbolizes hope for the salvation of the world, a time to rejoice. In other traditions the season represents change. It is the end

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of the calendar year—a time of reflection and the precursor to renewal—a chance to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. In terms of my own reflection, I’m joyful and ever so grateful to have the wonderful friends and family in my life that makes everyday a blessing worth celebrating. My work as a massage therapist and holistic health practitioner is a vocation that gives me purpose, knowing that I make a difference and offer comfort and healing to people on a daily basis. At the same time, the Holidays remind me of all of the loved ones I’ve lost, and leave me profoundly aware of our limited time here on earth. Each year that passes seems to speed up and fly by exponentially. Days feel shorter; weeks pass in the blink of an eye, and my body is feeling the inevitable pull of the passage of time. This year especially, with the end of the Mayan calendar predictions of doom and the underlying spirit of fear in our culture, I have experienced the shift along with everyone else—this sense that we are on the cusp of something big. It is no coincidence that writers of dystopian fiction have poured out of the woodwork the past few years, and I don’t think it’s just about trying to ride The Hunger Games wave. I believe that we as a species are all interconnected and that as a whole, we share a conscious awareness of an imminent global shift—not necessarily the end of the world, but certainly a new path that will be set before us. When I decided to write YA fiction a few years ago, it was due to the simple fact that I had a message of hope that I wanted to impart to young people and thought what better way to do so than to write about the real lives of teens who must face the difficult

circumstances of life and who come out on the other side having triumphed over adversity. I had enough of my own challenges as a teen to have learned that no matter how bad things get, there is always hope—and if there is a sweet romance along the way, so much the better. My first three books were contemporary YA romances about teens dealing with painful losses, difficult choices, and finding their place in a changing world. So it didn’t feel like a big leap to me when I had the idea for The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, a dystopian trilogy set in the year 2057—a not so distant future, but a world vastly different from what we know today. In Lily’s world, where three quarters of the population has been wiped out by a global pandemic and a polar shift threatens the rest of Earth’s population with extinction, circumstances seem dire. Yet there is still hope. You see, Lily is the first generation of genetically altered children, bred to survive the viral plague. With this evolutionary change, Lily has been given the ability to heal quickly, and also to heal others. But just like every other teenager, she still struggles with issues like how she fits into the world, living up to expectations of others, and trying to meet the growing responsibilities of becoming a young adult. In fact, the end of the world is seemingly the least of her worries since saving her uncle from certain death, protecting her brother from a rogue government agency set on exploiting his ability to take life with just a touch, and avoiding falling for the mysterious drifter, Will Callahan are much more immediate problems. The trilogy chronicles Lily’s journey as a sixteen-year-old traveling across a post-apocalyptic US—a journey fraught with danger, adventure, and romance as she and Will team up to save her

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uncle in book one of the trilogy, called WANING MOON, her brother in book two, and the world in book three—a lot of pressure for any teens despite their special abilities. Ironically, the story will find its end at Christmas time—a time when the hope of salvation is upon us and the solstice reminds us that the dark days of winter are behind us. So when asked what Christmas means to me and how the season inspires my writing, I would say that my inspiration comes from the stars—those ever present reminders that there is hope beyond this moment, this day, and this life here on earth. For if we reach for the stars anything is possible. What about you? Do you have hope for the future? Does Christmas time bring you a renewed sense of faith that in the grand scheme of things, everything will be okay? I’d love to hear what you think. About PJ Sharon: PJ Sharon is the author of several independently published, contemporary young adult novels, including Molly finalist, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES, FAB Five finalist ON THIN ICE, and SAVAGE CINDERELLA, Golden Palm and Sheila finalist.

and teen angst, PJ writes with a positive outlook and promises a hopefully ever after end to all of her books. Because of this, readers of all ages will be captivated by the emotional and romantic journeys of her characters. After a tumultuous youth and a challenging young adulthood that gave her plenty of personal experiences from which to draw, PJ has found her bliss in sharing her wisdom and stories with teens and adults alike. When she isn’t writing and publishing, she is owner of ABSolute Fitness and Therapeutic Body Works, a private practice Massage Therapy and Personal Training business that she founded in 2005. Writing romantic fiction for the past seven years, and following her destiny to write “Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage Life,” PJ lives with her husband in the Berkshire Hills of Western MA. Check out her website to check for upcoming releases and to follow her blog.

On the road to publication, PJ decided that indie-publishing was the best fit for her books. They fall outside the norm for YA fiction in that they are geared toward 16-22 year old readers, a market considered risky with traditional publishers. Hers, however, aren’t your average high school stories. Instead, they are portraits of the real life issues of older teens and their struggles with family, friends, and the guys they fall for. Although the themes are mature, evoking plenty of drama http://read2review.com/

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Creating new, fresh and exciting promotional tours tailored especially for you. Page Turner Book Tours is fronted by the face behind Read2Review Kate. PTBT has been put together to help promote authors and give something back to the writing world. Kate has put together a team of incredibly talented people to help with the project by incorporating their individual skills into making new, fresh and exciting promotional plans that we hope you agree are amazing. Please check out our Plans and Pricing page for further details. If you want to tour with Page Turner Book Tours please take a look at the tour with us page. If you would like to join in with the tours as a host please take a look at our tour hosts page. We are proud to announce our next two tours which will be running from the 20th November to the 20th December.

The Tide Breaker by Sonya Watson - Tour runs until 27th December Blurb: Once upon a time, there was a sixteen year-old girl that lost both her parents under unusual circumstances. Abrianna was lonely and found some comfort in the arms of her boyfriend, Michael. Life turned grim when she realizes that a man, who was once the enforcer of fate, wanted her to die. The disgraced enforcer had taken great steps to ensure Abriannaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death and planned to do this by enlisting the help of humans and creatures without their knowledge. Evil had washed over the land the humans named Dainesville. Abrianna had the power to heal the land and when she did she would return prosperity to the lives of the townspeople. When the time came for Abrianna to stand alongside her halfbrother, Stephen, to fight the coming evil she did so without hesitation. Life ended. Darkness fell. Love faded. The End?

We are looking for hosts for guest posts, interviews, spotlights/showcases and reviews. We hope you will join us for these fantastic toursâ&#x20AC;Ś

Amazon UK Amazon USA Smashwords Barnes And Noble Author Bio: Sonya was born in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica but moved to Canada eleven years ago. She discovered writing when she was

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eleven. However, was unable to pursue it since she lived in a country where writing was impractical. She rediscovered the art during third year at York University. Kinesiology, the program she was enrolled in, was no longer simulating and found herself questioning her purpose in life. This led her to poetry and poetry led her to writing novels.

vampire romantic suspense Promise Meseries. Tara divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.

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Shadow Man (Lash Series, Book 2) by Tara Fox Hall - Tour runs until 20th December Blurb: When a renegade vampire begins amassing followers, threatening Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vampire hierarchy, weresnake Lash partners with old enemies and new allies to annihilate them. Betrayed and left for dead, Lash reemerges the victor, catching the eye of the sultry nightclub singer Cassandra Nile, even as enemies close in from every side.

Tara also runs a monthly contest on her website where one lucky winner will win any of her latest release in eBook form. To take part email her to join her mailing list. To become a touring author with Page Turner Book Tours please email us!

Amazon UK Amazon USA Bradley Publishing Barnes And Noble About Tara Fox Hall: Tara Fox Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, actionadventure, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal action-adventure Lash series and the http://read2review.com/

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review Personal demons can be a killer. Even after eighteen years, Canadian pilot Mike Stafford still carries a powerful sense of guilt over the death of his best friend during a huge RAF bombing raid to Berlin in 1944. He eventually returns to England for an inaugural squadron reunion full of apprehension over what the visit may produce. Siggi Hoffman, then a young German girl of twenty, also has terrible memories of a personal loss from that same wartime night. She too is unable to forget. Nor has she ever been able to forgive. When fate throws these two together in a small north Yorkshire town during the summer of 1962, the past collides

devastatingly into the present. And all the time, lurking ominously in the background, is an unknown enemy intent on extracting violent revenge. Personal demons are only one of the many problems that must now be overcome when Stafford and Siggi find themselves fighting to survive. As long buried secrets are finally revealed, events reach a literally explosive conclusion. Create Space Amazon Barnes & Noble About George Stratford In His Own Wordsâ&#x20AC;Ś

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I was born prematurely (feet first, all two and a half pounds of me) in Croydon, South London during early June 1944 - just four days before Hitler's V1 flying doodlebug bombs began raining down all around our neighbourhood. Years later my mother told me the story of how our house (with us inside) had one almost miraculous escape from these bombs. Maybe there's a novel somewhere in this for me? It's a strong possibility. My father was a Canadian bomber pilot serving with 78 Squadron RAF Bomber Command. He was killed in action on his 28th mission when I was six weeks old. Before I was born, my mother was also very involved in the war effort, serving as a WAAF at the top secret Bletchley Park establishment where the famous German Enigma code was eventually broken. My first published novel, IN THE LONG RUN, had as its backdrop South Africa's real life event Comrades Marathon - 55 miles of torture run over massive hills, most years in considerable heat and humidity. This was selling spectacularly well for a first novel until my publishers went bust virtually overnight, so not a single penny of royalties ever found its way into my pocket.

where I was working at the time as a copywriter. How the heck did I ever manage to get myself such a job in Don Draper land at 51 years old when only three years previously I had been a long-term unemployed bum with absolutely no educational qualifications to my name? That's another story altogether. One that I've just finished writing in a bio called AIN'T FINISHED YET. I can indeed identify with many aspects of the fabulous TV series Mad Men, although sadly from a personal point of view, with very little of the gratuitous sex and huge salaries involved. BURIED PASTS, now available in paperback and electronic format with Great Minds Think Aloud, is a tribute to the father I never knew. It's no coincidence that the central character Mike Stafford's surname is so similar, nor that he comes from Brandon, Manitoba, my father's hometown. Even the fictional RAF 79 Squadron is as close as possible to the real thing. In fact, I visualized Stafford as being my father throughout the writing. I liked to fondly imagine that this is how Dad, had he lived, would have responded to the same difficulties and dangers that Stafford finds himself confronting.

I later re-published the title with Booksurge, now Create Space. The book features a foreword written by BBC broadcaster and former Olympic athlete, Steve Cram. Steve, whose world record time for the mile stood for over eight years, also provided a jacket quote stating, "A gripping tale from start to finish." That's Steve with me in the second picture, taken at the launch party of the original version of IN THE LONG RUN in March 2000. This was held at the London HQ of advertising giants Saatchi & Saatchi, http://read2review.com/

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Thank you so much to Reader’s Shadow for inviting me to be part of your wonderful publication. I’m so honored. As an author, the question I am most frequently asked is where I get the ideas for my novels. Most times the stories come to me in a vivid dream. As soon as I wake up, I jot down every detail I can remember. Then I think about it for a few days, sort of letting the story stew around in my mind, and see what comes to me. Now, if you are a writer you know that the publishing business is somewhat unusual, and I say this because my first published novel, “A Pirate’s Ransom” was not the first book I wrote, yet it was the first to be published. The first book I wrote was “According to Legend” (publication date: January 2013) and that book came to me in a dream. Not the complete book, just the beginning and the concept. With “A Pirate’s Ransom” things progressed a little differently. The idea struck me out of the blue. I have always been intrigued with the idea of being swept away by a handsome pirate and wanted to try my hand at writing a pirate story. The first thing that

happened with this book was that I imagined what my handsome rogue would look like. Being a sucker for light eyed men, I knew my pirate would have either blue or green eyes. As soon as the thought of eyes as green as the sea came into my mind, it was as if my pirate spoke up in complete agreement. Demanding from the start! I described him in Chapter Two exactly how I saw him in my imagination. His name came to me in much the same way. I spoke names aloud until he seemed to be pleased with what I selected, and Captain Edmund Drake was born. But, being the alpha male that he is, he persisted to haunt me, his green eyes sparkling in my imagination, his full lips curled into a sexy grin. I knew he wanted to tell me a story and me always being attracted to those bad boys, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to let him. Then I thought about a woman who might capture his interest. She would be a Lady of the day, a maiden,

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innocent to the ways of men, being swept away by this ultimate bad boy who knows that if her virtue were compromised in any way, she would garner no ransom (thus creating a bit of tension for our good captain). But being the strong independent woman that I am, I could never allow my heroine to be spineless, so I created a character who walks a fine line between being innocent, curious, and strong willed. The more I thought about her, the more clear her face appeared in my imagination and Lady Catherine was born. Now, how was this story going to come about? I did what I had read that Stephen King does. I asked myself “what if” and the idea came to me that this devilish rogue of a pirate would capture my innocent Lady and hold her for ransom, but that wasn’t enough ... what if the ransom had nothing to do with money. Thus, the “Ah Ha” moment. But, I’m never nice to my characters, so of course I had to create some major conflict, and I put Lady Catherine in some terrible situations. Here is an excerpt from Pirates. I hope you enjoy it ... My hand rested on the smooth wood of the rail while I watched the moonlight dance upon the waves, the sound of the wind in the sails was almost liberating. I don’t know how long he stood behind me in silence but when I sensed his presence, my backbone stiffened. What was it about this man that riled me so? He took a few steps closer. “Catherine,” he said in a voice just above a whisper. The deepness of his murmur caused my mind to wander. Why was I picturing him using this tone with a lover? My back stiffened further and I chided myself for

allowing my thoughts to wander in that direction. Refusing to face him, I kept my gaze upon the water. “It would give me great pleasure if you would do me the honor of dining with me this evening.” He seemed to purr. He inched closer and the heat of his body radiated into my rigid back. Placing one hand upon my shoulder and his lips close to my ear he whispered, “Please.” The heat of his whisper caressed my ear and the tension seemed to melt away from me. I closed my eyes and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “You look truly beautiful this evening, Milady.” His hoarse whisper scorched my neck and goose bumps ran up my arms. He stood so close that when I relaxed, my back nestled against his chest. His body was hard and warm and the intoxicating smell of him made me dizzy. Heat spread through me in a sensation I had never experienced before as his soft lips gently brushed my neck, but my heart nearly stopped when he whispered, “but not nearly as lovely as you looked this afternoon in the mirror.” ~~~ My second novel to come to publication, “According to Legend,” came to me in a dream. This book is a time-travel adventure which involves a prophecy, a quest, a love triangle and a very quirky wolf. According to Legend, when the spirit of the Tribal Princess is born again and she holds the enchanted stone in her hand, the lovers will be reunited . . . even through time. My heroine, Pam Hastings, an advertising agent, lives a

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boring life until she comes into possession of an enchanted dream catcher, which through her dreams, draws her back in time and into the arms of the handsome Warrior Chief, Moheeladeck. Pam discovers the stones entwined within the dream catcher hold special powers and are also the key to a secret cave, rumored to contain untold riches. When Pam is followed and her house broken into she realizes she needs protection. That is when she meets the handsome and charming dog breeder, David Conner, who gives her HalfBreed, who is no ordinary dog. Both of these characters have secrets of their own. With the village burning and the tribe under attack, Moheeladeck is torn between his duty to protect his tribe in his time, and his desire to protect the woman he loves in hers. David is torn between his love for the same woman and the destiny he was born to fulfill . . . her destruction. Pam finds herself caught in a love triangle between these two men; a love triangle that spans into both realms of time. With rivals in both the past and present pursuing her to control the power of the stones and the treasures in the cave, who is really behind it all? Who can she trust? With two warriors who profess their love for her, who will capture her heart? We find out only in her dreams. If you are wondering about the person behind the words, here is a little background about Gerri. Gerri was born and raised in Connecticut. She attended Central Connecticut State University, majoring in English Literature. Although she lived on the west coast for several years, she relocated back to her roots and birth place of Connecticut, where she presently resides with her two pugs,

Mimi and Milo and her cats, Louise and Harry. As a young girl growing up in Connecticut, Gerri spent her summers writing stories and often times, together with neighboring girls her age, would present original plays for an audience of their parents. When she moved back to Connecticut, Gerri took a job that required her to commute 4 hours a day by train to and from work. After a year of reading a book a week, she decided to make the time work for her, when one night after a strange dream about a dream catcher, she was inspired to write her first book. Lest you think all of her time is spent in contemplative pursuits, freefalling out of airplanes gave a whole new meaning to the word "adventure". Yes, a former skydiver who chose to retire from the sport, Gerri assures us that freefall is totally exhilarating and one of the most amazing and thrilling experiences anyone can have. Her energy and zest for life is found in the imaginative and page turning adventures she writes. Please visit her website for more information about her, her books, new releases, and her exciting contest “Claim the Ransom.” Gerri can be found at Soul Mate Publishing You can get A Pirate’s Ransom at: Amazon Barnes & Noble Please check out our January Issue for Reviews of Gerri Brousseau’s work!!

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Christmas Memories By Kathryn Meyer Griffith All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Books available at Amazon.com

My real childhood Christmas memories, in fact most of my holiday memories, essentially began in my ninth year. Oh, I have memories, scattered and muted, of earlier times but none as crystalized as those after that year. That’s because months earlier on a sultry hot August day around my ninth birthday I almost died; the whole experience changed my young life forever from that time on. It was early August 1959 – a terribly hot and long summer pre-airconditioning – and I lived with my six siblings, mother and father, in a rambling run-down house near St. Louis. We didn’t have much money or material possessions, wore hand-medowns and sometimes we didn’t have lunch money or even a working telephone. Our utilities were often cut off for lack of payment, things would disappear from the house and into the pawn shop and a car would one day be ours and the next not. But we had each other and…love.

My maternal grandmother, Mary Fehrt (joy bringer and storyteller of her generation) was always there for us when it came to providing the things we desperately needed; care packages of food and cash. As much as they could give because they weren’t rich either, but frugal; both worked long grueling hours at a dry cleaner. They’d gone through the Great Depression and could stretch a dollar. I always thought it ironic they’d responsibly had just one child, my mother, Delores, but she gave them seven grandchildren. I thought of my family as a modern day Walton’s. Heck, we even had a writer John Boy (me…though I was an artist and a singer with my brother Jim before I became one) and a musician, Jason (my brother Jim), a loving mother and father and a generous grandmother and grandfather. We were poor but happy. A good hearted family. Anyway, that August I got sick. My side hurt and I lay moaning on the couch for three days while my mother and father agonized if I should be taken to the ER. Money we didn’t have. In the end, my mother won out and they took me. I had a bad case of appendicitis and the doctors, as they rushed me into the operating room, told my parents if they’d waited another hour the appendix would have burst and I might have died. Died. Thank God, I didn’t. Afterwards I languished in a hot hospital room (I can still smell the antiseptic, bloodied bandages and feel the pain of the stitches to this day). Ech. My ninth birthday was two days after I returned home and my family, relieved

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I was alive, showered me with gifts. A brownie camera. Art supplies. Homemade cake and ice cream. Everyone was there. I, for once, was the center of attention and loved it. I look back now and realize that was the beginning of wanting to be different, to stand out, make a difference in the world, to shine, and shortly after that I began drawing pictures and singing with my brother on the rusted backyard swing set. The holidays that year were different for me and my family as well. Thanksgiving was full of grateful laughter, a huge roasted turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and marshmallows (my favorite) and lots of my father’s special treats, nuts and tangerines. I was acutely aware of everything. I was looking at the world through new eyes and was excited at the life I’d been given back. Happy. Thankful for my loving family. Christmas was a child’s sweet fantasy. Christmas Eve, as the snowflakes, the temperature and the night’s amethyst twilight fell, my brothers, sisters, mother, father and I piled into my Dad’s big Buick and drove through the woods and neighborhoods of twinkling lit up houses to our grandmother and grandfather’s house. We usually stayed home on Christmas Eve and opened our presents the next morning when our grandparents arrived. Not that year. Dad and mom announced it was special and we were going to grandma’s house. Opening our presents there that night. Yippee! What child didn’t want presents early. Sooner the better. It was snowing heavily by the time we drove into their driveway and I can still see what I saw as a child as I walked wide-eyed into grandma’s house (my grandmother loved the holidays and had twinkling Christmas lights, the big

fat old-fashioned bulbs, strung along the front of their house and there were decorated Christmas trees in every room). My grandmother had outdone herself and there wasn’t a corner of her home that wasn’t full of Christmas. We traipsed downstairs and into a Christmas wonderland. Grandpa had gone out and cut a huge pine tree that stood at the end of their 50’s remodeled basement in all its glory. On its fragrant limbs hung hundreds of cherished family heirloom ornaments and beneath it were piles of brightly wrapped presents, more than I’d ever seen in my life, and a miniature Christmas village with a tiny train that chugged noisily around a little metal track, blowing its whistle. The whole glittering sight took my breath away. They made us kids sit on the floor and handed out our presents one by one. Grandma and grandpa had gone overboard, as always, and I remember sitting there unwrapping present after present and crying because I’d gotten so many of the things I’d wanted. A large drawing tablet. Colored pencils. Pastels. A watercolor set. A sparkly (some of you remember those don’t you?) paint-by-number of winter sunsets. A new blouse. A big bag of my favorite nuts, cashews. All for me. I was in seventh heaven. The other kids did pretty well, too. By today’s standards, nothing much, but small trucks, cars, new clothes and dolls meant a lot to us. I gave my grandmother and grandfather a set of porcelain fishes; my mother an inexpensive necklace and father some gloves. My brothers, sisters and I had gone out on a cold night days earlier to the local five and dime and picked out what we could afford, not much, but it was given from the heart. After the gifts we sat down at the long table full of grandma’s

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delicious food and ate, laughed, and made memories as the snow continued to drift outside the windows. Later, stuffed, content and exhausted mom and dad loaded us all into the Buick and slowly drove us home on the slick streets. Magic. I’ll never forget that night and the joy of my large family. The love. It’d sustain us through the hard and bad times to come and to this day gives me a smile and a catch in my throat whenever my thoughts touch it. Merry Christmas everyone!

grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha, live cats Cleo and Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes. Kathryn’s Websites: Myspace (to see all my book trailers with original music by my singer/songwriter brother JS Meyer) Bebo Facebook Authors Den Goodreads Jacket Flap Shout Life Romance Writer And Reader Romance Book Junction

About Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

E-mail her as she loves to hear from her readers.

Since childhood I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21, over forty years ago now, and have had sixteen (eleven romantic horror, one historical romance, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel and two murder mysteries) previous novels and eight short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press. I’ve been married to Russell for thirtyfour years; have a son, James, and two http://read2review.com/

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The race to figure out her vampiric origins is on. And maybe she’ll get the hang of the blood-drinking gig along the way… “You’re a vampire” is so not what Ema Marx wants to hear when she wakes from a two-day coma in a cryptic yet exquisite castle in northern Finland. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like why she’s able to see in the dark and walk through solid objects. What she doesn’t understand is why the other vampires expect her to have all the answers. It’s their fault she turned into one of them…right?

Fortunately for Ema, she could also be the clan’s only savior.

Jalmari’s hatred for his old-man intensifies when he’s ordered to bring that troublesome girl to their castle. He has a clan to run, there’s no time for babysitting newborn vampires no matter how they were converted to their culture. But when a twothousand-year-old premonition threatens to take the crown and his life, Jalmari sees no other choice than to take out the catalyst. Ema Marx.

MuseItUp Publishing Inc.

Dark Heirloom is available in paperback and eBook from: Amazon Kindle Barnes&Noble Smashwords.com

Dark Heirloom - Chapter One A scream tore from my throat. The rapid slap of my sneakers against asphalt echoed through the alley. Wind ripped my hair and coat back as if trying to halt my escape. A chain link fence rose in the distance as I neared

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the end of the alley. Shit. I could have sworn this one opened to Clark Street.

“What makes you think I want anything from you?” he sneered.

Thud.

My chest heaved as I pushed myself up. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at the mouth of the alley, now behind me.

I froze. My heart pounded in my ears. Tears fell as I closed my eyes. Please, please, God… His heinous laugh drowned out my ragged breath. Caught at a dead end, I had no choice but to turn and face him. He stood in the shadows, the darkness of his attire blended in with the night. Only the glow of his emerald-colored eyes gave him away. Think, I shouted to myself. What does he want? My purse? My money? With a shaky hand, I pulled my wallet from my bag and flung it at him. He shifted his weight, dodging the wallet in one simple move. I stared like an idiot as it landed in the gutter behind him. Why is he chasing me if he doesn’t want my money? What else could he want? He grinned, bearing a set of abnormally sharp, fluorescent-white teeth. Who the hell is this freak? He stepped toward me. My fists clenched as I stepped back. He took another step forward. My back pressed against the cold metal of the fence. Tears blurred my vision and fell as ice melted through the back of my coat. Chills rolled down my spine, sending a quiver to my lip. I swallowed the lump of panic building in my throat. “Leave me alone!” He kept advancing, his eyes locked on my face, his gait slow with one foot in front of the other, like a cat. I shoved a trembling hand in my purse in search of my pepper spray. He snatched my wrist and yanked me to my knees. The contents of my purse spilled and scattered.

He scoffed. “You think you can run? Go ahead, mouse. Run.” I did. I was almost to the street when a thick shadow dropped from the sky. Two rock-solid fists shoved my chest. I fell backward. My head hit the pavement. Stars danced in the periphery of my vision as I struggled to sit up, but my limbs moved in slow motion. Two hands, each finger adorned by a silver ring, gripped my shoulders and lifted me. My back hit something solid and cold—a brick wall. My feet dangled above the ground. He held me at eye level; his sour breath churned my stomach as his face inched closer to mine. “I know what you’re thinking.” His voice was deep, smooth, as he rolled his R’s. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Nevertheless, once you kill one rat, you have to kill them all. Even a little mouse like yourself.” My blood drained at the utterance of the word kill. I squirmed in his grasp. “Please, don’t hurt me.” He clenched my jaw with one hand as his fingernails dug into my skin. I cried not from the pain, but from fear. “Would you like to know a secret?” His hot breath caused bile to rise in my throat. “Only you disgusting rats can see our eyes glow. I’m sure you knew that already. I’m sure your mother told you the stories. I’ll bet you didn’t listen

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to her. I bet you thought they were just fairy tales and bad dreams, hmm?” I had no idea what he was talking about. I concentrated on finding a way out of his grip, hoping his guard would slip while he continued his monologue. “You know, when you find one rat, there are a dozen more in the nest.” He tightened his grasp. “Where’s your rathole, eh little mouse?” “Let me go!” Pain manifested in every inch of my face. My jaw throbbed and my head spun. A stiff ache cut through my spine. Fear and cold shook my core. Exhaustion weighed down my struggling limbs. I just wanted it to end.

her writing is influenced by the multicultural urban society of her youth which she continues to visit each summer. J.D. loves paranormal characters; from vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, to witches and ghost. Her writings are often a combination of suspense and romance. J.D.’s books are available in print and e-book formats from Muse It Up Publishing Inc. and all major book retailers. She loves to hear from readers.

He studied my face for a moment, a frown tugged at his lips. “Very well.” He released my jaw then reached back under his jacket. The sound of sharp metal being unsheathed pierced the night as he drew out a long silver dagger. My eyes widened at the emblems engraved on every inch of the blade and handle. I recognized them as Norse in origin. I also recognized the precise way in which he held the dagger level with my left rib cage. He’s going to stab me in the heart. Keep an eye out for the next installment in this fantastic series… Dark Liaison (Ema Marx Series Book 2) is due out in May 2013!! About J.D. Brown J.D. Brown graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her two Pomeranians. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, http://read2review.com/

Author’s Links: Website Facebook Fan Page Twitter Profile J.D.’s Blog

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Anwyn Rose is descended from a long line of powerful witches yet she can barely cast spells young witchlings have mastered. She has one functioning witch gift, the power of knowing, which she puts to good use as a Detective on Flint’s Preternatural Investigation Team. It’s a new era in Vehicle City, supernaturals are running the town. The P.I.T has their hands full with paranormal crimes. Top priority is a serial killer, who appears to be a vampire, draining young women in the city. Anwyn is on the case with her sexy partner Detective Mike Malone. Complicating things is her relationship Galen, a vampire who looks more guilty than innocent, although Anwyn trusts her instincts even if her power is on the fritz. Mysterious spells, compromising situations, and a possible demon on the loose make it hard to focus on the case, but Anwyn has to make things

right before the human police execute the wrong vampire. Hex and the Single Witch contains magick, a little bit of mystery, a lot of supernatural mayhem, and a sexy love triangle that will leave you wanting more. Amazon Kindle Smashwords Barnes and Noble Print Excerpt featuring Mike Malone: “You should have told me why you hate vampires so much. It was during the Hysteria wasn’t it?” The damn Hysteria ruined and destroyed so many lives all thanks to a bunch of power hungry vampires and Others who thought it was a good idea to let humans know they existed. Like the witch hunts, the burning times from before hadn’t proven that was a bad

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idea. But, no, they thought a new, modern generation of humans could handle it. The Hysteria proved humans hadn’t evolved much. Of course, neither had the Others. “Yeah,” he said into his hands. “You know I lost my dad to vampires at the end. At the last battle. The rogues had the humans all riled up. No one knew what was going on, the riot started and there was this group of mercenaries, humans killing anything that moved. My dad’s team tried to get them out of there, but as soon as they realized vampires and Others were on the police squad the mercenaries decided to wipe everyone out. My dad was shot and while he was down rogue vampires finished him off.” “Then how can you still be close to them?” Mike sneered. “Humans played their part in his death too, Mike. Can I shut myself off from the world and hate everyone? It’s unrealistic. I understand your hate, but they are not all bad.”

around with me for a long time. I lost both my dad and my mom that night. Even though my mom still lives and breathes, she’s not the same. But I can’t change it, and I can’t hate everyone for it. I just have to accept it. I took this job to try and prevent other kids from growing up with this pain and anger. Isn’t that why you took this job too? You know we have to fight the bad guys and take help from all the good guys we can, right?” “Yeah,” he muttered. I caressed his strong jaw. Goddess, he was a beautiful man. And more complex and tender than I had thought. I took off his top hat and laid it on the desk so I could run my fingers through his wild wavy hair. The move startled Mike and he look at me with a puzzled expression on his face for a moment before heat flared in his eyes. As soon as I saw the flames in his eyes my body responded. A burning need rose inside me, an ache suddenly needed to be filled. Mike’s expression changed into one that promised deliciously wicked things. Hot damn

“They all drink blood. They are monsters designed to kill humans.” His snarl looked ferocious. I had not realized his hate ran so deep. “And humans are designed to kill animals and each other. Doesn’t mean we all do.” Stubborn man. “Anwyn, I’m sorry I can’t look at them the way you do.” He glanced at me then stared at the floor. I touched his face gently and made him look at me. “Mike you can’t carry pain and anger around with you forever. Believe me, I know. I dragged it

About the Author: Story strumpet, tome loving tart, eccentric night owl...these words describe book publicist and erotic romance author Roxanne Rhoads.

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When not fulfilling one the many roles being a wife and mother of three require, Roxanne's world revolves around words...reading them, writing them, editing them, and talking about them. In addition to writing her own stories she loves to read, promote and review what others write. Roxanne is the owner of Bewitching Book Tours and operates Fang-tastic Books, a book blog dedicated to paranormal and urban fantasy books. When not reading, writing, or promoting Roxanne loves to hang out with her family, craft, garden and search for unique vintage finds. Visit her online: Author blog Book Blog Bewitching Book Tours Author Facebook Bewitching Book Tours Facebook Roxanne Rhoads Author Facebook Fangtastic Books Facebook Flint Fang Fest Facebook Twitter Linked In Goodreads Google+

About Bewitching Book Tours: Bewitching Book Tours is the brainchild of Roxanne Rhoadsfreelance writer, erotic romance author, book lover and paranormal aficionado. You might know Roxanne from her books and ebooks or as the book blogger, reviewer, and author promoter for Fang-tastic Books. Roxanne has been a writer for as long as she can remember. She swears she was born with a pen in one hand and a book in the other. Her love of books stems form her mother reading bedtime stories to her every night and taking her on weekly trips to the library to hunt the stacks for a great read. When other children begged for candy and toys when taken to the grocery store Roxanne always asked for a book. It started with Little Golden Books, then moved on to Sweet Valley High, then she fell in love with all things spooky and supernatural. By the time she was eleven she was already reading Dean Koontz, Anne Rice, John Saul, Stephen King and anything else she could find that featured a witch, vampire or ghost. She became a published poet in elementary school when 2 of her poems were selected to appear in a local magazine. All through her school years she attended Young Author's Conferences and wrote for the school newspapers. She won numerous essay and writing contests which earned her savings bonds and scholarships. As a high school junior she started writing for the teen section (Word Up) of the local newspaper The Flint Journal. She also received a scholarship for college from The Flint

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Journal. In college she wrote for the college paper along with a local entertainment magazine, Riff in addition to having poetry published in small magazines and journals. After college she tried many jobs including: video clerk, sales clerk, secretary, adult store sales clerk (think of a store similar to Lover's Lane) and small business owner. She started writing professionally in 2005 quickly finding the niche of erotica and paranormal romance to be to her liking. One of her first stories was published in Playgirl Magazine and she quickly snagged a job as writer and editor for Tit-elation.com and became an editor for Ephemera Bound Publishing as well as becoming a columnist for SexKitten.net. Since then she has been published on numerous websites, in magazines, and both print and ebooks. Roxanne has been learning the ropes of online book promotion as a writer, book reviewer and book blogger- for years now- so she has a unique advantage of knowing how multiple sides of book publishing and promotion operate. Roxanne understands how book bloggers work and what they want to make their jobs easier while also understanding that authors need promotion to be streamlined, easy, less time consuming (so they have more time to write) and above all, affordable. Bewitching Book Tours is geared towards the new author, the ebook author, the small and independent press author, and the mid-list author-

the author who doesn't have a huge marketing budget but wants the most bang for their promotional buck. Bewitching Book Tours aims to offer just that by pairing authors and their books with targeted book bloggers and readers who enjoy the types of books the authors write. Bewitching Book Tours specializes in paranormal romance, urban fantasy and paranormal erotica book tours though we are open to almost all other fiction genres as well. “What’s not to like about Bewitching Blog Tours? It gives you the opportunity to chat about your book, let’s you hold fun giveaways, allows your readers to know you better through interviews, and it’s all organized for you. Can’t get much better than that!” ~ Kindle Bestselling Author, Stacey Kennedy “I've been incredibly impressed with Bewitching Book Tours in general and specifically my tour for Vampire Dreams. For the price, I've gotten tremendous promotion and the efforts have been very professional. The resulting sales in just three weeks that the book has been available bear out the point better than I can express it. I'm so thankful I went with Bewitching Book Tours for Vampire Dreams. Thank you so much!” ~ Gabrielle Bisset author of Vampire Dreams "It was a blast going on a Bewitching Blog Tour. I got to meet some amazing people and was introduced to some fantastic blog sites. I would definitely make a Bewitching Blog Tour part of my marketing strategy." ~ Michael Lee author of My Frankenstein

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If you like the supernatural, angels, demons, Seers, and spiritual warfare, you will love this series. Mark Of The Seer (Seer Society, Book 1) All Clarity Miller wanted was a normal teenage life and everything seems to be going in the right direction until she meets Sam. Sam informs Clarity that he is her Guardian Angel and she has been given the gifts of a "Seer" but Clarity wants nothing to do with Magic or the Spirit Realm. However, when tragedy strikes her home town, she realizes she has a very important decision to make... Should she embrace the life of a Seer? Only time will tell. Amazon USA

Broken (Seer Society, Book 2) Clarity has a decision to make... Can she sacrifice one to save many? Clarity Miller's life has changed dramatically since she met her guardian angel. She has learned that she's a Seer and now is expected to give up the life she knows and fight demons face-to-face. But even with all the death and destruction she knows that God has a big plan for her life. Clarity accepts her calling and now has to use her Seer gifts to help the small town of Garlandton when a Fallen Angel named Livian arrives to play her devious games on the unsuspecting Garlandtonites.

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Broken, the second book in The Seer Society Series, will leave you asking one questionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;What do you believe?

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About Jenna Kay Jenna Kay has always had a vivid imagination. At the age of thirty she decided it was time to put her imagination to work. Growing up with three older brothers made her strong and one tough cookie. She was blessed with two loving parents, both that encouraged her to follow her dreams and always made sure that she was in Church. Her mama is her biggest fan. She graduated from high school in Georgia, where she played varsity basketball. Later, she obtained a cosmetology license from the State of Georgia and practiced cosmetology for 8 years before becoming a full time mother and author. Her works include Mark of the Seer, Broken (The Seer Society Series), Silver Mortal (The Gracen Chronicles), and Beyond the Never Anthology. Jenna currently resides in North Georgia where, when not writing, she spends time with her three young children and her loving husband. Pages to stalk Jenna!! Facebook: Mark Of The Seer Jenna Kay Seer Society The Gracen Chronicles Crushing Hearts And Black Butterfly Goodreads:

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Anomaly, is the first of three books in the Becoming Milla Blaire: Sci-fi Thriller series. In the November Issue of Reader’s Shadow Candice Stockstell joined us for an amazing contest and also a spotlight for Anomaly (Becoming Milla Blaire). This month Candice is back with a second contest! We have 10 Anomaly (Becoming Milla Blaire) booklets to give away. Each booklet is a teaser for the novel and are definitely worth grabbing while they are available! To be in with a chance to win one of the 10 we have to giveaway please let us know the following:

if the TRUTH could destroy the entire world? Milla Blaire, a stunning beauty recovering from the scorn of life under the limelight, gets the hard-core truth about the laws of Cause & Effect, when she sets off cross country for a VIP event, but instead ends up in another world. There, she learns that some beauty is beyond skin deep when she comes face to face with the unknown and uncovers a shocking truth of existence.

Anomaly (Becoming Milla Blaire)

En route, she encounters Aden Dilees, a mysteriously handsome heir with less than graceful charm. With Milla’s celebrity status and Aden’s unacceptable arrogance, it’s no wonder why they get off to a bad start. But when forced to endure each other’s company on a turbulent flight, they undoubtedly fall in love… and into the realm of a parallel universe.

What if you learned that everything you've ever believed was a LIE...What

Once on solid ground, the confusion sets in. Aden's identity is revealed as

Name: Home Address: Twitter URL: Facebook URL: Good luck to all who enter!

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an elite member of a secret society with an unimaginable secret and Milla gets a make-over that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget. A slew of paranormal occurrences follow leaving her to question her own sanity, but when she witnesses a supernatural event, she becomes the hunted... and the truth begins to unfold. Allies and enemies arise, and love is on the line. Milla Blaire doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to believe or whom to trust, but she must make a choice. As she gets closer to uncovering the truth, one thing is for certain. Chaos is inevitable when the limelight interferes with the unknown. Amazon USA Amazon UK Candice Stockstell In Her Own Wordsâ&#x20AC;Ś The name Candice, means 'brilliant light'. "I believe that names put meaning into our lives and maybe even intertwine with our characteristics," she says.

Having a spiritual, but non-religious background, Candice explored her own theories about life. Slowly, she began drawing conclusions from dreams, curiosity, and innate thoughts. But it was her analytical nature that brought it all together. Finally, she put it on paper. With the support of family and close friends, she took a leap of faith and gave up her day job to create and explore a new world. Soon, the idea of Becoming Milla Blaire had become a reality and lead to a milestone in Candice's life. An avid reader herself, she knows the formula for what readers want. Realistic characters with interesting dialog, passionate romance, thrilling suspense, and explosive action sprinkled with a little comedy. "That's what keeps readers turning pages, instead of skipping chapters." Currently, Candice is completing the Becoming Milla Blaire series with hopes of seeing her masterpiece come to life on film. She lives in the Chicago land area and enjoys life with family and friends.

Candice Stockstell, the Author of this highly sophisticated, series is not your typical writer. She studied Communications, abroad at the University of Maryland in Armed Forces Europe, while serving her country in the U.S. Air Force. Upon her honorable discharge, she began modeling and went on to study TV and Film at Act One Studio in her home town, Chicago. However, acting would only go so far with a woman who considers herself a philosopher. Though philosophy was her first love, it led to a new love affair with science. Eventually, that love grew and expanded into quantum physics. http://read2review.com/

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Myrna Ashlin Watts graduated from High School in Jacksonville, Fl just in time to find herself transported to a bizarre and primal planet corrupted by demon-dragons. And they want her DEAD. Her problem is she has been recruited to kill them, too. 18-year-old Myrna is drawn into the middle of an epic battle between Seraphym and Demons. An average High School student from Florida, struggling with inner demons resulting from a rape two years earlier, she wakes one morning on the Steampunk planet of Dracwald, home of the demon-dragons responsible for her brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent murder as well as many other atrocities in the news. She meets Michael, who becomes her guide and explains that according to prophecy, Myrna must gather the remaining six Vigorios (teen warriors with special talents) then train with the Majikals on an enchanted island. Reluctantly, and knowing it is her only way to get back home, she agrees to lead, battling dragons and monsters

while crossing swamps and mountains, forests and seas. She wrangles with the old inner demons when three very different men join her questâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a seasoned demon/dragon-slayer who irritates but beguiles her, a tender and sweet mentor in whom she trusts completely and a roguishly handsome Scientist who sets her senses aflame. How is she expected to lead the others and keep everyone safe with so much inner turmoil? Will love and lust, jealousy, greed, deceit and distrust break the delicate tie that binds these teen warriors called The Vigorios? Can a troupe of teens help the Seraphym finally defeat the massive empire of evil dominated for eons by the demon-dragons of Dracwald?

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Amazon Odessa Giveaway: With many thanks to Rebecca Ryals Russell we have 1 copy of Odessa to giveaway! All you need to do is email us the following information and your name will be put into the pot to be drawn on December 31st.. Name: Email address: Preferred eBook format (Kindle, Nook, PDF, etc.): About Rebecca Ryals Russell: An avid reader of anything Fantasy from the time she could read, Rebecca Ryals Russell now writes MG and YA Dark Fantasy and Horror plus some Picture Books, while living with her family in a Victorian house on five acres of North Florida countryside. Her favorite series being Lord of the Rings, she kept Tolkien’s writing in mind while writing her series The Seraphym Wars. She also kept Rawling’s series, Harry Potter, in mind as far as character development and use of evil elements. But her all-time favorite writer is Ray Bradbury because of his twist-endings and multiple plot points you don’t see coming. Her second favorite writer is Stephen King because of his prolific writing and varied style. When not writing, and sometimes while she is, she also runs a Vacation Rental Log House on her property: Florida Black Bear Cabin from which she wrote the first two books in the Seraphym Wars Series before it took off as a weekend rental business. The warmly decorated log house proved a perfect setting for designing the monster and dragon-filled world of Dracwald.

She is a fourth generation Floridian, born in Gainesville while her father attended U of F, where her second daughter is now studying Psychology. She grew up in Sunrise, just a few miles from where Johnny Depp lived at the same time. She next lived in Orlando for a few years before moving to Jacksonville where she and her husband raised their family. When her mother died suddenly of a brain aneurism, the family moved to Wellborn, outside Lake City to care for her dad, who then died three and half years later. The family now wishes to return to Jacksonville, which is why the house is for sale. It can be seen at McLeran House Her main interests are her four children ages 22, 19, 16, 11 and Irish hubby of 35 years. She enjoys spending her time writing (and lately doing a lot of promo and marketing), drawing, going to movies with her oldest daughter every Tuesday night and sharing a popcorn, reading YA Fantasy and getting jealous of all the excellent new authors on the bookshelves, discussing philosophy, world culture, religion and Classic Literature with her 16-year-old son over Pizza, or sitting on the porch wicker swings while eating peanuts and drinking a beer with her husband and whichever kid is around. Over the course of the next few years she has several books being published. You can find Rebecca at the following places:

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Many millennia ago Laud asked for a volunteer to live on the planet of Dracwald and guard the Prophecy of Solsyl. Jeremiah Holyfield, immortal member of the Conscientia volunteered and for many years lives as the Reverend in a small village. The Prophecy of Solsyl tells of the demise of Narciss, the demon dragon who rules Tartarus. When Narciss learns of its existence he declares he will not stop hunting the Guardian until he has the Prophecy in his possession. When Reverend Jeremiah Holyfield's village is burned to the ground by Narciss, he must traverse half the planet of Dracwald to protect the Prophecy of Solsyl. Along the way he discovers the value of friendship, forgiveness and love. Amazon Prophecy Giveaway: With many thanks to Rebecca Ryals Russell we have 1 copy of Prophecy to

giveaway! All you need to do is email us the following information and your name will be put into the pot to be drawn on December 31st.. Name: Email address: Preferred eBook format (Kindle, Nook, PDF, etc.): About Rebecca Ryals Russell: An avid reader of anything Fantasy from the time she could read, Rebecca Ryals Russell now writes MG and YA Dark Fantasy and Horror plus some Picture Books, while living with her family in a Victorian house on five acres of North Florida countryside. Her favorite series being Lord of the Rings, she kept Tolkienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing in

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mind while writing her series The Seraphym Wars. She also kept Rawling’s series, Harry Potter, in mind as far as character development and use of evil elements. But her all-time favorite writer is Ray Bradbury because of his twist-endings and multiple plot points you don’t see coming. Her second favorite writer is Stephen King because of his prolific writing and varied style. When not writing, and sometimes while she is, she also runs a Vacation Rental Log House on her property: Florida Black Bear Cabin from which she wrote the first two books in the Seraphym Wars Series before it took off as a weekend rental business. The warmly decorated log house proved a perfect setting for designing the monster and dragon-filled world of Dracwald. She is a fourth generation Floridian, born in Gainesville while her father attended U of F, where her second daughter is now studying Psychology. She grew up in Sunrise, just a few miles from where Johnny Depp lived at the same time. She next lived in Orlando for a few years before moving to Jacksonville where she and her husband raised their family. When her mother died suddenly of a brain aneurism, the family moved to Wellborn, outside Lake City to care for her dad, who then died three and half years later. The family now wishes to return to Jacksonville, which is why the house is for sale. It can be seen at McLeran House

photography and stories. Her main interests are her four children ages 22, 19, 16, 11 and Irish hubby of 35 years. She enjoys spending her time writing (and lately doing a lot of promo and marketing), drawing, going to movies with her oldest daughter every Tuesday night and sharing a popcorn, reading YA Fantasy and getting jealous of all the excellent new authors on the bookshelves, discussing philosophy, world culture, religion and Classic Literature with her 16-year-old son over Pizza, or sitting on the porch wicker swings while eating peanuts and drinking a beer with her husband and whichever kid is around. Over the course of the next few years she has several books being published. You can find Rebecca at the following places:

The daughter of an Elementary-school principal and secretary, for fourteen years she taught Middle Grades fifth through seventh all subjects, preferring English and Creative Writing. She had several students’ works published in anthologies as well as her own poetry, http://read2review.com/

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Paper Crane Bytes Do you write? Would you like to see your short stories in a published magazine exclusively for stories up to 25,000 words? Then Paper Crane Bytes is the perfect place for you! Submissions are open to any short story (up to 25,000 words) in any genre. Email Sheenah (subject: Paper Crane Bytes Story Submission) with the story either pasted in the body of the email or, preferably, attached as a .doc file. The deadline for the first issue is December 25, 2012. Any submissions after that will be accepted for the second/future issues. The magazine will be released bi-monthly. The first issue will be out during January.

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Nick Hunter will take you on the ride of your life! In book one, Blood is Heavier, we meet Nick Hunter, who used to be a contract killer. Tired of killing, Nick has cut all links to his former lifestyle and can at last relax and live a normal life. He settles down to married life. He has a son. He adores his little family. Unbeknown to him, shadows from his past step forward to shatter his shortlived peace. His wife is dead, his fouryear old son kidnapped and it looks like someone is trying to frame him for murder. Under pressure, broken, is there anything Nick wouldn’t do to rescue his son? In the second book, Blood is Power, Nick is after revenge. Comfortable in the knowledge that his good mate, Tequila, is perfectly able to look after his loved ones, Nick Hunter does exactly what he shouldn’t do and proceeds to track down and eliminate every person involved in his son’s kidnap. But where will the chase end? And has he bitten off more than he can chew? Nick discovers a tangled net of drugs, human slavery and corruption. Will he enter the lion’s den? Will his family stay safe? Will he be framed for murder? Find out in December.

These books promise you a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat read that will keep you turning the pages to the very end. Excerpt from Blood is Power “I’ll do you a deal,” Nick said coolly. “You tell me where I can find Dollar and I’ll let you keep what few fingers you have left.” The man narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to Nick. “You think you scare me? I’ve lived through hell.” Nick pulled out his dagger and swiped it across the counter, scattering the broken glass all over the floor. The barman took a step back and looked straight ahead, his pupils dilated. At the same time a faint wave of cold air ruffled the back of Nick’s head. Before anyone had a chance to react, Nick threw himself over Lucy, toppling her and her barstool to the floor. In the same motion, he flicked his dagger towards the front door.

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Over Lucy’s groans, he discerned a silent ‘pwft’. His eyes travelled reflexively to the barman, who now had a perfectly round hole right between his eyes. The man crumpled, catching a tray of freshly-washed pint glasses on his way down. The combined clatter of his body hitting the floor and the glass shattering obscured the noise made by the front door sliding shut, but the air had stilled, so Nick was certain the attacker had gone. He reasoned he must have injured Dollar’s man badly. If the hit man had been fine, both Nick and Lucy would have been dead by now. He shot to his feet and pulled Lucy up behind him. In the doorway, Nick paused only long enough to quickly look up and down the street, and then he turned his steps to the right, following a thin trail of blood. The trail stopped abruptly two blocks down, by the curb. Nick swore under his breath. The bastard had a car waiting for him. “Is... is he gone?” Lucy whimpered behind Nick. He turned to look at her. She was shaking so badly, she was having to readjust her position, her bare feet mincing on the same spot. “Come,” Nick ordered. “Where are we going?” “Police station.” A sob escaped Lucy’s lips, but she kept close to Nick as he set a fast marching pace. In front of the brightly-lit entrance, Nick paused.

“Here you are. Go in. Stay in. Tell them everything you know, and then ask for witness protection. Do not walk out of here unless you’re on your way to a safe house; it’s your only chance to stay alive.” She nodded limply and staggered through the door. Nick made his way back to his bike, mentally sifting through his remaining options. Dollar de la Rue was clearly determined to keep his whereabouts secret. In fact, it would be unlikely he would remain in London, now that he knew he was being hunted. Time to change tack and approach from another direction. There were two other leads to choose from: Campbell’s boat and Newton’s hint about Cyprus. The Isle of Wight was closer. About Ella Medler Ella Medler is a published author and co-author, an opinionated book reviewer and article writer, a cantankerous proper grammar and punctuation user, and most of all, a dedicated writers’ friend. She has an obsessive passion for observing human nature and as a result none of her characters are perfect. Over the years, she has experimented with different styles and genres. Martin Little, Resurrected is the first in a series of satires directed at the British way of life and overwhelming bureaucracy. The Hunter series is an action thriller trilogy. Blood is Heavier (book one) forms part of this giveaway to celebrate the release of Blood is Power (book two) in December. Eternal Island is a paranormal romance suspense written in collaboration with Kristie Haigwood. Its sequel, Eternal Immortality is due out on Valentine's Day 2013.

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Love Hurts! Love Kills! From the author of Fracture comes a psychological thriller with fear, and its ability to manipulate the brain, at its heart. Megan Miranda’s masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again. Mallory's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend is dead. He bled to death in her kitchen. She was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear. When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. She feels a hand touch her shoulder in the night, hears a voice whisper her name. Caught between sleep and wakefulness she can’t be sure what’s real and what’s dream. Mallory is no longer sure if she is completely sane, nor does she know what she is truly capable of.

When a pupil is found dead, suspicion falls on Mallory and even she can’t be sure she isn’t responsible. With a narrator that can’t be trusted, a love interest who may not be a hero and a cast of potential traitors, Hysteria is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Megan Miranda was a scientist and high school teacher before writing her debut novel Fracture, which was inspired by her fascination with scientific mysteries—especially those associated with the brain. She studied biology and anthropology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she twice won a coveted award for research in bioengineering. Megan lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children.

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Reader’s Shadow exclusively interview J.T. Fairfield / S.J. Drum… RS: How long have you been a writer? JTF/SJD: I wrote my first book in the second grade. My mother typed and bound it for me using a clunky old typewriter and huge, heavy book binding machine. The book was about a cat who had kittens in an attic and everyone was very sad for some reason. I wonder whatever happened to the book? RS: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? JTF/SJD: Professionally? About the time I went on bed rest during my first pregnancy. It was either start writing or start going crazy. RS: What inspired you to become a writer? JTF/SJD: Ernest Hemingway. I loved The Old Man and the Sea when I was in my early teens. I also read a lot of Emily Dickenson poetry. I realize now how odd it was for me to read poetry anthologies and Hemingway while my peers were devouring COSMO. At the

time, the darkness in Dickenson’s poetry and Hemingway’s novels didn’t register with me as at all dark. Maybe that says something about my state of mind back then. I’m glad I saved The Bell Jar to read as an adult. RS: What jobs did you have before you became a writer? JTF/SJD: Most notably, directly after graduating college I accepted a position as a zookeeper and elephant handler at the Baton Rouge Zoo, and later, as a hoofstock keeper and seal trainer at the Toledo Zoo. From zookeeping, I moved on to a veterinary assistant position an all-night emergency vet clinic before I started writing full-time. Want to know what degree I earned in college? Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and Psychology. Ha! RS: How did you come up with the concept for your work? JTF/SJD: My two most recent works are a product of life experience. Sinful Southern Ink, written under the name S.J. Drum and published by Ellora’s

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Cave, is the first in a series of romance books featuring tattooed and pierced characters. I had a tattoo and a few naughty piercings by the time I was sixteen, so the subject matter calls to me. Caged in Myth, written under the pen name J.T. Fairfield, takes place in Louisiana where I used to live and is set mostly inside a zoo which secretly houses mythical creatures. A ton of my experiences as a zookeeper fill in the details of the story. RS: How did you come up with the story line for your Caged in Myth? JTF/SJD: I’m a daydreamer. The storyline for Caged in Myth came to me over years of completing time consuming, menial tasks at the zoo which required a lot of physical work but not much brainpower. My mind would take a hike while my body cleaned stalls and come back full of imaginary adventures. RS: Who did you first show the draft of Caged in Myth to and why? JTF/SJD: My wonderful critique partner, Cornelia Amiri, who writes Steampunk and Romance stories. I send all my work to her first because she’s an impartial party. She isn’t my mother or friend or cousin and she’ll tell me if the story stinks or if it’s good. RS: What audience do you think Caged in Myth is aimed at? JTF/SJD: Categorically, Caged in Myth is an LGBT Upper YA Dark Urban Fantasy. Dang, that’s a mouthful. I’d say anyone fifteen and above who has an open mind when it comes to lifestyle choices will enjoy Caged in Myth.

RS: Do you have plans for further books? JTF/SJD: Absolutely! I’m currently working on a sequel to Caged in Myth and the second book in my Sinful South series. I’m also actively promoting my two other books which released in 2012. RS: What author inspires you, if any? JTF/SJD: J.R. Ward and Robyn Carr. I would like to suck them both inside my brain and make them live there. Their books always keep me up after midnight. RS: Are there any authors who you find influential? JTF/SJD: I find many self-published authors to be influential. R.L. Mathewson and Kristen Ashley are two who come to mind. RS: Where is your favorite place to write? JTF/SJD: Anywhere I can’t hear Barney or Dora the Explorer in the background. RS: Which place gives you inspiration and gives you the ''writing bug''? JTF/SJD: Public places. I am naturally reclusive so hanging out in a bar or attending a large public gathering aren’t things I enjoy as a participant. As an observer, I escape into my head and catalog details, nuances of interactions between people, characteristics I find interesting. Before I know it, the evening is over and I’ve mapped out a new storyline.

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RS: Do you have a bucket list, and what’s on it?

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JTF/SJD: I used to Scuba dive a lot and I want to go again someday. I’ve never jumped out of an airplane and, though I’m terrified of heights, I want to go skydiving. I’m terrified of bugs, but I’d like to visit the Amazon rain forest. Travelling to see the pyramids, Scotland, Greece, Italy, and Australia is at the top of my bucket list.

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RS: What is your favourite book? JTF/SJD: This is a terrible question for a writer! LOL I read approximately 275 books a year and write 4 books of my own. I’m going to plead the fifth as my answer to this question. RS: What is your favorite movie? JTF/SJD: It’s a tie between Casablanca and the little known movie Before Sunset. RS: What is your favorite animal?

Caged in Myth by J.T. Fairfield

JTF/SJD: Capybaras. They are the world’s largest rodent, like guinea pigs the size of a German Sheppard. They make a really cute barking sound when they’re scared, have the most adorable little faces and are great swimmers.

The Bayou Zoo, where magic is real, the beasts are deadly, and a bad day at work can literally mean the end of the world.

About J.T. Fairfield / S.J. Drum: J.T. Fairfield is a pen name of author S.J. Drum, used for the author’s work in Upper Young Adult Fiction. Former zookeeper turned author S.J. Drum writes Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Novels and Contemporary Romance, each with a bit of Steampunk flair.

Octavian Julius McKellter— “Jay” to everyone who doesn’t want a punch in the face— struggles with keeping the secrets of his supernatural community and his own secret...he's gay. Throw in a dose of danger, deceit, and Louisiana heat, and you'll find yourself CAGED IN MYTH.

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The Writing of “The Ice Bridge” Eternal Press Buy Link Amazon Buy Link All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Books available at Amazon.com You Tube Book Trailer the water’s edge of Lake Huron and when the time came, after packing up everything we’d need, we jumped in the car and took off. The Island doesn’t allow cars, only bicycles, horses and snowmobiles (in the winter) so we left our vehicle in a Mackinaw City parking lot on the mainland and boarded the ferry that would take us across the water to the Island, our luggage and two bicycles in tow. It was much cheaper to bring our own bikes instead of rent them there. It was late August and the Island was beautiful. Crowded with colorful, fragrant flowers, clomping horses, whizzing bicycles and, of course, lots of tourists. Fudgies as they were called because they came, purchased and devoured so much of the little town’s fudge.

Eight years ago my husband, Russell, and I were celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and decided to return to quaint Mackinac Island in Michigan. We’d been there a few years before, but just for a quick afternoon stopover on our way home from visiting family in Wisconsin. We’d loved the Island for the few hours we’d been on it and promised ourselves we’d go there again someday. So when we began to plan for our anniversary vacation we traveled back for a longer stay of six days. I’d made reservations months ahead at the Iroquois Hotel on

The Iroquois Hotel was lovely with its bright pastel colors and friendly service; a fancy in-house restaurant and our room with its wall of windows facing the lake. A lake that to me was as large as an ocean…because it went on forever. Our six days there were heaven. We rode our bikes, peddling around the horses, carriages, and equine taxis, around the eight-mile in circumference island and enjoyed the sights. The friendly people. The breathtaking views of water, boats and woods. The fudge. We sped along West Bluff Road to the ritzy Grand Hotel (made famous

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in the 1980 romantic time travel movie Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve), ate the scrumptious and lavish tourists’ brunch there and afterwards, so full we could barely ride our bicycles, we gawked at the magnificent Victorian mansions with their elaborate gardens lining Lake Shore Drive. We visited Fort Mackinac and listened amusedly to people talk about the ghost soldier some had reported seeing when twilight began to fall. My husband, a photography buff, even slipped out of our hotel room in the middle of one foggy night to get artsy pictures with our new digital camera of the fort, hoping to catch the ghost. He captured no ghost, but plenty of stunning photographs. One night we even sat, spellbound, as a Lake Huron thunderstorm pounded wildly at our wall of windows. It was as if we were gazing at a tumultuous ocean. Then one day someone, in a cubbyhole of a local hamburger joint, over our lunch, said something about the ice bridge, as the islanders called it. During the dead of winter, when the straits froze over, it was a narrow path that stretched about four miles across the ice that separated Mackinac Island from the St. Ignace mainland. The locals would drive in old Christmas trees along the path to show the way, to show it was now safe. To them the ice bridge meant freedom to come and go for up to two months a year without paying ferryboat or airplane fees. To me it sparked an idea for my next book…what if someone crossed the ice bridge one wintry night and fell through the ice? And disappeared…maybe even died? I started asking questions of the locals: Had someone ever fallen through the

ice and perished? Turns out over the years, that yes, some people actually had. Fallen in. When the ice wasn’t firm enough. Or when they’d gone off the solid marked path. Or in a snowstorm. Some on snowmobiles. Some were saved, dragged out, and some had not been. Hmmm. That’s all it took for the book to begin forming in my head. The rest of the trip I looked at the Island with different eyes. A writer’s eyes. Writer’s ears. I filed away the memories and the home-grown stories recounted to me. Though most of my earlier books were romantic horror, I’d written a couple of straight contemporary murder mysteries, Scraps of Paper and All Things Slip Away, a few years before and Avalon Books had published them. I’d quite enjoyed writing them. So I thought I’d write another one with Mackinac Island and its real and fictional ghost tales as the background. I’d show the beauty of the island, changing of the seasons, what it was like in summer, fall and winter (tons of snow and ice), and describe the historical landmarks. I’d spotlight the quirky close-knit inhabitants and have the protagonist gather their imaginary spirit stories to put into the ghost book she was writing. I’d make the Island nearly a main character itself with its enigmas, water, snow, ice and fog. The novel would be about a woman, Charlotte, jilted in love, coming back to heal and visit her poignant childhood playground, and her lonely Aunt Bess. She’d meet an Island cop, Matt, and together they’d not only fall in love but would embark on a great dangerous adventure together. There’d be a spunky old lady, Hannah, living next door and the four would be great friends. Until the old lady disappears on a winter’s night while crossing the

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ice bridge and the mystery would begin. Had Hannah been murdered by someone….how exactly…by whom…and why? The remainder of the book would be the unraveling of that mystery as the central characters try to keep from being killed themselves by the devious murderer behind Hannah’s death. I’d embed the Island’s so-called ghost tales throughout the book to spice up the story even more. So it’d be a romantic ghostly murder mystery. Ah, ha. I couldn’t wait to begin.

across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha, live cats Cleo and Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

When my husband and I returned home, refreshed and happy, I started it right away, with the memories of lovely Mackinac still fresh in my mind. Gosh, how I’d loved that Island. A tiny piece of old-fashioned paradise. The book came easily to me. And so The Ice Bridge was born. Now with a stunning new cover by Dawne Dominique and edited by my publisher, Kim Richards Gilchrist, it’s out in the world for everyone to read and, I hope, enjoy.

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review There are always high stakes to play for in the world of gambling, but it’s a world 15 year-old Holly Maddon knows nothing about until her stepmother tries to kill her. The race is on as she tries to discover what her step-mother is up to and whether her father was murdered. She comes up against gangsters, multimillion pound land deals, treachery and deceit, she’s kidnapped, shot at and loses just about everything she loves – it’s a rollercoaster of a ride and Holly's intent on turning the tables. "I received the book free to read and review from Library Thing. The book's plot revolves around a fifteenyear old girl who owns valuable land, though she does not realize she owns it

or its worth, and the treachery used to get the land away from her so the perpetrators can profit from its sale. It begins with Holly Madden pushed off a boat into the Thames River by her step-mother. Jon, who lives nearby, rescues her, unbeknownst to most, and becomes a faithful companion as she endeavors to figure out what is going on and why people want to kill her. They pass through numerous dangerous but interesting episodes to uncover the truth behind this mystery. Even though both Holly and Jon, and later her friend Georgie,

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are teenagers, they unravel the clues in the mystery as well as or even better than the local detectives who are on the case looking for the missing Holly. The author manages to keep their sleuthing well within the bounds of that you would expect from teenagers, which makes the story all the more realistic. All the characters are well developed and interesting. The book held my interest almost from the first page. By the time I had reached the ending, I had only one wish--that the story could go on and on. I am glad I have found one more author whose books I will read and enjoy." - Kathy T, Amazon Amazon Barnes & Noble About Kate Tenbeth In Her Own Words… I think I can safely say I’ve had a varied sort of life so far! As soon as I finished school I moved to London and my first job was working in the library of the House of Lords. Although that was a great experience and I loved it there, a friend persuaded me to apply to the BBC and I was offered a job on Radio 4 news & current affairs. I found myself in an environment that I absolutely loved – it was fast paced, exciting and I met so many interesting people.

became older, however, I found myself going back to my roots and writing more. I won a competition with The Literary Consultancy and they kindly put me forward for an Arts Council Award which gave me the opportunity to be mentored for a year. In January 2011 I helped to set up a writers’ group and one of our first guest authors was a young indie writer, Penelope Fletcher. As she spoke about self-publishing I remember thinking so clearly that I could do that so I went back home, dug out some stories I’d written for my son and started the process of learning how to be an indie author. I’ve loved every single second and learnt an incredible amount! I’ve now published 3 books and 1 short story in the Burly & Grum series for children and ‘Unlucky Dip’ is my first Young Adult book. I do hope you enjoy them! Please check out the Burly & Grum feature in this issue of Reader’s Shadow.

When I left the BBC I worked for The Economist Newspaper for a little while but then decided I’d had enough of London and that I needed a little sunshine so I spent some time travelling and ended up in Grenada, West Indies before coming home and settling in Essex. As I was a single parent I decided to work closer to home in order to spend as much time with my son as possible. So I settled down, became an administrator and worked for various local organizations including the local council. As my son http://read2review.com/

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The new year is rolling in! Why don't you start it off by joining the most exclusive band of tour hosts in the community?

You could have a chance to read one of these great new offerings: Join us Today! Partners In Crime Website

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REVIEWS WANTED!! Please email us if you would like a copy to review From 50 year old jobless write-off, to award winning writer at the world’s most famous advertising agency. At fifty years old I finally realised that I’ve become a bum. Worse than that, I was an unemployed bum with no educational qualifications whatsoever to my name during the recession of the early 1990s. So how the heck did I make the huge leap from this sorry state, to working in the Mad Men world of major league advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi, London? And, by way of a bonus, also get to live out my very own 15 minutes of fame that pop art legend Andy Warhol promised everyone way back in 1968. From the BBC to the British national press, for a short while it felt as if everyone in the media wanted to talk to me. But the truth is, none of this would have come about without a lot of

luck, not to mention help from some wonderful people along the way. AIN’T FINISHED YET will tell you all about the amazing, amusing, heart-warming, great, (and even ‘not so great’) experiences that I encountered enroute in one simply magical six-year period. Create Space Amazon About George Stratford In His Own Words… I was born prematurely (feet first, all two and a half pounds of me) in Croydon, South London during early June 1944 - just four days before

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Hitler's V1 flying doodlebug bombs began raining down all around our neighbourhood. Years later my mother told me the story of how our house (with us inside) had one almost miraculous escape from these bombs. Maybe there's a novel somewhere in this for me? It's a strong possibility. My father was a Canadian bomber pilot serving with 78 Squadron RAF Bomber Command. He was killed in action on his 28th mission when I was six weeks old. Before I was born, my mother was also very involved in the war effort, serving as a WAAF at the top secret Bletchley Park establishment where the famous German Enigma code was eventually broken. My first published novel, IN THE LONG RUN, had as its backdrop South Africa's real life event Comrades Marathon - 55 miles of torture run over massive hills, most years in considerable heat and humidity. This was selling spectacularly well for a first novel until my publishers went bust virtually overnight, so not a single penny of royalties ever found its way into my pocket.

How the heck did I ever manage to get myself such a job in Don Draper land at 51 years old when only three years previously I had been a long-term unemployed bum with absolutely no educational qualifications to my name? That's another story altogether. One that I've just finished writing in a bio called AIN'T FINISHED YET. I can indeed identify with many aspects of the fabulous TV series Mad Men, although sadly from a personal point of view, with very little of the gratuitous sex and huge salaries involved. BURIED PASTS, now available in paperback and electronic format with Great Minds Think Aloud, is a tribute to the father I never knew. It's no coincidence that the central character Mike Stafford's surname is so similar, nor that he comes from Brandon, Manitoba, my father's hometown. Even the fictional RAF 79 Squadron is as close as possible to the real thing. In fact, I visualized Stafford as being my father throughout the writing. I liked to fondly imagine that this is how Dad, had he lived, would have responded to the same difficulties and dangers that Stafford finds himself confronting.

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What I've Learned Since My Novel â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playing The Genetic Lotteryâ&#x20AC;? Was Published A Guest Post by Terri Morgan

I did a tremendous amount of research before I wrote my novel, Playing the Genetic Lottery. Even though I was writing fiction, I wanted my factual details to be correct. My novel is about a woman named Caitlin who grew up with two schizophrenic relatives, and it was important to me that the information about mental illness that I was weaving into my story was accurate. Researching and writing the novel was an education in itself. I learned so much about schizophrenia and the impact it has on families that it prompted me to become an advocate for the mentally ill. Since the book has been published in paperback in late May I've learned even more. I've been giving book talks to service clubs, at bookstores, and assisted living facilities. I've learned a lot from my audiences. It's one thing to know that one out of every 100 people is

afflicted with schizophrenia. It's another thing to see the faces of so many people in my audiences as they talk about their cousin, their father, their sister, brother, or child who is afflicted, and how it's impacted their life. I've also learned how important it is to talk about the illness, which has been a taboo topic for many families in the past. I've learned that talking about my novel, and reading excerpts, has prompted many people to talk about their family experiences with the disease. In many cases, especially among older audiences, people are talking about those experiences in public for the very first time. I've learned that starting a dialogue about mental illness can open a floodgate of conversation. When I open the floor for questions people want to know more about schizophrenia. Sure, I get questions about writing,

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publishing, my background and other book related topics. But the vast majority of the queries are from people seeking more information about the disease. I've also learned from my audiences about new medications, new research, new treatment methods and new diagnostic tools. From my research, I knew that organizations, like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, have helped countless families by providing information, support groups, and a myriad of other services. From talking to people in my audiences, I've learned first hand how critical the work done by those organizations is. I've learned, from the despair in people's voices and the sadness in their eyes, how essential it is for research into the causes and treatments of schizophrenia to continue. I've learned how novelists can play an important role in educating and informing readers. I've learned how important it is for writers to continue writing, and publishing books. I've also learned a lot about the book industry, book marketing and book buyers. But those are topics for my future guest posts.

* Like many people who grow up with schizophrenic parents, Caitlin can't shake the obsessive fear that the family illness will strike again, robbing her of her mind or stealing away the sanity of one or both of her children. * Meticulously researched, this novel sheds a light on mental illness, and how it impacts patients and the people who love them. Written by a long time journalist, this engaging novel will have you rooting for Caitlin from the first page. About Terri Morgan: Terri Morgan is a book junkie and freelance writer from Soquel California. She reads at least 3 books a week, and gets nervous if she doesn't have new reading material available. When not reading, she is often found writing. Over the past three decades, her work has appeared in hundreds of different magazines, newspapers, newsletters and on websites. The author of 4 non-fiction books for young adults, and the co-author of four additional non-fiction volumes, Terri released her first novel, Playing the Genetic Lottery, as an e-book in late 2011 and the paperback version in 2012.

Some facts about Schizophrenia:

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* Schizophrenia affects 1 out of every 100 people; including both of Caitlin's parents. * A devastating mental illness, schizophrenia has a genetic component and runs in families, like Caitlin's. * Caitlin has a tumultuous childhood trying to make sense of the world while living with parents who often don't make sense themselves. http://read2review.com/

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