March 2016 Bewitching Book Tours Magazine

Bewitching Book Tours Magazine Issue 43 March 2016

Bewitching Book Tours Magazine is a publication of Bewitching Book Tours and Bewitching Books.

Editor: Roxanne Rhoads Design Editor and Layout: Roxanne Rhoads Cover Artist: Michelle Berryman Contributors include Bewitching Book Tours Authors and Tour Hosts www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com Ad space rates are: $40 full page ad $20 half page ad $10 quarter page ad You can subscribe to this magazine at http://issuu.com/bewitchingbooktours Š Copyright 2016 Stock images from www.123rf.com and www.pixabay.com

Last Month’s Issue

Table of Contents March 2016 Page 5 Superhero Romance- Electromancer by Daco Page 12 Silk by LM Pruitt Page 16 Interview with Wende Dikec Page 23 Deliverance by Kristy Centeno Page 28 How to Be Happy with Christian A. Brown Page 32 One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot Page 35 Trust Me by Aliyah Burke Page 41 Ten Reasons Authors Should Go On A Virtual Book Tour by Roxanne Rhoads Page 50 Whereafter by Terri Bruce Page 53 Witch of the Cards by Catherine Stine Page 60 A perfect Bond by Lee-Ann Wallace Page 65 Finding Flick with Tanith Davenport Page 69 Creating Teasers that Make Your Readers Want More with Abigail Drake Page 75 Bound by Carmen Fox

Superhero Stories Aren’t Romances, Are They?

By D.S. AUFFENORDE Exclusive to the Kensington City Examiner Of course they are. Aren’t all stories really just love stories? Whether the tale involves falling in love with the hero or fighting for those we love, love is unquestionably integral to the storytelling process.

Some might argue otherwise, but there can be no stronger motivation in the universe, no greater superpower!

Most superheroes have love interests and are motivated, and often conflicted, by love. The recent motion picture Dead Pool is a classic example of a superhero romance. But the traditional superhero often keeps his love connection in check. This is surprising: what’s the point in keeping the love strings tight when love motivates so much of a story?

Today, we’re just beginning to see the crossover of superheroes into the romance genre. For romance, paranormal has been the order of the day—shapeshifters, vampires, wizards, fairies, and other magical creatures. But comes now Electromancer, a combination romance, paranormal, and fantasy, with a strong dose of classic comic-book superhero. Why is Electromancer unique? Because unlike other superheroes, she’s not afraid to bare her heart and soul and yes, even her body, in pursuit of love.

In some ways, Electromancer is not unlike the superheroes from the beloved comics of yesteryear, when Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman ruled. These and other classic superheroes thwart evil, save us from disaster, and then leave us hanging, anxious to experience the next episode in their continuing battle for truth and justice.

But how does Electromancer and other romance superheroes differ from these earlier characters?

In the traditional superhero story, we’re not guaranteed the happy-ever-after ending. In the traditional paranormal story, we are led to believe that—eeeek!—there may really be some mysterious force or monstrous not-of-this-world being that might still take us to the dark side. But in a romance superhero story, we get a bigger bang for our buck—the larger-than-life fantasy and the heart-rending love story.

Romance superheroes may just be the biggest earthshattering phenomena to hit the universe … or multiverse. Call it superlove!

So what’s the novel Electromancer all about? The story is set in the very near future on an earthlike planet with earth-like cities. It features Alexa Manchester, the heiress to her brilliant father’s

energy corporation, and his magical element, Electromite, which could solve the world’s energy problems. Until everything goes wrong, and Electromancer must save the day. And that’s where all the Kabam! Pow! and Zap! come in.

But here also comes the romance: Electromancer can’t do it alone. So who’s Electromancer’s love interest? The handsome mayor of her town, Kensington City, who might someday lead the country of Britannia? Or the mysterious Blue Arrow, half-cloud, half-man, who appears and disappears in a flash? And who in heavens name is trying to shut down the world’s energy supply and take over the planet? That’s what I, reporter D.S. Auffenorde of the Kensington City Examiner, intend to find out.

So join me as I set off on an investigatory assignment to discover the truth. I intend to get to the bottom of Electromancer’s mysterious existence and discover what her intentions are. There’s no assignment too tough. I’ll do what it takes to ferret out and interview all of these characters. Because with every assignment I take on, it’s not the end result that makes the story worthy of reporting, but the journey as it is told through the lives of others. So whether you’re starting with this column or must return to previous post to catch up, follow along as the story is picked up over the wire. http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/2016/03/now-on-tour-electromancer-by-daco.html

Electromancer Daco Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Superhero, Paranormal, Thriller/Suspense Publisher: Crimson Romance Date of Publication: 2-1-16 ISBN 10: 1-4405-9687-5 ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9687-2 eISBN 10: 1-4405-9688-3 eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9688-9 ASIN: B01AOH7BFA Number of pages: 234 Word Count: 70,000 Cover design by Fred Machuca, Illustration by Ricky Ostendi

Book Description: With a heart as pure as platinum and electricity at her fingertips!

She soars like a falcon and travels at the speed of light!

She’s … ELECTROMANCER!

When arch villain Momo threatens to destroy the world with The Big Zapper—a weapon of mass destruction the likes of which has never been seen before—it’s up to Alexa Manchester and her new electricity-harnessing superpowers to stop him.

With a little help from her sexy chauffeur, Sigfred Sawyer, and some exciting encounters with the mysterious and handsome Blue Arrow, soon Alexa’s love life is charged up, too. And to defeat the seemingly invincible Momo, it might just take the naturally super power of love to save the day.

Offering all the Kabam! Pow! Zap! of beloved comic book sagas with the beating heart of a love story, this over-the-top, genre-blending send-up is sure to delight superhero fans and romance readers alike.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/5GE2uOWM_3M Amazon Indigo

BN

Googleplay

Kobo iTunes

Readers of both comic book sagas and romance novels will find the sparks that fly between Alexa and Sigfred very electrifying indeed. ~ Colleen Sargent Library Journal Excerpt from Chapter 6 Sigfred couldn’t be sure whether the mayor’s proposal pleased or displeased her, but it wasn’t his place to ask. He could do one thing—help her get that blasted ring off her finger. He went to the pantry and retrieved a bottle of olive oil—cold pressed extra virgin, of course, because this was Yurdlemon’s kitchen.

“Let me help you get that off,” he said.

“No, I’ll do it myself.” She paused suddenly, staring at the big green stone as if transfixed.

“Maybe I’m not sure I want it off.” She shook her head. “But I do, I do. Oh, I don’t know what I want.”

She sighed. “Wait! Yes, I do. I want to talk about last night.”

“Of course, if you wish.” He waited for her to speak, but she seemed stumped.

Then she said, “What did you think about last night?”

He cleared his throat and said, “Yes, right. It was quite—” “Sigfred!” She slapped her hands down on the sink and looked back at him. “It was nothing like quite, it was more like Oh-My-God in the highest order. No offense.”

“Yes, quite.”

“Don’t keep saying quite! You could say yes, shocking or even jiminy crickets or holy ‘expletive omitted,’ but there was nothing quite about last night. I mean you were there, you saw everything.”

He couldn’t think of an appropriate response—at least, not one that he could articulate to his employer.

“Am I right, you did see everything?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “It was unintentional, of course, Ms. Manchester. I found you lying on the floor next to The Magpie.”

Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows arched upward in disapproval. “I didn’t mean that, Sigfred.

I’m talking about my hands shooting those bolts of lightning from my fingertips—pure electricity!”

He cleared his throat again. “Ah, yes. And there was that.”

“It’s ridiculous. Absurd. People don’t emit electricity. Gladys says I should see a doctor. That I must have been exposed to the Electromite. Am I cursed?”

“It doesn’t seem to be life-threatening. On the contrary, you’ve become stronger by it, or so it seems. If I’m not mistaken, you saved the child from drowning because of it. Perhaps it’s not a curse, but a gift.”

She seemed to consider this, absentmindedly pulling at the mayor’s ring.

“Just a moment,” he said. “I think I can assist you with that little problem you’re having.” He opened the bottle of olive oil and drizzled some over her ring finger. Then, very gently, he began working the ring back and forth. He thrilled when he touched her, but she didn’t seem to react.

“I can fly, you know,” she said, her tone surprisingly casual.

“Yes, madame. I suspected that’s how you saved the boy.”

“What happens if I try to fly, and then these magical abilities suddenly vanish?”

“Perhaps they won’t ever vanish.”

“Yes, perhaps you’re right,” she said in a quiet, serious voice. “And that would mean I haven’t been infected at all. Instead, I’ve been inalterably changed. It would mean that there’s no cure. It means my body and spirit have been transformed into something ... alien. It means I’m not Alexa anymore.”

“You’ll always be Alexa,” he said, reaching up and tipping her chin toward him with slippery fingers. His eyes locked on hers, and he spoke with hushed solemnity. “Nothing can ever change that.”

He wanted to call her lovely Alexa, kind Alexa, beautiful Alexa, but of course, that was impossible.

“When I was inside The Magpie, I heard my father’s voice. Is that crazy?”

“Not at all, Ms. Manchester.”

She studied his face. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“Not at all.” And he meant it. Things went silent as they looked into each other’s eyes. Sigfred had just swayed imperceptibly closer to her when a sudden dull thunk interrupted them. The ring had finally fallen off, clattering into the sink. The moment was lost. He realized, with some awkwardness, that he was still touching her face and dropped his hand.

She colored and looked away, speaking a bit brusquely. “My father called me Electromancer. I get the ‘electro’ part of it, but what’s a ‘mancer’? Have you any clue?”

“You’ve got me there, madame.”

“Mancer? It must mean something.”

“Almost like Romancer.”

Her jaw dropped. “Oh, Sigfred. Not you, too.”

He stiffened. He wasn’t about to explore his feelings with her or to take the liberty of allowing his romantic thoughts about Alexa to go unrestrained. It was his utmost duty to remain her servant and protector, always physically near but emotionally distant. But when she’d transformed into this Electromancer, he had to admit to himself that she was absolutely and without a doubt the sexiest woman alive. Any red-blooded male would be hard pressed to deny that fact.

“What are you going to do about the mayor’s proposal?” he blurted out. So much for knowing his place. “He’s not worthy of you.”

“Bobby Baumgartner is the mayor of Kensington City. He might be prime minister one day.”

“I don’t care if he’s prime minister, king, and president of the Americanas combined. He’s beneath you.”

“And just who are you to talk about rank?”

Her words stung, the pain more intense than the damage those thugs had inflicted the previous night. “Quite right, madame,” he said. “My station is lowly. But I’m one thing the mayor isn’t. I’m a man of integrity.”

“I saw the way you looked at me last night. I may have been Electromancer, but I know when a man is gawking at me.”

“I wasn’t gawking. I was appreciating the qualities of ... You’re a beautiful woman, madame.”

“You mean, Electromancer is beautiful.”

“No, madame. I mean you. Alexa Manchester.”

She looked at him in surprise.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Chef Yurdlemon bellowed from across the room. “Who is invading my kitchen? You are trespassers.” He pointed at Sigfred. “Especially you, Sigfred Sawyer.”

Sigfred nodded slowly. He was trespassing, though not in the way Yurdlemon meant.

“This mess with the olive oil is all my fault,” Alexa said. “I was using it to try to get this ring off.

It was stuck on my finger. Sigfred was just trying to help me.”

“You used my cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil to remove a ring?” Yurdlemon cried. “Such olive oil is not for ring removal. Such olive oil is to make a divine dinner as only I can make it. The olives for that oil come from a small orchard in Sicily that produces only two hundred cases a year! Do you know what that costs? More than a Chateau Latour Bordeaux. More than a fine Sauternes. I need it for my dinner preparations. Oh, everything is ruined now. Each and every minute of preparation is accounted for. There won’t be time enough left in the day, not now. Not when I’m forced to return to the market, where I can only get inferior olive oil.” Chef Yurdlemon grabbed the sides of his head and looked as if he were about to sob. It wouldn’t have been the first time. …

About the Author: Daco is an award-winning author of the espionage-thriller series featuring CIA operative Jordan Jakes.

Her debut novel, The Libra Affair, was a 2013 #1 best seller. Of The Libra Affair, Publishers Weekly said, “The keenly sharp intelligent female characters soar in this edgeof-your-seat adventure...”

Her short story The Pisces Affair was a 2015 Global Ebook Awards double gold medalist (Best Thriller Fiction and Best Science Fiction), a 2015 Shelf Unbound Notable 100, a 2015 Royal Palm Literary Award winner, and a Publishers Weekly “PW Pick”.” In its review of The Pisces Affair, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Jakes is a lively and witty narrator with the wits and skills of James Bond, and readers will savor her fresh perspective on being a woman in the male-dominated spy world.”

Her story The Virgo Affair is part of Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded (Diversion Press, October 2015), an anthology, including numerous best-selling authors.

Electromancer (F+W Media, Inc./Crimson Romance, February 2016), is her first superhero novel, featuring Electromancer and Blue Arrow.

Upcoming works include The Scorpio Affair, a Jordan Jakes novel, and The Ophiuchus Affair, another Jordan Jakes short story.

Daco holds a B.A. and M.A.S. from The University of Alabama in Huntsville and a J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, Alabama Writers Forum, Florida Writers, and Alabama State Bar. Website: http://www.authordaco.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorDaco Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Daco.Author/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/111619918307592399080 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daco-s-auffenorde-64619039

Silk L.M. Pruitt Release Date: April 19, 2016 Book Description: They called it the murder tree.

In 1995, twenty kids went in to the woods. Only three came back.

There are monsters in the woods.

Twenty years later, what happened is still a mystery.

The monsters are back.

Now, the town of Silk faces its greatest threat in over two hundred years. No one is safe.

Not even the monsters.

Excerpt November 1995 They called it the murder tree.

The kids did, anyway. To the adults, those people who no longer believed in ghost stories and things that went bump in the night, it was known as the old Litz tree. The last living monument to the family who founded the town before Georgia was even a state, giving their money and lives in the process.

The adults liked to gloss over that particular part of the story when discussing the history of Mulberry.

The kids preferred to linger on it.

Most of them knew the story of the night the Litz family lost their lives before they were even able to read the decades old textbooks grudgingly provided by the Department of Education. By the time they graduated to junior high, all the kids—the cool ones, at least, the ones you wanted at your party or it wasn’t really a party—had camped out next to the murder tree. More than one high school girl had allowed her boyfriend to “comfort” her in the shadow of the ancient mulberry after listening to the story of the Litz family yet again.

You weren’t a part of Mulberry until you had spent your time at the murder tree.

It was the only reason Elias Crenshaw could think of for why he was freezing his balls off on what was shaping up to be the coldest night of the year.

That and the fact Mandy Jones had promised him she’d be there. The way she’d told him, with just the tiniest smile of her bubblegum pink lips and a flutter of lashes, was enough to keep him warm.

But only for another hour. After that, he was going home. The guys could rag him all they wanted on Monday morning. They’d be the one with bug bites and frozen fingers and all the other stupid things that happened when you spent the night in the frickin’ woods. He’d be warm and rested and all studied up for the big biology exam in sixth period.

Man, if he didn’t get at least a C his parents were going to flip. They’d already been on the fence about letting him camp out the Friday before a test. If he failed, they wouldn’t let him out of the house again until the end of the school year. He’d be the only kid not allowed to go the eighth grade prom.

Mandy Jones would never go out with him if he was the loser kid who didn’t go to the prom.

“Your face is going to freeze like that.”

Elias snorted. “No, it won’t.”

“Yeah, it will.” Shephard Jackson widened her already big brown eyes—bug eyes, Mandy called them—and nodded solemnly. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Probably the wrong thing to say when we’re next to the murder tree.” Elias tilted toward her, leaning in with his whole body before hunching his shoulders and shivering. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t allowed in the woods after dark.”

“I’m not.” She huffed out a breath, the puff of frosty air doing nothing to dislodge the white blonde hair seemingly glued to her forehead. She’d bleached it the week before on a dare, just like she’d pierced her nose last month and broken in to the library the month before that. “But that’s Kelly’s stupid rule. She keeps trying to act like she’s my mom or something.”

“Well, she married your dad.” Elias winced when she reached over and smacked him on the back of his head.

“Jesus, Shep.”

“You’re not supposed to take her side. You’re supposed to take mine.” She sniffled and swiped her hand under her nose. “That’s what best friends do.”

“Fine, whatever.” When Shep sighed, Elias rolled his eyes. “It’s a stupid rule and she’s a bitch and she should stop trying to act like she’s your mom.”

“Thank you.” The pseudo sniffling immediately stopped and she leaned in to him, her slight frame weighing next to nothing. After a moment, she said, “What are you doing here?”

“Rite of passage.” He nodded at the small group clustered around the carefully constructed fire. Albert had insisted they follow all the safety rules for lighting a fire in the woods, reminding everyone of Smokey the Bear’s immortal saying. “Supposed to be more people coming. Real party.”

“Oh, please.” She scoffed, the harsh exhalation shaking her entire body. “You’re here because Mandy Jones said she was going to be here. Her and her little group. They’re so… ugh.” She shook her head before turning to scowl at him. “You couldn’t fall in love with some girl who can actually have a conversation for longer than five minutes without mentioning cheerleading or makeup?”

“First, I’m not in love with her.” Elias returned her scowl, narrowing his eyes to slits. “We barely know each other.” Truth, even though he’d spent countless hours imagining what it would be like to kiss her. “Second, just because she’s not fighting the power or whatever you do when you’re not pissing off your stepmom doesn’t make her stupid.

She’s really smart.”

“Eli, she said it was ridiculous to have the term ‘african-american’ because if you were born in America you obviously couldn’t be from Africa.”

“Well.” He paused, racking his brain for an explanation even as he winced. “You know, there are a lot of adults who feel the same way. Like we should all just embrace our current culture and let of our heritage.”

“Right.” Shep snorted and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She jerked her chin at the fire. “Let’s go. Story time.”

“Oh, come on.” He groaned, digging in his heels half-heartedly when she tried to drag him toward the group.

They both knew it would be impossible for her to move him unless he helped. She was a hundred pounds soaking wet, barely topping five feet while he’d gained twenty pounds since school started. The only reason he wasn’t as fat as a turkey was the corresponding growth spurt, the new six inches putting him dangerously close to six feet. “Not again.

We’ve heard this thing a million times.”

“So this will be a million and one. Come on.” She yanked his arm harder, grumbling something under her breath about ogres. “It’s tradition to tell the story at every campout. Besides….” She trailed off, smiling up at him and batting her lashes. “I’m pretty sure Mandy finally arrived.”

“Well, in that case.” He laughed when she gasped, using her moment of feigned shock to scoop her up and toss her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. “You know what’s really great about having you as a best friend? You’re easy to pick up when we’re fighting.”

“You’re such a troglodyte.” Shep pounded on his back with her fists, biting back a scream when he took a step forward. “If anybody sees me, I swear—on my mom’s grave—I will make your life miserable for the rest of the year.”

He paused, not at the threat, but the oath. After a minute, he dropped her back to her feet, brushing a speck of something off the shoulder of her jacket. They stared at each other, the awkwardness of the silence nearly tangible.

Finally, he said, “Sorry, Shep.”

“Whatever.” Spinning on her heels, she stomped toward the far side of the group, the laces of her combat boots slithering over the dead leaves like a snake. She slid between Albert and Jacob, sneering at something one of them said.

Elias watched for another minute before shoving his hands in his pockets and trudging over to join the growing group.

“Hey, Elias.” Mandy half walked, half skipped up to him as he neared the fire, linking her arm with his. “I thought you were going to spend all night talking to that weirdo.”

“She’s not a weirdo.” The defense was as automatic as breathing. “Her mom died, remember? Like, right in front of her. She’s just, you know, grieving.”

“Right.” Mandy sighed, the sort of huge, exaggerated sigh Elias knew meant annoyance at his supposed ignorance. His older sister made the same noise every time he asked her a question. “Whatever. I didn’t come out to these stupid woods to talk about her.” She smiled at him, the fire casting shadows over her normally light and bright face. “I came to hang out with you.”

“Dude, we’re waiting.” Isiah Graves, Elias’s second best friend—but number one guy best friend, as Isiah was quick to point out—raised his voice to an almost shout. Since he’d been the one to propose the campout, he’d insisted he get to tell the story of the murder tree. Elias didn’t bother reminding him it was a hollow honor. “Story and then party.

Rules are rules, man.”

“Nobody cares except for you.” Jacob Wesson had the honor of being the oldest person in the group by a month and the first to have a voice which didn’t crack at random moments. “Just get this boring ass shit over with before I die of fucking boredom.”

“Okay, okay.” Isiah hunched his shoulders and shuffled his feet, shooting a glare around the group at large before straightening to his full height. “The year was 1748. The town of Mulberry was struggling, just as it had been since the Litz family arrived from Germany with a dream of producing silk and other luxury goods.”

“He sounds like a really dorky version of Mr. Young.” Mandy’s breathy whisper smelled like cinnamon and Elias closed his eyes for a split second, inhaling deeply. When he opened them again, she was watching him with a knowing look.

“Everybody else in the town wanted to use the land for rice, something they could use and sell. But the Litz’s refused to give up their dream.” Isiah paused, drawing out the attempt at suspense. “Finally, the people of Mulberry decided enough was enough.”

Even though everybody knew how the story went, how it ended, every last one of them inched closer. The next part of the tale was always told in a voice barely above a whisper, as if the long dead participants would hear and interrupt to correct the teller on some minute point. Tonight was no exception.

“The entire town, everybody except the children, marched out to the Litz homestead. Josiah Litz tried to talk them down, make them see reason, but he failed.” Isiah stepped back and pointed up at a thick limb jutting out from the trunk in a crooked line. “They strung him up here but the fall didn’t break his neck. So he watched while the town slaughtered his entire family.”

He paused again, the group holding its collective breath. The leaves, long dead but stubbornly clinging to their branches, shivered as a faint wind blew through the forest. Mandy moved closer to Elias and he put his arm around her, ignoring Shep’s eye roll.

Isiah waited a beat longer. “Or rather—almost his entire family.

“They forgot the oldest son was returning from New York. Franz Litz had been gone so long, it was possible the town had forgotten he even existed.” Isiah rapped his knuckles on the tree trunk, nodding solemnly. “But Josiah hadn’t.

And while he slowly suffocated to death under the weight of his own body, he swore his family would have their revenge. And they did.

“While the town burned the house and the trees and buried the bodies of the Litz family, Franz, who’d witnessed everything from the safety of the woods, rode in to Mulberry.” Isiah stepped back in to the circle, his low voice forcing everybody to move closer in order to hear. “And hung every last child.”

The wind gusted through the woods again, stronger this time, the trees rattling their limbs in protest. Somewhere in the distance, some animal let out a single short cry, quickly cut off by the crunching of something larger and more dangerous. Elias glanced around the circle, surprised at the number of pale faces and large eyes, even as he reminded himself it was only a story.

“The townspeople caught him right after he hung his last victim, a baby barely a month old. They hauled him, kicking and screaming, back to the murder tree.” As one, they turned to look at the ancient mulberry. “Even as they put the rope around his neck, he fought. His last words before the noose broke his neck were ‘A cursed ground bears only poisonous fruit’.”

“Or so they say.” Jacob snorted and shook his head. “Whatever, dude. Stupid story about a whole bunch of dead people.” He nudged Shep with his shoulder and laughed. “Fuck’em. Let’s party.”

The circle broke up in to smaller groups, twos and threes and fours, each cluster wandering away from the murder tree. Mandy gripped Elias’s arm tighter and shivered. “That was so scary, right?”

“Right.” He wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic or not and the smell of her floral perfume was too distracting for him to try and figure it out one way or the other. “So, uh, did you want to go for a walk or something?”

“A walk?” She laughed and shook her head. “Uh, no.” Still laughing, she slipped away from him, reaching up and pushing her shiny lemon-yellow hair behind her shoulders. “I actually need to go talk to Shanna about the routine for the game tomorrow.”

“Right.” Elias nodded dumbly. “Uh, right. Good luck with that. I’ll just… go… talk to Isiah.”

Elias hunched his shoulders, stalking over to the base of the murder tree. Isiah studied his face, rocking on his heels before sucking air through his teeth. “Man, that was an epic crash and burn. Epic.”

“Shut up.” Elias punched him, pulling back at the last second. Isiah was nearly as skinny as Shep but more fragile looking, as if a good solid blow would break him in two. “She had to go do cheerleading stuff.”

“Cheerleading stuff.” Isiah snorted. “She’s such a fucking tease.”

“Dude, stop.” Elias looked up as another gust of wind shook the branches, a handful of leaves falling down around them like confetti. “Did you have to pick the coldest night ever to do this thing?”

“Nah, that was just luck.” The other boy grinned and attempted to wiggle his eyebrows. “Pretty spooky, right?”

“Whatever.” Elias nudged him with his elbow. “You bring any good snacks or what?”

About the Author: L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She knows this because she's killed bamboo. Twice. She is the author of the Winged series, the Plaisir Coupable series, Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and Taken: A Frankie Post Novel. http://www.lmpruitt.org https://www.facebook.com/pages/LM-Pruitt/364776895104 https://twitter.com/lmpruitt http://www.amazon.com/L.M.-Pruitt/e/B00427WOW4/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4320796.L_M_Pruitt

1. Do you write in different genres?

Oh, yes. Most of my books are romances with some kind of magical or paranormal element, but I write everything from young adult fiction (like Tiger Lily), to adult paranormal romance. I do the adult stuff under my pen name, Abigail Drake. I wouldn’t want the younger people who read my YA books to accidentally pick up something with more content than they might expect. That would be bad.

2. If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

That’s a tough question. I like to read in many genres, so writing in different genres felt very natural to me. If I had to choose, I think I’d have to say that romance is my favorite. I love a good love story.

Who doesn’t?

3. How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

My character is named Lily, which is kind of a delicate looking flower. But lilies are actually quite hardy, and my character is stronger than she seems. Oddly enough, I sold my book to Inkspell Publishing in June 2015 – right when tiger lilies were in bloom all over where I live in western Pennsylvania. I took it as a sign!

4. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The bonds that tie us to those we love are stronger than anything – even death.

5. Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

When I was pregnant with my first son, I had dreams that black, fuzzy objects were flying around the room. I usually woke my husband in a total panic, thinking something was about to attack us. Once I

realized it was just a dream, I fell right back asleep. My poor husband couldn’t, though. There is something about getting jarred awake during a deep REM sleep by your screaming wife. Anyway, he’d usually lie awake for hours, staring around the room, holding onto a tennis racquet for protection. Later I saw a ghost hunting show on television, and the way they depicted the ghosts was exactly how I’d seen them when I was pregnant. My husband was convinced it was just pregnancy hormones, but I’m not so sure….

6. Do you have to travel much to do research for your books?

I love to travel. I studied Japanese and International Economics in college and spent three years living in Japan. While there, I met my husband.

He’s originally from Istanbul. We spent three years living in Turkey as well. The things I’ve seen and the places I’ve visited all play a part in my books. With some of them it’s pretty obvious. In others, it’s a bit harder to pick out. Tiger Lily, for example, has a lot of Chinese culture, legends, and folklore in it. I’ve never lived in China, but I did study about it in college, and my character Mr. Wan is based very loosely on several people I met while working in Japan.

7. Who designed the cover of your latest book?

Najla Qamber designs all the covers for Inkspell Publishing. She’s a total genius and an absolute delight. http://www.najlaqamberdesigns.com 8. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep writing. Force yourself to sit in the chair and write a little each and every day. Some days are harder than others, but you have to make writing a habit. Also, finish what you start. It’s fine to abandon a bad idea or a story that’s leading no where, but often writers get so stuck in trying to make everything perfect that they never get past the first chapter. Don’t edit as you write. Save that for later.

Write forward, finish the book, then go back and tear it apart.

9. What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I have a contemporary romance called THE ENCHANTED GARDEN CAFÉ that is currently under consideration with several publishers. That will be published under my pen name, Abigail Drake, as would a New Adult series I’ve almost finished. I just started writing the sequel to Tiger Lily as well.

It’s called Black Orchid, and it’s the story of Zoe (the Goth girl from Tiger Lily) and Josh. I missed the characters in Tiger Lily, so it’s been a lot of fun to write a sequel.

10.Can you share a little of your current work with us?

From Black Orchid: What you seek is seeking you. ~Rumi~

Chapter One “I hate this dress.”

Adjusting the heavy, bright red satin to make it cover more of my body, I glared at the person who’d caused all this pain and suffering in my life. My best friend, and now, apparently, my own personal stylist, Lily.

“Stop fussing, Zoe. You look gorgeous and you know it.”

I growled at her, not feeling gorgeous at all. “Why did it have to be red? I told I you I wanted to wear black. Black is my signature color. I should never have let you talk me into this.”

I took another peek in the mirror. Ebony hair pulled into a complicated up-do. Blue eyes staring back at me from a thick curtain of bangs. Bright red lipstick. Pale skin and a curvy figure. Way too curvy. Bursting out of the top of the dress curvy.

I let out a whimper as Lily forced me to turn around and face her. Small, but mighty, she glowed in pale green chiffon that shimmered as she moved and brought out the green of her eyes. With her her red hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders, she looked like a walking advertisement for the perfect prom queen. She probably even carried around her own tiara. Maybe even two. But she was ruthless.

“You needed to be knocked out of your comfort zone. I’ve been very accommodating. I even let you keep the black polish on your nails.”

I held up my hands so that she could see them. “But you insisted I get little red sparkly hearts on them. That kind of ruins the whole effect. I look like a Monster High Doll.”

She grinned. “But an adorable Monster High Doll. We’d better hurry. Josh is waiting for you downstairs.”

My heart did a funny little flip flop in my chest. Josh, the golden god, star of the local soccer team, and the most popular guy on the planet, was my prom date. Me. Zoe Sage Kaplan. Goth girl, ghost whisperer, and social outcast.

Life had definitely gotten even stranger than usual.

Tiger Lily Wende Dikec Genre: YA Paranormal Romance Publisher: Inkspell Publishing Date of Publication: January 13, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-939590-59-6 (ebook) ISBN: 1939590779 (paperback) ASIN: B018A6N548 Number of pages: 156 Word Count: 56,000

Cover Artist: Najla Qamber Book Description: Lily Madison thought dying because of a bad manicure was the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong.

Waking up in the hospital and realizing she's being stalked by an entire herd of naughty little ghosts turns her entire world upside down. She begins to doubt her own sanity until she realizes she isn't alone.

A Goth girl, named Zoe, can see the ghosts, too.

Most of the ghosts look like fuzzy blobs, but one is not blobby at all. He's a very hot, very annoying dead guy named Nick. Although they dislike each other on sight, Nick soon realizes Lily is his only hope. With the help of Zoe and Mr. Wan, the manicurist who almost killed her, she has only days to get Nick and the other ghosts back where they belong or the whole world will be in terrible danger.

But sending the ghosts back means saying goodbye to Nick forever, and Lily isn't sure she'll ever be able to let him go.

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"First Wende Dikec grabs you with her fresh writing, then she keeps you in the throes of her story with an incredible voice and a gifted talent for spinning tales that will amaze and delight. I am stunned. Tiger Lily will consume you, and before you know it you are fighting for air yet begging for more. You've been warned!"

--NY Times Bestselling Author Darynda Jones Excerpt: I died because of a bad manicure. It wasn’t a nasty fungal infection from the manicurist using dirty equipment, or a cut that allowed deadly bacteria to creep under my skin and rot me from the inside out. I died because on impulse I let Mr. Wan of Wan Fine Lady Nail Salon paint my nails a color called Pretty and Pink.

With my red hair and pale skin, pink is tricky, but I trusted Mr. Wan. When he told me, “New color, big discount for you, Lily Madison,” I didn’t realize he actually meant, “Bad color, nobody else wants it.”

I’ve never been a risk taker. My idea of living on the edge was not having an extra bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse. I knew the pink would be a mistake, but I ignored my inner voice. I guess the smell of acetone and the hum of the nail dryers had lulled me into such a relaxed state that I didn’t realize how awful the color actually looked until I drove home in the BMW my parents had given me for my sixteenth birthday.

Pretty and Pink was false advertising, but as I learned long ago in my ninth grade science fair project, neither the government nor the FDA regulates the names of nail polish colors. I didn’t have a case, but I felt extremely upset.

I didn’t see the ice cream truck stopped in the middle of the road. I was staring at my nails, wishing I’d gone with my first choice, Princesses Rule!, a frosty pale pink that would have enhanced my natural skin tone. I glanced up just in time to narrowly avoid hitting the truck and several small children caught in a snow-cone-induced feeding frenzy.

It’s funny how accidents happen in slow motion. I remember the shocked faces of the people on the street as I swerved and flew over a small embankment. Someone screamed, and it took me a full second to realize the high-pitched wail came from my own mouth. I’d started screaming the minute I’d steered away from the ice cream truck, screamed some more as my car became an airborne missile, and continued screaming until it landed in the deep, murky waters of Lake Eugene.

I tried to open my door, but it refused to budge. My windows wouldn’t roll down either. I pressed the buttons anyway, even the one on the dashboard to turn on the radio, but none of them worked except my hazard lights. I didn’t know I had hazard lights, although I’d read all about them in my driver’s ed class. They blinked on and off, illuminating the darkness around me with an eerie, red, pulsating beacon.

I unbuckled my seat belt and searched for something to break a window with, but couldn’t find anything. I swung my purse at it, pounded it with the heel of my shoe, and even tried stabbing it with my nail file. I reached for my phone to call for help, but it was too late.

As the car filled with water and I gasped for air, the last thing I saw was that awful color on my nails as I scratched and clawed at the window until my fingers bled and everything turned black. As I died, I thought about my parents, and my friends, and all the things I would never get to do, and the fact that Mr. Wan had just lost his very best customer due to his own negligence. I hoped he would be sorry.

Thinking about how bad he’d feel gave me just a little peace before I slipped away into darkness.

About the Author: Wende Dikec has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever she visited. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, and fun. Fluent in several languages and married to a man from Istanbul, Wende is a trekkie, a book hoarder, master of the Nespresso machine, and mother of three boys. A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left. http://www.wendedikec.com https://www.facebook.com/wendedikecwriter https://twitter.com/WendeDikec https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14735786.Wende_Dikec https://www.pinterest.com/wendedikec/ http://wendewrites.tumblr.com https://www.instagram.com/wendedikec/

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

My name is Kristy Centeno, I'm a mommy to five little ones, and I love to read and write. However, given the lack of time I don't always have time to do either.

The paranormal genre is my favorite and always has been. I've been fascinated with things that go bump in the night for as long as I can remember. It came natural to me that when I decided to finally make my longtime dream come true and write, paranormal was the direction I took.

What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires, that fascinates you so much?

When it comes to werewolves and vampires I've always had a weak spot for them. I think they are intriguing, What inspired you to write this book?

As odd as this may sound to some, I was inspired to write Deliverance after a dream I had three years ago. As soon as I woke up I took a notebook and wrote down everything I observed in the dream and left it there for months.

At the time I was pregnant with my daughter and not feeling well so I forgot I had all the info in my notebook.

It wasn't until I was in my third trimester, and going through that nesting phase when I found the notes and developed a plot. I wrote down the first five chapters, saved it to my drive, and moved on to other matters.

When my daughter was several months old I revisited what I'd written and took over. It took me close to a year to write the entire book because I was also working on other work I had a deadline for so I basically worked on Deliverance when I had free time.

Please tell us about your latest release.

Deliverance is a new adult/young adult contemporary with paranormal elements. It follows a very unlikely pair as they seek the help of individuals that may turn out to be a bigger danger to them than the evil maniac pursuing them.

Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?

I do a little of both. Sometimes I try to match the name to the character based on his or hers personality.

Other times I go for a name that was either popular at the time or most uncommon.

Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?

Yes. The male lead was very challenging for me to write because as an individual who has spent long periods of time jailed and forced to live through traumatizing events, he needed to come off with a personality that gave away much but at the same time nothing at all.

He's big and scary but very insecure and he has a hard time trying to hide this from the protagonist and everyone else around them. In order to gain her trust he has to pretend to be something he is not and this is very hard for him to do.

Because of all these components I had to revisit his POV's often and make sure he transmitted an innocence someone his age and size would not exhibit, but came off as fierce and protective as well.

Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?

That would have to be Grandma Rose. A granny with a bold personality who is not afraid to stand up for herself and protect her loved ones.

Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?

On occasions I do write attributes to help guide me on what I want a specific character. Otherwise, I go with the flow.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?

Well, imagine you're trying to teach someone who has spent his entire life locked up and forced to live through traumatic events, to kiss? This describes my favorite scene. Almost every experience for the male lead outside his prison is a new one, and when the heroine decides to give him a kiss for the first time let's just say that sparks fly.

Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?

The world in Deliverance doesn't differ that much from ours, except that werewolves and vampires play a part in the male lead's life.

With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?

Deliverance was not originally supposed to be the beginning of a series, but while I was wrapping up the book I realized there were a lot of questions that went unanswered and the readers would need to be clarified eventually. After speaking with my publisher we decided it would be best to include a sequel so that I could finish tying up the lose knots.

Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?

Stubbornness. A lot of my characters are stubborn and unfortunately I'm often accused of being the same.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

At times I do. I deal with writer's block by walking away from the project I'm working on for a few days and then try again. Reading also gets my mind going again.

Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?

I'm not sure what you'd qualify as weird exactly, but I do tend to have like 3 or 4 notebooks around me. I used to have only 1, but now I have extra just in case I need them. I also place pencils, pens, my IPad (to serve as music purposes only), a bottle of cold water, and an another laptop in case I have to look something up really quickly. Without these I can't start writing.

Do you write in different genres?

New adult, young adult, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary.

Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?

Not at all. I like the challenge.

When did you consider yourself a writer?

When I wrote my first book, and then again when it was published.

What are your guilty pleasures in life?

Chocolate and coffee.

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?

I love to read, write, go shopping or to the movies. I enjoy movie night with family, going out to do some fun outdoor activity(weather permit), and listening to music.

Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?

My reading nook in my bedroom. It's cozy and quiet.

What can readers expect next from you?

Book 2 of the Forgotten Divinity series is due to be released in December, and I'm currently working on book 3. Also developing the plot for book 6 of the Secrets of the Moon saga.

Deliverance Kristy Centeno Genre: NA/Paranormal Publisher: Inkspell Publishing Date of Publication: March 19, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-939590-78-7

ISBN: 978-1-939590-79-4 ASIN: B01BUIBA7C Number of pages: 327 Word Count: 119,000 Cover Artist: Nagla Qamber

Book Description: He’s been locked away his entire life.

He dreams of freedom.

The only way he can accomplish his goals is by breaking free of the chains tying him to a dark past and gloomy existence. But there’s one catch. He’s not human.

And he’s never set foot outside his jail.

Devoted to saving his peers as well as his own life, he sets out to find the one person that can help him achieve his objectives. He knows where she will be and what she will look like, but what he doesn’t anticipate is the fact he finds himself caring for the girl whose life he’s put at risk, more and more each day.

He has no name.

He has only known hatred and violence before her.

However, she will teach him to have faith in humanity, even if she can’t trust him.

Together they will embark on a journey to bring down a corrupt system responsible for the loss of many innocent lives.

But when he finds his feelings compromised, can he still move on knowing that doing so will put an end to the life she once knew? How far is he willing to go to be free?

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Excerpt 1: The guards run from room to room in an attempt to place the breach in security. They use their radios to contact every floor and ask where the break has occurred. They receive a reply within moments, confirming nothing is amiss. They will not find a breach because there is none. It was set off as a means of distraction. Samuel approaches and lands a hand on my right shoulder. He calls to me, but I ignore him. He pulls on my shoulder. I resist.

Now, Tiger!

I open my eyes, turn slightly to my right, and slam my elbow into his face. Samuel falls on his knees, clutching his bleeding nose. I bolt. Using what little strength my body has managed to retain, I run toward the glass window at the end of the hall. The pain is all but forgotten as adrenaline kicks in.

Bullets whizz past me, hitting the walls, light fixtures, doors, and the tiled floor. Most fly over my head. One grazes my left arm, but I use the momentum I’ve gained to propel my body onward.

Gerard yells to the men to stop me, but it’s too late. I pick up speed, pushing my injured body beyond its current capabilities. My target is in sight. I lock my keen eyesight on the window, and crash into it a few heartbeats later. The glass panel breaks apart instantly. I freefall for about a second before maneuvering my body so I’ll land on my feet. Shards of glass accompany me on my way down.

About the Author: Kristy Centeno is the author of the Secrets of the Moon saga and Keeper Witches series.

She has always had a passion for books and after years of being an avid reader, she decided to transform her desire to write into a reality and thus, her first novel was born. When she’s not busy taking care of her five children or holding down the fort, she finds time to sit and do what she loves the most: writing.

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How to Be Happy Recently, I had an interesting conversation with someone close to me. They said something like: “I feel that you have gone one way after Cynthia’s (mom’s) death—that you’ve really embraced the sadness and change of her passing and made something out of it—while I have gone in another direction.” I’m paraphrasing, though that was the gist of that part of the conversation.

This person—who I’m not naming so as to not draw embarrassment to them—had also been affected by Cynthia’s passing. However, they could not see within themselves the same strength that they’d claimed I possessed. I would not have made it through that journey so seemingly unscathed without this person. You were a rock to cling to in the storm. You were a hero in our dark adventure. Indeed, I owe every success in life to the strength borrowed from others—my partner, family, friends and even pets.

Here’s the not-really-a-secret about being brave and grabbing life-by-the-balls: most of us who do that are still scared shitless. No one that I know is this indomitable bastion of cheer and selfassurance. In fact, I’m convinced that people who act like that are usually covering a gaping personality defect with their grinning veneer. After my mom died, I had two choices. These are generally the same options presented in any instance of trauma—not just the death of a loved one. A.) I let her passing utterly defeat me. I allow her loss to taint any future happiness in this world. (Mom would not have wanted that.) B.) I try to make her death mean something. When I was done grieving, I gave myself a stiff kick—or ten—in the ass and said: “time to do something!” It doesn’t happen in a day, that motivation, but over the process of many months at best. Happiness requires persistence. So, too, does sadness. It takes just as much effort to be miserable, I’d say, and the results are, well, unpleasant.

Diligent monitoring of ourselves and our predisposition toward sliding into an emotional tar pit, is required to lead a (mostly) happy life. If you’re unhappy start with the basics.

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What are you doing for yourself today? Working moms, double-shifting dads, graduates trying to survive off that degree that looks like professional suicide in hindsight—we all have a million pressures and demands outside of basic self-care. And yet self-love (not vanity or self-obsession), is one of the critical ingredients to being happy. Spend time with yourself, with your body, thoughts and mind. Know yourself, if even for 5 minutes a day. I use exercise as my “grounding-point”. Even though I’m mostly grumpy when I start, once the endorphins kick in, I’m on a natural high that lasts well into the afternoon. To me, the act of physically bettering and caring for the fleshy vessel that I have been given is my private moment of meditation and focus each day. Pick something, anything, that gives you that same sense of awareness of the wonder that is you and of being alive.

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Are you worrying about things beyond your control? What is the point of that, really? Stop and take a good stock of the things in life that are making you upset. Then cross off that list all of the things that you cannot change unless you have magical powers. Climate change, racism and all the other bad stuff that we can influence with our actions and thoughts can and should stay in a corner of your mind—that’s general philanthropy, don’t get rid of that. I’m talking about that girl who stole your parking spot at the local WalMart AND gave you the finger as she was pulling in (There’s always some asshole every time we end up there—at this point, I believe they’re hired by WalMart.) Is it worth it confronting her? Probably not. That would be a “choose your battles kind of scenario”.

Some people are just not nice. Mostly, they’re not nice because they’re unhappy, and probably obsessed with all the unjust/ unfair/ terrible things that happened to them that they’re not willing to push past. Don’t join their number.

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I used to think that all of this “Mindfulness and Gratefulness” stuff was really, truly crap.

Then mom got sick and eventually died and I realized that the world did not arrange itself to my whims and desires—at all. I realized that nearly everything in life is governed by an element of chance and chaos, and what we value—or take for granted—today, can vanish on the morrow. Sometimes that erosion happens slowly, at other times the ground opens up and swallows what we value whole. Gone. Never coming back. So rather than weep and regret, how about appreciating what we have when we have it? Novel idea. Totally original stuff that you’ve never heard before, I’m sure. We have lots of wisdom and common sense floating around in the universe that we choose to ignore out of pride or fear. Try this mindfulness and gratefulness thing for at least a month—straight, no breaks, no excuses—and then tell me that you’re not happier. I dare you. Every day that I wake up, I take a minute to be grateful for my health, my partner, my cats, my loved ones, my writing and whatever else I can remember in that instant that could be snatched away the next. Don’t be mindful out of fear, however. Try and be mindful out of an acceptance that loss—of whatever—is a necessary experience of the human condition.

I’m not a guru, but those are some of the things that I’ve learned that have helped me to be a better, happier person. I hope that they help you, too. Maybe you’re a contented grump and you’re shouting at my feel-good drivel while shaking a fist at the screen. In which case you’ll live longer, though I certainly won’t be your friend.

Feast of Dreams Four Feasts Till Darkness Book Two Christian A. Brown Genre: Fantasy Romance Book Description: As King Brutus licks his wounds and gathers new strength, two rival queens vow to destroy each other’s nations.

Lila of Eod, sliding into madness, risks everything in the search for a powerful relic, while Queen Gloriatrix threatens Eod with military might—including three monstrous technomagikal warships.

Far from this clash of queens, Morigan and the Wolf scour Alabion, hunting for the mad king’s hidden weakness. Their quest brings them face to face with their own pasts, their dark futures…and the Sisters Three themselves.

Unbeknownst to all, a third thread in Geadhain’s tapestry begins to move in the wastes of Mor’Khul.

There, a father and son scavenge to survive as they travel south toward a new chapter in Geadhain history.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/rURqUni_lco Available at Amazon Kindle and Paperback Feast of Fates Four Feasts Till Darkness Book One Christian A. Brown Genre: Fantasy Romance Date of Publication: September 9, 2014 ISBN: 978-1495907586 Number of pages: 540 Word Count: 212K

Book Description: "Love is what binds us in brotherhood, blinds us from hate, and makes us soar with desire.”

Morigan lives a quiet life as the handmaiden to a fatherly old sorcerer named Thackery. But when she crosses paths with Caenith, a not wholly mortal man, her world changes forever. Their meeting sparks long buried magical powers deep within Morigan. As she attempts to understand her newfound abilities, unbidden visions begin to plague her--visions that show a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal Kings who rules the land.

With Morigan growing more powerful each day, the leaders of the realm soon realize that this young woman could hold the key to their destruction. Suddenly, Morigan finds herself beset by enemies, and she must master her mysterious gifts if she is to survive.

Available at Amazon and Createspace

About the Author Bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Feast of Fates, Christian A. Brown received a Kirkus star in 2014 for the first novel in his genre-changing Four Feasts Till Darkness series. He has appeared on Newstalk 1010, AM640, Daytime Rogers, and Get Bold Today with LeGrande Green. He actively writes a blog about his mother’s journey with cancer and on gender issues in the media. A lover of the weird and wonderful, Brown considers himself an eccentric with a talent for cat-whispering. http://christianadrianbrown.com https://twitter.com/AuthorChrisAB https://www.facebook.com/ChristianAdrianBrown https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8422242.Christian_A_ Brown https://plus.google.com/u/0/105782095673393074893/about

One and Only Bear The Grizzly List Book Two Julia Talbot Genre: Gay Shifter Romance Publisher: ARe Books Date of Publication: March 1, 2016 ISBN: 9781943576661 ASIN: TBD Word Count: 26000 Book Description: Sometimes a bear is more than just a bear.

Oscar is a socially awkward bear who's not like the other bear shifters in Colorado. He's a white spirit bear, and he works as a phone psychic. When he decides to try the Grizzly List weekly, he's only looking for a friend, knowing love isn't in the cards for him.

Firefighter Patrick is an outgoing grizzly shifter who's happy to meet Oscar and give him whatever he needs, as long as Oscar doesn't need a mate. Patrick doesn't believe in fated mates.

Can these two teach each other that what they want and what they need aren't the same thing?

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Excerpt: Oscar couldn’t do this.

He couldn’t.

He stopped on the sidewalk where he could see the grizzly in the coffee shop, waiting. Patrick was… beautiful. Dark and strong and fine and large.

He wasn’t. Not dark or strong or large or fine.

Or brave.

He was whatever the polar opposite of brave was. Cowardly? Stupid scared? Craven? That was it.

Craven.

He chuckled, making a lady walking her dog look at him oddly and he ducked his head, backed away. Oscar shifted from foot to foot, trying to decide what to do.

Finally Oscar backed into the shadows where he could see Patrick, but Patrick couldn’t see him, and texted. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. I’m not brave.”

He watched Patrick pull out his phone, then frown.

Oh, he sucked. “Please don’t frown. I’m not good at new things and I’m just… I’m so sorry and you’re so…” Beautiful. Perfect. Stunning. Sexy. “...fine.”

Patrick didn’t text back. He just hit one button. Oscar’s phone started to ring.

He almost didn’t answer, but that would have been mean and he was a coward, not mean. “Hey.” “Hey, Oscar.” Patrick didn’t sound angry. That was good, right? “What’s the matter?”

“You’re stunning and I’m stupid?” That was the best answer he had. His heart was racing, going pitter patter.

Patrick looked around. “So you can see me? You’re not stupid. You’re so neat I want to talk with you in person.”

They’d chatted for an hour or more every day.

“I can. I didn’t expect to feel so scared. You’re totally my friend and I just…” He stepped forward, out into the light.

“Hey!” Patrick stood and walked outside, leaving his stuff at the table. “There you are.” The hug Patrick enveloped Oscar in felt like home.

“Oh.” Oscar hummed and hugged right back, all the fear disappearing like a puff of smoke. “Hello.”

“Hi. See, it’s just nerves. Come sit with me.” Patrick shot him a warm, happy grin.

“Yeah. Are there good pastries today?” Patrick was so tall and wide. Oscar felt like a little bear, which he wasn’t. Patrick was just—wow. Large and warm and he smelled so good.

“Mmm. They have maple sticky buns.”

“Oh.” They headed in and the scents amazed him, heavy and heady in his nose. His eyes crossed, and Patrick chuckled.

“Right? It gets huge sometimes.”

“Yeah, exactly. The biggest.” Scents were so important to bears.

“What would you like?” Patrick asked. “I’ll grab it for you.”

“I’d like a cinnamon bun latte and whatever pastry you’re having.” He wanted to taste Patrick’s favorite.

“Cool.” Patrick pressed a hand to his shoulder on the way by, the touch making him tingle.

It was. Cool. It was better than cool. Oscar felt awake and aware, like he was lit up. Like Christmas.

He was buzzing hard enough he really didn’t need the coffee.

When it showed up, though, it smelled like pure heaven and he took a sip, loving how the sweet spiciness tasted. The sticky bun looked like heaven on a plate, too.

Patrick sat across from him. “There. Better.”

“I’m sorry, huh? I don’t do this much.”

“No problem. You didn’t run. You told me what you needed. I’m proud.”

Oscar felt his cheeks heat and he ducked his head. “Thanks.”

About the Author: Julia Talbot has been assimilated by Texas and lives with her partner and two howling bassets. She writes full tine. She has a penchant for blank books, gay porn, and big, ugly hats. She can most often be found in coffee shops and restaurants, scribbling in her notebook and entertaining other diners with her mutterings. http://www.juliatalbot.com https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor https://twitter.com/juliatalbot

Trust Me D.A.R.K. Cover, Inc. Book Two Aliyah Burke Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance, Romantic Suspense Publisher: ARe Books Date of Publication: March 1, 2016 ISBN: 9781943576685 ASIN: TBD Word Count: 20000 Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill

Book Description: To survive the present and have a future, she must trust a man from her past.

Shelly Marie Dixon is a woman with a scary past. Literally. Never able to settle in one place because of the man set on tormenting her. After five years of struggling to move on with her life, she goes back to the man she left years ago. Hopefully, he will help her and not brush her aside.

Adam Wilder, eldest brother and co-founder of D.A.R.K Cover, Inc., never in his wildest dreams expected to find his lost love sitting in the lobby of his company building. No way he’s letting her face this danger alone. If it takes all of D.A.R.K’s resources he will risk it. Whatever it takes to keep her safe. Problem is, will he be able to keep it professional, because one look at her and he wants to go back to how things were, way back when.

The only way that is going to happen is if she’ll believe him when he says: “Trust me.”

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Excerpt: Adam Wilder scowled as he strode through the winter snow to the plowed path leading to the D.A.R.K. Cover, Inc. building. His shoulder still ached from the bullet that he’d received in the last month.

He could do for a rest, no argument.

Go to Belize as I did. It’ll do you a world of good.

His youngest brother Wild’s words echoed through his mind as he yanked the outer door open and pushed into the heat. He tugged on the cuff of his black leather glove and headed for the stairs. He had too damn much paperwork waiting for him.

“Adam? Adam, do you have a sec?”

He paused three steps before the stairs. His sister-in-law Karen—who doubled as their secretary— called his name.

“Yes.” “Can you open the closet, please?”

He peered over his shoulder to see her carrying a stack of boxes. Adam dropped his bag and hurried to her side. “What are you doing? Where’s Rhodi? He shouldn’t let you carry so much.”

“I’m not an invalid.”

He grunted and took the four boxes from her, smiling down on her short blonde hair. “Never said you were. Implied my brother is a lazy bastard, but never that you’re an invalid.”

She punched him and, solely because he liked her, he gave the obligatory grunt. An act that earned him another hit. She opened the door and he maneuvered by to place the boxes down on the table before sliding them onto the steel grey shelf.

“How’s my nephew?”

“Demanding, turning more like his daddy.” She rocked back on her heels, hands in pockets. “Never imagined I’d enjoy being a mom. He’s everything to me.”

“Brayden’s a great kid. Go on, I’m sure you’ve got other things to do.”

She smiled and nodded, the twinkle in her eyes making him wonder if she’d not waited for him to do it. He didn’t mind really.

Ten minutes later, he left and headed back to swipe his bag, then took the stairs two at a time. He tossed his bag to land near the black leather couch as he continued to the large desk, also black, and sat heavily.

He needed to get away. His last mission had taken more from him than it should have. More than he cared to admit. Moreover, the problem was, it shouldn’t have for it had been a babysitting gig. Woman and her son, hiding from the ex-husband’s parents who—if he did say so himself—were some ruthless bastards.

For the next two hours he took care of paperwork, lining up other jobs and making notes on completed ones. His phone buzzed and he hit the button with the pen. “Yes?” “Could you come down here please?”

Adam didn’t hesitate, he wasn’t fond of the tremor in her voice. “On my way.” He grabbed his Glock, made sure the magazine was full, and shoved it in the back of his waistband as he hurried to the door. He took the stairs and pushed through the door to find his sister-in-law sitting at her desk, watching for him. Scanning the area, he didn’t see anyone and met her gaze once more.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

Another look around their waiting room. No one was there. “Who are you talking about, Karen?”

The door to the bathroom opened and a small figure stepped out, ball cap pulled low over the face, so he couldn’t tell who it was.

“Her.” He ran another perusal of her. Her fear was obvious and her suspicion. He glanced back to Karen, who shook her head to his unasked question of why she called him. Derek had a way of making women feel safe, he was the lighthearted one. Not Adam.

“She asked for you by name,” Karen whispered, answering the question as to why it was him.

Raking a hand through his hair, he stepped forward. “You asked to see me?” he queried, willing her to lift her gaze.

She raised a hand and removed her hat, simultaneously tilting her chin. Dark red curls tumbled free as he was speared by a pair of emerald green eyes he never thought he’d see again in his lifetime. His lungs were empty and it took a moment for him to comprehend, his brain reminding him to breathe.

“Shelly Marie?” Surely it had to be a mistake he was seeing her before him.

“I know I’m the last person you want to see, Adam, but I need your help.” That pink tongue of hers darted out to dampen her lips. “Please.”

About the Author: Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here, or feel free to apply to join her yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aliyah_burke.

She is married to a career military man, they have a German Shepherd, two Borzoi, and a DSH cat. Her days are spent sharing her time between work, writing, and dog training. http://www.aliyah-burke.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aliyah-Burke/283998078320168 http://twitter.com/AliyahBurke96

What Makes Bewitching Book Tours Different From Other Virtual Book Tour Companies?

Bewitching Book Tours has been in business since 2010 making us one of the oldest virtual book tour companies around. We know book promotion.

Our authors are our number one priority. This is not a hobby or a side job in addition to the day job. This is our day job, which means we put our authors first.

Bewitching Book Tours offers multiple tour packages and services for authors- we have one day packages for cover reveals, release day blitzes, and one day tours. We also offer one week, two week and one month tours. Bewitching also offers Kindle Free Book Blitz tours to promote your Kindle free book for up to five days. Other services we offer are Twitter parties, Facebook parties, Press Release Writing, and radio interviews.

Custom packages are available.

Bewitching has optional special features including a monthly magazine, a BlogTalk Radio Show and we offer custom Bewitching Book swag creations such as bookmarks, keychains, purse charms and more.

The most important things about Bewitching is that your book starts receiving promotion as soon as you sign up with Bewitching. A media kit is created, tour banners are made, and a page goes up on the Bewitching Blog announcing your upcoming tour. An invitation is sent out to all the Bewitching Tour Hosts and your upcoming tour is shared throughout our vast network of social media which includes multiple Facebook pages and accounts, Tsu, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest, Tumblr, and other book social sites.

Immediately your book has been put in front of thousands of book lovers. And we don’t stop there. We continue to work on your tour scheduling tour stops, reviews and more depending on your tour package chosen.

Once your tour is set up we send you the tour schedule, materials and instructions so there is no confusion. You return requested materials to Bewitching and we handle the rest.

Once your tour has started we promote every single tour stop every day on multiple social media platforms several times throughout the day. Combine this exposure with the daily tour hosts’ and the author’s social media promotion of the tour stops and you have your book in front of thousands of readers every day.

Even after the tour Bewitching continues working for you. Your name and web link will be listed on our blog as a client and your tour pages will be archived, not removed. So they will always be available for readers to access. If Bewitching has special events in the future like calls for submissions, holiday contests or other multi-author events you will be invited to participate.

Ten Reasons Authors Should Go On A Virtual Book Tour

By Roxanne Rhoads

1. Going on a virtual tour can help you network with bloggers, readers, reviewers, other authors and publishing professionals. You can build a professional network of contacts through a tour.

2. A virtual book tour can help build your author brand and platform.

3. An online tour can vastly expand your online presence and visibility as an author. The more you and your book are mentioned online, the more hits readers will find when they Google you.

4. You can target niche reader markets. Does your book feature food, crafts, or secondary topic that can be built upon for marketing purposes? Make sure that in addition to the normal book blogs and genre blogs that several of your tour stops are on targeted blogs for food, recipes, crafts or a side market that fits your niche. For instance, Juliette Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries could be featured on sites that cater to vintage clothing or San Francisco because both of those feature heavily in her cozy mystery series. Melissa Bourbon’s Dressmaking Mystery Series could be featured on a sewing blog. Find your niche and target it.

5. A tour can build your mailing list and increase your social media following. Include links to your newsletter sign up page and all of your social media profiles so readers can easily follow you.

6. A virtual tour can direct traffic to your website. Make sure your website is up to date and full of content for readers to explore.

7. Expose your book to readers around the world. Many tour companies have book bloggers in numerous countries. Your book can be showcased around the world 24/7.

8. You will have the chance to interact directly with readers via live chats, Facebook events, and comments on blogs and websites.

9. Most blogs archive their content; this means it does not get deleted. Your tour stop will remain online indefinitely for readers to find.

10.A virtual book tour can increase book sales.

Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours Quick Tips for Authors Guide Roxanne Rhoads Book Description: Are you considering a virtual book tour?

Not sure where to start or exactly what an online tour will entail?

Roxanne Rhoads, book publicist and owner of Bewitching Book Tours, shares her virtual tour expertise in this Quick Tips for Authors Guide.

Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours will guide you in utilizing the best marketing tool available- a virtual book tour, which can create online exposure for your book, jumpstart your book sales, help build your author brand, and expand your network.

In this guide you’ll learn:        

what you should do before a tour the components of a great author website the best social media outlets for authors to utilize tips for building your author brand how to write great guest blogs what to expect from an online book tour the secrets of successful book tours how to schedule your own virtual book tour

And you’ll receive in-depth details about what to do during a virtual book tour to guarantee success.

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Excerpt Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours by Roxanne Rhoads The world of publishing is continuously evolving thanks to technology and the Internet. It is now easier than ever to publish a book. But with the growing number of new books being released every day it is also harder than ever to get your book noticed in the crowd.

If your line of thinking includes- “If I publish it, people will buy it,” think again.

Indie publishing requires a dedication to self-promotion. Gone are the days an author hermits them self away to write, then hands the book to the publisher who does all the leg work for promotion. Even NYT Bestselling authors and those with contracts through the big publishers still have to do a certain amount of self-promotion.

There are many ways to promote: social media, advertising on popular websites and blogs, print advertising in trade magazines, attending reader oriented conventions and events…but one of the best ways to get your book out there and build name recognition as an author is through a virtual book tour.

In this Quick Tips for Authors Guide, you will learn why a virtual book tour can be an author’s most effective marketing tool.

About the Author: Roxanne Rhoads has been working in the world of online book promotion since 2005. She has worked as a freelance writer, author, book reviewer, book blogger, editor, selfpublisher and book publicist. 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, and less time consuming.

Roxanne shares some of her knowledge in her latest release, Secrets of Successful Virtual Book Tours.

Author Website http://www.roxannerhoads.com Bewitching Book Tours www.bewitchingbooktours.com Bewitching Blog http://www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/RoxanneRhoads http://www.facebook.com/BewitchingBooktours Twitter @RoxanneRhoads

Bewitching Book Tour Packages and Pricing Book sales will magically soar during one of our spellbinding virtual book tours Bewitching Book Tours specialize in tours for paranormal, urban fantasy, and paranormal erotica books with prices just right for any author's budget

Every tour package includes:  a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  distribution to our mailing list of over 600 tour hosts  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus Giveaways are not necessary during tours but they are highly encouraged. Giveaways draw many more readers and viewers to tour stops plus they help increase your social media followers.

We utilize Rafflecopter entry forms so you can offer one prize package or several throughout your tourwinners are chosen at the end of the tour. $47.50 will get you the Release Day Blitz One day book release blitz includes  Posting on up to 20 blogs which will include- tour banner, your book info, excerpts, and fun tidbits (character profiles, music playlists, etc or whatever other materials you would like to provide)  a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  distribution to our mailing list of over 600 tour hosts  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus The release day blitz can be purchased alone or added to another tour package

$50.00 will get you the week long Bewitched Book Blitz Tour Your will receive 1 week of tour stops  Posting on approximately 5-7 stops which will include- tour banner, your book info, guest blogs, interviews, excerpts, and fun tidbits (character profiles, music playlists, etc or whatever other materials you would like to provide)  a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  distribution to our mailing list of over 600 tour hosts  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus This tour is perfect for an author to get a taste of how a book tour works Great for new releases or for the backlist book that could use a sales boost $85 will get you the 2 week Cast a Magic Spell Tour 2 weeks of tour stops  Posting on approximately 10-14 stops which will include- tour banner, your book info, guest blogs, interviews, excerpts, and fun tidbits (character profiles, music playlists, etc or whatever other materials you would like to provide)

 a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  distribution to our mailing list of over 600 tour hosts  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus

$140 will get you The Spellbinding Special 1 Month Tour This is our most popular so far- with it you'll receive one month of tour stops  Posting on approximately 20 stops which will include- tour banner, your book info, guest blogs, interviews, excerpts, and fun tidbits (character profiles, music playlists, etc or whatever other materials you would like to provide)  a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  distribution to our mailing list of over 600 tour hosts  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus

Kindle Free Book Blitz $50

Is your book going free on Kindle?

Get the most out of your Kindle free days with Bewitching Book Tours We are now offering a Kindle Free Book Blitz Tour- Up to 5 days of promotion just $50- this includes:  Posting on numerous blogs that will announce that your book is free is Amazon  a custom media kit  custom tour button and banners including a facebook header banner  the option to offer review copies to bloggers- the number of reviews actually received during a tour are not guaranteed- they depend on blogger participation  two tour pages at Bewitching Book Tours (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule)  Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple facebook pages and accounts, twitter, and google plus

Cover Reveals are $45 Add a live Facebook party to any package for $100 A Facebook Party includes the coordination, set up and moderation of a live Facebook party (event) page. The party will last for about two hours.

A party page will be created and moderated by Bewitching Book Tours.

This is a great way to interact with readers. They can post questions and the author can answer in real time.

The author will be responsible for providing party content (book/author facts and links, quizzes, games, and prizes). Bewitching Book Tours can help with brainstorming ideas for content and prizes.

The Facebook party can be purchased by itself or added to a tour package.

Please understand Bewitching Book Tours is not responsible for missed your stops on your tour. After the tour is scheduled and all of the tour materials have been sent out, it is the responsibility of the Blogger who signed up for the tour to post materials on their designated day.

Bewitching Book Swag Bewitching Book Tours offers custom book swag creations that can be added on to tour packages or ordered separately.

We offer high quality, hand crafted, one of a kind items made to match your book. Currently we are offering beaded bookmarks, beaded keychains, purse charms, belt loop charms, wine glass charms, and earrings.

These items can be created with colored beads to match the colors in your book cover.

We can also add small charms to coordinate with book content- we have a wide variety of charms to choose from and if we don't have something that matches your book we can get it.

Some of the silver charms available are: vampire fangs, wolves, witch hats, keys and locks, books, hearts, haunted houses, bats, foxes, hamsas, dragons, sugar skulls, rhinestone skull and crossbones, high heeled shoes, Fleur de lis, masquerade masks, owls and many more.

You can also opt to have the items completely customized by adding your book cover to a metal charm.

The book covers are encased in small metal photo frame charms and sealed in resin for a high quality charm that looks fabulous and is very durable.

Our goal is to create custom book swag that represents your book.

Whereafter Afterlife Book 3 Terri Bruce Genre: Contemporary fantasy/paranormal Publisher: Mictlan Press Date of Publication: March 15, 2016 ISBN: 9780991303649 Number of pages: 345 Word Count: 100,000 Formats available: Paperback and all ebook formats Cover Artist: Shelby Robinson – artwork Jennifer Stolzer – layout and design

Book Description: How Far Would You Go To Get Your Life Back?

Stuck in the afterlife on an island encircled by fire and hunted by shadows bent on trapping them there forever, Irene and Andras struggle to hold onto the last vestiges of their physical selves, without which they can never return to the land of the living. But it’s not just external forces they’ll have to fight as the pair grow to realize they have different goals. Irene still clings to the hope that she can somehow return to her old life—the one she had before she died—while Andras would be only too glad to embrace oblivion.

Meanwhile, Jonah desperately searches for a way to cross over to the other side, even if doing so means his death. His crossing over, however, is the one thing that could destroy Irene’s chances of returning home.

Too many obstacles, too many people to save, and the thing Irene most desperately wants—to return to her old life—seems farther away than ever. Only one thing is clear: moving on will require making a terrible sacrifice.

Excerpt: Andras grunted, the sound filled with suspicion. Irene bent down to tie her shoelace, as much to avoid eye contact as anything. When she straightened up, something in the distance caught her eye, shimmering like a mirage. She squinted, not sure she was really seeing what she thought she saw.

“You know, now might be a good time for you to tell me what it was like to live in a castle,” she said.

Andras shook his head, sadly, as if Irene had disappointed him. “You cling too much to the past. Forget the trappings of life. Free your mind from these longings, and so, free your soul. Only then will we be able to escape these shackles and enter Heaven to rest at the side of God.” Why did he always have to argue about everything? “For God’s sake,” she said, exasperated, “just answer the question!”

“Wherefore?”

Irene pointed to the hulking structure in the distance. “Because,” she said as Andras whirled around to see what she was pointing at, “correct me if I’m wrong, but that looks like a castle.”

“Wow!” Irene said, her eyes roving over the dark, crenellated structure hulking in the far distance. It gleamed dully, the color of burnt blood in a fading afternoon sun. “What the hell do you think that is?”

Andras grunted. “As you said—Hell.”

Irene frowned at him, but her lips quirked in amusement. “Why do you have to be so negative? It could just as easily be Heaven. God is supposed to live in a palace, right—the whole ‘my father’s house has many rooms’ thing? A castle is just a type of palace.”

Andras gave her a dry look. “Does that look like Heaven?”

Irene was on the verge of agreeing that the castle did not in any way look how she imagined Heaven when it shimmered, as if the fading sunlight had been redirected by mirrors. Light rippled across the castle’s surface and the dull, dark, burnt-blood color transformed into gleaming, bright, silver-white. Crisp white pennants flapped from the corners as if whipped by wind. Irene thought she could hear them snapping crisply.

Irene looked at Andras, and he looked at her. His expression made it clear that he had seen the same transformation she had. It was as if the building was trying to trick them into coming closer.

About the Author: Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve.

Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. She is the author of the Afterlife Series, which includes Hereafter (Afterlife #1) and Thereafter (Afterlife #2) and several short stories including “Welcome to OASIS” (“Dear Robot” anthology, Kelly Jacobson publisher) and “The Well” (“Scratching the Surface” anthology, Third Flatiron Press).

Website/Blog: www.terribruce.net Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/TerriBruce

Witch of the Cards Catherine Stine Genre: paranormal historical suspense Publisher: Konjur Road Press Date of Publication: March 16, 2016 ISBN 13: 978-0-9848282-6-5 ISBN-10: 0-9848282-6-5 ISBN 13: 978-0-9848282-7-2 ISBN 10: 0-9848282-7-3 Number of pages: 265 Word Count: 76K Cover Artist: Mae I Designs

Book Description: Fiera was born a sea witch with no inkling of her power.

And now it might be too late.

Witch of the Cards is historical, supernatural romantic suspense set in 1932 on the Jersey shore.

Twenty-two year-old Fiera has recently left the Brooklyn orphanage where she was raised, and works in Manhattan as a nanny. She gets a lucky break when her boss pays for her short vacation in Asbury Park. One evening, Fiera and her new friend Dulcie wander down the boardwalk and into Peter Dune’s Tarot & Séance, where they attend a card reading.

Fiera has always had an unsettling ability to know things before they happen and sense people’s hidden agendas. She longs to either find out the origin of her powers or else banish them because as is, they make her feel crazy. When, during the reading, her energies somehow bond with Peter Dune’s and form an undeniable ethereal force, a chain of revelations and dangerous events begin to unspool. For one, Fiera finds out she is a witch from a powerful sea clan, but that someone is out to stop her blossoming power forever. And though she is falling in love with Peter, he also has a secret side. He’s no card reader, but a private detective working to expose mediums. Despite this terrible betrayal, Fiera must make the choice to save Peter from a tragic Morro Cruise boat fire, or let him perish with his fellow investigators. Told in alternating viewpoints, we hear Fiera and Peter each struggle against their deep attraction. Secrets, lies, even murder, lace this dark fantasy.

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Excerpt: The absinthe put me in a dreamy state. Added to the mix was the sensual comfort of sitting next to Peter, who served as a buffer between Alyse and me.

Somewhere in the room, a chorus of faint voices floated around, high and sweet. Or was the sound merely in my head? How could it be? Peter asked me a question, but it took three repetitions for me to understand him over the lowslung jazz notes infused with the chorus of invisible soprano cherubs singing at me.

“Have you always had a talent for the unseen?” I heard him ask.

“Whatever do you mean? It was you who saw things that weren’t there.” I had to right myself because I found myself swooning so much I nearly fell into Peter’s lap.

“But it was you who eked it out of me.”

“Little old me?” I giggled.

“Yes, you,” Alyse agreed. “I was there, too. You have some strange talent. Can you describe how it works? You must be aware of it.”

Everything was turning light and frothy like a magical cake icing. The barkeep was chatting up the fellows at his counter, the card players exhaled in cheery gusts of laughter, and the waitresses flounced around like so many sunny meadow flowers. I didn’t see the harm. “I do sense things. Always have.”

“What kind of things?” Peter and Alyse asked in tandem. Their unexpected accord matched the soprano voices singing harmoniously in and around my head.

I giggled again. “Do you hear them?”

“Hear what?” Peter looked around, spooked.

“Children, little voices.”

Alyse’s brows creased. “What are they saying?”

“They’re singing.” But the entire mood of the room had changed in an instant. Their radiant energy soured. The children of the ether weren’t singing any more. They were starting to weep, over something very sad.

Over me.

How did I know this? No idea. A hard frost shot through my bones. I took a big gulp of the absinthe. Perhaps it would block out the voices, the wailing of innocents.

“What is it?” Peter took my hand. His concerned touch cut through the horrible, chilling ache and melted me.

“What’s the matter, Fiera?” His face paled, and right then, I knew he heard them too. “They’re crying, aren’t they?” he whispered in my ear, tickling my soft lobe. “Crying over you.”

“Yes.” I leaned on him, letting the voices cry for me.

We hugged and I swear I felt his sudden, hot tears melt through the shoulder fabric of my dress. It was infinitely sad, infinitely tender.

The invisible cherubs whirring inside my head took translucent form and slipped out of me. They soared around the room like hardscrabble angels, flitting past Dulcie as she danced; sliding, their soft baby feet gliding over the long bar counter, and right through the man with the hookah. He glanced up for a moment as if he, too, felt the supernatural breeze. Then he bowed his head back down and took a pensive draw on his smoking device. Eyes closed, I saw green paisleys and floating leaves, the rushing of a cold stream bubbling under me, which filled me with terror. I came to with a gasp.

“What is it?” Alyse asked. How could I tell her of this suffering, shot through with spectacular floating objects, and my strange, sudden affinity with Mr. Dune?

“I see children weeping,” I admitted. “They’ve been hurt.”

“How?” Her voice grew anxious.

I silently asked them. “They’re babies. They can’t say.”

When I looked over at Peter, it was obvious he was in the same deep trance he’d been in when we first met. His eyes were glazed as if whatever he was experiencing was far from this basement speakeasy. “What is it? What do you see?” I whispered.

“They’re fading. They’re dying. They’re being—” “Snap out of it, Mr. Dune.” Alyse gave him a stern shaking. “You’ve had too much absinthe.”

“It’s not that!” I insisted.

“Then tell me what it is, Fiera,” she said.

“It’s a vision. Of something real from long ago.”

“How long ago?”

“As long ago as there is a long ago.” I sounded ridiculous. Alyse Bone was right. The absinthe was crazy making.

Or was it the taffy? I leaned into Peter’s limp shoulder, reached over and shook him, too, but with more patience than Alyse had.

His eyes fluttered open, and he gazed at me with that same calm as when he awoke after the séance. As before, his expression was clear of emotion, blissfully unaware of what he’d whispered to me minutes ago.

“Well, there you are,” he slurred. “You look positively ravishing. Dance?”

“Thanks, don’t mind if I do.” I bumbled to my feet.

“You two really drank the coffin varnish.” Alyse gave an unbecoming snort as she rose and drifted away.

Perhaps I was too far-gone, but I didn’t care. Peter and I danced and danced. The speakeasy filled with the overflow from the convention hall dance—young lovers, bootleggers with wide ties and cigars, older women with twinkling earrings and heavy bosoms, even a prostitute or two. They wore too much rouge and sat brazenly up at the bar with the gin rummies.

This time, I couldn’t say whether I stepped on Mr. Dune’s polished wingtips. He probably couldn’t be sure if he knocked his bony legs into mine. We had more nips of absinthe, and I wolfed down another green-swirl taffy. Before I knew it, I was leaning provocatively against Peter and laughing like a wild banshee.

I remember gaping up at him to see his black hair all disheveled and him indistinctly mumbling. And thinking that he was the most gorgeous human being I’d ever seen. I remember Peter and I howling at the crescent moon over the ocean, and the shocked sideways glance of the hotel proprietor as we stumbled in.

I recall pulling out the Tarot, and laying them out on my rug. I recall babbling at him—about a witch and a swindler and a boat. I can still picture his expression of shocked surprise.

And I remember Peter’s lips branding my forehead—how could I ever forget that—while shocks of his lush black hair dangled deliciously on my burning cheeks. The last thing I recall before things went dark was kicking off my shoes.

About the Author: Catherine Stine’s novels span the range from futuristic to supernatural to contemporary. Her YA sci-fi thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award winners.

Her YA, Dorianna won Best Horror Book in the Kindle Hub Awards.

Heart in a Box, her contemporary YA was an Amazon Hot New Release in Teen and Alternative Family for over eight weeks. She also writes romance as Kitsy Clare. Her Art of Love series includes Model Position and Private Internship. Book three, Girl and the Gamer, launches this summer. She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her as a child, and her love of contemporary fiction comes from being a jubilant realist.

To unwind she loves to watch “bad” reality TV and travel to offbeat places.

Catherine’s website: http://catherinestine.com/wp/ Newsletter: http://goo.gl/V7QltB Blog: http://catherinestine.blogspot.com/ Catherine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcatherinestine

Hi, I’m Lee-Ann Wallace author of the Fallen Star series. I predominantly write Science-Fiction Erotic Romance.

People often ask where I get my inspiration from. For me there are two types of inspiration. There’s the inspiration to write and the inspiration for a particular story or series.

I’m going to go with the second kind of inspiration because as an author of a series coming up with an idea for the next book is a necessity and a little inspiration always helps.

I find music very inspirational. I listen to it while I write and I’ve had a few story ideas come to me after listening to a song.

One such song is So Beautiful by Pete Murray. It brings to mind all sorts of stories about angsty young love.

Of course movies are another great source of inspiration. Watching action movies always makes me want to add more action to my stories. They’re so thrilling and make your heart pound, how could putting more of that into your stories be a bad thing?

Books are another great source. I love paranormal romances. Vampires and shifters, witches, you name it’s out there. Reading all those vampire stories was what inspired me to write my own vampire story. I especially love the ones where the relationships are cross species, there is so much potential for conflict in them.

Those are all pretty obvious sources, so where else does my inspiration come from?

Well, I also get inspiration from my own writing. That might sound a bit odd right? Not necessarily, I’m always creating new characters to add to my books as most authors are, but sometimes one of those characters will jump off the page and hit you over the head. They start yelling in your face and if your not careful they take over your stories.

But they serve as great inspiration for their own stories. Not always, sometimes they’re a pain in the patootie and you just have to kill them.

I also get inspiration from the things around me. Take scones for example. I needed an idea for a short story or bonus scene for my blog. I’ve been trying to come up with an idea all week and there was nothing. Hubby bought home a packet of savoury scones and they’re sitting on my counter.

I’ve been looking at them all day and wishing they were plain because the only scones I eat, are the plain ones with jam and a huge mound of cream.

Even though I won’t eat them they proved to be great inspiration for my short story. My muse supplied me with a very steamy scene involving whipped cream, the characters from the second book in my Fallen Star series, and a chair, and it all started with scones.

So as you can see inspiration can come from anywhere, the possibilities are endless.

Are you a creative type? I’d love to hear where you get your inspiration from.

A Perfect Bond Fallen Star Series Book 3 Lee-Ann Wallace Genre: Erotic Romance and Soft Science Fiction Publisher: eXtasy Books Date of Publication: March 1, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4874-0595-3 Word Count: Aprox. 26,000 Cover Artist: Latrisha Waters Book Description: When Destiny walked through the doors of a bar on the science station Elmertia works on she thought all her dreams had come true, until the mysterious man disappeared without a trace. Tormented by that one brief contact she throws herself into unlocking the secrets of an alien’s nanites until an ultimatum from her employer threatens to lose her not only her dreams, but her future.

Drawn to the small female he met by chance Manik searches for a reason to return to her station. When the crew of pirates stumble across a woman in stasis floating in space who has cranial implants and

nanites the medic has found the perfect reason to return to one of the universes most knowledgeable scientists and the female who has been haunting his thoughts.

With time running out on her research, Ellie is shocked by the sudden arrival of her mate and his proposal, but she has more to lose than her life’s work. Being with Manik might cost her everything including her life.

Extasy Books

Excerpt: I pulled Manik through the front door, past our lounge room and down the short hall to the last door, my bedroom. The soft lighting of night had flicked on when the door had opened and allowed us to see our way. Prixy would normally be watching something on the holo tube, but the apartment was silent and empty. I’d worry about Prixy tomorrow, right now I wanted to strip Manik out of his clothes and explore every inch of his body with my lips and tongue.

The door slid closed behind him and I realised I needed to explain a few things before we could get started.

“Bonding happens when mates come together for the first time,” I said as I turned around and stood in front of him. Reaching for the edge of my top I pulled it off over my head exposing my bare arms and my sleeveless support top to his view.

“I don’t know how much it will affect you, but once bonding is complete I won’t be able to sleep with another man. I won’t get aroused by any other man and the actual act of intercourse would be painful for me.” I reached for the closure of my pants and undid them. I pushed the formfitting fabric down my hips and legs, my tail slipping free of the fabric, until I could step out of them. I was left standing in front of him dressed only in my underwear, with the spots on my upper thighs and shoulders in plain view.

I looked up into his eyes to see that they had indeed heated, they weren’t scorching yet, but were well on their way to getting there. A little shiver raced down my spine. This was it, the moment I’d dreamt about and fantasised about for three hundred and thirty-four cycles. He was finally here with me and we were going to bond.

Reaching for the hem of his shirt, I started to lift it in preparation of taking it off. His arms remained by his side, pinning his top down. I caught a glimpse of dark hair over the lower section of his stomach I’d exposed before I looked up into his eyes.

“Manik?” Didn’t he want to bond with me?

“Do you expect to lead, Ellie? Because I have news for you, I know all about bonding and what happens, and what it will mean for you and possibly me. If we’re going to do this, we need to get one thing straight. I’ll be in control in bed. I don’t mind being on the bottom, that’s not what this is about, what it’s about is you trusting me to have your pleasure in my mind at all times. Trusting me to know what you need and to give you as much as you can take.”

I stared up at him, my hands still clenched around his top. My body was completely on board with what he’d said, a needy throb had started between my legs, heat spiralling through my core. My head was trying to catch up. All the men I’d ever been with had enjoyed my bossiness in bed, even Stadden. Especially Stadden, he’d liked me telling him what to do. The thought of giving over the reigns to Manik had my stomach quivering in excitement, but my head was balking at the idea.

What if I didn’t like what he was doing? Could I tell him? What if I wanted it harder or faster, was I allowed to say something? Would he listen to me or just ignore me and carry on? I suppose there was only one way to find out, he was my mate and I had to trust that the Universe had given me the right man.

I dropped my hands and stepped back, suddenly unsure of myself. I felt self conscious and hesitant. I didn’t know what to do now. What did he expect of me?

I looked away from his penetrating gaze, for the first time in a very long time I felt out of my depth.

Warm fingers stroked up my arms sending tingles racing across my skin, they ran across my shoulder, up my neck and cupped my cheeks tilting my head back gently to look up at him.

“Trust me, Ellie. I’ll never hurt you, I’ll always make sure you’re taken care of and I’ll always have your pleasure foremost in my mind.”

I searched his eyes and found only honesty there. Maybe I could be honest with him too.

“I don’t know how to be this person you want me to be.”

“You don’t have to change, Ellie, you just have to trust me.”

“But I’m bossy and you said you want to be in charge.” I didn’t understand what he was trying to say. How could I be what he wanted and stay the way I was?

“You can be bossy as much as you like, as long as you understand if I’m fucking you slow because I want to build the pleasure until you can’t take anymore and you tell me to go faster I’ll continue fucking you slow until I’m ready to go fast. I’ll hear you, Ellie, I’ll never ignore you, but I’ll also do what I want because I know how to make you purr.”

About the Author: Lee-Ann Wallace spends her days drinking too much coffee and dreaming up her next sexy hero to write about. She grew up on a staple diet of romance books and dashing rakes who swept their heroines off their feet. When she’s not writing you can find her with her nose pressed against a screen reading everything from paranormal romances to horror. https://leeannwallace.wordpress.com

Roxanne Reviews Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs Rating: 5 of 5 stars Mercy Thompson is back in another non-stop adventure that leaves you turning pages until the end...and then you want more.

Fire Touched brings in characters we have seen previously in the books of the Alpha and Omega series and in Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson. I love how Briggs stays true to her world and brings everything together. While the two series and the spin off short stories may be told from different characters POV and have a different voice, they all tie into this world and play a part in the big picture. If you have read all the books and short stories, you feel the puzzle pieces fitting together as you read Fire Touched.

But don't worry if you haven't read the the spin offs, you'll still get through just fine on the Mercy books alone without feeling like you're missing something.

Fire Touched opens in the Hauptman household. Mercy awakens from a nightmare, she feels that something bad is coming. Is it a premonition or just a nightmare? With Mercy you never know.

Either way life goes on as usual for the werewolf/coyote/human filled household- which means there is drama, power plays, and much supernatural mayhem.

Mercy and Adam simultaneously receive calls that something big is wreaking havoc on the bridge and humans are at risk. They are needed in town. Turns out it's a rampaging troll....a really big troll and Mercy and the pack need to stop it.

The troll is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of what the Fae have in store. Tensions between the Fae, humans, and other supernatural factions have been growing more tense with each book. We're now on the verge of all out war. Now Mercy's pack has things the Fae want, mainly the fire touched child that lived in Underhill for centuries. He's come to them seeking protection from the Fae. By offering the child protection, the pack now has a big Fae target on their back. And they have to protect themselves because no one else is coming to help. The Marrock has to distance himself from their pack so an all out war doesn't happen between werewolves and Fae, something Bran's been working hard to prevent.

The pack has to come together and be united or they won't survive. Mercy grows into her place in the pack and the pack member dynamics continue to evolve- and Mercy's relationship with Adam continues to grow as we see more of the depth of their bond. This is all showcased while they fight to do what's right and to survive the consequences of their actions.

Full of emotion and a roller coaster ride of action and adventure, Fire Touched will not disappoint.

Roxanne Reviews Grave Visions by Kalayna Price Rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was a long time coming but finally....it's here. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publisher. I was so excited I put aside the book I was reading and cracked this one open immediately.

I was not disappointed.

Alex is back and in more trouble than ever. Her newly discovered Fae heritage is draining her She needs a tie to Faerie to keep her alive but who should she trust, who can she tie herself to? The Winter Court? The Shadow Court? Everyone seems to want her for her planeweaving abilities but she can't afford to align herself with the wrong Fae. Poor Alex, her world is exhausting - trying to navigate her ties to Faerie, solve cases, raise shades, be a part of Tamara's wedding, and keep her love life straight (as she's currently twisted into an odd love triangle).

Her love life is so messy. She's involved with Death, yet really knows nothing about him and she still has feelings for Falin but can't trust him because he is bound to the Winter Queen as her Knight- and he's currently sleeping at Alex's place because he was ordered by the queen to stay where Alex stays. Awkward situation when her current lover, Death, shows up. Yikes.

Adding to Alex's non-stop to-do list, is the police. They call her for help on a weird new case that turns out to be tied to Faerie and quickly becomes tied to Alex. She has to find out who is behind the new glamour laced street drug, Glitter...her very life depends on solving this case.

Twists, turns, and dramatic action ensue...as the clock ticks. Alex is fading fast. Can she solve the case before fading...or before the Winter Queen decides Alex is a threat that needs to be eliminated?

Totally worth the wait. I am glad the author was finally able to complete this book and I hope more are in the works.

Price's world is unique, an intriguing orginal world of Fae, magic, and witches that I can't get enough of.

She blends fantasy and urban fantasy with a touch of paranormal romance seamlessly. Every book will make you want more.

Finding Flick One of the first things I do when prepping a new story is develop the characters. I sketch out their appearance, their likes and dislikes, how they dress, what they want out of life. And I had great fun doing this for my heroine - or one of my heroines - Flick Lindenwood.

I imagined Flick looking like a combination of Katharine Isabelle and Miley Cyrus. She's very artistic in personality and appearance; short blonde hair in a Miley cut, kohl-rimmed eyes, sirenred lips, and always dresses in flowing, arty clothes and jeans with stitched-on flowers. She's unashamed of her own style, an expression which matches how she lives her life - she's unashamed of everything she does, living in the moment.

A lot of this stems from her upbringing. The world of "I Wish I'd Never Met You" is outwardly very suburban society, and Flick's parents, especially her mother, fit right into that world, flitting between garden parties and debutante balls. When Flick came out to her family, she wasn't expecting easy acceptance, but the Lindenwoods proved to be more open-minded than she'd dreamed - they love Flick for herself, and as a result, Flick is free to be who she wants to be.

So why is someone so focussed on living her life as she wants also unable to move past her feelings for Elodie?

Elodie was Flick's first love, and first loves can easily be idealised. But more likely, I think, is that Flick never truly dealt with her feelings in the wake of Elodie's betrayal before she left for college. Rather than work through them, she deliberately crushed them, forcing herself to deny and forget them, and as a result they were never truly resolved.

So when she meets Elodie again after four years, she's determined not to let her back under her skin, but Elodie has other ideas...

I Wish I'd Never Met You Tanith Davenport Genre: Erotic romance Publisher: Pride Publishing Date of Publication: 23 February 2016 ISBN: 978-1-78651-377-9 Number of pages: 37 Word Count: 10184 Cover Artist: Posh Gosh Book Description: Flick Lindenwood, fresh from college, has returned home to the suburban haven of Green Valley, back to society…and the source of her heartbreak. Four years ago Elodie Hamilton savagely broke her heart, and Flick has no intention of letting her pretty ex get back under her skin. As far as she’s concerned, she and Elodie never happened.

But Elodie has other ideas.

Afraid to come out, Elodie chose to destroy her relationship with Flick rather than let her family know who she was. But now she wants to right the wrong she did—if she can only find the nerve, and if she can convince Flick to see past the pain she caused.

Pride Publishing

Excerpt: The door of the Dodge Charger slammed behind her as Flick Lindenwood walked up the driveway to the house, dragging her wheeled suitcase after her.

It was exactly as she remembered. Pansies and tulips bloomed in the borders of the front garden, edging an elegantly mown lawn. In front of her stood the house, two stories rising behind a large veranda, a curtain twitching in one of the windows.

Before she reached the front door, it opened to reveal her mother. Flick let the handle of the case go and stepped forward to meet her in a hug.

“Felicity, darling! We’ve been waiting all morning.”

“Sorry, Mom. Traffic.”

Her mother stepped back, smiling, and looked her up and down. Flick bore the scrutiny patiently.

She had a new haircut and outfit which had yet to receive maternal approval.

Apparently they did. Her mother pulled her back in for another hug. “You look lovely, darling.

Oh, it’s so good to see you. I’ve got so many things to tell you—I’ve been organizing your graduation party, and then there’s the Saulters’ barbecue tomorrow, and—” “All right, all right!” Flick broke in, laughing. “Let me get in first!”

She followed her mother into the entrance hall, noticing that the lounge door was open on her left. Through the doorway she could see her graduation photograph taking pride of place on the marble mantelpiece, blocking off part of the gold-edged mirror.

“Don’t be long,” Mrs. Lindenwood added airily as Flick made her way toward the staircase. “I want to hear everything. Have you met any nice girls?”

About the Author: Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme. Her debut novel "The Hand He Dealt" was released by Total-e-Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.

Tanith has had short stories published by Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado.

Tanith's idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side. www.facebook.com/TanithDavenport www.tanithdavenport.com www.twitter.com/TanithDavenport

Creating Teasers that Make Your Readers Want More “I can’t look at another half-naked man.”

I never thought I’d say those words to my husband. He gave me sympathetic pat, refilled my glass of wine, and sat next to me on the couch.

“You can do it,” he said.

I shook my head and took a long sip of wine that was more like a chug. “No. I can’t. I’ve been doing this for hours and I just can’t do it anymore.”

Then he said the words I most wanted to hear. “Let me help.”

My brave seventeen-year-old son sat on my other side. They both knew I was a woman on the edge.

“I can help, too, Mom.” Looking at photos of gorgeous, partially clad men had sounded like fun at first, but soon I became sort of blind to all the abs and pecs and muscly muscle-ness. I had to choose a photo for my promo company to use as a “teaser” – something to entice my readers to want to know more about my book. I had a beautiful cover, and a great book to offer, but I was stuck on finding just the right photo of my character, Michael Nightingale. Michael, my very hot and tattooed mercenary gypsy warrior, had a specific “look” – and I couldn’t find anything that came even close to matching what I’d imagined. I started to wonder if I’d ever find my Michael.

I’d started with the easier teasers. My book takes place in an area of York, England called The Shambles. It’s an old, higgly-piggly part of the city with narrow streets and buildings jutting out at odd angles. Finding a photo of The Shambles was easy, and locating an excerpt to match it wasn’t hard either.

Next I had a lovely romantic excerpt about the first time Michael touched my heroine, Emerson Shaw. I decided to let the words be the powerful part of this teaser, and found a perfect image to accompany them.

Finding someone who looked like Emerson, a former Junior Miss Kentucky who won pageants using martial arts as her talent, was a bit trickier. I needed the right mix of pretty with a touch of southern sassiness. As soon as I saw this photo, I knew it would work.

Now I was down to Michael. Beautiful, strong, amazing Michael. Monster hunter, Traveller leader, and leather-clad bad boy extraordinaire. But I couldn’t find him, or anyone even remotely like him.

“How about this one?” asked my husband, pointing to a photo of a bare-chested man.

“No. His nipples are wrong.”

He gave me a long look. “You know what his nipples look like?”

“Well, yeah. I wrote his nipples. Of course I know what they look like.”

A few minutes later, after trying several search words chosen by my son (“Try ‘hot, tattooed, sexy, and bare-chested,’ Mom.”), we finally found it. The perfect photo. The swoon-worthy, exactly right image of Michael Nightingale’s chest.

“That’s it,” I said.

My husband enlarged the photo. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

I grinned as my husband and son did a high-five over my head. We were quite a team. And here is the Michael Nightingale teaser.

Pretty darned swoon-worthy, right?

Traveller was released on February 26, 2016. Here is my equally swoon-worthy cover: Traveller Abigail Drake Genre: Paranormal Romance Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Date of Publication: February 26, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-5092-0569-1 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5092-0570-7 Digital ASIN: B01APJZR12 Number of pages: 250 Word Count: 80,000 Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Book Description: Former Junior Miss Kentucky Emerson Shaw won pageants using martial arts as her talent and Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” as her guide, but a painful secret leads her to the University of York, and puts her in the path of tattooed and pierced bad boy, Michael Nightingale.

Michael is a Traveller, part of an ancient line of mercenary gypsies who protect the world from vicious monsters called the Moktar. When Emerson gets attacked, she has no choice but accept Michael’s offer of protection or face certain death.

Traveller society, full of outdated rules and ridiculous superstitions, isn’t a good fit for the headstrong Emerson. Traveller women aren’t allowed to fight. Traveller women aren’t allowed to win. Traveller women aren’t allowed to leave. But Emerson will do what she must, even if it means losing the one person who matters most.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

The Wild Rose Press

Excerpt: “Who are you and what do you want from me?”

I took a deep breath. It probably wouldn’t be a good start to tell him he occupied my every waking thought and most of my dreams, too. I decided to go with a more conventional approach.

“You’re here every morning, and I thought I’d say hello.” I stuck out my hand. “Emerson Jane Shaw.”

He surprised me by reaching for my extended hand and holding it firmly. His hand, large, warm and rough, had cuts and bruises all over the knuckles. He had faint bruises on his face, too, and some small wounds still in the process of healing. He’d been in some kind of fight recently.

It didn’t surprise me. He had the look of a warrior about him, the lean strength and watchful eyes of a predator, and he was lethal. Sun Tzu would have seen it, too. He would have recruited him without a moment’s hesitation.

“Michael Nightingale.” He stared at me with those hypnotic eyes as he continued to hold my hand, using it to pull me nearer to him.

“I know. Mrs. Burke told me.” I couldn’t focus on what I was saying while he touched me, not that I’d done such a great job up until now with my witty repartee.

He tilted his head to one side, studying me the way a lion studies a gazelle before he eats it. His face was only inches away from mine.

“Do you like to flirt with danger, Emerson Jane Shaw?”

“Not usually, but today I can make an exception.”

The touch of his hand sent an electric current through my body that made my heart speed up and my brain slow down. He was intoxicating. I almost had to fan myself.

Abruptly, Michael let go of me and stood up, shoving his books into his backpack. I stood up, too.

“What’s wrong?”

Michael glared at me, threw some bills on the table and stomped out of the shop. Like an idiot, I grabbed my backpack and followed him.

He walked quickly through The Shambles, dodging pedestrians and umbrellas with ease. I wasn’t quite as lucky.

The rain poured down, filling the street with puddles. Michael wore combat boots and jeans. I had on a useless pair of flats and no jacket. It only took seconds for me to be soaked to the skin and miserable. In minutes, I looked like a little blonde drowned rat.

I’m pretty fast, even in slippery shoes, and I was motivated. I kept him in my sights until he reached a side street at the end of The Shambles that led down a narrow lane. I was only half a block away when he turned and looked at me, his eyes locking with mine, and disappeared.

He hadn’t walked away. He hadn’t moved. He’d been there one second, and gone the next. Running as fast as I could, I reached the spot where I’d last seen him and looked down the lane and on either side of the street. My ribbon

flew out of my hair, blowing away in the wind as I slid on the wet cobblestones and nearly fell. I skidded to a halt, realizing I hadn’t been fast enough. It was a dead end, and he was gone.

About the Author: Abigail Drake has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, fun, and sexy. Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three boys (probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left. https://www.abigaildrake.com https://www.facebook.com/abigail.drake.14 https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/51072845-abigail-drake https://twitter.com/DrakeAbigail https://www.pinterest.com/abigail7026/

BOUND The Silverton Chronicles Book Two Carmen Fox Date of Publication: April 30, 2016 Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance Publisher: Smart Heart Publishing Cover Designer: Ana Grigoriu epub ISBN : 9780993199233 Book Description: Bound by blood. Bound by loyalties. Bound by love.

Florian has it all: excellent fashion sense, a kickass job with his best friend, and a hardwon place among Silverton’s werewolves.

When a pack of females pads into their territory, Flo’s alpha dispatches him to handle a merger. Total cakewalk. Except Keely, their alpha, has no intention of submitting her wolves to Flo's larger pack. Worse, a single glance from her baby blues sends his eloquence on vacation and his heartbeat into overdrive. His flirtations seem welcome too, but there's a snag. She doesn’t know he’s a vampire.

While Flo struggles with his conflicts—obey his alpha, or win over Keely—his estranged sire blasts into town with a catalog of radical ideas. And hanging out with unsophisticated werewolves didn't make the list.

With violence in the air and all sides testing his loyalties, Florian must bite back, even if showing his fangs costs him the girl.

Amazon

Smashwords

iBooks BN

Book trailer: http://youtu.be/jlPI5sdKr-o Goodreads

Facebook Page for Series

About The Author Carmen lives in the south of England with her beloved tea maker and a stuffed sheep called Fergus. An avid reader since childhood, she caught the writing bug when her Nana asked her to write a story. She also has a law degree, studied physics for a few years, dabbled in marketing and human resources, and speaks native-level German and fluent Geek. Her preferred niches of geekdom are tabletop games, comics, sci-fi and fantasy.

She writes about smart women with sassitude, about pretty cool guys too, and will chase that plot twist, no matter how elusive.

Guarded (The Silverton Chronicles – Bk. 1) became a no. 1 bestseller in the vampire and werewolf mystery categories.

For details on this or Carmen's other work, visit her website at www.carmen-fox.com