Blog Tour De Troops - Day 4

Sadly all good things must come to an end.  Our blog tour is almost over! Today is the final day of our tour.  We want to thank everyone that has come out to show their support for our heroic men and women in uniform!  #weloveyou! We have had commenters from all over the world wishing our troops well, because our soldiers are not only fighting for our freedom, but for theirs as well. Make sure you follow our indie authors on Twitter, their blogs and FB.  You won't want to miss their backlisted titles or future releases! Cause #indiesrock! If you're just joining us, it's still not too late to hop on board.  Head over to our blog here and scroll down to the beginning of our tour and start commenting. Want to know about our upcoming blog tours? Then sign up for our newsletter here. Thank you again to our authors, reviewers and readers that participated in this tour!  We couldn't have done it without you! Blog Tour de Troops is going down in history! Carolyn McCray, “Fated,” http://datingafter40okayhopingtodateafter40.blogspot.com/ Nicole Galland, “Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade," http://nicolegalland.com/author/nicole-gallands-blog/ Louisa Bacio, “The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome,” http://louisabacio.blogspot.com/ Rachelle Reese & John E. Miller, “From the Gator's Mouth,” http://dimestorenovel.blogspot.com Tracy Bull, “Fragments,” http://www.tracy-bull.com/blog/ Chiczo Frenic, “Chiczofrenia, Crazy is an Art Form,” http://chiczofrenic.com Laina Turner, "The MS Project," http://www.lainaturner.com/ Richard Sutton, “The Red Gate: The Gate Keepers,” http://www.sailletales.com Augusto Pinaud, “The Writer,” http://www.augustopinaud.com/

But WAIT!

Yep, there is more.

We're also giving a brand, new KINDLE to a tour commenter, randomly drawn and multiple KINDLES to several lucky troops.

Why? Because the number one care package item request is books.

Let's give them to our troops!

Blog Tour De Troops - Day 3

Blog Tour de Troops is still going strong!  Over 700 comments again!  I'm calling it and it's a tie!  #waytogo! Authors, reviewers and readers are joining together to not only support indie authors, but to support our troops as well. I don't think there has been a dry eye on this tour. #tissuealert  So many emotional stories have been shared.  Heartwarming reunions and tales of strength and courage while in the line of duty. Please continue to tweet, blog and post about this record breaking tour.  #youguysrock!   Don't forget to thank our awesome lineup of authors for their generosity!  If you like what you read, please leave them a review.  Think of it as a tip for them picking up the tab! So step up to the bar and get your ebooks! George Sirois, “Excelsior,” http://excelsior.com Regan Black, “Veil of Justice,” http://www.reganblack.com Brandy Hunt, “Promise Kept,” http://brandyhuntebooks.wordpress.com Terri Long, "In Leah's Wake," http://www.tglong.com/blog/ Lili Tufel, “Sand,” http://lilitufel.blogspot.com/ Judie Gaines, “Perfect Copy,” http://jpgwriter.com/ Laurel Osterkamp, “Starring in the Movie of My Life,” http://www.laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com/ Jeremy Rodden, “Toonopolis: Gemini,” http://www.toonopolis.com Stay tuned for more authors, stops and free ebooks tomorrow!

But WAIT!

Yep, there is more.

We're also giving a brand, new KINDLE to a tour commenter, randomly drawn and multiple KINDLES to several lucky troops.

Why? Because the number one care package item request is books.

Let's give them to our troops!

Blog Tour De Troops - Day 2

Day 1 started off with a bang!  Over 700 comments!  We could feel the outpouring of love and support for our troops from all over the world! Can we top yesterday's numbers?  #ohyeah Make sure you tell your family and friends about our blog tour, because it's not like any blog tour they've been on.  Where else can you get over 35 ebooks just for commenting? So tweet, blog, post or call your friends and tell them to hop on board.  The more comments, the more ebooks for our men and women in uniform! Just arrived at our tour?  No worries!  It's a daisy chain.  All of the authors are connected in a loop.  You can move forward or backward. So get commenting, score some top rated reads and help our troops get some too! Today's tour starts with the Queen of Snark, Rachel Thompson.  Be prepared...this #redhead tells it like it is. We're putting the "free" in freedom this weekend! Rachel Thompson, “A Walk in the Snark,” http://rachelintheoc.com   Fred Venturini, “The Samaritan,” www.fredventurini.com   Stacey Kennedy, “Stolen Dreams,” http://www.staceykennedy.com/blog/   Arshad Ahsanuddin, “Sunset, Pact Arcanum: Book One,” http://pactarcanum.com/blog/   Pandora Poikilos, “Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out,” http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/   Eliza Gayle, “Untamed Magick,” http://elizagayle.net/blog/   Sharon Gerlach, “Malakh,” http://sharongerlach.wordpress.com   Gary Ponzo, “A Touch of Deceit,” http://www.strongscenes.com   Billie Hinton, “claire-obscure,” http://www.novemberhillpress.com/ Stay tuned for more authors, stops and free ebooks tomorrow!

But WAIT!

Yep, there is more.

We're also giving a brand, new KINDLE to a tour commenter, randomly drawn and multiple KINDLES to several lucky troops.

Why? Because the number one care package item request is books.

Let's give them to our troops!

Want to donate money toward the troop KINDLES? Excellent. Just click here for secure, donations via Paypal.

The IBC Blog is "home base" so if you get caught up in the fun and lose direction, just head there where all the authors, stops and even donors to the tour are listed each day.

Blog Tour de Troops - Day 1 - Is HERE!

THE BLOG TOUR DE TROOPS IS HERE!!!

Pay it forward to the men and women who safeguard our freedom!



After all, what is being indie if not being FREE?


Yep. We at IBC are indie. Self-published and proud of it. Along with hundreds of other authors, the Indie Book Collective is crumbling stigma and proving indie isn’t a dirty word.

We have the sales and reviews to back it up, too! Ready for over 35 free ebooks?

AWESOME! Because every commenter on each listed blog, each day, gets that author’s participating ebook FREE!

Not only do you get it, but one goes to a troop for every single unique commenter. So send a friend! Not only do you and they score a 5 star read, a troop gets one, too.

#thatrocks

Talk about freedom! Let’s make it ring book lover style this Memorial Day!

Amber Scott, “Play Fling,” http://amberscottbooks.com/

Stacy Wallace Benefiel, “Day of Sacrifice Vol. 1-3,” http://wp.me/pRygW-bY

Jennifer Provost, “Rise of the Deva'shi: A Chronicle of Parthalan,” http://blog.jenniferallisprovost.com/

Jonathan Gould, “Doodling,” http://daglit.blogspot.com/

Kat Lively, “Dead Barchetta,” http://leighwantsfood.blogspot.com/

Joel Goldman, “Motion to Kill,” http://joelgoldman.blogspot.com/

Sonia Rumzi, “Pen, Paper, Action,” http://soniarumzi.com/

Dawn Wilson, “Leaving the Comfort Cafe,” http://www.dawn-theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/

Roy Finch, “The Emperor of Glitter Gulch,” http://therealroyfinch.wordpress.com/

Stay tuned for more authors, stops and free ebooks tomorrow!

But WAIT!

Yep, there is more.

We're also giving a brand, new KINDLE to a tour commenter, randomly drawn and multiple KINDLES to several lucky troops.

Why? Because the number one care package item request is books.

Let's give them to our troops!

Want to donate money toward the troop KINDLES? Excellent. Just click here for secure, donations via Paypal.

The IBC Blog is "home base" so if you get caught up in the fun and lose direction, just head there where all the authors, stops and even donors to the tour are listed each day.

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Question:

Q. How many books do you read in a week? And in what format do you read them, or listen to them?

With school finally getting out, I usually read 2 a week.  I either read traditional or digital.  My attention wanders with audio books and I find myself not listening after a while!



To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:



(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://ninjagirlreads.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!


The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!
This week's question comes from Britta who blogs at I Like These Books:



"What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked? Which have you disliked?"

The one I've like the most is the Harry Potter series.  The movies stayed really true to the books, which is a rarity.  It was really interesting to see the characters from the pages come to life on the screen.  I own all the books and soon will have all the movies!

The one I disliked the most was newer TV movie of "The Shining" by Stephen King.  I loved the book and the orginal movie but the newer version was "blah".

Spring Into Summer Blog Giveaway and Hop!!

<a href="http://coffeeandromance.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-into-summer-blog-giveaway-hop.html" target="_blank"><img height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_nxOpZ-Q3s/Td6K6L37P8I/AAAAAAAAArw/uowyijHvIws/s320/sisbanner.png" width="196" /></a>
Welcome to the first annual "Spring Into Summer" book blog giveaway hop co-hosted with Coffee & Romance, a book blog. This giveaway hop will run from 12:01 a.m. on June 17 through 11:59 p.m. on June 21.

What is a giveaway hop and how does it work?
It's quite simple, actually. Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we all link up together via InLinkz so that our followers can easily hop from one giveaway to another. For followers, this means lots of chances to win free goodies. For those hosting a giveaway, this means lots of new visitors/followers.

Anyone with a book-related blog (whether you're a reader or writer) is eligible to participate. Each participating blog will host their own giveaway. It's totally at the discretion of the individual participant what they want to use as a giveaway prize. Some examples of prizes are: books, swags, gift cards (Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, etc.) or anything else you can think of that is book-related.

All participating blogs will be linked up through InLinkz (a giveaway linky). Please don't make your giveaway entry process complicated; i.e. no ridiculously long lists of a bunch of different things that followers have to do or can do to earn extra entries.

Some things to keep in mind when setting up your giveaway post:
First and foremost, spread the word. The more participants we have, the more goodies and visitors we get! Go grab the code at the top of this post and pimp, pimp, pimp!

You MUST include the linky list that contains all the participating blogs at the end of your post. This is MANDATORY. I will be sending the code via email.

Giveaway must be book-related, can be US, Canada and/or International and the prize can be as much or as little as you want.

Again, keep your entry process simple. I would suggest one mandatory entry and no more than three to five optional entries.

Schedule your post to go "live" at 12:01 a.m. June 17. Giveaway hop ends precisely at 11:59 p.m. on June 21 (first day of summer).

Make sure you turn OFF word verification and CAPTCHA. If you're worried about spam, enabling comment moderation should take care of that.

An email containing the linky code and more detailed information will be sent out about five days prior to the hop.

You can find a sample of a blog giveaway hop post HERE.

Questions? Email me at kmoaton@hotmail.com

To sign up, please fill out the following form, and I will get you added to the master linky. Deadline to sign up is June 10th.

Please only enter this hop if you are SERIOUS about participating.

Last but certainly not least, have fun!

Guest Blog Post - Margaret Frazier-

Today's guest blogger is Margaret Frazier, author of The Murderer's Tale and her newest release, Winter Heart.   Margaret discusses how her love for unrelated interests led to the interesting plots that weave through her stories!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grew up in a small town in the middle of Illinois.  I wasn't sure why I often felt like an alien there, but I did – as if I was out of sync with the whole world.

      Then I discovered science fiction and fantasy and -- as I moved into my teens -- archaeology and anthropology.  A strange combination of unrelated interests?  Not really.  All four – science fiction, fantasy, archaeology, and anthropology – show us different worlds and different ways of being from our everyday one.  At the very best, they take us so far outside our familiar ways of seeing the world that we’re then able to turn around and view our lives from outside -- see our lives as one way of being, not the only way of being.

        It was a great comfort to realize that being "other" was not the same as being "wrong".

        And then I fell into medieval England.

        It happened by accident when I was in my mid-teens.  In close succession, a movie (El Cid), a play (Richard II), and a novel (The Daughter of Time) twitched my interest about a time I’d had no interest in at all until then.  Wanting to know a little more about the actual world of the people in that movie, play, and novel, I found myself being drawn in deeper and deeper, wanting to know more and more, and in many ways, I found myself in a world as alien as anything you’ll find in many science fiction and fantasy stories.  The difference is that there are actual remains from that medieval world.  We have the letters people wrote to each other, can read the stories they told, visit places where they lived, hear the music and see the pictures they made.  We have documents of actual lives.

        All right – yes – I confess I turned into a research freak.  I couldn’t learn enough about this new world I had discovered; I wanted more, always more.  Oh, all right – full disclosure here -- I still can’t get enough of it.  The research goes on!

        But even stronger than my urge to research is my urge to tell stories.  I was making up stories for myself long before I was able to write them down, and so my love of The Other that finds fulfillment in late medieval England has been turned into novels and short stories – and now a novella, Winter Heart – as I take the richness of details about a complex, multi-layered world and weave strands of it into stories, trying to make that long-vanished world and its people alive again for readers now.  I have two series.  The newer one follows Joliffe the Player, a travelling actor beginning to be involved in spying for a powerful bishop.  My older series centers on Dame Frevisse, a Benedictine nun, with Winter Heart the latest of her stories.  Despite it has characters familiar from novels and other short stories, it’s meant to stand alone, a story woven around the beliefs, emotions, laws, and faith as lived by people in a small place in a long ago time and yet mirroring so much we can see in ourselves today, because love, lust, and greed are strong in all times, whatever different forms they take.  I constantly explore them in my stories – darkly as in the novel The Murderer’s Tale and the short story The Stone Worker’s Tale; with greater hope in ones like The Squire’s Tale.

        I love to travel otherwhere and otherwhen, both in what I write and what I read.  As for the science fiction, archaeology, and anthropology that saved my sanity when I was very young -- I still love them: they’re where I go on vacation from medieval England!

Banana Blog Hop!

This one is new and interesting!  I hope others join in!

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

We’re doing a “Hop” on our publishing blog, MobyLives, and I’m hoping you will help! We’re giving away books to people who participate.




We’ve just released the new summer novel The Lake by Japanese sensation Banana Yoshimoto and so we’re going to center our first “Hop” around that book.



Here’s how you can participate and win free books.



1. Answer these questions on your blog. (In italics)



“What’s the most unusual love story you’ve ever read?”

Fated by Carolyn McCray.  It's a new book but the idea of lovers being reborn over and over again to only find love briefly before it's snatched away again haunted me long after I finished the novel.


“What’s your favorite novel from another country?”
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (England) and Candide by Voltaire (France)


“Why would you be interested in winning a copy of Banana Yoshimoto’s The Lake?”
The story sounds so interesting!  I am a fan of Asian films and I could just see this storyline being a fantastic movie script!


2. Include the book’s cover in your post.



3. Add your blog link at MobyLives so everyone knows you’re participating and can link to your responses.



On Tuesday we’ll have a drawing and give away 5 free copies of The Lake to anyone who participated.



By the way, each novel sale helps contribute to Japan Disaster Relief.

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop

Q. It's circle time. Time for us to open up and share. Can you tell us FIVE quirky habits or things about you? We all have them...

1.  I'm a serial reader.  I have to finish a collection unless it get too outrageous. (Think the Anita Blake series)
2.  I love potatoes in all their many forms!
3.  I'm a serious Coca Cola junkie but I have switched to Coke Zero in  an effort to break the addiction! LOL
4.  I'm a teacher and I hate grading paper!
5.  I'm a book hoarder!  I hate lending out my books because I'm afraid they'll come back damaged.  E-books have made it easier for me to share!



To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://ninjagirlreads.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you're new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog.

This week's question comes from Ivan who blogs at Ivan Bookworm:


"If you were given the chance to spend one day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and what would that place be?"

My answer:I would love the world found in the J.D. Robb "Death" series.  It's still earth but totally futuristic.  It's has flying cars, all the best gadgets but the still very human existence of crime and crime fighters.  Even though it's set in the future, the reader can still relate to the story and actually envision the advances featured in the books.

Blog Tour De Troops: Let's Give Back To Our Troops!

 

Support the Indie Book Collective's efforts to get Kindles to our troops!!

 

 Please DONATE to Blog Tour de Troops now - Memorial Day!

The Indie Book Collective is running a special eBook promo over Memorial Day weekend where all authors will provide free eBooks to every commenter as well as a troop member. In addition, we'll give as many free Kindles as possible to our troops!



Please help us by donating. Click here to donate whatever you can to PayPal. Your dollars will be used strictly for Kindle purchases for our brave men and women who protect our country. Thx so much!

 

Bestseller for a Day; Fierce Dawn

BESTSELLER FOR A DAY

About Bestseller For a Day:

Making authors dreams come true one promotion at a time.

Each month, for one day, readers, friends, family and peers rally together to drive an ebook up the Amazon Kindle rankings with a goal to pierce the top 100. The aim of the program is to help indie authors get a foothold in the traditionally published dominated market. Authors coordinate with book review sponsors to show readers that the 99 cent promotional price is worth every penny.

As thanks, each author creates give aways for participants and drives traffic to participating review sites. Additionally, readers are offered Bonus Buy reads discounted to 99 cents for the event with that price offered to be rebated back by the participating authors when readers fill out the relevant form.

Fierce Dawn Giveaways:

Amber Scott will be giving away an Amazon Kindle to one lucky winner who purchases Fierce Dawn during the promotion on May 18th  and fills out the form located on the http://bestsellerforaday.com site. Signing up the for event newsletter earns readers extra entries toward the Kindle, too!

Additionally, any reader who purchases Fierce Dawn through May 18th can request a signed ebook copy of it after submitting proof of purchase in the form of a five word phrase from the middle of the book sent by email to amberscottbooks@gmail.com!

May 18th Bestseller for a Day: Fierce Dawn

Blurb of Fierce Dawn:

“X-MEN action meets True Blood heat.”
-Ann Charles
Nearly Departed In Deadwood, 2010 Daphne Winner

“Intensely satisfying!”
-Carolyn McCray
Kindle Bestselling author, 30 Pieces of Silver

Snarling teeth, glowing eyes. Someone--something--is after Sadie Graves.

Elijah Stokes, the man who haunts her dreams, enters her reality claiming she’s transforming into a changeling--not quite immortal but no longer human.

Battle lines are drawn and blood spills as the two fight not only for Sadie’s life, but for all of mankind's as well.

Fierce Dawn excerpt:

He stepped closer, so close he could see thin gold flecks in her sky blue eyes. “Do you remember the night something chased you past the park?”

Her eyes widened. She perceptibly swallowed. “A werewolf?”

“No,” Elijah said, not wanting to correct the mortal term and create even more confusion. “I thought she was a shapeshifter, but she claimed to be a changeling. And that you are, too.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re sure I am.”

“I wasn’t. Until now. The changeling has been following you. I can’t get a strong enough trace to hunt her again.”

“She wants me dead?”

“I don’t think so, but she wants something. She’s waiting, watching.”

Her hand went to her throat but her gaze hardened. “That’s why you want me to come with you?”

 “Yes,” Elijah said. “There are immortals who would kill you just to keep the realms pure. Half-breeds aren’t tolerated in the immortal realm. They’re seen as inferior, tainted perfection by many. A changeling would be far worse. Right or wrong, your existence threatens both realms. The fact that I’m not the only one who knows you are transforming puts you in higher danger.”

She threw her hands up and started yanking drawers open, tossing clothes aside. Impatient but not angry.

He took in her every move, listened to the even keel of her vibration. She sounded resolved. Elijah’s worries subsided. She was far sturdier than he’d first assumed.

She paused but didn’t face him. “And?”

“And there is a faction—The Illeautians—who consider humankind parasitic. They want the human realm destroyed. If humans start evolving….”

She pulled off her tee. The smooth bare skin on her back, two crescent shaped scars at her shoulders, filled his vision. Elijah couldn’t look away as she strapped a bra around her slender ribcage and put her arms through the straps. His gaze caressed the slope of her back. Two hollows above her ass peaked out from her bottoms. His imagination filled in what he could not see.

His body tightened against his will. He had no business wanting a mortal.

Even a changeling one. Because a part of her might always be human.

Humans died. Immortals lived.

“If you’re right and I’m not going to be human anymore, why would anyone care what I am?” She brought a snug blue shirt over her head then glanced meaningfully over her shoulder.

He should turn around, give her privacy. “Because, what are realm lines for if humans are evolving? Mortals live, they die, they do not become immortal. In human terms, it could be seen as the first stages of Armageddon. Only this wouldn’t be a war between Heaven and Hell.”

Interested in a review of Fierce Dawn?  Click here! 

Amber Scott bio:

In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott escapes into her characters’ addictive lives. She often burns dinner, is a sucker for chocolate and still believes in happily ever after. She makes her home in hot Arizona with her two children, husband, and one day, two cats.

Contact info:

amberscottbooks@gmail.com (for readers)

amberromances@yahoo.com (for main contact)

Twitter: @amberscottbooks

Weblog: http://amberscottbooks.com

Facebook: http:// HYPERLINK "http://www.facebook.com/AmberScottBooks" facebook.com/AmberScottBooks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helping to drive “Fierce Dawn” to #1 on the Kindle lists just got all the more enthralling!

Stacey Kennedy is offering a 100% rebate** on her paranormal hit, “Stolen Dreams” book one in her Hanson series.

Simply purchase “Stolen Dreams,” at the same time you purchase “Fierce Dawn” on May 18th, then fill out the entry form (located at the top of the right hand column), enter your email, Amazon confirmation code, and 5 words from mid way through ““Stolen Dreams,” and Stacey will send you the 100% rebate.

Plus you get 5 more entries for the Kindle!

Blurb of Stolen Dreams by Stacey Kennedy:

Tess Jennings has the ability to see and talk to spirits. On a daily basis, they harass and annoy her to save their souls. Sometimes she helps, other times she ignores them, but one ghost will give her no choice. Kipp McGowan, a cop with the Memphis Police Department, uses his ghostly charms to gain her attention and forces her to expose herself to his partner.

As she’s pulled into the five year old cold case of Hannah Reid she wants no part of, she finds herself in more than one precarious situation. But that’s the least of her worries―Tess begins to have a serious problem on her hands. Kipp might be dead, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous and she’s beginning to forget that he’s a ghost.

Murder and corruption has brought Tess and Kipp together. But as her feelings for Kipp deepen, she suspects she just signed herself up for a one-way ticket to the nut house, and can only hope, straitjackets come in a size four.

And the news just gets better.

Purchase “Fierce Dawn” and Kindle Bestselling Author Carolyn McCray’s “Fated” on May 18th and qualify for a 100% rebate** for the full purchase price on “Fated”!

Blurb of Fated by Carolyn McCray:

Lovers torn apart by history
Bound for eternity

Amazing author Edie Ramer is offering a 100% rebate** on her “in one word--AWESOME," “Cattitude,” After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. 

But she doesn't count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.

Simply purchase “Fierce Dawn,” then purchase “Cattitude,” both on May 18th, then go to the rebate form** and enter your email, Amazon confirmation code, and 5 words from mid way through “Cattitude,” and Edie will send you the 100% rebate.

Blurb of Cattitude by Edie Ramer:

It's all in the Cattitude...

After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn't count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.

"Cattitude is a magical tale that you won't soon forget. Edie Ramer has a writing voice that charms, and she pulls the reader right into Belle's amazing world." -Cynthia Eden, author of Deadly Fear and I'll be Slaying You

Feature Author Interview and Review - A Long Drive Home

 

A Conversation with Will Allison

Author of LONG DRIVE HOME: A Novel

1.  Your first novel, What You Have Left, has three viewpoint characters and moves back and forth in time. Long Drive Home has one viewpoint character and proceeds, for the most part, chronologically. Did you make a decision at the outset to structure this novel differently?          

I did. I wanted to write a book with a strong sense of tension and narrative momentum—more of page-turner—but one that’s still character-based, where plot is a function of character and not vice versa.

2.  When you were executive editor of Story magazine, thousand of submissions must have crossed your desk. How did your editorial work influence your writing?      

Reading through the submissions—we averaged about 50 a day—I was constantly reminded of the importance of 1) giving the reader a reason to care, and 2) keeping the story moving. I write with an acute awareness that readers have a lot of other things they could be doing besides reading my book.

3.  Where did the idea for the novel come from?

I live in New Jersey, in a quiet neighborhood much like the one described in the book—lots of kids, joggers, people walking their dogs. One morning a few years ago, I went out to get the newspaper. A car came flying down the street, going probably twice the speed limit. I remember picking up the paper and thinking I’d like to chuck it at the guy’s windshield, give him a scare. Then I thought, “You’re an idiot, Will. You could kill someone.” Then I thought, “But what if no one saw?” That was the seed of the story.

4.  Is the book autobiographical?

No. The circumstances of Glen’s life are similar to my own—I work at home; my wife works in the city; we have a young daughter; we moved here from the Midwest; etc.—but the characters and plot are wholly invented.

5.  Has your daughter read the book?

No. She’s only nine. Some of the language isn’t appropriate. Also, I’d hate for her to conflate me with Glen. She knows what the book is about, though. On the way to and from school, when I was writing it, she’d ask what part of the story I was working on. She gave me a lot of input. She still thinks Sara’s name should have been spelled “Sarah.”

6.  Is the traffic in New Jersey really as bad as Glen says?          

It seemed pretty bad to me, coming from the Midwest. I did some research when I started the book. New Jersey is the nation’s most congested state and has the highest pedestrian fatality rate. A 2006 study found that northern New Jersey has four of the ten most dangerous American cities to drive in—all within fifteen miles of where the story takes place. And a 2008 study ranked New Jersey drivers dead last in their knowledge of basic safety and traffic laws.

7.  Was the accident investigation based on a real case?

No, but I did get a lot of help from Detective Arnold Anderson, who recently retired from the Essex County Prosecutors Fatal Accident Unit. Andy read an early draft of the book and very patiently answered my questions. I remember being nervous when I first got in touch with him and said I was writing a book about a guy who tries to cover up his involvement in an accident. I thought Andy might think that’s what I was doing. He told me later that, yes, he did check up on me after that first phone call, to make sure I was really a writer.

8.  Was there any kind of moral you were aiming to impart in Long Drive Home?

I was very interested in the moral implications of Glen’s actions, particularly how he justified—and was later affected by—doing things he himself believed to be morally wrong. But no, I intended no moral lesson for the reader, only moral questions.

           

9.  How much compassion do you expect the reader to show Glen?

Obviously, Glen makes some terrible mistakes. But I do hope readers will put themselves in his shoes. That’s why I chose to tell the story from his viewpoint. If the story had been told from Rizzo’s or Tawana’s viewpoint, Glen might have come off as a clear-cut villain. That to me would have been less interesting.

10.  What’s next for you?

Another novel, one that may or may not revisit the characters in Long Drive Home.

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A Long Drive Home shows how a series of seemingly unrelated decisions can lead to a tragic mistake.   Glen, an accountant, and his six-year old daughter are coming home from school when a series of events lead to a tragic car accident that results in the death of a teen.  Glen lies about his role in the accident to protect himself but as the investigation continues with a persistent detective in the lead, guilt eats at Glen and he can only watch as his world falls apart.  His wife divorces him and takes away their daughter, the one witness to the accident.  His moral character is shaken to the core and even in the face of his lies and the destruction of his life, Glen continues to cling to his story, afraid of the consequences.  Glen refused to accept his role, instead seeking someone else to blame for the accident and the downward spiral his life has taken.

The author, Will Allison does a wonderful job of showcasing the moral dilemma in this story.  What started out as a lie or an omission of truth builds into a huge, self-destructed force.  The main character, Glen, cannot live with himself as the lies continue to grow and take on a life of their own and the author allows us to become a part of Glen's psyche and see the mental and emotional angst he suffers from.  As Glen, whose viewpoint the story is told, tries to explain to his daughter years later, we come to understand the toll that day took on him and how the consequences of his actions weighted heavily on him.   The story is heartrending and we, the readers, are forced to examine our own feelings of moral ambiguity.  How far is too far?  How much of the truth can we omit and still be telling the truth?  Is telling the lie worth the mental anguish and the moral guilt?

Will Allison does an excellent job of splitting open the human psyche and letting us, through the eyes of Glen, peer deep into our own moral souls.

Review Post: The Resurrection by H.A. Parker

Synopsis (From Author):


Nothing stops Bancroft Enterprises from developing the best in scientific technology, despite the harsh competition. At the height of its power, biomedical technician Clark Ravensdale performs the nearly-impossible: raising six New Testament figures.
Though criticisms from the religious and scientific communities persist, both groups use this project as an opportunity to advance their agendas. In the midst of division, Clark shies away from discussion, hoping that the fierceness subsides and won’t deter his workaholic life. However, those mixed feelings change.
While some have characterized the disciples as primitive, others like Clark notice the abnormal behaviors and uncanny intellect. As more time is spent living with the disciples, a realization comes to mind: perhaps there is more truth to the New Testament than some thought.

Review:
The Resurrection by H.A. Parker tells a story that forces you to examine your own personal convictions regarding science and religion.  As a science teacher, I can understand the almost fanatical belief held by the scientists and their goal to resurrect the disciples.  The main character, Clark, has had his faith in God challenged and he clings to science as an acceptable way to process the world.  At the same time, his life has become void of everything.  He lives alone, has few, if any, friends and he is very devoted to his job and his enigmatic boss.

Suddenly becoming the "keeper" of the resurrected disciples, Clark quickly discovers many of their ideas about them were wrong and he is faced with the faith and religion he turned his back on for science.  He also comes to realized that things are not as he believed with his boss and he wonders if they are doing the right thing. 

I really enjoyed the fact there was no clear-cut answer.  All the characters had to deal with the issue of their own faith and belief in the face of the Disciples. This book serves as an excellent example of what is going on in today's churches.  This story explores the goals of the modern church and how so many shift focus to a corporate mindset.  This story evokes deep thought into the reader's own personal ideals of religion and how the face of the church has changed.

Everyone who interacts with the Disciples find themselves changed.  From the fanatical coworker Fulbright to the maniacal boss Bancroft, everyone has reactions to the Disciples. For some, their faith is reaffirmed.  For others, the need to control the Disciples outweighs all.


As for the Disciples, I found them to be delightful.  Quickly adjusting to being in the 21st century, they have never lost their faith in God and waste any time starting their mission of evangelizing.  They grow concerned as they realize the modern world has deviated from the message of God, as they know it and the Disciples do not bite their tongue in letting everyone they have strayed from the message.

This story was so compelling.  See everything through Clark's eyes really made the story so poignant.  It was interesting to see his battle with himself, his religious convictions and his science beliefs.  This story is such a reflection on much of the discussion between religion and science today.    This story is such a reflection on much of the discussion between religion and science today.  This is one you should pick up if you are ready to read and be challenged to think outside the box.