Friday, July 31, 2015

Blog Tour: Of Gods and Madness by @justindherd #review #giveaway



Fantasy Noir
Date Published: 7/21/2015


A mobster learns he's becoming a god, only to discover they die too. 
The right hand of the dominant mob family, Raine Morgan is tasked with hunting down two miscreants messing with the bottom line. He finds them on the docks, but, in the confusion of the fight, accidentally kills their victim and lets them escape. Horrified at what he's done, Raine seeks redemption as well as revenge. 

Things spiral out of control when a greedy middleman overthrows Raine's mob organization. It's only with the help of a friend inside the crumbling mob as well as a streetwise artist that Raine remains undetected as he searches for the men who started this all. Raine doesn’t realize, however, he has caught the attention of a disparate conclave of gods in the process. 

As the pantheon returns to the city they'd abandoned, old conflicts re-emerge, causing divine civil war. Both sides try to pull Raine to their side, expecting to find a naive god for them to manipulate. Instead, they find a man stripped of everything, intent on playing both sides as they learn an awful reality - even gods can die.



Review

This novel has a little of everything. The main character is a Mobster and a pretty powerful one at that. His morals are definitely questionable and through things that happen you see him deal with guilt and look to exact revenge as well as try to redeem himself from his actions, even though they were not intentional. I liked that I could feel his remorse yet his darker tendencies still prevailed.

The fantasy aspect was well done and a great addition to the story. It gave the story another layer of depth.

Be prepared for a wild ride with a lot of action and twists and turns throughout. 




Justin D. Herd is a Fantasy Noir author who has been writing novels for ten years. He absolutely loves dark, twisted stories that take readers into unexpected places. Horror movies are his passion and he often takes stories to task for not logically thinking out their concepts. His home has been invaded by two eccentric children as well as a cat which is obsessed with all things digital.


Thursday, July 30, 2015

Blog Tour: Purified #interview



Thriller / Noir
Date Published: November 27, 2014


When a mutilated body of an African American girl is found in a park sandbox, the media shows no interest. Instead, their attention is riveted on the disappearance of Olivia Safra, a college student and only child of the powerful and dangerous Richard Safra. Suspended ADA, Beck Oldman, demoted to a rookie PI is assigned her first cases to find a missing teenager and Olivia Safra.

Leads connect the murders to the Safra case. The investigation into her client's private life reveals a dark side in the relationship between a father and daughter and exacts his wrath against Beck. More girls are found murdered, putting Beck in a race to stop a serial killer and stop her own client from destroying her.

PURIFIED is a thrilling story that explores many dark subjects, including what it does to those who have to live in the world of killers in order to stop them.





Purchase Links







Interview


Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Purified is a book that deals with many social justice issues while never losing sight of storytelling. I don’t have one overreaching message in the book but certainly equality of race and gender is a theme that is explored. I attempt do this without preaching but by revealing organically through plot and character the injustice that exists. I have try to create a female PI who acts as a woman and not a Marlowe in high heels. Women have a different set of issues than men; they behave differently in all things, including when they are chasing down killers.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find getting myself into a daily routine to write very difficult.


How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have written only the one book, but I have written five screenplays. Purified is in script form as well. If I have a favorite story of mine it would be my first because it showed I write could do it.


If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Jessica Chastain would be my first choice to portray Beck because she would do justice to the intelligence and toughness of Beck. She would convey the vulnerably of the character sympathetically without diminishing her edges.


When did you begin writing?
I have never not written. I was always placed in accelerated reading or English classes in school. The one homework assignment I would always complete would be reading and writing.  I cannot remember a time where I did not write stories, poems, or letters. Letter writing is a lost art and I think it was instrumental in my love of writing. Pen on paper, full sentences, not truncated, techno speak as I put it.


Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I do not have one author who inspired me. I have been inspired by all the writers who gave me a portal to examine and live in a world of their making and a world translated by my imagination.


What is your favorite part of the writing process?
  Tense, surprising, provocative, frightening



Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
  I am writing the sequel to Purified. Beck once again is entangled in series of killings that will ensnare her into the dangerous world of her nemesis, Richard Safra.


Elizabeth S. Sullivan was born in Chicago and grew up in the LA area. Impassioned by social justice issues, inspired by her parents, she pursued teaching and earned a law degree. She has written five screenplays, one short. Her screenplays have placed or won such as: Nicholl, Austin, Page, and American Zoetrope. These recognitions garnered her a manager, Alexia Melocchi, Little Studio Films. Her first novel, PURIFIED, portrays a strong female protagonist in the genre of a noir thriller.  Sullivan explores issues of race, gender, privacy in the cyber age. She has written several blogs on of women in fiction featured on Venture Galleries.  She is busy working on the sequel to PURIFIED and a new screenplay.



Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Cover Reveal: Outside, Inside




Children's Book (4-8)
Date Published: August 25, 2015


Have you ever felt like all of your friends had forgotten about you?  Have you ever felt left out?  This is exactly what happens to Birdie in Outside, Inside.  When Birdie does not see his friends around, he decides to go out and look for them.  He quickly finds that something strange is going on.  Birdie’s friends are really planning a super fun surprise that gives Birdie a change of heart.  Outside, Inside is a simple story about the joy of friendship and giving.  Using 35 easy words and vivid, colorful characters, this story is enchanting for the youngest of readers.





EXCERPT





About the Author


Cindy Helms is a visual artist, author and illustrator known for designing unusual projects. For Cindy, art is created from curious and whimsical combinations of shapes, textures and colors.  In her unique and simple children’s books, Cindy’s art work comes to life in characters that enchant children and adults alike. Cindy lives in the Denver, CO area with two artistic boys and two fat black cats.  She loves road trips, camping and discovering new places.






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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Blog Tour: Alawahea by @saraldaigle @Alawahea #review



Fantasy/Sci-Fi Romance
Date Published: 7/16/2015


Tamara Carrington always felt different. One event in high school left her wondering if maybe she really was a freak, although she’d managed to leave that experience in the past—buried deep in her psyche. With the arrival of the exchange students from the planet of Azelle to her college, Tamara’s long buried memories threaten to erupt. As Tamara’s emotions build and her friendship with the Azellians grows, so does the knowledge of secrets within her own family.
With the deterioration of her mother’s health, Tamara doesn’t know where to turn for answers or solace. What has her family been hiding? Why does she feel inexplicably drawn to the Azellians? What will happen if she unleashes her long-suppressed passion? Will she survive or even recognize herself afterwards? Wanting answers, yet being afraid of what she might find, Tamara wonders if it would be better to remain asleep.




Purchase Links




Review

I liked the diversity and originality of this novel. I felt it did a great job of pulling together Sci-Fi and Fantasy along with Romance. 

Believeable and Relatable characters really help to captivate the reader and get them invested in the happenings of this story. 

This was a great start to the series, a lot of backstory needed and had to understand a lot as with a lot of first in series, but I am excited to see where it goes next.




Sara L Daigle has been creating stories since she first forayed into the world of writing at the age of eight. As an avid reader, growing up in a small town without much access to a library, and before the birth of the Internet, Sara devoured her mother’s extensive stack of science fiction and romance novels to keep her literary thirst quenched. Soon afterwards, she began writing her own stories and entertaining her friends by composing plays for them to act out.
A passionate interest in astronomy, anthropology, and linguistics, coupled with this early background in science fiction and romance, led Sara to merge the two fields and create a series of interlinked stories built around a fictional planet’s culture and its interaction with ours.
Sara currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and three very loving but energetic dogs.

Novel Twitter: @Alawahea 

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

PROMO Blitz: No Good Deed by @marydbrooksfic



Historical Romance / Lesbian Romance
Date Published: July 1, 2015

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Eva and Zoe Lambros are back in the fifth novel of the historical lesbian romance Intertwined Souls Series. They have left Greece and Germany behind, taking their secrets and their love back to Australia to finally settle down for that normal life they so desire.
Eva is offered a new job and it looks like they're finally ready to settle down into a contented life. Fate has other plans for both women when Eva is involved in a life-threatening accident that reveals a shocking secret from Eva's childhood.
Zoe finds out their wish for children will soon be fulfilled when she finds out she's pregnant but she has to contend with the possibility of losing the woman she loves.
Eva's accident reveals yet another family secret. A decision taken by Eva's mother to protect her child has major repercussions. Eva's wish for an uneventful life is shattered by the accident and the revelation. She must now accept the gifts that are her destiny.
Truly, no good deed goes unpunished.




About the Author

Mary D. Brooks lives in Australia and has been writing for forty years including short fiction stories for various Australian magazines and some non-fiction articles. Mary published her first novel "In the Blood of the Greeks" in 2001 and that soon became evident that there was more to the characters and their story that needed to be told so the Intertwined Souls Series was born. Mary works as a web and graphic designer in addition to being the chief editor and owner of the AUSXIP News and Multimedia Network of sites. When she's not writing, reading, creating art or designing new sites, Mary travels when the travel bug hits and is always on the lookout for new adventures. You can find Mary's sites at www.ausxip.com and her official author site at www.nextchapter.net


Contact Links



Purchase Link

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Blog Tour: Brain by @CandaceBlevins #interview #giveaway




Paranormal Romance / Motorcycle Club
Date Published: July 17, 2015



Someone has hacked past Brain’s firewalls and sold the MC’s information. Brain and Bash are on a mission to catch the hacker, find out who hired him, and then make him pay.
Until Brain discovers the hacker is a woman, and just as smart as him. She’s so clever, he chases her a full week before he finally catches her.
She’s the enemy, and yet his wolf wants to protect her from Bash. Worse, his wolf is beginning to decide he wants to claim her.
This isn’t going to be pretty.

Warning: Fights with full-on violence and lots of blood, as well as descriptions of horrendous tortures to a captured female.


Interview
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

I don’t believe I have a singular message in Brain’s story. I tend to write strong, capable women who fall for even stronger men, and readers who’ve read most of my books seem to grasp the idea of a woman who is capable of surviving on her own, without a man, but who chooses to merge her life with one because she wants to. Because she falls in love with him, and not because she isn’t complete without a man, or because she needs someone to rescue her or take care of her.

The girl in Brain’s story is just as smart as him, and quite literally gives him a run for his money, so I haven’t moved away from writing strong women. However, Brain’s book is mostly about me getting to play around with the whole antihero thing.



Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

My favorite genre to read is Urban Fantasy, and it’s taken me many years of writing contemporary BDSM romance before I felt capable of taking on the challenges of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

I think the challenge now is in balancing the genres, finding the time to write so I don’t neglect a particular series. I warned my Safeword readers it would likely be a full year before I released another, as I needed to dive into this new universe and immerse myself in it. I look forward to getting back to writing contemporary, but for now I’m having a blast playing around with all of the possibilities available in a paranormal universe.



How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve published sixteen, though I’ve written more than twice that number. The first books I wrote will never be published, but there are a few later attempts I may eventually pull out and rewrite. As for a favorite? There’s no way to answer. I could never tell you which child is my favorite, either.


If you had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

Ethan from the Safeword: Matte series is a combination of Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, in my head. I’d gladly watch either of them play him.

I have no idea who I’d cast as Duke, Brain, or Bash. If anyone who’s read their stories has an idea, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.



When did you begin writing?

I’ve tried to write many times in my life, but had never managed to finish a story. In 2006, NaNoWriMo changed that for me, with the idea of writing and not looking at what you’ve written until you’re finished. The first book I finished is crap and will never be seen by anyone but me, but it set me on my path towards writing and finishing books, until I eventually had something I felt was good enough to submit.



How long did it take to complete your first book?

I finished that first book during the month of November. It was just over 80,000 words, and I looked forward to writing every evening so I could find out what happened next. It never went through the editing process, so from a publishing standpoint, it isn’t “finished.”

My first published book took a good bit longer, as it went through a critique stage, a rewriting stage, and a ton of edits before I ever submitted it. Then my first professional editor got ahold of it, and it went through even more changes. I honestly don’t know how long I worked on it, though.



Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

Ummm, all of them? I don’t think I can point to one in particular.



What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Writing the first draft.

I get to know the characters in my head a while before I start writing. So, when I begin the book I know who they are, how the book starts, mostly how it ends, and what their primary conflicts and obstacles will be. Beyond that, I have to write the story to find out what happens. Sometimes my fingers just can’t go fast enough.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Super-smart people are dangerous.

Okay, so hyphenating super-smart into one word might be cheating, but four words is impossible!  Here’s another four:

Bad can be delicious.

Can you share a little about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I’m working on Bash’s story now, and he’s turning into much more of an anti-hero than Duke and Brain. I love the challenge of making him bad, while still making people root for him and want him to get his HEA.

As for the future, I intend to keep writing in all of the series I’ve started. I’ll likely write some erotica short stories from my paranormal universe, because those ideas are in my head and need to get out, but I have no idea what to do with them. Perhaps I can put them in anthologies, or release them as shorts. I’ve written two, once I have enough three or four, I’ll see what makes sense.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog! Readers can always contact me at  ( candace@candaceblevins.com or facebook.com/candacesblevins ) if they have more questions.




Purchase Links



Candace Blevins is a southern girl who loves to travel the world. She lives with her husband of 17 years and their two daughters. When not working or driving kids all over the place, she can be found reading, writing, meditating, or swimming.
Candace writes BDSM Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and a smoking hot Motorcycle Club series.
Her Safeword series gives us characters who happen to have some extreme kinks. Relationships can be difficult enough without throwing power exchange into the mix, and her books show characters who care enough about each other to fight to make the relationship work. Each book in the Safeword series highlights a couple with a different BDSM issue to resolve. Books are standalone and can be read in any order, with the exception of the two Davenportbooks, and the four Matte books.
Her urban fantasy series, Only Human, gives us a world were weredragons, werewolves, werelions, three different species of vampires exist, as well as a variety of other mythological beings.
Candace’s two paranormal romance series, The Chattanooga Supernaturals and The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, are both sister series to the Only Human series, and gives some secondary characters their happily ever after. Her three paranormal series are written so you can read one series, or all three, should you prefer only a particular genre.
You can visit Candace on the web at candaceblevins.com and feel free to friend her on Facebook at facebook.com/candacesblevins and Goodreads atgoodreads.com/CandaceBlevins. You can also join facebook.com/groups/CandacesKinksters to get sneak peeks into what she's writing now, images that inspire her, and the occasional juicy blurb. You can visit Candace on the web and sign up for her newsletter at candaceblevins.com.

Only Human series (Urban Fantasy)
• Only Human
• Book two – title tba (late 2015)

Chattanooga Supernaturals (Paranormal Romance)
• The Dragon King
• Riding the Storm
• Acceptable Risk (June 2015)

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club (Paranormal Romance)
• Duke
• Brain (July 2015)
• Bash (late 2015)

Safeword series (BDSM Romance)
• Safeword: Rainbow
• Safeword: Davenport
• Safewords: Davenport and Chiffon
• Safeword: Quinacridone
• Safeword: Matte
• Safeword: Matte – In Training
• No Safeword: Matte – The Honeymoon
• No Safeword: Matte – Happily Ever After
• Safeword: Arabesque


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