Friday, December 20, 2013

Blog Tour: The Borealis Genome


YA Sci Fi
Date Published: 6/4/2013

New novel The Borealis Genome addresses the issue of increased moral ambiguity as scientific technology advances and removes our sense of individuality. The married authors throw engaged characters Tim and Nora into a scientific nightmare where mind-uploading and a weaponized virus allow the minds of the few to control those of the masses. As the population starts turning into mental zombies can Tim and Nora find the source of this mayhem? And can their love persevere through these harrowing times?

The Borealis Genome was recently awarded as Finalist in the 2013 Best Book Awards , and Honorable Mention in the 2013Hollywood Book Festival .




Thomas and Nancy come from very different backgrounds.  Thomas was raised in a military family and lived through the separations of war and the challenges that a family faces when coming back together. Challenges such as injuries and the frailty of the body and shifts in the personality that war bring to a family can force everyone to redefine how they see the themselves and the world around them. Nancy was raised in a family challenged by severe injuries.  Her father was paralyzed and could no longer work causing the family to reform around a new breadwinner when their mother had to take over. 
We chose to write a book shaped around these realities and the challenges that new technologies will force societies all over the world to deal with very soon. Mind uploading, neural networks, and human gene manipulation combined with new medical discoveries may become a new reality that we must all understand and learn what it means to our lives. These are realities today that were only science fiction just a few years ago that will soon have a real and direct affect on our lives.
Tom earned his Ph.D. in Organization and Management in 2012 and has other books including “Trust in Virtual Teams,” and “Agile Readiness.”





                                                  




Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Blog Tour: Buried Appearance by D.E. Haggerty


Date Published: 12/1/2013
Historical Fiction

Skylar Dewitt has been ostracized her entire life due to her grandfather’s well-known sympathies with the Nazis. But now her grandfather’s body has been recovered in the Netherlands in an area famous for being a Nazi killing ground. Why would her grandfather be buried in a place legendary for assassinations of resistance members? Skylar jets off to Holland in search of answers about her grandfather’s demise. Along the way she finds long-lost family and old friends but will she solve the mystery of what happened to her grandfather? And maybe she discovers something more valuable than resolving any mystery could be: herself.    



Interview

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

I mostly write suspense or mystery stories. There comes a point in these stories when the entire mystery needs to be solved. This is the most difficult part for me: resolving the mystery in such a way that the reader is surprised. I don’t want the resolution of the story to be obvious but I want there to be enough clues that the reader has a good idea of what may happen.


What songs are most played on your Ipod?

This really depends on my mood but while writing Buried Appearances, I created the following playlist.

Blood Brothers by Bruce Springsteen
In My Blood by Black Stone Cherry
Ghosts That We Knew by Mumford & Sons
Ik Kan Het Niet Alleen by De Dijk
Bijna Waar Ik Zijn Moet by Blof
Wake Me Up – Acoustic by Aloe Blacc
Inside Job by Pearl Jam
Abschied Nehmen by Xavier Naidoo

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I have three friends that I use as beta readers. They are from three different nationalities and very different backgrounds. This is great for feedback as each reader looks at the book entirely differently. I just started this process and am really enjoying it.


What book are you reading now?

I read between 5 and 7 books a week for book reviews for my review blog. For my personal enjoyment, I’m reading The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton to the New Frontiers of American Power by Kim Ghattas. I love reading nearly everything under the sun but I especially enjoy historical (auto)biographies or memoirs.

How did you start your writing career?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. About 10 years ago, I tried starting a writing career while on sabbatical from my daytime job as a commercial lawyer. Due to monetary concerns, however, I didn’t stick with it. When I stopped practicing law a few years ago, I started a B&B but I was still searching for career fulfillment. My husband suggested I self-publish and that was it!


One of my colleagues made a strange comment on 9/11. He said: “Imagine if you were in the building and escaped. You could just walk away from your life.” At the time, I thought he was crazy. As a decade passed (and I became a decade older), I slowly became obsessed with the idea. What would cause you to walk away from your life? Listening to Bob Seger’s song Roll Me Away, the idea came back in my head and wouldn’t leave. I had to write a story about a woman walking away from her life. This idea is slowly transforming into my third book. I’m afraid it will be a very difficult book to write, but I’m excited about the challenge.






D.E. Haggerty
I was born and raised in Wisconsin but think I’m a European (a cloggy to be exact). After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. After high school I returned to the U.S. to attend college ending up with a Bachelor’s degree in History at the tender age of 20 while still managing to spend time bouncing back and forth to Europe during my vacations. Unable to find a job after college and still suffering from wanderlust, I joined the U.S. Army as a Military Policewoman for 5 years. While stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, I met my future husband, a flying Dutchman. After being given my freedom from the Army, I went off to law school. I finished law school and moved to the Netherlands with my husband and became a commercial lawyer for more than a decade. When I could no longer handle the law, we upped stakes and moved to Germany to start a B&B. Three years after starting the B&B, I got the itch to try something else and decided to return to one of my first loves: writing. Between tennis, running, traveling, singing off tune, reading and playing lawyer part-time, I write novels and poetry, blog about everything under the sun and review books. 

Contact information


Twitter handle: @denaehaggerty











Monday, December 16, 2013

Blog Tour: The Merchant of Venice Beach by Celia Bonaduce



Date Published: 8/1/2013
Contemporary Romance

The Rollicking Bun--Home of the Epic Scone--is the center of Suzanna Wolf's life. Part tea shop, part bookstore, part home, it's everything she's ever wanted right on the Venice Beach boardwalk, including partnership with her two best friends from high school, Eric and Fernando. But with thirty-three just around the corner, suddenly Suzanna wants something more--something strictly her own. Salsa lessons, especially with a gorgeous instructor, seem like a good start--a harmless secret, and just maybe the start of a fling. But before she knows it, Suzanna is learning steps she never imagined--and dancing her way into confusion.


Interview

1. What is the hardest part of writing your books?

Finding the time to write is probably the most exasperating part of the process for me. I travel around the country for work - I have a physically and mentally demanding job as a producer on HGTV’s House Hunters, so carving out time to work on a novel is hard to come by. The flip side of this is that my job is fascinating! I am always meeting interesting people and being thrown into unusual situations that are fodder for a new book – or the answer to a story point that has been stumping me.

2. What songs are most played on your Ipod?

I’m in love with Musicals! Currently listening to Wicked, Rent, The Jersey Boys, Chicago and Pippin. However, I never listen to music when I am writing. I often have to write in coffee shops and airports, but I prefer to write in a quiet room!

3. Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I belong to “Jody’s Pioneers” - a group of women writers who met about five years ago at writing seminar taught by NY Times best-seller Jody Thomas. We met as strangers and have become good friends who gently critique each other’s work and prop up each other’s morale when need be!

4. What book are you reading now?

I’m reading ALLEGIANT, the third book in the DIVERGENT trilogy by Veronica Roth. My niece, husband and I all like to read the same book at the same time, so we can discuss it, and this was the current selection for our “group read”. By myself, I am reading A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY by Joshilyn Jackson, one of my new favorite authors!

5. How did you start your writing career?

My parents were both TV writers, so writing is almost in my DNA. Both my mother and father passed along a love of reading, writing and story structure to my brothers and me.

6. Tell us about your next release.

In May 2014, the third book in THE VENICE BEACH ROMANCE SERIES called Much Ado About Mother will be released. I am super excited about this one! Suzanna, the heroine of the first book (The Merchant of Venice Beach) Erinn, the protagonist of the second book (A Comedy of Erinn) AND their mother, Virginia all band together in book three. Writing from the perspective of three characters was something new for me. I love all the new eccentrics that pop up in “Ado” – and I also got a kick out of bringing an important character from “Merchant” back into the mix. Apparently, neither Suzanna nor I was done with him.








Friday, December 13, 2013

Blog Tour: Bleeding Shame by Nora Black


Sci-Fi / Thriller
Date Published: 9/13/2013

 Has a world altering invention become temptation for murder?
 A vicious killer, an improbable story, and a shattering scientific discovery, mingle to create a cocktail of deceptive intrigue. 

A bright young woman's death has been framed to look like an act of rage during a call-girl rendezvous. A tired, disillusioned cop, her only hope of redemption. Layer upon layer unfold to reveal a conniving conspiracy of global proportions; a conjuring of convoluted wicked twists.
Stacey Cornish has been murdered, and her killer has done very little to hide his identity. When his body washes up on the bank of a local river, Detective Frankie Harlow is unconvinced that the man committed suicide.  However, when his family come under-fire in a series of vicious attacks aimed at dissuading further interest, Frankie knows that there is more to the murder than first meets the eye. Stacey was a biochemist working on a cure for cancer, perhaps her death had something to do with her research rather than the frame-of-facts posed by the killers.
Bleeding Shame is a compelling story that will grab you at the start, pull you along at a breathtaking pace, and shock you senseless with the questions it poses, and the answers it finds. Heart-wrenching, scary and sometimes humorous, it never fails to impress.


Review
This one may not have pulled me in right of the gates, it took some time to get all of the information and feel like I was in it, but once it got going it kept my attention throughout. 

The mystery/suspense aspect was really well done. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen and was surprised many times.

I wish the characters would have been a bit more compelling. Overall, it was a thrilling novel. 



Nora Black

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Blog Tour: The Seacrest by Aaron Paul Lazar



Date Published: 10/20/2013
Romantic Suspense

They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Finn McGraw disagrees.
He was just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his heart—and then inexplicably turned on him. Finn may have moved on with his life, but he’s never forgotten her.
Now, ten years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead family and taking the lives of the few people he has left.
Finn always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws everything he knows into doubt.
And on top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away.
The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.


BUY LINKS


Review:
This is one of those stories that makes you really question things. Finn's life changes so drastically and if it isn't enough that he loses two very important people in his life, he is then faced with mind blowing secrets that are revealed after their death. 

I enjoyed the fact that Finn and Libby had a deeper connection than just hey we met and now we are going to fall in love. It felt real and their past really helped to shape their journey.

Be prepared this is a very very deep and emotional story and I cried and cried. I think it was amazing that Aaron was able to evoke that kind of emotion. 





Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming releases THE SEACREST (2013), SANCTUARY (2014), and VIRTUOSO (2014).







Promo Blitz: Taken by Force by Jessica Frances


Taken By Force - PROMO Blitz
By Jessica Frances

Date Published: 12/7/2013
New Adult Paranormal Romance


Eight months have passed since Zoe, Charlie, Will and Rose parted ways.

Eight months living on the run and starting new lives.

But when Zoe has a dream and foresees trouble, she knows she needs to reunite them. Can she get to everyone in time? Or will it already be too late?

Even if they can get away from P.A.G.E. again, they know what will need to be done. If they can’t survive on the run, then they have no choice but to fight P.A.G.E.

Is there a way they can get out of this alive?

Or will this be one fight they’ll lose?


EXCERPT

 My head is slammed hard against the ground and my vision wavers as pain radiates down my neck and through my spine.

The smoke slowly begins clearing around me as my head lolls to the side, dark spots assault my eyes. I see the bottom of the Christmas tree and my eyes shift. Suddenly Dana is lying under it, facing me. She is trying to tell me something, but it’s like her voice has been put on mute.

“Dana…” I mutter her name and a sharp intake of breath enters my lungs, the black spots recede momentarily. I vaguely notice there is commotion going on around me and the man who hit me is no longer holding me trapped. I know I should move, try and escape while I can, but my eyes are glued to Dana. She is still saying something to me, but I’ve given up trying to work out what it is. Instead, I stare at her and try to take in every inch of her.

She must be fifteen now and looks so beautiful. She’s wearing a blue nightie she used to love and her bright red hair is up in a loose ponytail. She lifts her head up, resting on her propped up hand, and again her mouth shifts urgently. I watch her lips moving and gradually I realize she’s repeating something over and over again. 

I squint my eyes and just make out what she is saying as strong hands grab my arms and I’m hauled up onto my feet, the image of Dana disappearing. I’m dragged away from the kitchen with Dana’s words now echoing through my mind.
She’d been saying to me, “Don’t fall asleep.”


About the Author
Jessica Frances

Born and raised in South Australia, Jessica spends her days working in a bakery, afternoons catching up on lost sleep, and nights reading and writing. Writing has always been a passion of hers, however it wasn’t until Zoe appeared into her head and wouldn’t leave that she finally was able to put a story down and finish it. After writing three books, she is wondering if she should start charging Zoe and her friends rent.

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

PROMO: Favorite Places



Favorite Places - Extreme PROMO Blitz
By Kelly Gendron

Contemporary Erotica
Date Published: 12/10/2013

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A five-minute trolley ride, one troublemaking luggage, and two stolen identities. Six months later, two strangers discover they’re married. She wants an annulment. He has other plans.

Being illegally hitched is about the only way Chase Lennox would ever be shackled to any woman. But when the multimillionaire playboy finds out he’s married to the woman who caused him to lose the biggest deal of his life, Chase decides before he gives his new wife an annulment, she’s going to help him close the deal he’d lost.
Jessina Landi has a three-foot radius comfort zone. The last man she let into it cost her a lot more than a broken heart. And the huge debt she owes for that trust, well, it’s due. If she takes Chase Lennox's up on his offer, it’s sure to cover the bill.
There’s an annulment waiting at the end of their rainbow… well, that’s if they can get through the next two weeks without consummating the marriage.

Excerpt

"Finish getting ready. We're outta here in a few minutes.” He turned his back to her.
Jessina struggled to recover from the total body meltdown he’d so easily triggered. "Are we heading back to your apartment?"
"Yes," he responded just as he disappeared from the doorway.
"Good." She raised her voice. "You can drop me off at the bus stop then."
Chase's head swayed back in the doorway. "Come again?"
"I'm going home, but I'll be back in time for Caplin's arrival on Thursday."
He stepped back into the room. "Why do you want to go home?"
The question caught her off guard. She'd assumed he'd be pleased to be rid of her. Nonetheless, telling him the truth wasn't an option. "As you said, the only reason we needed to spend time together was so I could get to know you, so we can convince Caplin we're married."
His forehead wrinkled. "And you feel like you know me?"
"Well enough to pull off a bullshit marriage, yes."
"Hmm." He rubbed his chin, the intensity of his stare holding her captive. She clung to those dark eyes, waiting for him to say something. He dropped his hand and took a step toward her.
"I don't want you to go." His low, husky words resonated in her ears.
Her body hesitated, heart skipped, and nerves stammered. All of her senses failed her. She couldn’t have heard him right. "What?"
"There are a few more things you need to know about me in order to successfully pull this off, Jessina."
Every single one of her senses came back to life as he moved closer.
"Will you stay just one more night?" He stopped in front of her. "So I can show them to you?"
"What?" Heat flushed through her body once more. "What sort of things?"
Dark, ravishing eyes dropped to her mouth as he drew a finger down the side of her cheek. It trailed along her neck, gently grazing her shoulder and caressing the length of her arm. "The sort of things I would do with my real wife." He looked back up at her, his hand now settled on her hip. The weight of his touch caused her stomach to clench with desire. His hand shifted to the small of her back, and her next breath got caught in her throat. "I want to show you how my wife would make me feel when I'm this close to her." He applied light pressure with his hand to her back, and the space between them descended. Their bodies became one.
"Chase…" His name fell from her lips in a near whisper when his hardness pressed into her tight-with-desire belly.
"Jessina…" he hissed back in a throaty murmur…


About the Author
Kelly Gendron

Kelly resides in a quiet suburb somewhere between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY. Her day job? Kelly has worked in the healthcare field for years. She represents a group of reputable nursing facilities in the WNY area.
She's been faithfully writing for three years. However, she wrote her first book ten years ago but had to put it down to raise her son as a single mom. When her son got a little older, she was able to pick it back up. That's when she settled into her newly married life and started to seriously write again.
The recipe for the men in her stories: a dash of bad boy attitude, a cup of strong and confident and, of course, besides being packed with magnificent bodies, and doused with shameless aptitudes, they must have a tender heart you want to rip out of the pages (or your e-Reader) and take to bed with you at night.
Kelly loves to hear from her readers! Visit her Blog, FB Page, Goodreads, Twitter.

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Monday, December 9, 2013

Blog Tour: The Reunion by A.A. Pencil



Date Published: 11/12/2013
Mystery/Thriller

C. Moore Catholic High School's 10-year reunion was organized as many reunions are - to reminisce, to see who had made a success of their lives, and in truth, to gossip on who had not.  But this party in the secluded, 1890's mansion once owned by a long dead, paranoid WWII Veteran, was to become anything but typical.  


After a horrible accident within the mansion, the alumni realize they are locked in and fighting for their lives.  Instantly, tempers rise and fingers are pointed as the number of living alumni begins to rapidly decrease.  Theories range from there being a murderer in the midst to the mansion possibly being haunted by the previous owner's ghost. 



Who or what is responsible and will anyone make it out alive?  



Find out for yourself in this combination of a mystery and psychological thriller, with a twisted ending!


YouTube Video



BUY LINKS



To celebrate the release of AA Pencil's debut novel "The Reunion" - During the months of November & December - 1% of the gross sales of all novels with Lavish Publishing, LLC will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America.  The donation will be made in May 2014 in honor of AA Pencil and National Lupus Awareness Month.




A. A. Pencil works part time as a school nurse at an all-boys Catholic school in New York City. As a Lupus survivor, she uses writing as a significant part of her therapy and you will see influences from classical writers such as Agatha Christie and Edgar Alan Poe in her work.  When not working or writing, she enjoys cooking, shopping and walking. She has sponsored a child in Mexico for over three years with a children's organization. She currently lives in a borough of New York City with her extended family who are her greatest supporters.








PROMO Blitz: Highlander's Captive by Donna Fletcher


Highlander's Captive - PROMO Blitz

By Donna Fletcher

Date Published: 11/17/2013
Scottish Historical Romance


Readers have fallen in love with Cree, the mighty Highland warrior, and Dawn, the courageous woman born without a voice. Their story started in Highlander Unchained and continued in Forbidden Highlander. Now the Highlander Trilogy comes to a conclusion in Highlander’s Captive. The story centers on Cree’s sister Wintra. Much like her brother, she is strong-minded and willful and intends to do as she pleases until...
Torr is a mighty Highland warrior on a mission. He must find the powerful warrior Cree’s sister and return her home, but it isn’t as easy as he thought it would be. As much as he is determined to complete his task, she is even more determined that he doesn’t, until...
Wintra is in no need of help from the brute warrior that her brother Cree has sent to bring her home. She has plans of her own and they include marrying the man she has fallen in love with, whether her brother likes it or not. But stuck in the woods in a snowstorm completely naked with the mighty warrior, thanks to her own foolishness, has her more persistent than ever to find her way back to the man she loves, until...
They fall in love and nothing is the same after that, especially when Torr returns Wintra home to Cree. The truth comes to light about many things, especially one long held secret that changes everything for Wintra.


EXCERPT

Wintra’s eyes shot open and her breath caught in her throat, preventing her from screaming, and screaming was exactly what she wanted to do. She stared at the face only inches from hers and wondered if she was suffering a nightmare. It was as if she was staring at two different men; one a demon and one an angel. A thin scar ran down the left side of the man’s face from above his eye to his chin, while his right side was untouched. His eyes were a piercing blue color that sent an icy chill through her and his large hand weighed heavily across her mouth. But it was the size of him covering the length of her that frightened her the most. Even through his garments and fur coverings she could feel his hard muscles. He was a powerfully built man, and she had no chance against him.

Donna Fletcher

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