Book blurb for "Alex Finch: Monster Hunter" by Cate Dean

Today is a book blurb tour stop for the YA paranormal novel, Alex Finch: Monster Hunter by Cate Dean.

Cate will be awarding signed bookmarks or pins to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop. Grand prizes are: a $25 Amazon gift card to two (2) randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and (for US only) a swag bag with exclusive merchandise related to the book to one commenter during the tour. To be entered to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and enter to win there, too!

Blurb:

Meet Alex Finch - tomboy, techno geek, monster hunter.

Reluctant monster hunter.

When Alex’s project partner Misty loses her notes for the most important English project of her school career, Alex heads to the local haunted house to find them. Instead she makes a life-changing discovery.

Monsters are real.

That single, mind-blowing incident throws her life in a completely different direction – and into the path of Sam, the boy she’s had a serious crush on since first grade. He knows more than he’s telling, and the further she digs, the deeper and darker the secrets become.

What else is hiding behind the ordinary facade of her California beach town?

Alex is about to find out.

Excerpt:

The tap of claws on wood warned me a second before the creature exploded through the door.

I backpedaled, running into Misty. She let out a shriek and dropped to the floor. I swallowed, watching the creature stalk across the dining room.

It looked like a mutant wolf—until it stood up on its hind legs, extended claws as long as my hand, and smirked at me. Yes, smirked. Seven feet of snarling, smirking black fur, with teeth that could rip my arm off without any effort.

I crowded Misty against the wall, her whimpers almost as loud as the constant growling of the mouth-breathing monster. Panicked, I searched the floor around us for a weapon, any weapon, doing a mental head slap when I remembered my Swiss army knife in my back pocket. I froze mid reach when the creature stepped closer.

It stank, like sweaty dog, with an odd, coppery stench that I finally recognized as blood. Horror coiled around the panic, and I pushed Misty along the wall, until we conveniently trapped ourselves in the corner.

The creature turned its head, following our retreat. I swore that smirk turned into a grin. A nasty grin. It was toying with us, playing with its food. I was insulted, and relieved. The game gave me more time to figure a way out of this alive.

I reached behind me to find Misty, and my fingers hit up against something metal. It pressed into my palm, and I realized Misty was handing it to me. I closed my fingers around it, and recognized the shape.

A curved iron leg, like the kind off an old woodstove. We had one in our family room, complete with lion’s paw feet. If nothing else, I could surprise the creature, maybe give us enough time to get out the window. It was better defense than the three inch blade in my knife.

I felt Misty ease up behind me. Good—she was getting ready. Now it was my turn.

Author bio and links:

Cate Dean believes in ghosts, witches, magic - and monsters.

She loves the supernatural, the odd and the strange, and writing about it is like going to a job she loves - no work and all fun.

She would love for you to join her as she hunts for monsters - real and imagined.

And there's the official biography, out of the way.

I love telling stories, and my four nephews have been a big influence in what I read, and now what I write.

Sliding into YA has been as easy fit, especially since I've been reading and loving it for years.

Alex Finch: Monster Hunter is the first book of a series I have been planning for a while, and I can't wait to introduce you to Alex and her rather quirky friends.

You can find out more about me and my books at my website.

Hang out with me on my Facebook page.

Or come and exchange tweets at my Twitter page.

I look forward to meeting you.

Buy links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book excerpt for The Billionaire's Matchmaker Anthology by Jump, Meier, Braun, and Wallace

Today is a book excerpt from The Billionaire's Matchmaker Anthology and an introduction to the authors: Shirley Jump, Susan Meier, Jackie Braun, and Barbara Wallace.

The authors will award a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered to win, leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too!

Blurb:

Can a feisty four-legged matchmaker help four best friends find the romance of their dreams?

When a handsome man from Gabby’s past agrees to a cross-country road trip, her master plan to re-launch her art career quickly morphs into an unexpected, romantic reunion.

Marney’s 9-1-1 emergency help arrives in the form of a rugged, blue-eyed cop. Now she has the perfect bodyguard to keep her safe during those dark, steamy nights…

The last thing Mia wants is a relationship…yet the headstrong florist can’t keep her hands off her sexy-as-sin ex-boyfriend.  Will she open her heart before he leaves town for good?

Jenny is a woman on a mission – she’ll even resort to dognapping to make her point! But can she teach a reclusive, emotionally-wounded tycoon that love heals all things?

Excerpt from “Driving Mr. Wrong Home” by Shirley Jump in The Billionaire’s Matchmaker:

“That’s what friends are for.” Though he wanted more than that and had for a long, long time. He wasn’t on this trip with Gabby to see if he should forget her. He’d come to see if she loved him like he’d always loved her.

“Is that what we are?” she asked. “Friends?”

“Are we?”

The two-word question hung in the air. Hell, the question had sat between them for years, ever since the day they’d met. There’d always been this magnet that drew him to her, a magnet he’d attributed to her being so different from him, so wild, so unpredictable. When really, what he wanted more than anything was Gabby herself.

“I think we’ve always been more than that,” he said. He reached up, let his hand trail along her jaw. Her eyes widened, and her pulse leapt in her throat. “Don’t you?”

“T.J….” She turned away. “I don’t think we should take this any further. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Okay.” He lowered his hand.

A heartbeat passed, another. The temperature rose, heating the space between them. She caught his hand with hers, her fingers warm and tight against his. “I want you,” she said softly. “But I’m so afraid. Of a thousand things, of making a mistake.”

“Oh, Gabby.” Her name slid from his lips, part groan, part whisper. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

A long slow smile curved across her face. She splayed her fingers, pressed her hand on his chest. Her touch trailed down the front of his shirt, skipping over the buttons, dancing along the ridges of muscle beneath the cotton fabric. “You’ve changed.”

“We both have. We’ve grown up.” His attention drifted to her curves and the desire that had been on a slow simmer began to burn hotter, brighter.

She laughed, a deep, throaty sound. “I don’t know if I have. But you have grown up. In very nice ways.” A flush of pink invaded her cheeks, nearly as bright as the streak in her hair.

“I’m not that geek you remember.”

“No, T.J., you definitely aren’t. But underneath it all, I think you’re still the same guy. You’re down to earth and honest. At your core, you’re the T.J. I remember. I’ve missed that person a lot.”

“You missed me?”

“More than I realized. You’ve always…tempered me. Brought out the best in me.”

The words filled him with joy. She saw who he was underneath. She always had. “And you’re still the same person who pushes me to step out of my comfort zone, to take chances.”

“I could say you’ve turned the tables in that department this week.” Her gaze softened when she looked at him.

“Maybe we should take this beyond just a road trip. To something more.” He’d said nearly the same thing years before. Back then, she’d rejected him. But this time, he sensed the undercurrent of attraction, the simmer of want, warring with whatever battles Gabby had inside her.

“But…” She got to her feet, and shook her head. “We’re just traveling together for a few days. It wouldn’t be smart to complicate that. What’s going to happen when we get to California? You stay there, I go back to Illinois? We have something long distance?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what will happen then.” He wanted more, wanted it all, but to have that, he had to tell her the truth about who he was...about why he stayed away all these years.

Author bios and links:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romance and women’s fiction to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners. Look for her Sweet and Savory Romance series, including the USA Today bestselling book, The Bride Wore Chocolate, on Amazon and Nook, and the debut of her Sweetheart Club series for Berkley, starting with The Sweetheart Bargain in September 2013. Visit her website or read recipes and life adventures on her blog.

The Billionaire’s Matchmaker - “Driving Mr. Wrong Home”

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog

Jackie Braun is the author of more than 30 contemporary romance novels.  She is a three-time RITA Award finalist, a four-time National Readers’ Choice Award finalist and was nominated for Series Storyteller of the Year by RT Book Club in 2008. She lives in Michigan with her husband, their two sons and a former shelter dog named Pip.

The Billionaire’s Matchmaker - "Love Unleashed"

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Blogging 2 Tuesdays each month on The Chocolate Box. 

In 2013, Susan Meier lived one of her career-long dreams. Her book, The Tycoon's Secret Daughter was a finalist for RWA’s highest honor, the Rita! The same year, Nanny for the Millionaire's Twins was a Book Buyer’s Best Award finalist and National Reader’s Choice finalist.

Susan is the author of over 50 books for Harlequin and Silhouette, Entangled Indulgence, and one of Guideposts' Grace Chapel Inn series books, The Kindness of Strangers.

One of eleven kids, Susan never lacks for entertainment or amusement from her over thirty nieces and nephews. Her family’s Wednesday Morning Breakfasts are the highlight of her summer. And with lots of her nieces and nephews now in their twenties, wedding season is in full swing!

Susan lives in west central Pennsylvania with her husband, son and two crazy cats.

The Billionaire's Matchmaker - "The Sheriff's Secret" 

Connect with Susan at: Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Barbara Wallace has been a life-long romantic and daydreamer so it’s not surprising she decided to become a writer at age eight.  However, it wasn’t until a co-worker handed her a romance novel that she knew where her stories belonged.  Her first Harlequin Romance debuted in November 2010.

Barbara loves writing sweet, smart, ‘it-could-happen-to-you’ style romances.  She lives in Massachusetts with her other loves – her husband, their teenage son, and three very spoiled pets (as if there could be any other kind).  She also loves hearing from readers. 

You can find her at her website, on Twitter and on Facebook.

Interview with contemporary romance author Sofia Harper

Today I have an interview with the author of the contemporary romance novel, Hot Knight in Paradise, Sofia Harper.

Sofia will award a $25 Amazon gift card to two (2) randomly drawn commenters during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below (and a way for Sofia to get in touch with you). And to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit some of her other tour stops and leave comments there, too!

Bio:

In 2004, Sofia Harper began her writing career as a romantic suspense author. A bit problematic because she couldn't write anything mystery-like to save her life or even her characters. On a whim, she penned a contemporary where there was no dead body or explosions to save her from the dreadful middle slumps of a book. It was only the characters and what they had to deal with. She hasn't looked back since. She continues to write contemporary romances, mainly under a different pen, filled with sassy heroines and unlikely heroes. These stories are filled with one-liners, but heartfelt and sexy.

Outside of writing, Harper works as a mail clerk for the federal government, has a paralegal certificate (that she has more use for as a dust pan) and is a mother of two rambunctious children. She lives in California where the wine is good and, despite popular belief, is not always sunny. Harper plans to spend the rest of her days writing, raising her children and drinking good wine. Occasionally she'll brush her hair and get dressed, but that's optional.

Welcome, Sofia. Please tell us about your current release, Hot Knight in Paradise.

Leah Smith is stranded and dependent on Marshall Jackson. Not a problem except he owns a dive in the Caribbean, is the grumpiest Good Samaritan ever and hot to boot. Did I mention she was robbed of everything? No. Well, she was. So, she's going to live and work with him until she has enough money to go back home.

Hijinks and romance ensue.

What inspired you to write this book?

There were many things and they sort of all bleed together. What folks probably haven't heard is that I had a long break from writing with the intent to publish. So I decided to write something out of my comfort zone and which I'd failed at previously—Harlequin-like novel. I had a spreadsheet and everything. There was a marriage of convenience idea (I so love those), a friends-to-lovers, but then I got blind-sided with the TV show Life and a discussion on AAR about rape culture. Now how that led me to stranding someone on an island. I don't know. My mind makes connections I don't fully understand, but I trust them because they haven't steered me wrong.

Excerpt from Hot Knight in Paradise:

“I find it hard to believe a man like you would consider bartending his calling.” She gave him a dubious look. “And I’m feeling like a margarita. Got some limes?”

“Of course.” He opened the compartment where he kept the salt. Using some of the tequila, he lined the lip of the glass.

“How’d you know I wanted salt?”

“If you want lime, you want salt.” He took his time making the drink. “You’d be amazed how listening can change the world.”

He cut the lime in quarters, placing one on the rim, the rest in another cup. “Now I didn’t say you didn’t get something out of what you do. I said it’s probably not your calling.”

“Semantics.”

The weight of his past darkened his tone and he leaned against the bar for support. “You can save someone’s life by what you say.”

She sipped her drink and then sucked on the lime. Her breath whooshed out. “You make a damn good margarita.”

“Thanks.” He nursed his bourbon as he tried to beat back the memories, but then her hand was on his face, bringing him back to the now.

“Hey, where’d you go? We’re debating.”

“Political analyst,” he said.

“I’m not that cynical about mankind,” she said.

Her tongue flicked out, licking at the salt from the corner of her mouth. His mind blanked. When his brain came back online he could only wonder if the tartness of lime would complement her taste. She must have noticed the expression, because her gaze went to his mouth.

Her tongue lashed out again. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable when you look at my mouth with an I-want-to-bite-you expression,” she said quietly. “Though I want to say my eyes are up here, but—”

She bit her lip, and his gaze followed the action. He wished she’d look away, make a joke…anything to break the moment, but his heart rammed against his ribcage.

“I’m insane,” she murmured.

Marshall frowned, finally tearing his gaze from her mouth. Leah pushed their drinks aside and leaned over the bar, and then her mouth was on his, and he couldn’t think. His lips parted automatically, and she was there, supping on the taste of him. Leah’s tongue explored urgently, as if they’d been kissing for eons, and he matched her rhythm.

“Wait,” Marshall said, pulling back, which was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever done in his life.

He knew if she had enough time to consider what the hell they were doing, she’d end it and run. He took advantage of her moment of confusion and untied the scarf holding back the soft curls.

“There,” he sighed.

This time, he claimed her mouth. The kiss lost its urgency, and still the taste of her seared his tongue. He had the time to nip and lick, noting the softness of her lips and how the lime only made her taste better. He couldn’t be anywhere but in that moment. He tightened the hold in her hair, forcing Leah still and allowing him to deepen the kiss. He made illicit promises with his teeth and tongue until she moaned in his mouth, and it took everything in him not to have her there on the counter.

With the little room he allowed, she pulled back. “Wait.”

He loosened the hold on her hair. Leah climbed the counter, knocking over the stool in the process. Once settled in front of him, she fisted her hands on his shirt and yanked him forward. Forgetting honor, he pressed against her, felt the heat between her thighs along his erection. Keeping a hand in the curly strands, he exposed her neck. He sucked softly at first and then hard on the flesh between her neck and collarbone. Her legs tightened around his waist, binding him to the heat. Trailing kisses up to her ear, he bit the lobe. She gasped.

“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she moaned.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I usually have a gazillion projects going on at one time. Mainly stories that need some sort of revisions. Since I can only work on one first draft at a time, I'm currently working on a con man book. Two reformed cons. Leverage style-heist. I stopped before sexy scene. Needless to say, I'm having so much fun writing it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I received my first rejection letter. Not even going to lie, I kind of cheered. Mind you, this first one had personal comments, which are rare to get for a newbie. I'd written for a little over a year by then. My poor CP had kicked me every which way about everything. I say poor CP because that first book was craptastic. But it wasn't until then that I felt legitimate.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I work part-time as a mail clerk, which is so exciting, right? My writing schedule is weird to say the least. When I'm on a writing binge I'm up late at night. When the writing is much more placid and normal, I get my words done during the day while my kids are at school. But even when I was busy working full-time, full-time student and single mom, I stole my writing time. I made it a priority for at least an hour. If you don't make it important to you, no one else will.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

It's definitely the night owl aspect. I really can sit down for a full eight hours during the day and maybe get a page or three down. Once night time hits I can do ten easily. My mother tells me I've always been this way. Nine or ten o'clock at night I'd get a second wind. (Or maybe my first.)

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a doctor. It involves being good at science and math. I figured it was best for my future and imagined patients that I pursue other avenues.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I'm itching for good books. I finished all the books that interested me. They were all contemporaries. I'm in need of a good historical romance fix. Recommendations?

Ways to connect:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook Author Page | Goodreads 

Thanks, Sofia. Readers, don't forget to comment for a chance to win a gift card! And to give Sofia some historical romance reading recommendations.

Excerpt tour stop for Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown

Today I have an excerpt for the historical fiction novel Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown.

The author will be awarding autographed copies of books two and three of the series, A Bloom in Winter and Spring Awakening to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour (open internationally). To be entered to win, use the form below. And to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and enter there, too!

Blurb:

Reminiscent of Downtown Abbey, this first novel in a new series follows two sisters and their maid as they are suddenly separated by the rigid class divisions within a sprawling aristocratic estate and thrust into an uncertain world on the brink of WWI...

Rowena and Victoria, daughters to the second son of the Earl of Summerset, have always treated their governess’s daughter, Prudence, like a sister. But when their father dies and they move in with their uncle’s family in a much more traditional household, Prudence is relegated to the maids’ quarters, much to the girls’ shock and dismay. The impending war offers each girl hope for a more modern future, but the ever-present specter of class expectations makes it difficult for Prudence to maintain a foot in both worlds.

Vividly evoking both time and place and filled with authentic dialogue and richly detailed atmosphere, Summerset Abbey is a charming and timeless historical debut.

Excerpt:  

A lump rose in her throat as she caught sight of the ornate casket, draped with a full spray of lilies, carnations, and palm fronds. The only reason she was here, clutching Rowena’s and Victoria’s hands in hers instead of shrinking into the background with the other servants, was the kindness of the man who lay inside. After Prudence’s father had died, her mother, who had worked at Sir Philip’s estate as a girl, had been sent to attend to Rowena and Victoria’s ailing mother. When his wife died, Sir Philip asked her to stay on to help raise the girls, and Prudence, exactly between his daughters in age, became part of the family. Prudence, who volunteered her time at several different poorhouses in the city, knew exactly what happened to young girls left alone in the world. She would forever be grateful to Sir Philip for not allowing that to happen to her.

She blinked away her tears and occupied herself by looking at the rest of the congregation. Only a few looked familiar. Among them were Rupert Brooke, the high-strung and handsome young poet; Ben Tillett, the iron-jawed union leader; and Roger Fry, the controversial artist responsible for bringing London’s shocked attention to postimpressionism some years prior. These were some of Sir Philip’s friends, a motley collection of artists, intellectuals, and misfits.

Because the Earl had arranged the funeral, most of the people in attendance were his peers, men from the House of Lords and others from the cream of London society.

Sir Philip would have hated it.

The beautiful gold arches and polished marble of St. Bride’s Church gleamed, just as they had the few times the family had attended church. Sir Philip had chosen St. Bride’s because, as he used to say, “Sir Christopher Wren built the kind of church that God might actually enjoy.”

Gradually, Prudence became aware of a young man staring at her from across the aisle. Her eyes darted in his direction, then away. Moments later, unable to help herself, she glanced back to see whether he was still looking at her. He was. She turned slightly and stared fixedly at the bronze candelabra to the left of him, her cheeks burning.

Victoria leaned around her to whisper to Rowena. “Look, Lord Billingsly has noticed our Prudence.”

“I’m right here,” Prudence whispered, and gave both their hands a hard squeeze for emphasis.

She didn’t look his way again.

Once the service started, Prudence sank into a well of grief that threatened to drown her. The waves of it lapped at her from all sides, covered her head, and made sight almost impossible. Inside, her heart broke and a waterfall of sorrow poured from the cracks. On one side, Victoria sobbed quietly, while Rowena’s stiff resolve buoyed her from the other. She clung to their hands as the service passed in a blur of speeches.

They remained that way until it was time to get into the ornate black and gold funeral carriages that would take them back to their home in Mayfair for the reception. Behind the carriages stood a line of motorcars; most of the wealthy guests had long given up their carriages for the convenience and speed of automobiles. The Earl himself had several, and Sir Philip’s sleek Eton-blue Belsize sat idle in the carriage house, but the Earl insisted on traditional horse-drawn carriages.

“Miss Tate will ride in the staff carriage.” The Earl’s voice brooked no opposition and his square jaw firmed. Prudence knew that look. Rowena’s pretty face held the same expression when she got all stubborn about something.

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Prudence rides with us.”

“Nonsense. The Duke of Plymouth wishes to join us and there isn’t enough room.”

Prudence placed her hands on Victoria’s shoulders. Tension vibrated through the young girl’s slender body and Prudence’s stomach knotted, sure that Victoria was going to throw a fit, the kind she used to throw when the family still called her baby and she wanted the biggest sweet in the shop. Even at eighteen, Victoria wasn’t above a tantrum or two if she thought the situation warranted it. But her waiflike face suddenly fell and her lower lip trembled.

“It’ll be all right,” Prudence whispered. “I’ll go back with the staff and meet you at home.”

Author Bio and Links:

TJ Brown is proud of her two children but coming in a close second is the fact that she parachuted out of a plane and beat the original Legend of Zelda video game. Her young adult historical about Harry Houdini’s illegitimate daughter came out in June from Balzer+Bray. She also writes adult historicals under TJ Brown. She resides with her husband and way too many pets in Portlandia.

Website | Twitter | Barnes and Noble | Amazon

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Live chat w/dark fiction author John Everson; Oct 27, 7-9PM EST

The Writer's Chatroom presents dark fiction author John Everson.

WHEN?
Sunday, October 27, 2013

Eastern USA Time.....7-9 PM

Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are? http://www.worldtimeserver.com

WHERE?
The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Sign In. No password needed.


Please note: The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Guest post by dark fantasy author Paul DeBlassie III

Today I have a guest post from Paul DeBlassie III. He's the author of the psychological and supernatural thriller, The Unholy.

As part of his virtual book tour, Paul will award one randomly drawn commenter the choice of a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and enter there, too!

5-10 musts psychological thrillers and dark fantasy stories should have

Scary, mean, dark, compelling, transformational potential, and hope, but not too much, for the future. If there is too much hope then we run the risk of selling our soul out to an angel. Selling out to an angel is a terrible possibility because that trivializes the human condition, takes what is complex, and looks only at the surface and ready-made answers that seem to provide immediate relief from suffering.

Scary and mean and dark and compelling set the stage for dark forces infringing on human hope and potential with no guarantees. We have to remain on the edge of our seat, waiting to see what’s going to happen.

Claire, in The Unholy, is a young woman haunted and intimated by a life-threatening figure – a man robed in black. He haunts her dreams; comes in nightmares as terrifying remembrances of things past. This deep fear from childhood trauma so laces The Unholy with compelling imagery and emotion that the reader is flung forward into the narrative desperate to find out not only what will happen, but how it will happen, how a young woman could possible handle the power of a misogynistic religious male patriarchy.

Archbishop William Anarch hates women and Claire Sanchez, curandera, is a young and vulnerable woman. When a man carries the sanction of society, particularly of a huge religious organization, and mixes it with his own sordid inclinations so as to empower himself, then we’ve got one of the building blocks of good set against evil.

Innocence is another building block, represented by Claire Sanchez, and when she confronts face to face the worst thing in her life…we’ve got action and thrills.

Scary, mean, dark, compelling with the potential for hope and transformation are the building blocks for good psychological thrillers and dark fantasy!

Blurb from The Unholy: 

A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, The Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. Native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.

Excerpt from The Unholy:

Lightning streaked across a midnight dark sky, making the neck hairs of a five-year-old girl crouched beneath a cluster of twenty-foot pines in the Turquoise Mountains of Aztlan stand on end. The long wavy strands of her auburn mane floated outward with the static charge. It felt as though the world was about to end.

Seconds later, lightning struck a lone tree nearby and a crash of thunder shook the ground. Her body rocked back and forth, trembling with terror. She lost her footing, sandstone crumbling beneath her feet, and then regained it; still, she did not feel safe. There appeared to be reddish eyes watching from behind scrub oaks and mountain pines, scanning her every movement and watching her quick breaths. Then everything became silent.

The girl leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree. The night air wrapped its frigid arms tightly around her, and she wondered if she would freeze to death or, even worse, stay there through the night and by morning be nothing but the blood and bones left by hungry animals. Her breaths became quicker and were so shallow that no air seemed to reach her lungs. The dusty earth gave up quick bursts of sand from gusts of northerly winds that blew so fiercely into her nostrils that she coughed but tried to stifle the sounds because she didn’t want to be noticed.

Author information:

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His professional consultation practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of the soul. Dr. DeBlassie writes fiction with a healing emphasis. He has been deeply influenced by the mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty and natural magic.  He is a member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. 

Links:

Amazon Author Page | Website | Blog

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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Book excerpt for "Someone Has Taken My Place" by David Snow

Someone Has Taken My Place

by David Snow

About The Author

David Snow has been working in the private security and financial investigation arena since 1989. He was one of the first graduates and members of the Institute of Irish Investigators. He obtained the "youngest student award" from the Institute in 1989. In 2013 he was awarded Investigator of the Year by the Europe Middle East and African chapter of the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators. He was also presented with the International Investigator of the Year Award in Denver Colorado by IAFCI – North America and donated his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports American troops injured at war.

He was initially employed by Sleator Carroll Investigators and then Pinkerton Security & Investigations. Pinkerton is the world’s oldest and largest Private Detective and Security agency with operations on every continent. He joined Pinkerton in 1993 and became the General Manager of the Irish operation in 1996, leaving in 2001 to pursue a career within insurance fraud investigation.

Today he is employed as the Head of Special Investigations for the Irish operation of a multi-national insurance company. He is a member of the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU), the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators (IAFCI), the Association of Irish Risk Management (AIRM) and was one of the first Europeans to obtain the Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator (CIFI) from North America. He has lectured on identity theft and financial crime in Ireland, North America and Europe. He is also a member of the Irish charity A Little Lifetime Foundation, formally known as ISANDS, obtaining an award in 2012 for his efforts in the prevention of the identity theft of dead Irish baby’s.

He lives in Dublin, Ireland with his wife and two children Olivia and Sarah.

Website - www.davidsnow.ie  

About The Book

Genre - True Crime (Based on a true Story)

A Financial Thriller / Fraud and Identity theft – International Investigation

Publisher – Createspace

Release Date – March 2013

Buy - Amazon

Book Description:

Inspired by a true story and written by the real Irish Investigator who won the acclaimed award of Financial Investigator of the Year EMEA 2013 and International Investigator of the Year – IAFCI North America “for the true case, in which the book is based.” Someone has taken my place is an epic account of the identity theft of Irish babies who died in the 1970’s. Irish Fraud Investigator Andrew Stone is on the trail of the serial fraudster known in Ireland as the Texan. The fraudster is inventive and elusive as he evilly masquerades in the identities of dead babies for fraudulent gain. Stone is obsessed with obtaining justice for the vulnerable Irish parents whose babies identities have been taken by the American professional conman. Follow his personal international chase across Ireland, Europe and the United States of America as, with the help of the FBI, former KGB Agents, the United States Secret Service, Interpol and the Irish police, Stone pieces together the international conman’s tortuous spider’s web of illegal aliases and criminal intent.    

Praise for Someone Has Taken My Place:

  It reads, when you think of it like something out of a Hollywood Movie” Ryan Tubrity, RTE

Ireland, The Late Late Show "A thinking man's thriller, crime in the modern era.” Amazon Review

 “Extremely interesting book that shines a bright light on identity theft." Amazon Review "Brilliantly
written by David Snow! I could not put this book down. Gripping and well worth the read! Very well
done, and a highly recommended book!” Former FBI Agent

"This book is an excellent mystery ...non-stop ride through the ruthless world of identity theft ...smart and emotional novel." Irish Police Detective

Excerpt: 

What's Underneath the Water....

One of the names that Cochran had used to make claims against Irish insurance companies was John Martin. Snow checked with the Births/Deaths and Marriages office in Dublin for this name, and was told that John Martin was born in 1976 and had died shortly after. Snow immediately referred the case to the Irish Police speciality fraud unit, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, and was able to present the police authorities with a comprehensive file.

Further investigation revealed that Cochran had obtained multiple Irish passports using the identities of deceased infants. Insurance policies had been issued to these names, followed by personal injury insurance claims. Cochran also had opened bank accounts, set up email addresses, and was using mobile phones in the names of these various stolen identities.

A Happy Ending

As a result of the investigation, Cochran was arrested at the Dublin airport in January 2011 while attempting to board a flight to Poland. When arrested, he was in possession of a child's death certificate and a completed official Irish passport application form. Cochran was convicted of these offences and is serving a prison sentence of four years.

Snow expressed his thanks to all involved. "Following his arrest and conviction, Jeremy Cochran is currently serving his sentence in an Irish prison. This was thanks to the efforts and cooperation of the SIU teams, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, the Irish Passport Office, International Association of Special Investigation Units, the district attorney's office in Durant, Okla., the sheriff 's department in Texas, the Durango Police Department and others."

Snow also gave a special thanks to the Irish charity "A Little Lifetime" (www.alittlelifetime.ie), which provided support to the bereaved parents of the infants, whose identities were misused by Cochran.

Epilogue

In May 2012, the charity "A Little Lifetime," took the opportunity of providing Snow and two detectives from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation with an award for their efforts in the "detection and prevention of past Irish babies being used for identity theft and insurance fraud."

In April 2013 David Snow, will be presented with the Financial Investigator of the Year Award 2013 in Cyprus, by the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators EMEA (www.iafci.org)

David has since written a book, “Someone has taken my place” which is a novel based on the case and is available at www.davidsnow.ie or Amazon. A percentage of the sale of the book is being passed to the Irish charity A Little Lifetime. 

     

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Book blurb for "Winter's Heat" by Cristin Harber

Today is a book blurb tour stop for Winter's Heat by Cristin Harber. The novel is a contemporary suspense/military romance.

Cristin will be awarding a $25 gift card to Victoria’s Secret, and gifted e-copies of the five titles in the series (starting with Winter's Heat. Three novels and two novellas) to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour AND the Virtual Super Book Blast tour.  To be entered for a chance to win any of these gifts, leave a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb:

After putting her life on the line to protect classified intelligence, military psychologist Mia Kensington is on a cross-country road trip from hell with an intrusive save-the-day hero. Uninterested in his white knight act, she’d rather take her chances without the ruggedly handsome, cold-blooded operative who boasts an alpha complex and too many guns.

Colby Winters, an elite member of The Titan Group, has a single objective on his black ops mission: recover a document important to national security. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out operation. But now, by any means necessary becomes a survival mantra when he faces off with a stunning woman he can’t leave behind.

When Titan’s safe houses are compromised, Colby stashes Mia at his home, exposing his secret—he’s the adoptive father of an orphaned baby girl. Too soon, danger arrives and Mia lands in the hands of a sadistic cartel king with a taste for torture. As hours bleed into fear-drenched days, Colby races across the globe and through a firestorm of bullets to save the woman he can’t live without.

Excerpt: (First Kiss Between Colby Winters and Mia Kensington. They’re in a truck, driving down a deserted highway after a gunfight.)

She smelled like vanilla and sugar, even after the hell she’d been through that day. Her soft hair brushed up against his bare bicep. Unsettled need prickled down his neck. His throat tightened, and fire ran to his groin.

“Mia…” Distraction and anticipation stole words from his lips.

His heart pounded loud in his chest, fighting for his attention. With each flutter of her eyelashes and innocent movement against his skin, his tension spiked. It was shocking. He was on the job. There was no time for distraction. Losing control was unheard of. Unacceptable.

His arm was cemented around her shoulder, and it wasn’t moving. He stared as the broken white lines on the highway passed in quick revolutions, one right after another. The hum of the truck’s engine poked at his concentration.

He needed to get out of this truck. He needed cool, fresh air to cover him. Right now. Deep, mind-clearing breaths were in order as soon as possible. Anything to get his disciplined mind back to what it did best—analyze, act, accomplish.

Winters made a sharp exit off the highway onto an unlit ramp. He jammed on the brakes. Gravel spit from under the truck. The back end skidded and fishtailed before it came to a stop. His heart thumped. His throat tightened. The faint scent of burned rubber filtered into the pickup cab.

Oh, what the hell. No way was he getting out of this truck.

As fast as he pulled off the road, he brought her close to his face, and without even a second to hover over her, he crushed his lips onto hers. Her tense mouth gasped a breath, then melted. The hot caress of her tongue sent explosions from his chest to the palms of his hands. The pounding in his heart didn’t get any better. It only pushed his racing pulse faster, making it gallop wild, as intoxicating rockets flamed inside him.

Insanity. She was delicious insanity.

In between breathless pants, wicked want fired. Her lips were full. Her kiss was better than he expected, and hell, he expected a whole lot. She stoked him faster than he could ever remember. A kiss unlike any other kiss. There was no denying that.

He knotted a hand in her hair, held her to him, and devoured her. The press of her silken flesh made him hunger for more. His breathing deteriorated into a desperate rasp of torture. With each inhalation, he smelled, tasted, and consumed feminine beauty. This angel was a vixen in disguise, and God help him, he wanted her.

Her small hands wrapped into his T-shirt, then she stroked his stomach, flexing her fingertips against the fabric and straining against him. He dropped his lips to her neck, and she moaned. That perfect purr fanned his desperation. Her goose bumps flashed under his tongue’s caress, and she shuddered with each whipping kiss.

She tasted of sweat and tear gas, of soft woman, and carnal ambition. There wasn’t a timid thing about Mia. Who was he to assume what she wanted? To think she needed soothing and caring? It seemed all she needed was him. Hard. Tough. Possessive.

Author bio and links:

Cristin Harber

Romantic Suspense Author: Higher Stakes. Hotter Action.

MOM. WIFE. AUTHOR.

Lover of all things sexy and happily ever after.

I live outside Washington, DC with my family: my husband (who doesn’t mind my collection of book boyfriends), an independent toddler, and an English bulldog named Britta who loves to be a conversation piece. Oh, we have a baby on the way—arriving about the same time as Winter's Heat debuts!

I love southern food, listen to country music, am always too hot or too cold, and spend hours reading and writing. I cheer on my University of Louisville Cardinals-GO CARDS! When I’m not pregnant (or nursing), I like a little bourbon or sweet wine. Pregnant or not, I love a lot of chocolate.

I can’t save the world, so instead, I write about those that do. There’s a special place in my heart for those who keep us safe. My Titan series debuts this fall with five titles available in 2013: Winter’s Heat, Garrison’s Creed, Westin’s Chase, Chased, and Gambled.

Links:

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