tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7501020172595483922023-11-16T07:25:26.275+00:00Dreaming in the PagesQuality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.comBlogger785125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-14127473310164130162015-04-25T12:00:00.000+01:002015-04-30T21:49:14.832+01:00LUCIFER & THE INDIGO KIDS #Excerpt (In My Cell) by @Lord_Ra_Krishna #NonFiction #Poetry <span style="font-size: large;"><b>In My Cell</b></span><br />
<br />
Sitting in my cell / meditating, half dreaming... <br />
See a picture on the wall / black girl in bikini<br />
<br />
And we’re both looking happy / we embrace and we smile <br />
<br />
As I got my eyes closed smoking on a black and mild...<br />
<br />
Better yet / a cigarette<br />
I wish I had one now<br />
<br />
Meditate a little harder...<br />
Then I crack another smile...<br />
<br />
Cause I'm back on the beach<br />
Sun shining on my face…<br />
<br />
Ask me what did I learn?<br />
Most of all / appreciate<br />
<br />
Every moment... every second...<br />
Every thought... every breath...<br />
<br />
While they’re killing all the prophets / I'm the last one left...<br />
<br />
With a wrist full of beads <br />
And a neck full of crystals...<br />
<br />
And the city that I'm from busting Shots with their pistols…<br />
<br />
But I'm sitting in my cell / and my soul's in outer space<br />
<br />
As I astral project / sun kissing on my face…<br />
<br />
Now I'm back on the beach<br />
With my son and my daughter<br />
<br />
And my son thinks’ he's God <br />
So he’s walking on the water…<br />
<br />
And my daughter thinks’ she God<br />
Cause that's what daddy told her...<br />
<br />
And they both think that they could save the world when they get older....<br />
<br />
As I'm sitting in my cell, <br />
My body's there but I'm not in it<br />
<br />
Tell my babies "Not to worry" <br />
I'll be home in a minute <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
"This
“new age” book of poetry reflects the diverse views and philosophies of
it’s author Ra Krishna EL. It’s an intimate, humorous and thought
provoking group of poems intended to evoke strong emotion. To quote the
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, this style of poetry can be
called “Zukunfts poesie“ which translates into “Poetry of the future”,
where truly original ideas are presented thru poetry. Also known as post
Nietzschean poetry.<br />
<br />
It’s subjects include society, pop
culture, love, religious dogma, God and the new age of Aquarius. This
book was written and published during the false incarceration of its
author in Chicago’s notorious Cook County Jail, the largest jail in the
country."<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Poetry, Philosophy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Lord Ra Krishna EL on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-36059278892426723482015-03-12T07:00:00.000+00:002015-04-30T21:24:34.673+01:00GLIMPSES OF HEAVEN ON EARTH #Excerpt by Charlotte Piotrowski #AmReading #SelfHelp <i><b>From the chapter on freedom by co-author Charlotte Piotrowski:</b></i><br />
<br />
“Until
such time as we achieve heaven on earth, we must enjoy our freedoms
responsibly. Our speech should not be harmful. Our religious practice
should welcome those of all faiths (and those without religious faith).
Our media should present unbiased truth and facts, rather than
one-sided opinion. We must not abuse our freedoms, but rather enjoy
them from a perspective of gratitude and wisdom. In doing so, we allow
others to enjoy their right to freedom. <br />
<br />
While
Americans and those of many other nations, especially other democracies,
already enjoy basic freedoms, many people around the globe are not
equally blessed. Through peaceful means, we must support our worldwide
brothers and sisters, as they work to achieve freedom from oppressive
governments. We can do this by encouraging the education of all
citizens. With knowledge comes power. And with power comes the
strength and ability to change. In a heaven on earth, every person will
enjoy freedom; and each person’s enjoyment of freedom will only serve
for the betterment of the whole, and never to the detraction of anyone
else.”<br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg"><img alt="Glimpses of Heaven on Earth" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42087" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Editor
and author John E. Wade II has compiled a spiritual guide of invaluable
insight for finding peace and meaning in life while making the world a
better place for all. Along with co-authors Charlotte Livingston
Piotrowski, Daniel Agatino, Michael Nagler, and Martin Rutte, this
collection of enlightening essays and inspirational quotes from renowned
thinkers and leade</span></span>rs throughout history provides the intellectual tools needed to live a more harmonious life.<br />
<br />
Buy <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Inspirational</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with John E. Wade II on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-14640809854673724392015-01-02T11:00:00.000+00:002015-01-05T11:40:13.970+00:00#Excerpt from "The Girl Who Came Back to Life" by @YouMakeArtDumb #AmReading #MiddleGrade<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">THE YOUNG ORPHAN </span></span></b><br />
<br />
Sophie was twelve years old when
her parents died. Three days later, she sat on a hill overlooking her
town’s cemetery and watched the gravediggers chip away at the hard
winter ground for the better part of the day. <br />
<br />
Sophie
watched as the sun began to set and two holes appeared in the ground,
large enough to fit her parents’ bodies. When she saw the small
procession of mourners carry two cheap wooden caskets out of the funeral
hall and down the crooked path to the cemetery, she stood up on that
hill and walked the other way. <br />
<br />
Though they had taught
Sophie about the pilgrimage north to the City of the Dead, and though
they told their daughter she would have to Send them one day, her
parents had died suddenly and never fully prepared her for the realities
of life, death, and the journey that lay ahead of her. <br />
<br />
In
her innocence, she didn’t understand the full weight of her parents’
death. It was just another problem to solve, and as she walked away from
the cemetery, back into town and towards her grandmother’s house, she
settled on the single obvious solution to her parents’ passing. She
would take the pilgrimage north, yet, while the other mourners would
travel to say “Goodbye” to their loved ones, Sophie would implement a
different plan. She would find her parents’ spirits in the City of the
Dead, remind them where they belonged, and return them back home to be
with her once more. <br />
<br />
Sophie had never heard of the dead
coming back from the north, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming of
returning to life what death had claimed from her.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead.
There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds
you, says “Goodbye,” and Sends you to the next world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After her parents die, 12-year-old
Sophie refuses to release their spirits. Instead, she resolves to travel
to the City of the Dead to bring her mother and father’s spirits back
home with her. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Taking the long pilgrimage north
with her gruff & distant grandmother—by train, by foot, by boat;
over ruined mountains and plains and oceans—Sophie struggles to return
what death stole from her. Yet the journey offers her many hard,
unexpected lessons—what to hold on to, when to let go, and who she must
truly bring back to life.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Middle Grade</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Craig Staufenberg through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://craigstaufenberg.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-8622474549470770772015-01-02T10:00:00.000+00:002015-01-05T11:33:33.937+00:00#Excerpt from DARK CHEMISTRY by Kirsten Mortensen @KirstenWriter #AmReading #Suspense <b>In this excerpt, the novel’s fifth chapter, we catch our first hint of the powers of the story’s villain, Gerad Picket.</b><br />
<br />
One
of the plot elements in Dark Chemistry is that a brilliant but odd
research chemist has learned how to create powerful, synthetic
pheromones—odorless, undetectable chemicals that can exert strong
subjective effects on people exposed to them. These chemicals can
influence peoples’ moods, for example, or cause them to feel aroused.<br />
<br />
The
two characters we visit in this scene are Donavon Todde, the man who
will soon fall in love with the protagonist. He’s known the other
character in the scene, Jessica Thomas, since they were kids. Here, they
learn that Gerad seduced an RMB intern. What they don’t know—yet—is
that he used synthetic phermones to do it. Hopefully they’ll figure it
out in time!<br />
<br />
As soon as they were wheels down, he turned his phone back on.<br />
<br />
It began to vibrate almost immediately: three texts, all from Jessica, all time-stamped from about an hour ago.<br />
<br />
Donnyboy, you back in town?<br />
<br />
Something’s happened.<br />
<br />
Ellyn. shitshitshitshit<br />
<br />
Oh,
boy. Donavon considered whether or not to text back. He liked Jessica
okay—he’d known her for years, first as the older sister of one of his
high school buddies, now because they worked for the same company—but
ugh. The way women can turn the most inane crap into giant freaking soap
operas ... And this Ellyn. Some intern working in R&D. Cute, but
she’d turned out to be a bit of a flake. Crying jags at work—that sort
of thing. Trouble at home or something, must be.<br />
<br />
And of course, Jess had adopted her.<br />
<br />
He
peered out of his window. They were nearly at the gate. And all his
stuff was in his carry-on, so once he deplaned he just needed to get his
car. It wouldn’t take long. He’d be home in an hour ...<br />
<br />
His phone buzzed again.<br />
<br />
she screwed Gerad!!!!!!! dying here<br />
<br />
Whoa!<br />
<br />
Gerad?<br />
<br />
He tapped a message back: just landed. what happened?<br />
<br />
The airplane turned, slowed, eased into position near the jetway.<br />
<br />
meet me at screechers. hour?<br />
<br />
Eh, fine. Another beer or two wouldn’t hurt. And it beat going home and ... thinking too much.<br />
<br />
k. cu there<br />
<br />
The
passengers in the row ahead of Donavon stood up, and he did too—rather,
he stood partway, his head bent at an angle to avoid the low ceiling
over his seat.<br />
<br />
An older guy with a paunch wrested his bag from the overhead bin.<br />
<br />
Finally
there was room in the aisle for Donavon to step out and reach his
duffel, and a few minutes later he was striding through the near-empty
airport terminal.<br />
<br />
He remembered the blond, then, but he gave an inner shrug. SU student, most likely. Just like a million others.<br />
<br />
He’d never see her again.<br />
<br />
Screechers
looked its age. Built originally as an Inn, it had never been anything
fancy: a big, no-nonsense block of a structure set perpendicular to the
road. A hundred-plus years of wear and tear had left the building shabby
and humbled, and the quarter acre or so of land around it—long since
paved over—was broken only by an enormous sign in the front of the
building, mounted on two 4x4s of unpainted, treated lumber that were set
in a crumbling concrete footer.<br />
<br />
“Screechers,” the sign read in fading paint, and then below that, in smaller lettering: “Lunch Served Daily.”<br />
<br />
No outsider would be tempted to stop.<br />
<br />
But to the locals from Amesbury, New York, Screechers was as good a gathering spot as any.<br />
<br />
Donavon
left his car next to Jessica’s—he didn’t bother locking it—and climbed
the steps to Screechers’ main entrance, which faced the parking lot and
was framed by a wide porch.<br />
<br />
A couple pairs of splintery
Adirondack chairs served as an outdoor smoking section in the winter,
and an outdoor smoking and drinking section in the summer. They were
empty, tonight.<br />
<br />
He pushed the old wooden door open and
stepped into the bar, a big, dingy room that smelled of pine-scented
cleaner and rancid fryer grease and stale beer.<br />
<br />
He spotted Jessica, sitting alone, still dressed in her work duds: blue jean coveralls and wool knit cap.<br />
<br />
She didn’t speak when he walked up to her. But her face told him everything he needed to know: that she was mightily indignant.<br />
<br />
“Table?” he said as he paid Thomas, the bartender, for his beer, and she nodded.<br />
<br />
They sat down at one of the cheap Formica-topped tables along the wall of the main barroom.<br />
<br />
Donavon took a sip of beer. “Okay. What happened?”<br />
<br />
“I shoulda let you have at her,” said Jessica. She looked at him glumly.<br />
<br />
“Hah,” said Donavon. “I told you. So she really screwed the guy?”<br />
<br />
“Yup.”
The expression of Jessica’s face morphed from gloom to disgust. “An’
now she’s quit, I guess. She came in this morning, went straight to HR,
and gave her notice.” Jessica was drinking a Bud from the bottle. She
set it down now and shrugged out of her jacket. “Damnit, Don, what was
she thinking?”<br />
<br />
“You’re asking me?” Donavon’s smile was
bitter. “I’m a guy, remember? You can’t expect me to understand what the
fuck you women are thinking.” He took another drink. “So what happened,
exactly?”<br />
<br />
Jessica sighed. “Well, you know I kinda took her under my wing—”<br />
<br />
“Yeah,
I know.” Although the metaphor Donavon would have chosen was more along
the lines of Jessica-as-mama-bear. Right after Ellyn was hired, he’d
mounted a charm offensive—and could you blame him? She had quite the
body and he was a single man. But Jessica was having none of it. She
jumped all over him. Told him to back off. Ellyn was fragile, is how
she’d put it. Leave her alone.<br />
<br />
Jessica guessed what he
was thinking. “Hey, you can’t blame me.” She gestured at him, palms up
in a show of innocence. “She was an intern. And she was fragile. And you
weren’t into her for the right reasons.”<br />
<br />
“There’s nothing wrong with having a good time.” He smiled, teasing her.<br />
<br />
Jessica’s eyes narrowed in an expression of pretend accusation. “Don’t give me shit, Donnyboy.”<br />
<br />
“Hey,” Donavon said. “There’s not a lot else to do in Amesbury.”<br />
<br />
“Right.
Anyway, we were out last night after work—me, an’ Kim, an’ Ellyn—and
Ellyn’s been acting really weird lately, so we were asking her what’s
the matter—and then she finally came out with it, man—”<br />
<br />
“That she’d screwed Gerad?”<br />
<br />
Jessica nodded. “I lost it,” she said. “I totally lost my shit, Donnyboy.”<br />
<br />
“Well, I can see why,” said Donavon, although he wasn’t being entirely truthful.<br />
<br />
“I mean, of all people—shit. Anybody else but Ger-fucking-AD.”<br />
<br />
“Maybe she’s a gold-digger.”<br />
<br />
Jessica
checked his face quickly to see if he was joking. “Nah,” she said.
“Seriously. I can’t figure it out. I mean—Donny. The guy’s gross.
Gross.”<br />
<br />
Donavon considered her words a moment, trying
to figure out how women might filter Gerad Picket. As the CEO of RMB—at
least temporarily, since Richard Molnare had ejected from the earthly
coil—Gerad was more or less king of Amesbury. Top dog of the county’s
biggest employer, the biggest suit in a pond too small to hold more than
a handful of suits. And gals like that kind of thing, right? Power’s
the big aphrodisiac ... plus his salary was probably three times the
county average. So what if he was a bit ... dumpy-looking. And that
strip of a moustache over his upper lip, didn’t that look go out of
style with Clark Gable?<br />
<br />
And yet, apparently, gals don’t mind that kind of stuff. Donavon had seen enough to know.<br />
<br />
“Well,” he said. “Maybe the guy’s got a way with the ladies.”<br />
<br />
Jessica
scrunched her nose and shook her head in violent disgust. “No,” she
said. “Trust me on this, Donny. The man is gross. And he’s a sucky
boss.” She looked at Donavon again. “She might have been just an intern,
but she knew he was a sucky boss. She knew. I think that’s one reason
it pissed me off so much. She let me down. She let us all down.”<br />
<br />
The
bar door banged and they looked over and nodded in unison at the
newcomer—Wayne Peters, a local who ran a little auto repair shop out of
his house. A bit of a drunk.<br />
<br />
They sat in silence
another moment while Wayne took a seat at the bar, and Tom emerged from
the kitchen, and Wayne ordered a draft Miller Lite.<br />
<br />
“Anyway,” Jessica said, and sighed, and seemed to lose herself in her thoughts again.<br />
<br />
Donavon sipped his beer.<br />
<br />
The
lights flickered. The wiring at Screechers acted a bit funky at times.
But neither Donavon nor Jessica really noticed, they were used to it.
All of the regulars were, except once in a while someone would joke that
the place was a firetrap.<br />
<br />
“Donny, I lost my shit,”
Jessica started talking again. “I told her it was a violation of RMB
policy for managers to have sex with employees and we’d get his ass
fired, and she—my God, Donny. She was like crying and all ‘no, no, no,
you promised you wouldn’t tell anybody.’ Goddamnit, I just lost my shit.
I told her she was a fucking dumbass and would probably get herpes or
something from that creep. An’ I left.”<br />
<br />
“Harsh,” said Donavon.<br />
<br />
Jessica nodded. “You know me. I was kind of looking after her, Donny! She’s so... ... young.”<br />
<br />
Yeah.
Young. And pretty too—at least a 7. Dark, with a pointed chin and small
high breasts. Yeah. He’d checked her out. Not every day they hired
someone that cute at RMB. But Jessica had told him “no” and he’d held
off ... hah. So old Gerad had—<br />
<br />
He realized that Jessica was watching his face. “Hey,” he said. “She’s cute.”<br />
<br />
She
sighed again, heavily this time. “I should call her up, apologize for
yelling at her. But every time I think about it, I get pissed off again.
An’ you know me.”<br />
<br />
He did. Jessica was not the sort of gal who could be coaxed, easily, out of a temper.<br />
<br />
“So what’s next?”<br />
<br />
“I dunno.” Jessica shook her head. “Do you think I should report it?”<br />
<br />
“Hmmmm.”
Donavon looked at his beer. On the one hand, he was no big fan of
Gerad. The guy was a douche—the sort of executive who thinks that if he
exhorts staff with half-assed platitudes he’s being a visionary leader.
On the other hand, he was a man, and he’d bedded a cute girl. Donavon
couldn’t quite help feeling a bit of solidarity with him on that. Like
he should be on Gerad’s side, kinda.<br />
<br />
Fortunately,
Jessica didn’t really seem interested in Donavon’s opinion. “Maybe I’ll
just go to Ellyn’s and apologize in person for losing my shit like that.
I mean, she says she’s into him—and once you got that situation,
there’s not much anybody can do.”<br />
<br />
“His days at RMB might be numbered anyways,” said Donavon. “Depending on what happens with Richard’s daughter.”<br />
<br />
“Yeah. She’s supposed to be at the plant tomorrow.”<br />
<br />
“Tomorrow? I thought it was next week sometime.”<br />
<br />
“You think she might fire him?” Jessica finished the last of her beer and began picking at the label on the bottle.<br />
<br />
“Depends. If she has more sense than her father, she will.”<br />
<br />
“I never understood why he hired Gerad. Richard was a good guy.”<br />
<br />
“Who
knows? Gerad was supposed to be this hotshot business transformation
guru. Maybe Richard thought he needed to burnish RMB’s management team a
bit. Maybe he was planning to take us public or sell us or something.”<br />
<br />
“Shame he passed like he did.”<br />
<br />
Donavon didn’t answer. Richard Molnare’s death had been sudden, and RMB was a small company. They’d all felt the shock.<br />
<br />
“Well.” Jessica stood up, pulling her jacket from the back of her seat. “Guess I’ll go see if Ellyn’s home.”<br />
<br />
Donavon
couldn’t resist. “If she’s not,” he said, “check Gerad’s.” He grinned
and sure enough, he was rewarded for his teasing. Jessica’s mouth and
nose crinkled immediately in horror.<br />
<br />
“Oh GAWD,” she
said. “Seriously. Gerad? GERad? Of all the people in this town ... I
wouldn’t fuck that disgusting slug of a piece of human crap if he was
the last hard dick on Earth.”<br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg"><img alt="darkChemistry" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41412" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #000000;" id="outer_postBodyPS" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" id="postBodyPS" style="text-align: center;">
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A woman's worst nightmare</span></span></h1>
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drugged by something...that makes her think she's fallen in love.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All Haley Dubose has ever known is beaches and malls, clubs and cocktail dresses.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>But now her father is dead.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And if she wants to inherit her father's fortune, she has to leave sunny Southern California<br />for a backwater little town near Syracuse, New York. She has to run RMB, the multimillion dollar<br />chemical company her father founded. And she has to run it well.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep
RMB on track, and she'll be rich. Grow it, and she'll be even richer.
But mess it up, and her inheritance will shrink away before she gets a
chance to spend a dime.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Donavon Todde is her true love. But is it too late?</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He's RMB's head of sales – and the more Donavon sees of Haley, the more he's smitten.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure,
she comes across at first as naïve and superficial. But Donavon knew
Haley's father. He can see the man's better qualities stirring to life
in her eyes. And Donavon senses something else: Haley's father left her a
legacy more important than money. He left her the chance to discover
her true self.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Donavon has demons of his own.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><br />He's
reeling from a heartbreak that's taking far too long to heal. But he's
captivated by this blond Californian, and not only because of her
beauty.<i> It's chemistry.</i> They're right for each other. But has
Donavon waited too long to woo this woman of his dreams? Because to his
horror, his beautiful Haley falls under another spell.<i> Gerad's spell.</i></span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A web of evil.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerad
Picket was second-in-command at RMB when Haley's father was alive. And
with Haley on the scene, he's in charge of her training. But there are
things about RMB that Gerad doesn't want Haley to know.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And he must control her. Any way he can.</span></span></h2>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romantic suspense for your Kindle</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Haley realize that her feelings are not her TRUE feelings?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does Donavon have the strength left to fight for the woman he loves?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will the two of them uncover Gerad's plot to use RMB pheromones to enslave the world?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And even if they do – can they stop it?</span></span><br />
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Romantic suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kirsten Mortensen through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>& <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" target="_blank">http://kirstenmortensen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-17551132812229192702015-01-01T07:00:00.000+00:002015-01-05T10:36:13.637+00:00#Excerpt from NAKED TRUTH: Saving Liam by @DPDenman #AmReading #LGBT #Romance Liam finished his sandwich, left the plate in the sink, and strode
across the condo to the guestroom they’d converted to a home gym. He
didn’t need a workout, but he definitely needed a shower, and this one
guaranteed he wouldn’t wake Justin while he took it. He stripped out of
his clothes and stared back at the night on the other side of the wall
of windows. He no longer felt the wiggle of anxiety from being nude in a
room so exposed to the city. The vulnerability was an illusion. There
were no buildings near enough to see him without a telescope, and if
watching him toss dirty clothes in a hamper was someone’s idea of a turn
on he wouldn't fault the poor, lonely bastard his hang-ups as long as
he did it from a distance.<br />
<br />
After so many nights as a
spectacle on the stage, it was easier to shrug off the fear of prying
eyes than it used to be as long as he wasn’t in a room of horny men.
He’d gotten past quite a few things, but he wasn’t brave enough to deal
with that. He wasn’t sure he ever would be, even with the rumor that men
at Spark tipped better than the women did. He already made plenty of
money.<br />
<br />
He turned on the bathroom light and smiled at
the thought while he pushed the door closed. For the first time since
his parents had thrown him out, he was making enough to support himself.
In a city with the illustrious title of Most Expensive in Canada, that
was something worthy of a little pride. His job guaranteed he wouldn’t
have to suffer the horrors of street life ever again and he was building
a savings account to make sure it stayed that way. If anything happened
to break him and Justin up, it would hurt, but it wouldn’t put him back
on the street. That was the most important thing, though his broken
heart would argue the point.<br />
<br />
He scrubbed the night from
his hair and body and dried off before wrapping the towel around his
waist. He tugged the door open, turned off the light, and crossed the
moonlit condo to creep into the bedroom. Justin was a lump under the
blankets of their four-poster bed. He moved on silent feet to the
walk-in closet and traded the towel for a clean pair of boxers before
climbing under the covers to snuggle close to his sleeping man.<br />
<br />
“How was work?” Justin mumbled.<br />
<br />
“Same old.”<br />
<br />
Justin
kissed his head, wrapped him in his arms, and drifted back to sleep.
Liam shushed the regret over a single mumbled question that used to be
an actual conversation about his night. He didn't want to contemplate
what that could mean for their relationship if the distance between them
continued to grow. It was too scary.<br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nakedTruth.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nakedTruth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="nakedTruth" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42565" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nakedTruth.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nakedTruth.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Buried lies never die.<br />
<br />
Liam
has a new career, a new condo, a newfound sense of control and none of
it is quite right. Shadows drift behind the bright sparkle of his life;
things he's determined to ignore until a shocking revelation makes it
impossible. With the help of Justin and a new friend, Liam must face the
life he's buried.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Truth-Saving-Liam-Story-ebook/dp/B00OABL9AU/ref=la_B00GDFXYRM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414160309&sr=1-4" href="http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Truth-Saving-Liam-Story-ebook/dp/B00OABL9AU/ref=la_B00GDFXYRM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414160309&sr=1-4">Amazon</a></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Contemporary Gay Romance</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: black;">More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/DP-Denman/e/B00GDFXYRM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/DP-Denman/e/B00GDFXYRM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">the author</a></span></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with DP Denman through <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/dp.denman" href="https://www.facebook.com/dp.denman">Facebook</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/dpdenman" href="https://twitter.com/dpdenman">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.dpdenman.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DLi5dDgA5m5fi0qAOEgURgxnQDg" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.dpdenman.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DLi5dDgA5m5fi0qAOEgURgxnQDg" target="_blank">http://www.dpdenman.com</a></b></span></span></div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-26051529507470250792014-12-31T07:00:00.000+00:002014-12-31T09:03:08.326+00:00#Excerpt from "What Freedom Smells Like: A #Memoir" by Amy Lewis @AmyLewisAuthor #Religion <div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Transformation
doesn’t happen overnight. It takes decades to shed our childhood
conditioning – the beliefs and thoughts that pieced together like not so
colorful charms on a bracelet determine our destiny. But sometimes one
moment pierces a hole so large in our consciousness, we can’t continue
living as we once did. Seeing my husband’s dead body was that moment for
me.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Religion
meant very little to me growing up. I was raised Episcopalian. Like
Catholic but without the confessional. I attended Sunday school for
about a year as a young child. My parents felt obliged to send my sister
and me off to church, not because they believed in any of it, but
because it seemed proper. After about a year, I think they grew weary of
pretending and announced church was no longer required. At fifteen when
I could drive, I went back a few times on my own. I liked the church
and its 1960s mid-century design. It felt peaceful to me. And, I liked
the priest. He was cute, and at 15 older men did something for me. I
would kneel in the pew enjoying the atmosphere and fantasize about the
priest – romantic fantasies, not sexual ones.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dad
was an atheist although he would never use that word for it. My mother
was more of an agnostic. We never talked about God in our family
although we did say grace, always the same prayer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>“Come Lord Jesus be our guest, let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.”</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We
must have said it a thousand times. We didn’t have a backup grace, and
we never free styled it. That was the only time we ever mentioned Jesus,
and I think we only said it to please my father’s mother. I got most of
my views on religion, God and Jesus based on my fathers’ negative
tirades about his sister. She was a born again Christian. My father
thought the whole thing utterly ridiculous at best and highly dangerous
at worst.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We
never spoke of death. We never spoke of souls. We certainly never spoke
of eternity. I had a clear picture of death: darkness. Death was
pitch-black darkness. The coffin lid closes, the lights go out, and it’s
over - forever. I remember staying awake for hours in my preteen years
thinking about infinity. I would lay stiff like a corpse and imagine
what death would be like. Pitch black darkness forever and ever and ever
and ever and ever. The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>and evers</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>would
torture me. I couldn’t stop obsessing night after night. I decided I
would stop thinking of death. From that moment onward, I became
terrified of death. The thought, the image, the mere mention of the word
made me go numb.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
stood by the door of his room. I had no concept of time so I can’t tell
how long. Then my body decided to move, and I took one step and another
and another and with my fourth step I found myself right next to
Truth’s body, which was slightly slumped to the left.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
I witnessed when I looked into his eyes was the beginning of my own
personal revolution. If seeing was believing, then I couldn’t believe
what was before my eyes. My husband, whom I had never spent a day apart
from in four and a half years, was no longer there. He was dead. Yes, I
knew that. His body, which the nurse insisted I say goodbye to, was not
him. I knew it instantly when I looked into his eyes. He was nowhere to
be found. Who I knew him to be had disappeared. Gone. I couldn’t believe
what I saw and what I felt in every pore of my being.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>He was not there, but his body was.</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So to whom was I saying goodbye?</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
realize all this may sound elementary to those who were raised to
believe in what I was just embarking on. I had no idea. My belief system
told me it was him but dead. But it wasn’t him. Was I going crazy? I
found my presence there pointless. He wasn’t there. I knew it just as
much as I knew he<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>had</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>been there a few hours ago. So I left.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg"><img alt="whatFreedomSmellsLike" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41176" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" id="outer_postBodyPS" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diagnosed
with Borderline Personality disorder, Amy struggled with depression and
an addiction to sharp objects. Even hospitalization didn't help to heal
her destructive tendencies. It took a tumultuous relationship with a
man named Truth to bring her back from the depths of her own self-made
hell.Amy's marriage to dark, intriguing Truth was both passionate and
stormy. She was a fair-skinned southern girl from New Orleans. He was a
charming black man with tribal tattoos, piercings, and a mysterious
past. They made an unlikely pair, but something clicked. During their
early marriage, they pulled themselves out of abject poverty into wealth
and financial security practically overnight. Then things began to fall
apart.</span></span><br />
</div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Passionate
and protective, Truth also proved violent and abusive. Amy’s own
self-destructive tendencies created a powerful symmetry. His sudden
death left Amy with an intense and warring set of emotions: grief for
the loss of the man she loved, relief she was no longer a target for his
aggression.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conflicted
and grieving, Amy found herself at a spiritual and emotional
crossroads, only to receive help from an unlikely source: Truth himself.
Feeling his otherworldly presence in her dreams, Amy seeks help from a
famous medium.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
spiritual encounters change Amy forever. Through Truth, she learns her
soul is eternal and indestructible, a knowledge that gives Amy the
courage to pursue her own dreams and transform herself both physically
and emotionally. Her supernatural encounters help Amy resolve the
internal anger and self-destructive tendencies standing between her and
happiness, culminating in a sense of spiritual fulfillment she never
dreamed possible.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An amazing true story, What Freedom Smells Like is told with courage, honesty, and a devilishly dark sense of humor.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amy Lewis through <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" target="_blank">www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-72437243376684464102014-12-30T08:30:00.000+00:002014-12-30T08:46:39.155+00:00#Excerpt from A LIFE LESS ORDINARY by Victoria Bernadine @VicBernadine #WomensFic #ChickLit <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny
walked in her door, looking tired and feeling worn out. She wondered
ruefully why the only thing not on a schedule was the time she could
leave the office. She dropped her purse on the table and hung up her
coat and keys. With a tired sigh, she walked into the living room and
plopped into the armchair. She closed her eyes as Harvey walked out of
the kitchen with a glass of white wine and began to rub her shoulders.
He again looked impossibly handsome, this time wearing a sweater and
jeans. She sighed in imagined bliss, and looked at him with sad eyes.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>You have no idea how much I wish you were real.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a blink, he was gone–and the phone was ringing. For a split second, Manny considered not answering it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>There’s your chance to talk to a real person,</b> Harvey murmured.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Probably a telemarketer.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Probably Rebecca. Or Daisy. They’ll worry if you don’t answer.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>All right, all right.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny heaved herself to her feet and walked to the phone.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Maybe I’m glad you’re imaginary after all.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She caught a glimpse of his grin as she answered the phone.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was Rebecca, asking her to go out the next night.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t know…” Manny sighed.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Oh, come on–you’ll have fun! And seriously–you haven’t gone out with us in months!”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’ve been tired…”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’ve
been tired your whole life I think. You need to break out of this rut
you’re in! Come out for a few drinks and dancing with me and Daisy. Who
knows, maybe you’ll meet a good-looking guy and be swept off your feet
into a red-hot love affair.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sounds like a plan to me.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Yeah, ’cause that’ll happen.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’d love to go dancing,” Manny said to Rebecca, “but the guy is just a figment of your imagination.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Only
because you don’t put any effort into it. Seriously, it’s not healthy
to do nothing but work and go home. That’s how people go crazy you
know.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Huh. You mean next thing you know I’ll be talking to my imaginary friend?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harvey grinned wickedly and Manny abruptly turned her back to him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Exactly!” Rebecca said. “Come on–what do you say?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Okay, okay,” Manny sighed. “Tomorrow night–the usual place?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yep–and sound like you’re actually looking forward to it, okay?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m sorry. I <i>am</i> looking forward to it–it’ll be fun.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ALifeLessOrdinary.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good
girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her
career. But now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and
feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed
over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life
will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit
her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving
town on a six month road trip.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After
placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her
mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and
most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke’s
true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate
attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the
same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now,
armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an
out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to
rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMJBOSQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/299257" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – ChickLit, Contemporary Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Bernadine/e/B00AN2VS5G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Victoria Bernadine on <a href="https://twitter.com/VicBernadine" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://victoriabernadine.wordpress.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_NZu0iup6n2vJwBd--NRvslbSPnw" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">victoriabernadine.wordpress.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-24208237221459076232014-12-30T07:30:00.000+00:002014-12-30T08:38:40.891+00:00@KimberlyShursen on the Successful Branding Process for Authors #AmWriting #Thriller #PubTip <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Branding? What’s that have to do with me?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By </span>Kimberly Shursen</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - </span>Author of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Itsy Bitsy Spider,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Hush</span></span></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> </i><span div="" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span></span></span><br />
If you’re familiar with branding, most of us
relate this to logos or a clichés such as “Have it your way,” or Coke’s
“It’s the real thing,” or State Farm’s “Like a good neighbor.” So, what
does that have to do with writing? In my opinion it has a lot to do
with retaining and capturing the right reader base.<br />
<br />
Now
I’ve heard from time to time that authors should write several genres.
I’m not a believer. I’m sure it has been done and done successfully, but
most of us focus on one genre. Why? Because we know it’s where we will
achieve our best writing.<br />
<br />
If you take a look at my
covers, you will notice that this is where I begin the branding process.
I hope that one day readers will look at my covers, and without
noticing my name, will say “That’s a Shursen book.” Now this may never
happen, or may happen after I’m six feet under, but this is my hope. I
use the same somewhat dark colors, and eerie fonts that are always in a
blood red.. So, this is the beginning of branding my products. Okay, I
don’t like to use the name “product” to describe my writing, but we’re
working with the “other” side of the brain when we talk business here.<br />
<br />
Now
we move to the content of the book. Ya gotta have a style. Find it;
implement it; and hang onto it. Don’t let editors tell that you have to
use a complete sentence. How often do we greet someone with “Hello. How
are you? I haven’t seen you in a very long time.” Really? Real, live
people say, “Hey. How’s it goin’?” Characters need to be real. After a
character murders someone would we say; “He ran down the street and
through an alley. His heart was beating so fast, he thought he was going
to pass out.” My words would be; “Racing between houses … through back
yards … into a dark alley … his heart beating out of control, Caleb
could taste the bile that rushed into his throat.”</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />
There
are three things readers will get to know about me; 1) no flowery,
continual, ongoing verbiage about centerpieces, hairdos, or designer
clothing, and 2) each chapter will be a cliff hanger, and lastly 3)
there will be an unpredictable ending. There will always be those who
claim they already knew the ending, but it would be highly unusual. Most
readers say they read my novels in either one or two sittings, in spite
of the fact they range anywhere from an 80,000 to a 92,000 word count.
It makes me tingle all over when I know someone couldn’t put my novels
down.<br />
<br />
Many of the “greats” write in different genres,
with book covers that don’t use the same font or types of images. For
me, I don’t feel I would do well writing other genres as I need the
constant tension that writing thrillers offers. I leave that up to my
peers, and enjoy reading their romance, cozy mysteries, historical,
literary fiction, or biographies.<br />
<br />
We all have a unique
niche, and it’s up each of us to find it. With branding, you won’t lose
readers; you’ll find readers who are interested in your style and genre
who will become fans.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg"><img alt="hush" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41080" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon
after Ann Ferguson and Ben Grable marry, and Ben unseals his adoption
papers, their perfect life together is torn apart, sending the couple to
opposite sides of the courtroom.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Representing
Ann, lawyer Michael J. McConaughey (Mac) feels this is the case that
could have far-reaching, judicial effects -- the one he's been waiting
for.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Opposing counsel knows this high profile case happens just once in a lifetime.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And
when the silent protest known as HUSH sweeps the nation, making
international news, the CEO of one of the top ten pharmaceutical
companies in the world plots to derail the trial that could cost his
company billions.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Critically
acclaimed literary thriller HUSH not only questions one of the most
controversial laws that has divided the nation for over four decades,
but captures a story of the far-reaching ties of family that surpasses
time and distance.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>***
Hush does not have political or religious content. The story is built
around the emotions and thoughts of two people who differ in their
beliefs.</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<b> </b>EDITORIAL
REVIEW: "Suspenseful and well-researched, this action-packed legal
thriller will take readers on a journey through the trials and
tribulations of one of the most controversial subjects in society
today."<span style="font-family: inherit;"> -<i> </i></span><i>Katie French author of "The Breeders," "The Believer's," and "Eyes Ever To The Sky."</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kimberly Shursen through <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" target="_blank">http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-62645618788139311642014-12-27T09:00:00.000+00:002015-03-28T04:08:35.638+00:00Mike Hartner on #SocialMedia & Showing Other Interests Outside Writing @MHartnerAuthor #WriteTip <b>How To Network Online to Sell Your Book</b><br />
<br />
First,
I must print this disclaimer. I’m not a marketing individual. And I,
James, the second book of The Eternity Series which will be released in
September 2014, is only the second book that I’ve tried to market.
So, everything has been trial and error. But, I will borrow heavily
from badredheadmedia.com’s Rachel Thompson, and several others, and the
lessons they have taught me.<br />
<ol>
<li>You need an Online Presence. Gmail+, FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest….
They all have their uses. Personally, I’m on FaceBook, and Twitter.</li>
<li>Facebook has my personal page, where my family and friends reside,
and then a Corporate page which is where I try to publicize The Eternity
Series. And other projects that I have. BcBaldEagles.com also comes to
mind. It’s also a separate corporate page. And the three pages share
posts from each other.</li>
<li>Twitter is my second social media channel. @MHartnerAuthor is my
identity, since Rachel once said, it’s better to publicize yourself as
an author than to publicize individual books, and keep changing the
identity. Son’t confuse people. Publicize yourself as an author.</li>
<li> First Rule of Social Media: It’s Social. Don’t Spam. Don’t spill
every word saying ‘Buy my book’. Build relationships, show people your
interests outside of writing. If you’re interested in Nutella, and
Alaskam wilderness cabins, show that. If it’s quilting, crocheting and
flowers you’re interested in, show that. Let people meet the REAL you.</li>
<li>Pluggio and hootsuite are great tools. Pluggio allows you to ‘drip’
every few hours news topics of your interest. Hootsuite allows you to
post on more than one site from a consolidated dashboard. Both are
useful.</li>
<li>Don’t expect everyone who follows you to remain. But help them by
not including expletives in every second post, or every third word.
Show them that you can enjoy life as much as it can frustrate you.</li>
</ol>
Social Networks allow you to reach out to a lot of other people.
AS much as you want others to follow you, follow them. Find others
with your interest. Other authors, other Nutella aficionados, other
quilters, whatever… By following a wide range of others, a wide range of
them will follow you.<br />
<br />
BLOG, or get blog tours. Blog
tours are GREAT exposure for your book. They usually have a wide and
diverse cross section of reviewers, who are all interested, to some
extent, in your writing.<br />
<br />
HELP OTHERS. If you can help
others with your lessons, do. If you can Share other’s posts,
announcements, etc… chances are they’ll share yours. And your messages
will get out to people you never expected.<br />
<br />
90/10 Rule.
At least 90 percent of your posts and blogs should be focused on
things OTHER THAN selling your book. Great reviews are one thing you
can announce more often. Share Reviews of books you’ve read. Even
better if they’re current books (last five years). Even Better if
you’re following the author when you post the review.<br />
<br />
ENGAGE
your audience. Snippets, comments, and reviews of everyone’s work are
great things to post. Top Ten lists about your life, about your
hobbies… all of these build audience.<br />
<br />
And while you’re building audience, but not screaming BUY MY BOOK, chances are some people will buy it.<br />
<br />
And that’s what makes social media so great. Being Social.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg"><img alt="IJames" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41780" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James Crofter was ripped from his family at age 11. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Within a year the prince was a pauper in a foreign land. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Is nature stronger than nurture? And even if it is, can James find the happiness he so richly desires? </span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical Fiction, Romance</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mike Hartner on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &amp; <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-48712346237888388242014-12-03T11:00:00.000+00:002014-12-05T14:28:08.146+00:00Roland Hughes Says Learn All You Need to Know About #Writing from Short Stories #Dystopian <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
must warn you, my mind is a dangerous place. My friends have been
hearing that since we were teenagers but it wasn’t until I started
writing novels that they began to realize it was just a joke.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
a writer/author one question gets asked countless times. I has many
different wordings, but it is the same question. “What lead you to
write this story?” “What was going through your mind as you wrote this
story?” “How did you come up with the idea for this story?” The
wording doesn’t matter, it is the same question no matter how it is
phrased. What they are really asking, even if they won’t admit it is
“How can I (or my readers) write a story like this?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most
author interviews I’ve read seems to indicate they become calloused
from this question and toss out the same response no matter how it is
phrased, like a politician with talking points. In the past I have been
innocent and tried to actually answer the way it was phrased in a
politically correct manner. Nobody wants to hear the honest answer.
The honest answer is “You can’t because I certainly didn’t.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shocked?
It’s true. I didn’t get a writing degree, create an outline, or follow
any rules other than grammar and spelling. The character chose to tell
its story. I wrote it down as best I could then fixed a few things.
Quite honestly, if you wish to become a writer you just need to be
adequate with spelling and grammar, able to hire professional editing
and, most importantly, listen to the character.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If
you are not a writer and reading this I fully understand if you are
shaking your head. It defies what most people are told when they are
young, but it is the truth. If you want to know how to be the kind of
author who gets some good/great reviews on their work the honest answer
is “you cannot be told.” There is no response or set of rules one can
provide you with. There is no formula to creating something nobody has
ever thought of before. There is no college course you can take or
degree you can get which will make you an author who gets good/great
reviews no matter what admissions tells you when you are handing over
your money.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can learn all you need to know by reading two short stories in a single book. The book is <i>Skeleton Crew</i>. The first short story to read out of it is <i>Ballad of the Flexible Bullet</i>.
This simple tale explains in detail what the mind of a writer is really
like and where stories really come from. If you don’t believe that
after reading it then either switch to non-fiction writing or choose a
new line of work.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second story you need to read (and in this order) is <i>Word Processor of the Gods</i>.
This one story tells you everything you need to know about every story
you will ever write. Your mind and story are both free to travel as far
as they wish if and only if they keep a tether to that subset of things
which define humanity.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fornit Some Fornus</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/johnSmith.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“John
Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars” is one big interview.
It is a transcript of a dialogue between “John Smith” (who, as the
title of the book implies is the last known survivor of the Microsoft
wars) and the interviewer for a prominent news organization.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Smith-Known-Survivor-Microsoft/dp/193973200X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-smith-roland-hughes/1102176003?ean=9781939732002" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Roland+Hughes&search-alias=books&text=Roland+Hughes&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://johnsmith-book.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-70oxuHXvWgcvombsi9GJmpfL5eA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://johnsmith-book.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-76913317476894085362014-11-08T07:00:00.000+00:002014-11-09T13:06:14.139+00:00Rik Stone on Self-Publishing, Author Platform & Social Networking @Stone_Rik #WriteTip #AmWriting<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every
writer needs an author platform and that starts with social networking…
it’s important because readers need to know you exist before they can
buy your book. Don’t wait, start now. Use Twitter; weave into your
tweets without labouring the point that you’re working on a novel. Tell
them its title and what it’s about. Make the Tweets interesting and you
have a number of potential customers who might also tell their friends
to look out for your work. I mention Twitter, but there are plenty of
other networks out there.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay,
you’ve built a social group and your book is written. Do you aim at the
traditional publishers or go indie? Well, the traditional hill is a
difficult one to climb and I feel agents and publishing editors might
sit back to see which products appeal to the audience, EL James is a
good example. If I’m right a successful indie campaign will give you
every chance of getting that elusive traditional publisher, if that’s
what will make you happy.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
is the indie option an easy one? Far from it, going down this route
means you have to do the promotion and marketing yourself, so if you’re
not willing to sign over your life completely, think again… Okay, you’re
happy to do it, good, but you’ll soon learn that when you wrote ‘The
End’ it was the biggest piece of fiction in the book; it’s actually the
beginning. First base, you need a publicist. First question, can you
afford one? No, go to second base. Yes, then research the prospective
business partners thoroughly, there’s a lot of snake oil out there. Oh,
if you do use a publicist you’ll need to publish in paperback as well as
eBook. Second base, virtual tours, you’re reading this so you’re seeing
part of one of them, I hope you’re impressed. Other than paying out for
TV adverts, these tours seem to attract the most eyes.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
won’t go on too much, as I don’t want to take advantage of my kind
host, but there is one statement I must make before you get your book
out there: The presentation of text, the cover, and the quality of the
work is of paramount importance to sales. The indie path is a medium
that allows anyone to publish anything, don’t subscribe to ‘that will
do’ if you want to gain public respect and retain their interest, you’d
only be letting yourself down. Even if it nips at your budget give your
work every chance by having professionals improve the quality and
presentation. Editing, format of text, creation of cover picture and
uploading the work onto your chosen medium is not overly expensive and
you want a book to be proud of.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One
final comment, Monty Hall wasn’t a writer, he was a TV celebrity, but
his words are relevant: “Actually, I’m an overnight success, but it took
20 years.” So whatever you learn and whatever strategies you might want
to use, the real secret is to keep at it, and never give up!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Birth-of-an-Assassin.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set
against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin
follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to
avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking,
prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier
is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be
trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Birth-of-an-Assassin-ebook/dp/B00DIFVC3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382547441&sr=8-1&keywords=rik+stone" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birth-of-an-assassin-rik-stone/1115953870?ean=9781783010998" style="text-decoration: none;">B&N</a>, <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/books/birth-of-an-assassin/-ykZ9LomEEqWVVtGlJrG-A" style="text-decoration: none;">Kobo</a> & <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/rik+stone/birth+of+an+assassin+28ebook29/9960214/" style="text-decoration: none;">Waterstones</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Thriller, Crime, Suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rik-Stone/e/B00DP4R3OY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Rik Stone on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rik-Stone/602289653148840" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/stone_rik" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="http://rik-stone.simdif.com/" itemprop="url" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://rik-stone.simdif.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-79172898476743887152014-11-07T09:30:00.000+00:002014-11-07T09:30:00.039+00:00STORM WITHOUT END (Requiem for the Rift King) #Excerpt by @RJ_Blain #Fantasy #AmReading<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Men
reacted to death in different ways. Some saw their own mortality, and
the fear of it consumed them. Others were consumed by their anger and
hatred. A rare few accepted it and recognized what they faced and did so
with pride and dignity.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were even those who enjoyed it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two
of the men ran forward in silence, their eyes burning with their need
to strike Kalen down. Ducking beneath the blades that were held too
high, he stepped to the side and onto firmer ground. Both let out
startled cries as they splashed into the muck. Letting momentum guide
his hand, Kalen cracked the flat of the sword across their shins. It
took the slightest twist of his wrist to slice the edge through their
trousers and into their flesh.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Stop!” Derac shouted.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
man’s companions didn’t obey. Kalen stepped back and dug his toes into
the moss. The sword was longer than he liked, but it was well cared for
and sharp. His teachers would flay him if they learned he used the
weapon like most used a scythe, but it let him add power to the strength
he possessed. The sharp edge cut through flesh and bone with such ease
it left a bad taste in his mouth. His victim fell before having the
chance to rise from the mud.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“By the Lady of Light, stand down, Luca,” Derac pleaded.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kalen
held his ground, the bloodied sword ready. His arm ached from the
strain of holding a weapon too heavy for him. Each moment where he stood
still, his feet hurt almost as much as his arm did. While there was no
pain from the bite marks, the burning sensation continued to creep up
his arm to his shoulder. His breath came as ragged pants.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Derac’s right,” Marist said. “We can’t kill him. If we do—”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Enough,”
Kalen interrupted, twisting around to glare at the talkative man.
Marist’s teeth snapped together with an audible clacking. “I’ve no
quarrel with you.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
unspoken “yet” hung between them. Luca stepped back, spreading the
distance between them, and leaned against one of the large trees. The
man’s sword was held low enough to be ready for use, but not in
preparation to strike. Kalen wanted to sit down or rest against
something — anything — but he didn’t dare.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enemies always waited for the first sign of weakness.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“He killed Hareth and Uthen,” Luca said in an emotionless voice.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“May the Lady of Light watch over them both,” Derac replied.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
tip of Luca’s sword touched the ground. Kalen let out a sigh, relaxed
his stance, and mimicked Luca so he wouldn’t drop his weapon.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And you’ll do nothing?” Luca whispered.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Out of the corner of his eye, Kalen glimpsed Marist shaking his head. “They attacked him first without cause. We are at fault.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“But they’re <i>dead</i>!”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And
I count our blessings that we aren’t too,” Marist spat. “If you’d like
to join them, you’re welcome to it, but not I, Luca. Not I.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/StormWithoutEnd.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kalen’s
throne is his saddle, his crown is the dirt on his brow, and his right
to rule is sealed in the blood that stains his hand. Few know the truth
about the one-armed Rift King, and he prefers it that way. When people
get too close to him, they either betray him or die. The Rift he rules
cares nothing for the weak. More often than not, even the strong fail to
survive.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
he’s abducted, his disappearance threatens to destroy his home, his
people, and start a hopeless and bloody war. There are many who desire
his death, and few who hope for his survival. With peace in the Six
Kingdoms quickly crumbling, it falls on him to try to stop the conflict
swiftly taking the entire continent by storm.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
something even more terrifying than the machinations of men has
returned to the lands: The skreed. They haven’t been seen for a thousand
years, and even the true power of the Rift King might not be enough to
save his people — and the world — from destruction.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GI7C0QG?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Fantasy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG – 13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/RJ-Blain/e/B00EA5VH6M/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with RJ Blain on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/RJ-Blain/121746651191778?ref=hl" style="text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/rj_blain" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-6671647248454751322014-11-05T11:00:00.000+00:002014-11-06T18:08:59.106+00:00Amanda Lee on on Writing - Being a Pantser and a Plotter @GayleTrent #AmWriting #Mystery #TBR<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
Both. I start out with a general idea and then try to plot chapters as I
go along. I’ll outline chapters as opposed to the entire book, because
if the chapter changes the book might go in an entirely different
direction.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What are you working on now?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
I’m working on the next Fontaine book. This time Brandy and Luke are in
Las Vegas. I’m really having fun getting to know these characters, and I
hope readers will too.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
I whine and panic and then I what-if. I’ll start with a blank page and
type “What if” at the top. Then I’ll put something to the effect of
“What if ____ comes to the hotel room?” Or “What if the phone rings, and
Luke is called away on business?” Eventually, I’ll come up with
something that will advance the plot.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I’d be somewhere WARM! Hawaii would be wonderful! Want to join me?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you work through self-doubt and fear?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
I struggle with self-doubt and fear every day. Some days I handle it
better than others. Other days, I simply try to set my feelings aside
and work through my insecurity. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that I’m
“good enough.” But do any of us? (If you answer “yes” to that, <i>please</i> write and tell me how!) J</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What scares you the most?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. The thought of something bad happening to my children.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What makes you the happiest?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. Spending time with my children. I can’t imagine life without them!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What books did you love growing up?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I adored Victoria Holt’s gothic romances. They were so romantic and intense!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. Is there any book you really didn’t enjoy?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I hate to admit this, but I could not stand <i>Lord of the Flies</i>. I detested the idea that without societal boundaries, we’d all turn into animals.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What is hardest—getting published, writing, or marketing?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
All of the above! It all really does take a great deal of effort and
makes up the entirety of writing. If you want your writing to be more
than a hobby that you share primarily with family members, then
publishing and marketing are essential.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.
Part of me wants to say Hawaii, because when we vacationed there years
ago, I fell in love with the place and didn’t want to come home. I’m
afraid, though, that the novelty would wear off and that I’d miss the
“mainland.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/threadEnd.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to have the rug pulled out from under her….</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marcy can’t wait to see the new
exhibit at the Tallulah Falls museum on antique tapestries and textiles,
including beautiful kilim rugs. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to
terror when, the day after the exhibition opens, she discovers a dead
body behind her store, the Seven-Year Stitch, wrapped up in a most
unusual fashion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The victim appears to be a visiting
art professor in town for the exhibit. Did someone decide to teach the
professor a lesson, then attempt to sweep the evidence under the rug?
Along with her boyfriend, Detective Ted Nash, Marcy must unravel an
intricate tapestry of deception to find a desperate killer.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thread-End-Embroidery-Amanda-Lee-ebook/dp/B00GSBEDI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390178732&sr=8-1&keywords=Thread+End" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Cozy Mystery</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Amanda%20Lee&search-alias=digital-text" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amanda Lee on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/leah_beth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.gayletrent.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-YTHdt59oPNToypDfFq2iQ7Epl5g" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.gayletrent.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-33449799934872184092014-10-21T09:00:00.000+01:002014-10-30T15:10:33.285+00:00#Excerpt from MOXIE'S PROBLEM by Hank Quense @hanque99 #SciFi #Fantasy #GoodReads<b>Scene Background:</b> <i>Moxie is on her way to meet her betrothed Count Gamel. Three apprentice knights, Percivale, Bore and Gareth are escorting her there. </i><br />
<br />
Bors rode to the top of a hill and examined a flat, boulder-strewn summit. Beyond the boulders, a grassy knoll butted against a tall outcrop that would shelter them from the wind. Bors rode past the boulders, dismounted on the grass and removed the saddle from his horse, Escrow. He grunted in pleasure as a cool breeze wafted over him.<br />
<br />
Percivale, Gareth and Moxie joined him on the knoll and they decided to camp there. Soon, all the mounts were unsaddled, hobbled and grazing nearby.<br />
<br />
After tending to his horse, Escrow, Bors studied the boulders. Something about them seemed strange, almost unnatural. The rocks were in lines almost like the beads on his abacus. He ignored Moxie's latest outburst of whining and continued to examine the rocks. Dark gray boulders — dozens of them — covered the area in three lines with exactly twenty rocks in each line. A fourth rank, separate from the other three, contained five rocks.<br />
<br />
"How dare you!" Moxie roared.<br />
<br />
Bors grabbed his sword hilt and whirled towards the sound of her voice. Moxie stood ten feet away glaring at a boulder in the middle rank.<br />
<br />
"What's goin' on?" Percival, also on foot, asked her. Gareth stood near Percivale, looking quizzically at Moxie.<br />
<br />
"I'm a princess, you impudent rock. Apologize this instant or I'll break you into rubble."<br />
<br />
Bors gawked at her. The memory of a story an old hunter once told him and his father flooded his brain and almost overwhelmed him with the danger they faced. His skin crawled.<br />
<br />
Moxie picked up a fist-sized rock.<br />
<br />
Bors gasped. Moxie was about to get them all killed.<br />
<br />
Moxie bounced the rock off the boulder.<br />
<br />
Bors ran to her and grabbed her arm before she could do more damage.<br />
<br />
"The stone insulted me." Moxie frowned at Bors as if she suspected his motives.<br />
<br />
"Why did you throw the rock?" Percivale asked.<br />
<br />
"Moxie just attacked one of the rock-folk," Bors said in a quavering voice.<br />
<br />
"I did what?"<br />
<br />
"She did what?" Percivale said. "I'm confused."<br />
<br />
Bors waved an arm around the boulder collection. "This is a rock-moot. I've heard about them. The rock-folk come together to settle problems and make new laws. And the stone Moxie threw was a rock-baby."<br />
<br />
"The big one degraded me." Moxie sniffed and pointed at the boulder. "It made lewd suggestions."<br />
<br />
"Rocks can't talk," Gareth said. "Leastwise, not so we can hear them."<br />
<br />
"I can hear them. I’m descendent from the Ancient Ones. Royal Ancient Ones, of course. And the Ancient Ones were descended from the fairies.”<br />
<br />
"We have to get out of here," Bors said. "Fast."<br />
<br />
"Why is the ground shaking?" Moxie looked alarmed. She grabbed Percival's arm to steady herself.<br />
<br />
"It's the rock-folk," Bors said. "They're gettin' all worked up over Moxie's attack."<br />
<br />
Their mounts whinnied in fear at the trembling ground. They jumped and stamped their hooves and strained at the hobbles until they broke free. The four horses ran down the hill and disappeared into the forest.<br />
<br />
A worried Bors said, "We have to get out of here. Let's grab the saddle bags and put some distance between us and the rocks."<br />
<br />
A boulder inched closer to Moxie's foot and she shrieked.<br />
<br />
Percivale made a face at the sudden pain in his ear from Moxie's reaction, but didn't move, as if frozen in place.<br />
<br />
"Someone has to get my horse," Moxie said.<br />
<br />
"I ain't goin' through those rocks." Gareth pointed to a group of rocks rolling to form a line between them and the direction the horses went.<br />
<br />
"We have to leave." Bors pushed Moxie in the back. "That way."<br />
<br />
"Unhand me! And what about dinner? I'm hungry."<br />
<br />
"Dinner will be very late tonight, Your Royal Feyness." Bors kept his hand on her back, nudging her away from the builders. He grabbed Moxie's saddle bag and handed it to her, then picked up his own.<br />
<br />
"You expect me to carry that?"<br />
<br />
Bors dropped her saddle bags. "If you don't carry it, it stays here and gets crushed by the rocks. I'm not carryin' yours, you are."<br />
<br />
Bors looked at Percivale who stood without moving, his face drained of color. Bors grabbed an arm and yanked Percivale backward. Percivale blinked and gave Bors a strange look. "Come on, Perc," Bors yelled. "Snap out of it and let's get goin'."<br />
<br />
Percivale picked up his saddlebags and trotted away from the boulders.<br />
<br />
A few minutes later, they descended the hill.<br />
<br />
"Moxie, look out!" Gareth yelled.<br />
<br />
Bors turned and saw a boulder thundering down the hill. A bow wave of dirt sprayed out on both sides of its path.<br />
<br />
Gareth dropped his saddle bags and pushed Moxie out of the way. Both landed in a heap a moment before the boulder sped past them.<br />
<br />
"Get off me, you blundering lummox."<br />
<br />
Gareth picked himself up and pointed to the boulder now at the bottom of the hill and rapidly losing speed. "Must have been sentry." He went over to his saddle bags, partially crushed by the boulder.<br />
<br />
"Are these rocks stupid or something?" Moxie stood with her hands on her hips. "Commoners are supposed to ignore royal misunderstandings."<br />
<br />
"I don't think rock-folk are impressed with your royal birth," Bors said. "Let's get movin'.<br />
<br />
"When do you think the horses will come back?" Moxie asked. "I can't carry my saddle bags all the way to Count Gamel's."<br />
<br />
"Those animals ain't comin' back," Percivale said. "Not after the way they got spooked. They're inna next county by now." The color had returned to his face.<br />
<br />
"Can someone please carry my bags?" Moxie asked in a pleasant voice while fluttering her eyelids. "They have my wedding dress in it."<br />
<br />
Bors slung his own bags over one shoulder and said, "It'll do you good to get some exercise." He turned his back on her and walked east.<br />
<br />
"We gotta get a lotta miles from here before we can stop for me to cook the rabbits I caught." Gareth tied two hares to a saddle bag. "We better start pickin' nuts and berries if we see any."<br />
<br />
Bors shook his head. He wished the adventure would go back to being boring again.<br />
<br />
Moxie huffed, stamped her foot and picked up her saddle bags. She followed the three knights while raining insults and curses down on their collective heads.<br />
<br />
Moxie had never thought that life outside the castle could be so difficult. Her escorts made her sleep on the ground with only two thin blankets: one under her and one on top of her. She had to sleep in her clothes. The men made her get up at dawn. She had to eat cold meals when it rained. They made her ride the horse all day long. The knights were disrespectful of her nobility. They often ignored her commands.<br />
<br />
It was if she was a peasant not a princess. And now they didn’t have horses and had to walk and non one would carry her saddlebags.<br />
<br />
Moxie dropped the saddlebags to wipe her tear-filled eyes. Gamel better be worth all this misery she thought.<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg"><img alt="Moxie's Problem" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42271" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Moxies-Problem.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Do
you enjoy untypical coming-of-age stories? Well, you won’t find one
more untypical than Moxie’s Problem. Moxie is an obnoxious, teen-age
princess who has never been outsider her father’s castle. Until now. The
real world is quite different and she struggles to come to grips with
reality. The story takes place against a backdrop of Camelot. But it
isn’t the Camelot of legends. It’s Camelot in a parallel universe. So,
all bets are off!<br />
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Moxies-Problem-Hank-Quense-ebook/dp/B00MK5UA80/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409836365&sr=1-1&keywords=hank+quense" href="http://www.amazon.com/Moxies-Problem-Hank-Quense-ebook/dp/B00MK5UA80/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409836365&sr=1-1&keywords=hank+quense" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448914" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448914" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Genre – Fantasy, Sci-fi</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Hank-Quense/e/B002BM76IE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hank-Quense/e/B002BM76IE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Connect with Hank Quense through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline" href="https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/hanque99" href="https://twitter.com/hanque99" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold !important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hank-quense.com/wp/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29hrxwzFyEMQY_AGYyT9ew6gPqByA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://hank-quense.com/wp/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29hrxwzFyEMQY_AGYyT9ew6gPqByA" target="_blank">http://hank-quense.com/wp/</a></b></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-55842363625757704282014-09-30T07:00:00.000+01:002014-10-08T13:59:38.496+01:00WITNESS TO MY HEART by @LoniFlowers #AmReading #Romance #Excerpt<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />
<i><b>Excerpt contains strong language </b></i></div>
Grabbing
my shoulders, Max pushed me against the wall. I sucked in a sharp
breath and tried to push him away from me, but couldn’t make him budge
an inch. “Get your hands off me,” I demanded.<br />
<br />
Stepping
closer, Max leaned in and the muscles of his chest flexed under my
palms. His stance was wide, each foot planted on the sides of mine. When
I peered down, I noticed the waist of his jeans hung below his hip
bones. Considering my position, and Max’s over-reactive, accusatory
tone, I did my best not to drool because I was supposed to be mad. I was
pissed, right?<br />
<br />
“Don’t play games with me, Abi.”<br />
<br />
Max
stared down, his gaze skimming over my chest as I stood there in one of
Caroline’s pretty, pink push-up bras. Having more than enough to fill
the small cups, I didn't require the extra lift. My chest rose up and
down with visible succession in every breath I took and I didn’t know if
it was because I was scared or possibly getting turned on.<br />
<br />
“I don’t play those types of games, Max.”<br />
<br />
Shit! Not the appropriate comeback in a situation like this.<br />
<br />
His grip hardened, “Now! Tell me why you covered for me?”<br />
<br />
“Ow, let me go! I was only doing you a favor.”<br />
<br />
“I didn’t ask for handouts when I came here. What the fuck did David say to you!?”<br />
<br />
“He
said you were a good guy and I shouldn’t kill you; but obviously, he
has you mixed up with someone else because you’re a fucking lunatic!”<br />
<br />
“Oh.”<br />
<br />
“Oh?
You man-handle me and all you can say is oh?” Forget shocked, I was
furious. “For your information, Charlie is a friend, like a father, and
he’s extremely protective over me. Sometimes, he does background checks
on the people in my life. If he had seen you here, he would have done
one on you and on your vehicle. I assumed you wouldn’t want him snooping
around. Plus, if he did find something he didn't approve of, he
wouldn’t let me…”<br />
<br />
I instantly paused and thought if he
didn't stop this line of interrogation, I could say something I
shouldn't. My record of zero slip-ups since being placed in the Witness
Protection Program might be broken this very day.<br />
<br />
“Wouldn’t let you… what?”<br />
<br />
“Nothing.
He wouldn't want me staying here. Excuse me for trying to be
proactive.” If he thought he could talk to me or handle me however he
wanted, he had another thing coming. I straightened up before I leaned
forward, letting my hands slide up his chest until my fingers curled
over the top of his shoulders. His brow rose with interest, but I
ignored it. Pulling Max’s chest forward, I pressed my chest against his
to whisper into his ear. “Didn’t I tell you not to underestimate me?”<br />
<br />
Max
pulled back, slightly squinting as if he suddenly recalled something.
His eyes gazed intently on me and I was momentarily frozen. His lips
parted, and a rushed breath escaped his mouth as his finger curled
around a lock of my hair. He gathered it in his hand and pulled it away
from my shoulders. His face twisted in confusion before amusement
sparkled in his eyes. My unexpected heavy breathing seemed to match his
own.<br />
<br />
“Darling, I never underestimate anyone, but you...”<br />
<br />
“What? You think you know me? Don’t pretend to assess me either.”<br />
<br />
“Tell me, do you act this way every time you get pissed off? Because I think I could get used to it.”<br />
<br />
“Who pushed whom against the wall in a fit of anger?” I countered.<br />
<br />
His
full, pink lips curved into a small grin as he pierced me with his
amber brown eyes, the color of a light brandy. Like a cognac that slid
down your throat until it found the right spot and scorched your
insides. God, why did he have to be so damn sexy?<br />
<br />
My
fingers swiped over the taut muscles in his neck and I might have
murmured an audible sigh. I wasn’t sure. When his grin spread wider, I
knew I was caught. It had been far too long since I'd been intimate with
a man, and standing that close to him, inhaling so much testosterone,
became too much for me to handle. He being a jackass didn't make much
difference at that moment.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg"><img alt="Witness to my Heart" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41881" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Witness-to-my-Heart.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Keep
a low profile. That's what Abigale Peterson was supposed to do,
especially when the person she was being protected from was one of the
world's worst crime lords. After seven years in the Witness Protection
Program, she felt no safer now than she did when she was seventeen.
Revenge was rarely forgotten when it came to a professional criminal
like Zerilli.<br />
<br />
Low profiles meant no social life and definitely no love life.<br />
<br />
Paranoia
and lies became daily habits, going against everything Abigale believed
in, but they kept her safe. They kept everyone safe.<br />
<br />
Until
a house fire puts her out of that safety and into the arms of a
stranger. Max Smith is sexy, smart, and has major attitude. He’s the
only one who seems to get her. He calms her fears and comforts her from
her nightmares. But he also sees right through her lies.<br />
<br />
Before
Abigale can stop, she’s in too deep; confiding too much and breaking
the one rule she promised herself to uphold: Never fall in love.<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Witness-my-Heart-Loni-Flowers-ebook/dp/B00MLN4IFW" href="http://www.amazon.com/Witness-my-Heart-Loni-Flowers-ebook/dp/B00MLN4IFW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary Romance</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Loni-Flowers/e/B00JOF1XYO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Loni-Flowers/e/B00JOF1XYO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Loni Flowers through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoniFlowers" href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoniFlowers" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/LoniFlowers" href="https://twitter.com/LoniFlowers" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-72295310108522039972014-09-25T09:30:00.000+01:002014-10-07T11:58:02.898+01:00WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL MY LIFE? by Cheryl Rice @RiceonLife #Excerpt #NonFiction #MemoirI knew something was up when I found Jane already sitting on Jean’s family-room couch, coffee mug in hand. They each took a turn sharing their concerns and offering up evidence of my “disordered eating” as if they were reenacting a scene from an ABC Afterschool. Though I knew their hearts were in the right place, I was furious. They just don’t get it, I thought. If they did, they wouldn’t ask me to eat. They would know how much aliveness there is in hunger—how light and strong it makes me feel. If they got it, they would understand how connected this was to my mom and, more specifically, to not having my mom; in fact, they should applaud me for finding such an elegant outlet for my grief.<br />
<br />
I pleaded, “I’m fine.” (I’m not.) “Back off.” (Please don’t.) I assured them I had it under control, but I didn’t. And, though I couldn’t admit it, I was starting to get scared. Every time I reached my stated goal weight, I set a new one before I stepped off the scale. I had reached ninety-nine pounds and was now going for ninety-five, maybe ninety. Yes—ninety sounded better.<br />
<br />
My friends gave me an ultimatum: either I would tell David what I was doing or I would go to an eating-disorders clinic within the next week; otherwise, Jane would call David herself. A voice inside me cried out, Please don’t make me eat. Being hungry is all that is feeding me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg"><img alt="Where Have I Been All My Life" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41809" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Where-Have-I-Been-All-My-Life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<br />
Where
Have I Been All My Life? is a compelling memoir recounting one woman’s
journey through grief and a profound feeling of unworthiness to
wholeness and healing. It begins with the chillingly sudden death of
Rice’s mother, and is followed by her foray into the center of
mourning. <br />
<br />
With wisdom, grace, and humor, Rice recounts the grief games she plays in an
effort to resurrect her mother; her efforts to get her therapist, who
she falls desperately in love with, to run away with her; and the
transformation of her husband from fantasy man to ordinary guy to
superhero. In the process, she experiences aching revelations about her
family and her past—and realizes what she must leave behind, and what
she can carry forward with her.</div>
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Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Have-Been-All-Life/dp/163152917X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405965204&sr=8-1&keywords=where+have+i+been+all+my+life%3F" href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Have-Been-All-Life/dp/163152917X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405965204&sr=8-1&keywords=where+have+i+been+all+my+life%3F" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Rice/e/B00J5OWIGQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Rice/e/B00J5OWIGQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Cheryl Rice through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="%20https://www.facebook.com/yourvoiceyourvision " href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-admin/%20https://www.facebook.com/yourvoiceyourvision" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/RiceOnLife" href="https://twitter.com/RiceOnLife" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-KsIroKPbTLpqZOg7K5rhGXAchzg" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.yourvoiceyourvision.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-KsIroKPbTLpqZOg7K5rhGXAchzg" target="_blank">www.yourvoiceyourvision.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-22894310784430235742014-09-18T08:00:00.000+01:002014-09-27T05:21:08.065+01:00Touching Madness (River Madden Book 1) by K S Ferguson #AmReading Contemporary #Fantasy I cowered at the hooves of the eight-foot tall demon, wallowing in the soot and debris of the apocalyptic cityscape. He frowned at me, and his mouth formed words, but I couldn't understand him. Hoards of translucent black cloud nightmares rose and fell through cracks in the scarred ground, widening the fissures with each pass. They roiled around us, cutting off light coming from a source that I couldn't identify. I opened my mouth to scream, and one of the nightmare clouds poured in, clogging my throat, filling my lungs with ash, and shooting burning cinders up through my brain. I thrashed, trying to get to my feet so I could run, but I no longer had legs.<br />
<br />
I jerked awake, thoroughly tangled in the space blanket, my legs numb, and looked into a pair of amber eyes that stared back at me along the blade of a big, scary military-type knife pointed at my throat. I swallowed hard. Boy, had I screwed up.<br />
<br />
"Hi," I said.<br />
<br />
She didn't blink. My God, she was beautiful in the pre-dawn light glowing through the windows. No human looked that perfect. Was she real? I freed my right hand and ever so slowly raised my index finger to the tip of the blade while she watched. When I pressed lightly against the point, it pricked my skin. I pulled my hand back. Blood welled from the tiny cut. Yep, real. Shit. She'd taken me prisoner.<br />
<br />
"We're surrounded by cops," I said. "If you stick me, I'll scream like a girl."<br />
<br />
Ah, crap, why'd I used that expression? She probably screamed like an Amazon warrior. How'd she even lift a knife that big? She was such a tiny thing. All the cops I'd met were big louts. But she had the drop on me, and the knife was a lot more threatening than her wand thingy.<br />
<br />
"Who are you? Where are we? How'd I get here?" she asked. The taut muscles around her eyes telegraphed fear, and the knife trembled in her hand.<br />
<br />
I rubbed my prickling wrist tattoos against my jeans and caught a whiff of something burnt. I glanced around the kiosk. Up near the ceiling, a trace of shapeless sooty cloud leaked out through the crack around the door. My mouth opened, closed.<br />
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"Do you smoke?" I asked, hoping she'd tell me she did. The cloud could have been cigarette smoke even if it didn't smell like tobacco… purposeful cigarette smoke, on the dark side. A hallucination. Not real.<br />
<br />
A frown joined her stare. Oops. I'd wandered off topic. What had she asked? Who are you? But her team had that tracking device that reacted to me. How could she be looking for me but not recognize me?<br />
<br />
"I brought you here so they wouldn't shoot you. I had to hide you while I led him away." I gave her a tentative smile and waited for her to gush her thanks for saving her life. Maybe she'd be so grateful, she'd tell me about the tracking device—and point that big knife some other direction. Then I could get away before she figured out who I was.<br />
<br />
She added narrowed eyes to the stare and the frown. I chewed my lower lip. Maybe I wasn't communicating as well as I'd hoped. I felt woefully inadequate talking to someone as lovely as her, especially someone carrying a dangerous weapon. It could have been worse—at least I hadn't degenerated into word salad or spoken in rhymes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg"><img alt="Touching Madness" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41637" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Touching-Madness.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Light
bulbs talk to River Madden; God doesn't. When the homeless
schizophrenic unintentionally fractures a dimensional barrier and
accidentally steals a gym bag containing a million dollars, everyone
from the multiverse police to the local crime boss—and an eight-foot
tall demon—are after him. Can he dodge them long enough to correct his
mistakes and prevent the destruction of three separate dimensions? If he
succeeds, will the light bulbs stop singing off-key?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H9QPLA" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H9QPLA" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary, Urban fantasy</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=K%20S%20Ferguson&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=K%20S%20Ferguson&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ksferguson.net&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28uYLnWK2puPbkhz-G_C7dYRTpoBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ksferguson.net&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28uYLnWK2puPbkhz-G_C7dYRTpoBw" target="_blank">http://www.ksferguson.net</a></b></span></span></div>
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<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-79683539448820544962014-09-17T10:00:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:24:24.296+01:00Sophie Kinsella & the Things You Didn't Know by Madi Brown @Madithe1brown #AmReading<b>10 Things You Didn't Know About Sophie Kinsella</b><br />
<br />
<i>SK
(Sophie Kinsella) is easily the SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker) of Chick
Lit. She's written over a dozen novels, with each of her works
centering around strong female characters that modern day women love to
read about. If she's extremely fashionable, enthusiastic about her
career, and if she still holds a place card for family and friends then
we're all in aren't we? Many of us have read her books in one sitting,
but what do we really know about Sophie Kinsella the woman? Well---as I
soon found out, this author is just as interesting as the
multidimensional characters that she creates. Here are 10 facts about
Sophie Kinsella that you probably didn't know:</i><br />
<br />
1) Sophie Kinsella <b>once considered writing a thriller.</b>
Yes, it's true. And if her agent hadn't told her that what she'd come
up with wasn't dark or gritty enough, then we may have been able to
judge for ourselves.<br />
<br />
2) Sophie Kinsella <b>admits that she can relate to all of the characters that she's concocted in her best-selling Chick Lit books.</b>
Once, while she was nursing her baby, she opened up the door for her
mailman---and her shirt was unbuttoned! It was a Becky Bloomwood moment
that she'll always remember.<br />
<br />
3) When asked what profession she saw herself in if she wasn't an author, Sophie Kinsella revealed that <b>she'd be belting out songs as a singer of course</b> ( after all, she did study music at New College Oxford).<br />
<br />
4) <b>It takes Sophie Kinsella nine months to pen a novel.</b>
She breaks it up into two stages. The first phase involves coffee, and
sitting down, planning and taking notes. The second phase involves total
isolation where it's just Sophie writing like a mad woman to speaker
blowout-blaring loud music.<br />
<br />
5) One of Sophie Kinsella's books <b>(Sleeping Arrangements) was adapted into a musical</b>. It premiered in London on April 17, 2013.<br />
<br />
6) Someone has been really busy in between books. <b>Sophie Kinsella has five kids; </b>four
boys and a girl. Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?
How-in-almost-Brady-Bunch name does she find the time to write?<br />
<br />
7) Guess who's <b>hooked on eating nuts and having packets of them</b> wherever she goes? Sophie Kinsella.<br />
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8) <b>Life imitated art on an instance when Sophie went out Christmas shopping</b>. She loaded her baby stroller up with so many bags that there wasn't any room for the baby.<br />
<br />
9) Sophie Kinsella has a<b> customized pen for all of her author book signings.</b> She keeps it stored in gold bubble wrap.<br />
<br />
10) Who knew? <b>Sophie Kinsella anonymously sent a novel that she'd penned to her own publishing house under a different pen name.</b>She remained tight lipped about doing so until her book, Can You Keep a Secret was published.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg"><img alt="truthaboutemily" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41632" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/truthaboutemily.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"If you LOVE New York, if you’re a
name-dropping, fashion fiend careerist; fed up with serial dating,
plagued with a thirst for sex, then you’ll totally stalk me for what
I've penned.” - Author, Madi Brown</span></span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Description</i></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">29-year-old
Emily Greene looks the part, but she’s still working on becoming a
modern-day woman. Not that she’s one to back down from a challenge, but
living as an eternal work-in-progress wasn't exactly the goal that she
had in mind. It’s a harsh but true realization---the idea that that time
isn't on her side, and the notion that wanting to have it all, doesn't
mean getting it. The verdict is in; with zero prospects for a
relationship and a stalled blogging career, Emily has every reason to
believe that she’s been living a life too humdrum for her own good.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making
the change won’t be easy. She’ll have to do whatever it takes; start
dating like a man, become more selective about which RSVP's she accepts,
and work even harder at getting her dream job.The payoff’s huge; a
modern twist on a storybook ending, but gains don’t often come without
risks. In the here and now Emily just may be forced to choose...It’s got
to be one or the other----the profession that she’s always wanted, or
the love that she’s never had.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">˃˃˃ Praise for Madi Brown & </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">her debut novel, The Truth About Emily</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The
added depth of character promises complexity but wraps everything in
the saucy cloak of Emily's evolving personality and newfound beliefs
about life, love, and the real nature of happiness. And this is where
The Truth About Emily outshines many competitors, making it a
recommended read for those seeking more than a standard romance novel." <i>- D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviews</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This
book has just about anything a girl would love to read about. If
there's anything Emily Greene has is ISH and lots of it, oh the
ending... This book is a total keeper, just anything about fashion to
relationships to friends and family." <i>- Y. Sanchez, G</i></span></span><i>oodreads</i><br />
<br />
B<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">uy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Emily-Madi-Brown-ebook/dp/B00MNIL5TW" href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Emily-Madi-Brown-ebook/dp/B00MNIL5TW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Contemporary Women's Fiction</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG18</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Madi-Brown/e/B00MNMD2ZS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Madi-Brown/e/B00MNMD2ZS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Madi Brown on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/Madibrown.combooksandblog" href="https://www.facebook.com/Madibrown.combooksandblog" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Madithe1brown" href="https://twitter.com/Madithe1brown" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-81130480947256599732014-09-04T12:00:00.000+01:002014-09-04T22:27:46.520+01:00My Conversations with God by Carlos Aranda - Beauty for Ashes @Losman1976 #Christian #SelfHelp<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beauty for Ashes</span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you ever been to the redwoods, it’s a beautiful thing, well at least to me anyways. I love going to Muir woods. If you ever been then you know it’s beautiful. Just to stand in god’s creation takes my breath away. My wife has never been to Muir woods but grew up in Montana, which being close to Yellowstone, she knew that beauty as well. She described it to me as God’s best work. I can’t wait to visit. From time to time, these works of art catch fire and burn. In September of ’88, Yellowstone caught fire burning a total of 793,880 acres or 36 percent. Once a lush green forest now a charred wasteland, but in the midst of all this, the lodge pole pines released their seeds during the fire. So the rain came, and new life started again. Now if you look where the fire raged, you now see beauty for ashes. In our life, we might feel as if we been through the fire ourselves. Remember God gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3). Let God refine you. You may be in the fire or have been, but know that God is releasing seeds of restoration and prosperity in your life. Let the master refine you today to be his victory tomorrow.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ConversationsWithGod.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is a biblical perspective on how God wants us to see and get through the trials that life brings our way. It is a book of conversations and things brought to our attention that we may not always see and how through scripture God wants us to get through them.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Conversations-God-Carlos-Aranda/dp/1627466835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378737331&sr=8-1&keywords=my+conversations+with+god+by+carlos+aranda" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Christian Living</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Aranda/e/B00EZRK7KW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with Carlos Aranda through <a href="http://www.facebook.com/author.Carlosaranda" style="text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> & <a href="http://www.twitter.com/losman1976" style="text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://carlosaranda.tateauthor.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-iL9ZUgeF3xvZ0WPyZIT0EWRJQeg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://carlosaranda.tateauthor.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-72993979036997161612014-08-29T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-04T12:08:13.579+01:00Michael Reisig (The Road to Key West Series) on Fear, Happiness and Writing <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ba/37/f3c1ff3636590ad8956e39.L._V185878740_SX200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ba/37/f3c1ff3636590ad8956e39.L._V185878740_SX200_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>1.How do you work through self-doubts and fear?</b></div>
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<i>I check my sales on amazon. That generally helps.</i></div>
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<b>2.What scares you the most?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>No sales on amazon.</i></div>
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<b>3.What makes you happiest?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>Lots of sales on amazon.</i></div>
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<b>4.What’s your greatest character strength?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>I never give up. When I go after something, I beat it ‘till it bleeds.</i></div>
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<b>5.What’s your weakest character trait<i>?</i></b></div>
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<i>I’m as impatient as a delivery room father. I want it all yesterday.</i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>6.Why do you write?</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i>Because I have to – I have to see the words scroll out of my head and onto the screen.</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>I love birthing plots and characters and seeing them coalesce into good books.</i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b>7.Have you always enjoyed writing?</b></div>
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<i>I
have certainly always enjoyed creating with my imagination. When I was
in the fourth grade the teacher used to give me 20 minutes twice a week
to tell a story to the class – and I made the stories up. I was also
lead guitarist in a highly successful Rock band for years, and I wrote
all of our original music.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/road_to_key_west.jpg"><img alt="road_to_key_west" class="size-full wp-image-31186 aligncenter" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/road_to_key_west.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The
Road to Key West is an adventurous/humorous sojourn that cavorts its
way through the 1970s Caribbean, from Key West and the Bahamas, to Cuba
and Central America.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In
August of 1971, Kansas Stamps and Will Bell set out to become nothing
more than commercial divers in the Florida Keys, but adventure, or
misadventure, seems to dog them at every turn. They encounter a parade
of bizarre characters, from part-time pirates and heartless larcenists,
to Voodoo bokors, a wacky Jamaican soothsayer, and a handful of drug
smugglers. Adding even more flavor to this Caribbean brew is a
complicated romance, a lost Spanish treasure, and a pre antediluvian
artifact created by a distant congregation who truly understood the
term, “pyramid power.”
Pour yourself a margarita, sit back, and slide into the ‘70s for a while
as you follow Kansas and Will through this cocktail of madcap
adventures – on The Road To Key West.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
IF
YOU ENJOY THIS NOVEL BE SURE TO READ THE SEQUEL, "BACK ON THE ROAD TO
KEY WEST" (To be released in late August or early September, 2013)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Jimmy
Buffett should set this tropical tale to music! The best Key West
stories can only be written by those who have lived here, and Reisig
expertly captures the steamy, seedy, beautiful allure of the islands.
“The Road to Key West” takes readers on a hysterical journey through the
humidity and humanity that only exists in the lower latitudes. And much
like the Keys in the 1970s, it’s a hell of a trip.
—Mandy Bolen, The Key West Citizen</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"The
Road to Key West" combines the dry cleverness of Lewis Grizzard, the
wit of Dave Barry, and Reisig's impeccable sense of timing. It's an
action-packed, romantic, charming, hilarious take on the ‘70s and its
generation. A must-read!
—John Archibald, Ouachita Life Magazine</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-West-Michael-Reisig-ebook/dp/B004RPMYF8/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/back_to_key_west.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="back_to_key_west" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31190" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/back_to_key_west.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
From
the best-selling author of “The Road To Key West” comes a sequel
guaranteed to take the reader even higher – another rollicking,
hilarious Caribbean adventure that will have you ripping at the pages
and laughing out loud.</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Back
On The Road To Key West” reintroduces the somewhat reluctant
adventurers Kansas Stamps and Will Bell, casting them into one bizarre
situation after another while capturing the true flavor and feel of Key
West and the Caribbean in the early 1980s.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
An
ancient map and a lost pirate treasure, a larcenous Bahamian scoundrel
and his gang of cutthroats, a wild and crazy journey into South America
in search of a magical antediluvian device, and perilous/hilarious
encounters with outlandish villains and zany friends will keep you
locked to your seat and giggling maniacally. (Not to mention
headhunters, smugglers, and beautiful women with poisonous pet spiders.)
You’ll also welcome back Rufus, the wacky, mystical Jamaican Rastaman,
and be captivated by another “complicated romance” as Kansas and Will
struggle with finding and keeping “the girls of their dreams.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So
pour yourself a margarita, and get comfortable. You’re in for another
rousing medley of madcap adventures in paradise, with “Back On The Road
To Key West.” </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
IF YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK BE SURE TO GET THE THIRD IN MICHAEL’S SERIES; “ALONG THE ROAD TO KEY WEST”!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
______________________________________________________</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
EDITORIAL REVIEWS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Michael
Reisig takes us back once again to the Key West I wish I had known –
and that others wish they remembered more clearly. Kansas and Will are
back in “Back on the Road to Key West,” with their trademark penchant
for sultry sarcasm and sun-drenched excitement. Once again Reisig
captures the character of the Keys in a way that proves he’s been here –
and perhaps done that. No one wraps us in humidity and surrounds us
with saltwater like this guy, whose tales of the tropics draw us
constantly back to their welcoming, yet provocative shores. -- Mandy
Miles, The Key West Citizen</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Having
lived in Key West in the late '70's and early '80's, at a time when Mel
Fisher still hunted the Atocha, shrimp boats filled the harbors, and
‘square grouper’ were still an abundant species, Michael Reisig's Back
on the Road to Key West, transports me back in time. Will Bell and
Kansas Stamps face an assortment of ruthless antagonists and chase
adventure with the abandon of the era, and whether you lived it or not,
don't miss the chance to now. Vivid imagery, strong prose and an
exciting plot make this trip with the boys worth taking. Enjoy the
ride!"
-- John H. Cunningham, author of the Buck Reilly Adventure Series</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Stumbling
their way in and out of trouble and fortune, Kansas Stamps and Will
Bell continue to be the idols of what every true Parrot Head imagines
real life in The Keys would be -- full of spontaneous adventure. What a
great read!
– Bryan Crews, former president, Tampa Parrot Head Club</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Buy @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Back-Road-West-Michael-Reisig-ebook/dp/B00FC9D94I/ref=la_B003ZL2SBU_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391255880&sr=1-2">Amazon</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/along_key_west.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="along_key_west" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31191" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/along_key_west.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
WHAT IF YOU DISCOVERED A DEVICE THAT MADE PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH?
Fast-paced humor-adventure with wacky pilots, quirky con men, bold women, mad villains, and a gadget to die for…</div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In
the third book of Michael Reisig’s captivating series, Florida Keys
adventurers Kansas Stamps and
Will Bell find their lives turned upside down when they discover a truth
device hidden in the temple of an ancient civilization. Enthralled by
the virtue (and entertainment value) of personally dispensing truth and
justice with this unique tool, they take it all a step too far and
discover that everyone wants what they have.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Seasoned
with outrageous humor and sultry romances, Along The Road To Key West
carries you through one wild adventure after another. This time, Kansas
and Will are forced to wrest veracity and lies from con artists, divine
hustlers, and political power brokers while trying to stay one step
ahead of a persistent assembly of very bad guys with guns.
In the process, from Key West, into the Caribbean, and back to America’s
heartland, our inadvertent heroes gather a bizarre collage of friends
and enemies – from a whacked-out, one-eyed pilot, and a mystical
Rastaman, to a ruthless problem-solver for a prominent religious sect, a
zany flimflamming sociopath, and a Cuban intelligence agent. In the
end, it all comes down to a frantic gamble – to save far more than the
truth. So pour yourself a margarita and settle back. You’re in for a
high intensity Caribbean carnival ride!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
NOTE:
Much of this book was originally published as a novel of mine called,
“The Truthmaker.” But with the growing popularity of my “Road To Key
West” series, I decided to rewrite it and publish it as “Along The Road
To Key West.” – Michael Reisig</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Buy @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Along-Road-West-Michael-Reisig-ebook/dp/B00G5B3HEY/ref=la_B003ZL2SBU_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391255880&sr=1-3">Amazon</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Genre - Caribbean Humor, Adventure</i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Rating – PG</i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Reisig/e/B003ZL2SBU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a>
</i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Connect with Michael Reisig through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterMike" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-85555937070508895442014-08-27T08:30:00.000+01:002014-09-17T21:57:11.366+01:00SAGA OF THE NINE #Excerpt: Area 38 by Mikey D. B. #Area38 #Dystopian #Thriller <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Good morning everybody, I am Professor Lisa Rodgers and this is Governmental Theory 3410.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Have you ever had her before?” Mica quietly asks Marian.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Nope, but I heard she is really good. She’s not very popular among the faculty, being more conservative than most. It’s why I signed up for this class actually. I like having a different perspective on stuff like this. Plus she’s my aunt.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m assuming every one of you in here belong here. If not, please leave quietly.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No one budges.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Good. Let’s get started then. Does anyone know when the law stating that a President of the United States could only serve two terms was discontinued?” As she expects, nobody raises their hand. “It was in 2020. Okay. Let’s see if you know this piece of historical information: Who here has heard of the electoral college?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Very few know the answer but no one raises their hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That was not a rhetorical question.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marian shoots her hand into the air.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes.” Still no expression, despite Marian’s enthusiasm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Wasn’t it how we elected the president in the late 20<sup>th</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>century?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes it was and it even lasted a few years in this century. Do you know how it worked by any chance?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marian, impressed with herself, nudges Mica and nods her head like a boss.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Miss?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Marian.” Mica nudges her back and points to Professor Rodgers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sorry,” Marian begins to blush. “Can you repeat the question?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite the scattered chuckles, Rodgers masks her embarrassment for her niece. “How did the electoral college work?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stumped, Marian shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know, Professor.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mica is the only one who reluctantly raises his hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“One person. That’s more than I expected. Yes, go ahead Mister…”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Rouge. Mica Rouge.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Go on,” Professor Rodgers says.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well it’s kind of complicated,” he begins, “but I guess in a nutshell, every state had a certain number of votes that went towards electing a president.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“How many votes did each state get?” Professor Rodgers asks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It depended.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“On what? What determined the number of votes a state got?” She asks again, trying to get to the root of it all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The number of Senators and members of The House of Representatives.” He really wishes that somebody else knew this stuff. He looks to Marian for some support but she just shrugs her shoulders again. As soon as Mica turns back to Professor Rodgers, Marian smiles, charmed by the man sitting beside her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And how did a presidential nominee win the votes of a state?” Just a few more questions and the Professor will get her point across.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mica picks his brain for this rarely used information. “Wasn’t it by a popular vote of the people in that state? All the registered voters voted and whichever candidate got the most votes won all of the state votes? It was a winner take all system.”<br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes, that is exactly how it worked. Well kind of. It was a winner take all system in forty-eight of the fifty states. Maine and Nebraska were the sole exceptions. Why did we have a system like this and not the system we currently have?” She asks Mica, but the question is opened to the class. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Doesn’t our system of Congress being the ones who elect a president work better?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mica doesn’t wait for someone to take the answer; he knows it and he knows exactly where the professor is going with this. “It’s more efficient yes, but less democratic.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Professor Rodgers is slightly impressed with this young man. Maybe Carter was right about him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“How so?” she asks. “We elect our Senators and Representatives. The idea of a Republic is to elect officials who we think will put our ideas forward and into action.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes, but it comes down to checks and balances,” Mica argues, finally getting to the point Professor Rodgers was aiming for. “If Congress is the one to elect the president, they can skew the results, creating a lot more room for corruption in the system. They are held less accountable by us, the people.” Mumbles and silent gasps fill the room.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“He has a point.” The Professor patiently waits for the class to calm down. There are more and finer details to this law, she thinks, but he’s brought the discussion to where she was directing it. “Senators are now in office until they die, which wasn’t always the case. The amendment that changed the way we elect a president also changed the way we elect Congress. Before we turned to the election system that we have, there were people trying to create a constitutional amendment where when we the people voted, the person with the most votes won, period, in what is called a ‘popular election.’ They wanted the voice of the people to be heard from the people themselves, not Congress and not from electoral votes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“In 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000 all those who lost the election won the popular vote and had the most citizens voting for them. Seems pretty unjust, huh? The Electoral College was like a popular vote mixed with a congressional vote, but instead of being a democratic process it became more of a game, some might say, to win the states and not the people. But that’s politics for you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Back to what Mr. Rouge was saying about checks and balances and how a lack of that can create corruption. There are some that argue that the idea behind checks and balances is inefficient. It slows down progression. Too many people’s opinions in the political ring,” Rodgers folds her hands, “can cause the system to lock up.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And that’s a problem because?” a student asks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Because the government can shutdown like it has, time and time again. So,” Professor Rodgers continues, “people tried to simplify the election process in hopes of simplifying the checks and balances, but they went about it in the opposite way than most were hoping. Instead of having a popular vote from the people, the voting changed to Congress, giving more power to the Government and less to the people.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Why?” Marian asks herself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Exactly.” Professor Rodgers says, overhearing Marian’s whispered question. “So why do I bring this all up?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg"><img alt="Saga of the Nine" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41059" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Saga-of-the-Nine.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Change
affects everyone and it is no different for Jackson. Living in Area 38
for as long as he can remember, he knows of no better way to exist than
under the tyrannical rule of Christopher Stone, son of Stewart Stone
from The Nine of The United Governmental Areas, aka The UGA. This all
takes a dramatic turn when Jackson finds a red, metal box buried in his
yard, filled with illegal artifacts—journals, a Bible, CDs, etc.—that
are from a man of whom he has no recollection of: Mica Rouge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The
year is 2036 and Mica, unlike Jackson, does know of a better way of
life but is torn apart as he sees his country, The United States of
America, crumbling from within by group known as The Political Mafia.
The Mafia has infiltrated levels upon levels of governmental resources
and it is up to Mica and a vigilante group known as The USA Division to
stop them and their dark Utopian vision. To their demise, and at the
country's expense, The Division fails and has no choice but to watch The
Constitution dissolve and transform into The UGA.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
a final stand, having not given up hope, Mica and what is left of The
Division, give one final fight in Colorado, or better known as Area 38.
However, all is lost as The Division is betrayed by one of their own,
Stewart Stone. Mica is left with no choice but to hide in exile, leaving
what little history he can of himself and the great United States of
America, with his wife, long time friends, and newly born son in hopes
that they will one day finish what he could not.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jackson,
having found this legacy twenty-seven years later, decides to start the
war that will end The Nine, and he with an outcast group known as The
Raiders, begins his fight with Christopher Stone in Area 38. Filled with
betrayal, unity, despair, hope, hate and love Area 38 follows both Mica
and Jackson in their attempts to restore what they believe to be true
freedom, and where one fails, the other rises to the seemingly
impossible challenge.</span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Nine-Mikey-D-B-ebook/dp/B00I3I8R9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391036693&sr=1-1&keywords=mikey+d.+b." href="http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Nine-Mikey-D-B-ebook/dp/B00I3I8R9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391036693&sr=1-1&keywords=mikey+d.+b." target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Thriller</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Mikey%20D.%20B.&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Mikey%20D.%20B.&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mikey D. B. on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikey-D-B/193122724228568?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikey-D-B/193122724228568?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/mikeydbii" href="https://twitter.com/mikeydbii" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.mikeydb.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rFXKoKCy5nHRPTeDOI1JD41dROQ" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.mikeydb.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29rFXKoKCy5nHRPTeDOI1JD41dROQ" target="_blank">www.mikeydb.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-21909963741023682612014-08-21T10:00:00.000+01:002014-08-29T00:21:43.660+01:00Across Worlds: Collision #Excerpt by S. A. Snow @BooksbySnow #AmReading #Erotica #SciFi <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane slowed and stopped, her heart pounding in her chest. She lifted her water bottle to her lips and drank deeply, droplets running down the line of her throat. Her body was slick with sweat, and it pooled between her breasts and at the small of her back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sun was coming up, and she placed her hands on her hips, leaning back, both to stretch her back muscles and to marvel at the colors piercing the sky. She glanced at her watch. Six-forty-two. Time to head home and get ready for work. There was no telling when she would get to watch the sun rise again—probably never.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane’s eyes widened and she gasped when the ground began to shake. She grabbed a tree for stability and looked around wildly. Earthquakes weren’t commonplace in Washington, D.C. The wind picked up, smacking leaves her in the face and swirling dust around her just as a roar filled the air. The sound of engines was deafening.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She craned her neck to look through the branches of the tree she held onto, and her hand went to her mouth as she took several steps away from her safety net. Her head fell back, and she stared in awe. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chrome and metal melded together to make a hull that was almost matte and looked like liquid all at once. It was dotted with windows, and she could barely make out the lines of the doors. The engines were bigger than the largest plane she had ever seen.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With one shudder, the roar died down and the engines stopped spinning. Three holes in the bottom of the ship opened up and great metal poles descended. Jane couldn’t help her curiosity as she stepped closer. One metal pole crashed into the ground a hundred yards from where she stood. It broke soil, and claw-like structures folded down, creating an anchor, presumably to keep the ship in place.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She approached it carefully. A small crowd gathered as other people made their way over to see what was happening. Jane wound her way through the people and reached out slowly, her hand making contact with the pole. She jumped back before relaxing. It was cool and smooth to the touch.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg"><img alt="AcrossWorldsCollision" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40725" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AcrossWorldsCollision.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane expected six months undercover to be hard; she expected it to be lonely and bleak. She didn’t expect to find love. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Jane
Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the
Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going
undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets
Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space,
Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to
complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is
quickly developing. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Fumbling
their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes,
and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never
boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them
expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes
she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane
is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with
her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces
questions she never imagined she would have to answer.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Worlds-Collision-S-Snow-ebook/dp/B00MANJM2M" href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Worlds-Collision-S-Snow-ebook/dp/B00MANJM2M" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435337" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435337" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Blended Science Fiction, Erotica</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – NC17</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/S.-A.-Snow/e/B00MARDKL2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/S.-A.-Snow/e/B00MARDKL2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with S. A. Snow on <a data-mce-href="http://www.facebook.com/booksbysnow" href="http://www.facebook.com/booksbysnow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-2811808784016377272014-08-21T09:30:00.000+01:002014-09-20T06:45:24.354+01:00@GaryTroia's Thoughts on Writing & Publishing #IndieAuthors #AmWriting #SelfPub <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>So, you’ve written your book, found an agent, your agent has matched your book with a publisher. What next?</b></span></span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>It can take one year before your book is in print. </b>Throughout
the year you will receive two or three rounds of edits, then copyedits,
then line edits. You’ll be asked to proof the cover copy of your book. A
bio and a professional headshot will be created. Blurbs need to be
written. At least 3 months before publication your book will be sent to
reviews and the press for pre-publication reviews and to bookshops.<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You may or may not be lucky enough to have a publicist, either way you still have to market your own book. </b>If
you are fortunate enough, you might have a book tour. But touring
Authors around the country is expensive, don’t expect any-more
travelling by coach! You need to market yourself in any way possible,
talk to local papers, radio shows, apply to be a guest at local
conferences or speak at libraries, book clubs or schools. And don’t
forget social media twitter, Facebook etc…<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 1.5em;">You get to select your book cover. </b><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This
is very unlikely, the book cover is usually the work of an art
department, with the opinions of everyone from the editor, publisher,
marketing and PR departments. Everyone has their say but you!</span></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 1.5em;">You still get rejections</b><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. It’s true. Just because you have a publisher doesn’t mean that your new manuscripts or proposals won’t be rejected. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 1.5em;">You will still be poor</b><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.
If you are extremely lucky your book will make enough money so you can
quit your job, the average book advance is a mere £3,000-£5,000 then you
have to wait a year until it is in print-then if you’re fortunate
enough to sell tens of thousands of copies you may be in a position to
quit your day job.</span></span></span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Gary-Troia.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
the first time ever, this collection of short stories by Gary Troia
brings together, in chronological order stories and memoirs from Spanish
Yarns and Beyond, English Yarns and Beyond and A Bricklayer’s Tales
into one complete volume.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“Excellent!</b> A
collection of short stories about depression, alcoholism and drug use.
Very compelling reading. I read this short story collection all in one
go.” (Maria, Goodreads.)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A Bricklayer’s Tales</i> is
the ultimate “I hate this job” story, written as a collection of short
stories and memoirs, each one revealing a snapshot in the life of Ray.
Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and
living hand to mouth. This book of short stories is sad and questions
the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book achieves
clarity without trying.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ray
has three expensive hobbies: drinking, drugs, and running away. Without
the income that Bricklaying provides, he would not be able to maintain
his chosen lifestyle, so he compromises his principles and continues
with his trade.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A collection of short stories and memoirs that include:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Cuckoo’s Egg.</b> Boyhood antics lead to tragedy.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Grandfather’s Shed.</b> The making of an English key</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>No Comb on the Cock.</b> Gypsies, champion fighting cocks, and career choices.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What I Did In My Summer Holidays In 1000 Words.</b> Could having an idea ever be considered a criminal act?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Best Mate’s Head.</b> Did a weekend of boozing save Ray from certain death?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Shetland Isles.</b> A trip to sunny Benidorm, a chance meeting with some Glaswegians, and a cold, miserable job in Lerwick.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pointing a House in Islington.</b> Too much alcohol and cocaine don’t mix well on building sites!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Angel Dust. T</b>he peculiar story of a man whose new life in America leads to conversations with Ancient Greek philosophers</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Peyote.</b> Hippies, LSD and an idyllic refuge</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Return Ticket.</b> Handcuffed and ready for deportation. A sad departure from the States</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>When I Joined a Cult.</b> Sober dating as Ray discovers religion.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bilbao</b>. How very, very English!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Teaching Other People.</b> The grass is always greener-the escape from bricklaying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>A Week in the Life of Ray Dennis.</b> With the prospect of no money for food or alcohol this Christmas, Ray has to find work quickly.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Catania. </b>A meeting with a Sicilian fox, some Neapolitans, and a man with a camel haired coat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Advert In The Art Shop Window. </b>Will a new building job in Spain be the start of a new life?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Gaudi. </b>A flight to Barcelona for a kebab, and a look at the <i>Sagrada Familia.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Day My Soul Left Me. </b>“To be or not to be? That is the question”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How Not to Travel to The Alhambra<i>. </i></b>Hung-over, the wrong fuel, the car breaks down. Will they ever make it to Granada?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Road To Ronda. </b>A terrifying drive to Ronda, was it worth it?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Poking A Carob Tree</b>. A new home and new neighbours, just in time for Christmas.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Spain Reborn</b>.No more commuting to London. Lets celebrate!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Home From Home</b><i>. </i>A parallel world where the Spanish have taken over Weymouth.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Three Common Carp</b>.An epic battle with a whale and marlin it is not.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mrs. McClintock.</b> An absurd farce in which a Glaswegian couple retire to Spain</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Steak, Egg and Intensive Care. </b>A harmless dinner leads to hospitalisation.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Unchangeable Chameleon. </b>Can a leopard change it’s spots?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>A Bricklayer’s Tale. </b>The story of a disillusioned, alcoholic bricklayer</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A collection short stories and memoirs of British dark humour.</span></span></div>
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<div id="psGradient">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Buy Now @ </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Short-Stories-Gary-Troia-ebook/dp/B00IR1F9MI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1397639934&sr=1-1&keywords=short+stories%2CB00IR1F9MI" style="line-height: 1.5em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Fiction, Short Stories</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating - PG-16</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Troia/e/B00DXJC2OW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Gary Troia on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/garytroia1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryTroia" style="text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
</div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-77800297753866555492014-08-20T11:00:00.000+01:002014-08-26T21:16:45.550+01:00Erin Sands Says, "Most Important Aspect of Any Good #Book is Good #Writing" @TheDunesBook<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FROM IDEA TO AUTHOR</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We
have all heard someone throw out the, “I should write a book” line.
Heck, I’ve even jokingly said it myself whenever a friend asked me about
a subject I felt pretty well versed in.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>I should write a book</i>,
five little words that are easy to say, but those of us who have dared
to plunge into the deep and surfaced with book in hand have learned that
the journey from idea to author is no small feat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
most important aspect of any book is good writing. Whether you are an
indie writer or a best selling author, the litmus test remains the same;
is the book well written? The answer will be found on page one of your
manuscript, which is why every author must get comfortable with a very
simple truth. A first draft is merely that, a “first” draft. Excellence
comes from writing, re-writing, re-writing again and then re-writing
some more after that. There were many times while writing The Dunes that
I would give a draft to my husband and he would shake his head
indicating that it was not good enough yet. As infuriating as that was,
he was absolutely right. It made me go deeper, search for better words
and a clearer vision of how to share my ideas with readers. Writers
become better through exposure and feedback from editors and people we
trust. It is a part of the process that should never be avoided.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://bit.ly/1pwryZK" href="http://bit.ly/1pwryZK">http://bit.ly/1pwryZK</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
aesthetic design of your book is also essential. The cover of your book
is your first “hello” to the reader. It is your 3-second commercial and
it needs to give readers insight into your story at a glance. Finding
someone who is able to graphically illustrate the heart of your book is
key. I worked with my cover designer for months before we finally
settled on a cover that I believed masterfully articulated the beauty
and the transformative nature of The Dunes. Getting the interior design
of my book just right was also an integral aspect in my publishing
journey. The choice of font, the font size, the layout and page color
are all things that can make your book flow seamlessly in the readers
mind or be disruptive and jarring. It is important to take the time to
make sure that those choices compliment your book and allow for the
experience you want your readers to have.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://bit.ly/1pwryZK" href="http://bit.ly/1pwryZK">http://bit.ly/1pwryZK</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another
important aspect of publishing is one that I am still learning, the
necessity of marketing. Finding unique ways to spread the word about
your book requires creativity and tenacity. These days, utilizing social
media is paramount, but a “following” isn’t born over night. It is
important to be consistent and patient. This process is indeed a
marathon. Also, never discount the grass roots approach. Networking with
other authors and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth are still priceless
tools for any author.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://bit.ly/1kO8xOR" href="http://bit.ly/1kO8xOR">http://bit.ly/1kO8xOR</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg"><img alt="5DmkII_2226" class="aligncenter wp-image-40866" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/5DmkII_2226-198x300.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/5DmkII_2226-198x300.jpg" height="193" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="127" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Born
in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California,
Erin grew up with an innate love for dance, theatre and the written
word. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Erin began her career
in the arts as an actress and choreographer. After booking several
notable roles in television and film, Erin began to use her gift of
writing in blogs featuring political and social commentary, as well as
developing content for theatrical use.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Dunes</i>,
is a divine departure from Erin’s previous writings it is by far her
most cherished work to date. “I wrote The Dunes initially as self
therapy because I needed to release some painful experiences and
disappointments from my past. I had this thirst to walk in the complete
fullness of life with joy as my constant companion. I had no idea what
effect it would have on other people. But when I saw people read it and
be released from fears that had held them back for years…when I saw
people forgive and be able to walk in the freedom forgiveness
brings…when I saw people commit and serve and how those things opened up
new opportunities in their life, I was just humbled. Humbled by the
awesome power of God and humbled that I had been allowed to go along for
the ride”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When asked<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>why</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>she
writes, Erin pauses and reflects on the truth of her heart. “I write
because although I am only now beginning to truly love the process, I
have always loved the outcome. Like a composer, words become my notes. I
string them together in song eliciting the response of my reader,
grafting a picture of my soul. Where besides the written word can you
effect change so utterly and so succinctly? What besides the written
word can pierce the universal collective mind? Everything begins with a
thought, but it isn’t until that thought is articulated in written word
and those words passed down can life changing movement happen. It must
be written, it must be expressed on tablet, and when it is, we all
become greater, whether the writing be genius or fatuity, it has evoked
thought and debate. Why wouldn’t I want to be apart of that phenomenon?
Why wouldn’t I want to share my story, give my testimony…add my paradigm
to the mix? Whether it is a novel, a poem, an essay or an article, it
is humanity visited. An insight into a new or sometimes shared truth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>And with that I live my life”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dunesfinalSB.jpg"><br /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg"><img alt="Dune" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40719" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dune.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If there was a journey that could masterfully change your life in seven revelations...would you take it? <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />In
life, sometimes the kernels of wisdom and the richness of revelation
can be found in the most innocent of stories; and so it is with The
Dunes. Join one man and one woman in an exquisitely simple yet
remarkably profound journey as you discover with them that the mountain
you must climb in order to live the abundant life of your dreams is
located squarely within your heart. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Illuminated
in seven revelations; The Dunes carries the reader on a journey to not
only examine the obstacles that are holding them back in life but to
conquer and over come them as well. With each revelation The Dunes
intimately calls on the reader as the journey companion to face a
challenge…a dare if you will that requires an uncompromising commitment
to change. In the family of faith-based self help books, The Dunes
stands alone, simultaneously taking the reader from fiction to life and
back again, equipped with a tailor made journal for the readers inner
most secrets and reflections. The Dunes is part allegory, part testimony
and part journal, but the best part is the healing it offers your
heart. When you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone and step into
the miracle of your life…The Dunes awaits. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />CAUTION:
Readers of this book are subject to significant changes for the better.
Side effects may include frequent smiling and enjoying life in every
season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dunes-Release-Fears-Restore-Renew-ebook/dp/B00KO43L2Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1403131233" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dunes-Release-Fears-Restore-Renew-ebook/dp/B00KO43L2Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1403131233" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Non-fiction</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Sands/e/B00M5ZWIM6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Sands/e/B00M5ZWIM6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Erin Sands on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/thedunesbook" href="https://www.facebook.com/thedunesbook" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.twitter.com/thedunesbook" href="http://www.twitter.com/thedunesbook" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thedunesbook.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29-Z7bqviUDISeSGG7sYWToCfcGIg" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thedunesbook.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29-Z7bqviUDISeSGG7sYWToCfcGIg" target="_blank">www.thedunesbook.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-750102017259548392.post-91524932576487891742014-08-20T07:00:00.001+01:002014-08-28T22:24:02.806+01:00Brandon Overall on Social Issues, Friends & #SelfPub - #SciFi #Authors <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/d9/49/ce00f62916a70a7e9d9ada.L._V353089509_SY470_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/d9/49/ce00f62916a70a7e9d9ada.L._V353089509_SY470_.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>What are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up?</b></div>
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-I am passionate about lifting weights and science/physics. I can talk about those two things forever.</div>
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<b>What makes you angry?</b></div>
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-I don’t get angry very often, but when I do it’s because of something I did that I regret doing.</div>
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<b>What would you love to produce in your life?</b></div>
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-A best-selling book series!</div>
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<b>What’s the reason for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>your</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>life? Have you figured out your reason for being here yet?</b></div>
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-I
don’t think people have reasons for living. Life is an empty canvas
for you to fill up however you want. Some people just have an easier
time acquiring paint supplies.</div>
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<b>How do you feel about self-publishing?</b></div>
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-It
has worked well for me! I got really lucky and sold 711 copies of my
book in my second month. I don’t think most people have that kind of
success.</div>
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<b>How important are friends in your life?</b></div>
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-I
wish I could say they were extremely important, but right now my life
is too fast paced to keep in touch with my friends very well. People
come and go in my life just about every day. It’s hard to get attached
to any of them.</div>
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<b>What social issues interest you the most?</b></div>
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-I
am very interested in religion’s role in society. I enjoy watching
religious debates and seeing the trend shift in the acceptance of other
religions besides Christianity or no religion at all.</div>
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<b>Do you find the time to read?</b></div>
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-Not
as much as I probably should! I tend to spend most of my free time
playing games and watching movies rather than reading. I enjoy reading
when those things aren’t available, though.</div>
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<b>Last book you purchased? Tell us about it.</b></div>
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The Shining by Stephen King. Believe it or not, it’s the first Stephen King novel I have read!</div>
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<b>What is your favorite quality about yourself?</b></div>
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-When I set my mind on something, I usually put in the time and effort to excel at it.</div>
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<b>What is your least favorite quality about yourself?</b></div>
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-I take failure extremely hard, and it usually bothers me for quite a while.</div>
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<b>What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?</b></div>
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-Achieving my goal of joining the Army, and also writing a book! Not many people can say they have done both.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SuperhumanNature.jpg"><img alt="SuperhumanNature" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-29960" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SuperhumanNature.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Superhuman
Nature is Brandon Overall's first novel. It was written and published
during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late
2013.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Neil
Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away
from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until
a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life
into something he could have never prepared for.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In
the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that
he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he
discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with
his mind.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What
started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an
extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn't
take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They
knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military
could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at
nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what
happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Neil
spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he
never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of
minds.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Buy @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Superhuman-Nature-Brandon-Overall-ebook/dp/B00FGYIIPY?tag=booaremag-20">Amazon</a> & <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/361874">Smashwords</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Genre – <i>Science Fiction</i></i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Rating – PG-13</i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brandon-Overall/e/B00GH862EC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a>
</i></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Connect</b> with Brandon Overall on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SuperhumanNature" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0