Carmella Sannarellli is a people pleaser. She can’t say no to anyone, even when it means putting off her own personal goals in the process. So, when her best friend, Sadie Miller, calls with the announcement that she’s broken up with one fiancé and eloping with another in St. Croix, Carmella can’t stop herself from dropping everything and accepting the invitation to stand as maid of honor.
Jilted fiancé, Ryan Wutkowski, has been the third member of the Carmella-Sadie trio for nine years. He fully supports Sadie’s new engagement and upcoming nuptials, knowing it’s the right decision and best for both of them. But when he boards a plane to San Juan for a business conference, Carmella is the last person he expects to find occupying the seat next to his.
Two days in San Juan, then a week in St. Croix—Carmella knows her two best friends are hiding something. But can she figure out what went wrong between them as she battles her own tingly, off-kilter feelings toward Ryan, while dodging advances from a womanizing best man, and confirming for herself that Sadie did make the right decision? When Ryan unexpectedly shows up at the rehearsal dinner and gets himself invited to the wedding, will Carmella finally uncover the secret he’s held since the day they first met?
Meet the author: Lynn Rowan started writing stories as a small child, usually starring her favorite cartoon characters. Most of her work through middle and high school was filled with typical teenage angst and melodrama, and usually mirrored the books she loved to read. But eventually she found her own author’s voice and decided to seriously pursue a writing career.
Historical fiction remains J. Lynn’s “first love”, but she has enjoyed the journey to becoming an author of romance and chick lit. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Central New York Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. She is also a teacher who tries to instill a love of learning, reading, and writing in her students.
When she’s not writing, J. Lynn enjoys travelling, gardening poorly but enthusiastically, studying various topics in American history for her own expertise, and channeling Julia Child every time she steps into the kitchen.
A native of Oswego, NY, she now lives in Charlotte, NC, with her own Romantic Hero of a husband and the most adorable baby on the planet.
Sophia Byron's new book, Touched by a Phoenix, is on sale from Amazon July 17th thru July 25th in both the US and UK Kindle Stores.
Military technology, shrouded in secrecy and isolation. So was the man that gave it life…or so he thought.
Playboy Brad Scott spent years avoiding love, his heart and mind dedicated to only one thing—global security. That is, until he meets the elusive Alexandria Saunders, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in military technology and the fiercest corporate attorney in the mixing bowl. Alexis tears Brad’s world apart the moment they meet and with a single touch, becomes the breath against his fire…his obsession.
Unwilling to trust any man due to her haunted past, Alexis has allowed her career to consume her life until nothing else seemed important. While Brad’s devastatingly good looks and charming ways do little to impress Alexis, his touch has managed to crack the walls—walls she had built to protect her heart. If Alexis can overcome her insecurities and fear, will she finally discover the man of her dreams—the man whose touch will heal her wounds and ignite the inextinguishable flame within her?
With an IQ of 229, Brad has been responsible for the most advanced developments in the history of surveillance systems. With Alexis at his side, he has realized the greatest breakthrough of the century in military technology. Now, the world wants what he knows and will stop at nothing to hunt him down.
In a game of betrayal, terrorists seem determined to destroy Brad but should they fail, they’ll opt to eradicate the next best thing—Alexis. In a race against time, can Brad swallow his pride and allow former CIA agent John Martin to help him save the only woman who has the power to save him from himself? Along the way, can they save the world from the horrors about to be unleashed?
*Due to explicit sexual content, Touched by a Phoenix is intended for Mature Audiences only*
The Next America - Surviving and Thriving in an Unpredictable Economy, 2nd Edition by Don A. Holbrook is a must read for every concerned American that wants to see us rebuild the American Dream. In order to know what needs to be fixed you must understand the problems; you must know what solutions would work and why; and then you can advocate from a strong point of knowledge.
Advocacy without proper basis of facts will get us nowhere. The author has created a summer reading special for the Ebook of only .99 cents if you act now. Pick up The Next America today! Become part of the movement for positive change in America, before it is too late.
Joann Baker and Patricia Mason have written a new book, Falling for Her Cowboy Boss (Cowboys of Colton Canyon), which is available on Amazon for 99 cents (Kindle Edition).
The premise reads as follow:
After a military career that could have ended his life, Jacob McKay came back to his family ranch a different man—physically and emotionally. He was content with running the Triple M and building on the success his father had created. And, of course, the occasional no-strings-attached affair. What he didn’t want was to be attracted to his curvaceous secretary—a woman with emotional scars of her own and an issue with her abundant curves.
Carolyn Adams had suffered her own brand of personal hell after losing both of her parents in a tragic accident that had almost claimed the life of her brother as well. An accident that she had walked away from without a scratch. Taking a job as secretary at one of the largest ranches in Colton Canyon meant that she’d be able to keep her brother in rehab. It also meant that she would be closer to the man who every day claimed another little piece of her battered heart.
Can two lonely people overcome their personal trials and find a way to heal one another?
This only scratches the surface. Right from the first chapter, the reader is swept up into the life of Carolyn Adams (our heroine), and the titillating yet palpable tension she has with her boss (and not all of it is work related). We also learn of her brother - creative, smart, and funny - who has been in a tragic accident, and how Carolyn cares for him and is treading water in self-reproach of how much better things would be if she had been in his place. After all, Carolyn is much less outgoing than her brother, and therefore (she thinks) not much would have been sacrificed by comparison.
All of this sets the stage for the mounting tension and romance as Jacob McKay finds himself drawn to Carolyn. Carolyn's introspection and (very) descriptive observations and speculation of what might be help her to come to terms with her own guilt, and feeling of passion.
I don't often post about romance books here, but what Joann Baker and Patricia Mason are doing is something I would like to see more of, in fiction - body positivity. Carolyn is a woman with a lot of curves, and this book goes over the self-reflection of someone who isn't the mythical waifish wife-in-training in a very realistic and human way. Falling for Her Cowboy Boss is a fantasy, and does not try to be anything but that - however the framework allows for a lot of depth and very real emotions and thoughts to reach the reader in a very tangible way.
For 99 cents (or free if you have Kindle Unlimited), you should take a chance on Falling for Her Cowboy Boss today!
Indie BookFest 2015 is a three-day event celebrating indie/hybrid/traditional authors and artists and their freedom of expression. Join some of your favorite authors for three days filled with a book signing, sessions, lunch, author meet and greets, an after party, and great fun!
You won’t want to miss the sessions throughout the day, where panelists will be speaking on a variety of topics relevant to readers, book lovers, and writers. Indie BookFest 2015 will be held at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fl., on July 31, August 1, & 2, 2015
The Caribe Royale is located just 1.5 miles from the Walt Disney World® area!
Over 60 authors representing indie, hybrid and traditional publishing will be featured at this premier author and reader event.
Keynote speaker is multi-award winning author Jana Oliver.
This weekend is all about readers connecting and finding new authors to love. There are reader panels, a Fan Fare where readers can hang out with the authors, a Gothic Romance party, a gourmet luncheon, Author sponsored parties, and a book signing.
The Clock Strikes Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This is a story about hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.
If you found out you had only 3 months to live, what would you do? That’s the question Janie Knox faces in this fast-paced mystery full of uncertainty and tension that will surprise you until the very last page.
Hiding behind the façade of a normal life, Janie keeps her family secrets tucked inside a broken heart. Everything changes on the day she learns she’s going to die. With the clock ticking and her time running out, she rushes to finish what she couldn’t do when she was 17—destroy her mother’s killer. But she can’t do it alone.
Janie returns to her childhood home to elicit help from her sister. She faces more than she bargained for when she discovers her sister’s life in shambles. Meanwhile her mother’s convicted killer, her stepfather, recently released from prison, blackmails the sisters and plots to extract millions from the state in retribution. New revelations challenge Janie’s resolve, but she refuses to allow either time or her enemies to her stop her from uncovering the truth she’s held captive for over 20 years.
Award-winning author Joan C. Curtis will release her first mystery, The Clock Strikes Midnight on November 25, 2014. She has also authored four business books published by Praeger Press numerous stories.
Her first place writing awards include: Best mystery manuscript in the Malice Domestic Grants competition, best proposal for a nonfiction piece in the Harriette Austin competition, and best story, Butterflies in a Strawberry Jar in the Cassell Network of Freelance Writer’s Association.
Other Books:
Hire Smart and Keep ‘Em: How to Interview Strategically Using POINT, Praeger Press, an imprint of ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, CA 2012.
The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media, Praeger Press, 2010, an imprint of ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, CA
Managing Sticky Situations at Work: Communication Secrets for Success in the Workplace, 2009, Praeger Press, an imprint of ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, CA.
Strategic Interviewing: Skills for Savvy Executives, 2000 published by Quorum Books, Greenwood Press.
Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women’s fiction, mysteries, biography, memoir and nonfiction. Joan says, The Clock Strikes Midnight is exactly the kind of book she loves to read.
“I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman’s point of view. Characters drive my writing and my reading.”
Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the southern traditions with the eye of a northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Georgia.
Poet and Feminist Gwyndyn Alexander has started a project over at Patreon. For a minimum of $1, subscribers will have full access to her poetry (and other writing) that cannot be found anywhere else. This means that for those of you that already have her books (and you really should get them, considering they've been getting rave reviews), you will be getting never-before-seen poems and essays.
Ms. Alexander also has some other bonuses planned for those who pledge above the $1 level, such as free copies of her books, and more.
From her own site: Poetry is a dying art. Fewer publishers are handling poetry, and the magazines that publish poems have very definite -- and limited-- ideas of what they're looking for, and what poets they'll accept. As a result, more and more poets are turning independent and self-publishing. I don't write mainstream work. What I write is difficult to read. It's painful. It's honest, and angry, and makes people uncomfortable. I think that that is the mark of successful poetry. If it doesn't make you feel, doesn't make you think, then it lacks purpose.
So check it out, enrich your life, and feel good about getting a New Orleans writer back to her home city!
In the 22th Century, the people of the Solar System have banded together against an alien invasion. Unfortunately, they’re losing—badly.
As the only Natural remaining in the genetically engineered officer corps of the United Planet’s fleet, Henry Gallant has unique mental abilities that have proven essential to the defense against the Titan invaders. Nevertheless his fellow officers lack faith in him, and worse, he has angered prominent men by speaking truth to power.
Despite this, Admiral Collingsworth has given him command of the Warrior, the most advanced stealth warship in the UP arsenal and ordered him to the alien’s main base to spy, intrigue, and disrupt their war capacity.
Gallant’s mission leads to risky battles and painful choices, but no choice is more personal, or intimate, than the choice to face your own death. And for Henry Gallant—a flawed young man, in a hopeless situation, against overwhelming odds—a dreadful decision looms before him.
He has only one saving grace—he is unafraid.
Purchase link: AMAZON
About the author:
As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of computer scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of seven books. (Website www.hpeteralesso.com)
Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Literary Addicts
We are so excited to share the covers for this amazing series - Worth of Souls. The first book will be released July 6, book 2 July 8, and book 3 July 10 but you can pre-order NOW so they come to your eReader the day of release!
Cost of Survival, Book #1
Anger isn’t an emotion anymore, it’s more of a survival mode I can’t afford to let go.
My dad predicted World War III would happen in his life, but he died two years before… with my brother…
…before Mom and I walked in search of refuge from the bombing.
Strengthened by her faith, Mom never feels alone. But me? I don’t know what to believe or where to turn. Someone once said keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but I disagree. Friends scare me the most. They know me and my mom. Nothing about them is safe.
The ones in charge… Control everything…
Crud, I’ve started crying because I’m scared I won’t survive World War III. But a bigger part of me is scared I will.
My mom is bleeding in my arms and she’s making me promise to follow her three rules.
I’m pregnant and I couldn’t be more excited. But the community Bodey, his dad, and I live in has rules. Rules that make Mom’s rules seem like safety nets.
Only 200 people are allowed at a time. My baby will make it 201.
The leader is making me choose someone from our house to die so there will be room for my child. Either I make the decision or they take… my…
Even in the craziness that the world has become, I refuse to believe only 200 can live in it at once.
The “community” is safe-ish, comfortable. We have food, warmth, and there isn’t immediate danger of being robbed while we sleep.
Doesn’t it make sense we’d have to exchange something for all that?
I’ve survived this long. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe I should die so my family can live.
Or maybe I can get through the lines and find a people worth sacrificing for.
Running for my life and six months pregnant, I’m terrified but confident in my decisions.With my love and family behind me, captured by the same man who chases me, I have only a small window to find help. The baby needs to come out eventually.Nobody said the end of the world would define people so much. Everywhere I turn I have to prove my worth.Mom was gone before I learned my value lay in my eyes. Not others.
But how would that save Bodey? How could my worth change how the world me spins?If I can’t figure it out, everyone I love will die, trapped in a place where even following the rules won’t protect us.
AmazoniBooksNookKoboBonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane.Follow on:Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Newsletter / Literary Addicts / Amazon
The latest release from New Orleans poet, Gwyndyn Alexander, titled On the Loom of the Fates, approaches mythology with an empowering, feminist point of view. From Medusa being sent into exile for being a powerful woman to Helen of Troy's objectification, Ms. Alexander's book will no doubt ruffle a few feathers who cling to a patriarchal view of classic literature, while simultaneously fueling the feminist movement.
Below is a sample of what readers will encounter along the journey (published with permission from the author):
Medusa
Women's
hair is dangerous cover it up! It might incite a man to
lust, turn him rock hard.
Women's
eyes are dangerous keep them modestly downcast! They might make
a man feel small and insignificant.
Poor
Medusa, they feared you so much they sent you into exile. But
they kept coming, didn't they? They couldn't resist you.
You
spent your days in your sculpture garden, your gaze caressing
those marble hips, those hard muscles. You had fine taste in
statues.
But
they kept coming.
Perseus
came armed, so terrified of the power of your eyes, the allure
of your flowing locks, he couldn't even look in your direction.
He
held up a mirror, your first glance at yourself. You were
transfixed by your own beauty your own power.
You
paid the price, of course, as all of us do when men
realize who really holds the power.
Our
gaze can turn men to stone our hair can incite
them to lust.
When
we realize our beauty our power we will end
our isolation and rise up as one.
We
are the serpents in the garden. We are one. One
beauty. One power. Gorgons, all, and proud.
Life for Marissa Lou was great. She was a popular senior in high school with great friends and an even greater boyfriend. She was on top of the world. That was until she made the greatest sacrifice of her life.
Daniel and Katie both loved Marissa Lou but neither of them could deny the intensity of their growing affection for one another, no matter how hard they tried to fight it.
Being the selfless person she was, Marissa Lou gave Katie and Daniel her permission to date. Little did she know it would be the first day of a hellish nightmare. One where, in her depression, she falls from grace and gets mixed up in a life she never would have expected.
With a growing addiction she fights to right everything that went so wrong, but will it be too late?
Buy on Amazon | Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publications
About the author:
Tressa Messenger grew up in a very small town in Eastern North Carolina called Reelsboro in a coastal county called Pamlico. Being as it was such a small area Tressa developed an immense imagination at a young age. That is where she harnessed her love for writing.
To date Tressa lives in New Orleans Louisiana with her husband, daughter and an assortment of critters.
As a young writer Tressa has overcome adversity of Dyslexia and continues to exceed expectations.
The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card in celebration of the new release! Giveaway ends April 12th at 11:59 EST. Open World Wide.
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Andy is the nerd everyone makes fun of. He's really skinny, wears glasses and talks to himself, but he falls in love with the prettiest girl in the class. One day Grandpa dies and turns into a ghost. Then, Andy discovers a new power, he can see ghosts and talk to the dead.
Join Andy's journey and find out how a nerd can become a hero.
Supernatural Hero -- Winner of the Beverly Hills Book Awards, Reader's Favorite Book Award, And the Independent Publisher Book Award -- is a great children's book with an outstanding story, for the whole family to enjoy. This book series will stay with you forever.
Eran Gadot's new children's book Andy, a sixth grade nerd who never gets invited to birthday parties and who is in love with Zoe, the prettiest girl in his class. I don't want to give away the plot, but a family tragedy infuses Andy with some paranormal abilities, and he is able to achieve greatness with a little help from an unexpected source. I found this story to be very moving as it explored Andy's life being bullied at school through his eventual redemption. The book is well-written, and the illustrations are outstanding. Andy's character is well-developed, and you find yourself rooting for him to become the true Supernatural Hero he wants to be.
Here's what readers have had to say about Supernatural Hero:
"I have to start by saying that the cover art on the entry Supernatural Hero is second to none. Absolutely beautiful and a perfect choice for this entry. The back cover copy is fun and attention grabbing and hints of a great story within its pages.
This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. A fantastic little plot with adorable characters and a nicely paced novel for the intended age group (and even some adults will enjoy this one). This author has really found his niche here and I'm glad to read that this will continue on as a series.
While the concept of seeing ghosts is not terribly original, it is the execution of the story and the adept characters that sets this one apart from the pack. I am very interested in reading more from this author."
--Judge, 22nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
"Andy is the class nerd. No-one likes him and no-one talks to him. Even his parents and sister don't want much to do with him. He's smarter than most and the only person in his life who understands him is Grandpa. When he finds out that Grandpa has terminal cancer and just a few days to live, the bottom drops out of his world. The good news is that Grandpa has not gone forever and returns to help Andy in the form a ghostly spirit. Grandpa's mission: to help Andy get the love of his life to the movies!
Will Andy ever be able to summon enough courage to speak to the lovely Zoe? Will he save her house from burning down? Can he convince his parents and his therapist that he's not crazy? You'll just have to read on to find out more!
This was a fantastic 5 star read, which will appeal to both children and adults alike."
--Amazon Reader Review
You can get Supernatural Hero on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.
Fisher Stanton, Valley High School’s Nantucket wannabe, has a cheating girlfriend. When he hires Darcy Walker to chase her to a local club, in true Darcy fashion she stumbles upon a dead body. Thing is, this body has secrets...and Darcy’s mysterious friend, Jaws, and the reporter, Tito Westbrook, have a vested interest. Both enlist Darcy to find the person responsible who has eluded them for years, but Darcy doesn’t solve crimes for free anymore, especially where Jaws is concerned. Knowing Darcy’s Achilles heel, Jaws blackmails Darcy into working for him.
In a true test of wills, Darcy and Jaws battle head-to-head to see who can outsmart the other—Jaws needs Darcy to help him end a bitter grudge war; Darcy needs Jaws to divulge the mystery surrounding her mother’s death. Haunted by a past that shaped her present, Darcy will stop at nothing to get answers. Even if it means breaking the law and being disloyal to her new boyfriend, Dylan Taylor, in the process.
DEFCON DARCY gives Darcy’s demons a name and ties up loose ends that made Darcy into the verb that she is. What she thinks she knows as truth, isn’t. What she wishes wasn’t true…is.
The problem is, when your life goes DEFCON 1, not everyone lives to tell about it.
Put Defcon Darcy on your TBR list! Goodreads
A. J. Lape is the Amazon bestselling author of the Darcy Walker Series. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola--and a lifelong love affair with bacon. If the FBI ever checks her computer, she'll be wearing prison orange due to the various "wiki" articles she looks up…all in the name of career research, of course.
Find out more about A. J. at http://www.ajlape.com
Buy on Amazon
Fairytales don’t always happen once upon a time. Fables don’t always have a happy ending. Sometimes the stories we love are too dark for nightmares. What if waking Sleeping Beauty was the worse thing the Prince could have done? What if Rapunzel wasn't in that tower for her own protection—but for everyone else’s?
Assembled by The Bearded Scribe Press, Twice Upon A Time combines classics and modern lore in peculiar and spectacular ways. From Rapunzel to Rumpelstiltskin, this unique collection showcases childhood favorites unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Both traditionally-published and independent authors will take you on a whirlwind ride through fairytale and folklore, myth and majick. Cherished stories are revisited and remastered into newly-treasured tales of hope and heartache, of adversity and adventure.
SM Bloodings' story - Red survived a great deal on Earth; the first world war, then the second, the loss of her husband, and the deaths of her children. She didn’t, however, do so with her heart intact.Upon her death, Dreamland swooped her up, dumped her in the Sea of Dreams, and began the process of turning her into nightmare, using her soul as a shining light of hope to those lacking it.She failed.Trapped in a strange place called Wonderland, Red must choose to live on as a nightmare, or to disappear back into the Sea of Dreams.This is the story of the Red Queen of Wonderland told in a Dreamland setting.
Meet the Author:
SM “Frankie” Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She’s added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don’t invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you’re willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation.
She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.
She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!
Featuring stories from Bo Balder, AJ Bauers, Carina Bissett, Rose Blackthorn, S.M. Blooding, Rick Chiantaretto, Richard Chizmar, Liz DeJesus, Court Ellyn, S.Q. Eries, Steven Anthony George, Dale W. Glaser, Jax Goss, K.R. Green, Kelly Hale, Tonia Marie Harris, Brian T. Hodges, Tarran Jones, Jason Kimble, Shari L. Klase, Alethea Kontis, Hannah Lesniak, Wayne Ligon, RS McCoy, Joshua Allen Mercier, Robert D. Moores, Diana Murdock, Nick Nafpliotis, Elizabeth J. Norton, Bobbie Palmer, William Petersen, Rebekah Phillips, Asa Powers, Joe Powers, Brian Rathbone, Julianne Snow, Tracy Arthur Soldan, C.L. Stegall, Brian W. Taylor, Kenechi Udogu, Onser von Fullon, Deborah Walker, Angela Wallace, and Cynthia Ward.
Edited by Joshua Allen Mercier. Cover artwork by Luke Spooner.
Watch the Book Trailer
Enter to win a Queen of Hearts coffee cup from Author SM Blooding
Ends 3/1/15 @ 11:59PM EST open to US addresses
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Sometimes the road you’re on is just a detour to your heart’s destination…
Kay Rawley has plans. She might be the second child of an earl, but she wants a life away from her father’s estate in New Durma. She wants a life apart from her family’s name. Becoming a lawyer was a bright, shiny object she just couldn’t resist grabbing. Her classes are complete, and all she has to do is pass the bar to get permanent employment at the Dallas law firm where she’s been interning for the past year.
Kay’s been on Audrick Van Buren’s radar since the day she walked into his classroom two years ago. That admiration only grew when she came to work for his firm. But if there’s anything he recognizes, it’s a woman who’s driven–and Kay is definitely one. It’s all he can do to keep his distance and allow her the chance to come into her own. What Van doesn’t know is that someone else is watching Kay, too, and if he doesn’t step between them, that person might not only derail her career but threaten her very life.
Things aren’t always what they seem, and Kay’s about to learn that the best laid plans are so much better when they go astray.
When Olivia Hardin started having movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long, the writing bug had bitten her, and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is, until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again.
Olivia has attended three different universities over the years and toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology. Then one day she heard the term “road scholar,”’ and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning. She’s also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic.
A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.
Fifty years after the Disaster, the world is vastly different from days of old. Wizardry is the norm and magical talent is categorized. Josephine O'Connor, a seventy-year-old with a penchant for off-beat antics, is a category six, which means she possesses magical powers as rare as they are unsettling and a talent for psychometry that is so strong and acute that she can read the psychic impressions in a room without touching anything.
With her unique physiology, she’s over 80 years of age and still gets carded at R-rated movies. Most of the time it’s flattering but it can sometimes be a nuisance. For the most part, Josephine spends her days like any other retirement community member. She plays cards with friends, attends get-togethers, and occasionally visits the beach until she is called upon by the police to investigate a crime scene left behind by a suspect with powers equal to her own.
Now the race is on. Can an out-of-practice wizard marshal her abilities and catch a menace before he becomes so powerful even she can’t stop him?
As a category six wizard in her eighties, Josephine O’Connor has always enjoyed a youthful body due to extremely slow aging but when she discovers she’s become immortal, she must return to the workforce. Soon after starting her investigative work for the police, Josephine discovers a secret organization called the Valituras that has amassed ancient magic and power with single-minded determination.Her new assignment of defeating this agency may prove to be an impossible feat as their members have infiltrated all levels of the government including law enforcement and their advanced wizardry rivals her own. Josephine realizes she may be in over her head when the Valituras end up casting an immortality curse on her best friend, Helen, by mistake. To further complicate matters, her grandson’s eighteen-year-old friend starts hitting on her. Fortunately, Helen isn’t too broken up by the curse. Who wouldn’t want to live forever in a young, perfect body? Of course, everyone knows that dark magic always comes at a cost.Corruption is the 2nd installment in the Grumpy Old Wizard Series.Click here for a sample book excerpt.
Josephine uncovers an important secret about the Valituras, a power-hungry organization that has lived in secret for centuries. They have amassed powerful dark magic and infiltrated all levels of the government. Now that their existence is publicly exposed and Josephine’s discovery leads to the capture of more Valituras agents, they decide to make a big move and declare war against the country. Josephine scrambles to protect herself and her loved ones from this powerful foe.
As she uncovers more clues in her search to expose the hidden identities of the Valituras leaders, her boyfriend grapples with his new talent of white magic which proves to be a potent yet unreliable source of power. Even as Mark’s abilities expand, he struggles to avoid burnout which will lead to a coma and reversion back to mainstream magic. When the U.S. government’s MADA department hires him to attempt restoration of an ancient historical site, American Stone Henge, the Valituras target him for termination.
As Josephine’s psychometry brings her closer to the truth about the Valituras, she fears the answers will come too late.
The entire Grumpy Old Wizards series is available in Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Paperback formats.
When a mysterious and destructive magical force strikes near Sarasota, Florida, the chief of police assigns his best investigator and arguably strongest wizard, Josephine O’Connor, to the case. As Josephine studies and investigates this mysterious phenomenon, she learns that a young woman has become a lab rat to develop stronger wizards. As Josephine tries to help the woman control her abilities, it becomes apparent that the new wizard has a volatile power that may prove impossible to contain.
Josephine and her friends face their greatest challenge yet when a hostile AI known as APU 81, created by an advanced civilization, resurfaces and targets them for termination. APU 81 has plotted for centuries to enslave humanity and the time has finally come for it to carry out its sinister plans.
Here are the links to the product page on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
John O'Riley is giving away 10 copies of his ebook Inheritance. It is the first in his Seattle Wizards Series and be sure to pick up the first book of Grumpy Wizards (It is FREE). Open INT to 18+
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Gwyndyn T. Alexander has a new chapbook on Amazon for 99 cents*, titled Once Upon A Childhood. A short follow-up to her previous book, poets are not useful, Once Upon A Childhood peels back the veneer of the "happily ever after" fairy tales and puts them in a light that is very relevant to modern social issues.
A long-time feminist and supporter of Protect.org's anti-child abuse movement (in fact, 10% of the sales of her first book go directly to Protect), Alexander indicts those within the household and outsiders who would rather convince themselves that such atrocities as child abuse do not happen, along with the very monsters who perpetrate the acts directly.
To quote Alexander's own introduction to Once Upon A Childhood:
"I always liked the Grimm fairy tales. The darkness and the horror and the truth of them appealed to me. So often, the real monsters in those stories are the parents. Hansel and Gretel, abandoned to starve in the forest. Donkeyskin, with the King's horrific lust for his daughter. I lived those stories. I knew that the monsters were real, and that my father was the most terrifying monster of them all. Living in the monster's lair was 18 years of terror and pain and isolation. The scars on my body, the scars in my heart, are a dot to dot constellation of unrelenting loss and fear. We outgrow fairy tales as we get older. They lose their immediacy and ability to terrify. For some of us, though, they still loom large. There are wolves. There are monsters. They're family."
While many authors have spun the darker side of fairy tales, Gwyndyn Alexander goes one step further by making the stories very relevant. They will make the reader uncomfortable, angry, outraged, while striking chords of sadness and empathy. From her own take on Briar Rose, to Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, and even Little Red Riding Hood - where the Big Bad Wolf is on trial in a public court - Once Upon A Childhood is unlike anything you've ever read. If you have any preconceived notion of what a fairy tale should be - light and charming, or dark and menacing - cast those ideas aside and pick up Gwyndyn Alexander's Once Upon A Childhood today!
*Note: It's free to read if you have Kindle Unlimited
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