Breakout Books Reviews

Interview with Philip Chen, author of Falling Star

2011-10-07T13:21:00.001-07:00

Only One Man Can Save the Planet - But He Just Died.

Mysterious but silent objects have been found buried deep in the murky depths of the ocean. Dormant for decades, they are now awake and sending messages to outer space. Mike, pulled back into a clandestine world to finish a job he started as a young Navy Ensign and help decipher these strange messages, is attacked by gangs of ordinary Americans and must fight for his very life.

As he struggles through these challenges, Mike also learns that a revered friend has died. With the death of this friend, is mankind's last hope for understanding the signals lost forever in the silt and muck of the ocean bottom?

From the deepest reaches of the abyssal plains to the arid but mystically beautiful deserts of the American Southwest, Falling Star takes you on a journey through the darkest aspects of human existence to enlightenment of mankind's soul. It is a realistically written novel and contains scenes of graphic violence and strong language.

Thriller/Techno-Thriller/Science Fiction. 98,250+ words, 354 pages.

Enjoy our interview with Philip. He is an entertaining man who has a habit of making all of us on Kindleboards and Facebook smile.

BB: Philip, Tell us what made you decide to write this particular story.

PC: Over an extended period in 1990, I suffered through a series of terrifying nightmares. These nightmares would wake me up and even then they continued playing out in the darkness of my room, as if I were watching some violent movie. During these sequences gangs of what looked like ordinary Americans wreaked apocalyptic havoc on their fellow citizens and destroyed buildings. I saw skyscrapers crash to the ground in flames.
During that same period of time, I was traveling overseas on a weekly basis and carrying what was one of the first lightweight laptops manufactured. On the long flights and over weekends at home, I started typing out the nightmares. When I finished in about one and one half months, the nightmares disappeared. It was as if a terrible burden had been lifted from my soul.
For twenty years, I tried to get literary agents and publishers interested in this story about how foreign agents were living in America for decades hiding in plain view. No one was interested. I would work on it at various periods and then would let it sit on my shelf for weeks and even months as life got in the way. It seemed that the literary community considered my tale to be ridiculous; after all, foreign spies could never live in the open, marry innocent Americans, raise children, hold down mundane jobs, buy houses, and steal the identities of dead babies. I could hear them laughing about how preposterous the story was. Things like that couldn't happen here; not in America! Not until it did in June 2010 when Russian spies were found to have been doing exactly what my fictional spies had been doing for twenty years.
The only difference between the Russians and my fictional spies was that my spies didn't grow hydrangeas. One of my spies was even a gorgeous female posing as a financial consultant. That is when I decided to self-publish in August 2010 before any more of my story got played out in real-time news.
And I am glad that I did, because subsequently other real events started coming out that seemed to be lifted right from my book. For example, Swedish explorers found a huge (60 meters) round object sitting on the floor of the Baltic Sea. My novel is also about the discovery of huge, mysterious objects discovered deep in the ocean and what happens when they wake up and start sending signals to outer space. Interestingly, my objects are described as being ovoids the size of a football field (roughly 100 meters).
Then recently, it was disclosed that the United States had a large, secret civilian/military force (around 23,000 strong) with broad powers to act and even assassinate targets without judicial or congressional approval. Its secret name is JSOC. Readers of my novel will instantly see parallels to a large civilian/military force that is written about in my novel that also has extraordinary powers with its military drawn from the most elite units of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Its name? CSAC. Coincidence? You tell me.
There is another aspect of this story that continues to haunt me. You see, I now believe that the skyscrapers that I saw crash to the ground in flames were the towers of the World Trade Center. I have suppressed this aspect of those dreams because I did not want people to think that I was trying to profit off that tragedy. In fact, when I switched on my television that crisp September morning, I was shocked to see a video of a plane crash at Two World Trade. At first, I thought it was a trailer for some movie, and then I thought that it was a small tourist plane. When I saw the second plane hit One World Trade Center, I knew that we were under attack. As I stood speechless, I saw the towers crash to the ground in flames. When I later learned that the terrorists who had hijacked the planes had lived in the United States, some for decades, as they plotted this attack, I was shattered.
My first reaction was to take my principal character out of his office which I had set on the 100th floor of One World Trade Center and put him into a nondescript office tower in downtown Manhattan. My description of Mike's office is intricately detailed and was easy for me to write. Why?
The reason that Mike's office was so easy to describe was because I was painting a picture of my own office as a managing director of Lehman Brothers in the late eighties and early nineties. The location of the office? It was somewhere between the 100th and 106th floor of Two World Trade. I left Lehman in 1992, but if I had stayed there and my office had continued to be at that location, I most likely would not be here today.
I copyrighted my novel in 1991. For those who would like to investigate my claims themselves, they should refer to my Scribd.com account where I started posting excerpts of Falling Star in May 2009. http://scribd.com/PhilC68
In the slightly more than one year since its release Falling Star has sold almost 4,400 copies on Amazon and elsewhere. It has received close to 60 four and five star reviews in the many places where it has been listed, including 47 in Amazon US and UK. A noted book critic, Alan Caruba, has given it an extraordinary recommendation. It is also available in print.

BB: Was it difficult to write your story, or did it all come to you at once?

PC: Surprisingly, for someone who had never written a novel,
Falling Star
flowed easily. It was as though my characters had lined up one by one to tell their side of the story. The initial draft took only one and one-half months and was 560 pages long.

BB: How did you come up with your character names?

PC: I had once heard that if you write a novel, you should choose characters and places that are familiar to you. Since I had been an ocean research engineer and an investment banker, it was logical for me to make my principal character both. I made him Asian for obvious reasons. By doing so, I was able to get into the character's head and see the action through his eyes at both stages of his life. I gave him a clumsy name, Aloysius Liu, because, frankly, that is how many immigrant Chinese-Americans named their children. I nicknamed him "Mike" to mainstream his character. For my principal female character, I wanted to give her an old-fashioned name, because she had joined the agency in the fifties and was from northwestern Minnesota, where you seldom found names like Tiffany in those days. Her name is Mildred. I wanted to use another name, but my wife objected because that was her grandmother's name. One reviewer commented that she found my use of old-fashion names off-putting. So there!
My other characters were assigned names in a similar fashion.

BB: Do you prefer to write one genre or do you like to bounce around genres?

PC: Falling Star is a genre cutting story. It is science fiction, techno-thriller, thriller, military, etc. Interestingly, few reviewers have picked up on what I believe it fundamentally is: a coming of age novel in the sense that what happens to you in your youth can form the basis for actions in adult life. It is this element that holds the key to solving this story. My daughter, who is a fabulous natural writer, but who refuses to write professionally, thinks that another novel about growing up in America as a Chinese-American is one that I should polish up and release.

BB: Do you write the same genre that you prefer to read? If not, why?

PC: I have a very eclectic appetite and read anything from scientific and engineering journals to comics. I like techno-thrillers and hard science fiction, particularly where the story can actually be real. In reviewing Peter Salisbury's Passengers to Zeta Nine, I commented that good science fiction describes worlds that you cannot possibly get to; great science fiction tells you how to get there. Peter's novel about interplanetary travel is of the latter sort. Check it out at http://amzn.to/ZetaNine

BB: How does your family feel about your writing? Friends?

PC: My family considered it Dad's odd hobby and had serious doubts that it could succeed. I truly think they were trying to cushion what they thought was a fragile psyche. They are coming around however, but only my daughter has actually read the story and she loved it. Now you have to know that my daughter is not someone who suffers fools lightly, be they her parents or not. Although a sweet and kind person, who is a marvelous parent of my two lovely granddaughters, she is can cut your heart out and hand it to you without any remorse. I know as I have been on the receiving end many times. For her to say she really liked the book, especially as she is a great natural writer was something I never expected and of which I am immensely proud.

I think that people who know me prior to finding out that I have written this book are similarly skeptical about my ability to be successful.

BB: What is the craziest thing you've done to promote your book? Did it work?

PC: Throw the book at POTUS? No, I am too middle class and timid to do this. I think that the craziest thing that I did was to send it to a serious book critic, Alan Caruba, a charter member of the prestigious National Book Critics Circle, who did not ordinarily review self-published books. His review:

"It is rare when a novelist makes his debut with as powerful a novel as Philip Chen's Falling Star ($15.25, available from Amazon.com, softcover and on Kindle). It begins in 1967 and concludes in the Oval Office in 1993. In between Chen introduces you to an array of characters, all of whom have unique talents, some of whom are U.S. Navy officers, some with the FBI, all devoted to the protection of their nation. They are a handful of people who know about mysterious entities far beneath the surface of the waters surrounding the U.S. Others are members of a rogue KGB unit, moles who lived among us, but whose mission ended when the former Soviet Union collapsed. This novel stands out for the way you are introduced not just to the characters, but the physical reality in which they live, the sights and even the smells. Slowly and then with increasing intensity, the mysteries are unraveled, the enemies identified, as life and death often hangs in the balance. Drawing on his own life as an ocean research engineer, attorney and banker, Chen brings an authenticity to the novel that provides a heart-pounding reality that forces you to ask "What if?" What if Earth was under observation by those from another planet that is circling a dying sun? What if they intended to colonize it? What if the year for this was 2013? If you read just one novel in 2011, make it Falling Star."

BB: Have you been compared to any other authors? Do you agree with the comparison?

PC: The two authors that I have most frequently been compared to are Arthur C. Clarke and Tom Clancy. As one reviewer said,

"This is a great technothriller with a science fiction edge. The oceanic science in this is first rate and even though I felt like I came to the book with a better than average understanding of ocean science, Chen weaved in so much information that I felt like I was learning about the deep ocean environment even as I was swept along in a page-turning plot. Some of the science/naval aspects, combined with the Cold War setting, reminded me of the best of classic Tom Clancy, but it quickly becomes clear that is not simply a Russian submarine lurking under the water."

Another said,

"With the political/military intrigue of a Tom Clancy novel and the Sci-Fi feel of the 2001/2010/2061 Arthur C. Clarke novels coupled with the page turner, fast paced plot of a Dan Brown novel how could you go wrong."

BB: Do you enjoy fanmail? If so, where do you prefer to get your fanmail? What is the best fanmail you've ever received?

PC: I have received some fanmail and enjoy the interchange. The best one was from the mother of a soldier serving in Afghanistan who appreciated the fact that I participate in Operation Ebook Drop, the brainchild of author Edward C. Patterson. OEBD gives free eCopies of your books to deployed troops in war zones and has been highly successful delivering over one million books to the troops.

BB: Why should we read your book?

PC: Good question. If you enjoy a book that is not a cookie cutter, genre specific science fiction thriller, please consider reading this. But please beware that it is not something that you will feel comfortable in being able to guess the ending. Reviews from readers can help in this regards:

"Mr. Chen's writing style is precise, almost military and chock full of information that makes the reader wonder if this story might not be fiction at all, but something very real and very disturbing."

"A good gem here, another excellent example of the power of alternative publishing tracks."

"If you are into the non-fantasy type scifi and a Tom Clancey [sic] like plot, this is the book for you. It is not a cookie cutter style book. It takes the Roswell conspiracy story to a new level."

"I'll probably want to read [it] again in a few years when I've forgotten the basic plot. Not an easy matter in itself, since this is one of those stories that are unforgettable."

"I will never see the ocean in the same light again."

This book actually describes events which eventually became true in chilling detail such as the 2010 Russian spy ring in the United States, the recent discovery of a mysterious object in the Baltic Sea, and now the super secret military force called JSOC among other events. Get it before it becomes nonfiction or disappears in the hands of men in black. It must be of some interest as it has sold almost 4,400 copies since its release.

BB: We want to know more about you! Tell us a little about yourself.

PC: I was born in China in 1944 and immigrated to the United States in 1949. Growing up in Washington, D.C., during the 1950s and 1960s, I learned both the pains and triumphs of American society at a crucial turning point in America's history. In the fifties and sixties, Washington stood at the crossroads of southern institutionalized racism and northern false hope; a point not lost on this young Chinese immigrant. After receiving a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Virginia and a Master of Science from Stanford University, I worked as an ocean research engineer in the development of deep submergence systems. Part of my work dealt with vehicles that could freely dive to 20,000 feet of water depth. I also participated as a hyperbaric chamber operator for manned dives inside a pressure chamber to 1,500 feet. I have one U.S. Patent for an underwater mooring system. After my stint as an ocean research engineer, I was an environmental and energy engineer, a trial attorney, a public securities attorney, an investment banker, a corporate executive, a private equity manager (in Africa), a strategic consultant, a cartoonist, an illustrator, a website manager, and author. My law degree is from the University of Minnesota. One of my mentors once said that it wasn't that I couldn't hold down a job; I couldn't even hold down a career! My biography has been included in Who's Who in America and in Who's Who in the World for many years.

I have been married for over forty years and have two adult children. My son is an anesthesiology fellow in New York City, as is his wife. He picked that profession because he knew that it would be hard for his old dad to spell. My daughter who has her MBA is currently a full-time mother to two gorgeous girls who are the light of my life. Her husband has his PhD in Marketing and teaches at the Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. My youngest granddaughter, age nine months, loves to dance with her grandpa and hums the tunes as we dance around the floor. My more sophisticated older granddaughter is 2 and 1/2 years old, has an impish grin, and is into everything. I mean everything.

At the end of their last visit, my older granddaughter told her mom that she was going to stay with grandpa and stood calmly at the front door waving goodbye as her mom loaded the car. When her mom waved her final goodbye, my granddaughter quietly told her grandma that she missed her mommy and climbed into the car. Melted my heart!

Favorites:

Author: I have a very eclectic taste when it comes to authors. Chief amongst them are Ernest Hemingway, Arthur C. Clarke, Franz Kafka, Tom Clancy, and John McPhee to name only a few.

Book: Again, there are so many books that it is hard to pick one. Childhood's End by Clarke stands out, as do For Whom the Bells Toll by Hemingway and The Trial by Kafka.

TV Show: Star Trek (the original series), Twilight Zone with Rod Serling, and The Outer Limits

Vacation Spot: Too many places that I have been and would like to go to be able to fairly list them.

Activity or Sport: Fishing.

Color: Aquamarine

Season: Spring or fall, the changing season bring so many varied colors

BB: Feel free to add anything you like.

PC: In addition to my writing, I am a cartoonist. The story of how I got into cartooning is sort of interesting. In 2007 at age 63, I was ordered by my cardiologist to sit quietly over a weekend and not pick up anything heavier than a pencil as he scrambled to arrange an angiogram. As I sat in my attic office bored to tears, I amused myself by surfing the web. In the course of doing this, I chanced upon a theory that was being espoused by two Australian astronomers (why must they always be Australian?) that a parallel universe filled with strange matter had to exist in order for our own fragile cosmos to maintain its balance.

I started to wonder exactly what kind of life could live in such a universe. Would leaves worry about their autumnal demise? Would elephants sue to get their limbs back? Just what do those stone statutes on Easter Island think about as they gaze over the Pacific Ocean? So with no formal training in art or cartooning, I started "There is Strangeness in the Universe." My first cartoons were posted on a local message board and then I was asked by the New York Times to contribute them to their experiment with local journalism called, "The Local." One of my cartoons even made it into the print edition of the newspaper.
The cartoons have a small, but loyal following. They have been compared to Gary Larson's "Far Side" because of their wry look into the state of our affairs. In May of this year, I released the inaugural collection of cartoons from There is Strangeness in the Universe.

Where you can find my stuff:

Falling Star

http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Star-The-Watchers-ebook/dp/B003YCPK4C
http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Star-Philip-Chen/dp/145389845X

There is Strangeness in the Universe

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050YYQ9W
http://www.amazon.com/There-Strangeness-Universe-Philip-Chen/dp/1461023769

Website: http://fallingstar1970.wordpress.com

Cartoon Blog: http://strangenessinuniverse.blogspot.com

Thank you for that wonderful interview Philip! (and btw, I am also a big Star Trek fan. I actually like every series they did) We hope to hear more from you in the future. Readers, if you haven't already read Falling Star, check it out today!

And the freebies are back!

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the latest bunch!!

Just Released! The Invasion of 2020 by Ami Blackwelder

2011-08-25T10:18:00.001-07:00

In this prequel, Ami takes you back to where it all started. If you've enjoyed the Shifter Evolutions series, then you will want to get your hands on this one.

Description: Alaska 2020. Earth. Shifters. Invasion. Set in Alaska in 2020, Uri Petrov and Dr. Samantha Croon
find their lives intertwined when the shifters first land on Earth. Both motivated by love for their families, each is taken down a different path that will change the course of their lives forever and eventually the fate of the world.
Meanwhile, the military has divided into fractions...those who believe in the alien invasion and those who refuse to accept it, leaving Captain Raul at opposing ends with other heads of military.
With the shifters invading the forests of Kenai Lake, they explore their new world of refuge, and must discover how to shift in animal form while uncovering what it truly means to be hu- man.
With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages.
This was the fifth book written in the Shifter Evolutions Saga.

The freebies just keep coming!!

2011-08-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

A few more for your reading enjoyment!

Just Released! Monarch by Michelle Argyle

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle has just released her book Monarch, over two weeks earlier than the expected release date of September 15th. This is a nice little thriller with a bit of romance. Check it out!

Description: Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness--a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the U.S. has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when Nick is on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn.He's safe, but not for long...

Just Released! Tears of Requiem by Daniel Arenson

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just released, this is the second book in the Song of Dragons series. While I haven't read this series yet, I have read some of Daniel's other works and I feel compelled to say that I LOVE his writing. Go pick up your copy today!!

Description: The nightshades cover the land. Demons of smoke and shadow, they fear no sword or arrow. They suck the souls from all who live, like a glutton sucking marrow from bones. The world falls under their darkness.
But the nightshades crave more than random ruin. The souls of mere humans will not sate them. They seek dragons.
Requiem's last dragons, a mere scattering of survivors, have fought off men and griffins. But how can they fight the nightshades, creatures they cannot cut or burn?

Did you say you want more freebies?

2011-08-22T10:56:00.001-07:00

Well here they are! Get them while they're still FREE!!!

Just Released! Learn Me Gooder by John Pearson

2011-08-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the new school year to start, John has released his lastest book, Learn Me Gooder. If you read his first book, Learn Me Good, then you know you have to get this one as well. I LOVED the first book and am eagerly awaiting the moment I get to crack into this one.

Description: In this sequel to Learn Me Good, Jack Woodson (no longer a green behind the ears teacher) returns to recount another school year’s worth of challenges, triumphs, and mishaps with a brand new cast of wild and crazy students.
Six years have passed, and this time around, Jack gets a talking monkey sidekick, a beautiful love interest, and a top-secret undercover CIA assignment to Uranus. (Well, ONE of those things is true, anyway.) There are witty quotes, riotous stories, and more twists and turns than M. Night Shyamalan’s small intestine.
Through email correspondence with Fred Bommerson, Jack talks about PTA fundraisers gone awry, unnatural food chains, and how any action can be made acceptable as long as “it’s for science.” With subject lines such as “Diarrhea of a Wimpy Kid,” “Green Eggs and Math,” and “Houston, we have a word problem,” it’s perfect for reading in small chunks or one long session.

And a few more!

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the next round of freebies!!!

All new freebies on Kindle.

2011-08-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Get them while they're hot!!

Kindle Freebies

2011-07-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Some more freebies. Get them while they're hot!!!

All New Freebies!!

2011-07-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

I don't think we've posted any of these ones before. Grab them while they're still free!

Flash Fiction Five Pack by Lyndon Perry

2011-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy Five Flash Fictions (plus a Bonus Microfiction!) in this humorous collection of digital shorts. In about 3500 words, the author sketches out a whimsical "A to Z" volume, from alien romance to zombies as well as email spam to space monkeys. Two tales feature Mazaru the Space Monkey while a third introduces Billy Farnsworth, Zombie Hunter.

About the Author: Lyn Perry writes a variety of speculative fiction, from SF and fantasy to mystery and spiritual thriller. As a middle school Language Arts teacher, he encourages (okay, requires) his students to read at least 25 books during the school year and to write in their journals daily. He hopes to keep up with them!
Perry is also the founding editor of Residential Aliens, a magazine of spiritually infused speculative fiction online at ResAliens.com. He is also the editor of Fear & Trembling Magazine, an online venue of spiritual horror. As the owner of ResAliens Press, his goal is to publish stories that, while not necessarily religious, are truthful to the human condition and touch on themes that are eternal.

My Review: This was a short collection, but cute. I particularly enjoyed Spam Fiction. I was lucky enough to meet Lyn in person last year and I can say he is a fun guy with a wonderful imagination. I can't wait to read more of his work.

Freebies are still coming!

2011-06-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Click on a book to be taken to its Amazon page.

Character Interview: Benito Enrique Garcia from In Search of Lucy

2011-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

BG: My name is Benito Enrique Garcia but everyone just calls me Benny. I’ve got five brothers –I’m fourth in the lineup-no sisters. Even though we were pretty rowdy growing up, we were always taught to respect and take care of women. Right now I’m doing stand-up comedy and just hangin with my two girls: Lucy and Anne.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

BG: Basically I’m like big brother to Lucy Lang. She’s had a tough life and an even tougher time trying to find herself and relate to others. Luckily she has me cuz I’m so laid back and funny, of course.

BB: How did you meet your author?

BG: Lucy and I both live in the same apartment building. I pretty much know everyone there. I love to meet new people, but Lucita (that’s my name for her) is one of my favorites.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

BG: Like I said, Lucy is one of my favorite people. Still trying to figure out why since she’s such a pain in the ass. But, we do seem to get along pretty well. I’m a shoulder to cry on and I provide a few laughs to cheer her up.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

BG: Yes. This is the first time I’ve had the honor to be in a book. I think I add a lot of flavor to a story that could be pretty sad at times.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

BG: Someone should want me somewhere. I’m Benny!

BB: Do you like how you were written?

BG: Love it. I mean I’m sweet, funny, caring and I sound pretty hot. She did say I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I don’t agree.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

BG: Well, we took a road trip to get Lucy to her sister Katie. Lucy was donating a kidney to Katie and Anne and I went with her. On the road we ended up picking up this kid, Chad. Then later our car broke down on the side of the road. Some crazy sh*t, I mean stuff happened but it ended up being a pretty cool adventure.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

BG: That would be my Lucita of course. Even though we were just friends I just couldn’t help feeling so close to her. If Mr. Perfect, Kyle hadn’t come along and messed it up, then we might have had a chance.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

BG: Read the book and you’ll see. I’m out there. I just try to be honest and have a good time.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

BG: Well, let’s just say that I think readers will be very happy with the ending.

BB: Thanks for chatting with us Benny. It's been fun. If you'd like to learn more about Benny, check out In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild.

Book Description: Thirty-year-old Lucy Lang is lost. She spent most of her young life sacrificing her own needs to care for her half-sister and deal with their alcoholic mother. Now abandoned by both of them, Lucy struggles to find her own purpose in life; a struggle that is laden with wretched memories and regret. With no family, no relationships and an unfulfilling job Lucy becomes depressed, cynical and self-destructive. At times she'd even contemplated suicide as the only way out.
When she is just about to hit rock bottom, Lucy finds out that her sister is ill and needs a kidney transplant. Lucy is found to be the only match, and has no choice but to live. Lucy is now trapped in a lonely existence to save her sister's life. And, she must battle with her emotions; her bitter resentment for her sister's heartless departure and her longing to be needed again and take care of the person she once loved most in the world. With the help of new found friends, Benny and Anne, and a possible romance, Lucy sets out on a journey to reunite with her sister and search for the answers she needs to find her own purpose in life.

Character Interveiw: Sarah Anderson from A Whisper to a Scream

2011-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

SA: Hi, my name is Sarah Anderson. Alex, please stop it. Mommy is trying to do an interview. Sorry. He forgets the family room is not an appropriate place to kick a soccer ball around. Alex! That’s two. One more and you’re in time out. I’m a stay-at-home mother of two boys. I live in Naperville, Illinois, with my kids and husband, Tom.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

SA: I guess you could say I’m the co-star, if A Whisper to a Scream were a movie.

BB: How did you meet your author?

SA: Well, this is pretty odd. I popped into her head while she was taking a shower. I guess she had this vision of a mom trying to grocery shop with a toddler who was throwing things out of the cart. Yup, that’s me.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

SA: She is harmless enough. It is pretty weird to have someone watch you and take notes, though. It felt sort of like being on a reality show, only there were no cameras. Just this omnipresent, short, fat woman in on all of my conversations. I was freaking out until Annie told me the same chick was following her around as well. No, Nicky. I cannot help you with your spelling homework. I am busy, honey. I’m sorry. What was I going to say? Oh well. It went right out of my head. Next question?

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

SA: Yes.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

SA: I would like to. I hear Karen is writing the story of another member of the Classics Book Club. Catherine, the actress. She played Audrey, the country wench in As You Like It, when we went on our book club field trip. If there are any book club scenes, I will be there, unless Tom is out of town yet again.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

SA: Not at first. I mean, who likes having a huge magnifying mirror thrust in your face?

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

SA: I got to go to Boston for a long weekend when Tom was working there. I wish it would have been Hawaii, but you take what you can, right?

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

SA: Well, I love my family very much, but I think my favorite is my new best friend Annie Jacobs. She is an amazing woman. I don’t know if I would have the strength to endure all she did. Okay, that’s three. Time out, Alex. And stop nagging me, Nick. I am almost done, then I can give you your spelling test.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

SA: I’m secretly British aristocracy and have a country home waiting for me in Derbyshire, complete with a full house staff and (breaks into hysterical laughter)...I can’t even get the words out with out laughing...in my dreams.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

SA: I wish it ended differently, but it is what it is. That’s life, right?

BB: Thanks for your time Sarah, and thank you Nicky and Alex for letting your mommy talk to us. To learn more about Sarah Anderson, check out A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner.

Book Description: Ovulation detectors. Hormone surges. Anxiety-ridden dreams. This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five. She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise. Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know. Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby. She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head. Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury. Little Alex screams at being thwarted. The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public. "A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

An Interview with Imogen Rose's Editor, Sue Bernstein

2011-05-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Sue is a typical Gemini – she craves novelty and variety and gets bored easily. These traits have served Sue well, leading her to try her hand at many fields. Sue has been an editor at a publishing company in Manhattan, a personal caterer, corporate risk manager and attorney for the last 20-something years. Sue’s passion for all things from the house of Hermès led her fortuitously to meet another avid Hermès fan, Imogen Rose, back in 2006. Imogen and Sue’s friendship was instantaneous and their professional collaboration a true pleasure. Sue lives in NJ with her husband, son and two very large cats.

How did you get involved with editing Faustine?

Imogen Rose has been a dear friend of mine for about five years. When she began writing her first novel, Portal, she asked me if I would help edit the book, since I had done editing professionally a long time ago. It was my pleasure to help! I love Imogen’s imagination and sense of adventure. Since Portal, I’ve helped Imogen edit Equilibrium, Quantum andFaustine.

How long did the editing process take?

It normally takes me 10 pages an hour to edit a novel the first time through. Then, time permitting, it only takes another couple of hours to do another pass through the book.

How does Faustine compare with Imogen’s other series, the Portal Chronicles?

Imogen’s strength is her ability to understand her characters and then flesh out those characters on the written page. Both Portal and Faustine are character-driven stories, which allow Imogen to do what she does best. However, they are different in that Faustine takes us into the world of the paranormal in ways that Portal does not. Editing Faustine, I was fascinated to learn so much about this dark world that lives in Imogen’s imagination!

What are some of your favorite YA reads, other than Imogen’s books?

I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. His M is for Magic (a collection of short stories) and Odd and the Frost Giants are just such examples of Neil’s YA writing. I also adore his work for adults. A few years back, I read Anansi Boys while waiting for a delayed flight and have been a fan ever since.

If you could work with any other author, who would it be?

Definitely Neil Gaiman. If you haven’t read any of his work, I highly recommend starting with Anansi Boys. You will immediately get the “flavor” of Neil’s work – he is a true genius.

33 A.D. by David McAfee

2011-05-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem, 33 A.D. The vampires of the era have long sought to gain a foothold into Israel, but the faith of the local Jewish population has held them in check for centuries.
When one of their own betrays them to follow a strange young rabbi from Galilee, the elders of the vampire race dispatch Theron, a nine hundred year old assassin, to kill them both.
The rabbi's name is Jesus. Killing him should be easy.

BONUS MATERIAL!
For a limited time, the following excerpts are included with the Kindle version of this book:

Excerpt from TORMENT, by Jeremy Bishop
Excerpt from BENEATH, by Jeremy Robinson

About The Author: David McAfee is the author of the vampire novels 33 A.D. and Saying Goodbye to the Sun as well as the horror novel, GRUBS. His next horror novel, The Gallows Tree, is scheduled to be released in October 2010. David is currently working on another vampire novel, BAIT, after which he will begin working on the oft-asked for sequel to 33 A.D.
David lives in Knoxville, TN with his wife, daughter, and a small army of loyal but dysfunctional pets. As of this writing, he and his wife are expecting their first child together, who will no doubt grow to be just as deranged as the rest of the McAfee clan.
God help us all.

Dawn's Review: The plot is interesting. Vampires in the time of Jesus. So I was intrigued. Though the story was not entirely what I was expecting, I was not dissapointed. Although we know the history of Christ and how his story ended, throughout the book you feel as though there can be some kind of change; some way the story could end differently. You know this isn't going to happen, but the story was so well written, it kept me going; kept the hope that something good would come of it. What we got was a self-awareness, perhaps even redemption for the characters involved. The story makes the reader stop and think, and that's what a good story does. I really enjoyed this one. I look forward to reading the continuation of this story!

More Freebies!

2011-05-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Click on a book to be taken to its Amazon page.

Character Interview: Dace from Nexus Point

2011-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself

Dace: Dace. Just Dace. Nothing else. I graduated from the Patrol Academy on Eruus a few months before everything happened. I've got my pilot's license and an assistant engineer rating. Pretty impressive for an orphan from Tivor. Yes, I'm from Tivor, the most backwards planet in the Empire. I only got out because of Patrol survivor benefits. My dad was Patrol, though I never met him. My mother died in the food riots when I was small. My name? I changed it as soon as I got off Tivor. I'm trying to forget I ever set foot there. It was not a pleasant childhood.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

Dace: It's my story, the way I told it to the Patrol officers interrogating me afterwards. Well, mostly. I glossed over some of the more personal bits in the official report. This version has almost too much personal information. You really don't need to know how I felt or what I thought about Dadilan or the people there, but this Jaleta Clegg person wouldn't let me alone until I told her.

BB: How did you meet your author?

Dace: Jaleta Clegg walked in my ship one day, said she was a storyteller. She followed me around for weeks. She wouldn't let me alone until I told her what happened. She's a pest.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

Dace: I'd be happier if she'd go away. Like I said, you don't need to know what goes on in my head or how I feel, especially about Tayvis. *blushes* I didn't say that. Erase it.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

Dace: Nexus Point is the first book. Jaleta Clegg wanted the whole story. So I finally gave it to her. All of it. I think it's eleven volumes. I'm glad its over, to tell the truth. I'm still curious to see if she glassed over anything unpleasant or changed it to be more salacious. Like those vidcasts that make everything sound so much worse than they really are. She has a flair for the dramatic.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

Dace: Ten more books to go, then maybe I can go back to being a nobody again. It's easier to trade and travel when no one recognizes you. When your face is over all the vids, people can't help but notice you. It's a lot harder to do anything.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

Dace: I hate how she wrote me. She makes me sound so incompetent. How would you act if you were suddenly dumped into a world with no technology? I didn't speak the language, I knew nothing about the culture. And then there were the drug smugglers. It was a mess on Dadilan. I had no idea what was happening or who to trust.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

Dace: Most interesting? How about least dangerous? I spent the whole time on Dadilan running away from people and trying to stay alive. I did have a great conversation about god and religion with Roland. He's a monk with the Order of Myrln. They're the ones on Dadilan trying to keep technology alive. They didn't do very well, but two thousand years is a long time to keep something functioning when you don't have the knowledge or culture to fix it when it breaks. His collection of artifacts from "the time of the landing" was fascinating. I would have loved to spend more time there with Roland. Except it all burned down in the fight.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

Dace: *blushes* Favorite in what way? I hope I meet Roland again some day. And Sergeant Clay. He understood the way authority should work. I could learn a lot from Tisa, even if she is from a primitive village on Dadilan. Her sister, Librette, though, she had nothing holding her ears apart. I hope she's happy with her Patrol husband on Dadilan. He did promise to take care of her. Don't look at me that way. Yes, I admit, I fell for Commander Malcolm Tayvis. Big, tough Patrol Enforcer, he was everything I thought I detested. But he was nice to me. No one had ever been nice to me that way before. How could I not fall in love with him? Yes, he did threaten to shoot me. And drown me. But he didn't know if he could trust me. Not until later.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

Dace: Me? I'm a no one, not important to anyone, except myself. I'm not very good at lying. I found who I was on Dadilan. Good and bad. I also realized how lonely my life was.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

Dace: Jaleta Clegg left too much unresolved. She said she'd answer the questions in a later volume. She did record what happened on Dadilan, though. It did end that way, much as I wish it ended differently. I still want to know what happened to the people there. Jaleta said she'd interview those people and write their stories, too.

One word of advice, don't read this book. It's my story and I don't want you knowing what's in my head. I don't want you to suffer Dadilan's culture, or lack thereof. You really shouldn't meet Shomies Pardui or Leran Sovalis, they're both evil all the way through. Avoid them and any mention of the drug shara. You'll have a more boring life, yes, but you'll be safer.

BB: Thank you for your time Dace. As much as we'd like to accomodate you, you've left us hanging and we'll HAVE to read the book. Sorry. For more information on Dace, check out Nexus Point by Jaleta Clegg.

Book Description: Dace's wants are simple - a trading ship and the freedom to fly where she chooses. But on her first trip, her crew betrays her, her ship explodes, and she finds herself stranded on Dadilan, a planet locked in a feudal age. Survival is hard enough when you have no technology or resources. It's even harder when you have drug smugglers hunting you. Dadilan is the source of shara, a drug that enhances psychic abilities, a commodity so rare and precious people will kill for it. Trapped between rival smugglers and the Patrol undercover investigation, Dace has one hope of rescue: convincing Tayvis, the undercover agent, she's an innocent bystander. But those don't exist on Dadilan. No one lands without authorization, unless they are smuggling. Her ignorance may cost her life.

One Dollar Wednesdays - 5/18/11

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

This collection features twenty short stories from humorous thriller writer J.A. Konrath. Included are a few hardboiled tales, some noir, some parody and satire, a few straight-out comedy pieces, and a few stories that didn't fit into Konrath's other two collections, Horror Stories and Jack Daniels Stories.

The twenty stories include:

The Big Guys - Flash fiction, winner of the Derringer Award.

A Fistful of Cozy - A satire of the mystery cozy genre.

Cleansing - An ancient crime of biblical proportions.

Lying Eyes - Solve it yourself, given the clues.

Perfect Plan - Another solve it yourself. Don't you remember One Minute Mysteries and Encyclopedia Brown?

Piece of Cake - Another solve it yourself, originally featured in Woman's World.

Animal Attraction - Solve it yourself.

Urgent Reply Needed - A cautionary tale about dealing with spammers.

Blaine’s Deal - A parody of hardboiled noir.

Light Drizzle - A light-hearted send-up of hitman stories.

An Archaeologist’s Story - How digging up old bones leads to fresh corpses.

Don’t Press That Button! - An essay about the gadgets in the James Bond universe, and which you need to buy.

Piranha Pool - A writer seeking criticism pays the ultimate price.

A Newbie’s Guide to Thrillerfest - Never been to a mystery conference? Here's the in-depth dirt.

Inspector Oxnard - He's either brilliant, or too stupid to breathe.

One Night Only - A sports fan ends up in jail, all for the love of the game.

Could Stephanie Plum Car Really Get Car Insurance? - An essay about Janet Evanovich's famous character.

Cozy or Hardboiled? - Take the test to find out which type of book you're reading.

Addiction - What's the worst drug you can get hung up on?

Weigh To Go - A humor column about health clubs.

Connor lives in a town full of shape-changing monsters. The town secret is that everyone in Camden Bay, Oregon, has the ability to shape-change into some kind of animal. Everyone that is, except for Connor. He is twelve years old and still doesn't know what he will be when grows up. Will he become an eagle or a snake? He can only watch others sprout feathers and tails and imagine the possibilities. The rest of his classmates have all gone through the change and now they are wondering if perhaps Connor is a mundane: a normal person who can't become anything at all, and who must be exiled.

A mildly scary book for those who are young at heart by award-winning author B. V. Larson.

The English Lake District is a haven of tranquility, a place for hill walkers, mountain climbers and those in search of solitude. But when the rains arrive it becomes a desolate landscape where malevolence rises up from the depths and death is not far behind. It has struck before and this time it has to be stopped.

From the imaginations of four authors working as one comes a menace that is Mostly Human.

The Extended Version has bonus short stories from each of the four authors.

Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking.

When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.

Skyla discovers Logan holds the answers to the questions she’s been looking for, but Logan’s reluctance to give her the knowledge she desires leaves her believing Logan has a few secrets of his own.

Skyla’s bloodlines may just be connected to the most powerful angelic beings that roam the earth, and the more she knows, the more danger she seems to be in.

Suddenly an entire faction of earthbound angels wants her dead, at least she still has Logan, or does she?

College sophomore Bryn Dawson is a self-proclaimed poster child for normal. However, the day William Hayward enters her life, normalcy is the last thing Bryn will be able to count on if she wants to be with him. Too mysterious and appealing to be good for a girl, Bryn feels drawn to him in a way that seems out of her control—as if fate is orchestrating it.

Despite every red flag and warning siren going off in her head telling her not to, Bryn falls hard for William, knowing he’s categorically different from anyone she’s ever met. She never imagined how right she was. When William takes her deeper into the rabbit hole of his world, Bryn must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to be with him, knowing no matter what, fate always finds a way to have the last laugh.

Spinning a new twist on star-crossed lovers, Eternal Eden will put Bryn through a gauntlet of turmoil, challenging her to find the power within herself to become the heroine in her own story.

Some say that dreams are the doorway to the soul. Willow Haywood is no stranger to that doorway. Each night she shares a blissful, silent dream with a stunning blue-eyed boy. With each new moon she is haunted by a painful nightmare shared with a different boy, who’s always hidden by the shadows.
In her waking hours she must battle her sixth sense. The one that allows her to feel others emotions as if they were her own. This insight is exhausting and frustrating causing her to draw inward, only trusting her family and few close friends. Oddly, this sense also attracts ghostly images that seem to appear out of nowhere. With a touch, they take her to wherever they may be, allowing her to change their emotion. This alone would cause most to go insane, but Willow filters her aggression by painting, capturing the emotion she changed.
One August night a nightmare came days after the new moon. In this dream the shadowed boy marked her wrist with star, leaving her father no choice but to share a family secret that would tie all of the odd attributes of Willow’s life together. Now, she has no choice but to outrun the fate that is closing in around her.
In an attempt to lure her, the shadowed figure captures her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths, half truths, and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. With each step she takes Willow comes to realize that she has lived before, her path is one that she chose, and this trial is simply the beginning.

Guest post by Liz Borino, Author of Expectations

2011-05-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Favorite Part of Being an Author

What is your favorite part of being an author? I just asked a friend this question and thought I’d answer it for all of you. Let’s see, is it needing to borrow money all time? No, probably not. That’s less than fun. How about eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for two meals a day? The weight loss was fantastic…but no. Is it editing until you bleed? Actually, yes, that’s part of it. I know I’m in the minority here, but I absolutely love editing my own work. I’m sorry, I should clarify. I love editing my work after I get over the ‘how dare anyone tell me there’s something wrong with my baby’ feeling.

Editing allows my vision for my story to emerge. For the writers who hate editing, think of it this way: have you ever said something in the heat of the moment? I mean something that may have ended a relationship or got you a failing grade. Those weren’t the outcomes you wanted. In writing, the rough draft is the moment of regret and editing is your do-over. We can all use a do-over every now and again, right?

That vision I talked about, it’s pretty important. It is, in fact, the majority of the reason I get up to write. Every scene I write is there to emotionally engage the audience. If Chris and Matt are having an argument, I’d hate to have my readers laughing. When Chris and Aiden are making love, I wouldn’t want people to become angry. Unless…well you know…

So, back to the original question: What’s my favorite part of being an author? I love having the ability to make people really feel things with my words. I believe stories have a binding power. They’re something we can all relate to. When a writer does an outstanding job with their characters, you feel exactly what they’re feeling, be it love, desire, or heartbreak. I’d be thrilled it if readers came away questioning what they believed. Or maybe, my books reaffirmed how they already felt. Hopefully, my readers become almost as engaged with my books as I am.
I invite you to read my books and share in my vision. Get to know my boys and see if they don’t challenge you. Thank you.

Liz Borino is the debut author of Expectations and its sequel, What Money Can’t Buy published by Lazy Day. Throughout her education, including a Bachelor’s Degree from Hofstra University, she’s kept her stories to herself, but this only child is all grown up and wants to share them with the world. Her roots are in Bethlehem, Pa, but she loves to experience new cultures. As fun as that is, Liz likes nothing better than curling up at home with a good book or her work in progress.

Expectations blurb: Expectations depicts the struggle between what we desire for ourselves and our familial obligations. The struggle is personified by Chris and Matt Taylor, identical twins, who are trying to win their overbearing father’s approval and acquire their trust funds. Love, money, and desire collide as Matt and Chris decide what’s really important to them. Amazon http://amzn.to/gBh9M3

What Money Can’t Buy blurb: What Money Can’t Buy, the sequel to Expectations, finds the two couples, Chris and Aiden and Matt and Carley, eagerly anticipating parenthood. However, their personal struggles continue. Though Matt overcame his dependency on alcohol, new temptations present themselves. And with Carley on bed rest, these temptations put a greater strain on their relationship. Chris continues to deal with issues regarding his father. These issues increase with greater proximity. When tragedy strikes, the best and worst in everyone is revealed. Can they stick together, or will their reactions tear them apart?

Character Interview: Clinton Buchanan from The Legend of Sasquatch

2011-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

CB: My name is Clinton Buchanan. That’s “Buck Hannon,” not “Bew Cannon.” You may call me Clint or Sasquatch. You probably thought that the book was about a big, hairy forest creature, but no—it’s about me. I’m big, but I’m not very hairy and don’t live in the forest. I’d like to meet that other Sasquatch, though. He might be able to give me a run for my money in a fight. No one else presents much of a challenge.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

CB: Well, I’m the hero, of course! I’m big and strong, and I can kick anyone’s tail. I’m good-looking, and I’m smart and funny, too. No one else could carry this story. I mean, there are some great guys and gals in this book, but I clearly stand above the rest, figuratively and literally.

BB: How did you meet your author?

CB: Don’t tell anyone, but we’re kind of related. I could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

CB: Sure, most of the time we get along great. I’ve only had to slap him around a couple times.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

CB: Yes, and I think I did a great job for a virgin. You’ll probably be seeing lots of me for a while, assuming ol’ Will doesn’t get a wild hair and decide to kill me off or something. If I get a notion he’s even thinking of something like that, we’ll just have to have us a little come-to-Jesus meeting. He’s a pretty big dude, but he’s old and gimped up. He knows I can take him.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

CB: Yes, and hopefully pretty soon, maybe before the summer is out. Word has it that Will has finished the writing, but he’s apparently bogged down with the edits. I’ve offered to help, but he doesn’t take criticism well.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

CB: Well, I think that Will could have made me a little better-looking, bigger, and smarter, and I’d like to have a little more action in the sack. About the only thing he got right is the ego. That’s pretty much spot-on, but overall, I guess I can’t complain too much. At least I was the baddest dude in the book.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

CB: Well, let’s see. I got to ride a motorcycle really fast. I got shot. I got stabbed. Someone tried to separate my head from my shoulders with a Louisville Slugger, and I had some really great sex with a beautiful multiracial gal. Which is most interesting to you?

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

CB: I can’t pick only one. My favorite characters are my parents, Lucy and Doug. I can’t tell you why, or I’ll start to cry and blow my image as the toughest dude on the planet. There are a lot of great characters, though. The characters drive the story, and if you’re someone who loves great characters, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted with my family and friends.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

CB: My middle name is Beauregard. I’m not joking, so quit laughing or I’ll slap you silly.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

CB: Frankly, I thought it kind of sucked, but I can’t say more without spoilers. You’ll just have to read it and find out for yourself why I say that.

BB: Thanks for your time. I promise we will read your story as long as you promise not to slap us silly. For more information on Clinton Buchanan, check out The Legend of Sasquatch by William T. Prince.

Book Description: In this action-packed character novel, Sasquatch is not the mythical creature rumored to haunt the forests of North America. He is a young Texan named Clint Buchanan (pronounced "Buck Hannon") who prowls the streets of Dallas in the late 1970s. Clint seems to have it all--size, strength, intelligence, personality, looks, and any woman he wants. Unfortunately a combination of bad choices and bad luck has tragic results. Join this behemoth as he faces the life-changing and character-defining events of his late adolescence with a colorful supporting cast that includes devoted buddies Milton, Tom, and Hulk.

FREE on Kindle - 5/11/11

2011-05-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest books offered for free on Amazon Kindle.
(prices are subject to change, so please check that the price is still at zero before one-clicking)

There are a ton of free books coming out today, so I thought I would post our free Friday post today instead of Friday so you guys can take advantage of all the new books. Since there are so many, I'm just posting the pics with the links. You will have to click on them to read the descriptions! I will add more as they become available!

One Dollar Wednesdays - 5/11/11

2011-05-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

In North Africa something washes ashore rotting everything, and everyone, it touches. On an alien world three astronauts realize the dangers of living off the land. In the shadow of a plane crash two survivors face off against a horde of clockwork monsters. 'Parasite: Six Tales of Speculative Terror' transports you to a nightmarish science fiction world where you can't run, you can't hide... and you're never alone.

"Always surprises and always entertains." --Jonathan Maberry, ROT AND RUIN

A fantasy and paranormal collection. Contains the Writers of the Future Award-winning story "The Vampire Shortstop" and 11 other tales of magic, romance, and the supernatural, including the Makers series in which children control the essential forces of the world. Includes "The Boy Who Saw Fire," "In The Heart of November," and "Invisible Friend."

Nicholson is the author of 12 novels, including The Red Church, Drummer Boy, Disintegration, and The Skull Ring. With J.R. Rain, he wrote the urban fantasy Cursed! Look for his other story collections THE FIRST, MURDERMOUTH: ZOMBIE BITS, CURTAINS: MYSTERY STORIES, and ASHES. His Web site is www.hauntedcomputer.com.

As L.C. Glazebrook, he writes the paranormal romance series OCTOBER GIRLS.

These eight tales run the gamut from small-town horror to old-school, whiskey-slugging noir, with a touch of coming-of-age adventure thrown in for good measure. We're talking over a hundred print pages of pure pulp perfection that'll cost you less than the paper it ain't printed on.

Includes the Spinetingler-Award-winning "Seven Days of Rain," Derringer-Award finalist "The Big Score," and "The World Behind," which originally appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

Also included are "A Better Life," "The Well," "A Simple Kindness," "Eight Pounds," and "The Toll Collectors."

There's been an accident at Santa's Workshop. He needs to desperately replace what he lost at the North Pole. This Christmas horror story will make you think twice about being on the naughty list. Christmas horror short story

The Book of Biff is a single panel comic about spaghetti, time travel and toast. The strip centers around a child-like mad scientist named Biff who may be part cockroach or possibly an alien.

He lives a solitary life in a world that he appears to have all to himself. Not a single word is spoken and no other soul is seen.

This collection explores underwater motorcycles, the care and feeding of your pet rock and using cheese in interior decorating.

110 pages. Full color (on color devices.)

Author Interview: Samantha Drane, author of Twist of Fate

2011-05-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tell us what made you decide to write this particular story.
To be completely honest, this novel had a life of it's own. I created this novel day by day. I did not know how this book was going to end until I actually wrote it.

Was it difficult to write, or did it all come to you at once.
It was a little bit of both. Most of the early chapters came all at once, and the end of the book was considerably harder to write.

How did you come up with your character names?
In most vampire/supernatural novels (at least ones that I have read) the characters have very regal, majestic even old-fashioned names. I wanted to keep it as modern as possible.

Do you prefer to write in just one genre or do you like to bounce around genres?
I would prefer to stay within the paranormal/sci-fi genre, but anything that I write, I like to write with a strong female voice. I believe that is what makes me stand out a bit from other writers.

Do you read the same genre that you write about?
Yes I totally do! I will fully admit that I am a science fiction/supernatural/paranormal addict. I was always told that I should write what I know, and I believe that I have a decent grasp of the Sci-Fi world.

How do your family and Friends feel about your writing?
They have been totally supportive from day one. I have two daughters, three cats and a very busy husband to deal with, so concessions were graciously made for me to be able to write during the day. I love them all for it.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done to promote your writing? Did it work?
Sadly, I haven't done anything totally wild and crazy to promote my book. It's not me.

Have you been compared to any other authors? Do you agree with the comparison?
I haven't been compared to any other authors yet, but I think if my name popped up alongside someone like Laurell K. Hamilton, I will be blown away. I truly enjoy her books and I think she's a wonderful author.

Do you enjoy fanmail? If so, where do you prefer to receive your fanmail?
I would love fanmail. If and when I receive some, I would love it to pop up in my email. I check it at least twice a day, so it would be a pleasant surprise.

Why should we read your book?
I definitely think you should read Twist of Fate, because aside from the love story it deals with an abusive relationship and the strength of a woman's heart and soul. This is the first book in a series and I personally can't wait to see what happens next.

Free Fridays - 5/6/11

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Johnny Turnbull has spent all of his 12 years aboard the seed-ship Renaissance en route to the Rings of Orbis. Due to a mechanical problem, the adults on the spaceship perished long before Johnny and the other young passengers were born (they were stored as embryos and raised by the ship's computer). When they arrive on Orbis 1, the orphans quickly learn that they will be forced to work for the Guarantors (alien businessmen) in order to pay off their dead parents' debt for their passage. Johnny is immediately identified as the first human softwire, someone with the ability to enter and manipulate a computer with his mind. Because of his gift, he is a prime suspect when the central computer of Orbis 1 begins to malfunction. He must prove his innocence and solve the mystery of the mechanical failures before time runs out. The author deftly introduces the futuristic setting without getting bogged down in long and detailed descriptive passages, and the brisk plot will keep the interest of reluctant readers. Although a few of the secondary characters are not fully developed, Johnny and his sister are well drawn, and the scenes between the two are skillfully crafted. The first in a planned quartet, this book is a good selection for science-fiction fans.

A collection of stories about resourceful young women, written to offset the helplessness of traditional folktale heroines. Most are original tales that incorporate folkloric elements. In Lansky's own "The Fairy Godmother's Assistant," a young woman advises Cinder-Ella to sew her own ball gown. She goes on to council a king and arbitrate a royal dispute, relying on her own wits and common sense. "Grandma Rosa's Bowl," based on an old diary discovered in an antique store in Mexico, is about a girl whose wisdom and sensitivity help her settle a painful family feud. The stories are set in a variety of countries, but occasionally a sincere desire to represent many cultures seems lacking. For example, in Vivian Van de Velde's "Lian and the Unicorn," the unicorn seems to have been plunked down in China simply to fulfill some vague multicultural requirement. Nevertheless, most of these stories are fast paced and humorous. Readers who enjoyed Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess (Firefly, 1980) but aren't yet ready for Jack Zipes's immortal Don't Bet on the Prince (Routledge, 1986) will enjoy them.

Who ever heard of an elf saving Christmas?

Squidge is a little elf who wants to do what the bigger elves do. When he takes matters into his own hands and causes a disaster in Santa's workshop, Squidge runs away... and ends up going further than he would ever have dreamt. Can such a little elf save Santa and Christmas?

A blog started the forever war--a global war set in the not so distant future between two groups (the Rebels and the Coco's).

Dylan Austin has grown up with the war being a constant background to his life; his dad has just returned from war missing a leg; his older sister is missing and presumed dead from the war; and all through school war has been embedded into everything they teach. Teens have been raised on educational war video games, and their minds are polluted with the idea that war is just a game.

Unlike most kids Dylan's age, he does not eagerly await the day he can serve the Rebel cause. At sixteen, Dylan is one of the weakest kids in his class, and is always picked last for war games; he's not even good at the government issued video games that are supposed to make you more combat ready. Unfortunately for Dylan, war has come early, and he has no other choice but to fight.

No one suspected he could last a single day in battle, but after Dylan, along with two of his friends, wins an unusual battle inside the Disneyland amusement park in Anaheim, he becomes something that no one (not even himself) ever suspected: a hero and leader.

Dylan is sent with his two friends, Trinity and Hunter, to Seattle, where the fighting is worse than anywhere else in the country. He is expected to lead a company of over two dozen into one of the worst combat zones anyone has ever seen--but first he has to earn their trust and respect.

The longer Dylan fights, the more he learns that true leadership has little to do with physical strength. He also begins to learn the true origins (and absurdity) of the war that he is forced to fight in, and looks for a way to stop it.

Heart of the Sea: An Others Bonus Story

In the world of the Others, affairs of the heart are no less complicated. Even when talented witch, Jenny Ferguson, gets caught in a questionable situation with a current friend and former lover by her fiancé no less, she might need more than magic to save her wedding day.

One Dollar Wednesdays - 5/4/11

2011-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

A Little Girl in my Room & Other Stories is a collection of dark flash fiction by Claire Farrell. This book is Rated R: Adults Only. Some may find the themes addressed disturbing. Content includes child abuse, rape, suicide, murder and violence.

This dark fiction collection contains 12 short stories:

Skeleton in the Closet and Childlike Bride - What happens to the vulnerable when they are taken advantage of then abandoned?

A Friend – A lonely ghost bears witness to a Halloween prank that ends in tragedy.

Frozen and Frozen in Reverse – Parallel stories detailing an attack in the words of the victim and then the rapist.

Ready or Not – What’s your idea of hell?

Justice – The lengths the heartbroken will go to for justice . . . or revenge.

Forever Young – Sometimes regrets come too late.

Peace, Deals, A Great Day, A Little Girl in my Room – Four offerings of the supernatural kind.

When Craig Waltrip, an associate at a Philadelphia sports agency, uncovers a meeting with his boss and a man from Augusta National Golf Course, all bets are on. Deep Rough takes the reader inside The Masters, revealing not only the historical backdrop of the famed tournament, but of a plot that could destroy the very fabric of the tournament itself. Filled with hole by hole descriptions, high stakes and even murder, Deep Rough will make even the casual golfer ponder what really goes on at the most famous golf course in the country. A story about The Masters that you've never dreamed could happen, Deep Rough is a page-turning novel that is sure to please golfers, sports fans and readers of thrillers everywhere.

Liz Janssen's marriage was over long before she filed for divorce. There was no way her soon-to-be ex-husband committed suicide because of her. Yet that is what her teenage son, Will, believes.

Others in the small West Virginia town share this thinking. Others who are disciples of a homicidal Satanic cult her husband was part of. The disciples want vengeance for the death of one of their own and will use Liz's troubled, grief-stricken son as an instrument for their revenge. To save herself and Will, Liz must stop them - and she must do so without Doug finding out.

Doug McBride is the new town sheriff, the man Liz has fallen in love with, and the man she cannot trust.

Please note: Some content may be disturbing.

Killers and victims on the fringes of society are the focus of the ‘Fringe Killer’ series. “A Blade Away” kicks it off with a murderous transgendered twist.

"I am the last true artist.”

Jamie Davenport is a struggling young officer on the Louisville Police Force. In her first homicide case, Jamie must track down a twisted killer who preys upon transgendered men to bring about The Change and transform them into their “true selves”.

“I am da Vinci with flesh.”

However, even with the help of her friend and mentor, Skip Abrahm, she finds herself fighting a war on three fronts: a victimized population reluctant to cooperate, a police force unwilling to take the crimes seriously, and a killer that is always one step ahead.

“I am a god with your gender.”

Warning: Contains adult situations and material.

"Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."--JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn, author of Origin and Endurance

ASHES

DRM-free and 99 cents for a limited time, professionally formatted by Dellaster Design. A collection of 12 supernatural stories by bestselling author Scott Nicholson, including "Scarecrow Boy," "Dog Person" and "Sewing Circle."

From the author of THE RED CHURCH, SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD, DISINTEGRATION, DRUMMER BOY, and the collections FLOWERS, CURTAINS, and THE FIRST, these stories visit haunted islands, disturbed families, and a lighthouse occupied by Edgar Allan Poe. From the mystery of the paranormal to the spiritual exploration of fear, Nicholson serves up chills, thrills, ghosts stories, and paranormal fantasy. Collected from the pages of Cemetery Dance Magazine, The Book of Dark Wisdom, Black Static, and more.

Character Interviews: Kinsey Gilbert from Shared: The Search for the Origins of a Soul

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

KG: My name is Kinsey. Well, Kinsey Gilbert. I’m newly married.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

KG: I’m Nanny and teacher t’ Rachel Ellingswood. I’ve been with her since she was a wee babe.

BB: How did you meet your author?

KG: I don’t know what you mean...do you mean my employer, Master Thornton Ellingswood, and his missus, Selia? They found me, actually. I was just released from my last year at Briarglen School for Young Ladies, in Brixham, South Devon. They were soon to have a child.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

KG: Oh, I love them, Sir. They are the kindest of people! And Rachel is surely a joy to have. We’ve had no more of that trouble since we returned from New Zealand....but, I’m speakin’ out of turn.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

KG: T’is my first employment, Sir. I never hoped to have such a grand home as the Manor. And now I live with my sweetest Liam, just a short walk from the hospital. In Barnstaple. Master Thornton and his dear wife have assured me, they will continue my employment. Little Thomas will be needin’ schoolin’ in just another year.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

KG: These are odd questions, Sir. I don’ understand.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

KG: Oh! Bless me. You mean my husbands books! Mercy I’d forgotten. That’s how it is, you know. When you live such adventures as we’ve had, you hardly care they get written down. Ha! You had me worried you were daft! Liam could have left off all the notes about my tattooin’s. He might be sportin enough to parade his on the beach. But I’m a proper Maori with mine. They are personal if you please. Ha! Lord, you had me goin.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

KG: You’ve not read of Rachel? Tha’ suprises me, it does. Only – she was in the national papers for the whole year. If you have my husband’s book, you would know. Rachel is very special. Just being with her, in Devon – then Opotiki. I’ll never forget that magic.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

KG: I love the way Liam puts down Reverend Dunston and his wife. It makes me giggle. The man would wear the most oppressive clothing, in the hottest weather! I don’t know how he kept alive from heat stroke. His wife hated the natives in the house. Did you read that part? She wouldn’t let them in. Must have worn him out complainin about them bein naked. Poor Dunny never removed his coat and vest! Ha!

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

KG: Well, Liam was very careful...only to tell as much as people would need. You know, to choose. He always argued that Rachel should be left in peace, that her story only come from her lips...but, the world is a needy place. Isn’t it? He had to mark the truth in his books, even if he was able to hide it a bit.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

KG: End? Lord, there is no end. Master Thornton has been home barely a year from that last voyage, and he’s urgin Liam to join him and go back. Rachel just laughs at them, tellin’ them that New Zealand will be just fine without them rushing down. I would go with them again. You know I would. I want to hear her voice again, on that beach.

BB: Well, Kinsey. That certainly was an interesting interview. Thank you. If you would like to learn more about Kinsey Gilbert, check out Shared: The Search for the Origins of a Soul by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick.

Book Description: Seeking help from colleagues around the globe, Victorian physician, Dr. Liam Gilbert, is desperate to discover what is wrong with little Rachel Ellingswood. The child has faints that bring her near to death without warning. Only child; heiress to a huge fortune in Devon, England, four year old Rachel will not survive without some miracle of discovery. Yet, Gilbert does not believe in miracles. When a single clue sends him on a harrowing voyage across the globe in search of answers, his discovery, about the impossible child, will alter his life forever. Rachel Ellingswood is not a simple child who is ill; when she is ill – she is not truly there.

The Venom of Vipers by K.C. May

2011-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

A supervirus threatens to wipe out the human population.
The only hope for the future is a cure hidden inside Ryder Stone. Created in a lab and brutalized, betrayed and hated by humans, Ryder yearns for freedom. On the outside, a group of human genetic purists want him dead.
When Katie Marsh, a brilliant young geneticist, discovers his secret, she must fight to protect Ryder, gain his trust...and convince him to save humanity before the purists destroy them both.

About the Author: K.C. May was born in Chicago and grew up in the mid-western USA and in Hawaii, attended University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated with a B.A. in Russian from Florida State University. In 1985, she moved to Taiwan to teach English and study Mandarin Chinese. She also lived in the Arizona desert for 24 years, where she founded and ran a non-profit Rottweiler rescue organization, studied Ken-po karate, went backpacking, tried sky-diving, dabbled in bodybuilding, did some downhill skiing, renewed her interest in motorcycling, and spent some time on the shooting range. In 2010, she retreated to cooler, greener Georgia. She earns her living as a full-time writer.

Dawn's Review:

All I can say is WOW! Ok, I can say more than that, but it's pretty much more of the same. I loved this book. Not only was it a really great story-line, but it was just so well written. There wasn't so much detail as to bog down the book, yet nothing was left out. But mostly, it was a really great story. I loved the characters, and the story itself was really unique. With only two chapters left in the book, I had to leave for a short road trip over the weekend, and all I could think about was getting home so I could finish the book. It was the first thing I did when I got home. The final chapter is so touching and I found myself tearing up at the end. Don't worry, it was the good kind. You'll know when you get there!

Author Interview: Sharon E. Cathcart

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sharon is the author of You Had to Be There

BB: Tell us what made you decide to write this particular story.

SC: I was reminiscing about the good ol'/bad ol' days with a group of friends on Facebook. A Portland nightclub where we all spent time, Satyricon, was about to be torn down to make room for condos and we were sharing stories. It occurred to me that I actually could write a book about it. So I did.

BB: Was it difficult to write, or did it all come to you at once?

SC: Some parts of it were really hard to talk about, such as domestic violence, youth homelessness and the like. It took me about six months, all told, to write the book.

BB: How did you come up with your character names?

SC: I changed some names to protect the not-at-all-innocent (or people with whom I was no longer in contact). Otherwise, I used first names for the most part.

BB: Do you prefer to write one genre or do you like to bounce around genres?

SC: I'm primarily an essayist, although I have done some fiction. This is the first real memoir I've done, although some of my essays have autobiographical content.

BB: Do you write the same genre that you prefer to read? If not, why?

SC: I'm incredibly eclectic in my reading habits, so I would be hard pressed to figure out an accurate answer. I love to read police procedurals, although I've never written one.

BB: How does your family feel about your writing? Friends?

SC: Everyone seems to be okay with it. So far.

BB: What is the craziest thing you've done to promote your book? Did it work?

SC: I had a release party for my historical fiction book in an absinthe bar. Several people said they'd be there; one friend actually showed.

BB: Have you been compared to any other authors? Do you agree with the comparison?

SC: If someone has compared me to another author, I'm blissfully unaware of it.

BB: Do you enjoy fanmail? If so, where do you prefer to get your fanmail?

SC: I get some very nice notes on my Facebook fan page from time to time. That would be the best place to send it. (fans can talk to Sharon on her facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-E-Cathcart/89114451914)

BB: Why should we read your book?

SC: If you want to know what it was like to be part of Portland's burgeoning music scene in the early 1980s, or if you were actually there and want to reminisce for yourself, this is the book for you.

BB: Thanks for sharing with us Sharon.

Sam I Am by Heather Killough-Walden

2011-04-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

Seventeen year-old Logan Wright has always turned to the make-believe world of her written words to escape the pain of her real life. Through her writing, she lives vicariously, creating gorgeous but dangerous male characters who hunt down, and fight for, their chosen mates. For a vice, it's a safe one. Normally.

However, this is October.

The moon is full, the cemetery is filled with mists, and the misspoken words of an ages-old spell have released an ancient force. It is shapeless - nameless. Until it happens upon the words of a beautiful young bard and takes the wickedly handsome form of one of her creations.

Now Logan finds herself the object of desire for a boy who appears to be everything she ever dreamed of. Sam Hain is tall, strong, and gorgeous. He wants her; there’s no denying that. So, what’s the problem?

Sam’s kisses come with sharp teeth – and a dark promise.

Logan, her friends, and her long-time crush must band together in order to save her from the force they unwittingly awakened. They have one month. And it’s going to be a long one.

Imogen's Review

Seventeen-year-old Logan Wright uses writing as an escape from her troubled family life into a make-believe world where her heroes are always perfect. On paper at least. When the Prince of Death is presented with a portal into Logan's world, he, through her stories, takes on a persona created by her imagination. And, of course, this creation, Sam Hain, is besotted with her and wants to make her his bride and carry her back with him to his world.

Heather Killough-Walden takes on a captivating and exciting ride. Her characters are well fleshed and likable. My only issue with the story was toward the end. *****SPOILER ALERT*****: After the Halloween dance, Sam Hain is apparently sent back through the portal and everything is back to normal again. Logan's bite marks disappear. All the people Sam murdered come to life again etc. However, we then find out that he is not been sent through after all. He has, in fact, possessed another student. So I wondered how everything got back to "normal" in that case? I am hoping that will be explained in book two, which I look forward to reading.

LINKS

Amazon

Blog

Free Fridays - 4/29/11

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest books offered for free on Amazon Kindle.

(prices are subject to change, so please check that the price is still at zero before one-clicking)

Summer 1792. Our favourite adventurer, Cat Royal, is sailing home from the Caribbean in the company of Billy Shepherd. They stumble into a mystery in the Azores involving stargazers, thieves and far too many wasps. A novella free to download.– A wonderful short novel by the prize winning author of The Diamond of Drury Lane series – perfect for girls aged 9 and above!

Hancock's intriguing Arena [BKL Ap 15 02] drew a great deal of praise for the originality and starkness of its alternative universe. In The Light of Eidon, she begins a fantasy series called Legends of the Guardian King that is more clearly a Christian allegory but is so crisscrossed with subplots and deceit that exactly where the light of Eidon shines may baffle the reader. It certainly baffles young Abramm Kalladorne, Hancock's hero. He is the little-valued fifth son of the king of Kiriath, a vivid kingdom that seems a bit like medieval England, with a bit of ancient Rome. Abramm is drawn to the religious life, but after eight years as a novitiate, he discovers that his spiritual leader is a fraud and that the true path to Eidon's light lies elsewhere. But upon leaving the monastery, he finds himself in the middle of court intrigues, and his brothers sell him into slavery in a faraway, barbarous land. For a while, Hancock's novel seems like a gladitorial epic, but then Eidon, or Jesus, makes his truths known. A great battle ensues, but victory is not complete and many questions remain. Readers will certainly return for the second installment.

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

Fallen From Grace A Bonus Dark Mirror Short Story

Allarde, a gorgeous, wealthy noble has hidden his true nature. Discover his diary and witness his sudden fall from grace.

And don’t miss Dark Mirror, on sale now.

Turned at dark A Bonus Shadow Falls Short Story

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang did not believe in ghosts, until she sees her dead cousin in a dark alley. She did not believe in vampires, until she turns into one. Should she follow her vampire cousin’s lead and walk away from everything she knows, or join Shadow Falls, a camp for special teens.

Don’t miss the first book in the Shadow Falls series, Born at Midnight, on sale March 2011

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Breakout Books has received a Stylish Blogger Award. A big thank you to Karen Wojcik Berner. Karen has been a writer/editor for 25 years, ten of which were spent in editing trade publications. A two-time Folio Magazine “Ozzie Award for Excellence in Magazine Editorial and Design” winner, her work also has appeared in The Chicago Tribune and countless regional newspapers. She has bachelor's degrees in English and communication arts and sciences. A Whisper to a Scream is her first novel. To learn more about Karen, please visit her website, Bibliophilic Blather .

For this award, I have to share seven things about myself, so here goes.

1. My favorite author is Steve Alten. We have emailed back and forth several times, which I consider to be a great honor. He is a really nice guy.

2. The only sport I like to watch on television is Nascar. And yes, I do consider it a sport.

3. My husband recently bought me a motorcycle which I will be learning to ride very soon. (probably within the next few days) We will be riding out to Sturgis together this year.

4. My mother was my best friend and I will miss her terribly. I'm pretty sure that when I say I had the best mother in the world, it's not just because I'm biased. She really was the best.

5. I have never had a speeding ticket in my entire life.

6. I think my home state of SD is the prettiest place on earth. (OK, with this, I am probably biased. LOL)

7. My favorite place to eat is Fusa. I love the walnut chicken and the coconut bubble tea.

Now, I pass the Stylish Blogger Award to the following blogs.

1. J.C. Phelps Blogspot

2. Two Ends of the Pen

3. Kip Poe's Blogspot

4. Spalding's Racket

5. Mindful Musings

6. Book Chat

7. Up Authors

Character Interview: Kiernan Kane from The Dragon's Eye

2011-04-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

KK: My name is Kiernan Kane. I am a wandering minstrel, and I have seen much of the world. I have sung in palaces and in marketplaces, for kings and commoners. I have a flair for the dramatic, and enjoy amusing people and making them laugh. I am in love with a wizardess, and although I believe she loves me in return, she refuses to admit it because she fears that she would be forced to watch me grow old and die while she stayed young and beautiful. However, there is more to me than meets the eye.

BB: What role do you play in your book? 

KK: I play the role of a minstrel. I tell stories, sing songs, and get swept up in an adventure with the other characters almost through complete chance. Or at least, that is what they all believe...

BB: How did you meet your author? 

KK: I was introduced to my author through inspiration she received from a song by Gordon Lightfoot called “Minstrel of the Dawn.” It inspired in her a desire to have a seemingly amusing, nonsensical character who was something of a troubadour, but ended up being far more than that in later books.

BB: Do you get along with your author? 

KK: We get along very well. However, I annoy her constantly by popping up in places where she did not intend for me to be yet, or by doing things she did not plan to have me do. I am the character that most often “writes himself” in her books. However, while she claims to be exasperated with me over this, I think she secretly enjoys the fact that I do some of the work for her!

BB: Is this your first role in a publication? 

KK: Yes.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books? 

KK: I do. And I have. I show up in the Prequel to this book, “Dawn of the Dragon’s Eye” and play an integral role in the two sequels, “Twilight of the Dragon’s Eye” and “The Minstrel.”

BB: Do you like how you were written?  

KK: I love it. I am acrobatic, fun-loving, hilarious and much deeper than I seem. Throughout the quadrilogy, I constantly get to annoy Brant (one of the other main characters) and he is often very close to furious with me... which I find to be great fun, and very useful. He is the sort of person who must do things because it is in his character to do them, and not because anyone tells him to.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book? 

KK: That is a difficult question to answer. I would have to say that the most interesting thing was the battle between Llycaelon and Aom-igh, and getting to witness first-hand the duel that ended the battle. But in addition to that, I got to travel with the Princess of Aom-igh, meet the last remaining wizardesses in the world, saw dragons return to the surface of Aom-igh after centuries of living below ground in great tunnels, and saw a king abdicate his throne to a young hero. There was plenty to keep me entertained throughout my journey.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why? 

KK: I would have to say Brant. He is the main character in this series, and while I do annoy him constantly, there is a brotherhood of shared experiences and mutual respect that grows between us throughout the series. I even get invited to his wedding in the third book!

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book? 

KK: I am not just a minstrel. But other than that, I can’t tell you anything that wouldn’t ruin the surprise at the end of the series.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended? 

KK: I am very satisfied with the way my story ends. I feel that it wraps up very nicely, and though there are struggles and tragedies and sorrows along the way, I do enjoy a story that ends well.

BB: Thank you for your time, Kiernan! If you would like to find out more about Kiernan, check out The Dragon's Eye by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.

Book Description: Ages ago, when Aom-igh was threatened by darkness, the dragons granted a powerful gift to King Llian. However, fearing that it would fall into evil hands when he died, the king hid the gift and it has lain undisturbed for half a millennia. Now Aom-igh is in danger again, and it is up to the Princess Kamarie; her eccentric maid, Darby; and the squire Oraeyn to seek out a way to save their kingdom. Their journey will take them far from home and close to danger, but if they succeed, they will join two worlds together.

One Dollar Wednesdays - 4/27/11

2011-04-27T06:00:00.001-07:00

At a time when society conforms to the strictest rules and most proper etiquette, sixteen-year-old Camille Kennecott and her guardian, Dr. Bennett, live a most unconventional life. They hunt werewolves.

When unwitting victim, Nathaniel Strider, wanders into one of their full moon pursuits, Camille and Dr. Bennett believe they have found a specimen for their study. Finding a scientific key to unlocking the mystery of lycanthropy would end their late night excursions. Yet beneath the irresistible exterior, Nathaniel is transforming into a flesh-tearing monster, and as each experiment fails, Camille loses another inch of her soul to him. In a month’s time, she must face the prospect of destroying the boy who has stolen her heart.

From New York Times bestselling author Michael Prescott comes RIPTIDE, a powerful new novel of psychological suspense.

Jennifer Silence reads between the lines. A psycholinguistic analyst, she studies documents written by murderers, teasing out hidden clues. But nothing in her life has prepared her for the document that is now in her hands. A leather-bound diary from a crumbling crypt.

The diary of Jack the Ripper.

If it is genuine, it suggests a troubling connection between Jennifer's family and history's most infamous serial killer. A connection that may explain her father's suicide ... and her brother's mental illness. A connection that may implicate her brother in a new rash of killings, and prove that the Ripper's spirit still prowls dark streets and alleys, taking lives ...

And the next victim may be Jennifer herself.

“It’s not easy to find a book that has it all: Love, Danger, Mystery, Romance, Sorrow, Happiness…I could go on and on, the point is that you can name any number of emotions or aspects that makes up a great book and Dead People has it!” – Evie, Paromantasy

"The story is entertaining, eye-widening, edge-your-seat thrilling and belly-laugh funny.” -Lis, Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

When Cassie Taylor talks, ghosts listen. She wants to heal their souls so they can leave earth. Brooding songwriter Luke Rivers wants to give his recently found daughter a normal home, but he discovers his new house in small town Wisconsin is haunted by a ghost with an attitude. Cassie has an attitude too — even before someone tries to kill her.

He wants conventional; she wants acceptance. No wonder she thinks men are hard and dead people are easy.

Twenty years ago, Susan Archer witnessed the brutal murder of her beloved twin brother.

Now, the murderer, Devin McCree, has returned. Although Devin is a “Deathwalker,” Susan soon discovers that he is not the monster she has feared for so long.

Leaving her old life behind, she joins Devin on his run from a crazed former-Nazi vampire hunter. Unwilling to let his love disappear, Michael soon follows.

Can Michael save Susan? Does she even need or want to be saved?

“Darklands: A Vampire’s Tale” is a violent tale of survival, bloodlust , and two people trying to hang on to the last shreds of their humanity, while teetering on the edge of immortality.

“Darklands: A Vampire’s Tale” is the first volume in the Darklands Vampire series.

When tall, dark, and mysterious Chaseyn Lear arrives in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado, high school senior Lia Jameson’s life is turned upside-down. An unexpected twist of fate unravels a long-time family curse that puts Lia in the center of a supernatural drama and threatens her life.

School teacher, Flora Owens thought she had the perfect life. Comfortable with being the least exciting, most organised and most predictable friend anyone could ever have, Flora was content until the morning she discovered her knickers had been stolen from the line again. She should have known it was an omen.

Now, the positive chi of her ordered world is in tatters. The Principal has broken his leg and been replaced by a man she thought she would never see again, a man she felt an instant and electric attraction to. The parents are complaining and her colleagues are behaving oddly. IN fact, she's so far in lust with her new boss she can't even think and it's doing very odd things to her behaviour as well. Things she would rather not contemplate.

Stalkers, saucy love affairs and a mild case of OCD.

Faustine by Imogen Rose

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Who is Faustine? When Faustine Spencer was five years old, she discovered a secret that changed her life forever. At twelve, her parents sent her to Bonfire Academy in Switzerland to ensure that she received the training needed to control her increasing powers. Three years later, Faustine returns to Manhattan. All she wants is to be a typical teenager, at least, one that's part of the in-crowd at her Upper East Side High School. When drop-dead gorgeous Ryker, her long-time crush from the Academy, finally notices her, she couldn't be happier. However, her desire for a normal life is shattered when her father, a prominent sovereign, disappears after naming her as his successor. Her siblings begin to disappear, and Faustine finds herself in the midst of a power struggle. With her life in danger, Faustine must learn to follow one of Bonfire Academy's most important rules: Trust no one.

About the Author: Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, the Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she's been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

Portal, Imogen's first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape.

The warm reception Portal received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. Book two (Equilibrium) and book three (Quantum) are now available. Book four, Momentum, will be available this summer. Faustine is Imogen's first book in her new series, the Bonfire Chronicles.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

Dawn's Review: I don't know how she does it, but Imogen outdoes herself which each new book. Faustine is, by far, my favorite IR book so far. I can begin to describe how much I loved it. It was very different from the Portal series, but in a good way. I loved the whole concept, and can't wait for the rest of the series.

Author Interview: Katherine Gilraine

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Katherine is the author of the Index series.

BB: Tell us what made you decide to write this particular story.

KG: If there's anything that fascinates me, it's how people interact. There is a lot of psychology to various situations and no two people are affected alike. Combined with my love of all things adventurous and mysterious, I couldn't help but ask myself, what would happen if I were to set my characters into these otherworldly places, and have them go through and grow as people within those places and situations.

BB: Was it difficult to write, or did it all come to you at once?

KG: It's a series, and a work in progress at all times as such. But I will say, every installment comes by itself. I set an arc, and I think of my characters' personalities. I let them drive the story, and before I know it, I have a word count!

BB: How did you come up with your character names?

KG: Randomly, honestly... Some names I hear, and twist them up a bit to adopt to a character. Others, I ask suggestions from friends, and others I toss out on a forum for the participants to name.

BB: Do you prefer to write one genre or do you like to bounce around genres?

KG: I blend crime-investigation and urban fantasy for the most part, and I stay within it.

BB: Do you write the same genre that you prefer to read? If not, why?

KG: Kind of, but not quite. My reading list is mostly history lately, and I love thrillers. Urban fantasy I read from time to time, but lately I'm on a Tudor history kick.

BB: How does your family feel about your writing? Friends?

KG: My friends are absolutely amazing when it comes to my writing! Every November, come NaNoWriMo, they expect me to hole up and look forward to me pinging them for opinions on the new plotlines.

BB: What is the craziest thing you've done to promote your book? Did it work?

KG: I wrote the next installment at a jazz show! And yes, it worked. The artists and fellow attendees alike would ask me what I was doing, and before I knew it, I had people asking me where they can get a copy.

BB: Have you been compared to any other authors? Do you agree with the comparison?

KG: I was compared, very erroneously, to Stephenie Meyer, because I have a vampiric character. I completely disagree, because not only does the genre doesn't come close, but I base my characters' skills and abilities on Celtic and Pagan legends, as opposed to a dream as in her case.

BB: Do you enjoy fanmail? If so, where do you prefer to get your fanmail?

KG: I do, and I prefer it via email. It actually allows me to get back to my readers! (Katherine can be reached at k.gilraine@gmail.com or visit her site at http://www.katherinegilraine.com)

BB: Why should we read your book?

KG: You know, of all the questions to answer, this is never an easy one for an author. :) But, to be frank, my story should be read because it contains something that everyone can relate to. Questions of friendships, loyalty, which decision to make, which action to take - all those questions that define us as people are questions that my characters ask of themselves. We grow as people, and so do they - just on other planets and with abilities that humans only dream about.

BB: Thanks for your time Katherine. We enjoyed talking to you.

Being Light by Helen Smith

2011-04-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

When Roy Travers doesn’t come home his wife begins to suspect he has been abducted by aliens, and she enlists the help of a private detective to find him. But Roy was not taken by aliens. The truth is far stranger.

Imogen's Review

When Roy Travers floats away in a bouncy castle and then wakes up in the care of a stranger, he assumes that he has died and gone to heaven. His wife, Sheila, assumes that aliens have abducted him. So, in addition to taking to wearing aluminum wrapping at the tip of her ears (to ensure that she makes herself available to any extraterrestrial messages) she also enlists the help of a private investigator, Alison (from Alison Wonderland), to help her track him down.

Helen Smith takes on an amusing journey into the minds of her absurd, colorful characters. This is a fun read that kept me on my toes. This is not a book I felt I could put down and then easily pick up again, simply because of the POV changes. The voice changed often and sometimes unexpectedly, from paragraph to paragraph. So, I read it in two sittings and enjoyed it immensely.

About Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a member of the Society of Authors and the Writers Guild of Great Britain. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both - from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant - before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel, which was published by Gollancz (an imprint of the Hachette Group). She writes novels, children's books, poetry, plays and screenplays and was the recipient of an Arts Council of England Award. She's a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories.

She is currently under commission to write a play in 2011 and has a pilot for a TV series in development. She's also working on a new novel. She likes knitting but she doesn't like driving. She likes dancing.

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Free Fridays - 4/22/11

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest books offered for free on Amazon Kindle. (prices are subject to change, so please check that the price is still at zero before one-clicking)

Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando -- a James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home. This time, Lawson has been given an easy assignment, a “dead drop.” That is until an old enemy returns…

When Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass, little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure. Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. Full of twists and turns, talking ravens and mischievous Spriggans, 'The Golden Acorn' is a hugely entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author. Your kids will love it, and so will you! This brilliant story deservedly won the Brit Writers' Awards 2010 for unpublished writers and has now been published by Infinite Ideas. The much awaited sequel 'Glasruhen Gate' is out this February.

There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them. When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her. Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....

Every year, professor of antiquities Jack Hawthorne looks forward to the winter break as a time to hide away from his responsibilities. Even if just for a week or two. But this year, his plans are derailed when he's offered almost a blank check from a man chasing a rumor. Billionaire Gordon Reese thinks he knows where the bones of the prophet Elisha are--bones that in the Old Testament brought the dead back to life. A born skeptic, Jack doesn't think much of the assignment but he could use the money, so he takes the first step on a chase for the legendary bones that will take him to the very ends of the earth. But he's not alone. Joined with a fiery colleague, Esperanza Habilla, they soon discover clues to a shadowy organization whose long-held secrets have been protected . . . at all costs. As their lives are threatened again and again, the real race is to uncover the truth before those chasing them hunt them down.

Orphaned sisters Christy and May Williams have chosen very different paths after the sudden death of their parents 15 years earlier. Christy retreats into alcohol and abusive relationships, while younger sister May tries her hand at running a ranch. When the death of a close relative brings the two estranged sisters together, internal pain resurfaces that cannot be ignored by either one. Slowly, amid violence and false accusations, Christy moves toward May, emotionally and spiritually, as both young women discover the possibility of second chances.

The story you are about to read features James Enge’s wondrous character, Morlock Ambrosius. Morlock is a swordsman, an exile, a hunchback, a drunk, and a wizard, though he himself would use the term “Maker” and say he is a master of the two arts, Seeing and Making. James Enge’s tales of Morlock the Maker have appeared in Black Gate magazine, in the anthology Swords & Dark Magic, and elsewhere, and Morlock features in the novels Blood of Ambrose, This Crooked Way, and The Wolf Age. In honor of this burgeoning Morlock fan base, and to commemorate The Wolf Age’s status as Pyr’s one-hundredth title, Pyr is issuing a free, exclusive, ePub novelette called “Travellers' Rest.” Featuring a cover by artist Chuck Lukacs, “Travellers' Rest” is an 8,500 word original novelette, written for Pyr, which takes place before the events of Blood of Ambrose. Enge describes “Traveller's Rest” as “a story that's been trying to chew its way out of my head for a while now, and this seemed like a good time to release it as an introduction to Morlock. Also, Morlock’s apprentice Wyrth has a small but discerning fan base, and ‘Traveller's Rest’ gives them a chance to encounter him again.”If you are new to Morlock, it should make a fine introduction to Enge’s creation, and if you are not, you will be pleased to see the return of at least one old friend. Either way, we hope that you enjoy it.The story you are about to read features James Enge’s wondrous character, Morlock Ambrosius. Morlock is a swordsman, an exile, a hunchback, a drunk, and a wizard, though he himself would use the term “Maker” and say he is a master of the two arts, Seeing and Making. James Enge’s tales of Morlock the Maker have appeared in Black Gate magazine, in the anthology Swords & Dark Magic, and elsewhere, and Morlock features in the novels Blood of Ambrose, This Crooked Way, and The Wolf Age. In honor of this burgeoning Morlock fan base, and to commemorate The Wolf Age’s status as Pyr’s one-hundredth title, Pyr is issuing a free, exclusive, ePub novelette called “Travellers' Rest.” Featuring a cover by artist Chuck Lukacs, “Travellers' Rest” is an 8,500 word original novelette, written for Pyr, which takes place before the events of Blood of Ambrose. Enge describes “Traveller's Rest” as “a story that's been trying to chew its way out of my head for a while now, and this seemed like a good time to release it as an introduction to Morlock. Also, Morlock’s apprentice Wyrth has a small but discerning fan base, and ‘Traveller's Rest’ gives them a chance to encounter him again.”If you are new to Morlock, it should make a fine introduction to Enge’s creation, and if you are not, you will be pleased to see the return of at least one old friend. Either way, we hope that you enjoy it.

Island Life by William Meikle

2011-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

An archaeological expedition is intent on opening an old barrow on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides despite the reservations of the locals, who all know and fear the old stories. The scientists unleash a colony of murderous monsters from deep under the earth. As the released creatures swamp the island, slaughtering livestock and people alike, the humans must band together to combat it with few resources save their courage and wits.

About the Author: I'm Willie, a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries, the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others. My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies.

My current best seller is THE INVASION, a sci-fi alien invasion tale with mass carnage, plucky survivors, and last minute rescues. It has been as high as #2 in the Kindle > science fiction charts. (and #4 in Kindle > horror ). Please check it out.

I've been asked many times why I write what I do. I choose to write mainly at the pulpy end of the market, populating my stories with monsters, myths, men who like a drink and a smoke, and more monsters. People who like this sort of thing like it.

I've also been criticised for it by people who don't get it. Willie Meikle is..."the author of the most cliched, derivative drivel imaginable...the critical acclaim he receives from his peers is virtually non-existent." is only one of the responses I've had.

Now, I don't write for the critical acclaim of my peers. I couldn't give a toss what other writers think of me. I'm writing for two reasons... myself and a readership. Posterity, if there is one, can decide on whether it's any good or not. Besides, the harder I work at it making my writing accessible, the more readers I get, so I'm doing something right.

But that's still not why I do it. My pat answer has always been the same. "I like monsters."

But it goes deeper than that.

I write to escape.

I grew up on a West of Scotland council estate in a town where you were either unemployed or working in the steelworks, and sometimes both. Many of the townspeople led hard, miserable lifes of quiet, and sometimes not so quiet desperation. I was relatively lucky in that both my parents worked, but I spent a lot of time alone or at my grandparent's house.

My Granddad was housebound, and a voracious reader. I got the habit from him, and through him I discovered the Pan Books of Horror and Lovecraft, but I also discovered westerns, science fiction, war novels and the likes of Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Alistair MacLean, Dennis Wheatley, Nigel Tranter, Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov. When you mix all that together with DC Comics, Tarzan, Gerry Anderson and Dr Who then, later on, Hammer and Universal movies on the BBC, you can see how the pulp became embedded in my psyche.

When I was at school these books and my guitar were all that kept me sane in a town that was going downhill fast. The steelworks shut and employment got worse. I -could- have started writing about that, but why bother? All I had to do was walk outside and I'd get it slapped in my face. That horror was all too real.

So I took up my pen and wrote. At first it was song lyrics, designed (mostly unsuccessfully) to get me closer to girls.

I tried my hand at a few short stories but had no confidence in them and hid them away. And that was that for many years.

I didn't get the urge again until I was past thirty and trapped in a very boring job. My home town had continued to stagnate and, unless I wanted to spend my whole life drinking (something I was actively considering at the time), returning there wasn't an option.

As I said before, I write to escape.

My brain needed something, and writing gave it what was required. That point, back nearly twenty years ago, was like switching on an engine, one that has been running steadily ever since.

And most of the time, the things that engine chooses to give me to write are very pulpy.

I think you have to have grown up with pulp to -get- it. A lot of writers have been told that pulp=bad plotting and that you have to have deep psychological insight in your work for it to be valid. They've also been told that pulp=bad writing, and they believe it. Whereas I remember the joy I got from early Moorcock, from Mickey Spillane and further back, A E Merritt and H Rider Haggard. I'd love to have a chance to write a Tarzan, John Carter, Allan Quartermain, Mike Hammer or Conan novel, whereas a lot of writers I know would sniff and turn their noses up at the very thought of it.

I write to escape.

I haven't managed it yet, but I'm working on it

Dawn's Review:
I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. It was gripping right from the beginning and held on until the end. I loved the way William sprinkled the backstory throughout the book, giving us an inside look at the bad guys. But just enough without taking away the mystery and fear they evoked. Which is of course what I loved most about it. Horror. My favorite genre. This was the first book I read by William Meikle, but I can assure you it won't be the last.

One Dollar Wednesdays - 4/20/11

2011-04-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

Nicole Baxter has always tried to control every element of her life, but that control is slipping away. She has issues. Abandonment issues. Marital issues. Conception issues. And she thinks her house in the hills is haunted. It doesn't help that her husband Truman spleunks and climbs, making her worry more with each adventure he takes. As the two grow apart, Nicole makes decisions that may ultimately shatter her fragile marriage. Her life changes on the afternoon she receives a phone call from the harbor. During a scuba dive, Truman disappears. No one -- not his diving instructor, not the Coast Guard -- can find him. Is he still alive? Or is grief making her believe the impossible?

A man learns a painful and valuable lesson... one finger at a time. An old couple bickers over disgusting leftovers. Kids go ignored when they tell their parents about the horrors that lurk in their bedrooms, until it's too late... LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES is a collection of 25 100-word shorts that range from darkly comic to downright terrifying and wrong. Some shorts feature ghouls and monsters while others are simply about people behaving very, very badly. Which is scarier? Find out in this sick and twisted collection. They may only be a few words long, but that doesn't lessen the bloodshed any... A sinister puppet finally makes a new friend. A man learns about his bleak future. A killer has another painful lesson to teach. From the author of LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES comes this terrifying and amusing follow-up. 30 100-word shorts about horrible ghouls, monsters and deranged, bloodthirsty lunatics. In these drabbles, you'll run into kid-hungry goblins, sadistic dolls, zombies and psychopaths who believe that violence can solve just about anything. Disgusting, creepy and darkly comic, LESSONS II: ANOTHER MORBID DRABBLE COLLECTION is bound to entertain, as well as horrify. There's always time for another lesson... Features bonus story by David McAfee, from his horror collection DEVIL MUSIC AND 18 OTHER STORIES.

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Moon has been dreaming of her murder her entire life, and in those dreams, a dark presence is there, watching. When she returns home to Hauser’s Landing, the very place her father disappeared, she comes in contact with a gorgeous boy named Lev Walker, and it’s not long before she’s falling in love. But there’s something wrong with Lev. When she realizes he’s the eerie watcher in her dreams, she’ll have to discover the truth. Is he a guardian angel or a sojourner, an angel of death who has come to collect her soul? Book One of the Sojourner Series

To Harvey Doyle, law-abiding vampire and civil servant, Christmas represents no more than an inconvenient disruption of his routine. When he receives a nearly-dead elf during the office gift exchange, he discovers the true meaning of disruption. Bowe Winderowe, elven assassin and convicted felon, has been ordered to serve the remainder of her sentence dressed as Santa’s slutty little helper. Her condemners, required to offer her a chance at redemption, claim they’ll revoke the execution order if she can awaken the Christmas spirit in the saddest excuse for a bloodsucker she’s ever seen. Since Bowe doesn’t believe in death-averting Christmas miracles any more than Harvey does, she’s determined to spend her final twenty-four hours teaching him how to live… whether he likes it or not.

A murder by beheading sends Alice Harte, reluctant real estate broker for thugs, running into the arms of Nigel Channing, a charming British con man. This comedy mystery, the first in a series of criminally funny fables, is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat. Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter. After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desperate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.

Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met. Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...

Character Interviews: Vyktor Petrov of Reining In

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Author Name: Dawn Judd

Book Title: Reining In

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

VP: My name is Vyktor Petrov. I am a vampire. I've spent the last few hundred years tracking down the vampire that killed my wife and unborn child. She will pay for what she did.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

VP: Apparently I'm the bad guy. I don't get it. I'm the one that was wronged. Why do I have to be the bad guy?

BB: How did you meet your author?

VP: I think she thought me up while looking for a scapegoat. Really. I mean, why did she think everyone would hate me after what happened to me?

BB: Do you get along with your author?

VP: Are you kidding? You should see the things she does to me. My life sucks because of her.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

VP: I guess. Supposedly there's supposed to be a prequel, so I suppose I'll make an appearance there. But I don't know. I'm pretty put out with how this one went.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

VP: Well that would be kind of difficult since she killed me off in this one, wouldn't it? But you know, even death can't keep me from exacting my revenge. Mark my words.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

VP: Not even a little bit. I'm not really a bad guy. I just want the people who took my family away to pay for it. Why is that so wrong?

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

VP: Besides dying? I suppose going to Egypt was pretty interesting. Although nobody tells you about my trip. Kicked to the backburner as usual.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

VP: Claire. For many reasons. She's good to me. She would never betray me like other people I know. She tells me things; things about the future. I feel like she would do anything to protect me.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

VP: Besides the fact that I'm not as evil as everyone makes me out to be? No, not really.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

VP: HA. I lost my head. How would you feel? You people are sick. I'm outta here.

BB: Well then. It was "nice" getting to know more about you Vyktor. To learn more about Vyktor and his family secrets, check out Reining In.

Book Description: Khalida is a five thousand year old vampire. As technology and national security become more prominent, it becomes harder and harder for her to hide her secret from the world. In order to remain undetected by humans, she creates a network of people whose only job is to hide her identity. But these aren't just any group of people. They are the best of the best, brought to her by chance; tied to her by a bond stronger than any she's ever known before. Being discovered by the human world isn't Khalida's only concern, however. She has made enemies in the vampire world. When she makes a mistake that exposes her to those who want to take revenge on her, she is tossed into a whirlwind of death and destruction. She has to find out who is killing the humans who have become her family, and save those who remain. Khalida has spent her entire life trying to protect the people she loves, but ultimately, she will have to decide between the ghosts of her past and the people who have put their lives on the line for her. Her decision may haunt her for the rest of her life.

Free Fridays 4/15/11

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest books offered for free on Amazon Kindle.

(prices are subject to change, so please check that the price is still at zero before one-clicking)

The death of a fellow NCIS agent in North Carolina leads Will Coburn and his special team of naval crime-scene investigators to discover a drug-and-arms smuggling ring. The investigation leads them to a U.S. military base in South Korea. When a body is stolen from a crime scene, the team discovers that their suspect is not who he seems. Nuclear weapons have gone missing, and it's a race against time as the NCIS team uncovers the true face of evil.

Passion turns to envy. Love to murder. One way or another, everyone is spoilt. A sadistic killer is stalking the streets, carving his hatred into the bodies of beautiful, young women. The murders are stirring up bad memories for Detective Lucas Huson, as he struggles to remain focused - juggling the horrors of today with horrors from the past. When Chelsea Summerville's best friend goes missing, she's unwillingly dragged into the race to stop the killer. As Lucas and Chelsea find happiness together, Chelsea becomes the hunted rather than the hunter. Can Lucas shake off his demons and save the woman he loves, or will everything he holds dear be spoilt?

Two is trapped: hooked on heroin, held as property, forced to sell her body to feed the addiction. Time brings her ever closer to what seems an inevitable death and Two waits, uncaring, longing only for the next fix. That’s when Theroen arrives, beckoning to his Ferrari and grinning his inscrutable grin. He is handsome. Confident. Eager to help lift her out of the life that’s grinding her down. The only problem? Theroen is a vampire. His blood can cure her addiction, grant her powers she has never had, change her forever into something greater than she was. But when he sinks his teeth into her neck, Theroen also thrusts Two into a world of danger, violence, madness and despair. The powerful, twisted elder Abraham will use her arrival to shatter the uneasy peace that exists in his mansion, bringing an end to the dark game he has been playing for centuries.

Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking? # 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy. # 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase. So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2? When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an "After School Special," SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides. Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other's opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

New York City is in the grasp of a deadly, unseen enemy. At least unseen by normal society. Lieutenant Jess Vandermire, New York City police officer, is uniquely specialized to recognize and fight this threat. It’s her job to forge a black ops team, an assortment of men and women who wouldn’t be considered for the job under normal circumstances. But these aren’t normal circumstances. The team has to be tough and, if need be, expendable. Jess understands what she’s fighting and what’s at stake. For her, it’s all about retribution until ex-cop John Brittain is recruited to her team. Suddenly, her priorities aren’t quite so easily definable. John Brittain has a chip on his shoulder and is as tough as they come. But is he ready for the whole truth? That combating “super” vampires whose primal need for blood and the addictive drug “Sunshine” is only the beginning of their problems? And when Jess tells him the truth about herself, will he stay and fight or will he turn against her and not only threaten their lives but destroy the fragile relationship developing between them?

Character Interviews: Gilbert Rochambeau of In the Eye of the Beholder

2011-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

GR: My name is Gilbert Rochambeau; I'm from the Camargue, in the south of France. The Camargue is famous for its white horses and black bulls, both of which I know something about.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

GR: I start out as valet to Francois Delacroix, but eventually become majordomo for his cousin, Claire Delacroix.

BB: How did you meet your author?

GR: I started out as a minor character in the story, but I would not be quiet and so she wrote more about me.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

GR: I think she has a crush on me.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

GR: Yes.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

GR: I will be back in the sequel, "In The Eye of The Storm."

BB: Do you like how you were written?

GR: Yes; I wound up being much more brave than I thought I would be.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

GR: Moving from Paris to London, where I learn a great deal about myself.

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

GR: Claire. I am in love with her, but no one can know; she is married to Erik LeMaitre.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

GR: My leg was injured in a freak accident while I was out riding on our family's cattle ranch. That is why I walk with a cane.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

GR: Optimistic, because there is more to come.

BB: Thank you Gilbert. Hope to hear more about you soon.

To learn more about Gilbert Rochambeau check out In the Eye of the Beholder by Sharon E. Cathcart.

Book Description: When French equestrian Claire Delacroix loses her fiancé in a tragic accident, she comes to live at the Paris Opera during its 1890s heyday. Life is not easy for a woman in fin de siècle France, where her rights are determined by a male guardian. Claire, both intelligent and independent, chafes under the strictures of her time. Whilst working at the opera, she meets a mysterious, masked stranger: Erik. Is it possible that the two of them will heal the pain of each other's past?

One Dollar Wednesdays - 4/13/11

2011-04-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

After being forced to kill her own son, Khalida begins to spiral into a deep depression. With Jake gone and the Network in danger of falling apart, she runs away from Mack and everyone else she loves, hoping that they will be safer without her near. However, Fate has something else in mind for Khalida, and soon she learns that Vyktor had a secret that he was keeping from her. His secret becomes her chance at redemption. But atonement doesn't come without a price. She will have to risk everything to find the answers to the mysterious events surrounding her. Has Vyktor come back from the dead to exact his revenge? The only way to find out is for Khalida to face her fears. She must fight the monster that haunts her and save the one person that holds the key to her past. Rae Wilder has problems.... Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control. Young Adult: British English (BrE) Over fifty million people died when the Spanish Flu swept the globe in 1918. The virus attacked the young and healthy, dealing a crippling blow to a world still reeling from the horrors of the First World War. It wormed its way into communities large and small, killing mercilessly, before abruptly vanishing without a trace in the summer of 1920. That was then. In 2005, scientists completed sequencing the genetic code of the Spanish Flu. The following year, they infected monkeys with a reanimated strain of the very same virus. The monkeys exhibited classic symptoms of the 1918 Spanish Flu. Then they died. This is now. In the course of a routine transfer between government facilities, a team of ruthless mercenaries intercepts a supply of a highly engineered Spanish Flu virus. Gage Mercer, the future son in law of a deranged billionaire, finds himself drawn into a plot to trigger the extinction of the human race through a deliberate release of the virus. This could be the future. Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae's busy, but orderly life as a Maryland lawyer takes a chaotic turn when two clients are accused of murder. A poor, black girl is accused of killing her mother. A young man suspected of embezzlement is accused of murdering his boss. The cases collide in a bizarre way involving girl gangs and computer pornography. Sam ventures into the heart of DC's suburban ghettos to find answers. A maniacal killer who'll do anything to hide them stalks her. After a nearly disastrous confrontation, Sam must do business on the run. As the body count grows, Sam races to learn the truth and clear her clients before she becomes the next victim.

A power kept secret for 2000 years. A brotherhood broken by murder. A woman who stands to lose everything. When Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, the Apostles took stones from his tomb as a symbol of their brotherhood. At Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit empowered the stones and the Apostles performed miracles in God’s name throughout the Empire. Forged in the fire and blood of the Christian martyrs, the Pentecost stones were handed down through generations of Keepers who kept their power and locations secret. Until now. The Keepers are being murdered, the stones stolen by those who would use them for evil in a world transformed by religious fundamentalism. Oxford University psychologist Morgan Sierra is forced into the search when her sister and niece are held hostage. She is helped by Jake Timber from the mysterious ARKANE, a British government agency specializing in paranormal and religious experience. From ancient Christian sites in Spain, Italy and Israel to the far reaches of Iran and Tunisia, Morgan and Jake must track down the stones through the myths of the early church in a race against time before a new Pentecost is summoned, this time powered by the fire of evil.

Books Under a Dollar - 4/12/11

2011-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hollowland - the first book in the young adult dystopian series The Hollows.. "This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door." Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies. This is a young adult title with some language, violence, and mild sexual situations recommended for ages sixteen and up. When high school student Derrick Booker, the only black student at a posh Orange County high school, is accused of killing his white girlfriend, ex-college football hero and detective Jim Knighthorse is hired to dig a little deeper into the murder. It doesn't take long for Knighthorse to realize that not all is as it seems at tranquil Huntington High, from a band director who preys on the innocent to a vice-principal with a secret agenda of her own. Not to mention someone's hired a professional killer to keep Knighthorse permanently off the case. As the investigation continues, Knighthorse's personal life is shattered by the discovery of new evidence relating to his mother's unsolved murder, a murder dating back twenty years. Reeling from the discovery, a determined Jim Knighthorse sets out to bring two killers to justice.

“We vampires are focused and tend to shape our own realities.” My name is Katrina Rawlings, and I am a vampire. I declare that with neither pride nor ego. I am simply nature’s most dangerous predator. On occasion, it’s a very valuable quality. It helped me protect Caleb Taylor one day when he was very young. But that single, traumatic day is behind him now; wiped from his memory, or so I hope. Caleb has finally matured into a rather striking young man, and believe me, I like what I see. I’ll readily admit that there are issues for us to confront and overcome, though a sense of mutual commitment isn’t one of them. I’m feeling hopeful for our future together, in fact. But an adversary from my past has returned to haunt me, and she’s trying to get back at me through Caleb. That was her first...and last...mistake. I’ll protect my Caleb at all costs, and I’ll make her regret the day she was born. So, I suppose that I’m not just a vampire. I’m about to become someone’s worst nightmare!

Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part. Alyssa was having the worst day of her life: she just lost her job, her friend ditched her, and while walking home, she was brutally mugged. Beaten, bloody, and moments from death, she thought her life was over, but this was only the beginning. Rescued by the most unlikely hero, Lysander, a two thousand year old vampire, Alyssa is initiated into a frightening, eternally dark world she never knew existed. Stricken with cravings of blood, and forced leave behind all she knew, Alyssa is struggling with the change. And Lysander, her sexy but aloof sire, is the only one who can help guide her. There's no turning back now. It's either, Carpe Noctem, or final death.

When tall, dark, and mysterious Chaseyn Lear arrives in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado, high school senior Lia Jameson’s life is turned upside-down. An unexpected twist of fate unravels a long-time family curse that puts Lia in the center of a supernatural drama and threatens her life.

Books Under a Dollar - 4/10/11

2011-04-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin. Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend. Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life! Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand. The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch. Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world. When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim. Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full. As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

When she isn't getting into trouble with her oddball companions—a vicious pair of bunny slippers and a frustrated ghost who haunts her sports car—hot-tempered witch Jazz Tremaine earns money lifting hexes and driving limos for Southern California's All Creatures Limo Service. When the vampire cop she's loved and hated for centuries, Nikolai Gregorivich, seeks her help in catching a serial vampire slayer, Jazz fends him off to focus on her own problems (the sleazeball limo service owner; a client who generates supernaturally disgusting odors). She can't resist her sexy vamp lover for long, though, especially as clues in the killings point to an evil figure from her past. With clever writing, a high sensuality factor and an unfettered imagination, Wisdom makes a sparkling entry into lite urban paranormals.

Foxy Anders has a list of problems as long as a shopping spree receipt from Neiman Marcus. She’s a retail spender with no money to spare and a former beauty queen with no man in her life. After a nightmare divorce she’s left with one asset, a building off Washington, D.C.’s classy DuPont Circle. By turning the ground floor into an antique shop, Foxy figures she has an excuse to spend money … that she doesn’t have. Foxy also has a teenaged daughter, Amanda, who likes to blog secretly about her biggest problem – Foxy. At least, she thinks Foxy is her biggest problem. But that’s all about to change when she hooks up with Nick, a cute guy at school who evidently has a gift for attracting older women. Amanda just doesn’t know HOW much older they really are. When Foxy rents the garden apartment to stylish, shoe-fettishista Knot, who turns out to have a knack for talking wealthy Washington A-listers into Foxy’s antiques, it looks as if Foxy will make it on her own after all. Except that Knot is also a genius at creating problems … in his love life. They’re a quirky threesome to be sure, but when mysterious, bumbling, Myron Standlish arrives on the scene with a suitcase full of Yiddish-isms, he brings along his own set of problems, larger and stranger than all of theirs put together. Oy vey. How will Myron’s personal journey affect their lives? Well … that’s Foxy’s Tale. A comic, chick lit, coming-of-age, vampire tale (sort of) where family triumphs over adversity and mother and daughter learn how to face the world as grownups – together.

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Books Under a Dollar - 4/8/11

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

School is over for the summer! All Jared wants to do is sleep, swim, and delve into as many computer and video games as possible. Life has other plans for him, however, and everything transforms one fateful afternoon when Jared accompanies his mom to an antique shop. He is inexplicably attracted to a magnificent silver dragon statue with eyes that glow like precious rubies. When Jared brings the statue home, he initiates a chain of events that catapults him and his friends Griffin and Chase into a great adventure solving the mystery of the crimson-eyed dragon. Joined by Chase’s sister Amber, the teens discover that the statue holds a vital clue to the previous owner’s life. They embark on an innocent quest, but the secrets that unfold lead them into unimaginable danger that could ultimately destroy all of their lives.

Every choice is played out in a world unto itself, and so the only Nathan who needs to be saved is the only one who can’t be. A supernatural spirit holds all of these worlds together, bending fate from her place outside of time. When eighteen-year-old Nathan Wheeler sacrifices himself to provide for his orphaned sister, this entrancing spirit goes back to when the death of his mother forced him to quit college and attempts to make his life better before his inevitable death. But for all she knows about the future, assuming human form is not as easy as she thought it would be, and getting close to Nathan comes with consequences she could never expect. Inevitable is approximately 61,000 words long. The second book in the trilogy, Impossible, is now available on Amazon.com!

Since her divorce a year ago, Susan Caraway has gone through the motions of life. Now she is finally coming out of her shell. Just when she decides on a makeover and a new career, her family members decide she's crisis central. First there’s her sister DeLorean who has come back from California with a baby, a designer dog, and no prospects for child support or a job. As soon as DeLorean settles in at Susan’s home, Susan’s son Christian returns from college trailing what Susan’s mama refers to as “an androgynous little tart.” Then there’s Mama herself, a southern lady who wrote the book on bossy. A secret from Mama’s past threatens to unravel her own peace. But not before Mama hurts her ankle and has to move into Susan’s home with her babies—two Chihuahuas with attitude. Susan would like to start her new job as a ghost tour operator. She would like to renew her relationship with Jack Maxwell, a man from her past. But Jack isn’t going to stand in line behind her needy family.

Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins comes up against her long-time nemesis, The Unicorn. After leading Simpkins and her partner into a trap, in which Pete is killed, Lorne comes to the conclusion the criminal is obtaining insider information, enabling him to stay one step ahead of them. Can Lorne uncover who the mole is before The Unicorn harms her daughter? Film lover Barbara Marr is a typical suburban mom living the typical suburban life in her sleepy little town of Rustic Woods, Virginia. Typical, that is until she sets out to find the missing link between a bizarre monkey sighting in her yard and the bone chilling middle-of-the-night fright fest at the strangely vacant house next door. When Barb talks her two friends into some seemingly innocent Charlie’s Angels-like sleuthing, they stumble upon way more than they bargained for and uncover a piece of neighborhood history that certain people would kill to keep on the cutting room floor. Enter sexy PI Colt Baron, Barb’s ex-boyfriend who would love to be cast as new leading man, filling the role just vacated by her recently estranged husband, Howard. When Colt flies in from out of town to help Barb, events careen out of control and suddenly this mini-van driving mother of three becomes a major player in a treacherous and potentially deadly FBI undercover operation. It’s up to her now. With little time to spare, she and she alone, must summon the inner strength necessary to become a true action heroine and save the lives of those she loves. The question is can she get them out alive before the credits roll?

Character Interviews: Alexis Stanton of Color Me Grey

2011-04-06T12:19:00.001-07:00

BB: Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

AS: My name is Alexis Stanton but I prefer to be called Alex. I used to be a data processor but just recently quit my job in favor of something much more exciting.

BB: What role do you play in your book?

AS: Well, I'm the main character. The book revolves around me, for the most part.

BB: How did you meet your author?

AS: I just popped into her head one day while she was reading another book.

BB: Do you get along with your author?

AS: Of course I do. She wants to BE me so why wouldn't I like my author. It's nice to be envied from afar.

BB: Is this your first role in a publication?

AS: Yes.

BB: Do you plan on returning in other books?

AS: Yes. I am already out there in two other books, Shades of Grey and Reflections of Grey. My author is working on another in the series, but I've been absent lately and just don't feel like sharing all of my private and inner most feelings right now.

BB: Do you like how you were written?

AS: For the most part. My author could have kept some of my failings in the background. No one wants the whole world to know when you're being petty or selfish.

BB: What is the most interesting thing that happened to you in this book?

AS: I got to go cave diving!

BB: Who is your favorite character in your book, besides yourself? Why?

AS: My best friend, Colin, is always my favorite. But he was my favorite before the book so I'll say Mr. White. He's a bit scary and quite a challenge to get to know.

BB: Is there anything we should know about you that we haven't been told in your book?

AS: Not really. My author doesn't hide much of my feelings or actions. Even if I'd like her to be more discrete, she isn't.

BB: How do you feel about the way your story ended?

AS: My story hasn't ended. It has just begun!

BB: Thanks for spending time with us Alexis. Good luck in your future adventures!

For more on Alexis Stanton and her story, check out Color Me Grey by J.C. Phelps.

Description: Meet Alexis Stanton, a 5' 4" petite young woman with a yen for adventure. She grew up as a tomboy wishing she could have all the adventures boys could have. She has since decided that being a boy instead of a girl has its advantages, but being a woman is much better. Raised in a family with money, she was able to pick and choose her education. She had been schooled in everything from being a lady to courses with Special Forces instructors. Her desire for adventure and her boredom with her current employment and a strange 'HELP WANTED' ad causes her to quit. She finds that job she could "just die for"... and it looks like she just might!

Books Under a Dollar - 4/6/11

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Alexis Stanton, a 5' 4" petite young woman with a yen for adventure. She grew up as a tomboy wishing she could have all the adventures boys could have. She has since decided that being a boy instead of a girl has its advantages, but being a woman is much better. Raised in a family with money, she was able to pick and choose her education. She had been schooled in everything from being a lady to courses with Special Forces instructors. Her desire for adventure and her boredom with her current employment and a strange 'HELP WANTED' ad causes her to quit. She finds that job she could "just die for"... and it looks like she just might! A creepy mansion house might not be everyone's idea of the perfect vacation, but to Ashlyn it's exactly the peace and solitude she's been looking for. Arriving in the middle of a thunderstorm, she imagines Dracula coming to greet her but has no such luck. As the storm passes, she heads out into the moonlit garden and discovers a mysterious man, handsome enough to rival Dracula. Tristan is as otherworldly as they come. With an old way of speaking and antiquated dress, his aura of mystery is only enhanced by the fact he claims to know Ashyln and only appears at night. Spending her days thinking about him, Ashlyn realises that she does know his face, but she can't remember where she's seen him before. One fateful evening, she's walking the grounds of the house when she comes across a statue in the garden and the mystery of Tristan is revealed when the moonlight touches it. When he explains that he was cursed centuries ago by a relative of hers because he didn't love her and that it was Ashlyn's touch years ago that made him able to walk under moonlight, Ashlyn decides to do everything in her power to free him, even if that means falling in love again.

The World is at risk; not the ordinary risk seen every night on prime time news, but a horrific one that portends the possibility of total annihilation. Mysterious but silent objects have been found buried deep in the murky depths of the ocean. However, something has suddenly happened. These objects wake up and start sending messages to outer space. Mike, pulled back into a clandestine world that he thought he had left behind to help decipher these messages, is attacked by gangs of ordinary looking Americans and must fight for his very life. Who are these attackers? Why have they targeted Mike and his colleagues in the secret agency? On top of these interwoven threats, Mike learns that a revered friend has died. With the death of this friend, is mankind's last hope for understanding the signals lost forever in the silt and muck of the ocean bottom?

Professor Simon Cross has spent his life searching for evidence of vampires and avoiding emotional entanglements. When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his new assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't. In 1920s Manhattan, there are more than mobsters vying for power in the city's speakeasies. Will Simon and Elizabeth's developing relationship survive the vampires' teeth? Will they survive to make it back? Or will they be forever out of time?

Spunky, down-on-her-luck Laurel Mayfield didn't believe in vampires. She didn't believe in the supernatural. Not until she met the enigmatic and darkly alluring Sebastian Thorn, a man shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Discovering he was a Prince turned out to be only the beginning of a harrowing journey that took them back to the Tudor Court during the reign of King Henry the Eighth. Caught up in the conspiracy of Whitehall, Laurel's love and devotion were put to the ultimate test. Would she return to the future to find her Dark Prince waiting? Or had the executioner's blade taken more from her than just Sebastian's head? Find out in Bound by Blood, a new time travel, paranormal romance by authors Kimberly Hoyt and Danielle Bourdon.

Books Under a Dollar - 4/4/11

2011-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jane thought a loveless marriage was as bad as it could get. Steve thought life was perfect with a hired man to do his chores. They were both wrong. Jane Havelock is coping a day at a time in a bad marriage when her husband Steve hires handyman Rob Manteo for a never-ending series of odd jobs around the house. At first Jane is repulsed by Manteo, a huge, muscular man with primitive communication skills. But revulsion reluctantly gives way to curiosity and even fascination as loneliness drives her into a precarious friendship with Manteo. He’s morose and mysterious, but there’s definitely more to him than meets the eye. He seems to be hiding something. As her marriage and her husband’s career crumble around her, Jane digs into Manteo’s past and uncovers a horrible secret. She knows now that it was more than chance that brought Manteo into their world, but it may be too late. Come Find Me Two Years Ago... Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension. She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it's a life she's always lived in. Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn't. She is Arizona Stevens. As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible. . PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley's attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona's quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed. PORTAL is the first book of the Portal Chronicles. Fans of time travel, romance, and the supernatural will enjoy Arizona's quest for answers

Angel Fire: The First Book of Fallen Angels ++++++++++ My name is Darcy Anderson, and I am cursed with a dark power: Whenever my life is in danger, something inside me summons elemental fire to protect me. I cannot control this. One night, I was attacked in my home. The fire ... it raged out of control. I survived the inferno, but my house burned to the ground - with my parents inside. I was at a loss to explain to the courts what happened, and so they sent me to prison for ten years for manslaughter. Now I'm out on parole, and all I want is to return to my home town and rebuild my life; but the man who attacked me is back to finish the job he started. I can sense the power in me growing. If I can't control it, it will control me and destroy everything - and everyone - I love. ++++++++++ This is the first of five novels in the Fallen Angels saga.

Lucinda Dent never planned to call demons. She wasn’t stupid, after all. She’d seen what the addiction had done to her mother. But her mother has been gone for ten years, sucked into hell by a demon, and all Lucinda has left is her grandmother and the house she grew up in. Who could blame her for using the only thing her mother gave her, a talent for demon calling, to save them? Lucinda teams up with an old friend and together they set up business, calling demons. But soon things go terribly wrong. Demons are loose in Caldera High, and not only is Lucinda responsible, she just might be in love with one of them. Can love conquer all or is Lucinda about to lose everything--her home, her new love, and her soul? Authors Note: This novel is dark urban fantasy with romantic elements. It contains both swear words and sexual situations. It is not squeaky clean.

You know him, but you can't remember his name. He is the one that is always there, in the background, all but invisible to those roaming the hallways. What if he had a secret? What if it was a secret that even he didn't know? Test Davis has always been a blur to those around him. He's a shadow like a million other kids--not smart enough for the academic team, not beast enough for the football team, not extroverted enough for the drama crowd. In all things Test is just...not, which is why no one ever notices him. But what happens when someone does notice him-- Nicole Paxton, a cheerleader, no less? What happens on the night that Test finds out there's nothing average about him and that a powerful gift has been hidden within, secretly waiting to be set free and alter his life forever? The question is, will that power save him and those he loves or tear them apart?

Books Under a Dollar - 4/2/11

2011-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you live LONG enough... love (and danger) will find you. A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons - Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior). Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately. When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn't understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her. Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily's family - that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years - it is safer that way. Because... Emily isn't really Emily... her real name is Charity - and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have "skills" that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend. Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed - and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

The Yellowstone Caldera has erupted once every 600,000 years. We’re 40,000 years overdue. A LAND OF ASH Lava flows stretch for hundreds of miles. A cloud of ash billows east, burying the Midwest, destroying crops, and falling upon the Pacific Coast like a warm, dead snow. The remnants of the United States flees south as the global temperatures plummet. Amid this total devastation are stories of families, friends, sons and fathers and wives: the survivors. Within are eleven stories focusing on the human element of such a catastrophe, from an elderly couple gathering to await their death to a father sealing his shelter in hopes of keeping the air breathable for his daughter. Contributing to this collection include many popular and up-and-coming independent authors, including David McAfee, Daniel Arenson, and more.

Khalida is a five thousand year old vampire. As technology and national security become more prominent, it becomes harder and harder for her to hide her secret from the world. In order to remain undetected by humans, she creates a network of people whose only job is to hide her identity. But these aren't just any group of people. They are the best of the best, brought to her by chance; tied to her by a bond stronger than any she's ever known before. Being discovered by the human world isn't Khalida's only concern, however. She has made enemies in the vampire world. When she makes a mistake that exposes her to those who want to take revenge on her, she is tossed into a whirlwind of death and destruction. She has to find out who is killing the humans who have become her family, and save those who remain. Khalida has spent her entire life trying to protect the people she loves, but ultimately, she will have to decide between the ghosts of her past and the people who have put their lives on the line for her. Her decision may haunt her for the rest of her life.

Seventeen short horror stories from the author of 33 A.D. and Saying Goodbye to the Sun. The Lake - Five college boys answer an ad to spend Spring Break by a remote lake in northern Maine, only to find out they should have gone to Panama city like everyone else. The Spider and the Fly - A deranged old man leads a young boy into a trap, but who is really hunting who? Exhibit A - Listen to a budding serial killer as he explains himself to his first victim. Plus 14 mini horror “bites.”

Thriller writer J.A. Konrath, author of the Lt. Jack Daniels series, digs into the vaults and unearths a technohorror tale from the depths of hell... 1906 - Something is discovered by workers digging the Panama Canal. Something dormant. Sinister. Very much alive. 2009 - Project Samhain. A secret underground government installation begun 103 years ago in New Mexico. The best minds in the world have been recruited to study the most amazing discovery in the history of mankind. But the century of peaceful research is about to end. BECAUSE IT JUST WOKE UP. Book Description: When linguist Andrew Dennison is yanked from his bed by the Secret Service and taken to a top secret facility in the desert , he has no idea he's been brought there to translate the words of an ancient demon. He joins pretty but cold veterinarian Sun Jones, eccentric molecular biologist Dr. Frank Belgium, and a hodge-podge of religious, military, and science personnel to try and figure out if the creature is, indeed, Satan. But things quickly go bad, and very soon Andy isn't just fighting for his life, but the lives of everyone on earth... ORIGIN by J.A. Konrath All hell is about the break loose. For real.

Books Under a Dollar 3/31/11

2011-03-31T12:40:00.001-07:00

Last chance to buy 33 A.D. The sale ends tomorrow!!!

Hell comes home to Jersey. Seven ancient demons known as the Fallen have awakened in New Jersey after a hundred years. Fortunately for Mike and Ann, so has the one man who can stop them, Joseph Miller. Trapped in a hospital filled with mythical monsters, only together can they unravel the mystery of the Cursed and escape with not only their lives but their very humanity. Ancient Awakening is a Horror/Action/Comedy novel. It is the first book in the series "The Ancient" which follows the adventures of eccentric demon hunter Joseph Miller. His job is to defend the human race against seven mythical demons and their offspring. Unfortunately for us, he has been dead for the last hundred years. Ancient Awakening will be followed by Ancient Enemies in 2010 and Ancient Revelations in 2011 and is written by Matthew Bryan Laube.

Christopher Price roams the dark streets of Manhattan, terrified of his past, searching for a future. Dr. Willard Pull: dentist and concerned citizen. Blood lust sends them on a collision course. One of them is a serial killer. The other is a vampire. Price's dream is to shed his ancient curse and become human again. To keep up appearances, he has his canines filed down regularly by Dr. Willard Pull. Unfortunately for his patients, Dr. Pull is also a mass murderer. When one of his grisly crimes is uncovered, he decides in desperation to pin the blame on Price. Meanwhile, Price has fallen in love with Rachel, a beautiful and dangerous coworker at his security firm. But her father is an excommunicated priest who recognizes Price as an undead abomination. Alone and frightened with the whole world seemingly out to kill him, Price must piece together this twisted puzzle and clear his name. His adventure takes him from the bleak streets of New York to the labyrinthine horrors of Citadel Poienari in Romania, home of Vlad the Impaler, the real Count Dracula. Here Price must confront his dark heritage and embrace its evil ways in order to save his soul and the woman he loves.

Book 1 of the Destroyers Series Sixteen-year-old Janelle never thought the gray spiral birthmark on her arm meant anything special. That is, until she meets Gary, a boy her age with a birthmark exactly like hers. Gary’s attractive, brooding, and perfectly normal…except for the fact that he materialized out of a dangerous hurricane right in front of her. Janelle’s certain of only one thing. Gary’s mark—and hers, too—mean something, but he’s reluctant to tell her what. At last she squeezes the truth from Gary about their markings. And the truth is utterly terrifying: Janelle and Gary are more connected to the destructive power of nature than she ever dreamed possible. And learning the truth about herself is only the start of her nightmare. Book 2 of the Destroyers Series, Inferno, will be released in July 2011.

Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all.

Bound by Blood by Danielle Bourdon and Kimberly Hoyt

2011-03-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Would she return to the future to find her Dark Prince waiting? Or had the executioner's blade taken more from her than just Sebastian's head?

Find out in Bound by Blood, a new time travel, paranormal romance by authors Kimberly Hoyt and Danielle Bourdon.

Imogen's Review

Sometimes one just stumbles upon one's soulmate... at a graveyard. Laurel and Sebastian met just so, connected immediately, and were meant to be together, always, even in times past-at King Henry's Tudor court.

I loved the refreshing mix of vampire and time travel, how awesome, and such potential! The story flowed at a natural pace allowing for the characters to be well fleshed. Laurel was a strong female lead, she met her challenges head on. I was totally engrossed by the story, but was left wanting more. There was this something that I kept hoping, that I was convinced, would happen, but didn't. So, I am hoping for a sequel :)

About Danielle Bourdon (from Amazon)

Danielle Bourdon was born and raised in Corona, California. She started her first novel at age 11, on an airplane flight from CA to TX, but never finished it. Her love of books and writing led her to start several other novels later in life, all of which wound up in a drawer or lost in hard drive crashes.

Dréoteth was written during an exhaustive but exciting National Novel Writing Month exercise, which she completed, and has now become a full-fledged book. It is her first published novel.

Her next book, Bound by Blood, is tentatively scheduled for release September 1, 2010.

Danielle lives in Texas with her husband, two sons, and their black cat Sheba.

LINKS

Amazon

Website

Looking for Reviewers.

2011-03-29T09:15:00.001-07:00

Our TBR pile has really grown and I'm afraid we don't have enough reviewers to keep up with the demand. I'm looking for one or two people who love to read and have the time needed to be put into our site. If you are interested, email me at breakoutbooks@gmail.com. Thanks.

Her Last Letter by Nancy C. Johnson

2011-03-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

In the Colorado mountain town of Glenwood Springs, not far from Aspen, artist/photographer Gwyn Sanders discovers a cryptic letter her sister Kelly left behind. The victim of a deadly hit and run, Kelly reveals she was sexually involved with her sister’s boyfriend and is scared for her life. Both Gwyn and her remaining sister Linda have since married their boyfriends, so either of their husbands could be guilty of murder. The sisters received a large inheritance before meeting these men, and know little of either man’s background. Worse, both Gwyn and Linda love their husbands deeply, but steps must be taken to find the truth. And the truth is complicated. Is it one of the two men, or another previous lover? Or none of them? Danger abounds and everyone is a suspect as Gwyn tries with the help of a gifted private detective to track a killer....Her Last Letter is approximately 96,000 words long. Imogen's Review When Gwyn Saunders discovers a letter that was hidden, taped inside a dresser, by her murdered sister implicating her husband as a possible suspect, Gwyn's relationship with him is, not surprisingly, compromised. Compromised because it's not exactly clear who her sister was referring to in her letter. It could have been Gwyn's husband, but it could also have been her brother-in law or her old boyfriend... Nancy C. Johnson spins an exciting whodunit, where no one can be trusted, and everyone is implicated. I enjoyed every minute of reading it. Nancy immediately hooked me and kept me captivated right to the end. I look forward to Nancy's next book. About Nancy C. Johnson (from Amazon) Thank you for stopping by! The photo above was taken at a book signing I attended in Clawson, Michigan, at a wonderful furniture store called Leon and Lulu. It is not far from my home. The couch I'm sitting on is not mine, of course, though I wouldn't mind owning it. It is lovely.... I had a great day at the signing, and sold a few books, but the best part was talking to the people who walked by, and to the other authors, about thirty of them. I love writing and talking to people about writing, but it still feels strange to be a published novelist. I'll admit it took a very long time for that to happen, despite some luck early on. After I wrote my first novel, I was able to find a great New York literary agent, and I was thrilled. At the time, I thought I had it made. But though several big publishers took interest, nothing came of it, and my book never sold. But I kept writing, and I kept trying to get each new book published, and though after a while I thought it would never happen, it finally did. In the end, I formed my own publishing company. It was the best thing I could have done. Many doors have opened since then. I've signed with another New York literary agency, an incredibly good one, Trident Media Group, and just this morning I accepted an offer for foreign rights from Truva, a well-known Turkish publisher. I'm still doing the happy dance! If you would like to know a little bit more about me and my current novel, I invite you to visit my website. LINKS Website Amazon

Cries in the Dark by P.A. Woodburn

2011-03-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Two prostitutes vanish.

Chimps are mysteriously missing from a primate sign lab. Is there a possible link to a biomedical research facility?

While premed student Alex Buchanan confronts her new-found ability to communicate telepathically with animals, the body toll mounts.

When her boyfriend disappears with a dangerous secret, Alex knows a serial killer is stalking her.

Can she solve this dilemma before becoming the next victim?

Imogen's Review

When pre-med student Alex Buchanan befriends Maggie during the Seattle to Portland bike ride, her life is turned up side down. After Alex is thrown from her bike, Maggie helps nurse her back to health. Alex loses her job at the transplant lab due to her absence and Maggie then suggests that Alex seek employment at the research lab she works at. After a horrific incident, when a chimpanzee at the lab kills Maggie, Alex rediscovers her ability to be able to hear and communicate with animals via thought. All is not what it seems at the laboratory, and Alex is quickly thrown into the midst of a sinister plot. Will she be able to escape from it?

P.A. Woodburn had me completely hooked from the beginning of the book. This is a fast moving story with many layers of intrigue. Although the setting is involves an animal lab, this story is so much more and will appeal to a large audience. I highly recommend this thriller/mystery.

LINKS

Amazon

Failing Test by J.M. Pierce

2011-03-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

You know him, but you can't remember his name. He is the one that is always there, in the background, all but invisible to those roaming the hallways. What if he had a secret? What if it was a secret that even he didn't know?

Test Davis has always been a blur to those around him. He's a shadow like a million other kids--not smart enough for the academic team, not beast enough for the football team, not extroverted enough for the drama crowd. In all things Test is just...not, which is why no one ever notices him.

But what happens when someone does notice him-- Nicole Paxton, a cheerleader, no less? What happens on the night that Test finds out there's nothing average about him and that a powerful gift has been hidden within, secretly waiting to be set free and alter his life forever? The question is, will that power save him and those he loves or tear them apart?

About the Author:

J.M. Pierce is a simple midwestern man with a creative side that has found writing as its primary outlet. He lives happily with his wife and two children in rural Kansas and finds happiness in a good cup of coffee, a Kansas sunrise, a good book, the sound of his daughter singing, his son's laughter, and his wife's eyes. Everything else is gravy.

Dawn's Review:

Mr. Pierce gave my daughter a copy of this book last fall when he attended her book fair. Try as I might, I couldn't get her to give it up so I could read it. Eventually I decided it wasn't going to happen and just ordered it on Kindle. I wish I had done it sooner. This was such a great book. It moved me in a way that I can't begin to describe. It is an exciting but heartbreaking tale, but the author leaves us with a glimmer of hope and a promise of a sequel. I loved the writing. It had such an easy tone and the pace was never dull. I am excitedly waiting to continue reading this story in the upcoming A Shadow's Light.

Amber Twilight by John Fitch V

2011-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Billy Bunton's way home is mired in a rain storm. Following a exhaustion-inducted nap, he finds brilliant light filling his home. He discovers that he's no longer in his hometown -- he's the only human left.

Billy is soon greeted by alien visitors -- or is he the alien? -- who wish to experiment on him. But when Muffy, his Labrador Retriever, doesn't come to help him.....

AMBER TWILIGHT is a sci-fi short story with nods to The Twilight Zone, Star Wars and Star Trek throughout the prose.

Imogen's Review

As Billy Bunton naps, a storm ravages his neighborhood. When he wakes up, he finds his house transplanted in an unfamiliar neighborhood. He looks out into an amber sky. He steps outside with his dog, Muffy, to explore his new surroundings. His initial wonder quickly turns to fear as he is confronted by alien beings.

John Fitch V immediately draws us into Billy Bunton’s vision. His engaging descriptive style places us right in Billy’s head. Is Billy dreaming or has he, indeed, found himself in an Alice in Wonderland kind of situation? I enjoyed every second of reading this short story and was completely bowled over by the ending! But I want more! Please do turn this into a novel, Mr. Fitch.

About John Fitch V

John Fitch V's love of fantasy began in 1988, when he was handed J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Hobbit. His passion for writing began in 1993, as a sophomore in high school, when he began writing sports for his local newspaper.

Born and raised in North Central Massachusetts, Fitch has written for several newspapers; Turning Back The Clock is his fifth literary work. When he is not writing, he enjoys playing golf, reading, watching movies, and playing with Caramel The Wonder Cat.

Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Amazon UK

A Chance for Charity by S.L.Baum

2011-03-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

If you live LONG enough... love (and danger) will find you.

A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons - Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately. When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn't understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily's family - that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years - it is safer that way.

Because... Emily isn't really Emily... her real name is Charity - and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have "skills" that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed - and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

Imogen's Review

Faced with the daunting prospect of yet another high school, seventeen-year-old Emily Johnston is fully prepared to cope as she always does-by keeping a low profile. She, however, quickly finds herself surrounded by a group of friendly students, and strangely drawn to Link, the new mysterious stranger in town.

S.L. Baum quickly draws us into the intriguing life of Emily and her family. Why do they keep moving every few years? The story unfolds at a pace that allows the characters to be fully developed. The intense relationship between Emily and Link unfolds to divulge ... I won't tell! S.L. Baum's style is elegant and easy to follow. I enjoyed reading this book, as did my ten-year-old daughter. We are looking forward to the sequel!

About S.L.Baum

I have had a love of Science Fiction since I was a child (watching Star Trek with my dad). That love expanded to the mystical, supernatural, and paranormal as I hit my teen years. Vampire and Witch novels (and movies) consumed me in my late teens and early twenties. I thank Anne Rice and Lestat for introducing a whole new genre to me. I always get a surge of delight when delving into new and interesting novels.

I went to college, got married, had three gorgeous kiddos, and lived the life of "mom" for quite awhile.

In late 2006 I was involved in an off road accident and woke up to the realization that "life is short" so you should do what you love and not put things off for another day. I had always wanted to write, but had never finished any project I'd started. About two years after that accident, I decided to start again, and I have enjoyed every moment of the creative process.

I am still writing and am thankful that Amazon has provided the tools for me to become an "indie" author. Please keep your eye out for my next novel - coming in 2011.

LINKS

Amazon

Website

Simon's Choice by Charlotte Castle

2011-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

"But Daddy, who will live with me in heaven?"

Doctor Simon Bailey has everything a man could ever want.

Then his beautiful daughter is diagnosed with Leukemia.

He can almost accept her impending death.

He can almost accept the fact that he will have to live without her.

But he cannot stand the thought of his little girl having to face death alone.

He answers her innocent question in a moment of desperation, testing his marriage, his professional judgment and his sanity to the limit.

As cracks form in Simon's previously perfect family, we wonder, as do his loved ones ... will he really make the ultimate sacrifice?

Combining poignant moments of both humour and pain, 'Simon's Choice' is a penetrating account of parenthood at the sharp-end.

Wishful Thinking by K. Crumley

2011-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

One stormy night Maevis Etherwood came home and found her husband in bed with another woman...
What exactly transpired afterward remained a mystery, even to Maevis herself.

The Detectives investigating the scene are stumped by the lack of any forensic evidence....
But what the two men remain oblivious to is the fact that she is a faerie, losing control of her powers in this non-magical realm due to fatal illness.

Could Maevis really have killed the man she loved with magic? Or is there a far more treacherous power at work?

Excerpt:
An image flashed through her mind of the night in question. It was like a nightmare that she had woken up from, and only had the faintest images crossed her mind of that horrid evening. Of finding the man she loved and trusted in bed with another—in her bed. She remembered flying, wings unfurled…she remembered her belongings and a few of his flying across the room, like a tornado blowing through their home. The look of horror on that girl's face as she screamed “She has wings!” as if Maevis was a monster. It only made the faerie more hurt, angrier…Then Maevis’ mind went blank. She cannot remember a thing after that, except for waking up and hearing her sisters call her name, Fiona shrieking…
They were dead.
He was dead.

About the Author:
K. Crumley has been writing for over 22 years; ever since she was a ballet student at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Through personal trials and a religious reckoning, she gave up dancing and devoted more time to writing. She completed Writer's Digest School's Short Fiction course, and has since had short stories and poems appear in periodicals, anthologies, and ezines.

Recently, Ms. Crumley has completed her first novella WISHFUL THINKING and has several short works available on Kindle and in print.

Currently she is working on a sequel entitled CHARMED LIVES, and the second edition of her anthology FACETS. She's also reviving her long-term pet project PROPHECIES OF FIRE.

Darklands by Donna Burgess

2011-02-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween night, twenty years ago, college student Susan Archer watched as her beloved twin brother was brutally murdered at the hands of a stranger she invited into their home. Still haunted by the guilt of that night, Susan is now a tough but bitter cop in a nowhere town, trying as best she can to lead a normal life. When she is nearly killed during a wild shoot-out, she realizes she is not as strong as she first thought.

Fearing a breakdown, she flees the confines of her safe boyfriend and familiar surroundings to find salvation in the arms of “Deathwalker” Devin McCree—the very man who killed her brother.

But things aren’t always what they seem and she quickly realizes Devin was not the monster she originally thought, but a kind of guardian angel instead.

On the run from a crazed Nazi vampire-hunter named Kasper, she and Devin must find a way to endure the dreary urban landscape of a dying metropolis and escape Kasper’s wrath.

About the Author:

Donna Burgess was born at the end of the 1960's and has been writing since she was able to hold a pencil. She has been published in numerous genre anthologies, magazines and websites as author, poet, artist or editor. She lives on the South Carolina coast with her two children and husband, Dan.

Listen to Your Heart by Margaret Lake

2011-02-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

World War I - Lena Manning is barely 20 years old and already a war widow with a baby on the way. Her church takes care of her, gives her employment and wraps her in its secure world. When the bishop appoints a new pastor, a young, handsome widower, she is forced to seek other employment to avoid any hint of scandal.

Her new job as social secretary to the wife of a wealthy New York banker thrusts her into a seductive world of money and privilege. When the son of the house pursues her, he awakens feelings she thought long dead.

Can she survive his secrets or will fear send her running back to the security of her church and the pastor who waits for her there?

About the Author:
I was born in New Jersey, but moved to Florida when I was 13. Reading has always been my favorite activity, even as a child. I've been downsizing and have probably donated 5,000 books in the past several years. I still have seven book cases crammed full and I can't even count how many on my Kindle.

My other passion is history, especially English History. I think my interest really began when I read "Catherine" by Anya Seton. When the inspiration came to write my first book, I naturally gravitated to the Wars of the Roses because of that book.

My favorite author is Susan Howatch, my favorite book is "Outlander" and my favorite series is Harry Potter. I lead a Harry Potter book club at the elementary school and help with the chess club.

I'm still waiting for the rescue kitty lady to find me a kitty I can rescue.

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland by Barbara Silkstone

2011-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

A murder by beheading sends Alice Harte, reluctant real estate broker for thugs, running into the arms of Nigel Channing, a charming British con man.

This urban fantasy is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat.

Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter.

After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desperate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.

About the Author:
When you're a freelance writer with a quirky sense of humor, being in the right place at the right time helps a lot. If I just stand still for five minutes... wham! Something funny and worth writing about will happen to me. I've accidentally sky dived, been elected president of the Japan American Society (I'm not Japanese), been stalked by crazies, and ran off with a real life White Rabbit.

I'm a single mother, living on the edge in South Florida. My background includes parochial school, commercial real estate, public speaking, teaching, and church administration. My writing history is equally as diverse. I started an underground newspaper in grade school and was threatened with excommunication by the nuns. After being published in the horror genre, I was fortunate enough to take part in writing workshops with Stephen King, Robert B. Parker, and James Michener.

I enjoy doing playful things with language, blending two distinct words to create a new word. If I'm laughing out loud when I'm writing, then I know I've hit the mark. I'm working on Wendy & the Lost Boys right now. I laugh so loud while I'm writing that the neighborhood committee has asked me to move.

For six years I traveled the United States listening to men reveal their darkest secrets for my book, The Adventures of a Love Investigator, 527 Naked Men & One Woman. When I was finished with my adventure, I realized the only man I should have interviewed was Lewis Carroll, unfortunately he was long gone. So I set out to pay homage to his logic by re-telling Alice in Wonderland in a contemporary setting. The result is The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters ~ comedy thriller that takes place between Miami and London.

Guest Post by Tracy Falbe, Author of Union of Renegades

2011-02-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tracy is the author of Union of Renegades. Her book is on tour this week through AuthorAdvenTours, and we are proud to be one of her tour stops. Tracy has kindly written a guest post for us on the art of killing off your characters. Enjoy!

Killing characters - A fantasy writer confesses her sins

by Tracy Falbe

I have blood on my hands. The blood is fictional, but I still feel bad. As the author of four fantasy novels, I've killed a few people. Honestly I don't like doing it, but when you have epic battles and backwoods skirmishes and slavering beasts, you simply must kill people. If everyone always lived, then it would not be the least bit reasonable. If everyone is going to be waving swords around, then people must get hurt. That's just how it is.

Such facts do not make it any easier to kill. I even put off writing a chapter when I know I have to basically shoot Old Yeller. I try to write every day, but when it's time to let the axe fall, I'll start procrastinating. I'll also reconsider the whole thing. Maybe I can save him! All I have to do is NOT kill him. But these eleventh hour pleadings never sway my cold writer's heart. If someone must die, then he or she must die. It is written, or at least it will be as soon as I write it.

The hardest death scenes to write are when I have to kill someone I like. When my mom read my fantasy series The Rys Chronicles, she complained that I killed her favorite character. I totally sympathized. I loved him too, but he served the story best by making the ultimate sacrifice. To be honest, I aim to make the characters I kill likable so I can gain more emotional impact when they kick the bucket.

I don't kill everyone I like. I hardly reach the fifth act of Hamlet levels, but for the sake of telling a strong story, I do send the occasional character to the next world. I am trying to be dramatic, and the death card makes a strong hand when you're telling a story. I'm a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune, and his killing of Duke Leto really got to me. I never got over that literary death, which is strange because Leto is only in a few chapters, but his presence was so monumental. He was an icon of just leadership, and his death was a blow to all that was good. I aspire to this level of impact.

Murder has consequences too. Killing characters is a dangerous business with readers. They might not forgive you, but if I've actually upset a reader with a character death, then at least I have touched that reader on an emotional level. He or she was wrapped up in my creation enough to care. When I kill a character I'm hoping that the reader will become more tightly bound to the surviving characters and share in their grief.

Tracy Falbe is the author of Union of Renegades, The Goddess Queen, Judgment Rising, and The Borderlands of Power that comprise The Rys Chronicles fantasy series.

About Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I - Have you ever looked at the facts of your life and realized your dreams won't come true? Have you ever looked into the unknown and seen opportunity? For Dreibrand Veta, a young officer in the Horde of the Atrophane Empire, these questions explode from his spirit in a fit of rage and launch him into an epic struggle. After he encounters a rare super race, the rys, he is forced to choose sides between passionate rivals and navigate his way through a foreign culture all while plotting to seize his own wealth and glory.

Fantasy readers can sample the first novel Union of Renegades by downloading a free copy from her website www.braveluck.com. Paperbacks available too.

All her fantasy novels are also widely available at major online retailers.

Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/939
Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Union-Renegades-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B003UES7U8/
Barnes & Noble Nook http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Union-of-Renegades/Tracy-Falbe/e/2940000720509/
Google Ebooks http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=ifNnT44l-KIC&dq
Apple iBooks http://itunes.apple.com/en/book/union-renegades-the-rys-chronicles/id365801314?mt=11