Friday, January 31, 2014

Living in Grace: The Shift to Spiritual Perception by Beca Lewis @becalewis

Living In Grace

“A refreshing and powerful new look at the results of shifting perceptions to your true spiritual nature.” Alan Cohen, author of My Father’s View

A profound, thought provoking guide to shifting perceptions to reveal what is hidden in plain sight: heaven on earth.

If you are tired of fooling around with material-based thinking that only puts Band-Aids on problems, and if you are ready to choose spiritual perception and the spiritual solution, than Living In Grace: The Shift to Spiritual Perception is the answer.

In this book, I will guide you through powerful-proven-practical-perception-shifting exercises and personally teach you useful tools for shifting anytime, anywhere, and any situation.

You will find yourself restudying the book over and over again because each time your perception shifts you will experience greater insight into Reality.

Living In Grace, provides practical tools like The 7 Steps To Shift and an eight step-by-step system based on the word GRACIOUS, which makes the necessary process of perception-shifting easy to remember and simple to use.

Chapter by chapter, the reader is taken on an inner journey that encourages her to achieve her goals, and in so doing, lead a spiritual life.

This book will be a constant companion for every advanced or beginning student of spirituality. It provides answers about the nature of God, and his children, for every honest seeker of Truth simply and elegantly.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Spirituality, Non-Fiction

Rating – G

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Beca Lewis on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.becalewis.com

Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Soul of the World (Legends of Amun Ra #2) by Joshua Silverman @jg_silverman

*   *   *

Kem dives to the ground in desperation, covering his head and neck from the rocks raining down. I didn’t see that coming. I thought I was quiet, he thinks.

The announcement of Cadmus’ elimination booms over the intercom. Well, at least I don’t have to worry about a vengeful brother.

The dust and debris settle from the crumbled wall. Find Kesi. Kem trots towards the end of the path. Before he gets there, he sees a shadow along the wall.

Dio turns the corner and spots him. She’s already throwing blue spheres before he knows what happened.

Kem hits the floor hard, dodging the first two. Dio hurls more at him.

His heart beats like a jackhammer in his chest. He is covered in dirt and sand. Kem swerves left, then right, ducking from a shot aimed at his head. He looks back at Dio, who walks with determination, shooting at him. Will she not let up a little? Got to slow her down.

1175648_514024498686135_1699853908_n

Buy Here

Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy

Rating – PG-13+

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Joshua Silverman on Facebook & Twitter

Website www.legendsofamunra.com; www.joshuagsilverman.com

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Reflections on Fundamental Matters by John H.T. Francis @JohnHTFrancis

Reflections

Addressing important questions that have been discussed across many times and cultures, this essay, written in a simple style, seeks to awaken you from the slumber of intellectual complacency. Author John H.T. Francis presents a multi-disciplinary look at prevalent interpretations and fundamental questions of human interest. He tackles many of humanity’s most important and difficult topics, drawing on many fields of knowledge and action, including science, philosophy, sociology, economics, politics, anthropology, and psychology. This study explores history, knowledge, the human mind and psyche, the nature of existence, the phenomenon of life, socio-economic and political dynamics, ethics, religions, and several current, pressing individual and collective challenges. It provides elements of answers and attempts to position subjects of general importance under a new light. Universal in his approach, Francis reaches out to those who are interested in delving deeper into the human understanding.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Philosophy, Non-Fiction

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with John H.T. Francis on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.johnhtfrancis.com

#AmReading #MustRead - 2082 (The Chronicles of Hope) by Robert Breeze

2082

Frank Noon divides opinion. Whilst some say he’s a philosophical genius, some say he’s a fanciful dreamer who deliberately courts controversy with his anti-establishment views about the failings of modern society. Seemingly nearing the end of his life in politics, he reluctantly fronts an experimental inter-galactic government project late in the 21st century aimed at making life on an overpopulated Earth more sustainable.

As he battles to gain control of a relative asylum, consisting of a cross section of the populous as much at odds with themselves as the situation, he unwittingly embarks on a life-changing journey of self discovery. As they learn more about the project and its intentions how far-reaching might the consequences be for the future of humanity?
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Political Fiction
Rating – PG
More details about the author
Connect with Robert Breeze on FacebookTwitter

The Jonas Trust Deception by A.F.N. Clarke @AFNClarke

The Jonas Trust Deception

by AFN Clarke

AFN CLARKE is the author of 8 books, including the best selling memoir CONTACT, that was serialized in a British newspaper and made into an award winning BBCTV film.  His latest novel, The Jonas Trust Deception, is a Thomas Gunn thriller and follows the success of The Orange Moon Affair.  Readers have called it “classy, complex and cunningly compelling” and a “powerful force in the thriller genre”.  In solving the mystery of an ongoing conspiracy involving his old friend Morgan, Thomas Gunn, ex-Special Forces, takes an action so shocking and bold, that even his team fear he’s lost his mind.  The question is, has he?  To get a taste of things to come, here’s an excerpt from the book.  And for more information visit www.afnclarke.com or the Amazon Kindle store.

There is something so totally desolate about sitting in a prison cell staring at the blank grey walls that, unless you’ve experienced it, you’ll never understand. There is a finality and hopelessness that is almost beyond comprehension. A despair that sucks at your soul. My salvation was that I knew that my stay here was going to be short-lived, but what the future held was one big question mark. I had the distinct feeling somebody had put a ring in my nose and was leading on a mystery tour with more questions than answers.

Left alone with just the usual sounds of dissatisfied inmates, clinking keys and slamming doors for company, I thought back to the frantic last few days.

Confusion would be an apt description of my state of mind.

What facts could I scramble together?

Several dead bodies at Morgan’s ranch.

A small but ruthless Mexican Mafia gangbanger, with the unlikely nickname of ‘El Cobra Poco’, who seemed as if he could be a strange ally.

And the mysterious Robert Sutherland.

What other questions remained?

There were many, starting with who would have wanted to kill Morgan? Everything went back to my request for her to investigate the financial dealings of the Griffin Trust and its Chairman Ted Lieberman.

How was the Mexican Mafia involved if what Sutherland said about Morgan working for him was true?

I could just lie here all night long and create imaginary scenarios, but that wouldn’t supply any answers, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on emptying my mind.

Sleep was what I needed.
It must have been two hours after the jail cell lights went out, that the goons came for me. Dragged me off the bed and frog marched me down the corridor to the back of the jail and down narrow stairs to a basement garage without saying a word. There was a nondescript cream coloured painter’s van waiting with the rear doors open, and I was unceremoniously bundled inside.

THE JONAS TRUST DECEPTION

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Thriller

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with A.F.N. Clarke on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.afnclarke.com/

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Up, Up, in the Air by Adrian Powell @AuthorAdrian

Up, Up, in the Air

Kenny wants nothing more than to learn how to fly high in the sky like his favorite cartoon character. But with everyone discouraging him, and no one willing to teach him the fundamentals of flight, will Kenny’s dream ever get cleared for takeoff?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Children’s Book, YA

Rating – G

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Adrian Powell on Facebook & Twitter

Monday, January 27, 2014

#AmReading #BookClub #Excerpt from Dead & Godless by Donald J. Amodeo

A deep freeze iced the gears of time, entombing the city in day-long twilight. Corwin drank it in and threw out his chest. His breath steamed with satisfaction.
“There’s nothing like the smell of the subway in winter! Garbage, piss and a fresh coat of bleach—I love public transportation!”
“Great, then you won’t mind us making an extra stop,” Mary said cheerily, her auburn hair bouncing as she descended the stairway beside him. “I need to drop a few things off at my mom’s place.”
“Hasn’t she had the place blessed to ward off people like me?”
“She doesn’t hate you, Corwin.” Mary’s smile was unwavering. “Quite the opposite. She prays every night for the conversion of your stubborn atheist soul.”
“Wonderful.”
“I know you’re just dying to argue with her, but I do appreciate your discretion.”
“A wise man chooses his battles,” said Corwin in a stoic tone.
Mary cast him a warm glance. Her mother was one of the few people with whom Corwin resisted the urge to debate all things metaphysical (or superstitious, as he preferred to say).
“Visiting doesn’t make you feel too uncomfortable, I hope?”
“Not at all! The fact that your mother’s house has more crucifixes than the Vatican makes me feel right at home.”
Corwin’s boots clomped onto off-white tiles at the foot of the stairs. They were taking the J line and had made good time. The next train was yet several minutes away. In this cold, at least he didn’t have to worry about the ice cream melting. He lugged two overstuffed bags of groceries, snowflakes dusting his shoulders and flaxen hair.
“What’s all the commotion?” inquired Mary.
Following her gaze, Corwin noticed an odd sight ahead. The usually scattered crowds had congregated around a single spot near the edge of the platform. A hum of anxious voices joined the rustling of coats as they pressed in for a closer look.
“Somebody should do something,” muttered a short, round-faced woman.
Corwin peered over her head and spied the cause of the scene. A homeless man lay sprawled on the tracks, his grubby fingers still gripping the neck of a liquor bottle in a paper bag. He might have been asleep, knocked out or already dead for all Corwin could tell, but whatever the case, the man wasn’t moving.
“Check this out!” exclaimed a teenage girl, holding her phone aloft to record the event.
“Do you think the train will hit him?” asked one of her giggling friends.
“If it does, this video is totally getting a million hits!”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” snapped Mary.
Without waiting for a reply, she pushed forward and crouched towards the ledge.
“Hold it,” said Corwin with a firm grasp on her sleeve. She shot him a look of iron resolve, but he wasn’t letting go. “Are you really planning to drag that guy up here?”
“Somebody has to.”
“He’s probably twice your weight!”
Staring into her eyes, Corwin sighed, fully aware that it would take more than the laws of physics to keep Mary off those tracks.
“Listen, there’s no need for both of us to climb down,” he reasoned. “I’ll do the dragging. You wait here and help pull him up.”
The J line’s platform was one-sided, with the rear wall of the station rising opposite the ledge and sporting some freshly-inked graffiti. Before Mary or his own better judgment could object, he plopped the groceries down beside her and leapt onto the tracks.
What have I gotten myself into this time?
The tracks suddenly felt a lot lower than they had looked from atop the platform. Corwin glanced back to make sure Mary wasn’t following and his gaze briefly wandered the crowd. A young woman clutched her purse, its leather studded with a silver ichthys—the Greek symbol for fish that Christians had repurposed, now the latest in Jesus fashion. Off to her right, a rabbi stroked his beard pensively, looking on from under the wide brim of his derby hat.
That’s right, just leave it to the godless heathen, thought Corwin with smug irony. But then again, he couldn’t really blame them. They were the sane ones. It was he who was defying all good sense, risking his neck for the sake of some homeless drunk whose greatest contribution to society was warming a park bench.
Corwin leaned over the man and grimaced from the stench. He reeked of alcohol and old socks, and looked no better, with bits of food lodged in his dark, scraggly beard.
“Hey buddy, wake up!”
He jostled him by the shoulder. No response. From the shadowy depths of the tunnel, a low, rhythmic rumble arose. A light pierced the gloom.
Dead_Godless

When outspoken atheist Corwin Holiday dies an untimely but heroic death, he’s assigned a chain-smoking, alcoholic angel as his defense attorney in the trial to decide the fate of his soul.

Today many cast Christianity aside, not in favor of another faith, but in favor of no faith. We go off to school or out into the world, and we learn that reality is godless and that free thinking means secular thinking. But must faith entail an end to asking questions? Should not the Author of Reason be able to answer the challenge of reason?

Dead & Godless is a smart and suspenseful afterlife adventure that explores the roots of truth, justice and courage. In these pages awaits a quest that spans universes, where the stakes are higher than life and death, and where Christianity’s sharp edges aren’t shied away from, because we’re not called to be nice. We’re called to be heroes.

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Christian Fiction
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
Connect with Donald J. Amodeo on Twitter

The Forgotten Child by Lorhainne Eckhart @LEckhart

“Please sit down, Emily.” He extended out the flat of his hand, very much in control.

“Ah, thank you.” She perched on the edge of the soft leather seat across from a man who was too damn good to look at—a man obviously comfortable in his own skin.

Hardness set his jaw as he studied her. The tick of the wall clock seemed to echo in the silence, and Emily squirmed in her seat. Why was he looking at her like that? Maybe it was her outrageous entrance and he was wondering what kind of kook she was, whether he could entrust her with his child. Yes, that had to be it.

She swallowed hard. “I’m Emily Nelson; I talked to you yesterday on the phone about the job.”

He blinked before closing those exquisite eyes, as if he’d forgotten the reason she was here. When he opened them again, his hard judgmental expression seemed to have softened a bit.

Again he extended his large hand, taking hers in a firm grip. Just the touch of his solid calloused hand and the secure squeeze was enough to teeter her nerves back to that awkward woman at the door. She wondered what it would be like to have a man like this run his hands over you. She snatched her hand back before her face burned any brighter. Finally, he introduced himself. “The name’s Brad Friessen.” Emily kept quiet. He didn’t run on with his words. He must be a deep thinker, a doer. She could relate to that… but not to him. Her sly eyes glanced down at his left hand: no gold band, no white line, no wife or significant other. Or maybe he was one of those arrogant guys who wouldn’t wear a ring, a lady’s man. He had the looks and the attitude. Now was the time to ask about the woman who answered the phone when she called. Who was she?

“This is a working ranch I run, and I need a woman to look after my son. I’m old fashioned in my values. Children should be at home, not stuck in daycare. I’m looking for someone who’s comfortable in a kitchen and looking after children: a role that should come natural to a woman. I don’t want someone who’s got the phone stuck to their ear half the day. It’s a decent job and good pay; $500 a week, room and board, and includes all your meals.”

Her heart sank about the same time the bottom dropped out of her stomach. It was too good to be true. She wanted to cry. “But I… I have a little girl, I didn’t realize–”

His face hardened and he looked away. For some reason he was angry with her… no, furious. Emily didn’t know what to say when he let out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes, rubbing his hand over the light brown shadow that appeared over his jaw. Then he faced her again, with those deep brown eyes now turned to steel. Emily saw that he could be a hard man.

Lorhainne Eckhart

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Western Romance

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Lorhainne Eckhart on Facebook & Twitter

Sunday, January 26, 2014

How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward by Caroline Kennedy @StephenWardBook

FBI director, J.Edgar Hoover, was convinced that British society was riddled with whores, pimps, sex maniacs and Soviet agents. His conviction was given a boost on Sunday, 16th June, when an article by British solicitor, Michael Eddowes, appeared in the Journal-American. In it Eddowes told of his meeting with Yevgeny Ivanov during the Cuban missile crisis. Eddowes described Ivanov as highly aggressive and full of blustering threats to wipe out England and to drop an atomic bomb in the sea 60 miles off New York. According to Eddowes, Hoover immediately ‘instructed’ him to make further enquiries into the security aspects and report back to him.
Washington was now buzzing with as many rumours as had swept London during the height of the scandal, so what happened next was not entirely a surprise. The White House became involved. The most likely explanation for President Kennedy’s sudden interest in the affair is that his brother, Attorney-General Robert Kennedy, told him of the long report from Hoover.
There were then both political and personal reasons for the President’s interest. One was that the scandal could provide Kennedy’s opponents in Congress with ammunition to attack his plans for a multi-nation NATO nuclear force. If Britain was so leaky, why should the US share it’s defence secrets? Another was a call in the Washington News for Kennedy to cancel his scheduled visit to London because it would provide moral support for the foundering Government of Harold Macmillan. ‘We can think of no better time for an American President to stay as far as possible away from England.’
And a third reason, a personal one, was that given Hoover’s animosity for the Kennedy family, the President became concerned that Hoover would somehow use the scandal against him….The only feasible reason for this widespread fascination is that all these people feared that the President of the United States was about to be dragged into the scandal, not on a political level, but on a sexual one…..The reason was that Robert Kennedy was worried that Christine or Mandy, or even both girls, might have slept with the President during their recent visit to the United States and he needed to know for certain so that he could protect the President from the scandal that would follow if the girls blabbed. It would have been simpler for Robert Kennedy to ask his brother if he had slept with either of the girls. But, as we now know, John F. Kennedy’s sexual appetite was so prodigious and so indiscriminate that he would not have been able to remember.
How The English Establishment Framed
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Politics, Espionage, Scandal
Rating – PG-16
More details about the author
Connect with Caroline Kennedy on Facebook & Twitter

Malpractice! The Novel by William Louis Harvey @sexandlawnovel

The relationship began with a symphony concert, opera, and some excellent restaurants, and  they were in bed together after the third date. The sex was good, and she was particularly pleased by the contrast with her ex-husband.

After their first intercourse and almost simultaneous orgasms, she lay relaxed in bed on her side, with her breasts against his arm, and discussed her ex-husband’s sexual prowess—or lack thereof.

“When we were first married, he was pretty good. Then when the drinking got serious, he could only get it up now and then. You remember that wonderful line of Shakespeare by the gatekeeper in Macbeth about drinking and screwing: ‘it provoketh the desire but taketh away the performance.’” (p. 34)

Malpractice_Cover_sansback1

Malpractice! the Novel is an electrifying work of realistic fiction written by an anonymous insider who worked the frontlines of the clash between the medical and legal professions during the California medical malpractice insurance crisis, which began in the 1960s. William Louis Harvey, a nom de plume, takes readers on a steamy adventure involving power, sex, lies and money in this candid courtroom suspense thriller. While Malpractice! The Novel, is a work of fiction, it is rooted in the personal experiences and firsthand knowledge the author acquired during his decades of working inside the medical industry. California in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s had already seen a dramatic increase in medical malpractice lawsuits as juries awarded progressively higher sums for “pain and suffering,” a category that had no concrete limits and caused physicians’ insurance premiums for malpractice to skyrocket. Harvey chaired a committee that reviewed all malpractice claims involving a major California hospital during the crisis. Details of some of the cases he experienced are engraved in his memory, and small portions of these tidbits find their way into Malpractice! the Novel, his first novel. Roused by a recent New York Times article about the American male novelist’s fear of addressing sexuality, Harvey interleaved honest sex histories for his novel’s characters, adding a titillating sensuality to the suspenseful novel.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Steamy Courtroom Drama

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with William Louis Harvey on Facebook & Twitter

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Crumbling Brick: A Fairy Tale by JoHannah Reardon @JoHannahReardon

The Crumbling Brick

Ella is a bored, inner-city girl trying to fill the long, monotonous days of her summer vacation. As she keeps a promise to her mother to clean the cellar, she discovers a crumbling brick behind an old trunk. Even though it’s raining outside, sunlight pours through the opening. Intrigued, she chips away at the brick to find the source of the light. To her astonishment, she finds another land beyond her cellar wall, gripped in the freshness of spring.

In the land of Neo, she makes new, unusual friends, discovers breathtaking beauty, and learns of Kosmeo who will guide and direct her during all of her adventures. She discovers Kosmeo has brought her here for a purpose. Princess Onyma must choose a suitor who will eventually rule all of Neo. Many of the citizens of Neo are threatened during this perilous time of choice between good and evil. Can Ella save this beautiful kingdom from disaster? THE CRUMBLING BRICK is told in the tradition of C. S. Lewis’s and George MacDonald’s fairy tales.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Fairy tale, Fantasy

Rating – G

More details about the author and the book

Connect with JoHannah Reardon on Facebook & Twitter

Website https://www.johannahreardon.com

#Author Deborah Hawkins on Her Favourite #Books & #Writing @DeborahHawk3

Image of Deborah Hawkins

Who is your favorite author?
In addition to the ones named in the last question, I like Jody Picoult, Karen White, Anita Shreve, Rosamond Pilcher,  Scott Turow,  John Grisham, and Tom Clancy.  (Kind of an eclectic mix.)
What book genre do you adore?
Real romantic suspense - the ones that Mary Stewart wrote, where you have a complete mystery and a complete love story in the same book.  I think a love story should be about the development of the characters as they discover each other.  I’m not a fan of books where it’s just all sex.  That’s too shallow for my taste.  I want to get to know the people in the story, what they feel, and why they wind up together.
Is your family supportive?  Do your friends support you?
My children have been extremely supportive.   My daughter was my earliest reader  though all the versions of the book. My youngest computer genius child created my website and advised me about online marketing.  My second son has encouraged me to keep writing.  And my friends are just the best.  They support my internet marketing efforts and make me feel great when I see their “likes” on Facebook.  I count myself blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.
What else to you do to make money?
In my “day job” I am an appellate attorney.  I work at home in my living room writing briefs for the court of appeal.  When you lose in the trial court, you come see me.  I do a lot of court-appointed work which means I do a lot of criminal appeals.  It’s ironic because criminal law was not my favorite subject in law school.  I never meet these clients.  I just read what happened at their trials and write about it.
I only own one suit and I actually only have to go to court about once every three years to do oral argument.  Since telling people I am  a lawyer sounds really intimidating (and I am anything but intimidating), sometimes I just say I’m a legal writer.   That best describes my job, anyway.
I wanted to be a university professor and teach writing, but there were no jobs when I got out of graduate school.  So I went to law school.  Law is a great education for a woman on her own.  You can really take care of yourself if you have a law degree.  And now it gives me great story ideas.  So it has all worked out well.
What other jobs have you had in your life?
I taught writing at university before I went to law school, and I worked as a technical editor for scientists working on nuclear energy.   The training as an editor turned out to be invaluable.   I’m really good at editing, including my own work, and I enjoy that part of the process.   My scientist authors  used to request me as their editor because I can improve manuscripts without interfering with the authenticity of the author’s own voice.  I don’t think an editor should make the work the editor’s.  I think an editor’s job is to bring out the best in the writer.   I can do that, and I love doing it.  When I get through, the draft is bright and tight and clean but it still belongs to the author, not me.  The best editors get in and out and don’t leave themselves behind.
I also loved teaching writing in a non-critical way that helped my students gain confidence in themselves as writers.  Too much criticism shuts off the creative flow.  First you write.  Then you edit.  The two steps are separate.  I loved seeing my students gain confidence in themselves.
Do you plan to publish more books?
Absolutely, yes, yes, yes.  I have finished a second novel that needs editorial work. The working title is Ride Your Heart ‘Til It Breaks.  I am currently putting chapters of my third novel Dark Moon up on my blog, http://dhawkins.net.   I am thrilled to get new followers every week.  I’ve always been uncomfortable with being a lawyer.  It’s not the real me.  I like to laugh and play too much to fit the legal stereotype.  I’d rather crack jokes in court than argue the law. (Although I stick to the script and do my job, of course.)  I’m really a writer and an artist and a free spirit.   Now that my children are grown up, I have promised myself to devote the rest of my life to writing and publishing. (And becoming a better musician.)
What is hardest, getting published, writing or marketing?
I think marketing is challenging.  There is no one formula that works, and I realize I am often stabbing in the dark, trying to figure it out.    But I promised myself at the beginning to forgive my marketing mistakes because I’m just learning.  I was disappointed initially when people reacted to Dance for A Dead Princess as an exploitation of Princess Diana.  It isn’t.  I respect Diana too much to do that.
The book is actually the story of the fictional Carey family and how it manages to survive because Taylor Collins shows up and figures out Nicholas Carey.  They are people who’ve had horrendous pasts, and together they heal each other.  Diana is a background figure who helps to develop the character of Nicholas, my modern duke and captain of industry.   I loved Diana so much when she was around in the 1980's.  I took my first bar exam on the day of her wedding, and I got up in the wee hours of the morning to watch her get married before heading off to a full day of writing the exam.  And then her children were just barely older than mine, and I loved her because she loved being a mother the way I did.  And I also was inspired by the way she brought compassion to a job that can be stuffy and remote.  I put a lot of my feelings for Diana into my hero, Nicholas.  I can just imagine the two of them together, talking and comforting each other.
How often do you write?  And when do you write?
For my “day job” of writing appellate briefs, I write every day. Usually six hours spaced between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.  In between I have to run errands and look after my Golden Retrievers.
But the real fun begins at night.  After I spend an hour practicing clarinet, I pull out the laptop and start on my fiction writing.  I don’t use the laptop for anything else.  The “day job” gets done on the PC, so having different equipment helps me mark the transition from lawyer to writer/creative/artist.  I aim for writing fiction every day, but sometimes the well is dry and I have to wait for it to fill up.  When that happens, I read what I’ve written, go over my outlines, and wait for the moment when I know what happens next.  And that moment always comes.  I also think a lot about plot and pacing the story.  I want to keep the reader involved and guessing.  My favorite novels are the ones you can’t put down, and I aim to write those.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Writing a novel the reader can’t put down.  Creating characters a reader cares about, and evoking a strong sense of place and atmosphere in the story.
How did you come up with the title?
Many years ago, I heard pianist Lorin Hollander play Ravel’s Pavane Pourune Infante Defunte.   Later I heard the orchestral version and thought the French horn solo was enough to break any heart.  It is one of the most ravishing melodies on earth. When Diana died, I wondered why no one thought to play the Pavane for her. It seems so perfect.   My hero Nicholas, the duke who wanted to be a concert pianist, sits up nights playing the Pavane for “all the lost princesses in his life.”  So it was the absolutely perfect title for the book.  I did “market research” at a party one evening and discovered Americans don’t know enough French or classical music to recognize Ravel or the piece’s title in French.  So I went with the English translation.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I really identified with Princess Diana because we had children about the same age and loved motherhood.   I am an attorney and I do criminal appeals in my “day” job, so I read about murder constantly. (I know how that sounds.)   Because I was interested in Diana, I read about the tragedy in the Place d’Alama tunnel quite a bit.  I felt something wasn’t quite right with the accident stories, although I have never been a “conspiracy” sort of person.  One day I read that she received a threatening phone call in January 1997 foretelling her assassination.  She made a video tape naming the killer and gave it to someone in America for safekeeping.  It has never been found.  The fiction writer in me took over from there, and I created Nicholas Carey, Eighteenth Duke of Burnham, and Diana’s close friend who has dedicated himself to finding that tape.
What books have influenced your life the most?
I couldn’t really name all of them.  There are too many.  As a writer, I have always wanted to emulate Mary Stewart.  I grew up reading her romantic suspense novels set in exotic places, and I loved the stories and her beautiful writing style.  I liked her Merlin books, but I missed the original romantic suspense novels when she turned exclusively to the Arthurian legend.
What are your current projects?
I have finished another novel and have outlined my third which I am going to begin writing any day now.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.  I discovered writing two stories together was quite difficult, but I’m really happy with the way the modern romance and the Tudor romance work together.  The details of each had to parallel the other to keep the book from being disjointed.  The stories have important parallels. Thomas Carey, who became the first duke near the end of his life,  was the son of a well-to-do and ambitious sheep farmer from the village of Burnham in Kent.  He sent his son Thomas to Henry VIII’s court to train as a knight.  Eventually Thomas and Henry would fall in love with heiress Elizabeth Howell; and Henry would circulate rumors Thomas murdered his wife to be free to seek Elizabeth’s hand.   Similarly,  Deborah Downing’s death under mysterious circumstances at the Abbey in 1994 and the coroner’s inquest led to gossip Nicholas was responsible for killing his wife.  That gossip reaches new heights when his ward Lucy is found dead on a night when Nicholas has no alibi and when Taylor, who by now has fallen in love with Nicholas, has just discovered he cannot sell Burnham Abbey to her client as long as Lucy is alive.   Both Thomas and Nicholas are accused of murdering those who stand in the way of what they want.

http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/DanceForADeadPrincess.jpg
In January 1997, Princess Diana received a phone call telling her she would be assassinated. She recorded the information on a secret video tape, naming her killer and gave it to a trusted friend in America for safekeeping. It has never been found.
Diana's close friend, Nicholas Carey, the 18th Duke of Burnham and second richest man in England, has vowed to find the tape and expose her killer. After years of searching, he discovers Diana gave the tape to British socialite Mari Cuniff, who died in New York under mysterious circumstances. He believes Wall Street attorney Taylor Collins, the executor of Mari's estate, has possession of it. He lures Taylor to England by promising to sell his ancestral home in Kent, Burnham Abbey, to one of her clients, a boarding school for American girls. Nicholas has dated actresses and models since the death of his wife, ten years earlier, and has no interest in falling in love again. But he is immediately and unexpectedly overwhelmed with feelings for Taylor at their first meeting.
Taylor, unaware that Diana's tape is in her long-time friend and client's estate and nursing her hurt over her broken engagement to a fellow attorney in her firm, brands Nicholas supremely spoiled and selfish. She is in a hurry to finish the sale of the Abbey and return to New York. But while working in the Abbey's library, Taylor uncovers the diary of Thomas Carey, a knight at the court of Henry VIII and the first Duke of Burnham.
As she reads Thomas' agonizing struggle to save the love of his life and the mother of his child from being forced to become Henry's mistress, she begins to see Nicholas in a new light as he battles to save his sixteen-year-old ward Lucy, who is desperately unhappy and addicted to cocaine. But just as Taylor's feelings for Nicholas become clear and at the moment she realizes she is in possession of Diana's voice from the grave, she learns that Nicholas may be Lucy's father and responsible for his wife's death at the Abbey at the time of Lucy's birth. When Nicholas is arrested for Lucy's murder and taken to Wandsworth Prison, Taylor sets out to learn the truth about Nicholas, his late wife, and the death of the Princess of Wales.
Dance for A Dead Princess is a the story of two great loves that created and preserved a family that has lasted for five hundred years.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Contemporary Romance,Mystery
Rating – G
More details about the author
Connect with Deborah Hawkins on Facebook 

#AmongUs - Doubt by Anne-Rae Vasquez - @write2film #Paranormal #Thriller

DoubtAmongUs

Do you love shows like J.J. Abrams' Fringe and read books like Cassandra Clare's City of Bones?

"Doubt" mashes fringe science, corporate espionage and paranormal encounters to catapult you into an out-of-this-world experience.

At 21 years old, Harry and Cristal are fresh out of university with their PhD's. Labeled all their lives as being 'weird' and 'geeky', they find true friendships with other outcasts by playing online virtual reality games.

Harry Doubt, a genius programmer and creator of the popular online game 'Truth Seekers', has a personal mission of his own; to find his mother who went mysteriously missing while volunteering on a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. His gaming friends and followers inadvertently join in helping him find her; believing that they are on missions to find out what has happened to their own missing loved ones. During Harry's missions, Cristal and the team of 'Truth Seekers' stumble upon things that make them doubt the reality of their own lives. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that there are spiritual forces among them both good and evil, but in learning this, they activate a chain of events that start the beginning of the 'end of the world' as they know it.

Doubt is Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy. Among Us is a book series which delves into the world of the supernatural and how it intersects with the everyday lives of seemingly ordinary young people as catastrophic events on earth lead to the end of times. Among Us weaves the theme of a young man and woman, who while not fully understanding their 'abilities', are drawn together in their desire to find out the truth about the world they live in which is similar to themes used in J.J. Abrams' TV shows Fringe and Lost.

What readers have to say...
As a big fan of the show Fringe, this book appealed to me tremendously. The writing was well done, and the way the "supernatural" forces were introduced was great.
It was an excellent story that I'm sure both adult and teen urban fantasy fans will enjoy. You don't have to be a gamer or know one to identify with the characters. They're very well developed and definitely feel like people. I would definitely recommend it to a friend and I'm really looking forward to the second book.
...the novel is written in such a languid style, it moves on effortlessly and absorbs the reader into the story completely. Although the story itself revolves around the online gaming industry, one does not have to have an in depth knowledge as it is ably explained and discussed within the plot line. OMGosh! I just finished reading "Doubt" INCREDIBLE! I couldn't put it down.
˃˃˃ >>> Depth and Substance mashed up with Fringe Science. Will entertain young and old alike.
This book is intended for mature young adults and new adults. Ages 16 to 45 +

˃˃˃ >>Inspired by real Truth Seekers Aaron Swartz and Harry Fear
The main character Harry Doubt was inspired by Aaron Swartz, internet prodigy and activist, co-founder of the Creative Commons and Reddit, and Harry Fear, journalist, documentary filmmaker and activist whose coverage of the conflict in the Middle East was seen on UStream by millions of viewers.

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Young Adult, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating – G
More details about the author
Connect with Anne-Rae Vasquez on Facebook & Twitter
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, January 24, 2014

#Author P.T. Macias Shares the Lighter Side of Life & Razer 8 #Book Series @pt_macias


If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you? 
Ah, I can’t say, lol. J
What is one book everyone should read? 
Hot & Forbidden
If you were a superhero what would your name be? 
Fantastic Patricia
If you could have any superpower what would you choose?
Magic
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Pistachio
If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose? 
Princess Diana
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? 
Coffee, Scrabble eggs with ham, onion, and peppers, and tortillas.
Night owl, or early bird?
I’m an early bird.
Pet Peeves?
I hate it when people leave non-food items on my kitchen counter
Skittles or M&Ms?
M&M
What is your favorite genre to write? To read?
I love to write romantic suspense, action and adventure, military series, saga. I love to read romance, paranormal, fantasy, romantic historical.
Is there anything about one of your books you totally hate and wish you could change, but everyone else seems to like?
I don’t have a part that I hate, not yet. I do have my first two books that have a little more Spanish than the others. The majority of people like it.
Where do you do most of your writing?
I do my writing in my office.
Who are your favorite authors?
I don’t have a favorite author. I like several authors.
What's the one genre you absolutely will NOT write about? Why?
I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about it. I wouldn’t write the genre pornography, bestiality; these are the ones that come to mine. I’m sure they’re might be more genre.
Do you often use people you know as characters? And do you tell them if you do?
No, I don’t, never.
Have you had any creepy fan experience yet?
Yes I did have a creepy experience. This fan reacted odd when other fans approached me.
Does your family know about ALL the books/stories you've written, or are you keeping a few hidden?
Yes my family is aware of the books that I’ve written. They’re very proud of my achievements.
Last, but not least, is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
I’m thrilled that the fans love my books. It’s an amazing feeling to hear from a fan. It’s truly a delight to hear they’re pleasure in reading my stories. I’m also thankful for their support.

LocoRazer
The hard driven, ambitious delta force operative is immune to women. His heart has been destroyed by a treacherous woman and the unexpected loss of his family. These events have driven him nearly into insanity. The hard knocks in life propel him into grasping his emotions, his thoughts, and his physical condition. He focused on his goal. Loco doesn’t allow any type of distractions or obstacles to stop him. His actions and recklessness have earned him his nickname, Loco.
The Infinite power, Razer 8 operatives, are united and linked for infinity. His team mates recognize his pain, anger, and strength is derived from the intense impotency he feels from his loss.
The unexpected mission and unexpected encounter with his soul mate, tests his strength. His mind, heart, and soul recognize his love even before the actual encounter. The ruthless criminals threaten to harm his soul mate, pushing and transforming him into a fearless warrior.
Buy Now @ Amazon
GhostRazer
Ghost is an old-fashioned Southern boy fighting hard to forget his pain. He’s forced to protect his Mama and sister from their abusive Pa. Ghost is strong, silent, and soft spoken. He works hard against all obstacles and hurt.
Ghost grows up to become a Delta Force. He meets and falls for a hot Latina who sets him on fire! She captures his soul and brightens his world. He would do anything to protect her.
Duty calls and he’s forced to leave her unprotected. The unspeakable happens! Ghost calls on Infinity. Infinity aids to extract his woman from the clutches of a soulless prostitution mob. Time is running out!
Buy Now @ Amazon
BulldogRazer
Bulldog is the youngest of the Razer 8 Delta Force Operatives. He enjoys life. He’s called upon to help out one of his team operative. Infinity is there.
He runs into Katherine Morgan, a sweet young victim. In the the process of extraction he gets caught by the prostitution gang. They mistake him with being her boyfriend.
Bulldog grabs onto that line and poses as her boyfriend. In the process of rescuing Katherine from the mob he becomes entangled in her web. Will Bulldog’s skills and training save him from falling under her spell? Will he be able to outrun the mob and his soul?
Buy Now @ Amazon
Redfox, Razer 8 10-13-13
Redfox, Razer 8 operative mission is to infiltrate the Police Commissioner’s office and home. He has 72 hours to gather the intel on the Commissioner’s dirty business.
Redfox charms his way into the Commissioner’s home, throwing him into the arms of his soul mate. The unexpected love rocks his world and the success his mission.
The Commissioner’s daughter, Marsha Diane Bryant is a lovely sweet young girl. She falls under Redfox spell and unconditionally bestows her soul.
Redfox fears losing his soul mate in the process of completing his mission. Can their love survive the storm?
Buy @ Amazon
Genre – Romantic Suspense
Rating – PG 13
More details about the author
Connect with P.T. Macias on Facebook and Twitter