Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Girl in the Gallery by Alice Castle

The Girl in the Gallery
by Alice Castle

GENRE:   cozy crime
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BLURB:

The Girl in the Gallery by Alice Castle

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Dulwich…

It’s a perfect summer’s morning in the plush south London suburb, and thirty-something Beth Haldane has sneaked off to visit one of her favourite places, the world-famous Picture Gallery.

She’s enjoying a few moments’ respite from juggling her job at prestigious private school Wyatt’s and her role as single mum to little boy Ben, when she stumbles across a shocking new exhibit on display. Before she knows it, she’s in the thick of a fresh, and deeply chilling, investigation.

Who is The Girl in the Gallery? Join Beth in adventure #2 of the London Murder Mystery series as she tries to discover the truth about a secret eating away at the very heart of Dulwich.

Excerpt:  
As she sped on to the last gallery, containing the current exhibition, Beth automatically stopped for a

second opposite one of her favourite still lives – the red, white, and blue bouquet by Jan van Huysum. Eighteenth century flower painters were paid extra for insects, and she loved spotting all the wriggly wildlife. This time, it wasn’t a bug that caught her eye, though. It was something on the very edge of her peripheral vision. Something that jarred, didn’t make sense. Shouldn’t even be there. Something that, she realised with dread, was in the mausoleum antechamber. Something that meant, however much she did not want to, she had to turn back and look.

Beth’s heart started to thud. It was a flash of scarlet.

Wasn’t it Constable who’d added red to all his canvases as ‘the salt in the soup’? Well, Beth felt vehemently her life didn’t need even the tiniest jot more seasoning. She could no longer picture the shade crimson lake without shuddering from head to toe, after her ghastly first day at Wyatt’s School.
No, this time, if anything bad was happening, she was not going to stumble across it on her own. Resolutely shutting her eyes, she sidled back past the niche and then ran straight for the ticket desk. She’d get that girl on the desk to come with her, if she had to drag her all the way.  

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Alice Castle was a UK  newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph before becoming a novelist. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, was a European best-seller which sold out in two weeks.

Alice is currently working on the sequel to Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. The third instalment in the London Murder Mystery series, it will be published by Crooked Cat next year and is entitled The Calamity in Catford. Once again, it features Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.
Alice is also a top mummy blogger, writing DD’s Diary at www.dulwichdivorcee.com.

She lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.
Alice Castle’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/

Alice Castle is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en

Links to buy Alice Castle’s books: myBook.to/GirlintheGallery  myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich, myBook.to/HotChocolate

The book will be on sale for $0.99.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Alice Castle will be awarding $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: 
Set in the village of Dulwich, this cozy mystery features an engaging heroine, AliceCastle, archivist by trade and dreamer by nature. Her favorite escape is an art gallery, where she knows each portrait by heart. One day, however, Beth comes across a girl's body lying on a sarcophagus in the gallery. 

Inspector Harry York is called in to investigate, but Beth cannot help getting involved as well. Like Miss Marple, Beth is a keen observer of human nature, and this book rises above your everyday cozy mystery by deftly juggling serious social concerns (teenage angst, bullying), with the charm of English country life. 


Laurel's Gift by Tricia McGill

Laurel's Gift
by Tricia McGill

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GENRE: Paranormal/Contemporary

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BLURB:

The plaintive singing of a ghostly child in the night sets off a chain of events that lead to Laurel learning the dark secrets that dwell in her Great Aunt Maggie’s house in a Melbourne suburb. When Eli comes into Laurel’s life, instead of instantly uncovering the secrets that have been buried in this house for many years, their joint efforts lead them to discover even greater mysteries.

Eli’s past is tied up with the ghost of the child who haunts the house, and there are many hurdles to cross before he discovers just why he also sensed strange vibes in the old house as soon as he entered.


In their search for the answers to an extraordinary mystery they uncover a passionate love affair shared by the people dear to them or those who dwelt in the house at one time of another. Despite their shared psychic abilities can the couple also find such a love?

Excerpt:

When she turned back Eli was right behind her. Without a word he took her in his arms and kissed her. Laurel’s knees buckled and she reached for his shoulders. Pushing her back against the wall he pressed his body onto hers. The kiss went on and on, until Laurel lost all train of thought. With the same abruptness as the kiss began, it ended. He stared hard at her, turned and walked out.

Laurel followed him to the front door on shaky legs. He opened it and said over a shoulder, “Call me when you’ve made up your mind.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Award winning author Tricia McGill was born in London, England, and moved to Australia many
years ago, settling near Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was never lonely or alone. Surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer? The local library was a treasure trove and magical world of discovery through her childhood and growing years. Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart.

Tricia’s love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife for future generations, especially elephants and orangutans who seem to be getting the raw end of the deal even in this enlightened age. She also volunteers for a local community group that helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time she is heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”

www.triciamcgill.com
http://triciamg.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill

Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour: a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW:
In this paranormal romance, the story was interesting because both characters have psychic gifts. Often, in these stories, it's just the woman or the man. But this book was different. It was two love stories in one, and Tricia McGill does a wonderful job tying them together.  Lauren and Eli are a fascinating couple. Laurel is outgoing, and Eli is secretive.  The mystery is secondary to the love story, but for me, this wasn't a problem. What I liked were the characters and their love story. It starts off with Laurel staying in her Great Aunt Maggy's house, after Maggy hurts herself in a fall and has to go to a nursing home. In Maggy's home, Laurel hears a little girl singing, and knows she's a ghost. Then roses arrive for her Aunt Maggy, and Laurel meets Eli. It's a captivating story, and I highly recommend it!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

For This Moment by Holly Bush

For This Moment
by Holly Bush 

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GENRE: Historical Romance

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BLURB:

For This Moment

1871 Born to privilege and duty, Olivia Gentry comes of age as women begin to find their social and political independence. The youngest child, and only daughter, of a successful Virginia horse
breeding family, she has been raised and educated to carry on the family business with her brothers. Having been deceived in love as a young woman and unsure of her instincts, she is wary to commit to a marriage, but she cannot deny her long-buried feelings for a family friend.

Jim Somerset has been in love with Olivia Gentry from the moment she gazed up at him as a young girl. A farrier by trade like his father before him, he and his business’s future are inexorably entwined with the Gentry family. He has watched her be courted by statesmen, and considers her and her goals out of the reach of a common workman.  But he is fearful that he will never purge Olivia from his mind and his heart. Has the moment come for him to reveal his passions for her? Find out in the third installment of the Gentrys of Paradise.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Holly Bush writes historical romance set in the U.S.in the late 1800’s, in Victorian England, and and occasional Women’s Fiction title. Her books are described as emotional, with heartfelt, sexy romance. She makes her home with her husband in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Connect with Holly at www.hollybushbooks.com and on Twitter @hollybushbooks and on Facebook at Holly Bush (https://www.facebook.com/hollybushbooks/)

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Links:
www.hollybushbooks.com
@hollybushbooks
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435
http://www.amazon.com/Holly-Bush/e/B006ZDTQ1A/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

To Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Google Store

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:
Holly will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Dream Waters by Erin A. Jensen


Dream Waters (Book One of The Dream Waters Series),
Dream World (Book Two of The Dream Waters Series), Dream Sight (Book Three of The Dream Waters Series)


by Erin A. Jensen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Contemporary Fantasy
DREAM WATERS
Book One of The Dream Waters Series

All his life, Charlie Oliver has watched the people around him morph into creatures that no one else sees.  Unlike the rest of the world, Charlie remembers the Waters that transport him to the Dream World each night.  And he sees glimpses of people’s Dream forms in the waking world.  Condemned to spend his waking hours in a psychiatric facility because of his Dream Sight, Charlie doesn’t expect anything to change.  But everything starts changing the day Emma Talbot walks through the door in the middle of a group therapy session.

Haunted by memories of the events that led to her admission, Emma plans to end her life the first chance she gets.  But something about Charlie stops her.  From the moment they shake hands, his friendship feels safe and familiar.  As Emma begins to let down her guard, Charlie catches a glimpse of the fiery-eyed dragon that lurks behind her Dream form.  Each night, as Emma dreams of the man who’s been banned from visiting, Charlie searches the Dream World for the monster that shadows her.  But when Emma’s suppressed memories begin to surface, Charlie finds more monsters than he bargained for.

Dream Waters (Book 1) Excerpt:

“Where were you afraid I’d land when I fell in and why did you say finding the dragon wouldn’t be easy?”

She started drawing waves in the sand with her finger and I got the distinct impression she was doing it to avoid looking at me. “Honestly Charlie, I wasn’t sure where you’d land. It’s unpredictable when you don’t jump on purpose. You could end up anywhere the people you’ve met have been. You’re a mental patient. Can you imagine the sections of Dream some patients might inhabit?” Her finger stopped drawing mid-wave. “Trust me boy. There are Dark places in the Dream World, places you should never go. Venture too far into them and you risk losing a part of yourself to the Darkness.”

I was really getting tired of the cryptic shit. “Great. Thanks for the vague ominous warning. I was afraid you might give me an actual answer for a second there.”

“I’ve already said too much.” Even at a whisper there was a waver to her voice. “Just thank me for keeping you safe and jump back into the Water.”

“I don’t know which world I find you more annoying in.” It wasn’t the nicest thing to say to the one person who understood me but I said it out of frustration and maybe a little out of fear.

Nellie was about to snarl something back, but the leaves of some bushes just off the beach started rustling and I hopped to my feet to get a better look. “Something’s over there.”

Nellie stood up with a weary sigh and as she turned toward the bushes I saw the scars. Large deep identical scars marring the flesh on both of her shoulder blades.

I took a step closer to her. “What happened to your back?”

She turned and gave me a hard shove toward the Water’s edge. “It’s time for you to go now Charlie.” It caught me by surprise and knocked me off balance, back into the surf and the icy Water pulled me back in.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Erin Jensen is a part-time pharmacist and a fulltime creator of imaginary worlds.  She lives in upstate NY with her incredibly supportive husband, two sons (who are both taller than her) and a Yorkshire terrier who thinks he’s the family bodyguard.  In the early days of her writing career, Erin vowed to get a dragon tattoo—once her books received a milestone number of reviews—but she won’t disclose that number any longer, for fear of actually reaching her goal and having to go through with it.

http://www.erinajensen.com/
http://blog.erinajensen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/erin.jensen.756

Dream Waters: Book One of The Dream Waters Series 
(The first book is on sale for $0.99)
by Erin A. Jensen

Book 1: 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0997171219/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20

Amazon Buy Link:  http://a.co/gh4ZMdP

Barnes and Noble Buy Link:    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dream-waters-erin-a-jensen/1124717811?ean=9780997171204

iBook Buy Link:  https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/dream-waters/id1159943525?mt=11

kobo Buy Link:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dream-waters


GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 Dream World: Book Two of The Dream Waters Series
by Erin A. Jensen

Book 2:  https://www.amazon.com/Dream-World-Book-Two-Waters/dp/0997171243/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XC0M9V11GB85XKJ8AX50

Amazon Buy Link:  http://a.co/9GERZwx

Barnes and Noble Buy Link:    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dream-world-erin-a-jensen/1125396760?ean=9780997171235

iBook Buy Link:  https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/dream-world/id1209882853?mt=11

kobo Buy Link:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dream-world-7


Dream Sight (Book Three of The Dream Waters Series)


Lessons I Learned from my Main Character
by Erin A. Jensen
               
Over the course of writing the books in my Dream Waters series, my characters have become almost like family to me—one big extremely dysfunctional family.  Even though they’re fictional people, when you spend that much time poking around inside a character’s brain—contemplating his actions and motives—he’s bound to end up teaching you something.  Whether you share lots of traits with the character or couldn’t be more opposite, I believe there’s a lesson to be learned from every character.
An argument could be made that I have at least three main characters in my series.  Each book has chapters written from different characters’ points of view.  Not every character contributes to the narration of each book, but three of them are vocal in every book—Charlie, Emma and David.  If I had to narrow it down and pin the label of “main character” on just one of them, it would have to be Charlie.  Dream Waters (Book One of the series) begins and ends from his point of view.
Charlie has spent most of his adult life locked away in mental institutions.  His father died when he was young and his mother just didn’t have the energy to deal with his mental issues.  What are those issues?  Charlie has memories of a parallel Dream World that he claims everyone visits while they’re asleep.  He remembers the Waters that transport people between worlds and erase most peoples’ memories of the world they’ve left behind.  Charlie can also see the people around him morph to their Dream forms in the waking world.
Despite the fact that Charlie feels rejected by every member of society—including his own mother—and he lives in a world filled with constant threats of unspeakable horrors that no one else acknowledges the existence of, Charlie tackles his troubles with a light-hearted attitude.  His sarcastic sense of humor is a coping mechanism, but it’s also his way of making the most of a horrible situation.  I suppose the first lesson Charlie taught me was that humor can be a powerful tool.  When your only options are to curl up and lament your sorry existence or make light of the situation and find the humor in even the glummest of circumstances.  Why not crack a smile, tell a joke and lighten the moods of your fellow sufferers?  If the situation sucks either way, why not make the best of it?

That said, the biggest lesson I learned from Charlie is that no matter how dire your own situation seems, you can still reach out and help someone else in need.  Knowing what it’s like to live in a constant state of fear has ultimately made Charlie a more compassionate creature.  When Emma is admitted to the facility, he sees how lost and alone she feels and it breaks his heart.  Instead of erecting walls and wallowing in his own misery, he reaches out and tries to lessen Emma’s grief, making her feel a whole lot safer in the process.  Despite how much the world has knocked him down, Charlie seizes the first opportunity to do some good and make someone else feel a little less hopeless.  His actions suggest that you’re never too powerless to make a difference.  That’s a lesson I think we’d all do well to learn from.


Saturday, January 20, 2018

Ain't no sunshine...

According  to the Guardian, this has been one on of the darkest years in history for Europe. The sun has been hiding behind dark rain clouds for weeks and weeks - rain has soaked the ground until it's like a sponge. Water drips, runs, trickles, and the sky is the color of lead, of pewter, and of tin. It's silvery gray in the morning, then dark clouds move in and the rain falls. Or I wake up to the sound of pounding rain, and it's still dark. There is no more sunrise or sunset - just various shades of gray.

Mantes la Jolie
The river walk in Mantes, in the rain
Julia in the rain


In other news, we're gtting ready to spend a week in Florida, so we are looking forward to sunshine!

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Roasted Pumpkin Soup & Pork Roast just Kidding

So, Stef is in Scotland for the weekend, and I have been cooking. Today it was pumpkin soup, but instead of boiling it, I roasted the pumpkin, along with five carrots and an onion. I ate one carrot when the veggies were done - I love roasted veggies - then I put the rest in the blender with some milk and cream, and used couscous spices: curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, and paprika. Then I whipped it up until the soup was creamy and light - and had a bowl because it smelled so good and now I'm stuffed. Pumpkin is filling!

The Faux Pork Roast (Roast Pork, Just Kidding!)  comes from "Food Wars", a manga cartoon that has some incredible recipes. This one looked like fun, and I had all the ingredients, so I boiled my potatoes and mashed them, fried up onions and mushrooms and added them to the mash. Then I wrapped it in four large rashers of thick bacon and tied it like a roast. I baked it in a nice, hot oven (turning it once) until it was browned all over. Then I deglazed the onion/mushroom pan with port wine, added soy sauce and butter, and some herbes de Provence. I sliced the roast on a plate and poured the sauce over it. I had it for dinner last night, and at work today for lunch, and it was deliecious!

The good thing about recipes is that you can change them to accomodate what you have in the house. I didn't have red wine, but I had port wine, and that worked well with the soy sauce. I didn't have any sweet sake, but the port wine was sweet already, so it worked fine! I also substituted regular mushrooms for the oyster mushrooms and again - they were fine!

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will take Auguste for a walk along the riverside. The river is very high, and it is scary/fun watching the brown, swirling water as it flows by just inches from the bike path - instead of being several meters below it!


Monday, January 15, 2018

Sanctuary of Lies by Chad Bishop

Sanctuary of Lies
by Chad Bishop


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GENRE: Thriller (domestic)
BLURB:

There are 4.7 billion searchable sites make up 10% of the web, the other 90% is dedicated to the "Dark web". Within that environment there is a thriving economy where everything is for sale: Sex, Armies and Code for hire. Well-known companies buy and sell for governments and NGO’s (non-governmental organizations). They appear as a benign legal boutique companies and consultants, but their true purpose is to be the middlemen/cyber lynchpin for these illicit goods and services.​

ISABELLA NUNEZ owns a computer firm in Brooklyn with her lover JACOB COSTA. Accepting her infertility they have a blue nose pit bull called Justice as their “child” and live simple lives as techy nerds. Isabella’s idyllic life is shattered when several days after her lover’s ex-wife, SIMONE JOHNS, reported death, Simone sends Jacob an email to come save their child, he didn’t know they had.

EXCERPT:

Come closer, you know, so I can kiss you better.” she teased.

He leaned in and Bella pulled him into a deep kiss. He felt her leaning her back, trying to pull him onto the bed. Jacob broke the kiss and smiled at her.

I’ve got work and no matter how big you think you are, the truth is I’m still bigger than you.”

Bella fell back on the bed. “ Fine, go I’ll go pick up our baby and meet you later.”

I don’t know how you can call a 60 lb bluenose pit bull a baby but, okay.” Jacob said as he shook his head. He looked at his watch, gave Bella another kiss and then left their condo.

The August morning was bright and the heat was already starting to rise. He stepped into his black car and pushed the engine start button. As the car started its system and the a/c began to cool the car Jacob pulled his phone out and went to his text he tapped Simone’s text:

Hello Jake,

I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve been murdered and I need you to protect our son.

Your response is required.

Jacob closed the text and re-holstered the phone.

Sending texts from the grave, that’s got to be one for the books."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Being a child of divorce, I have experienced both sides of the American Family. I understand there is a loss to the family unit that no longer has a father in it. In the face of that loss, I discovered a woman can rise to the occasion and not replace a man but offer her own strength, moral compass and guidance. In this environment a child can grow up feeling loved, accepted and ultimately successful in life.

Those experiences in my formative years have made me more aware of the women around me and the daily feats of resourcefulness and ingenuity that goes unnoticed and unacknowledged by society. My stories highlight societal issues and the ever-changing challenges women face that I've observed during my life.

https://www.facebook.com/chadbishopauthor/

https://www.amazon.com/Chad-Bishop/e/B076XRXKQG/
Blog: Best Known Secrets https://www.bishopstories.com/blog-1

Website: https://www.bishopstories.com/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Chad will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to 6 randomly drawn winners via a Rafflecopter giveaway during the tour!

Review:
I started reading this before I went to work - and I was nearly late at the office! Then I stayed up all night to finish it!
Chad Bishop has written a tightly plotted thriller, with multiple characters and multiple viewpoints - and it all meshes wonderfully. 
It starts off with a plane being hijacked from a distance - and the apparatus that hijacks the plane is up for bids.  And in a place called "Sanctuary", something deep and terrifying is going on.  People are being killed, and it doesn't seem like anyone is aware of what is going on, until almost too late.
The author plays the reader like a fish - casting out bits of storyline and reeling you in. I admit, I was hooked. I wasl also hooked because of the plausibility of the story, and because the author does a terrific job with pacing and character development. Kudos to Chad Bishop - I'll be looking for more of his work! 

Saturday, January 13, 2018

A Mysterious Spring

I suppose there is a reason for it although I can't come up with anything logical. On Amazon my book covers are disappearing one by one, replaced by 'Image Not Available' signs that look sort of sad and empty.
Being a resourceful sort of person, (my hero, McGyver) I uploaded some new pictures so customers can see the cover. I also e-mailed Amazon, and if anyone has ever done that they know that it's like writing a letter, opening the window, and tossing it outside with the hopes that someone from Amazon who can actually Do something will pick it up off the ground.

A Mysterious Spring
Here is a photo of the Nymphorium near my house. It was built on the site of a sacred spring and stream. (The druids worshipped running water.) The Romans arrived, conquered Gaul, and made the sacred spring into a nymphorium - that is, a temple dedicated to the worship of a nymph. This temple datesd from about the year 100 AD.
Whenever I drive by it, my radio stops. It is impossible to get any station in this area. Very mysterious.
Another mystery is that no matter the weather, when you get to the spring, it seems sunny. Also, when you step inside, look at your watch. Time has a funny way of getting away from you in the temple. You stop to look at the stream, the statue, then your eye is caught by a flash of light, or perhaps it was just a large dragonfly - whatever it was, you were distracted. Look at your watch again - hours have gone by. Or perhaps just a minute, when it seemed much, much longer. Step out of the temple, and suddenly, the sun is setting. Where did the day go???

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Movie Magic by Michelle Garren Flye


Movie Magic
by Michelle Garren Flye

GENRE:   contemporary romance
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BLURB:  Lights…camera…magic!

Sabrina Parker has spent her professional life creating unbelievable stunts and magical effects for movies and stage magicians. Now she needs some special magic to help her bring her movie to life. Her search leads her to the very unlikely stage of Walt Bryson, host of a long-running children’s television show in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Walt isn’t terribly happy about taking Hollywood’s call. He’s never sought the same notoriety as his colleagues Ian Logan and Andre Hawke. But there’s something about the beautiful, levelheaded Ms. Parker, and when he reads her screenplay, he knows he wants to work with her. For the first time in years, he’s willing to put tragedy behind him and make real magic.

Can Walt and Sabrina use love as their guide or will their past mistakes haunt their future?

Excerpt :

“How long can you stay?”

He drew away and looked at her in amusement. “I’m here all night.”

“No, I mean this trip. How long is it?” 

“Just til day after tomorrow, why?”

She couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Oh. Okay.”

He sat up on his elbows, looking down at her. “Why do I get the feeling that’s not the answer you wanted from me?”

She shook her head, trying—too late—to reassure him. “No, it’s just that Dylan has this actor who’s looking at a part in the movie. The male lead. And it’s kind of a big thing for the movie, and if you were there, you could see if he would even be able to learn the tricks. You know. For the movie. But it’s not—”

“I can stay.” 

“What?” She looked at him incredulously.

“I can stay.” He brushed her hair back from her face with a gentle smoothing motion. “The show’s wrapped up, and I’ve got no plans for the rest of my life. What’s another couple of days?”

“Oh. Fantastic.” She relaxed into his arms. “That means there’ll be more time for this, then.”

“And that is the best news I’ve heard all day.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michelle Garren Flye is an award-winning author of romance and women’s fiction. Reviewers have described her work as: “an engaging novel with charming and likable characters”, a story that “will make you believe in love and second chances”, and a “well-written and thought-provoking novel.”
Michelle placed third in the Hyperink Romance Writing Contest for her short story “Life After”. Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library, Butcher Shop Quartet and Tattered Souls.
Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the mother of three and lives in North Carolina with her husband and their rapidly growing collection of pets.

Links:
Blog: BREATHE: http://michellegflye.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellegarrenflye/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellegflye
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Magic-Sleight-Hand-4/dp/1976147190

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Michelle Garren Flye will be awarding $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: 
Movie Magic is a very enjoyable romance. The main character, Sabrina, is not very likeable at the start, but at the same time, you want her to succeed. Her job is fascinating - who wouldn't want to work in the film business making special effects come to life? Sabrina's job is to find the people who can work that magic, and her quest leads her to a sleepy little town where Walt, a magician, works in a a local theater that also doubles as a television show.

Although Walt is immediately engaging as a character, he's harder to get to know. He is secretive and reclusive. The author did an amazing job bringing both characters to life. At first Sabrina is snobbish and shallow - but as she gets to know the town and the people, we discover new depths to her personality. Walt is mysterious and almost cold - but he too changes when he meets Sabrina. In fact, the book is less about the illusion of movie magic and more about the transformational magic of love!

 A sudden storm brings the characters together, and very much like the Shakespearean play, "The Tempest", the characters are introduced and the story unfolds against a background of nature, the elements, and magic. Movie Magic is a charming romance!


Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Relatively Crazy by Ellen Dye

Relatively Crazy
by Ellen Dye

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GENRE: Women's Fiction/Romance

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BLURB:

On her fortieth birthday housewife Wanda Jo Ashton is expecting her husband's standard gift of an E and E from T-that being Elegant and Expensive from Tiffany's. However, what she gets is the news that her formerly successful, dependable corporate attorney husband is leaving her to pursue the rich life of a kept man. Left with nothing she has no choice but to escape the San Francisco area, with her sixteen-year-old daughter in tow and head toward the mountains of West Virginia and the quirky family she left behind twenty years ago. Here Wanda Jo must carve out a future, complete with career and home in the midst of family feuds, computer phobias and the occasional homebrewing explosion before she finally figures out life can indeed being again at forty.

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 Excerpt:


No sooner had I placed my half-empty mug on the counter than I heard a distantly familiar hissing sound. But before I could remember when I’d last heard it there was the unmistakable groan of old wood followed by an explosion loud enough to rival cannon fire and then the sound of splintering wood.

Olivia looked at me, eyes wide with shock. I looked at Sam. We both looked at Nettie, who sat with her eyes wide and one hand over her mouth. “Oops,” she squeeked.

Mama just sighed and kept washing dishes.

Sam and I hurried to the front door. He got there first and shoved it open with one massive shoulder. I stared out in stunned disbelief. The right side of the porch had been reduced to a pile of splintered boards, sprinkled here and there with, broken glass. One of the posts and collapsed and the other dangled from its gingerbread trim.

The usually fresh morning air reeked of fermenting apples.

A tad too much yeast.” Nettie tsked from somewhere near my elbow, before turning to toddle back toward the kitchen lost in thought.

Well, it was official. We were home and had just survived another of Aunt Nettie’s homebrewing explosions.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

At the age of nine Ellen Dye decided she was going to be a writer when she found her Aunt Nettie’s trunk of True Confessions magazines and spent untold hours reading the lot, a bag of Munchos potato chips and a frosty RC Cola at her side. Then, being nine, she promptly forgot all about it as she got lost in the pesky business of growing up, And then one very lucky day she spotted a confession magazine on the grocery store shelf and began to tap out her own stories which were a delight to see published. Now she spends her days tapping out her characters’ happily-ever-afters for The Wild Rose Press.

Visit anytime at www.ellendye.com

Ellen is always up for meeting new friends at Ellen Dye Author on Facebook

Amazon sale link
https://www.amazon.com/Relatively-Crazy-Ellen-Dye-ebook/dp/B076GNYR8X/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Ellen Dye will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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