Cloaked by Taylor Hobbs

CLOAKED by TAYLOR HOBBS

Hello Taylor and welcome to my blog! Can you tell me a little about yourself, and how you became an author?

Hello and thank you for having me! A little about me: I live aboard a 38-foot sailboat named Story Time with my husband, baby girl, and dog. We are a military family currently stationed in North Carolina, but love to travel and have plans to cruise the Caribbean in the next few years. I’ve always been a huge reader, but didn’t start writing until 2013. Cloaked is my third novel, but the first one to be published. It’s a dream come true to have made it here!

What is your book about?

Cloaked is a fantasy romance novel. (Read all about it below!)

Who is your heroine? Is she based on someone in real life?

Charlotte is the heroine, but she isn’t based on anyone in real life. There might be a little bit of me in there, or maybe wishful thinking that I could somehow be as cool as she is!

What are your favorite times for writing? Morning? Evening?

I’m at my most creative in the morning with a giant cup of coffee. I try to hit my 1,000 words per day goal before noon. Editing, however, is easiest at night! Maybe because I’m grumpier by the end of the day and have a more critical eye. My favorite spot to edit is up in our cockpit, watching the sun go down with a red pen in my hand.

Who are your favorite authors? Did they influence your writing, and if so, how?

Where to start? I feel like it is an ever-growing list! Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, and Erika Johansen, author of the Queen of the Tearling series come to mind right now when I think of books that influenced Cloaked. Both authors write strong female characters in memorable settings with a dash of fantasy.

Did you have a favorite book as a child? Did it influence your choice to become an author?

I would have to say Watership Down, given to me by my dad in fourth grade. It was my first ‘grown up’ book, and it showed me how immersive literature could be. I remember being so completely absorbed by the story, and since then I’ve re-read it about five times. It really is a classic. I think it sparked my love of fantasy, so you could say it influenced my choice to write a fantasy romance novel! Unfortunately, there are no talking bunnies in Cloaked.

Thank you for joining me - and now, without further ado - 

Cloaked

by Taylor Hobbs

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GENRE: Historical Fantasy Romance

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BLURB:   As the Cloaked Shadow, Fawkes has made his career breaking into prisons for any contract with a large enough purse. He takes advantage of the kingdom's impending revolution by playing both sides of the conflict. Each rescue contract he fulfills turns a tidy profit until he angers the wrong duke.

Charlotte is a criminal-in-training who yearns to crack her mentor’s guarded façade, but is unprepared to confront the depths of his dark past. As her sense of right and wrong blurs, Charlotte discovers just how far she will go for the Cloaked Shadow and the sacrifices he requires.

Now hunted throughout the land, Fawkes must face long-buried secrets in order to survive, but they could destroy him. Charlotte risks everything, including her heart, to set Fawkes on the path to redemption.

Will Charlotte have the strength to pull Fawkes into the light, or will she follow him into the shadows?

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Excerpt:  Fawkes’ attack pressed Charlotte backward, and soon they were outside. As Charlotte’s feet slipped in the mud, she realized she had lost her size advantage. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating her surroundings long enough to blind her, and she failed to anticipate the next punch. It landed hard on her right shoulder and spun her around.

Before she could steady herself to counter, her arm was wrenched behind her back. Fawkes had a grip on it with one hand, the other around her throat. She stood flush against him, feeling his harsh breath and pounding heart as it beat against her back. They stood like statues, neither one of them wanting to the first to break the spell.

The roar of thunder made her jump and brought them back to reality. “I’ve gotten better, haven’t I?” Charlotte couldn’t help asking. She’d meant it as a quip, but it came out too hopeful.

She felt Fawkes sigh, tensing his hold on her before dropping his grip. With her back still to him, she waited for his answer. Instead, his hand brushed wet hair back from her face before a finger traveled down and traced her jawline. Charlotte leaned into the touch, but then it was gone. She turned to see only darkness, and then a flash of lightning showed his tall frame heading back to the cave.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Taylor Hobbs lives aboard a 38 ft sailboat named Story Time with her husband, baby girl, and dog. They are a military family and who love to travel, whether it is by sea or air. When she's not writing, Taylor enjoys doing yoga and planning her next adventure. You can keep up with their crazy life at cannonstocruising.com or follow on Twitter at @tayhobbit.

Cloaked is her debut novel and can be found at https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6046-cloaked.html

Buy links:

Barnesandnoble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cloaked-taylor-hobbs/1129153048

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cloaked-Taylor-Hobbs-ebook/dp/B07FKXJ7Z6/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Powerful Destiny by Tricia McGill

Powerful Destiny

by Tricia McGill

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GENRE: Historical/reincarnation

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BLURB:

Can love span time?

It is 850 AD and Norse warrior Rolf lands on the shores of East Anglia determined to take revenge on a Celtic clan. Following a fierce battle, where the Celts are savagely killed, Rolf comes face to face with the daughter of the slain Celtic leader. So stunned by the beauty, along with the courage of Brigid, he is convinced that his Three Fates of Destiny brought them together. Resolved to make this woman his own, he spares the lives of the captured Celtic women and children and takes them back to his homeland across the ocean.

Strangely drawn to the Norseman who is so sure they are destined to be together, Brigid must fight against succumbing to the wishes of the man who killed her father. Nevertheless, to save her fellow Celtic captives from slavery or worse, Brigid must keep a bargain with the Norse leader—a bargain that will see her tied to him forever.

In present day Cornwall, naturally shy Rolf shares his secluded lighthouse with his wolfhound. An artist, he delights in the rugged scenery and ever-changing weather. While in the nearest bookshop one day, he meets a newcomer to town. Brigid’s unusual personality strikes a chord with him. Not only are both convinced they have met before, but their fascination for Viking and Celtic history forges an unusual bond between them. Outspoken and forthright, Brigid sets out to break down the barrier of reserve and caution Rolf has erected over the years. Is it simply whimsy or can lovers across centuries be reunited?

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The woman stood straight and proud, long hair as black as the night falling to her middle. A band around her forehead secured its flowing beauty. Her clothing was no different from that worn by any other Celtic female encountered in his past, but something about her bearing proclaimed that she was very different in some way. As she touched some sort of talisman at her belt, she muttered what could have been an incantation. Perhaps she was praying to her gods.

In all his life and many travels, never had he seen such a vision of loveliness. Then Rolf cursed beneath his breath. What was he thinking? This was a Celtic female, only fit for becoming a slave. Nevertheless, there was something about this female that told him she would be no man's slave, no matter how he tried to break her spirit.

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?”

Web Page: www.triciamcgill.com,

BLOG: http://triciamg.blogspot.com,

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill

Books We Love Author page: http://bookswelove.net/authors/mcgill-tricia-romance-historical-australia/

Buy Links: http://books2read.com/Powerful-Destiny

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Destiny-Tricia-McGill-ebook/dp/B07DXL3JHP/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/powerful-destiny-tricia-mcgill/1128942296

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

I was excited to read another of Tricia McGill's books. I have to admit, I've been a fan of her writing since I read her first one! 

Do you believe in reincarnation? Can passion travel through the ages? And do you think that there are people destined to be together? The story opens with a Viking raid on a Celtic village, where Rolf, the Viking leader, meets Brigid, a Celtic woman. There is no sugar-coating the horrors of the Viking raids. At that time, the raids were bloody and merciless. But people of that time did not have the choices we have now.  War and raids were a fact of life, especially along the coast. The Vikings were a greatly feared people, and they ranged far and wide. When Rolf sees Brigid, he realizes she's meant to be his. He has found his destiny. But in a cruel twist of fate, he is now her enemy and her captor. Brigid has to learn to accept the fate that has destroyed her life but offered her a new chance at happiness. The second part of the story takes place in modern times, when another Rolf, looking for a gift for his neice, bumps into a woman who seems eerily familiar, and he finds himself wondering if destiny, or fate, really does exist. A romantic, fast moving novella - this book will sweep you away to another time and place, and make you believe in a love ruled by fate. 

Highly recommended to readers of romance, historical romance, and time travel romance. Fans of Barbara Erskine will adore this tale! 

Tail of the Dragon by Connie di Marco

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Connie di Marco will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti never thought murder would be part of her practice, but now, Julia’s former boss and current client has asked for help. He has serious problems at his law firm. Three people have received death threats and the only common denominator between them is a case long settled -- the infamous Bank of San Francisco fire. Julia’s convinced a woman is behind the threats, perhaps even the widow of the man who died in that same fire, but no one wants to believe that astrology could provide a clue. Before Julia can help her client, two lawyers are dead and her own life is threatened. Can she unmask the killer before he (or she) takes another life?

Read an Excerpt:

I settled into the office chair and flicked on the computer. Samantha, at the Chronicle, had sent forty-three AskZodia emails. I heaved a sigh. So many people asking for advice. I separated out the letters that asked no particular question and then separated the emails into male and female groups.

A few of the emails were quite intriguing. One woman wrote to ask about the dynamic between her brother, now deceased, and her mother. Her mother blamed herself for her son’s death and was torturing herself with guilt. I could tell by the brother’s chart, strong Uranus and Mars aspects, that there was absolutely nothing her mother could have done to control her son. The mother had done the best she could and needed to let go.

I clicked on another.

Dear Zodia ~

I’ve been happily married for twelve years. My wife is a wonderful woman and a loving wife and mother. For the past few months I’ve found myself attracted to another woman. I know I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help myself. It’s become an obsession and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never cheated on my wife but I find myself thinking about it all the time. I think this other woman is also attracted to me, but I’m not sure. I’m so confused, I don’t know what’s happening to me and I don’t know what to do.

~ Confused

Dear Confused ~

I’ll be very direct. It’s really not a choice between one woman or another. You are yearning. You are seeking an aspect of your own ‘anima’ or female self. Neptune is currently opposing your natal Venus and you, believe me, are most likely projecting all sorts of qualities on to this other person, most of which you would ultimately discover are not real.

We experience great yearnings with Neptune transits and tend to believe that the answer is ‘somewhere else.’ Under transits of Neptune, especially, it is not possible to see things clearly. You and your wife are quite compatible astrologically. It would be a shame to destroy your marriage for what may be no more than a passing wraith.

I recommend seeking professional help to discover what you are missing in your life and your love life. Often, the ‘other’ that you are attracted to turns out to be much like the person you are currently with. There is an excellent book on this very subject: ‘Love Triangles’ by Julia Bonatti, published by Stargazer Press. This might be a start in helping you sort out your feelings.

~ Zodia

Samantha would get a kick out of this response. Me, anonymously, plugging my own book, but I really did think it would be a help to this man.

About the Author:

Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries from Midnight Ink featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti. The Tail of the Dragon, third in the series, will be released on August 8, 2018.

Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Connie is a member of MWA, Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

http://www.conniedimarco.com
https://www.facebook.com/zodiacmysteries/
http://www.Twitter.com/askzodia

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Zodiac-Mystery-Connie-Marco/dp/0738751065/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tail-of-the-dragon-connie-di-marco/1127149243
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738751061
Mysterious Galaxy: https://www.mystgalaxy.com/book/9780738751061

Connie di Marco will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Villainous Viscount Or The Curse Of The Venns by Lucinda Elliot

The Villainous Viscount Or The Curse Of The Venns

by Lucinda Elliot

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GENRE: Historical Gothic Spoof, Historical Regency

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BLURB:  An appreciative satire of the cliches of classical Gothic, with the eponymous Villainus Viscount, a haunted castle, a family curse, and a spirited heroine.

When Clarinda Greendale inherits the fortune of disreputable uncle she hardly knows, she does not expect to find herself forced into marriage with an aristocratic fortune hunter and wild, brawling, debauched social outcast. Not only that, but her name featured some way down on the list of eligible heiresses he planned to court. Still,Clarinda has always found Harley Venn set off the most unmaidenly tinglings in her; that is one consolation...

Yet neither did Clarinda expect to inherit the legacy of a wrongdoing from half a century before. For the wicked if beguiling Lord Venn seems to have inherited a family curse, which, having dispatched the main perpetrators of the old crime, now moves on to their heirs, who are just as wild a set of rakes as their elders. There are rumours of violent deaths preceded by appearances from an inexorable hooded spectre, of inexplicable strikes of lightning, and of haunted mirrors.

The light-hearted Harley Venn dismisses all these as conjuring tricks. He even hires a drunken charlatan of a professional magician to prove it.

Clarinda is far from sure that there is any rational explanation. Still, it would take more than an enforced marriage to an incorrigible pugilistic libertine or persecution from malevolent spectres to damage her steely nerves and sense of the ridiculous.

This lively Gothic comedy, written as a good natured satire of the cliches of classical Gothic, gives the reader a warm-hearted and courageous heroine, a rascally but beguiling anti-hero and an authentic historical background to the delightfully over-the-top adventures, a cast of wholly believable characters, an engaging love story and many chills on its way to its tumultuous conclusion.

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Excerpt: He tried his beguiling smile again, an expert blend of mischief and underlying sorrow. “You underestimate the influence you could have on me. Bad as I am, and young as you are, I know that you could be my saving angel.”

“No, Sir. But I am happy to hear of your intention to change your way of life, and I wish you all happiness with the young lady who does feel herself equal to the role you honour me by offering.”

She could sense that he was dizzy with humiliation, but refused to let her fortune slip though his fingers so easily. Now, he called on another quality necessary for a pugilist – self-control. Rising from his knees, he took her hands before she could retreat, caressing them. “Clarinda, you remember that you were the only respectable young lady who spoke kindly about poor Foyle’s death. You were not cold and implacable, then.”

Her lips thinned. “I am only so now in refusing your offer of marriage.”

He dropped her hands. “So be it, Ma’am.” Too outraged to make the normal civilities, he turned away.

A blinding flash of lightning outlined the window, where a hooded, cloaked figure stood seemingly suspended on the air. It extended one skeletal hand as if reaching towards them and vanished even as the thunderclap came.

Swearing, Harley Venn dashed to the window. As the peal of thunder died away, Clarinda came up behind him. “We saw that oddity before.” She gazed about the empty street below. “This time it has appeared at a first floor window. That is extraordinary.”’

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Lucinda Elliot has recently become the proud honouree of the B.R.A.G medallion for outstanding fiction for her Gothic historical paranormal romance, 'That Scoundrel Emile Dubois' - (available from amazon both in print and on Kindle for the very low price of 0.99 plus VAT, as the author writes to share her stories, not to make a profit).

She was born in England and loves writing Gothic stories - as she grew up living in a series of isolated rambling period houses, in Buckinghamshire, Devonshire and North Wales among other places that would make perfect settings for such stories, that may not be surprising.

After that she lived and worked in London for many years, and now lives in mid Wales with her family, and has greatly improved her Welsh, but there is some way to go.

She loves working out and weight training, and was once a Sportsfighter (long since retired). She likes body sculpting, too. She shows a geeky streak in her interests such as classic novels, history and environmental matters.

She loves creating strong female characters to provide an effective counterpoint to the gung-ho males. She can't resist putting humour into all of her writing, dark or otherwise.

Her latest novel 'The Villainous Viscount Or The Curse of the Venns', another historical Gothic with undercurrents of dark humour, came out in August 2016.

At present she is working on a sequel for 'That Scoundrel Emile Dubois'.

When reading 'That Scoundrel Emile Dubois' the author hopes the reader will laugh out loud as well as shudder at Sophie's Gothic horrors as she becomes trapped in a great house staffed by the wicked Emile's band of brigands.

When reading 'Ravensdale' she hopes to give the reader a laugh and a journey through an over-the-top romantic highwayman (and highwaywoman) adventure that sends up the tropes of traditional historical romance.

'Aleks Sager's Daemon', a fantasy novel revolving around an author obsessed by the life of the tragic Russian author Alexander Pushkin, is darker, but she hopes the reader has to smile at parts, for all that.

In 'The Villainous Viscount' the author provides some more Gothic tropes she has always enjoyed - a haunted castle with secret passages, a family curse, and a vengeful spectre. Add to this the wicked but beguiling young pugilistic Viscount, the plain but sensuous bride he has married to get his wandering hands on her fortune, and a vivid cast of secondary characters, and the usual comedy and the reader is in for a lively read.

Authors always have worked out far more about their characters than they can possibly show in a book, even a longish one - not to mention all that clutter in their heads gleaned from historical research, etc. Lucinda Elliot's blog fills in these sorts of details about her characters.

Lucinda Elliot hopes you will visit her blog on [http://sophieandemile.wordpress.com/] if you would like to find out more about her books, the characters themselves, her other writing, her literary criticism, and reviews of both traditionally published and self published novels.

Blog:

https://wordpress.com/view/sophieandemile.wordpress.com

Amazon Links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KXU8QUC

and

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villainous-Viscount-Curse-Venns-ebook/dp/B01KXU8QUC

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Lucinda Elliot will be awarding free Kindle or pdf copies of all of her books to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review:
This book was utterly hilarious, a jaunty fling, a sexy romance, and carefully researched and full of fascinating facts! I had so much fun reading it. Clarinda Greendale inherits a fortune, and sets off a chain of events that end in a fireworks display of ghosts, a curse, a rake (no, not a gardener's rake, but a dissolute Viscount!), and a rousing fight. The heiress, Clarinda, is expected to make a good, no, a very good marriage, now that she is wealthy. Clarinda had been content to spend the rest of her life as a single, untroubled by love, woman. This all falls to pieces when Harley Venn, a practically penniless Viscount, decides he needs a rich wife and sets his sights on Clarinda's bank account and voluptuous rear end. Now, I know, you're not supposed to hate the hero - and I promise, you won't. He's incorrigeable, but likeable, and his admiration for Clarinda is real. First he admires her backside, then he admires her brain - and what gothic hero ever does that? Harley is a rake, a gambler, a drinker, a womanizer - but he must mend his ways of die from a curse (ghost?) (trickster?) who is killing his freinds one by one. Determined to walk the straight and narrow, he begs Clarinda to save him from himself - and from bankruptsy. The author spices the book with detailed information about the time period, the food, the clothing, the life the upstairs and downstairs lived - and it is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, and will probably go back and read it again, and I will also look up more of this talented author's books! So prepare to laugh, to have your interest piqued, and to enjoy this Gothic spoof!

For the Dogs

We’re a dog family. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have a dog. When I was a baby, we had two golden Labs – Cain and Abel. I don’t remember them at all, but I do remember a golden collie named Lassie. I must have been 4 when we got her. She was sweet and silly, and was run over by a car and killed a few years later. It was my first heartbreak so I remember very clearly. I was in Sunday school then and was glad that there was a heaven, so she’d be waiting for me up there. When my Sunday school teacher said that dogs didn’t have souls, and therefore would not be in heaven, I decided I’d rather go to Hell. 

After Lassie we had a nutty poodle called Puppy, a lovely German Shepherd named King, and Hesse. I can’t talk about dogs without mentioning Hesse. She was a rescue shepherd, gotten from the dog pound when she was just nine months old. She’d been severely mistreated, her shoulder had been broken, and she would duck her head and cringe when you went to pet her. We were young when we got her – my brother was 4, my sister 6 and me 7. When she realized we were her forever family, and that we loved her, she became the most amazing dog in the world. She would babysit us – barking if we went in our pool, grabbing my brother by the bathing suit and preventing him from swimming. She stood on the edge and watched, and if we went underwater she’d bark until we came up for a breath. She was our guard dog, and never barked if someone we knew knocked on the door – only when a stranger was outside. She loved children. The whole neighborhood mourned her when she died from a tick bite. She was too young, only 9. We stayed home from school the day she died, huddled on the couch, bereft.

The  dog I have today is called Auguste. He’s actually the family’s dog, my daughter’s dog, mine, my sons’ and husband’s. We all treat him differently – he’s a family member, another child. We’ve never been without a dog in the family. Our first dog was Fudge.She was my sons’ birthday present when they turned 5. They were in kindergarten, and we spelled it out in front of them so it wouldn’t ruin the surprise. “We’re going to get your present today, we told the twins. It’s a D-O-G.” Turns out they were expecting GI-Joes. But they loved Fudge. She was the twins’ dog from day one. She was their guardian, she slept on the foot of Alex’s bed for all her life, opening his bedroom door when everyone had gone to bed and sneaking back into her doggie bed at dawn, before anyone was up. She could open any door or window and was deathly afraid of thunderstorms. She was a destructor – chewing shoes, chairs, rugs…our living room rug still has the ragged edge that she chewed off it. She was amazing, standing next to the boys and baring her teeth when anyone dared get too close. She did the same when Julia was born, stationed next to her stroller – silently snarling at anyone who came over to admire the baby. They were Her children. We would say, “Go get Sebi”, and off she’d run, taking him gently by the hand, leading him back to us.

She died of acute leukemia. In less than a week, she’d gotten sick and died. It was too sudden. She was only eleven. We waited a year before thinking of getting another dog.Because it can never be just a dog. It’s adopting a member of the family. Fudge had been a black Labrador, my husband, when I’d met him, had had a yellow Lab. We decided to get a chocolate Lab. Her name was Rusty. We got her from a breeder who didn’t want her because she had an undershot jaw. “Look,” said the breeder, showing us the puppy. She peeled back Rusty’s lips and showed us the bottom teeth overlapping the top ones, like a bulldog’s.  “I’ll give her to you for the price of her vet bills.” We took her, and brought her to the vets a month later for her puppy shots. The vet looked at her jaw when we told him she was defective. He peered at her teeth. “She’s perfect,” he said. We decided she’d been holding her mouth like that so we’d adopt her.

Rusty was the perfect dog. Never cried, never chewed, never dug holes and was house-trained in minutes, it seemed. She and my daughter were inseparable. When she was 7, she showed signs of getting old. We decided she needed a puppy to keep her active and young. We got Auguste, who Rusty adopted after first loving him, then deciding she’d had enough, then finally accepting he was here for good, and she might as well get used to it (although she encouraged him to escape from the garden as much as possible by showing him where the holes in the fence were. “Bye bye Auguste! Don’t forget to write!”)

But there is a terrible problem with dogs. They die too soon. They don’t live as long as we want. We want them to live with us forever, to grow old when we do, instead of suddenly, shockingly aging into arthritic dementia while we are still young. Rusty was poisoned twice in her youth, and the first time barely survived. The vet said she’d never make it to old age, and her kidney’s failed her when she was just 10. My daughter still has her dog collar in her room – and when she sees it, she cries.

Auguste is elderly now. I don’t want to look into the future – with him, it’s all in the present. He makes me see each day as it is. And maybe that is one of the gifts of dogs.

Hong Kong Central by Marrilynn Larew

Hong Kong Central by Marrilynn Larew 

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 GENRE: Thriller

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BLURB: Despite the fact that she quit the CIA, Lee Carruthers is in Hong Kong doing a little job for Sidney Worthington. He’s thinks something is wrong at Wong’s Antiques. Lee finds Henry Wong—just as he’s being kidnapped by the Chau Fong Triad. What does a Triad want with an antiquities dealer? That’s one of many questions, as Lee reunites with an old lover, is caught in the middle of burgeoning democracy demonstrations, and uncovers secrets that may once again upend her life.

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 NOTE: The book will be on sale for only $0.99 during the tour.

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Hong Kong never sleeps. It was almost midnight, and the traffic was heavy, the neon signs flashing on and off, but Upper Lascar Row was quiet, the tables of tourist junk pulled inside the shops for the night. I walked softly in the shadows on the right side of the cobblestone street, looking for Wong Antiques among the red-lacquered shop fronts with signs in Chinese and English picked out in gold. The hairs on the back of my neck were prickling as if someone were watching me, and I jumped when a cat crossed the road. How could anybody be following me? I only got to Hong Kong three hours ago. In the dim light, I saw Wong Antiques halfway up the block on the left-hand side. The only light showing was in the back, a nightlight or an office. I had crossed the street to the shop and had rung the bell once when I heard footsteps coming up the street. I slipped back across the street and melted into the doorway of a shop. Someone turned the light on in the antique shop, and a thin man wearing a blue scholar’s robe walked to the door. Henry Wong? The footsteps I heard materialized as two large men in suits. They banged on the door, and the man backed up. They banged on the door again, and he opened it unwillingly. The men were Chinese, bulky in the way a fighter is bulky, probably showing tattoos under their white shirts.

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 AUTHOR Bio and Links: MARILYNN LAREW is a historian who has published in such diverse fields as American colonial and architectural history, Vietnamese military history, and terrorism, and has taught courses in each of them in the University of Maryland System. This is the third volume in the Lee Carruthers series. She has also published Aftermath, in which the protagonist, Anne Carter, is a 1980 Baltimore PI, working in the wake of the Vietnamese War. She lives with her husband in a 200-year-old brick farmhouse on the Mason-Dixon Line in southern Pennsylvania. She belongs to Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and Chinese Military History Society.

 Web site: www.marilynnlarew.com
Twitter:  @marilynn_larew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilynn.larew

Buy links: Amazon: http://a.co/37UQrOE
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Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/y6vjt7e9
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1324388188

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 GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Marrilynn Larew will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever wanted to explore the murkier side of a city? In "Hong Kong Central" I had the impression I was in Hong Kong, with its flashing neons, rain-shiny streets, and tiny, hidden shops.  The East and West collide in Hong Kong - English, Chinese, and an ex-CIA agent, Lee Carruthers make up this fast-paced mystery. And a mystery it is! Lee, whose former job entailed tracing criminal money, is asked by her old CIA boss to check on a friend in Hong Kong. But Lee arrives just in time to see him being hustled away by two men. She tries to tail the group, but loses them. Then she discovers he's being held by a Triad. The case turns personal when she finds out that there is connection to her late father. More disappearances follow - and murder. The story has many twists and turns, and held this reader's attention. From what I understand, this is part of a series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next ones. If you like local atmosphere and murder mysteries, give this a try!

13 THINGS AN AUTHOR IS MOST AFRAID OF

1) Rejection letters from agents.
Even if the note is just a simple "No thank you," we see this:
"Dear Author,
Please stop sending me your hackneyed prose. Your stories suck. I hope you have another job, because writing just ain't it. If I sold writing like yours, I'd be the laughing stock of my profession. Please, for my sake and yours, stop querying me. "

2) Rejection letters from publishers.
Again, our imagination tends to see things in a darker light...
"Dear Author,
Just because we publish several of your online writing buddies, and just because your favorite author in the whole world is in our stable of authors, that doesn't mean you are welcome. As a matter of fact, if it were Christmas eve and ours was the only stable in town, and you were pregnant and riding on a donkey - we still wouldn't take you. Do us and the publishing world a big favor - take up bird watching."

3) Typos in submission letters.
Dear Agnet,
Dare Agent,
Dear Ms. Snork,
I'd like to submit my story, "Angles on Crusade..."
I'd like to sumbit by story,
Sincely yours,
Sincerey yours,
Jenfiner
Jennifre

4) Typos in our finished and FINALLY published books:
Page 34: Instead of the Gulf of Mexico, it reads the Golf of Mexico...

5) Readers picking up on our little typos.
"Dear ex-favorite author. I read your latest story. Where the f%*@! is the Golf of Mexico? Do you mean the one in Tijuana, the Golf del Sur? Or did you mean the one in Cancun - the Country club and Golf Verdez? In any case, it makes no sense. I'm through reading your books. An ex-fan.

6) Having nobody read our books.
"Dear Author - here is your royalty statement for the year 2006 / 2007:
You sold 0 copies
Your royalties are 0.00$

7) The Advance that Just Won't Go Away.
"Dear Author. Your advance was 1000$. You sold 0.00$ this year. You still owe us 1000$ on your advance against royalties. It will be a cold day in Hell before we sign another contract with you.

8) A Negative Review
(I can dig up a real one for this, but I'm having too much fun...)
"The Tell Tale Tart by Samantha Winston - ZERO STARS
Where to begin? Well, it was hard enough to begin when I started reading, and I barely got to the end - I only threw the book against the wall 86 times, and it's a novella, folks. The Tell Tale Tart starts off with a whimper and ends with a whine. The heroine, Janice, makes having PMS and the stomach flu, along with a raging fever seem fun, and the hero, Mike, really should be locked up somewhere in a maximum security prison for eternity. The good news is, it's practically a short story. The bad news is it cost me 4.95$ as a used book on Amazon. This was the worst piece of trash I've ever read. Don't even bother taking it out of the library."
Nancy the usually really Nice reviewer for Rarin' to Read Reviews"

9) Trying to find a quote to use from a negative review.
"The Tell Tale Tart...The heroine Janice...fun...the hero Mike...eternity. Good News."

10) Plagiarism
Finding out that the witty expression your hero spouts throughout your book came from somewhere else. Your subconscious has betrayed you! "The force be with you," said Mike.
Janice giggled and batted her eyelashes. "You're such a character, Mike."

11) Plagiarism (part II)
Finding out someone has plagiarized your book, taken your characters and given them slightly different names but kept the plot and most of the dialogue:
"Keep the force," said Mark.  Jane chuckled and blink, blink, blinked her eyes. "You're like a character from a movie, Mark!"

12) Finding out the 'OTHER' book gets a five star review and lands on the NYT best seller list.
"...I can't say enough good things about Ms. Desforges new book. Her fresh new writing makes the wonderful characters come to life. I want to spend my entire life reading more books about Mark and Jane. Fabulous. The force is with them! Highly recommended.” Nancy the really Nice reviewer for Rarin' to Read Reviews"

13) Success.
Because then you have to write another book just as good.