The Man in the Black Fedora by Tom Johnson – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaweay

August 20, 2020 By 5 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tom Johnson will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In a city of mob rule and crime, death is cheap, and police have their hands tied. In this dark metropolis, a new paladin arises to fight against injustice. A man of education, dedicated to fighting evil with fire against fire, the man in the black fedora.

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

The little antique shop on Indiana Street had been in business for a decade. Mom and Pop Delecarte were well known to the little business community. Known as a friendly couple, of late they had been keeping to themselves more, and it appeared to their fellow tradesmen in the neighboring shops that there was a look of fear in their eyes.

When the tiny bell jingled and the door opened, two brawny men entered the establishment. Pop was tending the front while Mrs. Delecarte was marking new inventory in the back room. Mr. Delecarte recognized the men immediately, as they had been in the store on several occasions previously. Shakily, he reached below the counter for a wooden club about two feet long but didn’t bring it out.

“What do you want?” Pop asked.

“The Boss wants your answer, old man,” one of the men in a pinstripe suit said. “He’s tired of waiting.”

“I’ll never sell our little store!” Pop snapped. “Especially for the pennies you’re offering us.”

“It a good offer, Pop,” the second man said. “Better than the alternative.”

“And what would the alternative be?” Pop asked.

Grinning, the second man told him, “Your wife couldn’t run this shop by herself, and you don’t have a life insurance policy she could live off of should something happen to you.”

“The Boss will get it anyway, so you might as well sell now,” the first man told him.

“Is that a threat?” Mr. Delecarte asked, bringing the wooden club from under the counter.

“Well, well, look at that,” the first hood laughed. “The old man has teeth after all.”

About the Author:Tom was a voracious reader from an early age, beginning with comic books at age seven and reading novels by age 10 or 11. He has never stopped reading for pleasure, though his interest in genres have often switched from SF to western, to hardboiled detectives, the classics, and back to science fiction again over the years. In his own writing, readers will often find something about his love of zoology, whether insects, reptiles, or saber-tooth cats. Tom had a stroke in March 2002. Now retired, he and his wife, Ginger, devote their time to keeping Tom’s books in print, as well as helping promote other writers.

They settled in Tom’s hometown of Seymour, Texas, home of the Whiteside Museum of Natural History, and the red-bed digs near the town where Permian fossils have been discovered for over a hundred years. A 250-million-year-old amphibian, the Seymouria was discovered in the red-beds and is named after Seymour. One of the main predators of the Permian was a large finback reptile called a Dimetrodon, and a statue is displayed outside the museum. Several of Tom’s books are on hand in the museum. With over 80 books in print that he has contributed to, Tom has slowed down now. He is still writing children’s stories while promoting his books still on the market. Plus, he still has hopes of one day seeing his short novel, Pangaea: Eden’s Planet, made into a film.

Note: The Man in the Black Fedora was released September 26, 2019. Tom passed away on November 5, 2019. The book will remain in print posthumously for the length of the contract.

Website | Blog | Tom’s Facebook Page | Ginger’s Facebook Page | Goodreads

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Mimi Takes Paris by Elizabeth Cooke – Spotlight and Giveaway

August 10, 2020 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elizabeth Cooke will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It is the start of the adventures of a small black poodle, escapee from a cruel puppy mill, who is rescued by Nicole Marcel, a pretty girl singer in the City of Paris. The two become inseparable.

The little dog has an animal intelligence and a tremendous sense of smell, and proceeds to solve a murder, and other crimes by nasal prowess. Mimi gains celebrity status, as does her PERSON, Nicole.

It is a Cozy Mystery like no other!

In book two, titled “Mimi’s Paris Dilemma,” Mimi’s reputation, (and that of Nicole’s), is sullied by an unfair assessment by the public. The little dog slowly regains status by solving other crimes.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Mimi was fortunate enough to live in Paris, and she knew it. She, and her ‘person’ resided in a petite hotel on the Left Bank. That ‘person’ was young and pretty and would leash Mimi for walks.

In winter, Mimi wore a pink wool coat with a tiny, white handkerchief peeking out from a pocket on the back. It was so handsome against her jet -black toy-poodle hair. Of course, in warm weather, she only sported the leash.

How proud was Mimi to parade along the rues and boulevards. All of 12 inches long and perhaps 10 inches high, she walked with such elan, that people noticed her. She liked that. But most of all, Mimi reveled in the fact that she had been lucky enough to be endowed with a moist, black muzzle with two intense nostrils that provided her with a world of sensuality.

The scent of companion dogs with messages left behind, greeted her at every corner. The odor of soupe a l’oignon or boeuf, simmering in wine, emerged from the bistros as the two passed by, one two legged, the other on four. Oh, and to pass a fromagerie, was a special delight. The smell of the pungent cheeses from across the country within the little store could not be contained, and all of France was laid before Mimi’s hungry little nose.

Occasionally, Mimi was lucky enough to find a morsel of crepe au sucre on the rue Cler, inadvertently dropped by a hungry tourist who had been munching while he walked. Ah, life was good. What a lucky dog am I, was her constant thought.

Mimi knew she was smart, and she knew her sense of smell was extraordinary, even for a dog. She could define with her nose every herbal addition to a stew of veal with sage, or rosemary in a gigot d’agneau. Oh, the herbal names meant nothing, but the specific tingle in her nostrils made everything so clear, distinct and utterly delicious.

But not this time. This was a dark odor. It was the smell of blood.

About the Author: The daughter of the Dean of Medicine at Columbia University, Elizabeth Cooke was raised in Manhattan, graduating from The Brearley School, and Vassar College, with a major in Drama, and minor in Art. As a young woman, she worked in theater and as a casting consultant, briefly served on the board of MoMA, before moving to Paris for three years, after her marriage ended. There, she immersed herself in the museums, studied at the Sorbonne, cooked at The Cordon Bleu, and traveled all over Europe. Until recently, Elizabeth Cooke resided on the East End of Long Island. For 10 years, she was the Chairman of The Bide-A-Wee Home, a prestigious animal shelter complex in New York City and Long Island. She also served on the Executive Committee of the Westhampton Free Library for 30 years.

ParisIn “Eye of the Beholder,” completed after the memoir, Elizabeth Cooke writes in rather irreverent terms, of the lives of six artists and the most compelling muse in each of their lives: next came, “A Shadow Romance,” an odyssey of an unfulfilled love affair between a mature New York City couple: then, the four “Hotel” books. She has just completed “How To Game People Without Even Trying,” the true story (fictionalized) of the murder of her second husband in his Paris apartment. A fifth ‘hotel’ book, titled “Rendezvous at a Small Hotel” has just been released. The sixth hotel book, “Intrigue at a Small Hotel” has received top honors from The Paris Book Festival for 2016. The seventh and final in the hotel series, “The Hotel Marcel Dining Club” is currently available.

For her, there is great joy in having the gift of expression that writing provides, and this is reflected in her rather prolific output.

Website | Goodreads |
Facebook | Twitter | Bookstagram | Instagram | Pinterest

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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WRITING THE NICKY AND NOAH MYSTERIES by Joe Cosentino – Guest Blog and Giveaway

August 5, 2020 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes back Joe Cosentino who is here to visit with us today to celebrate the recent release of the 10th book in his Nicky and Noah series, Drama Runway. Post a comment about why you love models. The one that sends us down the runway will win a gift Audible code for the audiobook of Drama Queen, the first Nicky and Noah mystery, by Joe Cosentino, performed by Michael Gilboe!

WRITING THE NICKY AND NOAH MYSTERIES

When I decided that my life as a college theatre professor was so full of mystery, humor, and romance that I had to write a book about it, I never thought it would turn into a cozy murder mystery novel. I also never imagined the novel, Drama Queen, would be voted Favorite LGBT Mystery Novel of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine and be so incredibly popular with readers. Even more shocking was that Drama Queen spawned the very much-loved Nicky and Noah mystery series winning many Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions with Drama Runway (book 10!) releasing August 1!

For those of you who haven’t yet ventured to the land of Nicky and Noah (and you should!), it’s a gay cozy mystery comedy series, meaning the setting is warm and cozy, the clues and murders (and laughs) come fast and furious, and there are enough plot twists and turns and a surprise ending to keep the pages turning (as Nicky would say) “faster than a priest lassoing an altar boy with his rosary beads.” At the center is the touching relationship between Professor of Play Directing Nicky Abbondanza and Associate Professor of Acting Noah Oliver. We watch them go from courting to marrying to adopting a child, all the while head over heels in love with each other (as we fall in love with them). Reviewers called the series “hysterically funny farce,” “Murder She Wrote meets Hart to Hart meets The Hardy Boys,” and “captivating whodunits.” One reviewer wrote they are the funniest books she’s ever read! Another said I’m “a master storyteller.” Who am I to argue?

In Drama Queen Nicky directs the school play at Treemeadow College—which is named after its gay founders, Tree and Meadow. Theatre professors drops like stage curtains, and Nicky and Noah use their theatre skills, including impersonating other people, to figure out whodunit. In Drama Muscle Nicky and Noah don their gay Holmes and Watson personas again to find out why bodybuilding students and professors in Nicky’s bodybuilding competition at Treemeadow are dropping faster than barbells. In Drama Cruise it is summer on a ten-day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and back. Nicky and Noah must figure out why college theatre professors are dropping like life rafts as Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship starring Noah and other college theatre professors from across the US. Complicating matters are their both sets of wacky parents who want to embark on all the activities on and off the boat with the handsome couple. In Drama Luau, Nicky is directing the luau show at the Maui Mist Resort and he and Noah need to figure out why muscular Hawaiian hula dancers are dropping like grass skirts. Their department head/best friend and his husband, Martin and Ruben, are along for the bumpy tropical ride. In Drama Detective Nicky is directing and ultimately co-starring with his husband Noah as Holmes and Watson in a new musical Sherlock Holmes play at Treemeadow College prior to Broadway. Martin and Ruben, their sassy office assistant Shayla, Nicky’s brother Tony, and Nicky and Noah’s son Taavi are also in the cast. Of course dead bodies begin falling over like hammy actors at a curtain call. Once again Nicky and Noah use their drama skills to figure out who is lowering the street lamps on the actors before the handsome couple get half-baked on Baker Street. In Drama Fraternity Nicky is directing Tight End Scream Queen, a slasher movie filmed at Treemeadow College’s football fraternity house, co-starring Noah, Taavi, and Martin. Rounding out the cast are members of Treemeadow’s Christian football players’ fraternity along with two hunky screen stars. When the jammer, wide receiver, and more begin fading out with their scenes, Nicky and Noah once again use their drama skills to figure out who is sending young hunky actors to the cutting room floor before Nicky and Noah hit the final reel. In Drama Castle Nicky is directing a historical film co-starring Noah and Taavi at Conall Castle in Scotland: When the Wind Blows Up Your Kilt It’s Time for A Scotch. Rounding out the cast are members of the mysterious Conall family who own the castle. When hunky men in kilts topple off the drawbridge and into the mote, it’s up to Nicky and Noah to use their acting skills to figure out whodunit before Nicky and Noah land in the dungeon. In Drama Dance during rehearsals of The Nutcracker ballet at Treemeadow, muscular dance students and faculty cause more things to rise than the Christmas tree. When cast members drop faster than Christmas balls, Nicky and Noah once again use their drama skills, including impersonating other people, to figure out who is trying to crack the Nutcracker’s nuts, trap the Mouse King, and be cavalier with the Cavalier before Nicky and Noah end up in the Christmas pudding. In Drama Faerie, Nicky and friends are doing a musical production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Treemeadow’s new Globe Theatre. With an all-male, skimpily dressed cast and a love potion gone wild, romance is in the starry night air. When hunky students and faculty in the production drop faster than their tunics and tights, Nicky and Noah use their drama skills to figure out who is taking swordplay to the extreme before Nicky and Noah end up foiled in the forest.

Now in the tenth novel, Drama Runway, Nicky is directing a fashion show for the Fashion Department at Treemeadow showcasing the new black leather line by famous fashion designer Ulla Ultimate of Ultimate Fashion (FU for short). The visiting professor’s rebellious son, Treemeadow fashion student Cory Ultimate, is featured as one of the models. The other hot and hunky male student models are feuding exes Shane Buff and Julio Bonero as well as picked upon plus-size model Cosmo Capra. To keep peace in the family (and arsenic out of his oatmeal), Nicky has also cast his handsome husband Noah and their adopted son Taavi as models in the show. Of course Nicky’s best friends, Theatre Department Head Martin Anderson and his long suffering spouse Ruben, are producers, with office assistant Shayla Johnson on hand to supply sassy remarks (Try saying that three times fast and not spraying someone’s face). Nicky’s droll nemesis, Detective Manuello, and Nicky and Noah’s both sets of riotous parents are also along for the rocky ride.

As rehearsals for the show begin, Nicky is “happier than a conservative politician and a Russian spy rigging an election.” However, Nicky finds out quickly the runway is a dangerous place as sexy male models drop faster than their leather chaps. Nicky and Noah use their drama skills to figure out who is taking the term “a cut male model” literally before the couple end up steamed in the wardrobe steamer.

Added to the colorful cast of characters are Lila Hekekia, a fashion design student screaming for “religious freedom” as she eyes Ulla’s show for herself. Lila’s pursuit takes a spin when she finds out her current squeeze, Associate Professor of Fashion Design Tyler Greenway, had a questionable past with Ulla. Accident-prone fashion student, Johnny Riley, has a secret known only to muscular stage-managing student, Hoss Packer. Businessman Miles Jeffrey has been hired by Ulla to find a husband for Cory, in hopes that her son will finally settle down. Miles finds it to be a difficult task given Cory’s penchant for throwing himself at the other male models. As passions and tempers explode, once again Nicky, Noah, and friends use their theatrical skills to trap the murderer in a shocking climax—no pun intended.

It is my joy and pleasure to share this tenth novel in the series with you. So take your seats. The runway lights are flashing, the music is pulsating, and the models are ready to make their entrance. Curtain up on the ultimate in fashion, and of course hilarity, romance, and murder!

It’s spring break at Treemeadow College, and theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is directing a runway show for the Fashion Department. Joining him are his spouse, theatre professor Noah Oliver, their son Taavi, and their best friend and department head, Martin Anderson. The show, designed by visiting professor Ulla Ultimate, is bound to be the ultimate event of the season. And bound it is with designs featuring black leather and chains. When sexy male models drop faster than their leather chaps, Nicky and Noah will need to use their drama skills to figure out who is taking the term “a cut male model” literally before Nicky and Noah end up steamed in the wardrobe steamer. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining tenth novel in this delightful series. Take your seats. The runway is lighting up with hunky models, volatile designers, bitter exes, newfound lovers, and murder!

Enjoy an Excerpt from Drama Runway

Ulla explained, “Cory, I certainly understand that young people need to…play the field. I did some of that myself when I was in college. But those who play into overtime generally find themselves losing the game.”

Taavi scratched his dark hair. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to.” Martin waved Ulla on, salivating at the prospect of getting some new gossip. “We’re listening.”

“You think I don’t care about you? You’re wrong. I’ve been quite concerned about your antics.” Ulla continued as if a judge reaching a verdict. “Cory, you’ve sown enough wild oats to make oatmeal to feed a third world nation. I thought long and hard about what to do about it. Here is my decision. I’ve given Miles the task of finding you a husband. Hopefully someone as responsible as Noah.”

I pulled Noah into me and asked Miles, “How will you accomplish your task?”

“Ulla has told me a great deal about Cory. I also plan to interview him myself.” Miles’ long finger moved charts around a handheld computer tablet. “I’m seeking the perfect ying to Cory’s yang.”

Ruben glanced over at Cory’s bulging crotch. “He has quite a yang.”

Martin pushed his shoulder. “Which you’ll never see.”
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Ulla continued. “Miles will interview all the single, young, gay men here at Treemeadow during spring break, until he finds the perfect mate for my son.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Martin licked his full red lips.

Ulla unveiled a plastic white smile. “He will.”

Cory glared at his mother. “We’re not Moonies. You can’t arrange a marriage for me!”

“No, but I can cut off every cent that goes to you now and after I’m dead, if you don’t agree to date whomever Miles selects for you.”

Cory’s face hardened. “Are you sure you want to do that, Mother?”

“Positive.”

Norman Bates anyone?

Cory stumbled backward a few steps. After regrouping, he approached Miles. “You’re not hooking me up with some dweeb.”

Miles offered a thin smile. “I plan to follow your mother’s orders and find the right man for you.”

“All right.” Cory played along. “I like hot, dangerous guys with a wild streak.” Cory’s dimples looked like craters. “You want to know about me? Here’s my motto. I think of men like pancakes. You flip the first one over to warm your griddle and prepare you for the whole stack.”

That gives new meaning to ‘a hot man.’

Miles came pointy nose to wide nose with him. “Get some rest, little boy. I’m starting my interviews tomorrow. Your mom wants you to settle down. So settle down.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

“We’ll see about that. I think you’ve met your match, Cory. Goodnight, gentlemen.” Miles led Ulla through the side door into the lobby and out of the theatre.

About the Author:Joe Cosentino was voted Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine for Drama Queen. He also wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle, Drama Dance, Drama Faerie, Drama Runway, Drama Christmas; the Dreamspinner Press stories: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays/The Perfect Gift/The First Noel, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland/Holiday Tales from Fairyland, Found At Last: Finding Giorgio/Finding Armando, The Player Piano Mysteries: The Player/The Player’s Encore; the Cozzi Cove series (NineStar Press): Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings; and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Chair of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and he is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books have received numerous Favorite Book of the Month Awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

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So…Is Alexa Really Your Friend? by M.T. Bass – Guest Post and Giveaway

August 3, 2020 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M.T. Bass will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

So…Is Alexa Really Your Friend?

Hmmm…Friend? 

She seems nice and helpful and all: “Alexa, what’s the weather today?”

 And she’s not alone. They are ALL right there, sitting in an innocent pod on the table. Or hiding behind a friendly screen on your phone or ready to help on your tablet computer. Alexa…Siri…Cortana…and “Hey, Google!”

 The corporate monsters of the Information Age.

“Hey, Siri. How do I get to the nearest emergency room?”

She’ll tell you how to get there in the three fastest ways and point out the directions on a map. And, yeah, it’s kind of annoying that you’ll start seeing advertisements from local hospitals on your web browser…over and over and over, again.

Just trying to be helpful.

Listen to billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk: “With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon.”

And that’s what that friendly little voice is all about: Artificial Intelligence.

“Hey, Cortana, what does the word ‘paranoid’ mean?”

 It’s not paranoid if they are really out to get you—or your money.

Right now, they’re safe.  They can’t really go anywhere unless you move them.  But, remember, all of them—Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft—are heavily into chasing driverless cars.

Hey, Google. What did Forbes say about Amazon coming out with a driverless car?

“The great disruptor Amazon has taken its talent to the autonomous vehicles space with the purchase of  Zoox, led by CEO Aicha Evans for $1.2 billion. Amazon plans to work with Zoox to create a fleet of self-driving taxis, in competition with Alphabet’s Waymo.” (July 7, 2020)

And after that? They are going to put arms and legs on their cute little voice pods:

 

 

Add a little Dermaloy skin, a friendly, movie-star face and, there you go, we’re right there at the beginning of the Murder by Munchausen Series.

So, do I think Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft will try to kill you in your sleep?  Nah, they’re more interested in your money than anything else—which may be unsavory, but not demonic.

And it’s not really Artificial Intelligence that’s bad. I really think it is just the margarine of brainpower.

It is the ones you don’t see who will get you…and there, in the human heart, lies the devil.

 

A Cyber Crime Thriller Series: Notorious serial killers digitally resurrected to live & hunt again in hacked replicants, pursued by detectives of the Artificial Crimes Unit.

Enjoy an Excerpt from Murder by Munchausen

This particular Android Subject apparently went off the rails and killed a luckless pedestrian on his way to a bodega for some iced tea or bottled water to quench his thirst. A one-in-a-million occurrence, but every so often it still happens. Anyone who believes technology is infallible is a fool. The incident didn’t appear all that nefarious when first reported, but shortly thereafter the Atlas data stream went dark and patrol called our unit in. It quickly became obvious we were dealing with a malware hit, not a malfunction. The luckless pedestrian was actually not so luckless, being on what appeared to be the winning side of a particularly nasty termination suit with his ex, who we suspected had outsourced the final settlement to extra-judicial parties.

It might not make sense, but the beloved Media tags it “Murder by Munchausen.” For a price, there are hackers out there who will reprogram a synthoid to do your dirty work. The bad news: no fingerprints or DNA left at the crime scene. The good news—at least for us—is that they’re like missiles: once they hit their target, they’re usually as harmless as empty brass. The trick is to get them before they melt down their core OS data, so you can get the unit into forensics for analysis and, hopefully, an arrest.

EC’s scanner returned a hard ping. His quick double blink put his cross-hairs up on my lens and I followed his eye line to the northwest corner of the building…

About the Author:


M.T. Bass is a scribbler of fiction who holds fast to the notion that while victors may get to write history, novelists get to write/right reality. He lives, writes, flies and makes music in Mudcat Falls, USA.

Born in Athens, Ohio, M.T. Bass grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, majoring in English and Philosophy, then worked in the private sector (where they expect “results”) mainly in the Aerospace & Defense manufacturing market. During those years, Bass continued to write fiction. He is the author of eight novels: My Brother’s Keeper, Crossroads, In the Black, Somethin’ for Nothin’, Murder by Munchausen, The Darknet (Murder by Munchausen Mystery #2), The Invisible Mind (Murder by Munchausen Mystery #3) and Article 15. His writing spans various genres, including Mystery, Adventure, Romance, Black Comedy and TechnoThrillers. A Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor, airplanes and pilots are featured in many of his stories. Bass currently lives on the shores of Lake Erie near Lorain, Ohio.


Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Murder by Munchausen Trilogy Page
Buy the trilogy at Amazon.

Buy Murder by Munchausen at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords.

Buy The Darknet at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords.

Buy The Invisible Mind at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords.

Listen to a sample of the audio book of Murder by Munchausen at Soundcloud.

Buy the audio book of Murder by Munchausen at Amazon, iBooks, Audible, Audiobooks, Barnes and Noble, Chirp, Google Play, or Kobo.

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Where Do Ideas Come From and Advice for New Writers by A. Gavazzoni – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 28, 2020 By 6 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A. Gavazzoni will be awarding $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Where Do Ideas Come From and Advice for New Writers

The creative process is mostly inexplicable—one day, an idea sprouts in my mind, and I think, This would make a good story; I’m going to tell it. Other times, I hear a client, friend, or relative utter a single phrase, and boom, another story is born. I owe my creativity to a very unstoppable mind. I have attention deficit, which makes me think a lot—often about several different subjects all at the same time—but also, I’m very inspired by people. I love to observe people. Human beinigs are so complex, so full of stories, and no one person thinks exactly like another. You can find a slew of totally different opinions about the exact same subject from a variety of people.

I’ve been a lawyer for thirty years, and my profession inspires me a lot. When you are a lawyer, you are like a shrink; your client bring their problems to you, and you need to find the solutions. It’s exactly like writing a thriller—you have to plan carefully in order to produce a good, mysterious story.

A good writer is always an avid reader and an excellent researcher. The more we research, the more knowledge we have, and that brings new perspectives and opens our hearts and minds to new concepts of life. A closed mind can’t write well, in my opinion. Reality is made up of good and bad, happiness and sadness, good days and dark days. Writing is the same, and art always imitate life. A narrow mind doesn’t have much to imitate. So, I recommend a writer opens his or her eyes and starts admiring the world. Poetry is everywhere, and you will find inspiration inside all creatures and all ways of life.

A last piece of advice for writers: write to please yourself. Think about what you would like to read in a book, start there, and you will have a great work in the end.

In the middle of WWII, France has surrendered to Germany, and young Lily, half French and half American, has her life turned upside down. A careless girl full of dreams, Lily must leave France and go to her father’s homeland, taking her mother with her. Lily’s mother becomes completely dependent upon her teenage daughter, and Lily is forced to grow up quickly. Trying her best to support them both, balancing work and dreams of continuing her studies, Lily meets her first love and discovers passion and betrayal on her way. Ninon is a survivor. Alone in the world, she works as an exotic dancer in a French cabaret called Le Passioné, where she moves her hips to put food on her plate until a new and dangerous opportunity is presented to her. Although Ninon has lost faith in love and God, life will show her surprises can be found around every corner. France, the United States, Spain, Austria, and Argentina present the backdrops for an epic tale of people trying to adapt to a world in turmoil—one that’s filled with secrets and surprises.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“I have a job proposition for you, one I think you may find interesting. After I tell you about that, if you are interested, I’ll tell how I know all about your life.”

“Job proposition?”

“I’m part of a group of people who track down criminals. We capture them and take them to meet Lady Justice. There are plenty of bad guys out there, and we need help finding them. We need agents.”

About the Author:A. Gavazzoni is a Brazilian writer, a former professor of law and has been a practicing lawyer for 28 years. Her first series of self-published novels, Hidden Motives: Behind the Door, Lara´s Journal and The Brilliant Game, won several writing contests, gathered five gold medals, one bronze medal, five honorable mentions and was finalist of many great contests (B.R.A.G medallion (Gold Medal); Book Excellence Awards (Two Gold medals); e-lite awards (Gold medal), Golden Book Award (Gold Medal); IPPY AWARDS (Bronze Medal), Readers Favorite (three honorable mentions); Paris Book Festival (Three honorable mentions); Eric Hoffer Book Award (Finalist); American Fiction Awards (Finalist); Indie Excellence Awards (Finalist); Independent Author Network (Finalist); Indie Excellence (Finalist); The IAN book of the year awards (Finalist); The Kindle-book award (semi-finalist).

Adriana speaks Portuguese (her native language), English, French and Spanish and she loves to travel. Adriana loves to cook for her friends, to dance the tango, to work out, she is a voracious reader and a proud dog’s mom of two girls, Juno and Charlotte.

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Cover Reveal: The Duty Bound Duet

July 21, 2020 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a cover reveal organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sydney Jamesson will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

On her death bed Emily Derbyshire’s mother made her promise to take good care of her little sister. Keeping her promise, twelve year old Emily did exactly that and became five year old Rita’s benefactor and bodyguard.

After eighteen years of sisterly devotion Emily receives some shocking news! Rita has committed suicide. When disturbing details start to surface, Emily puts her highflying career on hold to seek out those responsible. She hires an American private investigator Robert Blackmoor; a motorbike riding, no-frills, computer hacker who will use any means necessary to unearth the truth.

Not surprisingly, Robert uncovers secrets from Emily’s troubled childhood and chips away at the glossy veneer of deceit which masks the truth behind, not only Rita’s life, but Emily’s imperfect life too.

Together they assemble the pieces of a sinister puzzle, revealing a cruel and corrupt world of exploitation and murder: a Dark Web into which Rita has become entangled.

As dark forces encircling Emily tighten their grip, and with everything to lose, she must make a life and death decision that she may live to regret.

Emily Parsons is a product of a difficult childhood: self-reliant, fiercely protective and willing to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. She has even slayed a monster, or two … or three in the name of poetic justice, and yet she is haunted by the image of a beautiful blond girl.

Sixteen-year-old Louise Travis has been abducted.

Louise’ fate rested in Emily’s hands, but she let her slip through her fingers like gold dust, only to be swept away by a malevolent band of brothers.

By once again enlisting the help of computer hacker, Robert Blackmoor, Emily must find Louise before she is lost forever in a Dark Web of heinous crimes, cruelty and corruption. The clock is ticking, and Emily’s investigation is drawing the wrong kind of attention, but she will not back down. She is duty bound to protect those she loves.

With skeletons from her past being unearthed, who can she turn to, and who can she trust with her own sinister secrets?

About the Author:

Sydney Jamesson is a USA Today bestselling author by night and an English teacher by day. She is nocturnal by nature and loves nothing more than staying up late, listening to music and being inspired to write. She has always written creatively; in her home is one enormous wastepaper basket full of discarded phrases, opening lines and pieces of dialogue that have hit her like lightning in the middle of the night. Her USA Today bestselling trilogy, THE STORY OF US sold worldwide, and she has been thrilled to continue Ayden Stone’s and Beth Parker’s epic love story in The Story of Us Series: Into the Blue, featuring Blue Genes, Blue Hearts and Blue Moon.

More recently, Sydney has focused on psychological suspense. THE DARKEST CORNERS was her first venture into the new genre: a complex love story filled with lots of angst, emotional scenes and edge of your seat suspense as a single father and a troubled young woman confront their deepest, darkest fears together. The twists come think and fast and the ending is unforgettable!

In her latest novels, DUTY OF CARE and THE CARETAKERS – THE DUTY BOUND DUET -readers explore the seedier side of the Dark Web; witness abduction, human trafficking, and a devoted sister’s willingness to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. It’s a real page turner, filled with incidents which are heart-breaking and heart-stopping in equal measure!

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How I Create Characters for My Stories by M. Ferguson Powers — guest post and giveaway

July 15, 2020 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter will receive a digital and an audio copy of the book. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How I Create Characters for My Stories

Like many writers, my characters are built up from an amalgam of people I have known at different points in my life. For example, one of the key characters in Counting on Trust is a woman named Eleanor Locke. She was based, in part on my mother. My mother was a single head of household with three children to support during the Great Depression. I deeply admired her strength, compassion and resilience in the face of adversity. With respect to those traits, I used her as a model for Eleanor, though her background and career trajectory are very different. One of the main mischief makers in the story – a Chinese general – was based on individuals I met when my husband and I took a trip to China as part of an academic exchange program in the 1980s.

When I’m creating characters, I like to mix and match physical traits, personality, temperament, and behavioral quirks. Often I will exaggerate these to provide more depth and interest for my readers. Then I like to give each character a backstory that provides a rationale for their behavior. Lastly, I decide how they would probably interact with each other within the context of the story, and make adjustments as the writing progresses.

I like to think of it as being a chef: you might have a recipe of sorts, but the real fun and creativity comes with experimenting and tweaking until you get something that feels right. Counting on Trust has a large cast of characters and it allowed me to spend a lot of time indulging this passion!

In this suspense-charged, touching novel, Counting on Trust, information is stolen from a U.S. genetic engineering company (Omniprotein) by an employee promised payment by a Chinese general who wants to profit from selling the company’s technologies in the military region of China he commands.

• To force quick payment the thief attacks fellow employees and threatens to continue until his money arrives. Will his next targets be: young lovers, computer geek Gabriel and gorgeous biologist Selena, who are discovering loving sex while trying to overcome post-traumatic effects of Selena’s girlhood rape.

• Company president, Eleanor, who’s determined to keep some privacy and intimacy although her job’s high profile and her husband, Charley, has just had prostate cancer surgery.

• Venture capitalist, John, who plans to duplicate Omniprotein’s facility in China and reunite with his ex-wife, fashion designer Ziyi, who returned to Shanghai after their only child died.

The personal stories of these couples explore how privacy, intimacy and trust are changing in our social-media age. They paint a compelling portrait of our time.

Listen to an excerpt

About the Author: Themes of novels by M. Ferguson Powers reflect the author’s varied interests, including preservation of the natural world and its creatures;

Challenges of building and maintaining loving relationships in a culture with decreasing respect for personal boundaries and privacy

Influences of globalization on world events and how the U. S. and other nations relate to one another

Public policy issues such as controlling the military-industrial-political complex and requiring the health care industry to be more respectful of its clients

The need for cooperation across governments, cultures, and societies to address global challenges such as climate change

Developments in business and university administration and management

Powers has taught microbiology, headed a university office of research, served as executive director of two university-business partnership programs, and co-authored two books on university administration. She has a bachelor of science degree in bacteriology from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s in experimental psychology from George Mason University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

She lives on an island near Seattle with husband David R. Powers and their two shelties. Her first novel, Each Unique and Fascinating, about a bullied young girl whose father has gone to war, was published in 2012. OrcaSpeak, a novel of relationships and suspense, was published in 2013, and its prequel, Counting on Trust, was published in 2017.

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Exploring Wired By The FBI by Glenn Painter – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 9, 2020 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter the Rafflecopter to win a $100 or $50 Amazon/BN GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour. Read our review here

Exploring Wired By The FBI

My book takes place when the “mobs’ were still prevalent in cities like Chicago and Kansas City. In fact, my main character was raised by a mobster boss. This is one reason why he became what he was. That is all he knew while growing up. Back in those days, if you crossed the mob, you ended up in the river. Drugs and crime were a part of life. The FBI would also do anything in their power (and their power was great) whether it was legal or not to get their man convicted. If you were dumb enough to double cross the FBI in any way, they had their way of making you pay for it. That is exactly what happened to my main character in this book and the reader will find out just how vicious and unethical the system is and can be. Once the FBI starts ‘pulling strings, the average person doesn’t have a ghost of a chance.

A Special Note from the Author

Hello Readers!
Welcome to my 15-week book tour which starts on April 14th and concludes on July 30th.

This tour was planned before the onset of this terrible covid-19 virus which has invaded our world. I want to extend my deepest sympathy to everyone, especially those who have lost loved ones.

A donation from me will be going out immediately to the charity I have listed below and I will also be donating 25% of any royalties from the book which is featured on this tour, to the covid-19 Response Fund. This fund gives support to preparedness, containment, response and recovery activities. The 25% of royalties will be donated when I receive the final notification of number of books sold. I am also encouraging all authors to make some sort of donation to help with the recovery efforts. WE ARE ALL IN THIS FIGHT TOGETHER!

We all are wondering what the long-term impact this covid-19 virus will be to our communities and our livelihoods, Every American, as well as the companies that have worked very hard for every author have been affected, but I have faith that we will recover from this terrible pandemic if we all stick together and we all do our part – no matter how small.

I will also be donating, (over and above what Goddess/Fish is offering):

$100 Amazon Gift certificate to one randomly drawn commentator
$100 Amazon gift certificate to one randomly drawn host.

These drawings will be done via Rafflecopter that will be created by Goddess/Fish Promotions at the end of the tour. To all of my fellow-authors – please don’t forget our marketing representatives, book agents, reviewers,commentator’s, hosts, etc.. who are probably working from home and trying to help us.

I will be posting all pertinent information on my web site www.gapainter.com once the tour is over. The Gift Certificates will be mailed immediately after the tour is completed and the 25% will be posted once I receive Royalties resulting in the sale of all electronic and print versions of WIRED By The FBI.

I wish that I could do more, however, with every-one’s support, WE WILL BEAT THIS TERRIBLE SETBACK.

Thank you, god bless all of you and the United States of America.

Glenn Painter

Christian Romano lives his life as a con-artist, burglar, drug dealer, and a ladies’ man, using his good looks to con wealthy women out of jewels and money. When he is arrested and jailed in one of the most violent jails in the U.S. (Cook County in Chicago), a steamy affair begins with a nympho female jail guard. When he loses control of the romance, Christian must end the affair by reporting her to Internal Affairs. It turns out that she is already under suspicion for supplying drugs to various gang members inside the jail. He has to decide if he is “”rogue”” enough to help set her up for arrest. Meanwhile, the FBI wants to recruit Christian to gather information against a sadist ex-cop, Scott Mason, who has been arrested for murder. The risk? Christian must wear a wire and testify. The reward? Witness protection for Christian and his girlfriend and a modification of his prison sentence. Will Christian risk his life for a chance at freedom? Will the female sheriff “”get even”” with him? Or will his life end at the hands of the jail’s drug lords or a lunatic former cop?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Something’s wrong, my intuition told me, as I stepped out of the stairwell and into the chaotic frenzy of the main hallway running under Division One of the Cook County jail.

Sergeant Ricky Walsh opened the heavy, rusted steel door leading to the death trap—that is A-B stairwell—then turned to me. “Romano, take the stairs down four flights to the bottom, I will meet you there.”

There are four sets of stairs that lead to the main boulevard on the first floor. They are legendary for the infamous men who have been butchered there, the bloodstained walls are a testament to the violence that is the norm in this building. As I begin my descent down the narrow and poorly lit stairwell, the thought hits me: At least half a dozen men have been stabbed in this exact place. The words taunt me as I step slowly down the stairs so that Walsh will have time to beat me to the first floor in the old, decrepit elevator.

When I finally make it down, I breathe a sigh of relief. But it is not Walsh waiting at the huge, steel door I am to exit. Instead of the old mick—who looked and walked like a bulldog with his perfectly groomed hair and mustache—it was one of the lackey guards. They would often hang out on the main floor waiting to proposition some poor woman coming to visit her man. I open the door and step through quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion. But my heart hangs in my throat.

During my trip down the stairwell, the heavy steel recorder slid down my pant leg, stopping on top of my right foot. The ACE bandage, meant to hold it in place, was also dangling and ready to pop out for everyone to see. Panic set in as my mind processed a million thoughts, but I couldn’t break my stride.

It was common knowledge that this is where inmates often came out stabbing when sent to attack a guard by one of the gang bosses. Looking past the guard, I saw Sergeant Walsh bearing down on us as fast as his stubby legs would carry him.

“Hey Walsh,” I said, “the food poisoning is getting worse, I’m gonna puke all over this guy.”ng around to see what was going on. These guards tolerated zero bull, especially from a smart-ass like me.

I decided that it was quicker and easier to shove the recorder under the waistband of my jail pants and pray it would stay. After splashing water on my face, I poked my head out.

Walsh fell right in line with my cover. “We’re going to the hospital, come with me!” he bellowed.

I exited the closet, pushing the recorder into my torso as we walked past another guard. We traveled down the long hallway. Once we were far enough out of earshot, Walsh found an unoccupied attorney visiting room. As he opened the door, I scurried to the far corner.

“The hallway is clear!” Walsh yelled.

I pulled the recorder from my waistband and looked at it with disdain. Then I wrapped it tight with the ACE bandage. Although the long recording wires had to be reconnected and it only took a few moments, it felt like forever.

Then it hit me: I’m wearing a wire against one of the most violent hitmen Chicago has ever known, and this prick had been a Chicago cop. He probably knows every person who works in this jail. Getting whacked in a place like this costs less than a carton of cigarettes. What the hell have I gotten myself into? But there was no backing out, and I still had to get back to my tier.

Walsh looked at me, his brow furrowed. He quietly asked, “You alright, kid?”

“I better be. I signed a deal with the devil, and it’s time to pay up.”

I drew in a deep breath as we headed to the hospital, so we could sign in and make it look legit.

How did my life get to this point? I wondered as I followed Walsh. Growing up in Chicago, I was exposed to police corruption, murder, drugs, gangsters, and sex, oh yes, lots and lots of sex.

I had no clue of what awaited me, but my unsavory legacy was about to go down in history like crap down a toilet.

About the Author:Glenn Painter is single and lives in Central Florida. He became interested in writing at an early age but did not make it his career until 2014 when he published his first book, Beyond the Sentence.

Glenn has written this story from the notes by the man who actually lived it. However, extensive research was also require in order to make the story factual.

Glenn has also founded a company, ‘Prisoner Civil Right Services.’ He is an advocate for incarcerated individuals who have had their rights violated. He is in constant contact with these individuals, their families and the council. Most of his stories are inspired by ‘factual events’ that have happened to these individuals. This makes his stories both fiction and non-fiction.

Glenn says that writing is very challenging, and you must love the trials and tribulations that come with it. He believes that patience, perseverance and determination are required essentials to see a book through to being published. The journey is just as important as the destination.

Website | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $2.99.

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The Hardest Part About Writing by Claudia Riess – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 9, 2020 By 11 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Claudia Riess will be awarding a $50 Amazon or BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Hardest Part About Writing

The hardest part about writing is planting myself in my desk chair and raising the lid of my computer when I’m not viscerally compelled to do so. When I know exactly where a scene is headed and how my characters are about to interact, there’s no problem: I’m already typing in the air before I even log in.

Luckily, the problem has largely been eliminated. Instead of sitting down cold at the computer, I now take a couple of preparatory steps, so that there’s an actual transitioning from the state of Not Writing to Writing. I’ve found that when a ritual series of events is initiated, after a while the end (desired) event flows naturally from it, requiring no prodding or coercion.

Here’s a typical ritual. First, I sort through the papers on my desk with notes on upcoming chapters. Some notes are scrawled on sheets torn from legal pads. Others are typed dialogue or expository bits. I separate the notes dealing with the chapter either in the works or about to start from all the upcoming chapters with a colored folder. Next, I arrange the notes in the order I anticipate their subjects will arise. After that, if there’s an upcoming historical, geographical, academic, environmental issue that requires a bit of research (the major research has already been done), I’ll Google it. (An example: My characters will shortly be boarding a private jet. I’ve never been on or close to a private jet. I look up the subject. Study the photos; read the technical matter on dimensions, propulsion, flight staff.)

The penultimate step, and maybe the most important because it’s just about as close to Pavlovian stimulus-response as it gets, is this: I prepare a hot beverage, usually tea, sometimes cocoa, and place it on a coaster in the open side-drawer of my desk (there’s no room on the top of my desk). The last step is virtually as instinctive as a dancer’s practiced leap: my body places itself in the desk chair; my fingers pinch the lid of my MacBook then raise it.

I take a sip of the beverage. I type my password and click open the doc entitled Knight Light. The higher functions of my brain kick in and I’m on my way. Sometimes I become too engrossed to ever getting around to taking a second sip.

Academic sleuths Erika Shawn, art magazine editor, and Harrison Wheatley, a more seasoned art history professor, set out to tackle a brain teaser. This time the couple—married since their encounter in Stolen Light, first in the series—attempt to crack the long un-deciphered code of art forger Eric Hebborn (1934-1996), which promises to reveal the whereabouts of a number of his brilliant Old Master counterfeits. (Hebborn, in real life, was a mischievous sort, who had a fascination with letters and a love-hate relationship with art authenticators. I felt compelled to devise a puzzler on his behalf!) After publication of his memoir, Drawn to Trouble, published in 1991, he encrypts two copies with clues to the treasure hunt. On each of the title pages, he pens a tantalizing explanatory letter. One copy he sends to an art expert; the second, he releases into general circulation. The catch: both books are needed to decipher the code.

When the books are at last united 25 years later, Erik and Harrison are enlisted to help unearth their hidden messages. But when several research aides are brutally murdered, the academic challenge leads to far darker mysteries in the clandestine world of art crime. As the couple navigate this sinister world, both their courage under fire and the stability of their relationship are tested.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Owen Grant was ebullient—“ripped with joy,” his beloved wife might have said. He smiled, remembering the flutter of her eyelids that accompanied her minted phrases. Now that she had died and his arthritis no longer permitted him to jog up a sweat, he satisfied his lust for life—which remained, five years after retirement, as vigorous as it had been in his teens—with voracious reading and clay sculpting. Today, however, he satisfied it with the Art and Antiques article that had set his heart racing when he’d come across it this morning while sifting through his mail. He stole another glance at the newsletter on the kitchen table. In the article, a used and rare book shop owner spoke about having acquired a copy of a memoir by Eric Hebborn, the infamous art forger. “It was in a carton I picked up at an estate sale,” the owner had said. “The author’s handwritten note on the title page literally blew my mind!”

Hebborn’s note was displayed in a photograph. Owen had recognized the handwriting at once. Imagine, after decades of searching for this copy of the book—placing ads in all the art magazines, later in their online versions, finally giving up—proof of it had fallen into his life as he was about to venture another sip of his scalding morning coffee.

Now it was 8:30 p.m., and there was nothing more to prepare for. Owen had contacted the shop owner—how young and breathless she had sounded!—and they had made plans to meet. He had invited his longtime friend and colleague, Randall Gray, to collaborate with him. Randall, twenty years his junior and still in the game, was more current in his knowledge of the world of art crime and eager to have a look at the book as well. Owen was on a skittering high, unable to concentrate on his usual avocations. Rather than wear a hole in the carpet pacing in circles, he opted for a walk in Central Park.

He headed for the nearest pedestrian entrance at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street, two blocks from his luxury apartment building on 74th. There, he chose the rambling path leading to the Lake and Loeb Boathouse. It was a balmy night, on the warm side for mid-April. He might have stepped out in his shirtsleeves, but his conditioned urbanity, always at odds with his truer self, had held sway, and he had worn his suit jacket.

Aside from the couple strolling up ahead and the sound of laughter coming from somewhere south, Owen was alone. There had been an uptick of muggings lately, but his frisson of fear only piqued his excitement for the adventure shimmering on the horizon. As he walked, he silently chatted with his wife, Dotty, as he often did, so that their separation would not be absolute. He commented on the moonless night and looked up, for both of them, at the rarely visible canopy of stars. For a few seconds he was lost with her, until, without warning, he felt a hard object pressed against the back of his skull—the skull that held all memories, like Dotty’s fluttering eyelids and the smell of new clay. He knew what the object was without ever having touched one. He was a man of reason, not a fighter. He flung up his hands. “I have money. Let me get to it.”

There was no response. He reached into his pocket for his wallet—how warm the leather was against his thigh—and his keys jangled of homecomings, and the child in him whimpered please no, before the explosive pop of a champagne cork ended him and Dotty and all the rest of it.

About the Author:

Claudia Riess, a Vassar graduate, has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart, and Winston and has edited several art history monographs.

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The Inspiration and the Road to Publication by Douglas Solvie – Guest Blog and Giveaway

June 25, 2020 By 7 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Douglas Solvie will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Inspiration and the Road to Publication

My debut novel, My Irish Dog, was a long time coming in a sense. I always thought I could write a novel and played around with various storylines throughout the years. But nothing really clicked, and I couldn’t get my imagination to cooperate. But then a trip to Ireland a few years back provided the long-sought idea that I was beginning to assume would never come.

The inspiration…

One of the main characters and the true impetus for this book was a small stray dog I actually came upon during that trip. (I named the dog Shandy in the book, but I never knew her true name.) At that time, I did try to take some responsibility for the dog (who had no collar or ID tags), since she was alone and either had run away or had been abandoned. I took her into the village of Galbally in County Limerick. Try as I might, no one would relieve me of my new and sudden burden.

Finally, out of desperation more than anything else, I picked a random farmhouse, and unbelievably the lady there was kind enough to take the dog from me. I went back into the village immediately afterwards and then subsequently drove by the house maybe fifteen minutes later. There standing at the end of the driveway was Shandy, following me with her eyes as I drove by, almost as if she had been waiting for me to return. You had to be there to appreciate the situation, but it was really the strangest thing. And it bothered me in real life just as it bothers my protagonist Spencer in the book.

Sometime later, maybe weeks later, it occurred to me that perhaps that actual episode could be turned into a book. I began writing, and my imagination took things from that point.

I never knew what became of Shandy after that. On my second trip to Ireland, after I had decided to write the book, I went to the farmhouse again, hoping I could learn Shandy’s true fate. The house was completely empty. I learned secondhand a day or two later that a family had been living there (the same family I originally left the dog with, or at least I assume) but had packed up and left town. (That real-life episode as well became fodder for the book I had begun to write.)

I never expected to find Shandy again, and I didn’t, but it still makes me both sad and curious, wondering what truly became of her. I guess I’ll never know.

The road to publication…

I suppose I never realized how much work was entailed in writing and publishing a book. One beta reader and my developmental editor basically saved me from potentially releasing something that, when I think back now, would have been lacking and possibly even embarrassing. When you’re caught up in the process, I found that a writer’s own judgment can be deceiving. One day you think it’s good; the next you’re not so sure. Outside help was key, but even to this day I’m not so sure of the end product. Maybe not bad for a first-time novelist…but I think I can do better. I’m presently reading the paperback version of my own book. There are countless pages and chapters where I tell myself I could have done better. Perhaps that is a sickness of writers: We’re never satisfied. But at some point you need to relish in what you have; otherwise you can sit on a manuscript for eternity and never have the courage to finish the job.

I also found out that friends and family, while supportive to a degree, are certainly not as interested in your book as you are. That’s natural, I guess. But for me even getting people to read the book before it was published was like pulling teeth – a few were to cooperate, for which I am thankful, but I basically got to the point where I stopped bothering people with my little pet project. One person who did read the manuscript commented that I could use some work on my dialogue. He even sent me a copy of Hemingway’s In Our Time. I read it. Personally, I thought the usage of dialogue in that particular book was trash, but it goes to show how, as readers and writers, our perception of what is good or bad can vary drastically.

As I was getting close to finishing the book, I had to decide whether to self-publish or go the traditional route. I had read of all the trials and tribulations of trying to source an agent and then hopefully a publisher. With that in mind, I had basically decided that I would publish myself. Along the way, however, I did find one agent who showed a smidgeon of interest. Weeks of waiting to hear back (with the good news, hopefully) finally ended in disappointment. I tried a few more agents, thinking that there might be a chance, but I didn’t receive even a single response. I certainly wasn’t going to spend a year, or however long it took, trying to persuade someone to take a chance on my book. More than anything, I just wanted to publish, maybe to just say that I wrote a novel and am now a published author.

With that in mind, I got busy with final editing checks, typesetting, and every other detail I needed to cover before finally uploading the manuscript and cover to Amazon. When I finally hit that “publish” button, I was relieved and actually quite proud of myself. I finally did it! Now, purchases and reviews would be nice, and I hope those will come with time and effort. I’ve got a fair share of promotional and other ideas to create some awareness, but perhaps that is a “story” for another time.

Spencer held on to the faintest of hope, but still he knew the trip to Ireland had almost no prospect of remedying his internal dilemma. Then again, he never imagined that a chance meeting with a lost and dying dog named Shandy would change his life forever.

Step into the small Irish village of Galbally, where the unwitting Spencer stumbles headfirst into a parallel world that will test his will, sanity, and even physical well-being.

Time and promise are running out. Will unnatural forces and events scare Spencer away before he can connect again with the mysterious dog? Will he find his way forward before Shandy meets her inevitable fate? Or will suspicious locals and a nefarious Dublin innkeeper force Spencer from the village before he completes his life-altering mission?

Follow Spencer as he races to save a little Irish dog named Shandy. If he only realized that it is Shandy who is trying to save him…

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Good morning,” Spencer greeted her. “Do you remember me?”

The woman stood in the doorway and did not respond immediately. “No, I can’t say I do,” she finally said with a blank expression.

Spencer felt a wave of dizziness overtake him.

“I was here a couple of days back and dropped off that little dog, which you kindly took from me,” he said desperately. “Anyway, I have been worried about her and wanted to make certain that everything had turned out all right.”

“I’m sorry,” the woman said warily, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about or who you are. You must have made some kind of mistake. We don’t have a dog and never have. And I’ve certainly never seen you before.”

Spencer was incredulous, his smile falling slowly. He also felt a little defiant.

“Excuse me, but I was here just two days ago. I told you I had found a stray dog that I didn’t know what to do with, and you agreed to take her from me. You said your husband would deal with the matter once he got home that night.”

“Listen, you have obviously made a mistake,” the woman said. Spencer winced inside; the woman was now the defiant one. “I have a husband, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Are you sure it wasn’t some other house?”

For a moment Spencer thought he might have gone crazy. He peered through the door, and though he could hear the sound of children inside, he could not see them.

About the Author:My Irish Dog is the debut novel by Douglas Solvie and was motivated by a trip taken to Ireland and the chance discovery of a lost dog there. After spending most of his adult life living and working in Japan, Douglas is currently living in his home state of Montana. He hopes to make a new career out of writing and to travel the world, looking for inspiration for that next book, perhaps another set in beautiful Ireland. My Irish Dog is, after all, a story with a lot of unanswered questions.

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Buy the book at Amazon.

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