Gunfight at the Old Leake Canal by GB Hope – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 25, 2019 By 7 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. GB Hope will be awarding a $25 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.

In Liverpool, England, 18-year-old student and Freerunner, Bodie, survives an assassination attempt and flees for his life. His only thought is to secure the safety of girlfriend, Lily, and reach his journalist cousin, Anthony.

Bodie has stumbled into a diabolical plot from the world’s governments to end terrorism, famine and global warming in one swift swoop. So begins a race for survival, joined by a variety of other characters, moving from one set piece to the next, as the world that everyone knows is about to change forever.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Bodie turned to pass over the slip of paper with the address written on it, but Dean wasn’t there any more, instead replaced with a shocking splash of red up the wall. Bodie was momentarily nonplussed, slowly looking down at Dean, with half the man’s face missing, then back at the wall which he realised was smeared with the American’s blood and brains. Stunned, Bodie allowed his legs to collapse from under him, just as another high calibre bullet came through the window and embedded itself in the wall with a dull thud.

About the Author: GB Hope is the author of 11 novels of various genres. He lives in Manchester with his Indonesian wife and their two boys.

Amazon Author Page

Buy the book at Amazon.

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5 Things Every Thriller Novel Should Have by CB Samet

January 24, 2019 By 11 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. CB Samet will be awarding a $20 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.

5 Things Every Thriller Novel Should Have

1) Early action. Novels need to reel you into the story within the first few pages. In thriller novels, this is done by leading with action. In Gray Horizon’s first chapter, you see Lillian Whyte intervene when a gunman is in her emergency room (I’m not giving anything away that isn’t already free … you can download the first chapter free HERE). You immediately know this is a woman with wit and self-defense skills. You then want to know how in the world she gets caught up in a nuclear threat.

2) A high-stakes story. Something the protagonist fears is happening or will happen if he or she doesn’t intervene. The catastrophe may be personal, limited to the protagonist’s sphere of influence, or extend globally. In Gray Horizon, Lillian Whyte learns of a stolen nuclear weapon at the same time she realizes she may be one of the few people in a position to stop it. The suspense is palpable.

3) Multiple character views. Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, James Patterson and many more enable you to see the story unfold through multiple characters. This is a great way to build the intensity, especially when you can feel the antagonist through his/her point of view. Gray Horizon is told through the perspective of several different protagonists and antagonists. You’re able to see the global unfolding of events even when the individual characters can’t. You also feel the emotions—fear, frustration, loathing, defeat, resilience—of the character you experience in each scene.

4) A believable antagonist. We all know good versus evil isn’t black and white. While we want ‘good’ to win, we want to understand what is driving the antagonist to commit the atrocities he or she is committing. Are they acting out of greed, jealously, fear of inferiority, rage, or a god-complex? We all have our weaknesses, but what made them cross the line beyond the point of redemption? Gray Horizon has several antagonists, though my favorite is a merciless Korean assassin decommissioned and disavowed by her own country.

5) Humor. Wait? What? We are talking about thriller novel, right? Yes. We need a little intermittent comic relief amongst the nail-biting suspense. In the words of Joss Whedon: “Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.” In Gray Horizon, Lillian Whyte’s brother, Jonathan, and retired CIA officer Jack McCumsey throw humor into the mix throughout the novel.

Sworn enemies. A stolen nuclear weapon. And the clock’s ticking.

When Dr. Lillian Whyte learns a nuclear weapon is on the loose in Europe, she collides with a ruthless mercenary from her past. Isolated from her husband, a former CIA operative, Lillian tries to covertly help track the weapon. As she he joins the race to stop the bomb, she is drawn into a deadly game of chase. Despite her efforts, those intent on global catastrophe remain one step ahead of her.

As Lillian faces the fears of her past and deadliness of the present, can she secure the future of the world?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Dr. Whyte,” a guttural voice greeted her.

Her blood turned frigid and her stomach lurched as her heart thudded against her ribcage. As long as she lived, she would never forget that deep German accent—the voice of one of her captors nine years ago in Kenya.

The one that got away.

She was fairly certain Ivan Kleist would have only one reason for tracking her down: revenge.

Springing from the bench seat, she lashed a leg out into his gut. She saw a brief look of surprise on his pale face before she took off in a sprint.

Why now? Nine years he had waited.

The calculating killer had waited until she was out of the United States and away from Sean to corner her. She dashed in the direction of her hotel. Would she be safe in the lobby? In her room?

She slung her purse over her shoulder. Her phone was in the outer pocket, but she would have to slow down to make a call. Not happening. She would not slow until she reached the hotel.

Could she beat him to the hotel? His legs were longer, but she was ten years younger. But he probably hadn’t already logged twenty-six thousand steps for the day, as she had.

From her peripheral vision, Lillian saw an enormous object barreling toward her like a freight train. She barely had time to brace herself before Ivan plowed into her. She felt like she had been tackled by a linebacker. His large arms encircled her as she sailed to the ground. They rolled through the grass, her body encased by his.

He was so large he could probably crush the life out of her with his arms. She gasped for air. He wasn’t crushing her, but his grip was immobilizing.

Grunting, he hauled her to her feet. “Settle down, hase. Little white rabbit.”

Lillian, still dazed and sucking wind after her sprint, hardly put up a fight as he dragged her into an alley. Looking around frantically, her eyes couldn’t focus long enough to see anyone within shouting distance. She clawed at his large hand blocking her mouth from screaming.

About the Author: Christina is a practicing physician, mother of two boys and a terrier, and wife to a caring and supportive husband.

“I grew up reading Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and the Bourne books. I write seeking to create that level of action and intrigue but with female heroines. I love the quote, ‘She needed a hero. So she became one.’ My novels have empowered women overcoming powerful obstacles and the strong men who support them.”

Website | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Facebook

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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How to Handle Negative Criticism by Khaled Talib – Guest Blog and Giveaway

January 23, 2019 By 10 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Khaled Talib will be awarding an Amazon Fire 7 8GB tablet to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The prize is limited to U.S. and Canada only. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How to handle negative criticism

The first time I saw a critical review for my debut novel, I went ballistic. Then I asked myself, why should I feel this way? The problem is, I forgot to have faith in myself and my readers. I forgot that the book will be read by many people and each person will have a different opinion. For that reason, I should never get personal.

If you believe in your work, then you should have faith that things will balance out. It’s always me, me and me. To get rid of that self-centeredness, I read what other reviewers wrote about other people’s books. And you know what? I felt comforted knowing that everyone’s in the same boat. You’d be surprise that even topnotch authors get criticized.

You can’t control people’s opinions—they have the right to say what they want to say. Some will like your book, some won’t.

I never respond to a critical reviewer. If it’s the work of a troll, I might complain to Goodreads and Amazon, but even so, I trust my readers to be discerning. I do read the criticisms, and sometimes I ponder if there’s any truth in it. I take it in my stride.

At the end of the day, it’s just an opinion. One time, I had a reviewer who said she didn’t like one of my books because it was not her cup of tea. Instead of cutting her off, I kept in touch with her, and when my other book got published, I invited her to review the new one. She enjoyed it and even wrote that it should be made into a movie. So, there you go.

The secret is to embrace differences in opinions.

The United States media is abuzz with news of the mysterious disappearance of Hollywood movie star, Goldie St. Helen.

Ex-Delta Force Blake Deco receives a tip from a Mexican friend that a drug lord, obsessed with the beautiful actress, is holding her captive in Tijuana.

With the help of a reluctant army friend, Blake mounts a daring rescue.

What he doesn’t expect is to have feelings for Goldie—or that a killer is hunting them.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Clad in tactical black, Blake rested on his chest in the dark chaparral. He watched his curly-haired friend beside him maneuver the tiny dragonfly drone with his phone. The luminous screen showed its flight path toward Dai Lo’s hacienda in the northeastern outskirts of Tijuana, nothing around it for miles.

The drone sent back images of the 375,000 square feet compound, including some of Dai Lo’s men patrolling. It hovered in front of the three-floor mansion built with stacked balconies and double-hung windows. It then swooped down to a porch with three tall columns under a pediment. Finding no entry point, Jack raised it up again.

“I’m going to circle behind,” Jack said.

“Do that,” Blake responded.

“You going to kill Dai Lo?” Jack asked.

“Not unless I have to. I’m not an assassin,” Blake said.

“So why did you give Chavez the impression you will?”

“If Chavez knew what I was thinking, he wouldn’t give me the weapons. Then how are we going to save the actress?”

“You better know what you’re doing, Blake.”

“If you still want to go on that European tour, start thinking positive.”

The tiny drone went around the mansion and flew past a lit pool, buffeting over a garden and an annex connected by a sheltered catwalk. It moved sideways until it came to a lit corner window on the third level. The visual zoomed closer to the windowsill and sent back an image that left both men recoiling with gasps.

About the Author: Khaled Talib is a former journalist with local and international exposure. He has authored three thrillers since 2014.

The author’s works have been praised by NY Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, NY Times bestselling author Ruth Harris, USA Today bestselling author Jon Land, NY Times bestselling author Keith Thomson, K.J. Howe, and Jon McGoran.
His debut thriller, Smokescreen, was listed as one of the six “boundary-breaking indies” in 2016 by the IndieReader. His second novel, Incognito, won the Silver Award for the AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest 2017. Gun Kiss is his third novel.

Khaled, who is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, resides in Singapore.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Author Amazon Page | Goodreads | Book Video

Buy the book (on sale for only $0.99) directly from the author or at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, or iBooks.

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Winter Blogfest: Janet Poland

January 4, 2019 By 5 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of Same River Twice!

On Christmas day, thousands of people assemble in Washington Crossing, PA, to observe the re-enactment of – you guessed it! – George Washington’s famed crossing of the Delaware River in 1776.

Miren Lassiter, the main character of my mystery novel, Same River Twice, attends the re-enactment, along with others who find themselves at loose ends on Christmas. Some are history buffs; some are people who don’t celebrate the holiday and are eager for an interesting outing.

It also includes people like Miren, a laid-off newspaper reporter who chooses to spend most holidays alone. She is reclusive, but not a hermit. She is a-romantic, but not a-sexual. She loves and savors her independence and privacy. She eats a holiday meal alone, then bundles up and heads for the Crossing.

Like so many who attend the event, Miren is struck by the significance of Washington’s accomplishment. After a disastrous retreat from New York, with the British in hot pursuit, he desperately needed a victory to energize his flagging troops and their cause.

Crossing the icy river in the dark, the troops, along with horses and artillery, marched down the New Jersey side to Trenton. They arrived at daybreak on the 26th, finding the British barracks still recovering from a very festive holiday.

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With this in mind, Miren watches the re-enactors gather by the river, welcome “George” as he emerges from the actual inn where the real George dined in 1776, and march down to the barges. They pole their way across the river, not quite as elegantly as they appear in Emanuel Leutze’s iconic painting, and climb up the bank on the Jersey side.

The re-enactors, of course, don’t march to Trenton. They don’t take prisoners, and they take the bridge instead of boats back to the Pennsylvania side. Among those in colonial uniform marching across the bridge is someone Miren recognizes. Someone she suspects of murder.

But that’s another story.

In this debut mystery, a reclusive newspaper reporter is laid off and finds her carefully guarded world upended. She inherits her scientist uncle’s cottage along the Delaware River, and with it, hidden samples of the toxic fungus he was studying.
She discovers the body of a local historian hanging from an antique gallows in a museum, and soon becomes a suspect in his murder. Mysterious intruders break into the cottage, including a burglar who steals only toothbrushes.
Only by reaching out to scientists, history buffs, and nosy neighbors can she confront the reasons behind her fear of intimacy and thwart a murderer…before she becomes the next victim.

Janet Poland is a transplant from the West Coast to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where Same River Twice is set. She is a poet, former journalist, and author of seven non-fiction books in addition to her mystery novel. She enjoys travel, flash fiction, and retweeting cute animal pictures on Twitter.

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Winter Blogfest: Stephen King

December 24, 2018 By 4 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

Christmas with the Kings

I grew up in a loving family home, one of five kids, where Christmas was a time you looked forward to for the entire year. It wasn’t just the presents, it was the vibe. The smell of the open fire, the stocking always found at the end of the bed crammed to overflowing with goodies, no matter how late I tried to stay awake to catch Santa out.  The mountain of scrunched up discarded wrapping paper, that had to be disposed off afterwards, was so high I couldn’t see over it. Dad always went to the pub, while Mum and my Nan prepared a late lunch fit for royalty, and as I became a teen, I was allowed to go to the pub as well – I felt very adult. The lunch was amazing, and was finished off with pudding that if you were lucky, held silver coins. And, at night the family played a card game called Kings, for pennies, and my Nan always used to win. They were very special times, that brought the family together, and petty squabbles with my brothers were in abeyance. 

Now I’m an adult, and my wife and I worked tirelessly, and with massive smiles on our faces, to recreate our childhood for our children. Now, they have all moved out with partners of their own, and I am delighted to say, my wife is still a bigger Christmas addict than ever; and I love it.

Out house is still festooned with outdoor lights that make the city dim when we turn them on. Inside her tree is breathtaking, adorned with baubles collected from around the world. The living areas more resemble Santa’s Grotto, than a suburban home, and I am pleased to report, my children have become a facsimile of their mother.

It’s that one time of the year, when regardless of your beliefs, it’s about family, giving, and love – after sixty years, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in the King household.

Thirty-Three Days

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer whose consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls.

In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days. Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail; plans are made to send another back in time-an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves and saving the future?

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Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers and police procedurals. I love a good, un-put-down-able, thriller; the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning, but you have to get up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place? I hope so.

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by The Totally Entwined Group UK’s now defunct Evidence Press when they were taken over by Bonnier UK. Undeterred it was followed by a trilogy, comprising of Domin8, The Vigilante Taxi and Burial Ground, All were self published due to contractual problems with TEG, even though they gave me an editor to work with in the interim. Months passed in limbo. Repo, saw me return to two characters from Forever Night as new private investigators trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit, which was also also self pubbed until the war with the big bad publisher was over and agreements were signed along with a confidentiality agreement – so I can’t talk about it.

The Wild Rose Press in NY (no more UK publishers for me) contracted Thirty-Three Days, for which I will always be grateful – they are awesome to work with. They have also contracted another Trilogy called Three Deadly Glimpses, the first is due for release on the first of October and is called, Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. Book Two: Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths will follow shortly after as it is going through the third round of editing now, and the finale: Glimpse, The Caring Killer will be available next year.

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Thirty-Three Days buy link: http://a.co/d/8agAD4r.

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Murder at the Mill by M.B. Shaw – Spotlight

December 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes M.B. Shaw who is celebrating today’s release of Murder at the Mill, the first book in the Iris Grey mystery series.

A picture hides a thousand lies… And only Iris Grey can uncover the truth.

Iris Grey rents a quaint cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighboring Wetherby family, and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer.

At the Wetherby’s Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow – but so are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?

With the snow falling, Iris enters a world of village gossip, romantic intrigue, buried secrets, and murder.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The sound of the water was deafening. This stretch of the River Itchen was narrow, little more than a stream in places, but it was deep, and the current was fast, causing the ancient waterwheel to churn and splash and creak with unexpected ferocity, like a battlefield’s roar. Somewhere in the distance, church bells were pealing, fighting their way through the din. Five o’clock. As good a time to die as any.

Tying on the stone was easy, despite the darkness and the noise and the cold that numbed one’s fingers. Everything had been easy, in fact. All that fear, the stomach-souring anticipation of the act, had been for nothing in the end. Everything had gone exactly according to plan. So far, anyway. There was a symmetry to that, at least, the satisfaction of a job well done. One could even call it a pleasure of sorts.

Across the bitterly cold water, the lights of Mill House glowed warm and inviting. Through the sash windows of the Wetherbys’ grand draw- ing room, a Christmas tree twinkled. Gaudy and colourful, rising out of a shiny sea of discarded wrapping paper, torn from joyously opened gifts, it had clearly been decorated by children, as all Christmas trees should be. Few things in life were sadder than an ‘adult’ Christmas tree, tastefully decked out in themed colours. Where was the magic in that?

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The water was as cold as stone, cold enough to make one flinch. But only momentarily. It was time to let go. The river opened up eagerly to receive its Christmas gift, pulling it down into the familiar black depths with the cloying, greedy embrace of a lover.

Feet first. Then legs. Torso. Head.

Gone.

About the Author: M.B Shaw is the pen-name of New York Times bestselling writer Tilly Bagshawe. A teenage single mother at 17, Tilly won a place at Cambridge University and took her baby daughter with her. She went on to enjoy a successful career before becoming a writer. As a journalist, Tilly contributed regularly to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, and Evening Standard, before turning her hand to novels.

Tilly’s first book, ADORED, was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. She now divides her time between the UK and America, writing her own books and the new series of Sidney Sheldon novels.

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I Want to Say These Things to Other Writers by Emma Cyrus – Guest Blog and Giveaway

November 30, 2018 By 10 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Emma Cyrus will be awarding a $25 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.

I want to say these things, from my heart, to other writers

This is a most difficult path we’ve chosen to walk. It’s certainly more difficult for me than any of the projects I’ve worked on over several decades. Because it’s so challenging, above all it requires persistence. Persistence means different things to different people, but essentially it boils down to ‘suiting up and showing up,’ as a sports friend says.

‘Suiting up’ means calling yourself a writer and having your tools ready to go, every day. It also means thinking about your current project all the time, having it in the background while you’re showering or eating. ‘Showing up’ means being a writer every day, putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) for at least an hour, more when you can, with a clear set of goals you want to accomplish – number of words, by when, so you’re always measuring yourself against what you want.

When you acknowledge the challenge of the writer’s path, you give yourself to permission to have some suffering with it now and again. Not wallowing in it, as that would bog you down. But when good writers transition to great writers, I think it’s by going inside and pulling meaning out of that suffering.

Others have mentioned something that I think bears underscoring: you must be a fearless and ferocious self-editor. What you can let yourself get attached to is the most perfect version of your manuscript—but nothing short of that is worth being too fond of. Better to slash and burn while under your guidance than being slashed and burned by critics after you publish.

There are a number of courses, mentoring writers and editing software out there to support you in this ruthless task. I encourage you to avail yourself of them. You’ll be amazed how much better your work becomes as you keep paring, eliminating passives, explaining more clearly, strengthening a narrative. One particular program I use identifies ‘sticky’ words which tend to slow down the reading experience. It’s invaluable to have this kind of automated assessment.

Along the same lines, I encourage you to use BETA readers after you get a completed manuscript out. Their input will help you make it a better book. They’ll see things you can’t because you’re too close to it. You might not act on everything they say, but you’ll know about the concerns out there that might affect your future readers.

In addition to writing persistently every day, you can also make it a priority to read and study writing every day. Reading means both for enjoyment and for assessment and instruction, inside and outside your genre. Most important is studying the signature works of masters in your genre, as they’ve already set the bar for everyone coming after. In the world of mysteries, I try and keep up with greats like Elizabeth George, Michael Connelly, Ann Cleeves, Josephine Tey, and Tony Hillerman (my list of faves is actually much longer!).

Then, speaking of studying, making time to learn elements of your craft is most important. I’ve taken several courses at Gotham Writers Workshop and also take online writing courses. There’s never an end to what you want to keep polishing in terms of skills. You’re never done!

Even the masters will tell you what skill they’re working on currently, what they’re dissatisfied with, who they admire who does it better than they do. If you think you might not be up to snuff in character development, for example, look for writing guides and courses on that subject. Try different ones until you find your writing improving in this one area. I find that if I studt while I’m writing, I’m more aware and deliberate and the results are better.

And, finally, don’t get discouraged. Only other writers will understand what compels you, so be in touch with colleagues for feedback and support on a regular basis. This is a noble path, and you can allow yourself to be ennobled by it!

If you’d like to be in touch with me about all this, feel free to write me at emma@emmacyrus.com..

Thanks very much to Long and Short Reviews for hosting me and Life Without Shoes today.

In the great tradition of The Name of the Rose, the Brother Cadfael mysteries and Grantchester, Life Without Shoes confronts a modern-day monastic with a horrifying crime.

Father Ambrose has found a simple life leading a spiritual community in Northern California. He spends his days on guiding the farming and teaching meditation. Then, someone dumps a body in one of their orchards.

Now, the violence of the modern world has come crashing through the gates. He wants Sheriff Charlie Cormley to believe the body has nothing to do with them, but it’s not that easy. He must take on the role of sleuth to protect his community and find the truth. He finds himself moving out into the world in ways he never imagined, and life at New Life will never be the same.

Enjoy an Excerpt

He looked up to see Brother Jeremy leaning on the doorjamb, pale and shaking. The young monk clutched his sandals in one hand and wiped perspiration from his upper lip with the sleeve of his robe. “Father,” he gasped.

“Good Lord, what is it? Here, sit down.” Ambrose pulled a chair across the small office and urged Jeremy into it. He held up his hand to forestall the young man’s story until he’d poured out a glass of water and seen that the threat of fainting had passed.

Jeremy’s hand shook on the water glass. He rested his forehead on the other palm. “I…I…” he started, then, closing his eyes, “Oh, God, this is awful.”

Ambrose pulled his desk chair up close and looked intently at the young man’s face. “Just keep it simple, Jeremy, so I can understand what’s happened.”

“You asked me to pick up that trash bag someone dumped in the orchard, so I went out there with the Toyota this morning….” Here, he lowered his gaze, aware that too much time had elapsed between Ambrose’s request and his taking action. Regret and guilt played around his mouth.

“Yes, you should have been out there Saturday afternoon, but let’s forget that right now. What happened?”

“Some dogs had gotten to it, torn it open…” He gulped, then rushed on. “There was an arm sticking out of the bag.” He closed his eyes again and swallowed hard.

“An arm? Are you certain?”

About the Author: Emma was born in West Virginia and lived there until she was in high school, when her family moved to Pittsburgh. After high school, she went to Boston to go to college. She worked in different small and startup businesses until she moved into a yoga community in Pennsylvania. There, she’s worked on various projects and taught yoga.

She started the Father Ambrose series as a way of pulling together her love of good mystery stories with her deepening appreciation of the real-life magic and mystery of inner work. Father Ambrose has many characteristics in common with the leaders of her community, but his voice is probably hers, or at least what she thinks her voice would be, if she were living inside the parameters of his life.

She’s discovering the compelling nature of writing fiction and the surprises of working with what other writers have called their ‘muse.’ The creative process seems to have its own timetable and logic. The best results seem to come from stilling her own personal voice and allowing that ‘muse’ to speak.

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Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Diane Demetre – Guest Blog and Giveaway

November 29, 2018 By 10 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Diane Demetre will be awarding a $25 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.

Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Diane Demetre

1. If I could interview anyone past or present, and since I’m a story teller, I’d love to interview the main character of the greatest story ever told—Jesus Christ. I’d lead with the following question…For over two thousand years, we’ve heard everyone else’s opinion on your life, now, in your own words, please share with us the truth.

2. If I had to choose a song to be my theme song it would probably be the ABBA hit Dancing Queen. However, the song which has been the touchstone of my life is the Beatles classic, Let it Be.

3. I have nearly every one of Agatha Christie’s paperbacks which I collected as a young teenager. It is probably her influence which has moved me into murder mystery writing.

4. The food I try not to keep in the fridge as I love it too much is ice-cream. My biggest treat is to have a double or triple serve of gourmet ice-cream of different flavours. Heavenly

5. My favourite drink is Bollinger champagne. Absolutely fabulous….

6. If I could have any superpower, I’d love to travel through time and dimensions at will.

7. Before I became a writer, I spent years as a motivational speaker, life coach and stress & life skills therapist.

8. One of my favourite quotes is… If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau.

9. One of the most inspiring things that happened to me was when I met the Dali Lama. In 2007, along with a group of benefactors for his Australian tour, he reached out, clasped my hand and sat me down next to him for a photograph. His minders scurried around, obviously stunned. His Holiness rarely touches anyone. He held my hand through the photographic session, smiling and chatting to me. After the photos, he rose, bowed and left the room, leaving me and everyone wide-eyed from the encounter. The picture of His Holiness holding my hand, and me with a Cheshire Cat grin takes pride of place on my office wall.

10. Aside from the Dali Lama, probably the most famous person I ever met was Charlton Heston. Back in 1996, I was the emcee for the Australian book tour of his autobiography…In the Arena. A real man’s man, he oozed charisma, power and a commanding presence from which those people in the audience could not avert their eyes. He epitomized the true Hollywood legend. In introducing him, I also welcomed his wife, Lydia, who I knew would have been the wind beneath his wings throughout their long marriage together. As the audience clapped his arrival onstage, he turned to me and said, “Well done, and that’s my professional opinion.” Even at seventy-three years of age, with his chiselled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, Mr. Heston embodied the quintessential alpha male and archetypal hero. The photo of the two of us together is another of my favourites.

She’s a ballerina with a dark secret. He’s a retired sniper with a tortured past. Will they find love or fall prey to a stalker’s deadly game?

Professional ballerina Jessie Hilton wraps her battle scars in satin pointe shoes, but there’s a deeper hurt that haunts her sleep. When a handsome man steps in to save her from a mugging, something about her hero makes her heavy heart leap. Though her career can’t afford distractions, he may be her sole source of safety when she gains the unwanted attention of a relentless stalker.

Ex-sniper Brad Jordan survived his tour of duty, but a tragic accident cost him the lives of those closest to him. With his faithful border collie Whiskey by his side, Brad gets a second chance when he protects the beautiful Jessie from danger. When the ballerina’s stalker grows more brazen, Brad’s tactical training may be their only weapon against tragedy.

Will Jessie and Brad survive a deadly game, or will the assailant destroy their chance at love?

Retribution is a standalone romantic suspense novel. If you like tough-as-toe-shoes heroines, second-chance romance, and page-turning plots, then you’ll love Diane Demetre’s heart-stopping saga.

Enjoy an Excerpt

There she was, bolting up the hallway towards him like she did every time he returned. All amber eyes and happy face, she danced and pranced, speaking an exuberant welcome as best she could through her doggy larynx.

“How’re you doing, Whiskey? You miss me?” Reaching down, he rubbed his black and white Border collie’s lopsided ears. “You are the most beautiful girl I know. Come on, let’s chow down.” As he strode down the narrow hall of his weatherboard cottage, he weaved from side to side so as not to step on her paws. “So, what did you get up to this evening? Been protecting the castle?” He opened the fridge door and Whiskey shoved her nose in where she knew her dinner waited. BJ grabbed a bag of beef brisket bones and tossed it on the kitchen bench. He’d left the lights on out of habit, rather than for Whiskey. If there was light around him, the darkness within was somehow easier to bear.

He scanned the back yard, checking the perimeters that he’d planted with impenetrable, skyward-reaching bamboo. He never knew what he expected to find. Maybe he hoped it was all a bad dream and that everything would return to the way it was. But nothing would be the same again. Regret tore at his heart as he tore open the plastic bag of bones. “Here you go, girl. Take it outside. I’ll grab a beer and join you.”

About the Author: Being a passionate woman who’s always done things a little differently, Diane’s diverse career began as a school teacher before she moved into a full-time career as a professional choreographer, director and dancer, strutting her stuff on many stages throughout Australia. She was responsible for the original multi-million dollar extravaganzas at Conrad Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast—Starz & Galaxies.

Following her onstage career, Diane’s thirst for knowledge led her into the field of self-development. Using her highly developed communication skills and love of people, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist and life coach, teaching individuals, couples and groups the methodologies of personal success and fulfilment.

With her business acumen, Diane launched into the corporate arena, working in a variety of positions as a consultant in marketing, special events, tourism, business strategies, quality management and human resource management. Combining her entertainment and business backgrounds, she returned to the stage as a keynote speaker and corporate facilitator, educating business leaders in the ‘new mindset’ for business and relationship building in the 21st century.

Assuming the pseudonym of the Goddess of Love, she appeared as a guest presenter on Gold FM radio, Gold Coast, a national radio program broadcast to 1.4million listeners. Her weekly program proved popular with Diane providing empowering advice on life, love, sex and relationships, sprinkled with a good dose of humour. Her passion for life and compulsive sharing nature made her a great inspiration to her listeners. As the Goddess of Love she also appeared as a regular guest on the national television program Beauty & the Beast, where her practical insights were televised to viewers across Australia.

When she launched into a writing career, Diane’s debut erotic romance series, the Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Books and Best Covers for 2015 and 2016.

Her romantic suspense, Retribution won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.

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Naughty on Ice by Maia Chance – Spotlight

November 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Maia Chance who is visiting with us to celebrate the recent release of Naughty on Ice, the fourth book in the Discreet Retrieval Agency Mysteries series.

Naughty on Ice is the latest in Maia Chance’s dazzlingly fun Prohibition-era caper series featuring society matron Lola Woodby and her stalwart Swedish cook, Berta.

The Discreet Retrieval Agency is doing a brisk holiday business of retrieving lost parcels, grandmas, and stolen wreaths. But with their main squeezes Ralph and Jimmy once more on the back burner, both Lola and Berta pine for a holiday out of New York City. So when they receive a mysterious Christmas card requesting that they retrieve an antique ring at a family gathering in Maple Hill, Vermont, they jump at the chance. Sure, the card is signed Anonymous and it’s vaguely threatening, but it’s Vermont.

In Maple Hill, several estranged members of the wealthy Goddard family gather. And no sooner do Lola and Berta recover the ring—from Great-Aunt Cressida Goddard’s arthritic finger—than Mrs. Goddard goes toes-up, poisoned by her Negroni cocktail on ice. When the police arrive, Lola and Berta are caught-red-handed with the ring, and it becomes clear that they were in fact hired not for their cracker-jack retrieving abilities, but to be scapegoats for murder.

With no choice but to unmask the killer or be thrown in the slammer, Lola and Berta’s investigations lead them deep into the secrets of Maple Hill. In a breathless pursuit along a snowy ridge, with a lovelorn Norwegian ski instructor and country bumpkin hooch smugglers hot on their heels, Lola and Berta must find out once and for all who’s nice…and who’s naughty.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The circumstances, I do realize, were ghastly. A chunk was missing from the molasses layer cake on the kitchen table. A corpse lay, probably still warmish, out on the living room carpet. And I was aware that, having been caught in the act of removing a ruby ring from an elderly lady’s finger, my detecting partner, Berta Lundgren, and I looked as guilty as masked bandits in Tiffany’s.

The policeman, who had announced himself as Sergeant Peletier, stood over the kitchen table, wearing an Oho, what have we here? expression. “You’re the uninvited guests, I reckon,” he said. “Mrs. Lundgren and Mrs. Woodby?”

“We were invited,” Berta said coldly.

“That’s not what I was told,” Peletier said. He surveyed drunken Aunt Daphne, the ring, and the cake. “Having a bit of dessert with a side of jewel thieving, I see. Mighty funny thing to do right after your hostess has expired.”

“Aghamee do eshplain,” I said.

“I beg your pardon?” Peletier said.

I swallowed cake. “Allow me to explain,” I repeated.
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This wasn’t the plan. The plan had been to retrieve the ring, pop it in the breadbox, slink out of the house, and skip town on the next train out.

“Yes,” Peletier said. “Please explain. Mrs. Goddard lies dead in the other room, and you’re here in the kitchen shimmying a ring off Mrs. Lyle’s finger?”

At the mention of her name, Aunt Daphne raised her champagne glass. “Cheers,” she crowed.

“I will explain,” Berta butted in. She was a rosy, gray-bunned lady of sixty-odd years who spoke with a faint Swedish accent and resembled a garden gnome. “What you see before you is a tried-and-true method for removing stuck rings from fingers—fingers, you understand, that have . . . expanded.”

We all regarded Aunt Daphne’s fingers, which, short and plump and swollen, resembled a litter of Dachshund puppies. The too-small ring had been maneuvered to just below the knuckle with Berta’s trick of looping embroidery thread under the ring, winding the thread tightly around the finger, and then unwinding the thread from the bottom. With each loop that was unwound, the ring edged up another millimeter. The downside was that it looked rather painful. However, Aunt Daphne, drinking champagne and shoveling cake with her free hand, had yet to complain. There really are no better painkillers than cake and booze.

“My mother always used butter to remove stuck rings,” Peletier said.

“A pound of butter wouldn’t get this thing off me,” Aunt Daphne said. “Believe me, I’ve tried it! This darned thing’s been stuck on my finger since the summer of 1919.”

“When you stole it,” I prompted.

“Stole it?” Aunt Daphne snickered, and with her free hand she lifted the glass of champagne to her lips and polished it off. “I never said that!”

About the Author: MAIA CHANCE was a finalist for the 2004 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington. She is writing her dissertation on nineteenth-century American literature. She is also the author of the Fairy Tale Fatal mystery series.

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House of Ashes by Loretta Marion – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 19, 2018 By 4 Comments



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Loretta Marion will be awarding a $50 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.

Thirty-seven-year-old painter Cassandra Mitchell is fourth-generation to live in the majestic Battersea Bluffs, a brooding Queen Anne home originally built by her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, and still standing despite tragedies that have swept the generations. Local lore has it that there was a curse placed on the family and the house is haunted, though opinions are divided on whether it’s by malicious or benevolent spirits. Cassie believes the latter―but now she stands to lose her beloved home to mounting debt and the machinations of her dream-weaving ex-husband.

Salvation seems to arrive when a nomadic young couple wanders onto the property with the promise of companionship and much-needed help―until they vanish without a trace, leaving behind no clue to their identities. Cassie is devastated, but determined to discover what’s happened to the young couple…even as digging into their disappearance starts to uncover family secrets of her own. Despite warnings from her childhood friend, now the local Chief of Police―as well as an FBI agent who pushes the boundaries of professionalism―Cassie can’t help following the trail of clues (and eerie signals from the old house itself) to unravel the mystery. But can she do so before her family’s dark curse destroys everything in its path?

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Eighty years ago ~ Whale Rock, Massachusetts ~ Cape Cod Bay

Friday, December 13th

The fire bell was ringing, and someone yelled in through the tavern door, “There’s a fire up on the north end! Battersea Bluffs. We need all the hands we can get!”

“No, it can’t be,” Percy whispered. The Bluffs was his home. He leapt from the barstool and ran for the street, bumping into a stranger as he passed through the tavern door. The man’s eyes were ominously familiar to him, but with more pressing concerns, there was no time to bring to memory why. He had to get home to Celeste.

It sickened him to see the flames as his Ford pickup rounded the top of Lavender Hill. How hard he and Celeste had worked to build this house, a grand Victorian with a widow’s walk and a proud front porch facing out to sea. Fire trucks were already there, and men he’d known these many years were working hard to contain the blaze.

As he ran toward the house, it came to him who the stranger in the tavern had been, and later one of the firefighters would recount that Percy had screamed: “Damn that lighterman’s curse. Damn you to hell, Robert Toomey!” Nobody was quick enough to keep Percy Mitchell from entering the inferno. Moments later he emerged, his clothing and hair afire, carrying a charred human form. Any man would have been delirious from the pain, but as the firefighters looked on in shocked disbelief, Percy walked with a purposeful bearing and a swift gait toward the bluffs. A few men chased after their friend, but before anyone could stop him, Percy reached the ledge and cried out, “I am not finished!”

And then, with his already dead wife in his arms, he hurled them both into Cape Cod Bay.

About the Author:

A true bibliophile, Loretta Marion’s affection for the written word began in childhood and followed her like a shadow throughout her life as she crafted award winning marketing and advertising copy and educational brochures. She then applied her writing skills as a volunteer, establishing a Legacy Story program for hospice patients, which inspired her to create her own fictional stories. Her debut novel, The Fool’s Truth, was a twisty mystery with whispers of romance. Her newest novel, HOUSE OF ASHES – A Haunted Bluffs Mystery, is the first in a series published by Crooked Lane Books.

When not whipping out words on her laptop, she is traveling, enjoying outdoor pursuits, or is curled up with a delicious new book. Loretta lives in Rhode Island with her husband, Geoffrey, and their beloved Mr. Peabody, a sweet, devoted and amusing “Corgador”.

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