LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: The Trials of Adrian Wheeler by Steve Shear

Thanks for joining us on our anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon/BN GC. Follow and visit authors social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC!

A young soldier faces a court-martial trial while dealing with PTSD, sexual inadequacy, and an unrelenting father.

Adrian Wheeler returns from Baghdad with a mangled knee and no left arm, ever mindful of a tormented past and even bleaker future. His brother, John Mike, didn’t return at all. One chilly morning in February both participated in a reconnaissance mission that tragically failed; a mission during which innocent women and children died along with John Mike and other combatants. As the sole survivor Adrian carries the details of that trauma deep within his subconscious and drinks excessively in hopes of hiding from the visitors that torment his dreams.

In his compromised mental and physical condition Adrian does everything he can to avoid seeing Rachael, his girl since the first grade. But he can’t escape his domineering father, a retired Vietnam veteran who bullied him into joining the Marines in the first place.

When he begins turning things around and taking control of his life, he’s charged with murdering the innocent women and children. Private Wheeler finds himself the center of the most important court-martial trial of the Iraqi war; his only hope is to move beyond his trauma and the terrible secret that lies deep within the cellar of his psyche.

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LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Ghosts of Midsummer Theatre by Libby Bishop


Thanks for joining us on our anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon/BN GC. Follow and visit authors social media pages on the second rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC!

In 1956, the Midsummer Theatre—Noble, Maine’s most popular playhouse—closed after the daughter of the owners was murdered. Unfortunately, her killer was never found. The owners did not want the theatre opened again, but when the theatre passed into the hands of their grandson, he decided that it was time to renovate and reopen.

But the ghosts of the past don’t just fade away.

As a two year anniversary present, medium and paranormal investigator Arabella Pierce arranges for a private investigation for her and her love, Lucas Brown. Not only to help the owner get answers about his aunt’s murder, but to help keep interest in the theatre until it reopens. But as the investigation gets underway, Arabella and Lucas quickly learn that the darkness behind the murder still lingers, and if they don’t remove that darkness the theatre can never again open its doors.

They have forty-eight hours to solve the mystery of Midsummer Theatre, and every second will count.

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LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Before We Fade Away by June Summers

Thanks for joining us on our anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon/BN GC. Follow and visit authors social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC!

Horrific, recurring nightmares are making Danielle Reynolds’ life miserable. Losing sleep and falling grades lead her to seek help from her college counselor, a psychologist, and against her better judgment, a psychic medium. To her amazement, she discovers her dead grandfather is trying to contact her to prove his innocence in the murders of the Cunningham family on Halloween night back in 1971. Turning to the police, she convinces a handsome young officer to reopen the murder investigation.

Officer Joel Adams isn’t sure if he believes the beautiful woman who claims to have new information about an old murder. But she knows things not written in the police reports, things his grandfather never mentioned when he worked the case years before. Despite his doubts, he can’t resist helping her discover the truth about the past that links them together in the present.

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LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell


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“The only thing Hyacinth wants is her life back. Literally. She and her sister were murdered by Demons, leaving her young nephew, Geordi, to his father’s family in the brutal Sicilian Mob. Then Archangel Michael offers her a deal: recapture a powerful rock the Demons stole, and she can live long enough to find Geordi a safe home. Refuse, and she’ll continue up (or down) to the Afterlife.

So, slightly more alive than dead, she heads for Turkey and the Demons, taking Geordi, her mysterious neighbor Jason, and a sexy dead guy only she can see with her. But the hardest part won’t be battling Demons, meeting Satan, or dodging Middle Eastern customs—it will be later, when Geordi is settled, and Michael rips her away again. How can she abandon her nephew? Or can she outwit the Angel of Death himself, and stay with Geordi forever?”

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The Clock Flower by Barbara Casey – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

Dara Roux, abandoned when she was seven years old by her mother. Exceptionally gifted in foreign languages. Orphan. Accepted to Yale University. Mackenzie Yarborough, no record of her parents or where she was born. Exceptionally gifted in math and problem-solving. Orphan. Accepted to MIT. Jennifer Torres, both parents killed in an accident when she was sixteen. Exceptionally gifted in music and art. Orphan. Accepted to Juilliard. The three FIGs—Females of Intellectual Genius—as they are called, have graduated from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women after returning from New York City. Now Mackenzie, because of her genius at problem-solving, is personally chosen by a US Senator to get involved in a mysterious, secret research project involving immortality that is being conducted in a small village in China—not too far from where Dara is involved with the archeological site. Once there, however, she finds herself facing a terrifying death from the blood-dripping teeth of an ancient evil dragon. Her best friends, the FIGs and Carolina, rely on their own unique genius and special talents to save her as she discovers the truth of her birth parents..

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Lyuba was startled awake by the screeching of the magpie. It was the third morning in a row the large bird had settled on the crooked branch of the tall elm tree outside her hut just before dawn. She had studied the Tarot late into the night to determine the meaning of the magpie’s warning, but the message was clouded and obscure—its purpose stubbornly hidden. She only knew it had to do with her precious daughter, Carolina, and the three orphaned students whom her daughter loved and cared for—Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer, all three geniuses born with special talents that couldn’t be explained.

The Comino Gypsies, or Black Tribe as they were sometimes called, had been staying near Frascati, Italy, less than 10 kilometers south of Rome, the nearest of the Castelli towns. As in times past, the gypsies camped on a hill, once called Tusculum by the ancients, in the shadows of the Villa Mondragone, so named because of the many dragons carved in its brown stone edifice. The gypsies simply called it the Old Villa, and they had made this their home during the warm months for as long as anyone could remember. Even before there was a Villa Mondragone.

Originally built on Roman ruins in the sixteenth century, it had survived through the centuries as home to various Catholic cardinals and periods of abandonment until most recently when it had been sold by the college of the Jesuits to the Second University of Rome. From their camp, it was an easy walk into the rural village of Frascati. Many of the villagers living there who were advanced in age still held on to many of the old beliefs, making it easier for the gypsies to sell their wares. Through the years, the travelers and the settlers had enjoyed a mutually beneficial association. But even in Frascati, there was the hint of change; it was a different generation—younger and less experienced to the ways of life and less patient. Lyuba noticed it; the others from the tribe who made daily visits did as well. It was just a matter of time before it would become a destination for tourists, with its fancy wine and its historical villa, and the old beliefs would be cast aside and forgotten.

Once it had been a place of heart-breaking sadness for Lyuba, for it was here where her young daughter barely three years of age—Carolina—had been taken from her by the Italian authorities. In her unrelenting sadness, she had felt a great darkness toward the person responsible and taken revenge, something for which she would regret the rest of her life.

Lyuba was a choovihni—a wise woman, an exalted and envied position among gypsy women. As her birthright, she and she alone had been given the responsibility to pass on the knowledge of the travelers to those who would follow, but it was rare to find a child born with the natural gift. In all her years as a choovihni, she had only known one—her own—the beautiful one that was taken from her so long ago. And because her child—Carolina—had also been born with the gift, she was able to find her mother many years later, the Kaulo Camio, a black gypsy who went by the name of Lyuba, there in the shadows of the Old Villa. The zee, the essence of all life both animate and inanimate, had been forgiving of that one vengeful act and chose to smile upon Lyuba. Now, returning to the shadows of the Old Villa for the warm summer months was a source of great joy.

With the knowledge of gypsies from the beginning of time running through her veins, Lyuba had the ability to communicate in a way that no other could. Carolina had that same ability, although she didn’t completely understand it—not yet. But in certain situations, especially if there was danger near, she would hear her mother’s voice, warning her, telling her what to do. That ability had saved Carolina from the gypsy boy’s curse, the wicked son of the Bandoleer. It had also helped Carolina and her three gifted students when they were lost deep inside the bowels of Grand Central Terminal searching for Dara’s mother. There would come a time when Carolina would be able to communicate in the same way as her gypsy choovihni mother and also be heard. That time was drawing near.

As Lyuba listened to the sharp cry of the magpie, she prepared a cup of sassafras tea, the root and leaves taken from the tree in the early morning dew just before dawn, that time of day when the benefit of its essential oils were the strongest. Perhaps the leaves would reveal what she needed to know.

She felt a sense of urgency. Soon her tribe would be departing this place on the hill near the Villa Mondragone, for it was that time of year when the shadows lengthened and the cool darkness of night more quickly replaced the warmth of day. They would need to travel south to another place and set up their camp away from winter’s chill. She would prepare a special duk rak, her own psychic shield. Perhaps that would ease her anxiety.

About the Author:

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books where she is involved in acquisitions and day-to-day operations and oversees book production.

Ms. Casey’s two middle-grade/young adult novels, Leilani Zan and Grandma Jock and Christabelle (James C. Winston Publishing Co., Trade Division) were both nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award. Shyla’s Initiative (Crossquarter Publishing Group), a contemporary adult novel (occult romance/mystery), received a 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and also an award of special literary recognition by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. The Coach’s Wife (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a novel for adults (contemporary/mystery), was semi-finalist for the 2005 Dana Award for Outstanding Novel and listed on the Publisher’s Best Seller List. The House of Kane (ArcheBooks Publishing), released in 2007, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination. Another contemporary novel for adults, Just Like Family, was released at Christmas 2009 when it received “Special Recognition from the 7-Eleven Corporation,” and The Gospel According to Prissy, also a contemporary novel written for adults, received a 2013 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Book in Regional Fiction.

The Cadence of Gypsies, a novel written for young/new adults, was released in 2011 and was reviewed by the Smithsonian Institute for its List of Most Notable Books. In 2012, The Cadence of Gypsies was expanded into a four-book mystery series called THE FIG MYSTERIES: The Wish Rider (2016), The Clock Flower (2018), and The Nightjar’s Promise (to be released in 2019).

Ms. Casey also writes book-length nonfiction for adults. Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly was released in 2016 and has been optioned for a major movie. In 2018 her book Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave was released and it has been signed for a major movie.

Ms. Casey’s award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction anthologies. Ms. Casey’s essays and other works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation). Other award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in both national and international publications including the North Carolina Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.

Ms. Casey is a former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as guest author and panelist. She has served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. She is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and writers’ conferences around the country including the SCBWI Regional Conference, the Harriett Austin Writers Conference in Athens, SIBA (Southeastern Independent Book Sellers Association), Florida Writers Association, and the University of Auburn, Montgomery.

In 2018, Ms. Casey received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with her husband and Benton, a hound mix who adopted her.

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Margaritas, Mayhem, and Murder by Mary Cunningham – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

Andi’s step-mother is a real piece of work! But is Ruby a murderer?

Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will lead to the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby will be the main suspect.

Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with the charming local sheriff, Manual Rodriquez. After an embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, a chance to check out an eyewitness to the murder leads her to Las Vegas.

In Vegas, a mysterious meeting in the Bodies Exhibition, a body preserving in the prep-room, and an evasive owner of a dance studio, give Andi clues to help Ruby. But when Andi is mercilessly drugged and locked in a storage room, she realizes dear old step-mom isn’t the only one in jeopardy.

Enjoy an excerpt:

“Tell me what’s going on. Slowly, and about fifty decibels lower. Why are you in jail?”

“Well, honey, I’m not sure. Oh, I know what they’re saying, but I didn’t do anything. I swear. Well, at least nothin’ I can remember. You see, it all started on the cruise ship dance floor, quite innocently, mind you.”

“What started?” I located my slippers and shuffled to the bathroom.

“As I was saying before you interrupted, it all started on the dance floor. You know, they play such romantic music on these cruises like, Shadow of Your Smile and Mandy. Oh, don’t you just love Manilow? Well, anyway, Lenny and I were having a lovely time, and he was obviously enamored, if you catch my drift.”

I knew this was a mistake. Still, I asked, “Lenny who?”

“Why, Lenny La Mour, of course!”

I drew a blank.

“Lenny La Mour,” Ruby huffed, “The famous Las Vegas performer? He’s the reason I picked this cruise. He had his own humongous nightclub and everything. Oh, Andi Anna, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of him. Why, women my age swoon at the sound of his voice. But, I suppose your generation only has eyes for that Bon Ami person.”

“Uh, are you, by any chance, talking about Bon Jovi?”

“Well, you know who I mean.”

About the Author:

Author, Mary Cunningham, grew on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.

Childhood experiences, and a recurring dream about a mysterious attic, inspired characters, Cynthia and Augusta Lee, for her award-winning middle-grade series, Cynthia’s Attic. The setting is in her childhood home in Southern Indiana. Family stories and ancestors comprise the storylines. There are currently five books in the series: The Missing Locket, The Magic Medallion, Curse of the Bayou, The Magician’s Castle, and Legend of Lupin Woods.

Through a horrifying stint as a travel agent, the character, Andi Anna Jones, travel agent/amateur sleuth, inspired her latest adult mystery series. Book # 1, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder was released Nov. 30, 2017. The author is currently writing Book # 2 of the series, along with another middle-grade series, The Adventures of Max and Maddie, a historical time-travel, and the biography of a former Army brat/University of Connecticut women’s basketball player who started a non-profit foundation to create scholarships for children of deployed veterans.

Cunningham is a member of The Georgia Reading Association, and the Carrollton Writers Guild.

When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.

Review Blurbs for Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!

“If Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum were a travel agent, she’d fit right in working this case alongside Andi, a wanna-be detective readers are sure to love.” —Regan Black, USA Today bestselling author of the Escape Club Heroes and Knight Traveler novels.

Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder…WOW. Snappy dialog, quirky characters, opens with a curious bang and yanked me through the pages. A fun, fantastic read. —Jean Rabe, USA Today Bestselling author, Piper Blackwell Mysteries.

“Grab a margarita and hold on tight; you’re in for a wild ride.” —Karen MacInerney, Agatha Award nominee and author of the Dewberry Farms Mysteries

“Charming, lively, and unpredictable, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder excels in a vivid story mystery fans will relish.”—Diane Donovan, Senior Editor Midwest Book Review

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Sons of Charlotte by AnnaMarie Cantrell, Dr. Matthew Chavis, and Dana Lynn – Spotlight and Giveaway

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How many secrets can the Queen City conceal?

Charlotte, NC – 1966

After a head injury on the basketball court, Tony Malone, a firefighter, confides in his best friend and captain, Steve, about a strange dream he had while unconscious. It was as if he were living a different life. Steve brushes it off as related to his injury, but Tony begins to experience more phenomena with these new memories, unbeknownst to his wife, Lana. Tony struggles to live with his secret until a fire opens up a whole new world.

Charlotte, NC – 1996

Chuck Thomas began his ascent to greatness at a graphic design firm headed by Elizabeth Wheaton, the battle-ax of the Queen City corporate scene. A series of Chuck’s immoral decisions leaves the very powerful Wheaton with a raging vendetta. The playboy eventually meets Valerie Meyers, a shy girl with a complicated past, and the two marry. Their idyllic life is halted by a suspicious brush with death leaving Valerie once again picking up the pieces.

Two Souls, Too Many Questions

Literally torn between two worlds, Valerie must once again deal with the loss of her husband and come to terms with what happened to Chuck Thomas and who Tony Malone really was.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Brushing just a few final strokes of gold wisps across the cheekbones of her heart-shaped face, Tony sat back on his stool and stared at his work. Her periwinkle eyes almost hauntingly seemed to pop off the canvas and pierce through him. A sense of panic rushed through his veins. He dropped the paintbrush in the old coffee can at his feet and stood up looking at the face staring back at him.

I must be going insane, he thought to himself. He grabbed the canvas off the easel and made his way into the kitchen. After rummaging under the kitchen sink, he found a large black trash bag and dumped the painting into the bag. Throwing it over his shoulder, he made his way down to the apartment incinerator. Sweat was creeping up his neck as he realized Lana would be back from the store soon. He threw his masterpiece into the incinerator and hobbled back upstairs.

The effects of the stroke left Tony restless and bored, especially when the boys were in school. Lana had encouraged him to find a hobby to occupy his time and keep him out of her hair. After several failed attempts at common “manly” hobbies, he was drawn to painting and sketching and surprised his family with his talent, even selling a few at a local corner shop. He surprised himself with what he had just painted and pitched down the incinerator.

About the Authors: Along with being a successful writer and editor, AnnaMarie Cantrell is a self-made entrepreneur, starting her first consultation firm at the age of 18. She is Co-Founder and Vice President of Captive Ink Media, a literary consulting firm offering expertise to authors at all stages in their careers, and providing clients national exposure in media outlets such as The Chicago Times, Reader’s Digest, and Bustle. Her work with veterans was recently featured on the CW.

Dr. Matthew Chavis is an accomplished author and speaker. His works have been featured through a plethora of avenues. His inaugural book Old Highway 316 offers readers a glimpse into his life, as he loosely based this fiction novel on his testimony and was recently featured on the 700 Club. Many of his stories encompass the best aspects of romance, drama, paranormal and suspense/thrillers.

Through her own unique marketing plan, Dana Lynn transformed a self-published book into a serious work garnering national attention and bestseller status (under the pen name Katharine DeBrecht). She has appeared on every national cable news network numerous times and on over 500 radio shows across the country, repeatedly requested for additional appearances. As a self-syndicated writer, her opinion-editorials have appeared in major newspapers throughout the United States and across the globe.

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Curse of the Ancients by Hawk MacKinney – Spotlight and Giveaway

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

As Craige Ingram climbed the stairs of the derelict building, that peculiar stench of a dead body hit him. It was the same smell no matter where—SpecOps SEAL encounter gone sour, or in a vacant, roach-infested apartment. Inside, his SEAL buddy-turned head of Buckingham Parish Homicide’s Investigative Support Division, Grayson MacGerald, was huddled with the coroner next to a swollen decaying corpse that was days old and hardly more than oozing dead meat. The PI inside Craige had a gut feeling that there was more to this than a dead body, and Craige’s Grannie always told him, “Trust your feelin’s.” But that was before Mihály Keaulescu set down two of his Black Falcon choppers on Craige’s Moccasin Hollow private airstrip in an uninvited stopover. It got worse. From his airstrip to Israel, to Turkey and a nightmare-dream of one-of-a-kind ancient artifacts that not only threatened the serene life Craige knew and loved at Moccasin Hollow, it would destroy the world.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

With a twist of one strap he hoisted his heavy canvas field pack of fence-fixin’ tools over his shoulder. Cut across the hayfield behind the house toward the new section. At the fence he looped the strap over the corner gatepost he’d set and cemented two days earlier. He slipped on heavy-leather gloves, and grabbed the post-hole digger. Humidity already thick, it was gonna be another one of those early sweat-and-lots-of-water days. As he jammed deeper into the rusty red sticky sandy-kaolin hole, his handset gave an interrupted buzz. Not many people had access to any of his numbers; even fewer had the code to his scrambled satellite uplink. He leaned the posthole digger against the stump, shucked his gloves and knocked them together to get rid of the gritty clods. His tattered sweat-soaked straw hat pushed to the back of his head, he brushed back the wet brown curls plastered across his forehead. He needed a haircut.

He reached inside his pack and grabbed the handset, “Ingram.”

Gray said, “You tied up with anything you can’t turn loose?”

The tone of Gray’s usual studied voice was a bit more hurried than let’s-grab-an-early-lunch. “You sound full-awake even after River Disco.”

Gray said, “Getting around to breakfast this morning was a bit slow.”

Craige could tell this was business. “Stringing new fences and burying posts has waited this long. No reason it can’t wait longer.” He gave his caked gloves a final whack against his snake boots and brushed a shirtsleeve across his eyes, smudging the sweat off his forehead. Gray was not one for beating around the bush when it came to homicide business. It was one of the things about Gray that Commanding Officer Craige Ingram relied on.

About the Author:

With postgraduate degrees and faculty positions at several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to his work in classrooms and laboratories, he has written numerous professional articles on chordate neuroembryology and authored several novels that reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for both the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his protagonist in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Hidden Vault of Secrets and Westobou Gold, Books 1 and 2 in the series, have received national and international attention. Hawk is also writing a science fiction series, The Cairns of Sainctuarie.

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Negative Criticism? No Problem. by Gary D. McGugan – Spotlight and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Negative Criticism? No Problem.

Like many people, it took me a while to understand criticism. How is possible to criticize someone who works so hard? How can a criticizer possibly understand what’s going on in my mind? Hours of thought produced a work, how can someone read it in thirty seconds and make a judgment call? Such are the kinds of questions I used to ask, and they’re still a cause of anxiety for many people.

Such reactions are quite understandable. Really, who wants to hear negatives about something created from passion and dedication? The instinctive answer of many people is probably ‘nobody’. But I would argue the correct answer is counter-intuitive. The right answer really should be ‘everyone’. The main reason I argue that we all should welcome criticism is based on one fundamental assumption: Each of us wants to achieve the best possible results. And criticism can make us better people. Why?

To answer that question, we really need to consider another aspect of ourselves. Have we learned everything we need to know? Is it impossible to improve what we do? I guess if you’re in the enviable position of answering “yes” to both of those questions, you can probably stop reading right here. But most of us have some capacity for improvement! In my view, we all have gaps – things about our work we don’t see, perspectives we’ve never considered, or even subjects we don’t completely understand. I’m suggesting we can all channel criticism to become better selves. Criticism helps to reduce those blind spots, broaden our views, and expand our knowledge. For those reasons, I’m an ardent supporter of criticism. And I’ve adopted a posture of not just tolerating criticism, I welcome it!

When I first pass my work to an editor for review, my request is always to highlight every weakness possible, every error spotted, and every passage that is not completely clear. I want to know everything he or she thinks might be problematic with my work. For issues other than spelling or grammar, I also ask editors to explain why they hold a concern, and I truly want to know! By welcoming criticism from the earliest stages, my editors know I welcome feedback and will seriously consider every suggestion they make. That makes them more effective editors and makes me a better writer.

When it comes time to invite beta readers to give their opinions about a work in progress, I make identical requests. I explain that I’m not looking for positive reinforcement, I need criticism from their efforts. Something isn’t clear? A character isn’t consistent? Is vocabulary too stilted? Each of those kinds of feedback and criticism helps me to improve the quality of my writing and the ultimate quality readers will enjoy with a final version.

Two of my beta readers had concerns about the number of scenes involving sex in an early draft of The Multima Scheme. Two people with the same observation certainly got my attention. Initially, I wondered how I could address that feedback with a message about human-trafficking or a character who consciously uses sex as a tool to advance her career. By carefully re-reading and re-writing passages, I found I could sometimes change only one or two words and still convey the imagery I felt necessary without as much graphic detail. Individual readers will need to decide how successfully my massage of words works.

I get the most value from negative feedback when I listen carefully – really listen – to be sure I understand the reasons for criticism completely. By making an active effort not only to hear but understand the message a critic is offering, I learn during every conversation. I think about what I’m hearing and then I decide whether to accept that negative feedback and adjust my writing or not. Welcoming criticism doesn’t mean losing control of my story. Whether a suggestion is accepted or not is entirely up to me. But I always thank a critic for their negative feedback because it gives me an opportunity to reassess.
That might be okay before you publish, one might say. But what about criticism after a story or book is in print? In my view, there’s no difference. Clearly, changes aren’t possible once a book is published (unless you choose to make them in a subsequent printing), but the feedback still has value. Chances are good you’re probably already either writing or editing something else, and you just might be able to use that negative feedback to improve a component of the new work.

The best advice I ever received about criticism is never to take negative feedback personally. Instead, if we can welcome different views and analyze feedback to understand its value, criticism can be a tool for our own personal growth and an opportunity to hone skills for wider appeal and recognition. It’s a good thing!

Can Multima Corporation withstand another attack from organized crime? While billionaire John George Mortimer copes with treatment for cancer, the accomplished CEO must also ward off challenges for control of his sprawling fictional American empire both from within the company and from nefarious powers operating outside the law.

The Multima Scheme is a fast-paced account of the lengths to which organized crime can infiltrate large global corporations and seize control of respected businesses to conceal activities that are both illegal and immoral but generate billions. It’s also a story of survival – how individuals and organizations might react under intense pressures and the ease with which people can cross lines between what’s legal and what’s not.

Using his knowledge of how large multinationals operate – accumulated over 40 years working with major corporations around the world – author Gary D. McGugan weaves a tale of intrigue using a writing style that readers will find hard to put down once started.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

His elaborate scheme to oust John George Mortimer, CEO of Multima Corporation, started to unravel with his first telephone call in the wee morning hours. His contact at The Organization reported that no one could locate Wendal Randall – a development of serious concern to Knight. To engineer the election of Multima Logistics’ wayward division president to the post of CEO of the entire corporation, he desperately needed Randall at the meeting.

Events worsened. By mid-day, Knight learned that Randall would not appear at the meeting at all. Instead – at the same time as all the other company direc¬tors – he was shocked to hear the FBI had arrested Randall and was holding him in custody, charged with multiple serious crimes. Knight might still have had a chance to carry out the Mortimer coup successfully until a subsequent startling revelation proved all his efforts would be in vain.

John George Mortimer, more devious and cunning than Knight ever imag¬ined, had somehow finagled an exchange of corporate shares. He’d found a way to convert some Multima shares from one class to another. The shrewd maneuver instantly shifted the corporation’s balance of power entirely in Mortimer’s favor. Knight’s plot had no hope of success with the new equity structure.

Instead, he found himself trapped in a rapidly unfolding disaster. A decade earlier – on his recommendation – The Organization had invested a billion dollars in Multima. And just the previous week, Howard had knowingly put that billion dollars at precarious risk with his scheme to remove John George Mortimer and seize control.

About the Author: A successful business leader, speaker, and author, my most recent work is an exciting novel, The Multima Scheme.

I’m in love with the same special lady for almost five decades. In turn, we love — and are incredibly proud of — our daughter, our son, their spouses, and three remarkable grandchildren.

Family, friends, and hundreds of other wonderful people also populate my life, repeatedly creating rewarding experiences. I’ve had all this good fortune for many years, with reading and writing often playing integral roles.

I’ve loved reading as long as I remember and have enjoyed writing for just as long. For me, writing has taken many forms. Like most, it started with assigned essays as a student and then evolved with my business career. I’ve written letters, speeches, reports, ads, brochures, presentations, proposals, articles, and a blog. My first book was a work of non-fiction – NEEDS Selling Solutions – co-authored with my friend Jeff Allen.

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As an Author, What Scares Me the Most by Judy Higgins – Guest Blog and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

AS AN AUTHOR WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST?

Now that’s a contest: what scares me the most? I have, in fact, a list of scary items.

1. Not having people read the books I write.

2. Having my computer crash at an inopportune time, which is pretty much all the time if you’re a writer.

3. Giving a manuscript to my daughter to read. She’s always the last one to get it. My stomach roils and I sweat every time I give her a mss because I know that, unlike everyone else I have read it, I will be able to see in her face if she doesn’t like it. It’s the agony and ecstasy; agony while I wait for her judgement; ecstasy when she likes it.

4. That I won’t have time to write all the books I want to write. I have one really “delicious” story in my head about an older woman missing the sexual revolution. I won’t tell you what happens in case I actually get around to writing the story. Right now, I can’t imagine when I’m going to fit it in. Pretty soon there won’t be many people around who even remember the days when people didn’t sleep around.

In the small town of Goose Bend, Pennsylvania, people don’t forget. Especially something as sensational as 12-year-old Jacob Gillis burning down the town. Nineteen years later, Jacob returns, hoping for redemption. Instead, he finds himself entangled in a murder investigation. The prosecutor, taking advantage of Jacob’s involvement with the victim’s beautiful sister-in-law, threatens Jacob with loss of career and reputation if he doesn’t play by his rules. Only by outwitting the prosecutor can Jacob save his future.

Enjoy an Excerpt

When Jacob Gillis was twelve years old, he burned down the town of Goose Bend, Pennsylvania. The fire didn’t actually consume the entire town – only two blocks of the four-block business section went up in flames – but when the folks in Goose Bend spoke of the incident, they persisted in saying that Jacob Gillis, abetted by his friend Charlie Garrett, burned down the town.

Jacob watched Laskey walk back to the Sequoia, his limp barely detectable, and for the thousandth time he wondered why his friend kept what had happened to his foot a secret. But there were some places Laskey didn’t go – formidable Laskey with his gruff manner and hard-muscled body. He was a private person and sometimes a grizzly bear, but he had a goose-down heart which he tried like heck to hide. But Jacob knew.

Laskey grasped the arms of his chair and pushed his feet hard against the floor to contain himself. For a brief moment, the thought had rushed through his head that a jail term for assaulting a DA would be worth enduring for the pleasure of smashing Inglehook’s head against his desk.

Laskey squared his shoulders, turned around, and looked Jacob in the eyes. “Don’t get yourself in a mess, Jake. Extrication isn’t always possible.” He started for the door.

“Give back the painting,” he called over his shoulder. “And Jake,” he paused and twisted around. “Don’t ever mistake pretty wrappings for the quality of the gift inside.”

About the Author: Judy Higgins was born in South Georgia where she grew up playing baseball, reading, and taking piano lessons. To pay for her lessons, she raised chickens and sold eggs to neighbors. She attended Mercer University for two years, and then Baylor University from which she graduated with a BA in German. She received her MA in German literature from The University of Michigan. After teaching German for several years, Judy decided to become a librarian and earned an MA in Library Science at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.
Judy’s life took an exciting turn when she left her teaching job in Pennsylvania to be Head of Library at the Learning Center School of Qatar Foundation. She lived in Qatar for eight years, enjoying the experience of living in a different culture and traveling to exotic places during every vacation. Recently, she returned to the United States and lives in Lexington, KY. Judy has two children, Julia and Stephen, two children-in-law, Jim and Erin, and four grandchildren: Kyle, Jon, Karina, and Addy.

Judy’s first book, The Lady, was a finalist in the 2012 Amazon Break-out Novel Award. The first two novels of her Bucks County Mysteries, Unringing the Bell and Bride of the Wind are available March 1, 2018. The series is set in an imaginary small town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Call me Mara, the story of Ruth and Naomi, is scheduled for publication in March, 2019.

In addition to writing, Judy’s passions include travel, tennis, elephants, and playing the piano.

Website | Series Website | Call Me Mara Website | Lady Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Barnes and Noble Author Page

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