Moccasin Trace by Hawk MacKinney – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on he tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollow, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah and son Benjamin.

Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. Against this rustic idyll of hard work and gracious living comes inflexible discord and divided loyalties that mutilate ties of blood and bond, tearing at their lives as smoke and battle no longer so faraway crashes and maims ever closer. Ahead of the on-coming ranks of Blue, foragers and bumlers burn, loot, scavenge and kill. Hamilton faces agonizing sacrifices with dreadful consequences. With little else than his wits, he tries anything to protect Sarah, their unborn child, his sickly father, and Sarah’s family.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Rundell liked munching raw potatoes. He favored the smaller fresh-dug ones he called new potatoes. He’d use the bent kitchen knife that’d lost its handle on the withered moldy ones that hadn’t been taken. Sometimes he didn’t peel them, just rubbed off the dirt and gnawed away.

The Hollows had been spared, but damn little else had. Growing up a gangly towhead on the sprawling acres of Moccasin Hollows, Hamilton never gave much notice to outside goings-on. On his seventeenth birthday near four years ago, he got his first notion of the world beyond.

Rundell usually kept his feelings close to home, seldom using strong language, but that day his disgusted papa’d remarked, “Damn few prudent heads among the lot of them,” as he flung down the Augusta newspaper. “Constitutionalist editors and those pigheaded politicians. They couldn’t get off a water moccasin if it was chewin’ on their big toe. Fools got no idea what they’re stirrin’. Most likely don’t care neither.”

“What happened?” Hamilton had never seen a turmoil fret his papa so.

“I suppose it’s gettin’ to me more’n I thought. Benson Crouder stopped by, that’s what. All gussied up in his top hat and new attire like some up-town Beau Brummell, that fancy rig of his hitched with his matched bays, their mane and tails all curried. Cain’t figure some folks. Let them get money in their pockets, they act like their sweat don’t stink. All fired up, heading into Queensborough for the big meet, asked if I was going. I told him I didn’t see no point to another meetin’. Far as I could tell too many done decided they were finished with talk.”

Not many days went by before Rundell swallowed his distaste for politics and got knee-deep in the middle of the commotion at the capital in Milledgeville. Hamilton harnessed and hitched the buggy for him.

Reins in hands, Rundell looked at his son. “Don’t figure my bein’ there’ll make much difference. Suppose it cain’t do no harm neither.”

“I’ll handle things. Things’ll be fine here however long you need to be gone.”

Hamilton would remember that day, watching Papa drive off, and how at the time the day hadn’t seemed different. When he thought back, he could think of no one thing which seemed to’ve change, except he recalled the yellowish-orange morning light seemed sharper with a change to the air.

For way too many folks stench and fear rode the breezes, carrying the smell of char and ashes. Each day had become a hunt for food and shelter. Tending the meager gardens at the Hollows barely managed enough food, but it was food. The lawless churning mayhem, moving far and near, sometimes too close to the Hollows for Hamilton’s liking–his wife and son, their unborn, Papa, Mother Greer and Sarah’s brother, Benjamin. Gaunt chimneys haunted the ashes of Wisteria Bends, Hamilton’s second home, the grand plantation manor where Sarah and Ben had grown up. Without money there was no point going into town. Except for land speculators, gold jingling in their pockets, there wadn’t that much food to be had in Queensborough nohow.

A blizzard of thunder and hell-hot hate had smashed most homes in the countryside around Queensborough Towne. With Sherman and his army gone, worse than carpetbaggers and a lot more dangerous were the lawless bands of white trash infesting the countryside. No questions asked, easier to kill anyone that happened in their way, and get on with the stealin’. Human locust pillaging what they could get their hands on, torching homes, farms, what was left of the Queensborough courthouse. With parish land records in ashes a fair number of low-lifes claimed land which was never theirs.

About the Author:

In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk MacKinney has authored several works of fiction—historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for 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 Chamber of Death, Westobou Gold, Dead Gold, Curse of the Ancients, and Blood of the Dragonfly.

Hawk’s science fiction novels include The Bleikovat Event, Vol I in The Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series, followed by Vol II, The Missing Planets, and Vol III, Inanna Phantom.

Hawk MacKinney served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel. He now makes his home in Augusta, Georgia, where he writes full-time.

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The Take That Ride Playlist by Meg Benjamin – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Meg Benjamin will award a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Take That Ride Playlist

Take That Ride, my newest Konigsburg book, is all about music. In particular, it’s all about Texas Americana music. My hero, Coy Blackburn, is a touring musician trying to get his musical groove back. My heroine, Lexi Markham, has been hired to drive Coy and his band around town. When Coy discovers a premium collection of country and folk albums from the seventies at Lexi’s house (they belonged to her late mom), he’s a happy man. And he’s doubly happy when he and Lexi make some sweet music of their own. The music they listen to plays a big part in their story, so I made up a playlist of some particularly important songs. You can find it here.

I won’t go through everything on the list, but here are some highlights.

1. Take That Ride. All my Konigsburg books are named after songs, and this is Emmylou Harris’s lovely song about a woman trying to decide if it’s time to move on. But to me it’s a broader question than that. Both my characters are trying to decide if it’s time to take that ride. To take the next step in their lives and their relationships. In a way, that’s the central question in most romances, and their decision to go for it is what makes the story move.

2. Ain’t Livin’ Long Like This. A Waylon Jennings standard that Coy is trying to do as a duet with his opening act, Marcia Mills. They can’t quite get it to work until fate presents them with a surprising new guitarist who leads the way. This version is by guitar virtuoso Daniel Donato, who sounds a lot like my character Danny the roadie.

3. Mr. Bojangles. Coy plays this beautiful David Bromberg version of the Jerry Jeff Walker song when he visits Lexi’s place for the first time, and it forms a bond between them. It also represents what he’s after in his time singing at the Faro tavern in Konigsburg since he really wants someone to play the Bromberg guitar line while he sings, and he finally gets it right.

4. Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys. Yes, the Willie Nelson classic. Coy sings it because he thinks even Lexi will recognize it, and he’s sort of stunned when she gets tearful. She tells him she was remembering how her father and mother danced to that song at her sister’s wedding, and how happy they were. “I think that’s what music’s supposed to do, sort of,” she says. “Make you think. Make you feel.” An idea Coy takes to heart.

5. I Threw It All Away. Ever have a song come on the radio that suddenly sums up everything you’re feeling, everything you’re worried about? This Dylan song does that on the last night Coy and Lexi are together. Coy keeps trying to convince her and himself that he’ll come back, that he won’t forget what they have together. The Dylan song comes across as a warning—don’t blow this! Don’t give up on what they might be able to create. But circumstances may override whatever the two of them want.

6. On the Road Again. This Willie song doesn’t actually show up in Take That Ride, but it’s still got resonance. In the end, Coy’s got a tour to finish. But now he’s got something else, too. And yes, he wants to get back on the road again, with Lexi.

Since I love Americana music, I had a great time writing Take That Ride. And I hope this playlist will make it easier for non-fans to experience the music along with my characters. Here’s hoping it’s a hit. Happy listening, y’all!

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They’ve only got a week. They need to make it count.

Coy Blackburn is an up-and-coming country singer, but right now he feels more like he’s down-and-going. He’s at the end of a long tour, and his band is dragging. A week-long gig at the Faro tavern in Konigsburg, Texas, may get them back on their feet or it may be a disaster. For Coy, it feels like it could go either way.

Lexi Markham is living life on auto-pilot at the moment. As the main driver at her family’s tour business, she spends her days taking tourists around the Texas wineries and trying to get over her breakup with her lying fiancé. Now her sister has booked her to drive a country band around town, and she’s definitely not feeling it.

When Coy and Lexi meet, sparks fly—and not it a good way. Still, trust the power of music (and a back country cloudburst) to overcome a few bumps in the road. But can they even think about the future when they’ve only got a few days together?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Lexi propped herself against the doorway watching the band slide into the complete number. After a moment, Deirdre stepped up behind her. Lexi didn’t recognize the music the band was playing, but it must be one of their regulars, given the easy way they seemed to be moving through the verse. As if they felt comfortable with what they were doing. After they’d played a few minutes that were strictly instrumental, Coy stepped to the microphone and began to sing.

The words weren’t familiar, but she found herself listening closely. Something about a couple that had broken up but still had feelings for each other. The man in the song missed the way they’d been together, even though he didn’t exactly miss the woman herself. It was a complicated kind of lyric, a lot more complex than she might have expected.

Lexi wasn’t sure if she’d heard Coy sing before or not. The last time she’d heard them rehearse, she hadn’t paid much attention. She was fairly certain now she’d never really heard him sing. His voice was deep and resonant, but not exactly a bass. More like baritone. Something about the way Coy sang those complicated lyrics began to reach deep into her senses. He wasn’t really living the song, but he made her feel as if the feelings he described weren’t totally unfamiliar. As if he knew how to make her feel them, too.

A shiver traveled up her backbone, and her arms seemed to tingle. She checked to see if she had gooseflesh.

About the Author Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing and from Meg’s indie line). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Soul Mate. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.

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Balancing Life and Writing by Heidi Skarie – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Balancing Life and Writing

Balancing life and writing has always been a challenge for me because I started writing when I had three young children and was working part-time. It’s a long journey to learn the basics of writing a novel and then there is the actual writing. Most writers have an early novel or two they never publish.

I used to write whenever I had a free moment. I’d write while my daughter had flute lessons or while my children had soccer practice. I’d write early in the morning or in the evening after the children went to bed.

I’d develop scenes in the story in my head as I drove and discuss ideas with my husband on walks. I attended writer’s groups and writer’s seminars to learn from other authors.

I typed my first manuscript on a typewriter. Later, I purchased a Macintosh personal computer. That made writing much easier and faster. Though I still write my first draft by hand. As an artist, I like the connection between the hand and paper for working with the creative right side of the brain.

Now my children are grown and I have my own writing space and more free time. However, I’m still working part-time and I am a caregiver for my 101-year-old mother and help with my three grandsons. During covid, my husband and I watched all three of our grandchildren and I did very little writing.

I’ve tried lots of different things to make sure I make time for writing. I have a calendar where I write down what I wrote each day and set up deadlines for finishing chapters. I’ve also been in critique groups where you exchange work regularly, which serves to keep you motivated and on a schedule.

I’m an indie author so I have to make time for publishing and marketing as well as writing. When I’m nearing a launch, I have to put aside the writing to focus my efforts on getting the book into the world.

It seems like the world has speeded up and the balance between life and writing is always there. Things come up like my mother getting sick and one of the grandchildren needing a ride. And fun things like birthday parties and holidays, getting together with friends, or reading a book by an author I know.

There are many things that can keep me from writing. I find I need to come back to the important question of why I write. What is the message I want to share? What is the story I want to tell? Writing is one of my creative outlets and I know I need to make time for it in my busy schedule and just keep moving forward on my author’s journey.

Can a small band of heroes save their world from a ruthless interplanetary conqueror?

The Star Rider series is an exciting space opera series that takes place in a distant galaxy during an intergalactic war. The first three books are about two undercover operatives, Toemeka and Erling, and their friends, lovers, and enemies as they fight for the freedom of their world.

The next three books are about Toemeka and Erling’s young adult children as the war continues and a new generation is pulled into the struggle for peace.

You’ll love this thrilling series if you like stories that take place in other worlds with feisty heroines, brave heroes, space battles, and starships.

Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge

He wanted to rule the stars. He shouldn’t have murdered her family…

Toemeka Ganti won’t rest until the universe is rid of the sinister sorcerer-deity who killed her parents. Working undercover to liberate a peaceful people from his ruthless usurper, she attempts to develop a weapon that can break through the tyrant’s shields. But she’s barely begun her work when she’s captured by the despot’s dark agents.

Rescued by a mysterious and handsome warrior-priest, Toemeka and her team join forces with the planetary resistance. But without her device to knock out the enemy defenses, their budding rebellion could swiftly be crushed. And her time to complete it has almost run out…

Can Toemeka free an oppressed planet and light a spark of hope throughout the galaxy?

Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is the electrifying first book in the Star Rider space opera series. If you like feisty heroines, high-tech weapons, and courageous crews, then you’ll love Heidi Skarie’s thrilling saga.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Toemeka raced through the dense, ominous forest, pursued by Talon soldiers and their vicious hounds. More hounds rushed out from behind trees. Saliva and blood dripped from their fangs as they growled and stalked her from all directions.

Toemeka jerked awake, her heart pounding and body shaking. Only a nightmare, she reassured herself, drawing a deep breath to control the anxiety. She felt awful – hung over and thickheaded. Not knowing where she was, Toemeka shoved a damp lock of hair off her aching forehead and sat up. In a nearby berth less than five feet away lay Michio, sleeping soundly.

Distorted memories of the previous evening sprung to mind. Hammering music. A snake slithering around a man’s neck. Rochambeau shot. The smell of a ship burning. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was an illusion caused by the drug.

Monitors along one wall dimly lit the room. The low drone of engines and a distinct vibration suggested she was on a starship or perhaps a space station. Stars and planets shone as dots of light in the blackness of space when she looked out the porthole. Most likely a space station with simulated gravity, she decided.

She pushed the silver space blanket off her clammy body and slid off the berth. Her bare feet hit the cool floor. She took a soft step, swayed unsteadily and threw out a hand, pressing it against the wall to regain her balance. Michio’s brown leather jacket hung from a hook on the wall. She crept quietly towards it in hopes of finding his energy gun.

Michio rolled over; she froze. once his breathing became regular again, she thrust her hand into the jacket pocket. empty, but something heavy clunked against the wall. Underneath the jacket hung his gun belt. Her hand closed around the solid handle of a Juggernaut 50, a powerful energy gun; she pulled it from its holster.

The berth creaked. She swung around and aimed the Jug 50 at Michio as he leaped out of the berth. He coiled before her like a huka panther ready to spring, radiating self-confidence. He had the muscular body of a warrior and seemed taller and more dangerous than he’d appeared when asleep. He wore nothing but loose-fitting silk sleeping pants that hugged his taut stomach.

Blast it! Why did she feel vulnerable when she was the one holding the Jug 50? Then it hit her. The weapon was of little use because she would never shoot someone who might be an ally. “Stay where you are!” she exclaimed.

He studied her with piercing eyes. “I see you’re finally awake.”

She held out her free hand. “Give me the Viper’s keyless remote.”

He scowled. “Are you crazy? Do you think I’m just going to let you steal my ship and leave me stranded in space?”

“I’m sure you know someone who will come get you. Now give me the remote or I’ll blast a hole in your thigh.” Feeling weak and nauseated, she locked her knees, afraid her strength would give out.

“So this is what I get for risking my life to rescue you.” His stance remained guarded.

“If you were rescuing me, you won’t mind taking me back to my apartment.”

He shook his head. “It’s no longer safe for you there.”

“I’ll decide what’s safe and what isn’t.”

“Fine,” he snapped, “but I need to get dressed before we go anywhere.” He reached for his clothes hanging on the hook behind her.

“Stay back. I’ll hand them to you.”

“Don’t push me. And put the Jug 50 away before one of us gets hurt.”

“Not likely.” She kept the gun trained on him, then turned to snatch his clothes off the hook.

He sprang, knocking her backwards, slamming her right arm against the wall. The gun discharged with a flare of light as it flew out of her hand and onto a berth. She pushed against his unyielding chest.

He pinned her against the wall. “Now will you listen to reason?” His eyes flared with fury.

About the Author: Heidi Skarie is the author of the Sci-Fi, Space Opera series The Star Rider Universe. The sixth book in the series, Golden Cord of Light is a new release and the seventh is coming out in 2024. She was inspired to write Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge after having a series of six dreams that was like watching a movie.

Heidi Skarie loves writing and creating stories. She especially enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy because it allows for creativity, imagination, and freedom of ideas. All inventions come from a feeling or dream of possibilities that can later manifest like computers, cell phones, zoom calls, and self-driving cars. She vividly remembers the amazing day when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon and the possibility of space travel became a reality.

Skarie teaches classes on writing and has spoken on podcasts, radio, and television.

She lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband, Jim, and their cat, Lucky. To find out more about her journey as a writer visit her website and blog.

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The series is free on Kindle Unlimited.

Movie Review: Big Crow

Big Crow
Director: Kris Kaczor
Writer: Inila Wakan
Producer: Kevin Bayson
Cinematography: Matt Lyons
Editor: Steve Nemsic
Rated: 4 Stars (8 stars on IMDB)
Review by: Astilbe

BIG CROW is a verité-style documentary that tells the story of how young Lakota basketball star SuAnne Big Crow became an activist, and how her message of hope continues to help her people reclaim their culture 30 years after her death. Part biography and part social commentary, BIG CROW is a story about the power of hope in the most destitute place in America, South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Found in the poorest county in America, Pine Ridge is plagued by rampant drug, alcohol, and sexual abuse which drives the highest teen suicide rate in the country. Access to healthy food and health care is virtually non-existent, and the Lakota there continue to experience the oppressive racism that outlawed their religion, language, and traditions 130 years ago. It’s possible that there has never been a people more in need of a hero than SuAnne’s Lakota tribe.

By age 14, SuAnne Big Crow had become one of South Dakota’s best basketball players, leading her Pine Ridge Lady Thorpes to become the first ever Native American state champions. By age 17, her social activism had made her a household name across the Great Plains. Thirty years after her tragic death, SuAnne’s pride in her people continues to galvanize the Lakota in their fight to save their language and reclaim their culture.

Heroes live in every community.

It was wonderful to explore modern Lakota culture in Pine Ridge. I must confess that I didn’t know a lot about this topic before I watched this documentary, so I appreciated how much effort was put into sharing not only the struggles of this tribe but also their triumphs as well. Everything was balanced out nicely, and it made me want to dive even more deeply into this topic. There were so many things about their culture that didn’t quite fit into the scope of this film but that I yearned to learn more about. To me, that is a sign of a job well done, indeed!

As much as I loved seeing how SuAnne’s legacy has positively impacted her tribe for more than thirty years now, I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to who she was as a person before she died. Her time on the basketball court was documented beautifully, but I didn’t get as much of a sense of who she was in other areas of her life. For example, she seemed to be an outgoing person who had a fantastic sense of humor, but it would have been helpful to have more stories about how she behaved and why she was so obviously adored by everyone who knew her.

One of the most difficult aspects of living through a tragedy can be finding meaning in pain and grief that feels meaningless. SuAnne’s family, friends, and community found so many incredible ways to honor her memory and continue her work to improve life for everyone in their tribe. Without giving away too many spoilers, they have excelled at remembering SuAnne and encouraging the next generation to follow her example. I especially enjoyed the last ten minutes or so that showed how far her influence has spread and how much of a difference she’s still making in the lives of people who weren’t even born yet when she was alive.

Big Crow was a tear-jerker and a fabulous exploration of a portion of modern history I knew nothing about.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for August 23, 2023

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: Three Fun Facts About Myself

Thank you for joining our Weekly Wednesday Blogging Challenge! Please put the direct URL to your blog post here so other participants can visit your post. Thanks!
1. Lydia Schoch  6. Tanith Davenport  
2. Patrick Prescott  7. Priscilla King  
3. Stephen @ Reading Freely  8. Michael Mock  
4. George L Thomas  9. Cassie - The Bibliollama  
5. M | RAIN CITY READS  

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LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: One Love for Liv by Marianne Arkins

Thanks for joining us on our 16th 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 or Barnes and Noble GC (along with other prizes). Follow and visit authors’ social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC (along with other prizes)!

Liv is out to prove her high society fiancé is cheating on her. Can she do it without breaking a nail—or falling in love with Mike, the mechanic?

Olivia “Liv” Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her. Drastic steps are required to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy-but-sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness World Records, why should that be a problem?

Mike Peck, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what’s a nice guy to do?

Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels with a woman who’s never been less his type.

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How I handled the research for “When I Look In The Mirror” by Tanith Davenport – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tanith Davenport will award a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How I handled the research for “When I Look In The Mirror”

Writing this book was a combination of research and imagination. I had read books about angels and demons before but was looking to try a new take on them, so I tried to avoid reading any while I was writing it – I wanted Zack and Dante to stand on their own.

My heroine Tatum, on the other hand, was a different story. Tatum is a hairstylist living in a flat with other stylists; she wants to become a colourist and is entering a hairdressing competition to that end. I am not a hairstylist or colourist, but I do spend a lot of time in salons since my hair is dyed bright blue. With that in mind, I had a chat with my regular colourist Paige about what an average day is like and what to expect. One thing she did mention, which I incorporated, is that as a colourist she tends to notice everyone else’s hair and think what she would do to fix it. Tatum has other things on her mind during the book, but she does notice other people’s hair.

The scrying scene was also one I took from experience, as I attended paranormal investigations while researching my previous book “I Heard Your Voice”. I saw several people attempt scrying – staring into a mirror in the dark and trying to see a spirit looking back at you, basically – and start screaming in terror at what they saw. I’m happy to say nothing like that happened to me, since I admit to having a phobia of mirrors in the dark, so I would have been terrified to go into the bathroom at night if anything scary had happened.

Tatum, of course, isn’t so lucky – but she does have Zack to help her with what she sees, and she has a supernatural power all of her own.

When hairdresser Tatum Fox takes part in a séance at a party, her only thought is of the attractive man sitting beside her, the mysterious Zack, who appears in her dreams that night and who she hopes to see again. However, when she begins to experience paranormal activity and finds herself confronted by an unnerving client at work, she discovers that the séance summoned a demon – and Zack may be the only person who can free her of him.

Zack reveals himself to be an angel, and shows Tatum that she also has the power to battle supernatural creatures – a power that is increased through sex with him. Their connection soon strengthens, but is Tatum strong enough to defeat the demon with Zack by her side – and can there be a future with an angel, or is their passion doomed to end?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“You’re not into this, are you?”

The voice, low and male, cut through Tatum’s thoughts. Automatically, she looked across the table at its owner, wondering at the same time how she had even heard him. He was on the other side of the table and conversation was going on all around them, yet she had heard him as clearly as if he had spoken directly into her ear.

She didn’t recognize him. His dark hair was slicked back, revealing high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw, a surprisingly modelesque face she was sure she would have remembered if she had seen him before. Ice blue eyes were focused on hers, a mysterious smile flickering on his lips.

“It’s not my thing, but I’ll go with it.”

“Mine neither.” His smile broadened just a little. “I’m Zack, by the way.”

“Tatum.”

His voice was still low, deep, and yet seemed to be cutting through the surrounding noise as though directly connected to her ear. Nobody else seemed to be paying attention.

“Ouija boards are an uncontrolled medium. Too many people, not enough care, not enough … respect.” Zack threw a glance at Nicole, who was swigging from a glass of punch. “Anything could go wrong.”

“So why are you doing it?” Tatum knew the question could have been directed equally at herself, but somehow she found herself wanting to know the answer.

Zack arched an eyebrow. “Somebody has to be in control.”

His eyes were still locked on hers, and Tatum felt a dark flush cover her face. To have somebody’s attention so tightly focused on her made something tingle low in her gut.

About the Author:Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. Her debut novel “The Hand He Dealt” was released by Totally Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.

Tanith has had short stories published by Totally Bound, Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado.

Tanith’s idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side.

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Friday Five Writing Prompt Challenge for August 18, 2023

Each Friday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly five word writing prompt. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s five words to use as your prompt are:

level, swim, due, confidence, suit

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Cocktails and Casualties by Carly Wayne – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author is awarding 4 prizes to randomly drawn winners (a leather bound diary and pen, a set of 4 drink coasters, a pewter necklace of a Quetzal bird, a copper compass). Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Teddy Aarons is a nomad, using her bartending skills as an excuse to move to a new luxury resort with each change of the season. But when she finds herself stuck on the remote island of Mahina Cay, she finds refuge in the quirky little Township of Crooked Cove.

Crooked Cove is a village of expatriates from various countries, and the people are welcoming, but she only intends to stay long enough to make the money to get off the island and back to her real life.. However, when one of the village’s most distinguished citizens turns up dead, it’s up to her to either solve the case or become a permanent resident of the slammer!

With her new friend Jasmine at her side, Teddy will do whatever it takes to shake out the truth and stir up the real killer to clear her name. Will she manage to keep herself out of lockup, or will she end up under the influence of the Mahina Cay Prison?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“So, you were saying that the boat just left without you, huh?” Hawk spread more butter on his hot pancakes.

“Well, to be fair, they warned everyone when we debarked that if we went off on our own that the ship would not wait for us. I should have started back to the port long before I did. Maybe I would have at least been in Maradiaga before the ATV broke down.” Teddy shrugged and shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

It was nine in the morning, and the restaurant was empty except for Teddy and Hawk, and the two of them sat at the bar having breakfast.

“Well, you’re welcome to use my office to call the cruise line and try to make arrangements. The phone in your room will make you enter a credit card number to call long distance, and that cell phone you’re carryin’ won’t get a signal around here.”

“Really? No cell phone signal?” She was shocked.

Hawk laughed. “No, you might find a sweet spot around the lake, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it. We don’t carry cell phones around here. Some folks got a satellite phone, but they are darn expensive.”

“Wow. We really are off the beaten path down here, huh?”

“You got that right,” Hawk agreed.

“So, do you ever sleep? You were working when I left last night and you’re already here this morning,” Teddy told Hawk as he refilled her coffee.

“I’ll have plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead,” Hawk joked. “For now, there is too much living to do. Besides that, we are down one waitress because of maternity leave, and my bartender ran off two months ago with a traveling theater group from Canada.”

Teddy laughed. “My goodness, you do have staffing problems!”

“It ain’t all that bad, we manage…Where’re you from, Teddy? I think I can hear a little southern twang in your voice.”

“I grew up in Florida, but I haven’t lived there since I was eighteen, well, except for a few months at a time.”

He took a bite of his pancakes to mask a spark of triumph. “What do you do for work?” he asked absently.

“Actually, I’m a bartender,” she looked at him out of the side of her eyes.

About the Author:

Carly Wayne first discovered her love of storytelling as a child when she would create alternate endings for all of her favorite fairy tales. As she grew, her fascination developed into a passion for writing about the characters and worlds she imagined.

Now, Carly has returned to her ancestral home deep in the woods of Jacksonville, Florida, not too far from the ocean. She fills her days pursuing her bliss by writing, creating, and exploring nature.

Carly holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology.

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Murder at the Zoo by Marcia Rosen – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marcia Rosen 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.

A body is tossed into the lion’s habitat at the zoo where Miranda Scott is the senior vet. She and Detective Bryan Anderson join forces to unravel that mystery and several more murders. A fan since childhood of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sherlock Holmes they seem to live in her head frequently telling her what to do…and not do. Murders, family, deceit, revenge and a gangster father and godfather often get in the way of a fine romance between Miranda and the Detective.

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

“Miranda, get to the Zoo. Visitors are pointing at a human arm in the lions’ enclosure.”

Hmmm. This is intriguing. A body in the lion’s den. What are the facts?

Agatha, Raymond, facts if you please, Sherlock shouted.

“All of you shut up.”

It was not the first time Miranda shouted to the voices in her head. Sometimes they seemed so real to her. She had read nearly every book of famous mystery writers and seen their screen images more than once. At times she was absorbed and obsessed by the stories and the characters.

Miranda loved their ways of thinking, analyzing problems, finding solutions, and delving into the dark spaces hidden in humanity.

Raymond Chandler’s tough Detective, Philip Marlowe, who always found a dame he could lust after and distrust. Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and, of course, her Tommy and Tuppence. Their gossip and ways of finding clues and uncovering secrets swirled in her head while the famous Sherlock Homes demanded facts and attention to the tiniest of details.

There were other geniuses of mysteries who stopped by to give Miranda their “two cents” at times. Especially when Agatha, Raymond and Sherlock were disagreeing with each other.

Miranda was sure they would have plenty to say about the murder at the Zoo

About the Author: Marcia Rosen (aka M. Glenda Rosen), award winning author of eleven books including The Senior Sleuths and Dying To Be Beautiful Mystery Series and The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus (Menus by her son Jory Rosen). She is also author of The Woman’s Business Therapist and award winning My Memoir Workbook. For 25 years she was owner of a successful national marketing and public relations agency, Marcia has frequently been a speaker and/or program moderator at organization meetings and conferences, bookstores, libraries and Zoom Programs. Topics she has taught and presented over the past twenty years include: Encouraging the Writer Within You, Marketing for Authors, Writing Mysteries…Not A Mystery, Writing Your Memoir and recently “Anatomy of Writing A Murder.” Many articles on these topics have been published on mystery reader blogs and in newsletters and magazines including “Mystery Scene Magazine” and “Mystery Reader International Journal.”

She is a member of Sisters in Crime National and New Mexico (Croak & Dagger), Southwest Writers, New Mexico Book Association, Women Writing the West, Public Safety Writer’s Association, and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors—for which she is also a board member.

Website

“Marcia Rosen’s new book is hard to put down! The characters are engaging and you enjoy getting to know them as you read this mystery. I enjoyed discovering the world and people in Murder at the Zoo and can’t wait to read more from this author!” ~Cat Harper
National Steinbeck Center

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