Calling All Book Reviewers!

So, what with the recent June cinematic debut of Jurassic World - starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard - Kathryn Meyer Griffith, the author of the thrilling Dinosaur Lake Series would like to ask one teeny, tiny, little favor of you all. If you'd be kind enough to write a brief but honest review of the third book in the series, Dinosaur Lake: Infestation for her on Amazon, she would be absolutely delighted. Just email Ms. Griffith at rdgriff@htc.net, and she'll be happy to send you a complimentary copy to read.

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is the first book in her Dinosaur Lake Series, and I had the pleasure of reading Book 1 way back in March of 2014! Here is my review. You can also download the other two books in the trilogy - Check 'em out! ;)

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2012)

Length: 451 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Dinosaur Lake Blurb:

Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it's been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he's about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin, people begin to go missing, then there's some mysterious water creature that's taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it's not only growing in size, it's aggressive and cunning and very hungry.

And it's decided it likes human beings. To eat.

And it can come up onto land.

So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann; a young paleontologist named Justin; and a band of brave men, must not only protect his park and his people from the monster but somehow find where it lives and destroy it before it can kill again.

Now Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* in their Suspense/Thriller category.

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2014)

Length: 248 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising Blurb:

Prehistoric creatures have again invaded Crater Lake National Park…and this time there’s more than one.

Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.

Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.

Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.

A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail. And this one has wings. Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them. For this one isn’t alone. They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.

So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again.

Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2014)

Length: 285 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation Blurb:

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore has dealt with and fought real live dinosaurs at his beloved Crater Lake National Park for over six years. With the help of his rangers, a few brave FBI friends and army soldiers he’d been victorious over a prehistoric lake creature and years later some particularly fiendish, and clever, specimens of the flying variety. He and his newspaper publisher wife, Ann, thought their park was finally rid of the monsters and they could reclaim their tranquil life in a place they cherished.

Not so. For suddenly across the park new and even more malevolent mutant species of dinosaur begin to appear and create havoc, attacking the park’s visitors and threatening its peace. And this time the primeval scourge isn’t confined to just their park. The creatures have moved into the nearby towns, across the western United States and up into Canada.

They are so much more aggressive, smarter and hungrier than any that have come before and the infestation is spreading further and faster than Henry and Ann can even imagine. This time there’s no easy way to defeat the dinosaurs. There’s too many of them and they’re too devious. This time it’s full out war and the victor will someday claim Earth.

May you read well and often

Joyce DiPastena - The Lady and the Minstrel

26. The Lady and the Minstrel by Joyce DiPastena (2015)
Length: 613 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
Started: 3 June 2015
Finished: 27 June 2015
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Kathy at Ebooks For Review for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 8 April 2015
Why do I have it? I like historical romance and Joyce DiPastena is a new author for me.

During the reign of King John - in thirteenth-century England - Robert Marcel chafes under the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord's manor; serving at the whim of his master and denied any chance at freedom. He attempts a daring escape, determined to leave everything behind - his family, his security, the only life that he's ever known - to seize the only viable chance he can see to determine his own fate. He is very nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl's quick thinking actions allow him to slip away.

Several years pass and Robert takes up trade as a minstrel; traveling around England and earning a living through plying his musical talent. Invited to play at the betrothal banquet of the notorious Earl of Saxton, Robert is stunned to come face to face with the one girl he's never forgotten - the girl whose single act of kindness towards him quite literally saved his life. She is now the Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, and she is betrothed to the earl. Robert is determined to find some way to show his gratitude to Lady Marguerite for the assistance she gave him so long ago, but her status as a noblewoman puts her completely beyond Robert's reach - yet he is completely smitten by her shy smile.

Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Over the intervening years since she crossed paths with the runaway serf, Marguerite has fondly remembered their brief encounter. She had always hoped that the small service she provided to the desperate young man might have helped him in some way, but was unsure if what she had done was actually successful. Marguerite has absolutely no idea if Robert remembers her, although she has never forgotten him.

Marguerite's tender feelings for Robert quickly turn into so much more when they are finally brought back into each other's lives. Despite the difference in their stations, Robert vows to himself that he will win Marguerite's hand, come what may - he knows they are meant to be together. Marguerite herself, longs to be free to marry Robert - her one true love - but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear.

Robert and Marguerite share a forbidden love and a past they just can't leave behind. They are tested at every turn by those who would do everything in their power to drive them apart - people whose every intention is to destroy what Robert and Marguerite have found together. Yet, can their love survive and truly conquer all?

I have always enjoyed reading historical romances - particularly those set in the Middle Ages. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. At 613 pages, The Lady and the Minstrel by Joyce DiPastena is certainly long and very richly detailed - but by no means is the story dull or in any way over-written. The story itself was very well-written and strongly grounded in the medieval time period. I was quickly immersed in the plot and found myself wondering what would happen next.

This is the first book by Ms. DiPastena that I've ever read, but it certainly will not be my last. I have placed this author's name at the top at my Wish List, and give this book a definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often

Christi J. Whitney - Grey

25. Grey by Christi J. Whitney (2015)
The Romany Outcasts Series Book 1
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Started: 3 June 2015
Finished: 25 June 2015
Where did it come from? I downloaded a copy of this book to read for free from Netgalley.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 May 2015
Why do I have it? I like fantasy and Christi J. Whitney is a new author for me.

Sebastian Grey is just your normal, average high school senior. He's in the drama club at school - strictly as a 'behind-the-scenes' set designer - he has a circle of good friends, gets fairly decent grades, and has a pretty sweet job at his foster brother's tattoo shop: 'The Gypsy Ink'. All in all, Sebastian's life is going great for him. At least he's always thought so, and as long as nobody knows about Sebastian's strange dreams, his life will continue to be terrific.

For the past several months, Sebastian has dreamed of a girl - a Gypsy girl dancing around a nightly campfire somewhere deep in the forest. He doesn't think that much of his recurring dream, until his dream girl turns up at school. Then Sebastian begins to realize that his dream is not just some typical  teenage fantasy.

When a caravan of strangers arrives in town, Sebastian soon realizes that nothing about his world is what it seems. The caravan is filled with members of a carnival troupe - the 'Circe de Romany' - performers who come into town every two years. Suddenly, Sebastian finds himself surrounded by secretive gypsies, stalked by shadowy figures, feeling inexplicably strange and more volatile as time passes.

Sebastian has no idea what is happening to him, all he knows is that he's changing somehow. He also knows is that he needs to protect the girl at all costs. In fact, that's something that is becoming imperative. And Sebastian intends to protect her to the best of his ability, even if it means that he will never be normal again.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I usually do like reading anything that has to do with the Gypsy culture, and really felt a connection with the characters. In my opinion, this was quite an excellent start to the series, and I look forward to finding out where the story goes from here. I give this book a definite A!

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Megan Tayte - Death Wish

24. Death Wish by Megan Tayte (2015)
The Ceruleans Series Book 1
Length: 305 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Started: 6 June 2015
Finished: 22 June 2015
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Kathy at Ebooks For Review for sending me a copy of this book to read. I downloaded a second copy of this book from Amazon.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 8 April 2015 from Kathy at Ebooks For Review; Since 19 June 2015 from Amazon.
Why do I have it? I like fantasy and Megan Tayte is a new author for me.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake had always felt that she had lived in the shadow of her older sister, Sienna. Sienna was eighteen: lovely, vivacious, dramatic, the life of the party. Which is why Scarlett is so haunted by her sister's sudden death. True, the sisters had never been especially close - even with a ten month age difference between them - but Scarlett had always felt a sisterly bond of some sort.

Her estranged sister, it seemed, had made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from her boarding school, joining a surfing fraternity on a lark, partying hard: that all sounded like typical Sienna-style antics to Scarlett. But walking fully clothed into the sea during a violent thunder storm after leaving a party - that didn't make any sense at all. Yes, Sienna was a wild child, she lived life right on the edge - but she wasn't suicidal. Scarlett knew how much Sienna loved life; loved living too much to throw it all away.

Determined to find out what really happened, Scarlett follows in her sister's footsteps. She arrives at the secluded English cove where Sienna had lived for the last few months of her life. She has come alone, determined to uncover the truth for herself. Yet she never reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her.

There is Luke: the handsome blue-eyed surfer with the easy smile who'll see the real Scarlett, who'll challenge her, who'll save her. And Jude: the elusive, enigmatic drifter with a strange knack for turning up whenever Scarlett's in need.

As Scarlett's quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she knows it. Because there is something decidedly strange going on in this little cove. A gravely injured magpie suddenly circles the sky; a dying fawn watches her from the undergrowth. Hands glow with an inexplicable light; imbued with undeniable warmth and an indescribable feeling of power.

What transpires for Scarlett is a summer full of discoveries: discoveries about Sienna; and discoveries about herself. Learning what it means to conquer fear. Falling in love. Choosing life. Choosing death. A summer to believe the impossible.

I must say that I really enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, it was poignant and well-written, and I found myself really feeling for the characters. I'm totally caught up in the story and want to know what happens next. This is actually the first book that I've read by this author, but I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. I give Death Wish by Megan Tayte an A! and will definitely be putting Megan Tayte's name on my Wish List.

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Introducing The Battle For Darracia Saga by Michael Phillip Cash!

So, I was delighted to learn that Michael Phillip Cash's bestselling science fiction trilogy - The Battle For Darracia Saga - was recently published in a single volume. Yes, Volume I: Schism, Volume II: Collision and Volume III: Risen have all been collected together and the book is now available as one epic novel on Amazon. I had the pleasure of reading Volume I: Schism by Michael Phillip Cash back in June of 2014, and here is my review.

I look forward to further refreshing my memory with this trilogy by reading the other two books very soon. I would advise you to grab your own copy as soon as possible! :) Mr. Cash is also hosting an awesome giveaway which will last until mid-November. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

Meet Michael Phillip Cash

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. He's written ten books including the best-selling Brood X, Stillwell, The Flip, The After House, The Hanging Tree, Witches Protection Program, Pokergeist and The Battle for Darracia Series.

Michael resides on the North Shore of Long Island. He writes full-time with his screaming kids in the background.

The Battle For Darracia by Michael Phillip Cash (2015)

Length: 542 pages 

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

The Battle For Darracia Blurb:

The Battle For Darracia Books I, II, and III, are now combined into this one epic novel!

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia?

Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or one of FIVE signed copies of this action-packed SciFi Fantasy Thriller!

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May you read well and often

Introducing the Lei Crime Series by Toby Neal!

Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. Since I have already done several book release posts for the novellas of the Kindle Worlds Lei Crime Series, I thought that I would also begin to highlight the novels of The Lei Crime Series written by popular mystery author Toby Neal. I would advise you to grab your own copies of these novels as soon as possible!

Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness.

 Meet Toby Neal

Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age five. After initially majoring in journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, “I’m endlessly fascinated with people’s stories.”

She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs and enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, beach walking, gardening, hiking, wondering about human nature and coming up with original plots.

Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters - from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.

Blood Orchids by Toby Neal (2011)

Length: 312 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Blood Orchids Blurb:

Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise.

Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers - one of whom she’d recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl’s harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed - even as the killer is drawn to Lei's intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity. 

Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she's being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei's quest for answers - and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer - but he knows where to find her first.

Fast-paced crime mystery with a touch of romance, readers call Blood Orchids "un-putdownable!" 

"Sometimes in crime fiction you stumble across a character who lives on beyond the book's end by virtue of their psychological complexity, and the richness with which the author has drawn them. Will Graham, Jack Reacher, Alex Cross, and now they have a worthy female counterpart in Lei Teixera. Blood Orchids is that rarity among debut novels, in that it satisfies on every level. A powerful new talent is on the scene, whole-heartedly recommended." - Drew Cross, former police officer and author of BiteMarks

Torch Ginger by Toby Neal (2012)

Length: 320 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Torch Ginger Blurb:

***WINNER! BEST MULTICULTURAL NOVEL 2015, NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS***

The island of Kaua`i is remote jungle, golden beaches and ancient culture - but transients are disappearing in paradise, and only Detective Lei Texeira notices.

Lei transfers to the island of Kaua`i, where she uncovers a pattern of disappearances that may be related to a bizarre cult - or is it just one madman at work? In Lei's world, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. In the midst of the biggest case sleepy Kaua`i has ever seen, Lei must also untangle the mysteries of her heart and discover who she loves.

"Lei Texeira is both tough detective and vulnerable woman in this second winning novel in the popular Hawaii Lei Crime mystery series created by Toby Neal." - David Bishop, author of the Jack McCall mysteries

 Black Jasmine by Toby Neal (2012)

Length: 274 pages 

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Black Jasmine Blurb:

The island of Maui is turquoise ocean, stunning vistas, and whalesong - but organized crime has a hidden hold, and Detective Lei Texeira tracks evil that hides behind a beautiful face.

When a nameless teenage girl dies in an apparent vehicular suicide, Lei can’t rest until she finds out what really happened. She blazes through all the wealth and poverty of Maui island society in her quest for justice, rousing a deadly foe - even as she faces the personal demons of commitment and revenge that threaten the only real love she’s ever known.

“Toby Neal's stories have a relentless, charged energy that heat up every page.” - Holly Robinson, author of Sleeping Tigers

May you read well and often

Calling All Book Reviewers!

So, with the recent June of 2015 reissuing of the book that Kathryn Meyer Griffith calls "my masterpiece" - A Time of Demons and Angels - I would like to mention that I had the pleasure of reading Ms. Griffith's apocalyptic end-of-days horror novel back in July of 2010! Here is my review. Previously titled: Before the End: A Time of Demons, the book has since been reissued under a new title and with a completely redesigned cover. Ms. Griffith has hinted in the past that she may write a sequel to this novel, but until then A Time of Demons and Angels can be read as a standalone.

Whether this book turns out to be the first book in a new series or just a standalone novel, I advise you to go grab yourself a copy - you won't regret it! :)

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Connect and Socialize with Kathryn!

Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Amazon Author Page

A Time of Demons and Angels by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)

Length: 525 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

A Time of Demons and Angels Blurb: 

The world has always been divided into good and evil…and some humans are called to fight for one or the other. If you’re called…would you fight?

Cassandra Graystone and others like her are born to battle the proliferating demons as the end-of-days approach. She is fated to receive the sword of the angels, warrior-beings who will stand beside her as she battles the demons for herself, her family, friends, and for the last remnants of humanity - for afterwards those remaining will have one last chance to save their souls. They must fight and they must win.

Since she was a child she knows and sees things other people don’t…when someone will die or when a demon lurks beneath a human skin. She sees them. Yet she craves a normal life singing out with her musician brother, Johnny, and caring for her elderly aunt and uncle; to be with her friends, Sarah, a psychic, and Walter, a carnival clown.

But when Sarah sees apocalyptic events in Cassandra’s tarot cards and demons are everywhere, Cassandra fears she’s either going insane or something terrifying is truly happening in the world. Rayner, an ancient blood demon is obsessed with her. Never having felt pity or affection for a human before he believes he loves her. The demon realm gathers for the final confrontation, Rayner warns.

The apocalypse comes. You and your friends must prepare. Cassandra flees that knowledge until an angelic being, Manasseh, tells her: Your powers will grow. Fight for humanity’s survival after the first wave is taken and seek out others like you. Persuade them to join the battle.

Only these chosen can see and challenge the demons until the end when all eyes will be able to see them. She doesn’t want her life to change, be anyone’s protector, doesn’t want to be a nomad who battles demons…until catastrophic events force her to and she can no longer deny her destiny. She and her friends must take to the road; they must fight…or see the remnants of humanity consumed in flames.

May you read well and often

Introducing The Weight of a Wing by Ioana Visan!

Meet Ioana Visan

Award-winning writer Ioana Visan has always dreamed about reaching the stars, but since she can't, she writes about it.

After fighting the apocalypse aftermath in Human Instincts, she played with shapeshifters in Blue Moon Café Series: Where Shifters Meet for Drinks, she dealt with vampires in The Impaler Legacy Series, and then she designed prosthetics in Broken People before tackling longer works like a fantasy trilogy and a science fiction series.

Aside from publishing short stories in various Romanian magazines and anthologies, she published a Romanian short story collection Efectul de nautil and the Romanian edition of Human Instincts.

She received the Encouragement Award from The European Science Fiction Society at Eurocon 2013.

Connect and Socialize with Ioana!

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon Author Page * Goodreads

The Weight of a Wing by Ioana Visan (2015)

Length: 354 pages 

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

The Weight of a Wing Blurb:

Alise has achieved the impossible. After her wings were chopped off, the fairy survived and now finds herself in the human world, once again hunted like prey by the sadistic Gorem.

Locating him with her help means that the two Guardians of Balance, Rafe and Vale, will not only be able to turn him in and make him pay for maiming her, but make him accountable for the deaths of other fairies as well.

Gorem has plans of his own for the rogue fairy. With the help of a wizard, Fabian, and an army of monsters by his side, Gorem will stop at nothing to recapture Alise.

With already so much on the line, Alise not only has to keep herself safe from harm, but will also have to protect her new human friend, Cassie, in the process.

Who will win the battle of good versus evil? Is capturing Gorem worth risking what remains of Alise's life?

May you read well and often

Book Excerpt For BlindSight by Susan Peterson Wisnewski

Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. I'm so glad to welcome Susan Peterson Wisnewski author of the Paranormal Suspense/Thriller novel BlindSight, to Emeraldfire's Bookmark. Ms. Wisnewski is currently on a Book Excerpt Blog Tour with Pump up Your Book! lasting through the end of June. This is also my twentieth Book Excerpt post ever, but I still hope that I do BlindSight by Susan Peterson Wisnewski justice.

The author is also doing an awesome giveaway - she is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner at the end of her Book Excerpt Blog Tour. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

About BlindSight:

Life is already bad enough after Tisha Adams loses both her job and her beautiful Manhattan apartment. Living in a musty garage apartment and working for her uncle in Queens, her life is upended when she witnesses a murder on her train commute.

When the body disappears, she teams up with Detective Murphy, a man with mysterious abilities. But Tisha is keeping a secret of her own, a skill she’s always hated and feared. The dead speak to her. And if she touches a person, their past, present and future are revealed to her.

But as the body count rises, and those closest to Tisha are drawn into the nightmare, Tisha’s only choice is to reach out to her estranged grandmother to learn more about her intuitive talents. In a race against the clock to rescue those in danger and solve the murders, she’ll need all her abilities. Even the gift she’s been afraid to use. The dead will speak, but only if she’s willing to listen.

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

Meet Susan Peterson Wisnewski 

Susan Peterson Wisnewski is an indie author from the northeast. She writes thrillers and paranormal with a sprinkling of chick lit and horror.

From a cruncher of numbers to a stringer of words, she decided it was time to follow her dreams and put down on paper all of those stories that floated around in her head. Raised in New York City and Long Island, she is a consummate shopaholic having been given the gift of style from her mother and grandmother. When not writing, she can be found shopping, visiting museums, gardening, or being walked by her oversized puppy.

Her books are a genre mix all neatly packaged together. Surprise and twists keep her readers guessing and she has been accused of writing books that can’t be put down. Pushing characters to challenges themselves is her trademark as is a creating strong female characters – no damsels in distress here. Her inspiration comes from seeing a situation and then enhancing it to create an unusual story line. And yes, she does see ghosts, or spirits as they prefer to be called and has had her run ins with a fairy or two.

If you have a book club and live on Long Island or in the Southern Vermont area, she’d be happy to come for a visit.

Her latest book is the thriller/paranormal/suspense, BlindSight.

Connect and Socialize with Susan!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Blog

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card From Susan Peterson Wisnewski!

This is how it works. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below and comment on each blog stop to win 5 extra entries!

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BlindSight Book Excerpt #8

The three of us sat waiting while an awkward silence engulfed us. I could hear my heart pounding and sweat began to accumulate under my arms. I needed to break the silence.

“I'm Tisha,” I said.

“Ken, and this is my sister Barbara,” Ken offered me his hand.

I looked at his hand that taunted me to touch it. As much as I wanted to shake, I couldn’t. I have a secret. I see things. When I touch another person’s hand I can see their past, their future, their secrets, and it scares the hell out of me. Two people know about it. Maybe three and I want to keep it that way.

“Nice to meet you. I don’t want to be rude, but I’m getting over a nasty cold and don’t want to spread it. Forgive me if I don’t shake your hand,” I added.

I thought about what he said. Ken and Barbara, Ken and Barbie. Well at least we have something in common. We both have parents with a sick sense of humor. My name is, or I should say was, Morticia Adams. My brother was named Gomez William Adams. My mother thought it was cute to name us after strange sitcom characters from the 70s, or so that is what I’ve been told. She skipped out on my family a long, long time ago. I legally changed my name to Tisha when I turned eighteen. My brother goes by the name Bill, his middle name.

I wanted to make conversation, but didn't know what to say. The thought of what I had just witnessed was weighing me down. The way the victim flew back after he was shot and the blood that spewed from his chest was sure to give me nightmares. The gravity of life and death and it all being over in a second had hit me hard. What could be so bad that you needed to take another life? It didn’t make any sense.

May you read well and often

Introducing The Liberty Series by Christine Nolfi!

I'm delighted to announce that all five books of The Liberty Series by Christine Nolfi are now available through Amazon. I would advise you to grab your own copy of the books in this series as soon as possible. I actually had the pleasure of reading Treasure Me back in June of 2013 and look forward to reading the other books in the series very soon. :)

Second Chance Grill by Christine Nolfi (2012)

Length: 318 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and I-Tunes!

Second Chance Grill Blurb:

Dr. Mary Chance needs a sabbatical from medicine to grieve the loss of her closest friend. But when she inherits a struggling restaurant in Liberty, Ohio she isn’t prepared for Blossom Perini. Mary can’t resist falling for the amusing preteen - or the girl’s father. The bond they forge will transform all their lives and set in motion an outpouring of love that spreads across America. 

The books of The Liberty Series work as stand-alone novels you may enjoy in any order. Look for the other books in the series: Treasure Me, The Impossible Wish, Four Wishes and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge.

Second Chance Grill is the prequel to Treasure Me, 2012 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist, which The Midwest Book Review calls “A riveting read for those who enjoy adventure fiction, highly recommended."

Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi (2011)

Length: 352 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and I-Tunes!

Treasure Me Blurb:

Finalist, 2012 Next Generation Indie Awards
"Highly recommended" by The Midwest Book Review

Welcome to Book Two of The Liberty Series, where love, friendship and family life arrive with a second chance in the most heartwarming circumstances.

Petty thief Birdie Kaminsky has arrived in Liberty, Ohio to steal a treasure hidden since the Civil War. She’s in possession of a charming clue passed down in her family for generations: Liberty safeguards the cherished heart. 

The beautiful thief wants to go straight. She secretly admires the clue’s author, freedwoman Justice Postell, who rose above the horrors of slavery to build a new life in Ohio. According to family lore, Justice left South Carolina at the dawn of the Civil War. Heavy with child, she carried untold riches on her journey north. As Birdie searches for the treasure, she begins to believe a questionable part of the story: a tale of love between Justice and Lucas Postell, the French plantation owner who was Birdie’s ancestor.

If the stories are true, Justice bore a child with Lucas. Some of those black relatives might still live in town. Birdie can’t help but wonder if she’s found one - Liberty’s feisty matriarch, Theodora Hendricks, who packs a pistol and heartwarming stories about Justice. Birdie doesn’t know that an investigative reporter who has arrived in town will trip her up - as will her conscience when she begins to wonder if it’s possible to start a new life with stolen riches. Yet with each new clue she unearths, Birdie begins to discover a family history more precious than gems, a tradition of love richer than she could imagine.

The books of The Liberty Series work as stand-alone novels you may enjoy in any order. Look for the other books in the series: Second Chance Grill, The Impossible Wish, Four Wishes and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge.

The Impossible Wish by Christine Nolfi (2014)

Length: 240 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and I-Tunes!

The Impossible Wish Blurb:

Notorious swindler Wish Kaminsky puts her daughter’s romance at risk in this hilarious and heartwarming installment of the award-winning series.

Wish is about to arrive in Liberty, and that means trouble. Liberty is the town that open-heartedly welcomed her daughter. Recently engaged, Birdie has turned her life around - and Wish is the last person she wants to see.

The books of The Liberty Series work as stand-alone novels you may enjoy in any order. Look for the other books in the series: Treasure Me, Second Chance Grill, Four Wishes and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge.

Four Wishes by Christine Nolfi (2014)

Length: 254 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and I-Tunes!

Four Wishes Blurb:

Meade Williams has a successful company, an ailing father - and a secret desire to find love at last. Dr. Mary Chance isn’t sure the time is right to expand her family. Birdie Kaminsky has married the man of her dreams, but yearns to grow closer to her powerful sister. And young Glade Wilson must confront the daunting truth that she’ll become a mother before finishing high school.

Welcome to Book Four of The Liberty Series, where the heartwarming stories of love, friendship and family life unfold in surprising ways.

The books of The Liberty Series serve as stand-alone novels you may enjoy in any order. Look for the other books in the series: Treasure Me, Second Chance Grill, The Impossible Wish and The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge. Future releases coming soon.

The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge by Christine Nolfi (2014)

Length: 314 pages

Purchase your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and I-Tunes!

The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge Blurb: 

Highly recommended by Midwest Book Review.

A savage rape on hallowed ground. Secrets buried for decades by the town’s most influential family. 

Now Rennie Perini will learn the Great Oak’s secrets as construction begins at the Fagan mansion. She can’t afford to turn down a job that promises to stir up the long-buried guilt - and the passion - she shares with powerful Troy Fagan. 

She’s already juggling the most important job of her career with her new responsibilities as a foster mother for young Walt and Emma Korchek. And there’s a hard, older man on the construction crew with eyes void of emotion - cold and killing. The secrets of his brutal past will pose a grave threat to the children in her care. Will she find the courage to face him?

May you read well and often

Blog Tour For The Search For the Stone of Excalibur by Fiona Ingram From September 1, 2015 to September 30, 2015 - Come Join Us!

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that Fiona Ingram will be touring the blogosphere to promote her young adult Fantasy novel The Search For the Stone of Excalibur - the second book in her Chronicles of the Stone Series. This virtual book tour is being hosted by Pump up Your Book and will last from September 1, to September 30, 2015!

The Search For the Stone of Excalibur Blog Tour Information:

Meet Fiona Ingram 

Fiona Ingram was born and educated in South Africa, and has worked as a full-time journalist and editor. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in the multi award winning The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series - Chronicles of the Stone. Fiona has just published the second book entitled The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, a treat for young King Arthur fans. She is busy with Book 3 entitled The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper.

Connect and Socialize with Fiona!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Blog

About The Search For the Stone of Excalibur:

Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur.

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as they travel to Scotland to investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them?

Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped.

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

The Search For the Stone of Excalibur Book Publicity Tour Schedule:

Monday, September 1 - Book Featured at Over the Rainbow Book Reviews

Tuesday, September 2 - Interview at C.A. Milson’s Blog
Wednesday, September 3 - Interview at Mayra’s Secret Bookcase
Monday, September 7 - Guest Blogging at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection
Tuesday, September 8 - Interview at As the Page Turns
Monday, September 14 - Guest Blogging at Mythical Books
Tuesday, September 15 - Interview at CBY Book Club
Thursday, September 17 - Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Monday, September 21 - Book Review at Deal Sharing Aunt
Wednesday, September 23 - Guest Blogging at My Life, Loves and Passion
Monday, September 28 - Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
Friday, September 30 - Book Review at Curling Up By The Fire

May you read well and often

Introducing The Jack of Souls by Stephen C. Merlino!

So, I was delighted to learn that the first book in Stephen C. Merlino's fantasy trilogy, The Unseen Moon Trilogy - The Jack of Souls - will be going on sale in ebook form for $0.99 from Amazon. The sale will only last for a limited time - the weekend of July 4th - from Friday, July 3, to Sunday, July 5, 2015! I would advise you to grab your own copy as soon as possible - I know you won't regret it! :)

I had the pleasure of reading Book 1 in The Unseen Moon Trilogy by Stephen C. Merlino - The Jack of Souls - in May of 2015 and here is my review. Keep your eyes open for my 'Flashback Friday' post on Friday, July 3, 2015, posted to coincide with the start of the $0.99 sale on Amazon!

Meet Stephen C. Merlino 

Stephen Merlino lives in Seattle, WA, where he writes, plays, and teaches high school English. He lives with the world's most talented and desirable woman, two equally fabulous children, and three attack chickens.

Growing up in Seattle drove Stephen indoors for eight months of the year. Naturally, that meant he read a lot, and at the age of eleven he discovered the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien and fell in love with fantasy.

Summers and rare sunny days he spent with friends in wooded ravines or on the beaches of Puget Sound, building worlds in the sand, and fighting orcs and wizards with driftwood swords.

About the time a fifth reading of The Lord of the Rings failed to deliver the old magic, Stephen attended the University of Washington and fell in love with Chaucer and Shakespeare and all things English. Sadly, the closest he got to England back then was The Unicorn Pub on University Way, which wasn't even run by an Englishman: it was run by a Scot named Angus. Still, he studied there, and as he sampled Angus's weird ales, and devoured the Unicorn's steak and kidney pie (with real offal!), he developed a passion for Scotland, too.

In college, he fell in love with writing, and when a kindly professor said of a story he'd written, "You should get that published!" Stephen took the encouragement literally, and spent the next years trying. The story remains unpublished, but the quest to develop it introduced Stephen to the world of agents (the story ultimately had two), and taught him much of craft and the value of what Jay Lake would call, "psychotic persistence."

Add to that his abiding love of nerds - those who, as Sarah Vowel defines it, "go too far and care too much about a subject"- and you have Stephen Merlino in a nutshell.

Stephen is the 2014 PNWA winner for Fantasy. 

He is also the 2014 SWW winner for Fantasy.

The Jack of Souls by Stephen C. Merlino (2014)

Length: 352 pages 

Purchase your copy from Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

The Jack of Souls Blurb:

An outcast rogue named Harric must break a curse laid on his fate or die by his nineteenth birthday. As his dead-day approaches, nightmares from the spirit world stalk him and tear at his sanity; sorcery eats at his soul.

To survive, he’ll need more than his usual tricks. He’ll need help - and a lot of it - but on the kingdom’s lawless frontier, his only allies are other outcasts. One of these outcasts is Caris, a mysterious, horse-whispering runaway, intent upon becoming the Queen’s first female knight. The other is Sir Willard - ex-immortal, ex-champion, now addicted to pain-killing herbs and banished from the court.

With their help, Harric might keep his curse at bay. But for how long?

And both companions bring perils and secrets of their own: Caris bears the scars of a troubled past that still hunts her; Willard is at war with the Old Ones, an order of insane immortal knights who once enslaved the kingdom. The Old Ones have returned to murder Willard and seize the throne from his queen. Willard is both on the run from them, and on one final, desperate quest to save her.

Together, Harric and his companions must overcome fanatical armies, murderous sorcerers, and powerful supernatural foes. Alone, Harric must face the temptation of a forbidden magic that could break his curse, but cost him the only woman he’s ever loved. A tale of magic, mischief, and the triumph of tricksters.

May you read well and often

Our Library Visit For June

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Monday? I'm doing just fine. :) Well, today is my birthday and as my special birthday request I asked to go to our local library's perpetual book sale and buy up the place. I was told 'the sky's the limit' as regards the number of books I could buy. However, my mom planned to be really strict with herself and not buy that many books. I think that I persuaded her to rethink her plan - after all it's my birthday and I don't mind sharing the good fortune with her; she's my mom! LOL!!! ;)

I think that I actually said to her, "As Birthday Girl, I decree that I be allowed to choose some of my mother's reading material today, and if 'the sky's the limit' for me, then that must also extend to my choice of books for my mom. As Birthday Girl, this is my decree, and I only ask that my mother doesn't limit me - Please!?!" I don't think that she can resist my 'Imperious Birthday Girl' tone - I use it so sparingly! ;) LOL!!!

Anyway, she and I got to the library at approximately 12:45 P. M., and a couple of close family friends met us there to wish me a very happy birthday and drop off a surprise picnic lunch for us to eat. It was drizzling rain very lightly, so we udecided to save the picnic until we arrived home. That left us carrying two coolers around with us until about 3:30 P. M. It actually worked out fairly well, as we set both coolers down beside a bench - the coolers were both slightly obscured from the sight of others, but still visible to us while we browsed the book sale that was set up in the same room.

Between us, we bought 50 books - 22 paperbacks and 28 hardcovers - and 5 jigsaw puzzles. We spent approximately $69 - $59 on books, and $10 on jigsaw puzzles. It turned out to be a pretty good haul for a birthday outing, if I do say so myself. ;) We actually ended up leaving the library with a total of seven full bags - that would be the two full coolers, a canvas bag, paper bag and two plastic bags full of books, and another paper bag for the jigsaw puzzles. We were loaded right up, but we had so much fun together.

At the moment, I'm debating whether to start reading The Lady and the Minstrel by Joyce DiPastena or Witchcraft Couture by Katarina West.

May you read well and often

Reading Wrap-up For May at Emeraldfire's Bookmark

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Emeraldfire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog.

Anyway, I started out May with about two hundred unread books lying around the house and ended the month with...umm...uncountable amounts of books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from authors, Amazon and Bookmooch.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Half Moon Girls by Corinne O'Flynn
- The Jack of Souls by Stephen C. Merlino
- The Ghostcrow: A Tale of Andor by M. K. Theodoratus
- A Snake in Paradise by Eden Baylee

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Grey by Christi J. Whitney
- Four Wishes by Christine Nolfi
- Narvla's Celtic New Year by Therese Gilardi
- Papa Was a Gypsy: A Short Story by Shannon Celebi
- Shadow's Rise: Return of the Cabal by Joseph J. Bailey
- Witches Protection Program by Michael Phillip Cash

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Half Moon Girls by Corinne O'Flynn
- The Jack of Souls by Stephen C. Merlino
- Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn
- The Cat Who Lived High by Lilian Jackson Braun
- The Ghostcrow: A Tale of Andor by M. K. Theodoratus
- Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery
- A Snake in Paradise by Eden Baylee

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me, considering. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 4
Pages Read: 542
Grade Range: A+! to A!

So, there you go! The reading month that was May. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)

May you read well and often