Saturday, October 31, 2020

post-apocalyptic

The Calling by E.M> Aguilar - Book Tour + Giveaway

Jasmine J 9:00 AM 0

The Calling

The Calling Chronicles Book 1

by E.M. Aguilar

Genre: Post Apocalyptic Fantasy

We live in a world without magic. However, what if magic is real and as natural as the air we breathe and tangible as the trees swaying in the wind? And we bottle and encase this magic in large underground chambers. Until, the arcane powers explode in a cataclysmic, world-shattering chain reaction.

Lazarus saw his life change before him on a normal workday. A hundred-foot wave destroys everything around him. A group of survivors rises up from this rubble, trying to survive the next day. People morph and change into fantastical creatures and magic has become commonplace.

Caught between miles of hostile territory filled with deadly monsters called Grogs, Lazarus and his group of friends needs to find the ancient temples to stop the next phase of the changing of the earth.

Don't miss The Calling, the first in The Calling Chronicles series by E.M. Aguilar. If you like Stephen King's, The Stand, and Justin Cronin's, The Passage and Robert McCammon's, Swan Song, then this story will have you thrilled, horrified and excited. Come check it out!

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"The world ended within the slightest, smallest vibration as if the world was held by a silk web and a powerful force broke the glue and string which held everything together." Lazarus didn't realize he was speaking aloud these words. It came forth out of him in a rush. Luckily, he was in his car eating his sandwich. The voice was coming from inside his head making him see and say things.

Eric Aguilar (1970 to present) was born in Los Angeles, California. He started writing when he was in high school. He received a Fine Arts Degree in painting and drawing from CSULB and attended Otis Art Institute. Eric is a writer of Fantasy, Horror and Sci-fi. He lives in Southern California.

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teaser

Orange Blossoms, Love Blossoms by Dalia Dupris - Book Tour + Giveaway

Jasmine J 8:00 AM 0

Book 1 of California Hearts

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: October 19, 2020

Publisher:

The Wild Rose

Strong-willed Elaine Hart is determined to save Hartland Orchards, her

family’s’ California orange groves from being taken over by the bank. After

the recent ending of a turbulent relationship, she vows to keep her

David Cole, the one man who holds her family’s fate in the palm of his

professional and personal life separate, even though she’s attracted to

hands.

Serious-minded banker, David Cole, recovering from recent love and work

fiascos has one goal and that’s ensuring that the delinquent Hartland Ranch

account is brought up to date and not becoming personally involved with the

unpredictable and beautiful Elaine Cole.

When a series of circumstances brings Elaine and David together, they must

decide if they will continue to suppress their emotions or succumb to

passion and take a chance on a forever love.

Author Interview

1. What would you consider to be your Kryptonite as an author? My kryptonite, as an author, is my ability to view my characters, in my mind, moving around as if I’m watching a movie. My job is to capture, on the page, all of the images, with all the nuances, color, and feelings that I see for the reader to share.

2. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Writing takes a lot of hard work and determination. Study the craft and never give up, if it’s something you really want.

3. Favorite childhood memory involving books? Reading in my family’s large, overgrown backyard. I’d sit beneath a tall sprawling tree, snacks beside me, reading as long as I liked, away from the noise of my five older brothers.

4. Did you want to be an author when you grew up? Yes, I wanted to be an author since I was 8 years old. That was the age I first had very short stories and poems published in the Oakland Tribune newspaper, thanks to Mrs. Jones, my 3rd and 4th-grade teacher.

5. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Tenacious, driven, and optimistic.

6. What is your most unusual writing quirk? Sometimes, I am so moved by an emotional event in one of my novels that I start crying and have to take a break to gather myself.

7. How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? That’s a tricky question because it might take me several months to write it, depending on what else is going on in my life. Then it will take me several more months to edit it. I want to write faster, but the rest of my non-writing life frequently gets in the way. I have to remind myself not to become obsessed with writing and that real life is more important.

8. How do you select the names of your characters? I think about the personal characteristics of each character and try to decide what kind of name would suit them. For example, I really struggled with Elaine Cole’s, the main character in Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms, exboyfriend, Jared’s name. I must have tried out, four names before I settled on one.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? If you believe, deep in your soul, that you were meant to be a writer, do not give up on yourself. Understand that it is a craft and there are expectations for each genre. Know your audience and don’t disappoint them. Expect to spend a lot of time, more than you would probably expect, alone, sitting in a chair, writing. A book seems like magic, but getting there takes a lot of hard work and humility.

10. Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself! 1. I read only adult books since I was 12 years old.

2. I listen to the sound of thunderstorms while writing.

3.I have taken belly dance classes, Javanese line dancing, multi-cultural line dancing, ballroom dancing, and soul line dancing.

4. I practice yoga

5.I was a vegetarian for 7 years

6. I am the youngest of seven children.

7. While writing my current novel, Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms, I never thought about the fact that I was looking out the window, at the orange blossoms on my orange tree in the backyard.

8.I have a degree in English Literature from UCLA, which I thought was kind of useless, until I started writing, but now I understand how it has helped me. I understand what Shakespeare was doing in his plays.

9.I love to jump on those mini trampolines that you can buy at sporting good stores.

10.Shopping is a form of therapy for me. I don’t need to buy anything, just browsing in stores and enjoying a snack is fun enough. Although, I admit, buying something, even if it’s small, does make it more enjoyable.

About the Author

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing and grew up surrounded by a wide

variety of books, from westerns to romance novels. I love stories—watching

them, listening to them, reading them, and writing them. My contemporary

legacy, love, loss, and laughter as they face the challenges of life. When

novels include complex and diverse characters that grapple with family

beach with my husband or exploring the mysteries of the universe with my

I’m not working on my next manuscript, you can find me bike riding along the

daughter.

Contact Links

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Twitter: @dalia_dupris

Instagram:Dalia Writes

Pinterest: Dalia Dupris

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historical romance

The Chronicles of Alcina by Miriam Newman - Book Tour + Giveaway

Jasmine J 7:00 AM 0

The King's Daughter

The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 1

by Miriam Newman

Genre: Fantasy Historical Romance

Born to a dying queen and an ambitious king, Tarabenthia is heir to the crown of Alcinia.

Yet when the idyll of her childhood ends she will defy her father, tipping the balance in a world poised on the brink of destruction and leaving history to judge whether she is heroine or harlot.

In a time of war, what would you surrender in the name of love?

Goodreads * Amazon

Heart of the Earth

The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 2

Robbed of her husband by the arrows of assassins, Tia must flee to the Northern Prince who has always wanted her. But the price of Hilgi’s protection is too high. Separated from her land and her Goddess, can Tia find a way to return to them and to a love that may redeem her?

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Ice Maiden

The Chronicles of Alcinia Book 3

When a simple farm girl attracts the notice of the King’s half brother, it leads to a dazzling world of privilege, intrigue, war and passion.

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THE DAWN CAME, and we lived. When at last we could hear nothing more and our curiosity became unbearable, we unbarred the door. To my great relief, Trygg was there and came back in, unhurt, hunting for his bone. Otherwise, I saw nothing...no one.

Emalda stepped outside, cautiously. By unspoken agreement, she had become our leader. Watching through the partially opened door, I saw her reconnoiter carefully, at no great distance from us. Eventually, she turned and waved us out.

There was not much to see. A couple of bodies with arrows sticking out, not pleasant, but I had seen many dead animals in my time. I did not know whose they were and didn’t seek to know. There was nothing to be done for them, no matter who they were.

Snow lay on the ground. It was only first snow, a taste of winter, but enough to let us follow churned-up prints and splotches of blood down the slope towards the beach. That was where our men had made their stand. I saw that the ships that had brought us supplies had been roped together to make a great floating platform and put out to sea away from the beach to intercept ships coming in. A second line— of men—seemed to have been deployed on the beach. There were bodies there and in the water with more washing up, and a few ships half sunk in the tide, their sails burned. Everything smelled charred.

There were Havacians and Omanis on the beach, helping the injured—ours, at least. If they were Armatican, that was their last dawn. No one would bring them to us for care.

My lord was easy to spot. He was taller even than most Havacians, and he was unhelmeted. I wondered with a sense of exasperation if he had even bothered to shield his head. That man was born for battle. Probably he had enjoyed it. Son of a general indeed. Now I believed it.

Regardless, I went down to him through small hummocks of bodies and battle gear strewn across snow and sand. All of the women were looking for their men, and now I was one of them.

He was flushed with cold and battle fever, still carrying a gory sword that he plunged into the snow as though cleaning it, but he was not. He didn’t want me to see the blood, but I caught his distinct look of victory touching on defiance as he did it. He was what he was, that look said. Take it or leave it.

This now blood-drenched island was not what I had ever envi‐ sioned as a home. He was not the man I’d thought of in my dreams. I had never had much time for dreams, anyway, and I wouldn’t now— there was going to be too much work to do. But I thought now I would do it with him.

Fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I was published in poetry before catching the romance writing bug. I bring that background to my writing along with a lifelong addiction to horses, an 18 year career in various areas of psychiatric social services and many trips to Ireland, where I nurture my muse. My published works range from contemporary fantasy romance to fantasy historical, futuristic, science fiction and historical romance. Currently I live in rural Pennsylvania with a "motley crew" of rescue animals.

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excerpt

Worth the Wait by Shannon Davis - Book Tour

Jasmine J 6:00 AM 0

Title: Worth The Wait (A Southern Fairy Tale- Book 2)

Author: Shannon Davis

Genre:Contemporary Romance Release Date: October 29, 2020

Cover Designer: Cover Me Darling

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

High school English teacher Claire Gibbs thought she’d found love but a broken heart was all she had to show for it. When her latest disappointment turns out to be a smooth-talking control freak, she swears off men. Although she couldn’t deny wanting the fairy tale—a happily ever after with Mr. Right—she was in no rush to date again.

Until she met Caleb.

Air Force officer Caleb Williams’ love life could be summed up in three words: crash and burn. All he wanted was to find a love that would stand the test of time. After a string of failed relationships with high maintenance drama queens, he gave up hope of finding someone special to share his life with and decided to fly solo.

But then he met Claire.

As fate keeps bringing them together, waiting for the right one might not take as long as they thought. Sparks ignite and passion flares as their dreams of finding true love become reality. But a possessive ex will stop at nothing to prevent their happily ever after. Will the one thing they’ve waited their whole lives for be destroyed at the hands of a killer?

Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Claire leaned in closer, nuzzling her cheek against my chest as we watched the sky light up. With every bang, she tensed, squealing and squeezing my leg as her body jolted. Between the explosions, her fingertips worked busily, making tiny circles on my thigh as she anxiously awaited the next thrill. Her enthusiasm was invigorating, her laughter contagious, and her touch was like a warm salve. Tender. Soothing. Yet so damn powerful. Spending the evening with her was nothing short of comforting. Something I had craved for so long. Holding her felt remarkably familiar, like I was home. And when she reached over and intwined her fingers with mine, I had a brief flash of us sitting together watching fireworks just like this for many years to come.

As the finale exploded, I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her any longer. Pulling my hand from hers, I lifted her chin, bringing her face close to mine. Her smile told me she knew exactly what I had in mind.

I swallowed, my gaze steady on hers. “Might wanna close your eyes for this,” I whispered.

As the hand on my thigh stilled, the other slid around my neck. “It’s about time, cowboy.”

I heard something in her tone that made my heart spasm. Had she been wanting this too? Her fingers traced up my neck, pulling me closer. I leaned in further and her eyes slowly closed. Holding her chin ever so gently, I pressed my lips to hers. I kissed her softly, once, twice, three times, then parted her lips with my tongue. As I explored her mouth, burying my fingers in her hair, her hand groped my thigh, causing my shorts to grow tighter and tighter. Never had I ever tasted lips so sweet. Never before had anything felt so right, so perfect. I knew without a doubt Claire was the one for me, the one I’d been searching for, waiting for, longing for all these years. She was the one. And I never wanted to let her go.

Shannon Davis grew up in Northwest Florida where she developed a love of writing as a young girl, keeping countless diaries and notebooks filled with short stories. After college, she followed her love of mathematics and became a high school math teacher. She retired from the classroom after nearly three decades to pursue her lifelong dream of writing.

A military wife and mother of three college-aged children, she and her husband reside in Georgia with their three dogs and four cats. When she is not writing, Shannon enjoys traveling, baking, and outdoor activities. An avid reader of women’s fiction and love stories, she is a sucker for happy endings. Her love of the south coupled with romance is evident in her novels, Worth the Risk and Worth the Wait, books one and two in the Southern Fairy Tale series.

Available in Kindle Unlimited

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self-help

Swipe to the Altar by Mrs. Q. Warnock - Book Tour + Giveaway

Jasmine J 5:00 AM 0

Swipe to The Altar: Your 10-Step Roadmap to Finding True Love Online

Non-fiction/self help

Date Published: 8/3/2020

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

It's so easy to fall in love, but hard to find someone who will catch you. Let me guess - you're a beautiful and intelligent girl, but so far, you haven't got much luck finding true love. This book will show you how to find your true love from online dating. You will no longer be the Instant Noodle and your love life will be transformed forever.

About the Author

Mrs. Q. Warnock, the former Miss Qianlei Li, started her online dating journey in 2014 and found the love of her life at the end of 2016. She has gone on 42 first dates and has got her heart broken multiple times before realizing the right way to go about online dating. She now lives happily with her husband in Northern Virginia.

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horror

Black Oak by Titus Murphy - Book Blitz

Jasmine J 4:00 AM 0

Black Oak

The Loveless Chronicles

Chapter 1

Titus Murphy

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Publication Date: October 31, 2020

Publisher: Cosby Media Production

ASIN: B08KRQDCGY

WELCOME TO BLACK OAK!

In the town of Black Oak, nothing is ever what it seems. Besides the wrangling local country-types, the city is marred by a history of indiscretions, murders, and no-named civilians perpetrating as heroes. But beneath the surface of this "run of the mill," Midwestern locale lurks a pervasive past that is about to come full circle: like a blazing blood moon.

Mark is an unassuming trucker who has fallen for a beautiful clerk working at a “Mom & Pop” store named Sharon, and nothing else in the world matters more than stealing her heart. But after making a run into the Bayou to deliver a package, destiny steps in and serves him a plate of "the unexpected," which sparks the flames of wickedness that will set his hometown ablaze. And as the secrets buried in this town begin to unearth, the truth will fan those burning flames until there is nothing left but ashes and chaos.

In the end, the only mystery left to solve will be if this is isolated to one town or involve the fate of the entire world...

FOREWORD REVIEW: "...full of interesting characters who hold attention...the secrets of their home are a binding force that brings the tale together."

CLARION RATING: 4/5 "In the fantasy novel Black Oak, citizens across two ears reckon with strange creatures among them."

Amazon

Excerpt:

“A what?” Sharon laughed.

“You know, a PITA. Pain in the ass?”

Sharon couldn’t contain her laughter. The conversation seemed to be leading to a much more relaxed place for Mark, and that had to be a good sign. Sharon playfully pushed Mark and prodded him on. “Tell me the story your mom told you, silly,” she said. ”What was it about?”

“Okay. Now I know this might sound kind of crazy to you, but she would tell me about these wild beasts in the Black Oaks.”

“Are you serious?” asked Sharon.

Mark nodded. “Very.”

“Well, to be honest, I’ve heard that story over a million times too.”

“Word?”

“Yeah. What, you thought you were the only one it was told to? This is Wichita, Mark. Everyone here has heard that story before. My dad used to tell my cousin and me that story every weekend and virtually every day she was sleeping over during the summer. He said that the forest was run by wild animals with long fangs and claws that could rip a man to shreds with one swing. Said they’d harvest your heart for food and drink your blood like wine.”

“Word? Like werewolves?” Mark asked.

“Yeah. Sorta. I remember how my mom would lean against the threshold of my room, listening with a serious look on her face as if the story my dad was telling us was the truth. And no matter how many times it was told to me, it would always sound the same. Wild beasts, murderous rampages and mysterious sightings in Kansas, especially in the Black Oak Forest. I brushed it off as a myth because it always sounded like some werewolf story to me. But some people say the stories are real because they’ve been told for over a hundred years in Wichita. Who knows, maybe it all could be the truth. But I never have nor do I now give it too much thought. I tend to put my faith in what I can see, and I’ve never seen anything like what my father and others describe in those stories.”

“Me either,” said Mark.

“Well, I tend to live by one rule when it comes to wives’ tales. If it doesn’t happen to me, it’s not real. So since neither of us has ever seen one before, they don’t exist. And that means it was just a story. Something to tell unruly kids, like you and me, to keep us in line.”

About the Author:

Titus Murphy was born and raised on the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. From a small child, there was an overarching desire for Titus to do one thing: win. His drive and determination drove him to succeed. Armed with a strong mind, a quick wit, and a sharp tongue, he set out to emblaze his mark on everyone he would encounter. Unknown to him were the overwhelming obstacles and seemingly insurmountable tragedy he would have to endure. From this devastation came a resolve fueled by an uncompromising commitment that resonates through every aspect of his life. Forced from the city he knew and loved, Titus relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. It was there his desire and commitment came together resolutely to birth a dream that had long been held in his heart. Oblivious to detraction, and beyond all doubt, Titus would become an author. From the streets of New Orleans that marked his life, to the ink-graced pages upon which he now pours his soul, Titus Murphy has come to show the world that he is truly…something more.

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