I’m afraid I was offline for about two weeks as I dealt with being sick, ran around taking care of a sick husband and kids, then once I was all germ free I traveled to a few book signings, visited with my mother (who isn’t in the best of health), then paid a visit to my aunt and cousins. Made it home to utter chaos (I’ve decided they really can’t survive without me), and I’m now getting things back on track!
So stay tuned for more book posts heading your way this month!
She’s trouble.
I like a bit of trouble.
The Black Aces MC
by S Courtney
Genre: Contemporary MC Romance
CUPID I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved My first love put the last nail in the coffin I’ll never express that emotion again
Then I minced words with the wrong waitress I thought she would scurry off, but she stood her ground, cursed me out, and demanded I thank her! She’s the firecracker trying to spark that emotion I burned, cursed, and buried deep within me. She’s trouble. I like a bit of trouble.Amazon * Apple * Bookbub * Goodreads
S Courtney is a romance author whose motto is “Love Worth Dying For” There’s always a little (lot) of bloodshed for the happily ever after/for now. Her love of writing began in middle school after hours writing until bedtime letting her imagination run wild.
With that imagination she has created her paranormal series, the Bound Series with strong but caring Alphas and independent women with big ambitions and a little magic! And a look inside the tough job of reaping souls to the Underworld in Sandman.
She also tapped into the dark world of motorcycle clubs and the secret life of an mercenary with a curiosity.
She looks forward to writing into other tropes, such as even darker romance, mafia, and sweet almost insta-love.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $20 giveaway!
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, or any of the other many holidays this time of year, we hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Our blog will be closed today through January 1st, but we’ll be back in 2025 with more books in your favorite fiction genres!
Happy Holidays, and a Very Happy New Year!
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The Fortress, Book 1
A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
Date Published: August 29, 2023
We are the fortress, and the fortress is us.
Sim was a teacher in his old life. Now he’s the savior of orphans.
He isn’t their father. God knows he has already failed in that role. But he
is their guide. And the kids? They are his penance. His redemption.
For three years Sim has prepared his orphans for the hard realities of life
after the plague that wiped out most of the global population. Theirs is a
life without laws or creature comforts. He has trained them to forage and
grow their own food, to be vigilant, and to protect themselves and each
other by any means necessary. In building a fortress of brick and mortar,
they’ve become a fortress of flesh and blood.
These allegiances and ideals are put to the test when a man named Zagan,
who believes himself to be on a mission for the devil to bring about the
destruction of civilization’s remains, gathers hundreds of marauders and
confronts Sim and his orphans in a merciless siege.
Will the fortress hold… Or will it collapse under the pressure of
evil?
Interview
Introduce yourself and tell me about what you do.
Thomas Styles. I am a twelve year veteran of public school teaching and fifteen years ago created a childcare business, TSL Adventures, which offers dynamic daycare programs, summer camp programs, and before and after school programs for children ages infant through twelve years old. Serving 1000 kids a day. I am owner and CEO and it keeps me busy. I’m an indy writer, and world travler with two grown children.
Tell me more about your journey as an author, including the writing processes.
My joruney started at 13 when I penned (literally) my first book in a five subject notebook. I still have it to this day. I continued writing for many years after, and prior to starting my own childcare business and raising kids, I wrote a lot of middle grade and YA novels. Many of them I lost in moves and such, which was hearrbreaking. I published lots of articles in those days for local magazines and was really pushing to be published. Alas, TSL Adventures and raising two kids pushed writing to the back burner and only recently have I picked it back up where I left off, now writing adult fiction, typically centered around family drama and intermingled with a bit of fantasy. Ground adult fiction fantasy. I wrote the Fortress series and published it on Amazon and have another series, Shift, ready to launch. Two other drafts as well ready to go. I write prolifically. My goal is to publish several books a year and see my press, Transcendence, grow with all my books. My writing process involves turning my ideas into full length novels. I do not outline or plan ahead. My stories build on themselves as I write quite naturally and very rarely get stuck. I rely on beta readers and DE’s to see the stories evolve to the end point.
Tell me about your Book
The Fortress built on my love of being a kid in the eighties (Rambo, GIJoe, War) so created a book that involes kids going to war. I am a big fan of kids and have a large respect for their capabilities and resilience, especially under the leadership of a caring and loving adult. In this story a man with a broken past takes lost children of the apocalypse in and trains them to surive but also how to love and be a family. The heart of the story is the Fortress family, with lots of amazing kids. I worked with kids my whole life so I write them very well. I love to talk about the importance of the family values, the resilence of children, and the reality that kids now and espeically in the apocalypse do not always live fairy tale lives. They cry, bleed and die, and sometimes have a choice in that. Their are stories from Gavroche and Agu of Beasts of No Nation about children being trained soldiers so there is a little of this notion as well to speak of. When do we run and when do we stay and defend our honor and fight, even to the death. An adult or child can have a choice in this and in The Fortress, they certainly do.
About the Author
T.A. Styles earned his B.S. in Elementary Education and Mathematics and his M.S. in Developmental Reading. He taught in elementary and junior high schools for twelve years before launching his own childcare enterprise, TSL Kids Crew, which he has operated since 2009. He has had a passion for writing stories since he was a teenager, as it was a hobby and skill for which he realized at a young age he had a knack for and loved. He has two grown children and has traveled extensively including to Iceland, Australia, Greece, Italy, South America, and many other places nationally and
internationally.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
As we’re based in the US, we’ll be closed today through the end of November. Thanksgiving in the US is November 28th. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!
We’ll be back December 1st!
In the meantime, our romance readers should check out these free book promotions…
The Grim Reaper Chronicles, Book One
Urban Fantasy, Humorous Fantasy, Romantasy
Date Published: 10/01/2024
Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC
When a 3,000-year-old demon grim reaper discovers someone’s killing
witches, he’ll do whatever it takes to stop them–but everyone knows
you can’t cheat Death.
3,000-year-old demon grim reaper, Aiden Finn has been in trouble with
Management before. Back in 79 A.D., he did some serious time in Hell for
disobeying the orders of his boss. He just wants to do his job and stay off
of Management’s radar, but all that’s about to change when he
tries to get his latest Charge, Carol, to board the ferry and cross the
River Styx after she becomes the latest victim of a serial killer targeting
witches.
When Carol refuses to go, Finn promises to find her beloved cat a new home
so she’ll cooperate. His plan to drop the cat off at a local shelter
takes an unexpected turn, however, when he arrives at her apartment and
meets Chloe, the stunning red-headed witch who lives across the hall. Hoping
to see her again, Finn decides to pet sit the cat instead.
As the number of murdered witches grows, Finn must figure out who is behind
the murders before Chloe becomes the next victim. He’ll do whatever it
takes to stop them, even if it means risking an exorcism by walking into a
church and sitting down for tea with a Catholic priest. Of course, if he
does find a way to stop the killer—even a grim reaper knows you
can’t cheat death.
About the Author
C.A. Kennedy is a fantasy romance and mystery author with a propensity for
quirky characters and good stories with a ‘gotcha’ twist.
Although she always considered herself a mystery writer, when a snarky demon
grim reaper kept bugging her to tell his story, she knew she couldn’t
refuse. When she isn’t writing or channeling her inner demon, you can
find her spending time outdoors with her Golden Retriever, Murphy, and
trying to stay in the good graces of her two cats, McGee and Tobias.
Transported to an ancient realm of magic and mystery, can a young woman survive scheming royals, shifting alliances, and impending war?
The Discovery of Magic
The Intrigue of Magic Book 1
by L.J. Evias
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Alice Harper yearns to determine her own fate. Desperate to change her parents’ minds about moving away from everything she knows, the gifted archer sets out to win a coveted scholarship. But the seventeen-year-old feels completely out of control when she and her friends stumble through a strange portal to a mysterious world.
Separated from the others, the bold and reckless teen finds herself whisked away to an impossible palace where charming mages offer help. But as she becomes entwined in the politics of the court, Alice grows suspicious of her new allies, and she struggles to distinguish friend from foe…
As she’s pulled deeper into treacherous plots, can the heroic young adult rescue her peers and get everyone home?
The Discovery of Magic is the captivating first book in The Intrigue of Magic epic fantasy series. If you like relatable characters, powerful enchantments, and fast-paced action, then you’ll love L. J. Evias’s battle for courage.
Buy The Discovery of Magic to begin the adventure today!
**On Sale for Only .99cents for a limited time!**
L. J. Evias writes exclusively in the fantasy genre, infusing stories with a dash of adventure and mystery. In Evias’s worlds, moral absolutes do not exist, giving life to a diverse cast of intriguing characters.
The Intrigue of Magic is Evias’s debut series, featuring accessible world-building, intricate plots, and unforgettable heroes and villains. Released in 2024, The Discovery of Magic is the first book in this series.
When not immersed in the pages of a novel, Evias enjoys real-world adventures both in the UK and abroad. The enchanting settings of The Intrigue of Magic series draw inspiration from personal travels, notably the unique architecture and evocative landscapes of Morocco.
Bonus material and a sample short story are available from the author’s website.
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The Button Collector
M.M. Cochran
Publication date: September 17th 2024
Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller
When Chicago journalist Jessica Knight is linked to a string of odd murders happening across the country, her life takes a turn for the worse.
She is left wondering why her relatives are the ones dropping like flies under the signature mark of a serial killer . . . why she can’t stop thinking about Michael Bradley, the appealing detective assigned to protect her . . . and most of all, why, despite being the Button Collector’s prime target, she’s still alive at all. One thing she knows for certain: the killer is always watching. As the line between truth and deception begins to blur, Jessica crumbles under the dense web of lies she’s trying to keep straight–especially once the police start questioning more than just her sanity. With pressure mounting, Jessica must navigate being under the watchful eye of the police–and the killer–while risking it all in a dangerous game to make up for the mistakes of her past.
Her days are numbered…one way or the other.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
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EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
The first thing I feel when I step outside my apartment building is his eyes on me.
They burn. They haunt. They’re always there, somehow finding me almost every day since the first murder.
Long shadows stretch over the brown patch of grass before my building. They’re soft on my boots and heavy on the winter flowers that need sun. Rain pelts down the petals, but I’m too cold to get my fingers wet and shake the water off the weak flowers.
The thick weather clouds the feeling of his surveillance, but I still close my eyes to escape it.
Count backwards from ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Okay, it’s gone.
Now open your eyes, I instruct myself.
It’s time to catch a cab. “Time to catch a cab,” I say.
Leave me alone. “Leave me alone,” I say.
The office buzzes with fluorescent lights over rickety desks made for half-hearted journalists. I slide between their narrow spaces and make my way to the associate editor’s desk. The editor in chief smokes in his office, and Della can tell me everything he knows, so I avoid him and his stench. It’s not something I can handle this morning, though on a good morning, I’d crave the smell of his cigarettes.
“Della, John wanted to see me? Why?” The tip of my umbrella taps the ground, sprinkling cold drops of leftover rain onto my pant leg.
She doesn’t even look at me, doesn’t even jump at the opportunity to comment on my red lipstick that’s too dark or my unshapely long coat. “He’s in his office.”
“But—”
“Jessica.”
The smoke in John’s office rolls onto me in waves of foggy white. My automatic response is to cough, clear my throat, but it would be nothing more than for show. He knows I’m used to it.
“Knight. Come here, I’ve got somethin’ for you.” He fingers me in and motions for me to take a seat. The dark leather on the chair does everything but absorb the moisture from my wet thighs.
He nudges a stack of papers in my direction. “Here’re some stories for the week that I came across over the weekend. Fire and Crime section looks like it’ll be good and full next issue, but I’d like you to start on this Button story. A profile about him to follow-up his murder we reported on last week. It’ll take some research, so I want your time and attention on this one. All week.” He taps the folder with his index and middle finger, keeping his cigarette in place between them. “Make it good. If you need me to get some intern on the other stuff, you just let me know, Knight. Let’s focus on this Button profile, and make sure to really center it around the freakshow killer more than the victims.”
John takes a long, focused drag off the cigarette. Blows it in a thin streak over his shoulder. Eyes me with a glare that’s crimped with sixty-year-old crow’s feet.
“You alright, Knight?”
“Fine. But why do you want me for this? I’m not investigative, just—”
“A hard crime reporter. I know. But you really proved yourself with investigative journalism skills after you covered that murder trial last month. I want to spread your wings a little more. Cover this Button story, Knight. It’s going to sell a lot of papers. Keep it up, and we’ll change your title to Investigative instead of just Crime Journalist.”
“Thanks, John, but I’m comfortable with my position.”
“I’ll give you a little raise, dear.” He wraps his lips around his cigarette and blows the smoke over his shoulder again. “And I’ll hire one of those interns to take over hard crime. Okay?”
“Alright. Thank you.”
“Well, we’ll see how this Button story goes.”
I nod.
“You sure you’re okay, Knight?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Then shake that look off your face and get to work. I’d like to have that story by Thursday; I want the designers to arrange A1 layout around it. This’ll generate a lot of attention, you know. People are all over this Button Collector thing.”
“The word count?” I ask. I usually don’t have to talk word counts with him, but with big stories like this—like that trial—he always has some requirements to meet.
“Give me nine-hundred, no less.”
A knock on the door diverts his attention to behind me. “John,” the receptionist says, “a young lady would like to speak with you about advertisement.”
John pushes back his chair and stands, surrendering his cigarette to the dusty ash tray. “Stay here, Knight. I’ll be right back.”
My next breath is stifled by the smoke that folds into my face when he walks by. He leaves the door cracked behind him.
Author Bio:
As both a self-published and traditionally published author of YA fiction and a thriller, I know how vulnerable and scary handing your manuscript to an editor can be. . . But it is my job to take care of my clients and their stories, cherishing them as my own.
My novel, Between the Ocean the Stars, was ranked #2 at the worldwide distributors center upon publication and later named a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards. My next novel, The Button Collector, releases in 2024.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Hi, everyone! I’m super excited to be in Ft. Smith, Arkansas today. Why? I’ll be at the Book Me Romance event tomorrow. It’s my first time in this area, and at this event, so I’m having a combination of excitement and nerves.
Are you attending?
If so, which authors are you most excited to see?
Flyboys are a group of men who thrive on adrenaline and a bunch of self-proclaimed misfits. This sweet romantic series is full of soaring emotions, sweeping intense moments, and loyal friendships that unite the most unlikely characters into an unforgettable saga.
Book 1
Dreamer, aviator, and certainly not the man she expected…
Harley Petersen knew falling for a man in uniform was a mistake. A relationship with a pilot would end in heartbreak, especially when it is her twin brother’s wingman. Stolen moments long ago only deepened the connection between them that she kept hidden away deep inside… until Jackson came crashing into her world once again.
A love he couldn’t forget…
Jackson Sloan knew his best friend’s sister was definitely off limits—despite their soaring feelings. When he broke Harley’s heart years ago, he knew nothing would ever be the same. Uncontrollable emotions had skyrocketed, surging upwards at a breakneck pace, resulting in a kiss that could be nothing more—or could it?
Now Fate has given this lucky Flyboy a second chance at love.
Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09W79N343
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ginny Sterling is an avid romance writer. She lives to tell sweet, inspirational, tender tales that tug at the heart, leaving the reader smiling, laughing, or crying. Her book series include many titles such as FLYBOYS, Healing Hearts, Flirt’s Battalion, Reserve Ranch, and more.
June 2024 will deliver three books
~ Forever Focused – Flyboys Second Generation Novella
~ A Gift for Her Festive Firefighter – Love in Sweet Bloom Series
~ In Love with A Ranger (Reserve Ranch and Rescue)
Each book written is sure to be an adventure, bringing laughter and love to your heart!
