Beyond the Book: New Releases and Blog Tours

Blurb:

Running away from a fiancé who betrayed her, Peyton O’Malley finds employment at a beautiful mountain inn called Rest Thy Head. She didn’t expect to live in the haunted room or to fall for the inn’s owner, a fire-scarred, war veteran who uses the inn to hide away from the world. She didn’t expect her sister to show up at Rest Thy Head either, much less her formidable mother. 

Now, thanks to the aid of a friendly ghost, Peyton has a shot at true love, and so does her sister Ashley, provided the guys cooperate of course! 

EXCERPT:

He jumped off the bed and stared into the mirror over his
dresser. Truthfully, the scars on the left side of his face had faded.
They didn’t look as red and fiery as they did right after he got his
discharge, but they’d never go away. The doctor had been clear
about that.

He stripped off his shirt and looked at the left side of his
body. His arm looked the worst. Practically the whole thing bore
the marks on the fire which had disfigured him.

He dropped his pants and looked at his leg. It didn’t look as
bad as his arm, and neither did his chest. They both looked
relatively okay. Did the scars really not matter to her? Had she only
been trying to comfort him, or did she honestly mean it?

Oh, it didn’t matter either way since Patrick had gotten
involved with her. He made a gesture of repugnance. What kind of
man would covet his brother’s girl to the point he had to clamp his
teeth together to keep from picking a fight with his brother?

He’d better stay clear of her. She looked like an angel, and he
wanted her for himself, but Patrick had seen her first. Anyway,
Patrick had a lot more to offer her than he did.

He sighed and crawled into his bed. If he stopped thinking
about Peyton lying naked beside him, he might get a little sleep.

Join me tomorrow for Lachesis Publishing's blog tour. First up is Her Kind of Man. Do stop by if you can. http://wordtodreams.blogspot.com

The Orange Moon Affair

The Orange Moon Affair (a Thomas Gunn Thriller)

by AFN Clarke

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Thomas Gunn (ex-Special Forces) and his partner Julie are running for their lives. Who are they running from? And why? It all starts when Thomas decides to investigate the mysterious murder of his billionaire industrialist father. He’s shocked when his every move is blocked, especially by top levels of the UK government. But when his attempts to track down an elusive American business partner of his father’s turn lethal, he and Julie become moving targets, racing to outwit those who clearly want them dead. The danger rapidly escalates when Thomas is reluctantly compelled back into working for British Military Intelligence, exposing an international conspiracy that puts the freedom of the western world at grave risk.

But who are these ruthless conspirators that wield such unimaginable power? How are they connected to his father? And what dark secrets from the past will Thomas uncover in his relentless quest for the truth? This action-packed thriller spans the UK, USA and Europe and keeps you guessing to the very last page!

“The Orange Moon Affair” and “The Jonas Trust Deception”, the second in the series, have been hailed by the San Francisco Book Review as “fast-paced books you won't want to put down and you won't want them to finish." Available from Amazon (ebook and paperback).

EXCERPT:

“There’s only one way. Jump.”

“You come up here and do it.”

“Mother of Mary, just jump and stop whining.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Listen to me. It’s deep where the water crashes into the pool. If you can jump clear then you’ll hit the pool just right. It’s either that or be caught, because no way can you get down that rock face.”

What a choice. Kill myself in the fall or be shot by the guys who were now fast on my trail. I looked back again. The buggy had reached the river’s edge and was less than two hundred metres away.

Still, I hesitated.

My mind was made up for me as a searchlight beam swept over me. The first round cracked past my ear as I launched myself into space.

The drop sent my guts up into my mouth as I tumbled in the air for an eternity, then hit the water with a stunning impact that knocked the breath out of me.

Somewhere a part of my brain was functioning as a rational logical machine. It took over and told my frozen, aching body that I had to swim away from the fall of water before I could surface. I was only under for about twenty seconds, but to me it seemed like an eternity before I felt someone grab my arms.

Everything went black as I passed out.

When I came to, I was lying on the bank wrapped in an emergency space blanket and Danny had his hand over my mouth. I could see a shaft of light playing on the surface of the pool from above and caught the intermittent sound of voices through the crash of the waterfall.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

AFN Clarke is a full-time author, screenwriter, the son of a British MI6 operative, former officer in Britain's elite Parachute Regiment, pilot, sailor, racecar driver and father of four who's lived in Hong Kong, India, Libya, Iran, Europe, the UK, USA, and Australia. He's written seven books of fiction and his bestselling memoir, CONTACT, was serialized in a British newspaper and made into an award-winning BBCTV film.

This rich background allows Clarke to bring his own unique and eye opening experiences to his latest Thomas Gunn thriller series that are fast-paced, thought provoking and frighteningly real and have captured the imagination of readers world-wide. As he says: "For me, good books are a great way to shut out every day life, suspend normal ways of thinking, and allow yourself to be captivated by another world. That’s what I continually strive to deliver to my readers."

Books include: The Orange Moon Affair and The Jonas Trust Deception (Thomas Gunn thrillers), Contact, An Unquiet American, Dry Tortugas, Dreams from the Death Age and Armageddon (The Book of Baker Satire Series), Collisions, with more coming soon. Available from Amazon; coming soon to Nook, iBooks, and Kobo.

Connect with AFN Clarke:

Subscribe to AFN Clarke’s Email List: http://www.afnclarke.com/Email_Us.php

Author Website:  http://www.afnclarke.com/

Twitter: @AFNClarke

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AFNClarkeInc?fref=ts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AFNCLARKE

Purchase “The Orange Moon Affair”:

Buy from the Kindle Store at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/ORANGE-MOON-AFFAIR-Thomas-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00CGL2Y6Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1403227219&sr=1-3&keywords=AFN+Clarke

Buy the Paperback from Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Orange-Moon-Affair-Thriller/dp/1938611195/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1399340893&sr=8-1&keywords=AFN+Clarke

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find his schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/08/blurb-blitz-orange-moon-affair-by-afn.html

Dinner For Two

Dinner for Two

by Drea Stein

NOTE: THIS BOOK BLAST IS TO PROMOTE THE BOOKS FREE KDP DAYS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Sean and Darby love food - but is their relationship a recipe for disaster - Or a chance to make kitchen magic?

Find out in Dinner for Two, Book 1 in The Queensbay contemporary romance series

Sean Callahan was a hot shot big city chef whose high handed ways got him into trouble one too many times. Now he's in a small town hoping for another shot at the big leagues.

Darby Reese is a big city lawyer who can bake like an angel. Unfortunately, a life lived according to the law has left her burned out. So when the chance comes to run her family's deli in the small town of Queensbay, Darby's happy to take it.

But when Sean, the former chef du jour walks into her kitchen, she's definitely not prepared for sparks to fly. Will the two of them be able to find the recipe for happily ever after?

Book one in the Queensbay Series, a contemporary romance series.

EXCERPT:

“Fancy meeting you here.” Sean Callahan’s voice floated up and she jumped, hitting her head on the inside of the counter.

“It is my deli,” she said when she finally came up, resisting the urge to rub the back of her head where she had hit it. The look of amusement in Sean’s eye was enough to have her folding her hands across her chest and do her best to stare him down. Two days, she reminded herself. It had been two days since he had kissed her and nearly lifted her straight out of her socks.

“I have the afternoon off tomorrow,” he said, grinning at her. “I was thinking, since you’re a hometown girl, that perhaps we could go on a drive, that maybe you could show me around a bit.”

“Haven’t you already been here a couple of months?” she said. “Because this sounds like another one of your pick-up lines. Are you planning on running out of gas on Lover’s Lane?”

“Never heard of it,” he said quickly and in a deadpan voice. It earned him a smile. “But I’ve been living in the hotel since I got here and I realized that I haven’t really left it, since I was so busy getting everything up and running with the restaurant. But finally, things are where I want them and I feel like I can, actually should, step back a little, see what the team at the restaurant can do without me. So I thought an afternoon off, with you, might be a nice way to test the theory out.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

He shook his head. “If that’s what you want. Or,” he amended, before she could answer, “how about we call it me-asking-a-local-to-show-me-around outing. We can sit next to each other, in the car, and talk to each other, get to know one another.”

“I already know you,” she pointed out, moving down the counter to straighten her jar of homemade granola.

He followed. “True, but I was hoping we could start over. Pretend that all the stuff in the past didn’t happen.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Drea Stein is the author of the Queensbay contemporary romance series. She lives in rural New Jersey – yup, there really is such a thing – with her family and writes in an old barn. Visit her at www.dreastein.com or https://www.facebook.com/DreaSteinAuthor

http://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Two-Queensbay-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00HGWY6LO/

Drea will award a $25 Starbucks card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find her schedule at 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-blast-dinner-for-two-by-drea-stein.html

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Duets and Molly Harper

Emelle will award a signed paperback of MOLLY HARPER with bonus novella DUETS included (US ONLY) to THREE randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Please click the tour banner at the top to see other stops on this tour.

Movie star Molly Harper has it all, beauty, success in her field, and a loving family and marriage to actor Ben Delmonico. Norma Wintz, Molly’s mother, has it all, a lovely life style and two children who adore her, and a respite from the battle against cancer she’s been fighting. Anne Sullivan, at age fifty, is optimistic that her move to sunny Santa Barbara, California, will allow her to be closer to her youngest son and his family, and help her start her life anew after the death of her beloved husband.

But all three of these women, despite their considerable blessings, are plunged into turmoil when the most intimate of secrets that ties their lives together is revealed. At this same time, Molly Harper is confronted with the news that her marriage to actor Ben Delmonico is over. As she navigates this heartbreak and tries to keep the personal details of the drama off the front pages of the newspapers, Molly must also find a way to once and forever negotiate a way forward with her ex- lover and best friend, the volatile and compelling Cruz Morales.

How each of these characters handles the resulting upheaval in their own life, and in their relationships with one another, forms the compelling story of family, secrets and trust in the romantic women’s fiction novel, Molly Harper.



DUETS offers alternating looks into the lives of two women who would seem to have little or nothing in common.

Screen star Molly Harper has it all…beauty, success in her profession, a loving family and an upcoming marriage to actor Ben Delmonico. But as Molly is on the verge of marrying the man who has swept her off her feet, she still wonders if he hasn’t swept all her feelings for her first love away, Cruz Morales.

A handsome and cerebral college professor, Molly and Cruz have an on-again, off-again history stretching back to Molly’s early teen years. He’s not a man who a girl can ever forget about, and his feelings for Molly are equally conflicted.

Anne Sullivan, happily married for twenty-five years, is fighting to hold onto the man she loves, and hold off a confrontation that could shatter her family’s image of what they are. It involves the beautiful screen star and her mother, upper crust matron Norma Wintz, who Anne has traveled to California to meet under the most dramatic of circumstances.

Duets confronts the most intimate type of family secret that ties these two women’s lives together, just as chance events turn Molly and Anne’s worlds upside down.

Enjoy an excerpt from DUETS:

Anne Sullivan looked down at her watch.

One twenty-one p.m. Norma Wintz was twenty minutes late.

Anne leaned back against the banquette and avoided making eye contact with the hovering waitress. She folded her hands together and wondered if her face looked tight as cellophane stretched over a bowl of tuna salad. That’s how it felt.

I shouldn’t have come. She glanced around the unfamiliar restaurant. It was all glass and mirrors; chock full of shockingly glamorous Californians surely leading shockingly exciting lives. People who wouldn’t understand why a widow from Potomac, Maryland was breaking into sobs and intruding on their lunch experience.

Which is probably what I’m going to do once Norma arrives, she thought. She had tried to prepare herself for meeting the woman, face-to-face, who had adopted her baby thirty-five years ago, but Anne wasn’t sure she was going to be able to handle it as she hoped.

Calmly. Dispassionately. In control.

Anne’s chest suddenly ached, as if all the emotion she’d suppressed for decades gathered into a knot under her ribs.

I should call the number for Norma Wintz and tell her not to come. Which was a great idea, except she’d left her cell phone in the car. And if she went to her car to get it, she might not have the emotional courage to come back.

To say nothing of the fact that if she walked the two long blocks to where she was parked, there was a good chance she would miss Norma Wintz altogether, and the woman would probably think she was a crack pot.

Anne took another peek at her watch.

One twenty-two.

That’s impossible. It felt as if an hour had passed since she’d last looked at the time.

“Excuse me, are you Mrs. Sullivan?” A waiter, his eyes jade green against his tan skin, smiled at Anne. His name tag read ‘Taj’.

“Yes, I’m Anne Sullivan."

“There’s a call for you.” Taj held out a phone.

Anne pressed it against her head. “This is Anne Sullivan.”

Taj clasped his hands behind his back and smiled at her as if she was a small child on the first day of school.

“Hello, this is Norma Wintz calling,” a voice said in Anne’s ear. “I’m on my way but there was an accident and traffic is wretched. I got no answer on the number you gave me, but I wanted to let you know I wasn’t standing you up.”

“Oh, that’s no problem.” Anne nodded at Taj and repositioned the phone an inch higher on her ear. “I don’t have other plans for this afternoon.”

“Fine. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” The phone went dead.

“Okay. Thank you!” Anne met the waiter’s eyes and wondered how Taj had known to bring it to her.

Norma Wintz must have described me to him. But what could she have said, since we’ve never met? Look for a woman who seems the sort to give up her first-born child for adoption?

Emelle Gamble was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection. These evolved into bad teen poetry and worse short stories. She took her first stab at full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in bed. As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin. She contracted with Soul Mate Publishing for Secret Sister, published in the summer of 2013, and Dating Cary Grant, an April 2014 release.

Once and Forever, an anthology which includes the novella Duets, came out on November 1st. Molly Harper, a full length novel starring the characters from Duets 3 years later was released by Posh Publishing in January, 2014. Duets is now available as a standalone novella. Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her husband, ‘Phil-the-fist’, her hero of thirty years, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. These girls, like all good villains, have their reasons for misbehaving.

Her daughter, Olivia, and son, Allen, are happily launched on their own and contributing great things to society, their mother’s fondest wish.

Review Quotes:

Praise for SECRET SISTER…

“Along with being a very unique and captivating plot, SECRET SISTER offers a shocking turn of the paranormal kind… This is a story of friendship, family, and most of all, true love and what those things can mean. I cannot recommend SECRET SISTER strongly enough… “ Fresh Fiction, Fresh Reviews

DUETS…

"I'll admit I grabbed this book for review more because Emelle Gamble had a story in there - I've loved her significant touch brought to family relationships in a previous book of hers that I've read, and I wanted to confirm if this sort of embroiled-relationships type of tale is really her niche or not. Turns out, it is!" Zee Monodee's Author's Corner reviews MOLLY HARPER…

"MOLLY HARPER ...is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be my last! Ms. Gamble does a wonderful job of drawing these characters and making them just leap off the page." Long and Short Reviews

DATING CARY GRANT…

"Fantasy and reality blend together in this mesmerizing tale from Emelle Gamble…It's not your typical romance, making it a breath of fresh air in a market currently inundated with new adult contemporary romances (which I do love, but need a break once in a while!). I continue to be a fan of this author..." Andi's Book Reviews

Links:

Email: emellegamble@aol.com

Website: www.EmelleGamble.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Emelle.Gamble

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmelleGamble

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7123746.Emelle_Gamble

Emelle Gamble BOOKS:

DATING CARY GRANT book of the month at Long & Short Reviews. eBook exclusively at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/1iiE8Y0

SECRET SISTER… RONE Award Honorable Mention for BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL of 2013 available in audio, paperback and eBook at Amazon http://amzn.to/17J2Bn6

DUETS, a prequel novella to MOLLY HARPER, now available at Amazon http://amzn.to/1cagyNa

MOLLY HARPER, available in paperback and eBook at Amazon http://amzn.to/MOJUXa

MOLLY HARPER and DUETS now available in one Paperback volume! http://amzn.to/1hW6YSj

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Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, two groups of authors who get together on Sunday to share snippets of their work with you. My excerpt today is from my latest release Rest Thy Head. So far we've seen that my heroine left her cheating fiance at the altar, and today she sees Rest Thy Head for the first time.

Rest Thy Head lay at the end of a long driveway bordered
by a white fence. As she rounded a curve in the drive, her car lights
swept across several horses making their way toward a big white
barn.

She rounded one more curve and saw Rest Thy Head for the
first time. Oh my! This place absolutely took her breath away. Even
in the dark she could see the picture in the brochure hadn’t done it
justice. Rest Thy Head looked like a calendar picture come to life. A
small, discreet sign directed her to the parking area.

Blurb:

Running away from a fiancé who betrayed her, Peyton O’Malley finds employment at a beautiful mountain inn called Rest Thy Head. She didn’t expect to live in the haunted room or to fall for the inn’s owner, a fire-scarred, war veteran who uses the inn to hide away from the world. She didn’t expect her sister to show up at Rest Thy Head either, much less her formidable mother. 

Now, thanks to the aid of a friendly ghost, Peyton has a shot at true love, and so does her sister Ashley, provided the guys cooperate of course! 

Find more authors at:
http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Rest Thy Head by Elaine Cantrell

Saturday Sample: Rest Thy Head

Welcome to Saturday Sample. My excerpt today is from my new release Rest Thy Head. In this excerpt my hero Jake thinks about his past.

Jake took his breakfast and went into the office to eat. Peyton
O’Malley was exactly the kind of woman he didn’t need at Rest
Thy Head. She made him think about things that could never
happen again. Running a hand across his face, he reflected that
he’d give a year of his life to look the way he did before he got
burned. Before he went to Afghanistan, both he and Patrick had
had their share of female admirers, and Patrick still did, but no
woman wanted a man with a face like his.

Since no one was around to see and feel sorry for him, he
removed a photograph from the bottom desk drawer. Patrick had
taken the picture of him in his uniform right before he left for Iraq.
He remembered how cocky he had felt. Oh, sure he’d known he
might run into danger, but he had been sure he could handle
anything the insurgents could throw at him.

He hadn’t planned on them throwing gasoline on him and
lighting him up, though. If his buddy Martin Fletcher hadn’t
tackled him and helped him put out the fire he might have died
that day.

A scowl marred his face as he looked at the picture again.
The guy in the picture looked awfully naïve. That guy still had to
learn that life wasn’t good and that cruel, evil men did exist. He
also hadn’t learned that disfigured people did not get a happy
ending like they sometimes did in the movies. His fists clenched
when he thought of the look on Peyton’s face when she saw his
scars. The scars had repulsed her, just as they did everyone he met.

With a sigh, he put the photo back in the drawer. It didn’t do
any good to whine and complain. He should feel grateful to even
be alive. Rest Thy Head and the beauty all around it was still his to
enjoy, and he could still help Patrick make a success out of the inn.

If only his body would forget about things that could never
happen again! No woman wanted a freak, which was exactly what
he had become. Why did Peyton O’Malley, who had the face of an
angel, have to show up at Rest Thy Head and disturb his hard won
serenity? With a snort of disgust, he shoved his plate aside. He had
lost his appetite.

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Rest Thy Head

Operation Owl #OOTour

Please don't miss a word from the author at the end of the post.

Title: Operation Owl

Author: Tara Quan

Publication Date: July 15, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Humor

Synopsis

Five years ago, Maya Jain kissed her best friend only to have him run out of her dorm room and leave the state. When he shows up in Washington, D.C., a wanted fugitive sought after by every branch of the US government, she can’t bring herself to ignore his plight. As their physical relationship picks up where it left off, she decides it’s time to make him see her as more than the bespectacled, bookish girl he once called “Owl.”

After being accused of espionage and treason, Zack Strong needs a forensic accountant to help clear his name. Not knowing who he can trust, this white-hat hacker has no choice but to ask his former best friend and math tutor for help. Together they unravel a cyber conspiracy at the Barn, an NSA facility tasked to intercept electronic communications. But as they traverse the nation’s capital to avoid capture, Maya insists on letting their simmering sexual tension take its natural course. Even though he’s never been able to shake the memory of their one kiss, he refuses to let her give up her life for a man with no future.

Buy Links

Amazon     Barnes&Noble     Smashwords     All Romance     Decadent Publishing

Author Bio

Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, fantasy worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com

Social Media Links

Website     Facebook     Twitter     Pinterest     Google+     Amazon

Giveaway: There is a giveaway for this tour. A $25 Amazon/B&N Giftcard or a Book Depository shopping spree of the same value.

One winner. Open Internationally. Ends 10/6. Void where prohibited.

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A Word From The Author

What do you think is necessary for a book to be funny?

Since I write romantic comedies, one would think it’s easy to make me laugh. But to my TV-watching companion’s continuing dismay, my taste in comedy is very specific. While my poor husband categorizes my problem as an obsession with “cutesy humor,” this affliction is better described as “vicarious embarrassment.”

I’d thought this quirk of mine a unique one until I read an article by Haley Edwards, which lists a number of interesting foreign words with no English equivalent. The word(s) that drew my attention were Fremdschämen (German) and Myötähäpeä (Finnish), which I’d translate as “feeling-ridiculously-bad-for-Michael-Scott-while-watching-The-Office.” The intensity with which I empathize interferes with my enjoyment of the show, so much so I can’t get through certain episodes.

Because I’m far more involved in a story while reading, enjoying a book is very difficult when the humor is at the expense of a character I’ve come to care about. This doesn’t mean they can’t get into awkward situations (the story wouldn’t be fun otherwise). I just need to know with absolute certainty it all ends well, ideally in a happily ever after. This might be why I’m very partial to romances.

If the unfortunate situations the hero or heroine fall into contribute to their overall cuteness (I tried to come up with a different word and failed), in addition to providing comedic relief, then the book gets on my re-read list. Some of my favorite authors—Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, and Kresley Col—masters at making me giggle without crossing the vicarious embarrassment line. When I write, I endeavor to achieve the same effect. 

Royalties

Royalties

by Andy Marx

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

America has never seen anything to match the innovation, energy, romance, and excitement of the 20th Century. And the embodiment of all this is Eve Solomon, a young woman who embraces the vitality of the times with a fervor. Determined to make a name for herself in the fledgling music business of 1908, she ultimately becomes wildly successful. But the same steely determination that takes her to the heights of the entertainment world cannot bring her the one thing she wants more than anything: the love of her life, Alex Getz, a struggling Vaudeville comic who becomes one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. As their careers and lives intersect across the years, there is a price to pay—a royalty for true love that can never be measured.

EXCERPT:

Three little words.

That’s all they were, but every time she heard him say them, they had the same impact.

“Marry me, Eve,” came the voice through the phone.

“Alex, how many times have I heard that from you?” Eve paused to catch her breath. Though almost eighty-five, her bright eyes and delicate face made her look much younger.

“I don’t know how much time I’ve got left, but I want to spend it with you,” Alex said.

Eve sat alone on a couch in the living room of her rambling Beverly Hills home, trying to comprehend what she was hearing. She remembered all the times Alex had proposed, always to have something, usually another woman, get in the way. Hurt at the memory, her thoughts turned to the current Mrs. Getz, his curvaceous thirty-five-year-old former secretary. It had only been five years since they were married.

“Where’s Marcie?” Eve asked, guessing she had probably walked out on him, like the previous three wives. Eve wondered if she’d kept her sanity, something not one of the others managed during their stormy marriages to Alex.

“She’s dead.” He paused and then continued. “I shot the bitch ten minutes ago.”

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

1. What do you think you’re really good at?
1. Writing, photography, playing the piano, and riding my bike 100 miles a day at least once a week.

2.       Do you like to dance?

a.       I’m not much of a dancer. I would much rather play music than dance to it. I can sit at the piano for hours and play. It’s super relaxing and makes me feel happy.

3.  What do you think you’re really bad at?

a. Dancing – see above question

4. Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Two years ago, I never would’ve imagined I would be a published author.

5. Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

No, but I’ve always wanted to write a story about one.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andy Marx is an award-winning writer and photographer, whose work has appeared in Variety, The Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly, among others. He is also the co-founder of the comedy website, Hollywood & Swine, known for its lampooning of the entertainment industry. His paternal grandfather was the legendary comedian, Groucho Marx, and his maternal grandfather, the renowned songwriter, Gus Kahn. Marx lives in Beverly Hills with his wife and three children.

Website:  www.andymarx.comroucho marx, gus kahn,

Blog:  www.hollywoodandswine.com

Twitter:  @andymarx

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1B1pGMu

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1mD2XTR

B&N:  http://bit.ly/1rdkvoW

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/1oVSIJO

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Use the link below to enter. You can follow the tour at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/08/virtual-book-tour-royalties-by-andy-marx.html

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Genre Specific Review Group Blog Hop: Comfort

Please scroll down to see my guest's post after you finish here. The book looks fabulous.

My Grandpa David died in 2002. Until then, my family always had a Sunday dinner. We would all get together and eat a huge meal. We were talking last week about how much we missed it...so this week we revived the tradition after a ten year absence. Fried chicken, green beans, macaroni, rice, biscuits and chocolate cake. The stenciling above my Mom's back door reads "Happy Is the hour that brings us home." Yes indeed.

Welcome to the Goodreads Genre Specific Review Group's September Blog Tour. I'm Elaine Cantrell, today's hostess, and the picture shows my dining room. The young man who wrote the above quote is my son Steve who's seated on the left in a blue shirt.

Our September theme is 'comfort', and let me tell you I thought long and hard about this post. I looked at pretty autumn leaves, went through all my books, and wasted lots of time on Pinterest looking for inspiration, and ultimately, I didn't use any of those sources. I didn't need them because to me, my family is my biggest source of comfort. All the special and wonderful times of my life revolve around those whom I love. I'm so lucky and blessed that all of them live close to me. That's rare in the modern world.  Here's a picture of our annual family picnic. One year we saw an albino squirrel. That's my son and daughter-in-law playing.

In my new release Rest Thy Head, my heroine Peyton expresses how she feels about the man she loves, and it sounds very much like comfort to me. Rest Thy Head released today. Check back next Tuesday for a release party, and join me on Facebook this Thursday at 7:00 pm EST for a Facebook Party. https://www.facebook.com/events/816680041686807/context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=49 

She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Touching you feels like coming home to a house filled with love

after you’ve had a hard day. It makes me feel safe, like the Mrs.

Haynes of the world can’t hurt me because you won’t let them.”

She gently stroked his face. “I don’t see scars either. I see a man

with more sex appeal than the law should allow.” Her arms

sneaked around his waist. “I want you so much in so many ways.”

Rest Thy Head is an Astraea Press release and can be purchased at most online retail outlets. 

Your hostess for tomorrow is: http://www.marilynpeake.com/glasscases.html

Bound by Blood Release Day

Check back next Tuesday for my own release party for Rest Thy Head. There'll be prizes.

Anaiah Press proudly presents BOUND BY BLOOD by Scott Springer, an inspirational romantic suspense novel that releases today!

Julia has accepted the Lord and is busy returning her life to order. She is not ready for love, especially when the new site foreman at work stirs up forgotten feelings. She knows a playboy when she sees one, but to Rick Mercado the attraction between them is surprisingly real. Other girls no longer interest him, and if she wants to play hard to get that's fine with him. Let the games begin!

What he doesn't realize is that her dangerous secret is not a game.

Julia's brother has returned from the street, strung out and in trouble with rival gangs. Loyalty to her brother draws Julia deeper into a world of drug deals and thugs. Rick doesn't understand why Julia won't simply go to the cops, especially once the bullets start flying. As Julia slips further into a world of violence, Rick realizes how easily his heart can be broken. His brain says to run, but his heart isn't listening. It may already be too late.

BOUND BY BLOOD. Love and suspense, heartfelt moments and guns a blazing.

What a killer combination!

 

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

About the Author:

Scott Springer spent his youth playing pretend and dreaming of being a writer. As an adult he worked as a carpenter before becoming a software developer. Having produced much, his two children remain his proudest accomplishment. His wife led him to the Lord, and he’s glad that she did.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads   a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors

Rest Thy Head releases 9/23 from Astraea Press.

 Isn't my new cover beautiful? The cover artist did a super job depicting Rest Thy Head, and she also added the ghost for me. Do you see it? My excerpt today is of course from Rest Thy Head. Remember last week when my heroine left her boyfriend at the altar after he cheated on her? Well, we're skipping a lot because today I just felt like sharing something else. Here goes. Peyton is speaking to Jake.

She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Touching you feels like coming home to a house filled with love
after you’ve had a hard day. It makes me feel safe, like the Mrs.
Haynes of the world can’t hurt me because you won’t let them.”
She gently stroked his face. “I don’t see scars either. I see a man
with more sex appeal than the law should allow.” Her arms
sneaked around his waist. “I want you so much in so many ways.”

Find more lovely excerpts at:
www.wewriwa.com
www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Saturday Sample: Cover Reveal

Rest Thy Head releases from Astraea Press on Tuesday, September 23. I'm having a release party on Facebook on September 25 at 7:00 PM EST. I'm giving away a lot of prizes so you won't want to miss it. I hope you enjoy this excerpt from Rest Thy Head.

Patrick and his horse led the way along a trail that first
wound its way through a large meadow filled with wildflowers in
shades of yellow and white, some of which Reggie ate as she
walked by them. “Uh, Patrick, who was the man brushing the other
horse? The one in the barn.”

“That was my brother, Jake. Did you meet him?”

The wary expression on Patrick’s face told Peyton she wasn’t
the only one Jake had been rude to. “I…no…he…”

Patrick sighed. “Jake was in the marines, and a couple of
years ago they sent him to Afghanistan. His unit was involved in a
firefight with the insurgents. He got burned on the left side of his
body.”

Remorse for all the hard thoughts she’d had toward Jake
flooded Peyton. “That’s awful. I… I hope I didn’t make him
uncomfortable. He must have seen that…”

“Yeah, I know.” Patrick grimaced. “The first time you see
him, it’s startling.”

Peyton allowed Reggie to stop so she could feed on a clump
of grass. “I feel bad for him.”

Patrick’s voice hardened. “Well, don’t. He wouldn’t want
you to, and for goodness sake don’t offer him your pity. He really
can’t stand that.”

“Pity him?” Peyton’s eyes widened. “I think he’s a hero, not
someone to be pitied. He didn’t give his life for his country, but he
gave a lot.”

Patrick favored her with a warm smile. “That’s exactly what
I think.”

Fashionista Friday

Untitled #2472 by gita016 featuring set of 3 vases

Theory black ribbed tank top
farfetch.com

Tweed skirt
maurices.com

Lipsy gold sparkle pumps
$98 - lipsy.co.uk

Crossbody flap purse
sundancebeach.com

Aldo necklace
aldoshoes.com

Alexander McQueen black cateye sunglasses
net-a-porter.com

Set of 3 vase
wayfair.com