Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Jackal's Pride

Title: Jackal's Pride
Series: Seven Deadly Series: Book Two
Author: Michelle Gross
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: December 31, 2018
Despite a near catastrophe, there’s time for a fateful encounter.
Maureen Reaper, eldest daughter of the revered Grim Reaper, avoided an apocalyptic vortex which threatened humanity, but she still has time for bets. She can’t help it thanks to her curse—the sin of pride. Her latest one brings her face-to-face with an entity no one has seen or heard from for thousands of years.
Jackal, an entity created by the Devil himself, has never known the comprehension of emotions until the day a witch cursed him to feel for everything he has killed. Unable to bear the new burden of a heavy heart, he sleeps with no intention of ever waking until someone finds him.
There’s nothing beautiful in their meeting. Enemies by birth, only more so when Maureen straps a collar around his neck all for a bet. She awakens a beast whose every first—every new glare, new craving, and touch has landed upon her.
Then she learns that the one she sought out in a game controlled by pride could be the very one that helps turn the tide back in the Reapers’ favor.
But that’s the thing…
Pride is a bitch, and Maureen is her.
PAST
For me, I was nothing and then I was something.  
        What could I possibly mean by that phrase? I wasn’t born. I was formed by the darkest creature to walk three worlds. Once an angel, now he was far from it.
        He created me and my brethren in seconds from the void. The first was Fear. This entity was a feeder on emotions—more like a terror than anything. The second was Harvest. He was true to his name—a player of faces and a creator of havoc, just like the one who fathered him.
        We were alike in many ways. The Devil gave us pieces of who he was to create us. Fear fed on emotions and killed because it was what he was made to do. Harvest was a little different. He could appear to be anyone depending upon the circumstances. Not only that, he collected people, demons and things and made them different.
        Then there was me.
           Jackal. Shapeshifter. Plague dropper. Wherever I walked, I left behind the most destruction. My body was a channel of deadly diseases. Although, I couldn’t change into any human form, I could shift into any animal or demon. My touch brought upon the very demons the Underworld knew as shapeshifters. A single bite placed upon one demon many moons ago plagued him with my gene. The disease spread like wildfire just like any other damage I caused.
        The three of us were feared throughout the Underworld for very different reasons, but those reasons were what the Devil wanted. He succeeded in us. At least, for a while.
        My tale began where I thought it ended. Just like any other time I stepped into the human world that one was no different. I set out to create a monstrosity to place upon the humans—famine, disease, death. I was a conqueror from the Underworld. A deliverer of destruction who no one knew existed, but everyone had felt in one way or another.  
        The worst part was, I didn’t have to do anything. I just had to walk through a poor village and what I carried, stuck. The result was often instant. One person fell with a disease, and then another while I set back and watched, seemingly without an expression. This was all I knew. All I served and followed—everything I was made for.
        There were no emotions for me. I didn’t feel anything although I saw and witnessed every emotion. The dreadful feelings were to be witnessed every time I watched humans.
        Only I wasn’t invisible to that village. Someone that wasn’t a human at all had recognized my touch, its destruction since she had lived there. Those she had loved and cherished had been there with her. They had been human. The witch had gotten the sickness as well. She had been tiny and frail, but she was the last of her village to take my plague. She knew I watched and waited for days—I know that now because once every heartbeat in the village stopped but hers; she ventured outside of their tents and approached me. I was in a wolf form, and she leaned on my tail as she could barely walk. Her eyes were sunken in and blisters covered her flesh. My plague was mere minutes from taking her heartbeat as well and she used it to get to me.
        “You must be the infamous Jackal.” She coughed several times, never bothering to cover her mouth. “Death bringer that the Devil has created. A mutiny, you are…” When I was unmoved by her words, she tilted her head at me. She saw something then, recognition dawned over her sunken features. “You don’t even know. Your eyes may let you see but you miss everything. You know nothing, nor do you feel it. Today that changes.”
        I never moved from my spot. I never knew to be wary of what was to come. In my eyes, the witch was at death door and I stood by waiting for it to claim her.
        “There are 137 people you have killed from this village. I went ahead and counted my own.” She swayed but righted herself as she rubbed the blood she coughed up over her chest. “That is 137 hearts. Your time of ignorance is gone, Jackal. If you shall kill, you shall feel it from now on. For every life you’ve stolen and every pain you’ve caused, you will know it—you will live it. I give to you a curse that may one day become a blessing. Live with 137 hearts, feel pain 137 times over, feel fear and regret and heartbreak for every one of my people.”
        Just as the witch uttered those words, she slumped forward and landed on top of me. Her weight became the significant turning point she had burned into my  soul. My wolf form slumped forward, and I whimpered as I scooted myself out from underneath her lifeless body.
        Something raw, so untamed and intense, caused a fever deep in my lungs. I couldn’t breathe through it. It was unbearable. I was in pain—I knew what pain looked like. I saw the agony it brought to people, but it was never known to me before. Even with bleeding wounds, I felt nothing. And although there was nothing physically wrong with me, I could feel the agonizing fever crawling through me. Their pain. I could hear them. One hundred thirty-seven hearts beating furiously out of sync with each other. Blinding rage, sadness, agony, and death take over me.
        For an entity who felt nothing, I suddenly felt everything, and it was too much. The overload shifted my form into a whimpering pup.
           Make it stop.
        I can’t handle this. To feel. I don’t want to. I’ve never wanted to. Never been curious.
           But I did feel. One hundred thirty-seven fates flashed before my eyes. One by one their memories shifted through mine. I saw the moment they became sick, and  witnessed their loved ones die. I heard and lived their final thoughts before their ragged breaths ceased. I felt their loss like it was mine. Then came the torment from the survivors. I experienced every agonizing plea and desperate thought before death stole each life. Over and over to the point where I couldn’t decipher between my thoughts and theirs, and then I remembered my emotions were a rarity at best before.
        None of them were mine.
        Their anger was directed at me because of what I did. Foreign emotions tormented me. I tried to walk away but stumbled. Beat down by nothing but feelings.
        I didn’t know how to appease them or ease my newfound guilty conscience. I could only port back to the Underworld where I passed out. While I slept, I realized that emotions could no longer reach me, so I found a cave hidden far from roaming demons and put myself to sleep with no intention of waking.
        For thousands of years I slept while the Underworld and the human world shifted and changed while I forever remained unaffected.
        Until someone finally awakened me.
Michelle is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky where opossums try to blend in with the cats on the porch and bears are likely to chase your pets—this is very true, it happened with her sister’s dog. Despite the extra needed protection for your pets, she loves the mountains she calls home. She has a man and twin girls who are the light of her life and the reason she’s slightly crazy.
As a kid, she was that cousin, that friend, that sister and daughter, the talker who could spin a tale and make-believe into any little thing so it was no surprise when she found love in reading, and figured all these characters inside her head needed an outlet. They wanted to be heard, so she wrote.
The voices keep growing faster than she gets the time to write. 
The stories are never going to end. That’s perfectly okay, though. We never want to stop an adventure. 
She writes and loves many different genres so sign up to her mailing list to keep updated on her releases!
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Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Beyond the Book: Turnaround Farm


Welcome to Beyond the Book. Turnaround Farm which is one of my all time favorite books released September 1 for Wings ePress. I thought today I'd share a blurb and a short excerpt with you. If you're interested in the book, you can get it at



Blurb:

Dedicated career girl Holly Grant has no time for romance. She doesn’t need a man to complete her, thank you very much. Building Grant Realty takes all of her time and attention. If she can close a deal for Turnaround Farm her business will take off like a rocket. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen.

Last Week

“It’s okay. Don’t make such a fuss about it.”

“I said, take off your shirt.”


Dan scowled and unbuttoned his shirt. “Oh, all right.

You won’t let me eat in peace until I do.”

Jeb studied the bloody hole in Dan’s back as intently 
as any doctor would have done. “It isn’t too bad. You’ve bled a good bit, so the wound has cleaned itself, and your tetanus shot is up to date.”


This week: We've picked up where we left off last week.


Monday, October 29, 2018

Ribbon of Light


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Claire Yezbak Fadden will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Julie Rafferty’s life-long dream is within her grasp. But just as the toy company she founded verges on becoming a multi-million-dollar enterprise, her husband abandons their marriage.

Trevor had no choice but to walk away from Julie. How else could he show his wife that the business was her priority, not him and their three children? His drastic stunt backfires though, jeopardizing the family business and seemingly pushes Julie into the arms of a younger man.

Just when Julie and Trevor find their way back to each other, a ruthless competitor escalates a bogus lawsuit. Together they plot to reclaim control of the toy company, only to uncover a shattering betrayal that puts them in unimaginable danger.

Can they overcome their dreadful mistake and reclaim the passion, trust and commitment that once drew them together? Or will the greed of an evil man irreparably destroy everything they hold dear?

Read an excerpt

Before Julie placed her purse on the desk, Leanne handed her three phone messages, two from Gary and one from a local reporter.

“Oh, and I thought you might want to read this,” Leanne handed over an article printed off the Internet. “After your meeting with Bennett Burnside, I remembered reading this from two years ago.”

The story recounted the case of a family from Georgia. The parents of a ten-year-old had won $100,000 in compensatory damages and $9.9 million in punitive damages in a lawsuit against MaxOut Toys. The suit claimed their son permanently lost partial use of his right hand after playing with BlastAway, a handheld video game manufactured by the start-up company. The article read in part:

“Because of their negligence, this young lad is unable to perform any of the normal activities a boy of ten would enjoy,” their attorney said, arguing that MaxOut management knew the dangers of overuse of their product and was required to provide consumer warnings. “Young Benji is now designated as a special needs student. On the Little League field, Benji can’t pitch, play first base, or even bat properly.”

Julie remembered Mort Gunther’s appeal to the ruling. An appellate court upheld the original judgment, forcing the fledgling toy manufacturer to file for bankruptcy.

Funny. She hadn’t seen Mort since he lost his company…until he introduced her to Bennett Burnside.

Leanne handed Julie a copy of another news item dated months later from the Global Business Briefs section of the Wall Street Journal, announcing Game Masters’ acquisition of bankrupt MaxOut Toys for an undisclosed amount.

An icy surge ran down Julie’s back. She set the papers on Leanne’s desk and clenched the journalist’s phone message in her hand.

Roberta Perkins, San Marcel Mercury News. Please call before 2:00 p.m.

Julie recognized the name and the same byline on the patent-infringement lawsuit article.

While placing the call, Julie licked her lips, a nervous habit she had since a child, waiting for the phone to connect.

“Ms. Rafferty, thank you for returning my call.” Roberta Perkins’s monotone voice replied. Julie pictured her more as a Helen Thomas-style journalist than a wide-eyed Lois Lane.

“An unnamed source on the San Marcel Narcotics Task Force claims the US attorney’s office is requesting a court order to confiscate your company files. Would you care to comment?”

Julie collapsed in her chair, her legs no longer able to support her. “What did you say?”

“Is FunWorks actually a front for money-laundering?”

“I don’t understand the question,” Julie said, her voice shaking.

“It’s the first step before the Narcotics Task Force initiates an investigation,” the reporter said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Nervous energy soared through Julie’s veins. “The Narcotics Task Force? What is this all about?”

“The task force received a tip that FunWorks launders money for drug traffickers.”

“What a ridiculous allegation.” Julie’s pulse quickened, and her hand flew to the silver crucifix dangling on a thin chain around her neck. She fingered the cross and took in a deep breath.

“May I quote you?”

“Quote me? For what?”

“For the article I’m working on. You did know you are under investigation?”

Julie didn’t respond.

“In my experience, allegations of federal law violations are taken very seriously by the United States Attorney, especially Del Evans’s office,” Roberta said, suddenly sounding supportive. “If I were you, I’d call my attorney.”

“I have no comment about the allegation,” Julie managed to say. “I will remind you, though, that a libel suit can be very expensive. In my experience, newspaper publishers fire irresponsible writers whose sloppy work costs them money.” Julie disconnected the call and threw the cordless phone across the room.

Now those jerks had gone too far.

She retrieved her phone.

Twenty minutes later, after waiting on hold, a clerk in US Attorney Del Evans’s office informed her that Mr. Evans was unable to take her call. The clerk couldn’t say anything about the allegations, but she confirmed that contacting a lawyer would be a good idea.

“How long do these investigations take?” Julie asked.

“Hard to say,” the droning voice replied. “Every case is unique. When it’s connected to money, sometimes the IRS and the DEA get involved.”

Julie held the phone receiver near her ear for a minute or two listening to the dial tone.

The IRS and the DEA?

Burnside wanted FunWorks so much, he sicced the Feds on me. Why? About the Author:When she’s not playing with her granddaughters, Pennsylvania native Claire Yezbak Fadden is writing contemporary women’s fiction. Her books feature strong women who overcome life’s challenges, always putting their families first.

There's a special spot in Claire's heart for carousel horses – quite possibly the result of watching “Mary Poppins” 13 times as a young girl. She loves butterflies, ladybugs and confetti! Just ask anyone who's received a birthday card from her.

The mother of three lives in Orange County, California with her husband, Nick and three spoiled dogs.

Claire’s work as an award-winning journalist, humor columnist and editor has appeared in more than 100 publications across the United States, Canada and Australia. Ribbon of Light is the third novel in her Begin Again series. 



Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZTZK3T/ref=sr_1_1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ribbon-of-light-claire-yezbak-fadden/1129446496
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/892576
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ribbon-of-light
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41578682-ribbon-of-light
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ribbon-of-light/id1434756246?mt=11

Follow Claire http://www.twitter.com/claireflaire
Email her at claire@clairefadden.com
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Join her mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cclBRv.
Woman@Heart Blog. https://clairextraordinaire.wordpress.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Sweetest October


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Megan Slayer will be awarding a prize pack featuring a necklace made by the author and a signed swag pack to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Love and Halloween are an odd couple, but they can be the best means to heal a broken heart.

Allison Prince never planned on leaving her job with the Waite Gazette, but when the chance to discover her past comes along, she can’t say no. She’s determined to learn about her grandmother and make the advice in her column more relatable. With her rescue dog, Woofy, beside her, she sets out to learn as much as she can about Hallowsville, Ohio.

Erik Greene doesn’t believe in love and isn’t fond of Halloween. He’s convinced his broken heart won’t heal—until he meets Allison and visits the local animal shelter. He doesn’t want a journalist snooping around Hallowsville. But Allison isn’t all she seems and the pup at the shelter proves love is possible.

Can he open his heart to new opportunities and chase the love of his life? Or is he destined to be the Dandy Devil of Hallowsville all alone?

Read an Excerpt:

©2018 Megan Slayer, All Rights Reserved

Margaret returned. She slid the tray of unbaked cookies into the hot oven. “I noticed we have a new addition to town.” She stood. “Seems like a nice girl.” She offered up a cardboard box. “Here’s the other coil.”

“Thanks.” He opened the flaps. “Margaret, please don’t try to fix me up with Allison or Ella Mae or anyone else.”

“Who said I did that?” Margaret set the timer. “Did she say something? That girl. I asked her to help me today. I’m behind, not trying to find you a date.”

“Then I’m sorry.” He bolted the new coil into place. He didn’t understand why the people of Hallowsville wanted him to move on. The break-up with Tracey just about broke him. He didn’t want another girlfriend. Yes, Allison was pretty and if she hadn’t been a reporter, he might have asked her out for one night. But Allison had the power to embarrass Hallowsville if she desired and to make her name with the article. Maybe he was in the wrong, but he didn’t want to see his town shamed by an investigative reporter.

“Almost done?” Margaret asked. “I could use the extra space to do double batches and catch up.”

“Yeah.” He finished the last connection, then backed out of the cavernous space. “Try it. If we have heat, you’re in business.”

“Awesome.” She twisted the knob and the coil glowed. “Works. Yes.” She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”

“It’s all in a day’s work.” He brushed the flour off his knees and stood. “Get those cookies done, but I expect a freebie when I come through during the parade.”

“One?” She laughed. “How about a dozen? You can take a few to the new girl and make a better impression.” She paused. “Yes, Delilah said you were a tad brusque.”

“I might have been.” He shrugged. “She threw me off my game.”

“I know.” She elbowed him. “Have you been down to the animal shelter lately?”

“No.” Should he?

“My sister says there’s a new dog there that might be up your alley. Shy little thing. Sweet-natured,” Margaret said. “I know you want a guard dog, but this one is so adorable.”

“A small dog?” He hadn’t put much thought into adopting a dog. He had his work at the welcome center. Would a dog fit in? Wreck the place? Was he ready for a companion? Would having a dog impress Allison? He paused. What was he thinking? He didn’t have to impress her and shouldn’t be considering such.

“Just go down there. Check out the dogs. One will speak to you.” She rubbed his shoulder. “Promise, but you have to go. Please?”

“Will do.” He grabbed his tools and headed out of the bakery. Take Allison cookies? No way. He refused to get close to a reporter—no matter how much he might like her. Not a chance. Go to the shelter? Why not? What could go wrong?

About the Author:
Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm. Sign up for the newsletter here: http://ymlp.com/xgjmjumygmgj .

Website: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm
Blog: https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com
Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Slayer/e/B008BJCFSC
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/megan-slayer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5330530.Megan_Slayer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MeganSlayer

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GV43J1Q/
Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/u/3G97vr
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sweetest-october-megan-slayer/1129446661
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sweetest-october
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-sweetest-october/id1434747968?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

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Saturday, October 27, 2018

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors


Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more excerpts at:

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Turnaround Farm is a kindle unlimited title available at https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/

Blurb:


If up and coming realtor Holly Grant can buy Turnaround Farm for her client, her business will boom. Who says you have to have a man in your life to complete you? She’s fine as she is thank you very much. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen. 

Excerpt: Chapter One
Last week

“It’s okay. Don’t make such a fuss about it.”

“I said, take off your shirt.”


Dan scowled and unbuttoned his shirt. “Oh, all right.

You won’t let me eat in peace until I do.”

Jeb studied the bloody hole in Dan’s back as intently 
as any doctor would have done. “It isn’t too bad. You’ve bled a good bit, so the wound has cleaned itself, and your tetanus shot is up to date.” He removed a first aid kit from the cabinet over the refrigerator and doused a gauze pad with antiseptic. 

This Week: We begin where we left off last week. 

Saturday Sample: Turnaround Farm


Welcome to Saturday Sample. Today I'm sharing an excerpt from my new release Turnaround Farm. Turnaround Farm is a Kindle Unlimited title available at https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/


Blurb:
If up and coming realtor Holly Grant can buy Turnaround Farm for her client, her business will boom. Who says you have to have a man in your life to complete you? She’s fine as she is thank you very much. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen. 

Last Week.
Dan was eighteen at the time of the accident. He hadalways planned to study architecture, but they didn’t have the money for college. He had needed Dan’s help to keepthe farm anyway. His hands fisted. What a colossal waste. Dan had never complained though. The two of them had taken over the running of the almost penniless farm and begun the long, arduous task of repaying Kyle’s debts and
getting the farm on a sound financial footing. It had meant long hours of backbreaking toil in all types of weather.


This Week: We continue where we left off last week.


The Last Resort Motel: Room 666

Title: The Last Resort Motel: Room 666
Author: Geri Glenn
Genre: Romance Thriller
Release Date: October 23, 2018
Unappreciated. Lonely. Betrayed.
Shelby Sanders’ life had never been much to brag about. An alcoholic mother, a rusty old trailer, and not a hope in the world to change any of it for something better.
That’s why she left. That’s how she ended up at the Last Resort Motel. And that’s how she finds herself on the set of one of TVs hottest paranormal investigation shows.
Garrett is the host of Paranormal 911. He’s hot, broody and as protective as he is standoffish. He invited her along to that ghost town with a cocky smile and a kiss that made her heart stutter. But neither of them ever dreamed something would follow them home. Something evil. Something neither of them can see.
Now Shelby’s in real danger and Garret can only pray he knows how to save her before she ends up dead. Or worse.
Geri Glenn is the international best-selling author of Kings Of Korruption MC Series. 
Geri and her family just recently bought their dream home in her hometown of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. She is a military wife, the mother of two gorgeous, but slightly crazy little girls, and is a full time writer of the ultimate alpha male.
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