The Angel Scroll

THE ANGEL SCROLL

Penelope Holt

 

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

 

GENRE:  Spiritual Romance, Mystery/Thriller

 

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

 

BLURB:

 

ONE ANCIENT PROPHECY, TWO HEARTBROKEN LOVERS, AND A WORLDWIDE SCAVENGER HUNT FOR THREE MIRACULOUS PAINTINGS.

 

After her husband’s death, New York artist Claire Lucas has baffling dreams and waking visions as she channels an enigmatic and healing painting of a holy man in India at the deathbed of a young woman. When widowed antiquarian Richard Markson announces that Claire’s canvas is one-third of three paintings prophesied by the Angel Scroll, a recently discovered Dead Sea parchment, she is pulled into an international scavenger hunt to find the stolen scroll and the paintings it predicts.

 

As she pursues the paintings with Richard across historic and holy sites in America, Israel, and Europe, Claire encounters a series of remarkable teachers. A Buddhist, a Benedictine monk, and a professor of early goddess worship all provide rich explanations for the artist’s compelling and perplexing psychic experiences — until she assembles the incredible triptych and deciphers its inspirational message for the modern world.

 

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

 

EXCERPTS:

 

Excerpt One:

 

In Benares, India, the sweltering night dragged on. Moonlight slid through the bedroom window and bathed the young, Christlike figure who sat cross-legged on the floor. Only a loincloth covered his slender hips, and his long, coarse hair was coiled in a topknot on his crown. He’d been watching the young woman on the low bed for hours. She was feverish, her breathing shallow, as she squinted at him now through half- closed lids. Her husband held her hand and shot the young man a pleading look. “Please let her live. I’m a rich man. I can pay you. I can help the poor of Benares, the poor of India.” 

 

“To thwart death is not to conquer it,” the young master said, and the husband buried his head in the bed’s embroidered cover. In a single, fluid movement, the holy man rose and stroked his host’s bent head, His long, graceful fingers raking the dark hair, slick with perfumed oil, revealing a channel of pale, moist scalp. 

 

Beyond the bedroom, in the narrow hallway, the master found his three companions propped against a wall and dozing. He tapped the closest with a calloused foot, and one by one the sleeping men awoke. “Is she well now?” the tall one asked, stretching. 

 

“She will be dead come dawn,” his master whispered, as the four men stepped into the dusty and deserted Indian night. 

 

The phone rang. Claire woke up and realized her face was wet. She’d been crying again. She eyed the clock—9 a.m. She cleared her throat, picked up the phone, and tried to sound awake. “Hello?” 

 

“You still sleeping?” Claire held the phone away from her ear to stop Deirdre Vetch’s whine from piercing her brain. “You’re coming to the gallery to talk about the painting, right? We must talk.” Deirdre’s verbal pummeling began. 

An Interview with Penelope Holt

INTERVIEW

What are your favorite TV shows?

I’m originally from England. I love classic Englisher thrillers, dramas, or  crime series like “Prime Suspect”, “Killing Eve”, “Happy Valley”, “Silent Witness”, “Marcella”, “Luther”, “Scott and Bailey”.

What is your favorite meal?

I like a simple spaghetti marinara, broiled salmon with vegetables, or chicken tika marsala with chapattis. Don’t make me choose.

If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?

I just finished the first in a series of light romance novels I’m writing, “Women Who Want” series. The first is titled “Polly Wants a Lover”, Inkspell Publishing 2025

Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?

How did you come up for the title of this book?

It’s named after a missing Dead Sea Scroll called the Angel Scroll that was allegedly recovered in the late 1990s but was later thought to be a hoax.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson’s deep-rooted fire for Indo-European culture and Western Philosophy ignites his first novel, The Fate of Our Union, the inaugural piece in a planned series. His work draws inspiration from the national epics The Saga of the Volsungs (Norse), Mahabharata (Indian), Aenid (Roman), Odyssey (Greek), Táin Bó Cúailnge (Celtic), and Shahnameh (Iranian), weaving these rich cultures into original stories featuring fantasy world-building, dynamic characters, and intricate plots and themes. His Wild Hunt of thought breathes life into his spiritual, ethical, and cultural interests, inspiring us all to strive for imperishable virtue.

 

Website: https://www.hhhermannson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HHHermannson

Twitter: https://x.com/HHHermannson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hhhermannson77/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hhhermannson/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214514568-the-fate-of-our-union

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZS7TD5V?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lethal Impulse

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Steve Rush will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo.

The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder.

Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him.

As Neil delves into the heart of the town's secrets, will truth deliver solace? Or will Tess prevail?

Read an Excerpt

Tess set the camera on the rear seat. She pictured the murder scene planned at the barn. “You can thank me when it’s over. I need your help with this next part because the doctor told me I’m not to lift anything over twenty pounds. This leukemia drains me.” She popped open the trunk.

“I heard about your diagnosis.” Vanessa embraced Tess. “I thought about going into oncology once I complete medical school. If I get accepted. That is a long way off. What has the doctor said about your prognosis?”

“We view my future differently. I’m hoping for remission.” Tess gestured to the trunk. “Climb in.”

Vanessa glanced inside the trunk. She retreated two strides. “Do I have to get in there? It looks grimy. Why did you not bring your car?”

“We’re documenting an abduction and murder, Vanessa. We can’t let anybody see my car or you with me. It will ruin the surprise. It’s only until we get to the barn.”

Vanessa clambered into the trunk. Tess swathed towels around Vanessa’s wrists and ankles before she bound them with paracord. Vanessa thanked Tess for the use of towels to prevent ligature marks on her skin.

Tess grinned. “A killer must focus on details, Vanessa.”

About the Author:

Steve Rush is an award-winning author whose experience includes tenure as homicide detective and chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm. He worked with the late Joseph L. Burton, M.D, under whom he mastered his skills, and investigated many deaths alongside Dr. Jan Garavaglia of Dr. G: Medical Examiner fame. His specialties include crime scene reconstruction, injury causation, blood spatter analysis, occupant kinematics, and recovery of human skeletal remains.

Steve’s book Kill Your Characters; Crime Scene Tips for Writers was named finalist in the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Nonfiction and Honorable Mention in the 2023 Readers’ Favorite Awards. Lethal Impulse won the 2022 Public Safety Writing Association’s Writing Competition for an unpublished novel, longlisted in the 2022 Page Turner Awards and joint first prize in the 2020 Chillzee KiMo T-E-N Contest.

Publishing credits:

Kill Your Characters; Crime Scene Tips for Writers, Genius Books, June 2022
Blood Red Deceit, Wings ePress, (thriller) September 2023
After Her Deceit, Wings ePress, (thriller) October 2024
Lethal Impulse, The Wild Rose Press, (romantic suspense/crime thriller) October 2024
Upcoming 2025 releases:
The Shocking Truth (crime thriller) presale 02/15/25, and Deadline 4:59 (crime thriller), Wings ePress

Purchase links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCC8KC8Y/ref=sr_1_1
The Wild Rose Press: https://wildrosepress.com/product/lethal-impulse/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Lethal%20Impulse-
ITunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781509258130
BooksAMillion: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781509258123

Website and social media links:

Website: https://www.steverush.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rush-a20302149/
Substack: https://steverush.substack.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5217876
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/steve_rush

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After the Red Carpet

                                          

                             AFTER THE RED CARPET

Patricia Leavy

 

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

 

GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

 

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

 

BLURB:

 

For fans of Tessa Bailey and Hannah Grace, After the Red Carpet is a feel-good, contemporary celebrity romance about what happens after the fairy-tale beginning as two lovers work toward their own true meaning of “happily ever after.”

 

After legendary Hollywood star Finn Forrester proposed to philosopher Ella Sinclair on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the couple captivated the press and public with their real-life fairy tale. Now they vow to prioritize their romance and live an adventure of their own making. Ella moves into Finn’s Beverly Hills mansion and must adjust to his world. Finn, secretly afraid of losing Ella, is determined to make everything perfect for his betrothed. Meanwhile, Ella wants nothing more than to retain her own identity as they build their new life together. All the while, she is writing a philosophical treatise on love, exploring the question: when we love so deeply, where do we end and where does the other begin?

 

In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Location Shoot, will Ella and Finn finally live the life they’ve dreamed of? See how their epic romance unfolds, after the red carpet.

 

 

Excerpt

 

Finn and Ella strolled down the long red carpet at the famed Royal Albert Hall, arm in arm behind the rest of the Celebration team.

 

“Somehow I’ve never been here before,” Finn said.

 

“Well, you’re in for a treat. It’s extraordinary inside. Concerts here are wonderful.”

 

“I’ll have to get us tickets sometime.”

 

“Funny story about how this place came to be. Prince Albert wanted to create a hall to celebrate the arts and sciences, to bring culture to the people. He died before it was completed, and Queen Victoria insisted it should be named after him. They even wove the letter A into the stairway railings. Then of course she had that obscenely pricey, gold memorial statue created outside, across the road from the hall. She spent the rest of her life wearing black, to show her deep mourning.”

 

“She must have really loved him.”

 

Ella shrugged.

 

“What?” Finn asked.

 

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure she did love him, in her own way, but perhaps it would have meant more to simply realize his vision. He wanted this place to be about the arts, not about him. Love isn’t about gold statues or opulence. The grandest gesture is seeing someone for who they are and honoring what’s important to them.”

 

A Word With the Author

1.     Did you always want to be an author?

 

Yes. I’ve loved creative writing since I was a little girl. My mother recently found some of my first stories, which I also illustrated and bound with old wallpaper and glue to make them look like books. On the back of one, it says I was only six years old. Despite dreaming about being an author for my entire life, I wasn’t brave enough when I was young to pursue it. I didn’t know if I could handle a life full of rejection and critique. Being an artist is tough. So, I took a different career path, became a sociology professor, and found myself writing books anyway, starting with nonfiction. Eventually, I wrote my debut novel and soon thereafter quit my tenured teaching gig and became a full-time author. 

2. Tell us about the publication of your first book.

 

It was a crushing disappointment. It was an edited, nonfiction book I worked on with a colleague. It wasn’t a great process and one day the book showed up at my door with a cover I had never seen. It was dreadful. However, publishing my first novel nearly a decade later was a much better experience. It was scary but exhilarating. Readers were pretty kind to me. My publisher was small and indie. I loved working with them despite the challenges. After that book, I knew I being a novelist was my true calling. 

3. Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

 

I personally know too many authors to pick a favorite in public. A few authors on my current to-be-read stack include Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry, Sarahlyn Bruck, and Jude Berman. 

4. What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

 

Writing every day is the best. I love writing more than anything in the world. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a story world you’re creating. Sometimes I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be able to do this every day. The worst part is the inevitable critique. When you share your art, it’s like sharing a piece of your soul. It’s painful when people don’t respond positively, even though that’s their right, and of course not every book is for every reader. To deal with it, I think it’s critically important to develop a relationship with your books that’s not dependent on anything external, positive or negative. 

 

5. What are you working on now?

 

My novel Shooting Stars Above is the first book in a romance series I’ve written called The Celestial Bodies Romances. It will be out in March 2025 and we’ll be releasing a new book in that series each spring. For fans of After the Red Carpet, Ella and Finn’s story continues in a final book coming out in September 2025 but we’re keeping the title under wraps for now. One tidbit, it takes place decades after The Location Shoot and After the Red Carpet.

 

 

  

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

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Her last novel, The Location Shoot, was featured on Ms. Career Girl‘s “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and was the 2023 Firebird Book Awards 1st Place Winner in 4 categories: Contemporary Novel, Pop Culture Fiction, Romance and Summer Beach Read. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/After-Red-Carpet-Patricia-Leavy-ebook/dp/B0D3FJGP55/ref=sr_1_2

Website: https://patricialeavy.com/

 

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

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where is Love?

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Annie Caboose will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

While walking in the garden one day, Annie, a curious little ant from Hillsville, meets a single poppy flower called Love. They become instant friends, sharing stories, laughing and talking for hours on end. Then one autumn day Annie goes to visit Love, but Love is not there. Remembering the rhyme that Love told her, she sets off on an adventure to find Love.

Love is with you every day.
Love is never far away.
Go search, go find and then you’ll see
All the places Love can be.

But don’t forget to look within
For often, that’s where Love begins.

May Annie’s story inspire anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved being, to look and perhaps still find them within their lives and within themselves.

Read an Excerpt

About the Author:

Annie, a.k.a. the Caboose, is the youngest of nine children. Her loving mother read her lots of children’s stories, including some she wrote herself. Inspired by her mom, Annie wrote her first book, Where is Love? She resides on a lake in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, fascinated by the many birds that live there too.

Website: https://anniecaboose.com
Amazon: https://a.co/d/4MLCYGf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniecaboose/

a Rafflecopter giveaway