Monday, May 30, 2016

Book Feature: You are Here by Chris Delyani


 


Title: You Are Here 
Author: Chris Delyani 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Romance 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

All Peter Bankston ever wanted to do was paint. An aspiring painter, Peter scratches out a pauper’s living in San Francisco, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Instead, he finds himself getting involved with not one but two very different men. Like Peter, getting involved with another man is the last thing on Nick Katsaris’s mind. Smart, handsome, and good-humored, Nick’s done more than just survive—he’s positively thriving in San Francisco. But when he meets Peter, what begins as fun and games quickly turns into a game he can’t control. Miles Bettencourt’s days are filled with longing. For him, San Francisco is haunted by Stuart, his missing ex-lover. Desperate to win him back, Miles wanders the streets in the hope of running into Stuart again. Instead, he runs into Peter—the one man who might hold the key to what Miles is looking for. These three gay men soon form one very unlikely love triangle. Sometimes, when people break apart and then come together, they learn that discovering that where you are is the key to knowing who you are.  

Meet the Author:

In 1993, Chris Delyani moved to San Francisco from his native Boston to devote his life to writing fiction—and he’s been at it ever since. His first novel, The Love Thing, was published in 2009. He lives in Oakland, California.    

Giveaway

Chris is  giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins May 23 and ends on June 3.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 4.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Book Feature: The Early Years by Rachel G. Carrington

     
Inside the Book:
The Early Years

Title: The Early Years 
Author: Rachel G. Carrington 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Biography 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

Author Rachel G. Carrington lays no claim to lofty jobs, higher education, nor grand accomplishments except for a love-filled, multifaceted, family-oriented, poverty-to-plenty life. In The Early Years, the first in a series, she shares her story. As a young teenager, just entering high school in the small town of Denton, Kentucky, Carrington planned to attend college and become a teacher. With coursework geared toward college attendance, she was offered a lucrative scholarship that would help her to attain her goal. However, it took only a single event to send her down a different path. She met a returned World War II veteran who was attempting to pick up the pieces after finding his marriage in irreparable shambles and his children gone. As he struggled, Carrington was there, and they pulled together to clear the many hurdles before them. In this memoir, she tells the story of their journey and how their love and dedication for each other kept moving them forward. Filled with the joys, disappointments, and struggles of a couple, The Early Years narrates how the love of the heavenly Father was the continuous thread that bound Carrington's life together.  

Meet the Author:
Rachel G. Carrington, a transplanted Kentuckian, is a widow, mother of seven and grandmother to three generations. Included with her many other interests, she spends much of her time writing and lives in Hamilton, Ohio and in Honolulu, Hawaii.    

Giveaway

Rachel is  giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins May 23 and ends on June 3.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 4.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: Memoir of a Journey with Mental Illness by M.S. Burke

     
Inside the Book:
Memoir of a Journey with Mental Illness
Title: Memoir of a Journey with Mental Illness 
Author: M.S. Burke 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Biography 
Format: Ebook

M.S. Burke was only nineteen years old when she inexplicably tried to kill herself. It made no sense: She lived a privileged life of yacht clubs, tennis lessons, private schools, and summers in Canada. If you named it, she had it, including an incredible family-with three sisters she adored and two loving, supportive parents. Many years later, she still starts each day with the same question: "Will today be the day that I have another breakdown?" At least she was able to make sense of her feelings after being diagnosed with manic depression, and she shares how she's coped with the condition in this inspirational memoir. With one out of every four people suffering from some form of mental illness, one of the most critical lessons she learned is that if you want to achieve anything in life, you must overcome its stigma. From her diagnosis to her hospitalizations, she reveals how she's refused to let her affliction define what she can and cannot do with the support of family, friends, and psychiatric professionals in Memoir of A Journey with Mental Illness: Treading Water.

Meet the Author:
  M.S. Burke teaches reading and has a master's degree in special education. She lives in Florida with her two children and her love, Tina.

Giveaway

M.S. is  giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins May 23 and ends on June 3.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 4.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: A Massacre of Innocents by Loren Abbey and Pamela Zibura

Massacre of Innocents
   
Inside the Book:
A-Massacre-of-Innocents

Title: A Massacre of Innocents 
Author: Loren Abbey & Pamela Zibura 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: True Crime/Murder 
Format: Ebook

In 1952 on a highway in the small Northern California mountain village of Chester, a local businessman and four small children are carjacked, robbed and savagely bludgeoned. Three of the children are killed. A year earlier, a Folsom gold mine operator had been murdered in a home break-in robbery attempt and five months after the Chester murders, the quiet Southern California city of Burbank is rocked when, during another home break-in, an elderly widow is found bound, gagged and brutally murdered in her own home. Thus begins the terrifying chronicle of the Mountain Murder Mob’s deadly rampage up, down and through the Golden State—from the gritty back alleyways of the Los Angeles suburbs to the forested foothills of the Northern Sierras—a gang of ruthless killers ply their murderous trade by preying on society’s most vulnerable citizens. And behind the scenes, the victims’ young wife and mother copes with the grief of a life turned upside down after her heartbreaking loss. Struggling to build a new life for herself and for what now remains of her devastated family, she leans on her unwavering faith and a deep reservoir of inner strength. A Massacre of Innocents is the previously untold true story of the Mountain Murder Mob’s horrific crimes and how they ultimately paid for those crimes.  

Meet the Author:
Loren Abbey has been a prolific blogger and contributor to a number of periodicals and trade journals. A former Silicon Valley executive, he is now retired, residing in Roseville, California.

Pamela Zibura is a successful realtor and mother of four grown children, She resides with her husband Tony, in South Carolina near the historic antebellum city of Charleston. A Massacre of Innocents is her first book.  

Book Feature: Restoring Patterns by Gabrielle F. Culmer


 

Inside the Book:


Title: Restoring Patterns 
Author: Gabrielle F. Culmer 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Romance 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

Kascey Kann is a focused, cutting-edge fashion designer ready to take New York City by storm. She is in the process of breaking away from her current employer and starting her own clothing line. Meanwhile, her financier boyfriend, Grady Chisholm, is setting up a new IPO. In the midst of their busy working lives in the city and global business commitments, Kascey and Grady find time for relaxing summers in Cape Cod and Monaco. What's more, they are about to formalize their relationship through marriage. Life seems good. But when unexpected setbacks force them to reevaluate their working lives, they must start the process of rebuilding while turning to each other for support. As Kascey and Grady struggle to cling to their principles and triumph in their business endeavors, they rely on their relationship as the foundation for their lives. But are they on the road to success? In this modern professional romance, a hardworking and enterprising couple provide encouragement to one another as they forge a path toward entrepreneurial achievement.

Meet the Author

Gabrielle F. Culmer is a lawyer who holds degrees from universities in New York, Chicago, and the United Kingdom. She is also the author of three other novels-Arrive by DuskDamp Whisper, and A Matter of Keeping-and two collections of poetry: Glenely Bay and Nostalgia from Paris and Blue Streams to Paradise. She enjoys traveling to New York and Europe.

Giveaway

Gabrielle is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins May 23 and ends on June 3.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 4.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: My Left Side by Darlene Linda Jones-Brooks

 

Inside the Book:

My Left Side

Title: My Left Side 
Author: Darlene Linda Jones-Brooks 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Biography 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

  Author Darlene Linda Jones-Brooks has been through a lot in her life—and, strangely enough, many of the worst physical experiences have happened on the left side of her body. When she was thirteen, a cousin accidentally stabbed her in the wrist. As an adult, she got caught in the crossfire of random shooting and lost half her left kidney due to the resulting injury. Later, a severe pain in her left leg led to a diagnosis of lupus, and she developed breast cancer, with the tumor appearing in her left breast. In addition, over the course of her life, she has been a victim of rape and has dealt with her pain using drugs and alcohol—often with damaging consequences. In spite of it all, though, she went back to her first love, her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now she lives her life for the Lord and is steadily growing in his Word. This memoir tells the personal narrative of a woman who has endured much pain and struggle in her life but now turns to God for support through troubles.

Meet the Author:
Darlene Linda Jones-Brooks trained in medicine and holds certificates in medical assistance and phlebotomy. She currently lives in Detroit.

Giveaway

Darlene is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins April 11 and ends on April 22.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on April 23.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest post: "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places" by Urban Fantasy Author Christine Amsden

Some of you may be too young to recall the popular country music song “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places” by Johnny Lee. It came out in 1980, when I was three, and I grew up with it. It's one of those country songs that I think exemplifies the genre – a song about real people and real struggles. It was a song that I think many people can relate to at one point in their life or another.
For Kaitlin, the heroine of my new novel, Kaitlin's Tale, it's her theme song. It fits hero Matthew Blair as well – really, it has to. Otherwise Kaitlin couldn't own the final line of the song: “Now that I found a friend and a lover
I'll bless the day I discover you-oh you
Lookin' for love
(In all the wrong places ...)”
I think it's especially true that when we're young, we know what we want more than what we need. These are not the same things.
Kaitlin wants a fairy tale hero. She wants to be loved for who she is but ironically, won't tell anyone who that is. She's actively afraid of Matthew when she discovers he's a telepath and might really learn the truth about her.
But Kaitlin has very serious problems at the heart of her journey through man after man. She was sexually abused by her stepfather at a tender age and her big secret – that it's really her fault – is the lie driving her life.
It's not really her fault. But she believes it is, as do many, many victims of sexual abuse.
In the end, a telepath is just what Kaitlin needs, even if it's not what she wants.
Telepaths don't exist in real life. Which is why even as I wrote Kaitlin's story, I found myself hoping that others would recognize the real need here – not for a telepath, but to tell someone the truth. Someone who can help. I know you're out there somewhere, but only in a general sense. Nobody can help you if you don't first tell them you need help.
Meanwhile, enjoy the fantasy of one woman looking for love in all the wrong places. She finds it when she's honest.



Title: Kaitlin's Tale
Genre: urban fantasy/paranormal romance
Author: Christine Amsden
Publisher: Twilight Times Books

About the Book:
Kaitlin Mayer is on the run from the father of her baby – a vampire who wants her to join him in deadly eternity. Terrified for her young son, she seeks sanctuary from the hunters guild. But they have their own plans for her son, and her hopes of safety are soon shattered.
When she runs into Matthew Blair, an old nemesis with an agenda of his own, she dares to hope for a new escape. But Matthew is a telepath, and Kaitlin's past is full of dark secrets she never intended to reveal.
About the Author: 
Christine is the award-winning author of the Cassie Scot series, the story of the only ungifted scion of a family of powerful sorcerers. Her latest novel, Kaitlin's Tale, follows the trials of Cassie's best friend as she falls in love with Cassie's arch-nemesis. Christine's other titles include The Immortality VirusTouch of Fate, and Madison's Song.
When she isn't writing, Christine is often editing or coaching other authors. In recent years, freelance editing has become almost as great a passion as writing itself. Plus, it supports her writing habit. Christine is a wife, a mom, and a foster mom. She lives in Olathe, Kansas, just outside Kansas City.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Cable Car Mystery First Chapter Reveal




Title: Cable Car Mystery
Author: Greg Messel
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
Pages: 180
Genre: Mystery/Romance

On the hottest day of the year in San Francisco in 1959, Private Detectives Sam and Amelia Slater are contemplating fleeing the city for their Stinson Beach house. However, when Sam decides to take a cable car ride to run some errands on the lazy summer day, he’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he rescues a woman who fell onto the busy street. Sam pulls the mysterious red haired woman out of the path of an oncoming cable car in the nick of time. The entire incident is captured by a newspaper photographer who splashes Sam’s heroics all over the front page. Sam is troubled not only by his new status as a city hero, but by the rescued woman’s plea for help. She whispers to Sam that she didn’t fall from the cable car but was pushed. She is frightened and disappears into the crowd before Sam can get more details. A San Francisco newspaper launches a campaign to find the mystery woman and Sam hopes to cross paths with her again.

Meanwhile, Amelia is troubled by the sudden disappearance of her elderly neighbor. Two thuggish younger men who now occupy the house next door say he took a sudden trip. One night when she’s alone Amelia grabs a flashlight and finds some disturbing clues in her neighbor’s garage. What really happened to her neighbor? Amelia is determined to find out.

Award winning author Greg Messel spins a new tale of intrigue in Cable Car Mystery, the sixth book in the Sam Slater Mystery series set in at the 1950s in San Francisco.

For More Information

  • Cable Car Mystery is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

THE DARK APARTMENT
May 29, 1959

It had been a beautiful early summer day in San Francisco but the evening fog was rolling in, seemingly pulling a cozy blanket over the sparkling city as 28-year-old Debra Norton returned from her Friday night date with John D’Angelo, a tall, handsome, dark-haired man she had met at work.
It was their first date. He was so unlike the men who had been part of her life in recent years. He seemed kind and gentle. John seemed like just what she wanted in a companion but she reminded
herself it was too early to make such an assessment. It could be the beginning of something good for Debra who, at the urging of her sister, had fled Seattle to make a new start in San Francisco.
John was truly an artist and Debra’s job had been the most unusual experience of her life.

She began working at the wax museum on Fisherman’s Wharf at the beginning of May, where she performed a variety of tasks. Debra had secretarial and clerical duties but at times she was a ticket taker. Over the four weeks she had been at the museum, she had learned enough about various exhibits that she directed patrons and answered their questions. That part was really fun.
John, on the other hand, was the creative talent behind many of the museum’s famous wax figures. He actually created the figures which attracted tourists who visited Fisherman’s Wharf. She’d met John on the first day at her new job, but initially their paths didn’t cross because he was always in the upstairs studio.

Nevertheless, recently, John had been finding excuses to leave his work studio and chat up Debra. A few times she looked up and noticed him watching her.
Now on their first date, John had taken Debra out to dinner. He was very attentive. There were nice little touches many women would probably take for granted, such as pulling out her chair to seat her at the table and opening the car door for her.

After the dinner, they went to the late show at the Embassy Theatre on Market Street and saw “A Summer Place” with Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was just the kind of romantic movie Debra loved but had never seen.

She shared a popcorn with her handsome co-worker. About halfway through the movie, he took her hand. His hands were manly but soft. He held her hand as if it were some delicate object of art which might break if treated carelessly.

They continued to hold hands until he gave her a good night kiss on the steps by the front door stoop near the entrance of her San Francisco-style townhouse apartment building. She seemed euphoric as she began to descend the steps to her second floor apartment. Debra stopped halfway up the steps and turned to look at the front door. She could see John standing outside the glass door watching her ascend the steps. She smiled and waved before resuming her climb up the stairs.
She smiled to herself knowing John was watching her.

Debra’s lighthearted contentment was shattered when she slowly walked towards the door of her apartment. Her sixth sense kicked in. Something just didn’t look right. A little voice in her head told her to bolt and go retrieve John, but instead she pushed ahead.

About the Author
Greg Messel
Greg Messel has spent most of his adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed articles to various magazines. Greg lives in Edmonds, Washington on Puget Sound with his wife Jean DeFond.
Greg has written nine novels. His latest is “Cable Car Mystery" which is the sixth in a series of mysteries set in 1959 San Francisco. “Shadows In The Fog,” ”Fog City Strangler," "San Francisco Secrets," "Deadly Plunge" are sequels to the first book in the series "Last of the Seals." His other three novels are "Sunbreaks," "Expiation" and "The Illusion of Certainty."
For More Information

Giveaway!

Greg Messel is giving away an autographed copy of his book, FOG CITY STRANGLER, & an autographed copy of his book, SHADOWS IN THE FOG!


Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive an autographed copy of his book FOG CITY STRANGLER and one winner will be chosen to win an autographed copy of SHADOWS IN THE FOG
  • This giveaway begins May 2 and ends on June 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on July 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Heat Book Blast! Win $10 Amazon Gift Card!







Title: Summer Heat Box Set
Authors: Caridad Pineiro, Nina Bruhns, Rebecca York, Jennifer Lowery, Taylor Lee, Traci Hall, Stephanie Queen, Alicia Street, Kathy Ivan, Jackie Ivie, Michele Hauf, Rachelle Ayala, Katy Walters, Melissa Keir, Dani Haviland, Jacquie Biggar
Publisher: Chill Out
Genre:  Anthology/Box Set

16 All New Contemporary Romances from NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors. Guaranteed to make your blood run hot. Passion, steamy nights, excitement, and suspense. Something to suit every reader's taste. Grab a cool drink (you'll need it!), find a hammock, and curl up for an unforgettable escape.

1: Caridad Pineiro, Under the Boardwalk - A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love in just one night?

2: Nina Bruhns, Fast and Flirty - The top-secret package STORM Corps transporter Kade Maddox is hired to deliver turns out to be way more trouble—and a whole lot sexier—than he ever anticipated.

3: Rebecca York, Outlaw Justice - Will a surprise reunion with her old lover save her life when she flees from a homicidal husband?

4: Jennifer Lowery, The Fall (Book #2 ATCOM series) - The last thing ATCOM agent Brendan Devayne wants is to settle down, but Mia Lawrence makes him think twice…

5: Taylor Lee, Jared: (Book 1, The Justice Brothers Series) - The rookie cop learned the hard way that when tangling with the Justice Brothers, Justice—like Love-- isn’t always fair or easy.

6: Traci Hall, Festival by the Sea - Al Cooper’s too bad to be a cop and too good to be a crook; Darcy Smith can’t get enough.

7: Stephanie Queen, Beachcomber Heat - This summer’s heat wave on Martha’s Vineyard is breaking records, but so is the crime wave. The combination is causing a wave of red-hot dangerous desire between Dane and Shana.

8: Alicia Street, In Training for Love - When private fitness trainer Shannon meets her hot new client, loving her job takes on a whole new meaning.

9: Kathy Ivan, Sex, Lies and Apple Pies - A televised baking competition brings them together.  But deceit, intrigue and revenge are on this menu.  Can their love survive?
 
10: Jackie Ivie, The Hunted - LeeAnn’s got business in Miami.  Bring on the sun.  Sand.  Sexy men to look at.  The last thing she expects is to be someone’s target.

11: Michele Hauf, The Geek Gets The Girl - Mistaken for the IT geek? This sexy CEO is about to learn the intimate operations of his company—up close, and personal.

12: Rachelle Ayala, Bad Boys for Hire: Ken (Bad Boys for Hire Series, #2) - After Jolie Becker is left at the altar, her friends secretly hire a hunky beach bum to cheer her up.

13: Katy Walters, Sands of Seduction - Clary escaped to a place of sea and sand, a place of passion and seduction.

14: Melissa Keir, Protecting Her Pigg - Arson and fire bring them together, but what will cause the most damage…the arsonist bent on revenge or their own stubborn ways?

15: Dani Haviland, Pool Boy Wanted (No Experience Preferred) - He’d never known a woman before, and that’s just how she wanted him.

16: Jacquie Biggar, Summer Lovin’ - Can two mismatched lovers find a way past their mistakes, or will they keep their lonely hearts forever guarded?

For More Information

  • Summer Heat boxed set is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Summer Heat is also available at Google Play, Kobo,
  • Watch the book trailer for Melissa Keir’s PROTECTING HER PIGG at YouTube.
Book Excerpt:
From Protecting Her Pigg by Melissa Keir

Arriving on the scene, the smell of smoke with the tang of gasoline assaulted my lungs. The building was a total loss. It bothered me to see something once so beautiful destroyed.
“Sir, you can’t be here,” the officer I’d assigned to the perimeter yelled.
Turning toward the commotion, I witnessed a tall, dark-haired man storming toward me with violence in his approach. Sizing up the advancing danger, I threw my shoulders back and met the man halfway.
“This is my building. Who are you, and what do you know so far?” His gravel voice caused goose bumps to form on my skin.
“I’m sorry, Mr…?” Up close, the man took my breath away. His features weren’t “pretty boy” beautiful, but striking. Chiseled chin, full lips, slightly curved nose. Must have been broken at one time.
“Pigg, Lucas Pigg. And you are?”
Caught staring at his lips, I almost missed the question. “I’m Lily O’Neill, chief arson investigator. We don’t know much so far. I’ve only begun my investigation. This wasn’t an accident. It was set with gasoline as the accelerant. The smell is noticeable. I have some questions for you. I’d like to meet you in my office to talk.” No matter how good-looking, Mr. Pigg was my first suspect.


Watch the Trailer!


About the Authors




Sixteen New York Times, USA Today, and International best-selling authors share new stories about Alpha men, Detectives, Sports’ Heroes, and sexy men. These authors write from their hearts and have stories that entertain.
For More Information


Giveaway!

The authors of the Summer Heat Boxed Set are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one blogger who participates in their book blast and another $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky person who leaves a comment at any of their book blast stops!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One blogger will be chosen to receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card and one commenter will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card
  • This giveaway begins April 25 and ends on May 27.
  • Winners will be contacted on May 28 and announced on the author’s tour page.
Good luck everyone!

Monday, May 23, 2016

Book Feature: The Last County Fair by Stan Matthews

 
 
Inside the Book:

Title: The Last County Fair 
Author: Stan Matthews 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Mystery/Detective 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

It is 1967 when a feud begins that could lead to the death of the one-hundred-year-old Chesterton county fair. When veteran reporter Art James is sent to investigate, he immediately delves into a case that will take him six days and hopefully provide him with a much-coveted feature story byline. Bob soon learns that the county is interested in selling the fairgrounds and that there are as many proponents as opponents to the sale. As Art interviews fairgoers, volunteers, and leaders, he unearths a conspiracy to hide the truth from the public until an agreement can be arranged between the county and a trucking firm. While Art's feature articles win him welcome bylines, he becomes even more determined to stop the sham, before it is too late. To complicate matters even further, Art becomes smitten with fair volunteer, Jenny Glen. As the last night of the fair arrives, the future is decided-not just for the fair, but for Art and Jenny as well. In this compelling story, an investigative reporter on a quest to uncover the truth about the demise of a county fair finds love while uncovering a conspiracy led by greed and deception.
Meet the Author:
Stan Matthews is a veteran investigative reporter who has visited scores of county, state, national, and provincial fairs in England, Canada, and America. He has written and produced films about fairs and is the author of several other books. Stan lives in Florida with his wife, Mary Jane.    

Giveaway

Stan is  giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins May 23 and ends on June 3.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 4.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: Musings of a Mad Scientist by David Gretch

   
 
Inside the Book:

Title: Musings of a Mad Scientist 
Author: David Gretch 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Philosophy/Mind and Body 
Format: Ebook/Paperback

What if human nature, in its most primal and innocent stage, is kind and gentle? What if despite the hostility, deception, and corruption of the moment, we earthlings are in fact spirit beings capable of reversion to our innate condition of being a kind and gentle species? If such a synchronous evolutionary leap in consciousness is possible, then past rules can be overlooked as newer and more positive perspectives emerge. Musings of a Mad Scientist attempts to revive an old conversation about what it is to be human, and it peers into our inner world, our inner sanctuary, and the inner quiet-something that scientists don't speak too much about. It explores these questions and answers with passion and a belief in God-something else scientists are not encouraged to do-and it prompts us to fight the exploitation and adverse social conditioning that results in the pestilence of weakness, disease, and economic turmoil. In the mad doctor's own words, "the arresting of adverse social conditioning is required for the solution of a nurturing, non-competitive global culture to optimally materialize." As the gentleness and kindness innate to our being reaches out with a mind of its own and yearns for a connection with like-minded humans, we can have the realization that we are all related in harmony with Mother Earth. This revival of the good spirit of humanity is about our inner selves, our outer connections, and how we should both understand ourselves and act as living, breathing spirits.  
Meet the Author:
David Gretch has doctoral degrees in both medicine and microbiology, and after a successful career in medical research he has turned his critical attention toward society and what it means to be human. A native of Montana, he now resides within the damp yet spectacular forests of the Pacific Northwest.    


Talking Books with Thriller Author Sean Dow



Sean Dow is a pulmonary and critical care physician in Great Falls, Montana. He started writing thriller novels in 2011, and has three titles, one of which, Debridement, is in its second printing and is being made into a feature film.

Sean was born in Iowa City, but was raised on a small farm in Kansas before leaving for medical school, and the adventures beyond. His career was largely in Klamath Falls, Oregon, a town that still feels like home. He did a brief stent in Las Vegas before moving to the paradise of Montana. When not working or writing, Sean can be found in the kitchen perfecting his New York cheesecake, or on the mountain streams with Bailey, his beloved (and perfectly behaved) Mastiff and his favorite 2 weight fly rod-a parting gift from a dear friend and patient.

His latest books are A Leafy Green World and Al-thar.

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About the Book:


A Leafy Green World is a fast paced, action packed thriller set in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Brent Holcomb has moved to Portland in hopes of resurrecting his life and his career. There, he meets Robyn-the girl from his dreams. All is going smoothly until he realizes Robyn and her friends are not what they seem. Now, wrapped up in the murder of an innocent man, and with nowhere to turn, Brent forms a bold plan-a plan that will put him on a dangerous course, aligning himself with domestic terrorists and ultimately, a deeply hidden cell of Islamic terrorists. 

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In Al-thar, (Arabic:revenge) Brent is living a tranquil life on the peaceful Philippine island of Masbate. But the FBI's witness protection plan is not enough when you have destroyed the plans of the world's most feared terrorist group-an assassin is on the way, and his plans are far worse than a simple bullet in the head. 

With the violent destruction of his new island home, Dr. Holcomb is once again thrust into danger, this time on an international level. There are only two outcomes in this new high-stakes match, Brent's painful and public death and the destruction of
America's, or the death of Saadullah Abul Ka-beir, and his council. 

Brent brings together his cast of memorable friends from A Leafy Green World as he devises the greatest deception ever imagined. The action goes at a break-neck pace from the
Philippines to Washington, D.C., and from a remote valley in Pakistan to the jungles of Sierra Leone in this novel that has been described as almost too real, and too timely.

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  • Al-thar is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Can you tell us what your book is about?

There are two books. The first, A Leafy Green World introduces us to Dr. Brent Holcomb, a physician who turned his back on a life of extreme privilege when he discovered that his family was involved in a despicable criminal enterprise. Just as things are turning around, tragedy strikes and he is cast into a downward spiral. A move to Portland, Oregon seems to have him put back on path, until he discovers that his new friends are not what they seem, and he finds himself immersed in the world of domestic terrorism. A hidden cell of international terrorists with ties to his family’s criminal roots completes the picture, putting him on a treacherous path.

In the sequel, Al-thar(Arabic for revenge) we are reunited with Brent’s remarkable friends when the terrorists find him in the witness protection plan. An act of extreme violence sets Brent on a path for revenge, one that takes him across the world, and that has incredible risk.

Why did you write your book?

The satisfaction I received from writing my first novel compelled me to push forward with another.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

The main character is Brent Holcomb, the physician who is compelled to right his family’s wrongs and to try to make the world a better place.

Robyn is his girlfriend, the dream-come-true girl who rescues him from a deep depression-that is, until he discovers that she is not the person she seems to be.

Fred-the Labrador retriever. Brent’s affection for this abused animal starts him on a course he could never have imagined.

Tony Rossi, special agent with the FBI. A failed marriage with a devastating divorce, a series of missteps at work and a budding career in alcoholism have Agent Rossi about to be fired. A message from Brent, whose father Rossi arrested years ago has given him one last chance, if only he can convince his friend, and superior, to trust him on a most improbable mission, one he is not allowed to discuss. 

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Some of both. In my first novel, Debridement, readers who know me will recognize several of the characters. In A Leafy Green World and Al-ther, the characters are entirely made up, with the exception of the president, who is based on a real politician.

Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel or do you discover it as you write?

No, the plot unfolds before me as I write, Keeps me in suspense, not knowing how the story will go until I get there.

Your book is set in Portland, Oregon for A Leafy Green World, then on an international scale for Al-thar, but starting in the Philippines.  Can you tell us why you chose this city in particular?

The Pacific Northwest is the center of the animal rights and ecological terrorist movements. Portland has the political landscape to make it credible, and I am familiar with the city. I chose the Philippines for the sequel, though I have never been there. I have, however, met many most wonderful people from the islands, and wanted to honor them in my story.

Does the setting play a major part in the development of your story?

In Portland, yes, it lends itself perfectly to the story, in fact, I couldn’t imagine it taking place anywhere else.

Open the book to page 69.  What is happening?

The head nurse in the ICU is rounding with Dr. Holcomb when he humorously comments that if he ever gets to the point one of their patients is at, that the highlight of the day is having a bowel movement, that he be put out of his misery. The nurse teases him that if he ever got admitted he would be used as a teaching tool for the student nurses to learn the perfect enema.

Is it hard to get a thriller book published?

As an unknown author it is very difficult to get a thriller published through a traditional publishing house.

Is it hard to promote a thriller book and where do you start?

Marketing the novel is far harder to do successfully than writing it. There is a lot of competition out there, and plenty of companies making outlandish promises for marketing, happy to take an author’s money, but frequently shy on results. Social media is the promise, these days, and there are good references out there on how to utilize it, but the learning curve is very steep. However, there is no easy short cut to marketing success, and it requires a constant effort to keep a novel in sales.

Have you suffered from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?

Writer’s block has been my constant companion over the years, and I have come to accept it, and no longer be stressed when it shows it’s ugly face. My most successful way to defeat it is to ignore it for a bit, and do other things. An idea will always come, often at unexpected times, and the writing will usually take off at a feverish pace, after that.

What would you do with an extra hour today if you could do anything you wanted?

Read! I have a stack of books I want to read, but time conspires against me, especially now that I have a puppy!

Which holiday is your favorite and why?

The fourth of July. My family and several generations of friends gather at my parent’s farm for a barbeque and fireworks. My children and I spend hours at the pond, building increasingly sophisticated dioramas on the beach, only to blow them up with firecrackers and smoke bombs, when finished.

If we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?

A quiet place that serves good coffee.

What do you like to do for fun?

I have more hobbies than I can adequately pursue, especially now that I have a Mastiff puppy, but outdoors activities are my passion, especially fly fishing, but I also hunt rocks and edible mushrooms. Cooking is my other main passion, and I nearly have my cheesecake perfected, much to the delight of the nurses in my ICU.

Can you tell us about your family?

My father is a geologist, still working well into his 80’s, with a number of exciting projects underway. My mother is a delightful person, actively involved in her church. I have a brother in Alaska, retired after the downturn in oil prices and ready to enjoy life, and a sister who teaches grade school. I have three children, boys, who all live in Oregon and are a joy to watch ass they grow and mature.

What do you like the most about being an author?

The joy of hearing back from happy readers!

What is the most pivotal point of a writer’s life?

That moment when one decides to commit and start that lifetime dream of writing your first novel.

What kind of advice would you give other fiction authors?

Write!!! The writing process is so enjoyable and fulfilling, there is nothing else like it. Best advice once going is to read and apply the lessons from “Self Editing for Fiction Authors.” Organized by common mistakes authors make(I made every one of them). Finally, hire the best editor you can afford-do NOT let your friends or family do your editing, this is the kiss of death.