Spring Countdown Blitz Day 7

Liz McCraine is an outdoor enthusiast, military spouse, and mother. She loves to ride horses and go hiking with her family. When she isn't writing or corralling children, Liz enjoys relaxing with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. Her motto is: If it doesn't have a happy ending, I don't want to read it.

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Fairy tales are not a thing of the past.

In the kingdom of Aggadorn, seventeen-year-old Larra Stoneworth of the village of Farr discovers she has a strange magical power. But the law for humans having such magic is simple: death. When word of Larra’s gift reaches the palace, the king’s son is sent to capture her and bring her to trial. During their journey from Larra’s small village to the city, Larra faces dangers unlike any she has ever imagined. Though Larra’s magic may seem a threat to some, another far more sinister threat emerges that endangers the life of everyone—even the king himself.

An innocent girl with powers she didn’t know she had. A noble prince sent to imprison her. A powerful counselor gone mad with jealousy. An evil plot. A death sentence. And above all, the strength of one young woman to do what is right, no matter the consequences. 

Pick up your copy today!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019PI585Y
 

Snippet 2:

“Wait, please!” she screamed, desperation finally giving her the voice she needed. “Christoff, don’t do this!”
She watched as the prince jerked to a stop and turned around. He raised a fist in the air and immediately the two guards dragging her away stopped. He approached, striding unhesitatingly across the courtyard until he was within inches of her. Larra could smell the familiar scent of leather and horses that clung to his skin, and something else that was uniquely his. She inhaled deeply, knowing she might never get this close again. She searched his eyes, hoping to find a crack in the brutal armor he had secured around his mind and his heart.
“Christoff, please…”
He held up a hand to silence her. Leaning forward, he lowered his face to hers until they were practically nose to nose. In a deep, frighteningly quiet voice, he spoke only a few words.
“Do not call me by that name. You do not have the right… witch.” He glanced over her in disgust before turning on his heel and stalking away.
Larra felt like someone had shot an arrow into the center of her heart. It stopped beating and a searing pain spread throughout her body with such intensity that she couldn’t breathe. Her vision grew fuzzy and dark, and she was only vaguely aware of being dragged through the door and into the night.
She didn’t feel the unevenness of the stone path beneath her feet as she was taken away. Nor did she feel the bruising fingers pressing into her arms or see the glow of the torch that signaled the entrance to the dungeon. She didn’t hear the slam of a steel door shutting behind her as she was caged for the final time. She didn’t hear anything. Didn’t see anything. She simply… withdrew.

And let's look at some Q&A's with Liz!

5.      When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author? I didn’t really start writing until after the birth of my second son. My husband and I had just moved across the country so he could attend medical school. He needed the car every day, and I was left at home with two young children and no means of transportation. There weren’t even sidewalks where we lived! To exercise, I would go next door to the cemetery and push the double stroller between the rows of tombstones. This continued for four years. Being home all the time, I needed an outlet for my energy and frustrations. Writing was that outlet, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
6.      Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? One of my favorite characters in The Witch’s Reward is an impulsive girl named Kiera. I am currently working on her story, Beyond the Sands. In it, Kiera’s father is killed by man-like creatures called carnies. Hot-headed Kiera is determined to have her revenge, but to do so she must cross the Great Bavarri Desert—something no one has done before. There are heaps of danger, adventure and romance. For all her flaws, Kiera is a strong, courageous heroine, and a fun character to write.

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Spring Countdown Blitz Day 6

Eighteen-year-old Lucy doesn't know why she's haunting Springett Hall in Victorian England. All she remembers of her life is that she was trying to fix a terrible mistake. Now, a necromancer's plans threaten everyone in the house--living and dead--and her only hope of stopping him is enlisting the help of a servant named Philip--the one living person who can see her. But as Lucy delves into the mystery surrounding her death, she realizes Philip may have secrets of his own.

~ AMAZON ~ BARNES AND NOBLE ~ 

~ BOOKS AND THINGS ~

E.B. Wheeler grew up in Georgia and California. She attended BYU, majoring in history with an English minor, and earned graduate degrees in history and landscape architecture from Utah State University. She's the award-winning author of THE HAUNTING OF SPRINGETT HALL and BORN TO TREASON (May 2016), as well as several short stories, magazine articles, and scripts for educational software programs. She lives in the mountains of Utah with her husband, daughters, various pets, and as many antique roses as she can cram into her yard. If she had spare time, she would spend it playing harp and hammered dulcimer, gardening, hiking, shooting archery, knitting, and reading.

Q & A the Author:
1.      When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
I've been writing as long as I can remember, and I'm sure it helped that my parents read to me and sometimes made up their own bedtime stories (often with input from us kids), but I think it was Lloyd Alexander who made me want to write seriously. As a kid, I sent a letter telling him how much his books inspired me, and he wrote a really encouraging note back. I decided then I wanted to be like him (I'm still working on it).

2.      Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?

I have a couple of projects in the works. My Renaissance historical fiction, Born to Treason, comes out in May, and I'm co-authoring a World War I novel, No Peace with the Dawn, scheduled for release in November. I have a Victorian fantasy about a group of outcasts fighting the Faerie Queen that's out on submission now, and a book about a treasure hunt making its way out of the rough draft stage.

Connect with the Author:

~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ BLOG ~ WEBSITE ~

Snippet 2:

“Sunset,” Philip hissed.

A breeze stirred, whirling the dust into a funnel that glittered in the last light of day. How could something so beautiful exist in a place so foul? I glanced at Philip, hoping to share the moment, but his face was buried in his sleeve.

“Mr. Ketley?”

“It stinks, like sulfur and rotting meat.”

A rat dashed out of a dim corner and fled for the library.

The colors faded and the dust turned gray. The twirling breeze centered over the altar. The darkness beat like a pulse, flashing a black so deep it stung my eyes. I couldn’t imagine Philip not noticing it, but he scrambled to gather the papers from the floor and Sir Jason’s desk. 

Dark mist materialized in the silver outline, thickening with each pulse, until the air in the circle roiled with black fog.

“Mr. Ketley!”

He glanced at the circle and swore. “Get out!” Scooping another armful of papers, he fled the room.

The black fog bubbled like a pot coming to a boil.

I hurried after Philip, grasping to pull the bookcase shut behind me. My hands slipped through. I covered my mouth, helpless to do anything against the darkness building within the circle.

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Spring Countdown Blitz Day 5

Lucinda Whitney was born and raised in Portugal, where she received a master's degree from the University of Minho in Braga in Portuguese/English teaching. She's a cancer survivor, and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Salt Lake Temple Square Visitors Center mission in Utah.

She lives in northern Utah. When she's not reading and writing, she can be found with a pair of knitting needles in winter, or tending her herb garden in the summer. She also works part-time as a substitute teacher.

Visit her website at www.lucindawhitney.com 

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Sometimes the dream you never planned for is the one you can’t live without.

Six years after a painful divorce, Josh Conrad is happy traveling the world as a photographer. When he arrives in Portugal, he plans to complete the assignment as quickly as possible. What he doesn’t plan for is Sofia, the girl he baptized eleven years earlier on an LDS mission, and soon he’s making excuses to prolong his trip.

Sofia Monteiro leads a structured life in Braga, Portugal, teaching high school by day and caring for her mother by night. After she reconnects with Josh through mutual friends, the memory of a failed relationship and her new graduate program are enough reasons to stay away from him.

As they collaborate on a project, Josh is wary of repeating his old mistakes and Sofia hesitates to spend time with an American who’s only passing through.

Can two people with wounded hearts bring themselves to trust their dreams to each other? 

 Grab you copy today!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017L7G78I
 

A few Q&A's with the Author!

5.      When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
I started writing poetry in 9th grade, but my first real effort for writing a novel was in 2012 (for NaNoWriMo). My mom's love for books was a big influence for me.

6.      Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?
Yes, I'm currently working on the outline of my second novel. This is a project I stared a little over two years ago. I wrote 1/3 of it, but then stopped to finish Josh and Sofia's story. This story is about Simon, an American professor of literature who has lived in England for almost half his life. He comes to Portugal as a guest lecturer at the university in Braga. He meets Isabel, a Portuguese girl who housekeeps and cooks but doesn't have any plans for a college education. The grandmother who raised her passed away in the past year and Isabel is still struggling with it. It's a contemporary LDS romance and I'm hoping to publish it later this year.

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Spring Countdown Blitz Day 4

A citizen girl someone’s trying to kill. A hot military slave with a mysterious past. A dangerous game that changes everything.

In futuristic America, everyone wears a number. Treena's as ready for Rating Day as anyone can be—she's a top contender in Level Three school and has a highly-rated boyfriend. But when her number is announced, it shocks everyone.

To get her life and boyfriend back, Treena must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and gorgeous brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

If you love futuristic thrillers and dystopian sci-fi adventures, you'll love this action-packed mystery with a dash of romance for fans of Suzanne Collins,Veronica Roth, and Ally Condie. This is the first book of the #1 Bestselling Numbers Game Saga.

"Gripping, from beginning to end . . . a tale as action-packed as Divergent yet as introspective as The Giver. . . . Sure to be an instant classic in the genre."
–R.J. Craddock, author of The Children of Cain series

"Best dystopian fiction I have read since Red Queen!"
-Sheri, Reader  

 

REBECCA RODE is an award-winning author, journalist, and mother of four. She is the author of the YA dystopian novel, NUMBERS GAME, and the inspirational book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES. She also writes for Deseret News, KSL.com, FamilyShare, and Provo Daily Herald. However, her true love is writing for teenagers. She enjoys traveling, reading, and martial arts, and she has a ridiculous addiction to chocolate-banana shakes.

Facts About the Author:

1.    When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?

I started writing as soon as I could hold a pen. There is a specific author I admired, though. His name was Chris Heimerdinger. I actually wrote him a letter as a kid, asking questions about getting published and the writing process. I think I was like ten or eleven. He sent back a two-page letter answering my questions and some signed manuscript pages of his next project. I met him at a signing years later, and he still remembered that letter. The only one where a child asked for writing advice, he said. 

2.     Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?

Of course! I'm outlining Numbers Raging, which is book three of the Numbers Game trilogy. Book two, Numbers Ignite, just came out in January, and it did well right out of the gate. I don't want my readers to have to wait too long for the conclusion.

Connect with the Author:

~ WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ GOOGLE+ ~ 

~ INSTAGRAM ~ TWITTER ~

Snippet #2

"It feels good to finally choose sides, doesn't it?" he whispered.

"Whose side are you on, then?"

As he looked into my eyes, I felt like he could see into my soul. His fingers brushed my cheek, then he cradled my cheek in his hand, gently tilting my chin upward. I felt his breath, felt the battle within him as well as I felt it in myself. But something pulled me toward him. 

"Yours," he said. He slowly closed the distance between us.

And our lips met.

He was hesitant at first, just a soft brush of his lips on mine. Then the cool, damp air around us melted away in an instant. His strong arms went around me, pulling me closer, holding me tightly. His kiss became more insistent, and the pain and fear within me began to fade as I felt myself giving in. His chin was rough against my skin, but it only fueled the heat that pulsed through my racing heart.

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A Devil In Hong Kong Review

On a snowy day in the year 889, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had an epiphany: he was not immortal. His jade carver created the most beautiful jade burial suit in history, finishing just three weeks before the Han Emperor died. When the priceless two-thousand-year-old jade burial suit suddenly goes missing in modern Hong Kong, a brutal competition to find it ensues between rival Chinese, Burmese, and Japanese factions. As they battle for the priceless artifact, a psychotic killer with a Maori tattoo on his face surfaces leaving a trail of dismembered corpses strung together like traditional Burmese puppets. Detectives Ian Hamilton and Angela Cheung follow a trail of hacked bodies and terror through contemporary Hong Kong in their search for the killer.

~Amazon ~ Goodreads ~

David Harris Lang, a current resident of Hong Kong, has lived and worked in Asia much of his life. Besides being a prolific author of Asian-based thrillers, he is an international architect who brings an indelible sense of place’ to his writing as well as a deep understanding of Asian cultures, locales, and customs. His vivid fight scenes come from a life-long practice of the martial arts. A Devil in Hong Kong is David Lang’s third book.

Connect With the Author Here:

 ~ Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~

5 Out of  5 Stars

Wow! This book is one I had a hard time putting down. This is not the type of genre I normally read so I was in for a bit of a shock. There was a load of murder in new and bizarre ways. However I was pleased to find that it was described in a way that kept it from getting too grotesque while still giving you the details.

I loved how the author engulfed you in the history of the area and the artifact that is the main focus of this book. I love history and found these parts to be some of my favourite. I was thrilled to find out that the Author has

 written a full book that is all historical, I will have to check it out. I was also very impressed at how in-depth the details are of the culture and area in Hong Kong and the nervy countries. It wasn't at all surprising to find out that the Author lives in Hong Kong. He definitely knows what he is talking about. He did a masterful job putting together fact and fiction to make a story accurate enough that the fiction becomes completely believable.

This book may not appeal to the faint of heart. There is quite a bit of violence, dismemberment, and drug use. These things are explained but not overly graphic. There is also quite a bit of language. I would however recommend this book to anyone who enjoys intense modern crime drama.

Excerpt

The police boat pulled up to the dock at Snake Bay. Coroner Cindy Leung was waiting for them, slat-thin arms, her torso the circumference of a chopstick, thick glasses too large for her face. She kind of looks like a praying mantis from this angle, Ian thought, looking down on Cindy from the deck of the boat. Cindy waved to him.

“Hey, Cindy,” Ian said when he, Angela, and Nigel were on solid ground.

Cindy, instead of returning the salutation, immediately started up the path. “Follow me, Detectives. Hurry! I left him hanging for you, but I can’t wait to get him to my lab. This is the strangest one I have ever seen.”

“Ok, Cindy, we’re coming. Commissioner Gu said that the victim had been chopped up and wired back together,” Ian said as he tried to keep pace with Cindy.

“So strange! We would not cut him down until your team had a go at him, of course, so I got up on a ladder to inspect him. First thing that I noticed was that there was a separation of about a centimeter between his neck and body. I found a screw where the cervical spine had been sawed and another one in the neck vertebrae. A wire ran between the two screws, holding the parts together.”

“Aiyahh!” Angela explained as they came to the first gorilla. “This is bizarre!”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine why someone thought that these life-sized animals would be a good idea for a resort,” Cindy said, and then continued, “I also noticed that the rest of the body was hanging very strangely too, not like you would expect. I could not undress him until you are done with your inspection, so I felt around. He had been cut and wired back together in seventeen places. Each part also had another wire attached to it connected to the wood beam that he was hanging from. It was like he was a puppet! A human puppet!”

“How long had he been dead?” Nigel asked.

“Based on body decomposition I would say about four days. I will be able to give you a more accurate answer once I get him to the lab.”

They walked past the abandoned resort building and came upon the hanging corpse. Scientific Evidence Officers were examining the ground below the body. Ian walked up to the officer who seemed to be in charge.

“I am Ian Hamilton from CID. Do you have anything yet?”

“Calvin Chan, Senior SEO. Walk over here, I want to show you something.” Ian followed Calvin about twenty paces to a circular clearing surrounded by low bushes. The clearing, originally envisioned as a courtyard for the resort’s customers to sit, rest, and appreciate nature, had been paved with tan and grey pavers. A giraffe peered over the bushes from the surrounding jungle, its dead, glass eyes wide with curiosity as it gazed into the plaza at the human visitors. Nature had started to reclaim the space, weeds pushing up between the pavers. Benches, which had once been painted white but were now mostly rusted, had been placed around the perimeter. “This courtyard is where he was dissected,” Calvin said, pointing to the center of the circular plaza, stained with blood.

“I wish that giraffe could talk. He was probably the only witness,” Ian said.

“No, I don’t think so. This wasn’t the work of one guy. My guess is that there were three of them. Two different brands of cigarette butts, only a few days old, were on the ground by that bench. I picture one guy doing the carving while the other two watched.”

“It also would be hard for one guy to string him up, so that makes sense, Calvin,” Ian said.

“We’ll send our report to your department within three days,” Calvin said.

When they arrived back at the corpse Nigel was almost finished with his evidence collecting. When he was done he gave Cindy a nod and her team took the body down and placed it into a body bag on a gurney. “See you, Ian,” Cindy called out to him as her assistants pushed the gurney towards the dock.

Ian walked over to Angela, who was photographing the scene. “Make sure that the technicians take the piece of wood that he was hanging from too. There are some characters carved into it.”

Angela said, “Why would the guy be displayed in such a strange way, all chopped up and then wired together, out here in the middle of nowhere? Typically, a killing this gruesome would be to send a message to someone, Mess with me and this will happen to you. How often do people come out here, though, once or twice a year? No one is here to see it. Who was the audience?”

“I am afraid that the audience was the killer himself, Angela. We are dealing with one very sick individual, a guy who took pleasure in what he did, and we need to find him before he decides to entertain himself again,” Ian said.

Nigel said, “Did you see how meticulously the wires were wrapped around the screws? How clean the cuts were? He took his time. He took pride in his work.”

“Just like us,” Angela said.

“Like us?” Nigel asked.

“Our logo, We serve with pride and care.”

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Spring Countdown Blitz Day 3

Her most recent accomplishment started in the summer of 2015. Finishing her father’s dream come true by publishing his works. She is the 2016 local American Night Writers Association (A.N.W.A.) chapter (Snake River Writers) president, won NaNoWriMo and participated in the online writers’ conference March 2016.
Teya has been writing for as long as she can remember. At a young age she lived on a street she affectionately named Hill Street Blues. She is street smart and fluent in sarcasm, all help in her writing. Her father would always be and will continue to be her inspiration, even after his untimely death in 2006.
She loves sitting in her soft chair next to the fireplace and watching out a big living room window. It gives her plenty of creative juice for stories.
She met the love of her life in the loft of a barn. Yep, that set up some teasing from her father. They have been happily married since 2003. They have four children and all are loving and supportive of her writing. She refuses to comment on the trolls in the closets and under the beds. She is active in her church, has compassion for others, and a love for all life brings. 

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@Writertpeck
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One wrong step changes Jocelyn’s Prima Ballerina life...
One choice results in Jeremiah facing unbearable consequences...
When these two meet, it could be catastrophic or the answer to unspoken prayers.
Can love be tested too far? Will hearts soften and hurts be forgiven?
Or will too much loss be too devastating to find hope?
One thing is for sure, lives are about to change forever…

http://www.amazon.com/See-Me-Teya-Peck-ebook/dp/B01B4AB93Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456016746&sr=8-1&keywords=See+me+for+me+by+Teya+Peck

and from www.teyapeck.wix.com/teyapeck

Snippet 2: 

Coming to a stop sign, Jeremiah glanced quickly left, then right, and stepped on the gas as he glanced at his sister. Strangely, she began to glow brighter. A fleeting thought came to him of why she might be illuminated. Emily started to turn her head right, and as she turned everything slowed down. Silence fill the space, not even the radio made a sound. He saw her eyes wide with fear and her mouth open as if in screaming, but no words. He felt his eyebrows crease together a second before he heard Emily scream, “Jer!” Then a deafening crunch, as he slammed against his door, and as his head careened toward the window. Metal twisting metal, and the shattering of glass could be heard. Just before his head smashed against the window knocking him out.

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