Thursday, April 30, 2015

Moving along with the flu

Congratulations to my fellow bloggers who completed the A-Z Challenge. You guys rock!

I didn’t participate in A-Z this year as I focused on my writing and actually finished the first round of rewrites for my second book in my Thelum Series. I was shocked to have finished it on Tuesday. Why? Because the one moment I was stuck and I few hours later I had figured everything out. Of course the tough part comes in the next round when I have to start cleaning it up and adding more description and so forth if it’s lacking, as I tend to be sparse on details.

For the first time I can remember my entire family and myself are suffering from the flu. We’ve been sick since last week and though we are better, we aren’t healed yet. It was kind of fun, because I had my siblings feeling crappy along with me and we were all lounging around the house watching movies and complaining about how crappy we felt. It was a funny sight. I think my delusional state while having the flu helped me finish my rewrites sooner.

Anyway, wishing you guys the best!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich



Excerpt: Cassie cringed at each bump along Tree Branch Trail. Gravel crunched underneath the truck’s tires, yet somehow the dilapidated vehicle withstood the beating. Squished between her best friend Mary and the door, Cassie tensed and tried not to hit anything or anyone as the truck vaulted over another pothole. She wished she had a seat belt on, but with two seat belts and four people in the front seat, it wasn’t happening. They should’ve taken her car, but it never would’ve made it on this backcountry road. Why didn’t they stick with the plan and not come out here anyway?

“How do you like your first off-roading adventure, Cassie?” Denise asked with the harsh laugh of a smoker while shifting her plump hips between her boyfriend James and her sister Mary.

“It’s great,” Cassie said without enthusiasm and with a whole truckload of sarcasm. The vehicle ran over a monstrous rut, and her head knocked against the window. She sucked in air through her teeth. Checking for a bump, she glanced over to Mary. Although three years younger and still in high school, Mary was Cassie’s best friend and confidante. Cassie had missed her most since she moved to Missouri for college. She leaned close to Mary’s ear. “I think we should’ve stayed and watched a different movie.”

“Me too,” Mary whispered back.

James slammed on the brakes, and the truck fishtailed to a stop.

Cassie pressed her hand against the glove compartment. Dashboard lights illuminated Mary’s grimace and her white knuckles from clutching the seat belt so hard.

“What’s out there?” Cassie peered ahead.

Title: Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection
Author: Cherie Reich
Genre: Paranormal Horror/Thriller
Release Date: April 16, 2015
Cover Art: Amygdala Design

Book Description: A monster hunts us. After hibernating for a decade, it’s ravenous. We long to stop this nightmare, but the end of the road is far. There is no waking up once a legend sets its sights on you.

Disappearances every ten or so years make little impact on the small town of New Haven, Virginia. Hikers get lost. Hunters lose the trail. Even when a body is discovered, the inhabitants’ memories last about as long as the newspaper articles.

No one connects the cases. No one notices the disappearances go back beyond Civil War times. No one believes a legendary monster roams the forests in Southwestern Virginia.

I don’t either until the truck breaks down on an old mountain trail. Cell phones won’t work in this neck of the woods. It’s amazing how much a person can see by starlight alone. So what if we can’t feel our fingers or toes as we hike toward the main road. How many more miles left to go?

Crrraaack!

Hear that noise?

Purchase Print/Ebook on Amazon! The ebook is on sale for $0.99 until April 30th.

About the Author: Cherie Reich has more books than she can ever read and more ideas than she can ever write, but that doesn't stop this bookworm from trying, even if it means trying to curb her TV addiction. She is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is a member of the Virginia Writers Club, Valley Writers, and Untethered Realms. For more information about her and her work, please visit her website and blog.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Already Home Cover Reveal


Already Home

A Maguire’s Corner novel




Title: Already Home
Second Edition: formerly Maguire’s Corner
Author: Heather M. Gardner
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs
Re-release Date: May 20, 2015

~~~)(~~~
Coffee shop owner Maggie Maguire doesn’t trust the new police chief her father hired to protect Maguire’s Corner. He’s a stranger, cold, bossy and annoyingly handsome. But, Maggie’s witnessed a serious crime and now someone’s trying to kill her. The man that aggravates her most might be the only one that can help her.

Police Chief Jack Munro likes his new job and his new town, and unfortunately he also likes the stubborn but beautiful town sweetheart. His self-imposed hands-off Maggie policy is about to be put to the ultimate test when he must keep her close to protect her while he tracks down a ruthless killer.

Determined to ignore Jack’s charms, Maggie attempts to help him unravel the mystery but when their lives hang in the balance she must decide how much she’s willing to risk to save the man she suddenly can’t resist.

~~~)(~~~

Heather M. Gardner's love of books began on the hand-woven rugs of her small town library where her mother worked. There she had a never-ending supply of stories to read at her fingertips. As a teen, her favorite genres to curl up with were romance and mysteries. When she started to create her own stories, they were the perfect fit.

Heather resides in New York with her best friend who is also her husband, plus her talented and handsome son. She is currently owned by four stray cats. Heather's a full-time mom, works part-time from home, a chocolate enthusiast, coffee junkie, cat addict, book hoarder and fluent in sarcasm.











Blog: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Twitter: @hmgardner

Goodreads: HMGardner

Facebook: HeatherWritesRomance

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Crazy Week

It was a really crazy week for me. My sister (the chef) asked me on Monday if I could possibly come in and help her out in the kitchen last week. Why? Because she was short handed and no chefs were available on such short notice. I was taken aback, because I've never worked in a professional kitchen before. The only kitchen I've worked in is my moms kitchen at home.

My sister was really patient and gave me easy tasks to start off with and at 12 pm every afternoon service started and I actually had to help her! She's very good and could probably have worked the whole week on her own, but me helping out made things easier for her. It was such a great experience, definitely one of a kind and memorable.

The bad side? It was hot as hell in the kitchen and my feet are still sore. Yesterday was my last day, but I'm still tired and my feet are still throbbing. It was surprisingly...a lot of fun. Hard work, but so much fun.


My sister doing her thing


My work station

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Dragon of the Stars Release Day



SCAVENGER HUNT! Comment to win an autographed copy of Dragon of the Stars, tons of bookmarks & postcards, and a $20.00 iTunes gift card–where is Mini-Alex? Visit Alex for a list of the participants. (Open through April 11 – winner announced April 13 at Alex’s blog.)

Available today!
Dragon of the Stars
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military
Print ISBN 9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057
What Are the Kargrandes? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Purchase:


Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.


Thursday, April 2, 2015

Synthetica by Rachel Pattinson


Synthetica
(Synthetica #1)
Release
Date: 04/01/15

Summary
from Goodreads:
This city is falling.


Seventeen-year-old Anais Finch lives in a world where everyone is born
beautiful, where every dream is a possibility - and where their every move and
every piece of personal information is recorded by an ID picochip inserted
behind their right ear. When technology giant, Civitas, finally announces the
launch of their highly anticipated Scholarly Learning Programs, which allow people
to download and learn any subject instantly, Anais can hardly wait.


But not everyone is pleased with society's progress, and not everyone wants to
fit in. When Anais witnesses a brutal murder on an innocent citizen and is
implicated in the crime, she becomes determined to uncover the truth,
especially when others like it begin to occur all over the city. But it may
already be too late for Anais to stop the man who calls himself 'the Hacker'
before he commits his most appalling crime yet... 




Buy
Links:

About the Author

So what qualifies me to be a writer? Well, ever since an early age I've been more interested in the worlds in my head, than the real one - so I thought it was finally time to do something about it. I went to uni, got a degree in publishing, worked in an office for a while, decided I hated it, went to China, came back...and now I'm a teaching assistant by day and a YA writer by night. Phew! It's been quite a journey, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png



Book Blitz Organized by:

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Trying new things (IWSG)

I have recently decided to learn how to format an e-book and book for print. Why? Because I can't afford to have my first book professionally formatted and it would be a handy skill for me to learn.

I am definitely very eager to learn, but it is sort of driving me a little crazy. Having to learn to get things just right and all that, but I know I can do it. So this week, learning to format my own book is my insecurity.

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the talented Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh so that writers can share their insecurities and/or encourage others who need support with their own. You can visit Alex Here, or if you want to join us in discussing our insecurities on the first Wednesday of each month, you are welcome to join by going Here.

Not quite myself

I have no idea why, but I have not been feeling like myself. Even being in my own skin feels alien.  The good news is that I still managed t...