Tag Archives: authors

Anneli Purchase, Book Launch, Book Promo, Love a Happy Ending Lifestyle magazine, Novel covers, Novels, Writing

RECKONING TIDE a new novel from Anneli Purchase

July 23, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

FREE!

If you have not read The Wind Weeps, grab your free digital copy now on amazon or on smashwords. Follow it up with the conclusion to Andrea’s story in Reckoning Tide. Here is a sample of the beginning of Reckoning Tide.

You’re mine!
To have,
To hold,
No matter how hard.

You’re mine!
Give me honour,
Obey,
And do as you’re told.

You’re mine!
In sickness,
My sickness,
Comes hell.

You’re mine!
This day forward,
Til death,
Do us part.

Chapter 1

“Nurse!” I screamed. “Nurse, come back!” Robert’s smile vanished. He advanced and tossed the three orchids onto the foot of my bed.

I twisted around grasping for the cord with the call button. “Get away from me!” I hit the button frantically.

Robert lunged at me. “No, Andrea. Don’t!” He ripped the cord away from me. I pulled my fist back to punch him, but he was quick and caught my wrist in an iron grip. His eyes narrowed into slits.

“Nurse!” I yelled again. He clamped a hand over my mouth. Flashbacks of what that hard hand had done to me went through my mind. I bit down on his fingers, my terror lending me extra strength.

“Arrrgh! You bitch!” Robert’s eyes grew wide. He stared at me with a glassy look that I remembered too well. He drew his arm across his chest to backhand me, but dropped it when the nurse appeared.

“What’s going on here?” the nurse demanded. Margaret was a hefty woman. She filled most of the doorway as she stood with her hands on her hips. “Sir! Come away from the bed.”

“She bit me!” he said, unable to keep the whine out of his voice. “I brought her flowers—orchids, her favourite kind—and she bit me!”

I gasped at his outrageous boldfaced ploy, twisting the truth. “He tried to kill me. Don’t let him near me. He’s the one I told you about.”

“Now, Andrea.” Robert’s voice, silky smooth, sent ripples of terror up my spine. “You know that’s not true.” He turned to the nurse and slowly shook his head. “I’m her husband. You see, she’s had quite a shock. We had an argument and she set fire to our cabin and ran away when she thought I had died in the fire. I guess she’s surprised to see that I’m still alive.”

The nerve of him! I tried to get out of bed. “No! No-no-no!” I had to get the nurse to believe me. “He’s twisting it all around. He tried to kill me.”

The nurse was quick to put her hand out. “Stay in bed, Andrea.” She looked flustered and tried to calm us both. But no wonder she was confused. The whole situation was so bizarre. She looked from Robert to me and back to Robert again.

Would she side with Robert?

“Sir,” she said, “would you mind going to the waiting room down the hall? I’m sure the RCMP would like to speak with you, too. They’ll be here soon to interview Andrea.”

Robert raised his chin and gave me a smirk. “That was fast,” he said. “We’ll soon get to the bottom of the situation then.”

The nurse escorted him out the door. “We called them this morning when she woke up,” I heard her say as they walked down the hall.

The nurse had explained to me earlier that the police have to make a report in cases where there has been violence, especially since a gun was found in my fanny pack. The gun I pointed at him last week. Should have pulled the damn trigger.

*****

You will find paperback and digital versions of Reckoning Tide on amazon outlets and on smashwords.com (for e-readers other than Kindle). Just click on the links:

Amazon.com

Smashwords.com

For more about Anneli Purchase and her books, visit her at http://anneli-purchase.com/

Abbott Press, Beverly Hoffman, Book Promo, Novels

BOOK PROMO ~ Cradled Dreams by Beverly Hoffman

July 20, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

CRADLED DREAMS

By Beverly Hoffman

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release Date: April 2013

Publisher: Abbott Press

As her family gathers for Thanksgiving, Georgie’s heartbreak is hard to conceal. After years of pursuing her dreams of motherhood, she has recently learned that her last option to conceive has failed. Grim amid the festive holiday celebrations, Georgie feels that she has little reason to give thanks.

Her sister-in-law, Robin, desperate to ease Georgie’s suffering, struggles for a way to help. On loving impulse, she offers a solution-surrogacy.

Flush with excitement, neither woman can predict how her life will change. But each is comforted by the knowledge that her love for the other will guide the way. Soon, after in vitro using a relative’s sperm and her own egg, Robin shares the joyous news that she is pregnant. Every conversation sparkles with her private joy at the gift she could give her sister-in-law. But she encounters unexpected criticism when discussing the plan with others. She must now deal with judgment and questions about ethics. Relationships are strained. Both must pay emotional costs they never anticipated. Soon, questions they never asked begin to haunt them both.

Where do boundaries of possibility meet long-term responsibility? Under what circumstances does science need to pause to consider moral outcomes? When organs and tiny bones grow in spite of circumstances never seen in nature, where does motherhood begin and end?

And most haunting of all is the question Robin couldn’t ask herself on that first day: Will she really be able to give up the child for the sake of Georgie’s dream?

Buy links

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON UK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beverly Hoffman spent her childhood in Texas eating barbeque and drinking Big Reds. After college, she and her husband, Marty, moved to Panama, where she taught English for twenty-six years. Beverly loved to push her students to realize their full potential. She was able to help her students by taking huge assignments apart and helping them accomplish discrete pieces and then put all of them together into a finished project.

While in Panama, Beverly explored the country. She rode her bike 57 miles in one day from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, paddled the Panama Canal twice, and participated in Green Hell, an obstacle course, which included rappelling out of a 30 foot building.

Beverly and her husband later retired to Sequim, Washington, where they enjoy the bounty of fresh Dungeness crab, Washington wines, and family.

Beverly has a Masters degree in English and has been in a writing group for over six years. Beverly loves writing and hopes that through her books, she can get people to explore new concepts. Join Beverly on Facebook for giveaways, scenic photos, and more information about her books at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeverlyHoffman.

Giveaway

Copy of the book!

A paperback copy of the book (U.S only)

Ecopy of the book (outside U.S)

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Authors, Book Tour, Eleanor Smythe, Novels, Writing Journey

GUEST POST ~ Eleanor Smythe author of The Other Side of Town

July 14, 2015 Melanie 4 Comments

THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN

BY ELEANOR SMYTHE

Maureen and Karina had been friends since childhood. However, due to betrayal and grief their lives have taken on very different paths. The Other Side of Town tells the story of the two families, brought together by tragedy.

Maureen marries John Evans and they soon have their fair share of misfortune. An accident at work impacts on their lives, forcing them to sell their home and move into social housing and a completely different lifestyle. Maureen soon has to find work with a multinational IT company called Millbrooks. Tragedy soon finds them again and their life is consumed with grief while trying to find justice. Amidst all this, Maureen befriends a woman called Judith and although she has a chequered past, Judith brings a sense of humour and friendship into their lives.

Karina marries Rupert Millbrook, whose family span generations and are so influential that the town is named after them. Karina soon discovers that once you marry a Millbrook, you marry the family and its history. Karina soon becomes Managing Director of Millbrook’s IT and Maureen’s boss. However, Karina’s life is not without its own difficulties and she soon finds herself struggling with her teenage children and the issues they bring. Rupert has his own problems. A criminal investigation, lead by Inspector Hennessy who is on a special assignment from London, reveals links between Rupert’s business deals and a known international criminal, Yakov Volkov.

BUY LINKS

Amazon.com

Amazon UK

From Eleanor…

My writing Journey to publication has been a very steep learning curve, in many ways, and probably goes back to my youth, or before. At approximately ten years old, I stated that I intended to write a book, and set about doing some research on my subject… probably would have been plagiarized from everything I was reading at the time…I wasn’t taken seriously. My mother went on to explain that “only very clever people write books,” and that my fanciful dreams most probably wouldn’t happen. I put my pen and paper away. In my early twenties I had another urge to write and began writing poems and short stories for my children. The need to write became quite strong after the death of our daughter… all the emotions wanting to come out I guess. It seemed like a good idea to write and share the experience, in the hopes it would help someone else. During a visit from the local vicar, I shared my idea, and he promptly replied with, “What makes you think anyone would want to read what you have to say?” I promptly destroyed everything I had written, the anger had to go somewhere… right. So the first part of my journey was learning to trust myself and not to take other peoples’ opinions too seriously or to heart. It seems to have taken me an awful long time to get to this place, as I still have a tendency to worry about not being “good enough.”

The only writing I did after my twenties was for my dissertation, medical legal reports or reports connected to my work. The desire to write had never left but I didn’t think it would ever be possible. Believing one had to have a literary agent and a publisher, who would take my writing seriously and not having enough self confidence the idea never really got off the ground.

Once we retired to Portugal, with loads of extra time on my hands to be creative, one winter evening I began drawing a family tree, of a fictitious family. The story line developed with a woman called Sally, being the main character. Before long I had so much material and a determination not to shred it, but had no idea what I was to do with it. A friend introduced me to the author Suzy Turner, who at the time was on her sixth book and from then on she took me under her wing, introducing me to the world of indie authors and eBooks. She has guided me through each step and has continued to be a fantastic support. Considering I wasn’t even on a social media site and had no idea where to start, I think she was very brave…I still struggle and she still helps me. She has become a very special person in my life and I will always be grateful that she helped me fulfill my dream.

Ironically, I’ve yet to publish anything with regards to the Sally’s Journeys. I had spent so long chopping it around and playing with the storyline, it never seemed quite “good enough.” Instead I started a completely new story, The Other Side of Town, which was self-published with amazon, in March 2015 and is now also on Smash-words and Kobo. I’ve since returned to Sally and have been able to pull a few of the characters from my first book with the aim of weaving them through the story, which I hope …no, will be out later this year.

My Journey has taught me never to give up on dreams, and never be afraid to say I don’t know how… please show me. The world is full of kind amazing people and I hope I will become skillful enough, to help another person fulfill their dreams. Gandhi said, “Be the change you what to see in the world.” I believe that kindness and encouragement can be contagious. I have meet so many wonderful new friends on this journey, (cyber friends on Social media) how can anyone fail or give up, We only fail when we stop trying. Self-Publishing Rocks!!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eleanor Smythe was born in the east end of London. Raised a family to secondary school level and then went on to obtain a degree in Occupational Therapy. Although she worked in various medical settings her greatest passion in her career was working with clients in the community, where she claims real life takes place.

Recently retired and now living in Portugal Eleanor has more time to pursue her love of writing. She has always been intrigued by the way in which people’s lives have twists and turns and how individuals cope with life’s challenges. Her stories attempt to embrace the emotional turmoils of life, bringing her characters to life by showing humour, tragedy, conflict and betrayal; emotions that many of us face daily.

You can follow Eleanor at these links:

eleanorsmythe.blogspot.com

Twitter: Eleanor Smythe @authoreleanor1

FB. Eleanor Smythe www.facebook.com/authoreleanorsmythe

GIVEAWAY

The prize in the giveaway is a hard backed notebook

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Blog Tour, Dystopian, Novels, Stephen Oram

FLUENCE by Stephen Oram ~ Blog Tour

July 10, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

FLUENCE

Ten thousand minutes and counting

By Stephen Oram

Genre: Dystopian

Published by Silverwood Books

Amber is young and ambitious. Martin is burnt out by years of struggling. She cheats to get what she wants while he barely clings on to what he has. It’s the week before the annual Pay Day when strata positions are decided by the controlling corporations. The social media feed is frenetic with people trying to boost their influence rating while those above the strata and those who’ve opted out pursue their own manipulative goals.

Fluence is a story of aspiration and desperation and of power seen and unseen. It’s a story of control and consequence. It’s the story of the extremes to which Amber and Martin are prepared to go in these last ten thousand minutes before Pay Day.

BUY LINK

AMAZON

ABOUT STEPHEN ORAM

Like each and every one of us, my perspective of the world has been affected by many people and experiences: as a teenager I was heavily influenced by the ethos of punk; in my early twenties I embraced the squatter scene and then joined a religious cult, briefly; I did some computer stuff in what became London’s silicon roundabout; and I’m now a civil servant with a gentle attraction to anarchism. I really enjoy taking a sideways look at our world and thinking, “what if,” and then writing about it through speculative fiction.

https://www.facebook.com/StephenOramAuthor

https://twitter.com/OramStephen

www.stephenoram.net

http://stephenoram.net/fluence/

GIVEAWAY

Ecopy of the book x 2

Open Internationally

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4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, Authors, Books, Friends of the Library, Reading, Writing

Fifteen minutes of fame…

June 30, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Quite literally, it was fifteen minutes. That’s how long each of the authors who took part in Magic Spells had to read from their books.

The event was to take place outdoors, but the organizers had the foresight to have an alternate venue lined up in the event of inclement weather. It poured at times on Sunday. Other times a light mist but definitely not conducive to being outside.

The afternoon started out with some humour, followed by some of the actors from the local Shakespeare festival, a smidgeon of crime followed by me.

I was asked if I was nervous getting up and speaking in front of a crowd. Not in the slightest. Shhh… don’t tell anyone but I rather enjoy it. Well, at least when it comes to talking about Scotland, my writing and reading from my work.

I was followed by an intermission when people could buy books signed by the authors before things got back down to business. Before the event, the Friends of the Library sold 50-50 tickets and my husband won $57.50 from that.

The afternoon concluded with some historical folk music, poetry readings and mystery.

I enjoyed myself and should the Friends of the Prescott Library hold an event like this again, I’ll be there… that is, if they’ll have me back. Hope so.

A Shadow in the Past, Appearances, Authors, Friends of the Library, Magic Spells, Prescott

Magic Spells – June 28, 2015

June 27, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Magic Spells brought to you by The Friends of the Prescott Library

Prescott, ON Canada

I’ll be reading from my debut novel A Shadow in the Past at 2:40 pm.

At the time of writing this blog post, the sun is shining, there’s plenty of blue sky but the weather network is forecasting rain and cooler temperatures.

The Kinsmen Amphitheater

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

corner of Centre and Dibble Streets

Regardless of where we entertain from, I hope to see you at the event!

Friends of the Library, Magic Spells, Prescott

MAGIC SPELLS presented by the Friends of the Prescott Library

June 10, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

This promises to be a great event. I’m included in the lineup of authors taking part. We’ll be reading from our works and at the end of the afternoon (and maybe a short break in the middle), folks in attendance will have the opportunity to chat with us and buy our books.

The waterfront where the amphitheater is located is a beautiful setting so we can hope for good weather for the afternoon of June 28th. An indoor venue at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at the corner of Centre and Dibble Streets is our alternate venue should Mother Nature decide to frown upon us.

Hope to see you here!

#AtoZChallenge, Authors, Blog Tour, Book Tour, Books, Fun stuff, Novels, Publishing

CELTIC CONNEXIONS… Coming in MARCH…

March 1, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Celtic Connexions March Schedule

March is shaping up to be another busy month here at Celtic Connexions. Be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss a single thing. There are Book Tours, author interviews, a St Patrick’s Day party and more!

March 1st – The monthly calendar for the month of March

March 7th – A Spell in Provence by Marie Laval

March 11th – Brady’s Lost Blanket, a children’s book, by fellow 4RV Publishing author, Stephanie Burkhart

March 14th – Interview with Rosemary Gemmell, Scottish author of The Highland Lass (and more)

March 17th – Online St Patrick’s Day party with “virtual” Irish food, drink and traditions along with an interview with Irish author, Sharon Black

March 21st – Interview with Linda Gillard, Scottish author of Cauldstane (and more)

March 25th – A Matter of Temperance by Ichabod Temperance

March 31st – Introduction to April’s #AtoZChallenge month. You’ll find out what the challenge is all about and what I’ll be blogging about throughout the month of April.

I’m always happy to host fellow authors for interviews, cover reveals, or book launch parties.

If you’d like to be a guest here at Celtic Connexions, you can contact me at Celtic Connexions.

#BookLoversDay, Agatha Christie, Authors, Books, Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens, George Orwell, Harper Lee, John Steinbech, Ray Bradbury, Wilkie Collins, William Peter Blatty, William Shakespeare

#BookLoversDay is Today!

November 1, 2014 Melanie Leave a comment

Today is Book Lovers Day! It always falls on the first Saturday in November and this year coincidentally falls on the 1st.

Books, I love them all. Hard cover, paperback (trade or mass market) or ebook (kindle or epub format) I just love books! And then there are the genres – crime, romance, chicklit, memoirs, science fiction, fantasy. Perhaps I should preface the rest of this post with…

“My name is Melanie and I’m a bookaholic.”

Recently there was a meme making the rounds on Facebook wanting to know the ten books that have stuck with you. Some of these were secondary school reading, others just because I wanted to, and some I’ve read more than once.

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
1984 – George Orwell
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
Halloween Party – Agatha Christie
The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbech
Farenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Dracula – Bram Stoker

Can a person ever have too many books? I think not. As I was creating the hyperlinks for the books on my list, I even scored three FREE ones!

Perhaps I’m in need of an intervention?

Authors, Christmas, cover reveal, Nicky Wells, Novel covers, novella, Writing

FAIRY TALE IN NEW YORK by Nicky Wells ~ Cover Reveal

October 9, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Blurb:

When rock star Jude gets stranded in New York with his family on Christmas Eve, he has no idea that he is setting in motion a chain of events that will turn their Christmas into the most magical one yet…

No good deed goes unpunished, or so it seems to Jude and Carrie on the morning of the twenty-fourth of December. The previous day, they gave up their London-bound flights to someone in crisis. And now, a spectacular whiteout is grounding all planes, and Jude, Carrie, and baby Maya are stuck far from home.

Tired, hungry, and just a little panicked, Jude loads his family into a cab and returns to their hotel. But there’s no room at the inn, and not even a platinum credit card will make a difference. Snow is falling heavily, and the family is facing a very bleak night indeed.

How do you celebrate Christmas with no place to stay, no food, and no presents? Join Jude, Carrie, Maya and a cast of colourful characters in this fairy tale story of Yuletide in New York.

Excerpt:

‘I can’t believe it’s all over. Where did three weeks go?’

Carrie smiled at Jude while shifting their baby daughter, Maya, onto her other hip. The check-in queue at JFK airport had ground to a complete standstill, and Carrie was beginning to struggle with her six-month-old’s weight. Unperturbed, Maya gurgled happily and snuggled her head onto Carrie’s shoulder.

‘She’s half asleep again,’ Jude commented and stroked his daughter’s rosy cheeks. He planted a quick kiss on Carrie’s forehead before responding to her question.

‘It’s crazy, isn’t it? Three weeks on tour all over the US, and suddenly it’s done. Seventeen gigs in twenty-one days. My God, I’m not half knackered.’

‘It was worth it, though. You were a runaway success.’ Carrie grinned with proprietorial pride at her rock star boyfriend. ‘They loved you.’

Jude chuckled. ‘They did, too, didn’t they? Gosh, San Francisco was a riot. I thought they’d take the stage down.’

‘I’ve never seen so much underwear flying your way. You’re gonna have to watch it, mate, or your girlfriend might get the wrong idea,’ Carrie teased.

‘Oh no, she won’t. She knows I love her.’

Jude looked Carrie deep in the eyes. He hoped she knew how much he loved her. One of these days, he ought to make an honest woman out of her. He had planned to, of course. He even had a ring. But what with Carrie having fallen pregnant, she hadn’t wanted to get married before the baby was born. ‘I don’t want to waddle down the aisle,’ she had joked when they had talked about it almost a year ago now. ‘I want to float, serenely.’

Add the band’s recording deal and the UK and European tours into the mix of their crazy life, and there hadn’t been the right time. There hadn’t been any time. They had just about managed to furnish a nursery for Maya, but that had been it on the family front.

New Year’s Eve, Jude resolved silently. I’ll propose to her then, and we’ll marry in the summer.

He snapped to abruptly when he realised Carrie was still talking.

‘I think Dan was a little put out at not getting quite so much attention himself after you gave up the stage,’ she was saying.

Dan was the mentor, manager, and record label owner behind Jude’s band, The Blood Roses, and also the lead singer of his own band, Tuscq. He was now on his way to Toronto for a special Christmas Eve show.

‘Dan was fine. He’s thrilled that it’s going so well for us. And I am looking forward to a lovely quiet Christmas at home, just me and my girls.’

Jude wrapped Carrie and the now sleeping Maya into a hug. The Blood Roses weren’t opening for Tuscq for the Toronto gig and had therefore gone their separate ways. Jude and Carrie elected to go back to London straightaway, but the rest of the band had added a short trip to Las Vegas to their itinerary.

‘Home. Ha. If we ever get there,’ Carrie grumbled. She yawned widely. It was only five-thirty a.m. Their flight to London Heathrow was due to leave in a little over two hours, but the queue hadn’t advanced for at least fifteen minutes. ‘Here, can you hold Maya a minute? She’s getting rather heavy.’

Jude took the baby out of Carrie’s arms and rocked her contentedly. He hadn’t expected to become so utterly bewitched by a toothless, hairless, and demanding little being.

Quite suddenly, the distant babble of voices that had been permeating his consciousness rose to a shouted exchange. Jude turned towards the front of the queue, curious to see what the commotion might be.

‘I really, really need to get on this flight,’ a harassed-looking man in an expensive suit reiterated. He wiped his brow with a monogrammed white handkerchief and tapped his fingers on the counter impatiently. Jude couldn’t help but eavesdrop along with the rest of the terminal.

‘Look,’ the man continued, adopting a more reasonable tone. ‘I know I’m not booked on this flight. But tomorrow is too late for me. I’m willing to pay anything at all to get a seat, any class. First class, cattle class, I really don’t care. I need to get home.’

My Review:

Homeless for Christmas. Of all times of the year, it has to be the worst. Jude, Carrie and baby Maya find themselves stranded in New York City over Christmas when a snow storm closes JFK Airport.

I’ve enjoyed all of Nicky’s books and this one is no exception. Having never been to New York City and only seen it in movies, her narrative brings the city to life under the cover of magical, Christmas snow. Nicky’s writing is strong, and makes you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens to this family.

Heartwarming~even the most miserly curmudgeon will enjoy this Christmas novella.

A 5-star read!

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Ultimate rock chick author Nicky Wells writes romance with rock stars—because there’s no better romantic hero than a golden-voiced bad boy with a secret soft heart and a magical stage presence!

Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor at Siren 107.3 FM with her own monthly show. Rock on!

Nicky’s books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas | Fallen for Rock

Good news! Fairy Tale in New York is now available for pre-order via Amazon Kindle.

Find it in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O98EMRG/ and the US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O98EMRG/ and, of course, in all other Kindle stores. One-Click today, and the novella will magically appear on your Kindle on its official launch day of 10 November 2014.

Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.