Category Archives: Book Promo

Book Promo, haunted, Maggie Tideswell, Novels, Paranormal romance

Haunted Bride by Maggie Tideswell

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Celtic Connexions is thrilled to host Maggie Tideswell and her latest book, Haunted Bride.
haunted

Haunted Bride

haunted

haunted

Moragh’s Ghost Book 1

by Maggie Tideswell

Genre: Paranormal Romance

“Excellent read! Maggie Tideswell’s book is impossible to put down. This writer is skilled in evoking deep emotions in the reader. A pleasure to read.” – Amazon Reviewer

A marriage of convenience – no strings attached – suited both Holly and Joshua just fine; a virgin marriage, so that they could both walk away… But they made a crucial mistake: they didn’t take chemistry into account.

Holly —
Seriously? They actually advertised for a husband for her without telling her?
She was going to have to kill them, stone dead.

But having a ‘husband’ behind her would give her an edge she didn’t have now. Donald, her ex, and his wife would have to revise their strategy of keeping her children away from her. That was an advantage worth taking a risk for. But what kind of man was likely to respond to a tiny ad in the newspaper no one reads anymore?

Joshua —
Nicole had to marry him now or let him go. He was done waiting, but he did not know what else he could do to persuade her to his way of thinking. Until he saw the little ad in the paper. A plan fell into his head as if he’d snapped his fingers. This woman who audaciously advertised herself as available would do perfectly. Married to another woman would make him irresistibly attractive to Nicole – as was the case with everything she wanted and couldn’t have.

From the moment Holly accepted Joshua’s offer of marriage, strange things started happening to her, and the strangeness followed her to her new (temporary) home. She was going to have to unravel a decades-old mystery before anything else.

A ghost, a wronged fiancée, and trouble with everyone around them. Will Holly and Joshua get what they’ve set out to achieve?

Windows rattled in the wind, threatening the glass in its frames. Smoke billowed down the chimney, filling the room, tendrils of which swirled around the lovers, heating and cooling them at the same time.

Then, silence. That was when Holly heard the owls again.

Who-o-o, ho-o-o.

She imagined she heard their wings beating the air, but it was probably her blood slowing in her veins.

Who-o-o, ho-o-o.

Reality hit unmercifully. She covered her face with her hands. What had she done? This wasn’t supposed to have been a real marriage. How weak, needy, immoral—or all of the above—was she? She had only met the man a few hours ago.

Joshua raised himself onto his elbows propped on either side of her head and glanced about the room. “Was it me, or did the earth move for you, too?” When he kissed her, she felt his grin. “The owls approve. This can only predict good fortune for our plans.” He rolled to his feet, swinging her up into his arms as he went. The door of the morning room crashed against the wall when he kicked open.

The passage was dark, the only light coming from a small window at the far end and from the open door behind them. The house creaked and sighed around them.

Every house has its own sounds.

Holly snuggled into Joshua’s shoulder, rubbing her nose against the hot skin of his throat. There was nothing to be scared of, yet she jerked in his arms when he kicked another door open and it rebounded against the wall.

He grinned down at her. “Skittish, aren’t you?” he said, depositing her in the middle of the huge four-poster bed.

He didn’t understand, and she wasn’t about to enlighten him. What wouldn’t he think if she were to tell him a ghost was following her around, scaring the daylights out of her?

The fire in the hearth cast long licks on the walls. When he met her eyes, she lifted her arms to him in welcome, her earlier remorse a thing of the past. She couldn’t wait to be possessed again, this time to the chorus of the nocturnal hunters she could hear outside the window. She wouldn’t fear them. If Joshua said their presence was a good omen, who was she to argue?

Drifting back down to earth with the pleasant weight of her new husband pressing her into the mattress, there was a flutter of wings in the absolute silence before an owl landed on the headboard. Its claws scratched the finish from the wood.

Holly flapped her hands, trying to shoo the creature into the air, but only when Joshua rolled off her, did it take flight. She watched him sit up on the edge of the bed to follow the owl’s progress around the room. When it found the window and the night outside, he settled onto his pillows and pulled her head to his shoulder, lighting a cigarette.

Through the fog of sleep, she heard him say, “Wasn’t that something? They’ve never made their way inside before. It seems to be a time for firsts.”

Holly’s eyes fluttered. She’d take his word for it; she was far too sated to worry about birds. About to succumb to slumber, he said from somewhere above her head, “I presume you are on the pill?”

His voice was low in the still of the night, but her eyes flew open, and her head came off his shoulder quicker than he could have said ‘gotcha’.

Sitting on her ankles in the middle of the bed, she clasped both hands to her mouth. She hadn’t worried about birth control for so long, it had completely slipped her mind.

What if she got pregnant?

They had done it twice without protection.

This could turn into a complication that would most surely foil his plans, although it would help her own cause tremendously.

Joshua had been stubbing his cigarette out, but when he turned back and saw her face, he, too, shot up from the pillows. “You’re not on the pill,” he stated as he swung his legs from the bed. With a vicious curse that had her ears burning, he pulled a pair of jeans and a shirt from the closet, and slammed the bedroom door behind his naked self.

Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over unchecked. Okay, this was nothing new. She knew he wanted children, but the kiddies had to be born from Nicole to satisfy Joshua’s sensibilities. In so many words, he had told her he’d amuse himself with her while they were married, but it would be no more than part of the act.

How easily she had fallen for him?

This was not what she had planned to do.

Would he ever believe she hadn’t meant to trap him?

Who-o-o, ho-o-o.

Goodreads * Amazon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58862192-haunted-bride

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DBLGF74

 

Maggie Tideswell, internationally acclaimed bestselling South African author, has a passion for romance. All over the world people are falling in love, making it love, not money, that makes the world go round.
Ghosts just can’t seem to leave her alone and she combines things that can’t be explained, sweaty bodies and rumpled beds in a way that will make your toes curl and your hair stand on end.
Maggie just can’t do without perfume, coffee and the internet. She is nearly as passionate about food as she is about creating alpha heroes every woman will fall in love with, just as she does, every time.
The strangest thing is that cats have never played any kind of role in her stories, as she is owned by three of them.
That might change soon.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Website: https://www.ghostly.co.za

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LunaMags

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

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-tideswell

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Tideswell/e/B005GJ3DG8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5187717.Maggie_Tideswell

$15 Amazon giftcard,

ebook of Find My Love by Maggie Tideswell

– 1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/haunted-bride-book-tour-and-giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alasdair Wham, Book Promo, Crime/Mystery, Novels, Scotland

Devil’s Cauldron by Alasdair Wham #DEVILSCAULDRON

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Devil's Cauldron

Devil's Cauldron
BLURB

What would you do if you saw your father murdered and no one believed you? When he was twelve Finn McAdam, saw his father, a scientist, murdered. No one believed him. Now he has returned to his native Galloway to discover the truth. Wherever it leads him. Whatever it costs. But the conspiracy he discovers exposes a cover-up involving leading political figures and places his life in great danger. Some people are determined that the truth must not get out.

EXTRACT

Chapter 1 – Part one

I was level with the library when I first saw him across the road, emerging from the entrance to a garage. He moved into the light of the late afternoon sun, casting a long, dark shadow across the pavement, which felt like a dagger pointing at my heart. There was no doubt it was him. His face was etched in my mind forever: straight, long nose perched above a narrow mouth, not overly attractive, dour type. Black hair that now looked dyed, slicked against his head. He seemed at peace, unaware of me as he walked down the road, wearing what looked like an expensive tweed jacket edged with leather piping, smart tan trousers and black brogues.
I was stunned that I had finally found him, disbelieving, adrenaline surging, light-headed. I had searched for him unsuccessfully for many years, always on the lookout. Now I had run into him when I hadn’t expected it, on my way to get food from a local supermarket.
Jolted by his sudden appearance, I found myself standing gawking at him but turned away not wanting to alert him to my presence. Desperately trying to regain my composure, I walked on trying not to turn around. Hurriedly, I reached stone steps leading up to a car park at Market Hill near the top of the town, clutching at the handrail gasping for breath, my stomach knotted, head light, dizzy. After all this time I had seen him again.

 

BUY LINK


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0993340032/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Devil's Cauldron

Alasdair’s first two novels were set in Islay and Mull (west coast of Scotland) and have proved very successful, rich in local detail with interesting plots.

His third novel, Devil’s Cauldron, is set in Galloway which is in southwest Scotland, he likes to write about places that he knows the best.

Before he turned to fiction, he produced a series of books exploring Scotland’s lost railways, a hobby that he enjoys with his sons and that took him all over Scotland.

FOLLOW ALASDAIR

FACEBOOK @alasdairwham.author

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alasdair-Wham/e/B0034NASL6/

Devil's Cauldron

Devil's Cauldron

Book Promo, Crime/Mystery, Novels, Paul Alkazraji

The Migrant by Paul Alkazraji #THEMIGRANT

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Migrant

Migrant

BLURB

Fascist populists, callous sex-traffickers and murderous mafia gangs – these were not what Pastor Jude Kilburn had expected to face when he moved to Albania. But when vulnerable 19-year-old Alban disappears from his poverty-stricken village to seek work in Greece, Jude has to undertake the perilous journey across the mountains to try and rescue him from the ruthless Athenian underworld. Accompanied by a volatile secret-service agent and a reformed gangster, Jude soon finds himself struggling to keep everyone together as personal tensions rise and violent anti-austerity riots threaten to tear them apart and undermine the mission. Caught between cynical secret police and a brutal crime syndicate, the fate of them all will be determined by a trafficked girl – but not every one will make it home. The Migrant is a tense and evocative thriller with a powerful redemptive twist.

EXCERPT

Chapter One Part Three

Ssshhh … budalla,’ hissed Ervin as he stepped back and lifted him by the arm. When he was upright, Alban yanked it back and glared again at him. He walked briskly for the next hour close behind him, listening as the trees rose around them and the darkness between them deepened. At one point they came upon a wolf cub lying alone on its side at the track’s edge. Its breathing was shallow and rapid. Alban squatted down beside it and gently lifted its head.

‘Oh, how bad,’ he whispered to Ervin. A little blood from its mouth came off on his fingers. He remembered his uncle Skender and the argument they’d had: the shock and the hurt when Skender struck him across the mouth forwards and backwards. He loved Skender. It was the raki: he drank too much of it. Well, he was nineteen now, not fifteen, and old enough to make his own decisions. He wanted to take the cub and nurse it. He brushed a tear from his cheek, partly for Skender, and left it.

The track came to an arched, stone bridge just wide enough for a cart to cross, and Alban stopped to peer over the side. The sound of trickling water came up from the ravine where a cluster of fireflies were gyrating around each other.

‘Ervin, shall we stop a little? What time is it?’ he asked quietly.

‘Let’s get across that clearing … by the edge of those trees. It’s gone ten.’ They passed a circle of blackened stones that lay around the charred remains of branches, plastic bags and empty Tirana Beer cans. ‘Albanians … always leave the local picnic spots clean when they leave. Why don’t they mark the route with arrows so the Greeks know where to wait for us?’ said Ervin with disgust. Alban slumped down on the grass by him and lay on his back.

‘Hey! Ervin, that was close. I thought you’d done this before?’ said Alban. Ervin looked away, avoiding the embarrassment of an acknowledgement, thought Alban. ‘So, what are the Greeks like?’ he continued. ‘Do they cook their pilaf like us?’

‘You’ll see them soon enough,’ said Ervin. ‘There are good and bad ones … the army are the worst. They could shoot you in these parts in the early years. They caught a group of Albanians once and made them all climb up a tree. Then they cut it down – laughing – as they fell through the branches, like it was sport.’ He then smiled and wiggled his finger as if it was swimming through water. ‘They like their pilaf with seafood in it. Prawns.’

Alban felt a coldness entering him despite the warmth of the June night. He drew his sack closer and untied the string around its neck. He lifted out a jar of village cherries in syrup with a spoon, and some sardines fried in flour and wrapped in newspaper his mother had cooked yesterday. Then he pulled out a roll of plastic sheeting for sleeping under. Lastly, he took out his best training shoes. They were white with a black tick on the side. He buffed them with the edge of his T-shirt while he ate a little.

‘They are originals, not Turkish,’ he snapped as he noticed Ervin’s sceptical look. They were like his cousin Shpetim used to wear. They would help him make a good impression on Greek employers, he thought. He’d find work, despite the crisis. He would show them that he was a good worker too. He could put his hand to many things: plastering, picking peaches – he even knew a little about plumbing. He picked up a tiny, tin compass that had rolled out onto the ground. It had the flag of Great Britain on the back and the white wheel of the London Eye on its face. He tapped it and noted where the needle pointed and then where south-east was, deeper into Greece, where the distant silhouette of a watchtower could be seen just above the treeline. ‘Want some fish?’ he said and passed the sardines over to Ervin as he stuffed the other items back inside.

BUY LINK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07M8XWS84/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Migrant

Paul Alkazraji worked as a freelance journalist in the UK from the mid-nineties. His articles were published in Christianity Magazine, The Christian Herald, The Church Times, The Baptist Times and other publications. His travel articles were also published in The Independent. His first book Love Changes Everything, a collection of seven testimonies, was published by Scripture Union in 2001. His second book Heart of a Hooligan, a biography of ex-football hooligan Dave Jeal, was published by Highland Books in 2000. His third book Christ and the Kalashnikov, a biography of missionaries Ian and Caralee Loring, was published by Zondervan in 2001. From 2004 to 2010 he was editor and publisher of Ujëvarë magazine in Albania. His first novel, ‘The Silencer’, was published by Highland Books in 2012. His new novel, ‘The Migrant’, set in Albania and Athens during the austerity troubles, was published by Instant Apostle in February 2019.

FOLLOW ON

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/paul_alkazraji

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Muthena-Paul-Alkazraji/e/B0034OJYLK/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5655990.Paul_Alkazraji

Migrant

Book Promo, crime writer, Crime/Mystery, Crime/Thriller, darkstroke, Karen Moore, Novels

Release by Karen Moore #RELEASE #crime #mysteries

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A husband is given an early release from prison. What could go wrong? Better yet, what could go right? Karen Moore spins her take on just that in her latest novel.

Karen

BLURB

When Hanna’s estranged mafioso husband, Luciano, is released early from a Sicilian prison, she fears he will come after her and her young daughter, Eva.

The revelation leaves her with a dilemma. Invited to Sicily to attend her best friend’s wedding, can she really take the risk?

But even staying at home in North Wales may not be safe. Something strange is going on at her old cottage in the hills. As the lines between Sicily and North Wales blur, Hanna uncovers a criminal operation that leads her to fear for Eva’s life all over again.

Will Hanna ever be able to release herself from Luciano’s grip? Or will her discovery lead her into even deeper danger?

Karen

ABOUT KAREN

Karen

Karen Moore is passionate about all things noir – crime, mystery, thrillers – and writes in that genre.

She has been writing all her life, mostly for work purposes, and is now delighted to be able to spend more time developing her own creative work.

Her debut novel, Torn, is a dark tale of intrigue and betrayal set in Sicily and North Wales. Release is the sequel, although it is written as a standalone novel for people who may not have read Torn.

Karen worked as a tour guide across Europe, North America and Canada, followed by a career in PR and marketing. She has lived in France and Italy, and is now based in Cheshire, England. Her cat, Lexi, often appears in her social media feeds.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

 FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/karenmooreauthor

TWITTER http://www.twitter.com/KarenMo35731701

BUY LINK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Release-Karen-Moore/dp/B09BGG72N1/

Karen

 

Book Promo, Book Spotlight, Books, ghost, Maggie Tideswell, Novels, Paranormal romance

Interview with a Seducer by Maggie Tideswell

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It’s my pleasure to welcome Maggie Tideswell back to Celtic Connexions and feature her latest paranormal romance.

Interview With A Seducer

Maggie Tideswell

A Bewildering Love Story

Trip Murgatroyd is a hotter than hot sex worker. He is happy with his life, with what he does for a living – he is comfortable in his own skin.

Then he receives an unusual request – to be Rachel’s 30th birthday gift.

An uber-hot escort is an unlikely candidate for a rather prim, over-protected widow to befriend. And who had ever heard of a jealous ghost?

Trip and Rachel would most likely never have met, had Rachel’s friend not come up with this original birthday gift idea. Rachel was meant to close her eyes, and say ‘thank you’ afterward.

But, the concept of a stranger paid to spend the night with her did not sit well with her. She couldn’t be part of his harem. So, questioning the man about his ‘work’, in a very public place, was as far as she was prepared to go.

However, the plan was doomed from the start – having never encountered a man like him before, she never stood a chance against his charm – the seducer was good at what he did for a living.
And her husband objected.

Since his death, Lawrence had been hanging around the house, reading the newspaper, watching TV – until  Rachel’s meeting with Trip. Then he made his displeasure known – Rachel had promised him forever, and he was holding her to it.

But Rachel was a young woman – she wanted to love again.

How was she to escape her jealous husband’s ghost?

Interview With A Seducer is a steamy paranormal romance for adult readers.

Order your copy at the preorder price of 99c here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R26C79K

Related links:

https://www.ghostly.co.za/the-sex-worker-trope/

https://www.ghostly.co.za/the-male-version-of-pretty-woman/

https://mailchi.mp/135a0c3c70b4/two-weeks-to-go-6214195

Read a sample here:

https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/798fcb6e-d56e-11ea-b7b6-8bc78dae19e1

About Maggie Tideswell:

Maggie Tideswell

Maggie Tideswell is an international bestselling author with a passion for romance. Ghosts just can’t seem to leave her alone. She combines things that can’t be explained, sweaty bodies, and rumpled beds in a way that will make your toes curl and your hair stand on end.

To contact Maggie:

Send her an email: authormaggietideswell@outlook.com

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MustLoveParanormalRomance

Tweet her here: https://twitter.com/LunaMags

Visit her Ghoulies & Ghosties blog: https://www.ghostly.co.za/paranormal-romance-author-1075-2/ghoulies-ghosties-blog/

 

#amwriting, #ebook, #SCOTLAND, A Shadow in the Past, Book Promo, Novels, Paranormal romance, Shadows from Her Past, sweet romance, sweet romance mystery, time-travel

Box Set Blurb – How do you write yours?

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Creating an enticing back cover blurb is difficult enough, but when you’re trying to come up with a box set blurb for the first time, it’s even harder.

With Amazon, you want to be able to pack as much of a punch in as possible before the reader has to click on the “read more” link.

box set blurbs

I’ve wanted to sell A Shadow in the Past and Shadows From Her Past together as a box set in ebook format for quite some time. Anyone who has seen me at various events knows I sell the paperbacks together at a reduced price. When you’re talking face to face with folks, it’s easier to convey the subject matter without going into a lot of detail and postcards and other promotional material on hand also helps.

But in the big, bad online world, you don’t have that personal touch.  You’ve got to get your blurb, single title or box set right or people aren’t going to see your product … and then there are the dreaded keywords. That could be another post on its own.

This is what I’ve come up with so far for my box set blurb.

Past and present collide in the Sarah Shand time travel romance series – a dual-timeline romance set in contemporary and Victorian-era Scotland.

Book 1:  When Sarah Shand plunges back in time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past.

When she realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?

Book 2: When Sarah Shand finds herself back in the 21st century, the people and the life she knew in the Victorian era are Shadows From Her Past.

This year, the winter solstice and lunar eclipse occur on the same day. Will a trip to one of Aberdeenshire’s stone circles, located on the family farm, during this combination of events create the magic Sarah needs to return to 1886 and her family there? Or, will she remain in the present and make a life with David, himself a descendant of the man she fell in love with in the past?

A Shadow in the Past brought a unique new voice to time travel.

A charming time-slip love story with vivid description and authenticity throughout!

Shadows From Her Past is a wonderful story of love and life, both modern and in the past.

Melanie Robertson-King has a special touch when creating her characters. The author weaves a mystery, a romance, and a family that you hope will find happiness in their lives.

box set blurbs

I’m not completely happy with what I’ve written thus far, so I’d appreciate any suggestions you might have.  Please leave your ideas in the comments.

Thanks!

 

4RV Publishing, Book Promo, Non-Fiction, Reviews, Shawn Simon, step-parenting

Stepping into a new role: Stories from Stepmoms #review

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Becoming a stepmom is like walking into a minefield. One wrong move and everything could explode. Stepping into a New Role: Stories from Stepmoms explores the situation in stories by women who have navigated the stormy seas of stepmothering.

Stories from Stepmoms

Stories from Stepmoms

Book Blurb:

Author Shawn Simon thought being a stepmom would be easy until her stepdaughter spit on her dog. That’s when she knew a long road lay ahead. So she decided to make it her mission to meet other stepmoms and hear their stories. Once she did, she felt supported and no longer alone, and she decided to write a book. This collection of stories from stepmoms contains tales of inspiration, triumph, tribulations, and joys of being a stepmom. It’s like a stepmom support group in writing.

My Review:

Would you want to walk into the minefield of stepmothering without some kind of guide to help you? Not clinical but from people who have been there.

Author, Shawn Simon, shares her voyage into uncharted waters and when she couldn’t find a self-help book out there set out to write her own. She interviewed other women who found themselves in the same situation and I’m sure speaking out about their experiences was cathartic for them.

The book is well-written. I breezed through it in a couple of days (life and day job interrupted me). Some of the stories were heartbreaking while others were amusing. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

I highly recommend it for any woman who is about to take on the role of stepmom.

About the author:

Stories from Stepmoms

Shawn Simon, MA, is a Board Certified Educational Therapist who works with children. Therefore, when she met the man of her dreams, who just happened to come with a couple of kids, she thought being a stepmom would be a breeze. She was wrong. However, as someone born with only one arm, she’s learned to overcome obstacles. Thus, she knew she could face the challenges of step-mothering. Shawn is published in the Association of Educational Therapists’ Journal and is an award-winning inspirational speaker in her field. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two step-kids, two rescue dogs, and one sixteen-year-old cat. Shawn is currently at work on more books for stepfamilies.

You can follow Shawn on:

Facebook: Stepmom Shawn Simon Says 
Twitter: @shawnsimon44
 

And you can buy her book here:

4RV Publishing, Author Interview, Book Promo, Non-Fiction, Shawn Simon, step-parenting

Shawn Simon talks about her debut book Stories from Stepmoms!

14 Comments

It’s my great pleasure to welcome Shawn Simon, debut author with 4RV Publishing to visit here today. Make yourself comfortable, Shawn, and we’ll get down to business.

First of all, let’s have a look at the cover of your book.

Shawn Simon

Book Blurb:
Author Shawn Simon thought being a stepmom would be easy until her stepdaughter spit on her dog. That’s when she knew a long road lay ahead. So she decided to make it her mission to meet other stepmoms and hear their stories. Once she did, she felt supported and no longer alone, and she decided to write a book. This collection of stories from stepmoms contains tales of inspiration, triumph, tribulations, and joys of being a stepmom. It’s like a stepmom support group in writing.

Can you tell us something about yourself that isn’t included in your author bio?

Yes, in addition to my step-parenting books, I’m also working on a book about differences. I was born with one arm, so I know what it’s like to feel odd and left out. From working with kids with learning differences, I realized their stories are similar to mine. This prompted me to include all kinds of differences in this book, which will be a similar style to my stepmom book. It will include my stories as well as the stories from the people I interviewed. My goal is to shed light on people identified as different in the hopes of helping the world see we are more alike than we realize.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?

In terms of writing, I think it’s believing in myself as a writer and believing that I have something worthwhile to share with the world. I’ve always been a helping kind of person, wanting to encourage others to see their worth. My hope is for my books to be like support groups in writing.

Without going into too much detail, what was one of the most difficult challenges in your stepmom journey?

Feeling connected to my stepkids and dealing with their mother. Those two areas caused me the most distress and ultimately prompted me to write my book.

How long (or has it happened yet) did it take for you to feel completely accepted by your stepchildren?

I feel connected and close to both my stepkids now. My stepson and I have always gotten along and have always butted heads. We are a lot alike, in both good and not so good ways. But my stepdaughter had a harder time connecting with me. She ran hot and cold for the first five years or so of our relationship. Now, I’m happy to say; I am her go-to person when she needs advice or help.

About the author:

Shawn Simon

Shawn Simon, MA, is a Board Certified Educational Therapist who works with children. Therefore, when she met the man of her dreams, who just happened to come with a couple of kids, she thought being a stepmom would be a breeze. She was wrong. However, as someone born with only one arm, she’s learned to overcome obstacles. Thus, she knew she could face the challenges of step-mothering. Shawn is published in the Association of Educational Therapists’ Journal and is an award-winning inspirational speaker in her field. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two step-kids, two rescue dogs, and one sixteen-year-old cat. Shawn is currently at work on more books for stepfamilies.

You can follow Shawn on:

Facebook: Stepmom Shawn Simon Says 
Twitter: @shawnsimon44
 

And you can buy her book here:

#Giveaway, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Book Promo, giveaway, Novels, Psychological Thriller, romantic suspense, Scotland

5 ebook copies of YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS up for grabs

5 Comments

5 ebook copies

5 ebook copies up for grabs!

I’m a guest on Marie Lavender‘s blog today, and I’m giving away 5 ebook copies of my romantic suspense/psychological thriller.

YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS recently won a silver badge in the Author Shout Reader Ready Awards.

This is what the book is about…

Who is stalking Katherine and why?

Still reeling from the death of her husband in the London Bombings, Katherine builds a wall around her heart to prevent further hurt.

In a serendipitous moment, her first love, Jared Martin, walks back into her life. Old feelings are rekindled, but as their second-chance-relationship develops, another cruel twist of fate strikes. The helicopter Jared is a passenger on ditches in the North Sea.

Who, if anyone, will survive the ordeal? Is fate still not done its dirty deeds?

Will a reckless moment from her past come back to haunt her?

 

Excerpt

~ 1 ~

31st December, 2010

He stepped out from the entrance of the Vue Cinemas. One day she would be his. But not today. Now was not the right time. He was not ready. No instructions came from within his brain. The voices hadn’t spoken to him yet. Only when they did, would the time be right.

In the month since his arrival, he spent hours at the Central Library searching through the city directories to confirm ownership of As the Pages Turn. The business had not changed hands. In addition to those, he perused back issues of The Press and Journal on microfilm for more information about the shop and its owners.

The streets were busy tonight. A group of giggling young women, their skirts too short, and their heels too high, wearing far too much makeup, walked past his hiding place forcing him to retreat further into the shadows. Any one of these girls could be his, but his heart was set on the one with the fiery red tresses. The owner of the bookstore.

Captivated by her beauty, he emerged from the darkness and started across the street, careful not to be seen by the CCTV camera. He crept to the corner of the casino building giving the video surveillance a wide berth.

Back garden fireworks popped and banged. The occasional starbursts of red, green, blue and white rose above the buildings. One, louder than the others made him jump – so nearby it could have been set off beside him. Aberdeen’s official display wouldn’t start until midnight. The clock, barely visible over the rooftops read fifteen minutes to six.

His threadbare overcoat was useless in this cold, damp night air. He rubbed his hands up and down his upper arms in an attempt to warm himself but the action only provided temporary relief.

He pressed himself against the back wall under the shelter of the roof. He could see her clearer. No one could notice his interest in her.

Oblivious to his presence, she carried on as usual. Just the way he wanted. She couldn’t be aware of him. Not now. Not yet. He was the invisible man, skulking in the gloom a short distance from her store. Just beyond her vision. He didn’t exist to her, as it had to be for now. But the day would come and she would be the first to know when he was ready to reveal himself.

This book contains adult content, violence, and strong language. 18+ recommended, so bear this in mind when entering the giveaway. If that’s not your cup of tea, you likely won’t enjoy the book.

You can enter the Rafflecopter giveaway on Marie’s blog or here for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you aren’t lucky enough to win a copy in the giveaway, here are the buy links for kindle and kobo.

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Kobo

 

 

2020, Book Promo, Children's author, children's picture book, Novels, Psychological Thriller, romantic suspense, Writing

A warm welcome to 2020! What will you do in the new year?

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welcome 2020

A warm welcome to 2020!

By the time this post goes live, I’ll be long since asleep. Thank goodness for the ability to schedule, so before I fall asleep, I wish a warm welcome to 2020!.

I’m not much of a night owl anymore. I prefer early to bed and early to rise. Those few hours when the house is quiet allow me to formulate ideas for my books, which is best done while working something ‘mindless’ like jigsaw puzzles online. I love doing them, and usually, during the process, I come up with some crackers!

My 2019 achievements

2019 was a great year for me. I crossed an item off my bucket list – train trip to and from Vancouver on The Canadian.

On our return trip, the idea for a children’s book came to me and All Aboard the Canadian with Buddy and his Four Fantastic Furry Friends! came to be. Currently, it’s only available in paperback from me, but in the new year, I plan on getting it formatted for kindle and kobo.

Something that is unheard of for me is I released two books in 2019. The above-mentioned children’s book and the second in my It Happened Series – It Happened in Gastown.

My crowning achievement, YESTERDAY TODAY AWAYS, received a silver Recommended Read Badge in the mystery/thriller category!

a warm welcome to 2020

So now that I’ve given you the highlights of 2019, let’s give a warm welcome to 2020!

I’m hoping to cross another item off my bucket list – The Ocean from Montreal to Halifax. That way I can say I’ve travelled across Canada from coast to coast by train.

Book three in the It Happened Series (It Happened at Percé Rock) takes place in the Canadian province of Québec on the Gaspé peninsula in the quaint village of Percé. A time-honoured tradition is to walk to the rock and back from the mainland at low tide. Needless to say, that event features heavily in the story.

Unfortunately, my characters aren’t cooperating at the moment and not talking to me. I have the plot outlined (sort of). Actually, I think they’re miffed at me because this was supposed to be book two in the series, but got shuffled back.

The idea for a third time-travel book featuring Sarah Shand, so perhaps it will be my 2020 release.

What are your plans/goals for 2020?