Tag Archives: novels

Burrowed by Maressa Mortimer #BURROWED

April 20, 2022 Melanie 1 Comment

Burrowed is Maressa Mortimer’s latest novel.
Maressa

BLURB

The beautiful island of Ximiu has a plan for a more sustainable future. But not everyone living on the island is on board. Jasira, daughter of the governing matriarch, is determined to uncover the dark forces threatening her home. With the help of her friends, she embarks on a desperate bid to save her island community. When the price is higher than she had bargained for, will Jasira still find faith and beauty in the world around her?

Maressa

EXCERPT

Prologue

A good mystery was what she needed. And someone to admire her detecting skills. Jasira walked down the path from the ferry office to the harbour wall, her short brown hair glinting blonde in the sunshine. She stared out across the long channel leading to open water. So many exciting changes coming to Ximiu, but she would have to experience them without her best friend. Her dream of becoming a detective seemed to have left with Xandra. After all, every self-respecting detective needed a sidekick.

The sun was too bright for Jasira to see the open sea, but her mind had no problem following the route to the Mainland. She could just make out the small dark shape of the ferry, taking her letter to Xandra.

She leaned over the dark brown blocks making up the harbour wall. Jasira closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the slightly salty breeze on her tanned face, rough stone under her fingers and sighed. She let her eyes wander along the rugged coastline, the hills a green speckled yellow after the hot weeks of summer. Dry. Just like her soul at the moment, she thought. The poetic thought reminded her of Ilori. His mother was the Vice-Xibai and as the Xibai’s daughter, Jasira ended up spending a lot of time with Ilori. If only there was something to work on and practise her detecting abilities.

Jasira looked at the sun. It was time; she’d better go home. She drew herself up, hoping a heroic stance would give her energy to face the changes coming to her island. Jasira spun round, her trainer foot pushing off from the low harbour wall, turning her back to the water. She was in too much of a hurry to notice movement in the shadowy cliff face. Even as she walked, frowning, back to the city, the pale figure watching the ferry launch was too well hidden to catch her eye.

HOW TO BUY

https://www.amazon.co.uk

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Maressa

Maressa grew up in the Netherlands and moved to England soon after finishing teaching training college. Married to Pastor Richard Mortimer they live in a Cotswold village with their four children. She is a homeschool mum, enjoying the time spent with family, travelling, reading and turning life into stories, she wants to use her stories to show practical Christians living in a fallen world.

WEBSITE LINK

vicarioushome.com

Children's author, Children's Chapter Book, Christian fiction

The Little House in Heaven by Kathleen Watson #THELITTLEHOUSEINHEAVEN

February 18, 2022 Melanie 2 Comments

little house

BLURB

What is in the secret place up the attic staircase? When eight-year-old Melissa goes exploring, she finds herself stepping into the pages of a book of Bible stories. At the House on the Rock, she meets Jesus, who takes Melissa to her very own little house. This ‘little house in Heaven’ grows bigger and becomes furnished with ‘treasures in Heaven’ as Melissa walks in the Christian life here on Earth. Then she meets Rufus, the boy next door, who leads her into mischief and danger…

But Jesus is with her all the way, and she learns valuable lessons of trust and obedience in her trials. These profound truths are gently woven into the story as Melissa enjoys times of fellowship with Jesus in her little house in Heaven.

Eventually, Melissa has to grow up and learn to walk by faith and the ‘treasure’ she lays up in Heaven becomes a glorious reward in the end.

little house

HOW TO BUY

Little House in Heaven can be bought from Ebay at this link https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273810480044

£5 for the Book plus £1 for Postage

Or from Kathleen on this number 01903 725820

THE LITTLE HOUSE IN HEAVEN FACEBOOK PAGE

https://m.facebook.com/people/The-Little-House-in-Heaven-by-Kathleen-Watson/100063765501052/

REVIEWS OF BOOK

This book, aimed at young readers of 8 years or more, has a simple Christian message embedded within an imaginative story that is written with just the right balance between scene-setting, dealing with thoughts and feelings, and furthering the plot. It is a long time since I was 8 years old, but I have enjoyed reading it – Evelyn Wendon, Author

One of the best books I have read, feel good and thought-provoking, creates pictures of heaven – Aylson Smith

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

little house

Kathleen Watson lives in Littlehampton, West Sussex, and has a son and daughter and granddaughter. Her other published books for children are “Treasure in the Alcove”, “The Secret Blue Door” and “The Little Grey Gate”.

#SCOTLAND, Authors, Crime/Mystery, Marsali Taylor, Novels, Scotland, Shetland

Marsali Taylor brings you A Shetland Winter Mystery #ASHETLANDWINTERMYSTERY

December 2, 2021 Melanie 1 Comment

Marsali Taylor

The Shetland Islands are the backdrop for another murder mystery by Marsali Taylor.

Marsali Taylor

Blurb

It’s the dark nights in the run up to Christmas, and sailing sleuth Cass Lynch’s first night on dry land is disturbed by strange noises outside her isolated cottage. Tiny footprints in the moonlit snow trail from her front door before mysteriously disappearing. Soon Cass learns others were visited by the same tiny feet in the night.

It looks like ingenious local teenagers playing tricks – but what happens when festive games turn deadly?

Cass soon finds out as a schoolboy disappears, leaving only a trail of footprints into the middle of a snowy field. She’s determined to investigate, but uncovering the truth will also put her in danger . . .

Chapter One Extract One

trow: The trows were Shetland’s “little people”, who lived in mounds in the hill, and could only come out after dark. They liked bright colours, feasting and music (there are tales of human fiddlers being kidnapped underground for a trowie wedding), and were known for working mischief about the croft; sometimes their actions were more sinister, like substitut- ing a baby of their own for a human child (Old Norse, troll)

There was the sound of children giggling, stifled quickly as if they were up to mischief; a group of trainees planning some devilment. Kitten growled and jumped down from the bed. Whoever was on watch would deal with it, I thought, hunch- ing into the bedcover, and the thought jerked me awake. I wasn’t in my cabin aboard Sørlandet but in Gavin’s cottage in Shetland. Our nearest neighbour was a mile away over the hill, and didn’t have children.

I eased my nose out from under the downie and listened. Cat stirred and sat up. Nothing; silence, that dead silence after snow had fallen. There had been the first few flakes as Gavin had driven me back from the airport, followed by a rattle of haily puckles that had covered the ground in white; a good base for snow to lie on. I tilted my head up to look out of the window. Yes, more had fallen while I’d slept. The low hill of Papa Little was blue-white in the moonlight, and the stars sparked with cold light.

I reached for my watch and pressed the button to light up the face. Half past eleven. Naturally the youngsters of the ship’s watch would be up at that hour, but I wasn’t on board ship now. All good land children were tucked up in their beds, sleeping peacefully, or illicitly playing on their computers or texting their friends. They weren’t wandering round a cottage miles from anywhere.

I was thoroughly awake now. Sørlandet had spent the last two months exploring the eastern seaboard of the States, and my body-clock was telling me it was six in the evening. I’d had a short nap to refesh me, and now I could get up and party. Beside me, Gavin was curved over on his side, back towards me, his breathing deep and even.

I slid out of bed and padded over to the window. The sliver of crescent moon had gone down, but the clear sky gave a pale light over the snowy hills and stars gleamed in the depths of the coal black water. There was no sign of move- ment anywhere, yet I had this sense of something stirring in the darkness. Kitten looked downwards from the sill, growled again, then trotted downstairs. I heard the clack of the cat flap.

Whatever it was, I supposed I’d better inspect. Maybe the ponies in the field behind the house had broken into the gar- den. I lifted up my bundle of clothes from the chair, and was tiptoeing out of the bedroom when I heard a car start up, way in the distance. I wouldn’t have heard it at all if I hadn’t been awake, if the back skylight hadn’t been open, if it hadn’t been such a still night. I reached the window just as the sound died away, and thought I saw a brief flash of headlights move across the starry sky. The silence closed in again.

I went slowly downstairs, not switching the light on. The ground shifted disconcertingly under me, as if the land had become fluid. It would take a couple of days before my balance adjusted. Freezing lino under my feet, the air icy on my skin.

AMAZON LINK TO BUY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shetland-Winter-Mystery-Sailing-Mysteries/dp/1472292065/

ABOUT MARSALI

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women’s suffrage in Shetland. She’s also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.

You can follow Marsali at these links:

AUTHOR WEBSITE:www.marsalitaylor.co.uk

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MarsaliTaylorAuthor

TWITTER: @marsalitaylor

#audiobook, #Christmas, Books, Holiday Gift Guide, N.N. Light's Book Heaven, novella, Novels, Reading

N.N. Light’s Book Heaven 7th annual Holiday Gift Guide #holidaygifts #books

November 1, 2021 Melanie 2 Comments

I’m one of the many authors taking part in N.N. Light’s Book Heaven 7th annual Holiday Gift Guide.

Need a holiday shopping hand this year? I’ve teamed up with several award-winning/bestselling/top-rated authors to bring you the ultimate holiday gift guide for any book lover. The best part: it’s an online store. Scroll away and do all your holiday shopping in one place. Who knows? You might even find a few books you’d enjoy for yourself. https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/holiday-gift-guide

Throughout November, N.N. Light’s Book Heaven website will feature books in different genres.

11/1 – Audiobooks

11/3 – Contemporary Romance

11/5 – Holiday Fiction/Romance, Historical Romance

11/8 – Mystery, Cozy Mystery/Cozy Crime

11/10 – Self-Help/New Age, Nonfiction

11/12 – Paranormal Romance, Paranormal/Supernatural/Horror

11/15 – Children’s Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult

11/17 – Women’s Fiction

11/19 – Fantasy/Science Fiction Romance, Fantasy/ Science Fiction

11/22 – Steamy/Erotic Romance

11/24 – Sweet Romance

My Christmas novella, It Happened on Dufferin Terrace, is in the Holiday Fiction/Romance category, which releases November 5. This first book in my “It Happened” series is priced 365 days a year at the low price of 99c/99p. That’s less than a cup of coffee.

What’s it about? Think “Miracle on 34th Street meets Sleepless in Seattle.

You have until January 1, 2022, so there’s plenty of time to shop.

#amwriting, #sweetromance, Novels, sweet romance

the rough blurb and a scene #amwriting

October 19, 2021 Melanie 5 Comments

Lately, I’ve not shared much of my own writing here at Celtic Connexions. I’ve been busy sharing and helping others promote their books and book-related ventures. Today, you’re in for a treat … or not. It depends entirely on your perspective. The good thing is I #amwriting. I’ve experienced a drought, but the thoughts are percolating once again. During my dry spell, I researched the plot thread that runs through this next project, and that’s the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and the animals left behind. I know, pretty heavy subject matter. So without any further ramblings, here is the rough blurb and a scene.

The rough blurb …

Christopher Scott works in the oil sands at Fort McMurray and has to leave the care of his great Dane to his friend and neighbour when he’s away on the job. Unfortunately, while he’s at work, the nightmare of the wildfire becomes a reality and sadly, during the mandatory evacuation, his dog bolts and runs off.

A victim of childhood sex abuse, Lori Brownlee, has relocated to Calgary trying to put the sordid past and its unpleasant memories behind her. It’s been years, but she’s still plagued by the nightmares of those events from long ago.

Lori, an animal lover, joins forces with the volunteers risking their lives to save the pets left behind. She finds a great Dane and is able to persuade the dog to come with her.

Through social media posts about his missing pet, she and Christopher connect, and he heads for Lake Louise, where she is.

Is the great Dane Christopher’s missing pet? Will Lori’s past come back to haunt her?

and a scene (which could or could not hit the cutting room floor) …

Christopher Scott paused in front of the flatscreen TV mounted to the Millennium Lodge’s recreation room wall. News of the wildfire burning to the southwest filled the screen.

Earlier in the day, the sky was blue, as if no fire burned. A something inversion, they called it. Temperature possibly. The clear cerulean from before now replaced with brown, orange, and red closer to the horizon. Plumes of smoke rose from the ground as the fire ravaged everything in its path.

He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and took it out of silent mode. Missed calls. Lots of them. Checking the callers’ list, he discovered most were from his mother. The other came from his neighbour Frank Connolly.

Frank moved in a couple of years prior while Chris was on his two weeks off. They worked opposite shifts to one another. Unless one or the other took vacation time, they didn’t see each other. Wolfgang, Chris’s Great Dane, needed ‘doggie daycare’ and more while Chris worked. When the dog was a puppy, he took him to work with him. The women employed at the lodge looked after him while he worked. That arrangement worked well until Wolfgang got too big for his crate. Frank’s two daughters loved the big lummox.

Pressing the screen on a call from his mother, Chris dialled. “Hi, ma. What’s up? You’ve only called me like a dozen times today.”

“I’m worried sick about you., and you not taking my calls hasn’t helped.”

“Sorry, but you know I can’t be on the phone when I’m working. There’s nothing wrong with any of the family, is there? You’re okay?”

“We’re all fine, but haven’t you heard?”

“What?” Chris paced back and forth in front of the television.

“Mandatory evacuation. Everyone. Especially in your neighbourhood.”

He pressed his thumb and fingers against his forehead. “Calm down, ma. I’m sure it’s just a precaution. It’ll be fine.”

But would it? Was that the reason for Frank’s call? Except for pictures of Wolfgang with the children, accompanied by a quick update, communication was usually minimal.

“I missed a call from Frank. Let me return it, and I’ll phone you back. Won’t take long. Love you. Bye, ma.” Christopher ended the conversation with his mother and immediately rang his neighbour. “Hey, Frank, what’s this about an evacuation?”

“You heard right. The authorities gave us fifteen minutes to get our stuff together and leave. We planned to take Wolfie with us, but he bolted, and we couldn’t find him anywhere. I’m sorry. We had to go.”

Christopher swallowed hard. The thought of Wolfgang, alone and scared, roaming the streets during a wildfire terrified him. He understood Frank’s position. If only his dog weren’t so strong-minded. His friend referring to the dog by his nickname brought back the memory of when he first met the Connollys. Becky, the youngest, wasn’t quite three years old yet, and she couldn’t pronounce Wolfgang or Wolfie. So when she said it, it always came out Woofie.

Rest assured, nothing happens to Wolfgang. I know better than to kill an animal in a book. That’s a sure-fired death knell for an author.

And here’s a picture of the big, lovable guy. Isn’t he cute?

What do you think of the rough blurb and a scene? I know it’s not much so far, but even the largest oak tree came from a little acorn.

Please leave your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to read them.

Do you want to know more about my It Happened series? You can read about it here.

#cover, Cover Design, Novel covers, Novels, Suzy Turner

Covers by Suzy #customcovers #coverdesign

October 11, 2021 Melanie 3 Comments

It’s my pleasure to welcome friend and fellow author, Suzy Turner to Celtic Connexions today. Her latest venture is designing book covers.

Without any further ado, we’ll get right on with it. I’ve had the chance to visit your website and peruse your covers. What made you decide to make the leap into creating covers to sell?

I’d been creating covers for my own books for a few years (as well as for an author friend) and people kept suggesting I should do it for others. But I wasn’t confident enough… until now. I’ve learned so much over the past few years that I finally feel that I can use my knowledge and skills and put them to good use!

You mention the fonts can be changed from the ones used on the display covers. What if an author has a different title in mind for their book? Can the title be changed as well? Is there an extra fee involved?

The titles I use on the pre-made covers are just my titles for the books (to make it easier for me to identify each one and to give the author an idea of what it will look like), and will be changed at no extra cost.

If an author chooses a cover that doesn’t have an additional line of text (ie. USA Today bestselling author, NYT bestselling author, Award-Winning author) can it be added? Is there an extra charge for it?

No, not at all. I’ve used an additional line of text just for example. Authors can choose to have whatever text they like on the covers at no extra charge.

Where do you get your images?

I use my own photography, as well as stock imagery from legitimate sites such as www.depositphotos.com.

What software do you use to create the covers?

I create my book covers using Affinity Photo (very similar to Adobe Photoshop).

So let’s have a look at a few of your covers!

covers

About Suzy

Suzy Turner is a keen reader and writer who has always been obsessed with all things magical and mystical, so it was only natural that she would eventually find herself writing books and creating book covers and photographic art about such mysterious things.

She’s been writing books for over a decade, mostly within the YA urban fantasy and chick-lit genres, and she currently has 13 books available.

Suzy recently started creating pre-made book covers for other authors, after having made her own for years. It’s only since discovering a passion for photography and fine arts that she realised she had something to offer her fellow authors.

Married to her childhood sweetheart, Michael, they live in the Algarve with their three adorable cats and a cheeky little dog. The couple grew up in Portugal, after moving there in 1986 when they were kids.

In January 2021 Suzy launched a brand new 40+ lifestyle blog, The Grey Brunette, where she shares her love of style, beauty, travel, etc.

You can find Suzy at:

Book covers at www.suzyturner.com/covers-by-suzy

Lifestyle Blog: www.thegreybrunette.com

Facebook (book covers): www.facebook.com/coversbysuzy

Facebook: www.facebook.com/suzyturnerbooks

Instagram: www.instagram.com/suzyturner

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/suzyturnerbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/suzy_turner

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your latest venture with us. Best of luck with your cover design business!

#cover, Carol Wyer, cover reveal, Crime/Thriller, General, Novel covers, Novels

Detective Kate Young series by #CarolWyer

October 7, 2021 Melanie 2 Comments

Nobody can get into the mind of an erratic killer—except an unpredictable detective.

When a young man is found lying on a station platform with a hole in his head, DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grisly murder. But the killing is no one-off. As bodies start to pile up, she is faced with what might be an impossible task—to hunt down a ruthless killer on a seemingly random rampage.

Meanwhile, Kate has her own demons to battle as she struggles to come to terms with her husband’s death. And she is hell-bent on exposing corruption within the force and bringing Superintendent John Dickson to justice. But with the trail of deception running deeper—and closer to home—than she could ever have imagined, she no longer knows who she can trust.

With her grip on reality slipping, Kate realises that maybe she and the killer are not so different after all. But time is running out and Kate is low on options. Can she catch the killer before she loses everything?

And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. The cover for book 3 in the DI Kate Young series – A Life for A Life.

Detective

Out March 15th Available to pre order now.

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

US: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

“WOW! Gritty and tense. DI Kate Young is an exciting new lead character I can’t wait to see more of in this compelling series.” —K. L. Slater, bestselling author of Little Whispers and The Apartment

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

Haunted Bride by Maggie Tideswell

September 25, 2021 Melanie 1 Comment

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

Haunted Bride

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

September 18, 2021 Melanie 3 Comments

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

Book Promo, Crime/Mystery, Novels, Paul Alkazraji

The Migrant by Paul Alkazraji #THEMIGRANT

September 11, 2021 Melanie 2 Comments

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.