Wednesday, October 2, 2019

The CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh & Giveaway


CassaDawn
CassaStar Series Prequel
By Alex J Cavanaugh
Genre: SciFi Adventure, Space Opera 

The prequel to the Amazon best-selling Cassa series!


A pilot in training...

Fighting the odds, Byron is determined to complete Cosbolt training and join the Cassan space fleet. Poised at the top of his class, only one situation holds him back–his inability to work with anyone in the cockpit. Byron’s excellent piloting skills won’t be enough without a good navigator…



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CassaStar
CassaStar Series Book 1 

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?


“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal


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CassaFire
CassaStar Series Book 2

From the Amazon best-selling author - CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…








CassaStorm
CassaStar Series Book 3

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.” - Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries







Get the CassaSeries Boxed Set Here! 




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




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GOOD COP BAD COP & Giveaway



Good Cop Bad Cop
by Sallie Moppert

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:   Mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

When his mother is beaten to death by his alcoholic stepfather, fourteen-year-old Samuel Marlowe is rescued from seeking revenge against him by a chance meeting with Officer Edwin Hill. The veteran policeman takes Sam under his wing and even becomes the boy’s foster father.

Sam becomes a cop and works alongside his beloved mentor until Edwin is killed in a shooting. Hailed as a hero for his actions in the case, Sam feels like anything but. He begins a dark descent away from the stand-up policeman he once was, turning to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain and his PTSD.

The police captain assigns Sam a partner hoping to salvage what is left of him by forcing him to become a good role model for the young recruit. Needless to say, Sam is not pleased with the arrangement, protesting it up until the moment Junior Detective Dahlia Bennett enters his life.

Will he try to shake her loose? Does her by-the-book ideals and strong moral code rub off on him? Will his relaxed attitude and views on true justice start to influence her?  What will ultimately lead to the two becoming a solid team? When Dahlia declares she wants to reopen some cases believing that the wrong person was sent to prison, Sam tells her straight out that in doing so, she would be putting her life at risk. As Dahlia persists, Sam is faced with the ultimate decision: let Dahlia reopen the cases and discover his crimes, or kill her to keep her from learning the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

From Inner Demons:

“Yeah, I had no idea what to say when I found out what all the hubbub was about either. I completely forgot about Scott after he was sent to prison for what he did at the party. Guess he didn’t forget about me, though.”

“It seems that way, but you didn’t answer my question. What really happened between the two of you right before SWAT and I entered the gym?”

“You really want to know?” Sam asked, an eyebrow raised.

He could see the shudder that shot through his partner from his tone of voice.

“Yes,” Dahlia said, looking her partner straight in the eye.

“I took the gun from him,” Sam said. “He didn’t think I’d do anything like that, so I plucked it right out of his hand. I pointed the gun at him and, boom, I shot him. He had his hands up. He didn’t want me to, but I had to. I had to put him down.”

Sam watched with interest as Dahlia processed what he told her. She was silent for a few minutes.

“Thank you for telling me,” was all she said before turning and walking away.

Sam kept his eyes on Dahlia as she headed down the hallway away from him. He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets.

I’ve told you the truth, Bennett. The ball’s in your court now.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Amazing just how well this book is written!  The so real like feel of the story will steal you away for the night.  The book is really thought out with the story line as well as the characters.  
Once you start this book it really easy to find yourself lost from reality reading this book.  But I will say that for some this could be a "trigger",  

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A New York native, Sallie has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, with a Specialization in Forensic Science. A lifelong mystery fan, she has combined her love and passion for writing with her interests in criminal justice, law, and forensic science.
Sallie currently resides in New York with her family and her “zoo,” which includes two dogs, two guinea pigs, a betta fish and a leopard gecko. She works as a freelance writer/editor and a legal assistant.

WEBSITE: https://salliemoppert.wixsite.com/mysite

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Cop-Bad-Sallie-Moppert

ZIMBELL HOUSE: http://zimbellhousepublishing.com/product/good-cop-bad-cop/

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

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66482800-sallie


“Sculpting Stories”

I have been studying martial arts since I was twelve years old. I also taught it for some time. If you’ve never studied martial arts in any form, there is a lot of wisdom and knowledge that can be gleaned from the practice. One of the best analogies I heard from one of my masters can also apply to writing. As teachers, we are responsible for sculpting our students. We start with a full, untouched block and slowly begin chipping away, starting with big pieces and then working on the finer details little by little. 

Working on a story is the same way. The untouched block is the idea. Once you have it, you can set to work, breaking off chunk after chunk with characters, settings, plot points, etc., and that will be followed by ironing out the finer details when editing, sentence structure, word choice, and so on. 

What does this process look like? It can look different for each person, but in this post, I will be breaking down pieces of my stories from Good Cop Bad Cop to give you a glimpse into the evolution of the story from its inception to the final product in the published work.

Let’s examine the first story in the collection, Second Chances. I’ll be picking apart the opening paragraph:

“Throwing open the door to his tattered apartment, Seth Tucker stumbled inside. He was drunk again, having consumed enough alcohol to put a frat boy party to shame, and wanted nothing more than to collapse on the lumpy sofa with the deflated cushions. Instead, he found Charlotte Marlowe seated there, directly in his spot. Arms folded across her chest, Prussian blue eyes glared sternly at him, shooting daggers of loathing across the room.”

The original was pretty different from the finished product:
“Throwing open the door leading into his ramshackle apartment, Seth Tucker stumbled inside. He was drunk-again-and planned to collapse on the lumpy, lopsided sofa but found he could not. Seth scowled at the woman seated on his couch. She stared back at him sternly with her Prussian blue eyes.”
I am fortunate that I get to work with a terrific editor through my publisher who helped me throughout the editing process to get all of the stories into the best shape possible before being released. Not everyone will have access to an editor right off the bat and that’s completely understandable. There are various services that can be found online through companies such as Writer’s Digest, as well as writing groups that, even if not professional editors, can assist in tweaking your work to improve it.

There were several suggestions for this paragraph alone and the number of revisions to the manuscript as a whole was quite extensive. Let’s break down some of the edits:

EDIT #1: Throwing open the door leading into his ramshackle apartment, Seth Tucker stumbled inside. He was drunk-again-and planned to collapse on the lumpy, lopsided sofa. but found he could not. Seth scowled at the Instead he found Charlotte woman seated on his couch. She stared back at him sternly with her Prussian blue eyes.

SUMMARY: There were a lot of extraneous words that were removed from the opening paragraph. Why say in 20 words what you can perhaps say in 10-15? Another edit made was to convey more of a sense of urgency with Seth’s desire to collapse on the couch upon returning to his apartment; instead of saying ‘planned to collapse,’ it was suggested to change the wording to something that would show how Seth wanting nothing more than to pass out on the couch would create tension and lead to an argument between Charlotte and himself in the following paragraphs. If he merely ‘planned’ on lying down on the sofa, Charlotte sitting there wouldn’t create much of an obstacle because Seth could sit on the armchair or just go straight to bed. The third major edit was the description of Charlotte’s emotions toward Seth when he returns to the apartment drunk. Simply staring at Seth doesn’t illustrate how angry and disgusted Charlotte is with him when he returns in an inebriated state and didn’t pick Sam up from hockey practice, forcing the teen to walk home in the pouring rain.

EDIT #2: Throwing open the door to his tattered apartment, Seth Tucker stumbled inside. He was drunk again, having consumed enough alcohol to put a frat boy party to shame, and wanted nothing more than to collapse on the lumpy, lopsided sofa with the limp, deflated cushions. Instead, he found Charlotte Marlowe seated there, directly in his spot. Arms folded across her chest, prussian blue eyes stared sternly at him, nearly shooting daggers of loathing across the room at him.

SUMMARY: Much like removing the big chunks of stone or clay or whatever medium a sculptor might be working in, the next step would be to start fine tuning the details. 
The biggest edit in the second round was the fact that there was an overabundance of synonyms used: lumpy, lopsided, limp and deflated. Only using one or two of these words, you still get the image that the couch has certainly seen better days and doesn’t look like it’s going to be found on display at a store. The next edit was to fix the description of Charlotte’s anger toward Seth. Instead of just saying she ‘stared sternly’ at him, it was suggested to change ‘stared’ to another word such as ‘glared’ and to use descriptions instead of the adverb ‘sternly.’ Saying ‘shooting daggers of loathing across the room at him’ gives far more description than before; the wording makes me imagine Charlotte’s eyes narrowing and her stare being unmoving and unblinking. 

Between the two edits, the final version of the opening paragraph began to take shape. It introduces a good deal of information that is essential to the story in only a few sentences, such as the conflict between Seth and Charlotte, Seth’s bad behaviors, the state of disrepair their apartment is in indicating their poverty-like status and more. 

What are some tips you find helpful when editing?


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Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Lone Survivor & Giveaway


Lone Survivor
Crescent City Kings Book 1
by Anya Summers
Genre: Dark Romance 

She needed a fresh start…


ICU Nurse Sadie Montgomery moved to New Orleans after her entire world fell apart. The idea was borne of desperation as she sank deeper into a depression so deep and dark, she had stopped feeling. But it wasn’t until she crossed paths with Ram that she finally felt a spark of life return. The only problem is, she doesn’t want to be dependent upon anyone. The pain of losing it all is still too fresh. Not to mention, in Ram’s world, the women submit themselves body and soul. 

He wasn’t looking for love…

Former Army Ranger, Ramsey O’Malley, is not looking for a long-term commitment from a woman beyond a scene or two at Club Underworld. He doesn’t have the time nor the inclination to begin something he cannot finish, not as a single dad with a thriving psychology practice. Except, he is drawn to his newest patient. She’s forbidden, like the apple in the garden of Eden, and all he wants to do it take a bite. 

But they could not deny their desire…

When Sadie makes a surprise appearance at Club Underworld looking to take a walk on the wild side, Ram knows he cannot let another man have her. He wants to be the one to introduce her to submission. But can he convince her to submit? And will just one night be enough?



**On Sale Now!!**


Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she'd have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a M.A. in History.



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Nowhere Left to Run by Kat Mizera


Nowhere Left to Run is available now! "Exceptional & Emotional! Erik & Casey’s story is the soul burning love story of your dreams!" - Elizabeth, Carolina Chic’s Read
I have nowhere left to run… I’ll never love another the way I loved him. He might have been a prince, but to me he was just Erik. The father of my child. The man whose love was so fierce, it’s like it never left me. Some days I swear I can still feel his presence surrounding me, until I’m reminded that our love song is over. Moving on is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Hollow without him, the music that’s been pouring out of my soul is the only way to ease the ache. It will never replace the love of my life, but for my baby’s sake, I have to try. Every tragic lyric, every minor chord, proves that I can’t outrun his ghost or the truth... my heart beats only for him.
Nowhere Left to Fall by Kat Mizera is available now! Amazon -- https://amzn.to/2GPK5R5 Universal -- mybook.to/NowhereLeftToFall Apple -- https://apple.co/2M6NkHZ Nook -- http://bit.ly/NLTFNook Kobo -- http://bit.ly/2MH3DuJ Nowhere Left to Hide: October 22nd Amazon -- https://amzn.to/2LkX1kv Apple -- https://apple.co/2k5SEPI Nook -- http://bit.ly/2M1fRyF Kobo -- http://bit.ly/2GRzdSV
About the Author: USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she's called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She's never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she'd probably choose the west coast. A typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat can usually be found scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) - traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible. Kat's been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article--a review of a rock concert--for $10 in 1985. Since then she's been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles. As you can guess from her Las Vegas Sidewinders series, Kat loves hockey and occasionally writes articles about her favorite team, the Florida Panthers. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There's something enticing about hockey players and romance... Connect with Kat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera/ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lzRBG6 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKatMiz Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2li6zRe Website: http://www.katmizera.com
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The Universe Chronicles


Shifting Auras
The Universe Chronicles Book 1
by Claire Davon
Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Maya Wingfield was raised to trust no one—least of all the dueling U.S. and Russian paranormal agencies, Universe and Night Stars, who’d love to harness her mind-reading gift.


She thought Richmond a safe place to escape their influence and hide from a rising psychic malevolence that drove her out of San Diego. But when she gets yet another call to retrieve her drunken roommate, her mind shows her an amber-eyed Universe operative with an impenetrable net around his deepest secret—and a voice that sends shock waves of awareness down her nerve endings.

Maya’s curves and aquamarine eyes aren’t the only things that jolt Ian Sanderson’s mental shields, bringing sexual tension thrumming back to life. It’s a power his Universe-trained mind knows he shouldn’t trust. And a vulnerability that makes his telekinetic power burn in his palms to protect her.

But to Universe, she is just one of too many unanswered questions. A target for Whisper, a shadowy new group of paranormals with powers beyond anything Universe has ever seen. Once before, Ian failed to protect a sensitive from a brain-scrambling attack. He will not fail again . . . even if it means using his talent—or his body—to stop a bullet.





Tracking Shadows
The Universe Chronicles Book 2

Since the day Jiana Falco was forced to join the paranormal agency Night Stars, she’s been planning her escape. She uses her bodyguard’s split-second of distraction to vanish into the shadows, and burns the last bridge by saving Quillan Hardis.


But now, locked in Quillan’s muscular arms, pinned by his calculating amber gaze, his invisibility talent shielding them both, she’s in even deeper trouble. If that’s possible.

Quillan didn’t get to Universe Corps’ highest echelons by being a fool. The rare shadow manipulator in his grip is too easy a prize to be anything but a setup. A pretty lure he should send back to Night Stars. Instead, he holds on—and in changing her fate, he seals his own.

Under a secret order to unlock her untapped power—by any means necessary—Quillan takes Jiana on the run with only a precog’s vague direction, and a spark of desire that blooms into something warm and genuine. But her fear of being clawed back into Night Stars’ control could drive Jiana so deep into the shadows nothing will get her out. Not even the light of Quillan’s love.

But her fear of Night Stars could drives Jiana so deep into the shadows nothing can lead her out. Not even the light of Quillan’s love.





Claire can’t remember a time when writing wasn’t part of her life. Growing up, she used to write stories with her friends. As a teenager she started out reading fantasy and science fiction, but her diet quickly changed to romance and happily-ever-after’s. A native of Massachusetts and cold weather, she left all that behind to move to the sun and fun of California, but has always lived no more than twenty miles from the ocean.
In college she studied acting with a minor in creative writing. In hindsight she should have flipped course studies. Before she was published, she sold books on eBay and discovered some of her favorite authors by sampling the goods, which was the perfect solution. Claire has many book-irons in the fire, most notably her urban fantasy series, The Elementals’ Challenge series, but writes contemporary and shifter romances as well as.
While she’s not a movie mogul or actor, she does work in the film industry with her office firmly situated in the 90210 district of Hollywood. Prone to break out into song, she is quick on feet and just as quick with snappy dialogue. In addition to writing she does animal rescue, reads, and goes to movies. She loves to hear from fans, so feel free to drop her a line.



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Monday, September 30, 2019

The Summer Of Secrets Parts 1-3


THE SUMMER OF SECRETS 


PARTS 1 - 3 



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Title: The Summer Of Secrets: Part 1 - Ruin Me 
Author: Christina Hart 

Eleanor “Kitty” Bordeau, the baby of three sisters, lives by rules of the heart.
Too young to remember their lives before the tragedy, she’s always gotten away with being impulsive and responsibility-free.
And after running away from everything she ever knew, with heartbreak at her heels, passion only existed in the form of poetry.
Now, two years later, she’s back in her hometown, where her muse still haunts her.
But when heartbreak—also known as Joey Madden—catches up to her, Kitty decides to rewrite her story. And this time, she won’t allow his lies to once again ruin both their lives.





Title: The Summer Of Secrets: Part 2 - Hate Me
Author: Cynthia A. Rodriguez

As the second of three sisters, Eloise “Lucy” Bordeau was never known for breaking the rules. And since taking over the family business while her sisters ran from small-town living and escaped to the city, rules have become her life.
Until a stranger walks into her bookstore and gives her a night that rivals even the steamiest of romance novels.
Only, Ezra James isn’t a stranger.
He’s the man trying to buy the struggling Bordeau Books from underneath her.
And now that he’s had a taste of her, he’ll do anything to keep her underneath him.





Title: The Summer Of Secrets: Part 3 - Teach Me 
Author: J.R. Rogue 

Despite being the eldest sister, Elizabeth “Sophie” Bordeau’s relationship with rules has always been rocky, at best.
At seventeen, she lost her parents and inherited a life of responsibility she wasn’t ready for.
At twenty, she ran away from it all.
Now, at twenty-eight, she’s back to try to mend old wounds.
But when an unexpected connection from her past walks into her classroom, she has to decide whether she’s finished with her rule-breaking ways once and for all, or if Sloane Callahan is worth one last walk on the reckless side. 









Christina Hart has self-published eight books. Amazon Bestsellers include her poetry chapbook, Empty Hotel Rooms Meant for Us, and her vampire novel, Fresh Skin. Traditional publications include The Father They Didn't Know (Penmen Review), The Chapstick Chick, (Too Much Anthology, Unknown Press), and The Babysitter from Hell (Monkey Star Press, coming 2016). She spends most of her time letting her dogs and bunny boss her around. 

Cynthia A. Rodriguez hates writing her own bio. In her down-time, you can find her watching movies, ranging anywhere from classic to action flicks (she has a weakness for Marvel adaptations), and reading any novel she can get her hands on.


 J.R. Rogue first put pen to paper at the age of fifteen after developing an unrequited high school crush & has never stopped writing about heartache.
She has published multiple volumes of poetry and five novels.
Two of her poetry collections, La Douleur Exquise & Exits, Desires, & Slow Fires, have been Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees.



Christina 
Link Tree

Cynthia 
Instagram

J.R. Rogue
Link Tree





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  This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions . Regina Louise will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a ra...