Guest: Jean Davis #NewRelease NOT ANOTHER BARD'S TALE #fantasy

 Today's guest is my good friend, Jean Davis, who taught me what she knows about selling books at craft and vendor shows. She also leads our local writers' group. Here's Jean to tell us about her new release.

Thanks for having me as a guest, Diane! 

I've been waiting to share Not Another Bard's Tale with readers since 2008 but never quite had the time to put the finishing touches on the story. It turns out, a pandemic that causes pretty much everything to be canceled for a year offers a writer a lot of unplanned 'free' time. I've been busy both writing new books and wrapping up mostly finished ones. Not Another Bard's Tale is the second of five books I plan to release this year.

Inspired by my teen-love for Monty Python's Holy Grail, and later enjoyment of John Moore's book Heroics for Beginner's, Not Another Bard's Tale leans heavily into the fantasy parody genre. This book is different from my others in that it's far more lighthearted and out to make you laugh. 

Bruce Gawain has been between knightly quests for longer than he’d like to admit. In the town of Holden, he meets a seer who tells him where he can finally find his destiny. All he has to do is travel to the distant Wall of Nok in Gambreland. With only three coins to his name, Bruce isn’t getting much further than a barstool at the town’s inn.

As luck would have it, the innkeeper’s beautiful daughter Svetlana and her flock of troublesome god-gifted sheep need an escort to Gambreland. With a paying job, everything seems to fall into place for Bruce’s quest… except for Svetlana’s killjoy bodyguard sister, an evil overlord with looming prophecy issues, and a dragon threatening to eat the townspeople until its stolen treasure is returned.

Bruce sets out with his pan-wielding companion Mydeara and the negligibly talented bard, Harold to seek out the Wall of Nok. Will they find Bruce’s destiny, return Svetlana safely home, and save the people of Holden from the vengeful dragon?

Available in Paperback on Amazon and Ebook: Amazon / Smashwords / B&N / Kobo / Scribd

Excerpt: 

Bruce glanced toward the docks where several ships were moored, their masts bobbing madly as a sudden rush of heavy wind buffeted the sea-side market. Horse-drawn carts raced by and shouting came from the next street over. He gripped the rough wood of the stall and squinted against the blowing dirt to read the poorly painted sign: Holden’s famous Herman! The great seer of the West!

A hunched man in a faded blue robe adorned with what may have been golden stars and moons bared his scant teeth. “I see an auspicious future for you, knight.” He held out an age-spotted hand. “But the details require payment.”

His past hadn’t been all too profitable and presently Bruce was in a state he preferred to call ‘between quests’. If a single coin could give him a push in a better direction it would be well spent. He dug into the coin purse he wore under his armor. He placed a chipped copper disc with a hole in the middle onto the seer’s palm. “That’s one of my last. You better tell me something worthwhile.”

“You listen to old Herman now, my visions always be true.”

People hurried past, glancing over their shoulders. “Get on with it then. The day’s almost done and I need to find the inn.”

Herman cleared his throat with a great hacking cough, followed by a hesitant wheeze and another cough, slightly less phlegm-filled than the last. “Show me your palm.”

Bruce held out his hand, wondering what the old man hoped to see in the fading light. He probably had his prophetic line of mysterious words already on his tongue; the palm was all for show. He scowled, already wishing he’d spent his coin on dinner or a pint of ale.

“All right then.” Herman traced the lines on his palm with thin, wrinkled fingers. “What you seek lies at the Wall of Nok. You must travel far and the way will not be easy.”

A shadow passed overhead, like a brief sampling of nightfall, but then it was gone. Something crashed at the other end of the marketplace. The ground shook. Screams filled the air.

What a load of dung. Bruce yanked his hand away. The evening air grew warm, almost unbearably so within his armor.

The shaking of the ground became more intense. The wooden stalls creaked. A host of people ran by. Shopkeepers watched them. Several abandoned their wares and joined the running crowd. Herman eyed the coin with determination as it bounced about on the quaking counter of the stall.

Bruce made a grab for his coin.

The surprisingly spry seer snatched it up. “When you reach the wall, you will find—”

A giant, green-scaled head atop a long neck lined with wicked black spikes loomed over the booth. Two great golden eyes surveyed Bruce and then locked on to the old man. The dragon’s jaws gaped open to reveal two wicked rows of teeth.

Bruce screamed like a little girl.

The dragon snatched up the seer and chewed with what appeared to be great satisfaction. It swallowed and then picked at one of his dagger-length teeth with a claw. The copper coin fell onto the counter.

The dragon’s rancid, hot breath blasted over Bruce. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the nearest lake is, do you? I always find mystics a bit dry.”

Bruce pointed to the far end of town with a shaking hand.

“Thank you.” The dragon flapped its wings, knocking flat the booth and all of those surrounding it, sending the goods flying in all directions.

As the dragon lifted into the sky Bruce’s reflexes finally kicked in. He drew his sword. Another rush of people, scattered in their efforts to pick a direction in which to flee, flooded through the decimated market.

A young man stopped, gazing up at the dragon and then following its line of ascent to Bruce and his sword. “You scared the dragon off! You saved us all!”

“I don’t know about...” Bruce glanced at the sword in his hand. If he meant to change his fortune, he was going to have to up his advertising game. “Yes. Yes, I did. Fearsome beast, but no match for a knight like me.”

“Behold, our savior!” the man called to all who passed by. 

Jean Davis lives in West Michigan with her musical husband, two attention-craving terriers, and a small flock of chickens and ducks. When not ruining fictional lives from the comfort of her writing chair, she plays in her flower garden, visits local breweries, and eats gluttonous amounts of sushi. She is the author of nine books, including a space opera series, The Narvan, two short story collections, and four standalone novels. You can find her at www.jeandavisauthor.com and on Facebook and Instagram @jeandavisauthor

Guest: MARIS SOULE #NewRelease SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT #mystery

 Please welcome my friend Maris Soule to the blog today. She has a new release, the 4th book in her P.J. Benson Mystery series, Something to Crow About. I enjoyed the other books in this series, so I've anxiously awaited this one. 

Here's Maris to tell you about her latest book.

Thanks, Diane, for the opportunity to tell you and others about my new book, SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT.

 

I actually decided to write this book while riding in your car back from a book event we’d attended. During the event, one woman had stopped at my table and asked when I was going to write the next P.J. Benson mystery. She wanted to know if P.J. had her baby and if P.J. and Wade did get married. Those two questions initiated the fourth book in my P.J. Benson Mystery series.

 

SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT takes place less than a year after the first book, THE CROWS. P.J. is now in her ninth month of pregnancy, is married to Wade Kingsley, the homicide detective she met in the first book, has become Wade’s son’s stepmother, and her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy is now full-grown and continues to play a part in keeping her alive.

 

Basically, in this book, P.J. Benson is at it again. She has clients’ taxes to finish and her baby is due in two weeks. This definitely is not the right time to get involved in solving a murder.

 

Prior to her scheduled Mothers-to-Be meeting, P.J. Benson enters a church bathroom and overhears Brenda Cox, a friend and former co-worker, tell someone on the phone that she was caught getting the information they wanted and barely got away. P.J. tells Brenda to call 9-1-1, but Brenda says she’ll be fine and will see P.J. soon. When P.J. and the other women attending the Mothers-to-Be session hear police cars and an ambulance out front, they know it’s a serious accident, but it isn’t until the next day that P.J. discovers the victim was Brenda. The police consider the hit-and-run an accident, but P.J. is certain Brenda was murdered. P.J.’s husband, Sheriff’s Deputy Wade Kingsley, warns her not to get involved, and P.J. knows he’s right, but soon it’s clear the killer thinks Brenda gave P.J. something. As P.J. tries to understand what Brenda took and why, she discovers curiosity can put a person’s life in danger. Not a good thing when all she wants to do is celebrate the arrival of her baby.

Excerpt:

I pointed toward the notepad. “Brenda is the woman I talked to.”

As I summarized what I’d heard, Wade sat near me, and made notes. Occasionally he asked a question: Was I sure that was what she said? Did she mention a name?

“No name,” I told him. “Just that she’d been at her computer looking at pictures she’d taken when her boss came up behind her and saw what she was doing.” Saying that triggered a thought. “Hey, you can find out where she works, and that will tell us—”

“Us, P.J.?” Wade sat back and looked at me. “There is no us. We are not getting involved,” he said firmly. “You are not getting involved.”

“I know, I know,” I said, “I’m not going to, but Detective Ferrell needs to know what Brenda said. Right?”

“Did she tell you what the pictures showed?”

“Not exactly. Just that they showed hidden compartments and origins of shipments. That information must have been important because she said her boss threatened her and came after her.”

“You said she was going to meet the person she was talking to at the brewery, that this person had promised to take care of her. Did she say how?”

I shook my head. “No, but she said she didn’t have any family.” I knew that. “And she wanted to be put somewhere where they—whoever ‘they’ were—couldn’t find her.”

“You’re thinking witness protection?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. What I do know is Brenda sounded scared. She said, ‘These people don’t play around.’ She was afraid for her life.”

Wade said nothing for a second, then asked, “Did she ask you for help?”

“No.” I sighed. “But I don’t think she realized her life was in immediate danger. I think she thought this person she was talking to would take care of her.”

“You do know that this sounds like something out of a spy movie.”

“Maybe so, but this is real. Brenda’s dead.”

 

Something to Crow About is available as an e-book and a paperback.

 On Amazon at: https://rb.gy/16ftbx

Or ask your favorite bookstore to order the paperback from Ingram

 

The e-book is on sale right now for .99c

 

Maris Soule is the award-winning author of 25 romances, 6 mysteries, and 2 short stories. Besides writing, she has also taught high school art, paints when she finds time, and for several years raised and showed Rhodesian Ridgebacks (the dog in her P.J. Benson Mystery series). Originally from California, she met and married her husband when she was studying for a Masters degree in art history. They moved to a small, rural community in southwest Michigan. It was that area that gave her the inspiration for the P.J. Benson Mysteries. She and her husband have two married children and two granddaughters. They now divide their year between Michigan and Florida.

 

Find Maris online at:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ LinkedIn ~ Goodreads ~ Newsletter Signup

 

Guest: J.Q. ROSE #NewRelease ARRANGING A DREAM: A Memoir #Review

 I'm happy to share a new release by a fellow Michigander, J.Q. Rose. I don't often read non-fiction. I'm so glad I read this story. See my review at the end. First, I'll let Janet tell you about her story.

From one West Michigan author to another, thanks so much for hosting me on your blog, Diane.

Readers, please leave a comment below to enter the drawing for a PDF copy of Arranging a Dream: A Memoir. The deadline for entry is Thursday, February 18, at 9 pm ET. You might be the lucky commenter!!

 Diane asked what inspired me to write Arranging a Dream: A Memoir. BTW, that was not the first title of the book. The working title was JQ Rose Memoir. Catchy, huh? So, after much thought, I came up with Pink Petals and Baby Poop. In my mind, it was a real keeper. My writers' group laughed at that one. When I told them I was serious, their laughter turned to concern. I dropped the Pink Petals, etc., but I still like it because it summarizes what the book is about. The florist business and motherhood.

 Back to your question about why I wrote this memoir. I have several important reasons.

 1.    I have presented workshops on writing life stories for years. I encourage people to record their stories for their family and friends all the time. I thought it was about time for me to do what I say.

2.     I wanted to pen this slice of my life for our daughters and grandchildren.

3.     I look at our story as a guide for readers now and in the future. As I wrote, I realized it was a story about having a dream and turning it into reality. People bury their dreams due to the many obstacles they must overcome to achieve them. I don’t want anyone to look back at their life and have regrets for not trying to have a career in something they are passionate about. Reading through the pages of Arranging a Dream, they can be assured we overcame problems to have an extraordinary, ordinary life, and they can too.

 BACK OF THE BOOK:

In 1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont, Michigan, where they know no one. 

Will the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop a blooming business, or will they desert the inexperienced young couple to wither and die in their new environment?

Most of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage, juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?

Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams into reality.

Click here to order the Paperback at amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Dream-J-Q-Rose/dp/0228615542/

Click here to download the eBook from your favorite online bookseller.

 UNIVERSAL LINK  https://books2read.com/Arranging-A-Dream

About J.Q. Rose

Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused on story.”  She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven within the pages of her romantic suspense novels. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard and Dangerous Sanctuary released by Books We Love Publishing. Using her storytelling skills, she provides entertainment and information with articles featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and online magazines. 

 Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games and travel are the things that keep JQ out of trouble. She and her husband spend winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two sons-in-law,  four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.

 Connect online with J.Q. Rose

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/telllifestories

BWL Publishing  http://bookswelove.com/rose-j-q/

Diane's Review:

The story read so easily. It was like Janet and I were sitting at the kitchen table over cups of tea as she told the story of leaving everything behind for a dream. Her story-telling skills came through as I read spellbound by Janet and Ted's adventure. Their move to the small town in northern Michigan could have been a disaster. How fortunate that they were warmly greeted by fellow business people, neighbors, and church members. But it wasn't all rosy. They had difficulties that threatened their dream. The reader gets a good glimpse into motherhood, too, as Janet balanced working in the floral shop and being a "good" mother. She's honest about her feelings of accomplishments and guilt. If you enjoy reading an entertaining story of pursuing one's dream, you can't go wrong with Arranging A Dream.

Guest: ELIZABETH MEYETTE New Release EXPOSED #romsuspense #mystery

 You're in for a treat today. My friend and Mid-Michigan RWA chaptermate Elizabeth Meyette has a new release. Betty is such a delightful person. Because of her giving nature, this year she was awarded MMRWA's Angel Award. I'm happy to help Betty celebrate the release of Exposed.

 What a delight to visit with you and your readers today, Diane. I hope everyone is safe and well. Thanks for inviting me on to talk about my newest book, Exposed.

 When I set out to write Exposed, I fashioned my heroine, Layla, after Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada or Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. She would be wounded, and therefore, she would protect herself with a hard-shell exterior. I could see a character arc as high as Noah’s rainbow as she transformed from cold and aloof to a woman who finally yields to the transcendent effect of love. I loved this idea.

 Nobody else did.

 I had the pleasure of a one-on-one critique with author Cindy Dees who thought Layla was schizophrenic. There was a lot of red ink on my opening scene. At her suggestion, I switched the order of Layla’s interactions in the opening scene to make her more sympathetic. A “Save the Cat” moment. When my beta readers had a go at my manuscript, I got a hearty, “Meh.” They were not relating to Layla at all, though they loved my hero, Jack. (So do I, *swoon*)

 Layla and I struggled through many rewrites so she could emerge as wounded but with a kind heart. Still, that didn’t subtract from the toughness she needed to endure repeated threats from a mysterious stalker. Based on feedback, readers are connecting with her. They see her wound and her redemption, and they relate to her.

 Exposed blurb

 Fiercely independent lawyer Layla Forrester has been hurt, and she never wants to be hurt again. Because she protects her heart as vigilantly as she protects her ailing father, she has more enemies than friends. Now one of them has threatened her life.

 EMT Jack Trenton seeks redemption over his father’s death. When he responds to a hazmat emergency, Layla wants no part of his help. She thinks the letter containing powder is a prank gone wrong, but he suspects it’s deadly. Only the second, more sinister threat convinces her to take it seriously.

 When her father’s life is endangered, Layla desperately turns to Jack.  Is she willing to risk her heart to ask for his help? In helping Layla, Jack puts to rest his demons from years ago. But time is running out for Layla as the mysterious stalker attempts a final assault.

 

Exposed excerpt

 Her SUV leaned toward the middle of the street settling on two flat tires. A note fluttered, impaled on one tire with the ice pick that had been used to pierce both of them.

Her face and neck cooled as the blood drained from them. An ocean swished in her ears, drowning out the familiar sounds that had surrounded her minutes ago: traffic, conversations, music thrumming from low-riders, the natural rhythm of city life.

Jack tore a piece off his paper grocery bag and wrapped it around the pick, pulling it out of the flat tire. The note floated to the pavement, face up. He scanned the note and moved so she could read it.

I can see you right now.

Her head snapped up, and she scanned the street. She didn’t recognize anyone. Storefront windows loomed, but the angle of the sun glared off the glass, concealing anyone in the coffee shop, bakery, nail salon, or any other store along the street. She turned to study the windows behind her, so close. No one leered out at her from the grocery store, the physical therapy clinic, or the boutique. Did that curtain fall at the second story window?

“Layla.”

She jumped at the sound of her name.

“Layla, let me take you to the police station. You need to report this.”

She looked up at him, trying to comprehend his words, but the ocean swished louder. She scanned the street and store windows again. People are going about their business as if nothing unusual had occurred. As if no one were threatening me.

Jack placed his hands on her shoulders. She met his gaze. No longer did his eyes dance with humor or crinkle at the corners. Now the blue was dark with concern.

“Are you okay?”

He pulled her into his arms. She struggled against this refuge; someone was watching. She couldn’t look afraid. This embrace had to mean something besides fear. Think, Layla, think.

You think this will rattle me, you punk? Watch this.

Steeling herself, she placed her hands along Jack’s jawline, leaned in, and kissed him, long and full.

She risked a quick peek. Jack’s eyes were open in shock. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. She leaned against him. As if hearing her, he slowly closed his eyes and wrapped her in his arms. His lips were warm and welcoming, his arms tight, holding her secure. She didn’t want to pull away; she wanted more. And based on how Jack’s lips were moving over hers, so did he.

She pulled back, but she remained in his embrace. “Check the windows. Is anyone watching us?”

He stifled a chuckle. “Lots of people are watching us. Was that your intent?”

She rested her arms on his chest. “I’m showing him that he can’t get to me.”

“And I thought it was my animal magnetism and irresistible charm at work.”

She flicked her gaze to his face. “Wipe that damn smirk off your face, Jack.”

“There’s your favorite word again.”

He silenced her ready retort, covering her mouth with his. This time her eyes bulged. But slowly, languidly, they closed. Did I just moan? Oh God, no. I just moaned. She pulled away and fumbled with the knot of hair at the nape of her neck. She cleared her throat. Maybe he didn’t notice that I moaned.

“Well, that ought to do it. I don’t think I looked frightened at all.” She patted her hair again and tucked a strand behind her ear.

Jack’s enigmatic expression shook her. “I sure hope he really is still around to see how not shook up you are. I mean, all that kissing for nothing. What a waste.” Jack stroked his jawline as if pondering a deep mystery. “You’d better call a tow truck, and then I’ll take you to the police station. Do you have any tweezers in your bag?”

 “Tweezers? No.” He certainly was unpredictable.

“We need something to pick up this note.”

She opened the back door, leaned over the seat, and fished through the hatchback. “I have a hemostat on my fishing vest. That should work.” She handed him the scissor-like instrument that curved into a blunt end.

He looked at the hemostat, then at her, and grinned. “You’re quite resourceful.” He gingerly picked up the note by one corner. “Open your purse.”

She held her purse open, and he dropped the note in it.

“Let’s get those packages loaded into my truck.”

“What?” He had to be kidding.

“You can’t drive this—two flat tires.”

“I can call an Uber.”

He stared at her. “Yes, I guess you can, but won’t that look strange to your stalker who is watching us right now? I mean, that kiss you laid on me wasn’t an ‘I’ll take an Uber’ kiss.”

 

Exposed is available on Amazon.

  

Author bio

 Believer in dreams-come-true and self-confessed chocoholic, Elizabeth Meyette writes a little history … a little mystery … a little romance.

 Elizabeth is a member of Grand Rapids Region Writers Group (GRRWG), is an Amazon Best-selling author in her genre, a PAN (Published Authors Network) member of Romance Writers of America, a member of Sisters in Crime, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

 Her Finger Lakes Mysteries series includes The Cavanaugh House, Buried Secrets, and The Last Crossing. Love’s Courage is a romantic historical adventure set during the American Revolution. Exposed is a contemporary romantic suspense.

 Elizabeth and her husband Richard live in west Michigan where they enjoy the beauty of the Great Lakes. They have an agreement that she cannot cook on writing days after he endured burnt broccoli and overcooked chicken.  Fortunately, Richard is an excellent cook.

 Visit Elizabeth at:

 Website www.elizabethmeyette.com

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/efmeyette

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-meyette-1502a642/

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

  

Elizabeth’s books are available at:

Amazon (print & Kindle)

Barnes & Noble (print only)

 

Guest: KERI KRUSPE Today Is Tomorrow's Past #NewRelease #sfr

I'm so happy to welcome a fellow Michigander and Mid-Michigan RWA chaptermate, Keri Kruspe. She has a new novel that came out Tuesday, a science fiction romance--my favorite kind of read. I just started reading this last night. I'm captivated by the concept, and the characters drew me right in.

Here's Keri to tell us a little about her new release.

Why I wrote this book

What can I say? I’m a nerd who lives for romance stories. I love all things weird…aliens, vampires, were-animals, time travel, mystical/mythical creatures and sexy beings that help define who we are as a species. When I created my debut trilogy it had to be a sci-fi romance with all the trappings. 

I’ve been fascinated by the works of Zechara Sitchin and Erich Von Daniken as well as the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens. My underlying question, if those theories were true, what happens when the aliens come back? From there I got the idea to loosely base my newest scifi romance series on that question. That’s when the first book in The Akurn Legacy, Today is Tomorrow’s Past, was born.

Blurb:

Based loosely on the Ancient Alien theory that Earth had been visited by extraterrestrials thousands of years ago, Today is Tomorrow’s Past is a romantic sci-fi adventure based in contemporary times. Filled with intriguing suspense, sensual longing, and heart-pounding twists and turns.

The aliens we thought were long gone are coming back. 

Divorcée Julienne King led a life of stressful chaos that didn’t leave time for anything personal. Immersed in organizing a huge merger for a small bank in Vegas, she uncovers insidious subplots that threatened not only the bank, but appear to have immense ramifications worldwide. With double-crosses at every turn, her next choice for an ally could be her last.

Having just survived a tragic bombing, the last thing Ben Duncan wanted to do was take on a new assignment. However, once he meets the intriguing Julienne, he recognizes there is more to her than anyone knows. But getting involved with the delectable woman is the last thing he’s free to do. His ancestors, the aliens from the planet Akurn, are headed back to kill billions of humans and subjugate Earth. He along with his brothers are targeted to be the first to die.

It’s a race against time. In less than five months, the Akurns will be close enough to invade Earth. Can a banker and a hybrid alien-human overcome their prejudices and not only work together, but learn their love is the key to mankind’s salvation?

Excerpt

At 7:00 on a Monday morning, the bright cloudless sky should have encouraged Julienne King to begin her day with a light heart and an eagerness to start the day. Not stress about going to a thankless, pain-in-the-ass job. Not stress about how she didn’t fit into the life she led. Not stress about her unrelenting urge to search for that elusive something just out of reach—convinced more than ever she was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, while living a totally wrong life. You’d think reaching the pinnacle of Senior Vice President of a small but reputable state bank at the age of thirty-one would cement a soul-satisfying life purpose. Oh no, not her.

Humph. Might as well obsess about her nonexistent love life while she was at it.

She eyed the metal handle of her car door. The stupid thing would be hot. Even this early, it had enough time to soak up the mid-July desert heat of Las Vegas. Using the edge of her suit jacket to protect her fingers, she opened the door. When it flung wide, the inside belched a suffocating, broiling miasma. As sweat broke out, she briefly closed her eyes. Good thing she parked in the shade, otherwise she’d melt into a puddle of messy goo by the time she got to work. Maybe she’d make it there before her makeup liquefied into a Picasso painting. Having been raised in the Vegas foster system, you’d think she’d be used to the scorching heat by now.

Dammit. A quick look in the rearview mirror told her that dream was hopeless. The minute she got to work, she’d have to rush to the bathroom and fix everything that took an hour to put on this morning. God forbid if she dressed there first. Upper management was adamant about bank officers arriving at work professionally perfect.

Well, come to think of it, why worry about what those folks thought? Most of them had already gone. They’d disappeared in a poof of merger-madness. Which, lucky her, made her in charge of what happened to over fifty bank branches statewide.

She turned on the motor of her ten-year-old Subaru. For the umpteenth time, why did she stay at a job that sucked the life out of her? That’s right—because of the three hundred employees whose livelihood relied on the decisions she made. Without her, their fate would be dicey at best.

Julienne’s stomach rolled as the remains of an early cup of coffee sloshed up her throat. Once again, she squashed the urge to drop everything and search for whatever was missing from her existence.  Besides, what was she supposed to do when she found it… whatever it was?

AMAZON/OTHER RETAILERS

About the Author:

Keri Kruspe, award-winning “Author of Otherworldly Romantic Adventures” loves nothing more than to write about romances that feature “feisty heroines who aren’t afraid to take a chance on life…or love”. Her writing career started when she became irritated that most SciFi romances had women kidnapped before they could find love. Determined to create something different, she turned “the alien kidnapping trope upside down” (Vine Voice) and the ALIEN EXCHANGE trilogy was born. 

Keri’s latest SciFi Romance novel, TODAY IS TOMORROW’S PAST, is the first in a five-book series that takes the Ancient Alien motif and mixes it with a romantic twist.  

A native Nevadan, Keri is a lifelong avid reader who currently lives in Northwestern Michigan with her husband and the newest member of the family, a Jack Russell Terrier, Hestia. When not immersed in her made-up worlds, she enjoys discovering the fascinating landscape of her new home as well as pairing red wine with healthy ways to cook. Most of all, she loves finding her next favorite author. 

If you want to know when Keri’s next book will come out, please visit her website at http:/kerikruspe.com, where you can sign up for her mailing list. You’ll get a FREE copy of the prologue to TODAY IS TOMORROW’S PAST as well as keeping updated on the life of a dedicated, obsessed author. 

Links

 Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FT98KQ8/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=keri+kruspe&qid=1597319913&sr=8-4

D2D: https://books2read.com/TodayisTommorrowsPast

Website: https://www.kerikruspe.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klkruspe15

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerikruspe/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keri_kruspe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kerikruspe/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/keri-kruspe?list=about?follow=true

Meet the Author: April Kelley Jones @akejones #fantasy

My good friend, Patricia Kiyono, "introduced" me to today's guest. April Jones is a fellow Michigander, and she writes fantasy. Here's a little about her and her journey to publication.

I spend most of my writing time as an editor and book coach. There’s something about stories (any story, any format) that I can’t help but be drawn to. I have just as much fun walking a writer through their plot holes as I do writing my own story, so it can be tricky to block off time for writing my own stories. The Curse Breaker took just under two years from start to finish to complete. Having worked for several publishers, I thought I would have to collect rejections for a while before I found the right publisher. However, I was at a writing convention chatting with a friend about my intentions to pitch my book to one of the publishers there when he suggested that I send it to his publisher instead. When I got home from the convention, I took a couple of weeks to comb over my story for imperfections before I sent it off to Dingbat Publishing. In less than a month I had a reply. It took all my courage to open that email, haha, but when I did I saw the words, “I love this!” and “Tell me there’s a second book!” (Spoiler, there is so I hope you like dragons). So to all the writer friends out there, keep the faith. It might take several rejections to find the right place for your novel, but maybe all it will take is the right friend’s suggestion and a little bit of courage.   

Book Blurb:

Eris's sister is missing, and Magic is definitely to blame! Eris knows only Magic can bring her back, but even as a Light Magic born, is she strong enough to save her sister?

Knox is cursed to spend his days as a corpse and his nights trying to find the prophesized girl who can break the curse. If he can't find her by his 20th birthday, he'll stay dead forever.

Eris and Knox will discover there are scarier things in their path other than curses and half-truths. If the Queen of the Underworld has her way, everything and everyone will die. The only thing standing in her way is the curse breaker, and Eris will have to choose between saving herself or everyone she loves.

Excerpt:

The Queen paced in front of her blood-red throne. After so many years, she was finally going to meet the thief who had stolen her amulet. And when she did, she was going to slowly sever every one of their limbs, one by one, before feeding their soul to Madame. The thought made her smile a wicked smile. That would teach them to steal from the Queen of the Underworld. Stupid humans were always trying to prolong their lives in the most feeble ways. Tonics, magic, deals. Death was something that could never be avoided entirely, but they didn’t seem to think that universal rule applied to any of them.

Three more months and her amulet would call to her like it always did when she could get free of this place, and then she would have her revenge. Whoever they were, they had been granted twenty years that did not belong to them, and she would make sure they paid for that stolen time. That was part of her job, after all, not that she was complaining.

“I apologize for being late, your Majesty.” Madame hurried in, a little out of breath.

The Queen turned and stared at a slightly disheveled Madame. Normally her long hair was braided and wrapped elaborately around her head, causing her to look like a long-lost ancient queen from the human world.

“We can discuss that in a moment. I called you here because I have a proposition for you.”

“I am but your humble servant, your Majesty.” Madame feigned humility they both knew she did not possess.

The Queen rolled her eyes and continued. “If you can find the insect that stole my amulet before three months are up, I will give you a special treat.”

“I will find the human. I will make it suffer.” Madame smiled.

“No. You will not touch a hair on its head. Bring it to me, and I will deal with it.” Madame looked disappointed but nodded.

The body of a girl suddenly appeared in the air in front of them, along with one of her servants. Madame examined the girl for a moment, but then seemed to lose interest once she realized the girl was neither alive nor dead. The Queen walked over and swept the girl’s long black hair back enough to see her face. She scrunched up her nose at the young girl’s beauty.

Snapping her fingers again brought new servants running.

“Take her and put her with the rest of the cursed.”

The women gently plucked the girl from the air. The Queen wondered how many bodies lay waiting in the limbo between life and death. Not that she would forgive the vermin that had stolen her amulet, but she would enjoy watching the human be tortured by all the souls it had trapped prematurely in the Underworld. Eternity would not be long enough for all the lives that heartless human had taken trying to break the curse that came with stealing something born from the Underworld’s power. Since the human had not been able to break it thus far, she continued to collect bodies stuck in the in-between, their lives connected to the cursed one’s. When that insect finally died, so would all of those souls, and she would have a lovely new collection of pets.

The Queen smiled to herself as she watched one of the servants wrap her arms around the girl’s legs while the other wove her arms around the girl’s back. Slowly they carried her out, leaving the Queen to her thoughts again.

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084DLCY8Z?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=K7GRY0P45ACKY78G6QT2

Author Bio:

April Jones has read, written, or edited her way through numerous fictional worlds. When she's not teaching or writing, she spends her time trying to learn other languages or keeping her mischievous cat from eating the pet fish. She received her bachelor's in English and her M.F.A. in creative writing.

A Tennessee native, April currently lives in Michigan with her husband and three children. You can find her poems and short stories published in various literary magazines across the internet and in print. You can also check out her debut novel, The Curse Breaker. For more information visit her website thepathtostory.com

Social Media Links:

Facebook: Facebook.com/editorapril
Twitter: @akejones
Instagram: aprilkelleyjones
Website: thepathtostory.com