Blind Date Bride

SYNOPSIS

Nearly a decade ago, accountant Kari Parker shed 220 pounds of dead weight — her hulking, abusive college boyfriend. The last thing she wants in her life is another man — especially one as tall as a Windy City high rise. Yet when her best friend enters her in Romance TV’s “Get a Love Life” contest, another man is exactly what she gets. As much as she'd love to just say no, she can't turn down the prize money that will allow her to help her parents save the restaurant they've run all her life. Sparks fly between Kari and her bogus groom, and as she and Damien share close quarters, intimate meals and — gulp — his bed, Kari doesn’t stand a chance of resisting his considerable charms. Even worse? She might not want to. But building a real future out of their sham marriage will be tougher than baking a wedding cake from scratch … with no flour … in a broken oven.

PURCHASE BLIND DATE BRIDE

Amazon - Kindle

Amazon Paperback

B & N - Nook

Kobo

THE AUTHOR

Arlene’s website / Twitter / Facebook

Arlene Hittle is a Midwestern transplant who now makes her home in northern Arizona. She suffers from the well-documented Hittle family curse of being a Cubs fan but will root for the Diamondbacks until they run up against the Cubs. Longtime friends are amazed she writes books with sports in them, since she's about as coordinated as a newborn giraffe and used to say marching band required more exertion than golf.

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The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf!

SYNOPSIS

Six-year-old Byron Woodward is a werewolf who can’t howl. Determined not to embarrass himself after being chosen to lead a full-moon ceremony, he embarks on a mission to learn how to howl. He learns a lot about howling during his journey, but more importantly, he learns a valuable lesson about believing in himself.

Purchase The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf

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Amazon - Paperback
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THE AUTHOR

Caldric's Website /  Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook 

Caldric Blackwell realized he loved reading when he read about a bunch of people (with single-syllable names) and their pets (also with single-syllable names) in kindergarten.

Exposure to a host of great authors while studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara inspired him to begin writing fiction. Although he began writing short stories for adults, he eventually migrated to writing children's books. His debut work is an early chapter book titled The Enchanted River Race. His next release is a picture book, The Boy Who Couldn't Cry Wolf.

Outside of writing, Caldric enjoys hiking, gardening, and playing a variety of string instruments. Caldric currently resides in California.

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The Faithful Blog Tour!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist.

Author Reading!

Synopsis

For Agent Josh Metcalf, memories are ghosts. They are blood-soaked backpacks and the smell of strawberry Chap Stick. Josh is haunted by a little girl who went missing his first summer on the force. Decades later his search has become an obsession, and he's pinned the photos of hundreds of missing children to his wall of tears. All the children had psychic abilities. All the cases went cold -- with no witnesses, no useful tips, and no children ever recovered. Until a woman gets injured trying to stop an abduction, and Josh comes face to face with his personal ghost.

For Rowan Wilson, a meteorite hunter for NASA's Spaceguard program, memories are lies. The childhood she thought she knew has been erased, leaving a black hole in its place. New recollections are flaring to life: men dressed like priests, a ranch in the mountains, mind control, and rape. Each new memory draws her closer to one of the other missing children, Sumner Macey; and to I Fidele, the underground organization for whom kidnapping is just the beginning.

For Sumner, memories have become weapons. He's sharpened each of his with surgical precision: the ranch, the doctrine, the mind-wash, and the murders. He's eager to slice at the black sludge pumping through I Fidele's heart, desperate to cripple those who stole his childhood.

To I Fidele, non-psychics are cockroaches in need of extermination, an inferior species destroying the earth. They're ready to enforce eugenics on a global scale. If they succeed, only those faithful to their doctrine will survive. Crossing several genres, The Faithful will appeal to anyone who enjoys supernatural mysteries; high-tech, edge-of-your-seat suspense flavored with paranormal elements; thrillers involving psychics, occult and high stakes action/adventure; tied up with a depth and humor usually reserved for works of literary fiction.

Where to Purchase The Faithful

Amazon - Kindle
Amazon - Paperback
Barnes & Noble

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The Author

S.M.'s Website / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook / Author Page / YouTube

S.M. Freedman is a top-ranked Amazon author in the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense

categories, and a member of the WorldWiseWriters group. She lives in Vancouver with her husband, two children and a giant orange cat.

She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and spent years as a private investigator and business owner.

Inspired by authors of many different genres (favorites include Sue Grafton, Diana Gabaldon, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Justin Cronin, Suzanne Collins and Lawrence Hill, to name a few) she eventually turned back to her first love: writing.

The Faithful, a paperback and kindle Amazon Bestseller in both the US and the UK, and a Quarter Finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, is her debut novel. She's currently working on the sequel.

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Aquarious Rising Tour

2014 WINNER for the EPIC eBook award for Science Fiction!

EXCERPT

We were born in the tears of God.

When the First Creator wept at the fate of His Creation, His tears fell like burning rain to melt the polar ice and swell the seas, the cradle of all life.  His grief swallowed the mighty human cities of the coast and gave them over to the realm of Mother Ocean.  Humanity, who did not aggrieve the Maker out of malice but out of ignorance, wished to atone for their sins against the Earth.  We are that atonement.  We are Humankind's offering to the First Creator, the Maker of All.  The Great Father — a man, and nothing more — crafted his transforming virus and infected his own kind, so that we might be born as the children of Man and Mother Ocean.  Humanity became the Second Creator, Aquarius the Second Creation, and we the stewards of its bounty.

We owe much to Man, who is our father and our brother.  We must honor our debt to him.  But we must always remember this: he who has the power to Create also has the power to Destroy.

— Delphis, Third Pod Leader of Tillamook Reef Colony, from a speech to commemorate the Fiftieth Aquarian Birth Day

CHAPTER 1—BIRTH DAY

Ocypode dove through the turquoise waters of Tillamook Reef toward the fringes of the celebration.  Revelers floated everywhere.  Strings of limpets, whelks, and periwinkles glittered around their necks, clicking when they moved.  Brightly colored pigments stained their skin of blue and gray and silver with pictograms symbolizing the history of Aquarius.  Ocypode ghosted through the crowd in silence.  His own flesh bore no ornaments.

Ocypode of Tillamook had no desire to draw attention to himself.

He slipped through the window of an ancient building, its barnacle-encrusted frame long devoid of panes, and hovered in the opening like a misshapen eye thrust into the socket of a skull.  Birth Day throngs made him want to flee toward open ocean.  He preferred to watch from the shadows.

The surface shimmered overhead as sunlight filtered down to paint the reef.  The drowned Human city had been reborn, bones of steel and concrete covered with a growth of corals. Fish darted between caves marked by crumbling doors and windows, danced across the reef like fragments of a shattered rainbow.  Waves soughed beneath the chatter of the crowd.  When he listened, Ocypode could almost grasp the secrets hidden in that ceaseless whisper.

Ocypode hated secrets.  They had ruled his life for far too long...but not today.

SYNOPSIS

On an Earth ravaged by climate change, and a disastrous attempt to reverse it, human-dolphin hybrids called Aquarians have built thriving reef colonies among the drowned cities of the coast. Now their world is under siege from an enemy above the waves whose invisible weapon leaves no survivors. Ocypode of Tillamook is an Atavism: half-human and half-Aquarian, marooned in the genetic limbo between species. Only he knows why the colonies north and south of Tillamook Reef have been destroyed, literally turned to stone. Ocypode knows that Tillamook will be targeted next, but sharing the reason might prove as deadly to Aquarius as the Medusa plague itself.

Ocypode and his Aquarian and human comrades flee into the open ocean to escape Medusa, until another Aquarian's treachery leaves them at the mercy of a killer storm. Ocypode must pass through the Electric Forest, where he faces nightmarish creatures and a legendary sea witch who becomes an ally. Finally, he must confront the cyber-ghost of the human he most despises: Peter Cydon, the Great Father who bioengineered the mutagenic virus that gave birth to the Aquarian species. These unlikely allies provide the only chance to stop the Redeemers, rogue scientists who are determined to resurrect the land by slaughtering the sea. Even these allies will not be enough, and Ocypode must decide whom to trust with a secret as lethal as any plague.

Where to Purchase Aquarious Rising

Amazon - Kindle
Kobo
B & N - Nook
iBooks
Lulu Paperback

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The Author

Brian's Website / Goodreads / Facebook 

Brian Burt works as an information security engineer in West Michigan, where some of his most bizarre flights of fancy wind up in threat assessments.  He's been blessed with a wife and three boys who tolerate his twisted imagination and even encourage it.  He enjoys reading, cycling, hiking, horseplay, red wine, and local micro-brews (so hopefully the virtues balance the vices, more or less).  At every opportunity, he uses his sons as an excuse to act like an overgrown kid (which is why his wife enjoys rum, school days, and migraine medication).

Brian has published more than twenty short stories in various markets, including print magazines, anthologies, and electronic publications.  He won the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award in 1992 for his short story, “The Last Indian War,” which was anthologized in Writers of the Future Volume VIII.  His story “Phantom Pain” received an Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Tenth Annual Collection, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.  He's a card-carrying member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.  His debut novel,Aquarius Rising: In the Tears of God, won the 2014 EPIC eBook Award for Science Fiction. Book 2 of the Aquarius Rising trilogy, Blood Tide, is scheduled for release from Double Dragon Publishing in 2015.

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Purgatory Origins

SYNOPSIS

When Professor Harrison Standish, a bookish young archeologist inadvertently stumbles upon an ancient burial chamber in Egypt, he is baffled to find symbolism inside that would appear to date from two different historical periods, thousands of years apart. Suspecting the tomb had been tampered with at some point in the distant past, Professor Standish soon discovers the skeletons of ten half-human/half-canine creatures lying in a far corner of the chamber and his initial bafflement now turns to shock. What kind of ancient madman would be conducting such a horrific experiment?

As Dr. Standish endeavors to explain this mystery over the ensuing days, he happens upon a news report, suggesting that these same grotesque, half-human/half-canine creatures have come to life in the remote mountains of Wyoming and he is immediately on the next flight. By the time he arrives in Wyoming, a World War II Nazi bomber has materialized out of the sky and crashed off the coast of France and a Nazi general named Schmitz has stumbled into the 21st century, leaving behind evidence of his presence in Professor Standish's ancient burial chamber back in Egypt, all of which sets the stage for a rollicking, nonstop, modern day fantasy/sci-fi adventure.

The cast of characters in Purgatory: Origins includes Rachael, a pesky, auburn haired New York magazine correspondent, who is known equally for her ability to sink her teeth into a story and her unwillingness to let it go, Jason Kendall, an escaped rapist and killer who falls hard for Rachael when they cross paths and turns out to have a past with our half human creatures, and Harper, the ex-special forces FBI agent, whose primary goal is finding Jason Kendall, getting him back behind bars and keeping him there for the rest of his life but soon finds himself sucked into this mystery woven of ancient symbolism, old Nazi war criminals and otherworldly creatures.

Where to purchase Purgatory Origins

Amazon - Kindle

*Free for Prime Members or on Kindle Unlimited*

EXCERPT

“Sir, you’d best get up here. They’ve found something and according to the captain of the search boat, it’s very strange.”

Jacques got to his feet wearily.

“Please wait here,” he said to the father and son. “I will return soon.”

Back up on the Préfet Maritime vessel, the inspector grabbed the radio receiver.

“Yes, this is Inspector Mitterand. What it is you’ve found?”

“Sir, we have located a plane on the sea bed that fits the general description and dimensions that your two witnesses described. It’s in about 50 meters of water.”

“Very well, send your divers down and get back to me once they’ve had a closer look.”

Jacques had started to hang up but heard a voice coming through the receiver.

“Yes, what it is?”

“Sir, there is more.”

“There is more what?”

“The plane appears to be balancing on a deep ocean trench.”

“And your point is?”

“Sir, there is no deep ocean trench in this area. At least there should not be. I have worked the waters off this coast for many years and have never heard of such a thing. I can assure you it doesn’t exist on any of the ocean charts we have.”

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The Author

Darryl's Website / Facebook / Twitter

Darryl Olsen is a writer who lives in Sydney, he was educated on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales and after leaving school joined the Australian Regular Army. Darryl Olsen now writes part time, and when he is not finishing off his latest novel, you can catch Darryl at the gym lifting heavy weights, but still avoiding all forms of leg work.

Darryl Olsen is the author of the Purgatory series with the first title, Purgatory, Soldiers of Misfortune- now available. Stay tuned for the second novel titled, "Purgatory Origins" He also wrote "Children of the Gods-The Talon Project"

For more information about Darryl and his upcoming books please go to www.darrylolsen.com or you can contact him on [email protected]

PRIZES

 $100 Amazon Gift Card

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Emissary Excerpt & Blog Tour

"Rogers writes with confidence and authority about everything from African politics to Houston police procedure to Mexican drug gangs. There's plenty of action, and the book is populated with interesting characters from political figures to tattoo artists. Check this one out when you're looking for a real slam-bang change of pace."

 -Bill Crider, author of the Dan Rhodes mystery series


EXCERPT

Gunfire! Longshadow’s heart thundered, urging him toward the core of the problem, toward the sonofabitch shooter. He resisted turning to see. Resisted drawing his weapon.

His focus had to be here, on the crowd.

He glanced at the other two officers maintaining the barricade. They looked rattled, too. He inhaled deeply to counter the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Judging by the number of shots, and their sudden end, Secret Service had already secured the situation.

The crowd exploded in chaos. Some pushed to break through the barrier. Others scrambled away. Longshadow grabbed his baton. 

“Who got shot?” shouted the vet in the wheelchair. “The president?”

“No-no-no-no-no!” a woman screamed.

“She can’t be dead. No!” Words bled into a wail.

“Maintain your positions,” the chief barked over the radio.

Behind him, Longshadow heard only confusion. In the agitated crush of spectators milling near the barricade or hastening for shelter, a group of young men, all in green polo shirts pressed close to the barrier. Longshadow scrutinized their faces. No obvious ethnic affinity or gang affiliation. No placards. No slogan embellished the preppy shirts. He couldn’t match their features with any of the terrorist suspects he’d studied in preparation for this event. The men lined up along the barrier, silent and still. Oddly, their stillness seemed to calm people nearby.

Dismissing them temporarily, Longshadow continued scanning, memorizing faces. Searching for signs of trouble. Considering the direction of the inciting shots—a handgun, judging by sound—the shooter had maneuvered near enough to the president that agents were able to return fire without hitting innocent bystanders.

Longshadow recalled the unmarked car that broke from the motorcade to move ahead. Not unusual, security vehicles moved in and out of the motorcade constantly according to radio instructions. So why had he noticed it? And there was something else, something that didn’t quite fit.

Strangely, despite the adrenaline rush, he felt no panic. The city had geared up to contain a hostile situation. Trained personnel were performing their assigned duties. Longshadow’s bit filled one miniscule place in the matrix. So far, his portion of the crowd appeared shocked, frightened, angry but not hostile.

A siren announced the arrival of an ambulance.

“It was a cop!” This came from a man two rows back in the crowd. “Got a picture of it right here with my zoom. A motorcycle cop shot President Hale! Secret Service blasted the crazy bastard.”

No! Not a cop. Not one of us.

Longshadow exchanged a glance with the officer nearest him. The man’s mouth turned hard. Misinformation, the look said. A fucking lie.

The car that exited the motorcade—hadn’t a motorcycle also moved out just before the unmarked car? It must have been the timing between the two vehicles that struck him as odd and caused him to notice.

Today marks the start of a new world. The placard-waving woman was gone. Had she known this shooting would happen? Was she involved? He recalled the details of her face to relate later during debrief.

Scant minutes had passed, but in slow motion. Longshadow felt numb. A blank book, nothing inside. Addison Hale was more connected to his personal life than any president, any national figure, any politician national or local. Terry had worked so hard with Forward America to help get her elected. Now Terry was dead. Hale was possibly dead.

He felt a dull disconnect from the reality that surrounded him. Maybe he’d lost his ability to respond to tragedy.

What was that flash? Camera, probably. Everyone behind the barrier seemed to have a camera or videocam, or at least a cell phone, talking on it or snapping photos.

The flash came again, this time as bright as a flame yet as tiny as a dust mote, and it flew straight into his eye before he could turn away or blink. No pain. No sensation at all.

He dismissed it with scarcely a thought. 

***

Ruell dimmed his spark a fraction too late. The new host had sensed his presence.

Wrenched from his former host despite his resistance, Ruell had deduced that his self-preservation reflex must be stronger than his desire to retreat with Addison Hale into death. Once ejected, he resorted to instinct. Thinking had brought him one failure after another, so he relied instead on sensory direction and searched out the calmest mind within the sea of Human anger and fear. He wanted only to lie undetected and dormant.

This new emotional landscape, a flat, mist-shrouded lake, void of emotional coloration, offered the most placid escape from the chaos surrounding the conference center. He instantly constricted his spark to escape detection, wrapped his tiny bead of diminished energy in the color of despair, and slid deep into the least active tissue of Kirk Longshadow’s neocortex.

Synopsis

On a desperate mission to save his entire race from extinction, Emissary Ruell travels to Earth equipped with his two most powerful bargaining currencies -- health and longevity -- hoping to convince the most powerful leader in the free world that collaboration can save both of their civilizations. Having no way to communicate directly with humans, Ruell must inhabit President Addison Hale's body to carry out his mission.

He quickly discovers, however, that humans are more complex and volatile than anticipated. Only after admitting defeat does he encounter Kirk Longshadow, and ordinary cop who might be Ruell's last chance.

Where to Purchase Emissary

 

Amazon - Kindle
Amazon - Paperback

The Author

Chris's Website / Goodreads / Facebook 

Chris Rogers was born in Texas and raised in the days of EC Comics and B horror flicks that could chill you down to your funny bones. She resides in a small community within commute of the four major Texas metropolises, where she ghostwrites business books and memoirs while turning out her own novels and short stories. Chris has taught mystery writing at the Rice University School of Continuing Studies, the University of Houston and in private master classes. Her students have received numerous awards and acknowledgements for their works. After a career in graphic design, Chris became a writer the easy way: She read voraciously and filled blank pages with drivel until her fingers cramped and her brain defected. Eventually, she learned to craft a decipherable sentence. Author of the Dixie Flannigan series, Bitch Factor, Rage Factor, Chill Factor and Slice of Life, Chris has published stories and essays in, among others, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Writer s Digest.

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