Personal Demons (The Rifter Series Book 2) by L.R. Braden Book Tour! @SilverDaggerBookTours #SilverDaggerBookTours #SDBookTours

 #DemonHunting #demons #PersonalDemons #DemonRidingShotgun #99cents #TheRifterSeries #LRBraden

Dark, quirky, urban fantasy with a mystery plot, a dash of social commentary, and a sprinkling of slow-burn romantic potential.

Personal Demons

The Rifter Series Book 2

by L.R. Braden

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense 

Protecting her secret and hunting demons is a matter of survival for possessed-practitioner Mira Fuentes. She's spent years learning to work with the snarky demon housed in her body, and it hasn't always gone smoothly. Nor has her recent partnership with an agent of the Paranatural Task Force. Ty Williams—uncomfortably-attractive and overly-protective—may never fully accept that his partner has a literal inner demon.

But work-life-demon balance is the least of Mira's problems when a figure from her past drags her back to the hometown she's avoided for nearly a decade to investigate a string of potentially-magical disappearances. Someone or something is snatching teens from the local high school.

Emotionally off-balance in a city full of old ghosts and new dangers, Mira will have to confront her past to discover what is hunting the innocent.

Praise for L. R. Braden:

"My new 'auto-buy' author. I love everything this woman writes."—J.D. Brown, award-winning author of the Ema Marx Series

"A fast-paced, engrossing, unexpected, and tension-filled magical work…A great read for every female lead Urban Fantasy enthusiast."—The Queen of Swords, NetGalley reviewer on Demon Riding Shotgun

"I LOVED this book. It's got fun. It's got depth. It's definitely going to stick with me."—Lydia R, NetGalley reviewer on Demon Riding Shotgun

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Excerpt from Personal Demons

by L. R. Braden

Moonlight streamed in from the building’s skylights, casting long shadows from the crisscross of scaffolding onto the concrete floor. Several large bay doors that would once have allowed trains to pull in were boarded over, each sporting the tag of a local artist. Steel tracks set flush to the floor created a ladder effect across the pitted, dirt-crusted surface.

A figure crept along the far edge of the building. Long, matted, white hair draped their shoulders and obscured their face save for the profile of a beak-like nose. Pale, wiry limbs moved amid tattered strips of soiled fabric, fingers nearly scraping the floor as the hunched form slunk from shadow to shadow between patches of moonlight. One bony hand clutched something. Mira squinted, then nearly gagged as she realized the man—he had to be the rifter—was dragging an extra appendage. A dark smear snaked across the pale-gray floor in his wake.

<Looks like dinner.>

Mira scowled, but since the demon was inside her, the expression didn’t have much effect. Not that the demon tended to care about Mira’s disapproval in any case.

There but for the grace of God. . . . She sent a silent, grateful prayer for the miracle that had allowed her to strike a balance with her possessor all those years ago and saved her from becoming one of the creatures she now hunted.

The rifter shuffled from pillar to pillar, dragging its gory meal toward a break in the south wall—a section of empty window frame partially covered by a loosely propped piece of plywood. At the pace he was moving, she had maybe a minute before he reached the opening.

She glanced around the rest of the interior. Plenty of open space, good solid supports, no one nearby . . . couldn’t really ask for a better space to fight in.

<Are you going to call Ty?>

She fingered the cell phone clipped to her belt. Carrying the device—basically a tiny tracker—made her uncomfortable, but she had eventually given in to the practicality of being able to quickly communicate with Ty. Yet another concession to this whole partnership thing. The plan had been to locate the rifter, text the location, then trail it at a discrete distance until they could take it down together. It had seemed logical enough when she’d agreed to it. Now, watching her target move slowly away, she wasn’t so sure.

She worried her lower lip between her teeth, then shifted her hand to the sheathed kukri knife also attached to her belt. By the time Ty gets here, the rifter will have moved on, and the next place we catch up to it might not be so accommodating. She slid the long, curved blade free. We can handle this ourselves.

Mira felt the demon grin. <Just like the old days.>

Her lips twitched up to match. The “old days” were barely two weeks gone, hardly any time at all, but Mira couldn’t deny the thrill of acting without the need for debate or consent. The single hunt she’d worked with Ty—not including the unofficial case on which they’d met—had gone smoothly enough, but she’d chafed at his slow pace and meticulous planning. Right now there was a rifter in front of her, and she was going to kill it. Simple.

Demon Riding Shotgun

The Rifter Series Book 1

Possessed by a demon since she was eleven years old, Mira Fuentes maintains a fragile alliance with the snarky soul who shares her body. Together they hunt down unstable Rifters-- demon-controlled humans bent on causing chaos in the mortal realm. But when a routine hunt leads to a powerful Rifter with plans for Baltimore, Mira quickly finds herself in over her head and at the top of the city's Most Wanted.

Recently retired from the PTF after losing his partner, Ty Williams now works for the Baltimore PD and keeps his distance from cases involving magic. But when a person dies of clearly magical causes and the PTF doesn't have any agents to spare, Ty is the closest thing the department has to an expert. Saddled with a new partner he doesn't want and a mountain of self-doubt, it's his job to track down a suspect who looks suspiciously like the one-night-stand he brought home from the bar last night.

Mira will have to set her trust issues aside and enlist the help of a man determined to uncover her secrets if she hopes to learn the identity of the demon's host and prevent the human race from becoming meat puppets for the denizens of the Rift.

On COURTING DARKNESS: "This book was a fantastic second installment to the Magicsmith series… Truly brilliant writing!"--Richelle Rodarte, NetGalley Reviewer

"The plot was engrossing, fascinating and action-filled."--Pam Guynn, NetGalley Reviewer on Faerie Forged

**Only .99cents!**

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Demon Riding Shotgun

By L.R. Braden

excerpt 1

Mira darted across the open space between the buildings and crouched under a glassless window opening. Voices drifted out.

“. . . area is claimed. You’re drawing too much attention.”

“There’s plenty to go around.”

They’re . . . talking?

Mira rolled her eyes. Or rather, the demon riding shotgun in her soul did.

<We can speak, you know. Well . . . most of us.>

Since when do rifters stop to chat with their victims? Besides, it seems like that old guy is leading the conversation. Mira peeked over the lip of the wooden frame. The construction worker had his arms crossed over his Day-Glo vest. His face was twisted into an unhappy scowl that created deep creases in the skin around his eyes, but his flesh seemed intact—no signs of puppet strain, as Mira called the marks usually created by demon possession. Could he be a rifter, too?

<If he is, he’s hiding deep.>

Or balanced.

<Don’t get your hopes up. What we have is not normal.>

But not impossible. She bit her lip. If there’s another pairing like ours . . .

“This is your only warning.” The construction worker uncrossed his arms and widened his stance, planting his feet. “We won’t let you upset our plans. Find somewhere else to gorge and die.”

This guy definitely knows what he’s facing. And did he say “we”?

The rifter sneered, his upper lip rising just enough to reveal grayish teeth and black gums. “Make me.”

The rifter Mira had come to kill launched forward, striking the construction worker in the chest. The second man took the impact, leaning forward slightly to keep his feet as they slid a few inches across sawdust-covered plywood.

<Definitely not human.>

Whatever he is, I want to talk to him. Mira vaulted the window frame, calling her magic. She landed in a crouch, one knee touching down in sawdust. Both men turned to look at her. Energy swirled through her, pulled from the air and focused, with the help of her hitchhiker, into a glowing ball on her palm. Tendrils of blue static cracked around a white center. The presence that was always with her but not quite a part of her swelled.

Picturing the result she wanted, Mira flicked her wrist and exerted her will. An arc of pale lightning connected her to the rifter she’d tracked, resting for a moment against his chest before he was blown off his feet. Two-by-fours splintered as he made a new opening in the skeletal frame of an interior wall.

Mira didn’t rise from her crouch but pivoted to face the second man. Maybe another rifter. Maybe a practitioner. Maybe someone like her. . . . “Who are you?”

The man’s gaze shifted between Mira and the broken wall. He pursed his lips. Then he stepped through the doorway behind him that led deeper into the building.

The downed rifter sat up amid snapped beams and a cloud of dust.

She’d come to end him—she needed to end him—but what she’d overheard from the mysterious construction worker had raised more than a few questions, and Mira wanted answers.

Racing past the stunned rifter, she darted after the second man.

L.R. Braden is the bestselling author of the Magicsmith and Rifter urban fantasy series, as well as several works of short fiction. Her writing has won the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Sci-fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for debut authors, the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban Fantasy, and the Colorado Authors League Award for writing excellence in multiple categories. She was also honored as a finalist for the 2023 Colorado Book Award in Sci-fi/Fantasy and for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year award in 2021 and 2023.

While she loves to travel, she’s always happy to come home to Colorado, where she lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her wonderful husband, precocious daughter, and two quirky cats. When not writing, she spends her time playing games, enjoying the great outdoors, and weaving metal into intricate chain mail jewelry that she sells in her Etsy shop, WimsiDesign.

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Cretaceous Canyon by Deborah Sheldon Book Tour! #CretaceousCanyon #DeborahSheldon @SilverDaggerBookTours #SilverDaggerBookTours #SDBookTours ~~📚~~📚~~

A team on an expedition to explore a mysterious canyon in the Australian outback encounters Cretaceous-era dinosaurs.

#Horror #Action #Adventure #Dinosaur #LostWorld #Australian #Cretaceous #Survival

Cretaceous Canyon

by Deborah Sheldon

Genre: Horror, Action, Adventure, Dinosaur Lost World

Australia’s outback hides a mysterious canyon. Hidden deep within is a forest of pine tree that dates from the Cretaceous Period. A megacorporation sends in a team of experts to research this canyon for botanical riches.

The expedition enters a no-man’s land formed 100 million years ago when Australia was still attached to Antarctica, and dinosaurs ruled the super-continent. But the canyon has more prehistoric and dangerous species than anyone could have possibly imagined.

Trapped and terrified, unarmed and unable to communicate topside, the team’s extraction deadline is six long hours away.

The frantic race for survival is on.

READER REVIEWS

Robyn O’Sullivan (Goodreads) 5/5 stars – This book is a gut-wrenching, roller-coaster ride through six hours of time, ripping the reader every which way through emotional and physical upheavals that suddenly crash-land, leaving a sense of “Wow! What the hell just happened?”.

Steve Paulsen (Goodreads) 5/5 stars – Unputdownable! A non-stop, page-turning, visceral, heart-pounding thriller. Highly recommended!

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DEBORAH SHELDON is an award-winning author from Melbourne, Australia. She writes short stories, novellas and novels across the darker spectrum of horror, crime and noir. Her award-nominated titles include the novels Body Farm Z, Contrition and Devil Dragon; the novella Thylacines; and the collections Figments and Fragments: Dark Stories and Liminal Spaces: Horror Stories.

Her collection Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories won the Australian Shadows ‘Best Collected Work’ Award, was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award and longlisted for a Bram Stoker. Deb’s short fiction has appeared in many well-respected magazines such as Aurealis, Midnight Echo, Andromeda Spaceways, and Dimension6, been translated, shortlisted for numerous Australian Shadows Awards and Aurealis Awards, and included in various ‘best of’ anthologies such as Year’s Best Hardcore Horror.

She has won the Australian Shadows ‘Best Edited Work’ Award twice: for Midnight Echo 14 and for the anthology she conceived and edited, Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies.

Deb’s other credits include TV scripts such as NEIGHBOURS, feature articles, non-fiction books (Reed Books, Random House), stage plays, poetry and award-winning medical writing.

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Dead By Proxy by Manning Wolfe Book Tour and Review!

 

September 18 - October 13, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

In this lawyer on the run action suspense, attorney Quinton Bell loses the trial of his career, and possibly his life.

Dead By Proxy takes you on a heart-pounding journey through the life of a criminal defense attorney, whose world is wiped out. When Quinton loses a career-defining case, he finds himself being hunted by the very client he tried to save.

As Quinton navigates the treacherous path of survival, he is running from a powerful and relentless adversary who will stop at nothing to see him silenced. Finally landing in Houston, he hides in plain sight while re-inventing his new life as a trial lawyer.

When he’s forced to take on a high-profile murder case, he exposes himself and those he loves to danger. With each passing moment, the noose tightens, and he must draw on every ounce of wit to outsmart those who still want him dead.

Will Quinton Bell find a way out, or will he forever be a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse?

Dead By Proxy is the first book in the edgy Proxy Legal Thriller Series. If you like memorable characters, smart gritty action, and jaw-dropping twists, then you’ll love Manning Wolfe’s fast-paced page-turner.

Praise for Dead By Proxy:

"A riveting read that expertly teams courtroom drama and legal maneuvering with imminent danger, spine-tingling suspense, a touch of romance, and non-stop action. Talk about an adrenaline rush!"
~ Reedsy

"Manning Wolfe just put herself on my list of must-read authors!"
~ John Ellsworth

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: Starpath Books, LLC
Publication Date: September 2023
Number of Pages: 275
Series: The Proxy Legal Thriller Series, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Goodrea 

 My Thoughts

Dead by Proxy by Manning Wolfe is the first in the series Proxy Legal Thriller. Byron Douglas is a successful defense attorney, but when he loses a case he becomes a liability that the Dannon mob can't afford. Their goal is to kill him in retaliation for losing this case.

Bryon now has to forego his successful life and go on the run, utilizing various disguises. He ends up in Houston hoping to escape the clutches of the Irish mob. He stages his own death, hoping to stay out of the reach of the mob.

He comes to the attention of a judge who is the father of one of Byron's friends, who believes his son Quinton is deceased, so with the help of the judge, he leaves his previous life and becomes the "son" of the judge. He gets a job with a prestigious law firm. But not all is what it seems and Quinton as he is now known, still feels that he is being watched. Can he survive?

Dead by Proxy has a lot of twists is character-driven and tells a great legal thriller.  Perfect for the reader who loves this genre. I read it in two sittings and really liked the book and look forward to reading the next in the series or the books that the author has written in other series.

I give this book 5 stars

I received a copy of the book strictly for review purposes.

Read an excerpt:

Byron was not jaded or trapped into being an attorney as many he knew were and he was not in it for the money, although that part was nice. And, he was not naive, as he was aware of severe injustices in the criminal justice system and felt improvement was needed. Byron continued to be on the playing field because he was one of the last true believers. The system was the best available right now and he actually trusted the outcome, most of the time.

Having deceased parents, one semi-estranged sibling in California, and no current plans to marry, Byron embraced the law as his mistress and his life. He simply loved it all. As most careers went, loving it meant he was devoted to it and good at it. He never glossed over a precedent or twisted a legal argument beyond its parameters. He was thrilled every time he set foot in a courtroom to do battle for his client, guilty or innocent.

Across the aisle, the prosecutor, Sebastian Roberts, relished this chance to incarcerate another criminal. Roberts moved his short spark-plug-of-a-body, decorated with a vest and bright paisley bow tie, around the courtroom as he laid out the federal government’s view of the case. He looked at Byron and his client, then back to the twelve chosen members of the jury.

Byron organized his thoughts, felt excitement tingle through his fingers and toes, and stood up at the defense table. In defending Killian Tyrone, Byron’s opening argument went something like this: “Your Honor and members of the jury. Today, I’d like to introduce you to my client, Killian Tyrone, the accused in this case. Now, I know what the prosecutor said about what he did, and that is probably swirling around in your brain right now, but I’d like for you to take a step back and listen to both sides of the story before you make a decision about my client’s behavior, guilt, or innocence. You also heard his inference about defense attorneys, that would be me.” He smiled and the jury laughed. “I’ll leave it to you to decide, but I have no intention of tricking you or trying to hide the ball.”

Byron pointed at his co-counsel, Michael, a shorter, younger version of himself, but with brown eyes. “My colleague, Michael Everett, and I will present Mr. Tyrone’s side of the case and, when we’re finished, I’m certain that you will find him not guilty.”

Byron smiled at the jury and took pride in the fact that when he won, he won fair and square, and he instilled these principles in his protégé, Michael. Byron encouraged Michael not to be blinded by the legal system, nor be immune to the tricks of the trade. Byron used the tools expertly, but he wanted to win with an equal playing field, or not at all, and the law allowed for plenty of ways to win. To Byron, what was the point if cheating was involved? That only proved he was the best cheater, not the best lawyer.

***

Excerpt from Dead By Proxy by Manning Wolfe. Copyright 2023 by Manning Wolfe. Reproduced with permission from Manning Wolfe. All rights reserved.

MANNING WOLFE, an award-winning author and attorney, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. Manning was recently featured on Oxygen TV’s: Accident, Suicide, or Murder, and has spoken at major book festivals around the world.

* Manning’s legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, and Chinese Wall.

* Manning’s new Proxy Legal Thrillers Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell, including Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy.

* Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Books Speed Reads.

As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.

Catch Up With Manning Wolfe:
www.ManningWolfe.com
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Witches, Spiders, and Schemes by Elizabeth Pantley October 3, 2023 Book Blast!

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Published by: Better Beginnings, Inc.

Publication Date: November 5, 2021

Number of Pages: 292

Series: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic (#4)

Welcome Back to Destiny Falls

A magic mirror to an enchanted world... A mysterious ghost... A hilarious, perpetually annoyed witch... A brave, sassy cat... Two unexplained deaths and a mysterious community filled with secrets... Can Hayden and the people of Destiny Falls solve the mystery and return the community to its peaceful, enchanted existence?

Hayden’s adventures in Destiny Falls continue in book four of the Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series. Starting with a strange old woman at a cave and her father’s mysterious ferry journey, there are secrets to be unwound.

The enchantments in Destiny Falls are showing cracks, and Hayden suspects that it is tied directly to her family, which has a history that’s more complex than she realized. When two bodies are found floating in the bay it’s clear that the mysteries surrounding Gladstone and the ferry are more dangerous than people realize. And then . . . those spiders.

Luckily, Hayden and her sassy sidekick, Latifa have developed a group of family and friends in this enchanted place who are all ready and willing to help solve the mystery, and release Destiny Falls to resume its normal, amazing, enchanted existence.

Praise for Witches, Spiders, and Schemes:

"Will blow you away!"
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

"Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, BAM, a twist."
~ Leslie, Storeybook Reviews

"The mystery, magic, and delicately woven story held me captive! I couldn’t ever imagine such a delicious story!"
~ Goodreads

"So. Darn. Clever. It’ll keep you on your toes – hopping and guessing – until the final pages."
~ Pages & Paws

Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

1

I stared at the old woman. She was sitting on a rock in the mouth of a cave in front of us. She gawked at me as she sipped from a bottle of green Gatorade. How had a romantic hike up to the mountain lake taken such a strange turn? She told Han and me that her name was Mnemosyne, but that she was called Nemmy.

Nemmy? Could she be the woman from the stories I’d been told? Was that even possible?

Gaspar, the ghost who’d been telling me tales, had a daughter called Nemmy. She was King Gaspar Reuben’s youngest daughter of three. The one who had been tutored in black magic by an evil crone witch and bestowed with dark powers. She had lived a century ago but had partaken of the rumored fountain of youth found on the sinister island of Gladstone. Was this her? If it was, why did she look so old and frail? And how was she here?

I shivered and took a step closer to Han. He put his arm around my shoulders and the weight of it allowed me to exhale.

We had hiked for hours to reach the alpine lake. It was baffling to find an elderly woman sitting this far up. She didn’t look to be the type who’d be able to climb a set of stairs, let alone a mountain. She had no hiking supplies with her, and she wasn’t dressed for it either, in her long dress that seemed more suited for a carriage ride in the Middle Ages. When I asked her if she had hiked up here by herself, she laughed at my question, saying that no, she didn’t get here by herself, but then she changed the subject. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, she told us her name. I’m almost sure she said Nemmy. Her strange appearance, plus that familiar name, made it possible that she was the witch from the stories the ghost had told.

“You are the recently discovered Caldwell relative who fell through the mirror into Destiny Falls,” she said. It wasn’t a question. It was clear that she knew who I was. “How kind of you to deliver yourself right to my front door. I have something especially for you, Helen.”

“It’s Hayden.” I corrected her automatically.

“Ah, right. Hayden.” She made an effort to stand up but was struggling, so Han and I helped her. As soon as she was upright, she raised her arm and pointed her bony finger inches from my face. With her other hand, she pulled a handful of herbs, dust, and dirt from a pocket and tossed it at me. “Ostend mee-hi virtute!” she shouted.

In a flash, Han tugged me by my arm and pushed me behind him. It was a sweet protective gesture that I appreciated in the face of this deranged old woman.

The woman did a panicky little jig, shook her hands wildly, then grabbed in her pocket for more of the mixture. She tried to throw it around Han and into my face. She repeated what she had just said. Only much more exuberantly. Then she stomped her feet in frustration and repeated loudly, “Virtute! Virtute!”

I coughed at the dust and squinted at her. “What is she doing?” I whispered out of the side of my mouth to Han.

“I have no idea. But it sounds like some kind of spell,” he side-whispered back. “Slowly back away.”

The woman who could be Nemmy rolled her eyes. “I’m not a superhero, but you know I can still hear you,” she whispered back to us out of the side of her mouth.

We both turned to look at her. She laughed heartily and we heard her mumbling, “A spell! What will they think of next?” Then her laughter abruptly stopped. Her face sagged and she growled at us to leave her alone.

What if she was just a random senior citizen and her name a coincidence? Maybe I misunderstood her, and she said her name was Emmy. “Are you sure you don’t want us to wait until your hiking partners come back . . . Emmy?” I asked.

She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Your benevolence is exhausting, young woman, and you’re more than I anticipated. Just leave me in peace.” She waved her arm and turned away from us. “Go! Go away!” she yelled. Then she stepped into the entrance of the cave, leaving us standing there gaping at the cavernous opening.

Han and I gathered up our gear and started the trek back down the mountain.

“Well. That was strange,” I said. “I feel badly about leaving her up here alone, but she was adamant, so what else could we do?”

“That’s true,” Han said. He was quiet for a moment, then he stopped walking and turned to face me. “Hayden, while we were standing at the cave, I experienced flashes of old memories returning.”

My jaw dropped and I waited for him to explain. He’d been in an accident not far from here. He had fallen off a cliff and suffered a concussion that caused him to lose his memory of the accident.

“What did you remember?”

“Random bits and pieces. The cave itself seemed familiar, except the one I recall had a wooden door on the front, which seems unlikely up here on the mountain. The old woman’s voice was familiar. I remembered hearing her say that Lazarus had taken control. But that’s it. It’s so frustrating not to be able to remember. I don’t know who Lazarus is, or what he’d taken control of, or who she was talking to. But the cave and her voice. Those I clearly remember.”

“Han! That’s so much more than you remembered before! Maybe all your memories of that day will start to return now?”

“I hope you’re right. It’s difficult having such a hole in my memory. Especially since what happened goes against all my years of training.”

I already knew that. Han’s position as Destiny Falls Special Forces Officer, and his past work in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, meant that he would not have ignored all his training and fallen off an obvious cliff.

“If the woman is Nemmy, the witch daughter that Gaspar told me about, maybe she had something to do with your accident?”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Han said.

I was baffled by our strange encounter and concerned about Han’s returning memory indicating the woman might have something to do with his accident. But if I were being perfectly honest with myself, I was mostly annoyed and frustrated that our first official date had been ruined by her sudden appearance. I’d waited so long for our first date, and it was going perfectly until her presence knocked the romance right out of the moment. We had just had our first kiss in the most romantic fairy tale setting by the waterfall. It felt like more than a kiss. It was the merging of two souls. I was basking in the afterglow of it when her cough had stolen our moment. I took a deep breath and refocused.

There was that name again: Lazarus. His name was mentioned on the list that was imprinted on the back of the letter that my missing mother had written me. There was no explanation. Just a row of question marks after his name. He’d also been mentioned in several stories about the ominous island of Gladstone and the illegal scheme to transport people there so that they could search for the fountain of youth. Based on the bits and pieces I’d heard, Lazarus appeared to be a dangerous human being. Who was this mysterious person, and how was he known by this old woman? This enigma. Possibly the king’s wicked daughter, Nemmy.

Han and I discussed all these questions as we made our way down the mountain. After two hours of this he suggested that we take a break, table our discussion for later, and salvage what we could of our first date. We found a beautiful clearing near a small stream and spread out what was left of our picnic. We even made a plan for our second date. The conversation turned happy and once we settled in, I absorbed every minute with a lightness in my heart.

***

Excerpt from Witches, Spiders, and Schemes by Elizabeth Pantley. Copyright 2021 by Elizabeth Pantley. Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Pantley. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.

Catch Up With Elizabeth Pantley:
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Facebook - @DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic

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Just a Fika by Beck Erixson Publication Push Day!

 

Just a Fika

Family.

They're always meddling in your love life

Even after they're dead.

Brooklynite and genealogist Ingrid Ekstrom accepts a surprise request from her typically estranged family: to become the live-in caretaker of their shared historic house in the sleepy Jersey Shore town of Aegir Haven. A fun-loving cousin is quick to introduce Ingrid to the local handyman and bluegrass musician. As he fixes up the place, Ingrid digs into the house's past and learns about the family she barely knows.

And then Mormor-her long-dead grandmother-shows up, acting as though not being in the spirit realm is perfectly normal.

Ingrid's always yearned for stronger family connections, and it's nice having Mormor around. Mormor tries to set her up with a young real estate attorney who's closer to her more thunderous, god-like personal standards than the musician with keen senses Ingrid is falling for. As lore and legends mingle with real life, she's torn. Mormor's fantastical family sagas can't actually be true, right?

Purchase Link -https://books2read.com/justafika

Beck Erixson writes about the beautifully awkward world of navigating the journey to true happiness through friendships, love, and family—be it blood, found, or chosen. Her stories enhance the importance of positive interconnection, even when we feel lonely. She lives on the Jersey Shore, and can often be found either writing by the river, or in it in some way. Her short stories have appeared in Many Nice Donkeys, and Full Mood Mag.

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Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series. 

In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems, 

Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.

The Whiskered Witness

A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #2

by Laura Ball

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series. Olivia loves to help people and her patients, but when a stranger asks for her help with a mystery, she can't resist! With the help of local newspaper reporter Randy Seaver, Olivia delves into finding a mystery that is decades in the making and uncovers more than she bargained for. In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems, Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.

Tom Barnaby and her herd of animals are back to help Olivia and protect her from harm when she gets too close to the truth. Will Olivia be able to solve the stranger’s mystery? Will she uncover a possible killer during her search? Will she find love amongst the chaos and danger? Olivia is more determined than ever to uncover the truth no matter what. But will the cost of learning the truth be too high a price to pay in the end for her and her friends?

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Whiskers in Trouble

A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #1

Olivia Swann has returned to her hometown after college and realized her dream of opening an animal hospital - the Whiskers and Tails Vet and Boarding Hospital. When she hires a friend at her college reunion to join as partner at the hospital, things take a dangerous turn as suspicions of stolen cats begin to emerge. More than just her business is threatened when her new partner begins to ask questions about the wealthiest and most well-known family in the county. Are cats really being stolen from their owners and sold to other owners for a high profit? Olivia has a mystery on her hands while she deals with her loveable parents and a smitten love interest she doesn't quite know how to handle. With the help of her friends--her two cats, Fiona and Wilson, an old Beagle named Barnabus and his owner Tom Barnaby--Olivia must try to solve a mystery that hits a little too close to home.

Olivia is a reluctant heroine in this whodunnit as she is determined to find her friend’s killer no matter the cost. How will she juggle work, crime solving and an admirer all at one time? Find out in this fun and fast-paced mystery from Laura Ball.

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Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author? 

I learned to read at a very early age. My mother read to me a lot as a child. I picked up my love for books early on. When I was in grade school I would rush home from school and write short stories for hours every day. I never let anyone read them because I was afraid they weren’t any good but my love to write developed and transitioned over to poetry. I’ve had poems published in anthologies as a teenager but never gave up writing short stories. I finally decided to attempt a book and here I am!  

What is something unique/quirky about you? 

I hate tomatoes but love products made from tomatoes like pasta sauce, marinara, ketchup. There’s just something weird about the texture of a tomato that bothers me! 

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you! 

In 2003, I was injured in a car accident that wasn’t my fault.  I dislocated bones in my right foot and ankle, broke my left kneecap and sprained my left wrist. Because of the injuries to my legs, I spent three months in a hospital bed in my parent’s rec room while they healed. I had to learn how to walk again because my muscle memory in my legs was gone from being in bed for so long which was surprising and terrifying all at once.  It was a traumatic experience but I grew as a person and in my faith because of it. The accident taught me lessons and brought me closer to my family and God, and for that I’m grateful.

What are some of your pet peeves? 

People who don’t use turn signals. People with annoying catchphrases. People talking on cell phones during a movie or at a restaurant.  

Who is your hero and why? 

I dedicated my first book to my hero–my mom.  She has endured a lot in life and has remained strong and faithful. She has always believed in me, especially in my writing, and I wanted to fulfill this lifelong dream of writing a book for both of us.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? 

When I finished my first rough draft. I realized that maybe this was something I could do and really could self-publish my own book. Something ignited in me that day and from then on I felt a renewed energy to complete the book and publish it. I realized then that I really do realize a childhood dream. Not everyone gets to say or do that.

Do you have a favorite movie? 

My ultimate favorite movie is Clue. I love the intricate plot and how everything connects in some way. The characters are fun, and it’s just a fun movie.  I’ve seen it at least 100 times and can quote a lot of it. I especially love the different possible endings!

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

I very much believe a phoenix is my spirit animal. I have transformed so many times as a person in my life and risen above hardship and hard times only to become someone stronger

What inspired you to write this book? 

My mom encouraged me to write a cozy mystery. We love to watch mysteries and Dateline and can always “solve” the mystery before it’s revealed. We read a lot of cozy mysteries and my mom, Donna, has always believed I could write one. So we worked on a plot and the story came to life from there. She has been instrumental in helping me work out clues and plots and twists. 

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book? 

My mom, Donna, was a huge inspiration behind the idea for the book.  We had brainstormed several ideas and for some reason a veterinarian with cats that helped find clues seemed to stick with us. The combination of a vet and cats made sense. From there the idea of the murder and what the clues were and how the cats helped was born. The idea went through many variations but I think I told the best version in the end.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 

What started off as a fun little hobby with my mom soon turned into a goal to realize a childhood dream. I enjoyed trying to figure out a mystery and take readers on an adventure with my characters and how messy life can be. I loved trying to come up with how Fiona and Wilson–the cats in the story–would react to humans and how they could in their way assist the humans in solving the case. It was a lot of fun!

What is your favorite part of this book and why? 

One of my favorite parts of this book was writing about Olivia’s dad and his nemesis the groundhog. I drew inspiration from real life with my own father and a pesky groundhog he dealt with for a time.  It was fun adding a little bit of him into the story.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read. 

I feel it’s a must read book if you’re someone who just enjoys a good, lighthearted read for a murder mystery without the gore and the quirky fun of animals talking to each other and trying to assist their humans to solve a crime.

Is there a writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why? 

I have always been a fan of horror movies and books. I would love to spend an afternoon with Stephen King and pick his brain about how he keeps his characters interesting and doesn’t get lost in the details of the plot. 

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book? 

I did a lot of research for Whiskers in Trouble actually.  I research cat breeds and which ones were most popular, most expensive, rare, etc. I also researched a lot about common illnesses to animals and how they’re treated by a veterinarian.  I also relied on my experience as a pet owner of a cat and most recently, a puppy.  

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre? 

I do read as much as I can because I enjoy it, and because I feel reading other authors helps my own writing. Seeing how other authors develop characters and work out plot points and twists and turns. It’s fun and exciting and educational actually.  

My favorite genre is mystery because I love to immerse myself into a story and try to figure out where the story is going and revel in the characters–some I like and some I learn to hate based on the storyline. I love to be intrigued and put myself in the heroine or hero’s shoes and see if I can solve the mystery first. 

Pen or type writer or computer?

I use both pen and paper and a computer.  

Do you have any advice to offer for new authors? 

Beginning is the hardest part.  Just take the first step and put something, anything, on the page.  Once you begin it gets easier.  Don’t give up when you get stuck, look at it from a different point of view or a different character’s point of view.  Try to work things out from all angles.  Sometimes things are revealed from a perspective you didn’t have before

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? 

I like to outline with pen and paper, list the main points and scenes and main characters. Then I like to just dive right into writing using my outline as a guide. I find when typing on my computer that the story unfolds easier for me and the story ends up going to places I never intended but works out. My characters also develop the same way–by just diving in and seeing what ends up on the screen. I usually start with Chapter 1 and go from there following my outline but in writing book two of the Whiskers and Tails mysteries series, I’ve complete more in depth outlining for certain scenes and then worked outward from the scene and sort of filled in the blanks with secondary plots. Then once I’ve reached that part in the outline I edit a lot and smooth out any holes–hopefully.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I do believe in writer’s block! I feel I once had it for 6 months when writing this book! I got to a certain point in the story and just could not figure out where to go from there. I had focused so much on one particular section of the book that I realized I hadn’t fully thought the rest of the book all the way through. I became stuck. I sat staring at this half-written story and wasn’t sure where to take the characters and the story. I couldn’t envision the ending or what I wanted to happen to the characters. It was a low point for me and my writing. I started to have doubts about being able to finish the book. I doubted my ability to write and depression set in. I had to step away from writing for a time. 

But the book and the story and characters kept haunting me. I would find myself reviewing plot points and how a character reacted to a scene. I would catch myself thinking about certain twists or clues. Once I finally was able to see beyond the scope of the work I had already done, it became easier to focus on the continuation of the plot. I put myself in each character’s shoes and figured out what I wanted that character to do, to learn, to be, to experience.  It slowly became easier to move forward with this storyline or that character trait or whatever I was working on next.  

I experienced writer’s block more than once but I learned to take a step back and give myself the time to analyze and think beyond the point of where I was stuck. Once I am able to allow myself that time and room to think, things become clear again, and I’m able to continue on.

Laura Ball is a life-long Ohio native who found her love for writing at a young age. Since she was a young child, she has enjoyed writing stories and has had several poems published over the years in poetry anthologies. She hopes to bring to life characters that are relatable and storylines that keep a reader’s attention and stay in their thoughts long after they’ve put the book down. She has a two-year old Cavapoo named Eddie who provides plenty of inspiration!

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