05 November 2014

Slow Hand by Victoria Vane Excerpt!



In rural Montana … Wade Knowlton is a hardworking lawyer who’s torn between his small-town Montana law practice and a struggling family ranch. He’s on the brink of exhaustion from trying to save everybody and everything, when gorgeous Nicole Powell walks into his office. She’s a damsel in distress and the breath of fresh air he needs.
Even the lawyers wear boots …Nicole Powell is a sassy Southern girl who has officially sworn off cowboys after a spate of bad seeds-until her father’s death sends her to Montana and into the arms of a man who seems too good to be true. Her instincts tell her to high tail it out of Montana, but she can’t resist a cowboy with a slow hand…

Excerpt:

“Don’t you have to be in court soon, Counselor?” she reminded him in a voice that came out breathless.
“Yeah, I do,” he replied. “Guess I got a bit sidetracked. You’re turning out to be a big distraction, you know that?”
She bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be such an imposition.”
“I said a distraction not an imposition. There’s a big difference. I didn’t realize until now just how badly I’ve needed such a distraction.” He stepped away with a reluctant sigh.
Her pulse still hammering in anticipation, Nikki exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized was trapped in her chest.
Wade spun toward his office. “Help yourself to the phone and anything else while I get cleaned up.” He paused again on the threshold. “Of course, you’re welcome to use my office if you need greater privacy.” He added over his shoulder with a look of devilment. “Or in the event any wild impulse overtakes you while I shower.”
He went to work on his shirt buttons. His collar was soon wide open revealing a generous show of muscular chest that make her hands itch to rip it off him. She diverted her gaze and curled her itchy hands by her sides.
“Have no fear, cowboy,” Nikki replied in a tone meant to disguise the warm flush that had come over her. “I corralled all my wild impulses long ago.”
“Did you, now?” He still stood in doorway, head cocked. “Somehow, I think you may have missed a few strays.”
“Maybe I need to make myself clearer. I have an aversion to cocky cowboys.”
Just keep telling yourself that, Nikki. Maybe if you repeat it often enough itll become true.
“Is that so?” His brows flew upward. “I can’t say I ever met a woman with an actual aversion to me.”
“Don’t take it personally. It’s nothing against you in particular, but to your type.”
“And what do you think you know about my type?”
“Since I don’t have a pole handy, enough to keep you at arm’s length. Besides that, this whole line of conversation is entirely inappropriate in light of professional ethics, don’t you think? You are my attorney, after all.”
“Well, darlin’”—he scratched his unshaven jaw—“there’s a little hitch to that.”
“What do you mean? You said you’d help me.”
“And I will, but you can’t engage my professional services until I know who you are.”
“I’ve told you who I am!” she insisted.
“Sweetheart, I’m a lawyer, and according to the law, your claim don’t weigh without authentication.”
“Authentication?”
“Proof.”
“So what are you saying? That you don’t believe me?”
“I’m not saying that at all. Only that our professional relationship will commence once you get your ID. In the interim”—his gaze slid over her in a way that threatened to melt her insides—“you’d best find yourself a nice, long, sturdy pole.”

Systematic Siege by N.Isabelle Blanco!

SSPT1_comingsoon

Event Organized by ❤MaE Book Tours & Promo Stars Services

❤Cover Design by: N. Isabelle Blanco

Synopsis He was the player. The most popular guy in highschool. In other words, the stereotypical heartbreaker that every girl died for. She was one of the nerds. The outcast teased and shunned by the popular kids in school. In other words, him and his crew. He always wanted her, she just never knew it . . .

In order to maintain his popularity, he buried those feelings deep, deep down in the pit of his miserable little soul. That is, until one night he lost control. They both did. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones that knew it. What his friends ended up doing with the knowledge would scar her for the next seven years of her life. And leave him wrecked, dealing with years of agony because he’d lost her. Highschool graduation came and went, and they never saw each other again. Now, seven years later, Andrew’s stepped in and taken his father’s place as CEO of his family’s company, Drevlow Systems, Inc. Along with the new position comes a host of perks . . . and a brand new systems genius working as the head of his company’s IT department. An IT genius that just happens to be the one woman he never forgot. She hasn’t forgotten him or his reputation either and she wants nothing to do with him. He’s determined to have her—she’s determined to see him burn in hell before that happens. What ensues takes the term War of the Sexes to a whole new level.

{Episode #1}
Andrew is forced to face his past in a way he’d never expected. Or prepared for. Seven years. That’s how long he waited to find Lexi again. Seven years worth of memories. Fantasies that tormented his life, making it impossible for him to move on. Seven years worth of guilt for what he’d inadvertently allowed to happen. He had it all planned out, every step of the epic-groveling he knew he’d have to do. His plan was absolutely perfect. Genius, actually. Then he walked into his company’s IT department and seen the same big, blue-gray eyes that had haunted him for years . . . Glaring at him from behind familiar, black-framed glasses. And Andrew knew, right then, without a doubt . . . That his plan wasn’t worth sh*t. Disclaimer: Systematic Siege: Provocative Tendencies is a series of short stories, each roughly 10,000-15,000 words long, with an estimated final total of nine episodes for the entire series.  
Genre Erotica/ Romantic Comedy/ New Adult
Series SSPT
Expected Publication Date December 2014
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About the Author
nisabelleblanco

N. Isabelle Blanco was born in Queens, NY (USA). At the age of three, due to an odd fascination with studying her mother’s handwriting, she began to read and write. By the time she’d reached kindergarten, she had an extensive vocabulary and her obsession with words began to bleed into every aspect of her life. An avid reader in her teens, her fascination with Japanese anime eventually led her to the universe of fan fiction, which became her on-again, off-again hobby for the next ten years. During that time she amassed a following of fans that, by her own admission, she would never be able to live without. It was those fans who encouraged her to step beyond the fan fiction realm and try her talent in the publishing world. N. Isabelle Blanco spends her days working as an author, web programmer, marketer, and graphic designer. That is when she isn’t handling her “spawn”, as she calls her son, and brainstorming with him about his future career as a comic book illustrator.
Connect with N. Isabelle Blanco!


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Book Blast for S.K. Rizzolo's John Chase Historical Regency Mystery Series!!


The Rose in the Wheel (Book One)

01_The Rose Wheel
Publication Date: January 1, 2002
Poisoned Pen Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Series: John Chase Mystery Series (Book One)
Genre: Historical Mystery/Regency
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This well imagined, carefully detailed, and cleverly plotted debut draws on actual historical events of 1811 London.
Regency London knows Constance Tyrone as the conspicuously celibate founder of the St. Catherine Society, dedicated to helping poor women. One wet November evening a carriage mows down Constance outside her office. Curiously, while her corpse’s one foot is bare, the other is shod in a clean satin slipper despite the muddy road. Why was a gentlewoman abroad in the night? And if she died under the wheel, whose hands bruised her neck and stole her monogrammed crucifix?
Dismissing the idea of an accident, Bow Street Runner John Chase forms an unlikely alliance with Penelope Wolfe, wife of the chief suspect. A young mother paying the price for an imprudent marriage, Penelope is eager to clear her husband Jeremy, a feckless portrait painter whose salacious drawings of the victim suggest an erotic interest. Chase’s first task is to learn the identity of the mysterious benefactor who goes bail for Wolfe while Penelope traces the victim’s last movements. Barrister Edward Buckler, intrigued, shakes off his habitual lethargy and joins their investigation.
As horrifying murders on the Ratcliffe Highway claim all London’s attention, the trio discovers that it won’t be easy to unravel the enigma of Constance Tyrone, a woman who revives the legend of martyred St. Catherine.

Blood for Blood (Book Two)

02_Blood for Blood
Publication Date: April 15, 2003
Poisoned Pen Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Series: John Chase Mystery Series (Book Two)
Genre: Historical Mystery/Regency
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In the spring of 1812, the Luddites are on the march, Lord Byron is taking London drawing rooms by storm, and Penelope Wolfe has become a lady’s companion. When one of the footmen turns up dead with a knife to the heart, Penelope and Bow Street Runner John Chase are entangled in a web of family secrets and political conspiracy that stretches far beyond luxurious St. James’s Square.
With the help of barrister Edward Buckler, Chase follows the trail of a mysterious mad woman caught peeping in the window at the corpse. Penelope struggles to fit into the fashionable world, encountering people who hide resentment and deceit under smooth smiles.
Set against a backdrop of millennial fervor with thousands awaiting the end of the world, BLOOD FOR BLOOD explores the simple truth that every drop of blood spilled will be avenged.

Die I Will Not (Book Three)

Die I Will Not
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Poisoned Pen Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback
Series: John Chase Mystery Series (Book Three)
Genre: Historical Mystery/Regency
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Unhappy wife and young mother Penelope Wolfe fears scandal for her family and worse. A Tory newspaper editor has been stabbed while writing a reply to the latest round of letters penned by a firebrand calling himself Collatinus. Twenty years before, her father, the radical Eustace Sandford, wrote as Collatinus before he fled London just ahead of accusations of treason and murder. A mysterious beauty closely connected to Sandford and known only as N.D. had been brutally slain, her killer never punished. The seditious new Collatinus letters that attack the Prince Regent in the press also seek to avenge N.D.’s death and unmask her murderer. What did the journalist know that provoked his death?
Her artist husband Jeremy is no reliable ally, so Penelope turns anew to lawyer Edward Buckler and Bow Street Runner John Chase. As she battles public notoriety, Buckler and Chase put their careers at risk to stand behind her while pursuing various lines of inquiry aimed at N.D.’s murderer, a missing memoir, Royal scandal, and the dead editor’s missing wife. As they navigate the dark underbelly of Regency London among a cast driven by dirty politics and dark passions, as well as by decency and a desire for justice, past secrets and present criminals are exposed, upending Penelope’s life and the lives of others.

Buy Links

About the Author

S.K. Rizzolo is a longtime Anglophile and history enthusiast. Set in Regency England, The Rose in the Wheel and Blood for Blood are the first two novels in her series about a Bow Street Runner, an unconventional lady, and a melancholic barrister. An English teacher, Rizzolo has earned an M.A. in literature and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
For more information please visit S.K. Rizzolo’s website. You can also find her on Facebookand Goodreads.

04 November 2014

Crazy Normal by Lloyd Lofthouse Review!

'Crazy Is Normal' has won an honorable mention at the 'Southern California Book Festival'! 


'Crazy Is Normal' will be on sale for only $0.99 from October 1-November 15, 2014, on Kindle!  


Publisher: Three Clover Press (June 14, 2014)
ISBN: 978-0986032851
Category: Biographies and Memoirs, Educators
Tour Date: October, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 386 Pages

Multi award winning author, Lloyd Lofthouse kept a daily journal for one-full school year and that journal became the primary source of this teacher's memoir.

"Readers who envision eager students lapping up learning led by a Tiger Teacher will be disappointed. Lofthouse presents us with grungy classrooms, kids who don't want to be in school, and the consequences of growing up in a hardscrabble world. While some parents support his efforts, many sabotage them-and isolated administrators make the work of Lofthouse and his peers even more difficult.

Throughout this memoir, though, Lofthouse seems able to keep the hope alive that there's a future for each student that doesn't include jail-thanks in large part to his sixth period journalism class and its incredible editor, Amanda." - Bruce Reeves

Praise for 'Crazy is Normal':

"Lloyd has written an honest and fascinating story of a year in the working life of a dedicated California public school teacher. This is a must read for those thinking of becoming a teacher, is a public school teacher or administrator, or has children in the public school system.

What works most effectively is how Lloyd shows the contrast between the two student extremes - the top achievers who take what Lloyd offers and learns how to conquer the world, and the many slackers who appear determine to sabotage their teacher's best efforts to teach them the skills they need for a successful future."-Tim M, Amazon Reviewer

"Lots of teachers I know wish they had kept a daily journal as detailed as Lofthouse's; you forget so much. He's done old teachers a favor, and will have them nodding their heads - "yes, that's the way it was." Parents and teachers who live in lusher locations may turn their nose up at his toughness and military approach to classroom rules, but in the long run it's the students who profited. Someday maybe someone will keep a similar journal and write a parallel account of life in a "nice" school classroom. A great read that gradually moves the reader from a sense of "crazy" to a sense of "maybe there's hope."-Unhirsute, Amazon Reviewer

"Lloyd Lofthouse has written a powerful memoir in Crazy Normal that took me back to time we shared at Nogales High School. His reflections and anecdotes based on his daily journal brought so many memories of my own teaching experiences there. This is not fiction, but retelling of events that might give insight for many into the challenges a teacher faces every day.

Lofthouse's journal shows a later picture of the community. The kids who populate the pages of his memoir don't have dirt floors, but many of them are still new to the country and the language. Some are headed to colleges and universities while others, if they graduate from high school, might be the first of their families to achieve that diploma.

I had to take breaks from reading when Lloyd described the grueling and frustrating teachers' meetings. These were not times I wanted to revisit now that I have retired after thirty-seven years of teaching. But like Lloyd, my good memories are of the students who walked through my doors every day. I revel in their accomplishments and their ability to overcome huge societal obstacles in order to succeed. Nogales is a place like many other American high schools where crazy is normal.

I applaud Lloyd Lofthouse for his dedication and hard work on behalf of kids who needed someone who cared enough to help his students learn and grow. His story is worth telling-and worth the read."GailtheReader, Amazon Reviewer



About Lloyd Lofthouse:

Little did Lloyd Lofthouse know in 1999, when he married Anchee Min, that he was beginning a journey of discovery. His first trip to The Middle Kingdom was on the honeymoon with his bride, who introduced him to China and Robert Hart (1835-1911), the main characters in Lloyd's first two novels,My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. The next decade was a journey of discovery. Lloyd now lives near San Francisco with his wife-with a second home in Shanghai, China.

Lloyd earned a BA in journalism in 1973 after fighting in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. While working days as an English teacher, he enjoyed a second job as a maitre d' in a multimillion-dollar nightclub. His short story, A Night at the 'Well of Purity' was named as a finalist for the 2007 Chicago Literary Awards.

Lloyd has won 15 awards for My Splendid Concubine and 5 awards for Running With the Enemy.



Website: http://lloydlofthouse.org/

Author's Den: 

Facebook: 
Google+: 
https://plus.google.com/116728680363586998839/posts

My Thoughts
Crazy is Normal by Lloyd Lofthouse that tells the story of a year in a school in his life as a teacher. He was teaching college prep English and a journalism class that worked on the school newspaper. Mr.Lofthouse kept a detailed journal for this year at Nogales High School in California. We learn his methods of teaching, what he will tolerate and what he won't in class. We the reader are introduced to many students, both the at risk kids and the achievers who will go on to better their lives. Mr.Lofthouse felt that each child has a chance and that they also have to want to take that chance to get out of the neighborhoods they live in and succeed. He was intolerant of kids who mouthed off in class and treated others unkind. Off to detention they would go and their parents would be called. It seems that there were a lot of parents who didn't care or think education was important.

I imagine that it was extremely hard to teach anything at this school, as it was in less than desirable neighborhoods, with the drive by shootings and other crimes that happened in the area, sometimes right on the school grounds. It appeared to me that Mr. Lofthouse was a dedicated teacher who excelled when his students did well, while still trying to encourage those who were at risk. The book as a memoir was well written and gives the reader a sense of who he is, not only a teacher but an established author as well. I have read one of his novels, My Splendid Concubine and I have enjoyed both books. I highly recommend both of these books.

I received a copy of the book for review and was not monetarily compensated for said review. 

The Bitter Trade by Piers Alexander Spotlight!

Please join Piers Alexander as he tours the blogosphere with HF Virtual Book Tours for The Bitter Trade, from October 13 - November 14.

02_The Bitter Trade

Publication Date: April 7, 2014
Tenderfoot
Formats: eBook, Paperback; 448p

Genre: Historical Adventure/Thriller

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In 1688, torn by rebellions, England lives under the threat of a Dutch invasion. Redheaded Calumny Spinks is the lowliest man in an Essex backwater: half-French and still unapprenticed at seventeen, yet he dreams of wealth and title.

When his father’s violent past resurfaces, Calumny’s desperation leads him to flee to London and become a coffee racketeer. He has just three months to pay off a blackmailer and save his father’s life - but his ambition and talent for mimicry pull him into a conspiracy against the King himself. Cal’s journey takes him from the tough life of Huguenot silk weavers to the vicious intrigues at Court. As the illicit trader Benjamin de Corvis and his controlling daughter Emilia pull him into their plots, and his lover Violet Fintry is threatened by impending war, Cal is forced to choose between his conscience and his dream of becoming Mister Calumny Spinks.

The Bitter Trade won the PEN Factor at The Literary Consultancy’s Writing In A Digital Age Conference. Jury Chair Rebecca Swift (Author, Poetic Lives: Dickinson) said: “The Pen Factor jury selected The Bitter Trade based on the quality of writing, the engaging plot, and the rich and unusual historical context. Dazzling and playful!”

Praise for The Bitter Trade


“A fantastic debut novel” - Robert Elms, BBC Radio London

“The ambitious, cheeky Calumny Spinks is a great guide through the sensory overload of 17th century London, in an adventure that combines unexpected insights with just the right amount of rollicking ribaldry. I hope it’s the opener to a series.” - Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May novels

“This debut novel is a gripping evocation of late seventeenth century London, rich in persuasive dialect and period detail and with a bold protagonist. An unusual thriller that just keeps you wanting to know more about the many facets of this story. You’ll never view your coffee in quite the same way again.” - Daniel Pembrey, bestselling author of The Candidate

“A very exciting and superbly researched novel” - Mel Ulm, The Reading Life

Buy the Book


Amazon UK (Paperback)
Amazon US (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
iTunes
Kobo

About the Author

03_Piers Alexander



Piers Alexander is an author and serial entrepreneur. After a successful career as CEO of media and events companies he became a Co-Founder and Chairman of three start-up businesses. In 2013 he was awarded the PEN Factor Prize for The Bitter Trade. He is currently working on the sequel, Scatterwood, set in Jamaica in 1692.

For more information visit Piers Alexander's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Bitter Trade Blog Tour Schedule


Monday, October 13
Review at Back Porchervations
Spotlight at Literary Chanteuse

Tuesday, October 14
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, October 15
Interview at Back Porchervations
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry

Thursday, October 16
Spotlight & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, October 20
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, October 21
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, October 22
Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, October 23
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, October 28
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, October 29
Spotlight at Unshelfish

Thursday, October 30
Review at Broken Teepee

Saturday, November 1
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, November 3
Review at Book by Book
Review & Interview at Dab of Darkness

Tuesday, November 4
Review at Just One More Chapter
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Wednesday, November 5
Review at Turning the Pages
Guest Post at Just One More Chapter

Thursday, November 6
Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Monday, November 10
Review at A Book Geek

Tuesday, November 11
Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, November 12
Spotlight at Layered Pages

Friday, November 14
Review at Anglers Rest
Review & Giveaway at Booklover Book Reviews

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03 November 2014

Death in the Dolomites: A Rick Montoya Italian Mystery by David Wagner

On Tour November 1-30, 2014






Book Details:


Genre: Mystery
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 9 2014
Number of Pages: 236
ISBN: 9781464202704
Series: 2nd Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries; Stand Alone Novel
Purchase Links:

Synopsis:
Rick Montoya is looking forward to a break from his translation business in Rome—a week of skiing in the Italian Alps with old college buddy Flavio. But Rick’s success helping the Italian police with a murder in Tuscany sends the Campiglio cops his way. An American banker working in Milano is missing. The man’s sister, an attractive and spoiled divorcée, has no idea where he could be, nor do the locals who saw him on his way to the slopes. With the discovery of a body, Rick and Inspector Albani widen their list of suspects. Picturesque resort Campiglio harbors old rivalries, citizens on the make, and a cutthroat political campaign. Why would these local issues, any of them, connect to the missing banker? The investigation doesn’t keep Rick and Flavio from enjoying perfect ski conditions in the Dolomites and glorious after-ski wines and bowls of fresh pasta. As for women—Rick has to wonder if the banker’s sister is just hitting him up for information. The action heats up, testing laid-back Rick whose uncle, a Roman cop, keeps urging him to make the police his career. As in Cold Tuscan Stone, Death in the Dolomites immerses us in the sights, smells and tastes of Italy, this time in a picture-perfect Alpine town with a surprising negative side.

Read an excerpt:
Chapter One
It had snowed most of the day, but a new and stronger system had begun blowing over the mountain from the north, diving into the valley. Snow was always welcome in a ski town, especially the clumped flakes that now cast ever-larger shadows on the ground under the streetlamps. The cement of the sidewalk and the parking lot, barely visible an hour before, was now covered. Bad news for Campiglio’s street crews but not for the skiers who had left Milan the previous afternoon to climb into the Dolomites, skis snapped to racks on the roofs of their cars.
They had been rewarded with an excellent day of skiing, and with this snow, tomorrow would be even better. If it kept up through the night, the base could last for weeks. The local merchants were likely standing outside their shops right now, letting the flakes fall on their grinning faces.
At this moment the man’s interest was not in tourists, but in the stained canvas duffel at his feet. He pulled his wool cap down over his ears and adjusted a small backpack before looking once more around the large lot. It was deserted save for a few cars of the remaining employees at the far side. His eyes moved to the bulky building and the thick cables that ran out of one side toward the mountain. On its top, the last weak rays of late afternoon sun, long gone from the valley below, outlined the station at the high end of the cable line.
It was time.
With a grunt he wrapped the strap of the duffel around his gloved hand and began to drag it toward the building. His burden slid easily through the accumulating snow and occasional patches of ice, like an injured skier on a ski-patrol sled. The last few meters would be inside on the loading platform, but the snow sticking to the bag would help it slide. This would be even easier than he’d planned. Halfway he stopped to catch his breath, pulling up his jacket sleeve to check his watch. Perfect,he thought. There would be one more run of the gondola before its cables stopped for the night, and he would be on it.
On the mountain the cleaning crew was finishing its duties. Given the number of skiers who had passed through the snack bar on their way to the piste during the day, the workload was heavy. The floor was now clean of slush and mud, and four black garbage bags, almost as tall as the women who handled them,had been loaded into the waiting gondola. It would be the same story the next night, especially with the snow now falling. One of the workers—a woman who had been doing the late afternoon shift for more years than she would admit—put down her mop, walked to the window, and peered out at the falling snow. She shook her head and returned to her job. A few moments later the crew stood in a silent clump near the door while the supervisor made a final check of the room. The woman closest to the door slid it open, letting in a light gust of wind and snow. The others, now in parkas and wool coats, instinctively pulled them around their necks in anticipation of the cold. The supervisor finally nodded and the group began to file onto the platform to the waiting gondola, snow already covering its roof and the windows on one side. When they were all inside, the supervisor closed the latch on the door and took a silent head count before picking up the black phone hanging near the door.
“Guido, siamo pronti,” she said.
Below, the man in the control room hung up his phone while keeping his eyes on the last sentences of a story in Gazzetta dello Sport. Guido knew it was not going to be a good year for his team, and again wondered why last season’s star player had been sold. To make it worse, the bastard would now play for their biggest rival. He folded the paper in disgust and pulled the long wooden lever, never glancing at the platform below. The huge dynamo came slowly to life and the cable above the long window shuddered and began to move.
The man was crouched on the floor of the gondola, well below its ski-scratched windows, when it swung slowly and lurched upward. Neither he nor the sack were visible from above, even if Guido had taken his eyes off the newspaper and looked down from his seat in the control room. As the huge metal box was dragged from the dim light of the lower station into the darkness, the man inside it heard the snow slapping softly against the glass windows above his head. He slowly got to his feet and looked down at the base station, now fading quickly as the cable picked up speed. In a few minutes its lights would be hard to distinguish from those of the other buildings at the northern edge of Campiglio.
The route was a steep shot straight to the top of the mountain, suspended over a forest of tall pines. The only breaks in the thick covering of trees were the clearings around the pylons or a few spots where the stone core of the mountain had pushed itself through the dirt. The ski trails, in contrast, returned to Campiglio over a tamer terrain. They took their time to work through the softer hills of the mountain’s other side, carrying skiers to a choice of bases along the east side of town.
He walked to the other end of the gondola cabin and looked upward. In the swirling wind and snow he could not make out his gondola’s twin, but he knew it was rushing toward him and would be passing soon. He dragged the duffel toward the door and checked to see that the latch had not slipped closed. It had not. According to his calculations the best time would be after passing the second pylon, and just at that moment the cable carrying his gondola slipped over the first one. He flexed his knees as the floor bounced slowly while continuing its climb.Suddenly the other gondola appeared out of the storm and the man dropped to his knees to get out of sight. Through the howling wind he heard a laugh from one of the workers as the two gondolas passed each other. Seconds later the only sound was once more the hum of the cable and the increasing patter of the snow. He reached over and slowly slid the door open with his right hand. As the snow swirled inside he sat back on the floor, the sack between him and the opening.
When the next pylon passed he waited until the swinging stopped and firmly pushed the sack out the door with both feet.
As he got up to slide the door closed he heard the crack of a tree branch and then the soft thump as the sack hit the snow below. The sound meant that it had sunk in, and with the new snow it would be well covered. Once the door was closed he slipped the latch into place. Safety first.
A few minutes later the other gondola bumped slowly into its berth at the edge of the town, where it would stay until it took the morning crew up on the first run of the day. The workers pushed out, waving at Guido in the control room while they pulled the plastic garbage bags behind them. Guido nodded to the group leader but kept his eyes on the young body of one of the newer members of the crew. When they had all shuffled through the door below him, he switched off the motors and gathered his belongings—the newspaper and a thermos. He was always sure to straighten up so the morning shift would have no complaints. He turned out the lights and locked the door behind him. As he walked down the stairs to the streets he wondered what his wife would be serving for dinner. She had not made lasagna in a while, perhaps this was the night. After pulling on a wide-brimmed hat, Guido buttoned his leather coat and walked into the storm.
High above, the man stepped out of the gondola and slid the door shut. On the platform the footprints of the cleaning crew were already covered, as his own would be in a matter of minutes. He turned and looked down at the valley, its lights blending together through the prisms of the falling flakes.
After a moment of reflection he adjusted his backpack and walked on the deck that ran along the outside of the building. Its tables and chairs had been stacked and pushed against the windows under the overhanging eaves, but the protection was not enough. The morning work crew would need their shovels. Two steps led from the deck down to where the wide trail began, a relatively benign incline for the skiers to start their runs, but still often littered with fallen beginners. He could barely make out the trail, but it didn’t really matter, he could get down the mountain blindfolded.
He cleared away a patch of snow at the edge of the deck with his foot and put down his backpack before stepping off and walking around to the far side of building to a small storage shed. After bending over, he used his gloved hands to scrape away the snow under the shed’s door, revealing a small opening from which he pulled a pair of dark skis and poles. Even though the falling snow would do the job for him, he carefully brushed the snow back with his foot before hoisting the equipment over his shoulder and returning to where he had left the backpack. From it he took out a pair of ski boots whose dark plastic matched the skis. After the usual grunts he had the ski boots on his feet and the snow boots secured in the pack. He also had a pair of ski goggles over his cap. It took him only a few seconds to snap into the skis and strap the poles around his wrists. It was snowing even more heavily now. The clear yellow plastic brightened the view slightly as he pulled the goggles down over his eyes and squeezed the rubber grips of the poles. He straightened up, pulling back the sleeve of his parka to check his watch again in the little light that was left in the day. Yes, the ski patrol would already be at the bottom after their final run to catch any stragglers. He pushed off slowly and began to work his way left and right through the fresh powder, his boots always touching as he flexed his knees for each turn. The flakes swirled around his bare cheeks, but he did not feel the cold. He knew that by the time he reached the valley, his racks, as well as everything else on the mountain, would be shrouded in snow.


Author Bio:

David P. Wagner is the author of Cold Tuscan Stone, the first Rick Montoya Italian Mystery. While serving in the diplomatic service he spent nine years in Italy where he learned to love things Italian, many of which appear in his writing. He and his wife live in New Mexico.

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Thank you to Death in the Dolomites and Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for generously offering this book to me for review. If you'd like to join in on an upcoming tour just stop by their sites and sign up today!


 

Life Next Door by J.D.Hollyfield Book Release Day!




Life Next Door (Love Not Included #2)
by: J.D. Hollyfield
Publication Date : November 3, 2014

SYNOPSIS

There is only one thing in life that professional pastry Chef Priscilla Westcott values more than baking and wine, and that’s honesty. A quality she soon learns that her marriage lacks when her husband runs off with their next door neighbor. Divorced and alone, Priscilla is determined to make changes in her life. She decides to approach her new goals like one of her beloved recipes. Surely with a little time, a dash of patience, and measured planning she can whip herself—and her life—back into shape. However, when a new—and utterly delicious—neighbor takes up residence in the house that ruined her marriage, Pricilla fears that her careful world will fold faster than a deflated soufflé. Trent Walker knows what he wants and his sweet, sassy neighbor is at the top of the list. He’s certain that the chemistry between them would be explosive, but Priscilla fears that an affair with him, however hot, could be a recipe for disaster.

Purchase Links

Life Next Door
Life in a Rut, Love Not Included

EXCERPT

Where my normally Saturday paper awaits me I see it is gone.  What the shit? I look for it, and see it’s jammed in the front bushes that lay again the porch wall.
“Seriously this new paper boy needs a lesson in straight shooting.” I grumble while I bend over digging through the bush to grab the paper.
“Doing some early morning gardening?”  There is this voice that comes from behind me. One that I unfortunately connect with Mr. WTF is he doing out right now!? I am frozen with my head in a bush.  I register all the options I have right now, and all of them consist of me straitening and turning around. In my robe.  Damn you world.
“Um no just looking for something. Thought I saw a cat. No worries here.” I ramble into the bushes.  Please go away. Please go away.
His voice seems a bit closer, which does not sit well for my self-esteem right now. I mean I personally think my robe is dope but to be caught in it by this guy, I’m starting to wish I ditched Pinkie Pie pony when I was fourteen. 
“Want some help?” I hear from behind me.
“Nope. All good!” I sound a bit panicked.  He needs to beat it and like right now. My back is starting to cramp and my legs are about to give in and send me tumbling face first into the greens.  I’m not even sure why he is being so normal with me. I’m pretty sure I was not very nice to him less than twelve hours ago.  That smooth voice steps even closer. “Well why don’t you let me take a look. I’m pretty talented in digging through a good bush to get to the prize.” Oh hell no he did not just innuendo me!   Digging through my bush. Dream on pal, I stand straight and whip around to face him and holy shit.
“Holy shit.” I let spill out of my mouth.  Pretty much around the same time he jumps back and spits out, “Holy Jesus.”
“Jesus is right!  Do you ever wear a shirt?” I ask like seeing his budging biceps is an insult to my drooling eyes. “Yes, I do but when I’m running and sweating it tends to be pointless.” He steps closer to me and I swallow my tongue. Anything else I was going to bark out stops completely and his close proximity shuts it down.  Why is this guy having such a dizzying effect on me?
“So…” He begins with that purr to his tone. Seriously a purr?  Who purrs while they talk?! “Do you always walk around in a kid’s robe and all that green gook covering your face?”
Insert jaw drop and gasp. There is nothing like forgetting, while having a stare down, two feet from your too hot for his own good neighbor, that you are wearing a god damn seaweed mask.  Die cruel world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer and first-time author. When she's not cooking, event planning, or playing around with her husband, son and three doxies, she's relaxing with her nose in a book. With her love for romance, and her head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life. Life in a Rut, Love not Included is her first novel. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on her second book. -------------------------------

02 November 2014

Gift Card Giveaway!

$50 Amazon Gift Card from LaMode365.com

There is nothing BETTER than a Gift Card from Amazon...... Period! That is why we need you need to enter to win this today! A fabulous $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! Just In Time For The Holidays :)

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1 LUCKY Winner Will Receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card To Use For Whatever They Want!

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Entrants Must be 18+ Years or older and USA Only please :)
This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook,
Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only
in the Continental United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter.
This giveaway will end at 12:00 AM (EST) 11/16/2014.

Blogger Opp ~ Mighty Leaf Tea "Taste Of The Tropics" Giveaway With TeaTop Brew Travel Mug ($50 ARV)

Taste of the Tropics Gift Sampler
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Deliciously Savvy was Lucky Enough To Receive a Taste Of The Tropics Mighty Leaf Tea Gift Pack With The TeaTop Brew Travel Mug for review. This is a company that my mom has fallen in love with. She is a HUGE Tea Drinker and I decided that I wanted to see what all of the talk was about. Mighty Leaf Tea sent me the items above to try out for myself and my family loves it! I am a southern Sweet Tea drinker... so in all honesty.... my husband is really taking over this review opportunity for me. He loves them all, but especially the Green Tea Tropical. My husband is all about a cup of hot tea.... so he loves this. Anyone who has a tea drinker in their family..... this is the perfect gift for them!

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Coming to Rosemont by Barbara Hinske Spotlight, Excerpts and Giveaway!


Coming to Rosemont by Barbara Hinske
Women's Fiction / Contemporary
Date Published: February 18, 2013

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Maggie travels to Westbury for the stated purpose of listing Rosemont for immediate sale, but what she really seeks are answers to her all-consuming questions about her sham of a marriage; her sham of a life. She never anticipated the seductive charm of Rosemont. Throwing her trademark caution to the wind, and over the objections of her opinionated grown children, she pulls up stakes and moves halfway across the country, determined to make a fresh start in Westbury. Behind closed doors, however, lurks a cadre of evildoers, playing with multiple wild cards of fraud, embezzlement and arson.

With a quiet, orderly -- and distinctively solitary -- life in mind, Maggie is instead thrown headlong into a crusade against political corruption, where defeat and retreat are not an option. Still bearing the scars of betrayal, will she find joy, romance and possibility in Westbury?

This fast-paced, smart novel has enough twists and turns to make the reader want to buckle in!

EXCERPT

From chapter 9

Maggie dropped to her knees and threw her arms around the squirming dog.  “You don’t know how much I appreciate being able to have Eve with me tonight,” she beamed up at John.  “My flight was delayed and I had a Chatty-Cathy car rental agent.  I drove like a maniac to get here. I’m really very grateful you waited.  The lot was empty and I thought that I was too late.”
“It was no trouble.  I was catching up on paperwork,” John assured her.  “I live on the other side of the Square and walk to work, weather permitting.  I usually stop at one of the restaurants on the way home for dinner.”
“Are you done?  Would you like a lift home?”
John knew an opportunity when he saw one.  “I just need to lock up,” he said.  “Are you hungry?  Or are you full of delicious airline food,” he mocked.  When she shook her head and indicated that she was, indeed, starved, he proposed that the three of them walk over to Pete’s for dinner. They could leave her car at the Hospital and she could drop him off at his house after dinner.

From chapter 7

“What do you mean, mom?  Fresh start?  I don’t get it,” Susan finally replied.
“You know how awkward things have been for me with the College crowd.  The new President and his wife are headed in a different direction and don’t want me hanging around.  I don’t feel like I fit anywhere anymore.  Helen is the only friend that I continue to see,” she
said.  Maggie raised her hand to hush their objections.  “You both have your own lives.  I need to have mine.  I can run my business from anywhere with a phone and a computer.”
“So you’re thinking of moving there?” Susan choked.
“That’s exactly what I’ve decided to do,” Maggie replied with her best attempt at a firm, confident voice.
“But you don’t know anyone there,” Susan protested.
“Won’t you rattle around in that huge house all alone?  Won’t that make you feel more alone?” Mike interjected for the first time.
“You know, that’s the part I’m most sure of.  That I won’t be lonely in that house.  When the front door closed behind me that first night, I knew I was home.  I never told you, but I checked out of the hotel and moved into Rosemont the night I arrived,” Maggie said.  Mike and Susan exchanged a skeptical glance.  “And you know, the most extraordinary thing happened the next morning.  I adopted a lost dog.  Or more accurately, she adopted me,” Maggie said, and told them about Eve.  “So you see, I won’t be alone there,” Maggie finished.
Both children remained silent.  Astonished, Maggie thought with a measure of satisfaction.



01 November 2014

Blogger Opp!!!

Blogger Opp ~ $50 Amazon Gift Card from LaMode365.com

There is nothing BETTER than a Gift Card from Amazon...... Period! That is why we need your help promoting this fabulous $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! Just In Time For The Holidays :)

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Entrants Must be 18+ Years or older and USA Only please :)
1 LUCKY Winner Will Receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card To Use For Whatever They Want!

Say Something Anthology



Have you ever been moved by the lyrics of a song? In this anthology, seven authors of various genres listened to Big New World's evocative hit song, "Say Something" – and used their interpretation of the words as inspiration for a short story. Contemporary to paranormal to historical, enjoy a wide variety of characters and settings, all with the same basic theme: say something.

Short Stories

"Jennifer’s Secret" by VS Nelson

"Behind the Scenes" by Morgan Kearns

"A Nordic Knight in Henry’s Court" by Kris Tualla

"Angel Rising" by Deena Remiel

"Meant to Be" by Camelia Myron Skiba

"Moving On" by April London

"Why Not Ask?" by Angelica French

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