Dragon's Bounty, Dracula's Love Book One by S.Joy P. Spotlight!

eBook Details

• File Size: 1838 KB
• Print Length: 299 pages
• Publication Date: November 24, 2014
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00Q53G7XK

In fifteenth century Wallachia, the self-serving boyars will do anything to advance their own positions, while the Hungarian king and the Ottoman sultan between them threaten to tear their country apart. One interest is shared by all: a weak prince on the Wallachian throne. A prince who bends easily. 

But a fierce and spirited man rules the land – Vlad III of the House of Basarab, also known as Vlad Dracula, and he would rather break than bend. Murderers robbed him of his closest family. Pretenders lay claim to his titles. A noose of intrigue that reaches beyond the borders of his realm tightens around him. Undaunted, he fights for his ancestral rights and for the defence of Christendom. Through all his struggles, Love, known as The Englishman, stands true and faithful by his side. 

Only Love is not the English mercenary he claims to be, but the god of Love who inadvertently uses his magic on himself, and falls passionately for the only man who claims not to have use for love – Vlad. 

Turbulent events drag them both into a brutal clash of honor and duty against treachery and ambitions. Into a dance of swords in which a single wrong step can bring death. 
And only one of them is immortal. 

Dragon’s Bounty takes you on a sweeping adventure through medieval Wallachia and Transylvania. It is a sensitive love story woven around events seen through the eyes of a man in love with a warrior prince, a man as hard as the challenges he faces.

Series: Dragon’s Bounty is the first volume in the gay historical fantasy saga Dracula’s Love. 
Genre: epic historical fantasy, fantasy and adventure, historical drama

Store Links: Amazon

About S. Joy P.

S. Joy P.

S. Joy P. was once told, “You understand the renaissance men better than you do those of nowadays.”

“Is that a flaw?” she asked.

Always fascinated with great men of the bygone era, she has been telling their fates since her high school years. With Vlad the Third, the Prince of Ungro-Wallachia and the duke of Amlas and Fagaras, she has been having a love affair lasting two decades. Twenty years ago, her first story featuring him was born, and more followed as time went by. She has never believed him to be a monster. For her, he has always been an honorable prince whose reputation was sorely damaged by his enemies.

When Love came to her with his tale, things and events clicked in their predestined place and the saga Dracula’s Love emerged from the fogs of time. Those who seek only blood and stakes and fangs in a tale about Vlad will not like it. Those who are willing to see him as a man with all human feelings, to consider his deeds through the lens of his time, to admire his greatness and to forgive his flaws… those are very welcome in S. Joy P.’s world.

Visit Author

Author's website: http://www.sjoyp.com/
Author's books at Amazon: Dragon's Bounty, We, King Henry VIII Part 1

Facebook, Google+

Four Ways to Pharaoh Khufu by Alexander Marmer Spotlight!

Book Details Paperback: 382 pages Publisher: PartridgeSingapore (December 10, 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 148285497X ISBN-13: 978-1482854978

For more than 4,500 years, the Great Pyramid at Giza has been shrouded in veils of impenetrable mystery. For nearly as many years, a dedicated and nearly obsessive community of explorers, scholars, and profiteers has sought to uncover the secrets of this ancient and sacred structure. But the Great Pyramid guards its secrets jealously, and the efforts of most have been silently rebuffed. Until now. Is it the will of destiny or God's eternal hand that connects two strangers in tragic circumstances with the Great Pyramid itself? It is only through the determination of one that the truth is revealed-and in that effort, the name of the other is cleared. Despite being relentlessly hunted by the descendants of the elite ancient warriors, he is now on a quest for truth that spans two continents. One of the greatest deceptions in the after-burial of the most powerful and influential pharaoh in all of ancient Egypt's history is about to be revealed. Will what he discovers be his salvation or his extinction?




Purchase Link
Amazon

Goodreads

Alexander Marmer has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Pace University in New York City. He is an officer for the NYPD. A Sergeant in the US Army National Guard, he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006 and Operation Enduring Freedom 2012.

Alexander is a freelance writer for the US Army Fort Drum newspaper, The Mountaineer. He is based in Montgomery, New York.

Connect with Alexander:

Homepage: http://www.fourwaystopharaohkhufu.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourWaysToPharaohKhufu/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexanderMarmer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandermarmer/

What You Don't Know Now by Marci Diehl, Spotlight, Q&A, and #Giveaway! @writerdiehl

Book Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Merge Publishing (September 29, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0990443205
• ISBN-13: 978-0990443209

"In the Summer 1967 

The grass was soft and she could smell the rich earth beneath her. Some voice of reason tried to struggle up inside her as she lay stretched out with him on the ground. You’re in big trouble now, it tried to say, but her legs ignored it, they opened beneath him. The hem of her dress bunched in a creased crumple under her arms. Her bra stretched, deflated, along her neckline. She sensed the disarray, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the feeling of her breasts against the warm skin of his chest, the soft tickling of hair that spread across his breastbone. Her head was cradled in the grass and she slipped into his eyes, a swimmer walking into the warm surf of an ocean, poised to dive in. This was what she'd wished for at the beginning, wasn't it --? The unexpected? Something real? He was all of this, and so much more. She'd prayed for something to happen, something extraordinary from this trip, but even when she was praying, she doubted. She’d wanted to come to this city least of all. What could it hold for someone like her? Now she knew. She closed her eyes and let him take her where she needed and wanted to go." 

• 
  

It’s the summer of 1967, and 18-year-old American Bridey McKenna is in Europe for the first time. It’s supposed to be the ultimate mother-daughter vacation, but nothing about it is working out that way. Chances for adventure, romance and enlightenment look slim-to-none until Bridey arrives in Umbria and meets Alessandro — someone who could change everything about her future. Alessandro is no ordinary singing waiter, and he’s the last person on earth Bridey’s mother wants in her daughter’s life. Bridey’s only hope is to connect in Rome with her worldly aunt and uncle — a man who holds a position at the British embassy in Jordan that no one ever quite defines. When an emergency takes Bridey off the tour, on to Athens and further into her aunt and uncle’s world than Bridey ever dreamed, the complex terrain of family, love and womanhood holds a surprising itinerary.




Paperback at Amazon
eBook at Amazon

Marci Diehl has been a writer ever since she was the geek who got excited when her grammar school class had to write paragraphs for English. She won the English medal when they graduated and the awards kept coming. She once met (then Crown) Prince Hassan of Jordan. That was pretty cool and he was very nice -- although he was 20 & she was 17 and she was too involved in being cool to know how cool it actually was. The prince was being semi-hidden in the living room of her aunt & uncle's house in Washington DC by her uncle, who was in the CIA. As a traveling mother of four, she started writing for national, regional and local magazines on lifestyle, golf, travel, and humor when she wasn't traveling the country and parts of the world while her former husband played the PGA Tour. Behind the scenes of writing non-fiction for a living, Diehl always has a short story or novel in progress. She's been an avid reader her entire life. When she isn't walking her dog or going to the movies for the popcorn, she is the associate editor, head writer, and essayist for a regional magazine. She lives in the Finger Lakes area of New York State.

Author Website

Google Plus - Twitter - Facebook Page - LinkedIn

Learn more at Goodreads

F.A.Q 
What Genre is Your Book? 

What You Don’t Know Now is a coming-of-age novel. This is women’s fiction (a commercial novel with a female on the brink of life change and personal growth, and includes a hopeful/upbeat ending to her romantic relationship). It also crosses into a new genre – New Adult (a genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-25 age bracket, with a focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices). 

Describe The Main Character? 

Overprotected, raised to follow the rules and longing for even a hint of adventure to experience, Bridey McKenna is an 18-year-old American touring Europe in the summer of 1967 with her mother, aunt and 14-year old cousin on a 21-day, 7-country bus tour. The tour is loaded with nuns, widows, a priest and an elderly man, and worse, is inauspiciously named the Summer Vacation Pilgrimage. Smart, flippant, and self-absorbed, Bridey is a ‘60s girl with her long hair, mini dresses, and Twiggy eye makeup but she’s no hippie. She’s just graduated from an all-girls school, college-bound for Georgetown University. “She wasn’t about to follow some priest around all day. She planned on finding enlightenment in other ways.” Bridey comes from a small town in western New York State where her father is a carpenter and her mother stays at home, raising Bridey and her two brothers. But Bridey has an aunt and uncle who have lived most of her life in Pakistan, Lebanon and Jordan. Bridey idolizes her glamorous, worldly Aunt Maura while feeling intimidated by her mysterious and distant Uncle Hugh, who has a job with the British government no one talks about. Bridey’s journey causes her to question old rules and roles, and stirs her rebellion, her blossoming sexuality, and her awakened sense of miraculous possibility in life and the world around her. 

What Made You Write This Story? 

When I was 18, I took a similar trip in Europe and kept a travel journal. Turning 18 is a threshold for girls – a step into early womanhood, and most 18-year-olds think they know all they need to at that stage. I think I certainly felt that way. The tour I took was so terrible I knew it would make a great (possibly funny) book someday. It wasn’t until I was grown and reread the journal that I saw myself as an 18-year-old complaining endlessly about the misadventures of the tour, not appreciating what was before me. I did see how much I loved my family for keeping their sense of humor and bond despite separation. I imagined a different story unfolding. It was a story about the love between mothers and daughters, aunts who were like “second mothers,” and the bond of sisters. I also wanted to write about the idea of the lightning-strike of love during a summer holiday, and the question of whether you fall in love with someone because of his charisma and talent. The push-pull of love.  

Our trip also included dumping that tour and heading to Athens, where my aunt, uncle and cousins were staying after being evacuated out of Jordan during wartime. The uncle character in the novel is based upon my own uncle, who was a spy for the U.S. – but I had no idea as a teen that he was an important intelligence officer. I thought the idea of writing about the “normal” side of a spy’s family life was intriguing and lent an unusual element to Bridey’s story. 

Who should read your book? 

It’s definitely for adults at least over 18, due to the sexual content of a couple of scenes. Who should read it? Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandmothers, nieces; women who lived through the 1960’s; anyone who took a trip to Italy or Europe and found a romance (there are more women out there that did than you may imagine!). People who are interested in history, travel, operatic tenors and their incubation, Italy, the Vietnam War era, life in the 1960’s, or Greece. Or anyone who has faced the choice of giving up what you most want to keep.

Giveaway Details

1. An autographed softcover of the novel, What You Don't Know Now
2. An ebook version
3. A copy of "Love Songs from Italy" CD.

Rafflecopter Form For Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win a 1byone Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Enhanced Bass!

Come and enter for a chance on this giveaway!

($52.99 value each) Two Winners for this one!

 

*This post may contain affiliate links.

This Portable Bluetooth Speaker by 1byone can follow you literally anywhere, even to the shower. It has a modern, stylish design which is splash-proof and shock-proof. Listen to up to 8 hours of uninterrupted music with the 1,500mAh rechargeable battery. This unit is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled devices or can be used Plug and Play. Comes with high sensitivity buttons, including on/off button, play/pause, call, volume control buttons, and has a built-in microphone for phone calls as well. It is known for it's HD Sound and Bass and delivers excellent sound quality mixed with the effect of a Subwoofer. The Ultra-Bass-Booster delivers a heavy bass while keeping a clear sound.

Can't wait to see if you won, you can purchase the 1byone Portable Bluetooth Speaker here.

Sponsor: 1byone

Follow 1byone on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube by clicking one of these links.

Host: IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways

Co-hosts are: Deliciously Savvy | Amy & Aron's Real Life Reviews | PaulaMS' Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebie

Box Roundup | My Silly Little Gang | Canada US Win and Save |

Here We Go Again Ready | Capri's Coupons

A huge thanks to all of the co-host and participating bloggers! Your help is greatly appreciated! You are the reason our giveaways are such a great success!

If you visit our Facebook pages and enjoy them, please "like" them of your own free will. The fact is that the more followers we have, the more sponsors contact us for giveaways. Thanks in advance for "liking" us! It truly does help us bring you better giveaways!

 

And now for the very best part !

  Giveaway dates: Feb. 26 1:00 am CST - Mar. 18, 2016 11:59 pm CST Open to residents of the Continental US 18+ only. One set of entries per person. Prize: Two winners will each received one Portable Bluetooth Speaker from 1byone. $52.99 value each. Please enter the giveaway through the Giveaway Tool listed below. Giveaway Tool will randomly select a winner. Winning entry will be verified. All entries are optional, and the chance of winning depends on the number of entries. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited. By entering this giveaway you are agreeing to have your name listed as the winner on the giveaway widget and winner's list of participating blogs. The winners name will be posted on the widget and also here. In the case of any malfunction of the Giveaway Tool the giveaway will be cancelled and no prize awarded. Winner is responsible for any applicable taxes.  

Entry-Form

Love giveaways? Find more here.

*IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways received compensation for hosting this giveaway. Thank you for participating.

Disclaimer: IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways nor any of the blogs participating in this giveaway is responsible for prize fulfillment. The sponsor listed above will be awarding the prize(s) to the winner(s). None of the social media platforms are affiliated with this giveaway. If you would like to sponsor a giveaway like this, email imho@imhoviewsreviewsandgiveaways.com or complete the form here and I will respond within 48 hours.

Black Water Tales: The Unwanted JeanNicole Rivers Spotlight!

Black Water Tales: The Unwanted
JeanNicole Rivers
Publication date: March 31st 2016
Genres: Adult, Horror

In the remote, eastern European town of Borslav there is St. Sebastian orphanage, a place where people discard their unwanted children. For the American, Blaire Baker, it’s the perfect place to volunteer her services. Paired with a cheerful volunteer nurse, Blaire is enthusiastic about the possibilities, but is quickly discouraged when she encounters the nefarious nature of the staff and the deplorable conditions of the facility and the children.
Upon arrival, one of the children informs Blaire, “There’s something in the basement.” It isn’t long before strange things begin happening, including Blaire’s flashbacks of the accident that killed her parents. The children soon suffer injuries that Blaire, first, fears may be the deeds of the callous workers but she soon thinks the abuse may originate from a source that is less than human, something unwanted.
The unwanted is coming but in order for Blaire to fight it, she must dig into St. Sebastian and herself in search of truth. Blaire wants nothing more than to help the children, but when discovers the tragedy that happened in the basement and learns that the same evil forces are still at work, it will be Blaire who needs help…There’s something in the basement.

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:
I was born in the tiny, but lovable town of Centralia, IL which has a two screen movie theatre, one high school and still celebrates May Fete, so I had no choice, but to develop a fantastic imagination. Since childhood I have been writing everything from short stories to songs, but I have always aspired to compose a novel. Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers is my first novel and the first book in what will be a series of thriller novels.
Philosophy was my study in college and I received a Bachelor of Arts in the subject from Florida International University. Writing is one of my most favored artistic pursuits, but my love for the arts does not stop there, I am also a vocalist and actress and participate in local theater in Houston Texas.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Hosted by:

Microfiber Cleaning Cloths for Polishing Stainless Steel Fixtures and Other Items. #pckt

WANT THE SHINIEST, BEST LOOKING BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN? Picture your smiling reflection in every stainless steel appliance in your kitchen...every day! Experience the difference for yourself or give the gift of shine to the special woman or man in your life. Don't settle for a cheap terry towel or cotton rag to restore the showroom sparkle of your expensive stainless steel fridge.

SAFE ON ALL TYPES OF SURFACES AND WON'T DAMAGE ANY FINISHES! Why risk damaging your stainless steel with abrasive cleaners? You paid good money for it, now take care of it the right way! EASY INSTRUCTIONS: simply use water in a spray bottle or dampen a section of the oversized towel for powerful cleaning action, then polish and buff to a shine with the dry area of the cleaning cloth for a naturally enviro friendly green solution that is non-toxic and safe for children and pets. Tested to maintain the new look on all major stainless steel cookware including US Made All Clad, Cuisinart MultiClad, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Tramontina, Calphalon, Kitchenaid and even less expensive budget tri-ply brands and copper clad cook ware. If your pots and pans are hanging from the ceiling or wall rail, this cloth is indispensable for maintaining their appearance. Compatible with all commercial stainless steel cleansers and silver polish as well as natural cleaning methods like vinegar and baking soda. Works with Weiman, Bar Keepers Friend, Cerama Bryte, Windex, Bon Ami and many other industrial strength cleaning supplies, glass cleaners, and detergents.

DURABLE AND MULTI-PURPOSE! The best premium grade oversize microfiber kitchen towels are also perfect for effortlessly polishing sinks and chrome bathroom fixtures. Absorb liquid spills. The cloth will reduce hard water spots in the shower. Zap grime in automobiles, trucks, boat, ATV, motorcycles, RV, aircraft and more! Residue and dust remover from delicate electronics, laptops, computer screens, LED panels, TVs, LCD monitors, wine glasses. Restore the brilliant luster of musical instruments, brass & marble statues, granite counters, ceramics, gym workout equipment, automotive trim, firearms, golfing & camping gear, knife blades.

SAVE TIME & MONEY KEEPING YOUR HOME CLEAN AND IN PRISTINE SHAPE! Eliminate harsh, harmful chemicals and stop using wasteful rolls of regular paper towels or chemical-filled wipes. Our polishing cloth leaves no scratches, lint, streaks, swirls, or spots on your household appliances, cabinets, counter tops, glass or mirrors! Each generously over-sized towel is 16 x 16 inches that are designed to keep your hands from touching the polished surfaces and for maximum absorbency. Completed with durable stitched safety edging to prevent scratching and fraying. Maid approved and endorsed for daily use by housekeepers, professional cleaners, custodians and janitors in schools, restaurants and hospitals.

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT OR WE'LL GIVE YOU A FULL REFUND!! If you don't like it or aren't experiencing the results you expected, we give you a no-questions-asked 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. Backed by a risk-free LIFETIME REPLACEMENT WARRANTY against any defects. Manufactured to the quality standards of the demanding American consumer using a proven tested blend of synthetic fibers that are incredibly tear-proof and abrasion-resistant yet result in a stretchy and crease-free, thick absorbent chamois leather-like material. SIMPLE TO CARE FOR: Just rinse and reuse 100's of times. Machine washable without bleach or fabric softener. Tumble dry or hang to dry on a s hook or kitchen rail, and they will always seem to look like new after each wash. Won't mold or mildew.

My Thoughts

The Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is the perfect kitchen accessory, no need for harsh chemicals, just a bit of water and elbow grease and you have a nice clean kitchen. This product comes with three oversized cloths that can be used on virtually any item that has a bit of chrome, stainless steel or glass. I have a brand new stove that is all chrome and I used this cloth and it worked great. I have also used it on mirrors and they come out nice and clean. I also have a brand new toaster that is brushed steel and I used it on there also and it not only cleaned it but left no fingerprints. Do you have a stainless steel sink that is hard to clean? Then this cloth is perfect for you, it will shine the sink perfectly.

If you are looking for a nice cleaning cloth that you do not need or want any chemicals then give this product a try, I like it and hope to use it over and over again. This will definitely save me money and I hate chemicals. I have washed these cloths and they come out nice, just like new. I intend to have one of these cloths in the kitchen and bath at all times!

I received this package of three microfiber cleaning cloths for my honest and unbiased opinion.

$150 PayPal Giveaway Event Sign Ups! #BloggerOpp

Join @Poshonabudget #poshonabudget for a $150 Sephora Event !

                            Sign up at the links below!

Blogger Giveaway Event Sign Up- $150 SEPHORA Giveaway Event

Join me and Poshonabudget.com for a $150 SEPHORA Giveaway Event FREE Links Available. Cohostscohost= 5 links $20.00 USD Sign up/information

Uncommon Stock: Version 1.0 by Eliot Peper! on Tour February 15 - March 31, 2016

Book Details:

Genre: Technothriller 

Published by: Previously FG Press; now Self-Published 

Publication Date: March 2014 

Number of Pages: 231 

ISBN: 9781517513214 

Series: Uncommon, #1 

Purchase Links: 

 

Book 1 of The Uncommon Series - Continued in Book 2, Uncommon Stock: Power Play. Mara Winkel is rock climbing, mountain biking, and 'studying' her way through school at the University of Colorado, Boulder. But when her best friend James asks her to partner with him to start a disruptive new software company she discovers that the world of technology startups is fraught with intrigue, adrenaline, soaring successes, and scorching failures. It turns out this is especially true when your technology threatens entrenched drug cartels. Mara has to juggle mysterious investors, opaque partners, critical customers, and a team that is as brilliant as it is dysfunctional until only one question remains: win or die.

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1
Mara Winkel turned onto the muddy single track and lifted her body off the seat as her mountain bike plunged down the slope through the aspens. It jolted up and down beneath her, the suspension struggling to keep up with gravel and rocks. She yanked the handlebars to the right to avoid a nasty root. Mara quickly corrected her course to keep her front wheel on the two-foot-wide path.
She accelerated as the track cut down the slope at a sharp angle, sucking in a deep breath of Rocky Mountain air as the bright yellow leaves and white trunks flashed by. She lived for this, adrenaline pumping through her body, complete mental focus, and high-speed natural beauty. What more could a girl want?
Craig let out a “Whhoooooppp,” as he launched down the path behind her. He was fast but she had enough of a head start to keep her lead to the bottom.
The course dropped off into a steep switchback and Mara threw her body to the left and torqued the front wheel around hard to the right to make it through the turn. She raised her body farther off the bike and hit the next section of rolling bumps, catching some air in between each one. The suspension thumped rhythmically and she jerked the bike up onto the mossy side of the path to avoid a large mud puddle.
As Mara turned around the next switchback, a small clearing dropped away from the bottom side of the path and she had a clear view of the surrounding mountains awash in textured patches of green and yellow, battling for deciduous September supremacy. The white trunks of the aspens flashed up again as the track dropped into another thick grove.
It took half an hour to get to the bottom of the mountain. By the time Mara sped through the last section of the trail her quadriceps burned and her knuckles had a death grip on the handlebars. She came around a turn and jumped the bike up over an angled rock in the path. Her front wheel landed on a bare aspen root and skittered to the right along the slick wood. Shit.
She desperately tried to wrench the wheel to the left but the bike nosed into the ground and her momentum carried her up and over the handlebars. Goddamnit. She was in the air and her stomach instantly turned into a roiling pit of butterflies, instinctively clenching her jaw so she wouldn’t shatter her teeth on impact. The green-brown blur ended abruptly as she hit the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of her. As she cleared the cobwebs from her head, she realized she was lying in another muddy puddle that tasted like dirt. Oh well, what’s fun without a little danger? Ever since the situation with her and James’ family she’d always liked adrenaline.
She rolled over and spat, heard a metal screech, and then “Fuuuck.” She lost all of her air again as Craig’s shoulder slammed into her stomach and he landed in the same puddle. Shit, she had forgotten he was so close behind her. Stars glimmered and her vision narrowed as she gasped for breath again.
After a few seconds her sight returned to normal and she turned her head to look at Craig. He was spitting out mud and looked up at her looking at him and then they were both laughing and laughing as the cold rush of adrenaline surged through their systems. He leaned over and kissed her hard on the mouth and she could taste sweat, mud, and Clif Bar. She kissed him back and then punched him playfully in the stomach. “I thought you were supposed to be good at this whole mountain biking thing.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to be one of the obstacles.” He raised an eyebrow.
“‘Dynamic course design — the track changes while you’re on it. But you make a good point, I’m an obstacle you have no chance of overcoming.”
“We’ll see about that,” he laughed, dimples creasing the scar on his right cheekbone.
They walked the bikes the rest of the way to the base of the mountain. Luckily the worst of the damage seemed to be a few bent spokes and several bruises that would no doubt surface the next day. Mara was still feeling shaky when they reached the car. Her muscles were disobedient noodles.
She glanced at Craig as they loaded the bikes onto the rack. She still wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. They met in a Greek history course they were both taking to fulfill general education requirements and had been dating for the past two months. He wasn’t really her type, a little too jockish for her taste. On the other hand, he was smart, ambitious, liked the outdoors, and had fantastic shoulders.
They got in the car and Craig pulled out on the highway. Mara’s phone beeped from her purse on the floor and she reached down to grab it. Craig glanced over, annoyed. “Let me guess, little Mr. Precious as always?”
“Shut the hell up! Just because I actually have friends of the opposite gender and don’t resort to fucking them doesn’t mean you have the right to judge me.”
“Come on… whatever.” He looked back to road, pouting.
“Get a life.” It was going to be a long ride back to Boulder.
Mara pulled up the text message on her phone. It was from James after all. All it said was, “3 p.m. tomorrow, The Laughing Goat.”
Chapter 2
“Double cap extra dry?” James’ hair was long, straight, and black. It came down almost to his shoulders, but outside of that he looked more or less like he had since high school. He had on a long-sleeve T-shirt with “e=mc2” emblazoned on the front, jeans, and brown leather flip-flops. Mara was always amazed at his tenacity for wearing sandals through Colorado winters. He pushed the cup and saucer across the table to her. Like all Laughing Goat espressos, the foam was drizzled on in abstract swirls reminiscent of Japanese stone gardens.
“You know me too well. Thanks for the drink.” She took a sip, savoring the airy richness of the steamed milk and the sharp earthy bite of the espresso.
“Oolong for me.” James’ mother had fled from western Taiwan in the 80s and he had inherited her love for tea. He had an entire cupboard filled with exotic varieties and drank it like water. “How’s the quarter going?”
“Meh, lots of work ahead. I’m in Swarson’s governance class, which would need its own library to house the reading list. The rest of my courses are fine but the real pain in the ass is doing LSAT prep at the same time. It’s incredible how illogical logic can be.” She wasn’t a fan of the how the LSAT classes were starting to eat into her free evenings. “How’s life on the other side of campus? Is your massive brain tearing apart whatever syllabi the computer science professors have tried to throw at it?”
James smiled thinly. “Hardly.” He glanced down at his coffee and pursed his lips. Mara could see he was thinking hard about something. He looked up again. “Do you really want to be a lawyer?” “Yeah, I mean, obviously my parents are lawyers. There are a number of family friends who are partners at law firms who would give me an internship. I’ve done well in all the recommended prerequisites. Plus, it seems pretty cool to argue with people for a living.”
“But do you want to be a lawyer, like, day-to-day?”
“Yes, well, yeah I think so. It just seems natural, you know?”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’d excel at law school and everything. It just seems like it’s so, well, detail-oriented. You’re so outgoing and active. Mike is a lawyer now, and don’t get me wrong, he loves it.” His older brother was halfway through Hastings Law School in San Francisco. “But I just have sort of a hard time picturing you enjoying pulling all-nighters reading through thousands of pages of contracts and stuff.”
“Well, you’re nerdy and introverted so programming seems perfect for you.” Mara was put off by his attitude. He was acting sort of strange. “Sorry, I guess I haven’t really devoted that much thought to it. James, what’s up? Why the mystery text? You know Craig got all pissy again because you’re my best friend.”
James grimaced with obvious distaste. “I really don’t like that guy. He thinks that just because you two are dating, you can’t hang out with any other guys. He’s such a frat boy, seriously, what do you see in him?”
“Dude, get off my back already! I don’t need two men jealous of each other over nothing. You don’t get to decide who I get to date any more than he gets to decide who I’m friends with. I’ll have you know he’s extremely well endowed.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, T.M.I.! I just don’t like the guy…” “James, I know you like beating around the bush, but why are you interrogating me about my legal ambitions and romantic prerogatives? What’s the deal, man? Are we just here to sip coffee or do you actually have something that you want to talk about?”
James took a sip of tea, put the cup down and looked directly into Mara’s eyes.
“I’m dropping out,” he said.
Chapter 3
This made no sense at all. Mara had known James since he had fallen out of a canoe and she had pulled him back out of the water at a camp near the Russian River in Northern California. He had proceeded to explain that he was trying to figure how the water skeeters did their skeeting and was so focused that he didn’t even notice the branch that knocked him out of the boat. They talked for the rest of the way down the river and it was the first time in Mara’s eleven years that she had met someone she thought might actually be smarter than her. Ever since then they had been inseparable. She remembered the shocking brightness of blood on tablecloth. But that was another story.
James went on to blitz every mathematics competition he could find and his parents sent him to nerd camps at MIT and UC Berkeley during high school summers. He loved chess but his real passion was go, the ancient Chinese strategy board game. Mara had never understood. She didn’t like either game. Why play with toys when the real world was so much more interesting?
Though James still had to master the social side of life, he was a genius, or at least the closest to a genius that Mara had ever met. There was simply no way he was flunking out of college.
Mara drained the last of her cappuccino and tried to regain her composure. “What are you talking about, James? I thought you were blowing all of your C.S. coursework out of the water. Last February one of your professors invited you to be a research assistant in his lab. You can’t be dropping out of school.”
James took a deep breath. “What do you know about pattern recognition?”
After an hour of discussion, the espresso had worked its way through Mara’s system and she had to take a bathroom break. Thoughts were spinning through her head. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind as she entered the restroom.
James had been working on a new project for over a year now. Apparently it had started when he was hired as a course reader for one of the upper division math courses. The professor asked him to grade the final assignments for all seventy students in the class. The projects had been submitted online. James started to read them but soon discovered that each one took at least an hour to thoroughly review. Mara couldn’t see James spending two weeks going through assignments and apparently James hadn’t been able to see himself doing it either. Instead, he combined a series of algorithms into a computer program that could automatically flag problems in the student assignments, resulting in much less to review.
The approach ended up working so well that he started adding new functionality. He called the program “Mosaic” after the first popular web browser developed by Marc Andreessen in the early 90s. By the end of the grading process, Mosaic could not only identify incorrect final answers, but also where the logic in students’ proofs had gone awry. At this point, James’ description started going over Mara’s head.
He had shared the program with a few other course readers to test it out and the results were strong. Mosaic was able to ferret out mistakes extremely accurately. Then James had added some “machine learning” layers to Mosaic. Apparently that meant that the program could adapt and evolve on its own based on the problems it faced. Mara had thought that that was the realm of Hollywood robots, but James assured her it was standard practice in computer programming. Mosaic then started to identify not only incorrect answers in the student assignments but also to flag other irregularities. James thought there was a bug in the code and it had stymied him for two weeks before he double checked a few assignments and realized they were plagiarized. Mara grinned. How like James to train a computer to catch cheaters.
As Mara was washing her hands her phone chirped. It was a text from Craig asking if she wanted to go trail running. It was enticing. She hadn’t worked out today and her mind was racing. But she needed to find out what was really going on with James so she texted back that tomorrow might be better. As she slid her phone into her pocket her elbow throbbed, a painful reminder of yesterday’s bike crash.
She walked back out into the flurry of sounds and smells of the coffee shop and sat back down at the table. “Okay, so what gives? Your program can catch math geeks copying each other’s homework?” James smiled. “I call it ‘quantitative pattern recognition.’ Mosaic can take a dataset and deduce how logic sort of flows through it. It can tell when there’s something that doesn’t fit. I set it up to play chess against the freeware game on my computer and after it had played about ten games it started to win every time. Then I set it up to play go against me. I won ninety-five times in a row but then it started to beat me.” James flushed.
“Okay… who cares? I mean, can’t you play any game against a computer?” Mara was more impressed that he had won almost a hundred times in a row.
“No, no, you don’t understand. Go is infamous because, unlike chess, computers can’t beat even moderately good human players. There are just too many different strategic approaches to the game. The analytical artificial intelligence of the computer can’t match the flexibility and pattern recognition of the human brain. It’s crazy that Mosaic is beating me, I haven’t lost to a computer in years.”
“Fine, so Mosaic can beat you in go. But where is this conversation going? Why are you dropping out of school?” she asked.
James squared his jaw. “I’m going to start a company. And I need your help to do it.”

Author Bio:

Eliot is a writer and strategist based in Oakland, CA. He is the author of The Uncommon Series and when he’s not hacking away at his next novel, he works with entrepreneurs and investors to build new technology businesses as a drop-in operator and adviser. He was an entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture capital firm where he accelerated portfolio companies, sourced/vetted deals and advised foreign governments on innovation policy and capital formation. He has been a founder and early employee at multiple startups.

Catch Up With Eliot:

Tour Participants:

Stop by and see the amazing reviews, author features, & giveaways on the tour:

Join & You Could Win!

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Eliot Peper. There will be 3 winners of 1 $10 Amazon.com US Gift card. The giveaway begins on February 15th and runs through March 31st, 2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

The Bridges Before Us by Christing Ardigo Spotlight!

Dead Lawyers Don't Lie by Mark Nolan Spotlight!

Book Details File Size: 5096 KB Print Length: 842 pages Publication Date: January 1, 2016 Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC Language: English ASIN: B018SCGDWK

A mysterious killer who calls himself The Artist is assassinating lawyers in San Francisco. When photo-journalist Jake Wolfe accidentally takes his picture during a murder, The Artist adds Jake to his kill list and he becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive. How far would you go to protect the lives of your family and friends from a killer? How many laws would you break? Would you risk your own life, or deliberately take the life of a murderer? Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie explores these life or death questions in a thrilling story about a reluctant, flawed hero. Jake is a veteran who wants to leave his secretive past life behind him but who finds that he can't ignore his duty and his personal moral compass. 

This fast-paced novel features a cast of quirky well-rounded characters, each with their own individual idiosyncrasies; including several feisty strong-willed women, two smart-mouthed San Francisco Police Homicide Inspectors, one highly intelligent dog, and a philosophical killer who shares Jake’s admiration for Van Gogh paintings. As Jake gets closer to unraveling a merciless conspiracy, his life gets turned upside down and the danger level increases, adding to the growing suspense. This entertaining page-turner starts out as a mystery and turns into a thriller with an explosive ending. A good read for those who enjoy mystery, suspense, action, unique characters, witty dialogue and some romance too. On sale in over a dozen countries around the world. Be the first among your friends to read it. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018SCGDWK

Mark Nolan began his writing career as a successful entrepreneur who created news stories for businesses that were featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Parade, Readers Digest and Associated Press. Nolan was born in San Francisco, grew up in the Bay Area of California and has also lived in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

Goodreads
Website

Teaser Thursday! @NormandieA @FrancescaHawley @KellyHashway

Tested by her Web Master by Normandie Alleman

Amazon

Controlling Interest by Francesca Hawley

Amazon

Into the Fire by Kelly Hashway

Amazon