04 March 2016

Plateful of Murder By Carole Fowkes Virtual Book Tour with Giveaway of 10 eBook Copies of the Book!


Plateful of Murder
By Carole Fowkes
Genre: Cozy Mystery


Book Description 


Claire DeNardo is scared of a lot of things. Ordinary objects like roller coasters and men's hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band's rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all be middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But when Gino retires and leaves her in charge, Claire gets swept up in a murder case despite her fears. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it's up to the terrified detective to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.


Author Bio


Carole Fowkes is the author of the cozy mystery series, "The Terrified Detective." She has also had stories in a number of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books and other similar anthologies. She is a registered nurse and lives with her husband in Dallas, Texas. She is a member of Sisters in Crime.


Find the Author Online






On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/Wt1qs

Excerpt


On the way over, I rehearsed how to back out of our contract. I was scared. Now that this case had morphed into a murder investigation, I wanted out. The police could handle Constance’s slaying. My role would be to offer my sincere condolences and a full refund.
Fearfulness was a familiar feeling. I come from a long line of anxious Italian women. My mother’s screams of “Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself,” still ring in my ears.
It might seem strange for someone as faint of heart as I am to be a PI, but my investigatory career started with me playing the part of an administrative assistant to my father’s second cousin, Gino Francini, who owned the PI firm. Later, Gino taught me how to take pictures of people in situations they shouldn’t have been in. Patience and a good long-range lens were the only things needed. That suited me fine.
Two years ago, Gino got tired of the harsh Cleveland winters and retired to Miami. He left the agency to me. Since my Master’s degree in Mass Communications didn’t put me high up on any employer’s list, I took it on. Not that it was much at that point. The profitable worker’s compensation cases had slipped through Gino’s fingers after he got into a fistfight with a deadbeat, claiming a back injury. Since I’d been the one photographing cheating spouses, it made sense for me to carry on the business. Despite some dry spells, it was enough for me to eke out a living without jeopardizing my life.  
But staying on this case put me too near that line between making a living and getting killed. The most danger I cared to face was driving through the wild and busy intersection at W. 25th and Clark.
Then, one look at Michael convinced me resigning from his sister’s case just then would be cruel. Poor guy looked like someone took out his spine and left his body to flop about. Sort of like those balloon men snapping in the wind at grand openings of car dealerships. His red-rimmed eyes and drooping shoulders showed the depth of his sorrow. Sympathy tears sprang to my eyes and I blinked them back. I’m a hugger but this time I restrained myself. “Michael, please accept my condolences.”
Poor guy reminded me of Raymond, a kid in my third-grade class everyone picked on. That boy also wore thick glasses. I should have stood up for him. Before he climbed that tree to escape and fell. Fear stopped me, like it had so many times since. Maybe helping Michael Adler would be my chance at redemption.
The guy with Michael, looking every inch a police detective with his strong jaw and ‘sweat a confession out of them’ attitude, spoke up. “And you are?” 
I peered into the bluest eyes I’d ever seen outside of a Paul Newman movie. Too bad their owner was staring at me over a dead body. Any other time I’d be batting my eyelashes for all they were worth. Better to play it straight. “Claire DeNardo. Mr. Adler hired me to protect his sister.”
I could’ve sworn he muttered, “Yeah, hell of a job.” The scowl on his face was loud and clear. “Don’t get in my way.” He flashed his badge. “Detective Corrigan, Cleveland PD. This is our investigation now.”
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Welcome To The Kindle World Spinoffs!

03 March 2016

The Award-Winning Whimsy Wood Series Is Back!



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'Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks' is the 8th book in the award-winning Whimsy Wood Series for 5-8 year olds. There are 35 books in the series and these are divided into 5 sets of 7 books. Each enchanting book is written for a specific month in the calendar, so the flora and fauna change as you read through the series. 


'Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks' is written for the marvelous month of March, so you'll read about white wood anemones and yellow daffodils and you'll meet Raspberry Rabbit, Bertie and Beatrice Bunny as well as Fearne Fairy. 

These delightful woodland folk will take you on an exciting adventure where sharing and teamwork play a crucial role in solving Fearne's dilemma. As for what her dilemma actually is, well, I couldn't possibly say! You'll just have to read 'Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks' to find out!


Follow the series on Facebook | Twitter |Blog




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            Sarah Hill is a small animal Vet. She gained her Veterinary Medicine Degree
      at Bristol University in 1999 and worked in practice for 10 years.
  At that point she had her second daughter and soon after decided
to take a career break. She now writes her children's series, 
'Whimsy Wood', at home in Wiltshire with her husband,
two daughters, a son, two dogs, two cats and "a partridge in a 
pear tree"!




S
Advance Review Copies are available – please email info@authoramp.com if you would like a copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you would like a copy of this book to read, review or feature, Description: Description: C:\Users\Kris\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Word\logo (2).png
please contact Kris Barnes of Authoramp.
Sarah is also available for interviews and guest blogging.

Chronicles of Ara: Perdition By Joel Eisenberg and Stephen Hillard Spotlight!

Chronicles of Ara: Perdition
By Joel Eisenberg and Stephen Hillard

Genre: Fantasy

“Tolkien, lost art, arcane creations, and a corrupted muse. Fantasy lovers, get ready for some fun.”
- Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of “The President’s Shadow”

At the conclusion of "The Chronicles of Ara: Creation", Volume One of our eight-book series, the goddess Ara's tragic plot is realized with what appears to be the end of the world. But nothing is ever as it appears. Nothing is ever that simple ...
In Volume Two of the series, "Perdition", we rewind the clock two years prior, when author Thomas McFee is engaged in a mystery upon the world's discovery of "the catalyst of human inspiration." That catalyst was, indeed, Ara, who has since been incarnated as the mortal Adriel.
As Thomas is away, another creator, Matthius Alexi, encounters the mysterious man known as "Brikke," who discloses a tragic secret: Unless she is found and imminently killed by her father's hand,  Adriel will soon be taken and returned to the realm of the gods, thereby threatening the very existence of both human and immortal.
Meanwhile, through an exploration of the lives and darker works of authors Mary Shelley, Carlo Collodi and Robert Louis Stevenson, the prodigy known as 'X' is himself on the verge of solving the universe's greatest mystery, a solution that will once and for all determine the steps necessary to pause the engagement of a new dawn of time and, from there, the gradual implosion of time and space ...
When J.R.R. Tolkien is summoned to authenticate a recently-discovered "lost" book of Beowulf, events are set in motion that years later will unveil an imminent tragedy: The entirety of the world's art and invention has been inspired by a corrupted muse, who has implanted a series of codes within the works of history's most influential authors, warning of humanity's end and a new dawn of time. Are the works of Tolkien, Poe, Shelley and many others victims of the corrupted muse, Ara?

“The Chronicles of Ara: Creation is sincerely unlike any novel I’ve ever read, an astounding tale of myth and art that hits the reader on a primal level and never lets go. This is exciting, addicting stuff folks.
You’re not going to know what hit you.”
- Gilbert Adler Producer: Superman Returns, Valkerie, Constantine

Author Bios


Joel Eisenberg has been interested in the mechanics behind artistic creation, an ongoing theme of the Chronicles of Ara series, since he penned the nonfiction How to Survive a Day Job in 2004. Interviewing seventy-plus professional creatives, including celebrities from several artistic industries, he credits his “mentor in a box” tome with hastening the realization of his dad’s inspiring words from forty years ago. Writing a novel with similar objectives, much less a series, has been on his bucket list since.
Professionally, Joel has worked primarily in the movie and television industries as a writer and producer. The film he is most proud of, April Showers, which he executive produced, was based on the Columbine school shooting tragedy. He is a former special education teacher and supports school safety causes.
Joel lives with the only woman in the world who could put up with him, his wife, Lorie, and their rescue dog (repeating a not-so-subtle message there), Koko, in Los Angeles, California.

Stephen Hillard grew up in Bossier City, Louisiana, and Grand Junction, Colorado. He graduated from Colorado State University, and also earned a degree in Philosophy at Columbia University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado. Before settling into his current career as a private equity entrepreneur, Steve was a teacher at Rikers Island Prison, a welder, a carpenter, and a practicing litigation attorney. He is the founder of Council Tree Investors, a private equity fund involved in the entertainment and telecom industries.
Steve has also been an active philanthropist, focusing primarily on higher education, as well as at-risk Latino and indigenous youth, at the Escuela Tlatelolco in Denver, Colorado. In 2011, Steve published Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien, which sparked international controversy, became an Amazon Best Seller, received a national prize, and was subsequently published worldwide in Spanish by Grupo Planeta.
In addition to collaborative efforts with his partner, Joel Eisenberg, on The Chronicles of Ara, Steve is developing other projects. These include an untitled prequel to Mirkwood, Farway Canyon, a retro-horror graphic novel about radiation, blobs, and (of course) Cold War zombies, and KNOLL, a novel about JFK, Carlos Marcello, Elvis, the NSA, and Edward Snowden. He resides with his wife, Sharmaine, in San Antonio, Texas.

Joel and Steve can be contacted directly through their author page, www.eisenbergandhillard.com, or their “Ara” series page, www.chroniclesofara.com.


Purchase Link: http://www.incorgnitobooks.com/the-chronicles-of-ara-predition/

Scoring at Love by Michelle Shriver Spotlight With a Chance to Win a San Antonio Generals hockey jersey!

Outrageous: The Victoria Woodhull Saga, Volume I: Rise to Riches by Neal Katz

02_Outrageous


Publication Date: October 1, 2015
Top Reads Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook;
344 Pages Series:
The Victoria Woodhull Saga (Vol I)
Genre: Historical Fiction

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Historical fictionalized account of Victoria Woodhull's rise to presidential candidate and wealth, coming from poverty and abuse. What compels a woman and her youngest sister to overcome abject poverty and violent abuse to grow up to defy convention and obliterate every barrier to become the first women to own and operate a Wall Street brokerage firm and publish their own newspaper? How did Victoria Claflin Woodhull (1838 - 1927) become the first woman invited to speak to the United State Congress, and then the first female to run for president. What made Tennessee Celeste Claflin (1845 - 1923) so beguiling that the richest man in America, Cornelius Vanderbilt, fell completely in love with her? What caused the sisters to live out their long lives as royalty and peerage in Europe. Victoria living as landed gentry outside of London, and Tennessee in a huge castle like a queen? Why aren't these empowered and independent women iconic in our culture? Volume One of The Victoria Woodhull Saga tells the poignant, lascivious, and compelling inside story of how the sisters worked closely with Cornelius Vanderbilt, who at age 74 fell in love with the beguiling 24-year old Tennessee. Victoria provided the titan of industry "Inside Her Information" gathered through the soiled sisterhood, the ladies of the evening working at the top seven brothels servicing the rich and famous of New York City. This relationship resulted in the great lion of industry having his last public roar as together they manipulated the financial markets and created the impending collapse of the U.S. economy in the gold scandal of 1869. To avert the crash, President Ulysses S. Grant provides the richest man in America insider information on the gold market and telegrams Vanderbilt that his railroad company is "Too Big To Fail!" Vanderbilt was proclaimed "The Savior of the American Economy" for intervening in a crisis he helped create. View Victorian America through the eyes and thoughts of one of its leading heroines., Victoria Woodhull. Watch as the infighting and elitism of the earliest suffrage women denigrating, castigating, and denouncing other passionate suffrage rights women delayed woman suffrage and equal legal standing for five decades. Learn wonderful anecdotes of the origins of products and phrases used today. Learn the story of Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the most popular man in America, who transformed Christianity from his father's "fire and brimstone" theology to one of a compassionate and loving Jesus, who will redeem all who turn to salvation with a complete confession of their sins. The reverend's personal life did not imitate his lofty and popular theology of his weekly sermons at Plymouth Church. He was a notorious womanizer, often bedding, and sometimes impregnating the wives, sisters, and daughters of his most ardent trackers and deacons of the church. Written in the first person from Victoria's viewpoint, Neal Katz weaves a compelling page-turning story that cleverly unfolds history while providing a wonderfully entertaining ride. Katz has pledged one-half of book sale proceeds to charities dedicating to the empowerment and sustainable economic improvement of women, especially single mothers.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Praise

"Victoria Woodhull is one of the most fascinating but forgotten characters in American history. She deserves to be better known by anyone who cares about gender equality and the ongoing fight to make America a more tolerant and just country--kudos to Neal Katz for bringing her story to life for a new generation of readers." -Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher "I can't believe this is Neal's first book. Incredibly well written, this is an important work. I see a National bestseller and a long-running series." -Victor Villasenor, National bestselling author of Rain of Gold,Three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, and author of Revenge of a Catholic Schoolboy

About the Author

03_Neal Katz

Neal Katz is a semi-retired, serial entrepreneur, CEO with a passion for women rights. He lives a life based on self-awareness and Love. He practices Yoga, meditates daily, has taught A Course in Miracles, produced Oregon wines, enjoys being a gourmet chef, recites Vedic sutras, and writes his own inspirational poetry. The saga of Victoria Woodhull appeals to Neal, as it serves three purposes. First, the story provokes public awareness of the historical and continuing denigration and subjugation of gender prejudice. Second, the tale exposes the historical basis for the manipulation of the free markets of stocks, bonds, and commodities. Third, the story shows how existing financial and political power structures used prison and seizure of assets to prevent innovation and social change. Victoria Woodhull overcame all these obstacles in a remarkable life. Neal chose to write in first person using Victoria s words, thoughts, and point of view to tell the tale, inviting the reader to see through her eyes. The style is magic realism along the lines of Allende, Marquez, and Kathleen McGowan (The Magdalene Trilogy). This is an expression of the HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality championed by Emma Watson, and Neal proudly proclaims himself a male feminist! Neal has pledged fifty percent (50%) of his author's royalties from book sales and all ancillary revenues, including foreign print distribution and Hollywood rights to a foundation formed in tribute to Victoria Woodhull and her passion for woman rights. The foundation will promote and prove programs for the empowerment and sustainable economic improvement of women, especially single mothers. For more information visit http://outrageousthebook.com/. You can also follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, February 22
Passages to the Past
Tuesday, February 23
Just One More Chapter
The Never-Ending Book
Wednesday, February 24
Back Porchervations
Thursday, February 25
I Heart Reading
Friday, February 26
Beth's Book Nook Blog
Saturday, February 27
With Her Nose Stuck In A Book
Monday, February 29 Book Nerd
Tuesday, March 1 The Book Connection
Wednesday, March 2
Boom Baby Reviews
Svetlana's Reads and Views
Thursday, March 3
CelticLady's Reviews
Monday, March 7
A Holland Reads
Tuesday, March 8
A Literary Vacation
Friday, March 11 I'm Shelf-ish

Giveaway

To win a signed Hardcover copy of Outrageous: The Victoria Woodhull Saga, Book One please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below. Five copies are up for grabs!

Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 11th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US addresses only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Outrageous Book Blast

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Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O'Connor Review and #Giveaway!


Cozy Mystery
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (February 23, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1617738449
E-Book ASIN: B00Y6RC1SC
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Synopsis


A little slice of Heaven on the Emerald Isle…
In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Natalie’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.
It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.
With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned–murder tends to spoil the appetite–it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.

About This Author

Carlene O’Connor comes from a long line of Irish storytellers, or professional liars as she prefers to call herself. Her great grandmother emigrated from Ireland to America during The Troubles, and the stories have been flowing ever since. She has dual citizenship and divides her time between New York and the Emerald Isle. Of all the places across the pond she’s wandered, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired by the town to create Kilbane, County Cork.
Author Links
Purchase Links
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My Thoughts

The O'Sullivan siblings are left orphans after their parents were killed in a car crash by a drunk driver. The running of Natalie's Bistro, named after Siobhán's mother, is left up to Siobhán and her siblings. It is hard work but they manage to keep the Bistro open. Siobhán and her siblings are affectionately refered to as "the six". The O'Sullivans are a tight knit family and do what they can to help each other out. Siobhán had had plans to attend Trinity College in Dublin but now she is unable to do that. One morning upon opening the Bistro, they find a man sitting in one of the booths dead. He is Niall Murphy who's brother was responsible for the deaths of Siobhan's parents.

The day before his death, Siobhan came across him in her friends shop, he demanded money from her so he could hire a lawyer to find out who really was responsible because he firmly believed that it was not his brother who did it. Enter the Garda, who by the way is a hunk, and Siobhan's brother James is arrested for the murder as he has no alibi. She decides to investigate on her own as to who the killer was and get her brother out of jail as she believes in his innocence. During this investigation, she tends to put herself in harms way to the consternation of the policeman Macdara.

There is a definite attraction between Siobhan and Macdara but that is put on the back burner during the investigation. This is a sweet cozy mystery featuring a charming, or not so charming, bunch of characters with Ireland as the backdrop for a novel that will sweep you into this quaint little village. I loved that because it took place in a small Irish community, there was all of the idiosyncracies and charm that is Ireland. I loved it! Well written and fun to read. If you love cozy mysteries, then you will love this one too!



Ergo Chef My Juicer Easter Giveaway!

Celticlady's Reviews is please to present to you the Ergo Chef My Juicer Easter Giveaway!
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Presents The Ergo Chef My Juicer Easter Giveaway   2 - Winners

Holiday Contest and Sweeps is honored to work with a amazing group of blogs to work with with Ergo Chef Cutlery to bring you the "Ergo Chef My Juicer Easter Giveaway". The "My Juicer" is the best Juicer on the market today. It out performs it competition hands down.


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Includes: High Quality Stainless Steel & Black Plastic Base with NON-Slip Suction Feet. Durable BPA Free Plastic Sport Bottle with Removable Lid with Handle and One Juicer Blade Assembly. Electric 120 Volt AC, standard Type A wall plug. ETL Listed. Order your My Juicer(TM) Today and start drinking a healthier life. Powerful 300 Watt Ice Crushing Motor 4 Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades 
 

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Best Of Luck & Happy Easter!
This giveaway is in no way associated, affiliated or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid in the Continental United States only. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. It will begin on at 12:00 AM (EST) 3/3/2016. Holiday Contest and Sweeps did not receive any compensation in any form for this giveaway. Ergo Chef will be solely responsible for the awarding and shipping of the prizes directly to the winners.
 
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Middle Grade Olivia Brophie Series by Christopher Tozier Spotlight!



OLIVIA BROPHIE AND THE PEARL OF TAGELUS

Olivia Brophie feels betrayed. She hasn’t heard from her mom, who’s serving in the Army in Iraq. And for no reason, her dad sent her to live with her crazy aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere-the Florida scrub. It seems boring till bears follow her to school, coral snakes leave her gifts, and tree frogs start writing cryptic messages on her bedroom window.

Olivia is fascinated by giant insect walkingsticks that her uncle tenderly protects. He turns out to be crazier than she thought with wild ideas about a mysterious device that controls the laws of the universe. He doesn’t know the half of it.

Along with Doug, a local eco-nerd genius, and Gnat, her videogame obsessed little brother, Olivia discovers a vast underworld city that holds the secrets of history as well as the way to the future. With the forces of evil at her heels, she finds a brilliant pearl and must use its powers to discover her life’s ultimate destiny.



OLIVIA BROPHIE AND THE SKY ISLAND

Olivia’s life is in turmoil ever since she accidentally froze all of the world’s water and her aunt and uncle were kidnapped by the Wardenclyffe thugs. With the help of a black bear named Hoolie, she must travel across America to reverse the damage she has caused. Hungry and wounded, she stumbles into a secret valley invisible to the outside world. There, she encounters an ancient civilization that has no intention of letting her leave.

In the meantime, Doug and Gnat are drawn deeper into the world of Junonia, the mysterious city built in the aquifer beneath Florida. As Doug works diligently to scientifically document the discovery of giant tardigrades, he meets his old nemesis, a bully who manages to start a war among the tribes of the aquifer. Caught in an epic battle, Doug must find a way to save himself, Gnat, and the bully who doesn’t want his help
.


The Author
I was born in Dothan, Alabama but early in my childhood my family moved to moose country in Millinocket, Maine. I also grew up in Ridgebury, CT, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, and Cape Elizabeth, ME. I lived a decade in Madison, Wisconsin where I graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BS in English and Creative Writing. After a short stint working in a property appraiser's office, my Information Technology career took off. I subsequently lived in Gainesville, Lutz, and Middleburg, Florida. 

Today, I'm happy living in the unincorporated sandpine scrub between Cassia and Paisley, in Central Florida. You might have trouble finding me out here, but I can be seen running barefoot along the roads or watching the black bears that live around here. I also enjoy travelling, snorkeling, hiking, vegetarian food, and spending time with my beautiful wife and four dachshunds. 

Of course, I also love to read. I was the nerdy kid who read every book in the library. I was also very fond of entomology and made a habit of returning home with every insect I could get my hands on. Luckily, as an adult, I still pursue both of these interests. 

The Olivia Brophie series is well on its way. Join the growing number of fans now so you can say you were there in the early years! 

Worlds Around Us is an eighty-page curriculum that blends language arts and science lessons for teaching Olivia Brophie and the Pearl of Tagelus in your 3-6th grade classroom. There are plenty of contributions from scientists and teachers from all over the world. 


Melting His Alaskan Heart by Rebecca Thomas Spotlight!

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