Deacon of the Dead: A Second Chance Inn Cozy Mystery by MJ O'Neill Virtual Book Tour!

 

About Deacon of the Dead

Deacon of the Dead: A Second Chance Inn Cozy Mystery 

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 

Setting - Georgia 

Sweet Devotions (October 10, 2023) 

Print length ‏ : ‎ 274 pages 

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CK6LN21S

Come Sit a Spell in Clinton, Georgia. Home to Southern Sass, Romance, Murder, and (Fake) Zombie Fun - a charming cozy mystery book series from award-winning author MJ O'Neill

Who Knew Fake Zombies Could Stir Up Such Real Trouble? When Harmony Holt’s daddy lands in the hospital putting their family inn on the brink of foreclosure, she’s dragged back to her quirky hometown, Clinton, Georgia, with an unconventional rescue plan: zombies. Well, zombie tours to be precise. As autumn unveils its colors, she concocts a daring plan to intertwine the town's newfound fame as film site for the hit TV show Walker, Zombie Ranger with it's upcoming fall festival, all to save her family’s legacy—and ideally, while dodging any awkward encounters with her ex, Seth.

But when Deacon Miller, a vocal opponent of her undead tourism idea, is found murdered in the middle of her zombie-fueled grand opening, shot with her inn’s gun, no less, she’s in a heap of trouble on both fronts. Now, with her tour permit hanging by a thread, land snatchers are clamoring for a piece of her property, and the local businesses that banked on her venture are in the lurch. To top it off, she’s prime suspect in the Deacon’s murder. Her sole beacon of hope? Sheriff Seth Johnson, her ex.

Is it a Second Chance at Love or a Second Chance for Murder? Dive into this fall treat by award-winning author MJ O'Neill, a unique blend of cozy mystery and romance, sprinkled with Southern sass and autumn charm. Can Harmony save her family legacy and find where her heart truly belongs, or are some secrets better kept whispered in regrets?

About MJ O'Neill

MJ O’Neill is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and literacy advocate.

Her love of mysteries started as a dyslexic child who relied on Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden to get through the dreaded book report. Now, she is a fierce advocate for literacy and stands firm against literary censorship.

Her professional writing adventure began when she owned a chocolate factory where writing mysteries was a safer bet than “murdering customers”. Currently, you might spot MJ rambling around the Pacific Northwest in her jeep, with her teenager and fierce Yorkie, on the hunt for bigfoot and her next captivating tale.

Author Links 

  Website: http://www.mjoneillauthor.com 

  Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/mjoneillauthor 

  BookBub Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mj-o-neill 

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjoneillauthor 

  Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MJONeillAuthor 

  Purchase Link: Amazon 

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Forever Human by Ian E Slatter Book Tour!

Does the past really matter when you hold humanity's future in your hands?

Forever Human

Humanity's Last Chance

by Ian E. Slatter

Genre: Science Fiction

Does the past really matter when you hold humanity's future in your hands?

With just days of its thousand year journey remaining, the starship Renaissance 3 is on course to deliver its precious cargo - the last living humans - to its new planetary home. But a message from beyond the grave challenges everything that pilot Maya has been taught about her kind, and threatens the future of the entire mission.

As life aboard the Renaissance descends into chaos, Maya soon finds herself facing the decision of a lifetime.

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Dr. Guy Ramsey took a deep breath of the chilled laboratory air as the door slid silently shut behind him. The air-conditioned coolness of the lab was a welcome relief after the savage heat of the ravaged planet outside, and he’d have happily just paused there for a while to cool down, but that wasn’t going to happen. He had no time to waste, and he started searching the long workbenches, trying to stay calm as he looked for what he needed.

It took him precious minutes he could ill afford, as he checked each of the partially-assembled carebots in turn, looking for the right one. There were, he knew, 200 of them, lined up in rows, waiting for their construction and programming to be completed before being transported up to the Lunar Centre for activation and installation on the Renaissance 3 starship. The fact that they all seemed to be impassively watching him as he scurried from one to the next wasn’t helping his nerves either. Even though he knew none of them were active they were creepy as hell.

Finally, he found the one he wanted. Carebot CF-97. He had no idea why that one, or more specifically the embryo it would be raising, had been selected. It wasn’t his job to know. It was his job to sneak into the lab before anyone else got there and to complete the upload – nothing else – but he trusted the rest of the Truth collective. If they had decided that CF-97 was the one, that was good enough for him.

He took the miniature data bar out of the concealed pocket that had enabled him to smuggle it into the high-security compound and connected it straight to the carebot’s input port. Now all he could do was wait.

As the upload began he thought, as he had many times before, how crazy it was that the entire existence of the human race now depended on this one project. Of course, humankind had left it too late to prevent Earth from passing the tipping point, despite the decades of warnings. Once they reached that point everything had gone rapidly downhill, the planet’s ecosystems had collapsed one by one, bringing starvation, migration, lawlessness, violence and death for billions of people, not to mention the multitude of other species that had become extinct. That had all been accompanied by the gradual collapse of global democracy, with the planet now controlled by a handful of mega-rich, all-powerful corporations, including the one that he ostensibly worked for, the one behind the Renaissance project.

The idea was simple in theory – if Earth is no longer inhabitable, humans must find another planet to colonise. That assumed, of course, that you could locate and reach a “Goldilocks” planet capable of sustaining life. It was a shame that as much effort hadn’t been put into saving the planet as had been in escaping it, but the scientist in him had to admit that the advances in knowledge and technology had been impressive. Who would have believed at the end of the 21st century that light-speed travel was possible? Necessity is the mother of invention, as someone had once said.

Even so, time was running out for the human race. Rival corporations’ projects had fallen by the wayside, and two previous attempts by the Renaissance project had failed too. It was lucky, in a way, that they’d both failed so soon into their 1,200-year missions. It gave the scientists and engineers another chance, one final chance, to get it right before life on Earth finally came to an end.

It showed how fragile mankind’s existence now was though. If the 200 frozen embryos that were going to be the only living passengers of Renaissance 3 didn’t make it, that was that, and even if they did reach their destination safely, who knew what awaited them. Would they find a way to survive on their new home, having only the basic equipment and tools that could be fitted onto to ship and the training they were set to receive once they were thawed and born by the very carebots he was stood amongst, 18 years out from their destination?

He checked the status display being sent to his arm implant by the data bar. 48%. Not even halfway yet. How much longer would it take? How much longer did he have? The Truth had taken steps to delay the other lab technicians, infiltrating the sprawling shanty town of protesters encircling the compound and sowing the seeds required to spark another violent attack on the object of their rage. That would inevitably lead to a temporary lockdown, with no-one allowed in or out of the site, but for how long? The project’s security forces had proven to be more than capable of dealing with trouble swiftly (and brutally), and even though the protesters’ numbers had swollen to hundreds of thousands over the last few years, the lockdown was unlikely to last more than a matter of minutes.

He checked the progress again. 71% now. Come on, come on! Surely someone would come in and catch him any minute now. He was well aware of what had happened to the last member of the Truth to be caught, and it wasn’t at all pleasant. How much longer? He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Despite the coolness of the lab, he was still sweating as much as he had outside in the sun’s harsh rays. Maybe even more.

He checked again. 84%. This was unbearable. Why was it taking so long? He knew it was a huge file, but the upload shouldn’t take that long, should it? He glanced anxiously towards the door. Still no sign of anyone, but surely he didn’t have much longer.

91%. What was that? Instinctively he dropped to the ground, hoping he could somehow crawl out of sight and find an excuse to get back into that part of the lab later to retrieve the data bar before it was spotted. He waited, holding his breath, but no one came in. False alarm. How much longer would his luck hold though?

97%. Nearly there. 98%. He gasped. That was definitely someone approaching now. Surely he wasn’t going to get caught now. He was so close. 99%. The door started to open…

I started writing for satirical news website Newsbiscuit before going on to help edit the site. I also wrote some comedy sketches for BBC radio and ITV, then published my first two books - non-fiction works about sport.

My first fiction books were three humorous middle-grade novels, one of which won a Purple Dragonfly award, and I am now focusing on writing science-fiction.

I live in Somerset in the UK with my wife, two children and two black cats.

Check out my website (ianeslatter.com) to see some of the sci-fi works that inspired me."

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The Sunlit Ruins (The Archives of the Forgotten Book 1) by Andrea Septién Book Tour! #YA #YoungAdult #Contemporary #Fantasy #Mythology #Mexico #Teotihuacán #TheSunlitRuins @SilverDaggerBookTours

Ada and Miry didn’t mean to start a city-wide catastrophe.

Really, they didn’t.

The Sunlit Ruins

The Archives of the Forgotten Book 1

by Andrea Septién

Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy & Mythology

Ada and Miry didn’t mean to start a city-wide catastrophe.

Really, they didn’t.

But when a family trip goes awry, the two Mexican-American cousins from opposite sides of the border accidentally unleash an evil spirit from centuries past. The incident unlocks latent magical powers within the girls, who now have to figure out what’s going on.

Easier said than done.

The only things Ada and Miry know are that the spirit is tied to the pyramids of Teotihuacán, an ancient and abandoned civilization, and that there is only one organization that can help them. The Archivists of Teotihuacán.

With only a scant trail of clues to guide them, Ada and Miry must journey across Mexico City, uncover the origin of their powers, and try to reseal the spirit they’ve awoken.

But the hardest challenge of all?

Getting along with family.

Follow Ada and Miry on their adventure through Mexico and a hidden, fantastical world of magic based on the philosophy of the city of Teotihuacán.

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Masks on the Water

Prequel to The Sunlit Ruins

The creature appeared underwater.

That’s all they knew.

Lorenzo Zavala, a disciple of Chalchitlicue, the deity of the lakes, was sent on a simple mission: Go to Lake Huetzalin in the south of Mexico City, analyze an unknown creature, and report back to the archivists.

By his side was Daniel Merino, his best friend and a disciple of Tláloc, the deity of the rain. But when the two of them reach the lake, Lorenzo discovers the the true danger is much closer than he realized.

Using the power of the deity of the lakes, Lorenzo must use all of his skills to save his best friend. Can Lorenzo triumph against this new threat? Or will he lose the person closest to his heart?

Find out in this prequel short story to The Sunlit Ruins, a young adult fantasy based on the philosophy of the city of Teotihuacán.

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Andrea Septién is a writer, editor, and certified cat lady. Born and raised in Mexico City, she is a Mexican-American author who lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband. She receives weekly pictures of her cats back in Mexico.

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Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham Blog Tour! @pennyingham @cathiedunn @penny.ingham @thecoffeepotbookclub: @cathiedunn

 

#HistoricalMystery #MurderMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub 

Book Title: Twelve Nights

Series: The Heavenly Charmers

Author: Penny Ingham

Publication Date: April 2022

Publisher: Nerthus

Page Length: 360

Genre: historical fiction/historical mystery

When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon. The coroner is convinced of her guilt. The scandal-pamphlets demonize her.

Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Only handsome Matthew Hilliard offers his assistance, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?

With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer - for all other roads lead to the gallows.

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bpYRlk 

Excerpt from Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham

‘Poison,’ Stow mused. ‘A woman’s weapon, is it not?’ He turned, fixing his piggy-eyes upon Magdalen. “Tell me, why did you poison John Wood?’ 

Magdalen felt suddenly ice-cold, as if she had plunged into the Thames in January, as if every last gasp of air had been driven from her lungs. All around her, the players erupted in cries of outraged indignation. 

‘I - I did not poison John!’ Magdalen stammered. ‘He is - he was, like a brother to me.’ 

‘You knew him well?’ 

‘Well enough, sir.’ 

‘You were intimately acquainted?’

‘No! I swear on my life!’ 

But the constable had the bit between his teeth. ‘Was it a lover’s quarrel? Did he spurn you for another? What do they say? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’ 

Magdalen was sinking deeper into the icy water, the glimmers of daylight above her head becoming fainter as she drifted down into the darkness. The players’ protests were growing louder and angrier by the minute but they sounded very far away. The constable banged the tip of his staff upon the boards, once, twice, three times, dragging her back to the surface of her unfolding nightmare.

‘I will have silence!’ Edmund Stow bellowed. ‘Tell me, Mistress Bisset, as his sister then, who were his enemies? Who bore him a grudge?’

Magdalen thought of Richard Cowley’s brawl with John earlier that day, the hatred in his eyes. Did he hate John enough to kill him? But she had no proof, and she knew she would never forgive herself if she falsely accused him. ‘Everyone liked John, sir. He didn’t have any enemies.’ 

‘Everyone has enemies,’ Stow replied. ‘You came to London from Hampshire, did you not?’ he added, eyeing her appraisingly. ‘You were raised on a farm. You understand plants, which will heal, and which will harm?’

Magdalen dug her fingernails into her palms, focussing on the pain rather than the panic threatening to overwhelm her. ‘I left Hampshire when I was eight years old. I have no knowledge of such things, sir.’ 

‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘I swear I am innocent, sir.’ 

‘Believe me, girl, the truth will out.’ Edmund Stow glared at her for a long moment, perhaps hoping he might see into her very soul. She found herself staring back at him, held fast by his malevolent spell. When at last he released her from his gaze, her legs felt as wobbly as marrow jelly.

Stow’s eyes were sweeping across the stage, seeking a new target. They settled on Burbage and narrowed, taking aim. ‘It seems most likely John Wood was poisoned here at the Theatre.’

‘That is an outrageous accusation!’ Burbage shot back indignantly. ‘You cannot seriously believe one of us killed John?’ 

‘I believe whatever the evidence suggests, Master Burbage,’ Stow replied haughtily. ‘Tell me, what refreshments do you provide for the players?’ 

‘We have a pitcher of Malmsey in the ‘tiring house, and one cup.’ Burbage was visibly fighting to remain calm. ‘Before every performance, we share the cup and raise a toast. If someone had poisoned the wine, we would all be dead.’

‘Bring me the pitcher and the cup.’

Burbage glanced at Magdalen, but Stow shook his head. ‘No. She stays here. Send the boy.’ 

Peter soon returned with the pitcher and cup. Stow sniffed them both cautiously. ‘You have all drunk from this cup?’

The players nodded. 

‘But you gave John a second drink, after the play had begun, didn’t you, Magdalen,’ Peter said brightly. 

Stow’s beady eyes fixed upon Magdalen again. ‘Is this true?’

Magdalen opened her mouth but no words formed. Peter was right. She had offered John another drink, but only because he had looked so unwell. Will Kempe glared at Peter and rolled his eyes in disgust. Several other players shook their heads despairingly. Peter, suddenly comprehending the gravity of his careless words, fought back tears.

‘So, you do not deny giving the player another drink, Mistress Bisset?’ There was a gleam of triumph in the constable’s eye. 

Penny has a degree in Classics, and a passion for archaeology – during the summer months, you will often find her on her a ‘dig’ with a trowel in her hand. She has had a variety of jobs over the years, including ice-cream seller, theatre PR, BBC local radio, and TV critic for a British Forces newspaper. 

She has written four novels – ‘The King’s Daughter’ is the story of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. ‘The Saxon Wolves’ and ‘The Saxon Plague’ are set in the turbulent aftermath of Roman Britain. Her inspiration for Twelve Nights grew from her love of the theatre in general, and Shakespeare in particular. 

Penny has two grown up children and lives with her husband in Hampshire.

Website:        Penny Ingham (wordpress.com)

Twitter:         Penny Ingham (@pennyingham) / Twitter

Facebook:    Penny Ingham Author Page | Facebook

  

Instagram:    Penny Ingham (@penny.ingham) • Instagram photos and videos

Amazon Author Page:    Amazon.co.uk: Penny Ingham: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

Goodreads:    Penny Ingham (Author of The Saxon Wolves) | Goodreads

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