a look at Beth D. Carter & 'Wicked Man' @bethdcarter @evernightpub #Romance #MotorcycleClub

Today we have author Beth D. Carter visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I hate washing dishes but I love cooking. I hate washing clothes but I love wearing them. I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters, ones who are full of angst but where love redeems them. I push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I hate people who don't pick up their dog's crap in public places and I really hate people who are rude and condescending. I especially hate discrimination in all and every form. The perfect birthday presents are gift certificates to bookstores. And I love to hear from readers. I’m really easy to find on social media.

A look into...

BLURB * They say you can never go home, but Abbott has traveled a long way to find the love of her life again. She and Chadwick “Wick” Edwards had been high school sweethearts, but when he got the opportunity to become a member of The Forgotten Rebels Motorcycle Club, he left without saying good-bye.
* Wick knows he screwed up by leaving Abbott behind, but he honestly thought she’d be better off without him. Little did he know that out of heartbreak she turned to the first man to show her kindness…only to become a survivor of mental and physical abuse.
* Wherever she goes, her tormentor finds her. After ten years she’s tired of running and so goes back to Wick. Their passion sparks and love rekindles, but when Abbott is targeted, Wick must do very wicked things to make sure she stays alive.
Be Warned: public exhibition EXCERPT Use the 'Look Inside' feature at Amazon BUY Evernight Publishing | All Romance Books | Amazon | BookStrand Find Beth D. Carter here... Website | Twitter | Facebook Thank you for joining us here today, Beth D. Carter! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

a look at Kit Reynard & 'A Little Bit Reckless' @evernightpub #Erotic #ROTG

Today we have author Kit Reynard visiting. Welcome!

A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * When Hannah Knowles is invited on a winter get away by friends she doesn’t expect it to end in disaster. An overheard conversation leaves Hannah reeling from the discovery that those friendships are a lot more one sided than she’d thought. Determined to leave she ends up stranded in a winter storm only to be taken in by Luke, the sexy and seemingly unattainable older brother of Jamie, her childhood friend.
* Luke Draper is more than happy to take Hannah in out of the cold. Having the alluring Hannah in close confines with him is both painful and tempting for Luke. Still, conscious of her fragile feelings, Luke’s determined to carefully restrain his long held desire. Until Hannah makes a suggestion that Luke’s hard pressed to pass up.
* Together Hannah and Luke have to decide if being a little bit reckless is really the right thing to do. ~ Excerpt ~ * For a long moment Luke didn’t, couldn’t, breathe, his air trapped somewhere in his chest.
* ‘Did she really just say that?’ Luke asked himself incredulously. Unable to believe what he’d just heard he struggled to rein in his suddenly whirling mind.
* Aware that Hannah was staring at him, an expectant look on her face, Luke shook his head harshly and tried to come back to reality.
* “What? ” His voice came out as little more than a rasp. Luke swallowed harshly, aware of the dry clicking sound his throat made, and tried not to focus on the way his cock automatically stiffened or how sheer want surged through his veins. Every fantasy he’d ever had about her seemed to be trying to rush in on him all at once, and to compete for first place in his mind.
* “I said,” Hannah’s head was tilted up at an almost defiant angle but Luke could tell that her boldness was beginning to fade, “I think we should have sex.”
* “Yeah,” Luke nodded as he stepped carefully over the broken shards of the dropped mugs and moved to stand directly in front of her, “that’s what I thought you said.”
* Then he did the only thing he could do in that moment.
* He leaned down and kissed her. Buy A Little Bit Reckless here... Evernight Publishing | All Romance Books | Amazon Find Kit Reynard here... Facebook | eMail Thank you for joining us here today, Kit Reynard! It was a pleasure getting to know your story.

a look at Pumpkin Spice & 'The Hart Moment' @PumpkinSpiceU2 @evernightpub #Holiday #romance

Today we have author Pumpkin Spice visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Mary Billiter, Writing as Pumpkin Spice, For Evernight Publishing:
* Mary Billiter is the author of seven works of fiction, including four under the pen name, “Pumpkin Spice.” Pumpkin Spice's debut novel — Scarlett Hood & the Hunter — was an Editor’s Pick and nominated by readers as a finalist in the 2015 Third Annual Evernight Readers' Choice Awards. Her Amāre Tales is her fairy tale line & her favorite place to write about! It’s based in Amāre, where love isn’t just the town’s namesake, it’s a way of life. Add in a little spice & you've got a good romance and new way of telling a classic tale!

What are you going to tell us about today?

~ Blurb ~ * Love can't be taught, but it can be unlearned. When Associate Professor Stella Greene lost her mentor on Valentine's Day, she also lost her way both professionally and romantically. Her academic career, and her desire to love again, stagnated. Pete Hart’s doctorate degree in cinema and art history gives him an eye for detail and an appreciation for beauty. When Pete and Stella’s paths cross, they realize there’s nothing academic about their attraction to one another. But can even the patience and persistence of Dr. Hart withstand the distance Stella’s pain places between them? Can love be relearned? Or will Pete have to take matters into his own hands to claim Stella’s heart? ~ Excerpt ~ * We barely set foot in his apartment before shoes were kicked off, coats peeled away, his sweater was shed, and I think he was almost out of his jeans when he realized that maybe things were moving too fast. In a white cotton t-shirt and his button fly jeans open, his gray-blue eyes shone in the moonlight.
* His gaze then held mine as he walked toward me and started to unbutton my silk blouse. It slid off my shoulders and dropped to the floor. Pete waited while I unzipped my jeans, and then we both stepped out of our jeans together. I stood before him in a black lace bra and pink cotton low-rise panties that had “Wednesday” stamped on the fabric.
* He raised an eyebrow.
* I shrugged. “I’m kind of into days of the week.”
* He tried not to laugh.
* I lightly whacked him on the shoulder. “Hey! It keeps me on track.”
* “And clearly that’s important.”
* “Well, it can be.” I crossed my arms over my chest and suddenly felt very naked.
* Pete moved toward me. And I moved away in equal measure.
* “I think it’s cute.”
* I held up a finger. “I’ll have you know that days of the week panties are not easy to find.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth I cringed.
* “There may be a good reason for that,” Pete said and burst out laughing.
* I bit the inside of my mouth to stop from laughing, but it didn’t work. I started giggling.
* “Come here,” Pete waved me toward him. “Come here, Wednesday.”
* “Oh, har-har.”
* I stepped back from him, keeping my eyes firmly on his. The excitement glittering back at me intensified my desire.
* “If you think Wednesday looks good, you should see Thursday…” I tried to sound seductive when really there wasn’t anything sexy about cotton panties or the days of the week stamped on them, but I only had so much to work with. Then I saw the movies posters in his front room, and I instantly knew what do to.
* Stripper Gypsy Rose Lee had less to work, but made more with what she had. She was the woman that literally put the “tease” in “striptease”. Gypsy was one movie I knew Pete would have seen and one role I knew I could pull off.
* “And Friday … oh you should see Friday’s panties…” I slowly glided my bra off my shoulders with my fingertips without revealing anything significant.
* Pete’s eyes roamed my body, and I savored the seduction. I turned my back and unclasped my bra, exposing my bare back to him. Sliding the bra off, I covered my breasts with one hand and faced him. With my other hand, I twirled my bra on my index finger. Pete was my captive audience.
* I dropped my hand that held my breasts, pulled back the elastic band on my bra and aimed it like a slingshot.
* “Saturday’s panty is pretty saucy, too. It has lace.” I released the bra. It lobbed in the air and then fell, missing my mark.
* Pete reached up and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me toward him. “You talk too much.”
* My breasts playfully bounced and pressed against his firm chest. He wrapped his other arm around the small of my back, his fingertips grazing my skin. The force between us electrified, always simmering below the surface, too powerful to deny when we collided. His lips commandeered mine, and my need for him built and screamed for release.
* He grabbed my arm and led me to his bedroom. He braced my fall when he leaned us down onto his bed. His unshaven cheek grazed against my neck in an oddly rough, yet subtly seductive way. Everything Pete did, was, and said created a fiery passion in me so strong I had to dig my nails into his back just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Our bodies brushed, and our breathing grew heavier.
* He rocked back to pull off his t-shirt, and I deeply inhaled the cologne I sensed he sprayed in the center of his chest. I pulled him down and crushed him against my taut nipples. Hell, yeah.
* His lips kissed and bit my neck. My body waited. Anticipation grew for what I craved now more than ever. He pulled my panties to the side and looked at me.
* Damn. His eyes always got to me. They flashed with a mixture of mischievousness and caution as they drank me in. Without uttering a word, his eyes waited for permission. I had the control.
* I coyly grinned and opened myself to him.
* He reached into the drawer of his nightstand. He ripped the condom packet open with his teeth, slid the sheath over his cock, and dove into me. I moaned and tried to remember how to breathe all at the same time. God, he feels good. His pace and intensity slowed. He waited for me to catch up to him. I need more. His hands caressed my thighs.
* I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him deeper into me.
* A low groan rose from his throat. “Stella…” Powerful gray-blue eyes locked onto mine. “I’m not going to last long if you keep doing that.”
* But I wasn’t even close to being ready. I slowed down my pace and looked up at him. “Then let’s play around the world.”
* He looked at me, trying to make sense of the sudden shift.
* “You know, a trip around our bodies exploring all the different spots.” Buy books by Pumpkin Spice here... All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookStrand | Evernight Publishing | Kobo | Smashwords Find Pumpkin Spice here... eMail | Twitter | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Pumpkin Spice! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

a look at Libby Bishop & 'Claimed by the Catamount' @LibbyBRomance @evernightpub #shifter #paranormal

Today we have author Libby Bishop visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Libby Bishop is a paranormal romance/erotic romance author.
* She loves reading, writing, movies, Lindt dark chocolate, autumn, the SyFy Channel (Haven and Bitten!), and spending time with friends and family. She has one fat, fluffy cat who thinks she’s queen of the house…and really, she is :)
* She also writes dark fantasy/paranormal/horror under the name October Weeks.


A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Cat shifter Cilla Walton would like nothing more than to mate with Riley Cooper, the man she’s secretly been in love with for years. The problem? The beast in her refuses to allow a mating because it doesn’t think Riley is worthy of being her mate. And until the cat agrees, Cilla can never fully give herself to him.
* Riley Cooper, son of the Alpha of their Pride, wants to be Cilla’s mate more than anything. But until her cat accepts his cat as a mate, that’s not going to happen. The only thing he can do is try harder to prove his worth…and hope he didn’t wait too long to start the mating game with the love of his life.
~ Excerpt ~ * The smell of food bore down sharply on her senses, and she moved swiftly through the trees and brush to follow it. She was almost silent in her footsteps. Her nose and ears told her everything she needed to know.
* She stopped and sniffed the air. Then, she lowered herself behind brushes and trees and leaves, the autumn colors hiding her tawny, black, and bits of white perfectly. She waited…
* There it was. Dinner. From the west, unaware and getting closer.
* The whitetail came into view seconds later, dipping its head to a mountain stream. It was rare that a doe was alone this time of year, but here she was. At the perfect angle.
* She lowered herself more, preparing, using her expert hunting skills and knowledge to make the kill. She was very patient.
* Then, with a burst of speed and precision, she attacked. The deer realized her fate far too late and only ran but a few yards. Teeth sank into the neck, and within moments, dinner was served.
**** * It was the time of year. She just had to hunt more often to work off the extra rush of hormones and need to feed. She was always careful, staying close to or on her vast property. But today was different. She was on a friend’s property, a trusted friend who was out of town for the day. After retrieving her clothes from the porch of the friend’s home, she jogged to her truck and grabbed a pen and paper from the glove box. She wrote a thank you note and IOU for the hunting. Then, she got back to her truck and took off over the mountain to her house…on the dirt back roads. * She couldn’t help but go a bit too fast today, knowing who would be traversing them as well.
* The flashing red lights in her rearview as she turned a corner made her grin. She hoped he was in a playful mood this evening—knowing he was on duty had been the reason she’d picked this route home. Her grin widened as a six-foot-two redhead stepped out of his own truck to walk to hers.
* She rolled her window down.
* The fair-skinned man grinned back as he rested his arms on the door. “Cilla Walton, you know better than to drive that fast on this road.”
* Her blue eyes met his brown ones. “Aw, come on, Riley.” She tried to look as sincere as possible. “I was only doing fifty/fifty-five.”
* He chuckled. “On a forty mile an hour road.”
* She laughed softly, loving the scent rolling off of him. She knew he was smelling her as well. “Riley Cooper, are you going to give me a ticket?”
* He leaned in the window about an inch, inhaling. His grin turned wicked, suggesting all sorts of tempting things. She tried not to visibly shiver.
* She won.
* “Not tonight, I’m afraid. I’m heading for my parents’ house for dinner with them and my brothers. As you know, my mom’s birthday is tomorrow.”
* “Yes. I have something for her,” she replied. “I’m also taking her shopping over in Burlington in the morning, with Ginger and my sister Cat.”
* “Dad talked to you.”
* She nodded. “We’ll be back before dinner, around four-thirty.”
* He leaned against her door and reached a hand in to move stray strands of her tawny-colored hair behind her ear. “You’ve been out hunting…and you got the kill.”
* She smiled softly. “Of course I did.”
* “Over at Ram and Mara’s?”
* She nodded.
* “Yeah, Ram mentioned you asked permission to hunt on his and Mara’s land. Why?”
* She shrugged. “I just wanted a different place to hunt—the deer near my house are getting suspicious.” She winked.
* He chuckled.
* Shiver, shiver, shiver… She managed to hide the shiver, but not the scent it caused. Damn autumn air.
* “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
* “Yes, you will. And by the way,” she said as he stepped away from the door while she put it back in gear, “you smell edible.”
* He grinned. “So do you, babe. And I plan on remedying that soon.”
Buy Claimed by the Catamount here... All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookStrand | Evernight Publishing Find Libby Bishop here... Amazon | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | YouTube Thank you for joining us here today, Libby Bishop! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

a look at Libby Bishop & 'Ghosts of Trenton House' @LibbyBRomance @evernightpub #ghosts #romance

Today we have author Libby Bishop visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Libby Bishop is my pen name for my romance/erotic books. I write dark fantasy/horror under the name October Weeks.
* I love reading, writing, movies, Lindt dark chocolate, autumn, The Walking Dead, and spending time with friends and family.

A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Empath and paranormal investigator Lena Tompson is enjoying a night of relaxation when she’s interrupted by a phone call from her boss. She hurries to the office, still in her pajamas, and finds herself face to face with the once love-of-her-life.
* Knox Trenton, also an empath, has a problem: his beloved great grandmother has accidently conjured the spirit of her dead sister while trying to find the spirit of her dearly departed husband, who died decades earlier. The sisters have fought bitterly since his death.
* As the case heats up, so do Lena’s feelings for Knox. She doesn’t know how long she can hold back the tide of emotions, especially when she realizes that Knox has feelings for her as well. She can only hope that trusting him doesn’t tear her apart as deeply as his own family will be torn if they fail to stop the fighting. ~ Excerpt ~ * Oh, how Lena Tompson wished she was still at home, curled up on the couch watching Pride and Prejudice—the Colin Firth version, of course—instead of at the Revenant Investigations office for an emergency meeting. But that wish wasn’t going to come true. When her boss, Folger, had called they all knew to come immediately. She had and now Knox Trenton, the former love-of-her-life, sat in her boss’s office with his forehead creased from worry.
* "I’m very sorry to drag you all here at this hour," Knox said. "But there’s an emergency at Trenton House."
* Arabella Pierce—coworker, medium, and Lena’s best friend—spoke up. "What do you mean?" she asked.
* Knox rubbed his eyes. Lena could feel just how worried he was. Having grown up with and seriously dated Knox, she knew this wasn’t normal for him. Something had to be dreadfully wrong in order for him to be bleeding emotions so strongly. As a high-level empath, he was very good at guarding himself, unless unduly stressed or tired.
* Lena reached out with her own empathic gifts to search his feelings, and a brick wall slammed down.
* "Nana has done something," he replied, dread lightly imbedded in his tone.
* Oh, dear. When his great-grandmother did something to earn that tone of voice it normally meant another feud was brewing with someone, probably a family member. The elderly spitfire was too fiery for her own good, at times. "What did Imogene do?"
* "You both know the story of my great-grandmother and her twin sister, Ruth."
* "Hard to forget," Arabella replied.
* While the story was well known, not many knew the details as Lena and Arabella did. He’d told them in Junior High. And a hell of a story it was.
* He turned to Folger. "I’m going to tell you the story, but I ask that you keep it to yourself, for your records. This is a very sensitive issue."
* Folger raised his hand. "What you tell us goes no further than this room."
* Knox sighed. "Thank you. My great-aunt Ruth conjured my great-grandpa Duke’s spirit when he died of a heart attack in his mid-thirties. She wanted to punish her sister for allowing him into the family and betraying her. Their father trusted Duke and had learned to love him as a son, so he willed Trenton House to Duke and Nana. Ruth was furious with her sister for allowing such a thing, saying she was betrayed, even though their father left her and her husband well over five hundred thousand dollars and the country house at the edge of town." He paused, sighing. "Most of the family believes her objection was solely about Duke’s name being put on the house. I think it’s safe to say if it had been just Nana’s name on the deed, Ruth wouldn’t have been so vehement about the whole thing."
* Lena had been to that country house a few times—a beautiful home, on a lovely four-acre plot of land. But Duke being willed Trenton House and watching it fall into his hands, even with Imogene there, had only been the beginning––the spark, to ignite the rest of the Trentons’ sisterly feud.
* Lena had seen no real ‘ill will’ between Knox and his cousins, but their parents… Well, there was a reason she never liked going to the family get-togethers. Their barely veiled animosity was like ice, cracking against her skin. Knox tried to shield her from most of it, but the intensity was too great for him to block it all. Lena tolerated events the best she could, but finally admitted they’d taken a toll on her, and her view of their relationship.
* "And no one knows where Ruth trapped Duke’s spirit," Arabella said, leaning back against the couch and crossing her legs. "Ruth took that information to the grave." "Knox," Folger said, "tell them what Imogene did."
* Hesitation lightly touched the air, held clear in his dark brown eyes when he glanced at her. All thoughts of their past momentarily fled when Lena saw it—something was very wrong, all right, and worry twisted her gut. "Knox?"
* He fidgeted in his chair, until he settled for sitting with his back completely straight as if someone had pulled a string upward, and rested his hands on the arms of the chair.
* "Nana…raided Ruth’s crypt at our family’s private cemetery and stole a necklace from her coffin."
* Lena’s mouth dropped in shock. "She did what?" Buy Ghosts of Trenton House here... Evernight Publishing | All Romance eBooks | Amazon | BookStrand Find Libby Bishop here... Blog/Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | YouTube Thank you for joining us here today, Libby Bishop! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

Welcome special guest: author Melanie Surani ~ @melsurani @GoddessFish

Today we have author Melanie Surani visiting.
What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* When Melanie Surani isn't cutting hair, she's thinking about killing people (for mystery novels). She grew up in Memphis, TN before taking extended trips to Toronto, Canada, Eichstätt, Germany, and Philadelphia, PA. She lives with her husband and cat in New York City.

So, Melanie Surani, what/who inspired you to become a writer?
* Ultimately, my parents probably inspired me. From a very early age, I thought being a writer was as normal as learning to read. Even today, so many people I associate with are writers. But when I expressed this to someone, he just shook his head and said, "not everyone wants to do that."
* What inspired me more than anything else was my parents reading to me. It wasn't just bedtime stories when I was little, my dad read the classics to me and my sister. Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, etc. And because I was homeschooled, I would read a chapter in a book to my mom in the morning, she would read something to me and my sister, and every night before bed, I was allowed to stay up an extra 45 minutes to read something of my own choosing. Books were everywhere, and writing became a natural way for me to express myself.

When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
* My first story was in the first grade, called The Bad Carwash. It was the front and back of a piece of paper, and I have it in a notebook.
* I can't remember why I wrote it — maybe it was a school project, or maybe I thought I could write something like the books I was reading. All I know is that once I started writing, I felt like it was something I should have been doing already. That lightbulb of inspiration flashed on and never switched off.

How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
* I probably had dozens finished before I sold anything. I was constantly writing something as a kid and teenager, which was bad news for my family because we only had one computer, and I was on it as much as I could be. But I also had a loose-leaf notebook I used to hand write things when I couldn't type.

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
* The best piece of advice is the quote from Toni Morrison: If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it.
* The worst was probably that I shouldn't write male main characters since I'm female.

The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series?
* Awake is stand-alone. I had thought about expanding the story into a sequel or series, but I love the way it is right now. There might be a loose end or two to inspire my readers into thinking what might come next. I wouldn't be opposed to reading some fan fiction, if someone wants to take a stab at it, but for now, my part is done.

What sparked the idea for the story/series?
* Awake came from a dream. I wrote a novel called Nocturne based on that dream, and it contained none of the same characters I ended up using, and very little of the existing plot.
* My main inspiration for what became Awake came from Madame Tussauds' Chamber of Horrors (and specifically the rumor Charles Dickens started that anyone who was able to spend the night there would win a cash prize) and the TV show LOST. While the novel isn't "based on" either of those things, they certainly inspired ideas. 1) Wouldn't it be cool to be locked in a museum and not know how to get out or why you're there? (Chamber of Horrors) 2) Wouldn't a novel that slowly revealed answers to mysteries be interesting? (LOST)

*** Now for some fun info… ***
Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
* I've actively looked into buying a cheetah. After seeing a photo of Josephine Baker with a cheetah on a leash, I've wondered why anyone would keep such a dangerous animal with them. After a little research, though, I learned that cheetahs don't think of humans as a food source because we're bigger than they are, and if you raise them from cubs, it's possible to domesticate them.
* The downside is that they eat so much every day and need many acres of land to run, and you cannot litter train a cheetah. Much too expensive, and they're also endangered. Also, have you ever seen a tiny house cat flip out and attack something? A bigger one would do the same thing.

Which do you prefer: rain or sun & warm weather or cold weather?
* Probably rain. I grew up in Memphis, TN, where the summers get upwards of 100º, and now I live in New York City, where winters get down to 5º. I don't like either one. If I had to pick between hot and cold, I'd pick cold because I can always put something else on. If it's too hot, even if I walk around naked, my skin is still gonna feel like it's melting, and I'm gonna be in a bad mood.
* I'm about to move again, this time to Edinburgh. The temperature there is a moderate 50-60º in summer, 30º in winter, coupled with drizzle almost every day. That's seeming like a really good deal right about now, especially with the temperature climbing to 85º the past few days. It's difficult to walk to work and not stink when I get there.

If you could live anywhere in the universe, where would it be and why?
* I'd probably stick with Earth because I know people here.
* My dream right now is to move to Edinburgh, Scotland, and I'm putting the wheels in motion for that one, partly for the weather reason I mentioned in the previous question. Edinburgh is big on literature — so many writers have lived there and been inspired by the medieval architecture. It's really one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. It was clean, fun to explore (some streets are "upstairs" — it's really strange how the hills effect the landscape), and the people were so friendly. In New York, I'm lucky if I can get the cashier to tell me what my total is, in Edinburgh, the cashiers held little conversations with me. Nobody bumped me on the sidewalk, and people said "excuse me" when they wanted something I was blocking. I felt that old knot of anxiety loosen and disappear when I was there. Sure, it was a vacation, but I've visited other cities that didn't feel that way — places I would visit again, but wouldn't stay.

If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
* Air conditioning; a fully stocked and operational grocery store; a yacht, so I can leave said stranded island; wifi; my laptop
*** About the book… ***

~ Blurb ~ * In author Melanie Surani’s edgy thriller novel, opera singer Joshua Gray wakes in an eerie art museum exhibit. He comes to believe he’s been kidnapped and abandoned. And he isn’t the only one…
* As Josh and four others struggle to piece together their new reality, they discover the museum’s main building has been razed and the place is boarded with no obvious exit. Who left them in the museum and why? How can they escape? The only link that binds them together is a mysterious woman named Blair, who they each encountered before blacking out. Josh unexpectedly finds himself drawn to one of the other captives, a long-time fan named Sophia. Their attraction plunges the group into a dark pool of suspicion. When allegiances shift and pieces connect, the strangers are forced to reassess their situation. Is the real danger inside or outside of the museum?
* Suspenseful, romantic and filled with drama, Awake will keep you up all night.
~ Excerpt ~ * Costumed mannequins, wearing everything from Rococo dresses to the "50's Housewife," lined the room and clustered in the center. They had coverings over their heads: burlap sacs sewn to fit the face, or draped with gauze over antlers, or covered in feathers.
* One of them might move.
* To get to the rest of the exhibits now, she either had to go through or turn around and catch it from the opposite direction. As she turned, though, an Employees Only sign caught her eye.
* The door opened with a creak. Sophia checked the costumes for any sign of life before ducking inside and slamming the door. She panted for a moment with her eyes shut. When she opened them a crack, the light hadn't come on. After waving her arms over her head, she threw the door open again with a hammering heart.
* Like so much topiary at the Overlook Hotel, she expected the mannequins to have clustered around the door. Of course, nothing had changed since she'd checked the gallery before. She eyed the figures again, before propping the door open and returning to the dim office.
* Unused items crammed the floor. A computer and phone sat on the single desk, files stacked on the floor. An empty closet in the back stood open, yawning darkness. Multiple metal signs leaned against a wall, notices pointing toward restrooms, galleries, a café, and the lobby.
* "Damn it," she whispered. Who the hell took all the signs down?
* Sophia picked up the phone, pressed the switch-hook, but no dial tone sounded.
* "Why…" Why leave the electricity on and cut the phones?
Buy Awake here... Amazon Find Melanie Surani here... Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+ | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Thank you for joining us here today, Melanie Surani! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Melanie Surani will be awarding a $30 Starbuck Gift Certificate to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave your name and email with your comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops (find them here: _) for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway