Kurt Kamm & 'The Lizard’s Tale' @GoddessFish #CrimeThriller

Today we have author Kurt Kamm visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Malibu, California resident Kurt Kamm has written a series of firefighter mystery novels, which have won several literary awards. His newest novel, The Lizard’s Tale, provides a unique look inside the activities of the Mexican drug cartels and the men dedicated to stopping them.
* Kurt has used his contact with CalFire, Los Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments, as well as the ATF and DEA to write fact-based (“faction”) novels. He has attended classes at El Camino Fire Academy and trained in wildland firefighting, arson investigation and hazardous materials response. He has also attended the ATF and DEA Citizen’s Academies. After graduating from the DEA Citizen’s Academy in 2014, he began work on The Lizard’s Tale.
* Kurt has built an avid fan base among first responders and other readers. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School, Kurt was previously a financial executive and semi-professional bicycle racer. He was also Chairman of the UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation for several years.

A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Kurt Kamm has written a novel that's a literary crime novel, with a strong thread of non-fiction running through it. The Lizard's Tale is a tale of crime—with an a wide-ranging cast of characters.
* When the DEA goes up against the Sinaloa Cartel, an orphan and an endangered lizard are caught in the conflict. The action moves from Guatemala to Mexico to Catalina Island off the coast of California.
* Alejandro, a middle class Guatemalan, wants his share, and makes a deal with the cartel. Now he’s risking his life to deliver the goods.
* El Dedo, a brilliant financier, is the Sinaloa Cartel’s banker. He worries about what to do with the billions of dollars collecting dust in his underground vault.
* Ryan, a DEA Special Agent, needs to make a high profile case to get a promotion. Is the big yacht headed for California carrying a Mexican drug shipment?
* Kate, a wildlife officer on Catalina Island, smells smoke. When she heads out in the middle of the night to investigate a fire, she makes an astonishing discovery.
* Jorge, an orphan from the streets of Mexico, is abandoned in the United States. Will he find his way back home and track down his mother’s killer? ~ Excerpt ~ * The General’s tank was near empty. Alejandro stopped and took down one of the red plastic gas containers. After he filled the tank, he extracted the second of the three bottles of beer from his cooler. “Bienvenido a Mexico,” he said aloud and held the bottle up in an imaginary toast. The beer was warm, but he enjoyed it anyway. He had overcome the harsh Guatemalan roads and crossed the border safely with his cargo. Now all he had to do was survive the trip through Mexico.
* Ahead of him lay 2,500-kilometers on Mexico Highway 200, the main road along the Pacific Coast. The trip north would take Alejandro past Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan before reaching Culiacán. The condition of the road itself had been the challenge in Guatemala, but that was not the big risk on the journey ahead. Highway 200 was a winding, two-lane paved road. The real danger was what Alejandro might encounter. He had been warned not to travel at night. Drunk drivers, livestock, pedestrians, and unlighted farm equipment were some of the lesser hazards. The real threat, day or night however, was robbery and hijacking, and he had read several reports of travelers coming upon roadblocks set by bandits armed with machetes and machine guns, decked out in bulletproof vests draped with hand grenades. Alejandro planned to keep moving and cover about 800 kilometers. By evening, he hoped to reach Acapulco. Buy The Lizard’s Tale here... Amazon | Barnes & Noble Find Kurt Kamm here... Amazon Author Page | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Kurt Kamm! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Kurt Kamm is giving away via rafflecopter a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alexandra Forry & 'Confessions of Us' @forryalexandra @GoddessFish #Romance

Today we have author Alexandra Forry visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Alexandra Forry has an incredible talent for living vicariously through the colorful and intriguing escapades of her strong female characters and successful leading men. Her first book, “Omerta Affair,” based on the true story of mafia boss Tony Torino and his paramour Evelyn Rosenberg has recently been adapted and re-released as “Timeless Endings”--romance fiction. “Wildflower,” is an adventure in coming of age for both a young orphan and her repressed aunt who is trapped in a destructive marriage. It is a beautiful story of life, hope, growth, and triumph and deals with many of the traumas of youth, such as bullying.
* Alexandra Forry is familiar with life’s challenges. She was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now she lives with her loving family in Williamsburg, Virginia. Alexandra has conquered the limitations of Cerebral Palsy to write exciting and engaging novels. She has completed a number of talks and internet book tours and is a member of the Las Vegas Romance Writers and RWA. She is currently working on her seventh book.

Today Alexandra Forry will be talking about the first real book that had a big impact on her.
* I was 20 years old and at the time I was a volunteer at a library close to where I live. One day, after reading all of the young adult books in the library, I asked my friend, who was a librarian, for a good romantic writer who wasn't risqué on their love scenes and she told me about LaVyrle Spencer. So she took me to the romance section and she help me pick out a book by LaVyrle Spencer called Hometown Girl.
* Here is a short summery of what the book is about that I’ve copied off of Goodreads.com:
* Eighteen years ago, young Tess McPhail left tiny Wintergreen, Missouri, for Nashville and never looked back. Now one of country music's brightest lights, "Mac" McPhail is a millionairess many times over, whose career is her life. At thirty-five, Mac has no time for marriage, children, or kinfolk - until her sisters insist she come home to help care for their widowed mother. Assuming a month in Wintergreen will be merely dreary, Mac is unprepared for what awaits her. After almost two decades of public adoration, she is suddenly a nonperson - insulted by her jealous older sister, enraged by her intractable mother, ignored by Kenny Kronek, the next-door neighbor she mercilessly taunted all through high school. A handsome divorce who dotes upon his teenage daughter, Casey, Kenny is widely respected in the community. Now he refuses to give Mac even the time of day. Once she discovers Casey is a promising country music talent, Mac assumes the role of mentor. She gradually becomes an integral part of life in Wintergreen, and the feigned indifference between Mac and Kenny turns to playful bickering, then passion. By month's end, Mac McPhail has not only grown to treasure the priceless solidarity of family and community, but also opened up her heart to love. Yet what was possible in Wintergreen appears a naive fantasy back in Nashville: Is there room for caring and commitment in the realm of superstardom - or is a woman worshipped by millions destined always to be alone?
* I really like how this story play out, how Tess went home to take care of her mother and ends up taking Casey under her wing and falling in love with the next-door boy that Tess ignored growing up. In a way coming back home to Wintergreen, Tess’s life change forever.
* When I was done reading this book, I ended up reading almost all of LaVyrle Spencer’s books that I could get my hands on. I fall in love with LaVyrle Spencer’s writing style and how she made the two lovers fall in love and how real to life it was. LaVyrle Spencer is one of my favorite authors to read. She write books that are true to life and that was an big impact on me.
* I want to thank C.R. Moss for the honor of having me and my book CONFESSIONS OF US on this blog today. If you have any questions or comments, I will be happy to answer. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * As a girl, Adaline was left orphaned due to gang violence and to be raised by her grandmother and her parents’ old friend Frank, now following in her parent's footsteps she finds herself at a crossroad in her life of what she wants and what she feels she has a responsibility to do. As soon as Adaline makes the commitment to the mafia however her life becomes riddled with lies, betrayal, lust, and murder. When the one person Adaline always thought she could believe in becomes the one person she can't trust a question begins to pull at Adaline's mind one day will she live through it or will she find herself in an early grave just as her parents did? Adaline is unsure of the answer but will do anything for the possibility of becoming a famous news journalist. ~ Excerpt ~ * "A psychic? Have you lost your mind?” Zach says, but the group files in the dimly lit room- the smell of incense wafting over them.
* From the walls hang deep purple curtains, there are black couches pushed to the sides of the room and in the center is a coffee table with a pile of "Magic Today" magazines. As the door swings to close the bell at the top ring and a woman comes down the hall to the room. The woman has long black dreaded hair that is pulled into a ponytail and eyes rimmed with dark eyeliner, introducing herself as Madam Neprine she begins calling them back individually. Adaline is called back first.
* Following Madam Neprine into the back room Adaline becomes extremely nervous all of a sudden. The room is even darker than the one they entered before with deep blue walls and no windows, this remind her with her parents, they were killed in a car crash when they swerved off the road and into a river unable to get out of the car. Adaline becomes extremely fearful of being trapped. Nervously Adaline sits across from Madam Neprine as the woman takes both of her hands and closes her eyes.
* “I see a big change in your life. You have a troubled past that will come back to haunt you in the next couple of months. A great war will find you as well as even greater love.” Buy Confessions of Us, which will be Free during the tour, here... Amazon Find Alexandra Forry here... Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter Thank you for joining us here today, Alexandra Forry! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Alexandra Forry will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TK Thompson & 'The Dark Eve' @darkeveseries @GoddessFish #Fantasy

Today we have author TK Thompson visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* I was born in Provo, UT and raised in copper mining towns in-between Arizona and New Mexico. I can be compared to a lizard. The warm weather makes a great home, but I have always had a love for the rain and overcast skies, extremely contradictory from my given habitat. That’s how I see myself sometimes, a lover of opposites. I would consider my childhood to be groundless when it came to my imagination. I was trapped inside my own mind and I believe I learned the world in small harsh but necessary truths, like a slow awakening. My little stories had their encompassing place along with underdeveloped drawing skills. But rationality whispered in my ears through my upbringing. I sought out what I felt to be important, the events of graduating high school, Silver City, NM 1999. I went to a safe community college in Thatcher, AZ. They say that college is a large defining time in a young person’s life. It’s where they start to wonder about who they are, what they know as truth, and far away from those that defined it for them. I was of course set with innate knowledge and experience and given power with irrational brain resources. My heart had plenty of stitches and I gave many to others. But I could not find peace in a single person. My ideas of life, love, and the world that I wanted to exist in felt unattainable. Having the whole picture felt like an impossible task. I went on a mission for my church in Washington, where I happily got my rain and clouds. Spending eighteen months dedicated to serving others and not yourself is a mind-opening task. It set me up to find the true roots within and be ready to insult my future husband Dustin Thompson when he walked through the door. I am as plain as I want to be. I have three crazy children to help fuel my life and since have received my Bachelors Degree in business management, UOP. But most of all I have tapped back into my imagination, pushed aside all rationality, and finished one of my best thoughts so far. Every day I continue to face my vulnerabilities.

Today TK Thompson will be talking about the first book she read that had a big impact on her.
* The first book that I remember connecting to was Bridge to Terabithia. I struggled liking to read as a child and was always very much stuck in my own head. This book resonated to me probably because it was a story of a child who was isolated and had poor family relationships. Which was my experience. I also was very much an imaginative person. Like the female character Leslie, I had whole worlds inside me and I hardly ever focused on anything else. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Young Audim Basile hates life dominated by his cold, controlling father. But his dreams of fortune and adventure are turned upside down when he runs off to weigh anchor with the toughest, most barbaric band of pirates the criminal underworld has ever known.
* Together with their dark, mysterious female captain, Acantha – who’ll run her sword through anyone who looks at her the wrong way – Basile and his fellow swashbuckling bandits sail the globe, fighting hordes of terrifying supernatural creatures that would make even the hardiest buccaneer quake with fear.
* Together with his newfound crew mates, Basile must help with finding Acantha’s sister – who’s been missing for over a year – while being consumed with trying to solve the mystery of Acantha’s illusive past – before the evil Wraith King sends all of them to a premature watery grave.
* Will Basile survive the fiercest test of his young life? Will Acantha sacrifice her own ship and crew (including young Basile) just to save her sister? Will young Basile come to terms with the price of the high-seas way of life and fortune?
* In her stunning debut novel, T.K. Thompson launches readers on the most exhilarating ocean journey since Pirates of the Caribbean. Only time will tell if Acantha, Basile, and their hardy shipmates will live to tell this heart-stopping tale and fight another day. ~ Excerpt ~ * “She walked into town with only the clothes on her back. She changed everything. I’m not saying she was responsible for everything. No person can have that much power. But she was a force of nature, only eighteen, more beautiful than any one person should be. With so much authority in her that she could take whatever came at her. Wild, impulsive, untamable like an animal that had been caged its entire life and had just been granted freedom. She had so much life in her. Her smile…” he paused as he remembered it with an affectionate yet devastating look upon his face, “she was the only person I could have ever loved.”
* He said it with finality. Basile tried to imagine the place he spoke of, Dagan as a young man running around with the captain, going swimming, being in love, but there was no reality in which he could imagine that. The person he knew was not the person that Dagan portrayed. The captain was dark, stern, and intolerant. He had never imagined he would see a smile on her face. Until now, he recalled her smile. It was beautiful, perfect, and what made it even more picturesque as he remembered it, was that it was genuine. Feelings for this old man had to exist inside her for her to visit him every year. Everything inside Basile screamed that he shouldn’t believe this story, but there was a small hint of skeptical possibility. What else did he have to believe? Buy The Dark Eve: A New Recruit here... The Dark Eve will be $0.99 during the tour. The sequel to this book series is also available. The second book is called "The Dark Eve: A Witch's Curse". Amazon Find TK Thompson here... Amazon Author Page | eMail | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter | Twitter | Website | YouTube | Produced by Fat Lemon Media Thank you for joining us here today, TK Thompson! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! TK Thompson will be awarding $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lina Sage & 'The Last Ten Pounds' @GoddessFish #Memoir

Today we have author Lina Sage visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Lina Sage is a writer, speaker, producer and entrepreneur. She is the creator and founder of Chic Spirituality; a movement whose philosophy is to live your life with heightened awareness by surrounding yourself with things you deem beautiful. Lina believes balance of mind, body and soul, is the key to unlocking all things beautiful. Therefore, she enjoys physical activity to maintain a strong body and meditation to calm the mind. But she especially cherishes time spent with her beloved husband and dog because they are what brings her soul the greatest joy. Lina also likes to surround herself with great food and exotic travels around the world.

Today Lina Sage will be talking about the first book she read that had a big impact on her.
* The first book I read that had a big impact on me was Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now. I was coming out of a bad break-up and was completely heartbroken. Not only was I heartbroken but I was also lost in my life and I had a lot of questions for myself like why do I always fall for the wrong guy? Why do I always sabotage all the good things in my life? Why do I hate myself so much?
* I was at a point in my life where I needed to self-reflect and find answers to questions that could only be answered by the internal. I was tired of all the noise of the external world. I’m a true believer that books find you, you don’t find them. I asked for spiritual guidance and somehow life made me stumble across The Power of Now. Prior to reading the book, I had no idea who Eckhart Tolle was. I read the book cover to cover twice because I couldn’t fully grasp his concepts the first time around. After I read it the second time, I slowly started to understand the books message, that there is no past or future but only the present.
* It seems easy enough to understand. But to apply to your own life is a different story. I was prime example of one of those people who perpetually lived in the past or the future. My emotions were stuck in the past even though life was moving along. Because my emotions were stuck in the past, I was a self-loathing miserable person. Being so miserable, I would always look into the future for salvation believing that the future would be so much better than the now. The Power of Now was the beginning of my awakening of sorts because that’s when I woke up and started to see. My friend Ade once told me, “Once you see you can’t unsee.” After I read The Power of Now, I was able to see. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Shortly after I was born, my family left Vietnam’s strict Communist regime by escaping on a tiny fishing boat in the middle of the night.
* Luckily, Canada accepted us as refugees and we were excited for a new beginning. However, any hopes of a brighter future vanished before an abusive alcoholic father who’s repeated physical violence against my mom left me screaming for any stability. Sexual, physical and emotional abuse clouded my childhood years leaving me so damaged that it changed who I was meant to grow up to be.
* In my early twenties, I bought a house and converted it into a full blown marijuana grow op.
* Soon after, I entered into the world of elite call girls and became one of the most sought after girls in my agency. By my late twenties, I was on top of the world and the proud owner of a multi-million-dollar luxury day spa.
* Just when I thought I had it all, I made the ultimate mistake that ended in me losing everything and hitting rock bottom.
* I was spiritually broken and in desperate need of healing. I had no choice but to reconcile with my past. This decision brought me down a miraculous journey that opened me up to consciousness and enabled me to exist in the space I do today; that of uninhibited peace.
* The Last 10 Pounds: One Woman’s Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred…and Everything In-Between) [Available October 8, 2016. Pre-order your copy now via the link below) is my personal journey and a testament that it is possible to heal and transform. To be the person you were born to be. ~ Excerpt ~ * The frigid temperature and howling wind chill outside paralleled how I felt inside and I questioned how I even got here in the first place. Sure it was the considerable debt that made me feel like I had been thrust into a desperate corner but unknowingly it was so much more than that. The desperation came with the energy of wanting to release all the excruciating pain and anguish that had been building inside me my entire life. Instead of stopping to take a real look at myself, I opted to believe that the world was going to somehow release my pain. That the world was the very reason why I was so shattered. And the world would make amends and heal my wounds. Feeling empty inside impairs your ability to find any self-worth. So when it comes down to selling your body for money, it seemed hasty once the nerves settled.
* You’ll be fine. It’s just a job. The oldest job in the world.
* I walked up to the unassuming two story grey building that was located on a busy street. I had driven by this building plenty of times and had no idea what businesses it housed. There were no exterior signs nor were there numbers assigned to any of the offices. The only instructions I had was to walk up to the second floor and once at the top of the stairs to turn right and the office was the door to the right. I inhaled a deep breath and knocked gently on the door. Buy The Last Ten Pounds: One Woman's Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred...and Everything In-Between) here... Amazon - US | Amazon - UK | Amazon - CA Find Lina Sage here... Facebook | Instagram | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Lina Sage! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Lina Sage will be awarding a $20 azon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Karin Rita Gastreich & 'Sword of Shadows' @EolynChronicles @GoddessFish #DarkFantasy

Today we have author Karin Rita Gastreich visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Today Karin Rita Gastreich will be talking about the best and worst pieces of writing advice she's ever received.
* Early in my journey as a writer, when I was just beginning to think about the possibility of publishing, I spoke with another author who said something that resonates with me to this day: Trust in the fate of your novel. * These words come back to me whenever I start to get anxious about waning sales, multiple rejections, negative reviews, or any of a number of challenges faced by published authors. I take a deep breath and remind myself it’s not all up to me.
* There’s a lot we can do to perfect our work, expand our readership, and achieve a modest level of economic success as authors. But the fact of the matter is, not every novel is meant to be published. Among those published, not every novel is meant to be noticed, much less a best seller. In fact, the vast majority of published novels will never sell more than a few hundred books, if that.
* Granted, a novel cannot go viral unless you put a lot of hard work into promoting it; but at the same time, whether a novel draws a large readership depends on many things beyond the author’s control. Keeping this in mind forces me to remember the many other worthy reasons why I write.
* True, I would love for everyone to read The Silver Web trilogy. But I also have faith these books will find the readers who need them most; readers who will enjoy Eolyn’s adventures and find meaning in her journey. Whether that’s five people or five million doesn’t really matter in the long run, because I, too, have enjoyed Eolyn’s adventures and found meaning in her journey. And this, at the end of the day, is the primary reason why I wrote her story.
* Which brings me to the worst advice I have received, and I’ve heard it from many self-published writers: To be successful in this business, you have to put out at least four books a year.
* Okay. Maybe this is true, but the statement presupposes a certain definition of success that, in my mind, prioritizes the business of writing over the art and joy of writing.
* I’m not criticizing authors who prioritize their business, but I have to be true to myself. Churning out four books a year is not my idea of a good time. My creativity follows its own clock and whether I like it or not, I cannot be rushed when striving for a quality product. That’s not to say I don’t set and meet my own deadlines, but four novels a year? That’s just not going to happen.
* Each of us must respect our own pace in these and other aspects of the writer’s journey. Some writers have a muse that runs on overdrive; mine prefers to pause and smell the roses. Some writers have many hours available to polish up that shitty first draft; I have a full-time job that leaves me, at most, two hours of writing time in a typical week.
* We cannot measure our success by the rod stick of others. So when I receive advice that simply doesn’t work for me, I remind myself that this is my journey, not theirs. I must set my own standards of quality, enjoyment, and pacing, and hold myself to those. If the economic side falls into place with these other pieces, so be it. If not, at least I’ll be able to look back and say I had an amazing and worthwhile journey.
* How about you? What’s the best and the worst advice you’ve received as a writer? A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.
* Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.
* Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.
* "War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst." -Publishers Weekly
* This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN. ~ Excerpt ~ * Mechnes strode to the table where a soldier had left Renate’s head. He took his time unwrapping the bundle, exposing Renate’s matted tresses, the ragged edge of severed flesh, the face—oh, Renate’s face! Stiff, gray, and lifeless. Never again would she laugh, drink wine, cast a spell, or heal a friend.
* Adiana’s stomach clenched, and she fought the surge of bile in her throat.
* Calm, she told herself. I must remain calm.
* Just as Renate had, just like Eolyn would, without as much as a change in the rhythm of her breath.
* “Who is this woman?” Mechnes’s voice hit Adiana like a spear.
* “It is…” Adiana’s throat tightened. “Was Maga Eolyn.”
* Mechnes grunted as he studied the gruesome package. “And who are you?”
* “My name is Adiana.”
* “You are this woman’s scullery maid?”
* Adiana swallowed. She had learned how to lie during her youth in Selkynsen, after her parents were killed and she fled to the piers. Lies must be presented on a bed of truth, or they lose their seductive power. “No, I am not a servant. I am a musician from Selkynsen. Maga Eolyn brought me to Moehn to teach music to her students.”
* “Music?” Amusement broke on Mechnes’s face. He seemed genuinely surprised. “What use do magas have for music?”
* “Music is also magic, according to the traditions of Moisehén. Eolyn says…used to say that it’s a form of Primitive Magic, the oldest and most sacred of all.”
* “So you are a maga?”
* “No.” The thought came, terrible and unbidden, that now she would never be. “I only play music.”
* “Then Maga Eolyn was trying to protect you by saying you were a scullery maid? How curious.” Mechnes draped one end of the bloodied cloth over Renate’s disfigured face. “I can assure you a musician will find a much better place among the Syrnte than a scullery maid.”
* “I don’t intend to find a place among the Syrnte.” Adiana’s breath stalled under the look he gave her. “What I mean is, my home is here, in Moisehén, not with the Syrnte.”
* “It’s all one kingdom now. Or perhaps better stated, will be soon.” Buy Sword of Shadows here... Amazon Find Karin Rita Gastreich here... Facebook | Twitter | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Karin Rita Gastreich! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Karin Rita Gastreich will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heather Weidner & 'Secret Lives' @HeatherWeidner1 @GoddessFish #Mystery

Today we have author Heather Weidner visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Heather Weidner’s short stories appear in Virginia is for Mysteries and Virginia is for Mysteries Volume II. Currently, she is President of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, and a member of Guppies and Lethal Ladies Write. Secret Lives and Private Eyes is her debut novel.
* Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
* Heather earned her BA in English from Virginia Wesleyan College and her MA in American literature from the University of Richmond. Through the years, she has been a technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager.

* Thank you so much for letting me visit today. I write mystery novels and short stories. Secret Lives and Private Eyes is the first in the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series. Delanie is a sassy, redheaded private investigator who zips around Central Virginia in her black Mustang.
* I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (And it didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.
* In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and secondary education. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations readers. As a young reader, I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she solved crimes that adults couldn’t. She influenced generations of women from the 1930s to the present with her spunk and enduring appeal.
* The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghost-writers under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit and pluck prevail. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.
* The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels. Nancy has been a role-model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.
* There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my private investigator. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing. In the 1930s, Nancy started out as a blonde, but artists later depicted her as a redhead in the 1940s and 1950s. Nancy also drove a sporty roadster. (It was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s.) Nancy’s girlfriends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories. And she was fearless, smart, and feisty. I was so impressed that she was able to solve crimes before the professionals did.
* The Nancy Drew novels had an influence on my debut mystery series. I wanted a feisty sleuth who wasn’t afraid to get herself in and out of trouble. My PI, Delanie Fitzgerald, drives a Mustang and hangs out with her computer hacker buddy from college. I like to think of Delanie as following in the footprints and traditions of the original girl sleuth. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Business has been slow for Private Investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, but her luck seems to change when a tell-all author hires her to find rock star, Johnny Velvet. Could the singer whose career purportedly ended in a fiery crash almost thirty years ago, still be alive?
* And as though sifting through dead ends in a cold case isn’t bad enough, Chaz Wellington Smith, III, a loud-mouthed, strip club owner, also hires Delanie to uncover information about the mayor’s secret life. When the mayor is murdered, Chaz, is the key suspect. Now Delanie must clear his name and figure out why landscaper Tripp Payne, keeps popping up in her other investigation. Can the private investigator find the connection between the two cases before another murder – possibly her own – takes place? ~ Excerpt ~ * Delanie finished filing a broken nail before she reached for the jangling office phone. “Hey, Robbie,” she said, balancing the headset on her shoulder while continuing to file. “’Bout time you called your baby sister.” Robbie, a bouncer at the trendy Club Echo, kept different hours than the rest of the world.
* “Sorry, but you know I work six days a week, and I met someone recently.” It sounded to Delanie that he was calling from his car with the windows down.
* “So, do I get to meet this one or is she another Miss Right Now?”
* “Very funny. You’re one to talk. Are you dating anyone, or are your dates still pretend because you’re stalking them?”
* “Hey, I stalk for a living,” she said, working on the nails on the other hand.
* “Okay, so what’s new with you? Anything fun or has it been just all work?” asked Robbie, the athletic sibling. He had a baseball stint in the minor leagues until he blew out his knee, ruining his chances of ever being called up to the MLB.
* “One of my new clients is a neighbor of yours, and I wanted to get the buzz on him. His name is Charles Wellington Smith, the third.”
* “Oh, Chaz. Run away fast. He’s an idiot. Whatever you do, don’t take the job. He’s been in and out of jail since high school. He’s a trust-fund baby who tries to be a big shot. But I’m guessing, you’ve already taken the job, haven’t you?”
* “Uh huh. He seemed okay. He’s having trouble getting permits from the city for the new business he wants to open.”
* “It’s a strip club he wants to put in the middle of the Museum district. He’s not popular with respectable folks. Most people avoid him like the plague.” Before Delanie could comment, her brother continued. “He thinks he’s a badass. He throws money around and always has to be the center of attention. He got that stupid face tattoo when he was in juvie jail. I don’t think he ever killed anyone. He’s just trying to look tough and to gain street cred without having to do anything. Be careful. He doesn’t bring out the best in others.”
* “I will. You worry too much. It seems like an interesting job, but I’ll be doubly careful.”
* “When he goes downtown, he always shows up with a posse. They drive around in a caravan, led by that tacky Hummer. He always travels in a pack, and he likes to make a scene.”
* “He seems like a colorful guy.”
* “Just remember that I’m the cool brother. If Steve finds out you’re working for Chaz, you’ll never hear the end of it.” Buy Secret Lives here... Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound Find Heather Weidner here... Amazon Author Page | Blog/Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter Thank you for joining us here today, Heather Weidner! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Heather Weidner will be awarding one (1) Set of 4 Nancy Drew Wine Charms (US Only Addresses) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deborah Camp & 'Solitary Horseman' @DeboKabaski @GoddessFish #HistoricalRomance #Western

Today we have author Deborah Camp visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Author of more than 45 novels, Deborah lives in Oklahoma. She has been a full-time writer since she graduated from the University of Tulsa. She worked for a few years as a reporter for newspapers before becoming a freelance writer. Deborah's first novel was published in the late 1970s and her books have been published by Jove, New American Library, Harlequin, Silhouette, and Avon. She has been inducted into the Oklahoma Authors Hall of Fame and she is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of the Author's Guild.
* Lover of the west and the people who tried to tame it, Deborah likes to write about strong, independent women and the men who are their equals. She grew up on a diet of TV westerns which have served her well. Since she appreciates men with devilish twinkles in their eyes, she likes to mix laughter in with the love scenes in her books. Also widely published in non-fiction, she writes and edits for a magazine focused on small businesses. Deborah taught fiction writing for more than 10 years at a community college. She is currently working on her next historical romance set in the wild, wonderful west.
* Her books have been re-issued on Amazon for Kindle Direct and have attracted tens of thousands of new fans. For a list of them, visit her website.

Today Deborah Camp will be talking about, "If I Never Heard of Me, Would I Read My Book?"
* I’m going to assume – and rightly so – that you’ve never heard of me. Even though I’ve written and had published more than 40 novels, I know that most of you reading this have never heard of me or read anything by me.
* Would I read what I write? Yes. I do all the time! Like most writers, I write what I would want to read as a reader. I love a good romance, whether it’s present day, back in history, or in the future. I like to read books set in the West because I like cowboys. Living in Oklahoma probably has something to do with that, but also my dad loved to watch westerns so I received a steady diet of them. From Bonanza to Rawhide, we watched them all. On Saturday mornings I watched the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers.
* The women, I felt, didn’t have much to do in those western TV shows. Even Dale Evans was fairly useless, except for getting into trouble and having to be rescued. I guess that’s why I liked The Big Valley so much. Barbara Stanwyck and Linda Evans did more than look pretty and be helpless (although there was some of that even with them).
* In my books, the women are equal to the men. Heroines should think for themselves and make things happen. While they were definitely hampered in what they could do back then, women managed to leave their mark. The West wouldn’t have been tamed without strong, willful women.
* In Solitary Horseman, Banner Payne takes the reins of her life in her hands and makes the best of the bad situation she finds herself in. She doesn’t sit back and wait for a man to save her. She finds a way to save herself – and Callum Latimer takes notice. His feelings for her begin with admiration and respect and grow into desire and passion.
* I not only enjoyed writing it, but I also enjoyed reading it. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Texas rancher Callum Latimer believed that the Civil War had killed everything tender and yearning inside of him until he struck up a partnership with Banner Payne. His dark-haired, golden-eyed, spirited neighbor stirred embers that he thought were long dead . . .
* Sunlight glided over hair as she shifted from one boot to the other, and before his mind could catch up with his instincts, Callum reached out and wrapped his index finger around one of her auburn curls. Its softness against his calloused skin sent longing through him like a rushing river. She’d be like that all over – soft where he was hard, giving where he was not. He heard her gasp and his heart bucked. ~ Excerpt ~ * Topping a small ridge, he caught sight of the two cowhands, who were now with Eller and Hollis. Just as well. He didn’t mind that audience for what he was about to do. They needed to know what he would and wouldn’t put up with. As Butter approached them at a lazy trot, they all turned in their saddles to face him. Shadows played across them, but Callum was fairly certain that Johnson and Baines shared a quick and telling eyeball to eyeball exchange.
* Yes, boys, time to reap what you’ve sown. Callum slowed Butter to a walk and then reined her to a stop near the semi-circle of cowpokes. He looked toward the mooing herd, some grazing and some lying down to chew their cud. They were all Payne cattle. He could tell because they were underweight by his standards.
* “They’re sure on the puny side,” he said, swinging his gaze back to the men and zeroing in on Johnson. He figured that Jeb Johnson was the ringleader and Russell Baines followed along like a faithful hound. “Long way from bringing top dollar at market.”
* “We’ll get them fattened up by market time,” Eller said, all puffed up with confidence he sure as hell hadn’t earned.
* “We will, huh? That’s good to hear. I’ll hold you to that, Eller. If they’re not, maybe you’d be so kind as to let me dock your pay.”
* Eller grinned. “I ain’t that kind, cousin.”
* “Didn’t think so.”
* “But we will get these cattle up to a decent weight.” Eller gave him a wink.
* Callum switched his attention to Johnson again. “Any of you know what happened to the heifer that birthed the calf we found this morning?”
* They all exchanged befuddled glances, shaking their heads.
* “I’ve looked for her off and on all morning,” Hollis said. “I found a trail, but it got washed out.”
* “Over that rise, out by the Pitchfork foothills?” Callum asked, and Hollis nodded. “I saw that, too. Did you notice that it was the tracks of more than one cow?”
* “Yep. Looked like maybe three or four.”
* Callum nodded, all the while keeping his gaze shifting from Johnson to Baines and back to Johnson. “Mama cows with newborns don’t wander off with a couple of other heifers and leave their calves behind them.”
* “Maybe a coyote was after her,” Baines said.
* “No coyote tracks. Just cattle and horses.”
* “Horses?” Hollis echoed with a scowl.
* “They were mostly rubbed out by someone trailing a branch, making them hard to see. I had to get down off my horse and look real close to find a few of them.”
* “Well, hell.” Eller crossed his wrists on his saddle horn. “I don’t like the sound of that, cousin.”
* “Only one conclusion to make from it,” Callum said, staring hard at Johnson and watching the sweat bead on the man’s forehead under his hat’s brim and dampen his droopy black mustache. “We have some cattle thieves in our ranks.” From his periphery vision, he saw Hollis and Eller glance at each other and then direct their attention to Johnson and Baines.
* “I’ve heard about Yanks roaming in these parts and stealing cattle,” Baines piped up, his dark eyes widening.
* “I’ve heard that, too, but I don’t have any Yanks on my payroll.” Callum squinted one eye, taking a sharper bead on Johnson. “You took the Payne’s market money last season, didn’t you?”
* “No!” Baines blurted, his eyes growing even bigger, bugging out even.
* “We was robbed,” Johnson said, quietly, his face tightening.
* “Yeah, I heard that story.” Callum rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “Since then Payne cattle have gone missing every few weeks – a few here and a few there. I reckon you’re in cahoots with another rancher or just hiding the stolen cattle in the brush land by the river. Letting them get fat before you drive them to market. Of course, you plan to hightail it from here before then.”
* “You surely ain’t accusing us of stealing,” Johnson snarled.
* “No.” Callum leaned closer. “I’m calling you thieving sonsofbitches outright and to your cowardly faces. Men are hung for what you’ve done, but I don’t have the time to catch you at your thieving and turn you over to the sheriff to be hanged. So, I’m telling you to get the hell off this land and don’t ever show yourselves to me again or I’ll put a bullet in your brain pans and not lose a wink’s sleep over it.” He stared hard at Baines and then at Johnson. “Either one of you doubt me? Say so now and I’ll demonstrate on one of you.” He tightened the ivory grip on his revolver and pulled it ever so slowly from the holster.
* He could see that he’d made an instant believer out of Baines, but it took Johnson a few seconds.
* “You’re plumb loco!” Baines said. “You can’t just shoot a man and get away with it.”
* “I don’t see anyone who would say that what I do or don’t do isn’t right and proper.” He glanced at Hollis and Eller. Hollis looked off to the horizon and Eller gave a shrug and another grin.
* Johnson stared at him before the blood slowly seeped from his face until he was pasty white. He looked away from Callum’s steady gaze and stared at Eller.
* “You got anything to say about this, Hawkins?” Johnson asked.
* Eller’s brows shot up. “Seems that Cal’s doing all the talking here. I’m just a bystander.”
* Johnson glowered at him for a moment and then spit at the ground near Eller’s horse. “We don’t stay where we ain’t wanted. Where do we pick up our pay?”
* Callum had to smirk at that. “You can pick it up in cow dung on your way off the ranch.”
* Johnson’s head angled back as if he’d been socked. “You’ve made an enemy, Latimer.” He reined his horse around and gave it his spurs. Baines was right behind him, his copper colored mustang throwing up dirt clods. Buy Solitary Horseman here... Amazon Find Deborah Camp here... Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter Thank you for joining us here today, Deborah Camp! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Deborah Camp says one randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yoshiyuki Ly & 'The Scorpion’s Empress' @LyLikeLee @GoddessFish #Erotic #Romance

Today we have author Yoshiyuki Ly visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Yoshiyuki Ly was born in San Diego, CA. She lived there until moving away to college. In high school, she began writing fanfiction as a serious hobby. Her pen name is representative of her multiracial heritage and a unique, diverse outlook that is reflective in her work. While pursuing an undergraduate degree in philosophy, she spent her free time reading the works of Virginia Woolf, Soren Kierkegaard and Simone de Beauvoir. She then spent the next years honing her craft to become a published author.

Today Yoshiyuki Ly will be talking about what kind of writer she is.
* Hey everyone, I’m Yoshiyuki Ly, promoting my debut erotic romance release, The Scorpion’s Empress. For today’s guest post, I’ll give some background on what type of writer I am.
* I’m the isolated kind. I prefer to stay with my characters whenever I can help it. I’m naturally drawn to this half solitude. I sense whichever characters I need with as much clarity as the people around me. I write with that same clarity, keeping myself at ease. Because of that, I’ll feel surrounded by ideas and plots whether I’m alone or in a room full of people. I like knowing that I can create whatever I want. At the same time, it’s isolating, as I mentioned. I know it’s not normal.
* Before and during writing this book, I wasn’t attached to anyone. I’m a moody person; I liked to think that I protected others from that moodiness by being alone with my work. At the same time, I’m realistic about the situation. I know that this is only a temporary state. Even now as I write this post, I’m going through a lot of changes. They’ll of course reflect in my next book. This type of chronicling of growth is how I’ve improved over the years as a writer. It does make rereading difficult, as I’m reminded of old memories as I go over stories I wrote in the past. I can’t help the way I am or the way I write. It’s worked well for me so far. I don’t plan on going against that. A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * After years of serving a corrupt government, Ser Videl, an idealistic paladin, learns that her younger sister is tangled in a dark scheme against Raj Mangala, the compassionate yet troubled Empress of the city's oppressed lowtown; the two women meet and are deeply drawn to one another, finding a shared sanctuary in their violently-divided city. The Scorpion's Empress is intimately written through the eyes of both twenty-seven year old women.
* Videl's loving devotion is just what Raj craves, but Raj is wary of letting her guard down while protecting her throne. Determined to prove her worth, Videl chases after Raj and works to unravel the mystery of the plots against the Empress. Raj wants Videl to serve her emotional and sexual needs, and the two explore a meaningful relationship of dominance and submission that delves fully into their deepest wants. When the conspiracy against Raj comes to a head, Videl's loyalties are tested when she is forced to choose between her past and her Empress. ~ Excerpt ~ * I stood up and slowly walked to one of the torches along the wall. That fire festival where we'd had our first time together… I took the torch and went back to her. Videl stared at me—expectant, anxious. I moved the fire closer to her face. She steeled her eyes and waited. She didn't protest. She didn't shirk away from me.
* “Ain't you scared?” I wondered. Videl shook her head. “It's fire for fuck's sake! Any normal person would've told me to cut it out by now.”
* “You wouldn't burn me with it. I know you like my face too much to do that.”
* I laughed and said, “Oh, so it's all logic with you? Your imagination must be full of rocks.”
* “This might have played out differently if I were in subspace,” she pointed out. “But, right now, I'm not bothered by it. I can reason myself out of most situations. It's hard to suspend my disbelief. I trust you to be logical, too. If you burned me, you wouldn't get to show me off to Nyte later on.”
* “Show you off, huh?” I asked, putting the torch back. “You think that's what I wanna do?”
* “I have a feeling you'll want to when the time comes.”
* “We'll see about that. For now I wanna see more about suspendin' your disbelief.”
* Videl was about to ask me what I meant—until I picked her up and threw her down onto the polished wood of the table. I straddled her, watching her pulse pick up along her neck. She bit down on her lip to keep from making a sound. Buy The Scorpion’s Empress here... Amazon Find Yoshiyuki Ly here... Author.to/yoshiyuki_ly | http://yoshiyuki-ly.livejournal.com/ | https://www.fanfiction.net/~yoshiyukily | Twitter Thank you for joining us here today, Yoshiyuki Ly! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Yoshiyuki Ly says one randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway