When You Close Your Eyes by Roxanne D. Howard

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Roxanne D. Howard will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Dreams are the perfect shelter for fantasies, safe havens to step inside without changing our daily lives. For Lark Braithwaite, all that is about to change. During the last six months, Lark has dreamt of a mysterious Irish lover who knows what she wants and gives her exactly what she needs. In her waking life in busy London, things aren't as ideal as her long-term relationship with her controlling fiancé Charles has hit a dry spell.

When Lark is called home to Oregon for her father's funeral, she comes face to face with the demons from her past, but she never expects to meet her dream lover in the flesh. Niall O'Hagan steps straight out of her fantasies and into her life, and the powerful connection they share rocks her foundation. Although she's dealing with the bitterness of her fiancé's betrayal and his jealousy, Niall soon stirs Lark's awareness of her superficial existence and reawakens her sexuality....and her soul.

FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "Howard (The Longer They Last) explores the concept of fated love in this skillfully woven contemporary erotic romance. Lark Braithwaite, an American in London, is living with her British fiancé, Charles Chase, when she starts dreaming of a sexy mystery man with an Irish brogue. After Lark gets word that her estranged father has died and she returns to her Oregon hometown for the funeral, she meets the dream man in the flesh: he's her parents' widowed lawyer, Niall O'Hagan. Lark quickly falls in love with Niall, struggling to decide whether she should follow her heart or the commitment she's made to her fiancé-a decision that gets easier when Charles shows his true and ugly colors... Explicit sex scenes crackle with heat, and Howard's characters invite readers to come in and get lost on the pages with them as the plot hurtles toward a shocking, but not unbelievable, climax involving Lark's father's past and her future. Erotic romance fans will devour Howard's suspenseful and heart-filled story."

Read an Excerpt

“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and took several large gulps, the cool liquid a balm to her throat.

“My name’s Niall O’Hagan.”

His deep and pleasant voice sounded different, lighter than the sultry bedroom voice she was used to from her dreams.

“I’m the Braithwaites’ attorney.”

Lark paused in midsip and lowered the bottle in her hands. “You—no.” She glanced at him.

His mouth lifted at the corners as if it dawned on him he was the butt of a joke he wasn’t aware of. “I…what?”

Oh, the irony of dreaming about her father’s lawyer this whole time. Oh, God. She giggled like a madwoman. This was it; she’d officially lost it. She rose and walked to the top step of the porch, put a hand over her face, and plunked down. “I am so messed up.”

An unwanted flash of Gemma’s flirtatious “darlin’” to Charles yesterday surfaced, and tears stung her eyes. She went silent and willed them not to fall. Nice try, but no use.

Niall sat on the step beside her. “I’d offer you a drink, but I quit ten years ago.”

Lark laughed, despite the tears. “An Irish attorney who doesn’t like Guinness is like an Englishman who doesn’t like fish and chips.”

“I know; shameful,” he said with mock contrition. “Don’t hold it against me. I’m doing the world a favor. Trust me. I was a horrible drunk. Are you okay, miss?”

Lark scoffed and gesticulated with her hands to the sky. “It’s Lark. And what a loaded question.” She couldn’t look at him, not after what happened. She clenched the edge of the step on either side of her and stared out at the trees.

“Well, since we’ve already nailed second base, we might as well be open with each other. Forgive me if I’m candid, but it seems you were in the throes of an alleged, eh, intense dream, and you awoke and believed I was him. Is that right?”

Horror dawned on her at what she’d done, and her jaw dropped. “No!” Yes. She glanced at him, and his knowing expression begged to differ.

“I see,” he said, his tone careful but persistent. “Then why did you kiss me like that?”

“I-I don’t have to answer.” She lifted her chin with defiance.

He scooted closer to her. “No, you don’t. But I wish you would.”

About the Author:

Roxanne D. Howard is a U.S. Army veteran who has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and English. She loves to read poetry, classical literature, and Stephen King. Also, she is an avid Star Wars fan, musical theater nut, and marine biology geek. Roxanne resides in the western U.S., and when she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children. Roxanne loves to hear from her readers, and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

Website: http://www.roxannedhoward.com
Newsletter: http://roxannedhoward.com/subscribe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoxanneDHowardAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoxanneDHoward
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxanned.howard
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/roxanne-d-howard-2db98b1d-431f-4065-ba0e-6eef7cca7142
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roxanne-D.-Howard/e/B01BURXAVW
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15019190.Roxanne_D_Howard

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Close-Your-Eyes-ebook/dp/B07L162YB5/ref=sr_1_1

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Audition by Skye Warren

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Skye Warren will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Blood and sweat. Bethany Lewis danced her way out of poverty. She’s a world class athlete… with a debt to pay.

Joshua North always gets what he wants. And the mercenary wants Bethany in his bed. He wants her beautiful little body bent to his will.

She doesn’t surrender to his kiss.
He doesn’t back down from a challenge.
It’s going to be a sensual fight… to the death.

Read an Excerpt:

Blinding lights. Aching lungs. Thunderous applause. The final show concludes the same way we rehearsed for months, the same way we performed for weeks. My muscles know the movements better than they understand rest. The prospect of after, of what comes next, makes my breath catch. Even as the primas take their bows, relief echoes around the stage. Vacations are planned. Relief for strained muscles. Everyone needs a break, even professional athletes. I’m the only one onstage dreading it.

We bow and curtesy with practiced grace. The curtain descends to the floor. Almost to the second we break formation—a flock of crows startled from the woods. The more exuberant among us, the young ones, the new ones, the ones using steroids, prance and jete toward the dressing rooms. Most of us limp our way out. One hundred percent of NFL players are injured every season. Professional dancing is the same. We hurl our bodies through the air, forcing massive impact through tired joints night after night. I catch my friend Marlena in my arms. Her face is white with pain.

“Ice,” she says. “Or better yet—tequila.”

I push my shoulder under hers as we exit the stage. “Don’t sell yourself short. You can have both.”

A delicate snort. “Not likely. We have to smile and flirt with the old men with big, fat wallets. And for what? I won’t be here next season. You won’t be, either.”

The reminder clangs inside me like a copper bell. I won’t be coming to the New York City Ballet after the break. We fall into our creaky chairs in the dressing room. “Are you going to miss it?”

“Miss it? Of course I’ll miss it.” Marlena turned twenty-eight last month. It’s comfortably retirement age for a dancer. “When the little children do their terrible pirouettes, when they sneeze and throw up and cry all over my leotard, I’ll think fondly of the beautiful art I left behind. Then I’ll be able to walk home. That won’t happen if I try to dance another season.”

“You’ll make a wonderful teacher. You know you were mine.” She didn’t teach me to dance. It was my first love, before I learned to flip and contort myself. Before I ever leapt from a trapeze bar.

Marlena taught me the ropes of the ballet company when I joined two years ago. Most of them thought I wouldn’t last a week. Some of them didn’t want me to. It’s a rigid world, the hierarchy stacked with graduates of Juilliard or the John Cranko school.

I don’t have a pedigree.

All I have is a body that does what it must, no matter how much it hurts.

Which means changing out of my sweaty leotard into a fresh one. We’re contractually obligated to attend the ball. Like Marlena said, we should smile and flirt with the high society people who attend. Both the male and female dancers have to do it. It’s what convinces the sponsors to write checks that will fund the next season. By the time they’re rehearsing The Nutcracker I’ll be in New Orleans, the place I swore I’d never return.

About the Author: Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat. Website: http://www.skyewarren.com/books/audition/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Audition-Skye-Warren-ebook/dp/B07VZTRXJ3
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/audition/id1475290521
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/audition-skye-warren/1132969928

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A Woman's Persuasion by Jeanette Watts

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jeanette Watts will be awarding a Cameo Necklace to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What would you do for a second chance at a perfect love?

Anne's privileged family forced her to break off her romance with Freddie Wentworth, an Air Force pilot; they didn't approve. Almost eight years later, Freddie is back in her life. Can they rekindle an old flame? Or is there too much hurt and misunderstanding in the way?

Read an Excerpt:

She looked in the mirror at the result of eight years of self-neglect and self-hatred, and she didn't like what she saw. She wished Freddie could have looked at her and seen that she had improved over the years. It didn't even need to be about her physical appearance. If she would have had three Master's Degrees and a PhD to her name, or a Pulitzer Prize, or an Oscar for Best Screenplay, or a byline in The New Yorker, that would have been something. But she had nothing to show for all the intervening years.

She wondered if Freddie had said the words out of spite, calculating that Henry and Louis would repeat them to her, or they were merely said honestly, not thinking that they might get repeated back to her. She could only assume that Freddie expected the hurtful words to reach her ears. Freddie had not forgiven her.

Well, could she blame her? Her feebleness of character, her inability to stand by her loved one in the face of adversity, wasn't something Freddie would respect. Being in a relationship with a soldier in military service took dedication and courage, not weakness and timidity. Anne couldn’t blame her for being hurt, even disgusted. She was not worthy of the love Freddie had offered her.

The eyes that looked back at her in the mirror confirmed what she already knew. She was going to have to change. It was too late with Freddie, but she needed to be a person she could respect. She wanted her self-respect back.

About the Author:

Jeanette Watts was happily writing historical fiction when she got the idea for her first Jane Austen-inspired novel, Jane Austen Lied to Me. Going to a JASNA event to work on selling that book, she attended a lecture that asked, "Why does everyone rewrite Pride and Prejudice so much more than her other novels? Why doesn't anyone rewrite Persuasion?"

So she had to...

Website: http://www.jeanettewatts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansPersuasion
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanetteAWatts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967936.Jeanette_Watts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanetteamlwatts/

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See Me by L. Simpson

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L. Simpson will be awarding a $10 Boroughs Bucks to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Architect Ethan James's life is a mess. He's juggling being a single dad while fighting his infuriating ex who's trying to get full custody, while at the same time he's barely keeping his head above water in the job of his dreams. When he meets Mia Sullivan at a friend's engagement party, her bright spirit and kind heart shines a light into his life when he needs it most. With so much coming at him from all directions, he relies on Mia’s support but makes the heartbreaking mistake of not cherishing her love. Mia sees the writing on the wall and pulls back before her heart is shattered. Ethan can't lose the woman who makes his life complete, and shows her he is the man she needs him to be.

Read an Excerpt

After looping an arm through mine, she led me a few blocks before we came to an old building with a dodgy-looking doorway. I’d never been here before, but that didn’t mean much. We stayed joined as we walked up some old steps to a new-looking elevator with a security guard waiting in front. He pressed the button and we stepped inside.

“Don’t look worried, Ethan. We aren’t going to a CIA black site.”

I grinned. Eventually, the elevator stopped and we came out onto a rooftop in the CBD, which was bustling with people drinking and eating. It was another reminder at how much of the world I hadn’t explored yet. We walked to the edge and sat at a bar looking down over the busy city streets in the sunset.

“What’s your poison?” she asked.

I stood. “This is my shout. What can I get you?”

“Something white and dry. And can you get a menu? I’m starved.”

“How about I order?”

She nodded. I went to the bar and ordered fries, wings, and sliders, then brought my beer and her wine back. She smiled up at me, unguarded for a moment, giving me those sexy dimples that featured in my fantasies. Then the shutters came down, and what had happened between us hung heavy in the air.

“Mia, I want to apologise for how I was that weekend. I wasn’t meaning to lead you on. I was too drawn to you, having too much fun, and I forgot for a moment how my life actually is. I should’ve held back because I couldn’t do what we might’ve had any justice. I never wanted to hurt you. I was being selfish and I’m sorry.”

She didn’t speak for a long moment, taking a large sip of wine, and I held my breath. “I’m not going to lie, I was hurt. But when I saw you this afternoon, I got it. Complicated is right. Be kind to yourself. It looks like you have enough on your plate.” She gripped my hand and squeezed.

I squeezed it back, needing her to understand how much it meant to me, but knowing my words would come up short.

“But now it’s time to share your burden with me,” she said. “Tell me all about how you of all people ended up with a woman like that.”

I wanted to laugh as she said the word that like it was a bitter taste in her mouth. Instead, I sighed because I hated recounting the story of my life.

About the Author: As a girl growing up in Australia, Laura was lost in the world of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. During high school, volleyball dominated her life. There had to be something positive about being 6’1” with red hair. Representing Australia from a young age she eventually took a scholarship at the University of Iowa. Living in America and being a full time athlete in a college town was an eye-opening experience and lots of fun (from what she can remember). #gohawkeyes

Returning from the States, her career took a different turn as she started working at the Red Cross and completed her Masters of Law in Human Rights. As one of the few non-lawyers in the class, her essays were far more floral than the rest, something that caused the discerning professors to shake their heads. Through working and studying, she realised there are other ways to win hearts and minds.

While she’s spent the last 14 years as an advocate against poverty and homelessness, the desire to change the world through storytelling has only got stronger. She now lives in the Alpine Valleys of North East Victoria, Australia with her husband, daughter, son, two dogs and seven chooks. When she’s not doing the whole mum thing, working at a homelessness agency, renovating her farmhouse, or trying to do laundry bleary-eyed at midnight, she is writing.

Say G’day to Laura:

Website: http://www.lsimpsonauthor.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/l.simpson.romance
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lsimpsonauthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lsimpsonauthor
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-simpson-47278971

BUY LINKS:

http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/see-me
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/see-me-l-simpson/1133838822?ean=9781951055202
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YDL2SV6
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/960078
https://books2read.com/u/b5QBYR
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/see-me-28
https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-us/details/1481621816

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Magical Beasts series by Geoffrey Saign

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Geoffrey Saign will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A demon haunts Samantha Green's dreams.
And she fears it's coming for her...

When wildlife prodigy Sam and her crush—quirky handsome Jake—are attacked by a dragon assassin, Sam discovers her secret past. A past connected to a supernatural giant cat and a glowing faerie.

Sam is quickly pulled into a high stakes battle for the world. Everyone, including a creepy ancient villain, wants her supernatural staff, which she doesn’t know how to use. Sophisticated ninja dragons, a kong-sized gorilla, and mysterious beasts offer help—but are they friends or enemies? Sam has a big heart, but will her love for all creatures tear her life apart?

To survive the hardest choice she's ever made, Sam will have to unlock the hidden power inside her.

Ready or not, Sam is about to find out if she has what it takes to be a guardian…

Guardian: The Choice is the new exciting start of a magic-filled fantasy four book series starring a powerful heroine, a tough brawny hero, and a slew of not-so-friendly magical beasts.

*****

Sam and Jake must capture a magical golden dragon—or Jake dies. Can Sam can save the man she loves? And will she have to die to do it?

But everyone wants the golden dragon, including the powerful Evil One, who has been hiding for centuries and has sworn to destroy all of life. No one can be trusted. Death Matches and ancient secrets test the guardians as never before.

Sam fears that whatever she does, she won’t be able to save Jake…nor stop the Evil One.

*****

IAN BOTY awards = Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards

CHOICE won the Young Adult category.

Guardian: The Choice was selected as Finalist in “Fantasy,” and “Young Adult” category winner!

And Guardian: The Choice was selected as the “Outstanding Young Adult” category winner!

Read an Excerpt from Guardian: The Quest

“What are we running from, Biggie?” yells Jake.

“Uncle Biggie not sure!” The big guy keeps running.

I step on one of the papery skins and slide, and then stumble over a leg bone lying on the ground. I hurtle forward off balance, crashing into the lower section of a giant rib cage.

“Ugh!” My shoulder hurts, but I squeeze between two ribs, run through the chest cavity, and slip out between ribs on the other side. I spot Jake to my left and veer after him.

A rumble fills my ears and I pump my legs faster. I weave around some skeletons and jump over bones scattered on the ground. I risk a glance back. A mass of indistinct shapes is flowing like water through the boneyard, quickly catching up to us.

Something is chasing us. A herd of large somethings.

Up ahead Ridge waves urgently to us. He’s standing beneath a thick, giant skull missing its lower jaw. Cerac must already be inside.

Uncle Biggie races past Ridge with the crocle-lion, ducking beneath the teeth of the upper jaw bone. Jake follows. Ridge must have decided to make a stand there. I’m disappointed and surprised that Biggie and Jake left me behind.

A deep roar splits the air. I check over my shoulder. I was wrong. I’m not being hunted. But something is hunting everything else.

The stampede sounds like a small earthquake and the ground trembles beneath my feet. A writhing mass of monster-sized snakes, lizards, and mammals—some with golden eyes—are jumping, leaping, and crawling in a crazed pattern behind me.

I estimate the distance to Ridge, and how quickly the mass of bodies is moving toward me.

I’m not going to make it.

About the Author:

Geoffrey Saign’s love of wildlife led him to write the award-winning fantasy series, Magical Beasts. He often experiences the magic of nature and wildlife while hiking and swimming. He has a degree in biology and has assisted in field research on hummingbirds and humpback whales. Geoff loves to sail big boats, hike, and cook—and he infuses all of his writing with his passion for nature. As a swimmer he considers himself fortunate to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota. See what he’s up to at on his website.

Website: https://geoffreysaign.net/magical-beasts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffreysaign
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.saign
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/755980.Geoffrey_Saign

Guardian: The Choice is on sale for $0.99 during the tour and Guardian: The Quest is on sale for $2.99 during the tour.

Guardian, The Choice: https://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Choice-Magical-Beasts-Bookebook/dp/B07V651Z6B
Guardian, The Quest: https://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Quest-Fantasy-Adventure-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07Z2FFXP2/ref=sr_1_3

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A Sickness in the Soul by William Savage

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotion. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thanks for visiting It's Raining Books. What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

Married me.

How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

Probably on technological gizmos. I’m a terrible nerd in many ways. I’m also too old and infirm to travel very far these days, which rules out expensive holidays. I would buy antique Japanese ceramics, but don’t have the space in which to display them. The same goes for paintings and the like.

$10,000 is not so much money these days. Make it $10 million and I’d be able to do a great deal to help preserve the British countryside and its creatures. $10 billion would be even better.

Where do you get your best ideas?

Sitting in my chair, often late in the evening, alternately thinking and dozing.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

The plot, always. The characters serve the plot, not the other way around.

What does your main character do that makes him/her special?

He views the world, and the people in it, as they are. He doesn’t think or act based on any dogma, religion or philosophy. As a result, his natural kindness and compassion can blossom unhindered by the social conventions of his time. He’s also endlessly curious and quite unwilling to do what is expected of him, unless he thinks it’s right. I suppose all of that is rather like me, though Mr Foxe is younger, richer, less conventional and more outgoing than I have ever been.

I’m sorry, but I’m a lousy interviewee. I hate talking about myself, live very privately and don’t have any urge to analyse the way I live or the way I think. I just do it. The same is true of my writing.

“Many people wear masks. Some to hide their feelings; some to conceal their identity; and some to hide that most hideous plague of mankind: a sickness in the soul.”

Ashmole Foxe, Norwich bookseller, man-about-town and solver of mysteries will encounter all of these in this tangled drama of hatred, obsession and redemption.

This is a story set in the England of the 1760s, a time of rigid class distinctions, where the rich idle their days away in magnificent mansions, while hungry children beg, steal and prostitute themselves on the streets. An era on the cusp of revolution in America and France; a land where outward wealth and display hide simmering political and social tensions; a country which had faced intermittent war for the past fifty years and would need to survive a series of world-wide conflicts in the fifty years ahead.

Faced with no less than three murders, occurring from the aristocracy to the seeming senseless professional assassination of a homeless vagrant, Ashmole Foxe must call on all his skill and intelligence to uncover the sickness which appears to be infecting his city’s very soul.

Can Foxe uncover the truth which lies behind a series of baffling deaths, from an aristocrat attending a ball to a vagrant murdered where he slept in a filthy back-alley?

Read an Excerpt

Naturally, all this affability ended the moment Foxe stepped into the Great Hall itself. Sir Samuel would have used this as the meeting place to impress his influence and social status on all his visitors, and on Mr Foxe most of all. Now he received Foxe standing, his back to a large fireplace with an elaborate alabaster surround. Above him could be seen the coat of arms of the Valmar family. I may be a man like you, all this seemed to proclaim, but I am not just your social superior. I am a Valmar too. Remember that.

The baronet had dressed himself in a suit of fine brown wool embroidered in gold, over a pale cream waistcoat sprigged with tiny flowers. From his leather shoes with their golden buckles and his spotless white silk stockings up to his freshly powdered wig, he was the embodiment of the rich landowner suffering the attentions of some troublesome tenant. He was also in a combative mood. He launched his attack at once and without preliminaries.

‘Say what you have to say, sir, then get out!’ the baronet barked. ‘I am only suffering your presence because my wife begged me to do so. According to her, you have some important information affecting the Valmar family. My family heritage is everything to me. We Valmars came over with the Conqueror and have been here ever since. In all that time, no one has dishonoured the family name. No one ever shall, while I live and breathe. Now, get on with it — and be brief!’

When Foxe had stood before this man the last time, Sir Samuel had affected an air of complete indifference. Now all was different. What he wanted was to send this meddlesome tradesman about his business; preferably with his tail between his legs. By the end of his opening speech, his face was suffused with red and purple from the effort of holding his temper in check. Foxe noted how the other man’s breathing was shallow, his fists clenched tight and his eyes narrowed with fury. He had expected some such display of temper, but even he was taken aback by the vehemence of Sir Samuel’s attack. Still, he had determined in advance nothing would shake his calmness. He therefore replied in a quiet voice, his words measured and his tone mild and reasonable. To his quiet satisfaction, he observed immediately how much this gentle manner seemed to inflame Sir Samuel even more.

About the Author:

I started to write fiction as a way of keeping my mind active in retirement. Throughout my life, I have read and enjoyed hundreds of detective stories and mystery novels. One of my other loves is history, so it seemed natural to put the two together. Thus began two series of murder mystery books set in Norfolk, England.

All my books are set between 1760 and around 1800, a period of turmoil in Britain, with constant wars, revolutions in America and France and finally the titanic, 22-year struggle with Napoleon.

The Ashmole Foxe series takes place at the start of this time and is located in Norwich. Mr Foxe is a dandy, a bookseller and, unknown to most around him, the mayor’s immediate choice to deal with anything likely to upset the peace or economic security of the city.

The series featuring Dr Adam Bascom, a young gentleman physician caught up in the beginning of the Napoleonic wars, takes place in a variety of locations near the North Norfolk coast. Adam builds a successful medical practice, but his insatiable curiosity and knack for unravelling intrigue constantly involve him in mysteries large and small.

I have spent a good deal of my life travelling in Britain and overseas. Now I am more than content to write stories and run a blog devoted to the world of Georgian England.

Website: http://www.penandpension.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/penandpension
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RZBGQ0K

The Ashmole Foxe Mysteries

All https://penandpension.com/my-writing#foxe

The Ashmole Foxe Mysteries http://bit.ly/2Abn1Ks
The Fabric of Murder http://relinks.me/B00W3SDJW8
Dark Threads of Vengeance http://relinks.me/B01FPQ2Q1Y
This Parody of Death http://relinks.me/B06XDNY81B
Bad Blood Will Out http://relinks.me/B079RCVQ4X
Black as She’s Painted http://relinks.me/B07H1SZN37
A Sickness in the Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WF3Y4VJ

The Dr Adam Bascom Mysteries

All https://penandpension.com/my-writing#bascom
The Dr Adam Bascom Mysteries http://bit.ly/2k43dSQ
An Unlamented Death http://relinks.me/B00RXGWIY0
The Code for Killing http://relinks.me/B01A2BY1LU
A Shortcut to Murder http://relinks.me/B01M1R78L3
A Tincture of Secrets and Lies http://relinks.me/B075LM2TZP
Death of a Good Samaritan https://relinks.me/B07NLCGK2Y

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Haunting the Haunted by K.C. Bell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. E.C. Bell will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In the sixth book in the Marie Jenner Mystery series, life is finally starting to look up for Marie. Her brand-new business—moving on ghosts for actual money—is taking off. Her relationship with James Lavall is rock solid. All she has to do is find the last two poltergeists from the ball diamond and move them on to the next plane of existence and, as far as she’s concerned, life will be perfect.

The problem is, life has a way of kicking Marie in the teeth. Patrick Whitecroft, professional psychic debunker, shows up at the Jimmy Lavall Detective agency. He’s out to prove that she’s a fake—live, on TV—and he doesn’t care who he hurts to do it. Even worse, he has over a hundred desperate spirits bound to him, and they want something completely different. They want to be saved.

As Marie tries to help the spirits and keep Patrick from dismantling her life, she finally finds the poltergeists. But they’re not interested in moving on. They want Patrick Whitecroft’s spirits for themselves. If Marie can’t figure out a way to move all the spirits on to the next plane of existence, the poltergeists will happily take them, so they can create an army bent on revenge.

Looks like Marie’s life is going to get interesting. Again.

Read an Excerpt

“Tell me your names,” I said to the two ghosts Karen had brought to me. “Quickly. Before Patrick leaves and takes you with him.”

“I’m Ruby Packer, from El Reno, Oklahoma,” the old woman said. She pointed to the little girl in the muddy dress. “And this is Joy Peters. She’s from here. We found her in the Springworks night club a few years ago. You know the place?”

“No,” I said. “Can you give me dates for your deaths?”

“I died in ’78,” Ruby said. “I don’t know about Joy. She was killed a long time ago, though. Probably the fifties.”

“Killed?” I asked.

“Killed,” she repeated. “I think. She can’t remember much, but something bad happened to her. I’m sure of it.”

I looked down at Joy. “Did someone hurt you?” I asked.

The little girl’s face stilled. “I don’t remember,” she said. “I don’t want to think about it. I want to see my Mommy.”

“Maybe later,” Ruby said, and stared at me hard. “Can you help us?”

“I’ll do my best,” I said. Then I looked out at the rest of the ghosts who had arrived with Patrick Whitecroft. “Tell me who you are and when you died.”

The ghosts screeched their names and dates of death, and I wrote as quickly as I could until Patrick grabbed the pen from my hand and threw it across the room.

“Stop that, charlatan!” he shrieked. “You’re not fooling anybody!”


About the Author:

E.C. Bell is the author of the award winning paranormal Marie Jenner Mystery series. She lives in Alberta, Canada, and when she’s not writing, she’s scouting out new locations for her upcoming novels or renovating her round house where she lives with her husband and their two rescue dogs.

That’s right. Her house is round.

Join her mailing list on her website at http://www.eileenbell.com for news about new books, upcoming appearances and, occasionally, recipes.
Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ecbellmystery
and Twitter at https://twitter.com/ApocalypseWoman

Marie Jenner Mystery series books, in order:

Seeing the Light
Drowning in Amber
Stalking the Dead
Dying on Second
Hearing Voices
Haunting the Haunted

Buy links for Haunting the Haunted:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YDYMHHH
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/haunting-the-haunted
Nook/Apple: https://books2read.com/u/bpE6rz

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ExtraNormal by Suzanne V. Reese

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Suzanne V. Reese will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

They told me it would be easy—just blend in, observe, and keep to myself. They didn't tell me that failure would cost me everything.

Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. Which is why it's a shock when she's selected ahead of six hundred other candidates to be the first student ever to travel from the planet Nreim to Earth. Even though she’s only there to observe, she’s given what feels like a million rules that are mostly intended to keep her away from the planet’s primitive males. But after she finds one mysterious boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes they have a connection that transcends their two planets—and puts both their lives in danger. When a series of serious accidents makes it clear that someone wants to force her return, Mira decides her only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment—before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home.

Read an Excerpt

But I could say none of that to these neo-humans. Besides, I’d ignored the cheeseburger for too long. I picked it up again and did possibly the most rebellious thing of my entire seventeen years of life. I took a bite—and moaned with pleasure. I rolled the juicy meat around in my mouth, reveling in the unfamiliar texture on my tongue. I swallowed. My tongue sought the remnants of lingering food against my teeth. I hurriedly put another bite in my mouth, tears forming in my eyes. I savored the juice that splashed against the inside of my cheek, the smooth texture of the melted cheese. Then I looked up. Three sets of eyes watched me. I grinned, realized how disgusting I must look, and clamped my mouth shut.

About the Author:

A decade ago, author Suzanne V. Reese had a string of land-mark events—published her first novel, outlined her second novel (while daydreaming in a university science class), graduated from that university, became a grandmother, and then topped it all with a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis.

That second novel, ExtraNormal, YA speculative fiction, became her therapy during a long and difficult treatment program. It was published a few years later with the encouragement of her incredibly supportive friends and family. Despite little marketing, the book quickly became an Amazon best-seller.

Suzanne then made the difficult decision to ensure her long-term existence by focusing on her health rather than continue with the series. Happily, to celebrate her ten-year survival and end-of-treatment mark, she is releasing an updated version of the best-selling novel ExtraNormal, this time to be soon followed by the remaining books in the ExtraNormal Chronicles.

Suzanne has a degree in communications from Utah State University, as well as certifications in nutrition and holistic health. She is the founder of Story Igniters, which offers courses that help readers find their real-life superpowers. She lives with her husband in Draper, Utah, where she enjoys doting on her seven grandchildren.

Website: http://www.SuzanneVReese.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2726852.Suzanne_V_Reese
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/suzannevreese
Instagram: https://instagram.com/suzannevreese
Facebook: https://facebook.com/suzannevreese
Amazon sales page for ExtraNormal: https://amzn.to/2pfuQLi

Note: Because this is my ten-year cancerversary, I will be donating author proceeds during launch week to cancer research. (The Huntsman Cancer Research program, where 100% of donations go towards research. They are also the center that treated me.)

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The Perils of Autumn by Rusty Blackwood

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rusty Blackwood will be awarding an inscribed and autographed softcover copy of "The Perils of Autumn" to be given to three randomly drawn winners (US/Canada only) via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

From the author of the riveting romantic fiction drama, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, and the celebrated, 5-star award-winning romantic fiction drama, Willow's Walk, comes the intense romantic drama, The Perils of Autumn.

This page-turner, set primarily in the early 1970s, centers on a young Kentucky woman, Autumn Leeves, born in 1946 to Abigail Leeves, an unwed mother who struggles to make ends meet. By 1970, Autumn graduated nursing school and is sent on assignment by the local hospital to care for the terminally-ill wife of middle-aged English equestrian master, Cyril Landon, owner of Landon Lawns Stables, a most successful thoroughbred racing stable located just outside Lexington, Kentucky in a posh community known as The Meadows.

Duff Taylor, a world-renown jockey who is tops in his field, lives full-time above the tack room at Landon Lawns and enjoys the many benefits it brings, but he also has a dark secret surrounding an unsolved racing incident from his past that he will go to any length to protect.

Autumn arrives at Landon Manor in time to be thrown into the drama and finds herself caught in the ongoing disruption that ensues.

Read an Excerpt

The doorbell of Landon Manor sounded its Call to the Post chime, alerting those inside of a new arrival to the front door as efficiently as if a racing venue’s trumpet was summoning horses to the post. It was the only residence throughout The Meadows known for such a doorbell which was most befitting to its surroundings, as well as one that was forever remembered by those departing a visit to the stately manor. Whenever it sounded, it caused Agnes Harris to shake her head in a disgruntled manner as she fought the urge to gallop toward the door as if she were a late arrival to the lineup. This morning was no different, but she paused long enough to catch her breath while massaging the small of her back before opening the huge ornate door.

“Good morning,” announced the slight young woman standing on the column-lined terrace, gripping a suitcase in her left hand, while straightening her white cap sporting her school’s insignia with her right, “I am Autumn Leeves from Saint Joseph Hospital. I’ve been dispatched to care for Mrs. Alice Landon.”

Extending her right hand, Agnes observed, “Yes, Nurse Leeves, we’ve been expecting you. I am Agnes Harris, do come in.”

Stepping into the impressive foyer, the young nurse couldn’t help but stare about in awe as she had never seen such grandeur. Lowering her suitcase to the marble floor, she took a moment to drink it all in, before she expressed, “My, this is lovely, and I must say the sound of that doorbell is most impressive. It certainly lets one know they are entering the home of an equestrian master.”

Nodding in agreement, Agnes said, “That it does. I’ve heard it multiple times, but it never ceases to elicit the need to lope for the door, ha-ha, and at my age, the loping seems to get slower every day. I’m sure you are most anxious to get settled in your room before meeting Mr. and Mrs. Landon. They are both looking forward to meeting you. You come highly recommended.”

“Well that’s nice to hear,” Autumn acknowledged, and with a smile, she continued, “I hope I can live up to the image that seems to have preceded me. After all, I’m not all that long out of nursing school and have only cared for a few patients in two separate hospitals thus far, but I am looking forward to this assignment.”

The two ascended the impressive, semi-circular staircase leading to the second floor, and proceeded in a westward direction toward the far end of the walnut paneled corridor, that of whose polished walls in between door frames were lined with striking photographs displaying numerous horses in imposing stances, a few with prominent looking jockeys sitting atop them, each proudly wearing the bluegrass green and cream silks of Landon Lawns Stables. Autumn continued along, but as she did her eyes were strangely drawn to a portrait hanging prominently on the wall opposite the door to her room. It was that of a huge black stallion and straddling him in a rather suggestive manner was a slight built, dark-haired jockey attired in Landon silks, and holding a riding crop high above his head in an arch of victory. His face held an expression as if to say he would not be trifled with, lest those doing so would feel his wrath. His brooding dark eyes secured the onlooker’s attention, boring into the camera lens as if they were smoldering embers threatening to erupt into a raging inferno upon the least amount of fanning.

About the Author:

Top ranking romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood, who chose her plume de nom by combining the colour of her russet hair with her husband's great, great, Scottish grandmother's maiden name, was born in St.Thomas, Ontario, Canada on October 5th, and grew up on her paternal grandfather's farm in the County of Elgin, located in the south-western portion of the province of Ontario.

She acquired her love of literature while still in elementary school where she entered her original compositions into county fairs, school contests, and whatever venue allowed participants in the writing field. She has carried that love ever since and has put it to use many times since becoming a professional writer in 2001.

From the time of youth she has loved the Arts in their many unique forms, she is a graduate with honors in Interior Decorating & Design. She spent many years on the south-western Ontario stage performing with her family's country music band: The Midnight Ramblers, followed by the country - rock - blues band: 'MIRAGE' as an accomplished vocalist, bassist, and rhythm guitarist. She now resides in the cultural city of St. Catharines, Ontario.

Official Author Website: https://www.rusty-blackwood.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067877.Rusty_Blackwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerrusty/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rusty_blackwood
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rusty-blackwood-1223513a/
Book Bub Author: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rusty-blackwood-93610ada-5182-429c-93e3-b42d527eb545

The Perils of Autumn is a 2019 International Book Awards Finalist in Romance along with being a 5 star winning novel.

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MuAoN5
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2QVhIou
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Xx27Oj
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2IEmUJR

Also, there’s an Ebook sale at the same time of "The Perils of Autumn" Tour for her romance title "Willow's Walk" for $1.99

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Jack Steel Thriller series by Geoffrey Saign

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Geoffrey Saign will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Serve justice. Discover a secret. Find his daughter. Repay betrayal. Jack Steel trains for the impossible, and it looks like it found him.

On a black op to neutralize terrorists, elite specialist Steel puts honor and integrity ahead of orders when he spares a monk. He just never expected his decision to put crosshairs on his back.

Hunted by a twisted killer, a vengeful billionaire, and the highest levels of government, Steel races to discover who’s behind a conspiracy that will decide the fate of two countries—and why one monk is the key to it all.

Aching from a missing daughter, Steel finds it easy to fall for Christie, a beautiful counter-terrorism analyst who offers to help. But he isn’t sure he can trust anyone.

To have a chance at love and a new life, and to serve justice, Steel just needs to stay one step ahead of a bullet…

***** 

Revenge. Love. Family.
To protect their families, Jack Steel and Christie Thorton must become assassins.

Deadly Blackhood Ops specialist Jack Steel has moved on from his bloody past, but his past won’t let him go. He has it all; his partner Christie, his daughter Rachel, a protection agency he’s proud of, and his head on straight.

But it’s all torn apart when a madman blackmails him and Christy. Their skills are pushed to the limit as they are forced to become assassins to save those they love. The Mexican cartel, terrorists, and people from Steel’s past force them into a non-stop fight that they can’t walk away from.

To protect his country, and everyone important to him, Steel will be forced to trust the very people he swore to kill.

And he might have to walk away from those he loves…

Read an Excerpt from Book 2: Steel Assassin

Christie slowly kept moving. Her SIG followed the round trunk. The tree had deep furrows, and sometimes the trunk jutted out at ground level. Then she had to step over or go around the bulge. She couldn’t hide then, making herself an easy target.

A cluster of seven giant sequoias surrounded her, each big enough to hide all of Vincente’s men. They could be all around her. Waiting. Watching. A number of the trees had dark cavities at ground level, big enough for someone to squat in and not be seen unless you were close.

Unsure what to do and where to go, she stood still for a moment. She heard muffled shots to the east. Steel. Focusing, she slowly continued around the trunk. She felt vulnerable, knowing every tree was a possible hiding place. Ahead of her a bulbous area at the base of the trunk—two feet high and three feet wide—forced her to stop. She would have to step around it.

Glancing throughout the grove, she slowly edged forward.

When she reached the foot of the trunk, she stopped with a jolt. A man holding a silenced pistol stood on the other side of the bulge.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Geoffrey Saign has spent many years studying kung fu and sailed all over the South Pacific and Caribbean. He uses that experience and sense of adventure to write the Jack Steel and Alex Sight thriller action series.

Geoff loves to sail big boats, hike, and cook—and he infuses all his writing with his passion for nature. As a swimmer he considers himself fortunate to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota. See what he’s up to at his website.

Website: http://geoffreysaign.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffreysaign
FB: https://www.facebook.com/JackSteelBooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/755980.Geoffrey_Saign

Sign up for the newsletter to receive a free copy of STEEL TRUST: https://geoffreysaign.net/newsletter-free-steel-trust

AMAZON STEEL FORCE Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Force-Action-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07V52VYSY/ref=sr_1_1 -- on sale during the week of the tour for $0.99  or read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon STEEL ASSASSIN Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Assassin-Action-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07YZV5BWK/ref=sr_1_1 -- on sale during the week of the tour for $2.99

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With Love series by Alexa Randolph

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alexa Randolph will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
,br> I chose romance for my genre because it has always been my favorite to read and I relate the most to it. I think the idea of happily ever after draws me in the most. Even though the basics of romance is very similar in every story it still has a completely different feel.

What research is required?

For my books I did a lot of research on the teams I used, football, and event planning. I pretty much researched all the important parts. I did most of it ahead of time, but there were times I would go back and check on it, or if I changed parts in my story I would go back and research.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

I learned a lot about grief and how it can impact everyone differently

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I feel like I have to get a chapter done all at one time other wise I’m worried that I won’t be able to remember what I wanted.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I am for sure a plotter

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My closet

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I have blog and podcast that can be found on my website.

Do you have a question for our readers?

What do you look for in a book boyfriend/girlfriend?

Ella Chambers was a top event planner in New York, about to marry the man of her dreams. Daniel Collins was the quarterback for the Giants, on his way to winning his first ever Super Bowl. Life couldn’t get any better when they both said those three words to each other and planned to spend the rest of their lives together.

Until one perfect day came crashing down around them when they hear the three words no one wants to hear: You have cancer.

Now instead of dresses, flowers, and invitations, they’re dealing with doctors appointments, tests, and tears. Their love and strength will be tested and tortured, but they’ll fight with everything they’ve got to make it through.

*****

Daniel and Molly are both lost in their own worlds. They recently lost the most important people in their lives. They are connected in so many ways but are complete strangers. They are barely hanging on, but a drunken encounter sends them over the edge of despair. Can they bring each other out of their misery, or will they continue to push each other away until it’s too late? Find out in the sequel to With Love, Ella, titled Daniel, Ever After.

Read an excerpt

Daniel stumbled into their bedroom late into the night after a few celebratory drinks with his and Ella’s families. They had been on a high from winning the Super Bowl and the only thing that would have made that night any better would have been getting to celebrate it with Ella. He was grateful she was at least able to see the win up close instead of through a TV screen.

He couldn’t shake the bad feeling he had as he tossed and turned all night. He knew any day now she would be gone, and he would have to go on without her. He wasn’t sure if that was even possible. She was his strength, and his rock. He finally fell asleep thinking about the sleeping beauty lying next to him.

Daniel awoke the next morning due to the bright light shining through the window. He groaned and rolled over, trying to block the sun out. When he realized he wasn’t going to fall back asleep, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked down to see it was 10:30 a.m. and that Ella was still sleeping, then did a double take and screamed. She was gray, and he knew in his gut that if he felt her, she would be cold.

Ella Collins, the love of his life, was dead and there was nothing he could do about it.

About the Author:

Alexa Randolph is the author of Daniel, Ever After, which follows With Love, Ella. “It was so fun to be able to watch my characters grow from my first novel to this one,” Alexa says of her contemporary romance novel. “My heart hurt when theirs did, and I felt like I was a part of their world.” You can always find her typing away at the keyboard, crafting romantic short stories or dreaming up characters and plots. Or you may find her blogging and helping to raise awareness for chronic pain. Not surprisingly, Alexa also loves to read the types of stories she writes and is especially fond of John Greene and romance novelist Nicholas Sparks. Alexa is a 2016 graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Communications; during college she was a regular contributor to the online blog, “The Odyssey.”

Website: http://www.alexarandolph.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexarandolphauthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alexarandolphauthor1

With Love, Ella buy link: https://amzn.to/31Rt7tw
Daniel, Ever After buy link: https://amzn.to/2ZjO42G

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Totally Devoted Audio Book by E.M. Bannock

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. E.M. Bannock will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write adult romance because it’s my favorite genre to read. I enjoy reading a hot sexy story on a cold winter day, a hot summer day and all the days in between. My books may have an abundant amount of graphic sex but they also have a story that grabs the reader and keeps them turning the pages to find out how it ends. I try to portray the sex in my books as a normal part of the character’s lives. They are, after all, only human. Reading allows a reader to experience things they would or could never do in real life. Writing gives much the same experience. As an author, you have control and you can immortalize the things and experiences you have known and creatively imagine the ones you don’t.

What research is required?

This story takes place in areas I am very familiar with. I grew up in the Detroit, Michigan area and my husband and I lived in Josephine County, Oregon, when we were first married. I loved that area. It’s beauty is a thing to behold. When Marie describes the exquisite flora and fauna of the Oregon mountains as she and Wil ride horses, I’m describing them from my own memories.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Marie Trousdale had the rug pulled out from under her early in her adult life. After ten years of mourning she realized that her life wasn’t over, but she needed to create a new one. She had to draw on her inner strength to fight for her right to live and love again. She did this with help. Help from her sister and help from Wil. Being a strong minded woman myself, it’s difficult to admit when you need help and harder still to take it. While writing Totally Devoted I had to submit to the realization that Marie accepted help and it was okay. I guess that would work for me as well.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I like to write when no one is at home or at night when everyone is sleeping. I think this is because when I do find the time to write, I don’t want to be disturbed and when I start writing, it’s usually a marathon. Sometimes my mind works much faster than my fingers can type so the first draft is more of an outline just giving the bare facts of the people and events taking place. I then go back and enhance a paragraph or give more explanation and detail to an event so the reader will know exactly the feeling and mood I’m trying to portray.

And for a final oddity, for some reason, some of my best story line and character inspirations come to me in the shower. It could be because I’m so relaxed as the hot water washes away everything I’ve carried with me for the previous 24 hours that I’ve got more room in my noggin for new thoughts. What do you think?

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m kind of combination plotter and pantser. A book starts with an idea and I usually have a firm beginning and a brief idea of the progression of major events that I want to happen. I know how I want it to end. But I never know what’s going to happen in between. The story and the characters take shape as I write. New character appear and situations present themselves sometimes spontaneously. It’s not uncommon for me to rewrite chapters after several others have already been written because I decided that it would be cool if X happened or Y didn’t. Sometimes it takes me awhile to resolve a situation. If I get to a stop, I just move on and let it stew in my head for a while. I think allowing the character to fail once in a while is okay, too. I figure if the adventures of my main characters can keep my attention, others will think so, too.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A laundry basket filled with dirty clothes sitting on my washing machine reminding me that it’s the weekend and I have to wash my husband's work clothes. He once told me that me doing laundry was like magic. One minute he puts a basket of dirty clothes on the washing machine and the next morning they are clean, folded, and in his closet. Didn’t quite know how to take that. I took it as a compliment.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m finishing out this year with promotion for my two published books, Totally Devoted and Zoey’s Place. I’m also trying to find time to finish my third romance novel. Next year I’m hoping to finish and publish that. At this point the title is Only Dreams. I also hope to be able to release the audio version of Zoey’s Place next year. Keep your fingers crossed.

Do you have a question for our readers?

I would like to know how often you read. And if you’re reading something now, what is it?

In closing I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and read the interview. I’d like to thank Its Raining Books for hosting this stop on the Totally Devoted Audio Book Virtual Tour.

Marie Trousdale, a modern urban California professional, is ready for a change when she realizes that she has been mourning her late husband and son for the past 10 years and her life has become stagnant. She hires Will Townsend, a rural Oregon contractor, to build a house for her on inherited property. The two mix like oil and water but the romance spark gets ignited. But will lifestyles, and values become an obstacle that cannot be overcome? Will misunderstandings and danger put out the flame of love or feed it? This steamy romance is a story of love, life, values, and family with a western flavor.

Totally Devoted is the first novel by author E.M. Bannock and was a 2019 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award Finalist in both the Contemporary Romance 56K Words and up category and Best First Book. Audio Book is now available.

Read an Excerpt

And like the endless rush of rain flowing from the barn toward the ditch, he opened up to her. He told her the whole sorry tale of falling in love, getting Maggie pregnant, getting married, having Duke, and being abandoned by Maggie. He ended with the phone call from Maggie’s mother and the news of her death.

He said it without emotion. It was almost as if he was describing someone else’s life. His story filled Marie with such sorrow. How could a mother desert her own child? How could she throw away such a precious gift? And poor Wil…to have lived through that pain. No wonder he was so afraid to love again. She wanted to reach out to him and comfort him. She wanted to tell him that she would never hurt him, if he would only give her the chance. Instead, she just sat there, stunned in amazement. The only thing she could say was, “I’m sorry.”

About the Author:

E.M. Bannock grew up in the Detroit suburbs in the 50’s and 60’s. Her father was a great story teller and E.M. says she inherited his imagination.

After graduation, E.M. moved to Los Angeles, California where she met her husband. They have lived in California, Oregon, Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, where she now lives with her small family which includes a spoiled dog and cat, two horses, also spoiled, and a brood of chickens that live like queens in the chicken-coupe-de-ville.

She has made her living as an office manager, computer programmer/analysts, project manager, clothing store clerk, substitute teacher, and buffalo meat packer. Throughout it all, she never lost her love for writing.

A small inheritance from her father gave her the funds needed to begin her career as a published author. She has published two books. Her first book, Totally Devoted, which is now available in audio, was a 2019 National Excellence in Romance Fiction finalist in two categories; Contemporary Romance 65K Words and Up, and Best First Book. Her second book Zoey’s Place was published in 2019. 


E.M. Bannock is a Goodreads Author, a BookHub Author, a member of the Romance Writers of America, and a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer.

Website: http://www.embannock.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EMBannock/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EMBannock
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/e_m_bannock

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Totally-Devoted-M-Bannock-ebook/dp/B079MCNS7L/

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