Moon Life by Marlene Fabian Stiles and Hank Fabian

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour to see the other stops on the tour. One of the authors, Hank Fabian, did a really fun TV interview recently. You can see it here.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. What are your favorite TV shows?

We are sustaining members of PBS and prefer their programs, especially Masterpiece Theater, Mystery and Nova.

What is your favorite meal?

Hank’s favorite meal is fish and chips. Marlene likes salmon so much she dreams of being reincarnated as a bear in a salmon stream.

If you were to write a series of novels what would it be about?

We plan to turn our current YA sci fi project into a sci fi adventure series based on hard science.

Is there a writer you idolize?

Hank and Marlene agree that Joseph Heller, author of “Catch 22” is one of our most admired writers. Hank also likes Herman Melville and Jonathon Swift. Marlene admires Shirley Jackson, George Orwell and Mark Twain.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

Following the principle of Occam’s Razor, we kept the title of our book simple and to the point. “Moon Life” is about life on a moon.

It is the year 2051 and the International Space Institute has just sent two rival astrobiologists to search for extraterrestrial life on Europa, the mysterious ice moon of Jupiter. What they encounter could not only revolutionize science, it might make one of them the most famous person on Earth. Or does the Universe have other plans?

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Charlie found himself drifting on a cosmic wind toward a mound of skulls that looked curiously familiar. His pain had vanished, but he felt disoriented. The skulls appeared to be gigantic but he couldn’t be sure if they were large or if he had become exceedingly small. A swift, turbulent wind carried him into one of the skulls, through the orbit of an eye then its optic canal.

A dazzling light appeared before him, gradually fading into an aerial view of Sleeping Woman Mountain. Now he discovered he was a mere speck riding between what he perceived to be two enormous insect eyes. He immediately thought of the Ngala totem and concluded these were the eyes of a dragonfly.

Rainforest shadows parted below him to reveal the ruins of his former camp filled with soldiers lounging casually near the bloodstone, the site of Gnesh’s murder. Their arrogance fueled Charlie’s rage.

On his command, thousands of wasps flew out of the forest and descended on the soldiers.

The men screamed as the insects stung them. They swatted at the horde, firing their weapons uselessly. Desperate to escape the swarm, they dived into the river where they met a pack of hungry crocodiles. The waters ran red with blood.

Now Charlie saw Prime Minister Jahuara’s distinctive helicopter appear, hovering above the carnage. Charlie directed his dragonfly into the cockpit. The insect buzzed up to the head of the prime minister sitting at the helicopter’s controls, repeatedly biting the tyrant’s eyes with its great mandibles. Jahuara tried to swat it away but the dragonfly was too quick. He shrieked in pain as blood flowed from his sockets.

Flying blind, he lost control and the helicopter plummeted into the trees. Charlie and the dragonfly escaped the craft in time to watch it explode in a mass of flames.

Charlie found himself drifting above the forest canopy. He turned his gaze toward the black sky shimmering with starlight. One by one, stars fell from the night like droplets of a celestial mist. The Pleiades constellation was the last to fall. Merope lingered for a moment, then disappeared into the darkness. A feeling of immense tranquility settled over him as he relished the embrace of this sacred void.

The world was back in balance. He closed his eyes…and succumbed to peace.

About the Authors:The family that writes together stays together, so siblings Marlene Fabian Stiles and Hank Fabian co-authored a science fiction adventure that explores Jupiter’s moon Europa as two rival astrobiologists race to be the first to find extraterrestrial life. This discovery should ensure the winner fame and fortune, but the Universe has other plans.

Hank is the guy walking around with a long lens camera and binoculars, a tourist of the world fascinated by every creature that moves and every plant that grows. He teaches biology and helped devise a college genetics program. As a scientist he likes to work with facts, so there's a possibility that the creatures he’s created actually exist!

Marlene is the president of a nonprofit, The I Will Projects, dedicated to advancing educational venues that include a middle school aquaponics program in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club which received a NASA grant. She writes in multiple genres and also has published “Elderchild,” an Alzheimer’s narrative written in the first person. She shares Hank’s love of the natural world and is dazzled by the interconnectivity of all living things.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21747101.Marlene_Fabian_Stiles
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21747100.Hank_Fabian
Hank Fabian Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Life-Hank-Fabian-ebook/dp/B09BPMVX44

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Icarus Over Collins by Hector Duarte, Jr.

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After her friend Sandy Mangual tragically falls to his death, Bailey Cohen discovers images of his grisly corpse have been uploaded and shared through social media, by someone very close to her.

Fed up, in a stagnant relationship with an emotionally-abusive boyfriend, Bailey enlists the help of quiet, unnoticed, underappreciated Bernardo Castillo, who works the luxury Miami Beach high rise in which she stays.

Bernardo will have to dredge up the shady past he’s long worked to tamp down in order to set off on a journey of vengeance that will reshape and morph each person engulfed along its way.

Icarus Over Collins is a short, punchy revenge story as cracked and slivered as hot Miami pavement.

Tras la trágica caída accidental de su amigo, Bailey Cohen descubre que imágenes del cadáver han sido clandestinamente descargadas a redes sociales. Por alguien muy cercana.

Bailey contara con la ayuda de Bernardo Castillo, empleado del condominio lujoso en Miami Beach cuya Bailey habita.

En nombre de su amigo fallecido, Bernardo y Bailey tendrán que excavar sus pasados umbríos en camino hacia la venganza. Un viaje que reformara a todos envueltos.

Icarus Over Collins es un cuento de venganza tan caluroso y rajado como las aceras bordeando todo Miami.

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It feels good doing bad.

Tears, heartache, sleepless nights, embitterment with God, obsessively planning everything down to the last detail. All come down to this.

Once this is over, Ximena Mangual disappears from the real world we know, the illusion of what the real world is and begins existing as Sandy Mangual’s mom until I die. I’m an actress. Whatever works, I can do. Here, tonight, is the end of the small-time telenovela actress gracing so many covers of Spanishlanguage magazines. I’m grateful for the opportunity and the massive amounts of positive energy it fostered. Pero, como dice Marc Anthony, Todo a su Tiempo. Taking things any farther than they need be is, plain and simply, greedy and tragic.

If it wasn’t because I was so tired, I’d move on to directing. I was always better at giving orders than taking them. Por esa precisa razón fue que se fue Tomas. But that’s another story for another time. I’ll have plenty of time to tell it once this is over.

Janaina looks beautiful. Her dress leaves nothing to the imagination except that her two beautiful, perky melons might spill out any moment. Tits and teeth, like she likes to say, pero tonight she’s not saying much. Says she’s nervous and repulsed.

About the Author:

Hector Duarte, Jr. is a writer/educator out of Miami, Fl, where he lives with his wife, son, and cat. His fiction has been published widely online and in print, like the recent anthologies Pa Que Tu Lo Sepas: Stories to Benefit the People of Puerto Rico, and Shotgun Honey Presents Volume 4: Recoil. In September of 2018, Shotgun Honey Books published his full-length short story collection Desperate Times Call. He welcomes you to follow him on Twitter. https://cinnabarmoth.com/hector-duarte-jr/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63308671-icarus-over-collins
https://cinnabarmoth.com/icarus-over-collins-hector-duarte-jr/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/icarus-over-collins-hector-duarte/1142641430
https://www.overdrive.com/media/9403116/icarus-over-collins

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The Legend of the Mick by Jonathan Weeks

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Five Things You’d Probably Never Guess about Me

1. Despite my passion for baseball, it’s actually not my favorite sport to watch. I know more about baseball than any other game, but given a choice, I would watch hockey nine times out of 10. It’s faster and more exciting. The difference between baseball and hockey is like the difference between classic rock and heavy metal. I do love baseball, but I prefer the thrill of a hockey game.

2. I’ve had more than 10 books published, but writing is not easy for me. In fact, it’s a grueling process. I’ve suffered from writer’s block in the past. It’s very difficult to break out of once it hits. The act of writing for me is not like painting with watercolors. It’s more like blasting a tunnel through bedrock. I really have to hammer away at it. There are days when I churn out two or three full pages and end up having to completely rewrite them later.

3. I’m very superstitious. I never put the volume on “13” in my car because I believe the number is bad luck for me. If I’m heading to a sporting event, I’ll try to wear the same outfit I had on the last time I saw my team win a game. I’ll never predict a championship in advance for any of my teams because that’s just tempting fate. I knock on wood to reverse bad luck and avoid crossing paths with black cats. Yeah, I know it’s a little nuts. But that’s just me being me.

4. I like to watch romantic comedies. I’ve been a movie fan for most of my life. Horror and Sci-Fi are my preferred genres, but beneath my hard exterior I’m soft inside. I’m a sucker for movies like Jerry Maguire, As Good As it Gets, and Silver Linings Playbook (three of my all-time favorites). I’m not ashamed to admit it. I like what I like.

5. I’m very shy. I cover it up by cracking jokes and talking a lot when I’m in social situations. But I’m actually uncomfortable being the center of attention. I avoided doing presentations when I was in high school and college. I’d get anxiety bordering on panic. And if I had to get up in front of a group to speak, my face would turn bright red. (Very embarrassing) I did some radio work during my college days and it helped a little, but I found that I was only comfortable if the dialog was scripted.

In the 1950s, America entered the television age. And Mickey Mantle, a country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, was made for the moment. Signed by the New York Yankees as a teenager, he made his major league debut in 1951 as a right fielder alongside Joe DiMaggio. When DiMaggio retired at the end of the season, Mantle inherited not only Joltin’ Joe’s position in centerfield but also his stature as the face of the franchise. His boyish good looks, breathtaking power from both sides of the plate, and blazing speed on the basepaths made him an instant superstar. He won league MVP three times, came in second three times, was a 16-time All-Star, a Triple Crown winner in 1956, and a seven-time World Series champion.

Mickey Mantle’s career was the stuff of legend and in this book, Jonathan Weeks tells us why. Mantle’s extraordinary (and at times incredible) tales carry readers on an enthralling journey through the life of one of the most celebrated sports figures of the twentieth century.

Read an Excerpt

WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, MICKEY MANTLE?

Born in Newark, Jew Jersey, and raised in Queens, New York, singer-songwriter Paul Simon forged an illustrious career that spanned six decades. A winner of mutiple Grammy awards, he is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Art Garfunkel on the song, “Mrs. Robinson,” which was featured in the 1967 film, The Graduate. Simon had no idea when he wrote the lyrics that he would offend two of the greatest Yankee players of all time.

Simon grew up attending Yankee games and was a self-proclaimed fan of Mickey Mantle. “Mantle was my guy,” he told a reporter from the New York Daily News. “Mantle was about the promise of youth.” In spite of those sentiments, Simon paid homage to Joe DiMaggio when he penned his most famous song, which contains the iconic lines:

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you---woo, woo, woo
What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away—hey, hey, hey

Mantle never understood why he was never mentioned in the song and, during a 1970 appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, he decided to ask Simon about it in-person. Simon assured the former slugger that there was no intentional slight. “It’s about the syllables, Mick,” he explained. “It’s about how many beats there are.” Mantle seemed satisfied with Simon’s response and there were no hard feelings. But it was not the first time Simon was forced to explain himself.

As the song began climbing the pop charts in 1967, rumors swirled that DiMaggio believed he was being ridiculed and was considering a legal suit against Simon. A chance encounter between the two at an Italian restaurant in Central Park South helped smooth things over. Simon approached DiMaggio at his table and introduced himself. Well aware of who the singer was, “The Yankee Clipper” invited him to sit down. Simon explained that there was no insult intended in the lyrics and that DiMaggio was actually being hailed as a hero. The Yankee icon was relieved to hear it.

Proving that Mantle was still “his guy,” Simon recruited “The Mick” to appear in a video for the song, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” Originally released in 1972, the song reappeared on Simon’s 1988 greatest hits album, Negotiations and Love Songs. The opening sequence of the video, which was shot at Mathews-Palmer Park in Hell’s Kitchen, features appearances by Warner Brothers recording artists, Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie. NBA point guard Spud Webb is pictured playing basketball with neighborhood kids in another scene. Mantle turns up a bit later in a stickball segment. Batting left-handed, he swings through one of Simon’s pitches and then launches another one clear out of the schoolyard. The video ends with former NFL coach John Madden attempting to offer advice to some kids engaged in a pick-up football game. “They don’t listen to coaches the way they used to,” Madden grouses as the players ignore his instructions. Simon’s Negotiations and Love Songs attained certified platinum status, selling over a million copies.

About the Author: Jonathan Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany and currently works in the mental health field. He has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his father.

BLOG: http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jonathan-Weeks/author/B00DXL3JM4

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Mick-Mickey-Mantle-Stories/dp/1493070177/ref=sr_1_1

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One Helluva Gig by Kevin R. Doyle

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kevin R. Doyle will be awarding a $10 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.

Rob Jeffers has it all: fame, money, and the life of a rock and roll star. Frank Peters is a regular guy, a newspaper reporter who just happens to have a passing acquaintance with the Great Jeffers. As Jeffers's career shoots up, Peters's fortunes follows in his wake.

And when Jeffers passes away at the height of his fame, Peters’s life begins a steady unravelling. Until a chance encounter on a minor story gives him a new outlook on the celebrity lifestyle, and new hope for his own future.

Read an Excerpt

After graduating, I decided to make a stake for my future in California. Naturally, imbued with youthful naïveté (a nice euphemism for stupidity), I submitted my portfolio at the L.A. Times and The San Francisco Examiner. I naturally figured that it would require only a cursory examination for them to see my undeniable genius and hire me on to work on their front pages.

Didn’t work out that way, not at all, and by the time I’d worked my way through the second tier, and then the third tier papers, I finally managed to snag my first professional newspaper job.

In Lodi.

Lodi, for Chrissakes. I mean, that Fogerty guy even wrote a song once about the dumpiness of Lodi. However, by the time they floated the offer, I was so hungry, cold, and desperate that I would have taken anything. Then, once I’d moved my few knapsacks of belongings down there and found a room I could rent by the month, came what seemed like the final indignity.

They put me to work writing obituaries.

Understand, in the early eighties, practically everyone in newspaper work got started in the obits. Even so, it seemed like the drudgiest of drudge work. Six days a week, I sat at my desk, scanning the death notices, calling hospitals and checking with the cops to fulfill my daily quota of morbidity.

About the Author:

A high-school teacher, former college instructor and fiction writer, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of numerous short horror stories. He’s also written three crime thrillers, The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away and one horror novel, The Litter. Recently, he’s begun working on the Sam Quinton private eye series. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award as Best First PI Novel. The second book, Heel Turn, was released in March of 2021, while the third in the series, Double Frame, came out in March of 2022. The fourth Sam Quinton book, Clean Win, will be released in March of 2023.

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Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard

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In the year since he lost his wife in a tragic accident, Lester Lehman has found healing and purpose—helping construct Dale Kraybill’s new bulk store, enjoying the Kuhn sisters’ hearty meals, and settling in a tiny, built-for-one lakeside house. Falling in love again is surely not on Lester’s mind. Yet despite his firm “no,” two available ladies have set their kapps on the handsome widower—in a boisterous rivalry that weaves mayhem among Gloria’s wedding festivities.

A welcome escape comes from a fresh-faced newcomer. Marlene Fisher disarms Lester with her witty quips on his romantic predicament, while her sparkling eyes inspire surprising thoughts of a shared future. But the heartbreak that brought Marlene to Promise Lodge runs deep, and the pretty maidel believes she’s not meant to marry. In a season of vows to love and honor, scripture holds the key to building their happiness together: love is kind, and above all patient.

Read an Excerpt

Fully awake now, Lester swung his feet to the dock. When he could get a word in edgewise, he needed to deflate Agnes’s high-flying hopes in a hurry, because in her vivid imagination, she was already standing before the bishop with him, repeating her wedding vows. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, another urgent female voice hailed him.

“Lester! Lester Lehman, it’s me—your Elverta! I read about Gloria’s wedding in the paper, so it seemed like the perfect reason to come and see you!”

Lester moaned. His sense of freedom, peace, and unencumbered living had just hit another serious snag.

As the national newspaper for Plain communities, the Budget was a wonderful way to keep track of far-flung friends and kin, but he suddenly wished that Gloria—and Rosetta Wickey, their community’s original scribe—hadn’t been quite so descriptive in detailing the Lehman family’s relocation. The tiny town of Promise, Missouri was out in the middle of nowhere, yet Agnes and Elverta had apparently followed every line of the newspaper’s weekly reports right to his doorstep.

As Elverta Horst, dressed in deep green, strode toward his dock, her tall, skinny, ramrod-straight body reminded Lester of a string bean. He knew better than to express that opinion, of course, because the woman he’d broken up with to begin courting his Delores had never been known for her sense of humor.

“Wh-who’s this?” Agnes asked him under her breath.

Never one to beat around the bush, Elverta stopped a few yards from the dock. She glanced at Lester before focusing on the flustered woman beside him. “And who might you be?” she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

Lester answered as indirectly as possible, because he knew these women would soon find out every little thing about one another. “Elverta, this is Delores’s best friend, Agnes Plank. She lives down the road from our former home in Sugarcreek,” he explained hastily. “And Agnes, this is Elverta Horst—”

“And I was engaged to Lester before he took up with Delores,” Elverta put in purposefully. “First loves are often the strongest, ain’t so? The flame may flicker through the years, but it never really goes out.”

About the Author:

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband and their Border collie, Vera.

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Deadly Betrayal by Sheila Kell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sheila Kell 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.

When trusting the wrong person can be deadly.

From Romantic Suspense BEST-SELLING and AWARD-WINNING Author • What happens when a former FBI analyst quits her job to become a PI and ends up partnering with the man who left her fourteen years earlier? In Sheila Kell’s riveting novel of secrets, deceit, and romance, two people rush to find a killer while reckoning with their growing attraction.

Cassie McKay was tired of being passed over as a FBI field agent. She quits her job as a FBI analyst, moved back home with her mother, and takes a job as a PI. Only she hadn’t expected her partner to be the one man who’d left her years before.

Jack “JD” Walker had done a lot wrong in his life, but he hadn’t killed the mother of his child as the police believed, nor had he expected the only women he’d ever loved to come to his rescue. The two work diligently to prove JD’s innocence while someone is determined to make JD pay.

Deadly Betrayal is the first book in the Coastal Investigations series. If you enjoy a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read, you’ll love this installment of Sheila Kell’s new romantic suspense series.

Read an Excerpt

“Well, it’s late. I’m going to get some sleep,” Cassie said.

Sleep? What? He planned to seduce her, and here she was kicking him out before he even had the chance. So, he did the only thing he could. He stood and strode toward his room. “Goodnight, my sweet Cassie.” He left the double doors separating their rooms open.

He listened to her shower, wishing he could jump in there with her and soap her body down. Thoughts whizzed through JD’s head as he clenched his eyes shut: 60.2 average passes per game, 328.2 average passing yards, second in the season, twelve weeks in. 52.9 average—he looked down. His erection still hadn’t subsided.

When she climbed into bed, he couldn’t take it anymore. He walked to the door separating their rooms and asked, “Are you coming to my bed, or am I coming to yours?”

About the Author:

Sheila Kell writes about the romantic men who leave women’s hearts pounding with a happily ever after built on memorable, adrenaline-pumping stories. Or, (since her editor tries to cut down on her long-windedness) simply “Smokin’ Hot Romance & Intrigue.” Her debut novel, His Desire (HIS Series #1), launched as an Amazon #1 romantic suspense bestseller and Top 100 overall, later winning the Readers’ Favorite award for best romantic suspense novel.

As a Southern girl who traveled the world with the United States Air Force, she remembers all the embarrassing moments of her fellow veterans to include in her books and laughs every time she does it. Having left behind her days as a College President, she can usually be found nestled in the Mississippi woods, where she lives with her cats and all the strays that magically find her front door. When she isn’t writing, you can find Sheila with her nose in a good book, dealing with the woodland critters who enjoy her back patio, or wishing she had a genie to do her bidding.

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Vindictive Too by Ryan Lawrence

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ryan Lawrence will be awarding a $10 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?

My two published works, Vindictive and Vindictive Too, are both Queer Thrillers with a delicious additive of soapy drama. I've been very open about my love of Twin Peaks. This show inspired me tremendously to write in the Thriller Genre. Creator/writers David Lynch and Mark Frost invented a world, not just a town, filled with mysteries, tragedies, and high drama, populating it with a collection of well-developed characters: quirky, heroic, and malicious. While watching each episode unfold, something resonated within me, sparking my imagination. I felt compelled to create my version of a town where secrets, lies, and tragedy ran free. Queer Thriller, specifically, has become my focus because, for one, as a gay man, I'm queer, and I want to add my voice to this burgeoning sub-genre. I also find that character diversity and minority experiences in fiction open up so much potential for new, unexpected storylines.

What research is required?

A reviewer for Indiereader once questioned whether I was a martial arts master or a great researcher; watching 80's ninja action films is the extent of my "training." I'm neither employed as a professional assassin nor sustain myself on a diet of revenge and torment toward family members. I'm also not the CEO of an international corporation or own a French Chateau. Sound research creates an entertaining, believable narrative. Reality--truth and facts--can be a tricky space to work within. Suppose a novel isn't Fantasy or Sci-Fi. In that case, a reader's suspension of disbelief can stretch only so far before their enjoyment is curtailed by ridiculous implausibility. Or falsehoods easily discovered by a quick Google search. And more than research is needed, personal interest in your subject matter is vital. As an author, if you aren't fascinated by the subject matter you're writing about, how do you expect to write, let alone create a world which will enrapture others?

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Forgiveness, as a process for healing, is difficult--sometimes impossible. If one cannot forgive (or will not, depending on personal perspective), harbouring resentment is a path to life-long misery. Either forget or take action. Acceptance or revenge. Nothing satisfying exists in between.

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

I can only write in absolute silence. I’m easily bothered by music, television, and human chatter, quickly losing concentration when surrounded by a cacophony of annoying distractions. I often work with noise-cancelling headphones on.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Regarding my writing process, I take time to develop a story, formulate and outline a unique plot, and design the characters’ personalities thoughtfully. I’m no pantser, but I allow for organic creativity. If inspiration strikes, I’m not so rigid that I won’t alter the course of a character’s preset fate or adjust a storyline.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My cat Dora and a green tea Frappucino, non-fat, no whip, on my writing desk.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I'm steadily working on the untitled third novel in the “Vindictive” series, which may be the final one. However, I have ideas for two more, one featuring the Bergé family's complete history and another about my favourite assassin, Amanda Reid, The Silver Dagger. These would be stand-alone novels, not direct follow-ups to the untitled third book.

Something I'm currently working on that I'm incredibly excited about is my Blog over on my website, ryanlawrenceauthor.ca. Along with reviews of LGBTQ+ books and my own pieces on topics that interest me, I'm beginning a series of Author Profiles of LGBTQ writers, starting with those in the Queer Thriller and Queer Horror genres. I'm starting this endeavour with two amazing talents: Matthew Dante, the author of the Fractured and Rough Edges series, and Eric David Roman, the author of Long Night at Lake Never. It's going to be a fun and informative ride.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Do you read Sutter Cane? (If you get this, you get a gold star!)

The best revenge never includes forgiveness. To truly punish the guilty, something worse must be done to them.

A chain of vengeful events is set in motion when a man's brutally murdered body is found in an alley behind a seedy bar. Inspector Declan James is put on the victim's case, only to discover his intimate connection to the slain man. After a not-by-chance meeting with the mysterious Véronique, a woman on a mission to right a terrible wrong, Declan finds himself mired in an intricate web of corruption, lies, and coverups.

Marie and Jacques Bergé, the owners of the internationally renowned Château Bergé, act publically as the pinnacle of society and wealth, but behind closed doors, their lives are in turmoil. From Marie's erratic behaviour and bizarre disappearances to Jacques's not-so-secret love for another woman, Fairporte's "it" couple teeters on the edge of destruction.

In the shadows, a bearded man, powerful and dark of heart, secretly orchestrates his machiavellian manoeuvres from a place of sadism and despair.

From the bustling core to the rustic outskirts of Fairporte, ON, secrets, suffering, and rage are found everywhere. As the cruel desire pain, the wronged seek retribution, and the fragile break, will anyone get their revenge before death or madness claim them?

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“Jules, you’re the best,” Jacques stated as a big smile appeared across his handsome, chiselled face. Instinctively, he reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. “I can always count on you.”

“Jacques, we’re in public,” Jules whispered, retracting her entire arm. She saw several of the high-end restaurant’s patrons eyeing them curiously. Their piqued interest crafted brazen, sly smiles on their soon-to-be gossiping mouths.

Jules glared daggers at the spectators; they all quickly shrank back, intimidated by her ferocious sneer. She did not care about anyone’s opinion or judgment, but she refused to back down from her public stance that she and Jacques were solely business associates and close friends. If Marie was in the picture, there could be nothing else between them.

“I don’t care!” Jacques roared. “I want to hold your hand. Quand je dis que je t’aime je le pense vraiment! When I say I love you, I really mean it!”

Jules rolled her eyes and, in a low voice, replied, “What does love have to do with anything? I know you love me, but we’ve been over this. You can’t have it both ways. As long as you’re with that basket case you call a wife, we can’t—oh, whatever. I’m not talking about this. Speaking of Marie, one of my favourite topics, have you heard anything?” Jules’s sarcasm was on full show.

“Oh, Jules!” Jacques cried, frustrated. He knew it had been reductive to say he loved her, but for once, he wanted to completely forget about Marie, her issues, and his life outside of this moment with Jules. Admitting defeat, Jacques stiffened up, arched his back, placed his hands in his lap, and answered Jules’s question.

“No, not yet. Marie left for her session without me. She’s very upset about what I said to her regarding the twins. Marie is not a basket case, Jules. She’s troubled. And she’s the mother of my children. Can’t you show just a little compassion? Or some respect for her? I mean, come on, you drove her right out of the party last night, and she never returned!”

Jules shrugged and ate some more of her salad.

About the Author:

Ryan Lawrence was born and raised in Guelph, ON, and he is a graduate of the University of Guelph in English Literature. Ryan lives in London, ON, with his husband, Todd, their cat Dora, and his massive comic book collection that once fell on Todd. He's okay.

Website: http://Ryanlawrenceauthor.ca
Twitter: ) http://www.twitter.com/RyanLAuthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ryanlawrenceauthor

https://www.amazon.com/Vindictive-Too-Ryan-Lawrence-ebook/dp/B0BPYGP6W1/

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