Friday, December 30, 2022

His Untameable Wickedness by A P von K'Ory



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A P von K'Ory will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Questions on Plot


One of my secret wishes is to be able to sneak into a room full of readers discussing what they like or don’t like so much about books in the genre I write. Of course I’d be there wearing my invisible cloak so that the readers won’t know I’m eavesdropping. Best of all would be if they were discussing my books. I see myself busy taking notes, shaking my head at some suggestion or criticism, silently whispering thanks or purple curses, tapping my own shoulder with a Well done!, or weeping for all the things I got so disastrously wrong for the readers. What I’d pay the most attention to would be what the readers say about my plots.

So here are some of the questions I’d ask them:

1. At what point did you think “Okay, this is where the story begins”?
2. Was there a point at which you felt the story/chapter lagged or you became less than excited about finding out what was going to happen next? Where, exactly?
3. Did you pick up on any plot holes?
4. Were there any scenes or exchanges between characters which you felt did not further the plot?
5. Once you finished reading, would you say there was enough tension and intrigue to keep you engaged?
6. Did any explanations or revelations seem too contrived or contradictory?
7. Which parts/scenes did you like the least? Could you tell me why?
8. Did you notice any inconsistencies in the timeline, characters, description, or other details? How about any redundancies?
9. At what point do you feel like the reader could use a break?
10. Do you feel the story started and ended in the right places?

Thanks so much, dear reader, for giving me your time and thoughts.

LEO

A three-letter word made me a murderess at the age of eight years. But having experienced the curses of that word, I was done with men as I grew up. All men. Except to outplay them in the New York financial arena. Then Crowned Sex enthroned in gorgeous velvet charm and lustful gallantry storms into my life. Spewing volcanic lava on my monumental arctic ice block. With the unapologetic fierceness of a savage god. Wearing crackling thunderbolts straight from the god Zeus. Explosive has nothing on it.

Adrian isn't hot, he's fucking hellish. He embarks on melting my ice block at the speed of lightning. But I was done with men. I was done with sex. For ever. I. Was.

ADRIAN

I scented her darkness from the moment I was told about her. The sight of her sealed my decision. She was the woman created for my own darkness. I set off to protect her even from herself. Protect her to claim.

Fuse her darkness with my own. For. Myself. I'd fended women off me with bazookas when I was done but they weren't. I wasn't prepared for the battle I soon fought. Not only with her but also with her family. And New York's billionaire gangsters who own entourages of corrupt cops and politicians. With every battle I won, she started new darker wars around me. You ate or you were eaten. Not even starving was an option.

NOTE: Although the blurb is in the first person, the story of Leo and Adrian is written in the third person. This story contains adult material including explicit sex and violence. You've been warned.


Read an Excerpt

“If you feel I should stop, say you’re mine.”

“I am, I am! Just don’t stop, Adrian.”

He stopped, chortling deep in his chest, eyeing her from under his brows as his head lifted with her jerky thrusts. Adrian’s molten lava eyes radiated something utterly demonic but captivating, hypnotizing. They now seemed to shoot her senses with the wickedness every single cell in her craved. Those eyes concentrated on her flawed body, her utterly broken soul, crushing the fierce pride she falsely nurtured for her protection.

He made her feel invincible. Armored, even against his demonic wickedness.

He licked behind her ear, whispered, “Stop being your worst enemy, wildcat, and simply receive and revel in pleasure. Your whole body’s made to receive it. From me.”

About the Author:
AP von K’Ory writes the kind of books she herself would like to read and is passionate about, whether romance, psychological thriller or nonfiction. She is the winner of six awards from four continents, the last one being the Achievers Award for Writer of the Year 2013 in the Netherlands. The Selmere Integration Prize was awarded her in 2014 for her engagement in helping African Women in the Diaspora cope with a variety of domestic and social problems. The Proposal, a short story, won the Cook Communications first prize in 2010 and is published in an American anthology Africa 2012. In 2012, she won the Karl Ziegler Prize for her commitment to bring African culture to Western society in various papers, theses, and lectures. Again in 2012, her book Bound to Tradition: The Dream was nominated for the 2012 Caine Prize by the Author-me Group, Sanford, and in 2013 she was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize.

Von K'Ory is married to an aristocrat and politician of Franco-German descent, has a large extended family. She lectures Economics and Sociology in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. She’s migratory and – weather willing – lives in Germany, France, Cyprus, and Greece.

Website: http://www.apvonkory.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apky11162
Book Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkGuFzsRgsM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7063572.A_P_Von_K_Ory
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-p-von-k-ory

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/APvonK'Ory
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/HIS-UNTAMEABLE-WICKEDNESS-VON-KORY-ebook/dp/B09XKL9R6N/

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Thursday, December 29, 2022

Siba: The Eternal Quest by B. Singh



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

An epic journey of adventure, heroism, and self-exploration through the eyes of a teenage boy named Siba.

Siba’s life takes an exciting turn when his pet parrot takes him to a magical forest. He explores the mysterious forest-dwellers and the precious ancient wisdoms of the fantasy world when a sudden tragedy jeopardizes life on earth. To save the world, he must embark on a legendary journey to the Pole Star.

Siba encounters many mythical creatures and numerous thrilling challenges that jolt him to his core. They leave burning questions in his mind about the world and his own existence. He must dive into the dark labyrinths of his mind, for the last hope of saving humanity seems to be hidden there.

Can he solve the mysteries of the mystical world and his inner world? Can he complete his journey to the Pole Star and save the world?

A perfect blend of fantasy, mysticism, and spirituality that explores the answer to the eternal question – Who Am I?


Read an Excerpt

After hiding Celine, as Siba moved out of the crack, he saw the dragons were attacking his friends. They swooped and snatched the snow leopards with their steel-like claws. Streams of fire turned the ice into clouds of steam. Watching the snow leopards slaughtered and torn into pieces, Siba ran toward them to help. As he reached there, one dragon blocked his way and spewed fire at him. Siba ducked. The stream of fire hit the black armor but didn’t burn it. Siba was surprised to find himself unscathed. He remembered the armor was made from the dragon’s skin.

He got up at once and climbed the glacier. But his leather slippers slipped on the molten ice, and he fell inside a shallow crevasse. He felt a sharp pain in his right arm. He looked at it. His arm was injured and bleeding. He took his feathers out but couldn’t flutter with his right arm. He struggled with one hand but couldn’t balance to fly out of the hole.

After a long struggle and several attempts, Siba emerged out of the crevasse. But by that time, the dragons had already left, and their dance of death was over. Many snow leopards died. Many more were injured. Ajax emerged from one crevasse with one leg badly injured.

Musa shouted, “They are gone.” Several other snow leopards emerged out of the glacier from all directions. Holding his bleeding arm, Siba arrived there in tears.

About the Author:B. Singh grew up in a small city, Chandigarh, located near the foothills of the mighty Himalayas in northwest India. Since his childhood, he has always had an inquisitive mindset. He doesn’t settle for the pre-existing answers if they don’t make sense to him. Instead, he explores, experiments, and finds the answer himself. He has traveled across India from north to south not only for his education but also to explore different cultures and values. To continue his journey of exploration, he moved from India to Canada. After graduating from the University of Windsor, Canada, he conceived the idea of compiling his learnings in the form of a spiritual fantasy book. This well-crafted and awe-inspiring adventurous journey into a fantasy world is full of chiseled gems of wisdom that will enrich the lives of every human being on earth.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Last Chance Town by Ron Kearse



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ron Kearse 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.

In this, the Further Adventures Along the Road Without End, we fast forward from where the story left off in 1983, to Vancouver, BC, in 1988. Warren Givens has completed his second jail sentence four years previous, after which he's vowed to lay low and stay clean so there's no return to "Clown-College," as he calls it.

A chance meeting at a pub one night introduces us to Daryl Kellerman, at first as Givens' one night stand, which quickly develops into a love and live-in relationship between them.

Warren's distant past comes front-and-centre in the form of his birth mother, who lost him to Social Services before he was ten years old, and has been looking for him ever since.

We get to know Warren's past and what's made him the way he is.

This, along with some other drastic life changing occurrences, propel Warren into a life he never thought he would live.

Later, we get to know what life was like living with Givens through Daryl's eyes as he reminisces over the years since their initial meeting.

Last Chance Town is the third book in the Road Without End Trilogy.


Read an Exclusive Excerpt

I loved Kookum (she was my grandmother—that’s what she always told me to call her because she said Kookum meant grandmother in Cree). She always loved me and showed it. She read to me when I was kid, sang to me before I went to bed at night, told me stories of our ancestors, made chocolate chip bannock for me, and gave me lots of hugs and kisses. Mom and Kookum always had a strange relationship. They fought a lot, but when they weren’t fighting, they were like the best of friends.

I didn’t know a lot about my family, and what I did know, it was Kookum who told me. I remember Kookum telling me once that mom had run away to Edmonton from a residential school somewhere in Saskatchewan. But Kookum didn’t know that until a couple of days later when my mom called her from Edmonton. All she would tell Kookum was that she went to Edmonton because she knew she could stay with her cousin Phoebe’s family, and there were lots of places to hide, so the authorities would have a harder time finding her there.

Government men showed up at Kookum’s place a couple of times demanding to know where my mother was.

About the Author:
Ron Kearse had a nomadic upbringing and finds inspiration in traveling, art, friends, reading, and photography. He's written reviews and features for local periodicals, co-hosted radio programs, conducted interviews on-air and in print, and has a colourful and varied resumé. He's hosted art exhibitions of his works and has had his photographs displayed in public showings. He presently lives in Victoria, BC, with his partner, James.

https://ronkearse.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7042513.Ron_Kearse

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Chance-Town-Further-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0BBZ34GPG/ref=sr_1_1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-chance-town-ron-kearse/1142095366

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Grave Girl by Dan Padavona



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Dan Padavona will be awarding a $25 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?

I write dark thrillers and mysteries similar to the Thomas Harris Hannibal Lecter books. This genre appeals to me because it ratchets the suspense high. I love horror elements combined with a good mystery.

What research is required?

I’m fortunate to know a few members of law enforcement, and I also read a lot of true crime and interviews with federal agents.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Thomas Shepherd teaches me to love people for who they are and appreciate our differences.

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

I can’t write to music. Believe me, I’ve tried. Instead, I use a box fan for white noise. If a fan isn’t available, I listen to white noise on headphones.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Both. I write short paragraphs to describe each chapter ahead of time, then allow myself the creative freedom to fill in the details.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A faux fireplace that sits on my desk and keeps me company while I write.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

This will be my busiest year as a writer. Twelve published novels in 12 months.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Absolutely. What got you interested in thrillers and mysteries? Was it a certain book or author?

Every mind holds a secret. Some are more deadly than others.

Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.

But when a star athlete’s girlfriend disappears while camping, everyone blames the boyfriend. He’s volatile and dangerous. Did he murder the girl and bury her in the woods?

The sheriff’s gut tells him there’s more to the story than the boyfriend is willing to admit. The more he digs into the case, the more he worries someone is hiding a dark secret.

Is the boy a killer? Or is he the next victim?

Read an Excerpt

He waited until the woman’s Honda Civic rounded the bend and disappeared down the road. Behind a stand of trees, he remained hidden and formless, an invisible predator.

The day hadn’t gone as planned. McKenzie had torn up his note and slid it into the hallway. He needed that money. Without her username and password, his only choice was to put her up for ransom, and that would increase the risk of getting caught.

A downstairs light shone inside the sheriff’s A-frame, but nobody was home. Nobody except a cat and that damn beast of a dog. More lights illuminated the guest house along the lake. There was movement inside, though the drawn curtains made it difficult to tell who it was. He stepped toward the side window, crouching low so his shadow didn’t pass over the glass and forewarn the tiny house’s occupant. His hand moved to the gun in his pocket.

Without making a sound, he rose and stood beside the window, one eye peering through the opening between the curtain and the sill. Oh, how he hoped it was LeVar Hopkins, now a sheriff’s deputy. A bullet to the head would take LeVar out of this world.

A chair swung around, and the man edged away from the glass, hoping no one had spotted him. He slid along the wall and looked again through the opening. Right in front of him, a teenage girl with a brunette ponytail filled a glass at the sink. Where was LeVar, and why was this girl inside his house?

About the Author:
Dan Padavona is the author of The Wolf Lake series, The Logan and Scarlett series, Darkwater Cove, The Scarlett Bell thriller series, and The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries. Many of his novels rank in the top-10 in Amazon’s thriller and mystery categories. He is a husband, a parent, and proud member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.

When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys photography, biking, weightlifting, and storm chasing. Dan has videotaped tornadoes from New York to Oklahoma and Texas and was nearly swept up by a strong twister outside Sweetwater, Texas. A self-proclaimed ice cream and gelato lover, Dan admits to spending too much time in the gym, compensating for his questionable nutritional decisions.

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Monday, December 26, 2022

Atticus Everheart Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter? by C.L. Colyer



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.L. Colyer 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? 

As a reader, my go-to genre is middle-grade fantasy. Whenever I’m in a reading slump or want an escape from reality, I know I’ll find it between the pages of a middle-grade novel. The magic is bold, the dreams are big, and the adventures vivid, wild, and exciting. I love visiting the different worlds and seeing the wonders, the magic, and the friendships. Especially the friendships. So for me, it wasn’t a surprise that the first book I penned was a middle-grade fantasy. That wasn’t Atticus’s story. His came many years later. 

What research (or world-building – for fantasy/paranormal/Sci-fi) is required? 

 I like to research the lore about the supernatural elements in my novels and then give them my own twist. With this book, that meant brushing up on the classic monster—Dracula, the wolfman, and Frankenstein to name a few—and then dropping them into modern days with a kid-friendly twist and a mystery to solve. 

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine. 

With the right attitude and a little help from friends, a person can turn themselves into anything they’d like. 

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

I’m sure I do, but I don’t consider them odd. To me, they’re normal. Maybe that I don’t talk about ideas for new books until I flush them out, and even then, I like to have at least fifty percent of a first draft written before sharing any pages with my critique partners. 

Are you a plotter or pantser? 

 It depends on the book and what genre I’m writing. With my middle grade and young adult novels, I’m a pantser, but with these books I tend to know how the stories will end and several of the steps the characters would take to get there. With my adult novels, I outlined the stories before I started to write. But then I strayed from the outline, found myself second guessing what I had, and starting over. Let’s just say I’m still trying to perfect the art of outlining. 

Look to your right – what’s sitting there? 

My 7-week-old grandson in his basinet. I’m helping out his parents for the day. He’s napping right now—my grandson, not his parents. 

Anything new coming up from you? What?  

I’m working on an adult contemporary romance with the characters from my novella, Merry Little Wishing Spritz. I’ve also jotted down a few ideas for a second book featuring Atticus and Draco. 

 Do you have a question for our readers? 

What’s your favorite supernatural creature? It can be one of the classic monsters, a superhero, a witch, a fairy, a mermaid, you get the idea. Mine’s witches. I have always thought it would be fun to have magical powers. 

Thank you, It’s Raining Books for having me on your blog! 

 

  

Nothing frightens Atticus Everheart more than monsters, thanks to his older brothers, who often threaten to feed him to the beastly creatures.

Fearing that’s what they will do if he doesn’t replace the book he accidentally ruined, he takes a job tutoring a boy in his neighborhood.

Although nervous about the job, Atticus soon discovers there’s a lot more in store for him than teaching. Never in a trillion years would he have imagined he’d be hiding from monsters, working with ghosts, or searching for werewolves and witches. He’s not brave, and he has no plans to change.

Until he’s forced to.

Read an Excerpt

“What?” called Atticus to his retreating student.

He had to have heard wrong. Drago hadn’t said, “dead.” He’d said, “red.” No, the color didn’t make sense either. “Fred.” That’s what Drago had said; it was probably short for Frederica.

Feeling better, Atticus made a mental note to clean the wax out of his ears when he got home, then jogged up the stairs after Drago.

“Please take the spelling test! We’re supposed to be studying!” Under his breath he added, “You don’t struggle with lessons, do you? You’re easily distracted.”

Drago had a shorter attention span than Evie, and that was saying something. Atticus’s littlest sister bounced from subject to subject faster than his father surfed TV channels.

“Look, take the pretest, and then you can introduce me to your grandmother.”

“I’ll take it after you meet her.”

Atticus tripped over a step, caught his balance, and continued his ascent, keeping one hand on the railing. Would Drago’s mother fire him if she found out that Atticus hadn’t taught Drago a single word? Was it Atticus’s fault? He had tried to choose easy words, but home did have a silent e. There’d been a time when Atticus had forgotten about it too.

“Is home too hard? How about batty?” said Atticus, throwing out the first word that came to mind. Batty described his student. B-a-t-t-y, meaning nuts, wacko, cuckoo.

About the Author:

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Atticus-Everheart-Fifth-Monster-Hunter/dp/1509246118/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/atticus-everheart-fifth-grade-tutor-and-monster-hunter-c-l-colyer/1142093808
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/atticus-everheart-fifth-grade-tutor-and-monster-hunter/id6443330146
Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/bzVLPE

Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer 

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer 

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/C-L-Colyer/e/B09C6JPT3X

Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cherie-colyer  

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Friday, December 16, 2022

Bloodstains and Candy Canes by Marla A. White



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marla A. White will be awarding a $15 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.

Attending a swanky cookie exchange is the last thing on veterinarian Dr. Mandy Brown’s holiday to-do list, but she agrees to help a friend out. The party comes to a screeching halt after a body turns up on the kitchen floor, a carving knife jutting out of his back.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Mandy comes face-to-face with Officer Dylan Shaw, a man she thought she was dating until he ghosted her. Tensions escalate as motives for murder come out of the pantry as fast as guests scarf down the pot-spiked brownies, making everything all the merrier.

Although the case seems open and shut, Mandy doesn’t believe the evidence. Can she and Dylan put their differences aside and find the real killer, or risk one of the bakers getting away with murder?

Read an Excerpt

I start to creep closer to see if the butcher block is missing a knife when Shaw turns and plows smack into me. I stumble backward—again, the shoes’ fault, I wouldn’t have nearly landed on my butt in my clogs. Fortunately, Shaw has quick reflexes and grabs my arms to hold me steady. I don’t fall, but my knees feel like jelly at his touch.

“You’re right, the box is stamped with Queen Bea Bakery. I’m going to let the detective know. Seriously, you should rejoin the rest of the, um…”

He can’t quite say the rest of the sentence, so I finish it for him. “Suspects?”

His cheeks pink, and his gaze drops mine as he nods. “Yeah, the rest of the suspects.” Still holding on to me, he pulls me close for a quick, soft kiss. “Be careful, babe. One of those women might be a killer.”

Reeling from either the kiss or him calling me babe, I’m not sure which, I make my way back to the patio. Common sense says what should bother me more is the idea one of the women I’m mingling with might be a killer. I graduated near the top of my class in vet school, so why does this one sandy-haired, lantern jawed, cop confuse me so easily?

About the Author:
Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle some day soon. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, putting together impossibly difficult puzzles, or (of course!) baking.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScriptFixer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlaw825/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarlaAWhiteAuthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marlaw825

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/bloodstains-and-candy-canes-christmas-cookies-by-marla-a-white
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bloodstains-Candy-Canes-Christmas-Cookies-ebook/dp/B0BD2VXTW5
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/md1AoW
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/bloodstains-and-candy-canes/id6443378440
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bloodstains-and-candy-canes-marla-a-white/114215592

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Thursday, December 15, 2022

The Girl by Victory Witherkeigh



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Victory Witherkeigh 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?

I write predominantly in dark fantasy and horror, emphasizing young adults. The first book I remember being so proud to finish was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I enjoyed Mr. Willy Wonka because of the incredible power he seems to have to punish these terrible children AND adults. The darker parts of stories or fairy tales didn’t scare me in the same way, I’d heard from other children or didn’t seem unbelievable to me. I thought as a kid that the real fairytale or made-up story was this “American dream of white picket fences and Hallmark family faces.”

What research is required?

As a genre or speculative fiction writer, the amount of research you need for your world-building depends on how proportional the story you are telling or trying to tell takes place in a world mirroring our own. This part of speculative fiction is a skill I need to improve, no matter how much I practice it. One of the best lectures I’ve seen about the concepts and where to begin is through MasterClass. The author N. K. Jemisin teaches the courses and offers some fantastic insight about starting world-building from a macro/planetary view, assuming the writer needs a brand new planetary system and helps lay out steps to the micro levels. One significant point in every writing workshop or course I’ve seen in world-building that I’ve found is valid for me is, as the writer, I will always know more about the world than will ever really be said on the page for the reader.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

The Girl helped me add a layer to the question I had as a young girl — what does being “likable” have to do with being a hero? Can you do good if you come from something terrible where you’re told repeatedly that nothing “likable” can come from? Be Good? I hope The Girl can help expose the dangers of the idea that “likeability” or even “popularity” means “goodness.” If anything in history rings true, it’s often those who are overlooked or unpopular that actually do the best work for humanity. I want future kids who hear this story to have another voice added to the chorus of us who have been “othered” or considered “unlikeable” and how being labeled by society doesn’t mean you are boxed in that trope forever.

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

The one caveat I try to adhere to when I’m writing is I purposefully try to avoid watching anything in the genre I’m working in. I have a tendency to become obsessive with a TV show or movie if I like it, so I try to avoid that during my writing periods because I don’t want to have any subconscious influencing or swaying of any ideas I have as hard as that is. I know there is the idea that “there are no more original stories,” but if I see something I like visually or plot-wise, it will stick a lot longer in my head. If it’s something that I have in my head to do and I see it or read it, I know I can get self-conscious enough to question my own writing as opposed to letting the journey see through where the plot or characters will go.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

A bit of both. I completed The Girl’s first draft as an exercise for NaNoWriMo in November 2019. When I said I would try NaNoWriMo, I had no discernible outline or plot strategy. The manuscript came as a free-form script, just random thoughts stringing along page after page. Once I hit over the fifty thousand word count, I laid out all the stories and realized I could outline a bigger narrative as part of the editing phase once I completed around ninety to ninety-five thousand words. This gave me a big-picture view of all the pieces I had created, allowing me to outline further if I wished.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My newly arrived author’s copy of a horror anthology I’m part of called And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. This is the third story I’ve published with the publisher, I/O Enterprises. The book came out on Halloween this year with their favorite recurring theme- vampires. I’ve been on their previous issues, titled Unusual Vampires and Lost at Sea, respectively.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m an overthinker, so I feel like I have something brewing all the time. Before attempting to write a novel, I started my career as a short story writer in predominantly dark fantasy/horror. I have a couple of other scary short stories coming out in a few magazines this December 2022. One will be in a magazine called A Coup of Owls. Diet Milk Magazine will release another on Christmas Day as part of a theme called “In Bleak Midwinter.”

Do you have a question for our readers?

What childhood nightmares or thoughts scared you the most as a kid?

The parents knew it had been a mistake to have a girl. At birth, the girl’s long, elegant fingers wriggled and grasped forward, motioning to strangle the very air from her mother’s lungs. As she grew older, she grew more like her father, whose ancestors would dream of those soon to die. She walked and talked in her sleep, and her parents warded themselves, telling the girl that she was evil, unlovable, their burden to bear only until her eighteenth birthday released them.

The average person on the streets of Los Angeles would look at the girl and see a young woman with dark chocolate eyes, curly long hair, and tanned skin of her Filipina heritage. Her teachers praised her for her scholarly achievements and extracurricular activities, from academic decathlon to cheer.

The girl knew she was different, especially as she grew to accept that the other children’s parents didn’t despise them. Her parents whispered about their pact as odd and disturbing occurrences continued to happen around her. The girl thought being an evil demon should require the skies to bleed, the ground to tremble, an animal sacrifice to seal the bargain, or at least cause some general mayhem. Did other demons work so hard to find friends, do well on their homework, and protect their spoiled younger brother?

The demon was patient. It could afford to wait, to remind the girl when she was hurt that power was hers to take. She needed only embrace it. It could wait. The girl’s parents were doing much of its work already.

Read an Excerpt

“— there are certain… misconceptions about me, pretty girl. I, and those I command, end life. That is our purpose, always has been. Our valley is its own land as we are our own kingdom. Death is the one act all living things will succumb to, whether good, evil, or in-between. We don’t have a stake in moral debates or questions, as your kind has called it, since we are a constant, an equalizer. We come for everything and everyone. But humanity has definitely found some of the most creative ways to end life over the centuries, and every so often in history, we’ve granted a request to aid them in doing so.”

Only then did he look over at the girl, his tongue darting out to lick the sugar off his lips. She had barely breathed as he had been speaking, her tongue building more saliva as she became wholly entranced with his words, almost as though she saw the visions of his brethren carrying out their jobs over the centuries. She found herself a little startled that the sound of her own heartbeat was thudding loudly in her ears as he seemed to hesitate to tell her the next part.

“Your ancestors are one such example,” he said, head tilting slightly and as she gasped, he continued. “You, my dear, are the descendent of not one but two who sacrificed to one of mine, my finest general, in fact. You learned the story of Lapulapu?”

About the Author:
Victory Witherkeigh is a female Filipino author originally from Los Angeles, CA, currently living in the Las Vegas area. Victory was a finalist for Wingless Dreamer’s 2020 Overcoming Fear Short Story award and a 2021 winner of the Two Sisters Writing and Publishing Short Story Contest.

She has print publications in the horror anthologies Supernatural Drabbles of Dread through Macabre Ladies Publishing, Bodies Full of Burning through Sliced Up Press, and In Filth It Shall Be Found through OutCast Press.

Her first novel, set to debut in Spring 2024 with Cinnabar Moth Publishing, has been a finalist for Killer Nashville’s 2020 Claymore Award, a 2020 Cinnamon Press Literature Award Honoree, and long-listed in the 2021 Voyage YA Book Pitch Contest.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victory_witherkeigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorywitherkeigh
Website: https://victorywitherkeigh.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/witherkeigh

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Victory-Witherkeigh/dp/1953971601

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Wednesday, December 14, 2022

The Doc's Holiday Homecoming by Virginia McCullough



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Virginia McCullough will be awarding a $50 Etsy Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Could her closed heart…

Still have room for him?

Olivia Donoghue’s life has turned a corner. The radiologist’s eleven-year-old daughter is finally healthy, and she just moved to her best friend’s dreamy hometown of Adelaide Creek, Wyoming. If only her friend’s prodigal brother, Jeff Stanhope, wasn’t complicating matters. It's clear Jeff's kindness knows no bounds, having taken in his late roommate's teenage son and also offering her a cabin to stay in, but Olivia’s heart is already full…and safe. Is the former rancher worth the risk?






Read an Excerpt

It was a frosty Halloween night, with a thin cloud cover blocking out most of the light from the crescent moon. Jeff felt the energy between them as they walked along together. It was a familiar vibe now. When they got to her cabin, Olivia directed him to lean the painting against the wall behind her desk.

When she walked him back to the door, he couldn’t resist saying, “One more thing, Olivia.”

“Oh? Uh, what’s that?”

“If you ever wear that fringy dress again, you might want to ditch the black wig.”

Olivia’s laugh was as melodic as her voice.

“Believe me, the real thing is so much better.” Taking such pleasure in her smile, he leaned forward and gave her cheek a quick kiss. “Night.” He hurried away, but he knew she was still standing by the door watching him leave. It had been a great night all around.

About the Author:

Virginia McCullough is thrilled to share her eighth Harlequin Heartwarming release with readers. The Doc’s Holiday Homecoming, available November 29th, is the second book in her Back to Adelaide Creek series. Like all of Virginia’s romances, this holiday story comes straight from the heart and features characters who could be your neighbors and friends struggling with everyday life issues.

Born and raised in Chicago, Virginia spent years as a ghostwriter, producing more than one hundred books for physicians, business owners, professional speakers and many others with information to share or a story to tell. She’s moved around a lot, and a few years ago she landed in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she enjoys hanging out with other romance writers, walking on trails, and downing mugs of dark roast at local coffeehouses. Her other award-winning romance and women’s fiction titles include The Jacks of Her Heart, Amber Light, and The Chapels on the Hill. Virginia is always working on another story about hope, healing, and second chances.







Monday, December 12, 2022

Divorce: Just a Detour to Your Destination by Neco Beasley



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a copy of the book 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. Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

Yes, I have a tattoo. It's a rose and it's on my forearm. I got it when we shut down for covid 19.

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

My life is not the same. I'm an author. Sharing my life story about my divorce put all my business on blast.

How long have you been writing?

I was never a writer, I hate writing, so it's only been 8 months and I went back and forth about telling my story.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Keep a note pad on the side of your bed. Take a small journal with you to work, church and when you are driving. Because you will encounter different events along this journey, and you don't want to forget anything.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

The response from men is great. My pastor spotlighted me at my church and shared with the congregation that he was doing the workbook, and once the church was over I had men in line purchasing the book and workbook.

So many men and women who have gone through divorce feel that life is over for them. It is time to change that narrative. This is a book of resilience and determination that demonstrates that it is absolutely possible to press on and have a happy and successful life and career following the challenges of a painful divorce.

This book accompanied by the workbook are an excellent starting point for any man or woman going through divorce that wish to push through the pain and go on to live a fulfilling and happy life.

Read an Excerpt

Testing Season

I had a series of traumatic events occur in my life for four straight years in a row. I felt like my faith was being tested. During those times of hardship, I asked God if I was going through trials like Job in the Bible. I experienced several tragedies in my life from 2011 to 2014 ... From 2011 through 2014, we walked around in a fog with the challenges we faced. Our scheduled departure for Atlanta was six months away. I was excited to begin the next chapter in my life.

About the Author:

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a close-knit midwestern city. Ms. Beasley discovered her gift as a stylist at a young age. She would pack her bag of supplies and walk to her family’s home to style their hair. Neco has been a licensed Cosmetologist for twenty-nine years, and a licensed instructor for thirteen. Ms. Beasley founded Star Network, a program that empowers women to be the best version of themselves while experiencing the effects of a divorce. Neco Beasley believes women should not allow detours to stop them from reaching their destination.

Ms. Beasley is blessed with four children and nine grandchildren.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/necoinspires
Twitter: https://twitter.com/necoinspires
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neco.beasley

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/DIVORCE-Just-Detour-Your-Destination-ebook/dp/B09ZCVKQ27/ref=sr_1_1

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Friday, December 9, 2022

Sophia Freeman series by T.X. Troan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. T.X. Troan 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.

EARTH AWAKENED ... SEED PLANTED ... PATH REVEALED.

What begins as a special trip for eleven-year-old Sophia Freeman and her father, leaves her trapped on a mysterious island with a tree boy and fantastical creatures. Later, she learns she is dying from an eternal curse and the only way to prolong her life is to drink the island’s sacred water. Can Sophia and her companions reach the fountain and defeat the guardian before time runs out?

THEY MUST RISK IT ALL TO REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM ... OR BE SEALED AWAY FOREVER.

Sophia Freeman and her best friend, Tim Charnal, must beat all contestants in a three-round Beyond Event organized by the mighty arbiters to free him from the penalty of murder and gain the islanders' trust. Entering the hologram and surviving environments filled with everything from hammer-throwing cave giants to a slimy tentacled sea monster, they will need all their courage, wits, and skills. But how are they going to win when magic is forbidden?

EVIL RISING ... ISLANDERS MISSING ... AND FRIENDS BETRAYING.

With the increase in deaths of Pandilone Islanders, the arbiters devise a strategy to free the god demon within five days to lift the Eternal Curse. All goes as planned until iron-masked creatures kidnap magic users, weakening the army. To gain reinforcements, Sophia Freeman, Tim Charnal, and rescued Allen Chan must gather all six items to cast the Dream Spell, connecting them with Sophia’s father and his air force. But how can the trio succeed in time while surrounded by enemies and traitors aiming to stop them at any cost?






Read an Excerpt from SOPHIA FREEMAN AND THE GATE OF JADE (book 2 ):

“So, Wondnair, what happened back there?” Tim asked, picking at his food. “Why did the arbiters put our victory on hold?”

Sophia hung her head in silent shame.

“Sophia’s body was taken over by, uh … someone,” said Wondnair.

“You mean … T-Tombermon? Why would he help us win?” Tim shook his head. “No, it can’t be true—”

“Look, no monster of that size would simply drop and let you two pass,” Wondnair continued. “Sophia was like its master back there.”

Holding her bowl tightly, Sophia watched her teardrop fall into her earthy soup.

“So, she broke the rules?” Tim couldn’t eat any more. “It’s over—we’re disqualified.”

Wondnair said, “We don’t know that ye—”

“I am so sorry, Tim,” cried Sophia. “We lost because of m-me.” She wiped her eyes. “You shouldn’t have come with me to fight that fountain guardian. Then this n-never would have h-happened.”

“Sophia.” He slid closer to her on the bench.

“I’m n-not the Ch-Chosen One!” She slammed her fist on the table.

Tim gently placed her head against his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. “Sophia, listen to me. The fight isn’t over.”

About the Author:
Thuan Doan was born in Indonesia, and grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

Thuan has been fascinated by art from a young age, especially fantasy. He would wake up hours before school, sit outside the classroom, and scribble in his sketch book.

After college, he worked on a series of jobs, including: an advergaming association as a storyboard/concept artist, gaming company as lead concept artist, and graphic designer for various clients.

Thuan conceived his first middle-grade fantasy novel, Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain, during a trip to Gabriola Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2013. Then he took his work and settled in a small town of Enderby, where it’s peaceful and quiet. 4 years later, the story is complete. While book 1, 2 and 3 are being shared with the world, he's writing and illustrating book 4 of the Sophia Freeman series.

Thuan is writing under a pen name of T.X. Troan. “X” stands for Xu, his grandmother’s name who passed away. And “Troan” is a combination of his parents' names.

“No matter how this turns out, I want my family to be a part of this wonderful journey.”

T.X. Troan married Sarah, his original fan and longtime love, in 2016. They live in Enderby with their pack dogs and school of fish!

AWARDS

★ Entrada Publishing Incipere Award, 2020
★ Readers' Favorite 5 star Badge, 2019, 2021 and 2022
★ Literary Titan Badge, 2020

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The Chronicles of Deneb by Zanne Raby



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Zanne Raby will be awarding a $25 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?

First of all, it’s great to be here today and I’d like to thank It’s Raining Books for hosting me as well as everyone reading my interview on my series “The Chronicles of Deneb”. So, let’ s get down to business. Why did I choose to write a space opera series? For a lot of people, the term “space opera” is new and mysterious. It shouldn’t be since there’s probably not one person reading this that hasn’t watched or read a space opera. Think of Stars Wars, Starship Troopers, and Dune for example. It’s a subgenre of sci-fi with less emphasis on the “sci” and more on the “fi”. Set in the future, way off in the distant parts of the universe, space operas deal with adventures, relationships, warfare, and fictional aliens. A little clearer now, right?

What draws me to the space opera genre is my past. When I was still too small to go to school, my parents lived in the countryside where we had a clear view of the night sky. The elusive dark skies that are hard to find now near cities. In the summer, we’d sit outside and watch the fireflies flashing their bioluminescent abdomens. I’d look up into the sky and my mother would sing “twinkle, twinkle, little star”, and point into the sky at the constellations. I must have been three when I could point out the major ones. Ever since then, I’ve had my head in the stars.

When it came to writing a novel, it was only too obvious that I wanted the setting to be in space. I wanted to explore what would happen in, if in the not-so-distant future, humans discovered a way to travel across the vast distances of space to colonize alien planets. I never set out to write a series, but my sense of adventure keeps me going.

What research is required?

At the outset of writing the first novel in the series, The Flight of the Mayflower, I started by researching how scientists determine the atmosphere of exoplanets. The plot of the novel required me to establish an organization of exoplanets hosting advanced life. All of the planets had to be within the Milky Way galaxy, so my next step was scouring nearby constellations for stars that could possibly host habitable exoplanets. I selected a small group of five stars in different constellations and hijacked the names of the stars for the planets. For example, the planet upon which the majority of the action takes place is Deneb-7, the seventh planet orbiting the supergiant blue-white star Deneb. Each of the exoplanets possesses humanoid or advanced life forms and together, the five planets form the Interstellar Collective for Peace and Security (the “Collective”), a kind of interplanetary United Nations.

I believed that this would be sufficient for me to populate my planets with my characters. Was I wrong. I quickly realized that geological landforms such as rivers, deserts, forest, and lakes were missing. Cities had to be constructed in logical places. Spaceports, markets, cathedrals, universities, and military bases all had to be sited. I drew maps of the planets, which are in each novel so that the reader can follow along.

Of course, the inhabitants of the planets eat and drink and that meant developing flora and fauna. I researched what types of plants thrive in the different environments of my alien planets and kept a spreadsheet with descriptions.

It was all very interesting to research and create the world of the Collective, and in my opinion, the research makes the novels come to life.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

While writing the three novels I had to learn a great deal since several of the main characters are scientists. Daniel Radu is a starship propulsion engineer, Tara Kóbor is an astrophysicist, Meera is a botanist and Burell is an entomologist. I have learned so much from researching for the novels in “The Chronicles of Deneb” that I’d be hard pressed to name only one thing. But let me take a stab. I’m currently working on the fourth novel in the series. A few of the chapters are devoted to Daniel’s protégé, Marco, developing a new propulsion system for space freighters that would make use of the Interstellar Medium as a source of fuel. I spent a few months learning everything I could about futuristic spaceship engines, as well as the interstellar medium. But what I took from my studies, if a person continues to be curious throughout their lives, they can learn about things that they never knew existed. Learning is a life-long goal. That is what writing Daniel has taught me.

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

Green tea with freshly crushed cardamom is absolutely delicious and I love to have a cup beside me as I write. Naturally, I take a few sips, then forget all about it. But tea is my go-to drink. It gives me this sense of calm that allows me to enter into my “writer’s mode”. That reminds me, I need to heat up my cup of tea right now.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Oh a plotter 100%. Now, that is. Back in 2018, I started to work on my first novel, The Flight of the Mayflower. That began with just an idea in my head and I started to write, but suddenly I came across all sorts of problems. The novels span thirty years and so much happens between the time the crew lands on Deneb-7 in 2080CE and where the series ends. I needed a timeline with the lives of each of my main characters mapped out. In my office, I pecked out everything into an excel spreadsheet. It wasn’t exactly the best visual representation so I went downstairs and sat at a long table where I scrawled the most important plot points, one by one, on sticky notes and plonked them onto the wall in chronological order. I revise this from time to time, but very little needs to be changed as my writing progresses through the series.

There’s more though. I needed order, a roadmap to keep all of the creative details straight. Every person, city, plant, and animal that I create I throw onto the spreadsheet that holds the series’ timeline. I try to be as careful as possible to avoid consistency errors, but every writer knows that they sneak up on you. Without being a plotter I’d be lost in space. Or space opera… to be more precise 😉

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

I write in an office with a big window overlooking the front yard where I have a little rose garden. Thirteen roses, lucky thirteen, all David Austin shrub roses that share the garden space with other perennials and a dwarf Arctic willow hedge. Actually, I would hazard a guess that all arctic willows are dwarf types. But at the moment, it’s covered in snow. What can I say, I live in the snowbelt of Ontario, Canada. So let me look more to the right. There I see a framed map of the Canadian arctic. This is very meaningful to me. When I was younger, my parents retired to the Yukon Territory. Although by then I was no longer at home, I would visit twice a year. I got several other chances to visit the Arctic. I was tasked by the Air Force to conduct a study on supporting operations in the far north. I flew to several towns in Canada’s arctic, as well as the Canadian Forces Station Alert on the very top of Ellesmere Island. The framed map was given to me, on the occasion of my departure from my job at Winnipeg, by one of my very good friends with whom I have since lost touch. We travelled up north together along with a team, and the map is a constant reminder of the adventures we had in the arctic. None of the stories I write about is set in an arctic environment on an alien planet, but it’s now on my radar.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’ve alluded to a new addition to the series that should be ready for publication at the end of 2023. You see, the Chronicles of Deneb have hijacked my life! Although I haven’t given the book a title yet, I’m toying with Perils of Paradise since the plot takes place almost entirely on the beautiful tropical paradise island of Cepheus-9, with its binary star solar system. This book is a little different from the others in that my main character, Daniel Radu (originally an astronautical engineer) is forced to masquerade as a botanist within the Collective and his work takes him to various exotic locales where he and his boss Meera face dangerous situations. Daniel’s mask keeps slipping and Meera keeps wondering who he really is as Daniel makes use of his engineering expertise to get them out of sticky situations. There will be space pirates and dangerous creatures and shades of the past coming back to haunt him in the fourth novel. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Do you have a question for our readers?

I write to entertain. To give the reader an hour or so where they can kick back and be enthralled by a story of make believe filled with adventure and excitement. I’ve put a lot of thought and time into writing The Chronicles of Deneb. I have a good stable of beta readers who loyally and faithfully provide me with feedback, but I’d love to hear your opinions on my work. Reach out to me at www.zanneraby.com and let me know what you find interesting about the series.

Yes, I realize that wasn’t a question. So let me pose one here. Reviews sell books. Especially for independent authors. What would give you, the reader, the incentive to leave a review on Amazon, Kobo, or Goodreads?

Now that I’ve indoctrinated you into the “Collective”, don’t be shy! Keep in touch with me, friend me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/zanne.raby/ or get your copies of the maps for the planets within the Collective on my website.

The Chronicles of Deneb is a science-fiction/ space opera series set in the near future. The year is 2080 CE. The world is dying. Get ready to travel into the future to a time when nothing is certain. Where the science behind climate change was ignored, leading to drought and famine plaguing an already overpopulated globe. Massive waves of refugees stream across the planet, seeking sanctuary. Where terrorist groups have joined forces with biohackers to develop a deadly bio-engineered disease that marches across the continents like a conquering army, leaving millions dead in its murderous swathe.

Meanwhile, some of the best and brightest minds on the planet are feverishly at work - constructing gigantic Space Arks to shuttle hundreds of thousands of people to a colony on Mars. And it seems like there’s more good news: world leaders announce that a vaccine is ready. It’s all good; it’s all returning to normal.

But the truth is very different. In THE FLIGHT OF THE MAYFLOWER, the first novel in The Chronicles of Deneb, Dr. Daniel Radu – project manager for NASA’s Space Ark Mayflower – uncovers a global conspiracy of immense proportions. But Daniel cooks up a scheme of his own. Joined by a team of global experts, he and his colleagues brace themselves for a journey of a lifetime as they trek across the galaxy in a quest for survival.

Mayhem follows the Mayflower in the second book of The Chronicles of Deneb series, DESCENT INTO DARKNESS. Journey along with the crew of the Space Ark Mayflower as they adapt to their new home on the planet Deneb. But along with their struggle to integrate into an alien culture, a new battle sweeps across the planet with the arrival of the human-transmitted Chimera bactovirus, bringing war and fanning the flames of racial intolerance. With a bloody conflict now raging across the planet, the crew of the Mayflower is split between the two factions and embroiled in the chaos and destruction.

FIRES OF FURY is the third installment in The Chronicles of Deneb. Will the survivors of the Space Ark Mayflower find their way when cultures clash and the fires of fury threaten to consume their lives? Now masquerading as citizens of the Collective, the Mayflower crew has a new reason to fear. With the end of the Second Denebian War, Wesselan’s General Pallav Kóbor and his astrophysicist wife, Dr. Tara Kóbor, have high hopes that life will return to normal on Deneb7. Yet nothing can be further from the truth.In a diabolical plot to erase the scars left by the Second Denebian War, warlord turned Wessel Head of State Gomalan unleashes a fiendish scheme to heal his nation’s wounds, while his top soldier, General Ravenna, falls under the spell of a seductive Fyjer agent intent on crushing their ambitions. Dragged into a brutal reality of terror and intrigue, can the Kóbors and warbird ace Fynn Vogel remain unscathed, or will the flames consume them and all that is evil on Deneb-7?

Read an Excerpt

A white mist swirled about him, blinding in intensity. It pulled Pallav through the sands of time and across the deep divide of space. Before him, a city appeared at the confluence of two shimmering rivers and forested mountains peeked out from behind whimsical wooden houses that lined the avenues. From the mist stepped a broad-shouldered man. His rugged face was wind burned and a shaggy black beard flowed down his chest. Pale green eyes, so like his own, blinked in the dazzling light. Pallav reeled back in surprise but the man grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and kissed him three times on the lips.

He stared into those eyes, pale green like his own and a sick feeling came over him. “Have I died?” Pallav asked, panic setting in. His thoughts were of Tara, of his children and the pain that they would feel. He began to struggle, to search for a way back, but the mist descended once again.

A hand guided him back into the light; the man simply shook his head and glanced at Pallav with sadness. “My kin and blood, I fear you have lost your way. Look at what you have orchestrated on this day and tell me: do you not feel remorse?”

Pallav’s response sounded disingenuous even to his own ears. “Remorse, old man… At what?”

About the Author:
Since the days of the Napoleonic War, there has always been a member of Zanne’s family in uniform. Choosing to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors, Zanne joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1980, and was selected to attend the Royal Military College of Canada – the first year that women were accepted into that prestigious academy of learning. After graduation, she studied to become a Transportation and Movements Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

During a career spanning 38 years, some of the most memorable experiences involved command of 8 Mission Support Squadron as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, leading a study on support to the Canadian Arctic involving several trips to Northern Canada, including Canadian Forces Station Alert (the most northern settlement in the world), a three-year tour with NATO at Joint Force Command Brunssum, a deployment as the NATO Liaison Officer to United States Central Command, and finally a nomination as the Deputy Commander for the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.

After hanging up the uniform and putting away the combat boots, Zanne bought a small acreage in Central Ontario and designed her own house. With a cozy office overlooking the shores of Georgian Bay, she decided to pursue her life-long ambition: to become an author. Enough of the reports and returns that littered her desk over her career, now she could turn her attention to unleashing the creativity that had taken a back seat. The time had come to shake the dust off begin a new career. The winds of change had called.

Zanne is currently crafting The Chronicles of Deneb, a sci-fi space opera series that will take the reader from a dystopian earth on a voyage across the universe in search of a safe haven. But trouble is in store for them when the planet they land on is anything but the sanctuary they sought.

When not behind the keyboard, Zanne enjoys travel, photography, hiking, and gardening. And always, a good story to pass the time.

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