Tales of the Ocean City by Christopher Kaufman

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Christopher Kaufman will be awarding $45 worth of digital products from his website to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A young civilization is turning the corner into the future, but first they must face a terrible enemy from their deepest past - The Vorm..

The main characters are a young man named Harl’ut and his lifelong companion Vispushin - who is a perIanth, a kind of telepathic pegasus. Join them on this epic adventure as they lead a group of young warriors into the heart of the Vorm Hive.

Book One: Battle In The Sky is the first of five books which comprise the opening series of this epic tale. Here, Harl’ut and Vispushin and The Princess Bryn’lynn, engage in desperate battle over the southern plain with savage Vorm warriors. You will be uplifted by the passionate and thrilling conclusion of the first installment of this fantasy adventure.

Book Two: Descent Into The Abyss, Harl’ut recovers from his harrowing adventure from Book One: Battle In The Sky. He walks through the streets of The Ocean City, visits the Sculpture Garden and his friend, Elá, the bard, and engages in exciting training games with warrior/mentor, Calanctus. Then the story takes you down the throat of the vast volcano, Pla’than’taa, once worshipped as a god, where Harl’ut enacts a deadly initiation ritual, confronts the barbaric past of his people and battles a terrifying monster.

Read an Excerpt

Next to the eerie bulk of the WarChief alit the most impressive of all Perianths, the silver-maned stallion, Zhi’ga’fra. On his back was a man, lean and tall, his skin a deep burnt-orange color. Light green armor adorned his body. Whitish hair sprouted from under a simple gold helm. A mystical spray of light refracted from a bright green diamond prism in place of his left eye.

Verden, the ancient warrior who served as war-leader of Pla’than’taa, should such be needed, dismounted Zhi’ga’fra and pulled from the hideous bulk his green lance. He cleaned it on the tall grass next to the lake and looked about him. The WarChief’s remains were now collapsed in a heap, but Verdin noticed movement.

He went to it, kicked around, he saw the bulbous antennae on the WarChief’s head pulsing like a beacon. He drew a green coral blade from his sash, cut out the grotesque tentacle and tossed it, now lifeless, beside the wrack.

He felt a crushing weight of sadness fall upon him. He looked over to see Zhi’ga’fra, standing over the body of Zhii’gla, his son.

Verdin sighed, “I am so sorry dear friend... he was a great being... and died a tremendous warrior...” in response he felt from Zhi’ga’fra only a complex wave of grief, almost beyond even his ability to translate in his mind...“There will be more strife Zhi'ga'fra... I see war ahead.“

“Yes...as do I,” echoed the great creature, “These... things...Perianth’s have fought them before...long ago... an age past...I believe your race has encountered them as well...” Imagery now streamed in Verdin’s inner eye as he glimpsed the scenes flowing in Zhi’ga’fra’s mind.

“We thought they were all destroyed...we call them... the VORM...they are hideous and evil...and incredibly dangerous if their hive is reformed.”

About the Author:

Christopher Kaufman is an author, composer, presenter, illustrative artist and performer. He started imaginative fantasy books with illustrative art at the age of nine. During high school years he found music and attended The New Orleans Center for The Creative Arts and went on to major in music composition in college. He finished his schooling - earning his DMA in music composition at Cornell University where he studied with Pulitzer Prize Winning composers who prize his abilities as a composer.

Christopher is the type of person who needs imaginative fantasy scenarios to get to sleep. Therefore, he emerged from Cornell, not only with his degrees in music, but with the full event structure for his classic epic fantasy series Tales Of The Ocean City in his mind.

He began writing the story down in the early 2000’s, but it did not really come to life until he developed his home music ‘laboratory’ and started creating the music and text at the same time. Thus books one and two of TOC came about simultaneously as both graphically illustrated pages and effulgent audio albums filled with cinematic epic symphonic music.

They exist now as physical books and audio albums (that go together) and the new Video Book version. He performs live tours with the music pouring through speakers, live narration and the colorful pages streaming on screen -a true immersive multi-media experience.

Home Page: http://www.soundartus.com
Author Page: http://talesoftheoceancity.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soundartus4807
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talesoftheoceancity

Christopher believes in the transformative power of imagination. “Live with imagination!”

Smoke & Mirrors by Joanie Olson

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Joanie Olson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Searching for an answer to a question you haven't asked yet? You are not alone. One small realization and a whole world unravels.

Woven through these pages are a series of my most significant life events relating to narcissistic victim/survivor syndrome. Inside are keys unlocking mysteries of complex PTSD, compounded through various forms of abuse.

A journey of highs, like the Freedom Convoy, and the lows of a failed longtime marriage. With spiritual forces at work behind the scenes, could a Christian home have so many secrets? The smoke will clear to reveal our true mirrored self.

Read an Excerpt

I was paralyzed, not just by fear but by dread and over exhaustion. It felt as though given the opportunity I could sleep for days, yet struggled to find rest. I relied on prescribed meds, and the morning was showing the outcome of dependence. Irish cream was a favorite to put in my first cups of coffee for added motivation. As nice as this hotel was, there was no minibar to ease the angst.

I was immobilized, unable to move, begging God to take me. How can I do this? How can I manage the full brunt of this day without any of the vices that helped me survive for some time?

I turned on the TV, made some hotel room coffee and laid there motionless, praying for the Lord to take me home. A text came in from my office manager, Sharon, a reserved woman who I had a sincere bond with. She encouraged me daily, and I valued her advice.

“Hey girlie, how are you doing over there?”

My response was as she suspected. She knew how hard the meetings were for me. She was my closest confidant, a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Such a blessing to me, she was gifted with an ear to listen, non-judgmental and caring. She loved me and I loved her right back.

I told her about forgetting my pills and couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t do anything. Her response was comforting. She said, “Then don’t, don’t go. Do what you need to do. Take care of yourself and don’t worry about the rest.” Her approval in this seemed to sooth my soul. She made me self-aware that I DID have the power to not go if I didn’t want to. I could just say I wasn’t feeling well, but something inside me won’t give up. I can’t give in to negative, intrusive thoughts just waiting for my demise.

About the Author: Joanie was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Life revolved around chores, school and church. Six older siblings and all the nieces and nephews added up to a large family.

Strong in doctrine and armed with a passion for truth, she's walked the walk of faith, facing challenges to overcome. She was married at 19, became a mother to a stepdaughter, and later birthed two children. Following years of turmoil in her marriage, she hit the inevitable breaking point.

Starting life over, she attended broadcasting college, going on to anchor morning news for the airwaves. Feeling isolated and rejected, her drive to help others who have gone through similar circumstances inspired this book. Through the Refiners fire, she's ready to share tools required to escape the fake and embrace the truth.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779624719
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54144406.Joanie_Olson

The Matriarch Messiah by Maxime Trencavel

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding $20 Amazon/BN gift cards to two randomly drawn winners. 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?

Funny question for the books that I write. They are not written to genre. Quite the opposite. Specific genre craft are deployed to tell different parts of the storyline to best engage the reader’s emotions and visualizations. So why is The Matriarch Messiah listed as science fiction as the primary genre? The beauty of generative AI is that it can analyse 190,000 words and give a comprehensive answer.

So what does Gemini AI say?

The novel “The Matriarch Messiah” appears to be a blend of genres, primarily:
• Science Fiction: It features futuristic technology like MoxWraps, MoxMovers, and advanced AI.
• Fantasy: It includes mythical elements like the “black object,” the “cavern of blue light,” and a prophecy about women returning to save humanity.
• Romance: There are multiple love stories and romantic relationships.
• Adventure: It features an epic quest to find the mythical object.
• Thriller: It includes espionage, danger, and action-packed scenes.
The novel also incorporates historical elements and themes, giving it a complex and layered narrative.

But when I “beat” on the AI and force a choice, science fiction comes to forefront. But it is a truly multi-genre piece of literature. So why is there enough science fiction elements in the book to pull into that genre? Science and technology innovations allow one to imagine what ifs and open up possibilities to help us better understand who are now.

What world-building is required?

Reviews of both books in the Mystery of the Matriarchs series get high marks for the world-building. In studying how to write, I learned two “isms”. In historical fiction, you need to get history correct. Research, research, research. Thus, the historical parts of my books are heavily and deeply anchored in research. Both book and live person sources. What I learned about science fiction is you need to get the science right or reviewers will flag your error. I was fascinated in fan dialogue about the technologies features in the fictional MoxWorld corporation. Got imaginations going.

Here’s an example. Years before Amazon shut down the Kindle from you owning the file, I wrote in The Matriarch Messiah MoxWorld’s launch of the MoxBook where you owned the book, could sell the book, could outline and draw and take notes in your book. All virtually. That was a piece of prophesy about how consumers would five years later want the ownership of their e-books.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

I’ll take the liberty to name one thing about the two main characters.

With Peter Gollinger in The Matriarch Matrix, I wrote him as an anti-hero like Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds in the TV series Firefly. Wow. That bombed hugely so in numerous rounds of beta reads. Women did not want to spend their time with a loser. Well, romance readers certainly didn’t. So, Peter, as he exists in the published books, is making the cut as a romance partner.

The main protagonist in both books is Zara Khatum, a fierce former Kurdish soldier, whose fictional life was carved from real life biographies, articles, and shaping from a Kurdish editor. The darkness of the violence committed against Kurdish women recently and over the centuries was vividly and realistically embodied into Zara’s history and her current plight. My alpha readers all had family who either had been in occupied countries or had been victims of oppression. They did not “blink an eye” at the early drafts. But once the final manuscript went to the masses in USA, there were some negative visceral reactions. So, a second edition of The Matriarch Matrix was released that toned done the reality of what really does happen outside the safe haven of modern North American countries. The sequel, The Matriarch Messiah, reflects some of the same real-world brutality the Kurds faced, but is toned down. The reviews so far have not reflected any negative sentiment.

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

I write to musical that reflects the emotions, the pace, the timbre of what I need to be writing for that specific section of a book. The saddest sections, I will write when the family is sleeping or in the solitude of a writing room so they don’t have to wonder why I am crying.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I am a corporate strategist. So, I thought I was a plotter, which I do as I plan out a book. But once the prose creation time hits, my fingers just go where the “waves” take them like an expert surfer. At the end of the day, my books emotional reach comes from a pantser hiding in a plotter’s clothing.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Alexander Murometz, megalomaniac world puppet master, head of MoxWorld Holdings. He’s tapping his fingers on the table wondering where are the book sales. Ouf. What a horrible monstrous task master.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

The Matriarch Mission is a new work with development editor and beta readers. It is a novella length prequel to the two published books in the series. Set during the Russian Civil War, the roots of the black object and the cavern of the blue light are explored.

Questions that will be answered in this prequel:

Where did Rachel Capsali, in The Matriarch Messiah, find her all consuming passion to find the truth about Asherah?

Where did Alexander Murometz get the funding to create his all powerful MoxWorld Empire so he could solve the mystery of the ancients and find the legendary black object?

Who said Zara Khatun will end the world as we know it [plot spoiler] in the final book of the series, The Matriarch Mandate?

That said, I will outline the Matriarch Mandate during April on the shores of Mallorca.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Given the multi-genre, multiple plot lines, multiple timelines of The Matriarch Messiah, how does one target the readers of such a work of literature? Certainly, Kindle has the most genre and sub-genre choices and this novel as with its predecessor fits none of the usual suspect descriptions. In the reviews so far, those who are brave enough to take the “risk” reading it find the experience favorable.

Zara Khatum, a woman haunted by ancient visions, finds herself drawn deeper into the heart of a perilous quest. Guided by a mysterious voice, she seeks to fulfill an ancient prophecy and find the cavern of blue light - a sanctuary rumored to hold the key to saving humanity. But the path to salvation is fraught with danger, and Zara is torn between her destiny and her heart.

A shadowy organization, known as NiQihs, seeks to exploit the power of the legendary black object, the source of Zara's visions, for their own sinister ends. They are not alone. The world's superpowers, driven by greed and ambition, race to control the artifact, threatening to unleash unimaginable devastation.

Joining Zara in this dangerous pursuit is Rachel Capsali, a brilliant Israeli archaeologist driven by a personal quest to uncover evidence of Asherah, a forgotten goddess who held a pivotal place in ancient Israelite faith. Unbeknownst to them, both women are bound by a shared destiny - a prophecy foretelling the cavern of blue light and a final, heartbreaking truth: two women will fight to the death, and only one will save us all.

Adding to the complexity, a passionate triangle forms as Rachel vies for Peter Gollinger's affection, a man deeply entangled in the ancient mystery. Zara, torn between fulfilling her destiny and her own feelings for Peter, finds herself caught in a web of conflicting desires.

As Zara and Rachel navigate a treacherous landscape of hidden agendas, betrayal, and relentless pursuit, their rivalry for Peter's affections intensifies. Can love survive the forces that threaten to tear them apart? Will the quest for salvation lead to a heart-wrenching sacrifice?

Read an Excerpt:

"So, what's so special about some random legend?" says Rachel. "My safta raba Ariella said, 'She said one day Nearat and her daughter will return. Humanity will wane and wobble. And the woman who will save humanity will bring peace from the blue light. But to return, one must overcome one's fear of death. Two women will fight so that one will die. For only in the death of life as one knows it can she be in the light. Until then, Inanna awaits.'""

With a light chuckle, Mei combs through ground-penetrating radiation scans as she says, "Be thankful you only had to memorize seven sentences. That guy from California with the Kurdish woman had to memorize four times that much. His grandfather made him say it backwards, even. As random as your safta raba's saying may seem, it isn't to Murometz, and even Jean-Paul, who's aggregating oral traditions like yours with thousands of others he's collected, including those from the Vatican archives. They are far from random now."

Slowly walking in concentric circles from the black box MoxWorld loaned her, Rachel views the real-time scan images as she says, "I wish I could have met Mr. Murometz when you and Jean-Paul screened me. Not that I didn't relish our time together."

"Come on, Rach. You wouldn't wear that dress I made for you, much less the vamp shoes and makeup we designed," says Mei.

"I didn't mean to meet him in 'that' way," says Rachel as she runs her hand along her braids. "If I'm not worthy enough minus my lady bits, then he isn't worthy enough for my time, I say."

"I never said you had to wear those simply ravishing clothes for him," says Mei.

"Well, certainly it wasn't for Father Sobiros, I assumed. And you said Murometz was fascinated that my safta raba's words included a reference to a Sumerian goddess whose priestesses were known for prostitution. I only assumed he was hinting he wanted the same out of me, as all the rumors would suggest," jests Rachel. "Wait. Do you see what I see?"

"Hold on, Rach. I have an incoming call from the president of China."

About the Author:

Maxime has been scribbling stories since grade school, from adventure epics to morality plays. Blessed with living in multicultural pluralistic settings and having earned degrees in science and marketing, Maxime has worked in business and sports, traveling to countries across five continents and learning about cultures, traditions, and the importance of tolerance and understanding. Maxime's second novel, The Matriarch Messiah, was conceived, outlined, written, and edited in different locations in Belgium, including the Turkish and Kurdish neighborhoods of Brussels, in various islands of the Caribbean, in Colombia, in Madrid, Malaga, Mallorca, Spain, London, UK, and on the two coasts of the United States.

Book and author website: https://tailofthebird.com/
Author Blog: https://tailofthebird.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaximeTrencavel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maximetrencavel/

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bubPb8 $0.99 on Amazon
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/mystery-of-the-matriarchs
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-matriarch-messiah/id6742783963 $0.99 on iBooks
Google Books: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Matriarch_Messiah.html?id=I_9LEQAAQBAJ $0.99 on Google Books

Being Broken by Geoffrey R. Jonas

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Geoffrey R. Jonas will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A young woman dies alone in a hotel room, her fentanyl-poisoned cocaine still on the desk. She had been missing for nearly 2 weeks. Social Services had been trying to find a place for her to live with her 3-year-old son, whom she had left with her parents. Six months later her father fights for his life in intensive care, but succumbs to his illness because of a lifelong use of alcohol and tobacco. A month after his death her mother is assessed by doctors to be unable to care for herself because of her Alzheimer's and mental health issues brought on by benzodiazepine and alcohol addiction.

The son, brother, stepson is the only one left to pick up the pieces. He begins a journey of the self and finds out the truth of his family. After going over letters, notes, emails, videos, and text messages, he uncovers a disturbing picture of the abuse his sister suffered at the hands of their parents. He also begins to better understand his own struggles with mental health and substance addiction because of the trauma and abuse he also suffered from their parents.

Follow the son as he looks through his family history to discover the generational abuse that trickled down through the years. Learn about how parents who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder emotionally abuse and manipulate their children. See how the abuse and trauma becomes mental illness in the abused, and how they fall into vicious traps of addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Witness the transformational change of the son as he works on the recovery of his inner child and tries to become the man he was meant to be.

Read an Excerpt

Essay: Fault vs. Responsibility and Blame

Before I continue, I wanted to interject a discussion on fault versus responsibility and blame. My ability to have forgiven my father all came down to a discussion with my therapist on whether they were at fault for my trauma, or if they were responsible or to blame for that trauma.

Human beings are not born with instincts. A baby left on its own will die. It will not search for food, it will not try to move or walk, and its only means of communication are cries. Many animals are born with instincts, such as marsupials or rodents that instinctively move to a mammary gland or an ungulate that will attempt to get up and walk or move, as soon as it is able, to find food.

With this truth in mind, the conclusion is that all human behaviour is learned from our caretakers, then our peers as we get older. Early childhood development dictates that children learn behavioural responses as soon as they are engaged by a caregiver. If we give them love and support, they develop healthy adaptations to the world around them. If their cries are unheeded and we leave them abandoned and rejected, a myriad of mental health issues will emerge as they get older.

This leads to how we apply fault vs. blame to behaviour and choices people make as they get older. We can’t fault a child for being racist if that is what their caregiver taught them; however, we can blame them for their actions if they are cruel and make the choice to harm others because of what they learned.

Further, we cannot fault an individual that suffers from a serious mental health issue if they have learned that adaptive behaviour due to not being provided with the proper love and support as they were developing. Again, however, we can blame them for making choices that cause harm to others. It is not their fault that their learned behaviours condition them to make poor choices, but they are still choices that have consequences.

This is a key factor in generational abuse and trauma. A child that grows up in an abusive home develops poor adaptive skills and behaviours. This can lead to all kinds of poor coping skills such as abusive behaviour towards others, self-harm, eating disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and an array of other mental health issues.

However, these disorders are treatable. It is critical that once we identify these types of behaviours, the individual begins a process of treatment and therapy to unlearn them and develop healthy ones instead. This took me years, and it is a lot of work. Many cannot do so without the proper support structures to allow it to happen. It is vital that treatment happens to end the generational cycle of abuse.

About the Author: Geoffrey is a first-time author. He lives peacefully by a lake, spending his time writing, painting, gardening, and woodworking. His recovery is ongoing, and he enjoys his privacy and seclusion.

Website: https://geoffreyrjonas.ca
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55118142.Geoffrey_R_Jonas
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/livingwithcptsd.bsky.social
Amazon: https://a.co/d/eJTO4wq

Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. 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 love romance so much. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than writing about love. I’ve fallen in love with it! There’s something so transporting, affectionate, and hopeful when you’re writing a romance. It’s like living in a space of goodness. It’s such an escape from reality which can often be harsh and disappointing. In romance, there’s always hope. The best part of writing about love is that the love on the pages lives inside of you too.

What research is required?

It’s different for every book. Sometimes there’s a location that I need to learn about. Other times there’s a piece of art referenced in the book that I need to know about, or some scientific phenomenon. Shooting Stars Above didn’t require much research. It’s a very character-driven and relationship-driven book. That all came from my imagination.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Be kind. Always. You can never be too kind or too generous. Treat others gently. We are all fighting battles others do not see. Many carry invisible wounds. Always lead with love.

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

I always have a printed copy of each manuscript. Yes, of course I have electronic copies which I know logically are more important, but I don’t feel “safe” without a printout.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Honestly, there’s no easy answer. I’m a bit of both. I usually know the characters and overall plot, often down to the last line, before I start writing. But I never know all the scenes and moments that will take me from A to B. I just start writing scenes, out of order, and see where each one goes. I love happy surprises. Those are often the best moments, the ones you could not have planned but got to by following your muse. It’s an amazing process of discovery and it never happens the same way twice.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A stack of about ten printed manuscripts—all completed romance novels. We’ll be rolling out two a year for quite a while.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

Shooting Stars Above is the launch book for The Celestial Bodies Romances. There are six books written to date and I honestly love each more than the one before. We’ll be releasing one each spring. Shooting Stars Above includes the first chapter of the next book, Twinkle of Doubt (coming out spring 2026). Each novel takes place a year after the last and follows the same characters, although some fun new characters are introduced across the series too. Each series title explores love and a different theme. The first book is about love and healing. Other topics include doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, and faith. While there are different kinds of critical events that happen in each book, really, none of the books are about external threats. The series is about the audio playing in our own heads. I’m also releasing different romances each fall. On September 2 of this year, I’ll be releasing Cinematic Destinies. It’s the final book in A Red Carpet Romance trilogy following The Location Shoot and After the Red Carpet, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Cinematic Destinies has multiple love stories and a really fun film-set location for part of the novel. Readers who enjoy Hollywood romance stories and exotic settings may want to check out that series.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Soulmates, real or imaginary?

For fans of Colleen Hoover comes an emotionally charged contemporary romance about a internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.

Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.

The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?

Read an Excerpt:

When the unmistakable opening piano notes of “All of Me” came on, Tess looked up at Jack. “It’s our song, baby.”

“That’s my cue,” he said to the group.

He led her onto the dance floor. She put one hand on his shoulder, and he slipped one around her waist to the small of her back. They started to sway, staring at each other as if they were the only people in the world. As the song progressed, she moved her hand down his arm to pull him closer, and he ran his fingers through her hair. They were pressed tightly together, in slow movement. Everyone at their table watched, smiles across their faces.

“Whoa,” Bobby mumbled.

“They are really in love. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Joe said.

Clay put his arm around Omar and said, “Look at them.”

“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d never believe it. My sweet Butterfly is truly happy.”

When the song was over, Jack whispered, “Let’s go to your place.”

At the end of the evening, they all bundled up and stumbled out of the bar.

A homeless man standing on the sidewalk asked, “Can you please spare anything?”

The group stood around awkwardly, but Tess walked right up to him. “Hi. I’m Tess, this is Jack, and these are our friends.”

Jack stepped directly behind Tess in a protective stance.

“What’s your name?” Tess gently asked the man.

“Henry,” he replied.

She smiled, pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her pocket, and handed it to him. When he took the money, she held his hand. Surprised, he looked at her and said, “You’re very kind. Thank you.”

“Getting kind of cold out,” she remarked, still holding his hand.

“Sure is.”

She took off her cashmere scarf and held it out. “Here, please take this and try to stay warm.”

“Wow,” Joe muttered.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Henry said.

“Please, I insist.”

“Thank you,” he said, taking the scarf. “Someone must have taught you to do unto others.”

“No, someone taught me there are no others. Good night, Henry.”

She turned to her friends, their mouths agape.

Henry looked at Jack, who hadn’t moved, and quietly asked, “Is she some kind of angel?”

“Yeah, something like that,” he muttered.

Tess walked over to Omar and hugged him. “Our usual breakfast on Thursday?”

“Yes, Butterfly.”

“Good night, guys,” she said to her friends.

They all said goodbye. Jack took Tess’s hand and walked her to his car. He opened her door and she got in. When he closed the door, he looked back at Henry, who was wrapping the scarf around his neck and smiling.

About the Author:

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Recently, her novel The Location Shoot was featured in Ms. Career Girl's “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and She Reads in “Novels to Read if You Love Classic Movies” and was the 2024 Best Book Awards First Place Winner in Women’s Fiction. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine and serves on the board of the London Arts-Based Research Centre. In addition to writing, she enjoys movies, art, reading, and travel.

Website: https://patricialeavy.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Stars-Above-Celestial-Romances-ebook/dp/B0CYJ76ZXK/ref=sr_1_1

Live in Rotations by Farid Yaghini

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Farid Yaghini will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Farid Yaghini's unforgettable memoir takes you on a journey from escaping persecution in Iran to rebuilding a life in Canada and serving on the frontlines with the Canadian military. Filled with humour, heart, and unflinching honesty, his story of resilience, redemption, and the founding of Camp Aftermath will inspire you to believe in the power of hope and human connection.

Read an Excerpt

On the fourth night, I woke to my mother shoving bread into my jacket sleeves. Everyone around us was scrambling, panicked. The smugglers were making their move. My mother, my two-year-old sister, and I were crammed into the back of an SUV, sitting on jerry cans. One popped open, drenching us in gasoline. The driver, cigarette in hand, barely seemed to notice.

Hours later, we stopped in the middle of the desert. Just as we climbed out, headlights appeared in the distance. Without hesitation, our smugglers jumped back into their vehicles and tore off, leaving us stranded in the open. We ran for cover, crouching behind a hill as the approaching vehicles roared past. Not border patrol—just more smugglers.

Separated from my parents, I was sent off with my cousins and a group of young boys. This should have been terrifying, but to seven-year-old me, it was an adventure. No rules, no bedtime. We hid behind restaurants, rode in the backs of pickup trucks, and dodged guards at the border. One smuggler, Shahpur, fascinated me—his hand always on the gun in his jacket pocket. The day he set it down on a car hood, I touched it, awed.

Weeks later, I was reunited with my parents. I hadn’t seen them in so long that I forgot to be scared. But when I overheard them whispering about never returning home, I finally understood. We weren’t going back to Iran. Ever.

About the Author

Farid Yaghini was born in Iran and fled to Pakistan with his family to escape religious persecution following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. At the age of nine, he immigrated to Canada as a refugee, navigating the confusion and frustration of adapting to a new way of life. Through it all, he carried a deep sense of resilience, hope, and an irrepressible knack for finding humour, even in the most challenging moments.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/F.Yaghini
Website: http://campaftermath.org
Amazon Buy Link: https://amazon.com/dp/0228884977

Boo's Blue Poo and Goo by Toni Nelson

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Toni Nelson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

'Give a helping hand to someone in trouble today and you will be richly rewarded!'

Diamonte De Dazzle (owner of the world's most famous department store) read her daily horoscope and was puzzled. Who was in trouble?

Who, what, why, when and where? How on earth could she help?

She then encountered Boo, a homeless blue cat, trying to escape from TCC, the horribly horrible Cat Catcher. Boo was the only truly blue cat on the planet, so TCC intended on cat-napping and exhibiting her to become rich and famous.

(Evil laugh from TCC . . .)

The combination of an eccentric department store owner, as well as TCC, two snobby socialites, plus a fashion event which is unexpectedly and thoroughly thrown into chaos, is life- changing.

Read an Excerpt

Both Daisy and Diamonte carried big baskets and shopping bags full of clothing and materials that swirled around and seemed to have a magical life of their own. Diamonte always seemed to be doing squillions of things at once, and she was a one-woman hurricane. As she walked she not only chatted with Daisy, but she also read her Daily Horoscope.

She loved to read “Your Stars” from the Daily Newspaper. She liked to quote her “Stars” every day to Daisy, then discuss their meanings over a cup of tea or coffee. It was fortunate that Daisy was extremely patient, as well as tolerant, as she had no interest whatsoever in the “Stars.” Anyway, today, Diamonte’s “Stars” read: “Give a helping hand to someone in trouble today, and you will be richly rewarded!” Diamonte stopped walking. The people behind bumped heavily into her and Daisy, resulting in great confusion, including the spillage of many of their recent purchases, which now lay on the pavement.

Diamonte looked at Daisy. “Ooooh! What do you think this means?”

Daisy, gathering up everything that had fallen from Diamonte’s baskets, rolled her eyes. Daisy spent quite a lot of time picking up Diamonte’s spilled bits and pieces, during the course of a normal day.

Diamonte suddenly became aware of noisy noises close to her. She glanced around and saw Boo and TCC, who were, by now, wrestling on the ground. Boo was putting up a far stronger resistance to TCC than he expected! It was at this moment that TCC’s hair fell off and was blown away by the wind. A bird found it and used it for a comfy new nest.

About the Author:

Toni is Australian-born, considering herself extremely fortunate to have had parents who encouraged her love of books. Seventy years on, she is still an ardent reader.

(Thanks Mum and Dad.)

She enjoys writing, previously assisting in the production of a monthly community newspaper: The Bayswater Buzz.

This story is derived from a brief news report she watched some years ago, which has somehow morphed into this book.

She truly hopes you enjoy the story of Boo, the blue cat.

Website: https://toninelsonwriter.com/

Amazon: https://amazon.com.au/dp/0228825008
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=9780228825005
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780228825005
Abebooks: https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780228825005
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=9780228825005

The Adventures of the Unicorn Poo by Reice Godfrey

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Reice Godfrey will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.

Read an Excerpt

They ran over to the Poo and Bailee said, “Is this Unicorn POO?”

Sonny asked, “Is it the colour of a rainbow? NO!”

“Is it covered in glitter? NO!”

“Does it smell like cotton candy? (Sniff, Sniff) NO!”

This is fox POO as a little tiny fox runs away into the bushes.

About the Author: Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.

AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Unicorn-Poo-Reice-Godfrey/dp/0228878942/ref=sr_1_1

Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy

Patricia Leavy is giving away copies of SHOOTING STARS ABOVE, her upcoming romance from She Writes Press. How to get yours? It's easy... just complete the Rafflecopter below and you'll receive one from the author!

So, what's the book about? Here's the info:

For fans of Colleen Hoover comes an emotionally charged contemporary romance about a internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.

Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.

The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?

Praise for the book

Featured on Ms. Career Girl “A Book for Every Type of Reader to Kick off 2025.”

Featured on She Knows “22 Incredible New Books That You’ll Want to Get Your Hands on in 2025.”

“Patricia Leavy crafts a riveting narrative that shows the healing power of love and how it helps wounded souls become whole once again.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

“For readers seeking a story that restores faith in humanity and shines a light on the beauty of connection, this novel is a must-read.”—Literary Titan

“For so many of us, perhaps all of us, life is challenging as we learn to live through and with trauma, grief, and loss. Shooting Stars Above shows us how to thrive through unconditional love. Read this book—it will crack your heart wide open.” —Laurel Richardson, author of Lone Twin

“Leavy has done what she does best: write a story that you won’t be able to put down until you finish the final sentence. Shooting Stars Above is a love story about friendship and real romance, but most importantly, it is a story about learning to love ourselves, the most difficult love of all.” —Sandra L. Faulkner, author of Poetic Inquiry: Craft, Method, and Practice


For a free copy of the book, please fill out the Rafflecopter below(this giveaway is limited to US residents only and to the first 10,000 copies)

Mean Cuisine by Wendy W. Webb

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Wendy will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Beluga Stein is taking a cooking class and it's a real killer. This time she's traded her signature loud muumuus for ill-fitting chef attire, including a toque the size of her ego.

A well-liked chef is found dead and it's up to Beluga and her feline familiar, Planchette, to investigate. There's no recipe to follow, only the hope that her erratic psychic ability will hit the spot. Is a supernatural entity stirring up trouble, or something far more dangerous?

Beluga and Planchette can't stand the heat, but there's no way out of this kitchen while murder is the main dish.

Read an Excerpt

Beluga Stein’s Diary

Such a day.

And while Chef Pernod tried mightily to restore order with an impromptu lecture on the differences between Grande, Classic and Nouvelle cuisines, I’m afraid the distinctions were lost when the frozen body was wheeled past us to the waiting ambulance.

The sight of such a spectacle took a toll on the chef as well, I should add. Fortunately for me there was no mention of Planchette in the kitchen, but for the rest of us the chef’s well-practiced lecture took a sudden nosedive into a stream-of-consciousness series of French words. I think I heard her say that a traditional kitchen brigade had positions with names sounding something like “poisoner,” which is rather ominous if you ask me, and “chefs who party,” which might warrant further investigation if things start to get dull. Or one finds herself in immediate need of hors d’oeuvres and a tropical cocktail.

About the Author:

Wendy W Webb (aka one of the many Wendy Webbs) has published dark fantasy short stories and novels, co-edited anthologies, and has had productions of stage and radio plays. After a hiatus as a doctoral student of emergency management and as a disaster responder, she welcomed the return to fiction with The Wild Rose Press writing the gothic Widow’s Walk, and two updated books in the Beluga Stein supernatural-humor-murder mystery series, Bee Movie and Mean Cuisine. Sunbury Press under the Milford House imprint published the paranormal, travel, “memoir,” Eye of the Gargoyle. She adores her husband; two dogs, one of which turns on iTunes whenever Wendy leaves her office; dry red wine; theatre; and travel as long as she doesn’t see anymore ghosts!

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mean-cuisine-wendy-w-webb/1007879485
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mean-Cuisine-Beluga-Stein-Mystery/dp/1509259279

Bad Order by Mike Elliott

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

This is the incredible true story of railroad worker and union official Mike Elliott, targeted by his railroad employer, BNSF Railway Company, for his safety-related activities. As the union's state legislative board chair, Elliott was the top safety official in the state, and the voice for over 900 rank & file locomotive engineers operating trains around the clock, every day of the year.

When his members reported a plethora of trackside signal malfunctions on the BNSF Seattle subdivision, Elliott went to the railroad first, asking that they fix the problems. When the BNSF failed to act, he contacted the government's regulatory authority, the Federal Railroad Administration. That led to an FRA inspection of over 130 miles of the railroad's track and signal systems turning up hundreds of federal defects – all with potential to put workers and the public at risk.

What followed was a retaliation plot reminiscent of the Nineteenth Century Robber Barons: A management-staged conflict at work, police called in, arrest, jail, criminal charges, and termination from his job – not once but twice.

The wrath, influence and power of North America's largest freight railroad is unleased in full force and in an all-out attack on a whistleblower's life, liberties, and career. An amazing journey of one man's righteous battle against impossible odds and the nearly unlimited resources of a multi-billion-dollar corporation.

Read an Excerpt:

Jim Vucinovich called me to the stand. He addressed background facts concerning my education, current employment, ongoing work for the BLET, and my past work history, including my USMC service and law enforcement experience. He asked most specifically about the “instruction and training in self-defense” I received at the police academy in California and if that training came into play during the Kautzmann parking lot incident.

“It had,” I answered.

We left this subject for the moment and went into more of my work experience, including the history of my railroad career. This gave us an opportunity to explain something about the labor structure in railroading while establishing my experience and expertise as a conductor and an engineer. We eventually zeroed-in on my knowledge of signals and safety, the nature of the signal complaints I received from my Union Pacific BLET members, and, most significantly, processes associated with tri-annual engineer recertification.

I testified to being through it several times previously, describing the “Net-Sim” (network simulator), its role in the process and how Net-Sim scheduling was accomplished through the company payroll computer. Jim also asked questions about the driver’s license abstract, the requirement it be submitted along with other documents to BNSF’s Overland Park, Kansas certification department and how Washington State only allows the licensee to obtain a copy of their own driving abstract. This was important information establishing that Dennis Kautzmann had no legitimate reason for contacting me on March 3rd, 2011, as the Net-Sim scheduling notifications were done through the payroll computer.

The testimony also laid the foundation for countering BNSF’s false assertion I had failed to submit my tri-annual recertification paperwork in a timely manner, or had submitted paperwork from the previous tri-annual recertification in 2005, by identifying the keeper of those records: BNSF certification manager Kathy Conkling.

From here, Jim led me through testimony about my safety work for BLET. I explained that I got into safety because I saw a disconnect between what workers learned in classroom training and what they experienced in the field.

About the Author: Mike Elliott was born and raised in Washington State. He enjoys the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, classic rock & roll music, vintage stereo gear, home cooked meals, and Seattle Mariners baseball. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224714537-bad-order
Buy Link: https://amazon.com/dp/1779626037

The Art to Online Dating by Fleur Lamot

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Fleur Lamot will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A step-by-step guide to navigating dating and finding love on the World Wide Web, written by someone with firsthand experience on the topic, and who has also tested the theory on a number of case studies and through research. Authored from a female perspective, directed to a female audience, although potentially an eye opening and helpful read for a male reader too.

This book is not about making you a better person, nor is it a self help book. It is about changing your mindset when embarking on singledom and internet dating to not fear it, by equipping you with the understanding of people's actions and motives.

Throughout the book you will be guided in setting up your online profile, picking your match, the all important art and the do's and don'ts through every step of courting someone, all the way to going forward with your ultimate love match!

Reading this book will bring you confidence and or at least clarity. It will make you think about your past experiences and open your eyes to see where they may have gone wrong, and more importantly to ensure the same mistakes don't happen to you on future experiences.

Read an Excerpt

This is a firsthand guide to using internet dating as a tool to its best outcome: to find love online. It is unemotional and it is a practical handbook. It worked for me, and it has since been tried and tested over and over, successfully working on the majority of people I interviewed. You will note a few of their cases documented, referred to as test cases later in the guide. There is no guarantee this will work for you, but it will give you an opportunity, and the more opportunities you get in life, the more chances you will have at succeeding. If this doesn’t work for you, at least you gave it a go and you will definitely have learnt something about yourself along the way.

This book is a step-by-step guide to navigating dating and finding love on the World Wide Web. It is written by someone with firsthand experience on the topic who has also tested the theory on a number of case studies and through research. The book has been written from a female perspective and is directed at a female reader/consumer. In saying this, a male reader would also find this book interesting, and potentially eye-opening and helpful. This book is not about making you a better person, nor is it a self-help book. Although there are a number of psychologists’ viewpoints here, I am not a psychologist; I am an ordinary person who has a successful career I am married, and I am a mother I am a businesswoman, and I built a very successful business from the ground up. This was achieved through my networking and relationship management experience as well as the professional mentoring and coaching that I was lucky enough to receive. I found love online using historical human principles, understanding people’s motives and actions, listening to the right people, as well as trusting my own instincts.

About the Author: I successfully found love online using historical principles, understanding people's motives and actions, listening to the right people, as well as trusting my own instincts. I am now married and a mother. I am a business woman with a very successful business, built from extensive networking and relationship management experience. I have received professional mentoring and coaching, which has helped me achieve all of this.

INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/fleurlamot
AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-Online-Dating-Fleur-Lamot/dp/0228867509

Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. Which character from modern science fiction TV series has most captured your imagination?

I was utterly intrigued by the character of Mother in the series Raised by Wolves, which was produced by Ridley Scott, my husband’s all-time favourite director. (Let’s not talk about how many times we’ve watched Bladerunner!)

Mother is categorized as a necromancer – a type of military android, but she’s been repurposed to be a caregiver, with the responsibility to start a peaceful colony of human children on the planet Kepple- 22b.

Mother has an ability to fly, shapeshift and disintegrate any living thing with sound waves.

As someone who is keenly interested in the properties of sound, and how they can be used, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I recommend checking out the show, just to get to know this intriguing character.

What was the first book you remember making an indelible impression on you?

Definitely Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. I’ve been reading and thinking about that book since I first came across it, probably around the age of ten. The story of Ayla is really inspirational for the girls and women of our time. It’s about a girl who is different, who learns how to use her unique skills, develops incredible survival skills through tenacity, focus and courage, and who also has a deep, intrinsic connection with the natural and spiritual realms; from her connection to nature and to animals, her protectors in the clan, to her totem animal and her own inner strength.

Caves also play a role in the world of Bitroux, don’t they? Tell us about that.

The story of Bitroux takes place on the planet of Ahm, on the continent of San Aurelle, made up of seven individual countries. They are all now independently governed; after having originally been a federated country.

Under the continent of San Aurelle’s power grid is a deep and extensive cave network, which extends eight levels down below falling away into a seemingly endless abyss. This cave network seems to have existed outside anyone’s awareness until recently.

In Bitroux: High Country, Merouac and his niece Evra are taking a beat, after stressful recovery operations from when Evra fell down a shaft in the caves. However, the fact that they ended up in this obscure part of the underground landscape gave Merouac his first glimpse at the spaces deep below the city. It is what inspired him to oversee the relocation of the Helara, a population of extraterrestrial energies, who needed refuge from their imploding planet.

What kind of readers will enjoy Bitroux: High Country?

This book is for readers who enjoy stories exploring different ways of being in the universe, with plot lines that cross dimensions and allow characters to explore new skills and capabilities that may be available to us as human beings.

I’ve used the book as a way to explore the idea of our body as a tool for sensory perception, an essential part of how we understand sentience and intelligence in the world around us.

So, I think readers who are interested in altered states of consciousness, and how people experience them, will enjoy the book. That is; if you are interested in the human experience beyond the five senses, and thinking about what capabilities are being uncovered as we learn to bypass conscious thought and go into deeper levels of knowing.

If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.

Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.

While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.

As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.

Read an Excerpt

The two men were slow moving, graceful, each with a high mohawk of golden straw-like hair, and heavily decorated with neck jewels. The neck-ware was gnarled, twisted, fibrous, fragments of plant stems dried and interwoven with beads and fresh flowers, trussed with other leaves and organic material, and embedded with strange jewels that seemed to glow and fade, changing colours across a spectrum of blues to greens and then back to blues.

Tundra inclined his head, made a small gesture and a bow.

‘He greets you,’ Kii translated. ‘Tundra does not speak very much, and so I’ll translate for him.’

‘How do you know what he wants to say, then?’ Merouac asked.

‘I can see it, or sense it, in the atmosphere,’ Kii explained.

Merouac watched in surprise as the Tundra gestured again, imparting information through the aether which Kii seemed to easily recieve and decipher.

Tundra then eased himself into a crouching position and cleared a patch of grass. He shook his head and determined it would not suit, and looked for a sandy patch. He moved over to another, more suitable, patch of ground and beckoned the other two to join him. He went through the same process of clearing the ground, and then used his fingers to trace lines into the sand. He was silent as he did so, but then looked at Kii expectantly, and Kii nodded.

‘Tundra said you did the right thing with the race that was escaping their imploding planet. They are safe, and they will rest in the core of Ahm now. Tundra was just drawing a map for me, to show me where they are.’

Merouac felt a shock run through him. ‘How does Tundra know about the Helara?’ he asked Kii.

‘There are things that can be seen in the energetic environment. He is able to perceive the place where the Helara now rest. It is under the power grid, deep below Suron. There is a cave network, and catacombs with very deep canyons. Below those canyons, this is where you found a place for the Helara to enter the core of the planet. It was the right thing to do,’ Kii said, translating as he watched Tundra’s fingers work in the sand.

About the Author:

Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.

Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.

High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.

Website: https://jordanharcourthughes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordaninthestudio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordaninthestudio

Inn the Dead of Winter by Rhonda Blackhurst

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rhonda Blackhurst will be awarding a free e-book of Inn the Dead of Winter or book one, Inn the Spirit of Murder to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to Spirit Lake in the dead of a Minnesota winter, where the brutally cold temp isn't the only thing to fear.

Andie Rose Kaczmarek, a six-year sober life coach and owner of the haunted Spirit Lake Inn, has learned the hard way that the living are far more dangerous than anything in the spirit world.

When a controversial guest fails to return to her room on the same night a body is discovered in a fish house on Big Spirit Lake, Andie Rose teams up with her sponsor and sidekick, Sister Alice, and her emotional support red retriever, Aspen, to solve the case.

After Andie Rose discovers illegal activity on the inn’s property that ties to the murder, the investigation shifts into high gear. As she uncovers shocking secrets of those she thought she knew, someone is intent on keeping her quiet at any cost.

Can the inn’s resident ghost save her from impending harm when it seems the ones closest to her pose the greatest threat?

Read an Excerpt

“Hey, Sister Alice. Good timing.” I wandered to the parlor and stood in front of the fireplace.

“Can’t say that there’s such a thing as good timing when I tell you why I’m calling.” I groaned inwardly. It was going to be one of these days, was it? When I didn’t 1 say anything, she continued. “They found a body in Big Spirit Lake.”

“Holy wicked whiskey!” My mind spun furiously. “Who’s they?”

“Police.”

“Hm. Well, on the positive side of things—and I know this won’t sound good—but at least it wasn’t here at the inn this time. And that someone found it before Aspen and I stumbled upon it when I took him there this afternoon.” I’d found a body at the inn last fall, bringing in the Halloween season in an unexpected fashion.

“Keep in mind when you go this afternoon that the police don’t need your help. Stay out of their way.”

“I’m insulted.”

“Stop pouting. You know it’s true. We’re to keep our own side of the street clean. Not stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

“I want to fire you as my sponsor.”

She snorted with amusement. “Have at it. You’re assuming you could find another one.”

Abut the Author: Rhonda is an avid reader, writer, coffee and dark chocolate connoisseur, and certified life coach. She has 10 independently published novels: The Inheritance, a contemporary fiction novel; seven books in the Melanie Hogan Mysteries; and Finding Abby and Abby's Redemption in the Whispering Pines Romantic Suspense duology. She was awarded the 2022 Master of Literary Arts Award from the Brighton Chamber.

Website: http://www.rhondablackhurst.com
Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.blackhurst.1
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rjblackhurst/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhonda.blackhurst
BookBub: https://partners.bookbub.com/my_books
TWRP Buy Link: https://wildrosepress.com/product/inn-the-dead-of-winter/