Among Us by V.G. Harrison

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. V.G. Harrison 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.

She's in the most dangerous place in the world.

Prof. Meridia Vail, a member of the Bridgeway Space Station, has escaped the government stronghold and is on a mission among the human population of this "new" Earth. She needs to find scientists, engineers, researchers, anyone who can help her and her crew get back to their derelict space station that has crossed over into a different dimension. The sooner the better, too. The Bridgeway is in a decaying orbit and has the potential to kill millions, if it crash lands on the planet.

Trusting anyone in this New Earth is going to be hard to come by. The authorities have branded her as a maniac who has escaped from a mental hospital. For the past five years, multiple countries have colluded in declaring no survivors from the Bridgeway Space Station incident. When Meridia's finally able to convince a university professor, Dr. Dana Haden, of who she is, Prof. Vail realizes she's not home-free yet. She has to convince the entire world who she is and expose the lies nations have been telling their citizens. Will governments be forced to free her crew so they can work the problem...or will they take their chances and nuke the station from orbit to bury their secrets?

Read an Excerpt

“Is there supposed to be something good in this fridge?” I asked, staring at the food lining the shelves.

Dana glanced over my shoulder. “Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m betting Decker keeps the good stuff in here.”

“It depends on what your definition of good is.” All I saw were containers of leftovers that were various shapes, sizes, and colors. Everything screamed of unhealthiness to me.

“How about we start simple?” Dana placed her hand on my shoulder and ushered me over to a nearby stool where I sat at the counter. “We have this thing on our Earth called a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“I know what peanut butter and jelly is.” I paused. “It’s not that crunchy kind, is it?”

“Oh my God.” Giggling, she went through the cabinets until she found an unopened jar of strawberry jam. “What’s wrong with crunchy?”

“It’s…crunchy.”

“So it’s the texture.”

“You could say that. Everything is calm and serene when it comes to chewing the soft bread and gooey jelly…but then you hit the crunchy peanut butter that shatters the peace like a baseball going through a glass atrium. It’s barbaric.”

Dana laughed as she opened up the bread sack next. “So I guess there’s no crunchy peanut butter in your world.”

“Oh, there’s crunchy peanut butter for those who want it. I’m just not that savage.”

“Oh, stop.” Beaming, Dana threw a slice of bread that hit me in the face.

I laughed. “You must like crunchy then. I rest my case, savage.”

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

We both laughed.

About the Author:Amazon best-selling author, V.G. Harrison enjoys creating smart heroines who are more comfortable dealing with things like Fine-structure constant and quantum entanglement than the fallout from their conflict. She loves to write stories that leave her audience so engaged they can't sleep at night, thinking about the possibilities.

V.G. holds a Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering and a Masters in Information Technology. When she's not writing, she's an IT manager for software company.

Her ever-growing list of hobbies include astronomy, attending comic cons, keeping an eye on the cryptocurrency and stock markets, hydroponics gardening, hiking, and connecting with her daughter on a cool level. Building Lego sets at night with milk and cookies on the side come in handy for that.

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Among-Us-Dyson-Bridge/dp/1962353257/ref=sr_1_1

A New Life by L.J. Ambrosio

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From America to the streets of Paris, A New Life follows two friends as they navigate grief, love, and self-discovery in a city filled with history and hope.

A New Life is a story that lingers long after the last page.

Read an Excerpt

They rushed out of the hotel and stopped short of the Lyft; they gazed in wonderment at the outrageously small size of the car. Reluctantly they climbed into the car. It was like the Mouseketeer’s car; it was so small and they were so tall. They wondered if they should try another Lyft but there was not enough time. As they pulled away, they smelted gasoline or oil burning. Louie shot Ron a silly look, then smiled.

Ron hit the ceiling with every bump; his head bounced almost out of the taxi. Louie held his hand up to avoid suffering the same fate. The roads were rough all the way to the Air France Terminal. Louie told the driver he should sell his car to an amusement park.

Ron decided to travel with just a carry-on bag. He had no desire to check bags after remembering a few of Michael’s airline horror stories of his lost luggage. Michael, his mentor and friend, truly taught him the right way to travel safe and as a gentleman; they might give you an extra drink if you're nice.

As Ron approached the departure gate, he tried to put the thought of leaving Rhonda behind out of his mind but not his heart. He wondered what Michael would say to him about this incident with Rhonda. He would tell Ron to smile; Rhonda was in a better place.

About the Author:

Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Reflections-Michael-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B0F9YPJZQ3/ref=sr_1_1

Align Your Business with the Real You by Jennifer Musser

This post is part of a virtual book tour organizd by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jennifer Musser 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.

Is the exhilaration of entrepreneurship tainted with exhaustion? Discover more for your business and yourself.

Do you feel like your professional and personal lives are out of sync? Maxed out trying to juggle work and family? Are you unsure where you belong or how to create a roadmap to get there? Global business consultant and passionate creative Jennifer Musser has spent decades helping high-functioning corporations solve complex puzzles, reduce risk, and increase profit. And now she’s here to show you how to refresh your perspective and fuel the future you want.

Align Your Business with the Real You: Connect with Yourself, Create What Matters Most, and Define Your Success is a groundbreaking paradigm shift for anyone interested in running a company. Well aware of common concerns and struggles faced by every founder, Musser delves into finding your true goals with help from practical exercises, empathetic stories, and easy-to-apply insights. And as you use her ego-free blueprint, you’ll delight in a bounty of unique takeaways that let you stay grounded no matter the situation.

In Align Your Business with the Real You, you’ll discover:

- Strategies for staying honest with yourself that keep you on the right track
- Tips for writing your own definition of success, so your personal and professional life is fulfilling
- Ways to healthily engage with your emotions and feel good about your everyday
- How to remember that you're the boss and permit yourself to funnel time and money toward your ultimate objectives
- Tools that you can instantly put to use, ideas for renewing your commitment, and much, much more!

Align Your Business with the Real You is a fresh and candid guidebook for entrepreneurs. If you like relatable teachers, down-to-earth chats, and heartfelt advice, then you’ll adore Jennifer Musser’s straightforward approach.
Read Align Your Business with the Real You to start getting results right now!

Read an Excerpt

You face some of your impediments head-on, with less emotional support because in your mind, it’s easier that way. On the career front, you may not share your celebrations often because you believe others won’t care or you don’t have extra time. You get frustrated because you want to share more of your life’s happenings with a few others. To some extent, you even feel like you need to because you’re getting bottled up inside.

However, you’re not sure who is in your inner circle—and you don’t have the energy to figure it out. Your internal dialogue may sound like this:

I don’t have time to be social.
I don’t know who I can trust.
I’ll keep it to myself.
I want trustworthy advice.
I need someone else to talk to about this.
I feel like they don’t really care.
I feel like I don’t have “real” friends.
I’m so done with drama, gossip, and criticism.

While you’re trying to identify your true supporters, you may encounter some eye-opening experiences. For example, someone whom you thought was inner-circle caliber took you by unpleasant surprise at a social event by asking you too-personal questions. You learned the hard way that another is way too competitive, dramatic, and selfish.

Someone mistakenly thought that inner circle means inner knowledge about your finances. None of these types belong in your inner circle. Move on.

After such experiences, you may think you don’t have bandwidth for this nonsense. In a way, you’re right. That’s okay. However, you do need to make time for the ones who belong in your inner circle. As we covered in the last chapter, feeling your emotions can help you trust yourself. Here, we are learning the importance of shifting your perspective to recognize who is in your inner circle and cherish the ones who love and support the real you.

So how do you recognize who is in your inner circle?

About the Author:

JENNIFER MUSSER shines a light on the financial operations of businesses where it is needed most to raise profit, solidify processes, save time, optimize talent, reduce risk, and help business leaders achieve meaningful growth with results they can see—and feel.

Jennifer knows how to lead businesses. She holds over twenty years of experience in global consulting, corporate finance, and entrepreneurship. Jennifer is the founder of JLM & Associates Consulting, LLC, where she applies her big company expertise to steer high-achieving business leaders with financial and operational tools and support for growth with less stress.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Villanova University, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, and multiple certifications in business strategy, Jennifer is committed to helping small businesses succeed.

She loves life (and coffee) with her family and two dogs, Penny and Rockie, in New Jersey.

Website: http://www.JLMAConsulting.com
Blog: https://jlmaconsulting.com/enlightened-leadership-blog/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jlmaconsulting
LinkedIn: http://www.Linkedin.com/in/JenniferLMusser

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/align-your-business-with-the-real-you-jennifer-musser/1146760437
Amazon: https://a.co/d/a9jsCzf

Perfect Vengeance by Tee O'Fallon

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tee O'Fallon will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Trusting him could save her...or destroy her.

Robin Hood meets the Sopranos…an insanely dangerous scheme Gina Perot and her friends hatched to steal from the mob and donate the loot to a worthy cause. Successful Wall Street investment banker by day, cat burglar by night, Gina leads a double life. But she's never forgotten how the mob and the FBI destroyed her family and ripped her life apart. Now it's time for payback. Charity and revenge all rolled into one. Perfect. Until Gina's scheme sends her crashing headfirst into a major FBI investigation and facing heavy-duty federal obstruction charges. And, the hottest, most frustrating man she's ever met.

Stop stealing from the mob or else…is the order FBI Strike Force Special Agent Jack Gates gives Gina. But Jack quickly learns he can no sooner control a force of nature like Gina than he can control where a tornado sets down. Facing a court-ordered deadline, Jack needs Gina's cat burglar skills to help him bring down a powerful Mafioso. He makes her an offer she can't refuse: go to jail or work for him as an FBI cooperator. When the mob learns Gina's been ripping them off, Jack is determined to keep her safe at all costs. Even if that means confessing his terrible secret and losing her forever.

Read an Excerpt

“I didn’t break my word to you, I swear it. I only went back into the kitchen to get my penlight, and I found the cash on the floor. I couldn’t very well open that freezer door again, could I?” Tension from everything that had transpired over the last week slammed into her like a two-ton safe. “Fine. Don’t believe me. Throw me in jail, but keep my friends out of this.”

Leaving him standing in the living room, she spun and dashed into the kitchen. She whipped open the pantry doors and grabbed a bar of 80% Brazilian chocolate. She tore off the wrapper and broke off a chunk, about to shove it into her mouth when Jack ripped it from her hand.

“Did you eat any of that stuff yet?” He threw the chocolate bar to the floor. The look on his face was ten shades past furious. It was...dangerous. “Did you?”

“No, not that it’s any of your bus—”

He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. For a microsecond, she resisted, shoving her hands against his iron-hard chest. When she opened her mouth to tell him precisely what she thought of his manhandling her, he took full advantage and slipped his tongue between her lips.

Any resistance on her part died then and there. She melted into his warm body, absorbing his heat, his very breath, as he kissed her deeper. His big hands threaded through her hair, and he groaned into her mouth. The kiss became feral, all-consuming. Her mind went totally blank, but every square inch of her skin shimmered with sparks igniting simultaneously. In one split second, Jack had accomplished what no man ever had.

Gina felt alive in the arms of a man. Really alive.

About the Author:

Tee O'Fallon is the bestselling, award-winning author of the K-9 Special Ops, Federal K-9, NYPD Blue & Gold Series, and FBI Strike Force Series. Tee spent twenty-three years as a federal agent conducting complex, long- and short-term criminal investigations, including undercover operations, across many agencies at the federal level, and four years conducting multi-state investigations as a police investigator. It felt only natural to combine her hands-on experience in the field with her love of romantic suspense. Tee has lived in New York State most of her life with a five-year stop in Colorado. When not writing, Tee enjoys cooking, gardening, chocolate, lychee martinis, and all creatures canine.

Buy Link: https://teeofallon.com/perfect-vengeance/

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The Measure of Life by Judith Light

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Judith Light will be awarding a $20 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 have two responses because I have two books in different genres: Coins in the Fountain is a memoir about living in Italy. I wrote this book because I wanted to inform and entertain my audience with stories about my husband’s and my adventures and misadventures over our ten years in Rome.

My new novel, The Measure of Life, is in the category of women’s fiction. For some time I have wanted to tell a story about women who are what’s known as trailing spouses. When their husbands accept employment overseas, they and the children are thrust into a totally new environment, leaving their own jobs and children’s schools behind. Often everyone settles in, but sometimes the stresses are overwhelming. My character finds herself adrift and her life spins out of control when she lands in Rome without support. How will she overcome the setbacks?

What research is required?

For Coins in the Fountain I used my own memories, tons of photos, and my daughter and husband’s memories along with fact checking locations in guidebooks.

For The Measure of Life, the novel, I had to decide which of the many Rome coffee bars, shops, and monuments needed to be in the story. It had to be just enough to set the scene and affect some of the heroine’s actions but not turn the story into a travelogue. So, I left out the Vatican and the Colosseum but used a few churches, bookstores and coffee bars. One important scene takes place in an archeological site north of Rome, a place that has always captured my imagination.

I relied on personal knowledge for the sections of the story that take place on an island near Seattle.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

For the memoir I learned I did a lot of dumb stuff!!
For The Measure of Life, I learned that overcoming a rift within a family is very difficult but that efforts must be made and success can be in reach.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

For Coins in the Fountain, I followed the natural course of a timeline so plot was not an issue.

For The Measure of Life I had a basic plot in my mind and on notes but then I allowed the characters themselves begin to fill out the details of the plot naturally as they interacted with each other.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

The first things I see are a trio of small pictures – a painting of fishing boats and fishermen on the beach from Sicily, a watercolor of a hill town in Tuscany, and an etching of an old farmhouse from the same area. Beyond is the door to my office which has a rust-colored silk Korean robe with gold medallions that I bought in Cambodia hanging over the door and a small calendar made of bone and bamboo sticks from Bali dangling from the door lever.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

My current work in progress is a novel about a woman from the Midwest whose life is upended when she inherits an old house in the Pacific Northwest and finds previously unknown family members lived there.

A story of love and loss, lies and truth, begins in Rome when Nicole shares a cappuccino and cornetto with her Italian tutor. The meeting sets off a chain of events that upends the course of her life. While Rome also brings deep friendships and immersion into a sumptuous food scene there is no escape from acknowledging the consequences of her actions. In search of forgiveness and healing, she moves to an island near her childhood home in Seattle only to find the way to reunite the remnants of her family and discover her true path is to return to Rome and face the past.

Read an Excerpt

Deirdre knocked on the front door right on time. No one in Rome ever showed up on the appointed minute for a social occasion. I opened the door in my violet silk dress and bare feet. “Hang on, I can’t find my shoes and I need to finish my makeup.”

“Oh my gosh—I should have said it’s casual. Are you sure about the dress? Remember it’s Vashon.”

“I’m dressed now. I haven’t had a chance to go out for months.” I ran upstairs to finish.

Deirdre said, “Uh, a bit much for here,” when I returned wearing open-toed platform heels complementing the purple dress. After a pause, she added, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine and we’re late anyway.” I could tell she was flustered about something. When we parked in front of the gallery, I could see people holding glasses of wine while they looked at the photos. All looked comfortable in jeans and sweaters like Deirdre. I could feel my face was beginning to match my dress. People paused conversations to welcome Deirdre and her unknown and strangely dressed guest: me. Some stared briefly. Not unkind looks, but more of astonishment their friend had found such an alien.

A woman rescued me by saying, “Hi. I’m Meg.”

About the Author:

After I earned a law degree in midlife, I had the chance to leave the Forest Service in Oregon and run away to the Circus (Maximus). In reality my husband and I moved to Rome where I worked for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization for four years as a legal advisor to the director of human resources. I could see the Circus that had hosted chariot races during the Roman Empire from my office window.

My husband and I reluctantly returned to the US after four years. But we pined for the land of pasta, vino, art, and sunny piazzas. Then the gods smiled and offered a chance to return to Rome with the UN World Food Program. Six more years or food and frolic in the Eternal City passed much too quickly. The indelible experiences living in Italy and working for the UN were the genesis of my memoir Coins in the Fountain.

Website: https://judithworks.net
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Life-Judith-Works-ebook/dp/B0DGQP2RDH/ Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-measure-of-life-judith-works/1146224295
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Splendificent by Dacy Alex

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author 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.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. What is something you’ve lied about?
I told my cousin I love him. I can’t stand that dirty bastard.

Who is the last person you hugged?
My mommy!

What are you reading now?

The divorce papers my wife served me with!

Just kidding, not even married.

I am (re)reading Fangs, Fur, and the Single Girl by Lisabet Sarai as well as Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi Target Attacks light novel series. Both are radically different, and both are wonderfully entertaining!

How do you come up with the titles to your books?

It’s quite difficult! I’m very bad with titles. My friend came up with the name Splendificent for the Splendificent series. I’m trying to come up with a subtitle for the bikini carwash spinoff with the Splendificent girls. Not having much luck!

Share your dream cast for your book.

Do you mean like a movie, TV show cast? Hmmm, I dunno. I’d guess Chloe Moretz as the plucky main character Giselle, Lili Reinhart as the irresponsible, irreverent elven witch Maggie, Josephine Langford as Maggie’s haughty damsel in distress sister Tristabelle…hmmm…this is hard! I bet Tinashe could play Sofi, our gold digging social media obsessed fox spirit. If she can do a southern accent Brec Bassigner can play Dusty, the pixie deemed too violent by the fairy kingdom to be promoted to full fledged fairy, and finally Alexandra Daddario, placed in a time machine to knock off ten years, can play Fleur, the surly, hard drinking, gambling addictted succubus-vampire hybrid.

Hell on Heels and Death by D Cup
This raw and naughty book brings together the first two Splendificent novels in one ENORMOUS package…

Not that type of enormous package!

I swear.

Splendificent 1:

California cutie Giselle Nyfall arrives at the Big Apple to attend liberal arts college, Hemera University. But, when a computer glitch lands her with four extraordinary young women as roommates Giselle’s sheltered world is blown away.

These Hotties are supernatural aristocracy, the magical one percent: an elf princess who decapitates as well as she pirouettes, the B.B. gun-toting daughter of the Tooth Fairy, a glamorous and gold-digging fox spirit with thickness in all the right places, and a vampire-succubus hybrid with a bad gambling problem and a blood-soaked family tree.

This Hot Squad uncovers a demonic curse threatening New York City’s human elite orchestrated by denizens of the Christian Hell. The only cure? The five stunners themselves!

Splendificent 2:

The Hot Squad members must battle supernatural mercenaries, contend with a portal to the underworld, avoid demonic death traps and thwart a nefarious prince hellbent on fulfilling an ancient prophecy and bringing on the death of one Squad member who happens to be his sister. All difficult assignments when they’re constantly losing their skimpy clothes and falling into the arms of hot studs and each other!

Will Giselle and her voluptuous companions come together to triumph over the forces of evil? Does the family that slays together stay together? Find out in the sexy, hilarious and politically incorrect Splendificent 2!

WARNING:

This book is absolutely not for anyone under the age of 18! You, Mister 17 years and 364 days old? Move along, son, move along.

Enjoy an excerpt:

"That’s it," Dusty declared. "That’s gotta be the 99th Degree. And that there big sucker has gotta be the doorman. And he’s gonna let us in otherwise I’m gonna let my foot go right up his ass."

"Dusty, I do not believe we wish to cause anymore scenes. Delicacy and diplomacy shall win the day," Tristabelle noted.

"Nothing to it, my queen," Dusty responded with a fist pump. "When he gets a shot of my puppies and goes into a trance, we’ll waltz right through the door. Nothing more we gotta do."

With her "puppies" encased in a bright pink high-scoop dress with cut-out side panels to reveal pleasing amounts of skin, Dusty’s plan just had to work. Though Princess Maggie and Princess Tristabelle were left looking around for members of the canine species.

Dusty moseyed up onto the doorman, who had sunglasses on despite the darkness. Tattoos written in Japanese reached from his arms to his knuckles. His beard was forked and his hair was slicked back.

"Howdy there, I’m Dusty Blackwood."

"Not on the list," he retorted without checking any sort of list. In fact, he didn’t even have a list.

Princess Tristabelle and Princess Maggie shot each other worried glances.

"Ya didn’t let me finish. I’m Dusty Blackwood with the Double D’s. Ain’t they great?!"

Dusty lowered her top to reveal a sight that would make any man pant like a puppy. Instead, she got a dismissive wave from the doorman and the comment of, "Girl, I’m gay as hell."

Dusty nodded and cast her doe eyes downward where a rat scurried across her vision. Then, after a good ten seconds, she said, "Son, I just want ya to know my second favorite Fairy Revolution Wrestling tag team after The Music City Gunslingers are the homosexual luchadores Los Diablos De Feugo so this ain’t a homophobia thing."

The man hadn’t a moment to be confused by the statement. Confusion was halted by an overwhelming feeling of agony brought upon by Dusty’s boot to the balls. The Tiny Terror of Nashville reached back, pulled the stunned man’s jaw above her shoulder then fell to a seated position. This second sudden attack forced the man’s jaw to drop down on Dusty’s shoulder. The combo caused havoc for the man’s health and his health insurer as the man was left splayed about the ground, foaming at the mouth.  

<b>About the author: </b> Dacy Alex is an author that has also taken home several screenwriting awards under a different name. Dacy loves the possibilities of the supernatural but also the inherent weirdness of the everyday world and likes to combine the two whenever possible. Dacy likes to focus his stories on new adults, which might explain why he can subsist on a steady diet of classic CW shows. The 100 and The Originals are the best ones don’t argue with me plz k thx bye. Dacy’s an avid video gamer; Dacy’s favorite games are Final Fantasy X-2 and Persona 4: Golden. I’ll be a contrarian and say I’ve never played a Dark Souls like game and I don’t wanna! Oops, I forgot I was doing this in third person

US Amazon: https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/us/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B0BC2JY1KX

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Website: https://dacyalex.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxy_kitten/

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Teardown by William Campbell Powell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. William Campbell Powell will be awarding a $20 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?

First, let me say thank you for inviting me to contribute to your blog, and for the thoughtful questions.

The first thing for me is always the story I want to tell. I have an ‘Ideas Bucket’ – a folder where I jot one or two lines that might be an ingredient for a story. But ideas aren’t stories – the story happens when a couple of ideas get together – usually an unexpected pairing – and I’ll get a scene that gives me a pointer to what the story is – the characters and the plot. Once I’ve got that, the genre follows.

That’s meant that I end up working in different genres – my first published novel (Expiration Day) was YA/science fiction, whereas Teardown is more LGBT+ romance, with a dash of contemporary/road-trip. I’m currently working on a modern portal fantasy, with witches, loosely inspired by ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and querying a Historical Crime novel.

What research is required?

For Teardown, a lot of the action takes place in Germany, so there was a lot of research into the culture, particularly the culture that the tourist doesn’t get to see. My own experience playing in a band, and also visiting Germany (touring with my band twice, then often for business, and a few times for leisure) helped a lot, but some of those visits were quite a long time ago, so it was important to cross-check with German friends and work colleagues.

Writing about LGBT+ characters was challenging – while I do have LGBT+ friends and work colleagues, I didn’t feel comfortable quizzing them about such personal topics. So I engaged a sensitivity reader to put me right – not just on LGBT+ matters, but also on some of the hazards that women face (for example, when travelling) that men just don’t experience.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Although Kai shares many characteristics with me, I think there’s one thing that Kai does better than I do – eventually – which is to let go of things that tie me to the past. That’s not the same as letting go of the past itself, but rather to keep in mind that the things aren’t important. The photograph, or the letter is not the person. That’s just clutter. The things that matter about a person are the memories, and the imprints they made on you as a person are the things to be honoured.

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

I certainly had to develop a slightly quirky set of habits when writing from Kai’s point of view. Kai is non-binary and doesn’t have pronouns. So I had to write Kai without ever using a pronoun – including any comment or action from other characters that might have revealed Kai’s physiology or sexual characteristics. The writing process was like taking dictation from Kai, limited to what Kai was willing to reveal.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m very much a pantser. I have an idea of where a story is going, but my characters do things that are unplanned. Writing is a wild ride.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A professional musician’s microphone and a music keyboard. Also a music stand and a guitar. I’ve been recording the original songs that I created for Teardown. They’re at a ‘demo’ stage at the moment, which means they’ve got words, chords, a tune and instrumental backing. Such as they are, you’ll find the demos on my website via https://bit.ly/TeardownMusic.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

While there’s nothing committed, I’m hopeful that at least the portal fantasy above, and the historical novel will find a publisher soon.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Indeed I do. When you’re reading a book about bands (such as Daisy Jones & The Six) do you prefer to imagine the music for yourself, or is it helpful to be able to listen to actual recordings?

Growing up in a dead-end, Thames Valley town like Marden Combe, Kai knows there’s no escape without a lot of talent, hard work—and luck.

Two weeks before the Clayton Paul Blues Band plans to set out on tour to Germany, their singer quits, and drummer Kai takes matters in hand. With bandmates Jake and Jamie, they recruit a talented new singer—the enigmatic Dominique—as the new face of the band and set out on the road to Berlin in a rickety white van.

Dogged by mishaps and under-rehearsed, the band stumbles through their first shows, zig-zagging between chaos and brilliance. But as the first gig in Berlin draws near, the band begins to gel. They’re clicking with their audience, and even the stone-hearted Kai starts to crumble under the spell, first of Dom and then…of Lars.

As the end of the tour approaches, Kai must make hard choices. Dom? But she’s keeping a dark secret. Lars? Not after the acrimony of their last parting. The band? Or will that dream crumble too?

Read a Blurb

So I pulled the mic stand around to the side of the kit, set it up so it didn’t get in the way of the hi-hat, and we gave it a go. I picked ‘I Come from the Blues’, which was one of Clay’s compositions. It had fallen out of the set sometime in the last six months, but I loved Clay’s soft, jazzy butterscotch vocals on it. If it had been up to me, it would still be in the set, but Clay had said he wanted to move on.

Where did I come from? I come from the blues.
Where am I going? I’m going to lose.
Where is my future? I’m sure I have none.
Where is my hope? My hope is all gone.

I’ve always sung along—off-mic and under my breath—so I didn’t have any trouble fitting the words in the right places. And I’ve got decent pitch and rhythm. So I think I did all right.

Now, Jamie wouldn’t meet my eye.

“What?” I demanded. “What was wrong with that?”

He mumbled something.

“I can’t hear you, bro. What did he say, Jake?”

Jake looked away. He didn’t want to get involved in any squall between me and my brother. Besides, he’d used up all his words for the day.

“I’m not sure how to put this, Kai. You’ve got a good voice. It’s, well…not very, well, rock’n’roll. No…grit. Too pure. Sorry.”

“I see.”

“Look, we’ll ask around our friends. Social media. There’s got to be something online.”

I didn’t say anything. I was thinking lots though. About how I’d discovered that this was something I really wanted to do.

About the Author:

William lives in a small Buckinghamshire village in England. By night he writes speculative, historical, crime and other fiction. His debut novel, EXPIRATION DAY, was published by Tor Teen in 2014 and won the 2015 Hal Clement Award for better than half-decent science in a YA novel—the citation actually says "Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature".

William’s latest novel - TEARDOWN - was published 10th December 2024, by NineStar Press in the US; it is an LGBT+ romance/road-trip.

His short fiction has appeared in DreamForge, Metastellar, Abyss & Apex and other outlets.
By day he writes software for a living and in the twilight he sings tenor, plays guitar and writes songs.

Website: https://williamcampbellpowell.com/
Book Website: https://teardownbook.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillCamPowell/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/willcampowell
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/willcampowell.bsky.social

Buy Links: https://teardownbook.co.uk/#where The book will be on sale for $0.99

My comps for the book:

The novel combines elements of LGBTQIA+ romance with Road Trip fiction, and - with its focus on music - might sit alongside Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ (2016) or Dawnie Walton’s ‘The Final Revival of Opal & Nev’ (2022), or - with its focus on (Kai's) gender-ambiguity and relationships - near Camille Perry’s ‘When Katie Met Cassidy’ (2018) or Beth O’Leary’s ‘The Road Trip’ (2022).

One USP: The book is about a band and contains original songs, for which I have created demos – see/listen: https://williamcampbellpowell.com/music/music.html

Diving Into the Beloved by Lark Compton

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lark Compton will be awarding print copies of the book to ten randomly drawn winners. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Diving Into the Beloved is a mesmerizing collection of poetry that plunges into the realms of love, spirituality, and the soul's longing. Each poem is a profound reflection of the sacred dance between the lover and the Beloved, capturing the essence of divine connection and human vulnerability. Compton's words invite readers to explore the depths of their own hearts, making this book not just a literary work but a spiritual experience—an invitation to embrace the love that resides within and around us. With a youthful, modern interpretation of the path to enlightenment, this collection reminds us of the ecstatic poets like Rumi and Hafiz, yet Compton's voice remains distinctly his own, weaving together concrete details and bold imagery that will leave a lasting impression.

Read an Excerpt

Arrow of Not Me
Through the veil of thought

and time

my heart forges an arrow of

not me
not the person

aiming at your feet

I laugh at myself
in the bliss of devotion

when during the blink of an eye I disappear into the vastness

the leaky boat

I Am dissolving

while a "me" clings to the sides of a lifeboat

singing
Jai Gurudev Jai Gurudev

about that arrow of love

I don't even want you to see the archer

who is a phantom

as the arrow of love bounces off of your big toe

and you laugh at yourself

in the mirror

I'm embarrassed to send a love poem to myself

that I may never remember if I read or not

About the Author:

Lark enjoys being a hermit and staying out of the limelight.

He has been known to accidentally bodysurf with turtles at play.

He leaves them alone and they leave him alone.

Everyone's happy.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53108042.Lark_Compton

The Atrocities of Hope by Michael Olukayode

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Olukayode 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.

Nigeria is dealing with a level of disorderliness that is neither compatible with functionality nor with long life. Our problems did not start today; they have been with us for as long as we have existed as a country. But just like a disorder left untreated, our problem has incapacitated us, and the rate of deterioration is currently becoming alarming.

The long-term survival of our country is no longer as assured as it used to be. We are on a slippery slope with nothing to hold on to.

This book attempts to answer the 'what', 'why', 'who', and 'what is next' of our problems. As is always the case when truths are discussed, be ready to be offended.

But if you are open-minded enough to be offended and not switch off and open-minded enough to be offended and keep reading – you might learn one or two things at the end of this book.

Read an Excerpt

Nigeria as a country has been on a downward trend for decades, and anyone in touch with reality can see this. Of course, some will cloak wishful thinking with the shawl of patriotism or deny by faith the level of suffering going on in the country today, but it only takes an honest reflection for even the most positive ‘patriot’ to accept that things are not going well for our nation and that the probability of a better tomorrow is non-existent . . . if we continue down the same path.

Like most Nigerians, discussing the problems of Nigeria and praying for its peace, progress, and prosperity have been parts of my life since I have been old enough to think and pray.

But despite all the prayers, Nigeria has maintained its downward journey. Being burdened with an inquisitive mind and the ability to think about thoughts, I have contemplated the Nigeria question from an early age. I have always asked: Why are Nigeria’s better days always in the past?

Why does Nigeria keep going backward despite all the fasting and prayers?

I eventually outgrew fasting and praying for Nigeria to work—because I knew prayer without work is a waste of time and energy—but despite stopping the prayers and the fasting, I could not stop thinking about the ‘whys’ of our problems.

About the Author:

Michael, a self-described realist with a touch of cynicism, is a UK-based, Nigerian-trained psychiatrist and the author of The Atrocities of Hope: An Analysis of the 'Nigeria Problem.'

Michael's lived experience in Nigeria, his inquisitive mind, and his ability to pull back and observe despite being involved combine well with his skills as a mental health expert to create this work.

Michael is a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Faculty of Psychiatry, and is an affiliate member of the Royal College of Psychiatry. He plies his trade as a psychiatrist in the Northwest of England. He describes himself as a member of a speciality that helps you in the fight against your worst enemy: yourself.

Michael is a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a neighbour, a member of the public, a lover of music, and a lover of movies and books.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/drkay18
Twitter: http://www.instagram.com/drkay18
Theads: https://www.threads.com/@drkay18

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779626762
Better World Books: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/9781779626769
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781779626769

Surviving the United Nations by Robert Bruce Adolph

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

Five Things You Might Not Know About Robert Bruce Adolph

1 . At last count, and due to my Army and United Nations assignments, I have lived and worked in 17 different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Today I move between three homes, one in Italy, one in Mexico and one in Washington DC

2. I trained as a Hostage Negotiator not in the Army but at Scotland Yard! The British perspective is… different.

3. Of all the things that I have accomplished in my many years, and aside from saving lives, I am most proud of my writing history. Unlike all I did in my military career, writing I had to figure out all by myself.

4. If I could meet one person throughout all of human history it would be Sir Isaac Newton. He was without question one of the most impactful humans to have ever lived. Today’s science exists in large part due to Newton’s curiosity, focus and determination. His influence will still be felt in a thousand years.

5. I am driven - first as a senior US Army Special Forces soldier and then later as a UN Chief Security Advisor. Now, as an international speaker, commentator, and author. Perhaps it is because I began life in a large poor family. We didn’t have much. If I was to prosper, the work would have to be my own. I had to earn my way. Nobody, ever, gave me anything. Today, I feel grateful that I was able to achieve so much in life. But it was all sweat and toil.

This is the astonishing true story of a US Army Special Forces soldier who became a warrior for peace. In his humanitarian and peacekeeping missions for the United Nations he dealt with child-soldiers, blood diamonds, a double hostage-taking, an invasion by brutal guerrillas, an emergency aerial evacuation, a desperate hostage recovery mission, tribal gunfights, refugee camp violence, suicide bombings, and institutional corruption. His UN career brought him face to face with the best and worst of human nature and he shares it all here.

Read an Excerpt

In 1996 a former UN official, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, was elected President. The new President’s first order of business was to sign a peace treaty with Sankoh that rapidly failed. Sankoh continued to maintain control of the most valuable diamond-producing areas. The following year, the fledgling President was overthrown by Major Johnny Paul Koroma and the Sierra Leone Army. Koroma immediately suspended the Constitution, outlawed demonstrations, and abolished all political parties. President Kabbah beat a hasty retreat to the country of Guinea, immediately to the north and east of Sierra Leone.

Two years later, the Nigerian-led Western African Intervention Force entered Freetown to cheering crowds. The cheers died quickly when the RUF later attempted to take Freetown by force. The UN Military Observer mission in Sierra Leone evacuated its staff northward to Conakry, Guinea. Its headquarters compound was subsequently burned-out by the RUF.

The West African Intervention Force subsequently retook Freetown. The RUF returned to the bush, while maintaining control of the diamond-producing areas in the south and east of the country. The UN then arranged a ceasefire. Later, in Lomé, Togo, an UN-brokered peace agreement was signed between Kabbah’s government and the RUF. Not many in Sierra Leone believed that the peace agreement would hold. Fear was omnipresent. Nobody knew what the future might hold. 

Confirmed reports spoke to many RUF atrocities. Because they had lost the previously held general election, their revenge was to cut off the hands of over 1,000 residents of Freetown. This equated in their minds to punishment for voting the wrong way.

About the Author

Robert Bruce Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) from American University’s School of International Service and National Security Studies and Strategy from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Adolph served nearly 26-years in multiple Special Forces, Counterterrorism, Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, Foreign Area Officer, and Military Intelligence command and staff assignments in the US and overseas. He also volunteered to serve on UN peacekeeping missions in Egypt, Israel, Cambodia, Iraq and Kuwait.

After he retired from active military service in 1997, he began a second career as a senior UN Security Advisor. Among his positions he served as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa in the UN Department of Safety and Security.

Website: https://robertbruceadolph.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-bruce-adolph-904597a/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.adolph

 

 

In Search of Recognition by Jim McAllister

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jim McAllister 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.

In Search of Recognition: The Story of Search and Rescue in British Columbia provides background on why and how organized volunteer search and rescue became a reality in the province, and how search and rescue evolved over many years to meet the increasing demands of finding lost people and rescuing those injured outdoors. The primary focus of the thousands of volunteers is to save the lives of persons lost or injured outdoors; training and fundraising for equipment and other costs also require time and energy. Through personal involvement and references, the author provides insights into how funding and other support for the volunteer service was achieved, through government, responsible agencies, organizations and individuals working together to find ways to assist those who strive "so others may live."

Read an Excerpt

The 1980s were also an era of leading-edge development in search and rescue equipment and techniques, in British Columbia and elsewhere. Arnor Larson, a mountain guide in Invermere BC, was a leader in developing and testing rope rescue gear and systems. He established Rigging for Rescue in 1986. In addition to providing rescue training, he would test equipment in his facility using drop test towers. Arnor would attend the annual Wildland Rescue Symposium in the US, along with leading workshops in BC testing equipment and systems in local conditions and terrain. Arnor also taught rope rescue to some SAR groups under the PEP banner. As a member of Golden and District Search and Rescue at the time, we were fortunate to have Arnor instruct us.

About the Author: Jim McAllister has been involved in search and rescue for over 45 years, starting as a volunteer member in the Rocky Mountains in 1977 with Golden and District SAR and then Cranbrook SAR. He became the SAR specialist for the Province of B.C. in 2002. In 2008, Jim retired from the provincial government as a director with Emergency Management British Columbia and became a volunteer director for special projects with the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association. Jim has been involved with many major projects: the establishment of Avalanche Canada, the updating of volunteer reimbursement rates, the establishment of health and safety guidelines, the formation of a joint health and safety committee, Swiftwater Rescue standards, sustainable funding for search and rescue and the establishment of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial. Jim wrote a book on the last project, titled A Monument to Remember, and one on incidents, titled One Week in August: Stories from Search and Rescue in British Columbia.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779627394
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/519145.Jim_McAllister

God and Petroleum by Roberto Aguilero

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

It's been many years since God planted in my heart the idea to author this book. To do so I relied on science and engineering, looking deep into the earth a few thousand feet, dreaming of petroleum reservoirs I could not see, and evaluated them using mostly indirect sources of information. Petroleum hydrocarbons in earth are of organic origin (they form from dead plants and animals) and are intimately related with water. I also had to look to a different scale deep into the universe when it was created 13.77 billion years ago to try to understand the origin of hydrogen, the birth of the first hydrogen star (the seed star), its explosion in a supernova, and the repetitive births and explosions of subsequent stars that led eventually to the formation of elements such as carbon and iron and to hydrocarbons in the universe. These are hydrocarbons of inorganic origin.

Then I moved into the micrometer scale of human cells and to top research informing us that we are very close to chimpanzees, and a very persuasive discussion about evolution that I agree with. The book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman in the sixth day, and that he formed man in the seventh day of the dust of the earth and woman of the rib of man. At first glance all of this seems contradictory, but it is not. This book shows that available science supports Genesis' seven days very well. They do not contradict each other.

Read an Excerpt

Following Monsignor Georges Lemaître’s mathematical demonstration showing that the universe has expanded since the Big Bang, many scientists have produced data from the Hubble telescope corroborating the expansion. The observations by Hubble in 1929, proving galaxies are moving away from the earth at speeds proportional to their distance, has traditionally been known as Hubble law.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted in 2018 to recommend amending the name from Hubble law to the Hubble-Lemaître law, and in fact, this is how it is called now by the IAU. This is a recognition of the contributions of both Hubble and Monsignor Lemaître to the development of modern cosmology. The amendment recommendation stemmed from the fact Lemaître was the first to come up with the idea of an expanding universe in 1927, previous to Hubble’s contributions in 1929. Although Lemaître was first, his ideas received little attention at the time.

The galaxies outside of our solar system are moving away from us. One theory indicates that the farthest the galaxies are away from us, the faster they move (Library of Congress, 2019). Another theory based on data collected by the Planck satellite indicates that the cosmos is expanding at a slightly slower rate than was thought, making the universe around 13.82 billion years old rather than the 13.77 billion years formerly given for the age of the universe (Siegel, 2018). For the purpose of this book there is a slight difference.

About the Author: Roberto Aguilera is professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary (Canada) and president of Servipetrol Ltd. He specializes in the evaluation of naturally fractured, tight and shale petroleum reservoirs worldwide. He has authored and co-authored six books dealing with petroleum engineering subjects and over 300 technical papers. He has rendered training and/or consulting services in over 40 countries worldwide. This is his first book linking God, His creation, and the benefits of petroleum to humanity while debunking alarming claims about its use.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779622619
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/475304.Roberto_Aguilera

Cowboy Watch by Petie McCarty

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Petie McCarty will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Watchers Series—Fallen angels cast out of heaven by the archangel Michael for coercing with Satan to gain control. Some of these conspirators—duped late in the game by Satan’s lies—doubled back to seek redemption for their unwitting betrayal. Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.
One last chance.
These are their stories . . .

Cowboy Watch:

Someone—or something—wants Kellen out of town . . .

Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own. Kellen’s eccentric mother believed Watchers to be fallen angels seeking penance by guarding individuals who had lost their way. Seriously? A Watcher? Only her mother . . .

Since Kellen vows no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is a resort developer, spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

Read an Excerpt

A familiar aroma wafted up from the river, a combination of humus, plant material, microscopic plankton, and a touch of fish. Unable to stop the smile slowly stretching across her face, she untied her sneakers, rolled up her jeans, and slipped into the icy water. She immediately gasped and felt her smile deepen to a grin. Remaining in the soothing current for a long time, she absorbed her surroundings as trout darted in and around the submerged rocks to grab their plankton lunch.

A horse suddenly whickered behind her, followed by the telltale creak of a saddle. Too close for comfort. The back of her neck prickled. Ankle deep in the water, she couldn’t make a decent sprint for the car, and Kellen regretted her impulse to visit this deserted stretch of riverbank.

Easing around, she spied the towering silhouette of a powerfully built man astride a huge black stallion no more than ten yards away. The rider’s face lay shadowed beneath a wide-brimmed Stetson. The cowboy made an impressive and, at this moment, intimidating sight—a throwback from the frontier days of the Wild West.

The horse whickered again and sidestepped away from the edge of the embankment, forcing the cowboy to twist around to keep her in sight. She could feel his dark eyes scanning every inch of her. The intensity in his gaze raised goose bumps on her arms, and a tiny shiver edged up her spine. Trapped here along the edge of the river, she felt vulnerable yet strangely unafraid. Would he come any closer?

A horn blared up on the highway, and she jumped with a yelp. The big horse reared at the sound of her cry, and Kellen caught a brief glimpse of the cowboy’s dark eyes, eyes that could stare right through to a girl’s soul. She scrunched her own eyes shut and forced herself to breathe. When she opened them, the rider was gone. Had she imagined him? Another mild shiver rifled up her spine. No, the fearsome rider was definitely real.

About the Author:

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades. Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

Visit Petie's web site or her Facebook page.

http://www.petiemccarty.com
https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty
https://x.com/authorpetie
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty
http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty

A Code of Knights and Deceptions by Eliza Hampstead

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Eliza Hampstead 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. Tell us your latest news?

Right now, I’m deep in edits and preparing for the release of A Code of Knights and Deception! It’s been a long journey—over a decade in the making—but I finally feel like it’s the right time to share this story with the world. I’m also working on the next book in the series, so readers can expect more medieval intrigue, romance, and unexpected twists soon!

When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve always had stories in my head, but I seriously started writing over a decade ago. The idea for A Code of Knights and Deception came to me first, but I put it on hold when I struggled to finish it. In that time, I wrote The War of the Nephilim, my spicy fantasy romance series, and learned so much about storytelling. Looking back, I think I needed that experience before I could do justice to this book.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I published my first book. Before that, writing felt like something I just did, but after putting my work out into the world and seeing readers connect with it, I finally embraced the title.

What inspired you to write your first book?

A Code of Knights and Deception started with a simple but intriguing question: What if I woke up in medieval England? From there, my research spiraled, and the story took shape. I wanted a time-travel romance that felt fresh—something different from all the Scotland-based stories set in the same era. And, of course, my love for medieval England made it the perfect setting!

What would you like my readers to know?

That I pour my heart into every book I write. Whether it’s A Code of Knights and Deception or The War of the Nephilim, I love blending romance, history, and fantasy in a way that feels immersive and emotional. My books aren’t just stories; they’re journeys. I hope readers lose themselves in them, fall in love with the characters, and maybe even see history in a new light.

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance.

She thought it was real. She was wrong.

When Sophia wakes up in 15th-century England, she expects hardship—but nothing prepares her for this brutal, unforgiving world. Lost, alone, and desperate to return to her husband and son, she vows to find a way home. But as the days turn into months, Sophia begins to build a new life, finding unexpected kinship and purpose in this strange land.

After a violent attack, she takes fate into her own hands, disguising herself as a man to train under Henry, the castle’s enigmatic master-at-arms. As steel clashes and their connection deepens, forbidden desire ignites.

Yet Henry is not who he claims to be. His real name is Ethan, and this is the least of the lies he tells her. Falling for Sophia was never part of the plan—but the closer they become, the more he realises how wrong it is to keep her in the dark.

As danger closes in and the lines between reality and deception blur, Sophia must uncover the truth about Henry—and herself—before she runs out of time.

*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of, but not limited to, abduction, blood, death, amputation, childbirth, death, sexual assault, suicide, violence against children, rape, and torture.*

The book is the first in a duology and ends with a cliffhanger.

Read an Excerpt

I tensed up, unsure of what would happen next. Would they really go through with it? Beating someone up for a believable story was one thing, but they wouldn't kill an actor, would they? No, they wouldn't go that far; I was sure of it.

Before I could process the thought, two soldiers brought forth a rope, swinging it over the tall branch of an oak in the square. They couldn't possibly stage this, could they? Hanging someone without harm wasn't possible. Using the fake hand and stage blood was one thing, but hanging someone? That could go wrong very quickly! Surely, any moment now, a rider would burst through the crowd, interrupting the execution. But no such intervention came. The dreadful scene continued.

Helpless and sick, my stomach churned as the farmer was led to the tree, and the noose was placed around his neck. A priest stepped forward, reciting a brief Latin prayer, his voice audible amidst the oppressive silence. Was this really happening? They couldn't just sentence him one minute and hang him the next! There had to be some sort of protocol or waiting period, right?

As time ticked by and nothing happened, it became clear that this was not a show or a performance. This was a real execution, taking place right before our eyes in a matter of minutes.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she's not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she’s always planning her next adventure.

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