Thursday, February 25, 2016

Caribbean Crossroads




Caribbean Crossroads is such a fun book. It's a light read but also touches on deeper issues. I love cruising, too, so it was fun to have that setting for part of the book. I recommend this for a perfect getaway during these cold months, and the Kindle version is only $1.99 right now. You can get it at Amazon. Once you read it, review it on Amazon and Goodreads. (Reviews are like gold to authors!)

Here is a little bit about the book:

New college grad Megan McCormick just got dumped. Hard. Swearing off men and relationships, Megan is coaxed into performing on a cruise ship where she meets the star performer, Bryant Johnson. Handsome and charismatic, he looks like trouble, but she can't deny the intense attraction between them. Urged to find a wife and run the family lumber business, Bryant is torn between his family's expectations for his life and his own. However, when he meets spunky, but love-skittish Megan McCormick, settling down doesn't look so bad. Just when Megan begins to trust again, and Bryant makes some big decisions regarding his future, her former fiance returns with a malicious surprise, taking Megan and Bryant to their own CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS.

Connie Sokol has written many books and offers insights in a deep and common sense way. I think she is inspired and inspiring. You can check out more of her great stuff on her website: http://conniesokol.com/. I highly recommend it.

And who doesn't love a chance for $25 at Amazon? Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other blogs participating in this tour:


















Monday, February 15, 2016

Rift Watcher by C R Simper



Sixteen-year-old Onnie, newly minted adult, isn’t sure what she wants in life, but she is sure what she doesn’t want, and going off to the Interplanetary Alliance’s Academy is at the top of that list. When she purposely flunks the entrance exam, she’s certain that’s why her father commanded her and her brother Jayesh to return to Rift Watcher Station. As Onnie settles into her new life on Rift Watcher, will she find a place of her own?

Chief Medical Officer Darragh Conally has issues. And secrets. As Onnie determinedly worms her way into his life and forges a friendship he doesn’t want, those secrets come dangerously close to being exposed. But how do you tell the Captain’s daughter to back off without risking your job?

There’s something wrong with the relationship between the Galladirans and the Earthers. It’s all polite on the surface; too polite. And Onnie can feel the tension rippling underneath. How long will it be until things break wide open?






C R Simper was raised seven miles north of a small town, with two sisters, thirteen dogs, and an open sky painted every night with billions of stars. This unharried childhood allowed time for much reading, which led into a desire to create stories of worlds beyond her own. 

She is a member of the American Night Writer's Association. She has two published short stories in the Steampunk genre. Besides writing, she has a passion for genealogy, volleyball, and bargain hunting.













              


Author Interview with C R Simper.

1. What is your preferred writing genre?
a. I prefer to write Space Opera style Science Fiction, and Fantasy.


2. And preferred reading genre? 
a. I don't really have a preference. I read a lot of Westerns and Mystery as a kid, then discovered Fantasy and Science Fiction as a teen. 


3. What are your top 3 favorite books?
a. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, The Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling. Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien. 


4. Do you have any particular writing habits? 
a. Yes, I write pretty much everything by hand first and then type it in afterwards. 


5. Advice for writers? 
a. Keep writing, even if what you write now doesn't impress you, it's a skill that has to be practiced and will improve over time.



Author's Top Ten List 
10  Bird/bunny watching in my yard.
9    Playing the piano
8    Bargain hunting
7    Arizona Sunsets
6   Taking long drives in the country
5   Writing and more writing
4   Researching my ancestors (or yours)
3   Walking my silly dog
2   Helping my friends
1   Dinner conversations with my family



To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Comment section not working, so please use the Contact Me if you have a comment. Thanks.

From a fan (Ellen): "Fascinating story and plot, interesting insights into character personality. A nice photo of you."





Wednesday, February 10, 2016

In The Dying Light ... Cover Reveal!

Isn't this cover intriguing? I love it and I'm so excited to share more about this book with you.

In The Dying Light 
By Angela Carling

Winter Merrill knew it would be difficult when she took on an ancient curse to save her family, but couldn’t have imagined the isolated existence she would inherit. When her long-time boyfriend’s demanding college schedule competes with her needs, Winter is left completely alone to fight the dark secrets she bears. At her breaking point a stranger enters Winter’s life, one who understands how she feels and more importantly knows how to eliminate the curse. 

Will his friendship be a new beginning for Winter or will it prove to be her demise? 



Also, here's your chance to get caught up. Grab The Secret Keeper, the first book in the series before In The Dying Light comes out in March.


Amazon


Barnes and Noble


iBookStore 


KoboBooks


Here’s a juicy little excerpt from The Secret Keeper to get you started

Over and over in my head I repeated, “She can make my secret go away.”

I’m not sure if I was trying to convince myself, or trying to keep myself from going nuts, but the phrase calmed me as I drove.

I found Lejo Street and began the steep climb to the top. The houses in this neighborhood were small. Most were weathered if not completely forgotten. Pines grew too close together. Piles of rusted tools and long-forgotten bathroom fixtures littered the landscape, hidden only by overgrown grasses and neglected Quakies. No wonder everyone thought it was creepy.


My heart rate quickened with the ascent, and my palms left sticky sweat on my steering wheel. I wiped them on my jeans only to have the moisture build up again immediately. Soon there was nothing but dense forest; a blur of green, broken only by the ashen skies above. The rain came down in unyielding sheets and I turned up the windshield wipers.

Back and forth they went like a giant metronome, keeping in step with my nervous heartbeat. I strained to see out the windows until all at once there was nothing in front me but a large rusted metal gate and a cracked wood sign, painted long ago, that declared, “No trespassing.” Beyond the gate, through the trees and the rain, I saw the pale blue house that the girl in the park had described.

One more time I said out loud, “She can make my secret disappear.”

I’d almost convinced myself now. I had to be convinced, what with the dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere and the stormy weather. Everything screamed “Don’t go in!” but I was driven to try something, anything, not to lose my best friend and boyfriend.

I climbed from the car and ran until I reached the porch, slipping and having to catch myself as I tried to take the stairs too fast. Light spilled out through a crack in the curtains, letting me know someone was there.

I lifted my hand to knock on the old splintered door and froze. I didn’t know the secret keeper’s name. How would I address her? Before I could decide what to do, the heavily scratched door handle turned and the door opened a crack. My mouth fell open. The eyes that peered through the
opening were surprisingly young. My throat felt tight as I swallowed and it sounded loud to me. I
could turn and run. Everything in my gut told me to go, but I stood like a marble statue frozen by my anguish.


"Who are you looking for?” she asked.


Her melodic voice made me think of dozens of wind chimes all tinkling at once. Still, I felt uneasy.

I made myself spit out the words.

“The Secret Keeper.”

An excruciatingly long minute passed and I thought she might tell me that I had the wrong house or that I should get off her property.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Come in. I’m the Secret Keeper.”



A little about Angela

Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives in Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines. After years of denial she finally admitted she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms. When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order.

Connect with Angela
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Youtube
Instagram

Monday, February 8, 2016

The Value of Learning

The Grand Canyon
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Learning should be a life-long process. It not only expands our minds, but also our opportunities.

With the advent of the internet, we have access to learning like never before. We can sit at the virtual feet of philosopher's masters or watch instructions to correctly order our Jeep's spark plugs. We can take a tour of a foreign land or landmark at the stroke of a key. We can even follow our lineage back many generations.

Websites that share learning abound, both free and for pay. Inspiration is everywhere.

Writer's Digest is one of my favorite writing how-to resources. Second to that, but not quite as accessible in a timely manner is writing conferences: particularly ANWA's Time Out for Writers. Books are available as are blogs and websites to help you improve (see which book we're talking about this month over on the Five Pages blog. Your local library may also host workshops on a variety of topics.

Where do you want to go? What did you learn today?

Whatever it is, Learn On, my friends!



Cross Post for This Week: Moral Position

Things we care passionately about drive our best writing.

Posted over on the Five Pages of Something Blog, so go check it out.

Book Sale!

Need some sweet romance to sigh your way through the holidays? Here you go: Merry Christmas and happy wishes for however you celebrate!