Thursday, December 31, 2015

Book Blast! Journey Beyond the Trauma by Dr. J. Denee


We're happy to be hosting Dr. J. Denee and her JOURNEY BEYOND THE TRAUMA Book Blast at I'm Shelf-ish today!

Title: Journey Beyond the Trauma: Simple Practices of Resilence for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Author: Dr. J. Denee
Pages: 99
Genre: Self-Help

Journey Beyond the Trauma: Simple Practices of Resilience for Survivors of Sexual Abuse goes right to the heart of the issues related to abuse. It shares the impacts of abuse and offers simple, yet, practical strategies and information to help survivors reclaim and restore their lives. Dr. J. Denee' guides readers through a 30-day journey to jumpstart their innate resilience. Journey Beyond the Trauma helps survivors to:

• Take responsibility for your healing and your life

• Transform into your authentic self 

• Identify and manage triggers

• Turn emotional pain into progression

•  Develop self-acceptance and reclaim self-worth

• Embrace resilience as a way of life

For More Information

  • Journey Beyond the Trauma is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

About the Author

Juanita D. Ashby-Bey, PhD, known as Dr. J. Denee’, is a sexual abuse speaker, author, and resilience expert who specializes in helping women survivors of sexual abuse to rebuild their lives. A survivor of sexual abuse herself, Dr. J. Denee’ has been dedicated to the prevention, intervention, and recovery of sexual abuse issues and other traumas for the past 10 years. She received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University.

After coming to an understanding of the extent to which the sexual abuse and trauma she suffered as a child had profoundly affected his life, Dr. J. Denee’ traveled her own personal road of recovery and resilience, and made a firm decision to help build awareness about sexual abuse and to empower and support other sexual abuse survivors and the professionals who engage with survivors along the path to recovery. 

As an educator, Dr. J. Denee’ spent many years researching and applying intervention strategies to help people transform themselves and discovery new possibilities. Leveraging her 15 years of experience as an educator at the collegiate and K-12 school levels in the capacities of administration, accreditation, evaluator, professor and teacher, Dr. J. Denee’s approach includes practical and research-based intervention strategies that are designed to produce results that guide women to more loving relationships with themselves and others. She helps women to tackle feelings of powerlessness by finding their voice, build emotional muscle to manage anger and rage, rebuild and establish healthy relationships rather than sabotaging them, and to learn how to effectively establish, respect, and protect personal boundaries for themselves.

Dr. J. Denee’ is an acclaimed speaker who is available to conducts seminars, workshops, keynote addresses, and panel discussions. She empowers her audience to tap into their internal ability to persevere, recreate themselves, express their individuality, and welcome and manage life’s simple and complex challenges successfully. With an interactive and inspirational delivery, Dr. J. Denee’ provides her audience with an effective toolkit of strategies that help women survivors of sexual abuse transform their lives and create authentic happiness, joy, and progress. 

“Beyond the Trauma… Living Triumphantly” is the ultimate goal that Dr. J. Denee’ desires for all survivors. Dr. J. Denee’s upcoming, inaugural book, Beyond The Trauma – Simple Practices of Resilience for Survivors of Sexual Abuse is available for pre-sales and will be released in September 2015.

For More Information


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Announcing Lisa Weaver's Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom Book Blast!


We're happy to be hosting Lisa Weaver's HER BILLIONAIRE BODYGUARD BRIDEGROOM book blast today!





Title: HER BILLIONAIRE BODYGUARD BRIDEGROOM
Author: Lisa Weaver
Publisher: Kindle Press
Pages: 173
Genre: Romance

His assignment to protect her places their hearts in the line of fire...

The one and only time covert bodyguard Luke Reynolds allowed the line between duty and desire to blur, pleasure came at too high a price. Despite his vow never to become emotionally entangled again, when he discovers a lovely interloper on the grounds of his private estate he's captivated. When the woman disappears from his life as quickly as she entered it, he knows he should be relieved. So why isn't he?

For More Information

  • Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom is available at Amazon.
Book Excerpt:

As a motivational speaker, words were Brianna’s livelihood. She had never been at a loss for them. Until now. Her tongue seemed to be paralyzed. Distracted by the impossibly broad shoulders and the taut, six-pack abs currently permeating her line of vision, she somehow couldn’t pull a single cohesive sentence together.

His musky cologne, a perfect counterpoint to the scent of the pine forest surrounding them, teased her senses. The heat radiating from his water-droplet-bejeweled body drew her closer, making her forget all about her initial desire to flee.

Common sense dictated she didn’t belong in a secluded lake with a complete—if albeit sexier-than-sin—stranger. But when she made the mistake of looking into his eyes again, that common sense executed an abrupt U-turn. Her heart did a free fall from her tonsils to her toes, taking all of her good intentions right along with it.

The eyes locked on hers were heated. Hungry. She’d thought she’d been melting earlier, when she’d pitted her body against the brutal terrain on her mountain bike, but that was nothing compared to the way this man’s presence ratcheted up her body temperature. Not surprising—he was hot enough to melt an Arctic ice cap.

He extended a tanned hand. “Since we’ve established you have my permission to enjoy my lake, I think introductions are in order. I’m Luke Reynolds. And you are . . . ?”

Surely it would be polite to answer him, but she hesitated all the same. She was in the middle of a secluded forest. The man certainly didn’t look like an ax murderer, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t one. And as for her name . . . well, it had recently been splashed across every newspaper from Maine to Hawaii. As soon as she uttered it, there was little doubt he’d realize his trespasser was none other than “the Reluctant Heiress.”

Brianna cringed every time the media bandied around the moniker they’d coined for her when the truth surrounding her paternity had leaked. She’d taken this vacation to escape notoriety for a while, and she wasn’t ready to give up the blissful anonymity she’d found here.

Fortunately she bore little resemblance, now, to the picture the papers had dredged up to accompany the story. Keeping one arm wrapped firmly against her chest, she tentatively reached out to shake the stranger’s hand.

“Heather. Heather Wright.” Amazingly, the fictitious name rolled smoothly off her tongue—despite her stuttering insides.
His eyes narrowed for a moment as he regarded her, and she was afraid he could see right through her lie. But then his warm fingers wrapped around hers.

“Welcome to my lake, Heather. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”


About the Author


Lisa Weaver loves living in Maine, although she occasionally fantasizes about moving to a state with milder temperatures. On the upside, the long, cold winters give her plenty of time to plot her next romance.

Lisa also loves books, and can't imagine a world without the written word to enrich us, inspire us, entertain us, and touch our hearts. She's thrilled to make a small contribution to the treasure trove. She began her writing career penning articles and short stories, but it has long been her dream to write romance novels. Thanks to the Amazon Kindle Scout program, that dream is now a reality.

Lisa is the first to admit her romances aren't serious literature. She thinks of her stories as fluffy, fun, romantic romps--like decadently rich cupcakes, heavy on the frosting.

She loves to hear from readers! Please drop by and visit her anytime at her website, www.lisaweaverromance.com.  You can also keep in touch with the latest Weaver Romance happenings via her Facebook and Twitter pages.

Her latest book is the romance novel, Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom.
 
For More Information
 
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker Book Review







Title: Daughter of Sand and Stone
Author: by Libbie Hawker
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 328
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction


When Zenobia takes control of her own fate, will the gods punish her audacity?

Zenobia, the proud daughter of a Syrian sheikh, refuses to marry against her will. She won’t submit to a lifetime of subservience. When her father dies, she sets out on her own, pursuing the power she believes to be her birthright, dreaming of the Roman Empire’s downfall and her ascendance to the throne.

Defying her family, Zenobia arranges her own marriage to the most influential man in the city of Palmyra. But their union is anything but peaceful—his other wife begrudges the marriage and the birth of Zenobia’s son, and Zenobia finds herself ever more drawn to her guardsman, Zabdas. As war breaks out, she’s faced with terrible choices.

From the decadent halls of Rome to the golden sands of Egypt, Zenobia fights for power, for love, and for her son. But will her hubris draw the wrath of the gods? Will she learn a “woman’s place,” or can she finally stake her claim as Empress of the East?From the New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me, Love Walked In, and Falling Together comes a captivating novel about friendship, family, second chances, and the redemptive power of love.



Historical fiction used to be something I turned my nose up at - thankfully over the years I decided to give it a try and have found it to be one of my favorite genres. I jumped at the chance to read this book.

What does historical fiction have over other books? For me, it takes a little more dedication in that you want the reader to be transported back in time, and I think a good author will do some research to ensure that it is as accurate as possible. And this book did the job.

Who couldn't love Zenobia? A young woman striving for more than a meager existence. It is hard enough in current times, much less many, many years ago. The writing jumped off the page, grabbing hold and pulling you through the turmoil and triumphs beautifully encased as a novel. Great story and well put together.




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Libbie was born in Rexburg, Idaho and divided her childhood between Eastern Idaho's rural environs and the greater Seattle area. She presently lives in Seattle, but has also been a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah; Bellingham, Washington; and Tacoma, Washington. She loves to write about character and place, and is inspired by the bleak natural beauty of the Rocky Mountain region and by the fascinating history of the Puget Sound.

After three years of trying to break into the publishing industry with her various books under two different pen names, Libbie finally turned her back on the mainstream publishing industry and embraced independent publishing. She now writes her self-published fiction full-time, and enjoys the fact that the writing career she always dreamed of having is fully under her own control.

Libbie's writerly influences are varied, and include Vladimir Nabokov, Hilary Mantel, Annie Dillard, George R. R. Martin, songwriter Neko Case, and mixed-media storyteller Chris Onstad, to name but a few. 

She previously wrote under the pen name L.M. Ironside (historical fiction)

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Talking Books with Joshua Graham, author of 'Latent Image'





JOSHUA GRAHAM is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Beyond Justice, Terminus, and Darkroom, the winner of the International Book Award, Forward National Literature Award, USA Book News Best Books Award, and host of Thriller Radio. His award-winning novel DARKROOM hit 3 bestseller lists on Amazon the night of its release.

CBS NEWS described DARKROOM as a book with "action, political intrigue and well-rounded characters...a novel that thriller fans will devour."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY described BEYOND JUSTICE as: "A riveting legal thriller...breaking new ground with a vengeance...demonically entertaining and surprisingly inspiring."

Suspense Magazine listed BEYOND JUSTICE in its BEST OF 2010, alongside titles by Scott Turrow, Ted Dekker, Steven James and Brad Thor.

Many of Graham's readers blame him for sleepless nights, arriving to work late, neglected dishes and family members, and not allowing them to put the book down.

Josh grew up in Brooklyn, NY where he lived for the better part of 30 years. He holds a Bachelor and Master's Degree and went on to earn his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. During his time in Maryland, he taught as a professor at Shepherd College (WV), Western Maryland College, and Columbia Union College (MD).

Today he lives with his beautiful wife and children on the West Coast.
Sign up for exclusive updates, interviews, and to be entered for giveaways by subscribing to Josh's newsletter: www.joshua-graham.com/GIA

For More Information


Title: Latent Image: A Xandra Carrick Thriller
Author: Joshua Graham
Publisher: Redhaven Books
Pages: 437
Genre: Thriller

For fans of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, Brad Thor, and Nora Roberts.

New York Times bestselling author Joshua Graham returns with a new thriller, Latent Image: A Xandra Carrick Thriller.

At the height of President Jennifer Bradley’s inaugural parade, a bomb detonates, followed by shots from a sniper’s rifle. She survives despite the numerous casualties including the Chief White House photographer. The authorities apprehend the only surviving suspect, but before they can interrogate him, he dies mysteriously while recovering in the hospital.

In an effort to hunt down those responsible and prevent future assassination attempts, Special Agent Wade Masterson of the Secret Service recruits photojournalist Xandra Carrick for a dual-role position as the President’s Photographer and clandestine assistant operative.

Xandra’s uncanny gift of second-sight through the lens of a camera thrusts her straight into the center of a deadly terrorist plot that runs far deeper than anyone in the intelligence community ever imagined.
But she may already be too late.
In a tale of vengeance, honor and sacrifice, Xandra must draw upon all she has to stop an insidious plot which threatens to bring the country to its knees with a biological weapon that will decimate the nation’s population.

For More Information


Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

Thanks for having me! When I’m not writing, I’m busy shuttling around my kids to and from school, to their school activities like sports and debate. I try to be available for everyone in my family because they’re my top priority in life. Other than that, I love getting together with friends, working out at the gym, running with my son, watching movies, and reading.

When did you start writing?

Professionally, I began in the early 2000s, though I’ve been writing stories since I was a child.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

When my tons of people started talking about my first book BEYOND JUSTICE and it began hitting bestseller lists. Then, a year later, I got a contract with Simon & Schuster for DARKROOM, the first in the Xandra Carrick series.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

I really love my office and get lots of work done there. I would enjoy a writing cabin by a lake, though.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Sleep. Seriously, I could use that much more time, given the amount of activity during the day, which starts before 7AM and typically ends after 12 midnight.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

Venice, Italy. It’s truly another world, when you first set foot there.

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

I did some travel, but I’m familiar with most of the locales. A lot of information came through first-hand accounts of people “in the know,” so there wasn’t much travel needed for that.

Why was writing Latent Image so important to you?

At the end of DARKROOM, I left a door wide open for sequels. Though Latent Image is a standalone book that starts in a brand new, bigger setting for Xandra Carrick, the protagonist, some of its backstory is found in DARKROOM.

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?

My ideas come from any number of sources. Sometimes they emerge from a conversation, sometimes they are triggered by current events, and sometimes, through dreams. They all land in that receptacle called the brain, so I suppose they all come from God.

Any final words?

I love getting to know my readers, and keeping them informed. For more information about my upcoming releases, and to receive a free ebook, and the opportunity to be entered in my monthly giveaways, please subscribe to my free newsletter here: www.joshua-graham.com/GIA  

I hope you'll visit my website www.joshgraham.net
You can connect with me on facebook: www.facebook.com/j0shgraham


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Monday, December 28, 2015

Guest Post from Arthur C. Eastly, author of Bamford Luck

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Bamford LuckTitle: Bamford Luck
Author: Arthur C. Eastly
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 262
Genre: Western
Format: Kindle/Paperback/Hardcover 

Twenty-eight-year-old Clay Bamford mistakenly thinks he is just bidding his parents farewell for a short time as they depart their Idaho ranch for a vacation. As their RV heads down the road away from home, Clay has no idea that in just a short time, his parents will be murdered and he will be left attempting to solve the crime. Luong An Chie’n—the patriarch of a Seattle Asian gang—is intent on doing whatever it takes to ensure he remains successful as a drug smuggler. When fate leads a few of his gang members to an encounter with the elderly Bamfords that ends in their untimely deaths, he is clueless that Clay Bamford has begun his own mission to find the guilty parties. Using his United States Army training, work ethic, and country boy toughness, the son hacks computers, intercepts e-mails, and infiltrates the gang. Determined to crack the crime operation, Bamford will stop at nothing until he finally leads police to a fish market—and what he hopes are the answers. In this gripping tale, an Idaho rancher attempting to solve his parents’ murder uncovers a major drug operation in Seattle where only time will tell if he finds the justice he so desperately needs.

ORDER INFORMATION
Bamford Luck is available for purchase at  
iUniverse
amazon


Driving south from Missoula, Montana along Highway 93 through the Bitterroot Mountains the changes in terrain became a constant companion. Truly beautiful countryside in the story which eventually became Bamford Luck suddenly started to come alive in my head. Each evening the laptop got a good workout on drafts of several parts of the book that I wanted to put in writing before they could slip out of my memory. It's a good memory being excited about the parts of the story rattling around my brain. Prudence dictated not taking any chances. The handy notebook received her entries about the area and even character names came to mind. Arriving at the time to Challis, Idaho it felt right, this was where the ranch belonged. Suddenly the ranch made a mental move from Montana to the mountains of Idaho. Driving the streets of Challis, looking at the town, its buildings and schools, the area and the atmosphere felt comfortable. This area would provide a good home for the Bamford ranch. There is much to see in the area in one of the most striking sites is a rock cliff located east of the town of Arco, Idaho. Generations of high school graduating students have painted the year they finished school on the face of the cliff going back to 1922. At least that was the oldest number my eyes found. IN the over 90 years since the custom started it may now be fourth generation students doing the painting. This tour of Idaho wend down the eastern side of Idaho and curved around to the west through Mountain Home, Boise and north to Lewiston, Moscow and Coeur D'Alene where the picture of the author on the books back cover was taken. Writing fiction is a challenge involving hard work, requiring diligent perseverance. When the manuscript is finished and sent off to an agent it has been another enjoyable experience. For anyone who has a burning desire to write I can only say, Do It.



Arthur C. Eastly was educated at the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys writing frontier stories that enhance the self-reliance, determination, and courage our ancestors used to face dangerous hardships and move forward. His novel,Black Arrow, won second place in a New York fiction contest. Arthur currently resides in Alberta, Canada. This is his third book.  
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Monday, December 21, 2015

Guest Post from Alexis Georg Hoen, author of Christianity and Cosmic Consciousness




Title: Christianity and Cosmic Consciousness
Author: Alexis Georg Hoen
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Religion
Format: Ebook

Born in the Ukraine, educated in Munich, and having practiced medicine in the United States, author Alexis Georg Hoen has been exposed to widely differing political systems and religious beliefs, and he has always maintained an interest as to the origin of these beliefs and their relation to the innermost nature of man. In Christianity and Cosmic Consciousness, he interprets the words and the sacrifice of Jesus as pointing the way toward a realization of our innermost nature—the will to live and love that exists within all. Sharing his experiences and ideas about Christ’s words and sacrifice, Hoen uses personal anecdotes and biblical examples to illustrate the nature of Christian belief. He provides a host of examples, including key illustrations from the Bible and relevant source material from other writers who address this topic. He shows us that through sacrifice we live in and for others. That is eternal life. Christianity and Cosmic Consciousness represents the core of Christian teaching without resorting to the supernatural and miraculous, yet doesn’t try to disprove it.


ON THE FORMATION OF SOCIETIES


The gist of this article is taken from my book Christianity and Cosmic Consciousness," more precisely from the chapter about the last words of Jesus spoken from the Cross: "Into your hands I commend my spirit." I took that opportunity  to say that while we form our moral and governmental laws we serve our innermost divine nature and thus always commend our spirit into the hands of God. With this opinion I
join Mahatma Gandhi who says that those who say that religion has
nothing to do with politics do not understand  what religion is all about. I do not believe he refers to the separation of organized religion from the state which is highly desirable. Yet even the basic thoughts used in the foundation of this country, where separation of church and state was ordained from the very beginning, have a religious background as evidenced by the words in the Declaration of Independence: "...we hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights..."
To my knowledge, the idea of equality first emerged as a political principle during the French Revolution. It was a revolt against the evils of a feudalist society, founded on the belief that the one' s worth is not determined  by the class into which one was born. It is a religious principle in a wider sense for it is founded on the spiritual worth of a person aside from any pragmatic considerations. Its roots are buried deep in the Christian tradition going back to Jesus's teachings and to those of St. Paul who says:  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28). Still, in the ensuing centuries the principle has been ignored, and even now discrimination based on origin is there as a not so silent undercurrent, and even the very signers of our Declaration of Independence tolerated slavery because blacks
were allegedly born inferior to whites. Such was, and still is, the blatant disregard for a valid belief. But the principle of equality, understood
simply as equality of worth, has also been misinterpreted  as denoting
absolute equality by totalitarian governments, for example during the
Cultural Revolution in China and the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
As the failure of those experiments clearly demonstrates, if simple observation is not enough, people are not created equal but differ widely in terms of physical and mental ability, health and social opportunity. But along with this inequality we aiL including other living

creatures and even inanimate formations in nature, share an identity of two kinds.
The first is our common innermost nature, the divine creative
principle of Being, manifested in all of us as the will to live and to
support life in general.
The second form of identity is derived from the first and again is the
either conscious or unconscious desire to live in the most comfortable and agreeable way, to fulfill our desires and apply our abilities.
The full realization of this identity should force us to create a society of
mutual support, to help others to overcome the inequalities with which we are created, and to respect and support  our natural environment.  Such should be the true basis of any society with its laws and civil rights possessed by its members.
In this effort we are hindered by an original fault that is unavoidable
because Being and creative advance of which we are representatives can only be manifested by individuaL particular  beings, necessarily in some respects opposed to each other. While being a part, I am apart. I cannot survive without fighting the hosts of bacteria trying to invade my body, without destroying living things in order to eat, and sooner or
later my interests are going to conflict with those of someone else. It is the task of moral and legal principles to minimize that dilemma. That task is based on our identity, not on our equality.
These considerations show a shortcoming in the concept of equality versus that of identity. Equality denotes independent  beings placed beside each other without any obligation of mutual support. The Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations mentions the right for support  by others but such a statement is conspicuously absent from our Bill of Rights.
I should add that the Human Rights concept deserves our whole­ hearted support  but that the term really denotes Civil Rights based on Human Needs. The right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, so eloquently stated by our Declaration of Independence, are certainly not inalienable. We sanction killing in wars and by the still widely popular capital punishment, and we limit liberty and the pursuit of happiness whenever these interfere  with the proper functioning of our society. Everyone wants to live and no one pursuits misery. To serve these needs, civil rights are created, and they should be supported under whichever name they may be installed.



Alexis Georg Hoen attended medical school in Munich. He immigrated to the United States at age twenty-five, and he practiced medicine in Los Angeles for fifty years. In addition to the study of religion, he enjoys gardening and spending time with his three children and six grandchildren.
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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Two Tales of the Moon by Jennifer Sun - Win a Free Copy!




Title: Two Tales of the Moon
Author: Jennifer Sun
Release Date: October 22, 2015
Publisher: Jennifer Sun
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Ebook/Paperback

The moon, as a motif woven into the fabric of the stories in the book, is the moon steeped in the Chinese myth and culture, symbolizing separation and reunion, longing and fulfillment. But which tale of the moon is more compelling? - A question asked in the book’s Prologue through two versions of the folklore like story, one told by Lu’s grandma before she committed suicide on a moon lit night in Shanghai, and the other by a Chinese restaurant owner in Montauk, NY to a little girl named Sage. The time was 1966.

Fast forward to 2009, and America's economic interest in China is increasing at a rapid pace, along with China's ambition to become a superpower. A high profile, joint venture deal between two U.S. and Chinese cyber brings Will Donavan and Lu Li together.

Will is a native New Yorker and exNavy cyberwarfare specialist who has built a prosperous cyber security business. Lu Li's life was one of terrible strife as she escaped her home country's communist regime at the age of thirteen and swam to Hong Kong and to freedom. She made it all the way to the United States and is now a successful Wall Street investment banker.

They meet as the cyber technology companies merge. They meet and realize their orderly worlds of hard work and legality don't apply in this new high stakes game of corruption and deceit. From Washington, Dc, to New York to Shanghai, Will and Lu Li face moral and ethical dilemmas and make personal choices that could change their lives forever.

But the story is not just about cyber security, Wall Street deal making, international politics, intrigue and espionage in the context of fierce business competition. It delves into the personal lives of the characters, who are thrust into the vortex of Wall Street greed, cross-border business ventures and historical suspicions between world’s major economic powers. Each of the main characters, Lu, Sage and Will, has a personal story, and their story moves between their memories and present dilemmas, between family histories and each life’s destination, between the commercial center of Shanghai and rustic Montauk, furthest edge of Long Island. Their past tugs at every turn of their lives, and their present pulls them back into what they would rather forget or leave alone but cannot at times. As their lives converge on the pending high stake deal, they also come to terms with a past that needs closures, between siblings, between mother and daughter, and with themselves. For more than fifty years, Elaine has lived the life of an outcast elf, stripped of her rank and title in the fae court. Surrounded by her beloved collection of stolen artwork, we may just learn the secret behind her exile, and the one promise too important to break...

ORDER INFORMATION

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GIVEAWAY!

Jennifer is giving an e-copy of her book!


Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a copy
  • This giveaway begins December 19 and ends on December 24.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on December 26.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Friday, December 18, 2015

Chapters by Dianna Hubbard Stein Book Blast - Win a $25 Gift Card


Title: Chapters
Author: Dianna Hubbard Stein
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Ebook

Dianna and Steve were roaring through life, in love, happy, and intent on having a family along the way. The story that unfolds and changes their lives forever, seemingly by chance, is a reminder to us all that amazing things can happen if you listen to your heart. The joy of finally finding their son, the complex emotions of adoptive parents and birth families, and the deep sorrow of the blows that stole their happiness can be understood by each and every person who has loved and lost, as can the belief that happiness is cyclical, as is life.  

ORDER INFORMATION
Chapters is available for order at
amazon

Dianna is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins December 7 and ends on December 18.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on December 19.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Battle of Top Hat Wood by Taylor Samuel Lyen Book Blast - Win a $25 Gift Card

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The Battle of Top Hat WoodTitle: The Battle of Top Hat Wood
Author: Taylor Samuel Lyen
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Format: Ebook/Paperback

“An Educational, Inspirational Tale About Spiders That’s Fun to Read.” Kirkus Reviews

Jerry thes pider is a smart-aleck jumping spider that reluctantly joins Alma’s quest to vanquish the evil Sitharon. Hanging in her web above the entrance to the old Presbyterian Church in a small California town, Alma has a nightmare about the horrible slaughter of innocent spiders by a giant flying beast, a Sitharon that lives in the ancient English woodland called Top Hat Wood. Months later, her children are born. As they balloon away to their new homes, Alma senses the presence of evil still lurking in the old woodland. She fears for the lives of her children and feels powerless against the evil Sitharon. She quietly conceives a plan to defeat the Sitharon. Confined to her web, Alma picks Jerrythespider to be her eyes and ears in Top Hat Wood. She creates a possible future where Jerry the spider meets Dr. Greenstone, who she needs to first transport Jerry the spider to England and later to be a valuable ally. But, Dr. Greenstone is preoccupied with his vacation trip to the Sutton Hoo Farmlands. Plus, he is preparing for his expert testimony at the upcoming Moroccan-Three Murder Trial. He is oblivious to the struggle between good and evil, which is literally taking place all around him. Nonetheless, Alma plans to have Jerrythespider team up with Dr. Greenstone. Together—Alma, Jerry, and Dr. Greenstone—will continue to seek and destroy evil wherever it shows its face.  

ORDER INFORMATION
The Battle of Top Hat Wood is available for order at
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Taylor is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins December 7 and ends on December 18.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on December 19.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

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Book Spotlight: Sabotage by Bryan Koepke



Title: Sabotage
Author: Bryan Koepke
Publisher: Writers Cabin Press, Ltd.
Pages: 316
Genre: Thriller

Reece Culver and his friend Haisley Averton travel to Scotland with only one thing on their minds - fishing.  After witnessing an automobile accident involving a freelance journalist they quickly realize that something far greater than a crash caused his SUV to sink into the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.

With increasing curiosity, Reece inserts himself into the complicated life of Marie Rhodes who is in the middle of her own crises as she watches her 20-year marriage crumble.

Realizing that they’ll never make it out fishing, Haisley uses his skills in computer forensics to find out who hacked into Karl Rhodes’ office computer at Draecon International and made it appear that he’d remotely accessed the dead journalists laptop.  As Haisley combs through logs on the chief of strategy’s computer he stumbles upon an even bigger plot involving a secret drone factory somewhere in the United Kingdom, what looks like funds being embezzled out of Draecon International, and a plot that threatens the national security of the U.K.

Reece spends increasingly greater amounts of time with Marie Rhodes trying to learn what she knows and soon finds that he can’t resist the temptation of falling in love with the woman of his dreams.  But as things heat up he questions her true motives.

When Karl Rhodes’ executive secretary is found dead Reece agrees to protect Marie’s soon to be ex-husband Karl.  In a tricky game of cat and mouse Reece travels the globe as he tries to keep Marie, her husband, and Karl’s mistress out of harms way, and unknowingly puts himself directly into the crosshairs of a hired assassin.

For More Information

  • Sabotage is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:

Saturday June 8, 2013
             
             Julian had been told the target would be traveling south along the coastal road. With a practiced hand he pivoted the stock of the Russian-made sniper rifle on its black steel swivel mount atop the bipod legs and aimed toward the highway below. The SUV would be passing right through his sight . . .  there. A chilly breeze blew through the tent, rippling the damp cotton shirt that lay molded to his back. He wasn’t nervous, but he did tend to sweat as the killing hour approached. He regarded the unpleasant sensation as just part of the job. It wasn’t like anyone would ever find out.
Peering through the custom-made rifle scope, he adjusted the magnification between his thumb and index finger, zooming in on the worn white strands of the highway’s center line several hundred yards below. As he rotated the knob back out, he spotted the farthest flag he’d placed in the branches of a nearby tree. The strip of white plastic barely fluttered, telling him the wind was calm.
His square unshaven chin pressed firmly against the cold black stock of the Dragunov SVD, and he pushed upward, seating the steel magazine that housed multiple 7N1 steel-core sniper rounds. With its 151-grain projectile and velocity of 830 meters per second, it was perfect for this type of work.
A rifle was the best—precise, anonymous, and decisive. He ran the shot through his mind one more time. Envision what you want to have happen. He’d read about that in an e-zine, and he adopted it as part of his preparations, even though it was supposed to be part of his ten-year life plan. He didn’t need any plan. In ten years he’d be rich and retired on a private island in the Caribbean.
The tracking device he’d stuck under the rear bumper would tell him when the SUV was near. It would approach on its way south toward the city of Talbert. He’d picked the perfect spot. The narrow Scottish road curved left around a large hill, and the vast expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean spread beyond the guardrail.
Confirm the license plate BV-061-EK, lead the target, and pan upward to the windshield. He’d draw a bead on the man’s head, squeeze the trigger, and watch as the windshield filled with a fine red mist. He’d envisioned the heavy vehicle veering sideways and crashing through the flimsy rusted guardrail before plunging into the depths of the sea. The driver would be dead before he realized how freezing cold that water was.
            As the assassin waited patiently enduring the wet chill that reminded him of his home on Bainbridge Island, he monitored the moving red dot on his cell phone. A young woman with a yellow scarf drove past in her blue Volvo sedan. His stomach growled, and he remembered the bacon he’d had at the inn.  The slabs were thick and cooked only in patches. Typical British cuisine.
            The dot was rapidly approaching, and he shifted his attention to a silver Nissan Pathfinder rapidly making its way up the road. It carried two occupants. Damn it, he thought as a maroon BMW X5 came around the corner. The Pathfinder would pass in front just as the BMW entered his field of fire.
He could feel a drop of sweat rolling down the knobs of his spine. He zeroed in the rifle scope on the BMW windshield. The cross hairs remained steady as the SUV slowed to make the curve. He saw the Pathfinder pass through in a blur. He had a split second of clearance as he squeezed the trigger. The windshield misted red and flashed beyond his line of sight.
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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Three Promises by Bishop O'Connell Book Feature!




Title: Three Promises
Author: Bishop O'Connell
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Ebook

Promises bind, but some promises break... From the author of The Stolen and The Forgotten comes a collection of stories between the stories, a glimpse of the American Faerie Tale series characters in a whole new light.

For more than fifty years, Elaine has lived the life of an outcast elf, stripped of her rank and title in the fae court. Surrounded by her beloved collection of stolen artwork, we may just learn the secret behind her exile, and the one promise too important to break...

It's the day we've all been waiting for - Caitlin and Edward are getting married!  But few weddings ever go without a hitch. Old promises were broken, and new vows will be made...

In The Stolen, Brendan vowed to help Caitlin rescue her young daughter from the Dusk Court, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Alone and in torment, he has come to accept his fate.  Until an unexpected visitor finds her way into his life... Plus, an exclusive bonus story about the mysterious Legion of Solomon.

ORDER INFORMATION
Three Promises is available for order at  
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Bishop O'Connell is a consultant, writer, blogger, lover of kilts and beer, as well as a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. Born in Naples Italy, while his father was stationed in Sardinia, Bishop grew up in San Diego, CA where he fell in love with the ocean and fish tacos. While wandering the country for work and school (absolutely not because he was in hiding from mind controlling bunnies), he experienced autumn in New England. Soon after, he settled in Manchester, NH, where he collects swords, drinks, writes, revels in his immortality as a critically acclaimed "visionary" of the urban fantasy genre, and is regularly chastised for making up things for his bio. He can also be found online at A Quiet Pint (aquietpint.com), where he muses philosophical on the life, the universe, and everything, as well as various aspects of writing and the road to getting published.

For More Information Visit Bishop at his website
  Visit him at the following locations:
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