Friday, July 31, 2015

Every Step She Takes, Diamond Legacy, Sinclair Justice and The Bad Nurse Book Feature!

Every Step She Takes, Diamond Legacy

Every Step She TakesTitle: Every Step She Takes
Author: Jannine Gallant
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle/Paperback

 “Jannine Gallant is an exciting new voice in romantic suspense.”—Mary Burton, New York Times bestselling author 

Every Step She Takes delivers enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the end.”—Nancy Bush, New York Times bestselling author

You can run from the past, but you can’t hide . . .  

Tough as nails, no nonsense San Francisco reporter Grace Hanover will do anything to cover the story of the decade—and her career. Having survived a painful past, she’s learned never to let anything stand in her way. Even if it means following a key witness into the Alaskan wilderness, and partnering with Travis Barnett, a former Navy SEAL turned PI who’s working for the Feds, and who would love to bring in Grace’s witness before she can get her story. But together in the wilderness, they’ll each have to put aside their differences and trust one another if they want to survive. Because someone from Grace’s past is watching, waiting for just the right moment. Every step Grace takes draws her deeper into the line of fire, and into the hands of a killer…

  ORDER INFORMATION Every Step She Takes is available for order 
at  Amazon, B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

Diamond LegacyTitle: Diamond Legacy
Author: Monica McCabe
  Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle/Paperback

  Blood diamonds, corruption, and undercover spies are no match for the chaos of one stubborn veterinarian…

 What happens when a dental zoologist flies to Botswana to give a rare albino hippo a root canal? She lands smack in the middle of a diamond smuggling ring and right in the way of an undercover agent for International Diamond Security—one who knows firsthand the horror of conflict diamonds. Determined to bring down the cartel, he accepts the veterinarian’s help. But when the past catches up to him and the stakes skyrocket, he must risk all to save her from an evil that has haunted him for fifteen years.

  ORDER INFORMATION Diamond Legacy is available for order at  Amazon,  B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

Sinclair JusticeTitle: Sinclair Justice
Author: Colleen Shannon
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Format: Kindle/Paperback

  Ranger Proud, Ranger Strong . . .

 Texas Rangers swear to uphold the law to the letter. But Captain Ross Sinclair isn’t about to play by the rules to destroy a major human trafficking cartel—especially now that the only chance to break this case just strode into his life with attitude as long as her gorgeous legs. Heiress Emm Rothschild is taking names and raising hell as she searches for her abducted sister and niece. And the evidence this wild-child turns up sets off a lethal chain of events—challenging Ross to keep her reckless determination and seductive daring up close and dangerously personal . . .

 Now a blindsiding betrayal has Emm heading straight into harm’s way. And Ross will have to put his badge and career on the line to get justice—and prove to the woman he loves that a Ranger’s word is a forever bond . .

  ORDER INFORMATION Sinclair Justice is available for order at  Amazon, B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

the Bad NurseTitle: The Bad Nurse
Author: Sheila Johnson
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Genre: True Crime
Format: Kindle

  Murder By Medicine

 In the small southern town of Ider, Alabama, everyone knew Karri Willoughby as a devoted nurse, loving wife, and mother of two small children. When she was accused of killing her stepfather Billy Junior Shaw with a fatal injection of the anesthetic Propofol, outraged friends and family rallied to her defense. Overnight Karrie became a media sensation, portrayed as an innocent young woman caught up in a terrible tragedy—until four years later, when she walked into court and pleaded guilty as charged. Only then did the full scope of her crimes emerge.  Nurse Karri was unmasked as cold-blooded, conniving murderer. Investigative journalist Sheila Johnson draws on hundreds of pages of previously unseen police records, interviews, recordings and videotapes, to create a haunting real-life thriller of medicine, family, and betrayal.

  Includes Dramatic Photos

  ORDER INFORMATION The Bad Nurse is available for pre-order at  Amazon,  B&N,  Kobo and Google Play
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Deception and The Siren's Touch Book Feature!

Deception and the Siren's Touch

DECEPTION_hi-res jpeg Title: Deception (Demon Hunters)
Author: A.S. Fenichel
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Kindle

  When Demons threaten Regency London, only a Lady can stop them.

 Lillian Dellacourt is beautiful, refined and absolutely lethal. She’s also the most feared and merciless demon hunter in The Company. She’s come a long way from the penniless seamstress’s daughter sold to the highest bidder, and it wasn’t by trusting a man, let alone an exiled Marquis with more on his mind than slaying the hellspawn . . .

 For Dorian Lambert, Marquis de Montalembert, being sent to keep track of Lillian is no mean task. He’s wanted the fiery vixen since he first heard of her five years ago. But wooing the lady while fighting the demon uprising is no easy feat, especially when the lady’s tongue is as sharp as the Japanese sai blades she favors for eviscerating the spawn of hell. These two will have to learn to trust each other fast, because the demon master is back, and he’s planning to turn Edinburgh into a living hell…

ORDER INFORMATION
Deception is available for order at  Amazon, B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back. A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story. Multi-published in erotic, contemporary and historical romance, A.S. is the author of the Mayan Destiny series, Christmas Bliss and many more.

With several books currently contracted to multiple publishers, A.S. will be brining you her brand of romance for many years to come. Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the East Texas with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

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The Siren's Touch

Title: The Siren's Touch
Author: Amber Belldene
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Kindle/Paperback

One touch can change everything…

 Hitman Dmitri Lisko is determined to avenge his father. Once he takes out the man he believes is responsible for his family’s tragedies, he’s done killing for good. But a mysterious woman may tempt Dmitri to change his plan. Sonya Truss was murdered in a Ukrainian village in 1968. Now she’s reappeared in San Francisco as a rusalka—the ghost of a wronged woman. And she’s thirsty for the blood of her killer. But she has to make things right before she’s trapped between worlds forever. Sonya's enigmatic siren powers stir Dmitri's long-buried chivalry, and he finds himself compelled to help her. He also can’t resist giving her a taste of the pleasures she never experienced while she was alive. Soon they discover that touch has surprising consequences. Yet when their shared mission comes to cross-purposes, they must choose between deadly sacrifice—or surrendering to the one act that can save them both.

ORDER INFORMATION

  The Siren's Touch is available for order at  Amazon,  B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

 I grew up on the Florida panhandle, swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops…when I could pull myself away from a book. As a child, I hid my Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons—an irony that is not lost on me when I preach these days. I’m an Episcopal Priest and student of the worlds’ religions. I believe stories are the best way to explore human truths, and I’m passionate about the deep ties between spirituality and sexuality. Some people think it’s strange for a minister to write romance, but it is perfectly natural to me, because the human desire for love is at the heart of every romance novel and God made people with that desire. I write paranormal, historical and contemporary romance and live with my husband and two children in San Francisco. My literary agent is the fabulous Becca Stumpf of the Prospect Agency.

For More Information
  Visit Amber’s website.
Connect with Amber on Twitter and Facebook 
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Bamford Luck by Arthur C. Eastly Book Blast - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!



Title: 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
 
 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.  

Arthur 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 Amazon
  • This giveaway begins July 27 and ends on August 7.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on August 8.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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The Mind Rules Your Sensual Universe by Veronica Frances




The Mind Rules Your Sensual Universe

by Veronica Frances


It is important to understand that true intimacy often begins in the mind. Yes, two people can feel arousal in their bodies and jump into bed. That is not the same thing. Real intimacy, which can include fetishes, various kinks, and the unraveling of certain defenses, must be mentally explored as much as physically. Otherwise, sex becomes like a tired stick of gum. It will lose its flavor eventually if two people cannot mentally connect and take the time to really learn about their partner and their partner’s needs.

I believe it is important to take full advantage of a rich fantasy life, if you happen to be lucky enough to have one. Fantasies are a healthy way for the mind to travel to sensual places. It is important to include your partner as much as possible in these travels. Airfare is free. There are no limits to where the mind can go when immersed in a fantasy.

It is perfectly fine to fantasize on your own, without sharing your fantasies with anybody. After all, they are your fantasies. You own them. Nobody can take them away from you. I am merely suggesting that sharing your deep inner fantasies with your partner will give them a front row glimpse into your own sensual projection room. Your partner will have the pleasure of sharing your personal fantasies with you. They will also have a better idea as to what turns you on and what your sexual triggers are. Tickling is an amazing and very powerful sexual trigger for some people.

Sexual triggers are often fetishes, or as I discussed in a previous chapter, phrases that add to a sexual experience. In certain fantasies about tickling, verbal triggers are often used and can sometimes be a fabulous precursor to the actual tickling that takes place.

Here is a scenario that I find very sexy. This is a very typical fantasy for somebody who loves tickling.

I am sitting in a restaurant with the guy of my dreams. He keeps staring at me, undressing me with his eyes. Perhaps he notices I am a bit moody. He reaches under the table and lightly caresses my knee, knowing that it will tickle slightly and elicit a little blush and a giggle.

Then he uses the trigger phrase:

“Does that tickle?”

I begin to feel a warm flush all over my body. Perhaps the white wine is adding to this sensation, making it increasingly difficult for me to remain composed. I start to laugh out of pure embarrassment. My loss of control is making me hotter and hotter between my thighs. I am afraid the whole restaurant will hear me laughing and that everybody in the room will know that my partner is tickling me under the table. My fetish will be exposed and I will be unable to control how turned on I’m becoming.

My partner leans forward and speaks to me in a very sexy, sultry tone.

“When we get home, I am going to tickle the crap out of you. There will be no discussion in the matter. I am going to strip you down, tie your arms up over your head and tickle you for as long as I please.”

I can’t wait for him to get the check, so we can hurry home for my tickle session. He makes me wait, flirting with me shamelessly for the next hour or so. I suddenly become a bit terrified of him getting the check. Excitement is permeating throughout my entire body. My panty crotch is soaked. My face is beet red and my heart is pounding with delicious anticipation.

He gets the check and chuckles, as I gasp quietly. He takes me home and then, well you can imagine the rest.

I just shared one of my fantasies. What are your fantasies? What fantasies lie deep inside of you and do you feel sometimes like sharing them with a trusted partner? The fantasy I just shared is definitely something I would want to share with a partner.

It is important to have a partner who wants to hear your fantasies and help fulfill them. Your partner should also learn all your trigger phrases and use them generously, as you should also do with your partner. I would not settle for anything less and neither should you. The more you and your partner understand each other’s needs and desires, the more sexually fulfilling your relationship will be. Most tickle lovers know that the best tickling often begins in the mind. The mind is an extremely important vehicle to a happy and fulfilling sex life.


 
About the Author:


Veronica Frances is the author of the gutsy, no-holds-barred novel, Tickling Daphne H. Her new non-fiction book Let’s Talk About Tickling sheds a refreshing new light on the subject. She is known as the TickleWriter in some circles.

Veronica also writes under her real name, Stacey Handler. Stacey is the author of The Body Burden; Living In The Shadow Of Barbie. Her book was featured in Jump Magazine, Australian Women’s Weekly, The National Enquirer, and several other publications, radio shows and cable TV shows.

Stacey excels at public speaking, singing, composing, and writing. She is a singer-songwriter, poet, and has written in many different styles. She has an album and several singles available, including her two popular anthems, Ain’t No Skinny Little Thing and Soap Opera Diva.

She lives in New York City, where she continues to write erotica, fiction, poetry and non-fiction.
For More Information


 
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Defining Intelligence by Dr. Pat Keogh Book Feature!


Title: Defining Intelligence
Author: Dr. Pat Keogh
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 168
Genre: Education
Format: Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover
Purchase at AMAZON

 It may be unethical for a person to conduct an intelligence assessment on another human being. Human intelligence is unquantifiable. Observing or analysing behaviour, appearance, personality, beliefs or acquired knowledge cannot produce a quantifiable measure of a person’s intelligence. The brain can perform millions of billions of calculations per second. This gives the person enormous power and incalculable potential. Yet, saying ‘I use my brain to think’ awards the ‘I’ (the mind) a priority over the brain. We are thinking beings. We are compelled and condemned to think. Thinking is process. We cannot analyse thinking but we can analyse thoughts and ideas, the products of thinking. The mind can reflect on the past, live in the present and plan for the future. Intelligence involves abstract, purposeful, logical thinking and the ability to create and execute ideas. It also includes unconscious thinking. The mind functions best when the body is at rests. The mind never sleeps. The ‘Bru na Boinne’ megalithic burial tombs in County Meath, particularly New Grange testify to the brilliance in observation, the thoughtful archectual planning and the masterful engineering execution of ideas and plans by our Neolithic ancestors of five thousand years ago. Modern day communication technology air and spacecraft are contemporary testimonials to human genius. Primary education should allow time in the curriculum for students to daydream purposefully. In early schooling greater emphasis should be placed on creativity, music composition, innovation and artistic pursuits.

   amazon  

Pat Keogh is principal teacher in a large Dublin suburban primary school. He is a staunch advocate of child-centred education. He has had numerous articles published in the Irish Primary Teacher’s journal ‘In Touch’, The Irish Times newspaper and in 'Leadership', an Irish Primary Principal’s magazine. Pat has a master’s degree in philosophy and a doctorate in education. His doctoral thesis is entitled: ‘THINKING CRITICALLY’. He is keenly interested in the incredible calculating ability of the human brain and the illusiveness and ingenuity of the mind. He believes that the creative mind operates best when the body is at rest.  


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Today's Book Feature: No Bull Information by Dr. John Gamble

Title: No Bull Information
Author: Dr. John Gamble
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Pages: 166
Genre: Psychological/Self-Help
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/Nook

In his new book, NO BULL INFORMATION, Dr. John Gamble challenges readers to confront the Information Age by abandoning simplistic thinking and taking a measured approach that requires asking questions to analyze and understand complicated issues, to identify and avoid word traps, and to effectively dissect and comprehend numbers frequently used to confuse voters and consumers.
Gamble uses humor and a wise cartoon character, Arnbi, to guide the reader through the maze of political doublespeak, expert-celebrity pitches of products, and healthcare options, among other issues.

With a focus on helping Americans to become better prepared to deal with the massive amounts of information that they face on a daily basis, NO BULL INFORMATION (NBI) instructs readers in developing “a new type of literacy.” NBI seeks to create an educated citizenry that can sift through information, identify the facts, and determine the best way to manage those facts. Gamble asserts that the super citizens who accept the challenge of NBI will make better decisions, which will lead to a reduction in financial disasters and government inefficiency.
Gamble’s cartoon sidekick, Arnbi, supports the NBI movement by offering targeted advice that summarizes many of the key principles outlined in NO BULL INFORMATION, including:
  • Too bad, but “simple” is a square peg that seldom fits into the round hole that is our modern world.
  • Facts are necessary but they must be put into context (PUTFiC).
  • Vested interests are everywhere—recognize them.
Breaking down words and numbers is the foundation of NBI. In one section of the book, Gamble walks the reader through a basic lesson in understanding percentages and statistics. “You need to understand numbers enough not to be deceived.” In one intriguing illustration, Gamble compares the Pentagon’s budget of $700 billion to a two-liter bottle and a proposed $20 million in spending to one drop of water from an eyedropper placed in that bottle. “It is a helpful strategy for understanding large numbers that are thrown at us every day by politicians and salespeople.”

Stressing the necessity of analytical thinking, Gamble explores the use of words in “bull-laden” information and the need to guard against what the author calls “landmine words and phrases”; for example, quite frankly, my good friend, clinical studies prove, award winning, and as seen on TV.
Gamble uses guidance survey and focus cards to demonstrate how readers can practice NBI in their daily lives. The cards cover nine areas each (Survey cards: sampling, word warnings, vested interests, etc. Focus cards: infomercials, supermarkets, credit, etc.). The cards include questions that help the reader to analyze a particular situation (buying a new cell phone, for example) and offer guidance for making decisions.

“I have been a college professor for more than thirty years. I am convinced that there are serious problems with the way information is presented and understood,” Gamble says. “This affects all Americans. I am writing for and to them.”

The idea for NO BULL INFORMATION came to Gamble about ten years ago as he observed the difficulty his Penn State undergraduate students were having adjusting to the Information Age. “NBI was inspired by hundreds of students in scores of classes I have taught. It was an iterative process: a class inspired an idea for NBI that I took back to class to test before including it in the book.”
Gamble believes that people who read NO BULL INFORMATION will “gain a sense of empowerment, like a life preserver when we feel we are drowning in a mass of information.”

For More Information

About the Author

Dr. John Gamble is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Law at Penn State’s Behrend College in Erie and Director of Honors Programs. He is the author of approximately 100 publications and recently won Penn State’s most prestigious award for teaching, the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Dr. Gamble has stuttered all of his life. As a result, he believes words are precious and should not be taken for granted; this motivated him to write NO BULL INFORMATION. His dream for the book is that parents and grandparents will teach their children and grandchildren NBI techniques and demand clear, concise information from political leaders and service and product providers.

For More Information
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First Chapter Reveal: '89 Walls by Katie Pierson

Title: ’89 Walls
Author: Katie Pierson
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Pages: 240
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS they both know will kill her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity.
Quinn’s finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite.
 Seth and Quinn’s passionate new romance takes them both by surprise. They keep it a secret: it’s too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it’s 1989. As politics suddenly get personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs—and each other—in the clear light of day.

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First Chapter:

Quinn stood in the tiled foyer of her silent house, breathing in the soothing smell of Pledge dusting spray that the cleaning lady left behind. She tossed her backpack and jean jacket onto a dining room chair, and headed for the sunlit kitchen. Bypassing the colander of green grapes by the sink, she picked through the snack bowl and settled on a half sleeve of Ritz crackers. She found a block of cheddar in the fridge. She stood at the butcher block, slicing the cheese and making tiny sandwiches.
After her snack, she gripped the oiled banister and took the stairs two at a time. At the top, she could practically taste the smell of clean laundry. She went to claim her stack. Her mom did the folding while returning phone calls but drew the line at putting the clothes back in their drawers.

“I’m not your maid,” Quinn had heard her say, ad nauseam.

Quinn pushed herself up onto the washing machine’s smooth surface and dialed the number for her sister, Sarah. As the phone rang, she wrapped the phone’s coiled cord around her forearm, poking white dots onto her skin between the black rings of stretchy plastic. She’d learned to avoid getting banished to the living room phone by unwrapping the cord slowly: if she unwrapped it too fast, she’d leave an ugly kink in the spiral. Her mom hated it when she did that.

“Hello?” Sarah said.

“It’s me,” said Quinn. “I was wondering if you could come over for a food fight.”

“How about a midnight run to the U-Stop? I could go for a blue raspberry ICEE.”

“I’d kill right now for some sour cream and cheddar potato chips. Mom’s starving us out with grainy wholesome goodness.”

Sarah had moved to New York two years ago. The bathroom the two of them once shared seemed stark without Sarah’s sweaty leotards wadded in the corners. She had attended a local community college for four months before dropping out to start a dance career. She probably still got an allowance. Quinn missed her, but in a twisty, relieved sort of way. The guilty weight of being the successful daughter, the one without dyslexia (and possibly even her dad’s favorite) hadn’t lifted until Sarah had sailed out the door.

“Jason and I started having sex,” Quinn said.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. Why does anyone have sex? I couldn’t come up with a good reason to keep saying no. We’ve been together since November.”

“Hitting the five-month mark doesn’t sound like a good reason to say yes.”

Quinn could hear Sarah frowning. “I’m not saying we’re not in love or anything. We’re in lust.”

“So the sex is good then?”

“Good?”

“God, Quinn, can you hear yourself? Don’t do it. You’re not ready.”

Usually, Sarah could boost Quinn’s confidence with her signature blasts of praise and loyalty. When Quinn had fretted about getting into colleges, Sarah had shaken her head at her like Quinn was smoking crack. “Of course you’ll get in,” she’d said. End of discussion. Sarah also knew things about guys. She split them into two essential groups—princes and toads—usually within thirty seconds of meeting them.

“I already did it,” Quinn said. “That horse is out of the gate, so to speak. Besides, what do you mean good?”

“Fun. Hot. Cuddly. Thrilling. Is that what it’s like?”

They’d only done it a few times. But no, it wasn’t. Jason was a great kisser, or used to be back when they did a lot of kissing. But kissing had dropped down on the priority list. And the actual sex part—once the novelty factor wore off—seemed like more trouble and mess than it was worth.

“I guess Jason thinks it is.”

“He’s still hot, huh?”

“Totally.”

The first time Quinn met Jason, she and her friend Ilene had competed against him and another guy in a tournament. Quinn and Ilene could tell that they’d lost that round before the judge even posted her results.

“That was a fucking train wreck,” Ilene said, shaking her head.

Quinn smiled. She used to be intimidated by her new debate partner’s self-contained, perfectionist brilliance. Now, when Ilene let fly with one of her sarcastic profanity bombs, it felt like insider intel on their real friendship.

Jason and his partner, apparently, also knew already that they’d won the round. They did a quiet high five.

Quinn shoved her files into her briefcase, then sat back in her chair, trying not to pout on the outside.
Jason crossed the room. He held out his palms out in silent repentance. His wry smile tried to apologize for his disarming, Indian gorgeousness, but Quinn ignored him. Having been dumped publicly a few weeks earlier by Chris, a fast-talking brainiac from Omaha, Quinn was done with debate guys. They were fun to sneak a cigarette with between rounds, but deep down, they were socially retarded and had hearts of stone.

But Jason sat right on her desk. This made him harder to ignore. Then he took the fountain pen she was twirling between her fingers and tossed it in the air. As Quinn stood and caught it, she accidentally-on-purpose shoved him off the desk. He just barely managed to keep his footing. Widening his eyes but not taking them off hers, he laughed. Then he held out his hand.

“I’m Jason Singh.”

She raised an eyebrow and suppressed her smile as long as she could, like she hadn’t already made up her mind.

“Quinn Ganey.”

She’d expected her parents to mention the race thing, but her dad only mused that some of the best scientists in the world were Asians. (Quinn learned later that Mrs. Singh was a hematologist.) Her father had offered a similar, admiring non sequitur when Quinn broke up with Evan Schwartz in ninth grade, something about the Jews one day taking over the world.

“Still, I don’t care how beautiful he is,” Sarah said now. “You should hold out for good sex.”

“I can’t suddenly change my mind.”

“Why not? Is there an official sex rulebook? Go back to oral.”

“He doesn’t like it.” Quinn heard silence on the other end of the line.

“I don’t understand.”

“I mean he only likes it when I do it. Not the other way around.”

Sarah snorted. “That’s pathetic, Quinn. What are you, a battered wife or something? I say that, of course, in the nicest, most loving possible way.”

“And yet I take that as a messed-up, mixed message, Sarah. And I mean that in the most mind-your-own-business possible way.”

“Hey, you’re the one who called me.” Sarah had a point there. “Just wait. For now, you should stick to having sex with yourself.”

“Ew,” Quinn whined.

“Oh, please. Everyone does it, including you. ” That was another fair point.

After hanging up with Sarah, Quinn took her stack of clean clothes to her room. She heaped it on her desk chair and closed the heavy door. Her bedroom was a time capsule from her misguided ninth-grade mauve phase. Only her new Macintosh II and printer, with its trail of continuous-feed paper, offered a clue that a near adult lived here. Flopping on her bed, Quinn kicked off her pointy flats. She rubbed the beginnings of another itchy blister. Wearing socks with flats only made sense if you didn’t have a problem with social death.

Her room overlooked the front yard. Or it would until the Japanese maple leafed out and blocked her view. In the summer, she didn’t even pull her curtains. Last night, the moon had hovered full and low between the budding branches. She’d heaved open the window next to her bed. She could smell that her dad had been raking. Eyes closed, she’d breathed in the perfume of damp dirt shedding its winter layers of leaf mulch. It made her want to do some shedding of her own, to rip off a Band-Aid or cut her hair or do something shocking to her sweet, precious wallpaper.

Prince, Madonna, and Duran Duran glowered out at her from their posters on the wall as if they, too, chafed under their oppressively ninth-grade surroundings. Quinn pressed on one of the puffy square baffles on her mauve bedspread. When she slid her fingers over to the next one, she snagged a fresh hangnail on a loop of clear thread.

She sighed. Last night, Jason had asked her to his prom. He wanted to go with his squirrely pot-smoking friends and their dates—then rent a hotel room. Quinn thought about her conversation with Sarah just now. If she and Jason rented a hotel room, would they have good sex or just sex? And how the hell would she know the difference? She sighed again and started her homework.

The next afternoon, Quinn stood at her locker and tucked in the white cotton strap of her bra. It had sneaked beyond the boundaries of her sleeveless sundress and bugged her all day. She liked how the dial on her locker’s padlock kind of twirled itself, how the lock released with a pleasing thunk. She smoothed her hair behind her ears.

Terrence—whom she’d known since kindergarten—half strutted, half bounced to his locker on Quinn’s right. He nodded a greeting down to her but directed his opening volley over her head to the guy opening the locker on her left.

“Yo, man, this girl was all over me,” he said. “I’m telling her, ‘This is my little brother’s recital, a’right?’” He primped his oiled curls with one hand and spun his lock with the other.

The dim fluorescent lighting in the second-floor hallway made the other guy’s red hair look even redder. He rolled his eyes at Terrence but said nothing. His asymmetrical flop hairdo screamed 1986. This was 1989.

Quinn returned Terrence’s smile, yawning as she opened her locker. It was April of her senior year; at this point, she was a tolerant but bored bystander in this mildly amusing testosterone war. Terrence caught his cardboard breakdancing mat as it sprung out of his locker. Quinn knelt on the marble floor and pried a notebook from the bottom shelf of hers. The lock caught with a bump of her hip as she stood up. She dodged her way through the hallway traffic.

The stalls, floor tiles, and walls of the girls’ room rocked the same relentless hue of hospital green, inflicting a universally unflattering glare on all who entered. Quinn headed for a toilet. She’d drank a huge Diet Coke with lunch.

From her stall, Quinn heard her best friend, Trish, demand of her from the sinks, “Do I look like someone who does crepe paper?”

They met here every day at the same time. Quinn could picture Trish standing with one hand on her narrow hip. The other would be raised as if to say, “What?” She was bitching about her latest run-in with the office secretary/prom-committee advisor. The secretary was outflanked; she just didn’t know it yet.

Trish and Quinn’s mutual, total failure to do a flexed-arm hang for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test had sealed their friendship in seventh grade. Trish had observed out loud that only stupid people hung from a metal bar on purpose. This was a revelation to Quinn. And unlike Quinn, Trish had been tested for real. Trish’s dad had just moved out. Her family-minus-one was renting what would become a series of apartments in a sun-baked complex near Highway 2. Sooner or later the neighbors always complained about the kid noise. Then Trish and her mom would carry their stuff down two floors or over one building. Quinn had spent her junior high years eating M&M’s at track meets with her older sister and parents and taking private piano lessons. Trish, meanwhile, had been supervising her little brothers’ homework and making scrambled eggs for dinner. Quinn remembered Trish’s mom creeping around the apartment in her sweatpants after work, looking like a weepy volunteer for an experiment in sleep deprivation.

In ninth grade, though, Trish’s mom married a real estate developer. He moved the family into a big new house with pillars. Now that Trish had landed the part she’d always meant to play, she acted it out daily in full costume. Once, Quinn teased her about her conversion to the church of Ralph Lauren. Trish had put her fingers in her ears like the manic television icon, Pee-wee Herman: “La, la, la! I can’t hear you!” The real Trish was still there, though. She was still flip, still funny, still the unflappable arbiter of cool. Sometimes Trish’s enveloping audacity was the only thing that kept Quinn from evaporating into thin air.

As Trish addressed the perma-wedgie situation caused by her new Guess jeans, Quinn washed her hands with the dispenser’s last few grains of powdered soap. She frowned. How could Trish look self-possessed even with her forearms down the back of her pants? The problem with being friends with audacious people was that it made you see your own fraudulence more clearly.

She faced her reflection as she rinsed off the non-suds left by the industrial soap. “A quiet beauty,” her dad called her. She’d rather be a loud one. Her breasts were okay, but who would know besides Jason? Her parents, especially her dad, didn’t let her wear anything tight or revealing. Quinn’s fine brown hair refused to be styled, so she wore it parted on the side. It bored her to even think about it. Trish caught her eye and, as usual, read her mind.

“If you spent some of your humongous allowance on funner clothes, you wouldn’t mind having boring hair.”

Quinn made a face at her. Trish knew why Quinn saved her spending money: her parents expected her to pay for a full semester plus books at George Washington University next year.

“Funner’s not a word,” Quinn said, probing a subterranean zit. The light-blue eyes that looked back from the mirror were her father’s and a million other Irish family members’. They smiled even when her mouth didn’t. They also kept a polite distance; even with nice breasts, no one would ever mistake her for a cheerleader.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Sexualization of America's Kids by J.E. Wright Book Blast - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

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  The Sexualization of America's KidsTitle: The Sexualization of America's Kid's Author: J.E. Wright Publisher: iUniverse Pages: 176 Genre: Parenting Format: Kindle/Paperback Currently, kids are being hyper-sexualized by the exploding provocativeness in the media. Parents can develop the skills to recognize these subtle influences and the knowledge to counteract and do something about it. In The Sexualization of America's Kids, Mr. Wright draws on his 22 years as a therapist, working with over 1,000 kids and their families, to demonstrate how this provocativeness affects our kids. He uses their stories to discuss how kids fall prey to these negative presentations, and he recommends Seven Ways to Raise Sexually Healthy Children and Teenagers.   Mr. Wright's use of dialogued role-plays and actual case examples shows parents when and how to appropriately communicate on sexual issues with their different aged kids. His caring and concrete approach makes this book a necessity for all parents who are raising kids today. ORDER INFORMATION Findependence Day is available for purchase at  
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  J. E. Wright has been a therapist for 27 years,having obtained his graduate degree from the University of Chicago. He has worked with over 1,000 children and teenagers and their families. He is a husband and father, and he presents workshops on childhood issues, parenting adolescents, and sexuality. He is a foster parent trainer and has several published articles.  

Marcus 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 Amazon
  • This giveaway begins July 27 and ends on August 7.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on August 8.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
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Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas and Hold Me Close Book Feature



Title: Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas
Author: Celia Bonaduce
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Fiction/Humor
Format: Kindle/Paperback 

“A fresh, heartwarming voice.”  —Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author

 For champion professional knitter Dymphna Pearl, inheriting part of a sun-blasted ghost town in the Texas hill country isn’t just unexpected, it’s a little daunting. To earn a cash bequest that could change her life, she’ll have to leave California to live in tiny, run-down Fat Chance for six months—with seven strangers. Impossible! Or is it? Trading her sandals for cowboy boots, Dymphna dives into her new life with equal parts anxiety and excitement. After all, she’s never felt quite at home in Santa Monica anyway. Maybe Fat Chance will be her second chance. But making it habitable is going take more than a lasso and Wild West spirit. With an opinionated buzzard overlooking the proceedings and mismatched strangers learning to become friends, Dymphna wonders if unlocking the secrets of her own heart is the way to strike real gold.

ORDER INFORMATION
  Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas is available for order at  Amazon, B&N,  Kobo and Google Play    

Currently a Field Producer on HGTV’s House Hunters, Celia Bonaduce’s TV credits cover a lot of ground – everything from field-producing ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to writing for many of Nickelodeon’s animated series, including Hey, Arnold and Chalkzone. An avid reader, entering the world of books has always been a lifelong ambition. The Merchant of Venice Beach, A Venice Beach Romance, was published August 1st, 2013 by eKensington. The dream continues with a brand new series called Fat Chance, Texas, which will be available May 2015.

For More Information
Visit Celia’s website.
Connect with Celia on Facebook  and Twitter.  



Title: Hold Me Close
Author: Shannyn Schroeder
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Genre: Fiction/Family
Format: Kindle/Paperback

Leave it to the O’Learys to make romance a family affair… 

Maggie O’Leary is finally coming home to Chicago. After more than a year in Ireland, she’s ready to make a plan for her future. But first, she’ll have to confront the tragedy that scarred her so deeply. Asking for a job in the family bar is the first step, and it’s one her family isn’t entirely happy about. At least Shane Callahan, her best friend in the world, is behind her a hundred percent. He’s also a hundred percent more lovable than she remembered…

 Shane is determined to keep Maggie safe, even if it means working three jobs and giving up sleep to be around during her shifts at the bar. But when Maggie boldly tells him she needs more than a loyal friend now, Shane knows a single night together won’t be possible. The idea of spirited Maggie in his bed is electrifying, but will she believe he wants to give her his heart, too?

ORDER INFORMATION
Hold Me Close is available for order at  Amazon,  B&N,  Kobo and Google Play 

shannyn-7-199x300 Shannyn is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids. Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood. After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?” So she did. That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today—agented with a debut ebook coming out with Kensington in late 2012. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world. Shannyn is represented by Frances Black and Jennifer Mishler of Literary Counsel.

  For More Information Visit Shannyn’s website. Connect with Shannyn on Twitter , Goodreads and Facebook 

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Interview with Linda Bond, author of Cuba Undercover - Win a $25 Gift Card!

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Cuba UndercoverTitle: Cuba Undercover
Author: Linda Bond
Publisher: Entangled: Select Suspense
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Kindle 

His revenge will change her life forever...

Cuban-American TV reporter Rebecca Menendez's success comes from playing by the rules. When she's kidnapped by a fierce and intensely handsome man who needs her help, however, all of those rules seem pointless. Nothing could have prepared her for being taken hostage...or the irresistible reward if she complies: information about her long-thought dead father. Antonio Vega has spent almost every day of his adult life dreaming of revenging his father's death. With his sister's life and freedom in jeopardy, Antonio isn't taking any chances. But once Rebecca and Antonio are in Cuba, they're immersed in a world of corruption, deceit, and betrayal. It's a deadly game...and there are no rules.

ORDER INFORMATION

  Cuba Undercover is available for purchase at  
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What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
 I’ve been a TV news reporter by day and romance writer by night. I’ve won 12 Emmys for my work as a TV journalist, but what I’m the most proud of is the way I’ve been able to help people. I helped get an experimental drug for a woman dying of breast cancer.  I helped a disabled young man win a modified van so he could go to law school away from home. These are the accomplishments that have really affected lives.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
Not sure my upbringing had an influence. I do remember I started plotting books in my head at a very early age.  My step-dad loved to take us camping and hiking.  I’d get bored and make up characters in my head on those long walks through the woods.
When and why did you begin writing?
I think I actually wrote my first book in high school. I’m sure it was awful, but my friends remember me always with a notebook in hand.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
It started with reading.  I loved the Nancy Drew books, and then advanced to Judy Blume. Before my mom could blink her eyes, I was reading the great Kathleen Woodiwiss, advancing to Harold Robbins, Jackie Collins and now James Patterson, Harlan Coben and Karen Rose.
When did you first know you could be a writer?
 In high school when I became the newspaper editor.
What inspires you to write and why?
People inspire me to write.  I was also inspired by Cuba and its wonderful culture when writing Cuba Undercover.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
I love writing romantic suspense and women’s fiction.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was sitting on the TV new anchor desk reading a story about an accident during an adventure vacation, and I turned to my co-anchor Walt Maciborski and said, “An Adventure vacation would make a great back drop for a romantic thriller, don’t you think. You could kill people and everyone would assume it was an accident.  And the person killed signed a waiver.”  My co-anchor looked at me like I was crazy, but over the next few weeks he gave me good plot ideas.  The book was my first, Alive at 5.

Who or what influenced your writing once you began?
I posted pictures of my influences on my web site www.lindahbond.com under photo galleries.  Many local writers, including international bestseller Karen Rose, have inspired me. I’ve also learned a lot from my fellow authors at Entangled Publishing.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
Finding the time!  LOL
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
I knew it would be controversial. Cuban Americans have such strong feelings about their homeland and the current regime.  What I didn’t know is that President Obama would open talks and improve relations with Cuba.  The book had a lot to do with the tension between our nations. I had to re-write the book three times!  I couldn’t keep up with the changes!

Do you intend to make writing a career?
I already am writing for a living and loving it.  Can’t imagine doing anything else. I love telling the stories of real people, and then making stories up at night.  The best of both worlds, don’t you think?
Have you developed a specific writing style?  I would say I write fiction a lot like I write news copy – short sentences, action words, quick and easy reads.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?  I can take criticism and make changes. LOL
What is your favorite quality about yourself?  I’m determined and willing to work hard.  That’s what it took to get published.
What is your least favorite quality about yourself?  I’m impatient. Years as a TV news reporter on a daily deadline made me work quickly and efficiently.  It also made me a tad impatient.
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?  This too shall pass. Not sure who said it first. But I tell myself that no matter what difficulty or obstacle is in the way, it will pass. And it always has.




Linda Bond and kidLinda Bond loves to read. She started with those great Nancy Drew books. Remember Nancy Drew and 'The Secret of the Old Clock?"  How about 'The Mystery of the 99 Steps?'  She really liked smart, gutsy heroines, even at a young age. In high school, Linda discovered historical romances by authors like the great Kathleen Woodiwiss.  She read at least three books a week.  So many her mother actually called a conference with her teacher, worried, and overwrought that her innocent little girl was reading those trashy romance novels.

What was she learning?  Linda's teacher just looked at her mom and said, "Your daughter reads three books a week?" Linda's mother said, "Yes, at least. And I don't know what to do."

"Let her read," Linda's teacher responded.  And, so she did.
Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins took Linda out of her high school hallways and into the glamorous Hollywood Hills.

John Grisham, James Patterson, and Harlen Coben can still keep Linda up all night. Turning pages, ladies, turning pages.

Linda lives for a good romantic thriller. Which is probably why she's a reporter.  She's addicted to the rush of adrenaline that comes with finding and crafting a great story.

Each day Linda writes about someone's unique life.  In Linda's world, 400 words must carry the weight of 400 pages. Linda writes a dreaded synopsis every single day- under deadline.

Now, Linda is retraining herself to do just the opposite.  She's punching up her pages with powerful passages. With each new chapter, Linda smiles, because she loves to tell a story.

It's really as simple as that.

The best way to really know Linda Bond is to read what she writes.  That's where the real fun begins.

For More Information
  Visit Linda at her website  
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Linda 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 Amazon
  • This giveaway begins July 14 and ends on August 11.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on August 12.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Beyond Duty by James DeVries Book Blast - Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Title: Beyond Duty Author: James DeVries Publisher: iUniverse Pages: 334 Genre: Fiction Format: Kindle/Paperback/Hardcover 

 The continuing story of Lt. Jeff Lacy is dangerous and sad. The story opens with Jeff's participation in a Top Secret mission to observe Russian Submarine missile tests. When he has a change of duty station Jeff lands in the middle of a dangerous plot and his beloved wife Molly is killed. In despair Jeff retires from the Navy and soon finds himself working as an agent for the CIA in the United Arab Emirates. While there he becomes partners in the Mid East Construction Company which leads him into unexpected and interesting situations. Jeff finally tracks down Molly's killer.

  ORDER INFORMATION Beyond Duty is available for purchase at  
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Lt. James DeVries, USN, Retired, served 21 years in the Navy, 10 years in the submarine force and time in Special Warfare. The last year was with a Navy SEAL platoon setting up and operating a training facility on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean. Jim's retired years have been spent working as an International Field Service Engineer and 16 years for Fluor Daniel, Inc. as a Project Manager. Now fully retired Jim spends his spear time involved with amateur radio and writing. Jim and his Red Headed wife Claire live in Salem, Oregon in the summer and Mesa, Arizona in the winter.

James 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 Amazon
  • This giveaway begins July 27 and ends on August 7.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on August 8.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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