Saturday, September 27, 2014

Sweet & Historical Romance Blog Hop




Welcome to my blog. Today I’m participating in a blog hop hosted by my publisher.

My first book, DEATH BY HIGH HEELS, is what happens when you combine a sweet romance with just the right amount of cozy mystery.

Blurb:

Spending time with a dead guy, being interrogated by the cops and getting stitched up by a cute ER doc wasn’t exactly the evening plans private investigator Kimberly Murphy envisioned. Especially the getting caught standing over a dead body, again, part. Only this time it wasn’t her fault. Just once she’d like it if homicide detective Grant Tompkins didn’t assume she was guilty. 

To clear her slightly tarnished name, Kim goes after the clever killer while avoiding a certain hot homicide detective determined to put her in handcuffs – and not the pink, fuzzy kind – not that she’d mind. Too bad Kim’s efforts lead to dead ends and even more dead bodies. Kim will need all her skills and a bit of luck to outwit a killer who’d like to put an end to Kim’s meddling permanently.

Excerpt:
Sunday evening
Cops hate it when you vomit all over their crime scene—a mistake I had no desire to repeat. Then again, the fact I’d just trampled all over this scene was probably a whole new mistake I should have avoided. I stared at the corpse and fought the urge to hurl. If only I hadn’t answered the door, I’d be eating dinner instead of standing in my neighbor’s apartment looking at a dead guy.
Said dead guy was just sitting there in the chair. You would think he was asleep—if not for all the blood and guts spilled onto his lap. I tore my eyes from him and asked the question I most wanted the answer to.
“What the heck did you hit him with?”
Lindsay dropped the strand of blonde hair she’d been twirling and glanced down at the floor. “My shoe.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already told you. Twice. I hit him with my shoe.”
“Damn it, Lindsay, you can’t kill someone with a shoe!”
Hello, they’re Via Spiga.”
“Ugh.” I glared. There was no way in hell she had done this kind of damage with a shoe. If she had, women would soon be saying goodbye to their much-beloved accessory. Men--even NRA members—would insist on an instant ban of the deadly yet sexy weapon.
I set my hands on my hips. “Any idea how he got this giant hole in his stomach?”
“What? No, I hit him and ran.” Lindsay’s face paled and she leaned against the doorframe.
“Come here and see if you recognize him.”
“Gross, no way. Besides you’re the detective you figure out who he is.”
Technically, I was a private investigator, a fact that had continually escaped my neighbor.
“Get over here!” I turned toward her and spotted Lakeview, Ohio’s oldest beat cop standing behind her, his gun drawn. It would have been scary if only he didn’t look like Santa Claus dressed as a cop for Halloween. With the beginnings of a snow white beard and a pot belly in the making.
“Ah hell,” I muttered. “Hey Duncan.”
“Kim Murphy. Oh man, the Chief’s gonna be pissed,” Officer Duncan said.
“We don’t really have to tell him, do we?”
“You don’t think he’s gonna find out his daughter got herself mixed up with another dead guy? You didn’t kill this one too did you? Wait, don’t answer that.”
“I didn’t kill him. Jeez.”

Available at:





Book Trailer:







Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Author Spotlight Guest - Kai Strand

Hey everybody, my name is Kai Strand. I was unpacking books at a signing and came across a copy of King of Bad with a torn cover. Bummer. I can’t sell that! But my loss is your gain. Because I can hold a giveaway instead!

Along with a slightly damaged copy of King of Bad, I’m also giving away several sets of character trading cards. These cards have been specially designed for book one in the series. There will be a separate set of cards designed for each book – so be among the first to own a set.

About the book:

Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules or observe curfew. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; that is until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. In a school where one kid can evaporate all the water from your body and the girl you hang around with can perform psychic sex in your head, bad takes on a whole new meaning. Jeff wonders if he’s bad enough for SVA.

He may never find out. Classmates vilify him when he develops good manners. Then he’s kidnapped by those closest to him and left to wonder who is good and who is bad. His rescue is the climactic episode that balances good and evil in the super world. The catalyst – the girl he’s crushing on. A girlfriend and balancing the Supers is good, right? Or is it…bad?

Available in print or electronic: Whiskey Creek Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble 

Excerpt:

“I guess I’m not comfortable being something. I’ve never aspired to do much of anything and it seems like a lot of pressure to suddenly learn I’m supposedly a super villain and that I have to learn how to do it right.”

“You don’t have to do anything, kid. You are what you are. We are just here for you if you want to learn how to do more.” Pyro leaned back in her chair and crossed her leg. “Let me start closer to the beginning. Once upon a time…”

Jeff curled his lip and grunted. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Yes, I am. This is no fairytale.”

“How many of us are there? Is this the only school or are they everywhere? What happens if I decide not to get training?”

“Whoa, boy! Rein in the questions. I’ll get to them.” Pyro’s foot bobbed as she studied Jeff. “I don’t usually recruit. I work in administration, a fundraiser. They asked me to take you on because they suspected you had fire. So let’s start there.”

Pyro explained Mr. Sims initial encounter with Jeff and how he’d reported to Tubs. “That’s when Tubs got me involved. See, Sims felt your S.V. energy when you blew to fan the flames. Since you were playing with fire, Tubs suspected you had it and he knows that fire is a dangerous new ability and best taught by someone with experience. You know, when I first saw you, kid, I thought they were making way more of it than was needed. You were hanging out with your friends. Giving your sister a hard time. Taking out the trash like a good son, but there was nothing about you that struck me as special. Or even super for that matter. But then you did something that changed my mind completely.”

Jeff sat up straight in his chair then slouched back down again. He felt very conflicted hearing that Pyro had been shadowing him for so long and he hadn’t even known it. “What? What did I do?”

“You blew out a match.”

Jeff frowned. “How could blowing fire out prove I have fire in me?”

“It didn’t. You have fire in your hands, just like I do.” Pyro raised her right hand, palm up. Her fingertips were already swollen and throbbing. A spark emitted from each finger and flowed together in the center of her palm. A marble sized ball of fire ebbed and crackled in the middle of her hand. She studied it. “When you learn control, you’ll be able to start fires whenever you want. But what is unique about you, is you will also be able to douse them.”

Pyro held the fireball in front of Jeff. “Blow.”

Jeff shrugged and blew on the fire as if extinguishing birthday candles. A thin frost doused the flame and coated Pyro’s hand. Jeff blinked, thinking he was seeing things. He scraped a finger through the frost on her palm and touched it to his tongue. Cold and wet.
Pyro wiped her hand on her pants leg. “Fire and ice. I can’t even begin to imagine how you do that. But, Jeff, I can tell you no one has ever had opposing elements. Ever.”

Reviews:

I found myself falling in love with all the characters in the book. I loved the different abilities each one of them have. Kai did an outstanding job writing this book. I could not put it down. It is filled with lots of action and even some romance. Everything you want in a book. Victoria for Page Turners Blog

Can't wait for the sequel! – Christopher White for Amazon

About the author:

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Author Spotlight Guest - Molly Daniels

Please welcome Molly Daniels

Blurb:
Everyone has an imaginary friend at some point, right?  Well, what if you discover yours is actually an alien who is 
fascinated with Earth?  

Tricia Alexander's dreams are haunted by a mystery lover.  When she discovers the man she met in a nightclub is from another planet, will she accept his story or kick him out?

Brock was young Tricia's imaginary friend and confidant, and watched her grow up over the years.  After gaining permission from the leaders of his planet, he sought to bond with her twice before, but with little results.  When he's given a final chance, will he succeed?  Or will a family crisis prove too much?


Excerpt:
“Are you enjoying your stay so far?” Brock stabbed the lettuce, wishing for the fourth time in the last hour his father was still alive. He craved his father’s wisdom, after discovering the person he now looked up to the most had betrayed him.

“I’d enjoy it more if you’d fill in some of the blanks for me.” She laid a soft hand over his. 

Brock winced. “Apparently LoGar allowed KiRah to accompany him on one of his many trips to Xaxa, and is intrigued with their, ah, way of life. Plus, it seems my baby sister witnessed RiKar and a member of his household sharing an intimate moment. Since that member was not RiKar’s Chosen, KiRah has taken it upon herself to…make herself available to him.”

Tricia gasped. “I got the impression she was waiting for—what’s her future mate’s name again?”

“DaTil. I did also. Apparently, SaLie has informed her there are other alternatives out there.” Brock put down his fork while shaking his head. “I should not have checked KiRah’s mind. There are some things a brother should never know about his sister.”

He heard Tricia snort, and looked at her as she tried to hide her laughter. “You find this amusing?”

“I’m sorry.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “I imagine you saw them ‘in the act’?”

Brock winced again. “KiRah and I have always been close, and she hasn’t learned to conceal certain images. So yes, the image of her entwined in RiKar’s arms is a bit repulsive.”

Composing herself, Tricia wiped her eyes.  “Do you want me to talk to her? It seems as if she needs someone to confide in.” She put the last of her sandwich in her mouth. “It’s hard enough, with her mother and now her brother knowing her secret. And since I know what it’s like to have a parent walk in on me, I can sympathize with her.”

Brock grinned. “I had nearly forgotten that. Your mother arrived home and caught you naked in the hot tub with—”

“Yes, and it scared the hell out of me.” Tricia turned a becoming shade of pink. “I don’t think I invited any boyfriends to my house ever again.”

“Personally, I was happy. Watching you grow up was painful at times, especially when you discovered your sexuality. I could not reveal myself to you yet, and I so wanted to be your first.”

Thanks for having me today Violet!  Here's where I can be found:

Nook:
ook

Kenzie is the 'wild child' of author Molly Daniels. They cohabitate nicely
inside the brain of a woman in Indiana who's the mother of three and 'Aunt
Molly' to the entire neighborhood. A devout chocoholic, her hubby has learned
to watch out when the characters in her head take over and not get too upset
when the words are flowing and all concept of time is lost. (LOL)


Friday, September 5, 2014

Guest Author HD Smith

Dark Hope
by HD Smith
Genre: Mainstream Paranormal/Urban Fantasy



Loving a demon isn't the end of the world—losing him is.

Claire, the Devil’s assistant, knows very little about the world she was dropped into five years ago, when she inherited her mother’s unpaid debt to the Demon King. She certainly didn’t expect to be a contender for the Fallen Queen’s throne, a target for the Druid King’s mafia, or a suspect in the murder of Junior, the Devil’s oldest hell spawn.

In a last ditch effort to save her life and get out of her deal with the Devil, she sets out to solve Junior’s murder only to be taken prisoner by the four most dangerous immortal hell spawn alive.

Not to be out done, the Pagan Queen Mab, claims Claire for entering her realm uninvited. She has an old debt to settle with her brother the Devil. Taking Claire from him after losing her years ago is just icing on the cake.

Will Claire win her freedom, and save herself from the Devil? Or be trapped by Mab forever?