Pages

Friday, February 28, 2014

David Litwack Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt


Welcome to the eighth stop on the scavenger hunt! The answer to the eight question is:

voidwalker


The voidwalker

Remember we have a lot of fun things planned all week so follow along and make sure you check in over on David's Facebook page. The blogs listed at the end of this post all have a clue posted which will give you the answer to the rest of the entries in David's giveaway. Check them all out, spread the word and pick up a copy of one of his tremendous titles: Along the Watchtower and There Comes A Prophet.





David Front Page

About David Litwack:

The urge to write first struck at age sixteen when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the wild night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by the northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter’s editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

There Comes a Prophet is his first novel in this new stage of life. His second book, Along the Watchtower, will be available June 2013. And The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky is nearing completion.

David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.


About the Books:
There Comes a Prophet

But what are we without dreams? 

A thousand years ago the Darkness came—a terrible time of violence, fear, and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic” and by eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything. A restless dreamer, Nathaniel has always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for something more but unwilling to challenge the unbending status quo. When his friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds young men and women eternally to the Light—Nathaniel can barely recognize the broken and brooding young man the boy has become. And when the beautiful Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel knows he must somehow save her. But in the prisons of Temple City he discovers a terrible secret that launches the three of them on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in dire jeopardy. For a truth from the past awaits them there that threatens the foundation of the Temple. But if they reveal that truth the words of the book of light might come to pass: “If there comes among you a prophet saying ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the light.”


Along the Watchtower

A Tragic Warrior Lost in Two Worlds… 

The war in Iraq ended for Lieutenant Freddie Williams when an IED explosion left his mind and body shattered. Once he was a skilled gamer and an expert in virtual warfare. Now he’s a broken warrior, emerging from a medically induced coma to discover he’s inhabiting two separate realities. The first is his waking world of pain, family trials, and remorse—and slow rehabilitation through the tender care of Becky, his physical therapist. The second is a dark fantasy realm of quests, demons, and magic that Freddie enters when he sleeps. In his dreams he is Frederick, Prince of Stormwind, who must make sense of his horrific visions in order to save his embattled kingdom from the Horde. His only solace awaits him in the royal gardens, where the gentle words of the beautiful gardener, Rebecca, calm the storms in his soul. While in the conscious world, the severely wounded vet faces a strangely similar and equally perilous mission—a journey along a dark road haunted by demons of guilt and memory—and letting patient, loving Becky into his shuttered heart may be his only way out of Hell. 



Sponsoring Blogs: 





Amy's Booketlist 











Book Blast Carnival


Welcome to my stop for the Book Blast Carnival Hop.  Ten authors are presenting their titles, and there is a giveaway where you can enter to win Amazon Gift Card Giveaway for Readers with prizes of $60, $40  $20 and $10 . Many of the titles are on a limited time only sale of $0.99 for the eBook version, and genres include Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, and Literary Fiction.

Irrefutable Proof photo IrrefutableProof_zps004fa5cf.jpg
 
Purchase Now: Amazon

About the Author:


Born and raised in Ohio, Abby L. Vandiver is a former lawyer and college professor of Economics. She holds a bachelor in Economics, a master in Public Administration and a Juris Doctor. These days, Ms. Vandiver enjoys writing and endeavors to devote all her extra time to it.

Her debut novel, In the Beginning, an Amazon #1 bestseller, was written on a whim, put in a box for more than a decade, and finally pulled out, dusted off and published in 2013. It has inspired her to write a sequel, Irrefutable Proof, as well as start a series of books loosely based on her family and a true crime novel. Ms. Vandiver resides in Cleveland, Ohio and has three wonderful grandchildren, Gavin, Sydne and Riley.


Find and Follow  Facebook  ♦ Website   ♦ Twitter   ♦ Goodreads

♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

Quintspinner photo Quintspinner_zps68477c45.jpg 
Download a Sample
Purchase Now at Amazon

About the Author:


Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, Dianne Greenlay saves lives by day (besides being a writer, she is a physiotherapist in a remote sole charge clinic as well as a retired EMT), and she tells lies by night (as any entertaining fiction writer would do). She is also a playwright and Creative Director of the very successful and long-running community theater group, Darkhorse Theatre.

As an author, she has won multiple awards for her historical action novels, Quintspinner- A Pirate's Quest and Deadly Misfortune. Straying into the genre of humour/comedy, Greenlay is the author of The Camping Guy, which is also available as a one act comedy (live theater script). Greenlay began writing her first novel to fulfill one of the items on her bucket list. It was either that or learn to play the bagpipes. Her husband is grateful for her choice. She is fluent in at least her mother tongue and she thanks her fierce English teachers for that.


Find and Follow: Website ♦ Facebook  ♦  Twitter ♦ Goodreads

♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

Finding Home photo FindingHome_zpse032d160.jpg
Download a Sample
Purchase Now at Amazon

About the Author:

An award-winning author, Jackie Weger has been writing romance novels off and on for thirty years. She's traveled to many interesting and exotic locales from London and Paris to Panama and Costa Rica. She’s sailed on a twenty-nine foot sloop in the Pacific, volunteered at a Sisters of Mercy Mission in Colon, canoed on the Big East River in the wilds of Canada and lived part of a winter with trappers in the Louisiana swamps—collecting memories, friends and experiences—which oft times make appearances in her novels.

Writing and self-publishing enovels is a new adventure. Says Weger: “I won’t say it’s safe because half the time I don’t know what I’m doing. But, at least I don’t have to carry a machete or keep snake gun handy.” 

Book Blast Carnival is Jackie’s first blog tour experience.
Find and Follow: Website ♦ Blog ♦ Facebook ♦ Twitter ♦  Goodreads

♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

Blue Creek Bachelor photo BlueCreekBachelor_zps07162bba.jpg  

Download a Sample
Purchase Now Amazon ♦ iTunes ♦ Barnes & Noble ♦ Kobo  ♦ Smashwords


About the Author:
 
Sweet romance author Joanne Hill is a born and bred Kiwi who grew up reading the romance novels of iconic New Zealand author Essie Summers. A founding member and past president of Romance Writers of New Zealand, she began indie publishing her books in late 2012 and now has three novels and a short story collection available. She works in a heritage research library, and recently completed her Masters in Information Studies (MIS) where she examined readers’ advisory and Mills and Boon romances for her research project.  Although much of her life revolves around the past –  she also edits her local historical society newsletter and has a BA in Ancient History and History -  her reading and writing preferences are firmly in the present.


She lives in the North Island of New Zealand with her family, and like all romance authors, shares life with assorted pets -  including guinea pigs and a bunny who all have free reign of the back yard.

Find and Follow:  Website ♦  Blog  ♦ Twitter ♦ Goodreads ♦ Smashwords Author Page ♦ Amazon Author Page

 ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

Home for Wayward Husbands photo Homeforwayward_zps60ca505f.jpg 
Purchase Now  Amazon ♦ Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

I was born in Arkansas, played in Louisiana, and lived in Texas. Mostly in a small border town called Texarkana. It's just about a mile from here to there. And you still aren't anywhere. It's the kind of town in which you can stand on the steps of a Baptist church and lob a rock across State Line Road to hit the front door of the liquor store. No matter how many roads you take to get out of there, it's the kind of town that just hangs in your soul, coloring everything you do or think or say. Kind of like the small Texas town you'll read about in A Home for Wayward Husbands. A Home for Wayward Husbands is about people surviving with the odds all against them. There's some romance, some sex and a bit of mystery. The folks in this book are trying to keep secrets from each other and everyone knows you can't keep a good secret in a small town. Not in any I've ever lived in anyway. I live with a dog and my imagination.

Find and Follow:  Website  ♦  Twitter  ♦ Amazon Author PageGoodreads
 
♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

 photo ENOVEL_OdorofViolet_zpsae3a4b01.jpg  
Download a Sample 
Purchase Now: Amazon ♦ Barnes & Noble  ♦ Kobo

About the Author:

Ju Ephraime began writing professionally at the age of 19, but her love of romantic literature developed when she was a teenager, where she often found herself dallying with her own tales of love and romance. Two decades later, Ju decided to write novels for women who enjoy a quick spicy-themed read that includes pure pleasure and escape from the real world. With ten romantic novels to her credit, Ju admits her books are part fact, part imagination – but only she knows what’s what.

Ju Ephraime lives in Connecticut with her husband, who blushingly reads every loving tale that she publishes. Her newest release, Complete Surrender, #3 in her LaCasse Series, is set to be released on January 2014.

Find and Follow:  Website ♦  Facebook ♦  Twitter ♦  Goodreads
 
♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

 
It Isn't Cheating if He's Dead photo ItIsntCheating_zps0420a469.jpg
Download a Sample
Purchase Now Amazon ♦ Kobo ♦ Barnes & Noble ♦ Smashwords  ♦ iTunes 



About the Author: 


From nine to five, Julie Frayn is a mild mannered accountant. But the rest of the time, her dark, bent, writer alter-ego comes to life. When she isn’t counting beans or making things up in her head, she is mother to the two most perfect adults on the planet. She isn’t biased, just observant. When they were younger, they were perfect muses for silly poetry about smashed peas and birds with gastroenteritis. Julie has penned two novels (Suicide City, a Love Story and It Isn't Cheating if He's Dead) and published one trilogy of short, short stories. Two more novels are in the works. Stay tuned for She'd Kill for Normal, and The Orphan and the Rose, both in 2014.


Find and Follow:  WebsiteFacebookTwitterAmazon Author Page ♦  Google+  ♦ Goodreads 



♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦ 

Old Town Nights photo OldTownNights_zps5d4f1079.jpg
Download a Sample
Purchase at  Amazon



About the Author: 

Linda Lee Williams writes “contemporary romances with a paranormal twist.” After moving to Denver from Chicago, she taught writing classes at Arapahoe Community College and formed a writers group.  Recently, she teamed up with her husband Tim—the artist that illustrated her book covers—to publish her novels on Amazon.

An outdoor enthusiast, Linda enjoys hiking, biking, and birding.  She loves critters of all kinds—domestic and wild.  During her journeys, she’s called Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado home.  Wherever she roams, she draws inspiration from her surroundings.

Elsewhere
, her first published novel, ranked among Storm Goddess Book Reviews “favorite books of 2013.”  She also earned the Liebster Blog Award from fellow bloggers.  Her second novel, Old Town Nights, was among the nominees for “best romance of the year” on Critters Writers Workshop – P&E Readers Poll.


Find and Follow:  Website ♦  BlogFacebookTwitterAmazon Author Page ♦  Goodreads


♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦


 photo ENOVEL_TermsOfSurrender_zps8e628317.jpg
Download a Sample
Purchase at  Amazon ♦ Audible ♦ 
Barnes & Noble
 
About the Author:

A Navy brat and graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Lorrie Farrelly is proud to be a Fightin' Banana Slug. Following graduate school at Northwestern University, she began a career in education that included teaching art to 4th graders, drama to 8th graders, and finally, math to high school students.

She's a three-time winner on Jeopardy!, has shepherded wide-eyed foreign exchange students along Hollywood Blvd, and has happily curried and shoveled as a ranch hand at Disneyland's Circle D Ranch. And always, she writes.

Lorrie has won a Presidential Commendation for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. She's been a Renaissance nominee for Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Orange Rose Award in romantic fiction. She's never won the lottery, except where her family is concerned. For her, they're the ultimate prize.


Find and Follow  WebsiteFacebook Twitter Linked In Amazon Author PageGoodreads


♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

The God of My Art photo GodOfMyArt_zps8ccd7f60.jpg
Download a Sample
Purchase at Amazon ♦ Barnes & Noble ♦ Chapters/Indigo See the Trailer on YouTube



About the Author: 


Sarah Lane's first novel The God of My Art was longlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Her short stories and poetry have been featured in literary journals, including The Antigonish ReviewRoar Magazine, and Quills: Canadian Poetry Magazine, among other magazines.

Sarah Lane was transplanted from California to Canada as a child and grew up in rural British Columbia. As a young adult, wanderlust led her to live abroad in France and the USA, and to travel extensively in Cameroon, Mexico, and Europe. She holds a B.A. in international relations and a M.A. in comparative literature from the University of British Columbia. Mom to two young children, speaker of accented French, and all around xenophile, she currently lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she is working on her next novel.


Find and Follow  WebsiteBlogFacebookTwitterGoodreads


♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦     ♦♦♦♦♦

Giveaway! 


Here is where you can enter to be one of FOUR Amazon gift card winners There is a total of $130 usd to be given away in four  prizes of $60, $40  $20 and $10 This drawing will run through 23.59 EST on 1 March, winners will be notified on 2 March and have 24 hours to respond before another winner is chosen, Prizes are sponsored by participating authors and will be fulfilled by Bippity Boppity Book Virtual Tours. You must be 18 or older to enter.

  FOLLOW THE HOP!  

 
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for The Temptation of Laura by Rachel Brimble


Welcome to my stop on author Rachel Brimble’s Virtual Book Tour for The Temptation of Laura, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions. Please leave a comment or question for Rachel to let her know you stopped by.  Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment. You can also follow the rest of Rachel’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning. My review will post this weekend (due to ill family). 


 Balancing Contemporary and Historical Romance - How I Divide My Writing Styles By Rachel Brimble


I often get asked how I divide my time between contemporary and historical novel writing and in an ideal world, I like to alternate the two subgenres to keep my writing fresh and interesting. For the reader and me!

I began my career writing contemporary because I’d always been told to ‘write what you know’. I have devoured romantic suspense for as long as I can remember and so my first two novels with The Wild Rose Press were romantic suspense. I then wrote a romantic comedy. Throughout writing and promoting these books, my mind started to wonder whether I could attempt an historical….after all, I didn’t ‘know’ how to abduct or murder anyone as the characters did in my first two books J

Like most (if not all) writers I read voraciously and reading historical work, whether novels or biographies, is amongst my favorite choices. I love history! I am drawn to Royal history especially, but also love the social and industrial changes of the Victorian era. As I was, and still am, intimidated by including real people and events in my work, I decide my first attempt would be Victorian and focus entirely on fictional characters and their emotions.

Emotion is key in romance and love, hate, revenge, loss, joy and tenacity would have been felt in the same way in the late 1800s as they would today. So with this thought at the forefront of my mind, I dove straight in and wrote The Arrival of Lily Curtis (The Wild Rose Press). It sold a lot more copies than my previous contemporary work so that gave me the confidence to continue.

Today, I am lucky enough to write contemporary romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance and Victorian romance for eKensington.  I love that my writing has fallen into a routine that I find so satisfying. I now aim to alternate my releases between contemporary and historical…although this year, it is a little more heavy on the contemporary!

The Temptation of Laura is the sequel to my debut with eKensington, The Seduction of Emily. Laura started out as a secondary character in the first novel, but even as I was writing her smaller part I knew she deserved her own story. Laura is a prostitute struggling for a better life while harboring a lifelong love of the theater. When her path crosses with stage star, Adam Lacey, her entire life is bound for a stratosphere beyond her wildest imagination…


The Temptation of Laura
By Rachel Brimble

Publisher:  Kensington
Release Date: February 20, 2014
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 246 Pages
ISBN:  978-1601832214
ASIN:  B00F8J6PTS

Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Laura Robinson has always been dazzled by the glamour of the stage. But perhaps acting and selling one’s favors are not so different—for Laura must feign pleasure with the men she beds to survive. Now, with her only friend at death’s door and a ruthless pimp at her heels, escaping her occupation seems impossible. Hoping to attract a gentleman, she attends the theater. Yet the man Laura captivates is no customer, but a rising star and playwright…

Adam Lacey has been driven to distraction since the moment he saw Laura. She is his ideal leading lady come to irresistible life—and so much more. Certain they can make the perfect team on and off stage, he is determined to win her heart—and discover her story. But that is precisely what Laura fears. And she has no idea that Adam harbors shameful secrets of his own. Will the truth free them to love—or destroy all their dreams…?


Excerpt

What was she doing inside Adam Lacey’s house, sitting upright and rigid upon a settee she could never afford? Laura crossed and re-crossed her ankles as she glanced around his drawing room. His home was masculine, bare of trinket or flower, but compared to her and Bette’s place, it screamed of achievement. He’d left her to go upstairs and change out of his wet clothes. She glanced at the wall clock. The ten minutes she’d been alone could’ve been an hour.

She needed to leave. Get out of there.

Standing, she stepped toward the door just as it swung open and Adam entered. Her breath caught. The man was ridiculously handsome. His dark blond hair was darker than usual, after his unplanned swim, and his face scrubbed clean. Her gaze drifted, of its own accord, to the smattering of chest hair just visible at the vee of his open-necked shirt. The man was unfairly relaxed. Laura inhaled. Handsome—stupidly, stupidly handsome.

He halted, his smile dissolving. “You’re leaving?”

He moved to touch her, seemed to think better of it and dropped his hand to his side. Their eyes locked and silence descended. Her heart beat fast with the knowledge she would’ve given the world to stay there. Eye to eye; toe to toe with a man who fascinated and intrigued her.

She stepped back. It was too dangerous. The atmosphere between them too potent. Her attraction to him kicked and punched at her heart. It was strong enough to make her want to kiss him, touch him and bring that dazzling smile to the surface over and over. For little more than another breath, she would risk everything to run her fingers over his biceps and up to the plane of his wide shoulders…

Laura blinked as her mouth drained dry. What had she been thinking by coming here? She hadn’t been thinking. In that moment when he asked her to accompany him back to his home––nothing but desire had whipped through her. Nothing but interest had leapt in her veins and obliterated her common sense. The fervor and lust in his eyes bespoke of a man who clearly had an agenda entirely different to hers.

Laura blinked and looked past him to the door. “I have a friend. She’s sick. She needs me and the medicine I bought before I came upon you at the park.” She brushed past him, through the door and into the hallway. “I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry.”

“Laura, wait.”

Ignoring him, she hurried toward the closed front door. She had to get out of there. If she looked at him again, she’d falter. Her rationale already hung on a hair’s breadth. His footsteps sounded at lightning speed behind her and when she clasped the door handle, his hand closed over hers. She stared at their joined hands and her body heated.

“Laura. Please. I need to talk to you.”

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to meet his gaze. His dark brown eyes shone with a pleading she hadn’t expected. How was she supposed to refuse? He was the first man in forever to make her heart pick up speed and flourish her hope for something more. She slowly pulled her hand from beneath his.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:





Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for I See London I See France by Paulita Kincer


Welcome to my stop on author Paulita Kincer’s  Virtual Book Tour for I See London I See France, presented by France Book Tours, from February 24 – March 5, 2014.  Please leave a comment or question for Paulita to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter the giveaway for 1 print copy of her book at my stop by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow the rest of Paulita’s tour here.  My review will post this weekend (I’ve been dealing with family illness).

I See London I See France
By Paulita Kincer

Publisher: Oblique Presse
Release Date: December 13, 2013
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Length: 246 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-304698-88-9
ASIN: B00HBY90M2

Buy Links:  Amazon Barnes & Noble 

About the book: 

When her husband of a dozen years walks out in a huff, Caroline Sommers walks out too – to Europe, with her kids after impulsively selling her minivan for travel money. Tired of being the perfect wife, she escapes to rediscover herself, and possibly rekindle the unrequited love of a Frenchman from her college days.  While shepherding her kids from London to Scotland then Paris to Provence, she finds herself at a crossroads. Does she choose love, or lust, in the arms of a European man, or should she try again with the father of her children and the man she truly loved, once?


About the Author:

Paulita Kincer is also the author of The Summer of France. She has an M.A. in journalism from American University and has written for The Baltimore Sun, The St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, and The Columbus Dispatch, among other newspapers. She has traveled toFrance 10 times dragging her three children along twice. She currently teaches college English and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and three children.
Visit her blog at http://www.paulita-ponderings.blogspot.com
or follow her on Twitter @paulitakincer.
Like her Facebook page at Paulita Kincer Writer.
Email paulita@paulitakincer.com



Promo Blitz for Fathoms of Forgiveness by Nadia Scrieva

 photo onewiththewindbanner_zps89c7c416.jpg


Fathoms of Forgiveness - PROMO Blitz
By Nadia Scrieva
Paranormal Romance - Epic Fantasy
Date Published: March 2012




Meet the brave and fearless Visola; a woman unlike any you've ever encountered. Her wit and humor take her through the darkest of dangers with a smile always on her face--and her smile only grows larger as the odds become more impossible. With no concern for her own safety, Visola dives headfirst into the throes of battle to protect the people and country she loves, even if it means facing her worst enemy--the one man who can get inside her head and break her down like no other: her own husband...       

There is no divorce in the undersea kingdom of Adlivun. Marriage is a bond that lasts until death--even if death comes in several centuries, and in that time your spouse happens to become your sworn enemy. This is the conflict that General Visola Ramaris faces when she learns that the mighty Vachlan is behind the attacks on her kingdom. She has sworn to protect Adlivun with her life, but long ago, she also swore to love and honor her husband...

Visola must choose whether she will destroy Vachlan once and for all, or attempt the hardest thing conceivable: communication. After two hundred years of desertion, she knows she can never forgive him. When he threatens the person dearest to her, she must take action. Confronting Vachlan on enemy territory would be nothing short of suicide. She knows that if she falls into his custody, the deranged mercenary would relish torturing her and making her lose her own sanity.

Princess Aazuria forbids Visola from taking matters into her own hands. She will do anything it takes to protect her friend from the man who wants to crush her. Alas, Visola is a crazy, uncontrollable warrior with the blood of Vikings in her veins. Why would she ever consider doing the safe and predictable thing?


EXCERPT

When Aazuria entered the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to Visola’s wild red hair, which had recently been a lustrous mass of audacious curls. Now, her hair was limp. It hung against her head flat, frizzy and defeated. Aazuria’s eyes darted to the warrior’s sunken cheekbones and gaunt face. She saw the bruises on Visola’s neck before her eyes traveled further to the withered, wasted limbs. Every visible part of her friend’s body was covered in fresh scars. She saw the bandaged hands. Visola had been starved and tortured.

Perhaps in these modern times, even under the surface of the sea, kings, queens, and the aristocracy had close to zero significance. Perhaps the words and decrees which left Aazuria’s mouth would have minimal consequences. No one in the throne room felt this way as they awaited Aazuria’s judgment with bated breath. Sionna was standing aside, with her arms crossed. The newly-crowned queen gripped her husband’s sword tightly in her fist as Trevain and Elandria entered the room behind her.

Aazuria shifted her eyes to the man standing beside her friend. Her face was expressionless.

“Approach me, Vachlan,” she whispered.

The man began walking toward her. Although his stride was dignified, there was hesitation on his face. Visola began speaking, pleading words which Aazuria could not hear over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

When Vachlan was close enough to strike, Aazuria gazed at him with death in her eyes.

“Kneel,” she commanded him. Her chest was rising and falling perceptibly.

Vachlan knew that this would be a very unwise thing to do, but he owed it to Aazuria. He owed it to Visola, and to Adlivun—the nation he had once called home.  He lowered his head and dropped to one knee before the queen, saluting her across his chest. His eyes were level with the sword she held, and he could see the veins bulging through her translucent pale skin from how tightly she clutched it.

“It would be futile to order you punished,” she said slowly. “No one can even attempt to hurt you as much as you have hurt her.”

“I know,” he answered quietly.

“But it is my duty to try.”

She struck out with her sword, slicing the air until the blade collided with his face, knocking Vachlan off his knees and onto the floor. Aazuria could vaguely hear Visola screaming for her to stop, but she was already standing over Vachlan and forcing the tip of her sword between his teeth. Her previous strike had resulted in a huge bleeding gash along the side of his handsome face, but it had not been enough to kill him. She was poised to finish the job.

Vachlan moved his tongue against the steel, tasting the freshly-sharpened metal edge garnished with the metallic taste of his own blood. It is rare that the wine so perfectly accompanies the main dish, he thought as he swallowed the coppery fluid accumulating in his mouth. Kind of like a German Pinot Noir. He looked into the azure eyes of Adlivun’s queen and realized that this was no longer the innocent, charitable philanthropist he had known hundreds of years ago. She was hard. He wondered what percentage of the tempered rage behind her eyes he was responsible for generating.

“One reason.” Aazuria was demanding. “Give me one convincing reason that I should not thrust my blade directly through your skull.”

Nadia Scrieva

 photo Authorpic_zps32050493.png


Nadia Scrieva lives in Toronto, Canada with no husband, no kids, and no pets. She does own a very attractive houseplant which she occasionally remembers to water between her all-consuming writing marathons.






Author Links

Buy Links



This Blitz is brought to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours

 photo readingaddictionbutton_zps58fd99d6.png

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for The Riddle of Prague by Laura DeBruce


Welcome to my stop on author Laura DeBruce’s Virtual Book Tour for The Riddle of Prague, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, from February 10 – March 7, 2014.  Please leave a comment or question for Laura to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow the rest of Laura’s tour here.  My review will post later today.

The Riddle of Prague
By Laura DeBruce
The QuickSilver Legacy Series, Book 1

Publisher: Laura DeBruce
Release Date: December 7, 2013
Genre:  New Adult Suspense
Length: 214 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-484884-53-9
ASIN: B00FFBNUVA

Buy Links:  Amazon Barnes &Noble

About the book: 

When 18-year-old Hana Silna travels to Prague to reclaim her family’s home, she discovers a riddle that may lead to a long-last flask.

The contents of that flask could change the fate of the world. When a ruthless enemy kidnaps her family Hana has to find the flask to rescue them. On her quest she meets a mysterious man with a penchant for poetry, a Gypsy girl with a haunting past, and Alex, an all-American boy who’s trying to save his sister from a crippling disease.   It’s hard to trust anyone when the stakes are this high — especially when surrounded by experts in deception.

There’s only one flask, and Hana desperately needs to find it.




~Excerpt~

“Are you from Prague?” I ask.

“I s’pose you could say that.” There’s a playful look on his face.

“Would you say that?”

Before he answers, the plane swoops to the side, and I clench my fists. David glances toward the seated flight attendants. He pulls a green bottle and two plastic cups out of his bag. “D’you like Becherovka?”

“Is it alcohol?” Immediately I regret the question. Of course it’s alcohol.

“It’s medicinal,” he claims. “A unique Bohemian spirit. Czechs keep some in the medicine cabinet and give it to their children for all sorts of reasons.”

“I didn’t think we were allowed to bring alcohol on the plane.”

“We are if no one sees us.” David tips the bottle to pour. “I take it you’re not much of a rule breaker.”

“It depends on the rule,” I reply curtly.

“I take full responsibility if we get caught.” He hands over a cup filled with thick, golden liquid. “Na zdravi!”

I take a tentative sip. The Becherovka tastes like a mix of spices and juniper. “It’s not bad.” I drink a little more.

“Glad you like it.” David tops up my cup. “I’m sure Simona and Michal keep a bottle at The Rockery, like all good Czechs. Peek in the medicine cabinet—you’ll see I’m right.” He’s very friendly. A sudden yawn escapes me. “Hana? You all right?”

“I’m suddenly really tired.” I stretch a bit.

“Close your eyes then,” David says soothingly. As I lean against the seatback, I wonder: Did I mention Simona’s husband? How did David know his name? Before I can ask, my eyelids drop, and I’m pulled into a deep and sudden sleep.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Laura DeBruce is a documentary filmmaker and writer. She grew up traveling all over the world thanks to her father’s work with the U.S. Embassy. She and her husband spent twelve years living in Europe including Prague, Paris, Amsterdam and London where she found inspiration to write The Quicksilver Legacy Series. In Prague she worked as a lawyer for the first private nationwide television station in the former Communist bloc.  It was there that she fell in love with the ancient city of Prague and its legends. 

She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and son and an unruly Golden Retriever. 

Website with blog and trailer:  http://theriddleofprague.com/