Friday, April 30, 2021

Dragon Queen by Rod Marsden (VBB, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT



Dragon Queen

by

Rod Marsden


 

Mixing with your betters can get you killed. Dragons know this as does a certain maverick pilot and his researcher wife. It is possible to get thrown into events not of your own making in which you must do your best to survive. Meanwhile, somewhere not far from mainland Tasmania, there is an island named Green Maiden’s Folly. What’s it like? Is it paradise, or has it been made over into a worse destination hellhole than Devil’s Island used to be like in the 19th and 20th Centuries? On Green Maiden’s Folly, the destiny of the dragon is revealed.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

Elanora’s black scales shone in the early morning light. She smiled at the effect the sun had on her spiked tail and also her legs, arms, and claws. The sun came up over the silvery sea. It was always a welcome sight, the start of a new day on her island. In the distance, waves rose and crashed before they could get to shore. A breeze touched her all too human nose, lips, and ears. It should have been unpleasant, but it wasn’t. She found the smell of salt in the air invigorating.

Lizards were bothered by the cold, but despite her lacertilian features, Elanora wasn’t a reptile. She was a dragon, and regardless of the plume of white coming from her mouth, she wasn’t shivering. In fact, she preferred a cool climate. She looked around for company because it was the loneliness that got to her, not the near frozen air.

She picked up a stick and drew a rectangle in the sand. A small blackish-grey crab came out of the rolling surf, and with its eyes on stalks, looked up at her. “These are the dragons,” she told the creature. “They are on the bottom. That’s not a good place to be. They’re mutants like me, but I’m special because I’m a female, and I’m not supposed to exist.”

 Amazon (e-book)

Amazon (print)

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About the Author:

 

Author Rod Marsden was born in Sydney, Australia. He has three degrees, all related to writing and history. He spent nine and a half years as a civilian clerk with the Royal Australian Navy. His proudest moments there were in the publications area.

He enjoys wildlife photography and in recent years, joined Illawarra Birders. He went on a birding expedition to the main north island of New Zealand, where he came upon wildlife unique to that country. There he also met up for the first time with correspondent, friend, and novelist Lyn McConchie. He shares his fascination with nature with his entire family, including his niece Jasmine Perala. Her pet, Kiki, is a young, female eclectus parrot and, soggy from a recent shower, is featured on Rod Marsden’s shoulder on the back cover of this book.

His stories have been published in Australia, England, Russia, the USA, and Canada. He has work in the Australian anthology Small Suburban Crimes, the American anthology Cats Do it Better, the American steampunk anthology Break Time, the Canadian anthology Morbid Metamorphosis, and in the Canadian anthology Grey Matter Monsters – Takers of Souls.

Many of his short stories, including “The Antarctic Pineapple,” have been published in Night to Dawn magazine. Undead Reb Down Under and Other Vampire Stories is a collection of his early short fiction on vampirism. Disco Evil is his first venture into the vampire novel. Ghost Dance is his first undertaking into dark fantasy involving a quest plus secret agents out to prevent demonic takeover. It has been reprinted with a new cover. Desk Job is his salute to Lewis Carroll.

His short plays, Zombie Vision, Hyde and Seek, and Smarty were well received at Cronulla Arts Theatre, south coast, New South Wales, Australia. Both his plays Smarty and Hyde and Seek made it into Sydney’s Short and Sweet contest.

He has a short story in The Twofer Compendium edited by Ruth Littner and Ann Stolinsky (2020) in which he mentions the Berry Celtic Festival, which took place every May in a farming community on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a festival that, unfortunately, had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus but will hopefully resume in May 2021.

Website
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Additional stops on the tour can be found here 

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

The Most Eligible Viscount in London by Ella Quinn (VBT, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

by

Ella Quinn

 

 

In bestselling author Ella Quinn’s intriguing new Regency trilogy, a dashing suitor must decide if love and marriage are mutually exclusive . . .


Viscount Gavin Turley is convinced that love matches cause nothing but trouble. Still, after months of courting, he’s fallen for Miss Georgie Featherton. He’s passionate about her, in fact. But words of love are not an indulgence he will allow himself. When he presents Georgie with his marriage proposal, he will lead with his head—not his heart. His qualifications as a husband are excellent, after all. What could go wrong?

No sooner does Gavin kneel on one knee than Georgie’s heart goes aflutter with joy. Finally, the proposal she longed for had arrived. Yet Gavin seemed to be listing his credentials for a business partnership, not a romantic union. Without a declaration of love, Georgie can only reject his offer—unless the ladies of the ton, and Georgie’s grandmamma, have anything to do with it. For sometimes it takes a wiser eye to see the love behind a guarded heart—and a clever scheme to bring it out of hiding . . .






 
 
 
 
 Excerpt

A light tap sounded on the door to Georgie’s parlor. Smith opened it and stood aside as Adeline swept into the room.

“I did not think you would be resting.” She sounded pleased to have been right. “How are you doing?”

Georgie shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

“I can tell you that he does want very much to marry you.” Georgie pulled a face. “Yet he is still haunted by his father.”

In an attempt to help, Littleton had told Adeline who in turn told Georgie about the mess the former Lord Turley had made of everything after his wife had died. “I understand why he thinks he should not love his wife, but I do not understand how one can stop oneself from falling in love.” And that was the essence of the matter. Georgie firmly believed that love was the thing that held two people together during difficult times. She began pacing the room again, changing directions so as not to wear a path in the rug. “Do I give him another chance? Or would I be wasting my time? If he is so certain he will not love his wife, I do not see what I can do to change his mind.”

Adeline’s forehead creased in thought. “Allowing him until the end of the month to convince you would still give you time to go back to Town before the Season ends, and it would answer your questions.”

“I suppose you are correct.” Georgie stopped pacing. Why was this so hard? She closed her eyes and reached deep into her heart. There was a chance that there might be another gentleman out there who was even more perfect for her than Lord Turley only because this unknown gentleman loved her. But until she knew for certain that Turley would never love her, she would give him an opportunity to prove himself. “I shall give him one more chance.”

“I need to tell you one more bit of information.” This time her friend had a wicked grin on her face. “Your grandmother and her friend the duchess arrive tomorrow. They are staying with Mama-in-law.”

“And Turley.” Georgie felt her eyes widen. “Oh my. That will be interesting. What I would not give to hear what they have to say to him.”

“That is exactly what I thought,” her friend agreed. “Frits has suggested that he be allowed to come here as often as he wishes in order to court you. Do you have any objections?”

Georgie began pacing again. For some reason, she could not remain still. Littlewood really was the perfect place for a courtship. Other than the house party entertainments, they could spend time out of the eyes of the ton. It would give her—them—both the opportunity to attempt to resolve the differences in what they each wanted in a marriage. “No.” She wondered what role her grandmother and the duchess would play. “No. I have no objections.” Having a course of action would, at the very least, help her shake off the malaise she had been experiencing. “In fact, I believe I am looking forward to seeing how he intends to convince me I should enter into a loveless marriage.” 
 
 
 
 
Buy Links:

Amazon (e-book)
 
 
Audiobook narrated by Rachael Beresford

Audible
Amazon Audio
iTunes

 
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About the Author:
 
USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn's studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Great Dane. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.

 
 
Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Website

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The tour dates can be found here
 

Monday, April 26, 2021

Where Your Treasure Is by M. C. Bunn (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT



 
It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author M.C. Bunn, who answers my question...

 

 

What was the most difficult thing to overcome on your path to becoming a published author and how did you conquer it?

 

MCB: Multiple difficulties face aspiring writers. Getting published is only one of them. My breakthrough was a combination of factors, the most important of which was finding the right reader.

 

I began to write Where Your Treasure Is in 2011 while I was teaching high school and helping my mother, so an immediate challenge was time management. I rose early and stayed up late. Because I wrote for pleasure, this wasn’t a chore. Nights when my husband worked, I rushed from my mother’s house to my manuscript, as eager for the next installment of Winifred and Court’s romance and adventures as I had been for episodes of Masterpiece Theatre or Mystery when I was a girl. It was only after I’d finished the draft and a few people read it that I realized it might have potential. The manuscript was far from being in shape, so I set it aside and began another book.

 

I also began investigating online writing journals, and was overwhelmed by the abundant advice. I continued writing—for six more years and several more books, only dipping into the swiftly-changing currents of publishing from time to time. On the one hand I wrote for myself, and on the other, tried to incorporate what I’d learned about genres and marketing without letting all of that derail what I wanted to express.

 

Almost no one knew I wrote, but a friend who did introduced me to a writer who agreed to read Treasure, which was by then on its third draft. After contacting many editors, I realized it was a long book for a first-time author. Could I cut it in half and make two books? In publishing’s early days, novels were often released in multiple volumes (think of Little Women), but I knew this wouldn’t work for Treasure’s plot. The editors hadn’t read my manuscript. They made their suggestion based on the page-by-page cost of reading and putting a long book through various editorial stages. They were trying to help me save money.

 

Cost is an issue all writers must consider. Many first-time authors with Big 5 publishers will have to finance and implement at least part of their publicity campaigns. Writers part ways with publishers and are sometimes dropped. Books may not sell enough copies to make it to the back lists and go out of print. Small and hybrid presses (such as Bellastoria), self-publishing—all these options require writers’ time and money. Publishing always has.

 

Two instances may provide comfort: Samuel Richardson and Jane Austen. Richardson, a master printer, self-published Clarissa (970,000 words; two volumes) in 1747. It became an international best-seller and one of the most influential novels of all time. Austen used her limited funds to pay for Sense and Sensibility to be published on commission. She would share the profits if it sold and bear the loss if it didn’t. You know the rest of that story!

 

The wonderful part of current publishing is the variety of ways to print. Someone wants to read your manuscript, perhaps for pay, but maybe for free. Decide why you write; define your goals; then think about your audience. Investigate the expense and plan for it. Most of all, work at your craft and share it. Writing’s your gift, and there’s someone out there who will treasure your words.

 

 


 
 
 
by
M.C. Bunn
 
Publisher: Bellastoria Press
Publication Date: April 23, 2021
Print Length: 466 pages
Genre: Historical Romance
 
 
 
 
 
 
Blurb:
 
Feisty, independent heiress Winifred de la Coeur has never wanted to live according to someone else’s rules—but even she didn’t plan on falling in love with a bank robber.

Winifred is a wealthy, nontraditional beauty who bridles against the strict rules and conventions of Victorian London society. When she gets caught up in the chaos of a bungled bank robbery, she is thrust unwillingly into an encounter with Court Furor, a reluctant getaway driver and prizefighter. In the bitter cold of a bleak London winter, sparks fly.

Winifred and Court are two misfits in their own circumscribed worlds—the fashionable beau monde with its rigorously upheld rules, and the gritty demimonde, where survival often means life-or-death choices.

Despite their conflicting backgrounds, they fall desperately in love while acknowledging the impossibility of remaining together. Returning to their own worlds, they try to make peace with their lives until a moment of unrestrained honesty and defiance threatens to topple the deceptions they have carefully constructed to protect each other.

A story of the overlapping entanglements of Victorian London’s social classes, the strength of family bonds and true friendship, and the power of love to heal a broken spirit.
 
 
 
Excerpt:
 
Note from ELF: I had technical difficulties earlier, so I have changed the excerpt while I was updating the post, because several of the other stops on the tour presented that one and I wanted to provide more variety to potential fans of this story. Sorry for any confusion.

Chapter 2

A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted

 

Approaching the right turn that would take him to Swift Street and the Royal Empire Bank, Court Furor concentrated on traffic. Cold bit his cheeks and hunger gnawed his belly, but he ignored both through force of habit. The soles of his boots were thin and his gloves pointless…No point worrying about what the day would bring, never mind the next one…He was a man of no prospects and no property but preferred to think of it as freedom from responsibility…It was no secret he fancied himself a bit of a lad though he wasn’t overly tempted by long, romantic entanglements. An hour or two with a willing girl would suit…

 

He directed the horse to a slow walk, trying to secure a place in the queue for the curb. In the gleaming brougham beside him sat a woman, her face hidden under an enormous, bright green hat trimmed with black ostrich feathers. Her driver signaled, and Court tugged his reins…Though a thick veil covered her face, Court caught a glimpse of golden hair, coiled in heavy masses on her shoulders. The wind lifted the edge of her mantle, and he was briefly amazed by the brilliant green of her dress…She’d obviously never missed a meal in her life.

 

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Suddenly Geoff and a woman appeared at the bottom of the stairs…Their progress was impeded by the woman’s wildly kicking little boots. Her struggles and the flashes of her bright green and purple silks made her look like an exotic bird thrashing in Geoff’s arms….

 

Geoff…thrust the woman at him…the woman struggled and kicked…and cried for help. Involuntarily, he clapped his hand over her mouth. She only screamed louder.

 

“Shut up, you fat sow!” Geoff swatted her across the temple….

 

The woman’s eyes rolled and she went limp.

 

 Court howled in dismay and caught her… In his arms, she was a mountain of soft cashmere and folds of velvet. Her mantle fell open, and her scent hit him. Lilies and some dark, exotic spice. It was so unexpected and heavenly that the alley and the hackney disappeared. Even his panic was gone.

 

“…We can’t take ’er!”

 

Geoff clicked off the safety and waved the pistol under Court’s nose. When Court did not let go of the woman, he pointed the pistol at her head. “I ain’t arguin’! Drive!” He slammed the cab door…

 

His heart hammering, his head whirling, Court untied the horse, swung up onto the box, and grabbed the reins. As he turned the cab into the street behind the bank, yet another fire truck raced past. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! They were in for it now.

 

 

 


 

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Author info and links:


M. C. Bunn is a writer of Victorian romance and historical romance novels, a singer (in the indie rock band Mister Felix), and a songwriter. She holds an English degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s in English from North Carolina State University.

"I've always loved writing. It's a joy to do what makes me happy and to share it.

“My father was a great story-teller. He read to us at the dinner table and passed on his love of history. He’d haul me out of bed in the middle of the night if there was a great old movie on the late show, and family trips always included visits to historic sites. His father was born in 1888, and I have Granddaddy's letters to his bride-to-be in my dresser. I'm working on the story of Daddy's first ancestor in America. It's set in Jamestown, 1690. My mother's grandmother was placed in an orphanage after the Civil War because her father died on the way home, so I always felt that connection to and had a curiosity about the past. Both of my parents read to me before I could walk. Daddy gave me Dickens, Twain, and Stevenson. Mama put the dictionary in my hands and let me watch I, Claudius and Shoulder to Shoulder when they first aired on Masterpiece Theatre. She told me I'd be a writer one day.”

Acting was another girlhood passion. “I wanted to play all the characters in the books I'd read, or in the stories I made up, like Dickens and Louisa May Alcott did. I also wanted to be an archaeologist because we knew one who worked on digs in Israel. There was never a time when I wasn't making up a story, and it was always set 'a long time ago.' What I really wished for was the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so I could fly back in time and see what it was actually like for women in Victorian and Edwardian England.”

When she's not writing, she loves reading long old books. "I love Anthony Trollope's series, and Anna Karenina. Of more recent vintage, I really enjoyed The Forsyte Saga and The Raj Quartet."

Her idea of a well-appointed room includes multiple bookshelves, a full pot of coffee, and a place to lie down and read. To feed her soul, she takes a walk or makes music with friends. "I try to remember to look up at the sky and take some time each day to be thankful."

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and their dog. Where Your Treasure Is is her first published novel.

 
 
 
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Friday, April 23, 2021

How to Overcome Insomnia All by Yourself by Antoinetta Vogels (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT



How to Overcome Insomnia All by Yourself

by 

Antoinetta Vogels

 

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GENRE: Self-Help

 

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BLURB:

 

Antoinetta has a bachelor’s in French and a master’s in music. She worked in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra as a bassoonist, has two grown daughters, and lives in Bellevue, WA, USA.

 

In 2013, Antoinetta created the Sense of Self Method, a self-help program for people who want to get a good night’s sleep no matter what!

 

With her company, Healthy Sense Of Self, LLC, Antoinetta and her team provide education about what can be wrong in the way a person experiences their self and, consequently, others. Antoinetta has made it her life’s work to help people improve their life by reversing issues related to a negative self-image. She wants everyone to have the ability to be their most authentic self.

 

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EXCERPT


 

Some children grow up in a supportive environment, with parents who give them the freedom to discover their true Self and encourage them to feel good about who they are. Others of us are doomed to constantly earning parental approval over the course of our lives because we’ve never felt acknowledged or accepted. How we deal with that situation will differ, depending on our individual temperament, character, and the way we learned how to deal with our emotions.

 

Feeling like you don’t belong creates a negative self-image because the message you receive is that you aren’t good enough to be included. But feeling invisible can be a self-fulfilling prophecy—when you aren’t seen or heard or taken into consideration, it’s a natural reaction to shrink in on yourself and not do anything to stand out.

 

I remember very well how I felt on those occasions. It was a feeling that always haunted me. One day, when I was about sixteen years old, I stood on the beach looking out over the sea, and I noticed a pole rising above the water. I imagined that the sea was full of people and I was sitting on that pole, removed from everyone around me and unable to reach them. It felt terribly lonely. The endlessness of the sea only made that sense of isolation stronger.

 

 

 

Amazon

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Antoinetta Vogels is the Founder and CEO of Healthy Sense of Self™ LLC, author of How to Overcome Insomnia All by Yourself her newest book which will release in the fall. She also wrote Healthy Sense of Self: How to be True to Your Self and Make Your World a Better Place! (2013), as well as the Online Course: Introducing the Sense of Self Method! (found on her website), the "Sense of Self Workbook" (based on the Online Course but also to be used independently) (2014), A GuidedJournal to a Healthy Sense of Self (2014), and "The Motivation Cure" (2017).

 

Through many years of searching for her Self, Antoinetta has come to conclude that from early childhood on, many of us have not been acknowledged as the autonomous people we truly are. She provides insight and tools to help you enhance and/or completely restore your ability to sense your Self and correct the ill-effects of childhood conditioning that reverberate in all aspects of our lives.

 

Antoinetta Vogels is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands and a former bassoonist of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a ballroom dancer, a mother of two and lives in Washington, USA.

 

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

 

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

If Only for Today by Gabbi Grey (Release Day blitz)



If Only for Today

Deerbourne Inn series

by

Gabbi Grey

 

 

Blurb:

 

Jared Langford is a happy man. The desk clerk at the Deerbourne Inn knows everyone in his cozy town in Vermont. He is accepted and loved by the community, but he's missing someone special in his life.

Devastating news has brought journalist Xander Fortier to Willow Springs for some much-needed rest. He's photographed every major conflict in the world for the last ten years, but being stateside has forced him to reassess the solitary life he's been living.

Something in Xander's gruff demeanor calls to Jared's caring nature. Soon the men are spending time together, but Jared's kisses might not be enough to keep Xander from leaving. Can the men find a happily ever after if they only have today?

 

 

Tagline: 

 

He came looking for solitude. He might leave after finding love.

 

 

Exclusive Excerpt

 

Jared sat in the corner most distant from the wary canine and held himself still. He had all the time in the world and infinite patience. This was Lady’s choice, of course, but his heart was already gone. The pain was palpable, but so was the love. This huge dog, who had to be close to a hundred pounds, was gently cradling a little black-and-white kitten. Jared didn’t know much about animals, but he guessed the little one was about eight weeks old.

The kitten poked his nose out from under Lady’s paw and sniffed the air. Upon spotting Jared, he squirmed. Lady tightened her grip.

“I won’t hurt him, I promise.” Jared kept his voice low and steady. “I’d like to meet Marshmallow.”

Upon hearing his name, the little one’s ears perked.

Did he already know his name? Man, Jared knew so little about animals. He’d been educated on how to care for an elderly curmudgeonly cat with kidney failure. A tiny kitten and a heartbroken dog? Not in his wheelhouse. But he was a quick study. If this was meant to be, he’d read all the books he could. He’d scan blog posts and websites. He’d ask questions. He was good at that.

With a burst of energy, Marshmallow squeezed under Lady’s paw and scampered over. He was unsteady on his feet, but adorable all the same. He barrelled into Jared’s lap and started crawling up his shirt. Tiny claws dug into his skin before he could blink.

“Okay, little fella, slow down.” He managed to extricate himself from the kitten’s grasp, holding him away.

“You can cuddle him, if you want. Or just ease him away and say no.”

Well, cuddling sounded much better than putting the kitten back on the floor. Jared carefully twisted the wriggling body into a secure hold and tucked him in the crook of his arm. Claws came out, but as soon as Jared rubbed the tiny belly, the loudest purr he’d ever heard erupted. Even Mephistopheleswho was easily twenty times the size of this pinthad never made that much noise.

“He’s loud.”

“That he is.” Dana laughed. “He’s also available for adoption.”

Xander snickered.

Slowly Lady rose, stretching out each limb, never breaking eye contact with Jared.

Hold steady.

She approached, each large paw touching the concrete floor with grace. Finally within reaching distance, she sniffed Jared’s knee. Then his thigh. And his chest. She nudged Marshmallow and licked the top of the head. The kitten purred louder. Still holding Jared’s gaze, Lady lay down, placing her head on Jared’s thigh.

In that moment everything became crystal clear.

 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

 


 

Links:

Amazon US

Amazon CA

KOBO

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

 


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Personal links:

 

Website

Bookbub

Goodreads

Amazon Author Central

Instagram

Facebook (page)

Twitter

 


 

 

 

Note from ELF: I had the pleasure of reading an early version of this story and thought it was a wonderful romance! The above excerpt is one of my favorite scenes and reminded me of the love I shared with my own fur-baby, who I still miss even though she went over the Rainbow Bridge many years ago.