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Monday, October 24, 2016

Oak & Mistletoe Book Feature

Oak & Mistletoe 

Book Feature




A Druid Curse, A Prophesied Love, A Consuming Vengeance…



Catherine Green, along with her twin sister and older brother, travels to Ireland on a college graduation trip. Her vacation takes a permanent turn when she lands her dream job at an art and history museum on her beloved Emerald Isle. She meets a handsome stranger named Bowen, an expert of sorts on local ancient studies. Though their first meetings are turbulent at best, Catherine finds herself drawn to him.


Unaware that she is the key to breaking a hidden curse, Catherine unleashes the evil madman Conall and his druid followers, imprisoned since ancient times. Tragedy and loss ensue, sprouting within Catherine the deep seeds of rage that thrust her onto the damaging path of vengeance. Confused by the enigma that is Bowen, his mixed signals, and her own feelings, she is swept away with him on an unexpected journey surrounded by myth and long-forgotten knowledge. In order to stop the evil plans of Conall and his reunified army, Catherine must entwine her fate with peril. Her survival is trivial to her as long as Conall dies. She’ll do whatever it takes.

Exclusive Excerpt
As Catherine examined the relic, she suddenly heard an airy whistle followed by a cracking noise. She looked up at Danny and felt herself sinking back, then falling. The stone she sat on was giving way. She heard Danny yell for her as she fell, and in a quick second managed to reflexively grab hold of several small trees and sharp bushes which cut her mercilessly but slowed her fall. The staff had caught at an angle against a tree and she grabbed at either side until she was hanging against the cliff. Dirt fell on her from the small landslide she created on her way down. She had tumbled a very short distance, but her blood pumped hard in her ears.

 “Catherine?!” Danny screamed from above.

 Catherine couldn't move, other than dangle. Every time her body swung she felt a horrible pang, and thought that moment would be her last. She couldn't say a word, she could barely breathe, so she hung helplessly. Focusing her weight and hands on the staff, she struggled to keep hold. Her upper body was not her strong point, her arms were already exhausted, and she wondered how much longer she could last. Unable to look up or down she stared stupidly at the ground.

 “I'm coming down to get you!” Danny shouted. He had never been afraid of heights. As a boy, he would throw himself from trees, and cause great stress to all who had been forced to watch. Since boyhood, he had matured to skydiving and other thrill-seeking skills. Rock climbing was nothing to him.

 Though Catherine was terrified for him since it was clearly a very unstable area, she knew he was her only hope. She was no acrobat, and she was paralyzed by fear. She considered her imminent death, and wished Danny would leave her to it and not risk himself. A light in the back of her mind reminded her she would see Kathleen again, and that this torture would end. But then she remembered she had to live to help Bowen. She couldn't leave him to fix her mistake. The mistake he had tried to prevent. Catherine slowly came back to the here and now, trying to keep her grip on the staff whose smoothness she had quickly grown to resent. She tried to hold still, and keep her hands inward so as not to accidentally slip off. Held tightly to the sharp protruding edges, her hands began to feel like they were being cut in slow motion.

 Unable to see her brother from her dangling position, she listened desperately for anything and finally heard movement along with gravel and dirt tumbling down around her. Squinting her eyes, she held her breath and waited. Within less than five minutes, Danny slid to a stopping point by hitting the tree she relied on for survival. Catherine's breath escaped loudly as her eyes flew open. “I'm here!” he said, as he made grunting noises trying to steady himself.

 Still unable to look up, Catherine wondered what he planned on next.

 “Listen to me, Catherine, when I say so you need to let go.”

 Catherine slowly shook her head. He was talking crazy. There was no way she was just going to let go.

 “Only one hand. I'll be there to grab it,” he said firmly.

 That was certainly less crazy, though she had doubts as to her ability to do as he asked. Catherine quickly wondered how Danny was going to pull this off. She knew they didn't have any rope with them. She worried once again for his safety.

 “I'm going to say 'now' in a sec, and that's when I need you to let go of the staff with one hand, okay?” He sounded unsettled by her silence. Though he clearly understood she was in some state of shock, he worried that she might completely freeze up.

 Catherine waited for Danny to give the word, and she tried to prepare herself for the sudden death that might follow. Wait! she thought in a panic. He didn't say which! Which hand! she mentally screamed, and cursed herself inwardly that she couldn't break her silence. She thought madly. Which would he reach for? He knew she was right handed, but maybe he wasn't able to get to her right hand? She couldn't possibly be sure either way from where his voice came above her, for the tree was thin where it didn't block sound, and the gravel came from both sides when it fell. She would have to take the chance and hope he would know. Catherine waited.

 “Now!” Danny shouted.

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J.Z.N. McCauley resides in lovely New England, where she loves wearing jackets and boots in the unpredictable weather there. She is a wife and mother who enjoys life to the fullest. Also, being a nerd across many genres is something she expresses openly.


McCauley spends most of her spare time writing, drawing, or reading. She loves archeology, mythology, history, music and many other forms of art as well. Always having a variety of interests and talents, she could never pick just one. When the chance pops up to travel to any of her favorite places, she takes way too many pictures. Otherwise, she is exploring a mystical land in a daydream. Which all provides fuel to her immense joy of writing.



She is the author of the novella A Bell Sound Everlasting as well as the fantasy novel Oak & Mistletoe. She is currently writing The Oathing Stone (Fall 2017), a sequel to Oak & Mistletoe.




☆Please sign up for her Mailing List to be the first to know about cover reveals, book releases, giveaways, and more!☆

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

5 Personal Moments connected to The Man of Cloud 9



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I am super excited to present a guest post written by my dear friend, the amazing Adam Dreece. It has been a long time since he debuted his Yellow Hoods series, and now has branched off into riveting, and intelligent science fiction. Now, he gives us a brief look into how certain experiences in his life inspired and are interconnected to The Man of Cloud 9!


5 Personal Moments Connected to 

The Man of Cloud 9 




5. When I worked in Silicon Valley for a Startup, we went through rounds of funding and fought for every customer. I heard a lot of people talking about their startups at the cafes, restaurants, and was regularly interviewed by many. The energy was high, the ideas sometimes ludicrous. I installed the story with that. 




4. When I worked at Microsoft, I made two enemies. Both of them tried their best to have me denied a promotion. One by creating new procedures and lobbying as hard as they could for me to be denied, and the other actually was a director who went so far as to “uncheck” my promotion in the software that tracked that and managed to do it without leaving a trace. Both were vehement that I should be out. Why? Because for one, they hated that I had turned a friend’s career around, from him being ready to fire to becoming a super-star, and the other because I had been asked for my honest opinion in a meeting and I gave it to her, politely and politically wrapped but still honest. When finally confronted, both of them admitted to what they did and didn’t care. There were no consequences. I did get my promotion, but left a year or two later.I took some of this sentiment, this “it has nothing to do with you, but rather what you represent” hostility and incorporated it into my villain in the story. Moreover, I took that sense of “you are the manifestation of my imperfection” as the root of the conflict. 




3. I’ve had people shut down my ideas because they didn’t want to take the time to understand them,. I adapted by learning it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, particularly when I had been brought on to fix software projects. This idea is at the heart of Niko as a genius and inventor. He knows that few would potentially understand what he really wants, and he keeps it wrapped in layers and hidden impossibly deeply. 




2. Several points in my life, I made a personal decision that was the right moral one, but it slowed my technical career. Niko faces the implications of such a moral decision, though we don’t know fully what it was until the end. 




1. When I was 17 years old, I ran into the older brother of one of my best friends in the street. I asked how my friend was doing. He’d suffered a brain tumor a year before. The parents didn’t always allow my calls to pass through, they weren’t particularly fond of me because I was younger and didn’t share their ethnicity. I was told that my friend had died two months ago. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Niko suffers a loss at that age, and like me, he found purpose to help him come out of it. It gave him ruthless focus, only enough room for barely two things in his life.


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In 2014, Adam Dreece stopped hoping to be an author one day. He wrote and indie published the first two installments in his young adult, steampunk meets fairy tale, series The Yellow Hoods. In 2015, when the first two books became IAN Book of the Year finalists in YA and Fantasy, he released two more in the series, as well as a novelette. Along the way, Adam has become a fixture on Twitter and Facebook for his blog articles and willingness to help other authors. He's a frequent speaker on cons, festivals and events. He's currently working on his first science fiction novel called The Man of Cloud 9, and has a weekly serial called The Wizard Killer. In 2016 he plans to also bring out the 5th book in The Yellow Hoods series. He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his wife and children. He is an active online mentor at adamdreece.com, and is a busy public speaker, panelist, and author in Canada and the Pacific Northwest.


The Man of Cloud 9

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"a truly unique voice" - Tracy A. Fischer, Readers' Favorite

“Adam Dreece continues to surprise, enthrall, and sweep us, his avid readers, along - with his elegant prose and insightful story telling. If you, like I, enjoy the scifi/fantasy genre - you can’t do better than The Man of Cloud 9.” - Rene Auberjonois, Avid Reader, Actor/Director (incl Star Trek Deep Space 9's Odo)

-- On extended Launch promotion (reg. $6.99) --

Seventy years from now, climate change has damaged the world, and civilization has lost its appetite for radical dreamers and innovation.

Niko Rafaelo believes that the key to our future lies in revisiting the banned technology of nanobots, and binding it with the human microbial cloud (the bacteria that surrounds each person). Cut from the same cloth as Steve Jobs and his Silicon Valley heroes of history, Niko is driven to see his dream become a reality, no matter the consequences.

The Man of Cloud 9 is an intimate story, centred around the life of Niko Rafaelo and those closest to him. It reveals an all new side of Adam Dreece, best-selling author of The Yellow Hoods and The Wizard Killer.
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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

When In Rome...Lose Control: Cynthia's Story

When In Rome...Lose Control: Cynthia's Story

Blog Tour



Today we are pleased to welcome Lena Mae Hill as she celebrates the release of her new book, When in Rome...Lose Control. Honestly, I think it looks FANTASTIC, and I bought my copy today. Let me know what you think in the comments!



Cynthia and Nick are best friends, and she's intent on keeping it that way. She's always wanted a BFF, and she's not about to compromise their friendship by doing anything silly, even if they are studying abroad in the romantic city of Rome together. Cynthia is there to see the world and experience all it has to offer, including boys. After all, she can always hook up with Nick back in Arkansas if she changes her mind.
But when an unexpected family tragedy happens back home, her trip is thrown into turmoil. Torn between going home and staying in Rome, between partying to forget her sorrows and dwelling on regrets, she always seems to make the wrong choice. So when her friendship with Nick begins to crumble, she's forced to reevaluate that choice, as well. Is staying 'just friends' the only thing that ensures he will always be there for her, or is it the one thing that their friendship can't endure?





Author bio: Hey, y'all. Thanks for checking out my work! I'm a southerner, born and raised, which means I mostly mind my manners but I also have the cussing streak of my Italian grandpa when the mood hits. I'm a serious chocolate addict, a coffee lover, and a restless homebody. I'm online everywhere. Come say hi!

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Mailing list sign-up link: http://giveaway.lenamaehill.com

Enter the Colleen Hoover Giveaway sponsored by Lena Mae Hill here.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

SeQuence: A Young Adult Fantasy Romance (The Heart of the Ocean Series Book 1)


SeQuence: A Young Adult Fantasy Romance 
(The Heart of the Ocean Series Book 1)

Cover Reveal

A young love. A new world. Four Kingdoms in a Game of Sequence. 
Who wins when Life and Death are on the line?


From chaotic voices on Earth…
Haunted by voices inside her head, seventeen-year-old Alessia Appleton is incarcerated in a mental asylum. In her flight to sanctuary, she’s transported to Zeneshia, a breathtaking world under the sea filled with colourful forests and gigantic glowing moons. Here, she discovers the unique power of her mind—and how an entire kingdom’s survival is dependent on it. As she finds her true self, she falls irrevocably in love with Dante Erajion. 

To the tranquillity of the Kingdom under the Moons…
Determined to avenge his mother’s murder, Dante isn’t looking for love until he meets Alessia. Together they unravel the past, inevitably kindling the Foretold Sequence of Hearts. In a world where Sequence takes precedence over chance, powerful forces manipulate the future and redesign Sequences, using Alessia as an unwitting cat’s paw in the Four Kingdoms’ Game of Sequence.

Love might not be enough to save them…
With Alessia and Dante’s destinies intertwined, their love is under threat…and so is the future of their people. As players of the Game make their first move, can young love survive the ordeals of a shifting Sequence to Life, Love, and Death?

Shortlisted for the 2015 Love Stories New Talent Award


SeQuence is the first instalment in the enchanting Young Adult Fantasy/Romance Series; The Heart of the Ocean. It is a sweet and romantic tale about first and forever love—sacrifice and courage in a mystical world of moonbows and myths.

Biography

Lorraine M.L.M writes young adult romantic fiction. Her love for reading prompted her passion for writing. She loves all genres of romance but has a special and inherent interest in Fantasy/Romance in particular uplifting and thought provoking fiction. Her YA Fantasy/Romance debut novel, SeQuence was shortlisted for the 2015 Love Stories New Talent Award.
When she’s not writing, she can be found gazing into the distance thinking about writing.
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The Shining Ones Blog Tour


The Shining Ones Blog Tour


A magical background made of trees and brush in purple hues with sparkles.watcher_kindle_fullsize

  A stranger walks into a bar sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but for Poesy Wharton, it’s no joke at all.

For Poesy, a twenty-something waitress who’s living paycheck to paycheck, life on Tybee Island is predictably normal until Adam Walker drifts into Paddy’s Bar and Grill, the small town dive where she works. Unable to resist his quirky, English reserve and the strange tingling that plagues her every time they touch, Poesy finds herself drawn to Adam even against the advice of her two best friends, Birdie and Haylee Jane.

When bad things begin to happen including the brutal murder of another local waitress, Poesy finds herself caught between the man she wants and a secret world that could take away everything she knows and loves. Poesy must choose her path wisely or lose everything . . . but did she ever have a choice?

Watcher is the first book in the new adult urban fantasy series, The Shining Ones, a four book saga set in the community of Tybee Island, Georgia.

Download for FREE 




amazon_author_photoShawnee began writing the first book in her new adult urban fantasy series, The Shining Ones, in early 2010. Drawing on inspiration from her life abroad, as well as, her time in the Goth subculture of the '80s and '90s, Watcher was published in February 2012. Protector (Book Two) was released in February 2016. She is currently working on several projects including Betrayer, the third book in The Shining Ones series, and a book of short stories based on '80s hits. Shawnee lives in Virginia with her husband.

Connect with Shawnee Small 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aboutshawneesmall/ Twitter https://twitter.com/shawnee_small Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29036099-watcher
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Monday, October 3, 2016

Your Best Age is Now ( An Interview With Dr. Robi Ludwig)

Your Best Age is Now 



Today, Write Like a Wizard is pleased to introduce today's guest, Dr. Robi Ludwig. She gives us insight into the writing process and what inspires her. Comment below with your favorite part of the interview!

Quickly, give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline:

In Your Best Age is Now, I explore how midlife is not the beginning of a decline, but in fact a very exciting time in life. It’s the perfect time to pursue and actualize your dreams.

Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?
My book is for people who have entered midlife and want to continue to feel that their life goals and dreams are still possible. I’ve been told by younger readers, as well as older readers that they also relate to the message in my book. So, I guess the book can resonate with anyone who wants to resist the idea that there has to be an expiration date to the things we want to do in life or who we want to become.

How did you come up with the title of your book?
I follow this European makeup artist on Instagram and one day in one of her photo montages, she had a photo of a statement that said, “My Best Age is Now”. I shared this find with my team at Harper One and then we came up with the title, Your Best Age is Now. I knew when we came up with Your Best Age is Now, it was the perfect title for my book.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? What is the significance of that particular image?
The cover art includes a photo of me and was designed by Harper One. They really chose everything about the cover and just got me to sign off and approve of it. I suppose Harper One wanted people to know that I was the voice behind the book. This cover certainly emphasized that point.

If you could change ONE thing about your book, what would it be? Why?
I think I would include more male themes and stories into my book. Your Best Age is Now is a little female focused because at the time I thought the female audience would be most interested in buying this kind of book. I certainly don’t want the men to feel left out, because this theme is just as true for men as it is for women.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book.
I had my mother read my book before I sent it in for its final edit. She was a tougher editor than my editor at Harper One. One passage she took issue with was when I said that women can even get tattoos to celebrate their rebellious side, if they wanted to during midlife. She felt strongly that this idea should not be in the book. I eventually took it out because a focus group agreed with her. I also took out the words rebel and YOLO and changed it to moxy and You Only Live Once, because my original words were thought to send a dubious message. I wanted the message in the book to be as clear and non-controversial as possible.

What other books are similar to your own? What makes them alike?
The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife by Marianne Williamson and Passages by Gail Sheehy are similar in feel to my book. At least I’d like to think so. Both books address midlife from a new and fresh perspective: one that doesn’t demean midlife or the possibilities that can happen during this time.

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
I do have a love of jewelry, which has inspired several personal jewelry lines. I created a cloud inspirational necklace, which I sold on QVC. Then I had a jewelry line on ShopNBC for a period of time. I also created an independent jewelry line, which I named Vise Mari. Vise Mari means dream big in Romanian. This line was influenced and inspired by my love of vintage jewelry.

What can we expect from you in the future?
Well, I’m hoping there will be more books. I’d love to have my own radio show, podcast or TV show. I’d like to continue contributing in all of the ways that I already am: being on National TV as a spokesperson, giving speeches, and continuing to spread information I feel needs to be shared in the world. Essentially, I’d love to continue doing what I’m already doing, but turn it up a notch.

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
I think the first tip is to write about what you feel passionately about. Also to research what other books have already been written about this topic, so you have an idea what you’re bringing that’s new and different to this space. Then, build up your social media following. Book publishers like to know the book they invest in is going to have a way of being marketed. If you can present publishers with a large audience who would be interested in buying what you’re selling, you’re half way there.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I just want to thank you for this opportunity to speak with you and your audience. I hope you find my book inspiring and helpful on your journey to creating whatever it is you’d like to create in your life.



Although we’ve been conditioned to think “middle aged” is practically a four-letter word, the realities of women in midlife today are far different than what our mothers experienced. Women in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s are living younger, vibrant lives. But influenced by our youth-obsessed culture, we fear that when we hit midlife, we stop being relevant and no longer have options—that it’s simply too late for us.
Contradicting long-ingrained beliefs, Robi Ludwig draws on myth-busting data from scientific research and on her experience as a therapist to show midlife is not the beginning of our decline—it is actually a time to pursue our dreams. In Your Best Age Is Now, she offers specific advice on how to change our perception of this next life phase and make the best of it by:
·      Letting go of stress to create a more balanced life;
·      Identifying false thinking that is holding us back;
·      Taking charge of our love life and relationships;
·      Staying relevant in the workplace or starting new, exciting careers;
·      Becoming more spiritual and leading a life of gratitude; and more.
Your Best Age Is Now provides the guidance you need to reject the status quo, become more “you” than ever before, and find the kind of happiness you never thought possible.

“A must-read for any woman who fears her prime is in her past. Ludwig’s practical and perspective-changing advice will help you embrace midlife’s unique opportunities and navigate challenges with ease, so you can live your fullest life yet.”—Holly Phillips, M.D., general internist, author of The Exhaustion Breakthrough, and CBS News medical contributor
“Every woman needs to read this book. Robi Ludwig will convince you that a youthful mindset, plus new adventures and opportunities and even new or deeper love, are all highly possible, no matter what the number on your birth certificate is.”—Bonnie Fuller, president and editor-in-chief of HollywoodLife.com
“Robi Ludwig shows us how to feel ageless, beautiful, and relevant. A superb book that will shift and transform your beliefs about midlife and aging.” —Laura Geller, founder of Laura Geller Beauty and board member of the Cosmetic Executive Women Foundation
“In this revolutionary and riveting book, Robi Ludwig brilliantly helps women break through the disabling myths we’ve been fed about midlife. She redefines it, using science and inspiring stories from her practice, empowering us to enjoy this truly fantastic time of life.”—Lisa Bloom, civil rights attorney, legal analyst for NBC News and Avvo.com, andNew York Times bestselling author of Think
“Robi Ludwig nails it! She makes it clear that midlife is the time for wise, effective women to advance the whole damn species! Robi makes us roar!”—Dr. Wendy Walsh, Emmy-nominated former cohost of The Doctors and CNN commentator



Robi Ludwig, Psy.D. is a nationally known psychotherapist, award-winning reporter, and author. She is a relationship contributor for Investigation Discovery Network’s Scorned, and has hosted TLC’s reality show One Week to Save Your Marriage and GSN’s Without Prejudice? Dr. Ludwig is a regular guest on CNN, Fox News, and Headline News, discussing psychological and lifestyle issues as well as the criminal mind. She has appeared on Today, Entertainment Tonight20/20, World News TonightNightlineThe View, Fox and Friends, Steve Harvey, The Wendy Williams Show, and is on the medical board and a contributor for BELLA Magazine. She also writes for the Huffington Post. Dr. Ludwig lives in New York City.

Social media links: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/drrobiludwig


Available now!   http://drrobiludwig.com/book/





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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Enter to win $1100 in Amazon Gift Cards!


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Fall has arrived!

Enter to win $1100 in Amazon Gift Cards!

One simple entry will subscribe you to 58 Romance Author Newsletters.

Unsubscribe any time, but please don't label us as spam. Better still, stick around and get to know us.

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