Spotlight: The Mystery of Alan Norman McBride by Sarah Fader

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Publication date: November 30th 2018
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Pam and Emily are two sisters who live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Emily is a born investigator and is notorious for eavesdropping on conversations she hears on the streets of New York City. One Saturday, the sisters happen to overhear two gangsters planning the murder of millionaire Alan Norman McBride. They decide it is their duty to warn McBride and stop the murderers in their tracks!

Excerpt

This particular Saturday, while out on their usual “Saturday walk,” Emily and Pam stopped at the corner store to get some Pepsi. Or at least they were going to go into the store when, from around the corner, they suddenly heard an interesting conversation that stopped them in their tracks:

“AlL right. You can't tell this to nobodiiii! Do ya heear me Dino?”

“Gotcha, Big Al!”

“OK we go to the old guy's house and we pretend that we are da window clenahs. But the real reason we will be there is to do the plan. Which of course is to kill McBride.”

“Why we gonna kill McBride, Big Al?”

“Dino, you dumbo! For the recipe and for the money!”

“WHAT MONEY?”

“Shut upa you mouth! You want everyone ta know? You so loud, even Mama Sistina can hear ya all the way in Sicilia!”

Pam and Emily were just around the corner listening, and Emily was jotting everything down furiously with her quick little hands.

“Anyway Dino I want to give you the address so that you won’t forget it. Here it is Dino. Dino? HEY! Get a pen, you idiot! OK: Alan Norman McBride, 235 Maple Drive, Mapleton, Connecticut. Don't forget that we are gonna whack him on November 16th. In uthah words, next Saturday. Anyway, hey, let’s get a move on.”

Those were the last words the girls overheard, as the two thugs must have started to walk down the block and away from the corner store.

Pam and Emily stood there transfixed, astonished by what they had just heard.

“Emily...” Pam said slowly, “We just overheard the planning of a murder!”

“Like DUH! Of course we did. And I wrote it all down. Every last word!”

“That's it, Em! You're a genius!”

“What? What?” Emily asked.

“WE can solve the murder.”

Emily looked at Pam like she was crazy.

“This is what happens to you when you watch

too much TV, Pam.”

Pam frowned. “I'M SERIOUS!”

Emily thought: What a crazy idea. Stopping a murder? Those guys sounded dumb, but they probably had weapons and they were certainly mean. But, then again, if Pam and I are very sneaky and veeeery careful...

“OK! Let’s do it!”

So they walked home thinking about

Buy on Amazon | Audible

About the Author

Sarah Fader is the CEO and Founder of Eliezer Tristan Publishing Company, where she is dedicated to sharing the words of authors who endure and survive trauma and mental illness. She is also the CEO and Founder of Stigma Fighters, a non-profit organization that encourages individuals with mental illness to share their personal stories. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Quartz, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, HuffPost Live, and Good Day New York.

Sarah is a native New Yorker who enjoys naps, talking to strangers, and caring for her two small humans and two average-sized cats. Like six million other Americans, Sarah lives with Bipolar type II, OCD ADHD, and PTSD. Through Stigma Fighters, Sarah hopes to change the world, one mental health stigma at a time.

Connect:

https://www.sarahfader.com/

https://www.facebook.com/osnsmom/

https://twitter.com/TheSarahFader

https://www.instagram.com/thesarahfader/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5994772.Sarah_Fader

Spotlight: Pride and Piña Coladas by Melanie Summers

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(Paradise Bay, #5)

Publication date: September 22nd 2022

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

From best-selling author Melanie Summers comes a enemies-to-lovers tale that’ll have you laughing, swooning, and blending up a pitcher of fruity girl drinks…

I’m Nora Cooper—single woman about to turn thirty, wildly unsuccessful plant fanatic, and event planner at Paradise Bay Resort. My shot at ‘the big time’ has finally arrived—the resort is hosting the World Bartender Championships and I’ve been asked to head up the hospitality team.

There’s only one big problem. And his name is Theo Rojas. You’ve heard of his family—they own Rojas Rum (and about 200 other premium liquors, some of which may be on your shelf right now). As the major sponsor of the event, Theo has decided to be onsite, micromanaging every second of the competition.

He’s stuck up, rude, and arrogant (and a bunch of other adjectives I had better not use). He also seems to have added ‘make Nora’s life absolute hell’ to the top of his to-do list.

Too bad for Mr. Grumpy Chinos because he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. I’ve taken on far worse foes than him. And if he thinks he’s going to get the best of me, he’s in for a wake-up call.

So when we find ourselves stranded on a private island overnight, I’m determined to put him in his place once and for all.

Only somehow, instead of continuing our constant sparring, we wind up kissing. And I did NOT expect him to kiss like that.

And now I have totally forgotten all the nasty things I was planning to say to him. Something about him being arrogant, right?

Gah! Someone please send help because I absolutely CANNOT fall for this guy…

Excerpt

“This storm was supposed to blow in this evening, but it got here a lot faster than the forecasters expected. It’s also a lot worse than they said it would be. The Coast Guard has issued a tropical storm warning with a potential storm surge.”

My heart drops at her words. Theo, who has returned with a couple of towels, screws up his face in confusion. 

“How long until it passes?” I ask, taking a towel and pressing it to my face. 

“The Benaventes will be under the warning for twelve hours minimum.” 

“Twelve hours?” Theo asks, rubbing his hair with his towel. “I have an important meeting at five.”

Okay, Mr. Big. We’ll stop the storm for you. I press the button again. “That’s not going to work for Mr. Rojas. He has a meeting at five.” I add, “An important one,” just to be extra assy.

There’s a pause, then Rosy says, “He’s joking, right?”

“No, I’m not—” he starts, then gestures for me to push the button. “I’m not joking. There must be some way to get back. You can’t just leave us stranded out here.”

“We’re not going to risk your life or the lives of our employees because you have a meeting, but I’m happy to make some calls for you to cancel it on your behalf.”

“Mierda,” he mutters. “Thank you, yes. Could you please call my brother’s room, explain what’s happening, and tell him to get ahold of Jaquell immediately?”

“Of course.”

While he talks, I calculate what time it’ll be when the storm is supposed to end. At a break in their conversation, I say, “Umm, Rosy, twelve hours from now, it’ll be the middle of the night.”

“That’s correct.”

Theo’s eyes grow wide, so clearly he knows what my next question is.

“So, no one’s coming until tomorrow morning then,” I say, shutting my eyes (because that’s what one does when one doesn’t want to hear an answer). 

“That’s right. You two will be fine. There’s no chef, but there should be food you can cook for dinner.” 

Theo sighs and rakes his hand through his wet hair. “Rosy, I need you to pass another message to Markos for me. Please tell him to keep watch tonight. He’ll know what that means.”

I wonder what the hell he’s talking about but know he’s not going to tell me, judging by the whole “he’ll know what that means” thing.

“Okay.” Rosy sounds as confused as I am. “Nora, is there anyone you want me to call for you?”

My cheeks heat up at the fact that there isn’t anyone at home to worry about me. “Um…if you can let Hadley know, she can tell my parents. Oh, and I was supposed to place the alcohol order this afternoon when I got back.” Shit. “It’s completed, but I ran out of time to write a quick email to go with it.”

“Why don’t I tell Kat to do it?” Rosy asks. 

I consider telling her it’s far too important but realize it’s going to sound as if I don’t trust Kat to do something as simple as pressing send on an email. This is my chance to prove I can be a good manager. Trusting your employees is part of that, isn’t it? Besides, I can check it tomorrow when I get back. “Yes, sure. If you can have her log onto my computer, then open the email for Jaquell Morales—it should be on top of my drafts and the attachment is already there—have her type in a quick note to Jaquell, thanking her for her help and signing my name to it. Hit send, and that’s it.”

“Consider it done. Just give us a holler if you need anything else.”

“Except actual help,” Theo mutters.

“Thanks so much, Rosy. Over and out.”

“Over and out.”

I place the receiver back in its cradle. “I guess we’re stuck here.”

The question is, what are we going to do about it?

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

Connect:
https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks
https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/
https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers

Spotlight: Find a Place for Me by Deirdre Fagan

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Find a Place for Me: Embracing Love and Life in the Face of Death (Pact Press, November 1, 2022) is an award-winning memoir about facing a marriage’s last act—a spouse’s death—as a couple united in mind and holding hands. Author Deirdre Fagan, D.A., was married eleven years and had two young children when her forty-three-year-old husband Bob was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS determined the journey their marriage would now take, but Bob and Deirdre were resolute in how they traversed their remaining months as a couple. Chronicling Bob’s illness,

Find a Place for Me is also the love story of a happy marriage filled with humor, honesty, and essential conversations, despite their tragic circumstances. In this moving and surprisingly funny book, Deirdre and Bob raise a glass to love and the life each of them has left while learning how to lovingly say goodbye.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Deirdre Fagan, D.A., is a widow, wife, mother of two, and associate professor and coordinator of creative writing at Ferris State University. Dr. Fagan, also a divorcee and the sole survivor of her birth family, is the author of the memoir Find a Place for Me (November 1, 2022), a collection of short stories, The Grief Eater (2020), a poetry chapbook, Have Love (2019), and a reference book, Critical Companion to Robert Frost (2007). 

Her creative work has recently been published in Newsweek, The Daily Mail, The Coil, eMerge Literary Journal, Eunoia Review, Rat’s Ass Review, Red Eft Review,  and Trouvaille Review. Fagan is also the poetry editor at Orange Blossom Review. Fagan holds a doctorate of arts in Humanistic Studies (English & philosophy) and a master of arts in English from University at Albany, SUNY, and a bachelor of arts in English from University at Buffalo, SUNY. Also a literary scholar, her essay on Emily Dickinson was collected in Harold Bloom’s Modern Critical Views. Dr. Fagan has been teaching college literature and writing courses for more than two decades. Meet her at deirdrefagan.com

Connect:

Website: deirdrefagan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deirdre.fagan.357

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deirdre_fagan/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-fagan-09434137/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drdeirdrefagan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/156626.Deirdre_Fagan

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfw13NKDheoJvSdl0RjKYfg

Spotlight: The House on Linden Way by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

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Categories: horror, gothic suspense, haunted house, ghost story, magical realism, thriller

The book is a ghost story with elements of horror and Gothic suspense. 

This is a perfect October read - and here's a bit more about The House on Linden Way: 

While passing through her hometown a decade after she left, Amber Blake impulsively revisits her old house on Linden Way. She only means to stay a moment, to show her three-year-old daughter Bee the place where she grew up. But when the kindly new owners invite them inside, Amber cannot resist.

Soon Bee is missing, the owners have disappeared, and Amber finds herself in a houseful of ghosts. Time takes on new meaning as she loses herself in living memories and a past that does not wish to be forgotten. 

As Amber fights the powerful lure of a childhood she’d long left behind, her tenuous hold on the real world slips further from her grasp. Is it merely nostalgia she’s battling, or something far more menacing? Who haunts the house on Linden Way, and where are they hiding her child? 

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the award-winning author of The Fourth Wall (WiDo Publishing, 2014). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Fractured Lit, The Portland Review, Hunger Mountain, Hospital Drive, Reservoir Road, Literary Mama, Motherwell, and a few other places. Her stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essay, and Best of the Net. All links to Elizabeth's work can be found on her website at elizabethmarianaranjo.com.

Spotlight: Shadow of Fire by Kate Schumacher

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(The Fires of Aileryan, #1)
Publication date: May 5th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

A potent power is about to be unleashed.
Forbidden and forged in flame.

Control over the elements is a gift from the Gods, but since the creation of the Rift, fire magic has been outlawed in Merawuld. The Rift is a source of mystery, fear, and, for some, a tempting source of power.

Ash is a fire caster who has spent years hiding her magic, but when her explosive powers reveal themselves she is imprisoned by the Mage Council. Ash’s powers are coveted by the High Mage, who seeks to use her as a pawn against not only his enemies, but his allies as well.

With the Bone Mother’s winter fast approaching, the fae Princess vows to fight against the corrupting influence of power, forming an alliance whose success rests on a human man’s desire for peace; a man who must decide if he will play the game he’s inherited or begin one of his own.

But in Aileryan, the Gods have their own plans. As the Mother of All turns the wheel of the year, the land is brought to the edge of war. Loyalty and courage will be sorely tested as paths intertwine and Fate plays her hand.

If Ash can’t learn to control her magic, the scheming of gods and mortals could spell doom for them all.

Excerpt

Laeli jumped as the sound of steel striking steel cut through the night. She slipped into a crouch, buckling on her scabbard, sliding the twin swords against her back and crept to the opening of the cairn.

Bran shouted a single word. Run. 

As wings of light fluttered across the dark pit of the sky, Laeli saw him, his lithe body ducking and weaving around a sword wielded by a tall man in a cloak of fur. Two dead men lay on the ground, Bran’s dagger protruding from a chest. As Laeli watched, Bran’s opponent crouched and swept his leg wide, catching Bran off guard. Her companion tumbled to the ground and, before he could get to his feet, a sword swung through the air in a precise arc. 

Laeli stared in horror as Bran’s head was swiftly sliced from his body. Slowly, so slowly, it fell, toppling to the ground to bounce and roll away. Laeli’s dinner rose like a snake and she turned to the side and vomited. 

The sky opened, and as veins of light cracked the black canvas of night, the man in furs looked up and saw her. His sword glinted as he approached, blood dripping hypnotically to the ground. 

Bran’s blood; fae blood. 

Without another thought, Laeli sprang from the cairn and sprinted for the safety of the forest. The trees reached for her, inviting her in; she bent her head and dove between their trunks, taking shelter in their branches, in the roots that snaked from the earth and the rocks and soft grass that spread across the forest floor. The sky ripped apart again, illuminating the trees, the forest bending and swaying in the fierce wind as the storm intensified. 

She pushed on, running at a reckless pace that no human could match, until her lungs burned and she fell to her knees in a puddle of dirty water, her breath coming in pants that shook her to the bone. She was still a long way from the border, from safety. 

Laeli took a deep breath, preparing to run again, but the point of a sword pressed into her spine. 

‘Get up, Witch.’ The voice was low, husky, his breathing quick.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

KATE SCHUMACHER is a writer, mother and teacher. When she isn’t writing, she is reading her way through an ever-growing TBR pile. Kate has wanted to be an author since she was a child, when she used to write stories about her friends and ‘publish’ them with the help of a stapler. Kate completed a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Journalism, and an Honours degree in Screenwriting, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Education. She currently works as a High School English and History teacher.

She lives in Northern NSW, Australia, with her partner, two children and three very spoiled cats. Shadow of Fire is her first published novel.

Connect:

https://www.kateschumacherauthor.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kate.schumacher.writer/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22221517.Kate_Schumacher

Trailer Reveal: Where Oceans Burn with Casey L Bond

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Genre: YA Epic Fantasy

Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen

Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services

Blurb: The Blurb Doctor

Publication Date: Oct. 13th, 2022

With these three virtues, we shall rise. With these three, we shall conquer.

Truth. Honor. Blood.

To my people, the sky-reigning Empyreans, Intention Day is sacred...

  Truth…

To me, it’s the day my carefully crafted lie crumbles and my truth gives way to my ruin. The intense power surging through my veins is revealed, immediately coveted by those eager to exploit me for what they deem a greater good. If they have their way, the future I long for will be ripped away. But I am a warrior born to fly. To fight. Not to be caged and controlled.

The great scale of the goddess Neera has tipped out of my favor. The pans teeter between weighty punishment and deadly opportunity. My choices? Capture my most formidable enemy before next Intention Day, or forfeit my wings. 

  Honor…

But life’s loftiest plans are often a breath away from disaster, and tragedy strikes as unpredictably as a bolt of lightning. When I find myself at the mercy of my greatest enemy, the terror known as the Shark of the Sea, the monster who killed the person I loved most, I accept my fate. My death. But the Shark does not lash out in revenge for all I’ve done. He tells me his true name is Crest. And while he calls me a Scourge, he honors his orders to guard me. 

  Blood…

Forced together, Crest reveals that the truth only exists in the place between our perspectives and shares his hope to garner peace before the land is further soaked with the blood of sky and sea. The longer I am among his kind, the more I wonder if he might be right. Could an alliance be the salvation of both our peoples? 

I am Elira, great Scourge of the Sky.

He is Crest, cunning Shark of the Sea.

Together... we could be unstoppable.

About the Author

Casey Bond lives on a rural farm in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She writes phoenixes – gloriously flawed and morally gray characters that fiercely rise from the ashes of their circumstances. World building is one of her favorite hobbies, along with stamping metal jewelry, swimming, and enjoying the beauty of nature. She thinks thunderstorms are better than coffee and that watching a meteor shower is the closest thing to magic you might ever see. She’s a firm believer that every amazing book needs a world you want to wrap yourself in, a character you want to win, and a love you would fight for. 

Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, Gravebriar, and House of Eclipses.

Connect:

Website: www.authorcaseybond.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorcaseybond

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_Bond

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PmE0pg

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/casey-l-bond

Bond-Tourage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1032678336804562/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gcAu9v