Give Mom What She Really Wants! - #PNR and #UF sale and giveaway

I'm not one of those moms who like flowers or jewelry. No way. Give me books!

Check out this awesome paranormal romance and urban fantasy sale happening at Fantasy Book Giveaways. Great reads including three boxed sets. Make sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win a fabulous bundle of ebooks!

Plus, for the next five days, Dark Dawning (Totem #1) is FREE!

Happy Mother's Day to all the marvelous moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, and like-moms out there!

The Witchy Bundle

Are you counting down to Halloween already?

Only 174 more days!

Here is something to tide you over until the creepy season. Eleven magical books touching every genre. This collection takes us all across our own world as well as into other lands that touch upon ours. There are American witches and witches battling the Nazis in war-torn Europe. There are dark twists on fairy tales and witches in the wild west. There are witches who don't know they have the power or the sight until dire need comes upon them.

The bundle also includes a newsletter bonus book!

Books in the Witchy Bundle

The Tatterdemon Omnibus by Steve Vernon

Hedge Witch by Simon Kewin

Coyote Cal by Milo James Fowler

Academia of the Beast by K.N. Lee

The Full Moon by David Neth

Muddy Waters by Sara O. Thompson

Nine Candles of Deepest Black by Matthew S. Cox

Darknight (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 2) by Christine Pope

Witch of the Cards by Catherine Stine

The Gray Tower Trilogy by Alesha Escobar

*Bonus Newsletter Novel: Darkangel (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 1) by Christine Pope

Just click here to learn even more about this fantastic bundle of books and buy it.

The Witchy Bundle ends May 18th. So grab yours now!

Maybe I'll be a witch for Halloween this year...

The Snowman Blog Tour & #Giveaway - guest post by Yolanda Renee

I'm excited to host the talented Yolanda Renee on my blog today. I love her books, and she helped me when I had a million questions about living in Alaska. It's where her mysteries are set too!

1. Setting: How do you bring out the most in your setting; and tension? 
   
   Alaska, at least to me is, in itself an exciting setting, but this time my antagonist uses the weather to create his horrific art. The Snowman, Stowy Jenkins, originally from West Virginia, hates Alaska and winter, but he decides to embrace circumstance. I not only describe the snowstorms before, and during his killings, I describe the weather in almost every chapter. With each new blizzard, the tension rises. 
   
   I also use real places, street, parks, and clubs. Although a few are fictional. However, when I lived in Alaska, the window of my bedroom looked out over 4^th Avenue and this description is quite accurate: 
   
   On Fourth Avenue, the busiest street in town, flashing neon signs crackled and whirred in the bitter cold, proclaiming the number of nudes dancing in each risqué establishment. Loud music streamed from the dark interiors of clubs almost in synch with the patrons weaving in and out. Bumper-to-bumper traffic crawled up and down the street as men, eager to blow their wad on booze, drugs, and loose women, searched for a place to park.
   
   
   2. Tension - How do you keep it taut throughout the plot?
   
   
   My goal in The Snowman, was to keep the story moving. Emotions run high, killings happen frequently, and Stowy becomes more and more sadistic as he tries to outdo himself with each murder or as he calls it, artistic expression. 
   
   Steven Quaid, newly promoted to detective, is determined and yet stymied by the Snowman’s changing MO (modis oprendi) killing habits. Racism and vengeance are also part of the equation and the ultimate question is, can this killer be caught?
   
   I think it meets the challenge as a page turner. I’m sure the readers will let me know.
   
   Thank you for hosting me for the The Snowman tour.
   
   
   Buy the book!
   
   
   It takes a true artist to pursue his victims in the art of seduction, and Stowy Jenkins is no exception, especially with blood as his medium. 
   
   Stowy Jenkins, aka, Stone, and as Alaskans refer to him, the Snowman, is a true artist. His muse, Gigi, is the ultimate inspiration for his painting. Her rejection inspires him to use a very unusual medium…blood.
   
   While art may be his passion, the taste for blood is his obsession, and multiple murders, the result.
   
   Rookie, Detective Steven Quaid, is no fan of the Snowman’s murderous exhibitions. A twisted and deadly relationship bond the two men and neither knows who will come out of it alive.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   About the Author: 
   
   At one time Alaska called to me, and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, survive in below zero temperatures, and hike the Mountain Ranges. I've traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the memories are some of my most valued. The wonders, mysteries and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left me and thus now influence my writing.
   
   Despite my adventurous spirit, I achieved my educational goals, married, and I have two handsome sons. Writing is now my focus, my newest adventure! 
   
   You can connect with me here:
   
   
   Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Email
   
   
   Giveaway!
   
   
   This tour-wide giveaway features both print and eBook copies of the four books in the Detective Quaid Series. The giveaway will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, June 6.
   
   The prizes include: 
   * Grand prize - Winner receives a print copy of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series (U.S. and Canada only).
   
   
   * First place - Winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
   
   
   * Second place - Winner will receive eBook copies of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series.
   
   
   * There will be 3 runner-up winners
   and each will win an eBook copy of THE SNOWMAN or one of the other books in the series (winner's choice). 
   
   To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. If the widget doesn’t show up, just click HERE and you’ll be directed to the widget.
   
   
   Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow Yolanda on her month-long tour. You never know what you might find out.
   
   
   a Rafflecopter giveaway

#IWSG for May 2017

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone!

May IWSG question: What's the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

Research is one of my favorite things about being a writer. I love discovering little known myths and strange nuggets of history. I often get lost by following links while researching, and when I close the browser, I realize I've spent over two hours on there.

I've researched a lot about crimes, psychology, and dead bodies. Even though I write about the supernatural a lot, I like to have the hard facts in my stories match reality. For my last story (Totem #8), I did a lot of research on astral projection and bears fighting. For me, the weirdest research I did for it was on luxury snowmobiles. They're totally like smart cars on skis!

I can't wait to hear what you've been researching!

Double the Reviews - Freefall and Incense & Peppermints #amreading

I'm proud to be a part of the fantastic group of authors at Untethered Realms. We have such talented writers among us, and I'm excited to share my reviews of two of their books today.

Freefall (The Backworlds #7) by M. Pax

The Backworlds and Foreworlds have banned together with the hope of defeating a terrifying enemy, the Quassers. Craze gave up his friends and livelihood to become the envoy for the Backworlds. All he'd rather be doing is brewing some malt and tending his bar, but there is much more than his pride at stake here. The alliance is shaky, and Craze can't afford to let it fall apart. They have one more chance at survival, and it's all or nothing.

I loved delving back into the rich universe of this space opera series. The settings, characters, and storylines are all marvelously varied, but twine together so very well. I'm often reminded of Firefly with Craze and his friends out to save the universe armed with their good hearts and sometimes good luck. But things don't go their way all the time.

The cast in this series is large, but none of them suffer from lack of depth. Each of them have their own tales, but a powerful love of friends holds them together. The twists in the plot had me shouting "Oh my God!" out loud, and several times, it tugged hard at my heart. Plus there were some clever bits in there like the crusties and the tendrils. This is an immensely heavy book, and I didn't want it to end. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Backworlds.

Buy links:

Amazon / AmazonUK / AmazonDE / AmazonAU / AmazonCA / B&N / Kobo / iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords

Incense and Peppermints by Cathrina Constantine

Sixteen-year-old Mary Monroe is an innocent girl in the years of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. She has new friends in her older brother's girlfriend and her group. They take Mary out of her reserved shell where she meets a handsome new student, Michael Covington. He's got bad boy appeal, but there's something more to him. Mary is assaulted at a wild party, and Michael rescues her. At least, she's pretty certain he did. Or was he the one who attacked her? What's even more, the more she gets to know him, the more she's falling for him.

This YA read takes place in the late 1960s, but the story is easily mirrored in life nowadays. It's colorful and light, and intense and emotional. The crazy days of trying to figure out who you are when you're a teenager. Mary is immediately likable. She's a good student, a little geeky, and takes care of her family even when they aren't the best. Yet she tumbles into hanging out with the popular party girls and doesn't want to admit it's more than she can handle. Plus the hot Michael is at all the parties, and she wants to follow where he goes. It pulls at your heartstrings a lot.

Buy link: Amazon

Word Witch Wednesday - a writer's ups and downs

All writers have them. Sometimes it's like we're manic. Extreme euphoria and then end of the world depression. There are a few authors who find a good balance.

But for me, it's been an Indiana Jones mine cart ride. Especially this year.

I'm back after being a week away from my writer's life. Tons of emails and stuff on social media to catch up on. It's so overwhelming, I feel like I'm going to drown. It's hard to concentrate.

I'm gone a week, and my muse is refreshed, eager to get going.

The end of the Totem series is near. A nine book series. What was I thinking? It's exciting to see the end of the long tunnel, to share the whole story with the world. Even more exciting to know I'll be able to start on something new once I'm done.

I'm writing the last book of the series, and I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea how the heroes will defeat the villain. None. I'm so stressed out about it. Sometimes being a pantser sucks.

Being a pantser is wonderful. I love the surprise twists and how my stories evolve all on their own.

I have so many ideas for stories. What do I go with? Should I concentrate on what I love or what's marketable? How do I know if both of them converge? Trying to figure out this whole publishing thing is painful. It makes me feel like a failure.

Yes, marketing is hard, but I'm doing what I love. How many people get to say that?

Up, down, up, down, around, loop, up, down, corkscrew, and repeat.

And you know, no matter how rotten the downs can be, the journey is worth it in itself.

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks Release Day Blitz

I'm excited to be taking part in the release blitz for the Where Words Fail, Music Speaks Anthology, which is out now!

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks is a collection of short stories and poetry by writers from all walks of life.

Each story is based on the titles of 90s Britpop songs, including Come Back To What You Know, Bittersweet Symphony, Animal Nitrate, Disco 2000, and more.

Our list of authors is: Kyra Lennon, Clare Dugmore, Annalisa Crawford, Ker Dukey, Wesley Copeland, Robb Turburville, D H Sidebottom, Audrina Lane, M.B. Feeney, Karen Frances, S.J Warner, Scout Dawson, Kimberly Morgan, Maddie Wade, Rebeccalou Heronpontin, Andrea Coventry

All proceeds from the sales of this anthology will go to Clusterbusters.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads