Welcome to Lindsay McKenna w/ #ContemporaryRomance #book ‘Wind River Wrangler’ @LindsayMcKenna @GoddessFish

On November 15, 2016October 22, 2016 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions2 Comments

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Today we have author Lindsay McKenna visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lindsay McKenna is the pseudonym of award-winning author Eileen Nauman. With more than 135 titles to her credit and approximately 23 million books sold in 33 countries worldwide, Lindsay is one of the most distinguished authors in the women’s fiction genre. She is the recipient of many awards, including six RT Book Reviews awards (including best military romance author) and an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. In 1999, foreseeing the emergence of ebooks, she became the first bestselling women’s fiction author to exclusively release a new title digitally. In recognition of her status as one of the originators of the military adventure/romance genre, Lindsay is affectionately known as “The Top Gun of Women’s Military Fiction.” Lindsay comes by her military knowledge and interest honestly—by continuing a family tradition of serving in the U.S. Navy. Her father, who served on a destroyer in the Pacific theater during World War II, instilled a strong sense of patriotism and duty in his daughter.

A look into…

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~ Blurb ~

* From the moment Roan Taggart picked up the pretty redhead at the Jackson Hole airport, his training and experience told him she was spooked. She’s left New York City to visit the Wind River Ranch, where Roan is a wrangler, and just as he can pick up a horse’s mood, he can feel the tension coming off her body. And that vulnerability is triggering all his protective instincts . . .
* Shiloh Gallagher likes the gray-eyed cowboy’s dry humor—and the Special Forces background that lends him a stoic, powerful presence. But she’s been scarred by trauma and her mother’s murder . . . and knows a strong man can be dangerous. She came to wide-open Wyoming to flee a threat that’s left her unable to write her novels. Now, as she rides horses with Roan and helps him build an isolated cabin, she’s slowly letting down her guard. But danger has followed her west, and they won’t have a future together unless they defeat a killer from her past . . .

~ Excerpt ~

* “Doesn’t it bother you that I’m leaving in a month? It bothers the hell out of me.”
* “Sure it does, but I don’t see it as the end of anything. It’s just distance,” he said. “There are airplanes. You could come out here for a visit.”
* “Or you could fly in and visit me?” She saw him grimace, understanding he didn’t like big cities.
* “I would,” he said, holding her gaze.
* She felt his words in her heart, which was opening widely to him. “I believe you. I can’t promise you where this will go, Roan.”
* “I’m not asking that of you. All I need to know is that you’re not going to let fear stop you from exploring me, finding out who I am. Discovering what we may have together.”
* Giving him a wry look, Shiloh said, “I think you’re forcing me to look at myself, what I want, who I am.”
* “Good relationships always do that for both people, Darlin’. It’s just a natural progression between them. It can bring out self-awareness. It’s not easy. But it’s rewarding. None of us were born to live alone or be alone. It’s natural to evolve into relationships, whether it’s in business, friendship, or on a more intimate and personal level.”
* Shiloh stood up. “Then,” she said in a low voice, holding his eyes, “I want to know you, Roan. All of you.”
* He stood and held her softened gaze. Slipping his hand into hers, he dug into her wide green eyes. “And I’ve been wanting to know you ever since I laid eyes on you for the first time at the airport, Shiloh.”

Buy Wind River Wrangler here…
Kensington Books

Find Lindsay McKenna here…
Facebook | Twitter | Website

Thank you for joining us here today, Lindsay McKenna! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Lindsay McKenna will be awarding a digital copy of Wind River Wrangler to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

Welcome to Carmen Amato w/ #mystery #book ‘King Peso’ @CarmenConnects @GoddessFish

On November 14, 2016October 24, 2016 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions21 Comments

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Today we have author Carmen Amato visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Carmen Amato is the author of romantic thrillers and the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco which was recently optioned for film. Originally from New York, her experiences in Mexico and Central America inspire many of her books. For a copy of the Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library, visit her website at carmenamato.net

Today Carmen Amato will be talking about the first book she read that had a big impact on her.
* What a great question and thanks for having me here to answer it!
* I write mysteries with a hint of romance and romantic thrillers with a dose of mystery. But the first book I read that had a big impact was GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell, because it was the first book I’d read that was written from a woman’s deep point of view. I was inside Scarlett O’Hara’s head through the entire book. I understood her motivation, even her utter selfishness, and I walked every step of the way with her from Atlanta to Tara as the Civil War raged.
* When Rhett Butler tells Scarlett he is leaving her to help the last-ditch defense of Atlanta, Scarlett’s mind jumps around, trying to recall what her father called “Balky mules and Mr. Lincoln.” That’s a great example of a deep point of view—I was inside Scarlett’s head–and I think that style pulls the reader into a story.
* When I write the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series, I do it from Emilia’s deep point of view. Through Emilia’s experiences, I want the reader to feel the heat of Acapulco’s sun, the smell of the salt tang coming off the ocean, and the fear of being a cop in one of the most beautiful and dangerous cities in the world.
* To experience Emilia’s world, you are invited to download a free copy of the Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library. The Starter Library features “The Beast,” the story about how Emilia became the first female detective in Acapulco, which was first published in The Huffington Post. You’ll also get “The Angler,” the story based on a real life murder mystery, plus the first chapters of the first three Emilia Cruz novels. As a bonus, you’ll get my monthly newsletter, Mystery Ahead.
* You can CLICK HERE to be taken to the Starter Library page.

A look into…

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~ Blurb ~

* KING PESO is the fourth book in the sensational Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series recently optioned for both television and film. Emilia is the first female police detective in Acapulco, where Mexican drug cartels battle for control and politicians are bought with blood money.
* Three cops are murdered, execution style. Emilia worked with them all.
* Her partner’s wife is killed in a home invasion. Was he the real target?
* Is Emilia the next?
* She hopes to be assigned to a task force to investigate the killings, but is instead directed to a new police unit championed by Acapulco’s ambitious mayor and overseen by a shady union strongman. But when Emilia stumbles upon a falsified report, she will conduct a private investigation, even as another murder victim carries a stark message for her.
* Home is no refuge for Emilia; hotel manager Kurt Rucker has a shocking secret that could tear their relationship apart.
* Unexpected help comes from a frightened attorney and a famous movie star, but each new clue to the murders unravels the one before. Meanwhile, Emilia’s ongoing hunt for a missing girl, a continuing series subplot, leads to the infamous El Pharaoh casino, a place she knows only too well.
* What do a casino and a cop killer have in common? Emilia bets on her partner, but his gamble could cost both their lives.

~ Excerpt ~

* “Are you here to play roulette, Detective Cruz?” Duarte Ochoa asked. “You don’t have any chips.”
* “No,” Emilia said. “Just the slots.”
* Obregon licked his lips. “Detective Cruz is always a player,” he said. “Whether she admits it or not.”
* Duarte Ochoa laughed and snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, a young man in a King Tut costume appeared. He opened a small wooden box and offered it to the casino owner. Duarte Ochoa took out a blue chip embossed with the golden logo of the casino. Five thousand pesos. Nearly a month’s salary for Emilia. Double that for Natividad.
* Emilia’s gaze travelled from the chip to King Tut. Despite the costume, which included a jeweled headdress covering his forehead, she recognized Felipe Garcia. The long hair flowed over his bare shoulders and the high cheekbones were on full display.
* The sporting goods store wasn’t doing so well after all. It was too bad that Felipe had to moonlight at the El Pharaoh.
* She flashed him a smile of recognition but he didn’t acknowledge her. Emilia wasn’t offended; Felipe probably had to stay in character. Duarte Ochoa dismissed him with a wave and the costumed King Tut went back to his pyramid. The casino owner held the chip between his second and third fingers as if toying with it. “Red or black, Detective Cruz?”
* She certainly wasn’t picking Obregon’s favorite color. “Red,” she said.
* Duarte Ochoa put the chip on the felted table. The croupier announced that bets were closed and spun the wheel. The clatter of the ball bouncing inside the wheel was louder than the grinding pop music.
* “Red wins,” the croupier announced.
* Duarte Ochoa smiled broadly as the croupier raked a combination of colored chips to his designated spot on the table. “Do we let it ride, Detective?” he asked Emilia.
* Obregon lounged against the table, watching her with that hawkish expression on his face that always made her so nervous. If he suddenly sprouted wings and talons, Emilia would not be surprised.
* “It’s your money,” she said.
* Duarte Ochoa let it ride.
* “Red wins,” the croupier announced again.
* Another bet was placed, the wheel spun, and Duarte Ochoa won a third time. The pile in front of him grew. Emilia counted at least a dozen blue chips and an equal amount of red and yellow. A year’s salary.
* “If we win on red again, we’ll share it four ways,” Duarte Ochoa said. “With champagne.”
* Natividad dug her fingers into Emilia’s arm.
* The wheel spun again, the ball bouncing and clattering until finally settling into a numbered slot.
* “Black wins,” the croupier announced.
* “Que lastima,” Duarte Ochoa said as the croupier raked away all his chips. “When you are a gambler you know that tomorrow the odds will be better. I hope you ladies are not disappointed.”
* Obregon let his gaze linger on Emilia. “Don’t worry about Detective Cruz, Duarte. She knows that sometimes you win.” He licked his lips. “And sometimes you lose.”

Buy King Peso here…
Amazon

Find Carmen Amato here…
Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Website

Thank you for joining us here today, Carmen Amato! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Carmen Amato will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

Welcome to Gary F. Jones w/ #mystery #book ‘Doc’s Codicil’ @Sedentatus @GoddessFish

On November 11, 2016October 24, 2016 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions12 Comments

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Today we have author Gary F. Jones visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* According to Gary Jones, his life has been a testament to questionable decisions and wishful thinking. His wife of forty years, however, says she knows of nothing in the record to justify such unfettered optimism. Jones says the book is a work of fiction; that’s his story, and he’s sticking to it.
* He’s part of the last generation of rural veterinarians who worked with cows that had names and personalities, and with dairymen who worked in the barn with their families. He’s also one of those baby boomers, crusty codgers who are writing their wills and grousing about kids who can be damned condescending at times.
* Gary practiced bovine medicine in rural Wisconsin for nineteen years. He then returned to graduate school at the University of Minnesota, earned a PhD in microbiology, and spent the next nineteen years working on the development of bovine and swine vaccines.
* Doc’s Codicil is the bronze medal winner of Foreward’s INDIEFAB Book of The Year awards, humor category.

Today Gary F. Jones will be talking about the best and worst pieces of writing advice he ever received.
* The best advice I’ve been given on writing is to state what I want to state as clearly and as concisely as I can. That can only be done if I use words with economy and precision. To write with precision requires that the most suitable noun or verb be used. That avoids the temptation to overuse adjectives and adverbs. A rule of thumb I’ve used is that use of more than one adverb or adjective per verb or noun should be unusual and use of three rare.
* Economy requires that the writer limit descriptions to what the reader needs to imagine the setting, to advance the plot, or to flesh out a character, and do so efficiently. Don’t describe the same thing repeatedly, don’t be redundant, don’t describe the common or mundane unless it’s critical to the plot, don’t use unusual words when a commonly used word is suitable, and don’t describe what readers should assume. Let them use their imaginations.
* Economy also avoids use of filler words, words that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. For example, avoid writing that a seated character “stood up.” Is there a difference between standing and standing up? Other words that frequently add nothing to a sentence include, “all,” “any,” “very,” “really,” “then,” “suddenly,” “just,” “over,” and “so.”
* Economy requires that there be tension or conflict in dialogue and that the dialogue leads to a decision or resolution. Cut the chit-chat. Don’t use tags when it’s clear from the context who is speaking, and use words other than “said” or “asked” sparingly in dialogue tags. Use context whenever possible to describe how the dialogue was spoken. Use contractions liberally, especially in dialogue. It’s not only more efficient, it’s also closer to natural speech.
* I think the worst piece of advice I’ve been given was to avoid omniscient narrator. I’ve been told that modern readers don’t like it, successful authors no longer use it, it puts your reader at a distance from the characters, and it is difficult to master. Shortly after getting the advice, I read three books on the New York Times bestseller list that were written in omniscient narrator. Writing in omniscient narrator is not as easy as it first appears. This isn’t helped by an apparent disagreement on how it should be done. The descriptions of omniscient narrator I’ve found in books on writing are not in agreement. However, I use omniscient narrator because it’s a particularly effective point of view for writing humor in the thriller or mystery genre. For that, I’m willing to risk putting too much distance between the reader and the characters.

A look into…

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~ Blurb ~

* When Wisconsin veterinarian Doc dies, his family learns that to inherit his fortune, they must decipher the cryptic codicil he added to his will—“Take Doofus squirrel-fishing”—and they can only do that by talking to Doc’s friends, reading the memoir Doc wrote of a Christmas season decades earlier, searching through Doc’s correspondence, and discovering clues around them. Humor abounds as this mismatched lot tries to find time in their hectic lives to work together to solve the puzzle. In the end, will they realize that fortune comes in many guises?
* Doc’s Codicil is a mystery told with gentle humor. It tells the story of a veterinarian who teaches his heirs a lesson from the grave.

~ Excerpt ~

* The house was dark except for the pool of light thrown by a lamp behind my chair and small multi-colored Christmas lights surrounding the window on my left. The lights gave a dim but cheerful glow to the edge of the room. The crystal, silver, and pastel globes on the Christmas tree standing against the opposite wall reflected that light, and as the furnace kicked in, the reflections danced across the wall, betraying currents of warm air moving gently about the room.
* Heat, wonderful heat. I gave my wine glass a twist to celebrate feeling my toes again. The liquid ruby swirled round the glass, as I offered a silent toast to Mary, may she sleep soundly tonight. On the second glass, I was startled by a swoosh of air exhaled by the cushion of a wing-backed chair to my left. I glanced at the chair, but couldn’t bring it into focus. Contacts must be dirty, I thought and returned to my book.
* I . . . poured a third glass. This had to be the last. Tomorrow would be another fourteen-hour workday. I took another bite of Stilton, crumbly yet creamy, a pungent and savory blue with a background of cheddar, when I heard a throat clear.
* I put my book down and looked around the room. Empty.
* . . . A shadow moved in the dining room . . . “Who’s there? What the hell is going on?” I whispered.
* A man’s voice came from the kitchen. “Cripes, some host you are.”

Buy Doc’s Codicil here…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BQB Publishing

Find Gary F. Jones here…
Facebook | Goodreads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Website

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Thank you for joining us here today, Gary F. Jones! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Gary F. Jones will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!