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Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts

Monday, December 14, 2020

Excerpt: A Demon’s Witch Book One by Tena Stetler + giveaway

A Demon’s Witch 
Book One

by Tena Stetler
9-25-2015 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0309-3
ASIN: B014BVSZIC
Number of pages: 314
Word Count: 82,115
Cover Artist: Kris Norris
Undeniable attraction and dark secrets between demon and witch promises to tear apart their professional and personal worlds.

Keeping a lid on all the paranormal beings inhabiting Washington D.C., is a daunting job. Bruce, a six hundred year old demon and the Territory Overlord of the Western Hemisphere, keeps his finger on the pulse of DC’s power players through the activities at his highly successful Wycked Hair Salon. His movie star good looks and body builder physique keeps his dance card full and the rumor mills running. Within these walls, his anonymity is safe, mostly.

Bruce’s world spins out of control when Angelique, a pint size, gorgeous witch, with an attitude breezes through the doors of his salon. She is the younger sister of Tristian, Bruce’s long time trusted enforcer, whose professional skills are second to none. Tristian is furious at the relationship between Bruce and Angelique, a dangerous situation, but something darker awaits them all. Yet undeniable attraction between demon and witch promises to tear apart both their professional and personal worlds.



Excerpt 
A feeling of dark foreboding, like storm clouds forming on the horizon before a violent storm, washed over Bruce as he maneuvered the SUV into the parking lot behind The Krystal Unicorn. 

Tristian was already there and it wasn’t to give his report. Bruce could feel the fury in Tristian’s magic signature hanging in the air. A silver tipped arrow penetrated the windshield, split the arm securing the rearview mirror, and stuck in the headrest a quarter inch from Bruce’s neck. Blue liquid oozed from the tip and a stream of red mist escaped from the other end of the arrow. 

“Hold your breath and don’t open the door or windows. The influx of fresh air will spread the poison.” He hissed though his teeth not daring to take a breath. 

Air pressure inside the vehicle changed, Angie’s head felt like it was going to explode. “Bruce.” She whispered into his mind, a benefit of being mated. 

“I know, just a few seconds more, I’ve got it handled.” His deep smooth voice floated reassuringly in her mind, as he reached over caressing her shoulder. 

The pressure eased and the red mist sucked in on itself disappearing along with the oozing liquid. He pulled the arrow from the headrest, fingering the hole in the upholstery. 

Through gritted teeth, Bruce growled. “His first mistake was that he missed me. His second deadly mistake was he risked your life. That is unforgivable.” Those two things also told Bruce that Tristian wasn’t thinking clearly, fury was coloring his judgment. That gave Bruce an edge, though the attack caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected Tristian’s attack to put his sister at risk. 

The console between them lowered to seat level. He hoped to add fuel to the fury burning inside Tristian. Bruce put his arm around Angie’s waist and pulled her against him, his lips pressed against hers then gently covered her mouth as his tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips. He drew back, touched his lips to hers again trailing them down to the pulsing hollow of her neck and whispered, “You’re going into the shop now, Willow is waiting just on the other side of the door. Please stay there, you’ll be able to remain in my mind just don’t interfere. I need your presence there as a calming one. Willow can help you.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“I know, there wasn’t time to explain how everything works and I’m not exactly sure myself. Only that I can feel you in my mind and I assume you can feel me in yours.” 

“Yes, it’s a weird sensation,” Angie said a tremor in her voice. 

“We’ll learn together to use it to our benefit, now is as good a time as any to practice.” 

She snorted, “Sure, our lives are on the line. No big deal.” She threw up her hands.

About the Author
:  
Website-FB-Twitter
Authors’ Secret’s
My Say What Blog
Goodreads-Amazon-Newsletter
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales

Holiday Giveaway 
Holiday Extravaganza Giveaway
$20 Amazon Gift Card from Laura Bickle
2 $15.00 Amazon Gift Cards from Tena Stetler
$20 Amazon Gift Card from S Peters Davis
$10 Amazon Gift Card from Brooklyn Ray
3 $5 Amazon Gift Cards from Melanie Snow
$15 Amazon Gift Card from Barb Jones
Signed set of Blood Prophecy signed paperbacks from Barb Jones
A prize pack from Kim Richards featuring a Warrior necklace, an Amazon woman on horseback pin and an embroidered bookmark.

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Welcome to the 2019 Hawthorn Moon Blog Tour + giveaway

Welcome to the 2019 Hawthorn Moon Blog Tour

If you’re looking for some summer reading, you’ve come to the right place! My Hawthorn Moon blog tour is a great time to catch up on the latest titles, find out what’s coming soon, and get a behind-the-scenes peek at the characters and the series. 
Come check out what’s new and have a look at the coming attractions from Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin!

I Smell Sheep is spotlighting The Splintered Crown, the first in a brand new series by Larry N. Martin because... 
Look. At. That. Cover! Love it!
by Larry N. Martin
April 25, 2019
200 pages
A medieval fantasy with a party of adventurers all ready to make a name for themselves and earn some gold.

Tankards and Heroes is set in the city of Kortufan, where spies, assassins, mercenaries, arms dealers, rebels, smugglers, and informants do dirty deals dirt cheap.

The Poxy Dragon is a rough bar outside the worst part of the medieval Silk Road. It takes serious courage just to walk into the place, not only from its reputation but because of the rough clientele, questionable food, awful beer, and abysmal hygiene. Lots of taverns in Kortufan are home to ruffians and illegal dealings, but the Poxy Dragon is the proving ground for heroes - with a cemetery out back for the ones who don’t make the cut.

Lady Leota, the resident demigoddess at the Poxy Dragon, sends would-be heroes to different realms on quests. Once committed, there is no turning back, and if they want their reward, every party member must return through the portal – dead or alive.

The Splintered Crown
Excerpt One:
“Got any ale that doesn’t taste like donkey piss?”


The stranger’s companion laughed heartily at his friend’s joke and didn’t seem to notice that the regulars at the bar took a step away from them. The bard in the back stopped his song mid-stanza.

“Don’t know what you’re complaining about,” Tom, the bartender, replied. “That’s a step up. Used to taste like donkey’s balls. And before that—”

“Gods and cuttlefish, man! How about your whiskey then? I just want something that doesn’t taste as bad going down as it might coming back up, if you know what I mean,” the stranger said.

He looked like the sort of man who would find his way to the Poxy Dragon tavern—big, tall,
inked, and mean as a wolverine. His shoulder-length dark hair was greasy and tangled, and his long beard had braids and brass beads in it, like that made him a pirate. Tattoos in black and red wound around both arms and peeked from the throat of his tunic. One, a black snake, slithered its way up his bicep. Tom figured that was as good a name as any for the stranger, Snake. Not like it mattered. He wouldn’t be back.

Snake’s buddy stood half a head shorter and maybe twenty pounds lighter, probably his
lookout and lackey, Tom thought. No tattoos. Reddish blond hair and a beard to match, he looked at least a decade younger than Snake. “Red” would do.

“Suit yourself.” Tom poured a glass of the house whiskey and slid it to Snake. He kept his expression unreadable, although if Snake and Red knew what was good for them, they’d have taken note of the way the regulars leaned in to watch but didn’t get any closer.

Snake tossed off the shot and thumped his chest like he’d proven something. Red hooted, as if taking the drink was an accomplishment. Tom and the others waited for the reaction.

Three…two…one….
“What…what…” Snake tried to say something else, but between the way he gasped for air,
lips working like a fish out of water, and the tears running down his face from the potent liquor, he was in too much distress.

“What did you give him?” Red demanded. “You poisoned him!” His face grew as red as his
hair, and he looked as if he intended to go over the bar at Tom.

Tom wasn’t worried. Red probably weighed less than the sack of cabbages in the kitchen.

“Should I dig a hole out back?” Thaddeus had wandered in at the first sounds of distress. The old undertaker had his favorite shovel, Bessie, slung over one shoulder. Mud caked his pants and dirt streaked his face and hands. Tufts of white hair stuck out over his nearly bald head and peeked from inside his ears. He looked at Tom with great excitement, anticipating the task.

About the Authors:
Join our Shadow Alliance street team so you never miss a new release! Get all the scoop first + giveaways + fun stuff! Also where I get my beta readers and Launch Team! https://www.facebook.com/groups/435812789942761

Bonus goodies!
Read a copy of Gail Z. Martin's Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy short story Catspaw for free: https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/UAjd6 

Check out Gail Z. Martin's epic fantasy Ascendant Kingdoms short story Reconciling Memory here for free: https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/JQorl

GIVEAWAY
Win a copy of The Splintered Crown and Convicts and Exiles here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9751c04221/?

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy guest post: Writing My First Novel (Night in Jerusalem book tour)

Writing My First Novel

Night In Jerusalem is my first novel. Previously, I have written screenplays. They are, of course, visually-oriented and provide limited opportunity for the writer to describe the characters’ states of mind - everything must be revealed on the screen. I was drawn to writing a novel because the canvas is so much larger –as big as you like - and the story does not have to fit a budget. The relationship with the reader is more intimate and complete.

I’ve never had a lot of interest in “meetings.” A friend of mine was hired to write a movie about Peter the Great. At a script meeting, he was told the studio thought he had made Peter “kind of unsympathetic.” “Too autocratic, is that what you’re saying?” “Exactly!” “Oh, so you want more of a czar-next-door feeling from him?” “Yes!” You get the drift. One of the things that drew me to writing a novel is that I would not have to go to any more script meetings

Stories can haunt me for years. The love story in Night In Jerusalem came to me on a movie set in Israel. It was a blazingly hot day and we were dressed as lightly as the dress code of the location permitted - long sleeves, long pants, long skirts. One of the crew members opened his shirt, revealing his muscled chest. An orthodox woman in long black clothes and a wig kept coming out on her balcony to look at us. Every ten minutes, she would reappear. I sensed how strongly she yearned for contact. The gap between us could have been crossed in a few paces, yet we were centuries apart. I imagined what it would be like to be her, what courage it would take for her to break free, how she might do it. Decades later, I wrote the story.

I studied creative writing at Columbia and appreciate the virtuosity and lyricism of many writers, but I love novels that are told simply, where the writer is unobtrusive and the characters and plot say it all - stories that are so clear and transparent you can see right into the souls of the characters. That’s what I strive for. Once I got clear that this is how I wanted to write a novel, I haven’t looked back.


Night in Jerusalem
by Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy
October 1, 2016

Publisher: PKZ Inc.
Pages: 246
Genre: Historical Romance
A bewitching love story that is also an extraordinary portrait of Jerusalem, its faith, spirituality, identity, and kaleidoscope of clashing beliefs, Night in Jerusalem is a novel of mystery, beauty, historical insight, and sexual passion.

David Bennett is invited to Jerusalem in 1967 by his cousin who, to the alarm of his aristocratic British family, has embraced Judaism. He introduces David to his mentor, Reb Eli, a revered sage in the orthodox community. Despite his resistance to religious teaching, David becomes enthralled by the rabbi’s wisdom and compassionate presence. When David discloses a sexual problem, Reb Eli unwittingly sets off a chain of events that transforms his life and the life of the mysterious prostitute, Tamar, who, in a reprise of an ancient biblical story, leads both men to an astonishing realization. As passions rise, the Six Day War erupts, reshaping the lives of everyone caught up in it.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Book Excerpt:
David lay awake thinking about Anat. He was intimidated by her sexuality, but also fascinated by her free spirit and daunting intelligence. He had never met anyone like her. He wondered if Jonathan and the others knew she preferred women lovers, and why she had confided in him. He became anxious, thinking perhaps she sensed he had sexual issues and was someone she could easily manipulate.

Earlier, out on the roof, he had asked her why she preferred women. She had answered simply, “For the same reasons you do,” then adding, “I find women more interesting intellectually, as well as sexually.”

Her directness was equal parts frightening and exciting. He wanted to know her better. Perhaps, with her, he could get over his sexual problem. The truth was, he desired her as much as he found her intimidating.


About the Author:
Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy worked as an actress and writer in film and television in the United States and Israel. Night in Jerusalem is her debut novel, which she has adapted to film. She lives in Ojai California with her husband and daughter.

She writes, “I lived in Israel in the 1960s, a naive twenty-year-old, hoping to find myself and my place in the world. The possibility of war was remote to me. I imagined the tensions in the region would somehow be resolved peacefully. Then, the Six Day War erupted and I experienced it firsthand in Jerusalem.

I have drawn Night in Jerusalem from my experiences during that time. The historical events portrayed in the novel are accurate. The characters are based on people I knew in the city. Like me, they were struggling to make sense of their lives, responding to inherited challenges they could not escape that shaped their destiny in ways they and the entire Middle East could not have imagined.

I have always been intrigued by the miraculous. How and where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny. How two people who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one another.

Israel’s Six Day War is not a fiction; neither was the miracle of its victory. What better time to discover love through intrigue, passion, and the miraculous.

Writing this story was in part reliving my history in Israel, in part a mystical adventure. I am grateful that so many who have read Night In Jerusalem have experienced this as well.”

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Re-release: American Gods by Neil Gaiman + giveaway

William Morrow is giving away a (5) sets of American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere and Stardust

American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
August 16, 2016
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Format: Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover
Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text. A modern masterpiece from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman.

First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic, lauded for its brilliant synthesis of “mystery, satire, sex, horror, and poetic prose” (Washington Post) and as a modern phantasmagoria that “distills the essence of America” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). It is the story of Shadow—released from prison just days after his wife and best friend are killed in an accident—who gets recruited to be bodyguard, driver, and errand boy for the enigmatic trickster, Mr. Wednesday. So begins Shadow’s dark and strange road trip, one that introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. For, beneath the placid surface of everyday life, a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and Shadow is standing squarely in its path.

“Pointed, occasionally comic, often scary, consistently moving and provocative….American Gods is strewn with secrets and magical visions.”—USA Today“Original, engrossing, and endlessly inventive.”—George R. R
. Martin



About the Author:
website-FB-Twitter
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains; the Sandman series of graphic novels; and the story collections Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things, and Trigger Warning. He is the winner of numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, and the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. Originally from England, he now lives in the United States. He is Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

Tour Schedule
Monday, November 7 – American Gods reviewed at The Toibox of Words
Tuesday, November 8 – Stardust featured at Zach’s YA Reviews
Wednesday, November 9 – American Gods reviewed at Bound 4 Escape
Anansi Boys featured at Mello and June
Thursday, November 10 – Neverwhere reviewed at BookStopCorner
Neverwhere featured at Mello and June
Friday, November 11 – Neverwhere reviewed at Dreaming Big
________

Monday, November 14 – American Gods featured at Waiting on Sunday to Drown
American Gods featured at I Smell Sheep
Stardust reviewed at Reading Reality
Neverwhere reviewed at 100 Pages a Day
Neverwhere reviewed at Svetlana Reads and Views
American Gods featured at Mello and June
Tuesday, November 15 – American Gods reviewed at Hopelessly Devoted Bibiophile
Anansi Boys reviewed at Dreaming Big
Wednesday, November 16 – American Gods reviewed at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Stardust reviewed at Bound 4 Escape
Neverwhere reviewed at Alexia’s Books and Such
Thursday, November 17 – American Gods reviewed at Fascinating Quest
Friday, November 18 – American Gods reviewed at ABookGeek
________

Monday, November 21 – Stardust reviewed at Laura’s Interests
Stardust featured at I Smell Sheep
Anansi Boys reviewed at Chapter by Chapter
Neverwhere reviewed at Cover2Cover
Neverwhere reviewed at RhiReading
Tuesday, November 22 – American Gods reviewed at Zach’s YA Reviews
Anansi Boys reviewed at Bound 4 Escape
Anansi Boys reviewed at Svetlana Reads and Views
Wednesday, November 23 – Stardust reviewed at Dreaming Big
Neverwhere reviewed at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Thursday, November 24 – Stardust reviewed at Fascinating Quest
Neverwhere reviewed at Laura’s Interests
Friday, November 25 – Stardust reviewed at RhiReading
Neverwhere reviewed at Mina’s Bookshelf
________

Monday, November 28 – American Gods reviewed at Bookish Things and More
Stardust reviewed at Cover2Cover
Anansi Boys reviewed at Deal Sharing Aunt
Tuesday, November 29 – Stardust reviewed at 100 Pages a Day
Stardust reviewed at Freda’s Voice
Stardust reviewed at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Neverwhere reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty
Neverwhere reviewed at Live Love Books Blog
Neverwhere reviewed at Deal Sharing Aunt
Wednesday, November 30 – American Gods reviewed at Dreaming Big
American Gods reviewed at RhiReading
Stardust reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty
Anansi Boys reviewed at Fascinating Quest
Neverwhere reviewed at Bound 4 Escape
Anansi Boys reviewed at Live Love Books Blog
Thursday, December 1 – American Gods reviewed at Live Love Books Blog
American Gods reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty
Anansi Boys reviewed at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Anansi Boys featured at RhiReading
Neverwhere reviewed at Worth Getting In Bed For
American Gods reviewed at Deal Sharing Aunt
Stardust reviewed at Live Love Books
Friday, December 2 – American Gods reviewed at Cover to Cover
American Gods reviewed at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Stardust featured at Romantic Reads and Such
Neverwhere reviewed at Fascinating Quest

GIVEAWAY
William Morrow is giving away a (5) sets of American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere and Stardust! 
Terms & Conditions: 
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old. 
Five winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one set of all 4 books 
This giveaway ends midnight December 2. 
Winner will be contacted via email on December 3. 
Winner has 48 hours to reply. 
Good luck everyone! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, December 8, 2014

Guest Post: Lizzy Ford's Furry Writing Companions (West Book Tour) + giveaway

Award Winning and fan favorite author, Lizzy Ford, introduces us to a new time travel romance, with WEST , which Outlander fans are sure to love. 

If you could change history, would you? WEST is the first installment in a series of standalone novels in the History Interrupted series featuring four women sent back to different time periods to modify historical events. Fans of Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER series will cherish this new series from Bestselling Author Lizzy Ford! Look for EAST, NORTH, AND SOUTH in 2015!
Lizzy’s (furry) writing friends
~~~~~~ 
I have four furry friends who sit near/on/beside me when I’m writing. I’d love for ewe all to meet them!

Wookie 
He’s a mentally disabled shih tzu with the sweetest personality on the planet! He loves anything that rolls, crunchies and sitting beside me while I write. Because of his trouble learning and understanding the world, he learned how to do everything he does by mirroring his big sister, a bulldog with few manners. Haha! But Wookie is too cute and gentle for bad habits to make him any less lovable!
  
Potato

For anyone who follows me on Facebook or Instagram, you probably see beaucoup pictures of Potato. She’s a rock star in Lizzyland, a sixty-pound female English Bulldog. Those who know a thing or two about bulldogs know this is pretty darn big for a female. She’s like a furry bowling ball and has hyper spurts that send her racing around the house with Wookie. Her mortal enemy is her reflection. It’s taken us several years to teach her that her reflection in the mirror/window is not the nemesis she thinks it is.

Tamale
Shy, gentle, and as aloof as a cat, he’s a rescue shiba inu, a Japanese dog breed defined by its independence and the funny way he barks. Tamale is the old man of the house at around ten years old. He goes through phases where he doesn’t want anything to do with anyone and periods of clinginess, until he gets his fill of hugs and petting. He’s a smart dog, too, and when he’s hungry, he’ll ‘herd’ you towards the kitchen.

  
Tubbs 
Our token cat pretty much thinks he’s a dog! He’s super vocal around feeding time but otherwise quiet, unless he’s mad at one of the dogs. He likes to mess with the other fuzzies, I think because they don’t understand what he’s doing. He’s lost about six pounds this year, which he really needed. He has an allergy to hard food of every kind and now just eats meat and soft food, and he’s so much healthier.


If you could change history, would you?

College graduate Josephine “Josie” Jackson answers ‘yes’ to the question on a survey while visiting an Old West tourist trap. The next morning, she wakes up in Indian Territory in the 1840s, where she’s given a mission to complete before she can return to her time: to reset history by finding and stopping the man responsible for a horrific massacre.

It seems easy enough, until she discovers that three other women have been sent back to the same time period. When Josie uncovers what happened to them, she realizes the chances of her getting out of the past alive are not good.

To survive, she’ll have to trust the very man she’s there to stop, someone who has every reason to distrust her and only one reason to help her - to prove he’s not the monster she claims he’ll become.




About the Author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google Plus
Lizzy Ford is the author of over thirty books written for young adult and adult romance readers, to include the internationally bestselling “Rhyn Trilogy,” “Witchling Series” and the “War of Gods” series. Lizzy has focused on keeping her readers happy by producing brilliant, gritty romances that remind people why true love is a trial worth enduring. Lizzy’s books can be found on every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords. She lives in southern Arizona with her husband, three dogs and a cat.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Release Day Spotlight: Choosing Evil by Kristina Rienzi + giveaway

Choosing Evil (Ensouled Trilogy #1)
by Kristina Rienzi

Serafina Murano is no stranger to the paranormal. All of her life she’s lived harmoniously alongside demons. Damon Serpe is a conflicted demon on a mission. Unexpectedly, they collide into each other’s lives and are inexorably drawn to one another.
Dark deadly secrets, gut wrenching betrayal, and elusive questions haunt her and have her entire life. Instinctively, Serafina realizes Damon holds the key to her understanding. If she trusts him, can he help decipher her recurring nightmares and unravel the mysteries surrounding her?

On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she must select her path and make a difficult choice. One which will change her, and perhaps the world, forever.

Will Serafina embrace the truth and face her evil?

Would you?

Amazon-B&N-Goodreads-All Romance
Hey guys!

Thank you so much for stopping by today to check out my debut novel, Choosing Evil! This baby was a labor of love, for sure. And, its tagline, 'Embrace Your Inner Demon' has already raised some eyebrows around my small beach town (oops!).

Well, if you're into the paranormal like I am, it won't shock you to know the demons in Choosing Evil are not only sexy and bad-ass, but full of emotional baggage and human appeal.

While Choosing Evil is Serafina's story, her love interest, Damon is a giant part of it. If you like what you read, get ready for the sequel, Breaking Evil, which I'm hoping to release in 2015. Both books are part of The Ensouled Trilogy, which not only pits good against evil, but makes each character, and reader, question what evil really means to them.

I hope you have fun today getting introduced to Choosing Evil, and me! Don't forget to find me on social media and, of course, sign up for my giveaways below :)

Thank you again for helping me celebrate Choosing Evil's release!
~Kristina

Join the Party! 
Kristina will be hosting a release day FB party and everyone is invited! It’s kicking off tonight (Nov 25th) at 8PM EST. Come by and visit for a bit! There will be all kinds of giveaways and lots of fun! To join in visit THIS page! (https://www.facebook.com/events/284558688409694


About the Author:
website-Facebook-Twitter-Goodreads
Kristina Rienzi was born and raised at the Jersey Shore where she still lives today. Her debut paranormal suspense novel, CHOOSING EVIL, is being published by Frost Books on November 25, 2014.

Professionally, Kristina has been active in the writing community as a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey, Romance Writers of America and New Jersey Romance Writers, serving as Chair of the Literary Book Fair in 2013. Kristina has her Masters Degree in Psychological Counseling and her Senior Professional in Human Resources Certificate, working in both fields throughout her business career.

Personally, Kristina is married and a doggie mommy to Pekingese and Shih Tzu pups. Although a lover of New Jersey, she dreams of one day moving to Hawaii and living the “Aloha” way. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading, watching paranormal investigations, rooting for her West Virginia Mountaineers or relaxing with her loved ones, wine in hand.

Kristina is currently working on BREAKING EVIL, the sequel to CHOOSING EVIL, as well as another paranormal suspense novel,UNLEASH THE WICKED, about an unsuspecting witch at the Jersey Shore.

Giveaway
There’s a tour wide giveaway with three winners…
1) $25 Amazon Gift Card plus ecopy Choosing Evil
2) $10 Amazon Gift Card plus ecopy Choosing Evil
3) ecopy Choosing Evil

There’s a secondary giveaway happening as well for release week if you’d like to include a link to it. The link will be live release day but it will be found at… It’s for a $50 Amazon Gift Card. fhttp://kristinarienzi.com/ChoosingEvil/release

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Troll Stereotypes in Modern King City by Selah Janel (Olde School Book Tour)


The laptop glowed mercilessly and the blank document taunted him as the minutes cruelly ticked by. Paddlelump stared, then slowly, begrudgingly typed.

Troll Stereotypes in Modern Kingdom City

Well, that got something on paper, at least. As the minutes stretched on, he frowned and added the next line:

An Essay by Paddlelump Stonemonger

He groaned and let his face fall in his hand. “There’s a reason I never did well in literature in school,” he grumbled. A few more minutes of staring at the screen did nothing but make him breathe out a long, put-upon sigh.

“If ye keep starin’ and groanin’ like ye got indigestion ye ain’t gonna get nothin’s gonna get done.” The voice was croaky and annoying, though its owner was letting him stay at his apartment, so Paddlelump couldn’t complain. His friend and current landlord had his bulk stuffed into a battered easy chair and was pretending to look over last week’s paper.

“I’m no good at things like this. I hate assignments. It’s why I started my own business,” the younger troll sighed and tugged on a shock of lovely red ear hair. Between his round cheeks, pleasant face, large brown eyes, and just the start of tusks, he looked far too young and friendly to amount to much as a troll. As the owner of the biggest bridge business in Kingdom City, however, Paddlelump had come into his own. That phase of life was over, though the self-employment theme was still going strong. It was nice that people were interested in him and his story.

If only putting the story out didn’t mean actually having to write anything.

“What’re ye supposed to be workin’ on? Ye been click clackin’ those keys all day. Ye mean to tell me you ain’t come up with nothin’ yet?” Ippick was far older and far more typical for a troll. Although his bulk was getting out of control, his beady eyes contrasted nicely in his full face, and his tusks were long and menacing. His grey, greasy hair hung down in spindling waves, and his sack shirt and leather pants hiked up to his chest fit with his overall appearance.

“A short piece about troll stereotypes. I don’t know why I was asked for this. You’re better at complaining,” Padd sighed.

“Oh, no. Yer not gonna rope me into doin’ yer dirty work just because you saved me life an’ all. I don’t feel that bad about it,” Ippick shot back, glaring over the edge of the newspaper parchment. “What ‘bout Clyde? Why can’t he help ye?”

“He’s at Trip Trap’s. He had something he had to be working on, as well, and I wouldn’t help him so he’s trying to talk Flora into it.”

“Sounds about right,” the old troll admitted and paused to scratch an itch under one of his chins. “What’s the problem? I’d think you’d have lots to yammer on ‘bout.”

“I dunno, it just feels like it’s not good to think about that kind of thing in these modern times,” the businesstroll admitted. He slid a glance over to his badly-concealed friend, half-hoping that Ippick’s grumpy nature would take the bait and fill in the blanks with his rants.

Behind the paper, it was obvious the older troll was muttering a few choice curses, but interestingly enough, he withheld his opinion. They’re adventures must have had more of an impact on the old fellow’s brain than Paddlelump had thought.

“Eh, yer probably right. Everything’s peachy these days in the city. Just do a piece on that, whydoncha?”

Irritation stomped all over Paddlelump’s better judgment. “How in blazes can you say that?”

“What? I’m jus’ repeatin’ back your lovey dovey opinions on the state of the realm! After all, ye of all creatures showcase the glory of the modern age. Ye had a successful business, ye can waltz around with human friends without bein’ beheaded, yer treated jus’ like anybody else—”

“What in the realm are you talking about?” Paddlelump choked. “Sure, I’ve had success, but I’ve also had to have a goblin lawyer who likes bloodshed go to bat for me to keep it. I’ve had maids hire assassins on me to get my fortune. You think a fool girl would pull that with any other race of employer, short of an ogre or a giant?”

“Can’t blame the state of th’realm on one dumb lass,” Ippick snorted.

The younger troll was on his feet and pacing, not an easy feat in the small apartment. “What about the city, then, trying to tell me I don’t really own my land when it was in my family since before the beginning of Kingdom City?”

“Addlebaum wants what he wants. Who’s t’say he wouldn’t do that to anybody?” Ippick mumbled from behind the sports section.

There was probably some truth to that, but still, he was good and fired up and not buying the platitudes his friend was so strangely offering. “Maybe, but he wouldn’t have gone to such a far extent if it was someone besides a troll. What about all those comments I hear all the time? Sure, most of my patrons liked me, but I heard enough muttered commentary everyday about how they’d probably catch warts or how I’d eat up someone who didn’t pay! I can’t win, Ipp! Either folks think I’m too nice and try to steal from me, or they think I’m going to slice them apart where they stand! I can’t win,” he grumbled and rubbed the base of his tusk stubs to fight the headache coming on. “Why do you think I’m movin’ on?” he pointed out. “There’s nothing left for me here, not when the city obviously thinks I’m a murderer because things happened on my land. Who are they gonna suspect first: a cute little blonde maid, or me?”

“Don’t sell yerself short,” Ippick muttered, not bothering to look up. “I’m sure ye could pull off cute if that’s what ye really wanted.”

“What about things like Trollslayer?” Paddlelump demanded, pointing a long nail at the newsprint that obscured his friend’s face. “That game franchise makes people think that it’s fun and games to kill our kind, that we’re nothing but brainless, witless oafs who can do nothin’ but wield a club! Don’t we have feelings? Don’t we work hard to earn our coin jus’ like everyone else? Sure, we have muscle, but my Mam and Da had brains, didn’t they? What’s next, cramming us into a horror franchise? They might as well start making films called Troll Death and let it all fall where it may!” He was itchy and perturbed. There wasn’t enough room to pace and his right arm was sweating bullets in its leather glove.

“Prolly already in production, knowin’ the film industry. ‘Sides, didn’t yer Da’ make his livin’ bustin’ skulls?” Ippick pointed out.

Fuming, Padd stalked over to the arm chair and glowered down at the parchment his friend used as a mask. “You aren’t even paying attention or you wouldn’t be spouting such claptrap! My da owned his business, thanks! He worked hard and could’ve done anything he wanted. It’s attitudes like that…this….simplification of what a being is, that perpetuates the stupid attitudes that I have to live with every single day, especially now! I’m gonna have to finish this at Trip Trap’s. I can’t even stay here at the minute, what with you blathering such nonsense!”

The younger troll yanked up his laptop, shoved it under his arm, and stormed out the door.

Ippick waited a few minutes to make sure his friend wouldn’t come back, then lowered the paper. Behind it, a battered old paperback labeled Manipulating Friends and Enemies for Their Own Good (but Especially Yours) sat on his lap. While he wasn’t much of a reader, he’d discovered the tome holding up his coffee table when they’d started to pack up for their next big venture. If it was a choice between packing up the apartment or having Paddlelump do it while he claimed he had some necessary things to see to, well, the answer was obvious. Those essay assignments couldn’t have come at a better time. He regarded the book curiously in his large hands and let his tongue flick out and turn a few pages. “Who woulda thought the bloody thing actually worked, an’ for the youth’s own good, at that? Stinkin’ amazin’,” he chortled. “Clyde ain’t the only one that can get his way with his stupid brain.” He’d have to put it in his suitcase later on, but first, a nap was in order.

Olde School (The Kingdom City Chronicles Book One)
Kingdom City has moved into the modern era. Run by a lord mayor and city council (though still under the influence of the High King of The Land), it proudly embraces a blend of progress and tradition. Trolls, ogres, and other Folk walk the streets with humans, but are more likely to be entrepreneurs than cause trouble. Princesses still want to be rescued, but they now frequent online dating services to encourage lords, royals, and politicians to win their favor. The old stories are around, but everyone knows they’re just fodder for the next movie franchise. Everyone knows there’s no such thing as magic. It's all old superstition and harmless tradition.

Bookish, timid, and more likely to carry a laptop than a weapon, Paddlelump Stonemonger is quickly coming to wish he'd never put a toll bridge over Crescent Ravine. While his success has brought him lots of gold, it's also brought him unwanted attention from the Lord Mayor. Adding to his frustration, Padd’s oldest friends give him a hard time when his new maid seems inept at best and conniving at worst. When a shepherd warns Paddlelump of strange noises coming from Thadd Forest, he doesn't think much of it. Unfortunately for him, the history of his land goes back further than anyone can imagine. Before long he'll realize that he should have paid attention to the old tales and carried a club.

Darkness threatens to overwhelm not only Paddlelump, but the entire realm. With a little luck, a strange bird, a feisty waitress, and some sturdy friends, maybe, just maybe, Padd will survive to eat another meal at Trip Trap's diner. It's enough to make the troll want to crawl under his bridge, if he can manage to keep it out of the clutches of greedy politicians.

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About the Author:
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Selah Janel has been blessed with a giant imagination and a love of story since she was little and convinced that fairies lived in the nearby state park or vampires hid in the abandoned barns outside of town. Learning to read and being encouraged by those around her only made things worse. Her work ranges from e-books to traditional print, and she prefers to write every genre at once rather than choose just one. The stories “Holly and Ivy”, “The Other Man”, and “Mooner” are available online through Mocha Memoirs Press. Her work has also been included in The MacGuffin, The Realm Beyond, Stories for Children Magazine, The Big Bad: an Anthology of Evil, Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery, The Grotesquerie, and the short story collection Lost in the Shadows, co-written with S.H. Roddey. She likes her music to rock, her vampires lethal, her fairies to play mind games, and her princesses to have adventures and hold their own.

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