Exclusive Vlog: The Story Behind the Story: Knife's Tell by Daniel Dark

Explore the shadows of Victorian Era London and encounter a new Jack the Ripper tale like you’ve never read before.

Knife’s Tell contains a tantalizing blend of thriller, horror, erotic, and alt. history elements. As an added bonus, author Daniel Dark (a former Victorian chef) also has included the authentic Victorian Era recipes of the dishes that are featured in the story!

Knife's Tell

by Daniel Dark

October 6, 2017

173 pages

Publisher: Seventh Star Press

In 1888 one of the most notorious serial killers in history plagued London’s East Side.

Knife’s Tell is not about those murders, but the life behind them. What would cause a normal person to slay in such a horrific way?

Daniel Dark has explored an alternative tale of a doctor lost in reality trying to correct his past. With the help of his personal servant, he searches the Chapel for answers about his connection to the man with the knife.

Where did he come from? And how is the doctor part of his plans for escaping the police at every turn?

Read Knife’s Tell to learn the story behind the blade that killed London

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Victorian Catsup: Receipts of the Past

by Daniel Dark

May 27, 2018

118 pages

Publisher: Seventh Star Press

The book you now hold in your hands is nothing new, only forgotten by most.

It is, however, how Chef Daniel, the Victorian Chef, recovered many missing segments of his knowledge after having a stroke in 2012. At that time, he had a forty-seat restaurant where he was recreating dishes from the Victorian Era. He was also developing his signature catsups to serve with each receipt that he placed on the menu.

After the stroke, he was forced to give up on his dream for the time being and start the long journey of rehabilitation of both body and mind. When Chef Daniel was able to stand in front of a stove again, he went back to what he knew best, making small batch catsup that he took to local fairs and sold so that he could make more.

This book is a big part of what kept Chef Daniel going each day. Now he wants to share that with others by contributing ninety percent of his proceeds to the Blood Banks that kept him alive by furnishing over twenty units to him when he was in need.

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About the Author:
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Daniel Dark, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, grew up with homicide every day. Having a homicide detective as a father, he was able to learn about those that were brought to justice, and the ones that were not.

Spending many hours in Central police headquarters and in his grandfathers hematology lab gave Daniel an unusual childhood and a love for science. Along with this, his great uncle owned the oldest book store in Nashville. His parents took him there regularly, where developed a love of reading and found out about history.

Daniel went on to become an Electrical Engineer and Industrial Maintenance Manager till NAFTA took away his job. A year later he went to culinary school and studied Victorian cooking, after which he opened a Victorian-style restaurant.

He became a heart attack and stroke survivor at fifty years old, where he used writing to rehabilitate his brain. The first book written by Daniel was on Victorian Catsup, which had over two hundred catsup recipes in it from the late 1700’s to 1910, with over sixty different flavors. Daniel used the book to start his 1876 Catsup company as Mr Catsup.

Knife’s Tell represents his debut novel as an author.

Tour Schedule and Activities 

2/20

The Sinister Scribblings of Sarah E. Glenn https://saraheglenn.blogspot.com/ Top Ten's List 

2/21

Breakeven Books https://breakevenbooks.com Guest Post 

2/21

I Smell Sheep http://www.ismellsheep.com/ VLOG 

2/22

Horror Tree https://www.horrortree.com Guest Post 

2/23

Sheila's Guests and Reviews http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com Guest Post 

2/24

The Book Lover's Boudoir https://thebookloversboudoir.wordpress.com/ Review 

2/24

Books, Reviews, and More http://bookworm1977.simplesite.com/435597726 Interview 

2/25

Jazzy Book Reviews https://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/ VLOG 

2/26

MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape http://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com Interview 

2/27

Honestly Austen https://honestlyausten.wordpress.com/ Review 

2/27

Willow's Thoughts and Book Obsessions http://wssthoughtsandbookobsessions.blogspot.com/ Review

Cover Reveal: Storm Crossed (The Grim Series Book 4) by Dani Harper

The latest stand-alone novel in Dani Harper’s Grim Series will delight old and new fans alike, transporting them to the ancient fae realm beneath the modern human world, where magic rules and menace abounds . . .

Storm Crossed (The Grim Series Book 4)

by Dani Harper

Releasing: January 9, 2018

Montlake Romance

Heir to a noble fae house, Trahern is forced to watch helplessly as his twin brother is cruelly changed into a grim—a death dog—as punishment for falling in love with the wrong person. Trahern doesn’t believe love exists, but he will do anything to keep his brother alive—even join the Wild Hunt and ride the night skies of the human world.

Lissy Santiago-Callahan believes in love but has no time for it. She’s busy juggling her career as an academic and her home life as a single mom to a young son with Asperger’s. Her hectic life in sleepy Eastern Washington is made even more chaotic with the sudden arrival of a demanding fae and his unusual “dog.”

Mortal and immortal have nothing in common, and the attraction between Lissy and Trahern surprises them both. But when their desire places Lissy and her child in the path of a deadly faery feud, will the connection last, or will their separate worlds prove too great a divide?

Storm Crossed releases January 9th. It’s available for pre-order in Kinde eBook, paperback, and audio at http://amzn.to/2eWUn3z

About the Author:

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Legend, lore, love, and magic. These are the hallmarks of Dani Harper’s transformational tales of faeries, shapeshifters, ghosts, and more, for a mature audience.

A former newspaper editor, Dani’s passion for all things supernatural led her to a second career writing fiction. There isn't anything she likes better than exploring myths and legends from many cultures, which serve to inspire her sizzling and suspenseful stories.

A longtime resident of the Canadian north and southeastern Alaska, she now lives in rural Washington with her retired mountain-man husband. Together they do battle with runaway garden gnomes, rampant fruit trees, and a roving herd of predatory chickens.

Dani Harper is the author of Storm Crossed, Storm Warned, Storm Bound, Storm Warrior (the Grim Series), as well as First Bite (Dark Wolf), for Montlake Romance. She is also the author of a Yuletide ghost story, The Holiday Spirit, plus a popular shapeshifter series, which includes Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream, and Changeling Dawn.

Character Confession: Tegan from Beg Me to Slay by Lisa Kessler + giveaway

Hey there. My name is Tegan. It’s like Megan with a T.

So I’m here with a little confession. My first name was the key to Beg Me to Slay. Seriously.

My author, Lisa Kessler, is a total write-by-the-seat-of-her-pants writer and when she gets a story idea and needs characters, she starts stalking baby name sites. When she stumbled across the name, Tegan, she loved it instantly.

Tegan actually means “beautiful” and it’s a Welsh name. As soon as she discovered that, my father’s name was next, Maddock is a good strong Welsh name and Lisa loved it. His character came alive.

But that’s hardly the “key” to Beg Me to Slay. Once she had my Welsh heritage, and the opening scene written, Gabe came into the picture. Demon Slayer. But what kind of demons?

This is where my name really paid off. Lisa figured since I was Welsh, there must be some Welsh demons… More research and BANG. She discovered Welsh Dragons and the book took off.

So while readers may be super excited about a new paranormal mythology, I’m here to confess that Lisa never set out with the intention to write a Welsh mythological dragon paranormal romance. Nope.

She just liked my name.

Shhhh this is just between us, right?

Tegan Ashton from BEG ME TO SLAY

Here’s Lisa’s pinterest board for my book too, if you’re curious to see how she imagined we looked

http://www.pinterest.com/ldydisney/scenes-from-beg-me-to-slay/

Check out Mary's 5 Sheep review of Beg Me to Slay

Beg Me to Slay
by Lisa Kessler
Release Date: 12/30/13
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: Entangled Covet

He’ll slay her demons, but it may cost her heart…

Four years ago Tegan Ashton was attacked. Determined never to be a victim again, she devotes her life to martial arts and self-defense. When her assailant returns to finish what he started, only one person can help her.

Gabe is a private investigator by day and demon slayer by night. After losing loved ones, he vows to defend people from a threat they don’t realize exists.

The relationship is supposed to be strictly business, but fighting demons together stirs up emotions they never expected. Turns out demon slaying is a breeze compared to facing their scarred pasts and even worse - hearts.

Amazon BN Goodreads

About the Author:

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Lisa Kessler is an award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book.

Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

Guest Post: How to Defend Yourself from Faeries by Dani Harper

“Storm Warrior – How to Defend Yourself from Faeries” 

By: Dani Harper

***********************************************************

Just forget Tinkerbell.

If you’re going to survive, there are a few things you need to know about faeries. 

They’re not cute. 

They’re not little. 

And they’re definitely not nice.

Oh sure, they can be beautiful to look at, so alluring that you’ll walk away with them without a single backward glance. But they can be ugly too, or so terrifying that your heart could stop from fear. Whatever they look like, however, faeries are very dangerous creatures. Long-lived dangerous creatures who get very, very bored. 

To a bored faery, a mere mortal represents a diversion – you could become a pet or a toy, a target for pranks or just a target, period. To many of these immortal beings, a human is nothing more than an insect in a jar, an object of fleeting interest. (Or for some, a snack). 

But just like dealing with zombies, following a few basic rules can save your life.

1. Steer clear from known faery territory. This includes strange solitary hills in odd places, such as in the middle of a field. Round grassy knolls often conceal entrances to the faery realm. Their kingdom exists beneath the mortal world, so all caves, mines and abandoned wells are suspect. Taking up spelunking as a hobby is a bad idea.

2. Don’t invite faeries to your home. Sure, it’s cute to attract hummingbirds and butterflies with your landscaping selections. But plant the wrong thing, and you could be issuing an invitation to the Fair Ones. Need a shade tree? Do NOT pick an oak, an alder or a hazel. Foxgloves, ferns, and rosemary in your garden are also said to attract faery creatures.

3. Always wear clothing with pockets. That’s where you’re going to keep your repertoire of faery repellent. And no, it doesn't come in a handy spray or moist wipes. Keep a handful of raw oatmeal in your pocket, some red berries (like holly or mountain ash, even Craisins), a few iron nails and a horseshoe. Why a pocket and not a super big handbag? Because you’re trying to keep the faeries away from you, not your Coach. Okay, okay, throw some in the Coach too….

4. Double-check your date. If a stranger who looks like a movie star asks you out, it could be because you’re totally charming, hot and sexy yourself. Or it could be that your dream date is a faerie. They may be trying to lure you away with them. Keep a four-leafed clover in your pocket and you’ll be able to discern exactly who – or what – is trying to buy you a drink.

If you can’t avoid the faeries, or repel them, you’re going to have to appease them.

This is why you keep bread on your person at all times. Whether it’s hardtack, stale, whole wheat or Wonder, bread is a universal symbol of life, of hearth and home. If it fails to repel a faery, you can offer the creature the bread as a gift. This represents an act of hospitality that not only might save you from mischief (or sudden and immediate death), but gain you a favor.

Other appeasements: dropping a piece of silver in any body of water that you pass. Yup, you’re going to start checking your change for old silver dimes. Or you can dismantle that old charm bracelet from that relationship with Mr. Wrong, and keep the pieces in one of your pockets. (Speaking of pockets, by now it should be obvious that a fisherman’s vest is a potentially lifesaving investment.)

My newest release tells the story of Rhys, a fierce Celtic warrior who’s been a captive of the Fair Ones beneath the Black Hills of Wales for millennia. How did someone so big, strong and capable (not to mention hawt) end up a prisoner of the faeries? And how did he end up naked in Morgan Edwards’ front yard? 

The answers to these questions and more are in STORM WARRIOR, Book 1 of the Grim Series. Here’s the blurb:

Two thousand years ago, Rhys was the fierce Celtic warrior branded by the Romans as “the Bringer of Death.” Mortally wounded in battle, he was captured by the Fair Ones, cunning and powerful masters of the Welsh faery realm. They spared his life…but for a price. As a grim, he has roamed the earth as a messenger of death—until a single act of kindness breaks the ancient enchantment and delivers him into a strange new world…

As a child, Morgan Edwards marveled at the faery tales spun by her beloved grandmother, stories of the magical beings hidden in the heart of ancient Wales. But now Morgan is all grown up, a veterinarian who believes only in what science can prove—until the night a massive black dog saves her from a vicious attack, and life as she knows it changes forever. Suddenly a stranger stands before her, the man of her dreams made flesh and blood not by science, but by a magic that could bring them their hearts’ desires...or cost them everything they have.

*check out the I Smell Sheep review of Storm Warrior

Book Review: Storm Warrior (Grim #1) by Dani Harper (ARC)

“Romans and fairies and death dogs, oh my.”

Storm Warrior (Grim #1)

by Dani Harper
release: Aug 6, 2013
Enslaved for millennia by the masters of the Welsh faery realm, the fierce Celtic warrior Rhys is doomed to wander the earth forever. But when a brave beauty unwittingly breaks the enchantment, he is drawn into a strange new world…and an all-consuming desire.

Sensible Morgan doesn’t believe in magic—until a mysterious being saves her from a fate worse than death, and life as she knows it changes forever. Now the man of her dreams has become flesh and blood, igniting a spark in Morgan’s soul which science cannot explain. But even a love that transcends time may not be strong enough to withstand the power of an ancient curse.

From the best-selling author of Changeling Moon, this stirring novel of passion and magic launches an addictive new series for fans of paranormal romance.

Disclaimer: Dani Harper has a paid ad on our site. I received this ARC from amazon a couple of months before she approached the site about an ad. I also did a beta read of this story a year ago and at that time I was swept away by her hero and impressed with the creative twist on Celtic mythology she used. I decided on my rating for this book last year.

A chivalrous romantic hero, unusual Celtic mythology, and dogs. If you are looking for something a little different in the PNR genre, give this a try. You can tell a lot of Welsh history and mythology research went into the creation of this story and Harper skillfully blended fact and fiction. I felt like I learned some things without being hit over the head with it.

This is more of a character-driven story. There is an outside conflict that affects everyone, but the book focuses more on the internal conflicts of the characters and their relationships. All the characters are goodhearted, quirky and easily likable. The fae in the story is true to the myths with their superiority complexes. What I liked most about the hero is he doesn't try to bully the heroine into believing his outlandish story of fairies, grims and 2000-year-old warriors. He is so patient and feels it is more important for her to trust and therefore believe him in spite of what logic dictates. Rhys is the perfect swoon-worthy hero. I could spend the whole review talking about how charming this guy is <G>.

This is a fast read and all-round feel-good story. I enjoy Harper’s storytelling style, and her description of the coming of the Wild Hunt made me want to take cover! And I never felt like going all Bunny Foo Foo on the heroine (you know, scoop her up and bop her on the head). If you are a PNR fan, you won’t be disappointed. If you aren't a big PNR fan (like me), go ahead and step out of your box and enjoy the romance.

5 “Tylwyth Teg” Sheep (no Bunny Foo Foo moments)

Sharon Stogner

About the Author:

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Dani Harper is a newspaper editor turned paranormal author. There isn’t anything she likes better than exploring the supernatural — unless it’s writing sizzling and suspenseful romance. Of course, all of her stories have at least one foot in the netherworld!

Dani is the author of the Changeling series. CHANGELING MOON was chosen as a 2012 RITA Award Finalist in the Paranormal Romance Category by Romance Writers of America.

TWO brand new paranormal romance series begin this year. The Grim Series kicks off on August 6, 2013 with STORM WARRIOR. The Dark Wolf series is slated to begin October 15 with FIRST BITE.