GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ I Smell Sheep

Saturday, September 4, 2021

The Story Behind the Story: The Pearl in the Darkness (Light of Mine Series Book 1) by Santana Saunders + giveaway

How The Pearl in the Darkness Came To Be

The story all started with the idea of a rather reclusive character, Leo Smith, who would have to break out of her shell to recruit individuals that would remain after the apocalypse. Then I thought, what if she’s living in a world where believing in a supreme being that cannot be seen is forbidden? It quickly unraveled from there. I was shocked at all the new characters that developed in her world, and how easily they grew in their own important role. Some days, I fell in love with them and the next I despised them. It was an emotional rollercoaster in a good way.

One of my favorite characters to write was the Archangel Michael. I wanted his physical description and the way he carried himself to conflict with the general stereotype we have given celestial beings. I gave him quite a disheveled appearance and a sarcastic sense of humor. He knew if Leo was to stand tall in front of skeptics, she would need some practice handling rejection. It was just what she needed to step outside of her fears and into the opportunity in front of her.

Once the recruitment phase of her story had been completed, I knew it was time for the world around her to fade to dark— and that it did! Writing all of the apocalyptic scenes was a rush. I found myself hunched over my laptop on an adrenaline rush far too late each night. Those were some of my favorite scenes. The ones that left my heart racing and reminded me that you can’t have the light without the dark.

The Pearl in the Darkness (Light of Mine Series Book 1)
by Santana Saunders
November 10, 2020
Genre: Apocalyptic Fantasy
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE POWERFUL 2020 DEBUT NOVEL FROM SANTANA SAUNDERS

“We went too far. Father is mad. No one make a sound…”

Filled with the suspense and lyrical writing that draws readers to The Stand by Stephen King, a witty humor in the tradition of Andy Weir, The Martian, and a fierce female lead for fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

In a not-so-distant future, recurring acts of terrorism lead to the abolishment of all religion. Believers taking a stand against the ruling are placed in institutions. All existing Bibles, Quranands and Vedas are destroyed—or so they thought.

Leora Smith, a witty, thirty-year-old medical transcriptionist, lives a quiet life due to a debilitating disorder and unwavering faith that must be kept hidden. Her world is turned upside down when a celestial being informs her of the forthcoming apocalypse and assigns her to recruit experts imperative to the subsistence of the society that will remain when the dust settles.

Each recruit has a story that can only be seen behind closed doors. Leora’s childhood friend and numerous enlightened allies band together in an effort to persuade the best and brightest.

As nature bends in accordance to the plan, Leora's preconceived notions of everything good and evil are about to be tested.

★ PRAISE FOR THE PEARL IN THE DARKNESS ★
"Let me just say it kept me up at night thinking about it for days afterwards…I can’t wait for the second book in the series!” @what_banana_read

“The settings were vivid, I felt like I was in the middle of this crazy ride.”@annewithapen

“…it was so addictive to read— I wanted more! If you’re looking for a unique dystopian fantasy this one is for you!” @desireesbookcorner

“…that ending really shook me. It was very unexpected and now I’m stalking Santana’s Instagram for hints on the sequel.”@bookish.and.blue

“Clever, fun, unexpected…If you like fantasy with unexpected twists you’ll enjoy this.”@coffee_then_words
**Only .99cents!!**


About the Author

Website-FB-TwitterSantana Saunders grew up along the Missouri River in rural North Dakota, where the sandbars were far-off lands and the canoes were pirate ships.

Santana went on to pursue a career in marketing, and creative writing went on the back-burner. In 2019, she and her family found themselves relocating to Florida. Sandbars and canoes quickly became beaches and ocean. This change of scenery inspired her to return to writing.

Today, she is a Florida-based author of fantasy and thriller novels. When she isn't reading or writing stories she is playing at the beach with her husband and three daughters or attempting a DIY home project that will surely take weeks longer than anticipated to accomplish.

Giveaway
$25 Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, September 3, 2021

Book Review: What Remains: A Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Anthology

What Remains: An Anthology by Inked in Gray
Summer 2021
Genre: Anthology/ Short Stories/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi/ Horror
Publisher: Inked in Gray
Victory at all costs. Even at the price of our own life, the desire to survive transcends all rational thought.

What Remains brings together fifteen tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. From sacrificing loved ones or oneself, to doing what it takes to keep them alive, these stories shake the soul, rip out its insecurities and flay them on the page.

Careful who you trust. Some quandaries have no right answer when we cannot save what we love most—or when isolation, desperation, and betrayal leave you no choice.

Take the journey with us to see What Remains when civility, decency, and sanity have all but fled.

Rarely have I been so satisfied after finishing an anthology. Most of them have some heavy hitters while the rest of the stories are just so-so. But with What Remains, I enjoyed each and every short story! Sure, some of them I loved more than the others, like Cathuranjalee by DL Shirey and Sleigh 57 by Ben Armstrong. But the others weren't far behind! Liking Cathuranjalee was more about its theme than anything else while the beginning of Sleigh 57 packed such a punch that caught me by surprise. As the title indicates, all stories are survival-themed but that one concept can mean so many different things to different people, which is exactly what we see with this anthology. 

I had a blast reading it!

3 wooly sheep!

 



Reviewer: Midu Reads
Most of my go-to series are 3 starrers
*No rating - wasn't my genre/dnf'd so rating it would be unfair
1 sheep - won't be picking up another book in a series again
2 sheep - average read with overused tropes and cliches. Will give the author another try/only continuing because of OCD, so must finish a series
2.5 sheep - liked the book but was put off because it was overly long/illtreatment of a character the author had me invest in and so on.
3 sheep - enjoyed the book but have reservations because I expected to be wowed and wasn't
4 sheep - was unputdownable
5 sheep - formed an emotional connection, will read the heck outta this series

Authors:

R.A. Busby
An award-winning literature teacher and die-hard horror fan, R. A. Busby is also the author of “Bits” (Short Sharp Shocks #45), “Street View” (Collective Realms #2), “Not the Man I Married” (Black Petals #93), “Holes” (Graveyard Smash, Women of Horror Anthology, Vol. 2), and “Cactusland” (34 Orchard, forthcoming).

“I was always instructed to write about what I know,” she states, “and I know what scares me.” In her spare time, R.A. Busby watches cheesy Gothic movies and goes running in the desert with her dog.
She can be found on Twitter and at RABusbybooks.weebly.com

David-Christopher Harris
David-Christopher Harris’ fantasy publications include “Olam Ha-Ba” in speculative fiction and poetry magazine Arsenika, “Last Call” in The Arcanist Magazine, “Falselight” on PageHabit, and “Children of Ozymandias” in 50WordStories, among others. He received his M.A. in Medieval Literature, which he uses exclusively to teach his cat Latin. He is currently querying.
He can be found on Twitter and at www.dcharriswriting.com

Andy Dibble
Andy Dibble is a healthcare IT consultant who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He has supported the electronic medical record of healthcare systems in six countries. His work appears or is forthcoming in Writers of the Future, Star*Line, Sci Phi Journal, and others. He is Articles Editor for Speculative North magazine.
He can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and andydibble.com.

LT Ward
LT writes mostly speculative fiction shorts and novels while spending her days raising her children and satisfying her never-ending thirst for knowledge through reading, meeting people, and first-hand life experiences. She has short story publications with Dancing Lemur Press, Me First Magazine, Jazz House Press, and forthcoming with Black Hare Press and Cardigan Press. She currently volunteers with WriteHive, a nonprofit literary organization.
She can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and at ltwardwriter.com.

Ben Armstrong
Ben is a young author who has been writing stories for over six years now. Recently he has been published in his town’s newspaper.

Maxwell I Gold
Maxwell I. Gold is a Rhysling Award-nominated prose poet, focusing on weird and cosmic fiction. He is a regular contributor to Spectral Realms, edited by Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi and his work has also appeared in Weirdbook Magazine, Space and Time Magazine, Startling Stories, Baffling Magazine, and many others.

His debut prose poetry collection, Oblivion in Flux: A Collection of Cyber Prose is forthcoming this August from Crystal Lake Publishing.
Maxwell can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and at www.thewellsoftheweird.com

Damir Salkovic
Damir Salkovic is the author of novels Kill Zone and Always Beside You. His shorter work has been featured in the Lovecraft eZine, Dimension6 Annual Collection 2020, and in multiple horror, science and speculative fiction anthologies.
Find him on Goodreads and at his blog, Darker Realities.

Lawrence West
Lawrence J West has been on his writing journey since he was fourteen years old and has always been drawn to fantasy, sci-fi, and horror because of the way these genres allow for the exploration of human experience in unique ways. Since becoming a husband and father he has also found that his writing has a greater degree of empathy and insight.
Lawrence can be found on Twitter.

Sharon Frame Gay
Sharon Frame Gay is an award winning author whose work has appeared in many anthologies and magazines, including Chicken Soup For The Soul, Typehouse, Fiction on the Web, Literally Stories, Lowestoft Chronicle, Thrice Fiction, Saddlebag Dispatches, Crannog, and others. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee.

A collection of her short stories, Song of the Highway, was released in August, 2020.
Sharon can be found on Twitter and Amazon.

Timothy Johnson
Timothy Johnson is a writer and editor living outside of Washington, D.C. His published work includes the novels The Pillars of Dawn and Carrier as well as short fiction appearing in various professional and semi-professional markets. He is an MFA candidate in George Mason University’s creative writing program and an affiliate member of the HWA.
Find Timothy on Twitter and at timothyjohnsonfiction.com.

DL Shirey
DL Shirey lives in Portland, Oregon, where it’s probably raining. Luckily, water is beer’s primary ingredient. His stories and non-fiction appear in 60 publications, including Confingo, Page & Spine, Zetetic and Wild Musette.
You can find more of DL Shirey on Twitter and at www.dlshirey.com.

Dan Eveloff
Dan Eveloff is a lawyer and sports agent living in Chicago, Illinois with his dog, Reuben. He studied accounting at the University of Kansas, and subsequently earned his law degree from Northwestern University. His short fiction “The Price of Recompense” has appeared in AHF Magazine, “Shakespearean Justice” in Aphelion Webzine, and “Prevenge” can be found in Close to the Bone Magazine.
His social media presence can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Valerie Hunter
Valerie Hunter teaches high school English and has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her stories and poems have appeared in publications including Cicada, Storyteller, Edison Literary Review, Other Voices, Room, and Wizards in Space.
Find Valerie on Instagram.

Nicholas Barner
Nicholas Barner has farmed, cooked, and written variously in Oakland, Chicago, Maine, and Los Angeles. He lives with his partner, Shelby, and their Dog, Nuni.
He can be found online at nicholasbarner.com.

Thomas Canfield
Thomas Canfield lives in the mountains of North Carolina. His phobias run to politicians, lawyers and TV pitchmen. He is still trying to plumb the logic of the sales pitch; The more you buy, the more you save. It never quite seems to work out that way in the real world. Canfield occasionally reviews books on Goodreads.

Twitter Tags: @inkedingraypub @RRBookTours1 #WhatRemains #RRBookTours

Cover Reveal Organized By:

Thursday, September 2, 2021

New Release: Jati’s Wager (Wind Tide#2) by Jonathan Nevair + giveaway

POSSIBLE ULTIMATE TOUR EXPERIENCE TICKETS: Let’s Get The Party Started, Represent, Lost In Space, Snark It Up, The More The Merrier, The Wings Of Change

Jati’s Wager (
Wind Tide#2)
by Jonathan Nevair
August 18, 2021
Shadow Spark Publishing
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, LGBTQ+
Pages: 425
CW: death of parent (mentioned), death of mentor, verbal abuse, graphic violence and death, blood, homelessness, trauma, guilt, kidnapping (mentioned)

A space opera heist brimming with action, twists, and turns that doubles as a story of personal growth, mentorship, and sacrifice.

Ailo is a streetwise teen surviving alone on the remote moonbase, Tarkassi 9. She wants nothing more than to flee into the wider world of the Arm. When her chance arrives, she makes it no farther than the first ship out of the system. That’s where Jati, the Patent War veteran and general fighting the Monopolies, gives her a second chance. It’s an unlikely partnership, but Ailo’s rogue status is just what Jati’s People’s Army needs to drive the final spike of victory into a weakening Garissian Council.

A team of experts assembles and hope rests on Ailo’s skill, stealth, and tenacity to pull off the impossible. It’s a wild gambit, and a moral code may need to be bent, or broken, to achieve success. When an internal shadow rises, casting doubt on their plans, Ailo and Jati are forced to weigh the cost of revenge against honor and justice.



About the Author:
Website-Twitter-Instagram
Jonathan Nevair is a science fiction writer and, as Dr. Jonathan Wallis, an art historian and Professor of Art History at Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia. After two decades of academic teaching and publishing, he finally got up the nerve to write fiction. Jonathan grew up on Long Island, NY but now resides in southeast Pennsylvania with his wife and rambunctious mountain feist, Cricket.

You can find him online at www.jonathannevair.com and on twitter at @JNevair

Publisher Info
Shadow Spark Publishing


**GIVEAWAY**
We’re hosting a tour-wide giveaway, and invite you to take part!
Prize: A print copy of Jati’s Wager by Jonathan Nevair – US/UK Only
Starts: August 29th, 2021 at 12:00am EST
Ends: September 5st, 2021 at 11:59pm EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Release: Godmothered by Jonathan Yanez

Godmothered

by Jonathan Yanez
Sept. 2nd, 2021
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
Professor John Hunter?

What, like it’s hard?

The All Valley Supernatural Tournament is ancient history.

Still, all is not well.

Now that the dust has settled, the Chosen are on the verge of unleashing hell on Earth and John Hunter still has no idea what he is. Unlucky for Jonny and his new allies, the family Grimm has a solution.

Another hybrid exists. And they teach at the Godmother Academy.

Wait, there’s a school for that?

This incognito professor may be able to shed some light on Jonny’s “situation.” With Jonny posing as a substitute teacher to get close, an age-old mystery surrounding the school is uncovered and everything is brought into question.

Ragnorak awaits! The board is set and hope has one last chance.


About the Author:

Website-FB-Twitter
More animal than man, he bleeds caffeine and... Ah, I'm just kidding. It sounded cool though right?

I'm Jonathan, a former personal trainer turned full-time author and part-time model.

I could go on and on about how many books I've written and awards I've won and blah, blah, blah but I'd rather use this time for you to get to know the real me.

I write because that's what I was born to do and I freaking love doing it. Because of awesome people like you, I get to do it full time.

Connecting with fellow lovers of the written word is important to me so please join the Pack via my website at www.jonathan-yanez.com where you can grab an exclusive story or hang out with us at www.facebook.com/groups/1944447962437071/

Hope you decide to stay in touch,

Jonathan

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Book Review: Hazelhearth Hires Heroes by D. H. Willison + giveaway

Hazelhearth Hires Heroes
by D. H. Willison
July 29, 2021
Fantasy Adventure/Fantasy Humor
320 pages
Welcome to Hazelhearth: our picturesque city is nestled in a tranquil corner of the empire. Fitness lovers enjoy vigorous nature walks in the surrounding forest (don’t forget your sword!) Foodies savor rich, robust walnut-based cuisine. Or visit the gnome quarter for a walk on the wild side! Loca lmines and orchards beckon with plentiful employment opportunities, while workers sleep safe knowing that stout city walls keep mythic monsters at bay. A select few may even be chosen for exciting quest opportunities.

The onslaught of subterranean hordes? Oh, that’s happening miles away. And the elves have it completely under control.

Inquire today at the Hazelhearth board of tourism, employment, and heroics!

How could Sam and Lee say no? Lee is bored to tears as a telegrapher. His only excitement in life is the revolutionary new board game he’s creating. And of course constant disruptions at work by Sam, whose high voltage experiments wreak havoc with nearby electric systems. These two best buddies… colleagues... acquaintances are ready to escape from 19th century America into a more exciting world!

I kind of goofed on this book. I thought it was a graphic novel! I misread the promo material. So I didn't have enough time to read it. But I check out the first two chapters and was pleasantly surprised! Hazelhearth Hires Heroes seems like a fun read. The pace is fast and there is lots of humor. The knock is the heavy description...but I only read two chapters. It also looks like the writer is a D&D fan! lol. If you look at his bio you'll understand lol.

I checked out some of the other reviews and they all have pretty much the same thing to say: fast-paced, lovable characters, fun (this word shows up a lot!) read.

It appears this would be a great adventure book to read to younger children and for the older kids to read.

I hope I can find time to finish Hazelhearth Hires Heroes!

SharonS

About the Author
Website-FB-TwitterDH Willison is a reader, writer, game enthusiast and developer, engineer, and history buff. He has lived around the world, absorbing history, culture, and food. Actually, he has eaten the food. It has been verified that he is a complex, multicellular life form. Fascinated by nature, technology, and history, and especially anything that can put all three of these together, he has an annoying habit of dragging his wife to the most unromantic destinations imaginable, including outdoor museums, authentic castle dungeons, the holds of tall ships, and even the tunnels of the Maginot Line.

Virtual Book Tour - August 12 - September 17
August 12 - RABT Book Tours - Kick Off
August 14 - Teatime and Books - Spotlight
August 16 - My Reading Addiction - Interview
August 17 - Liliyana Shadolwyn - Spotlight
August 18 - Momma and Her Stories - Excerpt
August 19 - So Many Books - Spotlight
August 20 - Texas Book Nook - Review
August 23 - Momma Says to Read or Not to Read - Spotlight
August 24 - On a Reading Bender - Review
August 25 - Sapphyria's Books - Spotlight
August 26 - A Life Through Books - Interview
August 27 - Book Corner News and Reviews - Spotlight
August 30 - Crossroad Reviews - Spotlight
August 31 - Novel News Network - Review
September 1 - Lalitha's World of Serenity - Spotlight*
September 2 - I smell sheep - Review
September 3 - Phoebe's Randoms - Spotlight
September 4 - Jazzy book reviews - Interview
September 6 - The Faerie Review - Spotlight
September 7 - Our Town Book Reviews - Spotlight
September 8 - The Indie Express - Review
September 9 - Sylv Net - Spotlight
September 12 - Book junkiez - Excerpt
September 13 - Nanas book reviews - Spotlight
September 14 - Dina Raes write stuff - Spotlight
September 15 - The Avid Reader - Interview
September 16 - Valerie Ullmer - Excerpt
September 17 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up

Giveaway
$5 Amazon Gift Card + eBook Copy