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Thursday, November 4, 2021

Book Review: First, We Kill All the Lawyers (Donovan Trait Book 1) by Seelie Kay + giveaway

First, We Kill All the Lawyers (Donovan Trait Book 1)
by Seelie Kay
September 10, 2021
Genre: Humorous Paranormal Romance
Someone is killing lawyers, but a particular vampire lawyer won’t stay dead.

Donovan Trait is a marked man. Flamboyant, stunningly handsome, and notoriously insatiable, his attitude and style belie his skills in the courtroom. No one survives a cross-examination at Donovan’s hands. His knowledge of the law and trial practice has accumulated over the years… and years, of experience. More than three hundred years. You see, when Donovan isn’t seducing judges and juries, he’s a creature of the night. And now that someone has decided that it’s time to kill all lawyers, his lust for attention has set him in the murderer’s sights. The problem is, vampires don’t die. Not easily, anyway. That’s good news for Donovan, not so much for his very human lady love, also a target of the serial killer. Will several unsuccessful attempts on his life expose Donovan’s true nature? Will the killer learn the secret that will guarantee a permanent death? Or will Donovan finally manage to put an end to the killer’s murderous spree and live happily ever after, with his lady love?

Book Trailer:

First, We Kill All the Lawyers is the actual title of a vampire romance by author Seelie Kay. Based on the title alone, I had to read this one. Figuring it would be another vampire read, like most of the rest, I was pleasantly surprised that this saga had a lot of meat on the pages and some new takes on the vampire world.

I never have put much stake into the fact that vampires can't walk around during the day. Maybe live a "normal" human life and blend in. Now, I love the night ones and the sparkly ones, but these vamps have adjusted to sunlight and can walk around anytime they fancy. Which makes kinda more sense to me, if there were real vampires they would need to have that power of walking among us.

The story overall was just fun, with lots of humor mixed in with a solid mystery to solve and characters to fall in love with. The romance is on point, it could have gone down an even steamer path, in my opinion, made more edge out of the encounters. But fangs out, this was a fun read that had me pulling for the characters and wishing for the next installment to hit me right away!

Getting 4 Sheep





KD

Excerpt:
Donovan’s cell phone pinged. He pulled himself into a small alleyway, away from the stampede trudging back to their workplaces after lunch, and leaned back against a building to read a text. His face screwed up in confusion. The text read, The first thing we do, let’s kill all lawyers! Starting with you!

“What the bloody hell?” he muttered. “Is this some kind of joke?” Donovan’s eyes surveyed his surroundings. He gazed right, then left. It did not appear that someone had made him the focus of their attention. Everyone was scurrying about, like mice in pursuit of a big cheese. “Must be Finley,” he said. “Finley is always plying me with lawyer jokes. He thinks he’s funny.”

Donovan shrugged. Not funny at all. He left the alleyway and re-entered the mass migration on the sidewalk. He approached the crosswalk at Michigan and Superior and emitted a snort of frustration as the light changed and the crosswalk filled with cars. He was bumped hard by someone behind him. Donovan was forced to step into the street to regain his balance. A cab rushed by and narrowly missed clipping his side. Donovan jumped back onto the sidewalk.

A woman screamed and Donovan jerked his head around, trying to see what all the fuss was about. The woman was pointing at him. Donovan frowned and turned away. God save me from simpering females who saw the last issue of City Magazine. Donovan had appeared on the cover after being named as one of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors. Since then, he had learned that the female population was comprised of women of questionable morals and distressing behavior. He was growing weary of the attention. While his colleagues thought it a wise marketing strategy, it had brought him nothing but unwanted female attention. He had become prey.

Vampires were predators. They stalked their victims. Sometimes, they pursued them with a vengeance. That was why he had joined the legal profession. His predilections were well-suited to that particular world. Now, his role had apparently shifted and he was not pleased.

Someone tapped Donovan on the shoulder. “Sir? Are you alright? You’re bleeding. It appears someone stuck a knife into your side.”

Donovan’s mouth gaped and he turned toward the man who had spoken. Then he looked at where the man pointed. There was indeed a knife sticking out of his left side and a stream of his blood was flowing onto the sidewalk. He had a very high threshold of pain. He hadn’t felt the knife thrust into his side. If it wasn’t so appalling, he would be embarrassed. Donovan opened his mouth to reply. Then the pain in his side exploded and his vision dulled. Slowly he slid onto the sidewalk as if he planned to sit on the curb.

Then everything went black.

About the Author
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Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in nineteen works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at www.seeliekay.com, www.seeliekay.blogspot.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Giveaway
$10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner,
ebook of First We Kill All the Lawyers – 2 winners!
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

YA Author Kristen Illarmo: Who designed your book covers? + giveaway

Who designed your book covers?
Artist Rebecca Rebouché designed the cover for Without A World. She had not done book covers before, but she loved the project and wanted to be a part of it. It took her about 30 hours to produce the cover. The Without A World font is hand-painted by her! It is not common for a cover artist to read the book, which makes perfect sense, but Rebecca asked to read an early version of the project. She used inspiration from reading the book to compose the cover from some of her other works. That makes the design even more special for me. She enjoyed the experience, but her true love is painting, so she doesn’t expect to do any more book covers. That meant I needed to find someone else to design the cover for the prequel, Behind the Red Door.

Writers should write, not spend hours on Canva
(Guilty). I did a few (boring and bland) mock-ups myself and decided I should be writing instead—time to hire someone. I checked out Fiverr first but was overwhelmed by the range of prices (which I conflate with the range of quality for the finished product, for better or worse). Next, I scrolled over to my trusted source for editors: Reedsy. I have no doubt that the designers on Reedsy would have knocked it out of the park, but this is a 9,000-word prequel and the quotes came back between $450 US and 1,600 Euros, and that my friends, is out of the budget for this project.

Author groups are good for recommendations
I chose 100 Covers to produce the cover for the prequel to Without A World after randomly asking Twitter designers (not recommended) and then getting fired as a client from a potential designer on Fiverr. (I left her hanging while I was hoping for good things from the Twitter contact. Good things did not come, and when I came back she politely let me know she was busy). So I had to find something else. I was not confident in my ability to communicate the kind of design I needed or choose a designer who could produce work I would like. So, I was happy when someone in a Facebook author group recommended 100 Covers because I would never meet the designer (I was totally down with this), I could get unlimited revisions, and it was $100. So yeah, I was in.

Devil is in (conveying your own) details
As I said, I was feeling shaky about my ability to communicate my hopes for the design, so I was happy when I got to the 100 Covers (very detailed) questionnaire. It asks questions aimed at prying the critical information out of the author. It asks for the blurb or overview, of course, but it also asks you to describe the characters, send links to two bestselling covers that you like, and much more. You can read more about the questionnaire here [https://ww.kristenillarmo.com/blog/book-cover-a-journey]

The site does an excellent job of setting expectations, so I knew I would have to wait for one to two weeks before I got the first proof. Eight days later, they delivered two (!) similar and complete designs. I was so happy that I liked them both! I asked my crew for opinions, and they were (mostly) drawn to the one that pulled me in a bit more.

So, I ended up with a design that I was very happy with about two weeks after first finding the site.


Finished product!

Without a World (Kirasu Rising Book 1)
by Kristen Illarmo
Oct 12, 2021
Genre: YA Science Fiction
A dying planet. A mythical new world.

Miranda struggles through each day in the Trash Lands, scraping for food and water, wishing she could blend into the sea of ash. The best part of her day is working a meaningless job in a place where people pretend she doesn’t exist.

Dismayed to learn her mother was right, Earth will get sucked into a black hole, Miranda must trust in skills she never knew she had to get to a place she refused to believe existed.

But when they learn the black hole is no natural phenomenon, Miranda can’t turn her back on the suffering of Earth, and saving it could cost more than she ever knew.


About the Author
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Kristen Illarmo is a young adult, science fiction author driven to write stories with strong female characters in the backdrop of crumbling societies. She proudly calls New Orleans home, a fact that may only change if the perfect beach town reveals itself.

When she’s not toiling to improve efficiency in local government in her day job, she’s writing about dark possible futures and thinking about the importance of the choices we make. The prequel to Without A World, Behind the Red Door, is available now at kristenillarmo.com.

Join her monthly newsletter to grab the prequel to Without A World for free, get author updates, and access other free books from emerging authors at kristenillarmo.com.

Giveaway
$15 Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Salvation (Tomorrow's Demise Book 2) by Christian Warren Freed + giveaway

Salvation (Tomorrow's Demise Book 2)
by Christian Warren Freed
November 1, 2021
Genre: Epic Dark SciFi Fantasy
Tomorrow's Demise comes to a thunderous conclusion with Salvation!

The Extinction Campaign has ended in miserable failure. What remains of the vaunted 76th assault division limps back to Black Tide. Rendered combat ineffective by the Berserker ambush, they are eager to depart Helscape. Through the ashes of that battle come the survivors. Broken in spirit and body, men like Aradias Kane and Nathan Bourne struggle to understand what has happened. Hope and despair clash for domination as the Wastelands prepare for the final Berserker invasion.

Yet all is not lost. A band of would be heroes emerges. Led by Kane, they follow the enigmatic pirate lord Thalon Zimbele to the east. He leads them to the town of Redemption where the last wizard awaits. Ganelin D’amala has waited several lifetimes for his chance to atone for the sins of his kind. With death closing in, this is his final opportunity.

Over lakes of lava and across endless deserts the war-weary band travels. Their destination is the hidden Berserker Hive. In this final battle for the fate of the world, heroes will rise and fall. They move with sure purpose but the Berserkers will not go quietly. For both sides there can be only one of two possible recourses: salvation or death.

Started in The Extinction Campaign, Salvation concludes in a knock-down, drag-out brawl for the fate of Helscape. You won't want to miss this one. Grab your copy today!

The Extinction Campaign (Tomorrow's Demise Book 1)
IT IS A TIME OF MONSTERS, MAYHEM, AND THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE.

Tomorrow’s Demise: The Extinction Campaign combines all the greatest in the genre, from Star Wars to Dune, to the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Filled with battles and the unique perspective of a combat veteran, this story is a cross between a fairy tale and a nightmare, where your imagination is the only thing holding you back.

Some men are destined for greatness. They become the stuff of legends.
Aradias Kane was a child when he watched Berserkers kill his family. Vowing revenge, Kane became a Slayer: a nomadic order of men and women dedicated to removing the Berserker threat from the Wastelands of planet Helscape. Kane’s adventures take him across the desert, gathering others to his cause. It is a desperate time for the winds of change have shifted. An old power is rising in the desert even as a new power is barreling across space to claim the planet for its own.

Nathan Bourne needs change but doesn’t know where to turn. The choice is stolen from him the night his partner is murdered by a pack of Berserkers who have discovered a portal between worlds. Nathan chases them back to Helscape and becomes trapped between the Berserkers and soldiers of the galaxy spanning Imperium. Only by teaming with Kane does he stand a chance of getting back to Earth. Even that might not be enough.

Tomorrow's Demise is an all new military science fiction adventure set on a desolate world filled with genetically created monsters and the dwindling local population fighting them.

Get your copy today and begin an adventure unlike any other.


About the Author
Website-FB-TwitterChristian W. Freed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. more years ago than he would like to remember. After spending more than 20 years in the active duty US Army he has turned his talents to writing. Since retiring, he has gone on to publish 17 military fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as his memoirs from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first published book (Hammers in the Wind) has been the #1 free book on Kindle 4 times and he holds a fancy certificate from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.

Passionate about history, he combines his knowledge of the past with modern military tactics to create an engaging, quasi-realistic world for the readers. He graduated from Campbell University with a degree in history and is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in Military History from Norwich University. He currently lives outside of Raleigh, N.C. and devotes his time to writing, his family, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs. If you drive by you might just find him on the porch with a cigar in one hand and a pen in the other.

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

Monday, November 1, 2021

New Release: Tinsel, Wings And Fur... (A Fae Worlds Holiday Storybook)

Tinsel, Wings And Fur... (A Fae Worlds Holiday Storybook)
by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, Lisa Kessler, PJ Mellor
November 1, 2021
One Veil . . . Three holidays

Only one Veil keeps the human world separate from the Fae born. Some believe it’s safer this way. That magic and mundane simply shouldn’t mix. But what happens when worlds collide, and the Veil is crossed? Or worse, broken?

Tinsel, Wings & Fur is a limited edition holiday fantasy romance anthology featuring three unique and NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED holiday stories from three best-selling and award-winning authors.

Experience the MAGIC of the holidays and LOVE that's strong enough to cross the Veil...

Making Spirits Bright: Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
Ridley Stone believes… in holiday magic. But she needs to get a few things straight, like what those lights in the canyon really are each Christmas, and who the new guy is that wants to keep her from finding out.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she’d meet a dragon, or be wanted by two sides of the Fae world.

A Winter’s Wish: Lisa Kessler
Darren Slater is down on his luck, way down, but not out, not yet. Unwilling to give up on his songwriting dream, he makes a desperate holiday wish that his music might make a difference. But magic doesn't happen overnight, and he still has to eat, so he accepts a part time gig as a mall Santa in Los Angeles.

He never expected to fall for an elf.

Fairydust & Mistletoe: PJ Mellor
On the verge of expulsion from Fairy School, Misti has one more chance to get it right… So, will she succeed?

Excerpt: A Paranormal Women's Fiction (Midlife Supernaturals, Book One) by T.J. Deschamps + giveaway

Eastside Hedge Witch: A Paranormal Women's Fiction: (Midlife Supernaturals #1)
by T.J. Deschamps
October 31, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Women's Fiction
Twenty years ago, I stole something that could win the war between Heaven and Hell. Don't get me wrong, I'm no do-gooder. I wanted to rule everything with the King of Hell. However, I have serious qualms with killing 8 billion people in order to get what I want. He didn't. Irreconcilable differences, right?

So, I did what any witch would do. I faked my death and hid out in the Seattle suburbs, living as a mundane. Stay at home moms are practically invisible here!

I had a good thing going until a hellhound showed up on my morning run. Guess you can't thwart the devil's machinations and get away with it forever. Time to come out of the supernatural closet and save the world. Again.


EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
No one expects to run into a hellhound on their pre-dawn run in the Seattle suburbs, not even me, and I’ve had a long history with the stinky mutts and their master. I stop dead in my tracks, my heart thudding faster than the beat in my earbuds. After pressing the bud in my right ear, the music ceases. Ambient noise filters in.

Luck is on my side, sort of, as I am downwind of the monster, not the other way around. The reek of sulfur was what had given away the hellhound circling my neighbor’s begonias long before I spot the glowing red headlights where eyeballs should be. Besides the glowing red eyes, there’s no mistaking the hellhound for a lost pooch or a coyote on the prowl. The arch of its back reaches about as high as my chest, and I’m about 5'6", not tall but not short either. It’s three times as wide as my hips, and I’m, as my daughter’s generation puts it, “thicc.” Under a sleek coat of slate-gray fur, sinewy muscles ripple. Even without looking inside its muzzle, I know viscous slobber covers several rows of razor-sharp teeth. But what really gives away the doggo is not a helpful Lassie are the shadows, darker than dark, swirling about the killer canine.

Those shadows will suck you into a whole new world. Somewhere you don’t want to take a magic carpet ride, Aladdin, not one little bit.

Too busy sniffing at my neighbor’s hedges, likely distracted by a bunny, the hellhound doesn’t even realize I’m there. I don’t mind if the demonic beast eats Peter Rabbit, the circle of life and all that, but I sure as hell mind if the hound tries to devour me, or worse catch me up in those swirling darker-than-dark shadows forming around him.

My stomach knots with unease and I bite my bottom lip to keep from crying. I’d grown complacent over the years since I left Hell. I want to stomp my foot and cry out that this isn’t fair. I’d gotten away from His Creepiness and all his bullshit evil machinations a long time ago. I have a nice, albeit bland, life in the suburbs. I’m on the freaking Parent Teacher Student Association!

I give up my pity party. I am a middle-aged mom, not sixteen. I’ve known for a long time that life was never going to be fair, as life never is when someone has way more power than you have.

I’d grown complacent, but like all middle-aged mothers, I still came prepared. I’d thought I was safe from Hell, but the world is filled with a lot more things that go bump in the night than hellhounds. I ease off my backpack.

My kid likely thinks I carry around weights, tasteless nutrition bars, and a water bottle like a normal person. The water bottle is the only true part. What I do have in my bag stops all kinds of monsters from devouring me while I get my heart rate up to “cardio” on my smartwatch. I push aside ash and rowan wood stakes, a silver dagger in its sheathe, a jar of cream to distract fae—not that the high fae courts are even allowed on Earth after the angels kicked them out, but the tiny low fae love the stuff and keeps them on your side.

Among these contents, I retrieve a container of Morton salt, tear off the sticker, and flick the spout with my thumb. My stomach dips when the friction causes the metal of the spout to squeak against the cardboard of the container.

My gaze still on the hellhound, who is still tearing up my neighbor’s garden, I exhale in relief.

With great care, I pour the salt in a circle, whispering the words I’d learn by rote. I’d learned them in another tongue but say the spell in English—a focus, the actual words don’t matter. The intention does. The power comes from within me, as it does all witches. I contain a metaphorical light inside that can blaze with the brilliance of a thousand suns, or so my mother said.

Mom was more poetic than I could ever be. She read Ralph Ellison, Alice Walker, and other greats of the twentieth century. I read comics and listened to Biggie and Wu-Tang Clan. She belongs to a coven. I am a lone witch, living a continent away from the women who raised me. Generational disconnect happens to the supernatural, too. Especially when your mother gave you to a fallen angel as a tithe when you were only a teenager.

When I’m done with the setup, I return the salt to my backpack and steel myself for what’s to come next.

I whistle. The first comes out dry and soundless. I moisten my teeth and try again. A shrill sound, loud enough to wake the dead let alone the neighborhood, departs from my lips.

The hound pauses the search for the rabbit, lifting its head. Alert. The beast’s nostrils flare as it sniffs the air. Red glowing eyes lock onto me.

Yeah. That’s right. I’m much better prey.

A low growl emits from the beast’s throat. Claws the length of my fingers click on the sidewalk as the hound stalks forward toward me.

Inside, I’m quaking with fear. I have not done this spell in a long time. If something happens to me, my daughter will have no one. I push that out of my head and plant my hands on my hips.

“Go tell your master take the hint and leave me alone.” I point as I speak, not intending a literal destination but a general begone direction.

The idiot looks where I pointed.

I roll my eyes. Hellhounds are not like Earth dogs. They have no instinct to protect, but they have the same instinct to hunt and follow signals. When the evil pooch realizes his master isn’t there, the predatory red gaze narrows on me, but it doesn’t move.

Doubt and confusion sets in. I’m not sure why he’s not pouncing and dragging me back with him to Hell nor ripping me to shreds. Am I not its target?

I curse under my breath.

I clear my throat. “Also, tell him stalking is a little gross and so creepy that he’s still got a thing for a me. I made it pretty clear I didn’t want to be with him anymore.” I throw up a hand and shake my head. “Wait. Why am I telling you? You’re too stupid to deliver a message.”

I spin on my heel like I’m going to walk away. Part of me wants to run. Wants to lure this beast away from my home, my kid.

The movement triggers instincts. In my peripheral, the monster snarls and lunges.

My heart leaps into my throat. The creature is doing exactly what I want it to do, however, a massive hellhound is launching in my direction. That and swirling magic that promises to rip me from everything I love to carry me to my least favorite ex scares the bejesus out of me.

After a moment of frozen terror, my brain revs into gear. I find my voice, murmuring the final words of the spell. A silly little rhyme stammered more than said—but stammered with intention!

The ground shakes beneath my feet, rumbling like a thunder cloud. Within the salt circle I’ve created, a swirling vortex appears. Fire erupts from the center, but I don’t feel the heat. It’s all contained by the salt I bought in a three-pack from Costco. The beast snarls and whines but cannot escape the flames toasting its flesh.

Oopsy. I’ve opened a portal to a less hospitable part of Hell. Guess this hellhound won’t be delivering my message.

I murmur another spell, voice still shaking. The swirling vortex sucks the hellfire and burning beast down like a flaming turd down a flushed toilet.

As I’ve said, I’m no poet.

The portal between worlds vanishes, leaving behind my salt art.

Sweat cooling on my body and adrenaline waning, all I want to do is go home and shower, but I need to clean up the salt first. If I left it, Seattle’s infamous constant drizzle would wash the salt into the neighbor’s yard and kill all the plants.

Television and movies with demon slayers never mention that salt will kill plants if absorbed into the ground. The ostensible heroes walk away from their salt circles, leaving a destructive mess, not caring whose yard they’ve destroyed, but I do.

As I sweep up the salt circle with a pocket-sized dustpan and broom, dumping the contents into a Ziploc bag, a sadness envelops me. I’d found safety and community on the Eastside—albeit while pretending I was something I was not. I don’t want to move again, but I have to.

The thing is, you don’t just leave my ex and get to live happily ever after, not after he’s shared his ambitions. Not after he’s named you his Harbinger of the Apocalypse. I’d only deluded myself that I could.

His Creepiness had once said that he’d tear the heart out of anyone whom I loved more than him, so they’d know how he felt. I used to think of the declaration as terribly romantic, instead of simply terrible. I certainly loved my daughter more than I ever loved him. Would he kill her or try to use her for the purpose he wanted to use me? New fears arise.

With the salt all swept and bagged up, I head to my house with a heavy heart. The life I’ve built here on the Eastside is over, and I have to break that, and so much more, to my daughter.

About the Author:
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Instagram-TikTok
BookBuzz
T.J. Deschamps lives in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. with her three teens, two cats, and a tortoise. She loves to read, write, dance, and lift weights--not at the same time, although that'd be cool to see.



Virtual Book Tour - October 31st - November 12
October 31 - RABT Book Tours - Kick Off
October 31 - Triquetra reviews - Excerpt
November 1 - I smell sheep - Excerpt
November 2 - Nesie's Place - Excerpt
November 3 - Novels alive - Excerpt
November 4 - Girl with pen - Excerpt
November 5 - Liliyana Shadolwyn - Spotlight
November 5 - On a Reading Bender- Review
November 6 - Jazzy book reviews - Interview
November 7 - Readers alley - Excerpt
November 8 - Chapters through life - Spotlight
November 9 - Book junkiez - Excerpt
November 10 - Novel News Network - Review
November 10 - The Faerie Review - Spotlight
November 11 - Jav bond blog tours - Review
November 12 - Valerie Ullmer - Excerpt
November 12 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up

Giveaway
$20 Amazon Card