Annette Gisby's Blog

Happy PlaceL.P. Maxa
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication:  December 20th 2016
ISBN: 978-1541227-91-0 – print ISBN: 978-1-944262-56-3 - ebookASIN:  B01MT15T5J
Number of pages:  162Word Count: 50,260
Cover Artist: Boroughs Publishing Group
Tagline:    Secrets, lies, Christmas, and a fake wedding. What could go wrong?
Book Description:
Two years after spending one blissful night with her lifelong crush, Cassie Huntington meets Declan Preston again during the Christmas season, and secrets and lies turn into a fake wedding that just might save their love.
Boroughs     Amazon     BN     Smashwords    Kobo     iTunes




Excerpt:
I couldn’t believe that I was back at the damn airport about to get on another mothereffin’ plane. I landed in this exact terminal not three days ago from London. I’d barely had time to unpack and re-pack before I was on the move again. I knew I owed it to my family to go home for a visit, especially during the holidays. I’d only seen them a handful of times in the two years I’d been living in London. Plus, for the first time in a long time, I was excited to go back to Dallas. It was time to see Cassie. I knew she hadn’t married Steven because Brice had told me during one of his many trips to London. I hadn’t called her. I wanted to, but I knew that she needed time to get her life in order. I needed her to be ready for me. I needed her to be happy, content, and ready to be in a real relationship. A relationship that was fifty-fifty, where we made choices together. A relationship where we each got to be ourselves, flaws and all. A relationship full of real love, and as much sex as she could handle.I was ready. I’d more than sowed my wild oats, all over Europe in fact. Man, that was a fun two years. But I never stopped missing Cassie, never stopped thinking about her, wondering how she was. I chuckled to myself. I was so amped up about seeing her again that women were starting to look like her. I could have sworn I saw her when I was going through security and now I was seeing her again at my gate. Wait. No. Was that…? “Cassie?”The woman whirled around at the sound of my voice, her blonde hair fanning out. Holy. Shit.“Declan. Oh my gosh, wow. I, uh, I didn’t know you were back from London.”“Yeah, I just flew in a couple days ago. Man, you are a sight for sore eyes. Come here.” I pulled her in for a hug; she smelled amazing and her body seemed to melt into mine. “What are you doing in Florida?” I was so happy to see her, I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt like my face was going to crack in half.“Oh, uh, it’s so good to see you, Dec. It’s been a long time. I’ve actually been meaning to call you…”
She was talking into my shirt, her hands on my hips, not making eye contact. But I didn’t care. I’d waited two years to have my hands on her; nothing could ruin this perfect moment.

About the Author:
L.P. lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, daughter, three rescue dogs, and one adopted cat. The fish died. She is a full-time writer, and part time business owner. L.P. says she loves to read as much as she loves to write, and reading a good book is her reward after writing one. In her spare time, she fosters puppies for a rescue organization based in Austin.
Website: http://www.lpmaxa.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lpmaxa
Instagram: www.instgram.com/lpmaxa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/LP-Maxa/1442560722667127
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10952233.L_P_Maxa
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Vices and Virtues Playlist
Wolf by First Aid Kithttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czj7SyPNRto
Every Breath You Take by The Policehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs
Fairy Dance on Peter Pan Soundtrackhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtxT-bn18OY
My Way by Frank Sinatrahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E2hYDIFDIU
Twilight Zone by Golden Earringhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1sf2CzEq0w
Blood in the Cut by K.Flayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2WcOdz96ko
Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmorehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGju9VaQuyg
Jack the Ripper by Short Stackhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx4ssWgRpts
Bella’s Lullaby on Twilight Soundtrackhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoBoeg-oyBA
Cruel to be Kind by Nick Lowehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0l3QWUXVho
War Pigs by Black Sabbathhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w
Believe by Secret Nationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdBm8_yq3D0



Vices and VirtuesAn Anthology of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Dark Virtues
Genres: Horror, Supernatural, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Suspense/Thriller
Taglines: Because sometimes, the virtuous are as frightening as the sinful…
About the Anthology
Sins will weave you into their webs. They become the Vice you’re unable to shake. There are the values, taught from birth, which ride a razor’s edge. They turn into Dark Virtues, a twisted mockery of their true meaning.
Pride, envy, lust, gluttony, anger, greed and sloth all have their place in the tapestry of life. They are the Vices who lost sight of the Virtues: charity, temperance, forgiveness, humility, kindness, chastity and diligence.
Enter the worlds where the tales of the most sinful of Vices and the darkest of Virtues will entice and intrigue you…
…for even among the most devout there is a dark side.
Amazon


SINS OF THE FLESH (Gluttony)BY STACEY BROADBENT
It was a balmy Spring evening when I first discovered a taste for human flesh. It was a happy accident really. After having my heart broken one too many times, I'd abstained from any type of physical relationship with a man for years, so when one fell in my lap, it came as quite the surprise.

EXCERPT SINS OF THE FLESH:Throwing caution to the wind, I slipped my feet into a pair of runners and walked down the road, telling myself it was to clear my mind. But really, I was on the prowl for fresh meat. Someone vulnerable—easy prey. I had to be smart about it; it was broad daylight after all.Every person who walked past became a possible target. In my mind’s eye, I pictured a computer log for each one, listing their attributes. Having limited knowledge on the ins and outs of cannibalism, I had no idea what the perfect body type was for consumption. Would it matter if they were male or female? Was it better if they were lean and muscular, or was a layer of padding more flavourful? How was I to choose?Turns out, I didn’t need to think about it at all. On my walk back home, I was knocked off my feet by a man out for a jog. He’d been too busy flicking through the playlist on his phone to see me, and by the time we’d both looked up, it was too late. We collided, my forehead into his chin and mouth. My hands automatically went up, pressing against his chest and sending us both bouncing off each other, landing on our behinds. Apologising profusely, he offered me his hand and pulled me to my feet. The impact had left a red egg on my head and skinned my palms raw. He, however, came across a little worse for wear, sporting a newly chipped tooth, and fat, bleeding lip. As soon as I got a whiff of the blood on his breath, I knew, he was the one.I pointed to my house across the street, inviting him in to clean up while he called the emergency dentist. It was the least I could do.Ushering him into the bathroom, I had him perch on the edge of the bath while I rummaged through the cabinet for the first aid kit. I needed to knock him out somehow. There was no way I could do this without it… unless…

About Stacey Broadbent:
Stacey lives in Ashburton, New Zealand, with her husband and three children. An avid reader and self-confessed book-a-holic, she has always had a love of the written word, so it was only a matter of time before she took pen to paper and began on her writing journey. Stacey is a multi-genre author, with books from light-hearted comedies to zombie thrillers. She is also part of the writing duo 'The Ink Slinging Sisters' with friend S.K. Lessner. You can often find her lurking on social media so don't be afraid to reach out and have a chat.
Website:  http://www.staceybroadbent.weebly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyBroadbentAuthor
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/BStayc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorstaceybroadbent/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cULu_f



A MILLION CLAY WOLVES (Greed)BY AMBER K. BRYANT
Living in a squalid encampment in the shadows of a towering city, a young woman able to endow objects with magical powers struggles with her brother's growing determination to use her gift for his own selfish means.
EXCEPRT A MILLION CLAY WOLVES :“Do you remember Jamey? Has a tattoo of a whale on his right arm, wears a red and white striped tank top—Sound familiar?”Mora nodded. “He juggled knives and guns.”“That’s right. Jamey is my boyfriend and we’re very happy, only… He has this crazy idea that he should give up the troop, join the army instead. He thinks it would provide a better life for us, but he’s wrong. This is the only life I want and I don’t want it to change. I need you to change his mind.”“What?” She took a step away from Dare. “I… I can’t do that!”“You don’t realize it, but you can. I saw it in you. The ability to endow magic. You just needed a jumpstart, and yesterday…” she pointed to the feather, “I gave it to you.”Mora stared at the feather, still crumpled in her hand.“Tell the feather that Jamey’s place is with me. In the troop. Tell the feather it needs to change Jamey’s mind. Go on.”Mora lifted the feather halfway to her face, then paused. This would never work. Clearly circus life had taken its toll on Dare’s mental health. Or perhaps unstable people were attracted to the quirky life the troop seemed to lead. It was silly to give in to Dare’s demands. Then again, if she didn’t do it, perhaps Dare would become so angry, she’d bust out of her purple corset and become a rage-fueled She-Hulk. Perhaps the simplest way out of this situation was to tell the feather to become a mind-changer and then get the hell out of there.“Fine, whatever.” She brought the feather to her lips and blew words into it. “Change Jamey’s mind. Make him stay. Oh!” She jumped as a tingling sensation moved through her body, from the soles of her feet up her legs and spine, then out to the tips of her fingers and into the feather. “What… what just happened.”Dare’s face went back to its friendly older sister mode. “Exactly what I thought would. Thank you, Mora.” She took the feather back from Mora and pinned it into her dark, shimmering hair. “Wiser people than me would tell you to be careful with this gift of yours. Magic can be used for good or for evil. It doesn’t care which, most of the time.”Confused, Mora toyed with a stray thread from the hem of her t-shirt. “But you’re… not telling me to be careful?”Dare grasped Mora’s chin and tilted it so their eyes met. “We don’t find out what we’re capable of through advice.” She gave Mora’s face a tiny squeeze and then let her go. “Trial and error, darlin’."

About Amber K Bryant:
Amber K. Bryant is an award-winning author and a librarian living deep within Sasquatch territory in Washington State. She has co-authored a short story with R. L. Stine, won a Watty for her novella UNSEEN, and won three contests judged by Margaret Atwood. When not glued to her keyboard, Amber can be found spending time with her husband and son, hiking, gardening, and searching in vain for the illusive Sasquatch.
Website:  https://www.wattpad.com/user/amberkbryant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amberkbryantauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amberkbryant

CONFESSIONS OF AN HONEST MAN (Chastity)BY CYRIL BUNTWhen I was thirteen I took my oath, I never broke it. But apparently, I broke many others.
About Cyril Blunt:
My name is Cyril and I'm 32. I've loved writing since I was very young and so I try to create believe lies, one day I hope to be good enough to make a living from writing.
Website:  https://www.wattpad.com/user/cyrilbunt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyril_bunt
DO NO HARM (Charity)BY J.M. BUTLER
What if someone offered you exactly what you needed?
Ethics and vampirism hardly go together, and Aestan has concluded he is trapped between two bad situations. A chance meeting with his neighbor Summer changes everything as she offers the solution to his problems. He can have her blood. She's more than happy to give it if it keeps him from robbing blood banks or killing people. Though at first he is relieved, he soon realizes that even what is freely given may yet have consequences he does not desire.
EXCERPT DO NO HARM:"Summer...I can't take your blood." "Yes, you can. And if I were a stranger, you would. But we're friends." "Friends?" Aestan couldn't suppress the sharp laugh. She had an oddly vague definition of friendship. Surely this was a joke. Summer finished the prep and took a deep breath."Yes, of course we are. Now...don't attack me or anything, okay?" She stuck the needle into her arm and balled her hand up before flexing her fingers and clenching again. "I can't let you have the blood we collected for the drive, but I can let you have some of mine. And then you know...we can start looking for some substitutes." Words failed Aestan as he watched. A tantalizing scent rose from the glass, thick, slightly metallic. How could she be serious? Was he dreaming?

Website:  www.jmbutlerauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmbutler1728/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicabfry
Newsletter: http://forms.aweber.com/form/13/666935913.htm
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/121313168524170/
SEVEN DAYS (Humility)BY LENORE CHEAIRS
TBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterAmandaLenore
Twitter: https://twitter.com/acheairs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acheairs
A SINGLE MIND (Pride)BY ALANA DELACROIX
Neil Clarins is a very important man with very important research.  He could save the world.  And he won't let anyone stand in his way.
EXCERPT A SINGLE MIND:Neil straightens his back and keeps his hand away from his pocket. He’s right. His work is good and more than that, it’s needed. The entire world is about to go up in flames. The environment is a mess. People are fucking dying and what he has in his lab will save them. No way he’s going to let some petty bureaucrat like Mike Bell get in his way. And if using his own brain as a testing ground is the way it has to be done, so be it. Knowing he’ll be out for at least a day, Neil puts messages on all his corporate tethers: email, messenger. I’m sick, it says. Sorry, back soon. He goes to his room and shaves off a small patch of hair. Underneath, the skin that’s never seen the sun is a sickly white-green. He swabs his temple with a topical anesthetic and sits on the bed for a long time, staring at the syringe with its small bolt gun mechanism, so like the one used to kill cattle. He has no idea if he’ll be able to walk after the injection and he doesn’t want to pass out in the bathroom. Too much risk of injury. Neil takes a deep breath, then another. He thinks of the other scientific greats. Salk and the polio vaccine. Newton digging around his own eyeball with a bodkin. Then, before he can think any more, he thrusts the needle against the side of his head and pulls the trigger.
About Alana Delacroix:
Alana Delacroix lives surrounded by  books in Toronto, Canada. She loves exploring the city, on the hunt for both the perfect coffee shop as well as ideal locations to set stories. Her debut novel, Masked Possession, a paranormal romance, is available now from Kensington Publishing.
Website:  https://www.alanadelacroix.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alanadelacroix
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanadelacroix


YOU MADE ME (Envy)BY CHRIS FARMER
I envied the time I watched you eat, hoping to taste even a crumb of that sandwich. I envied the time you got to stay warm while, I nearly froze on the street. I envied the power you had to destroy my life.
Now it will be you who envies me. Your gluttony has come to an end. One way or another, you will feel the agony of want.
About Chris Farmer:
Chris Farmer is working on a debut novel, One and Done, releasing in December 2017.
Website:  https://www.chrisfarmernovels.com


DEATH THROES (Sloth)BY LISA GOLDMAN
Born into prestige and wealth, twenty-year-old, indolent Chandler Wentsworth’s biggest worries are working to smooth over his constantly disappointed family and friends. He doesn’t realize how easy his life is until he and his friend go to a carnival, where Roma, an eccentric psychic, delivers improbable predictions and a frightening warning that the eyes are the window to one’s soul. Soon, he not only discovers the true evil behind black oily eyes, but Roma’s atrocious predictions has begun a series of catastrophic events, including soul-shattering death throes.

ONE FORGIVES AS ONE LOVES (Forgiveness)BY TRINITY HANRAHAN
I can have peace of mind only when forgiveness has been earned and granted.
About Trinity Hanrahan:
Trinity lives with her husband and five children in Virginia. She grew up overseas in Turkey and Japan, where her love of reading developed due to a lack of English-speaking television. As her need for written works grew, so did her desire to create worlds for others to enjoy. By the time she was in middle school she had started writing short stories. She endeavors to break the mold where modern stereo-types are concerned and create engaging characters.
When she’s not writing or working, Trinity still enjoys settling down to read a book or doing graphic art in her spare time.
Website:  http://trinityhanrahan.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trinityhanrahan
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/thanrahanauthor
Instagram: http://instagram.com/trinity.hanrahan


CAVEAT EMPTOR (Diligence)BY KRISTEN JACQUES
Captain Niels Fizarian prides himself on quality product: weapons, rare goods, even concubines. It's one thing to be an unscrupulous scoundrel, another to be a poor businessman. But with early retirement looming, what could cutting a few corners hurt? When it comes to interstellar trade, Captain Niels may just learn the hard way to pay his due diligence. 
Website:  http://www.kristinjacques.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krazydiamondwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Krazydiamond07
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krazydiamond_writes/


THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (Lust)BY REBECCA NOLAN
Ivy feels like everything is finally falling in place from her now that she has a new home. To make things even better, her landlord is sexy, caring Drake Hunter. The problem is Drake isn't what he seems. Will Ivy get her happy ever after or is she doomed to end up in tears.
About Rebecca Nolan:
Rebecca Nolan is an aspiring writer with several anthologies under her belt. She loves being able to bring characters to life through words. In her spear time she is often found reading or spending time with her family.
Website:  https://wordsaccordingtome.blogspot.com.au
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rnolanauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msrnol
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5278657.Rebecca_Nolan
THE PAIN OF A KINDNESS (Kindness)BY TAMMY OJA
Anna works with an appointed psychologist for answers when her mother goes missing.
About Tammy Oja:
Tammy Oja is an active reader and lover of all things word related. She currently writes on Wattpad under the pen name tamoja. Previous works include being published by Gallery books in the anthology Once Upon Now (2016).  Her short story Darla was a top 10 finalist for TNT and was optioned for film.
Her favorite things to write are short psychological horror stories that leave you thinking long after the pages are closed.
She currently lives in Michigan and you can usually find her staring at a screen at her kitchen table.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tammy_oja


HELL'S MATCH (Kindness)BY ARIA PEYTON
In my world, too many people are lonely. So out of the kindness of my heart I help them. Those who want someone by their side forever get it. Only they never read the fine print and forever means just that.
EXCERPT HELL’S MATCH:In a sinuous motion, Cheshire slides off the machine and backs away, book held out in front of her in a warding-off gesture. Anger fuels her when she speaks. “Am I being set up? Did you follow me here? What’s going on?” I know better than to move, so I stay put, my body jerking with the motion of the tub beneath me. “No, of course—” The rest of the sentence dies at her raised brow and sceptical glare. “Yes. I followed you here.” I act all resigned to this fact but surge on when she tries to interrupt. “But only because Grandmother asked me to make contact with you, and when I got to your apartment, you were already on your way here. I was so intrigued by how you rebuffed her on the phone last night, I had to meet you myself.” I may have just painted myself into a corner here as I watch the thoughts swirling in her head. I’ve given her too many inconsistencies to process and I know she’ll have a question for each one. But I already have the answer, and realistically, so does she. “How did she know where I live? How the hell did she know what I look like? And how the fuck did you think this would look, stalking me into the damn laundromat?!” Her voice gets louder and squeakier with each word until others here start backing away. Soon the place is empty and Cheshire is alone here with me. The predator within can’t believe its luck, while the other side of me is fascinated that she didn’t run with everyone else. “You spoke to her last night. What did she know about you then, huh?” The glare eases a little, but she still keeps her distance. “Too much is what she knows. I’d love to know what little tricks she has up her frock sleeves to know so much without a word.” “It’s just her ability. Some would call her clairvoyant or psychic.” “Or just plain freaky,” she mutters under her breath. “Or that.” I release a chuckle to lessen the tension hovering between us. Even though it’s refreshing to have a normal conversation with someone, the urgency to get her back to the office of ‘Madame’ still hangs over me. She’s the next match to be made and that contract needs to be signed.

About Aria Peyton:
I've been a covert operative in a foreign country, jumped out of helicopters for fun, and bungee jumped over the side of a Styrofoam factory into a vat of beans made for beanbags.
I can also leap Lego towers in a single bound, pack school lunches like a boss, and burn myself on any hot surface.
My multi-skilling is out of this world and I successfully masquerade as an average parent 24/7.
Website:  www.ariapeytonauthor.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorariapeyton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariapeyton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorariapeyton


EVELYNBY QT RUBY
Dr. Evers says the only way for Evelyn to be free is to remember her past, but is that really such a good idea?
EXCERPT EVELYN:“Why am I restrained? There is no escape from this room.” Dr. Evers releases a little sigh. “For my protection.” “Against?” “You.” “Me? What could I do to you?” She waits to respond. I’m unsure if it’s because I have to remember like she said before, or she’s just a withholding bitch. “You will remember. So . . . please, continue.” I sigh and growl a little. “My family . . . they loved me.” Dr. Evers writes down my words. “But they were afraid of me.” “How do you know?” “Because . . .” I pause to remember, to allow memories to solidify, sharpen. “Because I used to harm things.”

About Q.T. Ruby:
Q.T. Ruby, author of A Matter of Trust and its sequel A Moment of Truth, regularly escapes real-life to fall into make-believe worlds of her own design. Living in her native Connecticut with her two sweet kids, a wonderful husband, and a cat that doesn’t like to get picked up, she teaches tweens full time, hunkers down for cold winters, and tries to write like the wind in the summer.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorQ.T.Ruby
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Q_T_Ruby
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quiet_ruby


A SORCERER'S ROAD TO TEMPERANCE (Temperance)BY MAGGIE JANE SCHULER
Temperance Blanco served to bring order to her family and small town. She thought if she practiced her craft and lead the immoral on a path to restraint, life would be perfect. What she didn't count on was her intense draw to her employer, the handsome new night club owner Raiden Spellman. She thought she had tricks up her sleeve until she found herself captivated by Raiden and unaware of her place in the Cards of life.
EXCERPT A SORCERER'S ROAD TO TEMPERANCE :Her reaction to him was…extreme, unexpected and intense…and she wondered in what other subtle ways Tempest would affect her. It almost felt like a spell, and somewhat forbidden, but it also felt…good, too. Whether it was the natural lure of a new establishment, or Mr. Spellman was doing something himself to cause such havoc lately, she had to find out either way.

About Maggie Jane Schuler:
Maggie Jane Schuler is a wife, mother of three almost-grown children, and teacher by day. While she has always loved to read, the thought of writing her own prose did not strike until she was in the middle of writing her Master’s Thesis. From that point on she was hooked.
She Resides in Southern California. Besides the family and books, she loves baseball. Since the Dodgers, Angels, and Padres are all within a short distance, and the Giants and Athletics a nice weekend jaunt away, she’s got plenty of games to take in during the season. Additionally, she enjoys cooking, movies, the beach, and the local mountains. She’s most content being with her family engaged in whatever activity they have planned.
Website:  www.maggiejaneschuler.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggieJaneSchuler/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJ_Schuler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiejanenerdynovelist/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cId4S9


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A Tradition of Making MusicEmily Mims

Music is an important part of everyone’s Christmas, whether it’s Christmas carols at the church Christmas program, watching a rerun of White Christmas, or the incessant Muzak playing at the malls. 

As a singer and musician, Christmas music is an especially important part of my Christmas. I have been making music for the holidays since I was a teenager playing the organ in a little Baptist church, and music continues to be an important part of my Christmas celebration every year.

I’ve made Christmas music everywhere I’ve been invited. In that small church; at the school where I taught for many years; in the televised choir of a large suburban congregation; in the back of a truck on a Christmas caroling hayride; on a barge floating down the San Antonio River with the Boy Scouts; for church senior groups; and in the dining rooms and halls of nursing homes. 

My opportunities to make Christmas music grew exponentially when I learned to play the dulcimer and ukulele and joined The San Antonio Riverpickers, a mountain music band that features dulcimers and old-time Appalachian tunes. Also, I’m a member of Ukulele Ladies and Gents, which plays all kinds of music, including lots of island songs. With these two groups, I have expanded my holiday repertoire beyond the usual Christmas carols and radio and movie songs. Also, I’ve found myself playing in venues that are an adventure in and of themselves.

Riverpickers does a lot of street festivals around the holidays, most notably Christmas in Comfort and Dickens on Main in Boerne. We mix in a few Christmas numbers, but play mostly mountain tunes, as few carols sound all that good on a dulcimer. Our audience seems to enjoy the old mountain tunes as much as they do the carols. 

Playing for a street festival can get interesting in terms of weather. We’ve played on a stage facing a setting sun (yes blinding), and under chilly cloud cover with rain threatening. We’ve played in the heat; this is Texas after all, and it can still be hot in December. We’ve played in the cold. Really cold. Our record cold-weather performance was an hour-long set in Boerne a few years back. The sun had gone down, it was twenty-nine degrees and the wind was blowing. It was so cold the instruments all had to be retuned, not a problem unless you play a hammered dulcimer with forty-plus strings. (My fingers burned for a solid hour afterward.) Afterward, we promised ourselves we’d never play below forty degrees, but honestly, I don’t think it would stop us. Street festivals are too much fun to pass up.

The ukulele group is the complete opposite. We stay inside where it’s nice and warm (or cool depending on the temps), and play Hawaiian Christmas music, complete with hula dancers and red and green Aloha shirts. And, we sing in Hawaiian. Of course, we do the traditional Christmas songs too. The ukulele group plays at many different places, including churches and libraries, and a lot of nursing homes. Although we play somewhere every month, the holidays tend to be our busy season. So far, we have one performance scheduled right before Thanksgiving and four during December. So far. 

Making all the performances can get hectic in an already jam-packed holiday season. Occasionally my husband and I must skip a party or another event to play and sing, but making music, especially Christmas music, deeply enriches our holidays.  


♪ ♫ ♬ I cannot imagine Christmas without music. ♪ ♫ ♬
P.S. The guitar strap in the photo lights up. How fun is that?

MistletoeThe Smokey BluesBook 6Emily Mims
Genre:  Romance
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Date of Publication:  November 20th 2017
ISBN:  978-1-979474-24-5 – print book  ISBN: 978-1-944262-99-0 - eBook
Number of pages:  227Word Count: 65,450
Cover Artist: Boroughs Publishing Group
Tagline: Can the holiday season turn make-believe into real passion, love and romance?
Book Description: 
Aspiring songwriter Caitlyn Murphy is tired of sister’s hand-me-downs. From toys and bicycles to men, it seemed like everything in Caitlyn’s life first belonged to her late sister. Roped into doing Christmas for motherless nieces, and entering into a pretend romance with their dangerously attractive father, Caitlyn soon finds herself falling in love with the girls, and the enigmatic Tanner Dyson. She resists the temptation and Tanner’s insistence that they make their pretend relationship real. She wants her own family, not the one her sister had first.


Boroughs Publishing     Amazon


About the Author:
Author of thirty-four romance novels, Emily Mims combined her writing career with a career in public education until leaving the classroom to write full time. The mother of two sons and six grandsons, she and her husband live in central Texas but frequently visit their grandchildren in Tennessee and Georgia. For relaxation, she plays four musical instruments: the piano, the ukulele, the organ and the dulcimer.
Website: www.emilymims.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emily.mims.756
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emilymimsauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mims_emily

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James Ellroy once said to me, “Go to the museums, the out of the way art galleries, the people in the park, any park, and talk to everyone.  That’s where you’ll get your stories and that’s where you get ideas.” I have no quarrel with that. After I stopped shaking because I was meeting a literary “star” I realized he was interested in the common man, woman, the everyday person whose story was on its face boring, but whose psychological makeup was anything but.
In Hot Shot, my protagonist, Tyler West, is depressed.  He starts out depressed, lonely, unsure of himself, angry, a real Borderline Personality.  He’s tried the drugs, the alcohol, the sex addiction, and now he’s lodged into gambling which turns out to be his worst nightmare yet.
He lost everything.  His girlfriend, his money, his life savings, his friends and almost his family—because there is one woman who still wants to see him---his mother, Sue,  and then I wondered, “Where am I going with this?”  Honestly, the way I write---I start out never knowing where I’m going with a book. I start with an idea and I always know the ending, always the ending.  Like, this one is going to be about gambling.  Okay, okay, what do I know about gambling?  Well, I love Vegas.  I love to watch some cowboy with a gut hanging over his belt, come in wearing a white Stetson hat and sit down at a $10,000 buy in table and literally put down $10,000 dollars!!
I freak out.  I do.  Who lives like that?  My mind goes over all the things I could buy for that much money and why is it so important for this man to chance it all?  Then that leads from one place to another. And then I just tell myself the entire story.  After that, what most of our colleagues call “Panstering” I will do the outline.  Because by then I know the story.
Then chapter one leads to chapter two, and so on. But when I first met the real “Tyler West” the pseudonym for a guy I worked with, I had no idea he was going to end up winning the World Series of Poker.  I mean how many people do that?  Then that led me to researching the book.  Oh, poor me.  I had to go to Las Vegas for a weekend, stay at New York, New York, eat all that glorious food, and wind my way to the Rio where the poker series takes place. 
What an arena---the size of about five football fields with tables bunched up against each other and six chairs to a table and rows upon rows of lighting above.  It’s daunting.  I spoke to some players who had lost, some guards who explained how the series worked and even a winner of three million dollars.
It's always good for me to go anywhere at Christmas time, too.  I love Christmas and as a child, my mother always had a very ornamental tree with gobs of presents under it.  And at an early age I realized, a good novel must have a Christmas or holiday scene, a rain scene, a love scene and a death scene.  Pretty good for a 10-year-old, but those were the stories I liked to read.  Especially Dickens.

I discover along with him what’s going to happen next.  When the book is finished, it’s generally around 315 pages, I re-read it and go where the book takes me. So, let me end by saying, along with your central plot, the added texture of a time and place really enhances a story.
Hot ShotS.A. Stolinsky
Suspense
November 1, 2016
Book Description:
Payback is a powerful thing...
Actor and bartender, Tyler West experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games. Determined to change his life, he enters the World Series of Poker. His life is suddenly turned upside down when the Russian mafia fronts him 1.5 million dollars to play at the tables. And then...he loses…
Now on the ride of his life, deceit and deception are his key to uncovering the truth. He must recoup the money, but will it come at a price? Can he stay alive long enough or will his time run out?
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/cc3b8xb7sl8

Fiery Seas Publishing     Amazon



About the Author:
Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and forensic psychologist with a private practice in Beverly Hills, California. She  specializes  in trauma, adults sexually, physically and emotionally abused as children, and PTSD. She is an international speaker and has taught training seminars in overcoming the aftereffects of child abuse. She has also taught licensing examinations to candidates for both marriage, family and child counseling and for the psychology licenses. 
She began her career as an actress in motion pictures, television and stage and created a unique therapy combining acting exercises with psychodynamic psychotherapy to help survivors of all kinds of trauma overcome the aftereffects of abuse. The first edition of "ACT IT OUT" was a top seller for over nine years. A second edition of the popular book was launched in April of this year and is available on Praeclarus Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. 
She is also the author of several award-winning short stories including her newest short story anthology, DATE NIGHT, and numerous comedy mystery. Dr. Stolinsky lives with her husband in Los Angeles.
https://www.facebook.com/stefanie.stolinsky
https://twitter.com/sastolinsky


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Whispers Of The PastBook 1Heath Stallcup
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Occult
Publisher: Devil Dog Press
Book Description:
When grave robbers disturb the tomb of Sheriff James ‘Two Guns’ Tolbert searching for Old West relics, a force is unleashed, hellbent for blood.
How does a Sheriff’s Department from a small North Texas community stop a brutal murderer that is targeting criminals? A murderer that leaves no physical evidence and commits acts so heinous that seasoned officers find the crime scenes too morbid to imagine.
Over a hundred years in the making, a vengeful spirit now hunts for its killers. If those responsible can’t be made to pay, their progeny will.
Amazon


About the Author:
Heath Stallcup was born in Salinas, California and relocated to Tupelo, Oklahoma in his tween years. He joined the US Navy and was stationed in Charleston, SC and Bangor, WA shortly after junior college. After his second tour he attended East Central University where he obtained BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry. He then served ten years with the State of Oklahoma as a Compliance and Enforcement Officer while moonlighting nights and weekends with his local Sheriff's Office. He still lives in the small township of Tupelo, Oklahoma with his wife and three of his seven children. He steals time to write between household duties, going to ballgames, being a grandfather to five and being the pet of numerous animals that have taken over his home. Visit him on Facebook.com or heathstallcup.com for news of his upcoming releases.
https://heathstallcup.com
https://www.facebook.com/heathstallcup/
https://twitter.com/heathstallcup
https://www.amazon.com/Heath-Stallcup/e/B00DALTYXU/

Fire BornThe Guardian SeriesBook OneRayanne Haines
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date of Publication: September 13th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68291-511-0ASIN: B074WFSD7G
Number of pages: 224Word Count: 70,000.00
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
When Alex Taleisin’s immortal DNA kicks in after a fight for her life against something not-quite-human in the YMCA parking lot, her Aunt finally lets her in on the family secret. They’re Immortal – Elementals to be precise. Only, Alex is a little something more, and until they discover what, her life is in danger.
Collum Thronus, Guardian of the Races and savage King of the Dragons has no choice but to protect Alex and find her father’s people. He made a promise and Collum always keeps his promises. Now, he needs to keep his hands of his charge.
Enter an insane grandfather, a shifter with a hidden agenda, and a witch with a shoe addiction and soon Alex is wishing for a quiet house in the hills with the dragon she’s falling for. But a battle is coming and Alex knows the only way to find her answers is to trust her powers and become the warrior she was destined to be.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/ynTV7nxjUsc
Amazon     Amazon Canada     Amazon UK
Excerpt:
Alex refused to break eye contact. Something inside clawed at her flesh—reaching for the man in front of her. Her knees buckled as he pressed his face to her neck. She held his shoulders as he lifted her, sat her on the kitchen counter, and stepped between her thighs. The whole time he kept breathing in like he was trying to absorb her. His hands were brands on her skin. One palm stroked her back, the other found its way into her hair.She pressed her body against his, trying to take on his heat. Her breasts crushed against his chest, and she whimpered in the back of her throat. Things like this didn't happen to her. She usually dated journalists with very un-dragon like qualities or weekend mountain men with annoyingly trendy facial hair. She did not get ravished by drop dead, slam-dunk, gorgeous alpha males, in her aunt’s kitchen.After this morning’s revelations, she was ready for a bit of sinning. She nipped at his neck. His grip tightened as he growled low and deep. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Alex realized she was ready to have sex with a stranger on her aunt’s kitchen counter, with said aunt in the other room, perhaps even on her way back to this room. Awareness crashed in with a resounding thud.He stepped back and shoved his hands through his hair in jerky movements before drawing a ragged breath. “I’m sorry. That shouldn't have happened. You’re at a critical point in your transition, and that makes your heat difficult to ignore . . . It will likely get worse as it grows.” His jaw clenched. “I should have been more prepared.”Alex blinked, her mind jumped from one thought to the next.“Did your aunt tell you what’s happening?”“What?” She shook her head. “What the hell? Aunt Quinn!” she yelled, jumping off the counter to back away. Pulling her housecoat tighter around her neck, she snapped, “Are you kidding me? You can't do that. And I’m not sending out heat, asshole!”He held up his palms in surrender. “I said I'm sorry. We don't have time for this. There are people who will hurt you if they know you’re still alive. I need to get you somewhere safe.”A panic attack pushed at the edge of her temple. Confused and turned on, she needed a goddamn coffee. She refused to give control of the situation to him. “So, you're some kind of dragon thing? And I'm supposed to go away with you?”Collum sighed and gritted his teeth. “Yes, something like that. Your enemies will make a move soon. As soon as they find out you live, they'll come after you, and me for my part in it. We hoped your element wouldn’t surface.”“I'm expected to believe everything Aunt Quinn said was real. Just like that?”“Yep.” He blew more smoke at her mouth, his gaze intense. “Just like that.”She stumbled back. “Wait, do you know who my father was?”“I don’t. But now that you’re transitioning, we need to find out before the elders do. They tend to dislike things more powerful than them. And if I’ve guessed right, you kid, are about to be far more powerful.” He pulled at a stray thread on her housecoat, right above an old coffee stain. “You need to put some clothes on.” Collum reached for her hand. “We have to go now.”Alex yanked her hand back. She knew if she let him touch her they'd be on the floor. She didn't know if she trusted him, but she'd learned over time to trust herself. Aunt Quinn hadn't told her enough, but it was enough to know she wanted to find out more. Now she had to figure out why her parents were killed. If sex dragon guy could keep her alive long enough to do that, then she'd go with him. She took a steadying breath. She didn’t usually feel small around men, but this giant dwarfed her. Instead of being frightened, she wished he’d lean down and cover her mouth with his. He grinned like he knew what she was thinking, took her hand in his larger one, andrested his other on her hip. Alex almost purred with the echo of his heat. She reached to touch the smoke pouring out the strands of his hair. Quinn walked in before she had a chance.“Honey I have . . . oh.”Alex wished she could sink into the blue wall paper, but he simply raised his head andtook one step back. He gave his head a slight nod. “Quinn, I presume.”She responded the same. “Dragon King.”“You have her things ready to go?”All business, she handed the bag to him. “Everything is here; passport, extra clothing, allher necessities.”“Good. We won't have time to stop. I won't make contact again for a few days, but Iassure you I’ll let nothing happen to her. I promised Kaylen, and I never break a vow.”Alex interrupted them. “Um, hello. I'm right here you know. How about you both talk to me, instead of over me? Besides, I haven't agreed to go anywhere yet.”Collum stiffened, and glared at her.She stomped her foot. “I’m not a child. I’ll make my own decisions, thank you very much.”He snorted and turned back to Quinn. “Say your goodbyes. I'll be in the car.”He strolled out of the kitchen like it was any other day of the week—not like her life had been ripped to pieces.Quinn dropped the bags at her feet and rushed toward her. “I told you he was impatient. You really have no choice, my darling. I swear on my life that we’re telling you the truth. This must happen. You’ll be safe—he can control your fire.”Quinn handed her a yellow tank top and a pair of sweats. “Now put these on. You can't run for freedom in a Hudson's Bay housecoat. It's undignified.”“But I haven’t said yes yet. It’s—”“No, Alex, stop.” Quinn hugged her. “I love you with all my heart. But you have no say in this. You must go now.”Alex held on to her aunt as tight as she could for a final minute, then stepped away. “I love you too, Quinn.”Five minutes later they walked out to Collum's vehicle. After a final kiss to her aunt, Alex climbed in the vehicle and looked at her would be savior. “Okay, Dragon Boy. Let's go find out who Daddy is.”

About the Author:
Rayanne Haines is a published poet, romance fiction author, and arts manager.
She writes Paranormal Romance with Kick-Ass Heroines. She believes in magic and legend and all the things we cannot see. Rayanne prefers her alpha males a little gritty and the women who love them, in charge of their own destiny.
Fire Born is the first book of the Guardian Series published by Soul Mate Publishing. Magic Born is available June 2018.
All Author - https://allauthor.com/profile/rhaines/
Website and newsletter sign up - http://www.rayannehaines.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/inkrayanne
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rayannehaines/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rayanne_haines/

Good reads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36104647-fire-born

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ScourgeBy Charley PearsonFiery Seas PublishingAugust 14, 2018   Medical Thriller
Financially independent, biochemistry genius Stacy Romani grows up off the grid, while her Roma family takes advantage of her knowledge for their own gain.
Watching his family farm struggle, and traumatized by mass slaughter, Aatos Pires wants to heal animals but gets seduced by industry and goes to work for a big pharmaceutical company.
When Aatos’ co-worker Trinity creates a deadly doomsday virus, it puts the world population in jeopardy as it spreads exponentially. . .with no cure in sight.
Stacy and Aatos work alone to find a cure, as the CDC and FBI close in. Will they find a way to stop the plague or will it be the end of the world?




About the Author:
Charley Pearson started in chemistry and biology, then moved on to bioengineering, so the Navy threw in some extra training and made him a nuclear engineer. This actually made sense when his major task turned out to be overseeing chemical and radiological environmental remediation at Navy facilities after the end of the Cold War, releasing them for unrestricted future use. Now he writes fiction. 
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FallenShadows of RegiaBook OneTenaya Jayne
Genre: PNR
Publisher: Cold Fire Publishing LLC
Date of Publication: Sep. 29th 2017
ISBN: 978-0998674131ASIN: B0749YWSSN
Number of pages: 375Word Count: 72,000
Cover Artist: Tenaya Jayne
Tagline: Destiny is a heartless bitch.
Book Description:
Half vampire and wealthy playboy, Maddox lives his life in the public eye and thoroughly enjoys his bad reputation. But what most people believe of him is not who he really is. Life has always been easy for Maddox, but now a dark figure moves through the shadows slaughtering innocent young women, and the evidence points at him as his exes start turning up dead with his name carved into their skin.Erin hates everything Maddox stands for and when her best friend becomes the most recent in the line of mysterious killings, she has no doubt the rich lothario is responsible. Torn by grief, Erin decides to take matters into her own hands and she will stop at nothing to make Maddox pay.
But when the two rivals finally come head to head, neither is prepared for the sparks that fly or the eternal bond that destiny weaves between their souls. Maddox is desperate to keep Erin by his side and prove to her his innocence.  Erin would rather die than submit to being his destined life mate… And her death is just what the killer has in mind.
Amazon

EXCERPT
“You want to hurt me, don’t you? You want revenge?”
“Yes.” She breathed.
“I see.”
“I’m going to reject you, Maddox. I can’t see any other way.”
“My gosh…” He put his head in his hands. “You’re serious.”
“Completely.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. “Why haven’t you done it then?” His tone turned harder.
“I’m not finished hurting you. I haven’t even started.”
“So we’re enemies then?”
“Unequivocally.”
He smiled, catching her off guard, and causing her disquiet.
“Why are you smiling?”
His smile grew. “Was I?”
She got her feet. “See? This is why I hate you. You’re terrible.”
“Are you leaving then? Is your pain manageable?”
She hesitated. He stood and reached for her before she could think, taking her forearms in his hands. 
The pain was shoved back. She caught her lip between her teeth and fought to not moan. The only defense she had was to close her eyes and not look at him.
“You can hurt me, but I won’t hurt you. I’ve done enough of that already. I’m sorry about Selena. I did treat her badly. I wish I could take it back… But you don’t know me. You don’t know my family…I believe in us, Erin. I have hope.”
Her eyes snapped open. “I didn’t think you a fool, but you are. Why would you say that?”
“I trust destiny doesn’t make mistakes. So you go ahead and strike at me. I deserve it. I won’t dodge my guilt, and I won’t retaliate.”
“What about Melina?”
“It’s not quite as it appears…like a few other things you’re so sure of. There.” He released her and stepped back. “Same time tomorrow?”
“Fine.” She glared.
“I have something for you.”
“I’m not interested in gifts from the likes of you.”
“Sure. You’ve made yourself clear how you feel. And it’s not so much a gift as…a necessity I think. Hold on.”
She sighed and held still as he walked into the other room. He was back in a second, holding a small box and a watch.
“This is for you,” he wrapped the watch around her wrist. She was so taken with it she didn’t even think to object. The band felt like a second skin and snaked around her wrist like a flowering vine. The surface of the face trembled and the words Hello, Erin swirled in the middle. She touched it, scrolled through it.
“I’ve never seen tech like this.”
“It hasn’t hit the market yet. I had Tesla make it for you today. It’s connected to mine, in case you actually need me sometime. And you can’t delete or block me, so forget those thoughts. I can see you were already plotting.”
“Okay. I’ll keep it. Now I can at least respond with venom when you drunk dial me, like earlier.”
“I wasn’t drunk. Not from lack of trying. Getting burned repeatedly has a sobering effect.”
He handed her the box. “Don’t open it until you’re home. It’s a portal. It will connect your room to mine. Wait!” he grabbed her hand as she was about to throw the box. “You can close it on your end. I won’t be able to come through it unless you open it on your side. Even then, I won’t unless you ask me. My side will always be open to you.”
“This is pointless.”
“Oh? I thought it would make things more convenient for you. I can go where I want when I want. This way you don’t have to come on foot for our next appointment, since you’ve made it clear you don’t want me at your house…Just take it with you. You can think about it.”
“I’ll take it, but it will be a cold day in hell when I open it.”
He shrugged. “It’s yours. You decide what to do with it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I meant everything I said. I’m going to hurt you. It’s not a game.”
“Oh no? Sounds like a game. And just because I said I won’t hurt you, doesn’t mean I won’t be making moves to achieve what I want. And here’s my first move.”
“What, the watch?”
“No,” he wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her closer. “If I was the person you’ve accused me of being, I would take you right now.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t…I’d fight.”
“You think so?” He moved in, his voice dropping. “I have the connection on my side. You’re already lit up for me. You can’t hide it, Erin. I feel it. Your body will tell me the truth, even when your mouth lies. If I was that person, I’d kiss you. I’d put my hands on you. You might fight, but I’d take you under in seconds, and you’d surrender. You’d fight me to give you more, like you did the first time.” She trembled, trying to hold herself strong. He was right. “You’ve made it all about you. Your choice. Your power. You can’t ever have me like that.”
“No. I won’tever have you like that. It’s not that I can’t.” He let go and stepped back from her. She headed to the door and stopped. “Bad move, Maddox.”
“Go home.” His voice was cold and he turned his back on her.
She closed the door behind her, but she didn’t leave immediately. Fury slid molten under her skin. Was she in over her head with him? She faced the house again.
“I hate you!” she shouted at the door.
“Yeah, yeah,” he called back from the other side. “You’re mine.”
Oh! She wanted to kick things. She marched home, burning in more than one way. She would make him pay for that tomorrow.


About the Author:
Reading my bio, huh?
Real life sucks. I bet you feel like that sometimes, maybe even right now. That’s why I write fantasy. I need to escape depression, bitterness, bills, illness…I could go on, but you get it. In the pages of fiction, I can slay the dragons, triumph over the bad guys, be immortal, and never struggle with love handles. For a short time, I can let it all go, and be everything I can’t be in real life. Maybe you’re hurting right now. Maybe you’re in the waiting room of the hospital, or just stuck in traffic. I’ve brought a portal. Come with me…Let’s ditch this crappy popsicle stand and go somewhere great, where we can forget all this, at least for a while.
That’s why I write. I’m not an author, I’m an escape artist.
http://tenayajayne.com/
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DamnedLM Pruitt
Release Date February 15
Book Description:
From the writer of the international bestselling WINGED series comes a look at the other side... where it's good to be bad....
I was thirty years old when I chose to die--or rather to give up my soul.
Eternal youth, endless money... and sex.
Mind blowing, life changing, otherworldly sex.
For all those things, being damned is a small price to pay.
WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND EXTREMELY GRAPHIC SEX SCENES. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Amazon
See the Entire 4 Book Series on Amazon
Excerpt Damned:“I’m Lacey Jackson.” She stuck out one hand, something in her eyes daring me to not take it. “And you are…?”“Julie Watson.” I took her hand, making my reluctance more than obvious. The second my skin made contact with hers, a spark of energy shot through me so violently I couldn’t help but gasp. Swallowing, I said, “What brings you to Savannah?”“Oh, I’m here for work.” Without releasing my hand, she slipped out of her seat and slid in to the one across from me. Leaning in, she lowered her voice and said, “I was fully prepared for it to be another dull, routine trip but now… well, now I think I’m glad I got assigned this route.”“Oh.” The low fluttering in my stomach wasn’t unfamiliar—I was far from a virgin and I’d not only done Mardi Gras and Spring Break in Miami but I’d also spent a month in Europe after my college graduation. But this… this was something different. And not because it was caused by a woman.This was… raw. Visceral. Almost feral. Like she’d tapped in to some hunger I wasn’t even aware I’d had and now that I did the idea it would go unfulfilled was almost too much to bear.“You should come work with me.” She lifted our joined hands, brushing her lips over my knuckles. “I have a feeling you would be… amazing.”“What?” It was as if all my attention was focused on the small bit of skin where she’d kissed me, tendrils of lust spooling out through the rest of my body in lazy ribbons. “What do you… what do you do?”“I collect souls.” Her eyes darkened, her breath catching in her throat and I realized for the first time I wasn’t the only one affected by our contact. “Or rather the energy from them. The actual soul is taken up by someone else—it doesn’t matter, the details can be explained later.”“You collect….” I trailed off, part of me sure she was joking and an even larger part of me sure she wasn’t. “Really. Why?”“Because I can.” She flicked her tongue over her lips and I sucked in a shallow breath. “Because it’s fun.”“But that would make you….”“A demon, yes.” This time when she smiled, a dimple appeared in her left cheek and I was caught with the sudden urge to kiss it. “More specifically a succubus.” My confusion must have shown because she laughed. “I fuck people for their energy—sometimes to death, sometimes not. It all depends.”“And you want to do that to me?”“Oh, no.” She shook her head, her hair sliding across her shoulders, the tips curling over the swell of her breasts. “I told you. I want you to work with me and my sisters and Lilith.” She leaned closer and I breathed deep, the scent of her perfume almost painfully exotic. “I want you to join the ranks of the Morning Star and spend eternity tempting the weak and the wicked.”What she was suggesting was lunacy. Madness. Even if I believed her, the idea of giving up my life to be some sort of demonic minion was ridiculous. Although….What would I be giving up? A lifetime spent catering to David’s whims, denying myself the things I truly enjoyed because it would be bad for his reputation or his political chances or his weight? A lifetime attempting to please my parents and knowing it would never happen because nothing would ever overshadow Joanne’s sacrifice? A lifetime being nothing but the substitute?What, exactly, would I be giving up?“Jules.” The nickname I hated hearing from David sounded and felt like a caress coming from Lacey. Lifting our hands again, she ran her tongue over one of my fingertips before nipping lightly. Her voice was heavy with promise when she spoke again. “Come play with me.”“Yes.” I breathed out the single word before leaning over the table and crushing my mouth to hers.Who needed a soul anyway?

WickedA Damned NovelLM Pruitt
Release Date: April 2017
All things truly wicked start from innocence.
—Ernest Hemingway
Book Description:
Being a demon isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Especially when you make a massive mistake your first month on the job.
Even more so when your sister is one of the all-star players on the other team.
Add in the rumors of not one but two coups and it’s not hard to see—something wicked this way comes….
Amazon

Excerpt:“Julie, is it? When you died, what did you see? And please don’t insult us or waste our time by claiming you saw nothing.”I studied him for a moment, torn between doing just that and telling the truth. There was something about meeting the be-all-end-all as far as the creation of everything went which made me want to keep our conversation to ourselves. On the other hand, I didn’t relish having to go through the whole dying thing again and I had a feeling the key to my miraculous return rested in those few minutes when I was, to quote the younger dead, all dead.“There was a white room. And a woman.” I paused, hesitating another moment before continuing. “She said She was the Power.” I took a deep breath, holding it a few seconds before exhaling. “And when I asked if She was going to kill me, She said no, it wasn’t my time to die. And then I was back here.”“It’s not enough.” Joanne shook her head, her hair sliding over her shoulders. “Michael, it’s not enough. You know how She is. She could have been playing one of Her fucking word games and any minute now—.”“I know, girl.” The almost giant next to her knelt down, kissing the side of her head before murmuring something in her ear. Whatever he said reassured her enough to have her letting up some of the death grip on my hand although she still didn’t let go. Michael turned to Gabriel, standing silent and watchful in the back of the room. “Can you speak with Her?”“You think She’s less likely to lie to me?” Gabriel snorted. “You know She doesn’t play favorites.”“And we all know that’s a lie. She was willing to sacrifice innocents to keep you whole, if not happy.” Gideon’s gaze flicked to the tall redhead who, if I was keeping up with the names being thrown around earlier, had to be Lucinda. “She’ll answer your questions, even if She doesn’t want to.”“I didn’t say She wouldn’t answer me. I said there was a good chance She would still lie to me.” Gabriel sighed. “But fine—as the patron saint of women and children—.”“We already know your resume.” Joanne’s voice was so acidic every person in the room, archangel or not, flinched. I lifted my brows but stayed silent. This Joanne wasn’t the one I remembered. This Joanne seemed as if she could not only reduce a person to tears with a few words but she would enjoy doing it. “Now go do your job.”“As the queen wishes.” Gabriel offered a bow which was just a shade shy of mocking, his smile dying away when he glanced at Joanne. “Right. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”His departing flash was enough to blind me but thankfully sulphur free. Although I was feeling less and less like death with each passing second, I wasn’t quite ready for the scent of brimstone.“You had to piss him off, didn’t you, Mom?” Olivia widened her eyes, blinking rapidly. To be fair, the majority of the people in the room were reacting the same way, the only exceptions being Joanne, Barry, Raphael, and Michael. “You know how he feels about being ordered around.”“Much the way you feel.” Joanne’s face softened ever so slightly, her lips curving upward. “In case you wondered where you get that particular quirk from.”“Yes, blame it on my brother.” Michael kissed her cheek again, tucking her hair behind her ear and studying her face. Whatever he saw there had him nodding. “Why don’t we all go in to the other room for a few minutes? Leave the two of you alone?” He glanced over at Raphael and Gideon, standing silent and watchful with matching looks of suspicion. “Do you think that will be a problem?”“If she were human, hell, yes—she had multiple seizures leading up to a massive cardiac episode and she was dead for damn near ten minutes.” Gideon paused, sighing and shaking his head. “But I’ll admit, I don’t have a goddamn clue what’s happening here. Even when the Power is generous enough to provide a miracle, She still tends to make it hurt, just so you don’t mistake her kindness for weakness.”“Gideon, please.” Joanne’s voice broke and once again the entire room responded, although this time there was a definite degree of panic. People all but tripped over themselves in an effort to exit the room, the sole exceptions once again being Michael, Raphael, and Barry. “Just a few minutes.”“Fine. Yes. Fine.” Gideon shoved Lucinda toward the flap which apparently served as a door, nodding rapidly. “If anything happens, yell.”“If you need us, we’ll be outside.” Olivia scooped up Douglas, ignoring his whines to stay with Nana. She paused with one hand on the flap, glancing over her shoulder. “Do you want me to go get the others?”“Not yet.” Joanne shook her head, clearing her throat before continuing. “I need a few minutes.”“Okay.” Olivia shifted her gaze to Barry. “Are you coming?”“In a moment.” Striding across the room, he nudged his way between me and Joanne, kissing the top of her head and then mine. “Let me know if you need anything.”It was a tossup as to who his statement was directed toward and right then it didn’t matter. Joanne nodded, stretching up and kissing his cheek. “I don’t know why you were there but thank you.”His only answer was a nod before he followed Olivia out of the room.“We’ll be right next door.” Raphael leaned across the bed, giving Joanne a hard, brief, almost possessive kiss. Glancing at Michael and lifting his brows, he said, “Call if you need anything.”“Don’t be a hero, girl.” Michael didn’t kiss her, instead simply pressing his forehead to hers. “Call.”“We’ll be fine.” She glanced at me, her smile clearly forced. “I promise.”The two men exchanged another look before leaving the room, the flap dropping shut behind him. For long minutes, there was only silence. Finally, Joanne sighed and shook her head.“Julie—what the fuck have you gotten yourself in to?”

RuinLM Pruitt
Release Date: May 31, 2017
Book Description:
I can resist everything except temptation—Oscar Wilde
But what happens when temptation is everywhere?
Cam is tempting to me toward the darkness.
Barry is tempting me toward the light.
And I want them both. I want it all.
Temptation will be my salvation. Or my ruin.
Amazon
Excerpt Ruin:
“Is it done?” Cam strapped the saddle bags he’d somehow managed to stuff all my clothes in to the little bike—not quite a motorcycle but bigger and less dorky than a scooter. When I didn’t answer right away, he stepped over to me, grabbing my face in his hands and squeezing. “Coniglietto. Is it done? Did you take care of her?”“Yes.” Even to my own ears my voice sounded dull and lifeless. Considering the fact I felt high as fucking kite, I could only assume it was shock. “I took care of her.”Not in the way he meant, not exactly, but I’d taken care of her the best way I knew how.I’d done a lot of horrible things, on purpose and accident, and I had no doubt I would do more horrible things still. But I’d be damned even more than I already was before I actually killed my sister.“Good girl.” Cam pressed a quick, hard kiss to my forehead before steering me toward the bike. “I have little doubt the archangels will be here soon—so we shouldn’t be.”“Where are we going?” It didn’t matter. I had, for all intents and purposes, hooked my wagon to his. If anyone threw doubt on my commitment to the so-called cause, all Cam would have to do was point out what I’d done to Joanne. Sure, there might be trouble when it came out she wasn’t actually dead but it could all be explained away as yet another newbie mistake.After all, they taught us how to not kill people. Not the opposite.“I’m thinking Prague.” He settled himself on the bike, gesturing for me to do the same. He handed me a helmet, his lips curving upward when I stared at it blankly. “Safety, little rabbit. And a disguise. It’s safer for us to blend in at the moment.”“Right.” My hands felt thick and clumsy as I struggled to strap on the protective headgear and I cursed under my breath when Cam finally took pity on me and did it himself. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”“Change is hard, little rabbit.” He brushed his lips over mine before flicking the tip of my nose. “Now, let’s go take over the world, hmm?”



TormentThe Damned SeriesBook FourBy LM Pruitt
Release Date August 8, 2017
Genre: PNR
Book Description:
Enemies are so stimulating.--Katherine Hepburn
If you can look past the part where they're trying to kill you.
The Damned want my head on a platter. The Winged have similar plans.
As for Morning Star and the Power... well, only They know.
One false step... and everything is lost.
CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL ACTIVITY. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Amazon

Excerpt Torment:
“You’ll catch cold if you stay out here much longer.”I didn’t turn around, continuing to study the skyline. “I’m fine.”“It’s three in the morning. You should be asleep.” He didn’t sound angry about the fact I wasn’t or the fact I was standing outside in late September in sleep pants and a thin cotton tank. If anything, his scolding sounded as if it was for form and nothing else. “It’s been a long day for all of us.”“Yes.” Now I did turn around, studying Barry with the same intensity I’d shown the various buildings of Prague. “Why are you mad at me?”“I’m not mad.” He pulled a cigar from the pocket of his sleep pants but didn’t light it, staring at the tip for a moment before sliding it back in his pocket. “I’m tired, Julie. As I said, it’s been a long day. The next few days—weeks, rather—promise to be equally long. We all need to sleep, to keep our strength up for what lies ahead.”“You haven’t touched me since we got back.” Since he stood in front of my sister and ripped her heart out and then walked away without a backward glance. “You’ve barely said anything all night long.”“As I said, I’m tired.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh. “There’s been quite a bit of upheaval in the last thirty-six hours or so. Quite a bit. Forgive me if I’m not my usual charming self. You have more than enough people here to pay you attention if you’re feeling uncared for.”“That’s not what I meant.” I turned back to the city view, widening my eyes and blinking rapidly in an effort to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t have a problem with using tears as a weapon when they were called for but I wouldn’t use them with him, ever. “You’re right. It’s late. Go to sleep. I’m fine.”“We both know I’m not going to sleep until you do.” I heard the sound of metal scraping over concrete and glanced over my shoulder to find he’d pulled one of the patio chairs free of the table. Sitting down and stretching out his legs, he said, “As long as you’re here, I’m here.”“Barry—.”“Arguing will only frustrate us both, Julie Elizabeth, and we’ve had enough frustration for the day.” He slid further down in the seat, almost slouching, and crossed his arms. “As long as you’re here, I’m here.”“But do you want to be here?” The question tumbled out before I even realized it was in my mind and I bit my tongue, already regretting it. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer that.”“Come here.” When I didn’t move, he uncrossed his arms and held out one hand. “Please.”Crossing the balcony, I took his hand, curling up in his lap and resting my head on his shoulder. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. “I don’t know any other way to say it. I can simply say as long as you’re here, I’m here. When you want to leave, we’ll leave.”“And where would we go?” Joanne’s face in the instant after Barry verbally sucker punched her, Asmodeus’s face the second after I shot him, flashed through my mind and I hunched my shoulders as if the memory carried a physical blow. “There’s no place left. We burned all those bridges today.”“The thing about bridges is they can always be rebuilt and when they are, they’re stronger than before they burned.” He brushed my hair away from my face, stroking one hand down my back and pulling me tighter against him. “But since you don’t want to leave, the discussion is moot.”“We’re doing the right thing.”“The right thing done the wrong way is no longer the right thing.”“If there was a way to do this differently, we would have taken it.” We’d tried to take it. We’d tried to meet the others halfway. Nobody—Lilith, Asmodeus, the Power, Morning Star—wanted to bend.So we would have to break them.“After the raids begin today, there is no turning back. You and your supporters will be branded traitors. There will be bounties on your heads.” He pressed his lips to my hair, breathing deep. “On all our heads. You’ve never lived through a war.”It wasn’t a question but I answered anyway. “No, I haven’t.”“I’ve been through more than my fair share, even considering my age. When it’s impossible to die from manmade weapons, you tend to fight in wars simply to alleviate the boredom.” He turned, pressing his face in to my hair. “And they’re nothing compared to supernatural wars. So far you’ve only seen the pretty side of Hell. There are things which will be unleashed which should never exist out of nightmares.”“On us or by us?”“Both.” His hand shook as he stroked my back and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself. “Some things can’t be unseen or unfelt. You’ll carry it with you until the day you die.”“Are you trying to scare me?”“I’m trying to warn you. Up until now, everything about this war has been theoretical. Until today, no true shots were fired.” He drew back, his face unnaturally somber, even for him. “I know you did what you had to do and I don’t fault you for that decision.”“But I officially started the war.” I nodded. “I know. I’ll live with it.”“Things will get worse.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “They always do.”“And then they get better.” I had to believe that. If I didn’t, then there was a good chance I was wrecking and ruining lives for no reason at all. I pressed my lips to his, lightly, for comfort more than anything else. “Things will be better. We’re going to make them better.”We didn’t have any other choice.

About the Author:
L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She knows this because she's killed bamboo. Twice.  She is the author of the Winged series, the Plaisir Coupable series, Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and Taken: A Frankie Post Novel.
http://www.lmpruitt.org
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Fiskur by Donna MigliaccioNovember7, 2017FantasyThe Gemeta Stone Book 2Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC
With his family's talisman in his possession, Kristan Gemeta is ready to face the Wichelord Daazna – but he has no inkling of the scope of Daazna's power, nor the depths of his hatred.           With the recovery of his family's protective talisman, Kristan Gemeta has found hope, courage – and perhaps even the first stirrings of love.  With the aid of Heather Demitt, her band of rebels, a shipload of Northern brigands and the legendary Kentavron, he readies himself to face the Wichelord Daazna.  But neither he nor his comrades realize the strength of Daazna's power and hatred.  The Wichelord's first blow comes from a direction Kristan least expects, with horrific, lasting consequences.
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About the Author:
Donna Migliaccio is a professional stage actress with credits that include Broadway, National Tours and prominent regional theatres.  She is based in the Washington, DC Metro area, where she co-founded Tony award-winning Signature Theatre and is in demand as an entertainer, teacher and public speaker.  Her award-winning short story, "Yaa & The Coffins," was featured in Thinkerbeat's 2015 anthology The Art of Losing.  
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