DelSheree Gladden's Blog

Seven Noble Knights by J.K. Knauss J. K. Knauss’s epic of medieval Spain, Seven Noble Knights , debuted on Kindle yesterday from Bagwyn Books. You can order it here, check out the softcover (coming January 16, 2017) here, and find out all about the Grand Book Launch Blog Tour at JessicaKnauss.com.
Spain, 974. Gonzalo, a brave but hotheaded knight, unwittingly provokes tragedy at his uncle’s wedding to beautiful young noblewoman Lambra: the adored cousin of the bride dead, his teeth scattered across the riverbank. Coveting his family’s wealth and power, Lambra sends Gonzalo’s father into enemy territory to be beheaded, unleashing a revenge that devastates Castile for a generation.
A new hero, Mudarra, rises out of the ashes of Gonzalo’s once great family. Raised as a warrior in the opulence of Muslim Córdoba, Mudarra must make a grueling journey and change his religion, then chooses to take his jeweled sword to the throats of his family’s betrayers. But only when he strays from the path set for him does he find his true purpose in life.
Inspired by a lost medieval epic poem, Seven Noble Knights draws from history and legend to bring a brutal yet beautiful world to life in a gripping story of family, betrayal, and love.
“Let  Seven Noble Knights welcome you to historical fiction! …it’s a rich saga populated with characters you will grow to love (and a few you will love to hate). The ancient empires of Spain are a beautiful backdrop to the struggles of humankind across all generations of all lands: romance, revenge, war, and adventure.” —Pushcart Prize nominee Reneé Bibby, The Writers Studio


Excerpt from Part One, Chapter III: The Wedding Young Gonzalo’s uncle, Ruy Blásquez, is receiving Doña Lambra as a bride in exchange for his service to Castile. Gonzalo isn’t at all sure Lambra should be marrying his uncle, and during the ceremony his sensations run toward the culinary.
Doña Sancha shooed her sons away from the cathedral door and drew dried herbs and flowers from pockets Gonzalo hadn’t known were inside her tunic and cloak. With a stick, she carved a large circle on the hard earth. Doña Sancha set the herbs and flowers inside the circle in a pattern with meanings she might have shared with a daughter, but were a mystery to Gonzalo.
“You’ll stand here,” she told her brother, Ruy Blásquez. “When your bride comes from that side, you’ll step inside the circle together.” She arranged her husband and sons on Ruy Blásquez’s side of the circle. Gonzalo ended up next to his uncle, so close he could hear each shallow breath he took.
Count García arrived with a full complement of knights and squires and four banners in white with red castles, as well as a fiddler and a flutist who made ready to play. So many people in the plaza must have been making the loudest ruckus since the city had been won from the Moors, but Gonzalo heard nothing.
From between the buildings at the far end of the plaza emerged forty women who walked with their hair covered to emphasize their married status. Their laughter and singing couldn’t distract Gonzalo from Doña Lambra, who tottered on their shoulders.
An heirloom beaded necklace competed with her yellow hair, shining in tight plaits on her shoulders with ornamental brass tips that looked as if they had come out of a treasure chest long ago. A mail girdle, inlaid with brass and pieces of jet at the edges, cinched her bright blue tunic from under her breastbone to down over her hips. Gonzalo shivered at the thought of the bitter touch of the matching mail sleeves, from the decorated wristlets up to her shoulders. A burgundy-colored cloak edged with three rows of golden braid was fastened over her shoulder with a gilded brooch in the shape of a lion rampant. A square cap, decorated all around with braid and gold carbuncles, looked like a royal crown. Gonzalo imagined he wasn’t at his uncle’s wedding, but that this bride had come from the farthest reaches of Christendom to marry the King of Navarra or León.
The married women set Lambra down in the middle of their ranks. She let the cloak fan out behind her unsteady stride. Her face was frozen into a grimace like the one the Virgin Mary wore as she cradled the Savior’s dead body inside the cathedral.
Gonzalo remembered Lambra’s grin at the banquet days before, when her mouth had dripped red with juices from the roasted bull’s testicles and the sauce-engorged bread trencher. Each time she received the goblet, she had made sure to turn it so that her lips didn’t touch the same spot as Ruy Blázquez’s. She didn’t take the same precaution against Álvar Sánchez, seated on her other side. Gonzalo could hardly taste his food through a choking desire to throw his eating knife across the table into the gloating knight’s hand so it could never touch Lambra so familiarly again.
There he was now, that upstart Álvar Sánchez, wearing just as juicy a grin, so close to Doña Lambra that the obnoxious curl on the toe of his boot intruded on the magic circle.
Meet author J.K. Knauss“What is that blasphemous behemoth doing there? Shouldn’t a member of the groom’s family stand next to the bride?” Gonzalo whispered to Gustio.
Gustio knocked his elbow into Gonzalo’s ribs. “Why? Were you hoping it would be you, little brother?” He chortled until their mother hissed at them to be silent.
Count García was addressing the crowd. “…with these deeds, Ruy Blásquez has earned as a bride my loveliest cousin, probably the most beautiful woman Castile has seen since my mother joined the Kingdom of Heaven. May they live many more years and have many loyal Castilian children.” He raised his arms, which the crowd took as a sign to cheer and shout.
Gonzalo noticed that his uncle had already moved into the circle and reached for Lambra’s hands. She was looking at Ruy Blásquez, but not with love or even curiosity. It was a look of judgment. Gonzalo tried to imagine how his uncle’s soft eyes, long nose, and weak chin fared on Lambra’s scale.
“I receive you as mine, so that you become my wife and I your husband,” Ruy Blásquez said. Gonzalo was relieved to glimpse him smiling widely, displaying his straight, white teeth to his judge in the form of a bride.
Ruy Blásquez smiled and waited, waited and smiled. Gonzalo witnessed a thousand expressions cross Lambra’s face like clouds in a stormy sky. At last, Lambra’s maid emerged from the crowd and leaned over the circle. “I receive you as mine…” she prompted so quietly that Gonzalo had to read her lips.
“I receive you as mine so that you become my… husband… and I your… wife,” said Doña Lambra, her eyes narrow. She pulled her hand away from Ruy Blásquez to wipe at her plump lips, as if the words had sullied them.
She craned her neck to look at Álvar Sánchez and Gonzalo knew she wished she had said the words to him. His heart beat faster. Then she shifted her gaze to Gonzalo. He felt as if he were smothered with the parsley, fennel, red carrot, and beet sauce from the banquet. Such was the hunger he saw in her eyes, a hunger he couldn’t help but feel, too, and which raged all the more, the more he tried to contain it. He remembered the way the bull’s testicles had flopped onto Doña Lambra’s trencher under their own weight and the way they deflated when she plunged her knife into the center of the sacs.
He stopped a startled cry in his throat.
“Long live the newlyweds!” The crowd shouted until they were the only words Gonzalo remembered ever hearing.

Get your copy today: Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXSQHTF
Amazon softcover: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Noble-Knights-Betrayal-Medieval/dp/086698819X/

Jane of Manchester by J.G. Dow
Jane's life on the face of it isn't really too bad...she has great friends like party girl Natasha who's always up for a laugh and her close pal Polly, always there for her and of course her loving parents, but things could still be better...

Most people she knows are either married or have kids and she has been single a while now and wonders if a good man is ever to be encountered again. The single life is far from a quiet one for Jane however, as she is constantly getting dragged to night clubs and bars by Natasha and the crew as well as enduring a particularly boozy weekend away at the seaside!

Jane loves a lot about her life, disregarding rude plumbers in her flat and dealing with annoying superiors and a smug sister, but as a certain someone takes her eye, is everything about to change and get a whole lot more serious or is the single life determined to keep her captive a while longer yet...

Buy now on Kindle or read FREE on Kindle Unlimitedhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4MT8HR/

About J.G. Dow Follow Biography I lived for a few years in the North of England and spent a while living in Manchester and so am fairly comfortable writing about the city.

I went to University in Manchester many years ago and still miss the place sometimes now but have good memories!

I enjoy walks in the country and indulging in a spot of cooking now and then and write the odd story and pen the occasional poem but this is my debut novel...if anyone enjoys it, I may do another! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeofJane/Twitter: @jamestingle14  

Welcome to the Crawdad Book Blog Tour!
For the whole month of January, my new contemporary young adult novel Crawdad, will be featured on the blogs of some of my besties - authors and book bloggers who support the readers and writers of  diverseYA - and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope you can visit them all and enter the giveaway.  



Here's the schedule:

Magic of the Muses - Eileen Schuh January 1
Rich in Variety January 8
Beth Fehlbaum Books January 15
CJ Burright January 22
Twinjas Book Reviews January 29



~About the Book~

Seventeen-year-old Jamil Ramos grew up on Alabama’s Gulf Coast believing his mom, Loretta, was his only living relative. She put a trumpet in his hands as a toddler and sparked his love of jazz. But when Loretta drops a bomb on Jamil from her deathbed- she’s not his mama and his daddy is still alive, living in Charleston, S.C. – his world is turned upside down.

Now, with the only mama he’s ever known gone and the Loyola University trumpet audition less than a week away, Jamil has trouble feeling his music. When his band teacher tells him to get it together, Jamil decides to hitchhike to South Carolina over to find his father and get his questions answered. All he has is a name –Leon Ramos.

Jamil relies on the kindness of the strangers he meets-a gay teen kicked out of his home, a runaway prostitute, and a street musician-as he makes his way across Florida and Georgia trying to avoid the cops along the way. But when Jamil is robbed of his most prized possession, his trumpet, his plans go anywhere but where he’d hoped. That trumpet was supposed to be his ticket for a scholarship, the only way to college his mama could give him. Lost and alone without it, Jamil wonders if finding his father is worth risking his future.
You can find Crawdad in print and e-book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads!
~About the Author~

Lisa T. Cresswell has been writing middle grade and young adult books for what seems like a mighty long time. She can never seem to make up her mind if she likes reality or fantasy, so she writes both. She also likes lemon jasmine green tea, dark chocolate almonds, and lots and lots of coffee. And of course, BOOKS. ALL THE BOOKS!! You can see all of her work at www.lisatcresswell.com 
~Enter the Giveaway~
Enter to win one of three copies of Crawdad to be given away in January!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CHRISTMAS PETS & KISSES 2Genre: Holiday Romance
Warm your hearts this holiday season with twelve all-new sweet romances from best-selling authors. If you enjoyed Christmas Pets and Kisses you'll love following some old friends and meeting some new ones. This delightful collection of pets, from paws and hooves to wings and fins, deliver another round of Christmas magic and true love.



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It’s Always Something by Nikki Lynn Barrett
One celebrity couple. One first Christmas together. Two new additions to the McGinnis family in the form of a rabbit and a former Golden retriever service dog. What else could happen this year? It’s Always Something...

The Oblivious Girl’s Handbook by DelSheree Gladden
Being oblivious to all the signs that your life is about to fall apart doesn’t stop it from happening to Sara Taylor. Alone except for the Siamese cat her boyfriend left behind to teach her a lesson, Sara has no clue how to survive on her own. She knows her friend Monroe would gladly step in, but pride forces her to either sink or swim as Christmas approaches, even when sinking seems the most likely outcome.

Her Christmas Chance by Rachelle Ayala
Travel and romance blogger, Bella Tallahan has always hidden behind her twin sister, Tally. She was born with cerebral palsy and even though she has finished college, she lives vicariously through her sister’s adventures.

It worked, until her sister married and Bella developed a crush on her brother-in-law—a bad boy with a shady past.

Chance Martin made one stupid mistake growing up—one that landed him in prison. He’s making up for it by working in his stepfather’s workshop, restoring antique furniture.

When Mr. Klutz, Bella’s fat tabby cat, wreaks havoc in his workshop, Chance is faced with a dilemma. He’s not the right kind of guy for a woman with disabilities, but at the same time, he can’t get her out of his mind.

Will the trail of destruction left by one naughty cat bring Bella her Christmas chance for love? Can Chance rise above his past and convince Bella that she is truly worth loving? Or will the secret he is keeping horrify Bella enough to send her back in hiding?

Sold! by J.L. Campbell
Christmas looks dismal this year for Feechi Anoduro, until she meets Carsten Raimes, who brings not only good luck, but the chance for her seven year old to keep Max, his beloved Yorkshire terrier.


Unexpected Gift 2 by Chantel Rhondeau
Housekeeper Dani Johnson is nursing a broken heart, so flees across the country to hide out in New York. Certain even Christmas festivities can’t thaw her frozen heart, Dani is in for a shock when she meets the local veterinarian technician and his adorable kittens.

Home for the Holidays by Michele Shriver
After being dumped by her boyfriend and passed over for a law firm partnership in the same week, New York lawyer Melanie Holister heads home for Christmas to the small Iowa town she couldn’t wait to leave behind. When she gets there, Melanie finds that Mill’s River is just as sleepy and boring as when she left it—and that her high school crush is even sexier.

Kaeden McGrath is the most eligible bachelor in Mill’s River, and seems destined to stay that way. He won’t leave as long as his parents are still there and his ailing father needs help keeping the family business alive, and most of the town’s residents are already spoken for. The ones who aren’t would never think of staying there, usually thumbing their nose on their way out of town, much like Melanie Holister did the summer after high school graduation.

When Kaeden learns that Melanie is back, he vows to steer clear. After all, she thinks she’s too good for Mill’s River, and therefore isn’t good enough for him. Their joint involvement in a community project for the holidays helps Kaeden see a different side of Melanie, and Melanie see a different side of the hometown she shouldn’t wait to leave. Will going home for the holidays be exactly what Melanie needs to get her life back on track?

Merry Mountain Christmas by P.C. Zick
Fran is adjusting after her husband’s death when her first love comes back to town upsetting her family. But a dog named Chester provides her with an inspiration. Rescue dogs and a new love come together in the Smoky Mountains for one sweet Christmas celebration.

Paper Love by Aubrey Wynne
Growing up in a Papua New Guinea mission, Joss Palmateer is a gentle soul with a unique view of life. Still adjusting to a new home in the U.S and the sudden loss of her mother, love is the last thing on her mind.

Sexy physical therapist, Ben Montgomery, meets his sister’s friend and the sparks fly. He takes it as a silent challenge when she ignores his advances, but it’s her extraordinary inner beauty that captures his heart. With the help of a stray homing pigeon and an old origami legend, Ben sets an unwavering course of romance to win her love.


Kindled by Jade Kerrion
Nicholas Dragov, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, is the bad boy of ballet. On stage, his grand jeté defies the laws of physics and gravity. Off stage, he lavishes money on fast cars and fast women. His small-town roots are abandoned in the past, until a career-ending injury traps him back home, in the care of the woman who broke his heart.

Marisa Chantilly was Nicholas’s first dance partner, but he alone made it onto the world stage. In the eight years since they have seen each other, she has married, become pregnant, a widow, and a mother. Now, Nicholas is home, his beautiful body broken, and his attitude darker and deeper than a volcanic crater. A massage therapist, she knows how to work with sports injuries, but no amount of training or professionalism can help her endure the man who abandoned her when she needed him most.

A Christmas Snowstar by Nancy Radke
Christmas time, in the mountains of Idaho, is no time to ride very far, but Jacquie Botts and her young son ride out to get a tree he had picked out for them. There, they rescue a mare from wolves, but the mare is ready to give birth and she refuses to leave the shelter she has found in a canyon. Jacquie calls for help and finds out a blizzard is approaching fast. Even if they tried to run their horses all the way home, they wouldn't make it.

Cal Trahern arrives, searching for his mare, and finds Jacquie's shelter destroyed by the wind. She and her son are desperately trying to survive. He has a sled filled with survival and camping items, as he came prepared. With his strength and tools, they build a better shelter, just in time, and the foal is born in the middle of the night.

Jacquie's first marriage was so great, that she still wears her ring, thinking that she could never meet another man whom she could love as much as she loved her husband. But she could change her mind for Cal. Would the tough soldier turned rancher be willing to raise another man's child?

Melanie’s Christmas Gift by Sharon Coady
After a whirlwind wedding Kyle and Anne feel like they have it all as they settle in as a new family with her grandfather and his young daughter. But when Kyle announces they are expecting a new baby his child’s stubborn actions could rock their cradle and ruin their future. Can the family cat help create a Christmas miracle?

A Miracle for Happiness by Annamaria Bazzi
Brian finds his second chance at love, but never bargained having to fight for his beloved Amelia’s life.




Nikki Lynn Barrett I'm an avid lover of books. I've been writing as far back as I can remember, completing my first "book" by fifth grade in one of those one subject spiral notebooks. I have a passion for music, photography, jewelry and all things creative. I live in Arizona with my husband and son, but dream of being somewhere much colder and stormier. For now, I'll have to live that life through my characters and stick it out with the summer heat.Amazon ✯ FaceBook ✯ Facebook: Nikki's Book Nook ✯ Facebook: Nikki's Book Stormers ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Blog ✯ Bookbub

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn’t speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published. Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their seventeen cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist.Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Amazon ✯ Website ✯ Pinterest ✯ Google+ ✯ Youtube ✯ Linkedin ✯ Tumblr ✯ Podcast

Rachelle Ayala is a bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Her foremost goal is to take readers on a shared emotional journey with her characters as they grow and become more true to themselves. Rachelle believes in the power of love to overcome obstacles and feels that everyone should find love as often as possible, especially if it's within the pages of a book. Her book, Knowing Vera, won the 2015 Angie Ovation Award, and A Father for Christmas garnered a 2015 Readers' Favorite Gold Award.Sign up for her NEWSLETTER to get a FREE surprise book and her latest bookStreet Team ✯ Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Amazon ✯ Website

J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes romantic suspense, women's fiction, sweet romance, new and young adult novels. She has written fourteen books, five novellas and two short story collections. She is a certified editor, who also writes non-fiction.Goodreads ✯ Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Amazon ✯ Website ✯ Pinterest ✯ Google+


Bestselling Author Chantel Rhondeau became hooked on romance after picking up a romantic suspense novel she thought was a mystery genre. After reading that first romance, she never looked back. Chantel is author of several romantic suspense novels, Christmas novellas, and the McCallister’s Paradise contemporary romance/family saga series. She lives in the western United States and when she's not writing, she loves playing cards with her family, bowling, and bingeing on Netflix while snuggling with her lazy kitties.Amazon ✯ Website ✯ Facebook ✯ Goodreads ✯ Pinterest ✯ Twitter ✯ Google+ ✯ Newsletter

Michele Shriver is a National and International best-selling author of women’s fiction and contemporary romance. Her books feature flawed-but-likable characters in real-life settings. She’s not afraid to break the rules, but never stops believing in happily ever after. Michele counts among her favorite things a good glass of wine, a hockey game, and a sweet and sexy book boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.Street Team ✯ Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Newsletter ✯ Website

Bestselling author, P.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and fictionMany of her novels contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife - both human and animal - supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable." Her Behind the Love trilogy - contemporary romance - is also set in Florida, but she's now working on a series set in the Smoky Mountains.You can keep track of P.C. Zick's new releases and special promotions by signing up for her newsletter. Visit her website to find out more about her writing life.Goodreads ✯ Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Amazon ✯ Website ✯ B&N ✯ Kobo ✯ iTunes ✯ Blog ✯ Google+ ✯ Youtube

Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule and barn cats. She is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. Obsessions include history, travel, trail riding and all things Christmas.Her debut story, Merry Christmas, Henry, was published in November 2013 by Melange Books, LLC and received Best Short Romance in the Preditors & Editors Reader's Choice of 2013. Wynne's humorous shorts Pete's Mighty Purty Privies ( Best Short in the Preditors & Editors Reader's Choice of 2014 and Top 100 Laugh Out Loud List on Goodreads) and To Cast A Cliché are published with Amazon.Aubrey's first love is historical romance and her recent medieval fantasy novella, Rolf's Quest, will be released in 2016 as a full-length novel. Dante's Gift, her latest Christmas story, is part of the box set Christmas Pets and Kisses and sold as a single. The box set Valentine Pets and Kisses also contains the first in her vintage series, 19 Ivy Lane.Website ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Amazon ✯ Facebook ✯ Newsletter


Jade Kerrion defied (or leveraged, depending on your point of view) her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Philosophy, as well as her MBA, to embark on her second (and concurrent) career as an award-winning science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance author.Her debut novel, Perfection Unleashed, published in 2012, won six literary awards and launched her best-selling futuristic thriller series, Double Helix, which blends cutting-edge genetic engineering and high-octane action with an unforgettable romance between an alpha empath and an assassin.Earth-Sim and Eternal Night won first place Royal Palm Literary Awards in the Young Adult and Fantasy categories respectively. Readers have clamored for sequels, and Jade will get around to them when her To Do list opens up (sometime after 2020.)Life Shocks Romances, Jade’s sweet and sexy contemporary romance series, features unlikely romances you will root for and happy endings you can believe in. They prove that, at the very least, she knows how to alphabetize books.If she sounds busy, it’s because she is. Jade writes at 3:00 am when her husband and three sons are asleep, and aspires to make her readers as sleep-deprived as she is.Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Website

Nancy Radke has ridden through mountains in the wintertime, wrapping her legs in blankets to stay warm, and carrying a stone in her pocket as a hand warmer. She still has the stone (no horses), and in her imagination often returns to the ranch and its many challenges. Her pets at that time were her horses, a milk cow, several dogs and enough cats to clear out the barn. She still has several dogs, wild rabbits, deer, birds, and coyotes where she lives. Her many books feature honorable men and courageous women, usually in danger of some sort. The Trahern series follows different members of a Tennessee family as they travel west after the Civil War. The Sisters of Spirit series and the Brothers of Spirit series contain modern stories, ranging from humorous to thrillers.Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Website

Best Selling Author Sharon Coady lives in Florida with her husband, three of her four daughters and five of her eleven grandchildren. Sharon has written and published five books, a YA Paranormal, a Contemporary Romance, A Mystery/Suspense, a sweet Christmas Romance, a Spicy Christmas Romance and is working on her next book a Country Music Romance. When not writing Sharon is a nurse for the Veterans Administration who enjoys spending time with her family and riding behind her husband on their Harley. Twitter ✯ Facebook ✯ Amazon

Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country.Upon returning to the states, she swore she would speak without an accent.She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish. Annamaria Bazzi spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond, Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.Facebook ✯ Website



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12 paperbacks (1 per winner) Rafflecopter Giveaway

MoB Promotions

Look what’s FREE for the next 5 days!! Grab Shark Out Of Water now before it goes back to full price :) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O3Q1TGQ/  

Cadence’s Cauldron, A Paranormal Romance Author: Nicole Pouchet
ISBN: 978-0-9966062-4-0
Series Name: Elemental Myths
# in the Series: 4
Length: 50,000 words
Date of Publication: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Nicole Pouchet
Cover Artist: Ann Alger



Cadence Williamson has life all figured out. Her London jazz nightclub gives her a place to sing, friends she calls family, and enough money to pay the bills. No man is going to block her chi, especially not the shark trying to buy her out. Who cares if she’s been dreaming of doing the deed with him? Cadence’s perfect plans unravel when she develops fiery superpowers, melts her mic, and has past life visions of an evil force snuffing out the city’s population.

Trystan Tawanti may have his fun, but he’ll never allow another pretty face near his soul again. The serial entrepreneur is determined to purchase Cadence’s nightclub and turn it into a profit machine—no matter the cost to his heart or to his Incan family’s world-saving destiny. He just has to ignore those pesky empathic powers and the feelings signaling his fated mate is near.

Will Cadence and Trystan learn to trust their destiny and each other before ancient evil catches up to them to burn London down?

About the Author Nicole Pouchet is a memoirist and a paranormal romance novelist. Books from her Elemental Myths paranormal romance series have enjoyed spots on Amazon’s Bestseller list. Layla’s Gale, A Paranormal Romance won second prize in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Additionally, Cadence’s Cauldron, A Paranormal Romance won an Honorable Mention in the 2014 RWA Pages from the Heart Romance Novel contest.

Still amazed to be an adult, Nicole has managed to center her life on raising her two small sons and being true to her family (including husband and friends). She resides in Issaquah, Washington where she is a marketing executive. Happiest near the water, Nicole spends her free hours plotting her next escape, writing, and staring at the ceiling.


Website: www.NicolePouchet.com

Social Media

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NPouchet

Twitter: @NPouchet

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NicolePouchet

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/NPouchet/



Excerpt
“This is a song we like to call the ‘Lullaby for Insomniacs.’” Her smile heated the warehouse, and the men at the bar with Trystan exhaled their awe as one. Their audible fascination would have been amusing if he wasn’t just as securely under her spell as them.

She sang and her words penetrated his senses. The loneliness he felt, the ever-present searching for something more clawed at him, urging him to leap from his chair and force his way to her. The pianist played his solo as she swayed her body to the rhythm. More instruments joined in. There was a whole band back there. Trystan should have cared.

All he could do was watch Cadence’s body move. Her hips drifted from side to side and the outline of each leg could be seen through the dress. He loosened his collar, discreetly removing his tie and undoing the top two buttons of his shirt.

As he rolled up his sleeves, he noticed three other men doing the same. The room was definitely getting hotter. He was turned on by the singer, and his Spidey senses proved he wasn’t the only one. At least a dozen guys leered at the songstress. Couples let their hands roam freely under cover of the tables. Several women peeled off their cardigans and layers of clothing. One sat wearing nothing but a camisole.

Cadence licked her bottom lip as she launched into her final verse.

If I could reach the lever
I would make this thing go faster
Speed through confusion
Rewrite this chapter

There was nothing confusing about the state of the people in the club. A woman to his left ran her tongue over her ruby red lips, and a nearby man pressed against her backside, whispering in her ear before caressing her knee. The man she came with whispered into her other ear, and they both smiled as he let his fingers trail over the newcomer’s hand.

They were all ready to get it on. There was no wonder. The singer was a living aphrodisiac and someone had turned up the heat. The combination of sweltering passion and pure lust set off an animalistic response in the audience.

Everyone sat silent at the end of her song, panting with arousal. Desire was at a fever pitch in the club, and Trystan wondered if an orgy would break out, or if people would adhere to societal rules. Applause began, softly at first, then thunderous as the spell weakened and people returned to their senses.

Cadence and her band bowed. The pianist and the rest of the musicians stumbled off, leaving her on the stage alone. She blinked into the spotlight, seemingly unaware of the extent of her effect on the audience. “Thank you,” she shouted over the crowd before handing the mic off to the emcee.

The emcee went on about a big-name jazz singer scheduled to perform in a few weeks. Trystan forgot to scold himself for not listening as he tossed a ten pound note toward the bartender and followed the singer to her back office...

Cadence's Cauldron is FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited and available for purchase on KindleAMAZON

Today I'm pleased to welcome Diane Ryan to the blog!
How exciting this is, being invited to guest blog! Thank you, DelSheree, for the opportunity. I’m thrilled that you’ve given me the chance to talk about my debut novel, and rescue dogs, and how the novel and rescue dogs are connected.

In 2004, I moved from rural Georgia to Southwest Virginia, packing a trunk full of old manuscripts from as far back as the early nineties. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write, but the literary landscape was quite different back then. The Big Six still dominated, Amazon wouldn’t introduce Kindle for three more years, and self-publishing was still considered vanity press. I always felt I would have a novel in print some day; I just couldn’t see a clear path to it at that time.

What I found in Southwest Virginia caused all my priorities to shift. How could I think about personal issues or writing a book when my new county of residence (population less than 45,000) killed more animals in one year than Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Virginia Beach combined? I formed a small rescue organization, applied for and received 501c3 nonprofit status, and bought property to house a large number of animals. I felt sure the community would support this effort.

I was wrong.

Attitudes toward rescue are hostile in Appalachia. Animal welfare ideals step on too many toes. Between backyard breeders, a dearth of local low cost spay/neuter options, and a local government that wants no attention called to their problems, a small, home-based rescue can forget finding the support it needs to operate. Especially a rescue with a Director who doesn’t hesitate to push community buttons over issues like dogs on chains, dogs locked in hot cars, sterilization, and vaccines.

Earlier this year, after my rescue received no donations for more than a month, I faced a bleak evening without a scrap to feed thirty hungry dogs. It was a turning point for me. I realized I’d have to be more resourceful. Time to drag out those dusty old manuscripts and maybe sell a few books here and there. I picked the manuscript I felt was closest to being publication-ready, called on some old friends from my workshopping days, and after some grueling, late night revision marathons, sent out a handful of advance review copies to a select group of people.

Critical reception to the novel “Talking To Luke,” surpassed all my expectations. An Amazon Vine Voice reviewer rated it “five stars,” called it “groundbreaking,” and used words like “polished,” and “high impact.” One of my favorite indie authors posted a picture of himself on Facebook while he was reading the Kindle version and said, “It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. And I read A LOT.”

What do you do with this kind of feedback? I’ll tell you what you do—you get serious in a hurry and start figuring out ways to increase discoverability on a much larger scale! Even so, looking back over the last few weeks, I think I did as much as I could on a nonexistent budget. Formulas exist for meteoric book launches, but for an unknown author with a debut novel and no major publishing house behind it, perhaps the best one can hope for is a slow, steady climb in sales as more people discover the book.

I don’t regret being an indie author. It truly is by choice. At one time, I did have agent interest in the manuscript for “Talking To Luke.” It’s possible that had I sent any query letters this year, I might have additional interest. Who knows. I just couldn’t stomach the process. Print On Demand is no longer considered vanity press, and both CreateSpace and KDP offer quality products and service. Would I ever consider traditional publishing? Sure I would—but it isn’t the brass ring for me, and I just don’t have time to chase it right now. Too many Appalachian dogs need help.

For at least the entire year of 2016, one hundred percent of proceeds from this novel will go toward Appalachian animal rescue. This will fund transport of animals from oversaturated, high kill regions like Southwest Virginia to no-kill areas of New England (like the entire state of New Hampshire.) I also hope we can fund some “save in place” rescue efforts, which would provide funding for owners to keep their pets when they otherwise might have to surrender them to a shelter. This might involve sterilization and other vetting, the building of fences and buying of dog houses, and paying pet deposits for rental property so that people can take their animals with them when they move.

“Talking To Luke” is the first book in a series, but it can also stand alone. I’m told it’s considered “paranormal romance,” but I’m uncomfortable with that label. Is it paranormal? You bet it is! Is it a romance? Well—it’s a relationship story…and there’s a whole lot of sizzle. The sequel will involve the same character ensemble, but will be more of a paranormal thriller. Is there such a genre? I never set out to write crossover fiction or flip any tropes. These things just happened as the story unfolded organically.

Nothing else I’ve ever written has contained even the slightest hint of paranormal. Even this novel has themes that are more realistic than fantastical—with a couple of glaring exceptions. I can’t guarantee I’ll write anything else in the genre once this series is finished, but then again, I might!

Grab a copy of "Talking to Luke" HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Diane Ryan is a pseudonym for a very real person living and writing in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. She is married with two grown children and more pets than good sense dictates. Her heartfelt passion is saving animals. In the past, she has rescued horses and wildlife, but currently focuses on dogs imperiled by cultural indifference toward animals in Appalachian communities. She is the Executive Director of a 501c3 rescue that regularly transports unwanted dogs from areas of shelter overcrowding to regions of high demand, where No Kill methods are firmly established. Her organization is a member of the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies and a Best Friends Network Partner.


https://www.facebook.com/authordianeryan
https://www.facebook.com/tazewellanimalrescuecoalition/
Twitter: @DianeRyanRK

The Dead Man Lying blog tour#LeiCrimeKW — new titles in June!Josh Fong looked at her through narrowed eyes for a moment, then unzipped his jacket and pulled out a satchel. He reached inside and pulled out the biggest revolver Vanessa had ever seen. Her heart pounded. There was no time to reach her trusty Walther before he could turn that massive weapon toward her. But he put it carefully on the kitchen table. It was an antique weapon — that was clear from the curved shaped of the wooden grip and the fancy engraving on the cylinder.

Where other revolvers had an ejector rod under the barrel was a tube, bigger around than the barrel itself. And there was a strange external rod on a clip alongside the barrel. The bottom of the grip had an eye, as if it were meant to be hung on a nail. “Where did you find this?” she asked.

“In the tool shed under Kaholo Iolani’s apartment,” he answered. Lei came into the kitchen then.

“Josh Fong,” she said. “I could arrest you for interfering with an investigation.”

“I wish you hadn’t touched this, Josh,” Vanessa said. “But if it’s Kaholo’s gun, he may have every right to own it.”

Lei came to the table like the revolver was pulling her. Her eyes were locked on the weapon. “Wow. That is one old gun.”

“I know. Josh found it in Kaholo’s tool shed. I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Lei pulled on latex gloves and picked up the gun.

“This is very unusual. It has two barrels, one under the other.” She held it so Vanessa could get a closer look.

“The hammer is strange, too. It has a little tab in the middle,” Vanessa said. “It’s not loaded — you can see into the chambers from the front. And it’s been recently cleaned. I’ll get this to the lab. Maybe someone there can identify this gun.”

“It looks to me like it’s from the Civil War days,” someone said.

Lei and Vanessa turned to see Officer Corinne O’Flynn behind them, looking at the gun. “The cylinder is round, without those indentations between the chambers? They’re called ‘flutes.’ But older guns didn’t have those. And see, it’s made to be front-loaded.” O’Flynn pointed at the open chambers, facing forward in the gun. “This was made before bullet cartridges. You had to pour powder into the chamber and hold it in place with wadding. Look — it has nine chambers. Probably because it took so long to load, you wanted to have as many shots as possible on the battlefield. It must weigh a ton.”

Lei and Vanessa just looked at the uniformed woman. With her slender face, large, earnest eyes and bobbed chestnut hair, she looked more like a schoolteacher than a cop. Yet here she was, holding forth on an obscure, antique gun.
About Dead Man LyingShe knows when you’re lying …FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm is back on Maui to catch a killer. With lush rain forests, black sand beaches, and a laid-back lifestyle, Maui offers the perfect retirement location for once-famous country singer Steven Sangster … until he ends up dead. As the killer, or killers, strike again and again, Detective Lei Texeira and FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm must untangle the lies spun by the singer’s associates, friends, family — and the singer himself before the music dies. Find it on Amazon.About Amazon Kindle WorldsKindle Worlds is an Amazon initiative that allows authors to publish stories set in another author’s fictional universe. The Lei Crime Kindle World is based on the Lei Crime series, created by bestselling author Toby Neal. About the author Scott Bury can’t stay in one genre, although the Lei Crime Kindle World holds a special allure. He’s written epic fantasy in Initiation Rites and The Bones of the Eartherotic-romantic parody in One Shade of Red historical memoir in Army of Worn Soles and its sequel, Under the Nazi Heel mysteries with Torn Roots (A Lei Crime Kindle World Mystery) JET: Stealth (A JET Kindle World novella) Palm Trees & Snowflakes (A Lei Crime Kindle World Mystery)The Wife Line (A Sydney Rye Kindle World adventure)And now his latest Lei Crime mystery, Dead Man Lying .Scott lives in Ottawa, Canada, with two pesky cats, two mighty sons and a loving wife who has a very high tolerance level. Find Scott online at his website The Written Wordhis blog, Written WordsFacebookAnd follow him on Twitter @ScottTheWriter.

Welcome back to Kicky Peacock! She's visiting the blog today to talk about her newest book, BAD TIMING, the second book in the Battle of the Undead Series! Guest Post by Nicky Peacock
Hang on…for a second.

When you’re starting out as a writer, the biggest hurdle is finishing your first book, the next is getting it published; and then you’re good, right? Well, no not exactly. You then have to produce more books and the second one can be just as daunting as the first, maybe even more so.

It took me a year to finish Bad Timing (ironic title anyone?) It’s the second of my Battle of the Undead series with Evernight Teen and came out December 2015. I must admit though, a lot went wrong that year for me; life events out of my control grabbed my fragile writer’s soul and choked the creativity and will right out of it. I always knew that I wanted the series to be a trilogy with a prequel and had a pretty decent plan laid out for the main plot, but I found myself doubting what I was doing and felt like I’d be letting down the readers and the characters if I wasn’t 100% behind by words. These books are told from the perspective of the main character Britannia who is a bad ass heroine with a dry wit and serious case of crappy luck. Now, I had the crappy luck in spades, but at the time I certainly wasn’t feeling very bad ass or particularly funny.

So I decided to write the prequel instead and leave Bad Timing on the back burner. This is why both books come out within a month of one another. My prequel Traitors’ Gate sheds a little more light on the major plot of Battle of the Undead and is told from a new character’s perspective, Lucinda. It can be read at any point of the series and is a free read through Evernight Teen. Changing books helped. Once finished, I felt invigorated to tell Britannia’s story and I completed Bad Timing within just a few weeks.

I still have fears though, as I’m sure every author does. Bad Blood (first in the series) had great
reviews and although the reviews for Bad Timing are currently coming in just as good, I know there will be readers out there that don’t like the way I write, what I’ve done with the characters and the general feel of the book. I like to pack my stories with action. I want the reader to feel like they are watching a blockbuster movie in their mind. Some writers like to take things slower, but for me, it’s all about the action that leads the reader through the plot. Bad Timing is a book of two halves. I wanted to set it up so the ultimate enemy to our blue haired heroine is time itself, something that even the most skilled warrior and strategist can’t rally against. As a writer, I took a risk with this. Not every reader will like it, but I’m hoping that most will at least appreciate that it gives a different dimension to the middle book of the series.

In the meantime I’ve started a second series with Evernight Teen, The Twisted and The Brave. Yet another nervous breakdown waiting to happen, as this one slightly veers away from my usual full-on paranormal genre and heads more into dark thriller territory. If I thought that bringing out a second book was nail biting, I’m dreading April when the first book of this series, Lost in Wonderland is released!

More About the Book!



Bad Timing – Battle of the Undead #2 by Nicky Peacock. “You know now that monsters are real. Whether they have recently risen to reach for your flesh, or have chosen now to step from the shadows; you are surrounded by them. You also know that I am one too, but I’m all you’ve got and time is running out…” 

There’s no rest for the wicked, especially in a zombie apocalypse. Britannia has used every vampire skill at her disposal to keep those she cares for safe, but with old enemies and unseen adversaries moving against her, she will have to push herself to both her physical and ethical limits to survive. Britannia is changing, but will it be for the better? 

 14+ due to violence and adult situations

Please note this is the second book in a series that should be read in order.
Buy Links: Evernight Teen     Amazon US     Amazon UK    Barnes & Noble     Nook     Amazon Canada   Amazon Australia 


About the Author:Nicky is an English author living in the UK. When she’s not writing her YA and adult urban fantasy and horror fiction, she is running a writers’ group and helping local schools with creative writing working shops to encourage the next generation of budding authors. 
Some random Nicky facts:She loves chocolate and hates fleece. She loves dogs and hates monkeys (they look too human) She always has one day a week where she doesn’t have her phone on or touches the internet.Organising is her ‘thing’ and she hates being late for anything.Her favourite colour changes depending on her mood.She tends to write in UK spelling (you may have already noticed that!) She can’t live without TV but could easily live without social media.Her favourite food is a roast dinner, but she won’t eat lamb.She’s weirded out by having to write in the third person – so I’m stopping now!
Author Links: Blog: Twitter: YA Facebook Page: UK Amazon Author Page: US Amazon Author page: Good Reads: Pinterest: Tumblr: Authorgraph: Google +: