Autumn Countdown Blitz: CURSED COLLECTIBLES, an Anthology

Jace lives in Arizona with my family, wife and five kids and a little dog. He writes fiction, thrillers and soft sci-fi with a little short horror on the side. He holds an MBA and works in finance for a biotechnology firm.

Jace volunteers with the Boy Scouts, plays and writes music, and enjoys everything outdoors. He's also a novice photographer.

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Spend an afternoon antiquing and it’s not hard to figure out why picking has become one of America’s fondest pastimes. It’s treasure hunting while connecting with history. But what if those treasures hunt us back?

From old books, to vinyl records, antique mirrors, vintage figurines, or a Bob’s Big Boy piggy bank, curses have no limits.

Featuring stories from D.J. Butler, Joy Auburn, Martin L. Shoemaker, Jessica Guernsey, John D. Payne, Jen Bair, Karen Pellett, Steve Ruskin, Tanya Hales, Lauren Lang, Frank Morin, Mike Jack Stoumbous, Kelly Lynn Colby, Jace Killan, Jo Schneider, Gama Ray Martinez, Martin Greening, Chris Abela, A.J. Mayall, Heidi A. Wilde, Shannon Fox, Lauryn Christopher, and Mark Leslie Lefebvre.

All proceeds of this book go to the Don Hodge Scholarship Fund for writers

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Q & A With the Author:

1.     When did you write your first novel?

a.     2017

2.     What drove you to write / why did you become an author?

a.     Always wanted to be an author. Meeting a tribe of writers helped it along.

3.     How do you create your characters?

a.     I use those around me for inspiration.

4.     What is one thing you love about Fall / Autumn?

a.     It's almost not hot.

5.     Who is the person or group of people that most support you in your writing?

a.     The Superstars Tribe.

6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory?

Binging Season 1 of Stranger Things.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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Autumn Countdown Blitz: DEATH AT THE DAKOTA by Marni Graff

 
Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 

Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, www.auntiemwrites.com.

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Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O'Malley to the next level, when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can't even survive?

Readers of Death Unscripted, the first book in the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery series, will find the same pleasures in this sequel: fast pacing, engaging characters, twists and turns on the way to a satisfying close. From the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, this second series is a winner. Once again M.K. Graff reveals her talents in crafting this delightful mix of amateur sleuth and police procedural.

Part procedural, part cozy, Death at the Dakota is a well-crafted and highly entertaining mystery.- Bruce Robert Coffin, #1 bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries.  

I fell in love -- not only with co-protagonists, Trudy and Ned, the richly detailed and historic setting of The Dakota, and the unique cast of characters, but with the unusual plot of Death at the Dakota. Sherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries

  
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Q & A With the Author:

     1.     When did you write your first novel?  I wrote my first novel when we were still living on Long Island, a mystery set at the Frick Museum in NYC. Unfortunately, our house burned down and I lost the entire manuscript, as well as my first computer and all the files. I have not rewritten that one. Instead after our move to NC, I set about writing a series set in England, being a real Anglophile and lover of all things British. That became The Blue Virgin and was published in 2010. 

2.     What drove you to write / why did you become an author? I've always loved to read and written poetry and stories since in junior high. I thought at one point in high school I might go into acting but realized pretty quickly I'd rather be the person who wrote the words and story the actors performed. That led to me learning screenplay format and writing a few of those, but my drive was to entertain readers with a book the way I'd loved reading since a child. It's still what drives me to write: the idea of sharing my stories with a reader, taking them into a fictional world that might closely mirror a real place, but choosing the characters and what happens to them.

3.     How do you create your characters? I spend a long time developing each character. Those for a series, like Trudy Genova and her boyfriend, Ned O'Malley, have entire backgrounds I've created for them, with aspects of their childhood, where they grew up, went to school, etc. I always decide what my characters' needs and fears are, too. These things help me figure out how each one will react in the circumstances I throw them into! In Trudy's case, she's a nurse with a nose for murder, which often frustrates Ned. But she feels she's a good judge of people and has a natural curiosity that can put her jeopardy at times. She also has a feel for wanting to help people, hence going into nursing, and a sense of justice and fairness that equals Ned's and is part of their attraction. They 'get' each other on that level, even though they are vastly different. I use the same technique for minor characters, maybe not just in as much depth.

4.     What is one thing you love about Fall / Autumn? Besides the cooler weather, I love the feel that reminds me of going back to school with new things on the horizon. It's my favorite season--of course, my birthday is in October so I'm prejudiced!

5.     Who is the person or group of people that most support you in your writing? My husband is super-supportive, but the people who really help are my writing group. We've been working together for 15 years now and the others are novelists, too, so while we write different genres, we understand the rhythms of a long term exploration of character, plot and setting. We meet yearly and go over our entire draft novels for each other; in between, we are available on email for checking scenes and running ideas past each other. I'd be lost without them.

6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory? I grew up with a friend whose birthday is October 30th, so she always had a great Hallowe'en costume party, bobbing for apples, other games, making popcorn balls, and eating caramel apples, the whole nine yards. Great memories. We are still friends and when I bring a new book on tour to my hometown library, she comes out to see me and buys a book--and she always leaves a review! I'll be there in October on tour with Death at the Dakota and we've already set up lunch for our October birthdays.

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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Autumn Countdown Blitz: THE HASHTAG HUNT by Kristina Seek

Kristina Seek's debut novel, The Hashtag Hunt, was published in 2018. She is a graduate of Queens College in Charlotte and a member of Romance Writers of America. In March of 2019, she quit her day job to focus on a career in writing.

Kristina lives in North Carolina with her husband and son. She cherishes time with her friends and family, loves traveling to new destinations, and plans to cross many other items off her bucket list. 

Visit www.KristinaSeek.com and sign up for her mailing list to receive updates and exclusive offers!

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The only reason Lauren entered the Hashtag Hunt was for the $10,000 grand prize. She needed seed money for her startup, and it sounded easy enough: twelve hours to text twelve photos to someone called the Wizard. 

For hashtag number five, Lauren needs a #HottieInTheWild, and with the help of her best friend, Ivy, she finds the perfect subject. 

The only reason Brenner entered Barkley’s Pub was to have beers with Scott, an Army brother back in town. The reunion is interrupted when a woman is caught crouched in a dark corner, taking pictures of Brenner. 

Lauren explains, and though embarrassed, she accepts Scott and Brenner’s offer to help with hashtag number six.While hunting for hashtags, Lauren finds adventure and romance with her #Hottie, but she must stay focused to beat the clock and win the cash.

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Q & A With the Author:

1.     When did you write your first novel? In 2015, I started picking at the idea for a book and in early 2017, I became determined to finish the story. The Hashtag Hunt was published in late 2018. 

2.     What drove you to write / why did you become an author? I have been an avid reader since childhood, and countless hours were spent in fictional places with memorable characters. I have always been interested in crafting an entertaining, memorable story of my own. 

3.     How do you create your characters? Almost all of my characters are a blend of two or three real people. And sometimes I take one real person and split a few characteristics among two or more characters.  For example, the personalities, physiques, habits, and stories of six real military Veterans are shared between my two fictional heroes: Brenner and Scott.   The case of my character Amy, however, is one hundred percent based on my dear friend Amy Mohler who passed away at the age of 40. She never had the opportunity to read my book, but her spirit lives on in its pages. 

4.     What is one thing you love about Fall / Autumn? The glorious weather combined with so many outdoor events with family, friends, and neighbors. 

5.     Who is the person or group of people that most support you in your writing? Her name is Courtney Murphy and she’s been in my corner since high school. I never would have finished the book without her “Team Seek” notecards, encouraging phone messages, and honest feedback on the drafts that flooded her email inbox for years. 

6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory? My first (and only) group costume was when my coworkers dressed up as the cast of Scooby Doo. It was kind of our bosses to allow it and it was a lot of fun. I’ve attached a photo of this also for giggles (I am Velma). 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

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Book Tour: King Henry's Choice

  

There are powers at play that continue to seek amalgamating Scotland to England – powers from the past and powers from the future. 

It’s the late 1800s and Queen Victoria wants more than mere access to the Scottish retreat at Balmoral Castle. But King Henry I of Scotland, direct descendent of Queen Mary Elizabeth I, the time traveling royal daughter of Mary Queen of Scots, is determined to keep Scotland free and independent and a powerful, progressive nation in its own right. 

The struggle to protect what is his by birthright becomes a battle that must be fought in the past, the present and the future and in other parts of the world. And, in the midst of each battle, there are choices to be made. Very difficult choices.

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An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. 

Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. 

Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including King Henry’s Choice (Clean Reads 2019), Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure (Telltale Publishing 2019), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. 

A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca

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To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

King Henry’s Choice, is a follow-up of an earlier book by this author, Queen Mary’s Daughter, although it reads well as a stand-alone. The book is well-written, and a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed the characters in this book, as well as the fast action and intrigue. King Henry I of Scotland is a contemporary of Queen Victoria of England—most of the time. This time-travel adventure takes the reader both back in time as well as forward. This is also an alternative history book, with Scotland having maintained its independence and achieved a place of world dominance. Does this strong, independent king and his nation stay strong and keep his nation free from being combined and subjected to England? Only time and time-travel will tell.

This is definitely a great story for young adults and adults, especially those who enjoy history. There is nothing like getting a taste of how things would have been different if – a big “what if” – there had been but a few changes to the history we know. I can highly recommend this book.

 

Excerpt #1:

Henry caught the piercing gaze and held it with one of his own, equally piercing. “I do dare, Madam!” He snapped back. “This is my realm. Not yours. And it never shall be yours!” He almost spat out the last few words. He was adamant to make his point: Scotland, his country, would remain free and independent, for now and forever, as his countryman’s rallying cry firmly stated.

“Then Isabel comes home to London with me.” The English queen sniffed in a deep breath, feigning a sense of pride being wounded. “It’s where she belongs.”

“I think not!” Henry held his ground, glancing first at his wife then at the English queen.

“Why ever not, Henry?” Bertie gently challenged Henry. “She is obviously not wanted here.”

“Bertie’s right, Henry.” Isabel finally spoke between sniffles and catching little coughs, feigning an upset constitution. “I should return with my English cousins. London is my home. It always has been. Not this barren, cold north land.”

“No!” He glared at both women, then at Bertie who had moved closer to his mother during the interchange. “The last time a Scottish queen sought refuge in England under the protection of the English queen, the Scottish queen lost her head.”

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