Release Blitz: ‘Drowning’ by Hope Jones

Title: Drowning

Author: Hope Jones

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 2, 2020

 

Blurb

Imagine orchestrating your divorce under false pretenses.

That’s precisely what Cecilia Topps did. After receiving a disturbing diagnosis, Cecilia felt like she was drowning, unable to take a breath. She didn’t want to bring her husband down with her, so she created a damaging lie.

Cameron Topps had been going through the motions for seven years. The betrayal he felt from his wife left him numb and unable to love again. His indifference led to hatred when he walked into his bar, seeing his wife again after unknowingly hiring her.

Secrets are exposed, lines are crossed, and Cameron finally learns the truth about his divorce. Is he willing to drown with Cecilia all over again, or will he move on for good?

 

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Excerpt

Prologue

“I’m sorry.” My words were muffled by the hiccup of tears and snot running down my face. I tilted my eyes down. I couldn’t look at him.
My poor, sweet Cam. He would never forgive me. I knew this. It was what I wanted.

I wanted—no, needed him to walk out our front door and not look back. I needed him to hate me.

“You’re sorry? That’s what you have to say?” He was calm, so damn calm it physically made me sick. I knew it was because he was hurting. I knew that hurt was eating him alive.

I couldn’t say anything past the lump in my throat, so I nodded instead.

Cam looked at me, looked through me and for a moment, I was worried he would see that I was lying and try to demand the truth from me. I would deny it. I didn’t want him to know the truth. I wanted him to think I had done the unthinkable, done something he’d never be able to get over.

My beautiful, broken husband stared into my eyes for two solid minutes without flinching. He said absolutely nothing. His gaze flitted between both of my eyes, then down to my nose, my lips, lingering there, then finally back to my eyes. I bit my lip nervously, waiting for him to say “Ah-ha” and catch me in my lie.

Cam never did, though. I wasn’t going to deny it made me a little upset that he didn’t know me well enough to know I was lying. I wanted to take back the words that had left my mouth five minutes ago. I wanted to take back the entire day, but it wasn’t possible, and I needed to accept what my new life was going to look like.

“I can’t even look at you,” Cam muttered, turning away from me. I caught the curled lip and glare on his face before his back was facing me. Hurt so strong filled my chest and made it feel like it would explode and not in a good way.

God, the pain was so bad.

I had to rub my chest, right above my heart, but it didn’t ease the ache I had put there.

Cameron, the man I had married two years ago, grabbed his coat off the hook in the foyer and opened the front door. He turned around, glancing at me one last time. That last time was enough to make a sob escape my throat. He had a single tear running down his face then splashing on his broad shoulders.

I had never seen him cry before. Not when his mother died, not when we had to put down our first dog, and not when we had gotten married.
Never. That lonely tear trekking down his cheek broke me and I knew, down in my bones, I would never be the same after putting that tear there.

I didn’t speak a word and Cam walked out, slamming the door behind him, making me jump. I finally crumpled, falling into the fetal position on the couch and crying until I couldn’t breathe. I had done this to myself. I knew it had to be done, but that didn’t make it easier.

Two hours later, he hadn’t come back and I knew he wasn’t going to. He wouldn’t come back until he knew I was gone. I had packed the majority of my stuff, placing the few boxes in my small car. I only took my clothes. I didn’t feel right taking anything we had gotten together when we moved into this house.

Glancing around the place I had shared with my husband for the last year, I felt a level of sadness that I didn’t know I would continue to feel for six months. It settled over my shoulder like a blanket, except it was cold—a cold blanket of nastiness.

At least that blanket wouldn’t be wrapped around Cameron. He didn’t deserve that.

I fired off a text to him, locked our front door and left the key on the porch, then backed my car out of our driveway for the last time.

Me: I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I love you and always will. 

I didn’t speak to Cameron again until two months later after a stranger showed up on my doorstep serving me with divorce papers. I could have let those papers kill me, but I knew it was Cameron’s best chance at a decent life, so I went to the court dates. I didn’t fight him. He petitioned for everything except my car. I gave him everything. That’s what he deserved.

Author Bio

Hope Jones is the wife of her very own alpha male and the mother of four beautiful daughters. She lives in a small town in South Carolina, but was born in Brunswick, GA. She’s always had a love for reading, even at a young age thrillers always interested her. As she got older, romance mixed with some thriller/suspense became her obsession.

If you can’t find Hope glued to her Kindle, you’ll usually find her chasing her girls around, running her hectic household, and plotting stories for the alpha men that have taken over her mind.

 

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Book Review: ‘Vic Boyo, Doofus Detective’ by Milo James Fowler

Title: Vic Boyo, Doofus Detective in: Double Murders are Twice as Bad

Published: 15^th March 2018

Publisher: Effervescent Press

Author: Milo James Fowler

 

Blurb:

Two murders. One detective. Half a brain.

1931, New York City: Detective Vic Boyo may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but that doesn’t stop him from solving cases as only he can. With a little luck and a whole lot of gumption, Boyo sets out to find the murderer of a local cop. Problem is, Boyo’s more interested in a gorgeous femme fatale accused of killing her husband. She’s destined for the electric chair, but Boyo’s got a hunch she might be innocent. And nobody gets in the way of Boyo’s hunches, not even Vic Boyo himself.

 

Review:

He might not be the best detective around – don’t tell him that – but he does seem to get results. This may be more to do with potluck and others than the skills he possess though. If Vic Boyo is on the case looks like it might, in a round about way, get solved.

Maria Merryface has been charged with killing her husband and Vic Boyo is on the case to clear her name – not that he is meant to be. Stepping in too fast could have been the reason his partner Bill was taken out of the equation or was there another reason? Two murders to solve and it seems Bill and Maria’s husband were connected – gambling and booze too much. Owing debts you can’t pay may get you killed, but who made the first move?

Boyo is just a magnet for trouble wherever he goes, or even if he stays at his home/office (which he mentions, a lot). He doesn’t do too well with kids but one seems to remind him of his younger self so helps him, and visa versa, when the need arises. His receptionist definitely deserves a raise for all the crazy stuff she has to deal with that follows Boyo around like a bad smell. Mostly after he gets a phone call to meet some place new which tends to equal danger and high chance of getting shot at.

Question: if you know you have a hit out on yourself would you go to a warehouse alone in the middle of the night? No, me neither, seems Boyo didn’t get the memo. Clues coming at him but not quite figuring them out fast enough. Booze ring in the prohibition era – who is playing who and how is it connected to the two murders? JoJo Fenenmen and Marty O’Sheeny are mob bosses who deal in booze and more, but are they the only players?

Boyo thinks very highly of himself and can’t always see how others might view him. He might think he is the best detective but that has more to do with mistakes he makes that help him stumble onto clues than really figuring them out first. Funny how he always gets into tricky situations with one leading right onto the next. He might crack the case wide open but in the meantime he will continue to be the doofus detective not seeing everything right in front of him. Humour throughout with what he gets into so is an interesting read that takes you along the crazy ride with him. Car chases, bullets flying, fires catching and a different mob boss calling the shots at each turn. Which way will Boyo go and will he get out unscathed? A witty read that’s worth checking out.

3 out of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

Release Blitz: ‘Vengeance Executed’ by Zoey Indiana

Title: Vengeance Executed

Series: Vengeance Trilogy #2

Author: Zoey Indiana

Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi Romance

Release Date: July 1, 2020

Blurb

Saving the world is much harder when you shouldn’t exist.

Freya is the closest kept secret in the government. Her psychic powers alone strike fear into her superiors. Working as a double agent for the Resistance, she must devise a plan to destabilize the government that has her under constant supervision, as well as every other citizen.

As one of only three living men, Bash is her unlikely accomplice. Behind the scenes, he is the deadliest hacker that has ever worked for the Resistance. Determined to overthrow the government that made his gender illegal, he won’t stop until the Dystopia is destroyed.

When an ARI spy manages to locate their headquarters, both of them must find a way to keep the existence of men a secret.

If you love badass heroines, bearded men, and sizzling romance that will keep you up all night long… Join the Resistance and download Vengeance Executed today!

 

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Excerpt

“I can’t get over how big this place is.” Tris’Tyn’s voice broke Bash’s sexual fantasy starring Freya.

“It’s huge, so large that you’re not sure how to deal with all of it.” A grin flashed on Freya’s face. Bash scowled at her choice of words as memories of the first time they made love surfaced. She’d never seen one in person before and worried he wouldn’t fit. He’d proven that theory wrong.

“It’s nothing like the Resistance camp I came from.”

“That’s because they weren’t the Resistance.” Bash growled as he raised an eyebrow at Freya.

“I meant to ask what you meant by the ‘real Resistance’.” Tris’Tyn’s gaze bounced to her.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. You’re with us now and soon we’ll strike the final blow to ARI and the Sovereign. Then everyone will be free.” Nova interjected with a glare at both Freya and him. Busted.

After Tris’Tyn and Nova got off the lift, Freya grinned at him. When she straightened from the wall as the doors opened at their stop, Bash swooped her up into his arms then tossed her over his shoulder. It brought back memories of the first time he’d done it at the safe house where they’d stayed right after they met.

“Are you serious right now?” Her fists pounded against his back.

“Sorry, not sorry.” He didn’t hold back the laugh. “But if you want to give me a massage, my lower back is a bit tight.”

She slapped his ass before giving in. Just like last time, there was only so far she could go without hurting him and he knew she wouldn’t risk that.

Placing his hand against the wall to reveal the bioscanner, he remembered it was unnecessary. All he had to do now was imagine the door opening and his nanites used the wireless communication system to pass the security codes and open the door. Another thought sealed the door as he tossed Freya on the bed.

Scrambling to sit up, she glared at him. “Was that really necessary?”

“Not in the slightest, but it was fun.

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Author Bio

Zoey Indiana was inspired by the idea that everyone deserves love and their own happily ever after, she loves to write about heroic heroines who go on amazing adventures while finding the love they deserve. After creating her first fictional planet where amazing creatures roamed at age ten, she was determined to prove love could be found in the stars. In addition to writing, she listens to eclectic music, practices Krav Maga, and takes on home improvement projects just for the fun of it.

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Author Interview: ‘We Are God’ by Jordan Mund

About the Book:

The Old Man, as he’s come to be known, was born during a time when Mortals and Immortals coexisted. Back then he had many Mortal friends, but that was over 400 years ago. Before they all grew old and passed away. Since then he’s been living day to day, spending his time trying to maintain the memories he has of them.

His world, in what has been dubbed the Eternal Era, is one that never changes. No one dies, but no one is born either. Eventually the Old Man takes matters into his own hands after discovering a way to reverse his immortality. Now nearing the end of his life, he sits down to write his memoirs, to tell about all those friends he loved so dearly, to explain why he did what he did and what it means for humanity’s future.

 

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Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?

I always wanted to tell stories. As a teenager I thought I wanted to be a film director. In fact, some of my first attempts at writing, aside from a handful of awful short stories, were a handful of awful screenplays. But as I got older and continued to find inspiration in stories of the written variety the dream of being a director slowly faded and was replaced by the dream I’m currently pursuing, and will likely continue to pursue until I run out of ideas or die.

So, I started writing my first novel when I was 20. The idea of writing an entire book was quite intimidating but once I started, I found the process so wonderful I was hooked. Creating a character with only the smallest idea of who they are and watching them evolve into a fully realized person is one of my favourite experiences. It’s also extremely therapeutic to be able to explore through writing various experiences like tragedy, relationships, or any other experience, and through that exploration come out with a clearer and more developed perspective. That’s not to say that some days the actual act of sitting down and writing out the sentences that will make up the story can feel tedious and there are days when I feel like doing anything but writing. But even on those days, there is some sort of drive that forces me.

2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

I usually write in the morning after I drop my daughter off at the school bus. I don’t know if I would say it’s my favourite – I’m not much of a morning person – but at the moment it’s the most convenient. If my daughter’s schedule didn’t require me to wake up when I do, I would probably write late at night.

I don’t have a favourite place to write though. Anywhere I can be comfortable is fine. One of these days I’d like a study or writing nook but for now it’s my living room.

3: Where do your ideas come from?

Difficult to say. Everywhere and anywhere I suppose. A lot of ideas come from reading, others from news stories, others from my wildly vivid dreams. There are ideas everywhere. The trick I suppose is being able to recognize how those ideas might work in a story. A camping tent that eats all those who sleep in it might seem like a good idea in the proper story but could be a very bad idea in the wrong story. But I love getting a little sliver of an idea and exploring it exhaustively until it’s a fully developed world filled with characters and conflict. Then you have to write it all down which, admittedly, can be a bit more of a chore.

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

I have a vague idea usually of where my story is going. I usually have an ending in mind towards which I try to maintain aim, but I also think writers should let their stories develop naturally and allow changes in direction. Everyone is different, I’m sure, but I like the experience of not knowing exactly where I’m going and the surprise of finding out where I end up.

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

The first two books I wrote, which haven’t been published, were literary fiction. The protagonist has problems in his life, he goes through some experiences and is a better person at the end, that sort of thing. But I switched genres with my newest novel, which did get published. So, the switch seemed to have paid off. My newest book, We Are God, is a dystopian/speculative fiction novel. I just had an idea that came from who-knows-where and I had to write it. I didn’t make a conscious decision to try a different genre, this new idea that popped into my head made that decision for me. But I’ve always loved dystopian novels. George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwood, just to name the most recognizable masters of the genre, are some of my favourite authors so it was only a matter of time before I wrote something like this.

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?

That’s a fun question. Unfortunately, I don’t have a fun answer. I actually have no idea. It would be important to me that the cast be very diverse, a cast that represents much more of the world than just North America or Europe. But aside from that, I don’t have much of an opinion.

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

I’m an avid reader. My first real love affair with a writer was Charles Dickens, specifically David Copperfield, which I know is so common amongst young men that it is a cliché. But it was a book that really opened my mind to what a writer can do with words. I thought it was incredible, like the words he was stringing together were spells instead of just sentences. But since that first major love I’ve grown into something of a polyamorist. I love a lot of Russian authors: Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov, Nabokov. My favourite fellow Canadian authors are probably the two Magarets – Atwood and Laurence. When I need a laugh, I turn to the likes of P. G. Wodehouse or Douglas Adams. I like the horror of H. P. Lovecraft, the sci-fi of H. G. Wells and Philip K. Dick, the satire of Kurt Vonnegut. Really though, favourite authors is a subject that I could write about for pages. I’ll stop here.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

I usually have a few books on the go at any given time. Right now, I’m reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, The Civil War in France by Marx, and The Reincarnation of Tom by this indie author I just discovered named Aden Simpson. I’m only a few chapters in but it’s already proving to be a hilarious ride.

9: What is your favourite book and why?

This is a difficult question but if I had to choose, I would say the Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is one of the most imaginative books I’ve ever read, and, like David Copperfield; it transformed my perspective on what an author is capable of with their writing. In it the Devil arrives in Moscow with a group of demonic characters, some of whom are hilarious, others frightening. There’s also a love story, a giant anthropomorphic cat that likes guns and vodka, a man is turned into a flying pig, and that’s just some of it. It’s an incredible book that somehow surprises me every time I read it.

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Write. And keep writing. But also read. A good writer is a good reader. Keep challenging yourself by reading authors who are much better than you and study them to find out what makes them better. Read authors you might not think you like and try to find out what it is about them that other readers do like. But mostly, just keep writing and rewriting, even if it’s only a few paragraphs a day. If you do that, eventually, even if it takes years, you will have a book that you’ve written and that will always be an accomplishment from which anyone can take a bit of pride.

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?  

I’m not the most social media savvy person in the world and I don’t post often but if anyone wants to follow me they can. Here are the links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jordan.mund

Twitter: @jordanjmund

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mundjordan

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19811708.Jordan_Mund

 

About the Author:

I was born and raised on the Canadian Prairies. I went to the University of Manitoba where I studied English and Philosophy. I’ve always loved creating stories and am excited to now have one of those stories available for others to (hopefully) enjoy. I currently live in Asia with my wife and daughter.

Author Interview: ‘The Hanging’ by Linda Thackeray

About the Book:

Welcome to Mimosa.

Struggling to survive in the savage land of the Territory, Mimosa is beset by dangers common to the harsh realities of the Old West.

When former gunslinger turned marshal, Kris Jensen arrives in town with his band of misfits, it is up to them to defend Mimosa from greedy land barons, outlaws and Indians angered by broken treaties.

It is an unlikely place to find salvation, but that is precisely what Kris and his men discover in Mimosa.

When local cattle baron William Cahill swears revenge on Judge Evan Davis for the execution of his nephew, it sets off a deadly plan of vengeance against the judge and those he loves.

It is up to Kris and his misfits to keep Holly Davis, the beautiful editor of the Mimosa Mirror, from harm before Cahill can put a noose around her neck.

 

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Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?

I’ve wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I think I penned my first story when I was ten, perhaps eleven and never stopped. I was inspired by Star Wars and developed a love of Science Fiction, Fantasy genres ever since.

2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

My favourite time for writing is either early morning, or late night. I have a writing desk where the ‘magic’ happens and it’s my comfort place.

3: Where do your ideas come from?

Anywhere really, sometimes I just come across a random idea and let it flower from there. Great books help to inspire me, particularly in the types of stories I want to write. For instance, when I read Stephen King’s ‘It’ when I was seventeen, I came out of that experience wanting to write great characters that could really resonated with a reader.

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

I have an idea of where the story is going to end up, but the journey there needs refining.

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

I started off with science fiction genre, mostly because I loved Star Wars. Then I read great books like Dune, Foundation and 2001: A Space Odyssey and that gave me a love of world building stories that went beyond the pulp adventure of Star Wars and movie science fiction.

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?

Well I wrote a western inspired by a television series I loved, so I’d probably cast those actors in the show.

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Frank Herbert, Jack London, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clark.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

I’m in the middle of reading an indie western novel for review called The Guns of the Long Riders by Douglas R Cobb.

9: What is your favourite book and why?

It by Stephen King. When I read this book for the first time, it wasn’t the horror or the story that grabbed me, it was how King depicted the Losers as characters so real by the time you got to the end of their journey, you felt like the characters losing their friends. I wanted to write characters that would touch an audience in the same way. That book more than any other taught me how vitally important it was to create vivid characters. The audience won’t care about what’s happening if they don’t care about the characters.

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Write for yourself and no one else. Even if you never became rich and famous, or become a best selling novelist, doing what you love will still make you soar.

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?  

Website: www.lthackeray.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Scribee31oz

Twitter: @Scribe31oz

 

About the Author:

Born in a village in Malaysia and delivered by underpaid midwife, and Ann, an irritable new mother (who wouldn’t be after 48 hours in labour?), X was named by a deranged grandmother with too much creativity for her own good. Once out of her pain-induced stupor, Ann decided to give her new daughter a proper middle name to avoid the risk of being put into a home later in life.

And so, she was called Linda.

Linda was an unremarkable child, save a few notable incidents, the discovery that a pot lid is not a substitute for Wonder Woman’s tiara (five stitches), four-year old don’t need to shave (no stitches but lots of toilet paper) and utility truck drivers are not necessarily qualified operators of their vehicles (seventy stitches).

At eight, Linda received religious enlightenment when she saw Star Wars at the Odeon Theatre and hence began her writing career.

For many years, the cages of various pets in the Thackeray household were littered with pages from Linda’s scribblings. Subjects usually ranged from whatever science fiction show was on television or at the movies. There was lots of Star Wars.

At 17, Linda moved to Sydney, Australia and was disappointed it was not occupied by Paul Hogan types with big knives and croc skin jackets but pot-bellied blokes with zinc cream and terry towel hats. Linda’s father (also known as that bloke who buys me stuff to piss mum off when she’s mad at him) settled in the town of Young, a community of 6000 people with no movie theatre.

Linda survived this period in the wilderness by raising kangaroos and writing original works but eventually got saddled down with the necessities of life and though she continued to write, work came first. Work, HBO, comic books and rent. It’s a kaleidoscope.

Even the kangaroos left out of boredom.

In 2014, Linda decided to start writing seriously again. Mostly because Australia’s strict gun laws make it very difficult to ‘go postal’ in the workplace. Moving to Woy Woy, which is Aboriginal for ‘Big Water’, she’s dipped her toes into the Indie pool and found she needs a pedicure. Her books are labours of love and championed by her friends on Facebook.

Eventually Creativia Publishers, appalled by Linda’s inability to conduct any marketing, offered to publish her books out of sheer exasperation.

Supported by two cats named Newt and Humphrey, she spends her days trying to write novels while having unclean thoughts about Michael Fassbender and Jason Statham, sometimes together.