A Horse Named Dog Book Blitz

Coming Soon The Briton and the Dane: Timeline by Mary Ann Bernal

Today Mary Ann Bernal joins us in the ludis to talk about her upcoming release The Briton and The Dane: Timeline. So pour a cuppa and get comfortable as we explore the latest addition to this fantastic novel series.

GP: What Inspired You to write this novel in The Briton and the Dane franchise?
Mary Ann: When I first set pen to paper when writing The Briton and the Dane, the storyline was about Gwyneth and Erik’s relationship, and the problems they faced in a land ravaged by war and conquest. Gwyneth was a Christian Saxon and Erik was a pagan Danish Viking. Would their love survive the obstacles they had to face?

However, as the story evolved, the ancillary characters started demanding more representation, wishing to have to have additional “screen time.” Suddenly, there wasn’t enough room to satisfy everyone in one novel, which gave birth to the trilogy.

To me, Gwyneth and Erik shared the stage with too many players, and I do believe they felt cheated. I was toying with the idea of a standalone novel dedicated to Gwyneth and Erik, but what if fate had kept them apart, centuries apart? How would a 21st century Gwyneth fare in 11th century England?

Science Fiction and Anglo-Saxon England, two of my favorite topics in one novel. It cannot get any better than this.

Blurb: 
Dr. Gwyneth Franger is a renowned expert in early medieval England who is set upon learning the truth about the death of Lord Erik, the last descendant of the powerful House of Wareham. Her quest becomes

an obsession, a condition that began with the discovery of a portrait of the tall and valiant warrior with which she forms an extraordinary and inexplicable bond.

Digesting troves of mildewed scrolls and source documentation only enhances her belief that Lord Erik was brutally assassinated by a cabal of traitors in the pay of William the Bastard, shortly before the onslaught of the Norman Invasion.

On an archeological dig in Southern England, her team unearths an Anglo-Saxon fortress, a vast citadel built during the reign of Alfred the Great, which she believes was Lord Erik’s stronghold. In the midst of her excitement, she is awakened one night from her slumbers by a disconcerting anomaly emerging from the site.

Dr. Franger finds herself transported back to the Dark Ages and at the side of the noble Lord Erik who

commands an army of elite Saxon warriors, a swift and mobile force able to deploy quickly throughout the kingdom to ward off invaders.

Witnessing the unrest firsthand, Gwyneth senses that her instincts had been right all along, and she is determined to learn the identities of the treacherous blackguards hiding in the shadows, villains who may well be posing as Lord Erik’s friends and counselors.

Will Gwyneth stop the assassins? Is she strong enough to walk away and watch her beloved Erik die? Or will she intervene, change the course of history and wipe out an entire timeline to save the man she loves with all her heart?

Excerpt 
Once the passengers had disembarked, and the ship was moored, the Captain went home. The dwelling was small, with two rooms, which was ample for a man living alone. He opened the chest that had been delivered earlier, retrieving the ledger and tossed it on the table. He filled a cup with his favorite wine and sat before the fire. For some reason, his curiosity had been aroused, and he wanted to know more of Hugh and of the privileged people he was following. He had not expected his passengers to list their true names and had been quite surprised when he read the entry. Bryson, Erik and Gwyneth of Wareham. He would make discreet inquiries once he returned to Britannia, hoping to find answers to his questions. Information about Hugh, on the other hand, would not be easily obtained. The man had a malevolent demeanor, which he had found unsettling. He would have to tread carefully, lest he put his life at risk.

The Captain finished a flask of wine, drinking the intoxicating brew over the course of the evening. He was falling asleep before the fire as he did most nights, preferring the solitude. He did not hear the door open in his inebriated state, nor did his drooping eyes notice the wind-whipped flames dancing in the hearth. His assailant crept towards him, dagger in hand, and swiftly slit the Captain’s throat. The dead man slumped over, his bloodied body falling upon the floor. Hugh sheathed his wet blade as he glanced about the room searching for the ledger, which was still upon the table. He looked at the open page, which is where he had signed his name. He tossed the damning evidence into the fire and waited until the book was devoured by the raging inferno before disappearing into the night.

D is for Don't Touch

Imagine for a moment what it would be like if you couldn't touch. Not able to hug the ones you love, touch an everyday object without having a nightmare or at the least learning something you really might not want to know. 

That's how it is for the main character in my novel Don't Touch. She has unlocked part of her mind that lets her see impressions left behind on objects or people. The ability is called psychometry or object reading. There are some who believe it is a psychic gift and they can tell you your past or future by handling personal items. 

These people read the energy you've left behind on the object. Science says we give off a kind of energy, everything around us does. Some people and things can be more sensitive to picking it up. In reality everyone has this gift. That vibe you get when you walk into a room.. your getting a feel of the energy that's moving around in there. 

We are all slightly sensitive to the world around us. In Don't Touch I just took it a step further and gave Ryan  a more psychic ability. It was a lot of fun to explore, that's the best part of writing. Be sure to explore the mystery and discovery that Ryan and Jackson make in Don't Touch. 

Blurb:
Dr Ryan Reign has unlocked a gift she calls a curse. Detective Jackson Prince and his partner need her help to stop a serial killer before he murders again.

One problem Dr. Reign can't touch or be touched. She's become a recluse never leaving her home for fear of what she might'see'. Jackson knows he has to help her accept her gift or there will be more deaths. It takes a woman's touch to catch a killer.   

Excerpt:
Ryan nodded then went to the girl on the table. That’s who deserved her attention at the moment. She was a pretty girl. Not tiny but not overweight, just built like a real woman, with curves.

The knife wounds looked as if they may match the weapon in the photos. They were fairly deep. It was odd though the seven wounds looked like they almost formed a circle. She wondered if this was done on purpose or just a random effect.

Everything else was run of the mill until she checked the eyes. The cornea of the left eye was missing. An exam of the right she found it was intact. “Make a notation to check her past medical records for a keratectomy.”

It was odd to come across someone so young with such a procedure. The girl had fought back there were cuts and broken nails from trying to block the blade, defensive wounds, all over her hands and arms. “Lydia, help me get her undressed.”

The tech came over and they tugged the jeans off. Ryan always felt like she was playing dress up with an oversized doll. It would have been easier to just cut the clothing off but it might compromise possible evidence. So they undressed the bodies the old fashioned way.

 Ryan caught her glove on the edge of the table tearing it from her right palm. “Damn.” Seeing the tech cast a worried glance she added. “I’m alright, ripped my glove.”

Lydia nodded and folded the jeans and a tube of lipstick fell from the pocket. Out of instinct Ryan reached for it and caught it in her unlatexed palm. She swore angry that she had just contaminated possible evidence.

Suddenly images started to flash, the victim in a room, screaming. The girl crying as she applied the lipstick looking in a mirror. The feel of something being forced into her body. Ryan screamed in agony as she felt the knife being drawn out, knowing it would be plunged again. Falling to the floor Ryan dropped the tube but continued to scream until shock made it all fade to black.

Buy Links 
Smashwords
Amazon
Lulu 

Don't Touch EBook Release Day!

Don't Touch is available on Smashwords today!

Blurb
Dr Ryan Reign has unlocked a gift she calls a curse. Detective Jackson Prince and his partner need her help to stop a serial killer before he murders again.

One problem Dr. Reign can't touch or be touched. She's become a recluse never leaving her home for fear of what she might'see'. Jackson knows he has to help her accept her gift or there will be more deaths. 

It takes a woman's touch to catch a killer. 

Excerpt 

 It had been months since she had ventured outside of her lawn. Ryan didn’t understand what was happening to her at first. Since the incident on her last day at work, she has tried to make sense of it. Or at least find out what it was and how to stop it.

            She sat at the computer nursing a cup of cocoa February in Florida was the dead of winter. It would be up in the seventies in another week but right now it was in the forties. Ryan was searching the net for the gazillionth time. VISIONS, VISIONS BY TOUCH, PSYCHIC were the search words she used. The screen blinked and an all too familiar list popped up. Near the bottom of the page was something different. “The Circle.”

            Clicking the link she waited not expecting anything. The site came up and they had all the usual. Tarot, crystals, books, psychic readings. “Usual BS, I could have just gone to Cassadaga for that.”

            Cassadaga fancied themselves the psychic capital. Might be, the entire town was palm readers, mind readers, astrologists, numerologist, you name the psychic brand and there was a store front for it. In the past they have had to block the town off on Friday the thirteenth and Halloween due to all the traffic and weirdness.

            Just as she rolled over to exit the page she saw a flashing box. “Have a question about your gift? No, I have a question about my curse though.”

            She typed in a brief description of her problem. When I touch stuff I see things. Am I crazy? Hitting send with her email, attached Ryan sat back and felt the sting of tears. How much more can she cry? Every day for the last who knows how long now she cried. About to sign off her mailbox blinked.

Hi Ryan,

            My name is Barbara. I have a gift like yours, it is called psychometry. Or object reading. You can see bits of others lives by touching things they touched. Especially when the emotions are strong.

            Ryan blinked psycom-a what? Object reading? Barbara went on to explain the positive and negative hands, one leaves an imprint the other can read it.  She shook her head and clicked reply. “I don’t care how it works. How do I turn it off?” Send. A few minutes later.

            You can’t turn it off. You can learn to control it. Which hand is your positive hand? The one you “see” with. It is usually the hand you write with. Use the opposite one more until you get control of your gift.

            “Get control! I want it gone!” She screamed furious. She hadn’t been able to go anywhere or even touch her sister without some kind of vision haunting her. Angry, she signed off and paced the floor.

           

            They pulled up into the driveway of an old Victorian home on the lake. Not many of these homes lasted through the ages but this one had been kept pristine. The detectives walked up the porch and noticed the furniture was covered in plastic sheets. Maybe the good doctor was gone on holiday, or playing a round of golf.  Thomas knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, he held up his badge. “Good afternoon, I’m Detective Thomas Lord and this is my partner Jackson Prince, is Dr. Reign home?”

            Ryan stepped back and wiped her face then opened the door a bit wider. “I’m Dr. Reign, is there a problem detective?”

            Jackson stepped closer to the door. “Dr. Ryan Reign?”

            Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Yes, Dr. Ryan Reign. Want to see my drivers license, Detective Prince or should I give it to his lordship?”

            Thomas shot Jackson a look then turned back and smiled warmly. “That won’t be necessary, I apologize we were uh… under the impression that…. Well what we’re here for is to ask you about one of the last cases you worked on.”

            She tilted her head a bit and glanced at the folder. “Which case?”

            Thomas opened the folder where she could see. “The murder of Jillian Hilliard.” The men watched as every bit of blood drained from her complexion. Ryan swayed and caught the door to stay upright. Jackson reached a steadying hand and she jumped back away from him.

            “Don’t! Don’t touch me! I’m… I’m sorry I can’t help you.” She slammed the door. Ryan leaned against the oak and slid to the floor sobbing hysterically as the vision she saw that day replayed its self. Only now it was worse she had a name to go with the horror she had to witness.

            Jackson shook his head as Thomas headed down the steps behind him. “I don’t understand, Jack, you were only trying to keep her from falling.”

            “I don’t’ think that was it. Every drop of blood drained from her body when you opened that file. What ever happened to her that day has that lady terrified.”

            That night Jackson couldn’t sleep. He had the sinking feeling this was going to get much worse before it got anywhere at all. 

 Grab your copy on Smashwords  for $.99 launch week special March 25th through 30th! 

Want to get a paperback copy or meet the author. Come see me March 30th at the Authors in the Park event Spring into Art! Get all the details here Events and Appearances  or AIP on Facebook 

A Luring Murder of Author Stacy Verdick Case

No no, Stacy is  just fine, the murder is in the next Catherine O'Brien book. Stacy is here with us in the Ludis today to chat about her latest release A Luring Murder. Grab your favorite coffee treat and enjoy the chat. Don't forget to leave some comment love! 

Tell us three little known things about Stacy Verdick Case.

I collect gemstones, I eat salsa from the jar with a spoon, and I went to school to be a sound engineer in a recording studio.

We’re talking about A Luring Murder today. Can you tell us a bit about it?

I wrote A Luring Murder at the request of fans. Initially I had written a different book 2 for the series, but at the end of A Grand Murder the main character Catherine O’Brien is going on vacation with her husband. I kept getting emails and reviews that said I can’t wait to find out what happens on this vacation. The only problem was the next book took place several months later. After a friend of mine insisted that she had to know what happened on vacation I decided to write A Luring Murder. So this one is for the fans of the first book because they asked for it.

A Luring Murder is the second in a series. The first being A Grand Murder. What inspired this series?

I love series mysteries but there wasn’t a series for someone like me. I’m too old now to appreciate a 20-something bimbo running around with a gun who stumbles on dead bodies, while trying to find love, but I’m too young for the granny sleuth mysteries. Catherine is in between the two.

What are the challenges in writing a series verses a one off book?

Continuity is a huge problem. I end up having to re-read my books to double check eye color and back story details. I think the problem is I write by the seat of my pants and I’m not organized at all.  If I were more organized I would write these details down, but I never do.

The main character of your series is Catherine O’Brien, tell us a bit about her. Was she inspired by something in yourself or someone you know?

Catherine is irreverent. She has a tendency to say what’s on her mind without much in the way of tact. My sister swears Catherine is me, so I guess I need to work on the filter from my brain to my mouth (LOL). There are certain aspects to her personality that are like me, but I pull things from other people as well.

Why this genre?

When I started writing novel length fiction I started out in romance. Then an editor told me I had the highest body count she’d ever seen in a romance novel. She told me my romance fell down but suggested I focus on guy the mystery. It was handy information to have and I am very grateful to her for her suggestion.

In the books, we find out about Catherine’s coffee addiction what is your favorite coffee treat?

Quad shot, venti, caramel macchiato from Starbucks. I’m a complete addict.

What do you find most difficult and most rewarding in being a writer?

For me the most difficult thing is the social networking explosion. People expect you to be online and accessible. I’m a recluse. I love my privacy so I really struggle with the social promotion explosion. The most rewarding part is hearing people tell me they laughed out loud in public when they read my book. All I want to do is entertain people, so to have someone tell me they found an escape in my books is awesome.

Most writers are voracious readers. What are you reading right now?

I have 3 books going right now. On audio in my car is Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen, on my Kindle is Decision Points by George W. Bush, and on my night stand is Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

Do you have any projects or WIP that you can tell us about?

I’m working on what will now be the 4^th book in the series.  I don’t want to tell too much about it because it’s still rough draft so there will likely be major changes before this one hits the shelf. Then I have an idea for a book that is not part of the series, so I might take a short break from Catherine and Louise.

Where can we find Stacy Verdick Case and Catherine O’Brien?

http://www.StacyVerdickCase.com

http://sostacythought.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/StacyVerdickCase

https://twitter.com/SVerdickCase

A Luring Murder Excerpt 

CHAPTER ONE

When I went to bed last night, I was spooned against my husband on my first vacation in ten years. Never mind that the vacation, fishing at a Minnesota resort, is at the top of my personal list of hells.

By morning I was damp, shivering and alone under the covers. My husband, and two other men I’d never seen before stood next to the bed and stared at me like I was the prize winning pig at a State Fair.

Gavin, my loving husband, leaned into my ear and whispered, “There’s been a murder, Catherine.”

If there’s one word in the English language that could take you from zero to awake in less than a second the word is murder. I was on my feet and out the door in seconds.

Now I stood sentinel – playing gatekeeper to the crime scene and oracle to the sheriff and deputy of this podunk little town.

Thankfully, my duty would end as soon as the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrived. Then I could get back to my God forsaken vacation.

“Detective O’Brien.”

I turned on my heels to face the middle-aged man puffing his way up the hill toward me.

“You can call me Catherine you know, Sheriff. I’m not here in an official capacity. I’m a tourist in this town. Remember?”

His lips twisted up into a blushing, no-I-don’t-think-I-could-do-that, grin. At least he’d stopped calling me ma’am – the moniker he’d been using since my early morning verbal ice bath.

Sheriff Anderson held his baseball cap, with the local Sheriff’s department logo ironed on the front like a cheap truckers hat, in both hands and twisted the bill in a reflexive gesture. Anderson stared at me as if he’d forgotten why he’d come to see me.

“Have you come to release me from my guard duties?”  I said.

“Ah, sorry but no.”

I doubted very much if he were sorry. While I played goalie to the fiendish gawkers who just wanted a peek at the body, he campaigned for his next run at sheriff. Every local who approached with concern, and a smidge of morbid curiosity, left with the assurance that the case was well in hand and a suspect would soon be in custody.

Apparently, (since we hadn’t yet found any evidence that would help us track down a killer) the truth had no place in Sheriff Anderson’s reelection campaign. Anderson seemed to make up the details as he went along. He doled out lies to the locals as easy as a traveling carnival barker who claimed their midway games weren’t fixed.

“I was wondering,” he said. “If you know how much longer before the BCA arrives?  The resort owners are upset about us locking up their fish house.”

The fish house was situated near the beach surrounded by trees on all sides, and Mrs. Peterman had haunted the trees since early morning. Not wanting me to see her, Mrs. Peterman wove through the trees like a timber wolf hunting prey.

“Mr. and Mrs. Peterman will just have to get over it,” I said. “Even when the BCA arrives the fish house will be locked up for as long as it takes to gather all the evidence.”

Anderson screwed his hat onto his head then stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans like a pouty child.

“Well, maybe I’ll just have Mrs. Peterman come talk to you about the fish house then.”

A cowardly answer, though not completely unexpected.

“You do that, Sheriff,” I said. “Was there anything else you needed?”

I hadn’t had coffee yet today, because my host for the next two weeks believes that tea is the preferred way to open your eyes in the morning. To me, it was what you drank when you had diarrhea.

My level of patience was directly tied to the amount of coffee coursing through my veins. My tank was dangerously low, and I was in no mood for Mrs. Peterman.

Did you enjoy the chat and excerpt? Have you read A Grand Murder? Let us know what you think Gladiators love comments :) 

Eleanor T. Beaty talks about Seeing Spirits on Gladiator's Pen

Gladiator's Pen welcomes Elanor T. Beaty to the Ludis. She's guest posting with an interesting topic seeing spirits, in celebration of the release of her book Souls of Darkness. For an extra treat there are is a rafflecopter drawing below the post. So refill your cuppa and enjoy today's guest. Don't forget to leave some comment love :) Have you ever seen a spirit?

Seeing Spirits – A Gift?

Guest Post by Eleanor T. Beaty

There will always be the question or doubt whether being able to see, communicate and interact with spirits is a gift. When I began to study spiritualism (and I am still a beginner no matter how much I study) I came across the explanation that we choose to have or not have this gift before we are born and we choose how much it will impact our lives and destiny. For some reason you asked for it, and I’m not meaning this in a bad way, because God is not so unkind to throw such a burden on someone without previous preparation or permission. That is what I learned. I’m sure there will be people who don’t agree and they have a right to their opinion.

Truth is we all have the ability to be mediums if we want to develop it through practice and study, but it won’t be as strong as those who come with the gift from birth.

So back to the – you were given a choice- POV. Why would one choose such a gift? One of the reasons would be to help both the living and the dead. For those that don’t believe in past lives this might not make sense, but accepting such a burden is a way of repaying a past debt. There are many different reasons why, but the most common is that, at another time, you may have hurt people through your actions. So think of this not as a burden but as an opportunity to give back and grow, move forward and settle past debts. It is not an easy gift to deal with, as not all spirits that cross your path are easy on the eyes, or good, but there are plenty of tools at hand to teach you how to handle this gift and dominate it so that it doesn’t dominate your life.

I know plenty of people that think that if they ignore it, it will go away. Denial doesn’t work. I have someone close to me who will turn on all the light in the house when alone and sleep with the TV on loud, just so he can’t hear those invisible friends. One day he’ll give in and probably find an amazing fulfillment with helping people, from both sides.

I don’t have that type of gift. I don’t see, nor do I hear. I always wished I’d had it, but I guess that wasn’t part of my life-plan. However, I have always been around people who have, so I’ve seen close up what it’s like to live with such a gift and use it to help others. The person I learned the most from was an assistant I had a long time ago. Her gift began in her early childhood, and as expected, the first time she told her mother, right after her grandfather died, that he had come to say goodbye, she was dragged off to the psychiatrist. A few years later her mother came to understand and accept her gift and gave her full support.

My assistant was what is called an unconscious medium, meaning when she’s incorporated by a spirit she will have no recollection, nor control. During her first years, her gift took over her life and it was hell. She received visitors at all times. She would wake up in the strangest places. Through studies she managed to stop that; she learned to sense their approach and block the spirits from taking over. She came to dominate her gift. Sometimes, while we were in a meeting, she would start looking behind me and I would know there was someone there. It could get weird. She did pay a price for such a gift in her personal life, as in she didn’t have much of one, but she helped so many people her sacrifice was rewarded. She never used it to make money, but what if one does? Is it allowed?

In my opinion, the true spiritualist will never charge because they are only the transmitter and those who are actually doing the work, the spirits, are doing it out of kindness and they don’t get paid. However, there are exceptions, and making a humble living when sacrificing your life to help others is allowed. But if you try to use it to exploit people in their hour of need, or to glorify yourself, there will be a price to pay. I saw an amazing tarot reader go from getting everything right to everything wrong when she began to think she could charge a fortune for a service provided by others. She made the mistake of thinking she was the one who could see the future all on her own. Besides losing her high paying clients, she went through a tough time in her personal life.

Seeing and communicating with spirits is a gift and an opportunity to grow. This gift comes accompanied by friends to guide us, our mentors. Our character and our intentions will determine what kind of friends and mentors will surround us. And just like the gift is given, it can be taken away if misused, or it can even hurt us the same way we used it to hurt others.

Souls of Darkness:

Alex's life is turned upside down after his father's sudden death. An old pamphlet found in his father's belongings leads Alex and his mother, Charlotte, to a remote Polynesian island. His mother longs for a place untouched by past memories, and Alex hopes the trip will help her to heal. Their arrival on the island elicits an eerie episode of déjà vu for Alex, and he begins to wonder about the pamphlet and his father's past. Why did he have it? Had he been there before? Alex senses something is off with the island. Progress is unwelcome by the inhabitants. A local girl reveals the history of the island and its dark spirits. She warns him to never be caught outside after dark, but Alex finds it all hard to believe... Until inexplicable and terrifying events begin to unfold. While digging for information, Alex finds his presence on the haunted island is not by chance. Rangur, the most evil of souls, aims to use him to acquire great power. There's only one way Alex can stop him and for that he must uncover his father's past connection to the island.

Purchase Links:

Amazon eBook 

Amazon Paperback

About Eleanor

Eleanor T. Beaty is a Young Adult Paranormal author. A worldly person born in beautiful Brazil and spent much of her childhood in several places (Argentina, Switzerland, and the US to name a few). She holds a BA in English Literature and is published in both Brazil and Turkey.

Eleanor loves spirituality and magic - both have allowed her to gain a strong grip on life and enjoy what it has to offer. She believes that everything has a reason and understanding those reasons help us deal with the difficult moments. Eleanor currently enjoys life with her husband in Brazil.

Follow her at http://eleanortbeaty.com/

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Author Chat with james crawford on Gladiator's Pen

 Gladiator's Pen welcomes james crawford to the ludis! No, the lowercase lettering in his name isn't a typo it's his trademark. james is here today to talk about his latest book release Caleo: Leech Book 1. Get comfortable, refill your cuppa and let's chat. 

Who is james crawford?

I am a writer of young adult fiction. My first book is called Caleo. It is part one of a three book series that follows a teenage outcast as he learns of his heritage and is forced to fight for the fate of the world.

Did you choose to be an author or did it choose you?

I think that I would have to say being an author chose me. My first book series is based off of a series of recurring dreams. After a while it felt like it was only logical to write the dreams into a story. Since then the dreams are still coming.

What are three things you MUST have when you are writing?

Diet coke, enough space to stretch out on, and complete silence.

You have a book out called Caleo: Leech Book 1. Can you tell us about it?  

Caleo is about a teen with pale skin, white hair and piercing blue eyes. In school, his features have made him a social outcast with no friends but his foster siblings Jack and Jillian.  One day out of thin air a man appears and changes Caleo’s life by telling him that a civil war is being waged by a hidden race of people known as leeches. Both sides of the war are desperately searching for this lost weapon that will bring an end to the war in favor of the side that possesses it. Caleo is that weapon and must pick a side as he runs for his life while learning to control his newly found power.

**Caleo is a gay teenager. So if that bothers anyone, I would suggest avoiding this book.

What inspired you to write in this genre?

I have always loved Young adult science fiction books. When I read Perry Moore’s Hero, I knew I had found the genre for me. There are too few books out there for young adults with LGBT characters for them to relate or even look up to and I am hoping that my book will help change that.

Did writing this story teach you anything about yourself?

Writing this story actually taught me a lot about myself. When I first started writing I didn’t think I had a snow ball’s chance in… Cancun at getting my story to a point that others would want to read it. I suck at grammar and thought that I was too stupid to be able to write a story someone would like to read. I have learned that what I lack in education, I make up for in imagination and stubbornness. I have a story to tell and even though people let me know how impossible it is that I can write a book I pushed forward and kept writing my stubbornness pushing me forward. I have even run off a few editors I kept searching and found one that polished my book into a pearl. I have learned that my Stubbornness is one of my best attributes.

If you could spend a day in your book would you? What would you do, where would you go, who would you see?

This is a tough question. My book is kind of chaotic a lot of fighting and war going on. I think I would like to live in the world of my book before all heck broke loose. I would love to actually meet Caleo, Jack and Nolan and to actually see their amazing powers would be awesome, but I don’t think I would want to be thrown into their world of fighting for their lives.

What can fans expect from book 2?

Book two is going to be great. It’s called Jack told from…wait for it… Jack’s point. It will start out a few months after book 1 ends. Jillian is now a gun slinging bada** now. Plus there will be the introduction of a few new characters as well as the return of a few old ones that got left behind. I am hoping it will be out in late February or March.

Do you have any news or advice you would like to pass on to fellow writers or readers?

If you have a story you feel is worth telling, don’t let anyone stop you from telling it. Push forward, make it your goal to prove them all wrong. You will always have people who tell you what you can’t do. Make it your personal goal to prove them all wrong.

Where can we find James Crawford and Caleo?

 Website

Facebook 

Twitter 

Amazon

B&N

Don't Touch the Author in the Park

Don’t Touch is in its final stretch on it’s journey being revamped for re-release. At the time of this books original release I was still new to this publishing world. Now that I’ve got a few notches in my belt of knowledge I decided to go back and give my beloved stories a fresh polish and new life.

It’s given me a chance to fall in love with the story and characters all over again. Don’t Touch will relaunch the first week of March! So keep an eye out for the big release announcement. Here’s a the blurb and revamped cover!

Blurb:

Detective Jackson Prince has to find a serial killer before he strikes again. Reclusive ex- forensic pathologist Ryan Reign is the only one who can help him. One problem, she can’t touch without experiencing sometimes frightening visions. Can Jackson find a way to touch her heart so they can stop the killer? 

You’ll be able to find both Don’t Touch and myself at the Authors In the Park event on March 30^th in Mt. Dora, Florida from 2:30pm until 8pm selling and signing books. I’ll be joined by 11 other Lake County authors. There will be free appetizers of wine and cheese from One Flight Up Café, live entertainment and a gallery walk of local artists.

It’s going to be a fantastic day so mark your calendar to come and join us!

Now for my ROW80 goals.With the preparation for this event and working to get Don’t Touch I’m making a few revisions to the goal list. I have to say ROW80 has been an awesome and encouraging experience to share and see other's posting about their own goals and progress. Okay here we go new goals for this week...

Goals for week 5:
Edit like mad
Work on getting promo and table items for event

Start putting together flash collection number one! That’s right keep your eyes peeled for two upcoming collections of flash stories on Smashwords and Amazon!

For more about Authors in the Park and the other authors attending with me check out their FB page: Authors in the Park on Twitter you can look for #AIP and #DontTouch for release news.  

Whew, I’m worn out from just thinking of all that. Are you making progress on your goals? 

Mai Tais and Mayhem are served up on Gladiator's Pen by MS Spencer

Glaidator's Pen welcomes Meredith Spencer to the ludis today. She's going to be talking about her latest release Mai Tais and Mayhem. Add a little more sweet to that tea and enjoy! Don't forget to leave a little comment love :) 

Mai Tais and Mayhem by M.S. Spencer

My latest romantic suspense novel is set on the balmy shores of the Florida Gulf coast. Readers looking not only for romance, but for encounters with the exotic birds and animals to be found in that tropical paradise, not to mention a murder or two, will find it here.

I chose the setting because the Gulf coast is blessed with an enormous variety of wildlife, from rays, sharks and dolphins, to pelicans and roseate spoonbills, to the sweet lumps of manatees. Five of the seven species of sea turtle live in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands covering nearly five million acres are home to the “walking trees” called mangroves, alligators, and anhingas. In Mai Tais and Mayhem, our heroine Tessa Diamond confronts a wide array of the denizens of the coast—from sea turtles to sturgeon to feral pigs. Besides her work counting sea turtle nests, she volunteers at the famous Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.  Founded in 1955 by Dr. Eugenie Clark, the “Shark Lady,” today it conducts research on sharks, red tide, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs, coastal ecology, and sustainable fish farming. One project that is featured in Mai Tais and Mayhem is their public-private effort to save the American surgeon, funded by sales of fabulous caviar. If you want to find out more about Mote Marine (and the caviar), here’s a link: www.mote.org. To buy the caviar (which is really yummy!), go to: http://mote.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Caviar-SturgeonSale_Jan2011&category=News  or www.caviarstar.com.

Mai Tais & Mayhem: Murder at Mote Marine (a Sarasota Romance)

Secret Cravings Publishing (January 2013)

eBook 65,000 words (208 pp)

Contemporary romantic suspense/mystery, M/F, 3 flames

When Tessa Diamond rescues a baby pufferfish from a hungry gull, her good deed leads her into a shady world of smuggling, Russian gangsters, and coded messages. She confronts murder, attempted ravishment, parrots, sea turtles and big fish, only to encounter blossoming romances at every turn, including one of her own.

She is torn between Cameron Mason, tiger-eyed and handsome, and Dugan Trevally, sexy and dangerous, but before she can drop her longstanding opposition to marriage and accept her true love, she must face the possibility that one of them could be a thief, and even a murderer.

Buy Links: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=500

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mai-Tais-and-Mayhem-ebook/dp/B00B3YJZJO

allRomanceEbooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-maitaisandmayhem-1046886-149.html

EXCERPT ~ An Unexpected Surprise (PG)

The alarm woke her at seven. Tessa threw on the Mote polo shirt and black golf skort she’d laid out the night before, grabbed the bagel and can of V8 she’d left on the counter, and shot down Gulf of Mexico Drive as the sun came up. The road for once was deserted and she could revel in the breeze blowing her long black hair and the scent of frangipani in the air. The soft gray sky held only a hint of the deep blue to come later, and the gulf lay becalmed by the evaporating night. She sang a country song as she drove. In her bones she knew this would be a glorious day, the first in a long time where she felt free of any guilt or sadness. If only she could whistle. If only I could carry a tune.

She parked in the aquarium lot and walked across to the Goldstein Center. Pulling out the key Pilchard had given her, she let herself in by the ticket booth. Pale, blurry light seeped in through the plastic sheeted tanks to her right. She went up the stairs and around the gift shop to the dolphin pool, rattling doors as she went. All was quiet and locked. A snort came from the pool. One of the dolphins raised his head and peered at her before diving back down.

Looks okay here. She checked her watch. Eight-twenty. The support staff should be arriving soon to open the gift shop and ticket counter. She walked back down the stairs. The turtle tanks lay to her right—two large shallow pools that at present held four sea turtles, one leatherback—Fred—two green turtles, and a loggerhead. She leaned over Fred’s tank. “Fred,” she called, “how are you? Feeling better?”

A black mass floated at the other end of the pool. Oh dear, I hope he’s not still sick. Worried, she skirted the other tank and ducked under the gate. The mass didn’t move. “Fred?” She reached out a hand to touch his shell and instead encountered something soft and mushy. “Fred?”

At that moment the overhead light flashed on. She swung around. From the hall came the voice of Henry Stillwater, the coordinator of the dolphin training program. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Tessa. Tessa Diamond. I’m the volunteer. I was checking on Fred, but something’s wrong.”

“What?”

Tessa turned around to look into the pool again and screamed.

I’d love to hear from you!

Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/M.S.SpencerAuthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1277387999&sr=1-2-ent

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer

Author Stromie Kent talks about the novel setting for Battling Rapture

Today we're welcoming Stormie Kent Author of Battling Rapture to the ludis. Kick back and have a read as Stormie talks about her latest novel's setting. Be sure to leave a comment  for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card! 

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Book Length: Novel

Genre: Futuristic Erotic Romance

Release Date: January 18, 2013

Ellora’s Cave

Amazon

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Blog

Thanks for having me on Gladiator’s Pen today.

When I was writing Battling Rapture, there were scenes where I wanted the scenery to not only say something about the futuristic world my heroine lived in after Earth is invaded by aliens, but also about the woman who was my heroine. She had to be everything the heroine in my previous book wasn’t. That difference was the result of the trauma they had both experienced as children. Niki (Battling Rapture) is resourceful, hostile, guarded and dangerous. What kind of environment would test her limits? What would Earth look like after a battle with aliens?

I decided to open with a hospital. Why? I wanted to take a place everyone goes when they are hurt or injured and destroy the hope of finding solace there. I thought of scenery in terms of damage from firepower. I imagined the accelerated wear and tear on a building long neglected. I wondered what had happened to all of the animals in the area. Then I threw my heroine in and waited to see what she would do. The excerpt below is just a snippet. I hope you enjoy it.

  

BLURB

      Niki is captured by hostile aliens after Earth is invaded. Once a soldier, she is now a slave. She is sold to the highest bidder, and then lost in a game of cards to a tall Ordanian spaceship captain, who claims to have been sent to rescue her. They work together to survive the dangers of the United Universe, while Niki battles her desire for the only man to ever enflame her mind, body and soul.

Captain Rhine’s mission is to reunite the Earth woman with her family. Outmaneuvering beast shifters and a crazed stalker are the very least he is willing to do to keep her by his side. Her touch ignites his passion. Her scent drives his lust. Her strength eases his soul even as she challenges him every step of the way. In the end, Rhine understands, the biggest battle is for her heart.

EXCERPT

 The following excerpt is for those readers who are 18 and over only.

Copyright © Stormie Kent, 2013

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

She filled bags with medicines, needles and bandages. She saw a pile of hospital gowns and shoved those in too. She had a little of everything loaded into the packs, including soap, hospital toothbrushes and sheets. Their third salvage mission might be their last. The next time they came, the entire place could be vaporized. This was the only city for miles which still contained the original architecture and infrastructure—even if it was in ruins.

She walked to the gaping hole in the wall. Craters dotted the landscape. Some were filled with buildings, others with vehicles. The building across from her had the top two floors collapsed in. All the windows were blown out. She looked down. Movement caught her eye, and she quickly hid behind what was left of a pillar. She carefully peered down again and relaxed when she noticed it was only a pack of stray dogs.

At least it isn’t a lion or tiger from the zoo.

She heard a whistle, and then a man stepped into the doorway.

“You ready, Niki?” Antoine said.

“Yes, let’s get these down to the wagons and go get the others. I hope they found baby formula and ammunition.”

Dragging the heavy packs down the emergency exit stairwell was slow work. When they reached the ER entrance, they began loading the bags in the carts.

“I wish I knew how the aliens track us when we use cars and trucks. This would be so much easier without the horse and cart,” Antoine said.

“Just be happy we don’t have to hike back up the mountain with this stuff on our backs or pulling it behind us on a makeshift gurney.” She was slightly out of breath. Some of the bags she’d packed weighed more than she did. She pulled her gun from her hip. “You steer the cart. I’ll be lookout.”

There were four teams spread out all over the city. They needed to pick them up and make it back to the mountain by late afternoon without stumbling onto an alien hunting party.

She scanned the rubble for dead bodies. They tried to burn them when they could. If not, the animals—well, it was better if they burned the bodies. She refocused. She had a job to do. To make it back to camp safely, they all needed to use their heads, stay sharp and work as a team.

Their survival depended on it.

Want more? Click the link for another excerpt.

Now for my blog tour contest. Every eligible comment along my blog tour will be entered to win. All those who enter a positive comment here between now and 11:59 p.m. Eastern (USA) on February 1, 2013 will be entered in a drawing for a $20 Amazon eGiftcard. You must leave a valid email address in the comments to be entered. The winner will be announced the night of February 2, 2013 on my blog, http://stormiekent.wordpress.com.

Happy Reading!

Stormie Kent

                

Melissa McPhail talks about making magic on Gladiator's Pen

Please enjoy this guest post by Melissa McPhail, author of the spellbinding epic fantasy, Cephrael's Hand. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.  

My Take on Magic Systems

A guest post by Melissa McPhail

  One of the most enticing aspects of writing fantasy is developing a magic system. The author’s magic system is inextricably woven into their world and contributes greatly to the reader’s vision of the world overall. The way a system is created either makes the world seem real or unreal, depending on how well the author has grounded the system with laws and limitations.

For example, scientists in our own world have defined laws—inertia, gravity, the periodic table—that describe the physical limitations and properties of energy. We don’t expect a stone to rise upwards when we throw it, but we might believe it could float if it were somehow made of helium. Likewise in a fantasy world, it’s important to codify the system with laws and rules (and to stick to those rules once established), to set boundaries for what the magician can and cannot do with magic, and to establish consequences for and ramifications of magical misuse.

 This all shows that magic systems require significant thought and research on the author’s part to develop realistically. Yet for all of this, the manner in which one might design and describe the magical process is potentially limitless—there are as many magical systems as there are fantasy novels, and equally as many readers eager to pontificate on their pros and cons and/or to organize the systems into categories and types. 

The one thing most magic systems have in common, however, is that they all handle energy. Whether that energy is spiritual, omnipotent, corporeal, or derives from physical objects or living things, the working of arcane arts surrounds the manipulation of energy.

I designed the magic in Cephrael’s Hand based on scientists’ existing understanding of electrical fields. The process of thought has been scientifically proven to produce energy, and human bodies are known to generate electrical fields. For the magic in Alorin, I proposed that all living things produce a metaphysical energy which is formless but which flows across the world in natural currents. This energy is called elae. This is the energy a magician of Alorin uses to produce arcane workings. How he does this is the creative part.

In Cephrael’s Hand, all things are formed of patterns. A single leaf derives its pattern from the larger pattern of its motherly oak. The snowflake harbors the pattern of a storm. Rivers form patterns that mimic the pattern of the world, and a living man harbors within him the pattern of his immortality. These inherent patterns collect and compel energy (elae) toward a certain purpose—growth, action, states of change.

To compel energy, a magician of Alorin (called a wielder) must learn to first identify and then usurp control over the pattern of a thing in order to command it. This is a laborious process requiring a lifetime of study. 

Unlike wielders, the Adepts in Cephrael’s Hand are born with the ability to manipulate certain patterns. Adept Healers can see creation patterns (life patterns) and mend them where they’ve become frayed. Truthreaders can hear certain thoughts and read minds to see what a man saw versus what he says he saw. Nodefinders have the ability to move long distances with a single step by traveling on the pattern of the world. And Wildlings tap into a variant aspect of the lifeforce called elae to shapeshift or even skip through time, among other intriguing talents. The last type of Adept can sense the patterns of nonliving things—stone, air, water, fire, etc.—and use those patterns to compel the elements themselves.

Adepts are limited by nature of their birth—they can only inherently work one category of patterns. They are limited by their training, their inherent intelligence, talent and ability. And of course, like us in real life, they are limited by their own vision of their capabilities.

Above all of these limitations, we find Adepts limited by “Balance.” The concept of Balance draws from my studies of Eastern philosophies. It is the high governing force, the yen and yang, karma, cause and effect, fate. It’s as esoteric and arcane as these concepts imply. How far can the Balance be pushed in one direction without lashing back at the wielder? Which actions stretch it and which ones defy it? Balance is a complex and complicated subject—as difficult to define as our own world’s myriad competing religions. The only real agreement on the subject of Balance is that all magical workings stretch the Balance to some degree. Understanding how far they can be stretched without snapping is central to survival in the arcane arts.

The concept of Balance provides, well, the “balancing” force to all magical workings in Cephrael’s Hand and is central to its plot. You see, the entire realm of Alorin is out of Balance and magic is dying—and the Adept race dies along with it.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Cephrael's Hand eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $450 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book. All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win! To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copy of Cephrael's Hand for just 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

About Cephrael's Hand: Two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a great battle, neither knowing the other is alive... A traitor works in exile while preparing for the disaster only he knows is coming... A race of beings from beyond the fringe of the universe begin unmaking the world from within... And all across the land, magic is dying. Cephrael's Hand is the first novel in the award-winning series A Pattern of Shadow and Light. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. About the author: Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats. Visit Melissa on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.


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