BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Dance of the Spirits by Catherine Aerie

Title: The Dance of the Spirits 

Author: Catherine Aerie

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis ~ Spring 1951: it is the fiery zenith of the Korean War, a war that the youthful US Army lieutenant Wesley Palm and his men thought that they had won … until the Chinese swept across the Yalu River. Traveling with the million-man army bent on driving back the march of “American imperialism” is Jasmine Young, a Chinese surgeon who has volunteered herself into the war for unspoken, grave reasons. Through a chronicle of merciless battles, freezing winter, and the brutality and hypocrisy of human nature, the two will find themselves weaving through the twist and turns of fate and destiny, where an unquenchable passion, a resilient pursuit of liberty, and an inherent dignity light the darkness against the vast sky of a warring world and of nation and cultures that stand shattered and divided by the same forces that unify them.

About The Author: Catherine Aerie, a graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a master degree in finance. She was inspired to write “The Dance of the Spirits” while researching a family member’s role in the Korean War, deciding to revive an often neglected and overlooked setting in fiction and heighten the universality of resilient pursuit of love and liberty. Her debut novel was finished after about two years of research. She currently resides in southern California.

Website: www.catherineaerie.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/098969092X/?tag=bdsitelogin-20

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dance-of-the-spirits-catherine-aerie/1117019491?ean=9780989690928&itm=1&usri=9780989690928

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: The Seed & Other Fairy Tales by Joseph Hillenbrand

The Seed & Other Fairy Tales

By Joseph Hillenbrand

Genre: Short Stories, Fiction, Fairy Tales

Book synopsis:

How do you measure yourself? By family, friends, enemies? By what you fight for? Or what you fight against?

Follow the tales of those struggling to find an identity of their own. A little girl with a ghost as a best friend. A woman who hates wishes. A man lost in the secret kingdom of frog people. A girl at war with her god. And a pair of soldiers on a deadly mission of peace.

The seeds have been sown. The storm is coming. Who will grow and who will drown?

My review:

The Seed & Other Fairy Tales is an exquisite little collection of stories, fables, and powerful thematic illustrations. I would really love to own a print copy of this little book. I feel that a big something is lost in the electronic publication version of this collection.

That aside, I loved this book! The depth and poignancy of each of these short fables is astounding, and each one has its own unique flare almost as if written by different authors! Some dark and sad, others light and child-friendly, and all with the underlying current of Hillenbrand’s personality and character. In my opinion, the books opening dialogue between a boy and his mother had the most potency and really set the stage for what followed. The illustrations (all stunning and colorfully produced by a wide array of artists) accent each story beautifully.

I’m giving the kindle addition of this book four stars, but the content I happily give five stars and encourage readers to grab this book in its printed form if possible. Very nice!

Author Bio: I was born, raised and still live in the outskirts of Chicago. Every few years a move a little further west. Slowly inching my way to California. I love the big sky, the vast plains, the harvest moons of the Midwest. 

I grew up reading comic books and playing G.I. Joe. Watching wrestling and listening to Led Zeppelin. I drew, I wrote, I strummed. I learned Stone Temple Pilots and I read Beckett. I grew and I withered. I have spent the majority of my time in software - from support to development to management. And with my first book out now, I'm trying to get back to my roots: telling stories. 

Social Media Links: 

Website: www.undertowstories.com

Blog: www.undertowstories.com/wordpress

Twitter: Xtapalapaquetl (twitter.com/xtapalapaquetl)

Purchase:

a. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Seed-ebook/dp/B007OBXRNA/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335481825&sr=1-5

b. Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seed-other-fairy-tales-hillenbrand-joseph/1119448186?ean=9780615885803

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Governess and the Stalker by Mark Morey

The Governess And The Stalker

By Mark Morey

Genre: Historical Crime / Mystery

Book Synopsis

It is the first of June 1879 and twenty-year old former governess Michelle Blissett has just wed her master James Devine. Tragically James dies on their wedding night. Jesse West, recently discharged from the workhouse, is proud that he killed his father and is looking forward to killing Michelle and her step-children.

Michelle Devine relocates her household to London. Michelle’s brother-in-law Luke then runs up gambling debts which Michelle settles by travelling to Edinburgh to pay the enigmatic Brian Finlay. Michelle narrowly escapes death when the bridge over the Firth of Tay collapses while a train is crossing, and she returns to London for a new start to her life. She forms a friendship with handsome young Paul Lawrence before a ragged stranger threatens her. Michelle and her step-children move to Paul Lawrence’s manor in the Cotswolds before Jesse West tracks them down. Paul Lawrence injures Jesse badly but Jesse slips away to recover.

The sins we do come back to haunt us.

Author Biography


I am part-time in the workforce and a part-time author, and writing technical documentation and advertising material formed a large part of my career for many decades. Writing a novel didn’t cross my mind until relatively recently, where the combination of too many years writing dry, technical documents and a visit to the local library where I couldn’t find a book that interested me led me consider a new pastime. Write a book. That book may never be published, but I felt my follow-up cross-cultural crime with romance hybrid set in Russia had more potential. So much so that I wrote a sequel that took those characters on a journey to a very dark place.

The Red Sun Will Come and Souls in Darkness were published by Club Lighthouse in mid-2012. My next novel, The Governess and The Stalker will be published by Wings ePress in July 2014. A sequel Maidens in the Night is due to be published later this year, and at the moment I am working on a historical fiction manuscript set in Italy during the 1930s.

Author Website: http://markmorey.blogspot.com.au/

BOOK BLITZ: Demonspawn Academy by DJ Liamson

Demonspawn Academy 

By DJ Liamson 

Genre - M/M Paranormal Sci-Fi 

Dark Hollows Press

Publication Date - 7/11/14

Brief Synopsis

Chance Bane wakes up with no memories of who he is and soon finds out he's been engineered to become a demon hunter.


On his first mission with Demonspawn Academy, he's tasked with charting a topography of Hell, assuming he can find an entrance to Hell first. He's assigned to fellow demon hunter Riley Than, and when his emotions are super charged from demon hunting on their first mission, Chance experiences feelings he didn't know he had.

How will Chance deal with his burgeoning sexuality, while dealing with his memory loss, while trying to figure out how to become the best demon hunter he can be?

Author Bio

DJ Liamson lives in Virginia with his wonderful partner, who is always encouraging him to write. DJ loves writing and is thrilled that he gets to share his love of the written word with the world. When not coming up with new twists for old ideas, he enjoys reading and watching others’ work. He hopes you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read and hopes you’ll reach out to him on his social media links. Feel free to say hi!

Social Media:

Twitter: @DJLiamson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorDJLiamson

Purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Demonspawn-Academy.../dp/B00LOZXMFK/ 

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/demonspawn-academy-mm

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-demonspawnacademy-1566564-145.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/456795

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Shrink Rapt, A new novel by Freda Hansburg

A little hypnosis can be a dangerous thing.

Shrink Rapt

By Freda Hansburg

Publication Date: August 2014

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Psychologist April Simon reaches that conclusion when four of her most unstable patients begin to violently unravel following the murder of their psychiatrist, Lowell Morgenstern, April’s arrogant department chairman.  She suspects it’s no coincidence that all four were subjects in his research project.

As April tries to undo Morgenstern’s mayhem, she finds her colleagues turning resentful, her career on the line, and the chairman’s killer closing in.  Who can she trust?  Maybe Sam Perone, the attractive, cynical detective who seeks her help in solving Morgenstern’s murder – that is, when he’s not treating her as a suspect.

Author Bio

Freda Hansburg is a psychologist who lives with her husband in New Jersey.  She is the co-author of the self-help books PeopleSmart and Working PeopleSmart.  Shrink Rapt is her first novel.

Links:

facebook: Freda Hansburg

https://twitter.com/FredaHansburg

http://fredahansburg.com/

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Secrets of the Elders by David Matthew Almond

Secrets of the Elders

By David Matthew Almond

Genre: Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Adventure

Publication Date: June 18 2014

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: The Traveling Man, a Horror Thriller by Matt Drabble

The Traveling Man

By Matt Drabble 

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Synopsis:
The small desert town of Granton is a typical slow boiling pot of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Every hard working day is much like any other here where little ever changes.

Sheriff Cassie Wheeler runs a tight ship in the tradition of her late father. There is little serious crime to trouble her department, save for the local miners’ occasional rowdiness after payday.

But Granton has its share of secrets hiding behind twitching curtains. Small town folks often have the biggest of ambitions.

Now the long dusty road into town has brought with it a stranger. A man of elegance calling himself Gilbert Grange has arrived. He brings with him a bag full of dreams and a silver tongue of promise. He can give you whatever you desire, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.

The residents of Granton are about to discover that dreams can come at a terrible price, and you should always be careful what you wish for.


My Review:

I’ll start with this: This is an amazing book! This is my first opportunity to read one of Matt Drabble’s books, though I’ve heard many good things about them. I’m super stoked to have started reading with ‘The Traveling Man’. It has all the elements I love in a thriller. Its dark subject matter, creepy terrain, a highly developed and complex cast of characters, and a thundering crescendo all make for a spectacular novel of horror and suspense. Gilbert Grange is one of the grandest creations for an anti-hero I’ve yet encountered, and the protagonists I found myself feeling actual sorrow for as they suffered through the chaos unleashed on them! I don’t want to be a spoiler by telling any more about this stunning book! I encourage anyone who enjoys this genre (or those who are on the fence) to pick up this book immediately. You will be glad that you did! I am looking forward to reading the rest of the vast body of work that the author has available.

Author Bio:

Born in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek.

From an early age reading so many works of varied authors, I took the somewhat foolhardy decision to attempt my own novel.

I now have eight novels available, "Asylum - 13 Tales of Terror" “,Gated", "Rapture Falls", "Fangsters" and my latest novels "Abra-Cadaver" & a new horror anthology "After Darkness Falls" Volumes One and Two. I have also just published a sequel to "Gated" called "Gated II: Ravenhill Academy"

“Gated” was a UK Horror Chart #4 best seller.

“Asylum – 13 Tales of Terror” was a Horror/Anthology Chart #1 for over a year and voted #5 on The Horror Novel Reviews Top 10 Books of 2013.

“Abra-Cadaver” recently won an Indie Book of the Day award.

I have recently been signed by Taylor Street Books in San Francisco who will be producing my novel "The Montague Portrait" and I am currently writing "Double Visions"

Links:
Visit me at www.mattdrabble.com

Twitter: MattDrabble01

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.drabble.3?fref=ts

or to sign up for a newsletter: Matt.Drabble.Author

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Travelling-Man-Matt-Drabble-ebook/dp/B00LPHC762

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Outshine by Nola Decker

OUTSHINE  Nola Decker

Book Description 

When agoraphobic Gabe and his outgoing nemesis Jessa go on a moonlit road trip to locate Gabe's missing brother, the two teens discover they are both hiding unnatural abilities: Gabe is a living lie detector and Jessa is a kick-ass powerhouse pretending to be a delicate diva. 

Gabe's sole reason for searching for Watts, his overbearing younger brother, is to clear his own name: he's been framed for Watts' alleged murder. Jessa is after Watts because she is, well, after him.

They find him with Deacon, the twisted eugenicist responsible for their unusual powers. He encourages them to stay and join his "Family" where they'll be able to live openly as the genetically-modified freaks that they are. When Jessa and Gabe uncover the truth about Deacon's past--and what he wants for the future--they band together to stop him. Watts, however, might have other plans . . .

Author Bio

Nola Decker is the only writer in Seattle who doesn't drink coffee. She makes up for her happy and healthy childhood by writing stories in which terrible things happen to young people. She loves salted caramel anything and Fridays. 

Links:

Twitter handle: @nola_decker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nola.decker

Website: www.noladecker.com

Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8178025.Nola_Decker

Amazon page link: http://amzn.com/B00JND06LI 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Strangers on a Bus by Rob Manary

Strangers on a Bus
By Robert Manary

Genre - Romantic Comedy/Memoir

Book Description

If you liked When Harry Met Sally, you'll fall in love with Robb and Gertrude from Strangers on a Bus...

Robb is crushed by a failed relationship with the love of his life and finds himself unexpectedly on a long bus trip from his adopted home in the U.S. back to his native Canada.

At the first stop in NYC, a girl gets on and so begins a contemplation of life, love, and strange events that will bring tears of laughter and heartache streaming down your face.

Is this girl Robb's real true love or just a rebound? How far can they get on a bus ride anyway?

This is a true story.

Author Bio

Robert Manary is an international playboy and man of mystery, with the charm and sophistication of James Bond shaken not stirred with a couple ounces of Cyrano de Bergerac, a dash of Rasputin, and garnished with the rapier wit of Thurston Howell the Third.

That’s how he sees himself, anyway.

The truth is Robert Manary is a construct. Manary’s alter ego dropped out of Radio Broadcasting College to pursue a lucrative career bartending at a seedy gentlemen’s club, played around stocking shelves at a small grocery store until he screwed up badly enough to be given a promotion, and finally left that glamorous life for the bright lights of New York.

Manary is an award winning blogger, an erotic romance novel writer, and the author of a pretty decent romantic comedy.

New York, New York, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. Manary couldn’t make it there, returned to Canada, and chronicled the journey in that pretty decent romantic comedy mentioned above.

Manary is also an experimental artist who has no clue how to write an Author’s Bio, and definitely no idea how to end one.

He has only been in love once, and that didn't work out so well, but he dreams and dreams of that girl he's loved all along. Can a taste of love be so wrong?


Social media links:
Website - www.robmanary.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/RobManaryAuthor

Twitter - www.twitter.com/RobManary 

Amazon buy link - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UIDETC

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Night of the Moon Serpent by Amaia S. Li

The Night of the Moon Serpent: 

First Passage to the World Beyond

By Amaia S. Li

Genre: Fantasy

Book description:

After an encounter with the eccentric Dr. Máximo Rojas, twelve-year-old David Luke starts to experience mysterious symptoms. Dreams about giant owls and visions of a silver-white snake haunt him.  Later, Rojas kidnaps David's mother in order to lure the boy to enter the ruins of an ancient pyramid.  It is there that David will not only face the truth about his father, but also about himself.

THE NIGHT OF THE MOON SERPENT: FIRST PASSAGE TO THE WORLD BEYOND will take readers of all ages to an adventure where a powerful brujo, or sorcerer, and a modern-day healer, the curandero, vie for control over a mythological creature and the possession of a boy's soul.

Author Bio:

Amaia S. Li was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She graduated from the University of Hawaii at West Oahu and earned an MLISC at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She lives in Honolulu. The Night of the Moon Serpent is her first book.

Links: 

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Serpent-First-Passage-Beyond-ebook/dp/B00GKUPZXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402723378&sr=8-1&keywords=night+of+the+moon+serpent

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent-amaia-s-li/1117475882?ean=2940045443333


Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374048

Amaia’s blog:
http://secretweekendwriter.wordpress.com/

Book’s page:
http://secretweekendwriter.wordpress.com/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent-first-passage-to-the-world-beyond/the-night-of-the-moon-serpent/ 

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas by Linda Davies

Hostage: Kidnapped on the High Seas

By Linda Davies

Genre: Memoir

Book Synopsis

Known for her powerful female protagonists who refuse to back down in the face of evil, New York Times bestselling author Linda Davies somehow found herself in a situation that could have been ripped from the pages of one of her thrillers.

In 2005, Linda was living happily with her family in Dubai. Ever the adventurer, she was on the maiden voyage of her new catamaran alongside her husband when the boat's captain unknowingly sailed into sharply contested waters in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran. Soon the trio were surrounded by gun boats and boarded by armed Iranian militants.

Over the next two weeks Linda was held hostage by one of the most feared regimes in the world, with no reason to expect anything but the worst. The story of her imprisonment and harrowing escape, which she has worked so hard in the past to forget, is told in candid and shocking detail.  Crackling with tension, it is also laced through with black humor and insight. Iran is perhaps the most hated and the least understood country in modern society and Linda's account gives a rare, illuminating glimpse into the realities of the oppressive regime.

Author Bio

Linda Davies is half Welsh, half Danish, or half Celt, half Viking, and loves myths, legends of warriors and the sea.

 A graduate in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, she worked for seven years an as investment banker in New York, London and Easter Europe before escaping to write novels.  She grew up steeped in economics as both her late father, Professor Glyn Davies and her late brother, Professor John Davies, were economists.  Like them, she believes that economics is more art than science and she particularly enjoys delving into the emotions of markets and market makers, both the honest (yes, they do exist!) and the fraudsters, many of whom remain invisible.

Her first Novel, Nest of Vipers, has been published in over thirty countries, selling over two million copies.  It has also been optioned three times by major Hollywood studios.

 Linda has written four more novels for adults which have all been published internationally; Wilderness of Mirrors, Into the Fire, Something Wild and Final Settlement.  She is known for her portrayal of strong, independent and rebellious women in extreme situations.

Linda lived in Peru for three years, and in the Middle East for eight years, during which time she was kidnapped by Iranian government forces and held hostage for two weeks in Iran.  After UK government intervention, she was freed.  

Linda writes for Young Adults too.  Her first series, the Djinn Quintet - Sea Djinn, Fire Djinn, Storm Djinn and King of the Djinn (and in time War of the Djinn) - has been optioned by Hollywood producer, Sandy Climan.

 As well as writing novels, Linda also writes for The Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent and the Guardian newspapers in the UK, and the National Theatre.  She is a winner of the Philip Geddes Prize for journalism.  Linda is married with three children.  She lives by the sea in Suffolk.

COVER REVEAL: Shrink Rapt by Freda Hansburg

A little hypnosis can be a dangerous thing.

Shrink Rapt

By Freda Hansburg

Publication Date: August 2014

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Psychologist April Simon reaches that conclusion when four of her most unstable patients begin to violently unravel following the murder of their psychiatrist, Lowell Morgenstern, April’s arrogant department chairman.  She suspects it’s no coincidence that all four were subjects in his research project.

As April tries to undo Morgenstern’s mayhem, she finds her colleagues turning resentful, her career on the line, and the chairman’s killer closing in.  Who can she trust?  Maybe Sam Perone, the attractive, cynical detective who seeks her help in solving Morgenstern’s murder – that is, when he’s not treating her as a suspect.

Author Bio

Freda Hansburg is a psychologist who lives with her husband in New Jersey.  She is the co-author of the self-help books PeopleSmart and Working PeopleSmart.  Shrink Rapt is her first novel.

Links:

https://twitter.com/FredaHansburg

http://fredahansburg.com/

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Prey of Desire by JC Gatlin

Title: Prey of Desire

Author: JC Gatlin

Genre: Mystery-Suspense, New Adult

Published: February 2014

Book Description:

They said the disappearance of two high school students over 25 years ago was mystery that couldn't be solved.

No one ever said it shouldn't be.

Following the abrupt end of a relationship, college student Kimberly Bradford finds comfort in the friendship with her over-the-top neighbor, Mallory. And, Mallory encourages her to get back out there. She would of course if it weren't for the thrilling little love notes and gifts she's been receiving.

Kim thinks they're from her ex-fiancee, not realizing he's been murdered. Worse, whoever is sending her all the extra attention is not only in her inner-circle, but has a connection to that unsolved murder some 25 years ago. That connection puts her life in danger, and exposes secrets better left buried around her closest friends and family.

Author Info:

JC Gatlin lives in Tampa, Florida. In addition to regular fishing trips, he wrote a monthly column for New Tampa Style Magazine, then began penning several mystery/suspense stories. He also maintains a blog about the art of spinning a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat mystery yarn.

Coming from a large family with five brothers, JC grew up in Grapevine -- a small Texas town just outside of Dallas. He moved to Tampa in 1999, and most of his stories feature the rich landscapes of Texas and Florida as backdrop.

Website: http://jcgatlin.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/JC-Gatlin/e/B00ENPSDU2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJcGatlin

BOOK REVEAL: The Automation by G.B. Gabbler

The Automation

By G.B. Gabbler

Genre: Urban Fantasy

The capital- A Automatons of Greco-Roman myth aren’t clockwork. Their design is much more divine. They’re more intricate than robots or androids or anything else mortal humans could invent. Their windup keys are their human Masters. They aren’t mindless; they have infinite storage space. And, because they have more than one form, they’re more versatile and portable than, say, your cell phone—and much more useful too. The only thing these god-forged beings share in common with those lowercase-a  automatons is their pre-programmed existence. They have a function—a function their creator put into place—a function that was questionable from the start…

Odys (no, not short for Odysseus, thank you) finds his hermetic lifestyle falling apart after a stranger commits suicide to free his soul-attached Automaton slave. The humanoid Automaton uses Odys’s soul to “reactivate” herself. Odys must learn to accept that the female Automaton is an extension of his body—that they are the same person—and that her creator-god is forging a new purpose for all with Automatons…

The novel calls itself a “Prose Epic,” but is otherwise a purposeful implosion of literary clichés and gimmicks: A Narrator and an Editor (named Gabbler) frame the novel. Gabbler’s pompous commentary (as footnotes) on the nameless Narrator’s story grounds the novel in reality. Gabbler is a stereotypical academic who likes the story only for its so-called “literary” qualities, but otherwise contradicts the Narrator’s claim that the story is true.

THE AUTOMATION is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wrecker's THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI and Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS—though it wouldn’t mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.

For updates and purchasing information on THE AUTOMATION please visit Gabbler's website.

Learn more about G.B. Gabbler and B.L.A. on Tumblr and stay updated with them on Facebook and Twitter.