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Friday, May 31, 2013

Orangeberry Free Alert - HORSES AND HEROIN by Bev Pettersen

Horses and Heroin - Bev Pettersen

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre - Romantic Suspense

Rating - PG

4.6 (153 reviews)

Free until 4th June 2013

JOCKEY SCHOOL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.
A talented rider disappears without a trace.
His frantic sister poses as a student.
A private investigator's plans for quiet recuperation are shattered.

Megan is determined to find her missing brother even though no one else at the illustrious California Jockey School seems to care. Her only ally is a recuperating PI who unfortunately is the owner's best friend. Soon she is caught between a blossoming romance and a far-reaching conspiracy...where misplaced trust can be deadly.

Robin Mahle – How to Avoid the Rejection Blues

How to Avoid the Rejection Blues

by Robin Mahle

“Dear Author, Thank you for your query, but…”  I’m sure you can figure out the rest.  This is how most of the rejection letters I’ve received so far begin.  Some are slightly more personal in that they reference my name; others don’t bother with a salutation.  Or worse yet, no reply at all; even from the ones to whom I’ve sent queries via snail mail, with a self-addressed stamped envelope, as specified.  It gets to me sometimes; rejection after rejection.  An author begins to question her sanity for choosing this sort of career.

It’s no easy road, that’s for sure.  But to me, it means everything.  And…well, the rejections are just a part of that.  I had hoped, when I started sending out the flurry of queries to agents, that I would get some feedback.  You know, “keep up the good work,” “maybe the next project will be a better fit,” “You just need to work on…” Blah, blah, blah.  You know, things like that; something to take away the sting.  But with today’s publishing landscape, I understand that agents simply don’t have the time to respond and encourage us poor writers.

I’m sure it is a combination of a couple of things.  Email; which makes it super easy to send off a query, summary, etc; and electronic files, which make it even easier to send off samples of one’s work.  Can you imagine the amount of emails they must get in a day? Is it any wonder they don’t respond to all of them? If I got several hundred emails every day, I think I would go crazy.

I had a theory once that if I sent more snail mail queries and sample chapters that I stood a better chance of getting picked up by an agent.  I thought that maybe agents viewed the author who took the time to print everything out, sign a letter and go to the post office as somehow being more dedicated than the ones who just did email blasts of their query letters and the first 3 chapters of their work.  I don’t think that anymore.  I see absolutely no difference in either approach.  In fact, some agents actually prefer email.  You know, save the trees, etc..

So how do I get past all the rejection letters or just listening to the crickets out there in cyberspace because no one else is making any noise; ie no response? I just try and remember some of the greats.  JK Rowling, Stephen King, Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help.  I thought I heard somewhere; maybe it was on Oprah; that she received something like 66 rejection letters for her bestselling book. They’ve all received rejection letters at one time in their budding careers as authors. So why would I be any different?

I am learning that just because an agent doesn’t think your work is right for him/her, doesn’t mean your work isn’t right for some other agent.  Keep that in mind, and you’ll be just fine.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery  / Thriller / Suspense

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Robin Mahle on Facebook & Twitter

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Trouble in Paradise by Deborah Brown

A Brand-New Madison Westin Novel, with More Craziness in Tarpon Cove…

Remember Madison? What she had to go through… inheriting her aunt’s cottages was peanuts compared to what awaits her in TROUBLE IN PARADISE, the latest addition to the Paradise Series.

What is big news in small town Tarpon Cove? An accidental drowning or maybe even a ruthless murder? When a dead fisherman rolls up on the shore of Tarpon Cove, Madison cannot resist but to jump into her new role as Private Investigator, with only one goal in mind: to solve this intriguing mystery of the dead guy. But things do not go as Madison wants as she discovers that people in small towns are usually tight lipped, and that is certainly the case for the residents of Tarpon Cove. Although a hot bed for gossip, in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, what is safer than keeping your mouth shut?

But that is not all…

With Madison’s tenant assessment skills not shaping up, her cottages are still full of riffraff, and it has become Tarpon Cove’s hotbed for illegal affairs. Madison teams up with her best friend and Glock-carrying Fabiana… Together they take on cases no other investigators would ever dare to touch in Tarpon Cove or anywhere else. Sometimes a girl needs a bubble bath and a fun book. So draw your bath and dive into Madison’s adventures!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Deborah Brown on Facebook & Twitter

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK by Lee Evans

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What’s in This Book?

Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK, has 160 NEW jobs, 200 jobs from Killer Work from Home Jobs 1, and 100 jobs from Killer Work from Home Jobs 2. There’s no story. No lessons. Just jobs! Economical too – it’s three books in one. SUPER BOOK identifies Fortune 500 & Legitimate Work at Home Jobs from global, national, mid-sized and start-ups with wings.

Why You Need This Book!

Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK will help you accomplish your dream.

  • Is it finally time to find a job so that you can work from home?
  • Do you really want to trudge hours to work every day?
  • Are you looking for an honest work from home opportunity?

The idea for the Killer Work from Home Jobs Series came from the fact that I trudged to my job, as manager of someone else’s business, wondering why I wasn’t happy. I was good at what I did, achieved the company’s goals, made good money, received accolades, but something wasn’t right, there was no sense of fulfillment.

I can’t convey the melancholy I felt, I worked hard to achieve success, earned every academic credential, had a resume to swoon over. But I wasn’t a happy camper. Was this all there was?

Once I decided to work at home, it was amazing, I jumped in the air and clicked my feet! Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK is dedicated to all those who just can’t go back to work. In addition to the “I can’t take it any mores” of the world, this book will help many who have other compelling reasons, as well. The need to work from home runs deep. Taking the first step to working at home will make you jump for joy.

How is This Book Different?

How is Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK different from other work from home books? It is the largest compilation of home-based jobs available on Amazon today.

  • Is the company financially healthy?
  • Has the company been around for awhile?
  • Does the company have a global footprint?
  • Does the company have “money in the bank?”

My months of research answered these questions, to provide you with key company data.

My Promise to You

I verified all links in Killer Work from Home Jobs: 460 Jobs SUPER BOOK at publication. Since companies change web pages, and job needs, if any of the links don’t work, simply contact me at Free-Job-Search-Websites.com, I’ll provide you with revised link info & you can get notice of new books, too.

You’re not just buying a book, you’re buying my promise that I’ll tirelessly provide you with the most up to date info at my disposal. I want to help you make your dream come true!

Learn how to find Killer Work from Home Jobs

Genre – NonFiction / Business / Job Hunting

Buy Now @ Amazon

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with Lee Evans on her

Website http://www.free-job-search-websites.com/

Orangeberry Free Alert - Still Fine at Forty - Dakota Madison

Still Fine at Forty - Dakota Madison

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre - Contemporary Romance

Rating - R

4.6 (7 reviews)

Free until 1st June 2013

It all started with a Girl's Getaway Weekend in Sedona, Arizona...
It's been a year since Jennifer Ellis's ex-husband left her for a much younger woman and Jennifer still hasn't dated. Now turning 40, Jennifer wonders if she'll ever find love again. So Jennifer's best-friend, Melanie Malone, books them on a Girl's Getaway in picturesque Sedona, Arizona in hopes of inspiring Jennifer to have a vacation fling.
Jennifer gets more than she bargained for when she meets the ruggedly handsome 29-year old tour Jeep guide, Cody Miller, and the two begin a passionate romance. What Jennifer doesn't know is that Cody has a secret past that not only threatens to destroy their new love but also expose a tragic event from Jennifer's past that she has tried desperately to forget.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Surrender by Melody Anne

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Raffaello (Rafe) Palazzo takes what he wants with no regrets. Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption.

They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for.

Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited.

Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Romance

Rating – 18+

More details about the author

Connect with Melody Anne on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.melodyanne.com/

Orangeberry Free Alert - How I Wrote 2 eBooks in 21 Days by Glen Stanford

 

How I Wrote 2 eBooks in 21 Days - Glen Stanford

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre - Non Fiction

Rating - PG

4.6 (55 reviews)

Free until 2 June 2013

Ride a hilarious roller coaster with Glen Stanford as he follows Steve
Scott's plan in "How to Write a Nonfiction e-Book in 21 Days!"
Not one to let the writing process cramp his style, this ukulele-playing,
bluegrass-singing YouTube sensation (32 views and counting) juggles his
new-found fame with astonishing persistence to produce not one, but two
works of genius. This is the true story.
FIVE CRITICAL Reasons you MUST read this book
1. America's Funniest Recipes want you to read this book
The (secret) recipe for success:
Writer's buzz - 1 oz
Sleepless nights - 2 oz
Tenacity (and beer) - 7 (units left deliberately vague)
Irreverence and political incorrectness - to taste
Espresso - administered intravenously - 55 gal
Pizza (1/2 pepperoni, 1/2 mushroom) - 37 slices
Humility - a whole bunch
Blend and enjoy.
2. Chuck Noris wants you to read this book
You gonna argue with Chuck? I'm not! He is a huge believer in the power of
laughter because it leads to the lowering of stress hormones. This is
the carrot AND the stick - lower your stress by laughing and you won't
have to worry about Chuck getting angry with you at the same time.
P.S.
Chuck Noris is from Dubuque, Iowa and is in no way related to Chuck
Norris, the consummate actor karate-guy who would probably kick my ass
if I used his name without permission.
3. The Bible wants you to read this book
The Good Book says "A joyful heart is good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
Then again, it also says "Judas hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5) and "Go
and do likewise" (Luke 10:37) so you gotta be kind of selective when you
pick your quotes from this 1700-year-old classic.
4. It's flipping funny and Rated PG, too
While I might dance around some edgy subjects, I never want my readers to squirm. I leave that to the Ben Stilers of the world.
P.S.
Ben Stiler is in no way related to the incredibly funny Ben Stiller,
whose masturbatory comedic genius (when he's not meeting some Fokker)
always leaves you with a chuckle.
All of my books are swear-word-free. I tire of today's "comics" who resort to f-bombing
their material as if dirty words are the main ingredient instead of an
occasional spice.
The worst word you'll ever hear from me is "crap." Feel free to substitute something stinkier if it makes you feel
better, but honest humor shouldn't have to rely on shock jock laziness.
Then again, Howard Stearn made $100 million with his lesbian obsession and I
sell my books for the price of a cup of coffee, so what do I know?
When you see the word "flipping," you are also free to substitute something
racier, like "freaking." It's your theater of the mind, and you are the
only one taking the tickets.
That is, unless you object to me using the word "Damn" in the subtitle. That's just too funny to pass up,
and I'm #%$#&! using it.
P.S. Howard Stearn is in no way related to the radio professional Howard Stern, for whom I have only the
greatest respect. Baba Booey. Oh, and "lesbian" isn't a dirty word
anyway, nana.
5. For Writers only
You will uncover nuggets of resources that will be incredibly helpful on your journey to write
and publish your own book. You'll just have to suffer through the fun
stuff to uncover them. Think of it as a treasure hunt.
IN SUMMARY
God,
Chuck, America's Funniest Recipes and the movie Rating Board all want
you to read this book (and probably Ben and Howard, too). I wouldn't
mess with any of them. So it's no coffee for you today -  you have a
hormone level to lower.

August Wainwright – 5 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘A Study In Sin’

5 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘A Study In Sin’

by August Wainwright

1. ‘A Study In Sin’ is a modern update of a classic Sherlock Holmes tale.

When I first set out to write this series, it was mostly an exercise in dialogue. I have been working on a still untitled book for over a year now, and I continually found that my dialogue scenes just weren’t conveying the message I wanted. They lacked punch. And in that book, there is very little dialogue, so it needs to be strong when it comes up.

So I decided to take a detour to concentrate on a more dialogue heavy narrative, one from a first person point-of-view. At the time, I was reading some of the original Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and realized that a few of his stories were almost completely dialogue.

It amazed me. Here was one of the most beloved characters of all time, and he existed in this world where the “talk” was better than the “action”.

The more I read of those century old stories, the more I saw what my dialogue was lacking. I was also becoming increasingly close to the original Sherlock character and thought more and more about what it would be like to see a truly modern version of the character.

Yes, I know, Robert Downey Jr. and Mr. Cumberbatch have already done that (Benedict is awesome, by the way), but that’s not what I’m talking about. What I was interested in was taking the more subtle character flaws of the original Sherlock, and projecting them in a new light, in a new environment.

Thus, the character of Remy Moreau was born.

Remy is a woman who is a savant, absolutely brilliant when it comes to what she knows, but when you look at her for what she doesn’t know, she immediately becomes an extremely flawed character. Her choices can be unbelievably selfish and her actions frequently hurt those closest to her.

So “A Study In Sin” takes some of the elements from a 125 year old book and frames them in the context of today’s world.

2. ‘A Study in Sin’ is the first in the Remy Moreau Series, of which the next volume will be released in only three weeks.

Yep, the next volume in the series, “The St. Mary’s Cipher”, will be released about three weeks after “A Study In Sin”.

Ultimately, I don’t want to keep readers waiting. But I also want to continually craft the relationship between Remy and the other characters in the series. I’m also hoping to get feedback along the way and incorporate what the readers want to see in future volumes. My plan is to publish three shorter volumes after each book. This way, I can keep the overall narrative going in quick bursts, while crafting the larger novels that will define the series.

3. The Remy Moreau Series will follow an episodic schedule, with four episodes per season, to be released as quickly as possible.

Right, which is what I was eluding to above. I wanted to treat these stories more like a television series, than a series of books. I want the characters and their relationships to evolve organically, with reader input driving where the story eventually leads.

What I envision is having a season be four volumes, where the first is a novel, then following that up with three shorter episodes; that would constitute season one. I plan on ending the last episode of season one on a little bit of a cliffhanger, which would be picked up a few months later in season two with a full length novel.

I’ve already planned out three seasons (12 volumes), so hopefully readers will like it.

4. ‘A Study In Sin’ straddles the line between a classic mystery and contemporary romance/erotica.

Sex is sex, let me just get that out of the way. And our society seems to be obsessed with it, from both ends of the argument (if you will).

Whenever I’m talking with another writer, I always praise the idea of genre writing, especially for new authors; better to be a big fish in a small pond. In that vein, my wife (and many other women she knows) have repeatedly voiced that, although they love their chick-lit and erotica, most of it is very poorly written. It focuses so heavily on the sex, that any resemblance of plot or character goes out the window.

In my opinion, there’s no such thing as a truly powerful or memorable scene (and this goes for sex too) if you, as the reader, couldn’t care less about the characters in it.

So I wanted to create an origin story where the confusion of real life intertwines with the confusion of the mystery set in front of the main characters.

Life can be brutal and screwed up. And I wanted my book to be the same.

5. The female lead is a badass.

Yea, Remy Moreau is pretty freakin awesome.

She’s completely brilliant; her mind is more of a machine than anything else. She’s able to store and call-up information in a way that baffles most people. And she’s completely and utterly fearless – which might be because she truly believes she can outsmart and outmaneuver anyone who is put in front of her – but, whatever the reason, she’s never afraid to start a fight, or chase someone down in the streets of Washington D.C.

Remy will amaze and confuse you, so be prepared.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery / Thriller / Suspense

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with August Wainwright on Google Plus & Twitter

Website http://augustwainwright.com/

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Too Many Secrets (Cleo Sims Mysteries) by Lynn Osterkamp

Chapter 1

December 11

Waves of nausea overwhelmed me as I rushed into Turley’s Restaurant at noon that icy December day. A blast of hot air smelling of fish, burgers, onions and such sent me careening to the ladies room to avoid puking on the dining room floor. Amazingly, once I was inside the safety of the stall, I managed to avert the worst, containing my sickness to dry heaves. I hurried out to the sinks to make myself presentable for my lunch meeting with Bruce, the local dot-com millionaire who funds an experimental project that is a major part of my grief-therapy practice. I was a wreck. I'd had a miserable morning, I was late to a meeting with Bruce who prizes promptness, and my shaky queasiness exacerbated my anxiety about why Bruce had summoned me.

As I calmed my breathing and dabbed at my face with a wet paper towel, the ladies room door flew open, letting in a tall blond woman wearing designer jeans and a red ribbed turtleneck, topped with a necklace of multicolored glass beads. My best friend Elisa, looking stunning as always. We both jumped in surprise, then she darted over and enveloped me in a welcome hug. “Cleo? Honey, you look under the weather. Is the morning sickness getting worse?”

“Shhh,” I said. “Let’s not spread the news all over Boulder.” I wasn't ready to tell the world about my pregnancy, since I was only three months along, and Pablo and I aren’t married. So far Elisa and Pablo are the only ones who know.

Elisa pulled back, looking up and down the room. “Sorry for the blabbing, but you know me. Sometimes my mouth works faster than my brain. The good news is it looks like we’re alone in here. Now let’s fix you up a little,” she said, straightening my sweater. She grabbed a comb out of her bag and worked some magic on my hair.

I felt better right away. Elisa is like a big sister to me. The kind of sister who knows how to do stuff you don't, but never makes fun of you. She just helps.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I said, “but I have to run. I’m already late for my lunch meeting with Bruce.” I headed for the door.

Elisa waved me on. “Oh—you’re meeting Bruce! Well hang in there, honey, and call me later with the scoop.”

Back in the dining area, I scanned the room a couple of times. Didn’t see Bruce. Deep breath. Maybe I’m not as late as I thought? But no, there he is sitting with a petite dark-haired woman in a booth next to a brick wall. Unexpected. Bruce is a brilliant guy who works all the time. Divorced. No social life. Who is this woman and why did he bring her?

I hustled over to their table and slid into the booth across from them, my mind on autopilot running through possible menu choices that my gut would be willing to tolerate. “Sorry to be late,” I muttered, hoping my winning smile would distract from my tardiness. “Good to see you, Bruce.”

“Hi, Cleo, I thought you forgot. This is my sister, Gayle. She needs your help.”

Whew! A relief on that score. Good to know he hadn’t summoned me to talk about problems with the funding for my Contact Project.

Gayle gave Bruce a poke. “Whoa, Bruce. This isn’t a computer-programming job. It’s personal. Let’s take a few minutes before we dive in.”

“Okay, let’s order first, then talk,” he said, burying his face in the menu.

As we perused our menus, Gayle’s cell phone rang. She answered, and jumped up. “No,” she said sharply into the phone. “That’s not acceptable.” She turned to us. “I have to take this,” she said. “Be right back.” She dashed toward the door, talking intently into the phone with her hand over her other ear to block the restaurant noise.

“Gayle’s a real estate agent,” Bruce explained. “Her phone is her life.”

We sat quietly looking at our menus. Bruce isn’t much of a talker. He’s a techie. Brainy, but basically shy. Even though he’s forty-five and a self-made multi-millionaire, his social skills aren’t well developed. He’s one of those guys who goes around looking at the floor or off into the distance so he doesn’t have to make eye contact. Small talk is definitely not his forte.

Gayle darted back across the room to our booth. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m ready to order if you two are.”

I took a last look at the menu. Turley’s trademark is its healthy food, and in addition to more traditional lunch and dinner entrees, they serve breakfast all day. Knowing I needed protein for the baby, I decided on a garden omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and tomato with toast on the side. Hoped I could get it down with the help of a ginger ale. Bruce ordered a buffalo burger with a side of fresh fruit, and Gayle ordered the sesame spinach salad with the dressing on the side.

“So like I was saying,” Bruce began as the waitress left to turn our orders in, “Gayle needs some help from you.”

I turned to her. “Would you like to tell me about it?”

She took a deep breath and launched in to her story. “You’ve probably heard about the woman who went missing from the Rainbow Lakes Campground in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area a few weeks ago.”

“I did,” I said. “Do you know her?”

Gayle looked down at the table silently for a couple of minutes, her shoulders slumped as if the weight of her problem was a burden too heavy to lift. When she finally looked up, tears streamed down her face. “She’s my best friend, Sabrina—or maybe I should say she was my best friend. She’s probably dead. But they can’t find her and we don’t know what happened to her and that’s even worse.” She wiped her face with a tissue, but her tears continued to flow.

Bruce put his arm around Gayle’s shoulders and hugged her. More empathy than I would have expected from him, but then again until today I didn’t even know he had a sister. All I know about Bruce is what he told me in his grief therapy sessions after his eighteen-year-old daughter died from a drug overdose. He’s such a private person, he would have never come for grief counseling except that his business partner—who saw how paralyzed Bruce was after his daughter’s death—insisted. Bruce’s relationship with his daughter had been stormy for several years before she died, and his deep regrets that they hadn’t made peace had intensified his grief.

Gayle continued wiping her face as she struggled to regain her composure. But I could see grief winning out. "Take your time," I said gently. "I know it's hard to talk about."

Her face crumpled. “I’ve cried so much in the past few weeks that I’ve made myself sick,” she sobbed. “I’m totally devastated about Sabrina.”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and collected herself. “Okay. I’m ready to tell you the story,” she said quietly. “I was part of the group at the campground—there were six of us who’ve been friends for years. We each went off separately on our personal journeys and Sabrina never came back. We searched, the rescue groups searched, the dogs searched, the helicopter searched. But no one has found her. And now they’re calling off the search.” She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

The waitress showed up with our lunch. I took a quick bite, which actually tasted good. Bruce spread mustard on his burger and bit in.

Gayle picked at her salad. “I was blown away when Bruce told me about your Contact Project—that he actually talked to his daughter Charlene after she died and how he resolved things with her,” she said, her voice perking up a little. “At first I didn’t believe him when he said you put him in your apparition chamber. It’s so unlike Bruce to have anything to do with the paranormal. He debunks everything. When he told me he reached Charlene, and they forgave each other and said goodbye, I knew it was real for him.”

Bruce put his burger down. “I don’t debunk everything,” he said.

“Ha!” Gayle said. “Remember when I played the DVD of that movie, What the Bleep Do We Know? for you last year? You went on and on about how it misrepresented science, that it was pseudoscience, and quantum mysticism. You weren’t open to it at all, even though so many people liked it that it’s made over $16 million.”

Bruce scowled. “Gayle, the science was unsupported and incorrect. New Age hogwash. One of their so-called experts turned out to be a 35,000 year-old spirit from Atlantis.” Bruce gave her a self-satisfied grin as he speared a chunk of pineapple with his fork and returned to eating.

She laughed and gave him another poke. “Bruce, I’ve told you before, you totally missed the point. The movie is supposed to blow your mind, not engage it in an analysis. It’s about learning to become the creative force in your own life, instead of being a victim of circumstances. My friends and I have watched it over and over. We know group consciousness can change reality. If you looked up from your computer now and then, you’d see.”

They were off the track here, but I hesitated to break into habitual brother-sister banter. Also, I figured Gayle needed a few minutes to relax before we talked more about her missing friend. I focused on my lunch, thankful I could eat without gagging.

Bruce ignored Gayle’s jeers and turned to me. “Here’s the thing, Cleo,” he said. “Gayle needs to go into your apparition chamber and try to contact Sabrina to find out if she’s dead or alive. She needs to know and the sooner the better.”

Uh oh. As soon as Gayle said they didn't know whether or not Sabrina was dead, I should have guessed this was what Bruce wanted. But my apparition chamber is for grief-therapy clients who want to reach a loved one to resolve an issue, not for solving missing-person cases. I didn't want to refuse Bruce's request, but I had concerns about Gayle. “I understand that it’s hard not knowing what happened to your friend,” I said. “But the contact process may not make you feel any better.”

Gayle looked straight into my eyes. “It’s not about how I feel,” she said intensely. “It’s about how Sabrina’s sister Brandi has taken over Sabrina’s house and her son Ian. Sabrina would be furious. She expressly didn’t want that to ever happen. If she’s dead, everything is in trust for Ian, and I’m Ian’s guardian. But Brandi jumped in as soon as Sabrina went missing, and right now she has control. So I need to know if Sabrina is dead or alive.”

“I’m not sure the contact process can answer that question,” I said. “You could try to reach her, but if you do, it wouldn't constitute legal proof of her death, and if you don’t, that doesn’t mean she’s alive.”

Bruce broke in. “Actually I’d already thought of that,” he said. “I want you to do a thorough job. If Gayle can’t reach Sabrina, then the other women who were up there should try. In fact, why not start by meeting with all of them and telling them about the process. Get some of that group consciousness going. I’ll pay for your time—whatever it takes.”

Before I had a chance to think about how else to voice my reservations, Bruce slid out of the booth, stood up, and picked up his coat. “I have to go. You two can go on from here. Gayle can keep me updated.” He nodded at us and headed for the door.

“Oof!” Gayle said. “That’s my brother. Makes his point, and ducks out before the discussion gets complicated. But I suppose you’re used to his tactics.”

I shrugged. I'd have to go along, at least for a while. Not only had Bruce been very generous in funding my Contact Project, all he’d asked of me was that I operate professionally and that he remain anonymous as a funder. So even though the timing wasn’t ideal for me to get involved in a situation that smelled like trouble, I didn’t see any other options. “No problem,” I said. “Here’s my card. Call me and we can set up a time to talk more.”

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre - Mystery

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Lynn Osterkamp on Twitter

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Orangeberry Blast Off – Sam’s Top Secret Journal: We Spy (Book 1)

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Sam’s Top Secret Journal – Book 1: Sam Spies by Sean Adelman. Join Sam as she embarks on her first big adventure in this middle-grade mystery full of fun, suspense…and just the right amount of spying! Sam is a middle school girl living a normal life-except when she is occasionally bullied for the differences kids perceive in her. Sam has Down syndrome. See how she and her brother John work together to find some stolen money, help a new friend and escape real danger in this exciting adventure!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Middle Grade Mystery

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with Sean Adelman on Facebook

Website http://www.raiseexpectations.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Orangeberry Free Alert - Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy: The Templar Chronicles: Book 2 by Jeff Gunhus

Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy: The Templar chronicles: Book 2 - Jeff Gunhus

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre - YA, Fantasy

Rating - PG

4.6 (14 reviews)

Free until 30 May 2013

After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.

Orangeberry Book of the Day - Intoxicated by Alicia Renee Kline (Excerpt)

Prologue

“So you are really going ahead with the roommate thing?”  Matthew’s voice crackled over the telephone.

Blake wasn’t sure if her brother’s words were garbled due to her faulty cell reception or if they were laced with emotion.  She had, of course, announced with a flourish approximately six months ago that it had been the appropriate time in her life to purchase her own place.  Up until then, they had been roommates themselves.  But her wildly independent streak as well as a buyer’s market had persuaded her to take the leap into homeownership.  That and the fact that Matthew was still best friends with her ex.

She just never expected to feel so alone.

“Yes, I guess I am,” she replied as she paced her floor.

“And you’re sure about this?” he pressed.

Blake sighed.  No, not really.  But posting a room for rent online and actually having someone sign a lease for it were two entirely different things.  So what if someone was coming to look at the place tomorrow morning?  If things didn’t feel right, she could always lie and say that she had been fielding a lot of calls and that, unfortunately, she had chosen someone else.

“You’re not having money problems, are you?” he continued.

“No,” she responded quickly.  Now that had upset her a little bit.

“Just be careful.” Matthew warned.

Despite herself, Blake chuckled.  If anyone should be giving that advice, it should be the other way around.  Matthew’s indiscretions had been the whole reason that they themselves had been roommates.  Although it had been a terrible, uncomfortable time in both their lives, it had been the beginning of their beautiful friendship.  There was no one else that she trusted as wholly and completely as her brother.  Their past had forced them to lean on each other in a way she never would have imagined when she was younger, and they had ended up on the other side as better people for it.

Matthew either chose to ignore the giggle or he found the irony in the situation.  There was silence on the other end of the line until Blake whispered her response.

“Always am.”

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Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Romance / Chick Lit

Rating – PG13

More details about the book

Connect with Alicia Renee Kline on Twitter

Website http://aliciareneekline.com/

Monday, May 27, 2013

Julian Rosado – How to Avoid the Rejection Blues

How to Avoid the Rejection Blues

by Julian Rosado

Ah, the rejection blues! When all the hope built up during those long, interminable weeks that pass between sending a query letter or a manuscript and receiving a response is annihilated by the simple “Thank you, but….”

I blame the “but..” God, how I learned to hate the “but…”.

“Thank you, ” at least, shows a modicum of sympathy, but “but…”? I am sure that everything after the “but…” is optional. The “but…” seals the deal, what you wrote isn’t good enough, at least to the “Thank you,” people. They are grateful that you thought about them, they might or might not have read what you sent, discussed it, placed it on the table as a probable project, fought for it to be accepted by the uber-bossess of the company, it may have moved their hearts, changed their lives and they keep a copy close to the pillows…

“but…”

Its unavoidable… rejection always feels like a stab in the heart, or at least the spleen, depending on who rejects the manuscript and your hopes about that literary agent or publishing house taking up on your manuscript.

It’s going to happen, so don’t avoid it… Embrace it, I once went to the home of a friend who had been left at the altar, an envoy of his parents to see if he was okay because he didn’t answer his phone, my heart sank when I found the door to his apartment unlocked, and I went in and thankfully found him with a bottle of rum on one hand and watching Star Wars on a VHS, his words of wisdom that stuck with me I will now convey to you:

“Let me enjoy my depression in peace.” He said. “I’ll be over it tomorrow.”

He was so blue he looked like a Smurf.

So yeah, embrace it, turn it around, go back and edit, fix, twitch and fiddle with your manuscript, then do it again. Or, if you get tired of the “but..” like I did, self publish, BUT (and this one applies) please, do it only after editing, fixing, twitching and fiddling…thoroughly and preferably with the help of a professional… at least the editing bit.

Hopefully, and with a lot of work,(and let’s be honest, wishful thinking) you might hit it and then maybe the “Thank you,” people will come looking for you and you will be the one saying “Oh wow!…This is great!..but…”

Wouldn’t that be something?

So turn blue, embrace it, might as well try to enjoy it and use it in your writing, learn from it and then dream a little dream… and get over it.

BTW… my Smurfy friend found his Smurfette a couple of years later… and now they have little Smurflings of their own.

He got over it and so can we.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – YA Fantasy / Adventure

Rating – G

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Julian Rosado-Machain on Facebook

Website http://www.guardiansinc.com/

Orangeberry Book Tours – The Violent Season: A Story of the Generation that Fought the Vietnam War by Maj. Ray Gleason Ph.D.

 

THE VIOLENT SEASON is an epic, expansive collection of heroic short stories centered on the gripping experiences of three young men and their families during the Vietnam War. The book presents a ‘coming-of-age’ narrative that begins in the lush river valleys of upstate New York and on the streets of New York City and provides an insightful perspective of youth and innocence plunged into the crucible of war.

As well, it transcends the “good guys, bad guys” portrayal of human conflict by presenting its readers with a depiction of good people, Americans and Vietnamese, caught up in unthinkably grim and difficult circumstances. THE VIOLENT SEASON celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and its ability to triumph over the horror and tragedy of war.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Literary / Historical Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Raymond Gleason on Facebook & Twitter & Linked In

Rick Johnson – “Sucking it up” The Way Life Is

“Sucking it up” The Way Life Is

by Rick Johnson

My five-year-old daughter gave me the name for my book, The Way Life Is. She was telling her parents to suck it up and get on with life. We had a disabled daughter and she had a disabled sister… So what? That’s the way life is! When the sky is cloudy, the sky is cloudy, it’s not blue!

That five-year-old is now pushing 29 and still she has her disabled sister, and we are still sucking it up. The book is about that some of our years of “sucking up” the fact that daily we faced an absolutely unchangeable, agonizing and stressful situation—a child whose severe genetic disorder was not going to get fixed or go away, along with a few other challenges!

“Sucking it up” was the proper and responsible thing to do, so we did it… over and over and over again… without thinking much at the time about the sacrifices and their potential negative effects.

Vacations, hobbies, time with the guys, and lots and lots of other things… even relationships with your other children can get pushed to the sidelines by the 24/7 demands of disability in the family. Other children might well feel cheated for not getting the same attention, which can have a life-long effect on them, and the next generation.

Marriages crumble under far less stress than that of disability in the family.

So, being able to accept the way life is when it is terribly difficult can be nearly impossible if you want to hold it all together, and I mean ALL of it, over an extended period of time. Balance is crucial to any sort of sane survival, but what is balance? How much of oneself can you chop off through the course of a lifetime before giving up, or without spending your last years full of regret?

Sacrifice is easy when you’re young and resilient, and your child is a child, and the challenges are new and, at least, interesting, and there’s lots of support. You take pride in the sacrifice for your child and simply turned away from a lot of previously held interests and ambitions.

However, when your resilience fades with age but the challenges do not, when your child is middle aged but still a child, when tangible rewards are not forthcoming as they are from a lifetime of sacrifice to a business or career, and when it’s no longer interesting but simply harder and harder to cope, it’s damn hard to tell yourself yet again to suck it up! You realize that the way life is, is actually the way life was… over and over and over. With age, you long for that clear blue sky more and more, just to see it once more, just for a moment before you die.

But, instead, you do suck it up and carry on, because that’s the way life is! I hope you enjoy my book.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Self-Help / Mental Health

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Rock Johnson via Facebook

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Katie Hayoz – Untethered: A Novel Started on My Basement Stairs

Untethered –A Novel Started on My Basement Stairs

by Katie Hayoz

I left my body when I was young.  I don’t remember how old I was – six? seven? – but I’ll never forget the incident.  I was standing at the top of the basement stairs, my hands stretched out to touch the smooth walls on either side of the stairwell.  The door at the bottom was open, the piercing sound of a circular saw blasting out along with the sweet scent of wood shavings.  My dad was down there working on some project, and I was to tell him it was time to eat.

It wasn’t the first step, or even the second.  But three or four steps down, I managed to trip on nothing and my body catapulted  forward.  Without me in it.

I saw myself — eyes wide, mouth open, hands out.  I saw my body fall down the stairs, but I, myself, felt like I was flying.  Like I had taken a dizzying jump that sent me to the ceiling of the stairwell where I watched from above.  It lasted maybe a second .  But the memory has stayed with me since.

Suddenly I was on the basement floor, my palms and forearms and elbows stinging.  I had apparently made enough noise falling that my dad even heard me from behind his saw.

That was my first and only real out-of-body experience.  It was so quick and so strange, I never shared it with anyone.  At least not for another ten years.

As a teenager, I read the book Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan.  In the novel, the main character learns to astral project – to send her soul, her essence, out of her body to travel around and watch things from above.  It fascinated me.  It floored me.  And it tugged at my memory, bringing back the feeling of flying over the basement stairs.  When I told my mom about it she nodded.

“It happened to me once,” she said.  She was making meatloaf, leaning her weight into a shiny, silver bowl of ground beef, ketchup, onions, mustard, and bread crumbs.  She squeezed the mixture through her fingers over and over as she talked.  “When I gave birth to Stephen.  I was floating near the ceiling like a balloon, watching myself, watching the doctors.”  She shook the excess mess off of her hands and looked me in the eye.  “Ever since then, I’m not afraid to die.”

That same week, I went out and bought books on out-of-body experiences, on astral projection.  I devoured them – both intrigued and completely freaked out.   The books documented all sorts of incidents – the good, the bad, and the really bad.  And that’s where my imagination got going.  In my head, a story began.  A story about a girl who wanted nothing more than to be loved by a boy who didn’t care.  A story about a girl who could leave her body and spy on the object of her obsession.  A story about a girl who let the dark side of herself take over, only to find herself in a situation beyond her control.

I wrote the story when I was seventeen.  More than twenty years later, the characters and the idea of astral projected still haunted me.  I turned the story into a novel, and finally gave voice to Sylvie – an anti-heroine who thinks she knows what she wants, but who gets more than she ever bargained for.  That novel is Untethered.   A novel that started from a quick fall down my basement stairs.

Sylvie isn’t comfortable in her own skin. In fact, there are times she can’t even manage to stay inside it. But if there is one thing she’s sure of, it’s her love for Kevin Phillips. She’s willing to stake everything on it –her family, her friends, and possibly her soul.

Sixteen-year-old Sylvie has been best friends with Cassie forever. But everything is turned around when the boy Sylvie’s loved since fifth grade falls for Cassie. Devastated, Sylvie intends to get Kevin by any means possible, even if it involves treachery, deceit, and the dark side of astral projection. She is positive her plans will give her what she wants, but she doesn’t count on it all spiraling out of control.

Finalist in the Mslexia novel competition, Untethered by Katie Hayoz explores the intoxicating and dangerous world of jealousy and obsession when coupled with paranormal ability. It is a touching, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-breaking novel that speaks to the self-doubt lurking in us all.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – YA Paranormal / Coming of Age

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Katie Hayoz on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.katiehayoz.com/

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me, Daniel Black?

10 things you didn’t know about me, Daniel Black?

Why do I suddenly feel like I am at a slumber party?

1. Daniel Black is a pen name. A lot of authors use pen names, especially while starting out. I chose Daniel Black because it sounds like the kind of name a dark fantasy author should have. Also-on the evil conniving front-the last name “Black” puts me right up there at the start of the alphabet, making it more likely someone looking for a book will find mine.

2. I have traveled a great deal. I have been in every state in the United States save Alaska (I have a trip scheduled there), and lived in quite a few, I have been in every province of Canada, as well as most of Northern (and just a bit of southern) Mexico.

3. I am awful, and I mean absolutely abysmal, at grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If it wasn’t for Katy Sozaeva and her good work as my editor, my work would not be legible.

4. Other than in the field of writing, I have the artistic talent of a two toed, one eyed, dyspeptic, Lemur. But thankfully, Renee Barratt from “The Cover Counts” came to my rescue, providing me with cover art that everyone assures me (because my inability to tell impressionism from finger-painting is legendary in some circles) was excellent.

5. As many of you know, if you have read anything at all about me, I am a disabled veteran, what you don’t know is how I am disabled. I developed a heightened sensitivity to petroleum while in the military that developed into a vicious skin allergy. This resulted in most of my skin quite literally, melting off. I am now significantly better, though 57% of my body is still covered in scar tissue, and I must avoid heat do to the fact that my bodies heat regulating system is now shot.

Well… that’s five… where to go from here…

6. I grew up in Hawaii. The islands are beautiful, and a wonderful place to visit, but you don’t want to live there, high taxes, high prices, highest in the US I believe. Honestly, if I wanted to pay that much I’d move to Norway.

7. On that note, I am Norwegian by ancestry, though my family has lived in this country for three generations. In fact, part of why I chose the pen name “Daniel Black” is it is a shortened and modernized form of one of my (and most of Norway’s) semi mythical ancestors; Halfdan the Black, the Dark King of Norway, and father to Harald Farnhair(Fairhair).

8. I am presently attending college to get my early childhood education degree so I can, among other things, home school the children my wife and I intend to have. I will hire a tutor for English…

9. My first book, “Be Careful What You Wish For,” is not, in point of fact, my first book. My first book was a science fiction novel that I decided was just a teeech too controversial just now. But I am thinking I may publish it sometime in the near future, probably after I am done with the first nine books of my series.

Fewh, made it…

10. I enjoy reading reviews from my fans and detractors. They help me by telling me what I did right in my books, what I did wrong in my books, and what I did or did not do enough of. So please, if you read my book, go online and write a review, I will find it, and it will help me make my future books better for the people who matter in the writing industry… The readers.

Buy Now @ Amazon

(soon available as an audio book)

Genre – Dark Fantasy

Rating – R

More details about the book

Connect with Daniel Black on Facebook

Ted Olinger – How I Broke Out of Publishing & Learned to Write in Obscurity

How I Broke Out of Publishing and Learned to Write in Obscurity

by Ted Olinger, Author of The Woodpecker Menace: Stories from an Accidentally Unseparated Island

I was in my cubicle, a large, gray pen lined with unsolicited manuscripts from unknown writers, when the phone rang. It was from a friend in Publicity, on the other side of the building.

“Get over here. You’ve got to see what’s on television right now.”

I crowded into the department head’s corner office with two-dozen others, all staring at a big screen TV. Germans were standing on the Berlin Wall, demanding its removal, live. Some of us wept, some of us wondered if the East Germans would fire on West Germans. At last the department head said something like, “We’ve all got plenty of books to sell now. We’ll worry about Berlin next season.” And we went back to work.

I didn’t know it then, but that was to be my last day in publishing.

I had already been laboring away at this famous New York publisher for more than two years. Editorial assistants, at least then, took the job of long hours and low wages to learn the business. I was fortunate to work for a veteran editor who was determined to mentor me whether I wanted it or not. I studied the manuscripts she bought and all of her line notes and correspondence with the authors. I read five to eight submissions a week and wrote one-page reader reports that she used to cross-examine me. I wrote respectful and even encouraging letters to writers, returning their rejected manuscripts months after they’d arrived. And this was all after working hours.

During the actual working day, I fielded phone calls from agents, authors, and other editors or publishing departments. I proofed galleys and drafted jacket and catalog copy. I carried proposals, contracts, and cover designs around the office seeking approval signatures from a dozen people. There was endless photocopying, coffee drinking, and sharpening of blue pencils.

But I wanted to be a writer. I had found this job to learn about it from the inside out, and I wasn’t writing anything under my own name. That began to gnaw at me.

My boss was sympathetic. She included me in editorial meetings and introduced me to agents and editors who were writers as well. But they were a wary lot, downplaying their own work even as they promoted the work of authors they represented or published. One confessed that the more success he had as a writer, the more skeptical his superiors became about his work as an editor. He later found himself “down-sized” to smaller and smaller publishers, until he went freelance.

My own end was less subtle.

One day I pulled yet another unsolicited manuscript off the towering shelves surrounding my cubicle. I took it home to read, as I always did. But I did not write a reader’s report for this manuscript. I handed it to my boss and said something like, “This is the kind of book I want to write.”

She frowned. She read. She bought.

The manuscript went into production the following season. She argued for an elaborate dust jacket, lobbied for publicity money, and solicited blurbs from name brand writers and reviewers. Our new author acquired an agent who rode us for a still better cover, more quotes, and more ad money, as a good agent should. The author called me directly and repeatedly with expensive last minute changes to the galleys, which I shepherded through Copyediting into print. We worked hours on the single paragraph that would promote the book in our sales catalog.

And that’s what killed it.

A voice from Sales or Marketing or Somewhere saw the ad and made its way around us to the Editor-in-Chief, who walked down the hall to our office one day saying, “We don’t think it’s gonna earn its money back after all,” and pulled the plug.

My boss took us out to a midtown bar close to the office on the company’s dime. We watched the news from Berlin on the overhead televisions. The wall was coming down. She had earlier absorbed the reactions of our unknown author and his enraged agent. The agent swore never to work with her or me again, ever.

“Doesn’t he know what we did for this guy?” I asked.

“We have to be grown-ups about this,” she answered.

After a moment, I said, “I don’t want your job.” We smiled at this, but then it began to sink in. I really didn’t want her job. We were watching history being made on TV, Europe was coming apart, war in the Persian Gulf was approaching, and we were battling our own copyeditors and sales department for nothing.

My boss remained at her post for another year before moving on to a second successful career.

But three weeks after that night, I was in Berlin writing down everything I saw.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Fiction / Short Stories

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Ted Olinger on Facebook

Website http://www.woodpeckermenace.com/

Review: Untethered by Katie Hayoz

UntetheredUntethered by Katie Hayoz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Which did you find more appealing, the introduction or the conclusion? The bits leading up to the conclusion. It was filled with twists and turns that no one was expecting.

Why would you recommend or not recommend this book? Of course I would recommend this book and if I could it give it more than 5 stars, I would.

Did the book description relate to the story? Not quite but in a good way. The description allows you to think you're reading the run of the mill fantasy book, but this story comes with a lot of original ideas.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

View all my reviews

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Orangeberry Book Tours – Four Paws (The Quillective Project)

The Quillective Project’s mission is to turn the power of the written word into an instrument of compassion, hope, and generosity by putting that power directly in the hands of organizations that share our principles.

The 2013 Quillective Project is Four Paws, a poetry anthology featuring bestselling authors Scott Morgan, Ben Ditmars, Amber Jerome~Norrgard and Robert Zimmermann, with a “fourward” by Russell Blake.

100% of all proceeds from the sale of Four Paws will benefit The Dallas Humane Society’s no-kill shelter, Dog & Kitty City. Your purchase of this book makes a difference.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Literature / Fiction Poetry Anthologies

Rating – PG

Connect with the authors on on Facebook & Facebook & Twitter

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Killer Abs: A Body (Pump) Horror Comedy by DR O’Brien

Twenty-something accountant Matt Warner enrols at an exclusive weight loss resort with his career on the line should he fail to shed the pounds from his paunchy frame.

Before long the accountant realises that his girth is the least of his problems as there is something deeply wrong with the Phoenix Resort where it’s no gain and all pain.

It’s a serving of full fat fear for the guests who must fight for their lives to survive the week.

Matt Warner is going to lose weight, or die trying.

Killer Abs is an 11,403 word short body (pump) horror comedy, with content for mature audiences.

Previous praise for the Author’s work:

“I think that you will enjoy the way Mr. O’Brien ties everything together and pits some of, if not the most famous characters in literature against each other. The story is fast paced with lots of action and adventure: a very enjoyable read and I wholeheartedly recommend it”
FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND

“Luckily for is it seems that D R O’Brien is tainted with just enough craziness to pull this task off. O’Brien has breathed new life into these well known and well loved characters. Thrilling, horrific, and funny at the same time which is no mean feat… O’Brien is a talented writer.”
GINGERNUTS OF HORROR BLOG

“Shakespeare’s characters duking it out with Lovecraft’s creatures? Sign us up immediately!
DREAD CENTRAL

“All very inventive, clever and ghoulishly entertaining… Bizarre, baroque and amusing…”
CONTAINS MODERATE PERIL

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Horror

Rating – 18+

Connect with DR O’Brien on Facebook & Twitter

Nhys Glover – Inside the Mind of the Author

Inside the Mind of the Author

by Nhys Glover

For anyone who’s read my books, it’s pretty apparent what’s inside my mind. My stories are all about aspects of me that I’m trying to heal or grow in some way. I didn’t realise that, when I wrote for fun in my earlier years, but it’s become more apparent as I’ve grown older.

So, what do my stories tell the astute reader about me? That I believe whole-heartedly in the redemptive power of love. It’s the recurring theme in all my novels. No matter how flawed or broken a character might be, somehow love gives them enough healing to grow into a better, more loving version of themself. It’s what happened to me, it’s what happens to a great many people, if they give themselves over to it.

My stories tell the reader that I live in a post-apocalyptic, utopian world. In my case the apocalypse was cancer and the death of my son. That left me fragile for a long time afterwards, but it also allowed me to create a life for myself that had none of the dramas that had dogged my early years. I live, for the most part, in my version of New Atlantis, and when Maggie (the artist in me) has to leave her peaceful world and go back to the past, in Shared Soul, I knew what that felt like.

People who know me, and have read my books, tell me that Cara is very much me. And when I was writing Nine Lives, the first in the New Atlantis series, I had to put myself into her mind. How would I react if a handsome young man I’d just met told me I could start a new life in the future, in a younger, better version of myself. (That’s pure wish-fulfilment for me!) So right from the start Cara gets to see the world as I do, and she reacts as I think I would, in those circumstances.  And like Cara I’m known as a person who likes to shake up the status quo, not just for the heck of it, but because I can see how it might be better.

An astute reader might also see my hedonistic side. I write sensual romance. I’m a strong believer in describing all aspects of a loving relationship. If you fade out as the bedroom door closes them you lose a big piece of the puzzle that makes my people who they are. In The Titan Drowns this can be seen in Pia’s desire to get sex over with, so Marco can see what he’s getting (ie an unexciting bed-mate). But for Marco, respecting Pia means waiting for marriage, and then using what he’s always undervalued – his sexual experience – to pay her back for what she’s given him. Unless you’re in the bedroom with them, you don’t fully get how that relationship dynamic plays out. Being told isn’t the same as being shown.

I also believe in instant chemistry. It doesn’t always last, but it always has to be there at the beginning, if there’s going to be a future for the relationship. Therefore my people fall in love as I’ve done in the past, fast and furiously. That sense that you know the person as soon as you meet them: that’s not just the stuff of romantic fiction, it’s happened to me in real life.

So if you like my books you’d probably like me. If you like me, you’d probably like my books. Like my mind, my books are different, but hopefully in a good way.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Romance

Rating – Between PG13 and R (sensual but not erotic)

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Nhys Glover on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://nhysglover.com/

Orangeberry Book of the Day - For the Future Generations (For a Generation) by Anastasia Faith (Excerpt)

For the Future Generations

[Book 1 of the "For a Generation" series]
3.4.2113

Alamogordo, New Mexico

The sun set over Alamogordo, New Mexico and night fell in the desert. Thick black clouds shifted over the horizon, contrasting the orange sky above, and casting shadows on the barren landscape.

In one mound of sand and rock sat an underground house with a tan roof protruding from the top of the hill. The residents had built a door in the side of the roof. This remained locked during daylight hours. Inside this house, the Channing family had just finished their evening meal. The women in the family cleaned the last of the dishes, the father worked in his office, and a ten-year-old boy grew restless. The boy had a head of strawberry curls, a round face, and deep blue eyes.

He scampered down the hall and pounded on his father’s office chamber door. His father, Kelvin Channing, a college professor, would be grading the day’s homework or preparing assignments for the next school day.

“It’s Declan,” he called.

“Yes, Declan?” Kelvin answered through the door. “What do you want?”

“Laken, Chaslyn, and I want to go outside.” Declan said. “Is it safe?”

“It’s 8:00,” Kelvin said. “I don’t see why not. Remember to wear your coat.”

Declan glanced at the clock on his touch screen music device. He and his two sisters had to stay indoors until after dark because his sisters, being conjoined twins, were frowned upon in the eyes of the culture.

In Declan’s day, “handicapped” individuals were those who could not contribute financially. They required government assistance and were considered a burden to society. These handicaps could be something as simple as inseparable conjoined twins, or as severe as major cerebral palsy or quadriplegia. Benevolent medical professionals would simply deny them healthcare, while the majority would euthanize them, with or without a caretaker’s permission. At their doctor’s warning seven years before, Kelvin and Ayla Channing had relocated with their three-year-old triplets—Declan, Laken, and Chaslyn—from Kansas City, Missouri to a desert in New Mexico, hoping it would be safer. Several families who were close friends with the Channings had also come to ease the adjustment. They had scheduled their days so the triplets would be able to spend time with their friends at night.

Removing his coat from a hook near the front door, Declan slipped into it. His sisters came into the living room after they had finished cleaning the kitchen. They too were becoming restless, and the Alamogordo evening beckoned them.

“Did Dad give us permission?” Chaslyn asked.

Declan nodded and assisted Laken and Chaslyn into a special joining coat tailored for them, since they joined at one of their forearms. They piled into an elevator that led to the roof. The elevator opened, and Declan unlocked the door. They stepped out onto the sand and raced down the side of the hill to their “fort”, a crude structure constructed of logs stacked so they overlapped each other. As the evening progressed, the children’s friends arrived and joined in the imagination games.

Over their playing and laughter, Declan could hear a transporter door slam shut and then footsteps approaching. As they grew louder and came closer, Declan became increasingly concerned. All of their friends were with them, and others rarely visited the deserted area.

“Wait here,” he cautioned his sisters. “I’m going to see where that noise is coming from. Guys, keep your guard over them for just a minute.”

Fearing the worst, he left them in the fort and stole away to track the source of the footsteps. He scampered a few feet down the path behind their house. He saw a silhouette several feet in front of him, standing in the glow of a transporter’s headlights. As it came closer, he perceived a middle-aged man holding a flat nylon case.

“Who are you?” Declan demanded. “Don’t come any closer.”

“Declan, I can’t tell you much,” the man replied hurriedly, as if in a rush. “You need to trust me. My name is Mr. Wilcox; I’m a time traveler.”

Mr. Wilcox handed Declan the case. He unzipped it and found an electronic notepad. Opening a side compartment, he pulled out an automatically recharging payment card or ARPC for short. Declan searched his face for an explanation, both of the contents and of the fact this stranger knew his name.

“Keep this book a secret.” Wilcox instructed. “When the time comes, you’ll know who it’s for.”

“What about the ARPC?” He questioned. “Dad opened an account for my sisters and me, but only because he has a job; they’re linked to his. This card’s number isn’t the one on mine.”

“It will be in about thirteen years.” Mr. Wilcox said, “Remember, I’m a time traveler.”

Declan powered up the book so he could read the content, only to find it blank. He flipped it over in his hands and toyed with it, trying to discern why it would not grant him access. He pressed the bottom of the device. It squawked and a negating red light flashed.

“What happened?” He asked the man.

“I set the privacy so only the future recipient can open it. Underneath the electronic device is a fingerprint reader. It’s programmed for only my fingerprints and the person who will receive it.” Mr. Wilcox explained. “There’s an unlocked note at the beginning that I addressed to you.”

With these words, Mr. Wilcox vanished into the night and Declan focused his attention on the unlocked message.

“Declan Channing,” it instructed, “return to the place where you met me at 7 in the morning on May 1st, 2130, when you are twenty-seven. Bring this book with you. On June 30th of 2130, leave the ARPC I gave you—and your FBI badge—at the Indianapolis, Indiana branch of the bank where your account is.”

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Genre - Christian YA Fiction

Rating – PG

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Review: Four Paws: A Poetry Anthology by The Quillective Project

Four Paws: A Poetry Anthology by The Quillective ProjectFour Paws: A Poetry Anthology by The Quillective Project by Ben Ditmars
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Describe 2 different poems. My two favourites were Little Cat by Amber Jerome-Norrgard and Rainbow Eyes by Ben Ditmars. The first because it was cute and loving. The second, I fell in love with the line "together we will fight the tray." The second poem was popular with many of the book club members as it is something we can all related to.

List three things you liked about the book. It was for a good cause. The authors shared their emotions in a way most people can connect with. Lastly, the variety of poems were absolutely wonderful.

Did you find that the cover and title represented what the story was really about? Most definitely. Four Paws because the book was dedicated to a cause for animals and because the book was about the four paws in our lives.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.

View all my reviews

Friday, May 24, 2013

Orangeberry Book of the Day – Betty’s Child by Donald Dempsey

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“Heartrending and humorous.” Kirkus Reviews

“Highly recommended.” Dr. Alan Gettis, Ph.D., author of The Happiness Solution

“An unforgettable memoir.” San Francisco Book Review

In the tradition of Frank McCourt and Angela’s Ashes, Don Dempsey uses Betty’s Child to tell the story of life with his cruel and neglectful mother, his mother’s abusive boyfriends, and hypocritical church leaders who want to save twelve-year-old Donny’s soul but ignore threats to his physical well-being. Meanwhile, Donny’s best friend is trying to recruit Donny to do petty theft and deal drugs for a dangerous local thug.

Young Donny is a real-life cross between Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield as he tells his story, with only his street smarts and sense of humor to guide him. Donny does everything he can to take care of himself and his younger brothers, but with each new development, the present becomes more fraught with peril–and the future more uncertain.

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Genre – Memoir

Rating – PG13

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Orangeberry Free Alert - Artful Dodger (Maggie Kean Mis-Adventures) by Nageeba Davis

Artful Dodger - Nageeba Davis

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre - Romantic Suspense

Rating - PG13

5 (4 reviews)

Free until 26 May 2013

Take one funny, wise-cracking artist, one gorgeous, sexy detective, throw in a grizzly murder, a little amateur sleuthing, and you have the makings of a wild, romantic, mis-adventure.
Art teacher and sculptor Maggie Kean thought she was having a rotten day, burning her toast, stubbing her toe, and all before eight in the morning. Things just couldn't get any worse. At least, until the dead body clogs up her toilet. To make matters worse, Maggie becomes the prime suspect. Now all she has to do is evade the police, clear her name, trap a killer...and deal with one mouth-watering, hunky detective who drives her crazy while making her hormones do the happy dance.

Alexandra Sokoloff – Why Social Networks are the Keys to Good Networking

Why Social Networks are the Keys to Good Networking

by Alexandra Sokoloff

I don’t suppose it’s any secret that networking and promotion is half the job of writing. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie published, a strong Internet presence is absolutely mandatory for an author. It is if you want to make a living at it, anyway. I’ve been a published author for six years now, with nine crime, supernatural and paranormal thrillers out, as well as two non-fiction workbooks on writing.  Before that I was a screenwriter for eleven years. I’ve been a professional writer since I was twenty-five years old. I don’t know how to do anything else, so making a living at it is not optional for me. 

When I switched from screenwriting to writing books I really knew nothing at all about the book business, and even less about book promotion. I’m a pretty quick study, though, in general, and I jumped into the Internet research. And in 2006 it was pretty clear that blogging was the thing for authors to do.

Blogging used to be the primary method of getting yourself out there, and if you had a personal blog and participated in a group blog, or several group blogs, well, even better. I did five years on the popular group mystery blog Murderati.com, and I know I benefitted from the professional exposure as well as the lively dialogue and companionship.

But lately so many group blogs have shut down, including Murderati, now, and authors seem to be burned out on personal blogging. You no longer hear agents and editors pushing blogging to their authors.

It seems the conversation has moved to Facebook.

The truth is, writers don’t seem to have enough time to blog any more. It feels like diminishing returns, when there’s a fast and easy alternative conversation on Facebook. The technology has changed. We’re having to reinvent.

I hear from a lot of people that Facebook is on the decline but it seems to me that those conversations that used to be had in the comments of blogs, and the large communities of “backbloggers” – a lion’s share of that action has moved to Facebook, and that that aspect of Facebook is growing.

When I e-published my crime thriller Huntress Moon last July, it hit the top of all the Amazon mystery/suspense lists and brought me a deluge of new readers. Suddenly my Facebook subscribers jumped from a few thousand to twenty thousand.  I have over 78,000 subscribers at this writing. It was clear to me that my readers wanted to engage with me there and I’d better figure out how to do that. But I’d been busy blogging and had spent next to no time with other social media. Again, I had to do some quick catch-up.

Blogs are in-depth entities. The joy of a blog is that you can really explore a topic (as well as sometimes do some virtuoso writing), and the comments that follow deepen the conversation, and there’s something compelling about the feeling of that closed, fixed space that a blog is that makes it a sort of virtual salon. People return to their favorite blogs. They’re really like places where you can always find people you know and where other people can drop by and join the party.  I love that virtual reality aspect of it.

But blogging takes a lot of time, not just for the blogger. It takes actual effort to read a blog, in that you have to go to a particular place to get to the conversation.  If the conversation there isn’t what you were looking for, you have to look elsewhere.

Facebook is a different kind of experience.  It’s all right there in front of you. You throw a topic up there and whoever happens to be passing by on the endless river of “feed” may or may not jump in.  You never know who or what you’re going to get.

Facebook has tailored a social media experience that is either still a novelty, or possibly more suited to the kind of social media experience that we are looking for – quick, fun, convenient interaction that gives you a buzz of relevance without much work.

But I do notice a base of regular commenters coming back to my Facebook page over and over, so there is an aspect of place to it as well, and I try to provide content and conversation for those regulars as well.  Some of my posts are funny, random comments or pictures or memes, but I also write longer posts that I often also link to my Screenwriting Tricks for Authors blog (http://www.screenwritingtricks.com) for an even more in-depth discussion for those who want it.

I’ve heard that referred to as “microblogging” and I think that’s a perfect description.

My Screenwriting Tricks for Authors blog is getting more traffic than ever (though far fewer comments these days), and a great deal of that traffic is for much older posts that are constantly reposted and linked to as people discover the blog and read the accompanying workbooks.  It’s a hugely important selling tool for my nonfiction books.

But I feel like I’m casting a far wider net with FB than I can with blogging.  Any post I make I get comments from people I don’t know at all. It’s a quick interaction that introduces me to a huge number of people who may remember me and the fact that I’m an author, which is the groundwork of all promotion – name recognition. And I enjoy the format of Facebook.  It’s so visual – which puts it light years ahead of Twitter, in my opinion. There’s an aspect of improv to it, in that I can always find something fun to say about something someone else has posted. I am, for better or worse, a social butterfly, and I love to have random conversations with large groups of random people.

I know, I know, it’s sounding like I’ve just discovered Facebook (“Where exactly has she BEEN for six years?” you’re asking). But it’s only recently that I’ve felt that I can use it properly and that it’s at least for the moment being a form of social media promotion that gives me the most bang for my time.  Time being always of the essence – not just for writers, but for everyone who reads them.

And that’s why I also think that as an author you have to choose one or two of the social media that you actually enjoy, and don’t worry about the others. We can’t possibly do it all. It took me a while to learn to love Facebook, but now I honestly do.  It’s my reward for my hard writing work.  And when work is play, you’ve got the best of all world.

So today, I’d love to hear what you others to say about it. Do you think blogging has moved to Facebook? Authors, have you had luck microblogging over there?  Readers, what are your personal preferences in social media and interaction with authors?

And while we’re on it, where does Twitter figure in? If people ARE leaving Facebook, where are they going? I’m really interested in what you all have to say about it.

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Genre – Mystery / Thriller

Rating – PG13

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Website http://alexandrasokoloff.com/