Movie Review: The Holiday

The Holiday is this year's foray into festive movies this year. I'm not sure how I missed it as it has two of my favorite celebrities starring in it.
, ha
I love Jude Law. He's just so darn pretty. I also love Kate Winslet, with the exception of that movie about that dumb boat that sank.

This movie was sweet and stupid and for the most part enjoyable. It does feel a little long though.

The premise involves two ladies who have just had their hearts broken in one way or another. They swap houses for a few weeks and both end up finding new love in the other person's life/home.

Kate Winslet as Iris, really got the short end of the stick in this film. First she had a super hot guy that wasn't in love with her they way she wanted him to be and then she ends up with Miles, played by Jack Black. Granted, he's the guy you'd really want to end up with . He's average and really nice and fun and not much baggage.

Cameron Diaz as Amanda, is annoying and of course she gets Graham, played by the super hot, Jude Law. Graham is also Iris' brother, a widower with two young daughters.

Amanda's story is the sexy story with very little substance, other than her falling in love and being able to finally cry. WTF! Iris and Miles have more substance to their romance that includes helping an aging filmwriter, Arthur.

Both Iris and Miles have to deal with the other people in their lives and that makes their story a bit more substantial. In the two weeks, Iris and Miles know each other, you feel like they actually get to know each other and may possibly even have something in common. With Amanda and Graham it feels more like great sex.

So this movie is about as fluffy as a holiday Harlequin, and that is possibly being a bit insulting to the Harlequin, it is still a cozy chick flick with a lot of eye candy for anyone watching or being forced to watch.

Rating: 3 stars

Goddess Fish Book Promotions Book Blast: The Faberge Secret

The Faberge Secret

by Stephanie Burkhart

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GENRE: contemporary romance

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BLURB:

Elise Goodwin operates a heritage museum in Brattleboro, Vermont. Needing to buy some items for her museum, she travels to Boston and acquires a delicious surprise that would excite any curator – a Faberge Egg.

Enter Russian businessman Dimitri Romanov, the true owner of the jewel. He's following a lead hoping to reacquire his stolen egg when he bumps into Elise. He can't hide his attraction to the petite brunette with doe-like eyes.

Dimitri's rival, Gustav Kelch, wants the rare Faberge jewel and will do anything to find it, including destroying Dimitri's life. Can Dimitri keep Elise and his Faberge heirloom safe or will his attraction place their lives in jeopardy?

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Excerpt One:

His gaze was as soft as a caress. He reached out and tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. Then slowly, he curved his hand around the nape of her neck and moved closer so there was no space between them.

Their lips skirted each other's, teasing, tempting... until Dimitri's mouth finally captured hers in a drugging kiss.

His lips were firm and persuasive. He smelled of soap and sandalwood. Something intense flared within her, and she fisted her hands around the lapels of his coat. Her body betrayed her desire. His erection pressed against her thigh.

All of a sudden, an all-crushing fear consumed her. He was hard for her. It was too soon, too fast. She broke the kiss and pushed him away.

"Elise--" Dimitri began.

"Umph!"

Elise's heart jumped. She swung around and looked at the door.

It stood ajar.

"Lucy!" Elise forgot all about Dimitri's kiss and rushed inside with him right behind her. Concern spiked within her the second she saw Lucy.

Her friend's hands and feet were tied to a chair, and a gag was in her mouth. The room had been trashed. Their suitcases had been turned over; their clothes and books tossed haphazardly about.

Fear knotted inside Elise. She rushed to the chair and took off Lucy's gag. Dimitri untied the knots at Lucy's feet, concern for her friend evident in his eyes. Elise was thrilled that Dimitri had helped her with no hesitation or reservations.

"What happened?" Elise asked. "Who did this?"

"They were looking for the egg," Lucy said. She glanced at Dimitri, but instead of her earlier resistance to him, gratefulness filled her gaze.

Dimitri froze and glanced up, his stare drilling into Elise. "Egg? A Faberge egg?"

Elise loosened one of the ropes around Lucy's hand and looked at Dimitri, perplexed. "What do you know about Faberge eggs?"

He muttered something in Russian, finished untying the knot around Lucy's other ankle, and stood, straightening his shoulders.

"That's what I lost. What I've been looking for -- my Faberge egg."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Review: Stephanie Burkhart is one of the author's I've discovered in the last few years that never disappoints me. I really love her steampunk series. This is a suspenseful novella and I liked the characters. It was really easy to fall for Elise and Dmitri and their whirlwind courtship.

My only gripe is that I wished it were longer, but that's a common gripe with me when it comes to novellas, I always want more, especially when it is an author that I love.

It is a nice twist on the typical holiday stories that are out there too, because this isn't an Easter egg, it is a rare Faberge Christmas egg. Stephanie really went to great lengths researching this book. I found myself wishing that there were really Christmas Imperial Faberge eggs.

I have always had a love for Russian history especially during WWI and how the history of the eggs ties in with the the mystery Dmitri's stolen egg.

Highly Recommended!

Rating: 5 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks. She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:

http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:

http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

PINTEREST:

http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/

BUY LINKS FOR A THE FABERGE SECRET:

AMAZON KINDLE:

http://amzn.com/B006LTE2ZS

B&N NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-faberge-secret-stephanie-burkhart/1105070465?ean=2940013874596&itm=1&usri=the+faberge+secret

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thefabergesecret-657577-149.html

PUBLISHER'S LINK:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-236/The-Faberge-Secret-Stephanie/Detail.bok

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Stephanie will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

Please use this rafflecopter code on your post: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Promotions Book Review: Shadow In The Smoke

SHADOW IN THE SMOKE

by Jo A. Hiestand

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GENRE:  British mystery

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BLURB:

Janet Ennis tragically died five years ago in what the police labeled an accidental fire. But Janet’s mother, Nora, believes it to be murder and arson. And she’s hoping ex-cop Michael McLaren can prove it quickly, for she’s losing her memory to dementia.As McLaren pokes through the case details, he becomes emotionally involved with the dead woman. Yet, Janet isn’t the only person who threatens mental well-being. A series of arsons on his own property hint that he’s upset someone connected with this case.

Motives for Janet’s murder rise like the smoky tendrils of a fire. And, motive aside, the murder scene seems a bit too pat: a drought-stricken landscape eager to lap up flames, and a conveniently locked door barring Janet’s escape.


Will McLaren solve the case while Nora can still comprehend the resolution, or will Harvester’s plans see McLaren’s career go up in smoke?

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Excerpt:

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Ennis, but even if I did take on your case, I don’t think you could afford my fee.”

“You haven’t told me what it is.”

He named his price, watching her intently.  She didn’t flinch at the amount but said, “I’d double that if you could find Janet’s killer.”

His right eyebrow rose in skepticism and as he opened his mouth to reply, she added, “I’m serious.  I’ve got the money.”

“It means that much to you, then.”

“Yes.  And it will to you, too.”

“The money’s nice, I admit, but”

“Oh, I’m not referring to the money, Mr. McLaren, though I suppose that will be welcome.”

“Then, what?”

“I meant coming up against your nemesis again and proving him wrong after all these years.”

“My nemesis…”

“Yes. The man you tangled with, the man who’s responsible for you leaving your police job last year. Charlie Harvester. ”

Review: I love British mysteries. I'm usually one for historical mysteries and those usually have a female lead characters. This was a little bit of a departure for me, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

This is a wonderfully suspenseful read about a death that occurred 5 years prior but her mother who is now suffering from dementia feels was a murder from arson.

Michael Mclaren really threw himself into the case once he started investigated it, and as Janet's life unraveled onto the pages of this book, you saw that her life was very complex. You also saw that there were a lot of people that had reason to want her dead. I also thought there were some unanswered questions at the end of this book, even though we do find out what happened to Janet.

This is a very fast paced novel that will keep you turning the pages.

Highly recommended

Rating 5 stars

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jo A. Hiestand knew in grade school that she wanted to be a mystery writer.  But life got in the way: singing in a semi-pro folk group, traveling to New Zealand, working as a camp counselor, co-inventing P.I.R.A.T.E.S. (a mystery-solving treasure-hunting game), becoming a tour agent for a Scottish folk singing group, attending a citizen police academy and riding along with police officers…  But she needed to immerse herself in All Things British for her books.   England beckoned and she responded.

She bee-lined to Derbyshire, feeling it was the ‘home’ of her books.  Derbyshire also bestowed the essential English police contacts and transformed the St. Louisan into an Anglophile. 

She’s returned nearly a dozen times to Derbyshire, researching and photographing for her McLaren cold case detective novels.

In 1999 Jo returned to Webster University to major in English.  She graduated in 2001 with a BA degree and departmental honors.

Her cat, Tennyson, shares her St. Louis home.

Follow Jo and McLaren on these websites:

www.johiestand.com

www.Mclaren-mysteries.com

and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Hiestand-Mystery-Author/203133803128

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Smoke-Jo-Hiestand/dp/1509203621/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jo A. Hiestand will award a McLaren-design tote bag AND a choice of a water bottle (McLaren designed) or a ceramic McLaren coaster tile (International giveaway) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Promotions Tour Spot: Christmas At The Cove

Christmas At The Cove

by Rachel Brimble

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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

More family for Christmas? 
Scott Walker doesn't have time for a relationship. The sexy mechanic has career ambitions, not to mention a mother and three sisters to take care of. The last thing he needs is Carrie Jameson, the beauty he never forgot, arriving in Templeton Cove over the holidays with some unexpected news. 
Scott still finds Carrie irresistible, and he's not one to shirk responsibility. Scott's issues with his own dad make the prospect of parenthood a minefield. But if he and Carrie can overcome their fears, this Christmas could bring them the best gift of all.

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Excerpt :

She glanced around the garage. “I’m sorry to turn up unannounced like this, but I’m here and we need to talk.”

He stared at her in disbelief as questions, demands and weaknesses hurtled around inside him, battling with the intense sexual frustration storming through his body. “Just like that, you turn up and say, ‘We need to talk’?” He shook his head and turned away from her, lest he get caught in the snare of her wide, impossibly gorgeous eyes. “Go away.”

“No.”

Keeping his back to her, he uncrossed his arms and planted his hands on his hips. He tipped his head back and smiled as insanity rushed his bloodstream. He wanted to grab her, shake her, kiss her and make love to her. God, he wanted to drop to his damn knees in front of her and beg her to tell him where she’d been and now she was back, was she back for good?

“Scott?”

He closed his eyes, barely resisting the urge to cover his ears with his hands and block out her tempting voice, achingly laced with the unmistakable sound of a plea. “Whether you want to see me or not, I have to talk to you, and I won’t leave the Cove until you hear me out.”

Her heels clicked closer and his body tensed, waiting for what came next. The dangerous, musky scent of her perfume wafted under his nostrils and he inhaled. She approached the bench beside him and put down a business card. “My number’s on there. I’m staying at the Christie. Call me when you’re ready to talk. It’s important or I wouldn’t have come.”

He glanced at the card. Carrie Jameson. Producer.

She turned and walked away. He let her go, feeling like a smashed up car after a hurricane, tossed and turned through the air before being spewed crudely across the highway, left to rust and burn.

He picked up the card. His hand shook and the rare sting of tears shamed him. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Carrie was back and his libido told him only too clearly there was no way in hell he wouldn’t go to her. How was he supposed to let her go a second time when he’d lived the last three years regretting he didn’t stop her the first time?

Review: I have been a fan of Rachel Brimble for ages now. When you read one of her books, you feel like you are reading about people that you could know and that is something that I always enjoy in a book, especially in romance where things often go the route of he unrealistic.

I liked the plot of the two lovers who had a one night stand that resulted in a child and the complications that arise when Carrie seeks out her daughters biological father. There's a lot of tension between her and Scott and a lot of chemistry as well.

Both characters end up being just what the other needs and they are characters that you will absolutely love. I also love returning to Templeton Cove. I really love having a cozy small town that isn't somewhere in the US.

This is another winner for Rachel.

Rating: 5 stars

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had five books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and three Victorian romances by eKensington/Lyrical.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/

Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441

Facebook Street Team - Rachel's Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelsReaders/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Brimble/e/B007829ZRM/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-at-the-cove-rachel-brimble/1119471813

Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=54082&cid=

My Favorite Things About The Holidays…Rachel Brimble

The first thing I love about the holidays is that few days before the 25^th when everything is done and all I have left to look forward to is eating, drinking and spending time with family and friends exchanging gifts and having a good time.

Leading up to Christmas I’m a mess of stress worrying about gifts, food, where we need to be and when.

It’s become a bit of tradition for us to have Christmas lunch with our good neighbors and friends at Ronnie Scott’s (the famous jazz club) in London around the 18^th or 19^th. This marks the start of the holidays for me – what hasn’t been done by the time Ronnie Scott’s rolls around, it’s not going to be done!

Another thing I love about the holidays is that Mr. B takes a full two weeks off work, which means we get to spend some good family time together with our two teenage daughters. The family time kicks off on Christmas Eve. We have a tradition with our neighbors and several friends that we each take it in turn to host a night of food, drink, games and celebration.

We always have great fun and because there’s about five families involved, we only host every five years, lol!

For the big day, I love getting up early with Mr. B and the kids and heading downstairs to open the presents. Even though my girls are older now, I try to add a completely unexpected gift to their pile. Fingers crossed, I’ve got it just right every year so far…last year’s surprise of Ed Sheeran concert tickets resulted in a LOT of happy tears!

This year I am looking forward to my mother-in-law’s amazing home-cooked lunch and spending time with my husband’s family and mine around the same dining table. Later in the evening, we plan to head home to slump in front of the TV until bedtime. Cannot wait for the Downton Abbey finale! That is on the top of my Christmas viewing this year.

Happy holidays!

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Rachel Brimble will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Book Blast: Space Cadets

Space Cadets

by Laurence Moroney

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GENRE: YA Sci-Fi

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BLURB:

After conflicts in Korea, Pakistan and the Middle East turned nuclear, the world stood on the eve of destruction. Realizing that we only have this one precious planet containing all of humanity, the United Nations pulled us back from the brink, and started a new, multinational effort to conquer space. Many years later, the peak of achievement for any young person is to be admitted to the Space Academy. Previously available only to a precious few, it has recently opened enrollment to anybody who can meet their strenuous entry criteria. Space Cadets is the story of the first African-American girl, Aisha Parks, to enter into the academy, where she learns that the more some things change, the more they stay the same, and despite the honorable intentions of the academy, there are some dark secrets being kept – secrets that could be the end of us all.

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Excerpt: 

Chapter 10. Returning Home

So they found life.

Ironic that the North Korean was the first to do so, eh?

This isn’t a time for levity.

I know. But given that life was found so easily and so quickly on that planet, it tells us that surely we’ll find more advanced lifeforms, and soon.

The bigger question is, why was the life we found there so primitive?

Following Soo-Kyung’s discovery, the mission changed. The scientific pods were to stay, along with an attachment of Phaetons, but the Explorer was to return home and restock. Stellar Cartography was working around-the-clock to find routes to other stars, given that life being found here meant that, of course, the Galaxy must be teeming with life, and most of it must be more complex than the basic lichens they found.

Aisha was still confused about one thing. Once they had broken orbit, and were cruising back to the Explorer, she had to ask. “Why did you ask me to stop?”

Soo-Kyung signaled for them to close external comms. She clearly wanted to keep the conversation private amongst the three of them.

“Once I knew that it was life,” said Soo-Kyung. “I realized that we hadn’t sterilized ourselves. Every further step we took could potentially contaminate, and perhaps kill, these primitive lifeforms. We’re carrying bacteria, spores, and who-knows-what-else with us that would be terribly invasive to the native species.”

“So why did they let us walk on the surface?”

“I guess they just assumed that there was no life there. That it was a dead planet.”

Something about it just bugged Aisha. “They didn’t ask us to stop,” she said. “They allowed us to walk on the surface. You’d think they’d know better. It was you who was smart enough to realize that we might impact any life there.”

“Maybe they were too busy?”

“Or maybe they didn’t care,” Aisha said, realizing how ominous it sounded.

“Guys,” said David. “We just discovered life. Don’t you realize the implications? At least immediately?”

“What?”

“You think they’re going to just release this broadly on Earth? Look at all the wars that have been fought over religion. Between the Caliphate and my country for one. They can’t let this information loose on Earth. We’re not yet ready.”

“But we rushed into discovery.”

“Now I know why they kept Explorer a secret, building her on the far side of the moon.”

“But we’ve been asked to do things differently,” said Soo-Kyung, for once having some emotion in her voice. “And one of the things I want to do differently is share information like this equally amongst all people. And yes, I understand the irony that it’s me saying it, but wars like those in my country happened because of a few people keeping key information from the masses. I can’t let that happen again.”

“I don’t think we can stop them,” said David.

“What’ll they do?”

“Boot us out of the Academy and send us Earth-side, of course. Anything we have to say can be easily discredited.”

Aisha sighed. David was right and she knew it. She just hoped that Soo-Kyung did too.

“So,” she said. “We toe the party line. We keep this all a big secret. We play along until the time is right, where we can take control, and do what’s right for the world.”

Soo-Kyung was exasperated. “Isn’t that what they think they’re doing? Doesn’t that just make us the same as them?”

Seamus interrupted with an external comm. “Folks, Captain has ordered you back double-time.”

“Why?”

“We’re going home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Laurence Moroney is the author of more books than he’s prepared to admit. After several best selling programming books, his first Young Adult novel “The Fourth World” became a #1 book on Amazon Kindle, spawned two sequels “The Million Year Journey” and “The Legend of the Locust”, and is currently being shopped around studios for a potential movie. “Space Cadets” is his latest, a cutting edge science fiction novel, based on real science that starts a new series charting out humanity’s course to the stars. He’s presently working on the sequel “The Quiet World”, which he hopes to finish in 2015. For his day job, Laurence works as a Developer Advocate for Google, where he is constantly counting his blessings for being part of the best workplace in the world…

Find him here:

Space Cadets Blog: http://join-the-cadets.blogspot.com/

Space Cadets Website: http://www.join-the-cadets.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lmoroney

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laurence-Moroney/e/B001ILFKMS

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Laurence will be awarding a signed copy of Space Cadets to a randomly drawn winner (US ONLY) via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Book Tours Cover Reveal: Dating on The Dork Side

DATING ON THE DORK SIDE

by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

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GENRE: Contemporary Young Adult

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BLURB:

Stung by an epic betrayal, Camy Cavanaugh relies on the sure things: her best friend, her job as peer tutor, and her safe spot on the sidelines of life. But when she hacks into a secret, trash-talking website, it ignites a war between the sexes that won’t end until the whole school is turned upside down–and Camy’s world is turned inside out.

Now the hottest girls in school refuse to date the A-List boys. But with the Homecoming dance looming, everyone from the queen bee to the girl “most likely to” pushes Camy to hook them up with guys from the nerd herd.

And then there’s quarterback, A-lister–and former crush–Gavin Madison. He hasn’t spoken to Camy in three years … but he’s talking now, begging her to pair the guys on the football team with girls from the Honor Roll.

It’s a contest of wills and everything is on the line–even Camy’s heart. Will she retreat to the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back in the game?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

I’ve had eleven years to think about this (twelve if you count kindergarten) and if you ask me, the first day of school should come with a checklist:

• Your best guy friend manages to wear matching socks?

A good sign.

• Your homeroom teacher turns out to be a drama king?

Proceed with caution; hilarity may ensue-- but so may humiliation.

• You find a jock in the tutoring room?

A sign of the apocalypse.

On my last first day of school, I counted the minutes to the final bell, then took the stairs to the third floor tutoring room two at a time. I paused at the threshold and sucked in a breath.

The monitors inside the room, at least the ones that I could see, were spotless. I had new pencils sharpened to deadly points. My notebooks were filled with blank pages and promise. Everything was still first day fresh. Everything was still possible. And through the open windows, came the wondrous sounds of the Olympia High School football team warming up, “O-L-Y-M-P-I-A!”

“Switch!” Coach Cutter’s voice, amplified by the megaphone, rode the breeze through the windows. The trip seemed to soften all the hard edges, making him sound like someone you might actually want to talk to.

“O-L-Y-M-P-I-A!” the siren song came again. I loved it when jocks spelled. I loved the first day of school. I really, really loved my view of the football field from the windows of the tutoring room.

But Jason “The Ab” Abernathy was ruining all of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She spent twelve years as a Girl Scout and six in the Army; that she wore a green uniform for both may not be a coincidence. These days, she writes fiction (long and short) and works as a technical writer for a software company in St. Paul.

Her short speculative fiction has appeared in UFO Publishing’s Unidentified Funny Objects and Coffee anthologies, Flash Fiction Online and Cicada.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charity.tahmaseb

Twitter: https://twitter.com/geekgirlx2

Blog: https://writingwrongs.wordpress.com

Mail list/newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RGffv

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/charitytahmaseb/

Darcy Vance is the slacker half of the author duo of Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance. She didn’t start writing seriously until she was 40, and didn’t publish her first novel until she was 50. Even then, she needed a co-author to get the job done.

While Charity was busy slinging corn for Green Giant and jumping out of airplanes for the Army, Darcy was busy making out with boys and perfecting the art of the doodle. She only makes out with one boy now (her husband) but she still doodles wantonly.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darcy.vance.3

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/edeevee/

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/DarcyVance (there is a free story there)

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Charity and Darcy will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to one randomly drawn winner, a print copy of "Dating on the Dork Side" to another randomly drawn winner (US/Canada only) and a print copy of "The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading" to a third randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada only) via rafflecopter during the tour.

Please use this rafflecopter code on your post:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Book Promotions Guest Post: R. Arundel

Balancing life and writing

Humans are social creatures. Writing is a solitary task. This is the push and pull every writer feels. As a surgeon with a family I have to carve out time to write. This is no different than a busy mother or parent or young teacher looking to write their first novel. Or any other of countless examples I could list.

Most writers write because some innate urge within them compels them to write. Writers don’t write because they like writing. Writers write because they need to write. Many writers are tortured as they compose their works. They worry if others will enjoy it. They wonder if what they have written is a load of garbage. Writing can be a very unpleasant, laborious experience. But writers continue to write. Understanding this unique dynamic is the most important point in creating write/life balance.

Writers have a compulsion to write. It’s nice to sit at a page and create. Everything is just as you wanted it, you control all. It’s not real life. Real life is messy, sometimes unfair, and often very hard. All writers need to step away from writing and spend time living life. For myself that means limiting my writing to very early mornings or very late at night.

I always schedule time for activities away from writing. If I sit at the computer andbe  nothing is working or I can’t figure out the plot, I just step away. Take some time off. You brain will still work at the problem in a day or two (or three or four) when you do return the problem may worked out.

Living and experiencing life will make your characters richer. Sometimes, when you’re trying to get your four year old to eat his vegetables or your partner to see that you’re right, it might seem that sitting in a quiet space and creating your next masterpiece is what you should be doing. But remember even in the hurly burly of life when you’re stuck doing the job you don’t really want because you want to be a fulltime writer, life is what gives you the raw materials to dream and to write.

The Face Transplant

by R. Arundel

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GENRE: Medical Suspense Thriller

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BLURB:

The Face Transplant

An epic journey of suspense, murder, and sacrifice

Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a facial transplant surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. When his friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances, Matthew uncovers his friend’s secret: a new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions, no scars. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying to find the people responsible for murdering Tom, Matthew realizes he is the prime suspect. He must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper, who has a secret of her own, and Alice, who helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. They stumble onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions that leads Matthew all the way to the White House.

The Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by a surgeon who weaves politics, medicine, and espionage into a tightly paced, intelligent thriller.

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Excerpt:

Guaarrr. It sounds like water draining from a very large bathtub, through a very large hole. I just killed myself. I just killed the patient. Dr. Matthew MacAulay looks down on the operating room table at the gaunt, graying man. Matthew quickly scans the operating theater. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the short wide man in

the observation area.

I just killed myself, Sarah, and Amanda.

They have been hijacked into performing a face transplant. The patient is unknown. Mr. Glock, the short wide man, hovers in the far end of the operating room. He made it clear that if the patient did not survive, the three of them would be following him in short order. The 9 mm Glock with a silencer on the end gave credence to his profanity-laced words of warning.

Matthew looks across the operating room table at Amanda Soto, forty-two, an American of Spanish ancestry. She has been his scrub nurse, assisting him in the operating room for the last three years. Divorced, one child.

It will take a few more seconds for the monitors to tell everybody what Matthew already knows. Amanda already knows. She is right across the table. She saw him use the robotic arm to dissect the vessel and mistakenly cut the large artery in the neck. An operating room nurse of Amanda’s experience has seen it all. When Matthew looks into her eyes, they flash ever so quickly an acknowledgement that it is all over. Instead of any words, she quietly unclamps the suction. Now a dull hiss fills the air. To the casual observer, or the short wide man holding a 9 mm Glock pistol in his fat stubby hands, nothing really has changed. Amanda, anesthetist Dr. Sarah Larsson, and Dr. Matthew MacAulay act as if all is going well.

Matthew cannot help but glance over to the man with the 9 mm Glock. In his mind he names him Mr. Glock. Adrenaline surges through Matthew’s body and time slows. The short wide man, Mr. Glock, has gray eyes. Pale, gray eyes. Very pale, almost tired. Matthew remembers reading somewhere that people with gray eyes have the best visual acuity. They make the best marksmen, the best assassins. He wonders if this was true.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

R. Arundel is a practising surgeon. This experience brings realism to the story. The novel asks what would happen if a surgeon were to develop the perfect face transplant. This would allow people to have a new face, in essence create a new identity. You can create the perfect double, the perfect Doppelganger.

Contact link: http://www.amazon.com/R-Arundel/e/B00EBCQVEC

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE BOOK, go here: http://www.thefacetransplant.com/contact.html FILL OUT THE FEEDBACK AND MARK SUBSCRIBE.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Prizes for the tour are as follows:

• One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

• One randomly chosen host will receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TV Music

Tonight one of my favorite sitcoms had two fabulous songs featured during the episode. The first song is by Ben Kweller, Out The Door.



The next one is by Johnny Stimson with Jillian Edwards called A Million Years. I wish this song were available somewhere, as it is totally fabulous.



What are some of your favorite songs you've discovered through tv shows?