Saturday, September 27, 2014

New Release: Without Mercy by Alicia Dean


Even though my latest release, Without Mercy, is a fairly graphic, violent suspense thriller, at the heart of the novel is a story about a mother’s love.  Motherhood is a powerful motivator, and if you are a mother, it’s the most important job you’ll ever have. My three children are grown, but I still feel an overwhelming protectiveness toward them, I worry for them when they are ill or when I think they’ve possibly been injured (you know, when you can’t reach them for long periods of time, when you’re certain you should be able to, or when they are an hour late to your house and they WON’T ANSWER THEIR PHONE..) Anyway…I can’t say I would do anything in the world for them, because sometimes a parent can do too much. (And I have been guilty of that very thing) But, I can say I would sacrifice anything for them and I would give my life for them.
I had a very good friend for many years, a single mother with a young son. She adored him. He was her world. My friend moved to Texas, and she and I lost touch for several years. A few months back, I decided to look her up on Facebook. I was shocked and saddened to discover she died February of this year. I learned that she lost her life in a house fire, saving her son, who survived. Although devastating and heartbreaking, it was also tragically fitting. A mother who loved her child as fiercely as she did would not think twice about giving her life for him.
In Without Mercy, I know I didn’t quite do justice in conveying how a mother would feel in the situation China Beckett finds herself in, but I did my best. The only way to truly do justice would be to have been in her place, to know what it felt like for your child to be threatened in this way. But, I will gladly forego the ability to truly empathize with the character, in exchange for not ever having had to go through something like this with my children. Fortunately, this is fiction, so we can read it and hopefully be on the edge of our seats, but deep down, be grateful it’s China and not us.

Blurb
How far will a mother go to protect her child?
When an apparently random bank robbery turns out to be a sinister plan, single mother China Beckett is thrust into a nightmare.
A group of mercenaries take over her life, threatening her young daughter and everyone they love. Each time China makes a mistake, someone dies. She’ll fight to the last breath to protect her child, but with no idea what move will be the wrong one, that might not be enough. 
As the lives of China’s loved ones are jeopardized, she must take action, although she has no idea where to turn—and time is running out. But then, a startling truth is revealed and China discovers that the only person who can save them might be a ghost from the past.

Excerpt
This time, China didn’t flinch, tried not to show her fear. Layla’s cloying perfume washed over her and still, she managed to hold her ground.
Layla finally moved away, and China let out a long breath. “I’m tired,” she said. “I’m going to bed.”
“I believe I’ll go upstairs also.” Layla bent and slid something from her boot. A small, black-handled dagger appeared in her hand. She smiled, running a finger slowly along the side of the blade.
Panic bubbled to China’s throat. “What are you doing?”
“Emma didn't seem to get the message earlier about eating slaughtered animals. I thought I might pay her a visit. Kids like show and tell, right? I can show her what I mean.”
China’s heartbeat stalled, and the blood in her veins froze. “You can't...you won't...”
“Oh, don't worry. It won’t be anything fatal. I'll just give her a little sample of what the animals feel. Royce said we couldn't kill either of you unless he orders us to. Didn't say we couldn't play.” She shot China a vicious glare and strolled toward the stairs.
“Stop!” China screamed. “Don't touch her.”
A chuckle issued from Layla’s blood red lips, but she didn’t pause.
Looking around frantically for a weapon, China closed her hand around the cross. With a strangled cry, she lunged toward Layla’s retreating back.

Bio
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.


Find Alicia at her website and blog, or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.




Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Cover Reveal: Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

Unlovable is now an audiobook!! If you click here you can get the audiobook for free with a 30 day free trial of Audible on Amazon!! You can't beat free!!
Along with the release of the audiobook, I've redesigned the covers of the first two books in the Port Fare series. ( I'm designing covers now. Click here and check them out!) To celebrate the new look, I am giving away paperback copies of the entire series. 
Here is the new cover for Unlovable. I didn't change it to much because I really loved the original one. (Thank you, Paul Beeley), but another author came out with almost the exact same cover, including the coloring :'(
I kept the girl on the swing because she fits Maggie's story perfectly, though I did add flowers to the swing. The rest has been changed completely. I love the blues and pinks, and I've always wanted a moon on the cover. I also added Maggie's trailer in the background!
                                                         
                                                             Here is the eBook cover:
And this is the Paperback
     This is the audio book cover.

 This is the new cover for Unbelievable! It's a real change. I feel this cover fits the story so much better. Lilah feels trapped by her domineering father and his demands. She desperately wants to break free...can't tell you anymore or I'll spoil the story ;) I feel this new cover portrays Lilah and what she is going through in a much stronger way, and it seems to fit in better with the other covers. While I loved the old cover, and had a huge say in its design, (Thank you again, Paul) it seemed out of place with book one & three's covers. This one holds the same "feel," if you will.
Here is the Ebook cover:
And this is the paperback
Unbearable's cover didn't really change, only the back was updated.

So, what do you think??

Purchase links:


         








Thanks for stopping by!
Sherry Gammon

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Test of Time by Nicole Zoltack


         Today’s guest is author Nicole Zoltack. Nicole is a fellow Astraea Press author, but if you look at her Amazon author page you’ll see that she is a prolific writer at several outlets and a terribly busy woman! She’s here today to share the cover of her brand new book, The Test of Time. I’ll turn the blog over to her and let her tell you about it:
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Hi, everyone! This is Nicole Zoltack. I've written a bunch of romances, a lot in the speculative realm, and finally wrote a time travel romance: THE TEST OF TIME. And I adore the cover. It's beautiful. Wanna see it? Sure you do!


I could not be happier with it. What do you think of it?

BLURB: Katia jumps at the chance to go to England with her best friend after Rose ditches her deadbeat boyfriend. While walking through the market, she spies a large mansion and recognizes the guy out front as her high school friend Tony. Just as they start to reconnect, Katia passes through times and lands in the arms of Lord Landon, who looks like Tony but certainly doesn’t act like him.
Soon, Katia learns that this 1815 is different from the one in history books. Trapped in a parallel world, Katia struggles to not fall for Landon but his charm proves too much for her. Just when she is about to confess her love for him, Katia travels through time yet again.
The course of love never did run smooth and if Katia can’t figure out and master the test of time, she’ll never see or friends again, or worse, never be reunited with Landon.

So I'm sure you're dying to know the release date and luckily it's not that far away! THE TEST OF TIME releases September 9th! Be sure to grab it on the 9th! :D

Add it on Goodreads



BIO: Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially romance, whether fantasy, paranormal, or regency. When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic young boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV show is The Walking Dead. To learn more about Nicole and her writing, visit http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com.