Book Bonanza - Gallagher's Pride & Gallagher's Hope by M.K. McClintock

Book Release Party!!

MK McClintock

Gallagher’s Hope

Book Two of the Montana Gallagher Series

The second book of the Gallagher Series has arrived! The virtual book tour for Gallagher's Hope starts today! 
 
Readers, you will have a chance to win one of three signed paperbacks and a $25 Amazon Gift Card just for following the tour, plus you can get Gallagher's Hope free digital download from August 1 - 3 on Amazon, and if you missed Gallagher's Pride, the first book in the series, you can get this for free on August 1 only on Amazon!

Enter the Contest through the Rafflecopter widget below and visit the other blogs featuring the Book Bonanza. (Links are below, too.)

Book Tour Schedule

July 31 - Introduction at the VBT Cafe' Blog
August 1 - 3 Book Bonanza

August 1 - Review & Interview at A Book Lover's Library 

August 3 - Guest Blogging at Wise Words 
August 6 - Review & Character Interview at Whoopeeyoo 
August 8 - Reviewed at The Lucky Ladybug 
August 10 - Interviewed by Louise James 
August 13 - Review & Guest Blog at A Case of Reading Insomnia 

August 15 - Guest Blogging at Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and More 

August 17 - Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books 
August 20 - Review & Guest Blogging at Hardcover Feedback 

August 22 - Guest Blogging at Kimberly Lewis Novels 
August 24 - Guest Blogging at AZ Publishing Services 

August 28 - Interviewed at Infinite House of Books 

August 28 - Reviewed at B00k R3vi3ws 
August 30 - Interviewed at Unnecessary Musings 

Gallagher’s Hope, The Montana Gallagher Series

She sought a new beginning.

He sought what he didn't know was missing.

Together they would discover hope in unlikely places.

Isabelle Rousseau must escape New Orleans and the memory of her family's tragic loss. With her younger brother in tow, she accepts a position as the new schoolteacher in Briarwood, Montana. Desperate to keep what's left of her family together, Isabelle joins her life with a stranger only to discover that trust and hope go hand in hand.

Gabriel Gallagher lived each day as it came believing he had everything he could possibly want . . . until a determined woman and her brother arrive with a little luggage and a lot of secrets. It will take a drastic choice to protect her and give them both hope for the future.

Excerpt:
      There was nothing left of the life she had known. Her slender arm wrapped around the little boy’s shoulder and pulled him closer to his side. She could feel his slight trembling and wished more than anything that she could take   his sadness. They were alone in the world. They had each other and she prayed that would be enough for them both.
      They stood and listened as the priest gave the final blessing and the caskets were lowered into the ground. It wasn’t something anyone should witness, but she needed the closure. She needed to know that it was over. ‘A very sad affair’ everyone called it for it wasn’t every day that a man murdered his wife and then shot himself. It wasn’t healthy to think on the possible reasons why, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She had truly believed that they had been a happy family. One of the wealthiest in New Orleans and one of the most respected and sought out for social gatherings. The truth however, was revealed with her father’s death. No one would speak of it to them of course, but the lawyer had made it quite clear.
      They were penniless. 

 
Author Bio

McClintock is an entrepreneur, baker, photographer, tour host, reviewer, and multi-genre author. She was born on the west coast, but after less than eight years she left with her family to the Rocky Mountains. After more adventures around the country, business-college, and culinary school, McClintock found a place to call home in Montana.

Over the years McClintock traveled the country and visited magnificent Scotland. She dreams of a time when life was simpler, the land rougher, and the journey more rewarding. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, McClintock will always call Montana home.

Author Links
MK McClintock Website
Official Blog 
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Facebook
Twitter: @MKMcClintockMT
Get Mk's books digitally signed on Kindlegraph
Book Links
About the Gallaghers

 
 

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Interview with Christine Amsden, Sci Fi & Fantasy Author

Click on the image to visit Christine's Meet & Greet on VBT Cafe

 BIO:

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children, Drake and Celeste.

Louise: Christine, welcome to my blog! I’m so excited you could join me for a chat. When did you first decide to submit your work to be published? Tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

Christine: It was a long road, but I had dreamed of being a published (okay, filthy rich world-famous) author since I was a little girl. Like many young aspiring authors, however; I didn't like to show anyone my work, afraid doing so would destroy the dream. The truth is exactly the other way around! When I finally showed my work to my husband (then my fiance), he told me two things: that I was good but needed a lot of work. He's the one who found out about Orson Scott Card's summer boot camps, and convinced me to send in an audition piece. By the time the workshop was over, I had the tools I needed. After that, it was just a matter of time, practice, hard work, and luck.

Louise: Please tell us a little about your new release The Immortality Virus.

Christine: The Immortality Virus is a story about that greatest of all human desires – eternal youth – and what might happen if we actually achieve it.

In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren’t talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the ever-increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.

Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change — if he’s still alive. To complicate matters, Grace’s employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice — help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace’s true mission, they won’t hesitate to kill her in order to preserve their shot at immortality.

Louise: Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Christine: Yes. That is to say, I plan them in advance, but then, as I write, they change. They change the story, the story changes them. Writing is an iterative process, even for those of us who are planners. Or maybe especially for those of us who are planners. 

Louise: How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits to share?

Christine: I do some, but I tend to try to write books that largely involve things I already know. It's easier and more natural that way. For The Immortality Virus, I spent a couple of weeks doing research on viruses, on genetics, and on some of the theories of aging. I wanted to make sure my premise was plausible, but there was a reason I made my main character a private investigator instead of a geneticist (which I briefly considered) – it would take me longer than a couple of weeks to be able to truly settle into that knowledge set! And in the end, the story is more about the result of finding the fountain of youth, rather than the method of discovery.

Louise: What is your writing process? Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants (Pantser) or a combination of both?

Christine: I outline, but not neatly. My “outlines” are written in free form, are more like brainstorming, and if you read them, you'd probably get hopelessly confused. To tell you the truth, I almost never read them. The point is to write them. I also keep a “companion” file every time I write a novel, or a draft of a novel. The companion explores ideas for future drafts, where I might go in the future, etc. Like I said, it's messy. It may be that I'm more of a dreamer than an outliner, but I dream with my fingers. 

Louise: Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer or still do?

Christine: When I got married, my husband encouraged me to stay home and write, to follow my dream. I realize how lucky I am to have this ability. Before I got married, I got degrees in Computer Science and Psychology, spent a year in grad school, and then did some freelance computer work. Now, in addition to writing, I raise two children (4 and 6), do some freelance editing work, and teach writing workshops. My next workshop is on world building in science fiction and fantasy, offered through Savvy Authors. http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=1055

Louise: Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

Christine: I engage all five senses (psychological trick). I light a candle (sight and smell), turn on some music (sound), and suck on a hard mint (taste and touch).

Louise: Describe a typical writing day for you.

Christine: This is a harder question than you may think. As my children grow up, each year our schedule changes, and I have to work around it. Right now it's summer break, and I carve out time for writing during afternoon “quiet time.” I get some business out of the way early in the morning or in the evening. When school starts again, I'll have one in first grade and the other in afternoon preschool, so I'll have all afternoon to myself! I like to use quiet or alone times for the creative part of writing. I squeeze business (such as setting up book tours) into mornings and evenings. 

Louise: Please give us a sneak peek at your future books. What’s on the horizon?

Christine: I'm so glad you asked! I am super-excited about an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series I have coming out in 2013. (Probably starting in February, then coming out every 4-6 months.)

Cassie Scot: Paranormal Detective

Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

There are four books in this series, and I'm working on the last one now, so it's going to be a whirlwind once I get going.

Louise: What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?

Christine: I like to read books about strong characters struggling to overcome obstacles. Classical genre distinctions don't matter to me nearly as much as that. (It makes finding books very difficult, of course, because nobody shelves them that way!) My favorite authors, therefore, span genres. Orson Scott Card (scifi), Catherine Anderson (romance), Karen Marie Moning (urban fantasy/romance), Jim Butcher (urban fantasy), JK Rowling (YA fantasy), Mercedes Lackey (fantasy)...there's a lot of fantasy and romance in there, but I also enjoy scifi, mystery, suspense, and anything with strong characters.

Louise: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers we have not touched on?

Christine: The Immortality Virus ebook (through Amazon and B&N) is $0.99 during the tour.

I'll be around today and probably tomorrow reading the comments, so if any of your readers have direct questions, I'll try to answer.

Louise: Where can the readers learn more about you and find your books on the web? (Add the web links and buy links here)

Christine: I keep my own web site up to date and as full of information as I can. I have pages dedicated to each book with buy links, links to read the first chapter for free, and links to reviews. I also update my blog regularly – news when it's important, but a lot of my blog is devoted to book reviews and writing tips.

http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/

Feel free to ask questions, either here over the next couple of days or by e-mailing me. I am thrilled to hear from readers, and answer questions. 

 The Immortality Virus

Excerpt:

“Why did you call me here?” Grace asked. She remembered the newspaper headlines again and found herself wondering if, just maybe, Matt had killed his father. Accidents, murder, or disease were the only way for a person to die when age didn’t plunge them towards that fate. Perhaps Matt had been sick of waiting around for his father to step aside and leave control of Medicorp to him.

“Straight to business, then?”

Grace nodded. “You have to admit, this meeting is unusual.” She did not specifically mention the blacklist, but she was sure Matt would know what she meant. “Does this have anything to do with your father’s death?”

“My father?” Matt cocked his head to the side. “That was a terrible accident in the midst of a robbery. Once you get as old as we are, you begin to tempt fate every day just by being alive. Old age might not get to us, but accidents are inevitable. Besides, the police have already handled the investigation.”

“They found the killer?” Grace asked, confused. She would have heard. Besides, since the robber had successfully stolen a holosuit, it seemed unlikely that anyone would find him.

“Not yet, but our city has a fine police force, and I’m sure they’ll do their job admirably.”

Grace decided not to argue with the idea that the Kansas City police force was either “fine” or “admirable.” They would enthusiastically serve the rich, perhaps, but a madman could go on a shooting spree in the park, and they’d just call in the recyclers.

“Then why–?” Grace began.

“How old are you, Ms. Harper?”

“I’m sure you know,” Grace said. She suspected that this man knew quite a lot about her.

“Yes, but I’m trying to make you feel more comfortable.”

“I’m one hundred and thirty.”

“Still quite young, then,” Matt said. “The odds are still on your side. Although you chose a dangerous line of work.”

“Is there a safe line of work? This is what I’m good at.”

“Rumor has it that you’re good at finding people,” Matt said.

Grace didn’t hesitate. “The best. I’ve had a fifty percent success rate across my career.”

“Fifty percent?” Matt echoed, his voice hollow. “That doesn’t sound very certain.”

Grace shrugged. “Who said life was certain? But most in the business don’t find more than one in ten.” Grace hesitated, but decided to go for broke. “I don’t always get work looking for people with ID chips, either. My clients aren’t people who deal with The Establishment, but I guess you know that.”

“Of course.”

“So then I must assume that the person you’re looking for is either someone without an ID chip or someone The Establishment wouldn’t want you to find.” Grace paused and tried not to think about the implications of that. “Probably both.”

A small smile played at the corner of Matt’s mouth, but he did not answer in words. He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out an old-fashioned digital diary, the kind people used to buy when they had more money and resources than they knew what to do with. Grace had only seen them in movies. It looked a little like a notebook from the outside, but opening the cover revealed a microphone and speakers. “I ran across this diary a few weeks ago, mixed in with some old records the company was throwing out. It’s fascinating.”

 www.virtualbooktourcafe.com

An Avid Reader's Haven: Interview with Wodke Hawkinson, Writing Duo Karen & PJ

http://anavidreadershaven.blogspot.com/2012/07/interview-with-wodke-hawkinson-writing.html

Karen Wodke & PJ Hawkinson , Suspense Authors   

Contest: 

We’d like to give away an e-copy of Zeke via 
Smashwords coupon to one lucky commenter. 

Thank you for having us!

Click on the link above to visit Reader's Haven

Interview with Lauren Carr, Suspense/Mystery Author

 Today I welcome a fellow suspense and mystery author Lauren Carr to chat. Shades of Murder is her latest release. Enjoy the excerpt below and Lauren is featuring a giveaway; read on to find out what two lucky commenters will receive.

Louise: Lauren, welcome to my blog! I’m so excited you could join me for a chat. When did you first decide to submit your work to be published? Tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

Lauren: I would have to say my family was the first to encourage me: first, my mother who is always amazed by my imagination; and then my husband who always encouraged me to keep on writing.

But then, there was always an inkling in the back of my mind that my family had to love what I wrote. I overcame that doubt when I was in college and a professor encouraged me to expand on short stories and seek publication. She had me read one of my short stories in class, a mystery, and the other students loved it. Writers hold onto moments like that when they get hit by doubt.

Louise: Please tell us a little about your new release Shades of Murder.

Lauren: In Shades of Murder, Mac Faraday is once again the heir to an unbelievable fortune. This time the benefactor is a stolen art collector. But this isn’t just any stolen work-of-art—it’s a masterpiece with a murder attached to it.

Ilysa Ramsay was in the midst of taking the art world by storm. Hours after unveiling her latest masterpiece—she is found dead in her Deep Creek Lake studio—and her painting is nowhere to be found. Almost a decade later, the long lost Ilysa Ramsay masterpiece has found its way into Mac Faraday’s hands and he can’t resist the urge to delve into the case.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, former JAG lawyer Joshua Thornton agrees to do a favor for the last person he would ever expect to do a favor—a convicted serial killer. The Favor: Solve the one murder wrongly attributed to him.

In Shades of Murder, I tackle the task of penning two mysteries with two detectives in two different settings and bringing them together to find one killer. What can I say? I love mysteries and mystery writing. Two cases are twice the fun.

In my fifth mystery, I bring back my first literary detective while introducing a new one. Joshua Thornton teams up with Cameron Gates, a spunky detective who has reason to believe the young woman listed as the victim of a serial killer was murdered by a copycat. Together, Joshua and Cameron set out to light a flame under the cold case only to find that someone behind the scenes wants the case to remain cold, and is willing to kill to keep it that way.

I took this project on because readers of my first series kept asking when I would bring back Joshua Thornton. However, they are going to find that single father Joshua Thornton is not in the same place since we left him in A Reunion to Die For. His children are grown. He’s more independent, and he’s ready for some romance and adventure. That’s where Cameron Gates comes in.

With that, Joshua Thornton, Cameron Gates, and Mac Faraday all land together in Deep Creek Lake. Little do these detectives know that the paths of their respective cases are on a collision course as they follow the clues to bring them together in a showdown with killer who’s got a talent for murder!

Louise: I love your cover! Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Lauren: Both. I will think on a character for a long time before sitting down to write out a profile. This will include their background, personality, looks, agendas, everything. But they also have to fit with the plotline as well. So when I start writing the book, it is not unusual for the character profile that I had written to go out the window and the character to change.

In Shades of Murder, there was one character that I had completely developed before I began writing the book. Three-fourths of the way through, her character did not fit into the plotline and mystery. I could not make her do what I wanted to happen. Sure, I could have written the words, but the reader would have said, “Huh? I don’t think so.” So I had to replace her character. I guess you could say I fired that character and replaced her with one that did what I wanted her to do.

Louise: How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits to share?

Lauren: Since I write murder mysteries, I’m always cruising for information about interesting murder cases, or new forensics information. Even if a tidbit does not go with a current project I’m working on, it might be good for a book later on or inspire me for a future book. Plus, I have some favorite mystery shows that I watch.

Last fall, I went to the Writers’ Police Academy and had a fabulous time. I highly recommend it for any writer of mysteries. The instructors are real professionals working in the field of law enforcement. I even got to do high speed chases and fire a gun in the simulator. I learned so much and made some great friends.

Louise: What is your writing process? Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants (Pantser) or a combination of both?

Lauren: Combo. I will think on a plotline for weeks or even months. Then, when I think I have it sorted out, I will write a very loose outline. Mostly, it is to get it sorted out in my own mind. Then, I will sit down to start writing it. Interestingly, I will write the book without referring to any of my notes.

As I write, I will concentrate on getting it out—getting it done. The great thing about work processing and MS Word is the comments section. If I come to a portion that I don’t have the words for, I will write a comment in the margin: Insert love scene here, and then go on to the gun fight directly after that.

It will take about three or four drafts to get the book done. When I feel it is ready to be published, I will send it onto my Perfect Reader. Feel is the operative word here.

My mother is my Perfect Reader. She is a mystery expert. She has read almost every mystery that comes out and, most importantly, is not afraid to hurt my feelings. One-hundred percent of the time, I have to do a rewrite based on her input and the book is always a better book because of her.

Louise: Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer or still do?

Lauren: I used to write full time. But then, I started reaching out to other writers to offer the support that I wished I had in the beginning. As a result, I have grown to become a manager and publisher and spend my day helping other authors through my publishing company Acorn Book Services. I do consulting, editing, layout designer, e-book formatting, and marketing agent for independent authors during the day and work on my books in the evening.

The path to being a full-time writer was gradual. I started out as an editor and layout designer for the federal government. Desktop publishing was in its infancy when I learned it. Am I really that old? From there, I started writing freelance, and gradually worked up to writing and publishing books for myself and other authors.

Louise: Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

Lauren: Coffee. I’m the first one up in the morning and start with coffee. My husband had built a writers studio for me on the upper floor of our home, but I start out the day in the corner of our bed room. Next thing I know, the day is half over and I’m in the zone and still in my bathrobe with a cold cup of coffee at my elbow.

Louise: Describe a typical writing day for you.

Lauren: My day will start out about seven o’clock with answering e-mails and social media. After a couple of hours and two pots of coffee, I have to turn off the e-mail, which is very distracting, and work on my clients’ books. This can be anything from editing to layout design to proofing. Some days it is marketing with writing press releases or sending out queries to reviewers. At about four o’clock, it is time to get dinner started for my family. By eight o’clock, it is time to start working on my books. I will write until about eleven o’clock or, if I’m on a roll, until I am ready to stop.

Between all of that, we squeeze in taking dogs out, bringing them in, doing laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, taking out the garbage, and nagging my son to do his chores.

Louise: Please give us a sneak peek at your future books. What’s on the horizon?

Lauren: A new series! No, I’m not leaving Mac, but this is another series for readers to fall in love with.

Dead on Ice will be the first installment of my new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder. In Dead on Ice, Cameron investigates the murder of a porn star, whose mummified body turns up in an abandoned freezer found in Joshua's cousin's basement. It doesn’t take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué Hollywood legend’s roots were buried in their small rural town, something that she had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept it off her road map, too. Because when this starlet came running home from the mob in 1985, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.

And now your readers can enter the contest:

Your job, should you chose to accept it is to find both a stage name (naughty is okay, but it must be clean) and real name. The female character comes from the Hookstown, Pennsylvania area outside Pittsburgh.

E-mail your suggestions to Lauren Carr (mailto:writerlaurencarr@comcast.net?subject=Name the Porn Star). Put Name the Porn Star in the subject line. Please include contact information, including mailing address and phone number.

Louise: What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?

Lauren: Mysteries. Right now my favorite author is Tess Gerritsen.

Louise: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers we have not touched on?

Lauren: All of my books are available in both e-book and print. They are all available on amazon. Also, I have many personal appearances coming up, with plenty of chances for readers to me. In September, I will be at the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop in Pennsylvania for their Murder As You Like It conference on September 22.

Louise: Where can the readers learn more about you and find your books on the web?

Lauren: Here is my email and my site links.

E-Mail: writerlaurencarr@comcast.net

Websites: Acorn Book Services

                Mystery Lady

Blog: Literary Wealth

Facebook

Gnarly’s Facebook Page

Twitter: @TheMysteryLadie

I'll giveaway one print copy (US only) and eBook of Shades of Murder to two lucky commenters! Please leave your email address so we can easily contact the winners. Thanks!

Shades of Murder

Excerpt :

“What does the letter say?” Archie came back in from the kitchen. With the scissors, she broke through the plastic cord wrapped around the box.
Mac was still reading the first letter. “It’s a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. This guy, Archibald Poole, died. He had left this to Robin Spencer. In the event of her death preceding his, it was to be passed on to her next of kin. Since that’s me, I get it.”
Archie stopped snipping. “Archibald Poole?”
Gnarly stopped sniffing.
“Did you know him?” He was breaking through the seal of the white envelope addressed to Robin.
“Creepy old man. One of those eccentric rich guys. He didn’t make it all on the up and up. I think Robin remained friends with him because he was good material for her books. He lived in a big mansion up on top of a mountain in southern West Virginia.”
Mac was only half paying attention. “He left Robin a painting.”
With one end unsealed, Archie peered inside the box to see that the contents were wrapped in brown paper and padding.
Sitting on the top step leading down into the dining room, Mac read the letter out loud:
Dearest Robin,
If you are reading this, then I’m dead and you are now observing my gift to you. So, what do you leave to the girl who has everything? When that girl is Robin Spencer, it’s a mystery.
You will find that I have left you an Ilysa Ramsay painting. That alone makes it worth a fortune. But, ah, my dear Robin, this is not just any Ilysa Ramsay painting. It is her lost painting.
You will recall that Ilysa Ramsay was brutally murdered on your own Deep Creek Lake in the early hours of Labor Day in 2004. At the same time, her last painting was stolen from her studio where her dead body was discovered. She had unveiled what she had declared to be her masterpiece to her family and friends the same evening that she was murdered.
Grasping the frame wrapped in packaging, Archie tugged at the painting to pull it out of the box while Mac continued reading:
Everyone in the art world has been searching for Ilysa Ramsay’s last work of art. With only a handful of people having seen it; and no photographs taken of it before its theft; its value is priceless.
As my good luck would have it, a month after her murder, my guy called me. He had been contacted by a fence representing someone claiming to have the painting and wanting to unload it. Being familiar with Ilysa Ramsay’s work, I was able to authenticate it. Also, I had seen reports from witnesses who had described it as a self-portrait of Ilysa.
As I write this letter, Ilysa’s murder has yet to be solved. Nor do I know who had stolen the painting. It was sold to me by a third party.
And so, my dear lovely Robin, I leave this task to you. Here is the painting that the art world has been searching for, for years, and a mystery of who stole it, along with who killed its lovely artist. Enjoy, as I know you will!
My Love, Archibald Poole
Her yellow suit droopy, Archie slapped her hat down on the dining room table, and ripped through the padding to reveal the painting of a red-haired woman lying across a lounge with a red and green clover pattern. She was dressed in an emerald gown with a ruby red choker stretched across her throat. Ruby red jewels spilled down her throat toward the bodice.
Gnarly sat on the floor at Mac’s feet to gaze at the painting.
They studied the image together.
“Just what I always wanted,” Mac said. “A stolen priceless painting with a dead body attached to it.”

BIO:

Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award. A Reunion to Die For was released in hardback in June 2007. Both of these books are in re-release.

Lauren is also the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. The first two books in her series, It’s Murder, My Son and Old Loves Die Hard have been getting rave reviews from readers and reviewers. The next book in this series, Shades of Murder, will be released May 2012. This will be Lauren’s fifth mystery.

Lauren’s sixth book, Dead on Ice, will be released in Fall 2012. Dead on Ice will introduce a new series entitled Lovers in Crime, in which Joshua Thornton will join forces with homicide detective Cameron Gates.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This spring, two books written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

http://www.virtualbooktourcafe.com/

An Avid Reader's Haven: Interview with Trip Williams - Suspense/Thriller A...

An Avid Reader's Haven: Interview with Trip Williams - Suspense/Thriller A...:  

Deanna and I welcome Trip Williams to Haven's blog. Trip shares his new release Silent Waters and why he loves to write. Click on the link above to learn more about Trip, his books and comment for a chance to win! Click on the link above.

CONTEST: I will give (5) book sets of Bandit Creeks "Fools Gold" anthology with my short story in it and my novella "Silent Waters".  The first five people to email me the name of the boat I was raised on will do for a bit of a scavenger hunt. All available through my blog.

A note to our followers:

Currently we're busy writing on Sacred Murder. Our goal is to have it ready for release late August. We initially wanted to publish as a short story back in February. However, the characters kept adding in scenes and continue to push us into a full novel. 

You can read an excerpt of Chapter One on our web site or visit fReado; where you can also join and play games to win books and gift cards. You really can! We have $60 on Amazon by winning GCs from fReado. Saving up for a Kindle!!

In the mean time, we'll re-post from blogs so you can meet new authors and new blogs to follow. July 26 we have Author Lauren Carr visiting with us on her book tour with VBT Cafe.

Sacred Murder will be featured in the Suspense Murder Magazine in August. We'll share the link to the magazine as soon as we are notified.

Take care all,

Louise James

Interview with Justin Bog! Celebrating his new release on Brenda and Steve's Blog

Click the link below to visit the interview.  Justin is giving away eBooks to two lucky commenters!


Brenda and Steve, Authors of Erotica: Interview with Justin Bog! Celebrating the Release...: 

Steve and I are very excited introduce to Justin Bog to you today. Justin is on his whirlwind book tour with VBT Cafe to promote his new release Sandcastles and Other Short Stories. He is also featuring a giveaway; details below. But before we begin here's a bit about Justin.

 

Book Launch and Prizes Galore! Grace Unexpected by Gale Martin

Visit Gale's site, comment on post or sign her Guest Book to be entered for prizes! 

Click this link:

Gale Martin - Grace Unexpected Book Launch

GRACE UNEXPECTED

Thirty-something Grace Savage has slogged through crummy jobs and dead-end relationships with men who would rather go bald than say “I do”. In search of a respite from her current job, she visits Shaker Village in New Hampshire. Instead of renewal, she’s unnerved to learn that Shaker men and women lived and worked side by side in complete celibacy.

When her longtime boyfriend dumps her instead of proposing, Grace avows the sexless Shaker ways. Resolved to stick to her new plan – dubbed the Shaker Plan – and despite the fact that her ovaries are ticking, she returns to her life in Pennsylvania. Almost immediately, she's juggling two eligible bachelors: Addison, a young beat reporter; and True, a venerable anthropology professor. Both men have ample charms and real soul mate potential to test her newfound Shaker-style self-control. Grace appears to be on the fast track to a marriage proposal… until secrets revealed deliver a death rattle to the Shaker Plan.

Book giveaway on Goodreads - Click here

Grace Unexpected on Amazon and B&N

Grand Prize drawing on Friday, July 20. 

Win this tote full of books!

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