Chasing the Witch- Win a set of autographed books, eBooks, and $10 Amazon CG!

  

Chasing the Witch

After the events of Mark of the Witch, Jilly at last begins to breathe easier though her powers are still growing. But can she harness them in time to confront a new chain of events that threatens to change everything? Caroline has finally accepted her life as a witch, but when a stranger comes into her life she's forced to question her family loyalty. The sisters are thrown together to protect a young girl from the enemy determined to hunt her down. Can they save her -- and themselves?   Purchase on Kindle / Barnes & Noble Follow on Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Literary Addicts

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Twitter Party December 4 RSVP HERE Jessica Gibson is offering up a signed set of her books (US), an ebook set of her books (INT), and a $10 Amazon GC (INT) The Blast starts 11/28 and ends 12/16 a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Silver Cross Excerpt 5

The Silver Cross by Debra L Martin & David W Small

Excerpt:

Lacey glanced back in one of her mirrors and mentally sighed. Cole had appointed himself her personal bodyguard after she nearly died from one of her late-night sexual encounters that had gone badly. She didn’t like Cole following her, but she did appreciate him caring enough to keep doing it.

As she rode away from the motel, an alert came over the tactical headset she had custom built into her helmet. The headset was tied into the police radio secured on her bike, and allowed her to monitor traffic while racing around the streets of Boston at breakneck speeds. A brutally murdered body had been found, and the local PD was asking for the Fringe Division to come and investigate.

Lacey grimaced when she heard the location. The body was found along one of the back streets that paralleled Boylston Street near the Common. That was downtown, in Boston’s heart and soul, the middle of the bustling metropolis: alive with theaters, restaurants, bars, and clubs. It was Boston PD’s job to make sure nothing upset the ebb and flow of the district’s nightlife, which poured money into the city’s coffers. The local PD knew the mayor and the press would be all over them if it got out a dead body was found downtown, especially one that required Fringe to intervene, and they were more

than happy to pass this off.

Of course, this was Fringe Division’s specialty – cleanup. The victim would be laid to rest, the cause of death recorded as a hit-an-run, and the murder hushed up. The scene would be cleaned up, and the perpetrator hunted down and brought to justice before anyone even knew what happened. This was how Fringe worked: quietly and behind the scenes.

At least she hoped this would remain quiet as she raced downtown toward the

scene.

Lacey was a Lieutenant in the Fringe Division of Boston’s police department. The Division’s special call of duty was handling all the unusual, paranormal, brutal, savage, and outright weird cases that the local police department could not, or chose not to, handle. She was a tough, no-nonsense cop with blue blood running through her veins, the only woman on the force the other detectives called ‘hardcore.’ Her father had been a cop and his father before him – it ran in the family. Lacey always knew she would be a cop even before her father gave up on having a son to follow in his footsteps. After years of waiting for a son, he had settled with the two girls his wife of forty-two years had given him, hoping one of them would follow in the family tradition. Lacey had tried her entire life not to disappoint him. Throughout her childhood she was always the tomboy, trying to please her father by doing the same things the boys did. She was never a momma’s girl, and even hated her name as a youngster. Lacey was a name for a frilly, little girl, not the daughter that could hang with the boys and make her daddy proud. She insisted that everyone call her Lace until she graduated from the Boston Police Academy. That was when she finally saw the glimmer of approval in her father’s eyes. It was one of the happiest moments of her life.

She had not received the call to come to the scene, but she knew it was coming. She always got the hard calls and so, instead of waiting, she went directly to the location.

They would probably call me just as I got home anyway. As she drove downtown, the blue lights flashing along a side street made it clear where the crime scene was. She parked her bike outside the yellow tape, took off her helmet, and smoothed down her hair. She hung the helmet and gloves on the handlebars, walked over to the nearest officer, and flashed her badge. “What have we got?” “It’s the body of a young woman. Her throat’s been torn open, slashed to bits. As soon as we saw her, we called it in to HQ and asked for the Fringe to come take over. We’ve secured the area, started a canvass and are talking to witnesses,” the officer explained.

“Good. I’m Lieutenant Gardner with Fringe Division,” she told the officer for his report. “I’ll be taking the lead from here on.”

“Wow, you got here fast. I just called in for your help.”

“Yeah, I was in the neighborhood. What else can you tell me?”

“The body is halfway up the alley, right outside the side entrance to the club.”

“Who discovered her?”

“One of the cleanup crew from the club,” he replied. “He found her when he took out the garbage, but he didn’t see anyone else. He’s over by the cruiser with my partner, waiting for us to let him go. He’s pretty shaken up. You’ll understand once you see the body.”

“No other witnesses?”

“Yeah, the club owner. He’s standing over there with my partner. He’s the one who actually called it in, but he’s as shaken up as the other one.”

“You got their statements?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. We took their statements and personal info.”

“Okay, hold them here until I come back and tell you otherwise.”

“Will do.”

Lacey nodded and walked into the alley. The side door to the club was open, spilling light on the gruesome scene before her.

“Damn.” She spoke as she leaned over, inspecting the body. “Such a waste.”

She heard footsteps behind her, but smelled the cheap cigar smoke before she saw him. Captain Jack McMahan walked up the alley and silently looked down on the poor, dead girl. After a moment, he looked over to Lacey. He had not called any of the Fringe teams in yet and was surprised to see her here. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, a bit exasperated. “I don’t need you to mother-hen me every time we find a dead girl.”

“Watch the attitude, Lieutenant,” Captain McMahan said, looking hard at her. He was in his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair and a ruddy complexion. He wasn’t much taller than Lacey and had a slight beer belly. “This isn’t just about you. How did you get here so fast anyway? I didn’t call you in on this yet.”

Lacey nodded contritely, acknowledging overstepping her boundaries with the Captain. She appreciated the Captain’s concern for her welfare, but it was all wearing a bit thin. “I was out and heard the call over the scanner requesting Fringe Division to come to the scene. I was close and figured I would save you a call later.”

“Hmmm,” the captain said, thinking about her explanation. He wondered briefly why she was out so late, but her personal life was none of his business. “Just let me know if this hits too close to home."

Lacey knew why her captain was concerned. The grisly scene reminded her of Rebecca, her younger sister, and that night five years ago when she was taken from her. Lacey had not seen Rebecca again, but that night affected her in more ways than just the tragic loss of her sister. She had witnessed the dark side of life and was forever changed, both emotionally and physically.

The Silver Cross Tour- $50 Amazon CG & Five Ebooks!

The Silver Cross

There are two things Boston detective Lacey Gardner knows about killing vampires. Slicing off a head or a hit directly to the heart are the only surefire ways to kill one. Silver is their Achilles heel. A vampire never wears silver. When she meets bartender extraordinaire, Damon Harte, her heart does a quickstep for the dark hunky guy. She's learned the hard way that having a love interest in her line of work can be heart-wrenching. She's kept to herself for years, but something about Damon captivates her and draws her to him. When she learns Damon's devastating secret, she knows what she has to do: kill the man who has stolen her heart.

Purchase now on Amazon.
Follow the Authors, Debra L. Martin and David W. Small on their Blog, Facebook, Twitter
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The Accidental Siren Excerpt 4

“She’s almost done.”

“What?” I asked. “Who?”

“Mara.”

I dismounted my bike and propped it against a moth-haloed lamppost. I
keeled forward with my hands on my knees, panting from the half-mile ride
from Whit’s house to the opposite end of his suburb. I checked my watch, I
was five minutes early.

Why is there a lamp in the woods, my subconscious asked, but I was too
fixated on the boy beside me and the home before me to care. A row of
tightly-sculpted bushes stood belly-to-belly against the entire perimeter
of the house and heavy curtains created a sliver of light in every window
of the first floor. The boy was no older than fourteen, but already sported
a patch of dark whiskers above his lip. “Do you live here?” I asked.

“Shhh!” hissed the boy, then another behind me.

I looked back. Four boys, still as headstones, peeked from behind the tree
trunks. Their eyes were glazed and focused on the back of the two-story
home.

I reached in my pocket, pulled out the newspaper clipping and held it to
the lamplight. “Super-8 camera for sale. Like new. Bag, lens, two rolls of
film included. $40. Call 616-555-9088 for details.” I had scribbled the
address below the number in blocky, boyish handwriting: “557 Sycamore Ave.
Whit’s suburb. 8:30 PM.”

I shoved the paper back in my pocket and addressed the mustached boy as
quietly as possible. “Is this five-five-seven, Sycamore?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

I reeled at the nasty language. My neck prickled and my palms began to
sweat. I nearly leapt on my bike and flew back to Whit’s, but I noticed a
small tape recorder in the boy’s outstretched hand as if he was making an
offering to the home.

I almost asked him what the heck he was recording– but then I heard it; a
song so subtle that it took the boy’s tape player to prioritize my senses.
A girl’s voice; a child. Sweet; high like a songbird without the shrill. It
was a church song. It came from the house.


“T’was grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believed.”


The tiny voice was unencumbered with falsetto or an overzealous vibrato;
gentle, unwavering, innocent... crystalline.


“The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.”


The melody didn’t pierce the night, but dissolved into it, giving warmth to
the darkness and calming my racing heart. I found myself in reverent
submission after only two verses, and when a twig snapped behind me, I
hissed, “Shh!”


“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.”


Silence. I waited. We all waited. But the song was over.

The night seemed suddenly defiled by the absence of music, as if the
silence itself was injecting a sickness that only another song could cure.

The mustached boy snapped out of his trance. He stopped the recording, held
down the rewind button, then pressed “play” and brought the device to his
ear.

I careened my head and watched as he meandered past the other four boys.
There was movement deeper in the woods–shadows–as if the trees were slowly
multiplying. As my eyes adjusted to the new darkness, I saw them, all of
them, aimless, ghostly, like faceless children lost in Limbo.

I squinted to find my friend. He was twenty steps away and facing a tree.
Again, I narrowed my brow and attempted to distinguish bodies from
branches... then I saw them: wooden planks nailed like ladder rungs to the
trunks of a dozen trees. The mustached boy began to climb, a spindly,
monotonous silhouette, until he disappeared into the canopy of leaves.

One by one the others followed, and when they reached the top, they spread
sideways along the thickest limbs.

Branches rustled and someone screamed. “No!”

“Move over!”

“Get your own dang–”

“Hey, shut the hell up!”

“Shhh!”

“But he–”

“Son of a–” Then a branch snapped and a boy fell–knees and palms first–into
a patch of ferns.

I watched him stand. I watched him slap dust off his pants. Then he grabbed
a wooden rung on a different tree and climbed back to the top.

I looked at the house. In a second-story window–eye-level with the boys–a
light turned on.

The Accidenttal Siren Giveaway- 2 Signed books, Earings, and T-shirts

 

  The Accidental Siren

Mara Lynn is the most beautiful girl in the world. James Parker is the ordinary boy who discovers her power. The year is 1994. James, a pudgy twelve-year-old, responds to an ad for a used camcorder at a mysterious suburban home. Before he can knock on the door, he notices boys–a dozen at least–frozen amongst the trees behind the house. Their faces are blank. One boy presses “record” on a walkman and holds it above his head… and then James hears it, the voice of a little girl. Sweet; high like a songbird without the shrill. It was a church song. It came from inside the house. James doesn’t know it yet, but the girl he’s about to meet is a modern-day siren. The Accidental Siren depicts the joys and consequences of young love as Mara and James meet, shoot a movie, fend off bullies, and explore the potential of infinite beauty. Follow Jake Vaner Ark Official Site and Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads   BUY THE ACCIDENTAL SIREN: Paperback - Amazon / Lulu /Barnes & Noble eBook Kindle /iBookstore /Nook /EPUB from Lulu / Smashwords (Free until October 16th)

About Jake VanderArk

 

“What I really want to do is direct.” Yeah, I was that kid. I spent my high-school career as the ghost of the art room, passionately constructing a portfolio that would provide the first step toward a creative occupation. Luckily, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago didn’t consider GPA when selecting applicants, so I was immediately accepted into one of the most prestigious art programs in the country. Unfortunately, the only thing I learned in art school was how much I hated art. But I found myself! And that’s important, right? I graduated with a BFA in 2006 and moved to Los Angeles to harness my dream of becoming the next Ingmar Bergman (thanks a lot, art school). In LA, I began writing screenplays as a means to direct. I found a job reading screenplays for the same reason. I read a lot of crap. I wrote a lot of crap. But little did I know… I was learning. In the three-year process of creating short films and pursuing funding for features, I learned that directing came naturally to me, but producing did not. I wasn’t able to get a project off the ground. When my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, I moved back to my hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan with nothing to show but three screenplays. One day, while working as a stage manager for a national dance competition, I had an epiphany that only a repressed, depressed, living-with-his-parents artist could have: what if I wrote books? Unlike screenplays, a book is finished when it’s finished. When the final draft is complete, a book becomes a marketable product. If I work my butt off, maybe I could actually make money doing what I love! I’m not a millionaire yet… but I did write four novels in three years and I’m proud of the accomplishment. Currently, I’m engaged to my soul-mate, self-publishing all four books, and developing a sequel to The Accidental Siren. Dreams, here I come. The Accidental Siren is FREE until October 16th on Smashwords HERE Download and Leave a review on Amazon for EXTRA points *The Accidental Siren* is one of four books in the "Blank Canvas Series." They're all very different books, but all related thematically. The other books are *Lighthouse Nights*, *The Brandywine Prophet*, and *The Day I Wore Purple*. The first three are all available on Smashwords and Amazon.

Tour starts September 25
The author is having a contest -
2* custom designed v-neck t-shirts from Bare Tree Apparel ( http://www.thebaretree.com/)2* pairs of Mara Lynn's purple earrings from jewelry designer Allison Perkins (pictures coming soon!) 2* signed and numbered paperbacks of The Accidental Siren 1 Skype date with the author. One-on-one video, audio, or text chat with Jake 4 paperbacks of The Accidental Siren
All above winners will also receive an mp3 CD with music that inspired all four of Jake VanderArk's books, as well as the music he listens to as he writes.
2 ebooks of Lighthouse Nights ( http://jakevanderark.com/novels/lighthouse-nights/)
2 ebooks of The Brandywine Prophet ( http://jakevanderark.com/novels/the-brandywine-prophet/)  

  Fill the form out below to enter for a chance to win a Rafflecopter giveaway Follow the Tour

Passion Creek by Avery Flynn- Review

I find as I read more books I am constantly introduced to other genres of book. Though no matter how many books I may read in a genre I am always drawn to a book that has a bit of romance to it. Passion Creek is an amazing book by Avery Flynn about unexpected romance blooming between a Las Vegas waitress and a small town history teacher. 

Josie has always wanted to get out of Las Vegas and she has finally found her chance. She is going to head to a small in Nebraska to study art and she couldn't be more thrilled. Unfortunately before she leaves she finds out that her brother is indebted to a loan shark and is in serious trouble. She heads off on a mission to find a treasure that has been lost in the wilderness of Nebraska for a hundred years in a desperate attempt to save her life and the lives of those around her. 

Sam Layton is used to his usual and boring life and is stricken when he visits a Las Vegas bar and sees Josie at work. He can't seem to get her out of his mind no matter what he does, how could two things so opposite attract? He runs into her again in his home town and is pulled into the dangerous task of finding the treasure that he has been searching for his whole life. Can Sam and Josie team up and find this treasure before Josie looses everything she has ever held dear?

I think that this book was an amazing read, it had characters that you fell in love with and characters that you loved to hate. The book always kept me guessing as I read it and I couldn't seem to put the book down. I am definitely going to re-read this book many times and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a mystery and anyone who loves a good read.

Bride of Fae Giveaway- Win 2 $25 Amazon GC

 

Bride of Fae (Tethers, Book 2)

A love more powerful than magic or time. Beverly Bratton has a safe, mundane life. No drama. No magic. Since her parents died, she's cared for her little sister Marion and worked at the Tragic Fall Inn. When a fairy's charm sends Beverly a hundred years into the past-and into the path of a banished fairy prince-nothing will ever be mundane or safe again. The regent of the Dumnos fae is turning the court from light to dark, and there's nothing the rightful king, Prince Dandelion, can do about it. The mystical coronation cup which he needs to become king has fallen into human hands. When he meets a human woman with access to the cup, everything changes. Beverly is fascinating as well as useful-but of course Dandelion doesn't love her. Love for a fairy is rare. Love with a human, impossible. But when Beverly and Dandelion are thrown together in a battle against both wyrd and fae, they learn that in Dumnos the impossible happens every day Buy on Kindle / Nook

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The author is having a contest for 2 $25 Amazon Giftcards. Open Internationally. Fill out the form below to enter. a Rafflecopter giveaway