Date with the Dead by Chris Myers @CMyersFiction

Chapter 5
After the Caldwells give us our licenses back, Reese and I head out.
“Do you want a ride home?” he asks.
“That’s okay. It’s only a couple miles,” I say. “Let’s talk about the evidence tomorrow.”
“I’ll go over it tonight,” he says, grinning at me.
I’m glad he’s into the techie side of the business. Going through hours of video and voice recordings bore me. Drew and I climb onto my bike. Dark clouds cover the moon, so I pedal fast to beat the rain. I should’ve accepted the ride.
We aren’t even a quarter of the way home when fat droplets splatter my arms. “Shoot.”
Drew squeezes my waist. “Get over. This SUV’s going to clip us.”
Bike reflectors are hard to see at night, so I don’t look behind me but get off the road as far as I can. The headlights shine on me and light up the road in front of me. I’m right against the curb. Surely, he sees me. The SUV slows. The engine breathes on me. I don’t look back. Why isn’t he going around? The vehicle camps on my rear fender for a minute.
“What’s he doing?” Drew asks.
“I don’t know.”
The SUV slowly comes beside me. I look into the tinted windows. I can’t see inside, but the thought of someone staring back at me sends chills along my arms.
The SUV speeds up and brushes against my left pedal. My body jumps as if I’ve been struck by a live wire. The bicycle swerves. I hit the curb and flip, which would’ve seemed graceful if it had been on purpose. My body slides against the sidewalk then onto someone’s lawn.
“Jerk,” Drew yells, pumping his fist in the air.
“I don’t think he can hear you.” I gather myself while rain droplets plunk down on my head, matting my hair.
“Are you okay?” Drew asks, helping me to my feet.
“I’ll survive,” I say, assessing the damage. My right knee is banged up. Shin and palm road rash. I’m shaking hard like I’m holding onto the wing of an airplane flying through a storm.
Computer? I yank it from my back pack. It’s okay. I sigh with relief.
My front handlebars are askew. Great. I’ll have to walk my bike home in the rain. Another drop hits my nose. I tighten my thin jacket and shiver from the sudden wet cold. I pick up the bike and push it while wincing with each step I take. 
A blue FJ Cruiser drives onto the curb behind me. Add embarrassment now to my list of injuries. The rain patters my head.
The driver gets out. It’s Hayden, Mr. Terminator. My knees buckle, not that they needed much encouragement. Why couldn’t it be a teacher, someone I don’t care if he sees me looking my worst? Hayden’s in jeans and a snug polo shirt and looks fabulous whereas I probably look like road kill.
“Jesus,” he says. “I saw that guy run you off the road. He was probably chatting on his cell phone.”
That could be true, but the way he slowed down still has me trembling. “Did you get his license plate?” I ask.
“Sorry. I was too far back.” Hayden walks over to me. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
That would cost money. “No. I’ll be fine.” I hobble another few steps forward, because the rain is picking up its tempo.

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Genre - YA Paranormal Mystery, Romance

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://www.chrismyersfiction.com

Kim Cresswell – Ingredients of a Great Thriller @kimcresswell

Ingredients of a Great Thriller

By Kim Cresswell

Every now and then you read a novel that has you glued to the story because the action is moving at warp-speed and you’re swept way not wanting to stop reading until you know how it turns out.
The tension rises and you ride along with the characters feeling every blow right up until the climax.
In my opinion, the main ingredient in a great thriller is emotion. If you feel the story in your heart and gut then the author has done his or her job.
A great thriller is unpredictable. What if the FBI agent leading a murder investigation is the killer?
A great thriller has deadlines—the ticking clock. Will the FBI agent be caught before he kills again?
A great villain is a must-have in any thriller—a villain that stirs feelings of hatred, fear, disgust and sometimes empathy in the reader.
A main character who is worthy to fight the villain and hopefully win.
The setting and the action must also be believable for the reader because if the reader doesn’t believe, the story will end.
In Lethal Journey, my heroine Lauren Taylor, is a New York district attorney. She’s taking on the most important and dangerous case of her career, prosecuting mob boss, Gino Valdina and it’s not going to be an easy journey for her. All she has to do is stay alive!
As the story progresses, it’s unpredictable, has deadlines, a villain who evokes fear, hatred and empathy, and a heroine and hero who are physically and emotionally worthy to battle the villain to the end.

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Genre – Thriller

Rating – PG-18

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Website http://kimberleycresswell.wordpress.com/

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

 

Tell us a bit about your family.

I am married with an exceedingly intelligent young son who shares my love of history and the paranormal. My parents live a few blocks away, and I have a large extended family in London and Australia.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I just continue to do what I always do – whatever I have planned for that day, whether it be a writing endeavor or something else – I keep on going, and try to ignore any negative mental chatter in my head.

What scares you the most?

Anything bad happening to my close family, particularly my son – as a mother, the protective instinct is especially strong. I also have an irrational fear of spiders!

What makes you happiest?

Being with my family, but also being truly in the zone when I am writing and accomplishing several chapters in one day.

What’s your greatest character strength?

I am very passionate about everything that matters to me, whether that involves being a good mother to writing something evocative and meaningful.

What’s your weakest character trait?

I tend to be rather over-sensitive and very easily hurt.

Why do you write?

Writing is my passion and provides an escape route from real life allowing me to indulge in my imagination and fantasies. When I am writing, I am living vicariously through my female protagonist, feeling her emotions and thoughts.  I believe this really helps create an authenticity and realism that would not otherwise be there. However, although I find writing provides solace, it can also be quite isolating at times; this is part of the reason I enjoyed making my trailer – it was a wonderful experience to work with others who shared my vision and we had a lovely camaraderie between us.

Have you always enjoyed writing?

Most definitely, yes! I have been writing stories from the time I could form coherent written sentences at six years old – I have always had a wild, untamed imagination and writing provided a means to structure it and share it with the world.

What motivates you to write?

It is a truly immersive experience and allows me to explore a different reality as a different version of myself, albeit vicariously. I also love inventing stories and being able to share them with others.

What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)

Actually, the writing I am most proud of is my debut novel ‘Eternal’: (see www.eternaluk.com for all retailer links and a free sample chapters download)

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

About the Author

Denise Dowdell-Stent is a YA Fantasy Fiction author but also writes scripts, poetry (published in various anthologies such as 'A Passage in Time' and 'Speaking of Love' by Forward Poetry), song lyrics, and maintains a blog at http://www.eternaluk.com.

She has just released her debut novel, Eternal as an ebook on Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo and Google Books (retail links on website). She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK with her husband and young son. Eternal is a YA Arthurian themed Fantasy, chock full of adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue.

Website: http://www.eternaluk.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eternaltrilogy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valaoakley

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIOmPViSbI

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX

Vala believes she is just an ordinary teenager trying to find her place in the world with her closest friends, Jelly and Max. But her splendid normality is quickly turned upside down when she happens upon Elvar, a handsome fae boy that Vala finds impossible to resist. The connection between Vala and Elvar is electric but their euphoric bliss quickly comes crashing down as Vala discovers the truth about her family, revealing who she really is.

Little does Vala know, this truth would be the catalyst for her parent’s disappearance and the reason for the darkness hovering over the fae realm. With friendship and love as her only allies, Vala must face her fears in order to triumph against the evil that has beckoned her.

You’d better be prepared to put everything on hold as Denise Dowdell-Stent’s enthralling Young Adult Fantasy will keep you gripped right to the very end. This first book in the Eternal Trilogy fantasy series, is the start of an epic adventure.

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Genre - YA Fantasy

Rating – PG 13

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Connect with Denise Dowdell-Stent on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.eternaluk.com

The Beautiful American by Marilyn Holdsworth @m_holdsworth

Chapter 2

Abby turned the van into the long driveway, drove down to the garage, and parked. From the house, she could hear loud, welcoming barks and scratching at the door as she hurried up the steps. “All right, all right, I’m coming,” she called, fumbling with her key in the sticking lock and pushing on the old, warped wood.

A moment later, she burst into the kitchen and a large, tail-wagging fur ball catapulted across the floor at her, almost knocking her legs out from under her. “Yes, yes, I’m glad to see you, too.” She laughed, stroking the joyous animal’s head, scratching behind the silky ears. “Come on, Muttie; let’s go out for a quick walk. You’ve been cooped up long enough.” From a hook inside a utility closet, she took down a leash and fastened it to the dog’s collar, and they both bounded down the back steps, two at a time.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and Abby enjoyed the walk almost as much as Muttie did. She watched the dog playfully dive under bushes, pushing her nose into piles of leaves hoping to flush out a bird or squirrel. Abby had never been sorry she had taken the animal home with her the day it had turned up at the shop. A skinny, frightened stray with a hurt paw, but with the most beautiful, big, soulful brown eyes Abby had ever seen. It had been love at first sight for both of them. Abby said the dog looked like a shepherd crossed with a spaniel. Max and Mildred, her helpers in the shop, both said she looked like a big mutt. Muttie. The name had stuck, and Muttie had become Abby’s constant companion, always closer than a shadow. Today, she stood watching the dog sniff around the base of a towering oak tree barking, excitedly at a squirrel chattering and scolding from a limb far above her. Yes, she thought, Muttie came into her life like everything else-suddenly without warning.

When her grandmother had been stricken with a stroke and died unexpectedly, Abby had been devastated. Her grandmother had raised her, taken her in after the fatal accident that had claimed the lives of her parents. The old house on Oak Lane in Westfield had been the only home she had known, and she had stayed.

She had stayed not because she had to, but because she loved it and wanted to. Her years growing up there had filled her with happy memories. Her grandmother always had been there for her, guiding her through her shy, awkward stages until she blossomed into a bubbling, confident teenager. Always a good student with a keen love for learning, Abby was at the top of her class her senior year at Westfield High. She had been accepted to several Ivy League colleges, but in the end she had chosen State to be closer to home. She’d wanted to be able to spend weekends with her grandmother. And when, after four years, she’d graduated with honors, she again had chosen State for her master’s degree. The art history department had offered a fine program focusing on antiques and period furniture design. But her grandmother had urged her to study abroad for a semester, and when she was accepted by the Sorbonne she reluctantly agreed.

The months she spent in Paris had been glorious. Every course at the Sorbonne opened her eyes to new wonders in art. Her days flew by, filled not only by fascinating classes but also with wonderful bicycling trips through the rural French countryside and sightseeing excursions to the many quaint villages outside the city. And of course, she spent hours and hours roaming through the Louvre, awed by the museum’s vast collections of the world’s most famous old masters. She never tired of exploring the many galleries and, on each visit, discovered something new to appreciate in some painting or sculpture. She marveled at the Titians, Rembrandts, and her special favorite, Leonardo da Vinci.

Writing home to her grandmother, Abby recounted her first glimpse of his most famous portrait. “The Mona Lisa is more captivating than I dreamed she could be,” she enthused. “Her mysterious half smile fascinates me. I can stand for a very long time studying her enigmatic face, wondering what secrets hide behind her darkly veiled gaze.”

But it was Paris, the enchanting city itself, that had captured her heart, and when the term was over she’d vowed to return one day.

Abby smiled ruefully remembering that vow today as she watched Muttie tugging vigorously on the leash, nose quivering with the sweet autumn scents in the air. “Paris. I haven’t forgotten my dream. I’ll get there. I’m just not sure how or when. But one day, I will, Muttie,” she said aloud as she turned back toward the long driveway up to the house.

The phone was ringing when they bounded up the back steps, and Abby dropped the leash as she hurried to answer it.

Mildred’s crisp Cockney accent came across the line. “Just checking to see if you need a bit of a hand, love—that is, if you’ve done the usual, packed the van with auction treasures.”

“Oh, Mildred, you know me too well.” Abby laughed. “Only one piece today—a gift from me to me. But it’s a beauty, and I will need a hand getting it into the house. If Max is free, I’d be grateful for his help.”

“Right. Send him along straightaway. And, Abby, I’m glad you got something for yourself this time. You deserve it. You work much too hard. A young lass like you should be steppin’ out for fun,” the older woman chided gently.

“You know I love my work. It’s my fun. But I did splurge today, Mildred. Wait till you see it. I found my desk. It’s just what I’ve been looking for—the period and style I wanted. And in good condition too. A real treasure. How soon can Max get here?”

“He’s watchin’ the tellie. I’ll just pop along and ask ’im.” Moments later, Mildred was back on the line. “Be over straightaway he says. And if you might be fixin’ a cup of tea later, I’ll be ridin’ along with ’im.”

“Perfect. Tea it is. Come as soon as you can. I can’t wait to show you my find.”

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Genre - Biographies & Memoirs

Rating – PG-13

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Blog http://MarilynHoldsworth.wordpress.com/

#AmReading - Bluegrass Undercover by Kathleen Brooks @BluegrassBrooks

Bluegrass Undercover by Kathleen Brooks

Amazon

This is the first book in the Bluegrass Brothers series, which includes USA Today BestSelling titles Rising Storm, Acquiring Trouble, and Relentless Pursuit. This is the follow-up series to the bestselling Bluegrass Series.
Cade Davies is an ex-Army Ranger, teacher, and the new head coach of the high school football team in Keeneston. He barely has time to adjust to all of the changes in his life before he runs into the school's fiery new guidance counselor and a new threat to the peaceful town of Keeneston.
DEA Agent Annie Blake was undercover to bust a major drug ring preying on high school athletes across the South. After her transfer from Miami to Kentucky, Annie looks to make her career by solving the biggest case the DEA has open. What Annie didn’t count on was becoming the local gossip. Amid marriage bets placed by the entire town, a priest as a landlord, and a trio of thugs after her, Annie looks to Cade for help in bringing down the drug ring before anyone else is hurt. But can the unflappable Annie deal with the feelings that follow?

Author Interview – Kara Stefanowich @Karakazoo

Apart from writing, what else do you do to earn money?

I’m afraid I won’t be a full time writer for years to come. So until then, I am a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) I take care of people who can’t take care of themselves. More specifically, I specialize in the care of quadriplegic people.

Are your family/friends supportive of your writing?

Unfortunately, I have very little family and just as few real friends. I grew up a foster child and now the only real family I have is my son. Though, I do have a sort of adoptive family, a group of people I happen to lump together who have made my life a happier place. They have been extraordinarily supportive of my writing ventures. For them, I am grateful. J

How do you like to write? Edit? With paper and pen? Laptop? In bed? At your desk?

I have a sort of odd way of doing things. When I first began writing I actually penned out the entire thing in notebooks. I had so many notebooks I couldn’t keep track anymore so I rewrote the manuscript on the next available source, an electric type writer. Now, however, I use a laptop to write my manuscripts. Once the first draft is complete, I print out the entire thing and edit it with a red pen and highlighters. Is that old fashioned or just a waste of paper? I don’t know, but that’s how I do it. As far as when and where, I typically write at night, as I work during the day. Bed time is for sleep since I work so much. But it’s not uncommon for me to keep a pad and pen next to the bed for those sudden strokes of genius that creep up on me in the middle of the night.

What would you consider to be a ‘successful career’ as a writer?

I personally believe in two things that can possibly equal out to success. One is money. If my work earns me a good living then I do believe that would be considered success. The other thing that would make me feel the exact same way is if I look back on my career as a writer and think, “I did it.” with a smile. If I’m happy, then I succeeded.

Tell us about your new book. What’s it about? Why did you write it?

My new book is called ‘Hostage’. It’s about a love that has been broken and tortured for hundreds of years. Kane, who is a vampire in search of the love of his life, is forced to forever watch Ivy, a witch who holds his heart, die by the hands of Alexander, a soul who is both a demon and an angel. Ivy’s gifts of controlling the elements are necessary to complete Alex’s task at becoming God and taking over the universe. But without her hand in marriage, he will never achieve his goal. When he doesn’t get his way, he kills her. After many years of failure he has found new ways to kill and torture her which drives Kane insane. Kane spends his cursed years trying to save Ivy and destroy Alex. He must find a way to end this vicious cycle. There are many twists and turns in this story including witches, vampires, angels, demons, ghosts, hell hounds and so much more.

I wrote this story because I happen to have a long time love for vampires. After reading so many books and watching so many movies the story behind vampires became compound and mute. I got bored. But I wasn’t prepared to give up my love for the myth. So I decided to make up my own. (And I’m sure it won’t be the last.)

When you’re not writing, what do you do to relax?

I usually write to relax, or unload my day but even that gets to be exhausting sometimes. So when I’m not writing and need to relax I usually do any number of ‘girly’ things. I like to soak in a bubble bath, do my nails (fingers and toes), I lotion up, pour myself a good glass of Merlot and pop in a movie. I’ve been told I don’t do this (relax) enough, but I’m working on it.

What do you hope people will take away from reading your books?

I guess in the long run I’m really just hoping people will read my work and think, “Now she’s real.” I often encounter what I consider to be ‘sell outs’. To me, a sellout is someone who fakes whatever it is they do just to make money. They may be good at it. They may even be successful and or become a well known celebrity for it. But at the end of the day, they were fake. They had to be someone they’re not to be seen, heard or noticed. I don’t want that. If I can’t be me and be happy and successful, then it’s time to search inwards and find whatever it is I’ve lost.

I’d also like to be known for doing well at many different things. I’d rather be the Jane of all trades than master of only one. As a writer, this would be to say I like to write many different genre’s of books and write them all well.

After years of recluse, Ivy Stone, an angry heavy metal musician living in the dangerous city of Springfield, MA gets more than she bargains for in her search for band mates when she gets a gig at a violent night club and catches the attention of Hostage, a masochistic metal band with a blood lust and a front man who’s mastery is in death and vengeance. Just when Ivy thinks her life has finally taken a turn for the better, she discovers the horrific secrets of her new band mates, but her discoveries didn’t stop there. In finding the truth about her mysterious new crew, she also discovers a shocking and unknown truth about herself. As the dust settles, mysteries of times long past catch up to the present with demons, hell hounds, vampires and a powerful amount of witchcraft chasing close behind. When Alexander, a demon with his feet set firmly in both worlds of heaven and hell, targets Ivy yet again as the key to ruling the world, the only way to save the universe from utter destruction and stop the raunchy murders of Ivy’s soul is for Ivy to fall in love with the right monster and solve the longest waiting riddle of all times, how to kill what’s already dead. In a dangerous adventure filled with rip tides of heavy metal, mind numbing sex, heart pounding terror and an eternity of red hot madness, Ivy and her eternal love, Kane, bull doze their way into your adrenal gland with unexpected twists around every corner in my new novel, ‘Hostage’.

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Genre - Paranormal Romance

Rating – R

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Connect with Kara Stefanowich on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.thrillsandchills.net/

Malpractice! The Novel by William Louis Harvey @sexandlawnovel

Then they started to study—or make some pretense thereof. Monica had been chaste for a long time, and the kiss last week had aroused her. Paul had also responded to that kiss. After a few sips of wine and a hopeless attempt at studying, Paul dropped his book and kissed her. She responded enthusiastically, with a deep kiss… (p. 16)

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Genre – Steamy Courtroom Drama

Rating – R

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