Monday, August 31, 2015

Machines of the Little People by Tegon Maus Excerpt & Giveaway


BLURB:
When Ben Harris' sister passes away, her husband, Roger Keswick, is mysteriously absent from her funeral. It's not until 6 months later that Ben is pulled back in to Roger's life, only to find that he's moved on. His new wife may be called Jessica, but she's the spitting image of Ben's sister. Things escalate when Roger claims there's a factory under his house run by little people called the Katoy.

EXCERPT:
"Ben?" Audry called from the far gate.

"Here, Audry," I said, getting to my feet.  

Roger did the same. 

By the time we made it to the front yard the police were driving away.

Jessica and Audry approached us, each slipping an arm around Roger and me. 

"Jessica, Audry.  I..." Roger stammered before he broke down into tears.

Arm in arm we went into the house.
           
"Come over here, all of you," Roger said, rushing into the living room.  Opening the wall cabinet that held his computer, he flipped it on. "Let me show you.  I have proof."

The girls moved, one to each side of him and I in the center, just far enough not to interfere.  The monitor hummed to life.

Audry silently wiped tears from her face and held my hand tightly.

Roger opened file after file until reaching one called 'Katoy.'

Excitedly, he got up, knocking over his chair, and rushed to turn on the stereo.  He adjusted it, making it a little louder than usual before righting the chair, retaking his place.

"You must promise never to speak of this outside of these four walls," he said, covering the screen with his left hand.

We looked at each other and vowed our oath of silence.

"Ok, Bob," Roger said and a new image jumped to the screen.

"Bob is your computer?" I asked a little bewildered.

"Yeah.  Cool huh?" he said, grinning, half turning to me.  "I have him hooked up all over the house."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else... devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn't friendly, I just wasn't "people orientated". Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife.

The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can't remember what it was about... something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.

It wasn't a deliberate conscious thought it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. "Be as detailed as you can," we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it's making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mine you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn't be sure if it were true or not.  When I write, I always write with the effort of "it could happen" very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.

  
GIVEAWAY:
Tegon Maus will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host. 
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/06/blurb-blitz-machines-of-little-people.html 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The Ryo Myths by Perrin Pring Realities of being a Writier & Giveaway

Book Blurbs:
Appointment at the Edge of Forever: 
Filion felt safe in his role as a Dream Searcher. He was paid to venture into other’s dreams and exert influence over individuals whom he would never meet in the flesh.

But that was until he received The Summoning. Filion has been called to track down and protect Ryo, the last of the Chozen. She is the only hope of preventing a tide of evil driven by the Afortiori and the prospect of universal slavery if they aren’t stopped.

Time is ticking and Filion has no idea of how to find Ryo let alone how to protect her, yet destinies of planets rest in her hands. Enlisting the help of a rag-tag band of mercenaries, Filion will set out to search the wastes for Ryo. Together they will confront an evil whose power they just might have fatally underestimated.

Tomorrow is Too Late:
I was a natural flier, I could take a punch, and I was smarter than most. Within five years I was a full-fledged pilot. On my last assignment, I was Master Pilot Eri Everfar, commanding pilot of a class B Federal war ship, the Seeker, and that’s where I met him, Drakier Lu…

Filion and his new friends have escaped Bok and are stuck in an asteroid field that isn’t supposed to exist. They’ve almost run out of fuel, their water supply is seriously depleted, all of their food has been destroyed, and the girl they’d just risked everything to save, Ryo, is dead.

Captain Eri’s former lover, Drakier Lu, has been promoted to Master Commander of the entire Federal Fleet, and his assignment is to find and capture the Dark Horse. Captain Eri has been identified as a Tiori, and she and her associates have just become the Federation’s most wanted. Things aren’t what they seem though, and the line between good and evil blurs as the players’ true motivations come to light.

Filion and the crew return, traveling the galaxy and dodging the Federation and the Tioris, all the while searching for a rogue planet that may or may not be harboring the one person who can save them all…

The Degrees of Destiny: 
When I was on Lamu, I inhaled an Afortiori's vileness. That blackness will be what allows me to win. I will use their own evil against them. Because of this I am tainted. I am but a degree different from what I fight, but in that degree, hangs the balance between universal slavery and Free Will.

Having fled from Lamu only moments before its destruction, Filion and his friends find themselves hiding in the shadows as the Federation and the Afortiori mobilize against their worst enemy, The Etulosba and its crew. The Etulosba, Ryo, plans for her final battle. She was engineered to fight for Free Will, but to win that war, she will have to become what no Chozen was meant to be - an Afortiori. Caught in Ryo's wake, Captain Eri is torn between leading her crew and confronting Drakier Lu, her former lover and torturer. Will she be able to overcome what he did to her, or will she fail, thereby becoming what he made her and letting down Ryo, her crew, and ultimately, the universe? Filion and the crew return in the final installment of The Ryo Myths. Join them as they begin a journey that not all of them will survive.

THE REALITIES OF BEING A WRITER:
Thanks for having me and supporting The Ryo Myths! You asked me to talk about the realities of being a writer. While I can only speak for myself, I’d have to start by first saying, it isn’t what I imagined.

As a child, I figured that once you got published, you then just spent your days thinking and reading and writing and going to various engagements to promote your work, all the while being recognized for your literary prowess. Funny, I know. Actually, I spend my days going to work, and then my off time reading and writing and thinking and not really caring if people recognize my literary prowess. That last part has only developed since getting published, and I greatly enjoy it.

That isn’t to say I don’t care how my books are received, I do, but for me, being well received is no longer synonymous with being successful. I know that a huge part of my confidence in my work came from finally being traditionally recognized (with a traditional publishing contract), but instead of feeling like I then had to write to please someone else, I became much more settled in developing my own voice and writing for my own pleasure. Suddenly, I no longer felt the burning need to prove myself. I felt like I had finally reached the top of a long, difficult climb, and I could finally rest.

That said, there is no rest for a blooming author. Part of being an author, as opposed to being a writer, is that you have to develop a platform - blog, tweet, post, gain followers and keep them. Turn followers into readers, turn those readers into buyers. Being an author no longer means locking yourself in your turret and penning your manuscript then giving it to a publisher to disseminate to the masses. You are the author and marketer. You are the face of your brand, and you have something to sell.

This part is hard for me. I am not a salesman, and I don’t believe you should read my book because I tell you to. You should read it because you want to, and if you like it, that’s great. You don’t have to like it though, and that’s the great thing about literature. It’s subjective. Some people like some things and other people like other things. There are no absolutes, and that is great, unless you’re trying to make it in the vast world of the Internet. It’s easy to get lost in the pixels, and staying relevant is hard. I write because I can’t not, not because I covet a million likes. As a result, I’m not the best author, but you asked about being a writer, and as far as I see it, a writer is someone who writes, regardless of everything else.

I guess that’s the reality of being a writer. Just because you are a good writer doesn’t mean you’re a good author. Just because you’re a good author doesn’t mean you’re a good writer. Sometimes though, it’s easy to confuse the two. The reality of me being a writer is that writing brings me great joy, even if I only get to do it on the weekends or after work. I’m happy I get to share The Ryo Myths with you, and I hope if they appeal to you, you read them and like them. If not, I hope whatever you read next hits the spot.

Cheers!
Perrin

EXCERPT:
She barreled blindly through the forest, not knowing where she was going, only that she had to go. She had to get away, away from whom she didn’t know, but she had to move. They were watching her.

Memories flooded through her. She was on a ship, she was in a car, she was healing the sick, she was giving orders, she was lost. These memories weren’t hers, yet they felt so natural. They felt so real. It was her, Ryo, in those memories, but she couldn’t recall any of them any more than one could truly recall a dream.

She stopped running. Her side ached from the exertion, and her right leg still bled painfully. She peeled back the dark, sticky dress. The cut was deep. It wasn’t going to heal on its own. Then the bubbling came back.

Her hands moved over her leg, and she gasped. The bubbling grew, the hotness, the confidence, the power; all of it came back. She closed her eyes and the pain peaked, then it was gone. She waited several breaths, and then finally opened her eyes. Other than the dried blood and torn dress, one would never have known her leg had been injured. The skin was flawless without even a hint of a scar. She looked at her hands. She had known exactly where to put them. It was as if she had done this every day of her life...

She stood up and quickly sat back down. Her legs shook, and her breathing was ragged. What was happening to her?

Who was she?

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Perrin is the author of The Ryo Myths, a sci-fi/fantasy trilogy that has been heralded to engage both nerds and non-nerds alike. Check out her books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. When not writing, Perrin enjoys drinking coffee and swimming, although usually not at the same time.




GIVEAWAY:
Perrin Pring will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Three Divisions: Leo by Celeste Prater Excerpt & Giveaway

BLURB:
A reverent touch to a set of suede-covered cuffs, and Jillian Dosh unwittingly takes the first step into a world that she never knew existed. Busted while she’s making a stealthy visit to Three Divisions Lifestyle Emporium, Jillian can’t believe she’s face-to-face with her fantasy lover. Much more potent up front and personal, Leo Straton’s commanding presence intrigues and scares her at the same time. Can fantasy become reality?

Recognizing the voluptuous Jillian as the perfect submissive for him, Leo begins a journey to pull her into his world of D/s. She’s innocent, imaginative, strong-willed, and dangerous to his heart. She’s his butterfly—stuck in the chrysalis of the vanilla world and ready to spread her wings. Overcoming her initial hesitancy, Jillian begins to blossom under his tutelage. But an innocent deception may bring this new love to a crashing halt.

Three Divisions, Book 1 ignites the senses, fires up your libido, and makes you crave to be owned by this Dom.

EXCERPT:
Hurrying along the walkway, eyes glued to the window, Jillian finally discovered a ten-inch gap between advertisement posters. Cupping her hands against the surprisingly clean glass, she peered inside, stood on tiptoe to see past the shelving, and immediately spotted two men. A quick assessment told her that the one with the gray hair and wrinkled business suit wasn’t a local. The brown leather suitcase leaning innocently against his right leg still carried the airline terminal tag.

Jillian couldn’t help but snort when she glanced to the other one. He was a little younger, wore a wedding ring, and still clung to his glory days as life pulled him kicking and screaming into his forties. The severely faded and tattered USC College T-shirt had seen better days. She wondered how many times his wife had thrown it in the garbage, only to find it among the laundry items the very next day. That could very well explain the small Band-Aid on his left ear. She darted out of sight when the men’s profiles made an appearance.

Glancing down the relatively deserted street, Jillian was surprised to find that the fading sun had finally decided to hide itself, instantly bringing deep shadows to stretch ominously between each dim streetlight—a clear warning sign for the smart people to get their butts home. Only a few businesses across the roadway had yet to turn their exterior lights on, making the surroundings even spookier. She knew she needed to get this over with before the night dwellers burst out from wherever they hid during the harshness of the day and began filling the walkways.

Pushing quickly inside her targeted establishment, Jillian cringed upon hearing the tinkling of bells over the doorway. She reached up and silenced them before they could finish waking up the dead. Crap! Didn’t see that coming.

Dodging to the side of a tall, metal structure, Jillian chanced a quick peek past the edge to see if she’d been discovered or if any other bodies were milling about the interior. Satisfied she only had the two oblivious browsers to contend with, Jillian slithered around several displays and two more short cabinets before she was ensconced behind a thick bookshelf with ample space between shelves to peek out.

Bravado growing by the second, she moved on silent feet along the narrow aisle, eyes locked onto the two men continuing to keep a respectable distance from one another. She quirked a brow. You both might as well have a bulls-eye tattooed on your backs. Not once had they made eye contact, much less taken the time to glance over their shoulders to spot her lurking close at their rear.

Jillian couldn’t help but shake her head as she slid her hand out of her purse, cupped it with the other, and rested her grip on the smooth wood to steady her arms. Maneuvering the red laser dot from one skull base to the next, she considered her targets the proverbial “innocent bystanders” mentioned in every news article about the increasing murder rate in this crazy town. They were oblivious to their surroundings, content in the false knowledge that nothing bad would ever happen to them. Things like that only occurred to other people—a typical last thought of hapless victims.

Oh, well. Reality time.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Celeste was born and raised in a small town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Wanting to see more than her small Texas town, she joined the Marines, which satisfied her craving to see more of the U.S. and her drive to see if she could be one of the few and the proud. A firm believer in educating the mind, Celeste has achieved several advanced degrees, the latest being a master’s of science.

Her true love is writing erotic romance about men who know how to treat their women right. Celeste is also the author of the award winning FUELED BY LUST series. All currently released books in the series have made it into the Top 5 Bestseller Lists at Bookstrand.com within days of release as well as making it into the Top 10 Hottest New Releases in Erotic Science Fiction on Amazon.

Celeste would also like to give a shout out to the scrumptiously delicious Dustin Sherer, the cover model for Book 1 of this new series. You can find him on Facebook at Dustin Sherer: Fitness Model and Athlete.


Releasing 08/26/2015 exclusively at www.bookstrand.com/celeste-prater and 6-8 weeks later at major retailers


GIVEAWAY:
Celeste Prater will award a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter a $20 Amazon/BN GC.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway