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Book Details:

Book Title: Drone Strike: An Anthony Provati Thriller by Joe Giordano
Category: Adult Fiction, 290 pages
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Release date: April 15, 2019
Format available for review: ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Tour dates: April 15 to 26, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (for graphic violent terrorist scenes, no sex, no f-words.)

Book Description:

Karim’s family is killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, collateral damage. The Islamic State in the Levant exploits his rage, recruiting him for a terrorist attack on the U.S., and only Anthony Provati can stop him. Drone Strike takes you on a fast-paced adventure across the Mediterranean, into Mexico, finally arriving in the States. Drone Strike explores the psychological realities that seduce Karim to commit an act of terror, includes a love story between Moslem Karim and Miriam, a Christian woman he defends in Turkey and highlights the plight of Middle Eastern and Central American refugees.

To read reviews, please follow Joe Giordano’s page on Italy Book Tours.

As a former International Executive Vice President of 3M, Joe Giordano’s experience included running a business in the Middle East out of Athens, Greece. Born in New York, he’s had first-hand experience with the cultures and most of the locations in Drone Strike.

Joe’s stories have appeared in more than one hundred magazines including The Saturday Evening Post and Shenandoah. His novels, Birds of Passage: An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story (2015) and Appointment with ISIL: An Anthony Provati Thriller (2017) were published by Harvard Square Editions. Read the first chapters and sign up for his blog at http://joe-giordano.com/

Joe was among one hundred Italian-American authors honored by Barnes & Noble Chairman Len Riggio to march in the 2017 Manhattan, Columbus Day Parade.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest

Guest Post

You’ve had three novels published. Please talk about the publication process. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Major publishers can only be approached through agents. Landing an agent is more difficult than attracting an independent publisher, which is more difficult than writing a novel.

Kirkus Reviews called my first novel Birds of Passage, An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story, a “riveting debut novel” that was “a refreshing rethink of the archetypal mafia novel.” The agency that represents Mario Puzo’s estate, one of many literary representatives I approached, said that anything in the genre without Puzo or Corleone attached was a tough sell. Agents will read a chapter or two before rejecting or requesting the manuscript. Writers must compose an opening section that sings on the page. Invest in professional editing. You’ll only get one shot to impress.

Kirkus Reviews featured my second novel, Appointment with ISIL, An Anthony Provati Thriller in their January 2017 newsletter calling the novel “a roller-coaster ride to the finish, this book confirms Giordano as a writer to eagerly watch.” I approached another slew of literary agents. Half never responded.

For Drone Strike, I changed tactics, attending Thrillerfest in New York and pitching agents face-to-face. For many of my fellow attending authors, they found this a nerve-racking experience. A few agents requested the manuscript and although none accepted my work, the personal approach proved to be my best shot, and I’ll pitch at Thrillerfest again when my fourth book is ready.

Birds of Passage required two years from start to publication in October 2015. Following a professional critique and multiple rewrites, Harvard Square Editions expressed interest but requested another edit and rewrite before they accepted the novel. Both Appointment with ISIL, and Drone Strike, my just-published second book in the Anthony Provati series, went through a similar process.

While many writers pursue the self-publish route, I prefer to run the independent publishing gauntlet both to confirm the quality of my work and for the prestige of being published.

My advice for writers is to read a lot and write a lot. Criticism comes by the barrelful. Self-doubt is your enemy. Don’t be deterred. Use rejection to incentivize improvement. Persistence is an underappreciated success factor. Recognize that most writers take an unintended vow of poverty, you’ll spend hours isolated, reading and writing, and you’ll pray that your work will be appreciated and accepted. These life-style descriptors also apply to cloistered nuns and monks.

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I would like to thank Italy Book Tours and the Author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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Moon Games by Shelly Frome

Publisher:  Milford House Press (August 4, 2018)
Category: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Female Sleuth, Murder Mystery, Supernatural, Small-town Police Procedural
Tour dates: Mar-Apr, 2019
ISBN: 978-1620061848
Available in Print and ebook, 264 pages

Description Moon Games by Shelly Frome

At the outset, Miranda Davis has nothing much going for her. The tourists are long gone by October in the quaint Carolina town of Black Mountain, her realty business is at a standstill, and her weekend stint managing the local tavern offers little to pull her out of the doldrums. When prominent church lady Cloris Raintree offers a stipend to look into the whereabouts of a missing coed, Miranda, along with her partner Harry (an unemployed features writer) agree.

But then it all backfires. A burly figure shambles down a mountain slope with a semi-conscious girl draped over his shoulder. Miranda’s attempts to uncover Cloris Raintree’s true motives become near impossible.  The local police keep stonewalling and Harry is of little help.

Tarot cards left on Cloris’ doorstep only exacerbate the situation. Growing more desperate over the captive girl’s fate, Miranda comes across a link to a cold case of arson and murder. With the advent of the dark of the moon, she is summoned to “Tower Time” as this twisty tale continues to unravel.

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Praise Moon Games by Shelly Frome

“’Moon Games’ is an exceptional novel that will introduce the reader to the protagonist of the book, Miranda Davis who lives in a quaint town in Carolina, and it is here that she has a business. The reader will follow Miranda as she is approached by Cloris Raintree, a church leader who offers Miranda help in exchange for her help in finding a girl who went missing. As Miranda investigate the strange disappearance, more shocking truths are revealed and this book lovers is the premise of the sensational Moon Games.

The themes combined and laced throughout Moon Games perfectly compliment the atmosphere of the book and story.  As I read Moon Games, I found myself racing through it, turning the pages with haste thanks to the addictive nature. The story is unique and has the perfect combination of crime, suspense, and mystery which are all perfectly weaved together by the exceptional author.

Every event, character, and setting is well thought out and planned. Shelly Frome’s writing is detailed in the most immaculate of ways. It is beautifully written so that the reader will be able to immerse themselves in the story from beginning to end without difficulty.

Miranda is a character every reader will be able to root for, her grit and determination to not give up on the case is inspiring and will have many readers care about her. Being able to accompany Miranda on her journey was incredible, it was remarkable to witness her growth along the way and extraordinary to observe how she goes about solving the mystery and troubling situations she was faced with

Frome is an exceptional writer because he grabs his readers attention from the start very quickly and keeps them engrossed until the end. There are no long build-ups that drag in Moon Games; instead, the reader will be thrown into the thick of the story quickly, and the result of this is exciting (and slightly terrifying!).

Overall Moon Games is a superb novel that has everything a reader would want in a story; it has a thrilling narrative, magnificent plot development and excellent characterization that will thrill and excite its readers so of course, I have to award this impressive piece of literature five stars!”-  Aimee Ann, Red Headed Book Lover

“’Moongames’, the eighth mystery by respected author, Shelly Frome, covers a week around Halloween where a coed from a local college goes missing during a hike along the historic Southern Railway tracks that climb the Blue Ridge Escarpment over the Eastern Continental Divide, and the only one who seems to care is a frustrated real estate saleswoman, who must become her own detective agency if this girl is to be found alive.
Frome creates a series of colorful characters who are drawn into this quest, most against their wills, but who, never-the-less, contribute their own special talents to what would ultimately prove to be a race to the finish, with more hairpin turns along the way than the drive along the Amalfi Coast. The famous “Malecon” drive along Havana’s Atlantic shore even plays an important role in the ultimate outcome of this complicated, yet gripping tale of revenge, regret, and greed, with a dash of the Zodiac (thus the Moon) thrown in for good measure.”-       R. V. Helms, Amazon Review

Praise Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome

“ In this cozy murder, Emily Ryder, a tour guide turned amateur sleuth, attempts to solve the murder of her mentor, Chris Cooper. His death has been ruled accidental. Murder just couldn’t happen in the small town of Lydfield, Connecticut, but Emily believes that Chris was murdered.

So why does Emily believe that Chris has been murdered? There are too many things that don’t make sense. And Chris had been standing in the way of a development company that wants to build an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint little town.

The cover of this book shows what looks like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, but looks can be deceiving. Lies, bribery, and deceit are running rampant in this little town. Is there anyone that Emily can trust? Twists and turns are around every corner. If you read carefully enough, you might even be able to figure out who the guilty party is. If you don’t read carefully enough, there is a chance that you will lose track of what is going on.

The town of Lydfield has been twinned with Lydfield-in-the-Moor in England. Twin villages or sister towns was something that I wasn’t familiar with. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a twin town is a town or city that shares planned activities and visits with a similar town in another country. The following article might help you gain a better understanding of twinned towns – Odd couples: 16 weird and wonderful twinned towns.

When Emily visits Lydfield’s sister town in England, she discovers that she has not left behind the danger. Well written mystery”-Lisa, Lisa’s Writopia

“An entertaining story that has enough quirky characters, intrigue, suspense, humor, and drama that easily draws the reader into Emily’s amateur sleuth adventure. This cozy mystery is full of devious plot twists and turns that will easily keep you guessing. The Secluded Village Murders is an intriguing whodunit tale that cozy mystery fans will want to add to their reading list.”- Kathleen Higgins-Anderson, Jersey Girl Book Reviews

About Shelly Frome

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also the film columnist for Southern Writers Magazine and writes monthly profiles for Gannett Media.

His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, The Twinning Murders, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of nonfiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

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My Review

4 Stars

Miranda Davis is a realtor and manager of a bar in the little town of Black Mountain. It’s the off season and not much is happening until Cloris Raintree asks her to look into the disappearance of a missing female hiker. She asks her partner and writer Harry to help her. But things go sideways and Miranda starts having trouble with Cloris and finds that there is a lot more happening than just a missing hiker.

This is a great mystery that had me guessing at what was really happening. Part of that was because Miranda is a bumbling and scattered detective so I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story and figuring out what was going on. But once things got on a roll I was sucked in and held tight until the reveal. A couple great twists and turns had me thrown off balance and guessing the whole time.

This is the first book from Shelly Frome that I have read but I am curious at his other books. This is a great mystery and one I recommend checking out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Giveaway Moon Games by Shelly Frome

This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends April 30, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter onlly.

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I would like to thank Virtual Author Book Tours for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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