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Archive for May 3rd, 2019

Counteract
Resistance Series Book 1
by Tracy Lawson
Genre: YA Dystopian Adventure
Who do you trust when your world unravels
and everything you believed is a lie?
For the past fifteen years, The Office of Civilian Safety and Defense has
guarded the public against the rampant threat of terrorism. Teenagers
Tommy and Careen have never known life without Civilian Restrictions.
For them, there’s no social media. No one is allowed to gather in
public places or attend concerts or sporting events. Only a small,
select group of adults have driving privileges, but it’s a small
price to pay for safety.
Now a new, more deadly, terrorist threat looms: airborne chemical weapons
that can be activated without warning. The OCSD is ready with an
antidote to counteract the effects of the toxins. Three drops a day
is all it takes. It’s a small price to pay for health.
The day the disaster sirens signal the dreaded attack, Tommy shares his
last dose with Careen, even though doing so might hasten his death.
It’s a small price to pay for a friend.Follow Tommy and Careen as
they uncover a web of lies and deceit reaching to the highest levels
of the United States government and join an underground resistance
group that’s determined to expose the truth.
“Counteract is a novel for our times, but with a decidedly different plot twist.
Most dystopian thrillers focus on the devastating consequences of the
unleashed virus or poison on society, community, and the individual.
They become character studies of the protagonists and antagonists.
“Tracy Lawson’s novel asks an even more disturbing question–what if the
real culprit was someone or something we trusted? I thought The
Hunger Games might be the Millennial generation’s version of George
Orwell’s 1984. Now, I think Counteract and the Resistance Series are
more primed to take that spot.”–SR Staley, author of St. Nic,
Inc., and the Tortuga Bay series.
Resist
Resistance Series Book 2
“I loved the first book in this series so much that I jumped right into
the second one to continue the adventure. The Resistance Series is
another great YA dystopian adventure that combines elements of
thriller, romance, dystopian, and much more to create a well-rounded
story that is sure to appeal to many readers – it definitely has my
attention.”–TFL Reader, top 500 Amazon Reviewer
Knowledge comes with a price.
Tommy and Careen no longer believe the Office of Civilian Safety and
Defense’s miracle antidote can protect them from a terrorist’s
chemical weapons. After accidentally discovering the antidote’s real
purpose,they’ve join the fight to undermine the OCSD’s bid for total
control of the population.
Being part of the Resistance brings with it a whole new set of challenges.
Not everyone working for change proves trustworthy, and plans to
spark a revolution go awry with consequences far beyond anything they
bargained for.
Tommy and Careen’s differing viewpoints threaten to drive a wedge between
them, and their budding relationship is tested as their destinies
move toward an inevitable confrontation with the forces that
terrorize the nation.
Where does love fit in when you’re trying to start a revolution?
“Dystopian YA literature needs more writers like Tracy Lawson! Lawson’s lean
writing style and idea-driven dialogue reminded me of the novels of
Ayn Rand, particularly Anthem, but Resist is much faster paced and
holds your attention from the beginning.
“Resist picks up right where the first book, Counteract, leaves off, and
readers are thrown immediately into the action. I also loved the way
Lawson doesn’t give her characters the easy way out–they are forced
to make decisions and suffer the consequences. These are real people
that anchor the story, even if the setting is not.” –SR Staley,
author of St. Nic, Inc. and the Tortuga Bay series
Ignite
Resistance Series Book 3
The Greatest Risk Is To Take No Risk At All.
Nationwide food shortages have sparked civil unrest, and the Office of Civilian
Safety and Defense’s hold on the people is slipping. The
Resistance’s efforts to hasten the OCSD’s demise have resulted in
disaster, with Tommy Bailey and Careen Catecher taking the blame for
the ill-fated mission in OP-439.
Both teens struggle to survive the circumstances that force them into the
national spotlight—and this time, they’re on opposite sides. On
the run and exiled from the Resistance members in BG-098, Tommy makes
his way to a Resistance safe house in the capital.
The OCSD is preparing to monitor all under-eighteens with the Cerberean
Link, a device that protects them against hunger and sickness and can
even locate them if they’re lost. Tommy’s now living in close
quarters with Atari, an operative who has been assigned to sabotage
the Link. But does Atari plan to use it for his own purposes?
Through it all, Tommy refuses to believe Careen’s loyalties have shifted
away from the Resistance, and he’s willing to assume any risk to
reconnect with her. Will they be able to trust each other when it
matters most?
Revolt
Resistance Series Book 4
The Explosive Conclusion to the Award-Winning Resistance Series
To Deny Freedom is to Deny the Human Spirit.
Fugitive Resistance fighter Tommy Bailey has come out of hiding to help rescue
Careen Catecher from the clutches of the Office of Civilian Safety
and Defense, where she’s been held and interrogated for information
about the rebel group. The OCSD is poised to launch the Cerberean
Link, a security device that will put all minors under constant
surveillance under the guise of protecting them.
Fearful that OCSD director Madalyn Davies’s bid for control won’t stop
there, the Resistance puts its own plan in motion to sabotage the
Link and oust Madalyn from the directorship. Just when everything
seems leveraged in the Resistance’s favor, treachery, lies, and
long-held secrets threaten to derail it all.
Will even a life together on the run be impossible for Tommy and Careen?
Or will the Resistance’s efforts convince the public to put their
fears aside and demand freedom?
Spark
Careen’s Prequel to the Resistance Series
“What was our heroine Careen Catecher like BEFORE she became a firebrand
for the Resistance? Well, she was just a normal teenage girl trying
to survive college in the totalitarian state of Tracy Lawson’s
creation.” –review by Patrick Hodges
“Careen is a believable, strong female protagonist who, having survived a
harrowing terrorist attack, is now trying to survive [college] in a
new ‘Quadrant’ where she can’t seem to fit in.” –review by Candace Williams
A strong heroine is made, not born.
Though Careen Catecher survived a terrorist attack when she was nine, her
childhood ended on that awful day. Now, nine years later, she’s
ready for her life to truly begin.
A full scholarship to a prestigious university far from her beleaguered
home quadrant seems like a dream come true, but when she arrives on
campus, she’s perceived as a charity case, despite grades and test
scores that prove she’s the academic equal of the best students there.
Careen knows she’s tough enough to survive just about anything, but
fitting in with her acquisitive peers—at least on the surface—is
necessary if she’s going to leave the past behind and claim the
stable future she craves.
But her past won’t stay buried. She’s only been at school for a few
weeks when a cryptic message from an unlikely friend raises questions
that may put her in danger all over again.
Check out this novella-length prequel to the award-winning Resistance
Series, “a promising new YA series about a totalitarian America.”
**Perma-Free on Amazon!!**
Tracy Lawson knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she could read.
In the first grade, she authored sixty-seven contact-paper bound
books through her school’s Young Authors program. Though that pace
proved impossible to maintain, she always intended to be a real
author one day.
While working toward her Bachelor’s degree in Communication at Ohio
University, she studied creative writing with the late Daniel Keyes,
author of Flowers for Algernon. After short stints as a media buyer
and an investigative analyst, she settled into a 20-year career in
the performing arts, teaching tap dancing in Columbus, Ohio, and
choreographing musicals. Though her creative energies were focused on
dance, she never lost her desire to write, and has a non-fiction book
to her credit: Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More, (McDonald &
Woodward, 2012).
Tracy’s love for writing Young Adult fiction is sparked by all the wonderful
teens in her life, including her daughter Keri, a college student.
Counteract is Tracy’s first novel.
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!
Enter for your chance to win $20 Amazon – 1 winner, Careen’s necklace -1 winner, or a Signed bookmarks – 5 winners
I would like to thank Silver Dagger Book Tours for the opportunity to share this series.

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Front CoverThe Onyx Crown #1

Publication Date: January 27th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure

The Onyx Crown is an exciting foray into the world of African fantasy. From the searing heat of the desert to the vastness of the savannah, it tells the story of three children–Sania, Gesi, and Jorann who grow up in a pre-medieval era of wars and successions, not fifteen years after the greatest king in the history of the continent has been deposed and assassinated. They must overcome the traumatic circumstances of their birth as well as many dangerous trials to fulfill the destiny bestowed upon them as infants. Can mere children use their courage, wits, and uncanny abilities to defeat legendary warriors, entire tribes, provinces, and kingdoms–allowing them to lead the worthy to the greatest prize of all, the Onyx Crown?

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Excerpt

The Equinox Hunt was the once-every-ten-moon foray into the chakkha, or jungle, made by only the most celebrated hunters of the Nabii tribe of Numeria. It’s primary purpose was to keep the beast population to manageable levels, and stop them from foraging into the grasslands, but had long ago become a reliable way to create fortune for some Nabii tribesmen (simply called ‘the Hunters’), and their families.

Although wealth and riches beyond all imagination could be found beyond the gates of the chief Nabii citadel, Abir City, if the Hunters knew where to look, for most families it was more likely that they would return to the gates destitute, starving, and missing several family members.

K’Nan knew this as well as anyone. He knew he was looking at mostly dead men. Damn men are such fools, he thought. Most of these hunters were already successful enough to provide for their families, own property, perhaps even bribe for themselves a pathetic position on the council. Success was never enough, and, in fact, it spurs on the hunger drive for more success.

This time, he th ought, things just may turn out differently for them. Why he had decided to lead the Hunt this year was a puzzle even to himself.

He knew better than to rely on the nonsensical rumors that had been trickling out of the wilderness for the last year and a half. Tales of mythical beasts and fearsome fighters attacking the Numerian migrants seemed just that, more myth than reality, except…

Except he’d also dreamt of them for the last ten years of his life. He could probably count the number of peaceful nights he’d slept in that time quite easily if he stopped to think about it. There damned sure hadn’t been many.

How could he sleep? The unimaginable horror of some of the things he’d seen during those dreams weren’t easy to forget—man-eating beasts, blood thirsty warriors, and infants dying in the wilderness.

It was this last dream, the one about three infant children that spurred him toward the savannah. The innermost reaches of the savannah were referred to as the chakkha—the destination of the Equinox hunters, the Win-Daji.

“Why does it bother you so much?” he said to himself. “It’s just a dream like any other, and those other three are long lost now.”

And yet here he was. All because of a dream.

He shook his head at himself. “When will you finally give up hope?”

The winds started blowing even more briskly now, bringing a mini-sandstorm to the town gates. Instinctively, everyone covered their eyes and faces, through conditioning more than fear.

It was apparent that they were in no danger from sand this far from the wilderness, but hiding from it was a habit both born and bred in them from childbirth. Heat can indeed kill you, but in the wilderness you learn to fear the sand much more than the heat.

Luckily for the Win-Daji, the summer had not begun. In the summer, sandstorms morphed from deadly catastrophic—it was widely known that the one approaching would last for many months and be one of the hottest ever recorded.

The hunter talking with the sentries now was unique enough to catch K’Nan’s interest. This man was tall and pale-skinned (a rarity this far south) with a scar leading from the corner of his left eye to his left ear, a love kiss from a Deluthian rhino most likely, K’Nan’s imoya, or spirit, told him.

He wore his hair in the traditional Nabii tribesman style, shaved on the sides with a strip of hair about two inches high down the middle. On his hip he carried a crescent sword, very worn and very menacing, and two bows slung carelessly across his back.

Tied around his left thigh was a two-cubic-long dagger with a polished bone handle covered with notches. This man has done some killing, thought K’Nan, and without a doubt not confined it to beasts.

Whatever he was arguing with the sentries about must’ve been important. Gradually all of the other Win-Daji and Halanbi moved closer to them to listen in. Some were nodding and raising their weapons. Every now and then there’d be a little shout of encouragement from the group. Meanwhile the guards were shaking their heads all the more emphatically.

K’Nan ended his reverie and motioned his two companions, Semri and Semarion, to follow him down the rocky path toward the gates. The steadfast twin brothers hastily complied.

They had fought and hunted with him the better part of the last five years and were two of the only people he felt he could really rely on, despite the fact that they were not full-blooded Numerians. So, he’d asked them to accompany him, without telling them the true reason.

What are you so worried about? He asked himself. Aren’t you K’nan the Savage Slayer, a legend in all three territories of the savannah, defender of the Numerians, the scourge of all Panthia? How many countless men have died under your two-bladed spear, deservedly all?

How many beasts have you saved these wretched villagers from? You’ve dined with tribal chieftains between both seas, shared their spoils, and bedded their daughters. How could a life as full as yours end so quickly? Have you forgotten what the prophetess told you?

Now Available on Amazon and for Nook!

Giveaway!!!

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About the Author

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Alan Hurst is an author and entrepeneur. Hurst who spent most of his childhood reading Asian wuxia fiction, Marvel comics and encyclopedias is delving into trilogy territory with THE ONYX CROWN. He briefly studied religion at Harvard. Later, he settled in Washington, DC where he founded a software consulting firm, hosted the Urban Nation Radio podcast, and occasionally played the World Series of Poker. When not writing or enjoying time with his family, he prefers to take his Ducati motorcycle out for the occasional spin!

Alan Hurst | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Blog Tour Schedule

April 29th

Reads & Reels (Guest Post)

Audio Killed the Bookmark (Excerpt)

Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks (Excerpt)

Cup of Books Blog (Review)

Ity Reads Books (Excerpt)

April 30th

Triquetra Reviews (Excerpt)

Didi Oviatt (Excerpt)

Sophril Reads (Excerpt)

Just 4 My Books (Excerpt)

May 1st

The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Interview)

Breakeven Books (Guest Post)

Cup of Toast (Interview)

May 2nd

I Smell Sheep (Review)

B is for Book Review (Guest Post)

Jessica Rachow (Review)

She Marie Blogs (Excerpt)

May 3rd

JBronder Book Reviews (Excerpt)

Misty’s Book Space (Excerpt)

The Speedy Reader (Review)

Banshee Irish Horror Blog (Excerpt)

The Faerie Reviews (Excerpt)

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I would like to thank R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to share this book.

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The Girl In The Seaside Hotel
Literary Fiction, Mystery
Published: February 2019
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Surf And Sand: The Girl In The Seaside Hotel is the story of a young girl and her family living in Hermosa Beach during the late 1950s, the so-called “Gidget Era” of surfing.  A formerly grand old hotel becomes the setting for the girl’s growing obsession with solving the mysterious disappearance of another girl 21 years earlier in the hotel’s basement swimming pool.  After a friend goes missing too, the detective from the original case, now nearing retirement, is called in to help solve the two cases, which may or may not be connected.

Purchase Links

Amazon      IndieBound

Excerpt
…There had been a large crowd in the ballroom that Saturday night, as a well-known jazz orchestra had been playing.  As many as 300 people.  None of the girl’s friends reported any suspicious incidents or encounters before the girl went missing.  Irene Young did not have a steady boyfriend or local family, and lived with another young woman in Hollywood, a woman who hadn’t been at the hotel or ballroom that evening.
Irene’s friends had tried to report her missing much earlier that morning, just after 2AM, with a mildly frantic phone call, but the police had just assumed she’d just probably gone home in a taxi-cab or with a friend or someone else she’d met there at the hotel.  And besides she hadn’t been missing the required 72 hours for a formal report.  Still, a police officer was eventually sent over just after daybreak, really just to placate her friends. It was all more or less routine until the shoes and necklace were found.  Then detectives had arrived to ask questions.
There were no obvious signs that any physical violence had occurred down in the pool area, but it couldn’t be ruled out either. Eventually every room in the hotel had been searched for any sign of violence or evidence that Irene Young had been there.  Nothing was found to indicate she had.  She had simply vanished.
But one of the newspaper stories that Nell found had included a few of the witness’s first names and last name initial. These were the names of Irene’s companions that had been interviewed by the police. There was a Joey F, a Clark S., and a Lois J.  And one of those names was a Virginia W.  That’s just like mother’s maiden name, she thought.  Worsham!  Nell had never heard of a Joey F., but there was Uncle Clark and Aunt Lois.  How could this be?   It couldn’t be coincidence, could it?  Sherlock Homes didn’t believe in coincidence.  Nell didn’t know what to think.  Or what to do.
About the Author

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W.B. Edwards is a retired telephone employee, who took two years of college as an English major at Rio Hondo in Whittier, California, from 1966 to 1968.  Edwards is a Vietnam era Navy veteran, a motorcycle enthusiast, surfer, taiji practitioner, and dreamer.  He is an Indie author with two novels completed, and working on a third.
Contact Links
RABT Book Tours & PR
I would like to thank Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours and PR for the opportunity to share this book. y

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The Fire Priest

Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen MurdochFire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

Publisher: (Dec 12, 2018)
Category: YA Fantasy. Epic Fantasy. Gateway Fantasy. Alternate Reality, Sword & Sorcery
Tour dates: Mar-May, 2019
ISBN: 978-1916488311
Available in Print and ebook, 304 pages

 Fire Priest

Description Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

Seventeen-year-old Jack Kulinski is the best mixed martial arts fighter of his generation. So why does fighting scare him so much? In the ring, the sound of swarming bees mysteriously fills his head, and it takes all of his effort to not flee in panic. But when his best friend disappears, and Jack, alone, discovers that he’s been magicked to a terrible land ruled by a murderous god and his violent people, he needs to learn how to face his fears and to fight better than he ever has before.

Buy Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

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Praise Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

“I found myself really into the book and finished it in two days. I was rooting for Jack and Denny throughout the book, I liked the talking rabbit and I really liked Zolin, the soldier, and his buddies. I hated the Fire Priest and Priestess and found myself reading at the dinner table, hoping Jack would destroy them.
I think the world that Stephen created is complex and interesting; I like the references to Mesoamerican culture, history, and names. At first I felt like there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but part way in realized I had them all set in my head and it was all coming together. I’m interested to see what happens in Book 2 of the series.”-Helen, Goodreads

About Stephen MurdochFire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

Stephen Murdoch is a writer and investor who lives in England with his wife and three daughters. He is the author of the non-fiction book IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea (Wiley, 2007). He has written for various publications, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, and PRI’s Marketplace. The Fire Priest is his first work of fiction. Murdoch is the chairman of two healthcare providers in the UK that provide cutting edge digital and bricks-and-mortar solutions to the mental health sector.

 

 

My Review

5 Stars

Seventeen year old Jack Kulinski is a top MMA fighter but he has a secret, he is afraid to fight. Then one night his friend Denny disappears. Jack was supposed to be responsible for Denny and goes on the hunt for him. This leads him to Tenochtan, a world with a Fire God as a ruler. It seems the god’s priest and priestess have been watching Jack for a while and have plans for him.

I have to say that I was completely immersed in this dark world that Jack and Denny find themselves in. I liked Jack as the hero. He has problems, he is afraid of fighting, and has father issues. But he steps up and does what needs to be done. It doesn’t help that Denny seems to find trouble for both of them at every turn.

This is a fantastic story that sucked me in, had me reading until late, and sad at the end because I had to leave this dark world. I can’t wait to find out what Stephen is going to have planned for Jack in the next book. If you like good fantasy stories you need to check out this book.

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

Giveaway Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book, open worldwide. This giveaway ends May 10, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter onlly.

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Fire Priest (Pawn of the Gods, Book 1) by Stephen Murdoch

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