Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Capturing the Captain (America Pirate Romance #1) by C.K. Brooke @authorckbrooke @yaboundtourspr

Capturing the Captain (America Pirate Romance #1)
by C.K. Brooke
Genre: Adult Historical Adventure Romance
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

In 1720, it’s a pirate’s life for Abigail Clear, daughter of a notorious colonial pirate captain… 

But when a rival crew invades Abigail’s ship, she is taken prisoner. Now aboard the enemy vessel, she must contend with its formidable captain. But who is the real captive? 


Locked away in the belly of The Indomitable is no place for a woman… 

Captain James Morrow is more than displeased to discover his sole captive to be none other than an untamable young lass who will earn him no bounty. Yet if he can soften the little rogue, she just might switch her loyalties to him, and reveal the whereabouts of the infamous thief who sired her—and his stolen treasure. But two can play that game, as Abi is equally inclined to charm the dogged sailor off her father’s tail. 

Might she and Captain Morrow run the risk of falling for their own charades? 

They dance about their disguises as genuine developing emotions clash against deeper motives, and suspicion runs high. When the captain finally steals a first kiss, Abi decides it’s high time to make her escape—fleeing not only his vessel, but her fondness for the man who intends to see her father hang. 

The high seas heat up as Captain Morrow’s quest to recapture Abi is halted by her pirate father, Captain Clear. Will James succeed in pursuit of his captive love, or will his desires conspire to make him a captive himself?

*Advisory: Contains some sensual/sexual content

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Buy Links:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ BAM ~ Limitless Publishing

The Flow of Characters Guest Post by C.K. Brooke

I’m a planner by nature. Not everything goes the way I plan, however. But prior to writing a new novel, I always sit down and outline the story from start to finish. Usually, this begins with creating character profiles (this is the fun part). I draw little sketches of their faces, experiment with different names, and create all my key players from the get-go. Their motivations (or roles in the plot) and physical appearances are all I truly begin with. Backstories and specific personalities tend to develop more in the process of writing the first draft. 

Sometimes characters surprise me. Scratch ‘sometimes’—it’s usually often! For example, while I may think I’m writing a more subdued female lead for a historical romance, when I go back and read my progress, I’m surprised by how feisty or saucy she is. Characters’ personalities tend to come out more strongly in the actual writing than they do in my head. It’s like brewing what you may expect to be an average cup of tea, then sipping it and your taste buds go ba-zing! 

With my first novel, I even had the experience of creating a despicable villain for the sake of comic relief, and then finding I was so addicted to his overbearing personality that I changed the whole story around, gave him the girl, and made him the hero…er, make that anti-hero. (Not everyone was happy with that outcome, but I am, and so was my publisher!) Case in point: while I do plan in advance, characters tend to jump of the pages to tell me who they really are, and where they really deserve to be in the story. 

When crafting a story plan, everyone who has any role to play comes to me as I outline. I don’t think I’ve ever created a list of characters first, then allocated sets of roles to them. Rather, characters are invented when there’s a need for them. Again, I take care of all of this in the outline before actually writing the novel, so that the novel-writing occurs more smoothly since I’ve already done all the thinking. My main characters, such as the primary couple, or the handful of main players, tend to come to me all at once, in the very beginning, to start the story. More secondary characters develop later, when there’s a need for them. For these folks, I keep at all times a list of names I like, as well as some “throwaway” names I’ve not used before (because once you’ve reached your dozenth or so novel, you run the risk of repeating names), and that way I can simply just pick a name from the list when a role for a new character arises. (Nothing is more frustrating than being unable to think of a good name in the middle of writing a story!) 

In conclusion, I try to plan and conjure everyone from the start, but characters will flow and unfold how they will. It’s my job to go with the flow of their choosing, and document it as best I can. *grin*

About the Author

C.K. Brooke is a 2015 Shelf Unbound Notable Indie author with a five-star rating by Readers' Favorite. She holds numerous fantasy and romance publications with 48fourteen, Limitless Publishing, and Elphame Press. Her lifelong passion is books - reading, writing, editing, publishing and blogging about them. When not blissing out in literary land, she enjoys info-tainment podcasts, singing, songwriting and playing the piano. She lives in Washington, Michigan with her husband and young son. There's tons to check out at the new CKBrooke.com, so come and see what she's up to! 

Check out her V.I.P. Readers Club (Subscribers get a free eBook!)

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Amazon Page

GIVEAWAY:

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Book Tour + #Giveaway: The Tales of Eon Monkey by Eon Monkey @SDSXXTours

The Tales of Eon Monkey

Collected Works Volume I

by Eon Monkey

Genre: Anytime, anywhere, everyday stories for everyone

The collected tales of Eon Monkey from the first three books: 1) Monkey Tales, 2) Gone Fishin’ 3) Matilda and the Missing Button. The stories previously only available in eBooks published for the first time in paperback. Anytime, anywhere, everyday stories for everyone

Goodreads * Amazon

Author, Artist, Surf-Side Six Stringer

Eon Monkey lives on a tiny island filled with pineapples, coconuts and lots of bananas. The sound of the sea sings him to sleep and the call of the parrots awakes him in the morning. The sea turtles and the loons bring him stories from around the world and he records these tales on a manual typewriter and sends them out into the world via the Coconut Telegraph.

Find him on the wild wacky web at www.eonmonkey.com

Facebook * Goodreads * Amazon

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Release Tour: Chance by Charlotte Casey @starange13

  Title: Chance

By: Charlotte Casey

Publication Date: January 9, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: Mayhem Cover Creations

One night. One moment. One chance.

Buried in obligation, Aveline Michaels is in over her head, caring for her bed-ridden mother, taking college courses, and working her ass off to make ends meet. When she finally agrees to let loose and take one night off from her duties, everything changes.

College student, Greer McQueen knows meeting Aveline face-to-face is exactly what he wants. After all, he's wanted her since the day they met in his online class. But when she learns that he's "the" Greer McQueen, bassist for Rusted & Reckless, her all-time favorite band, everything changes.

Aveline can't possibly give up on her responsibilities to be somebody's groupie. And there's no chance Greer will give up on her.

 AMAZON US ~ AMAZON UK ~ AMAZON CA

Books2Read

Charlotte Casey's roots in country go back to singing Achy Breaky Heart in her car seat at the top of her lungs. She finds nothing sweeter and nothing more desirable than a southern man with drawl. With a romantic at heart, Charlotte couldn't imagine reading or writing anything that doesn't revolve around romance. Her stories may be fiction but her characters will leap from the pages and pull you into their world.

Social Media Links

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Cover Reveal + #Giveaway: The Rise of Miss Notley by Rachael Anderson @toobusyreading

The Rise of Miss Notley by Rachael Anderson

To escape an undesirable match, Miss Notley must give up her riches for rags.

When Miss Coralynn Notley's father barters her off to the first titled gentleman to come along, she realizes she must flee her home or be forced to wed a despicable man. Driven by desperation, she applies for the position of housekeeper at Tanglewood Manor, the home of the handsome Mr. Jonathan Ludlow.

The moment Jonathan sees Miss Notley, he is intrigued. She is far too young and inexperienced for the position, yet there is something about her that that inspires a certain hope within him. Does he dare offer her the position of housekeeper or will doing so result in catastrophe?

The Rise of Miss Notley is the delightful tale of a mysterious gentleman and a determined young woman, caught together in a web so tangled it begs the question: Will they ever get out?

Coming February 2017

Author Rachael Anderson

A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Website

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 1/25/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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VBT + #Giveaway: Exit Signs by Patrice Locke @patricelocke @GoddessFish

Exit Signs

by Patrice Locke

GENRE:   Romantic Comedy

BLURB:

Tracy Price has a documentary-style life until rockstar Jesse Elliot rewrites her script and takes the wheel to drive her crazy.

In her quest to find a writer missing since the 1930's, Tracy thinks she has discovered exactly how to handle her new relationship. But she may be listening to the wrong voice. 

Then Tracy and Jesse find out they've both been keeping some big secrets, and the truth may ruin everything.

Will sharing the missing writer's story open both their hearts?

Excerpt:

Jesse lunged toward me. It was too late. I had already launched. He reached out but didn’t connect. Instead, I broke the trajectory of my upper body by grabbing him at chest level and sliding down. He was pushed backward into the table, which stabilized our ungainly host-parasite tableau. He softened my landing so that physically I was fine, but my pride was ready for intensive care.

Heaped at his feet, like a demented penitent, I hugged his knees, my face pressed flat into his thighs. I might as well stay down. What’s worse? To stand up and face you, or remain here, nestled between your legs? What do you think? Then, the finishing touch: I erupted into nervous, snorting laughter. He guessed there was no serious injury.

“It’s nice to see you, too. You are okay, aren’t you? Can you stand?” He reached for my arms to unwrap them from his legs and help me up. I jammed my eyelids together to conjure up a do-over, but no such luck.

I would have to deal with it.

He held my elbows in his hands. “I guess we were both in a hurry to see each other.”

I do appreciate your attempt to lighten the mood, but you are standing SO close. I can feel your body heat. Or is that mine? By the way, you smell tart and fresh, like a lime.

I stared at his shoulder. My dignity meter was stuck on empty.

“Enthusiastic greeting. Thanks for that.” He was blatantly amused.

“It was nothing.” I stepped backward to regain a semblance of independence. Don’t mock me. But, you did go to all the trouble to bring your hair. And your eyes. I might forgive you for witnessing my disgrace. That hair.

An Interview with  Patrice Locke:

What inspired you to write “Exit Signs”?

I had an idea for a scene about a couple having a big confrontation in an airport. I wrote that scene first and then backed into the rest of it, figuring out how they got to that big difference of opinion and then how they could work their way out of it.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t think I’d end up writing. I just didn’t know what kind of writing. I started with a journalism degree and then gravitated more to fiction because I’m a sucker for happy endings, or at least inspirational endings. And you don’t always, or even often, get that in journalism.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

My mother read to my sisters and me probably from birth. We were regulars at the library. Recently, an old friend told me that soon after we met I asked her if she wanted to go to the library because my mom was taking us. And she said she thought, “Why would I want to do that?” It’s all a matter of perspective. I remember reading Carolyn Hayward books in first or second grade. The first book I read to myself that I remember loving was and still is “Anne of Green Gables.” It was kind of a family tradition.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I like memoirs more than biographies because biographies often get bogged down in the details of a life that aren’t very interesting. In a memoir, the writer can cut to the chase and leave out the boring parts. In fiction, I have a wide-ranging taste. I like classics like Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell. In modern releases I enjoy Yvonne Jocks OverTime series and many of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ earlier books for the humor and banter.

I also like time travel to the past, when it’s well done, as in “Time and Again” by Jack Finney and “The Doomsday Book” by Connie Willis.

What is your favorite book?

That’s like saying which is your favorite child? Too tough to say! I love Jane Austen, particularly “Pride and Prejudice” and “Persuasion.” It may be cliché to mention Ms. Austen, but I can never get over the style and elegance of her work.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Jane Austen’s use of words and her ability to express emotions without becoming sentimental floors me every time.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I’d go back to hear the Sermon on the Mount. I’d like to hear it first-hand and then to taste the multiplying fish.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

It’s both, depending on the day. On a good day, the words just flow out and I can be at it for hours without realizing time has passed. I can also stare at an empty screen when things aren’t going well.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

At the moment, no. But I do have a grand-dog named May who is the most unusual looking dog I’ve ever seen. She’s part heeler, part beagle, basset hound and spaniel. Her coat reflects her mixed parentage. She has polka dots on her left flank, fawn colors on her back, black and white cow-like blotches on her right flank, a beagle head and a very basset like low slung carriage. She’s a lover and gets lots of attention wherever she goes for many reasons, I think.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

Funny you should ask because the main character of “Exit Signs” is a renowned snack connoisseur. And it’s something readers always comment on. Tracy’s combinations have turned many a stomach. The most unusual combo in the book is rattlesnake meat wrapped in cotton candy.

For me, food favorites shift often. I’ll get a hankering for something and then get tired of it and move on. Lately I’ve been loving tortilla soup.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Read everything you can about anything that interests you. Listen to advice, but don’t follow it religiously. You have to find your own way. Most important, don’t give up and don’t let the rejections ruin you. It only takes one YES to get you started.

AUTHOR BIO:

As a journalist, Patrice Locke wrote a lot of stories with unhappy and even tragic endings.
Facts are facts, and a writer doesn't mess with facts.


But fiction is another world. Patrice began writing novels, where she could control the endings and make them as happy as she wants. The best thing about fiction, she says, is having time to think before her characters speak, so they can say the things most of us only come up with after the perfect moment has passed.
 

She loves to write, read, and watch romantic comedies where life always turns out the way it should. Her only obsessive relationships are with semicolons and Oxford commas.
    

Though she doesn't like to brag, Patrice is an award-winning artist. She won a gold and diamond watch when she was 13 for decorating a turkey drumstick bone to look like Batman. Alas, that was her last recognition in the fine arts.
   

Patrice lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the blue sky is brilliant, the air is thin, and the vistas are breathtaking. She is none of those things, which is one reason she enjoys living among them.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Email

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon/BN GC 

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Book Blast + #Giveaway: The Applicant by Aidee Ladnier @AideeLadnier @GoddessFish

The Applicant

by Aidee Ladnier

GENRE: M/M, SciFi, Time Travel Romance

BLURB:

How can something so cuddly and adorable be so destructive? The teddy bear robot decimating his lab is only the first disaster of the day for roboticist Forbes Pohle. If he can figure out how to end its rampage, he still has to interview applicants for the position of research assistant and convince the time-traveler on his doorstop that they should be making their future right now.

Oliver Lennox didn’t travel back in time to have a quickie in the blast chamber—but it certainly is fun. This younger Forbes is a sweeter, more innocent version of his lover. And it will be hard to leave him behind in the past.

If you like sexy nerds, humor, plenty of action, and a love story not even time can disrupt, this romantic adventure has the perfect credentials for the job.

Excerpt:

When they came up for air, Forbes claimed his hand and squeezed his fingers, his forehead resting against Oliver’s. “So, if you want the job, the research assistant job—” Forbes took a deep breath. “—it’s yours.”

Oliver stilled, pinned by that earnest gaze. He reached up to cup Forbes’s cheek in his hand. Forbes turned to plant the kiss in his palm as Oliver knew he would.

“Doc, I didn’t come here to interview for a job.” Oliver laid a finger on Forbes’s lips as he began to speak, “At least, not yet.”

“What do you mean?” Forbes let his hand slide out of Oliver’s grasp.

“I know this sounds crazy… but I’m from the future, and in my time, I already work for you.” Oliver grinned, but it didn’t last. Forbes had begun backing away from him. Crap, the Doc probably thought he was a madman. He could practically see the gears whirling behind Forbes’s eyes. Oliver had to trust that his curiosity would come overcome his fear.

“Time travel’s been proven impossible.”

Bingo. Oliver recognized that stubborn look. He’d seen it each and every time he made sandwiches with bean sprouts and spinach. Forbes ate those sandwiches too. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Aidee Ladnier, an award-winning author of speculative fiction, began writing at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician’s assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, fold origami, send ping pong balls into space, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee's to write both romance and erotica with a little science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.

You can find her on her blog at http://www.aideeladnier.com or on her favorite social media sites:

Tumblr ~ Facebook ~ Twitter  ~ Goodreads ~ Pinterest

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
 

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Cover Reveal + #Giveaway: Fade Away by Jeremy T. Ringfield @JTRingfield @yaboundtourspr

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