Cover Reveal: AN INTIMATE MURDER by Stacy Verdick Case @SVerdickCase @GoddessFish #Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions to show off the cover for AN INTIMATE MURDER by Stacy Verdick Case.

Stacy will award a signed ARC of An Intimate Murder (US only) to THREE randomly drawn winners via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

Check out this awesome cover!

Now find out about the book:

A Catherine O'Brien Mystery.

When Jonathan and Susan Luther are murdered in their home, St. Paul homicide detective Catherine O'Brien and her partner Louise discover this isn't the first time the Luther family has been visited by tragedy. Is it a case of bad family luck or is there something more?

Here's an excerpt!

The world as a whole is a strange place, and the people who inhabit this world are even stranger. The Luther's neighbors proved to be the strangest I'd encountered in ten years of law enforcement. Considering the whackos and ice-blooded murders I'd run into, these neighbors could be proud of their over achieving ways.

The street looked benign, an affluent tree lined parkway with a BMW or Mercedes in every other driveway. The neighbor across the street had a pickup truck in their drive, but it turned out to be the yard man's, who happened to be cleaning up the left behinds from the oak and maple fall deposits. Pretty to look at until they rotted into brown slime piles on your grass.

We questioned every neighbor on the block but no one heard the gunshots. They lived behind triple pane glass where the temperature was never too hot or too cold. Only one had dared to steal a glance out their insulated glass when an older car, rusted in too many places and not carrying the pedigree of a classic automobile, sped down the street.

"I knew right away they were up to no good." Bernice Leigh, who claimed a relation to Janet Leigh, rocked on the edge of her tufted, chintz ottoman.

"Well maybe not right away." She rolled her hand dramatically in the air. "At first I thought the car could belong to one of the boy's friends who visit the Luther's from time to time."

"Did you know the Luther's very well?" Louise nibbled the edge of a Ginger Thin Mrs. Leigh had fanned out on a china plate, and placed on the coffee table in front of us.

Bernice Leigh shook her head with such force that her hair, which had been so obviously a wig, dislodged itself and canted to one side. Bernice righted the wig without as much as a second thought.

Stacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota. After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.

Stacy has written all her life earning a High School Writer Award and a Daphne Du Mauier Award for excellence in Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband of twenty-years, her five-year-old daughter, and their two cats.

An Intimate Murder is the third book in the Catherine O'Brien series.

Visit Stacy on the web:

www.StacyVerdickCase.com

Twitter @SVerdickCase

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Grand-Murder/265021126858004

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5094848.Stacy_Verdick_Case

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Book Blitz: Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga, Book 1) By K.M. Randall @KM_Randall @GHBTours

Title- Fractured Dream

Series- (The Dreamer Saga, Book 1)

By- K.M. Randall

Genre- Fantasy, Fairytale

Expected Publication Date-June 21, 2014

Published By- Booktrope Publishing

Blurb-

Have you ever wondered where fairytales go once they're created?

It's been eight years since Story Sparks last had a dream. Now they're back, tormenting her as nightmares she can't remember upon waking. The black waters of Lake Sandeen, where her Uncle Peter disappeared decades before, may hold the secret to Story's hidden memories, or a truth she'd rather not know. On a bright summer afternoon, Story and her two best friends, Elliott and Adam, take a hike to the lake, where they dive into the cool water and never reemerge. What they find is beyond anything they've ever imagined could be possible, a world where dangers lurk in the form of Big Bad Wolves, living Nightmares and meddlesome witches and gods.

Now Story must remember who she really is and somehow stop two worlds from ultimate annihilation, all while trying not to be too distracted by the inexplicable pull she feels toward a certain dark-eyed traveler who seems to have secrets of his own. The fates of the worlds

are counting on her.

  

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Cover Reveal: The White Devil of Dublin (Ryan O'Clery Mysteries Book #2) By p.m.terrell @pmterrell @GHBTours

The White Devil of Dublin

Ryan O'Clery Mysteries Book #2

By- p.m.terrell

Genre- Romantic Suspense

Published By- Drake Valley Press

Expected Publication Date- September 15th, 2014

When Detective Ryan O'Clery receives a call from a noted historian claiming to have uncovered information about his Irish ancestors, he is certain she is mistaken. But when he arrives for their meeting, he finds the historian murdered and her computer stolen. His investigation will lead him to 12th Century Ireland, to a time of the Viking invasion and conquest, to an albino known as The White Devil of Dublin, and to a shocking secret his family kept hidden for more than eight hundred years. He will also come face-to-face with a present-day albino serial killer, intent on finishing the job he started.

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Book Blitz: The Undead: Playing for Keeps by Elsie Elmore @ElsieWriter @XpressoReads #Giveaway

The Undead: Playing for Keeps
by Elsie Elmore
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: September 3rd 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Description:

When an undead woman with serious de-comp issues stalks sixteen-year-old Lyla Grimm, her hope of rescuing her rock-bottom reputation takes a back seat. Especially once Lyla's new talent of resurrecting the dead draws the attention of Eric, a Grim Reaper with a guitar and a chip on his shoulder.

While Lyla navigates the gossip-ridden halls, Eric works to gain her trust and discover why Death's clients aren't staying down. If she passes on her gift, his death-messenger destiny might be altered. But the closer he gets to Lyla, the less sure he is of his plan. The dead are way easier to deal with than the living.

Gossip explodes, the Grimm family implodes, and desperation sets in. Death wants the gift and a soul. Lyla and Eric face hard choices with hidden consequences. Sometimes life's choices aren't really choices at all.

  

Excerpt:

Chapter 2 : Eric

"Of all the places," I mutter. Cornfields and pastures fill the passenger side window in a tortuous repeat. Mile after mile of nothingness. And inactivity. And boredom. "I'm in a small hellhole located in the middle of can't-find-it-on-a-fucking-map. This is just perfect."

I pull over and my headlights frame the tall green sign that proclaims the city limits for Martin. A thatch of dead grass surrounds the base of the pole.

"Bet that resembles the residents of this fine town," I shout. No one's ever around to hear me or respond.

I roll down the window and the scent of grass and dirt rolls in. There's no exhaust, no cigarette smoke. The purity of the air confuses my lungs.

Just hours ago, I was in the beautiful and busy paradise of Miami, Florida, where anger, envy, and sin pollute every taken breath and every exposed mind. It's one of my favorite places. There's enough activity there to keep someone busy every hour of the day, which is why I want to return. Idle time has painful effects.

Only one car passes while I'm parked on the shoulder, contemplating my purgatory that now goes by the name of Martin.

The passenger handle clicks and the door opens. Deon lowers his head and peers in. "Heard you were coming." He smiles and the dashboard lights give his teeth a red glow. "Welcome to Martin."

I shrug. "Yeah. I'm here."

"So why you?" he asks, his smile not fading.

"Beats the hell out of me." Exhaust mixes with the night air and enters through the open car door. I take a deep breath.

"No, seriously, this is my territory. Why you?"

I survey my new terrain. Moonlight reveals more nothingness. "I'm not fighting you for it. I was sent. I didn't have a choice."

"No one really has a choice." He slips his frail frame into the passenger seat and closes the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Going for a ride." He taps the dash twice. "I'll show you around."

Understanding the territory will help. I pull back onto the road and my headlights only compete with the moon's glow until we get closer to civilization. If you can call this actual civilization.

"You're here as a punishment, aren't you?"

"Judging by the look of this place, I'd say yeah."

Deon laughs and adjusts the navy ball cap he wears low on his head. "Everyone knows about you."

"Really?" I want to take back the word, or rather, my tone. It sounded as if I was interested.

"You're too messy and over-the-top. You attract attention. And you're undisciplined."

I huff. "You finished?

Guest Post:

Photo Credit: Flickr by Jennifer Donley

The evolution of The Undead: The importance of editing after time has passed

Writing blogs often suggest letting your manuscript rest between edits. That time allows the story to become fresh again and offers you distance from your work.

The Undead began as a tale told only from Lyla's vantage point. Her troubles at school were chronicled in detail, along with the tension at home, and oh yeah, the awakening of her ability to resurrect the dead. Eric was a character, but not a main character because we never understood his motivations.

When my editor read my ms for the first time, she had many questions about Eric and suggested I offer more information about him. He was too mysterious, in an incomplete and frustrating way. His motivations were not understood. What did he want? What did he need? I thought long and hard about how to show more of him. But the trouble with showing more about another character written in first person is the fear of info-dumping or labored conversations to include the pertinent past information.

To develop Eric's character more and make his motivations central to the story, I gave him a voice of his own. And boy did he take off. I could barely keep up with everything he wanted to do and say. His depth of emotion ran deeper than I expected.

Without someone suggesting I offer more and allowing my work to rest, I wouldn't have thought to push that way.

Having a CP, beta reader, and/or an editor read your work and offer feedback are critical steps for your story. Sometimes a suggestion or question is enough to turn your tale into something deeper and stronger. Especially if you've given it enough time.

Interview with Elsie Elmore

What led you to write YA paranormal and corpses becoming reanimated?

Explaining my warped creative process is challenging because the stories I tend to create all begin with "What if?" That simple question can take me down a rabbit hole of possibilities and I never worry about whether an idea is plausible. In my mind, the boundary for reality is permeable.

The Undead started as a "what if" after a personal experience. The story then began to unfold in my mind, but it never ventured near The Walking Dead, which is a series I was addicted to once. I wanted the return to be less problematic and gory than the zombies in the apocalyptic stories.

Are the characters in The Undead based on real people?

Every character I create comes from bits and pieces of people that I've encountered, but no one person translates into a full character in one of my stories. At least not yet.

Does Eric play the guitar because you play the guitar?

No, Eric plays the guitar because he's a gifted musician and because I think the guitar is one of the coolest instruments a guy can play. I took piano lessons for several years as a child, but I would not impress anyone with the skills that have remained after all those years.

Is The Undead a series?

I wrote The Undead as a stand alone, although the door was left slightly ajar at the end. While Lyla, Eric and Ben's tale could go on, it will be up to the reader to determine what happens next.

What's your favorite genre to read?

I like so many different types of fiction. I have specific favorite books and favorite authors that span romance, action, drama, suspense, and memoir (and for adult, NA, and YA audiences).

About the Author-

Elsie Elmore lives in North Carolina with her husband and two kids. She loves the color red, has an appreciation for chocolate and coffee that borders on obsession, writes stories that challenge the laws of nature, and wishes fall temperatures would linger year round.

Elsie is a member of several writing organizations: RWA, SCBWI, and WSW. The Undead : Playing for Keeps is her debut novel.

Giveaway:

ebook copy of The Undead: Playing for Keeps by Elsie Elmore

Open internationally

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Blog Tour: Spirit Warriors: The Scarring By D.E.L. Connor @del_connor @GHBTours #Giveaway

Spirit Warriors: The Scarring

Spirit Warriors Book # 2

By- D.E.L. Connor

Genre- YA Fantasy

Publication Date- July 21st

Published By- Booktrope Publishing

"One of us would finally end what had been started by the machayiwiw so many years ago. I would have to kill him. It was just that simple. I never thought I would want to kill anybody or anything, but maybe I never had anything worth killing for before."

-Emmeline Rima Belrose, The Scarring (Spirit Warriors, Book 2) 

In the majestic beauty of a Montana summer, Emme and her friends celebrate her near-drowning survival and their defeat of the powerful evil spirit, the machayiwiw. But even as they rejoice, things are amiss. Emme watches helplessly as her family divides, and her friends struggle to hold their relationship together. Worse yet, the love-of-her life, Charlie, announces that he will move back to the reservation, without Emme. Different nightmares take over and Emme realizes she must fight and kill-or watch those she loves be killed. Friends from the reservation reach out to Emme and show her what evil can steal from her. Emme believes that evil can never break her bond with the Spirit Warriors or the love she shares with Charlie. Or can it?

  

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Book Blast: Peerless By Victoria Escobar @VEscobarWrites @GHBTours

Peerless

By- Victoria Escobar  

Genre- NA Urban Fantasy

Without the touch of time affecting her, Tiranna has spent the last two thousand years protecting dangerous artifacts that have the potential to destroy the world. Her distinctive magic makes her one of the most powerful, and at times, one of the most feared.

When she finds a demonic artifact that shouldn't exist, she fears the return of a long-forgotten demon that has a single goal: create his version of Hell on earth. The world she spent her life protecting, could be lost.

Time never concerned her before, but now it's her worst enemy. Only she has the power to destroy the demon masquerading as a black witch. All she has to do is figure out how.

  

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Blog Tour: Eternity (Descendants of Ra #1) By Tmonique Stephens @Tmoniquebooks @MkgConnections #Giveaway

Eternity
Descendants of Ra
By Tmonique Stephens
Published: August 29th 2012
Publisher: Soulmate Publishing

Blurb:

Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers' soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He's been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover . . . until now.

A late night walk home throws Stella Walker into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep blue eyes of the man trying to kill her-and the first things she sees after a seven day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm or the man who wants to finish her off? Is it fears she feels when Roman touches her or the memory of something sweeter?

Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them.

Roman will do anything to recover what they once had. Though Stella's ruined childhood has made her close her heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts.

  

About the Author:

Tmonique's Biography

Tmonique Stephens wrote her first novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. She loves writing flawed characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. She writes complicated stories for complicated people. Paranormal romances and fantasy novels are her favorite genre.

Eternity and Everlasting are the first two novels in her Descendants of Ra series. Evermore, the third novel will be released in September 2014. Currently, she is working a contemporary revenge series and Encore, the fourth novel in the Descendants of Ra series. She will read anything about fairies, demons, or angels. She also enjoys Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Preston and Child.

She has a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where she won an English Department Award for her play Tea with Salt in 1987.

Born in St. Thomas USVI, Tmonique Stephens grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves SyFy, the History channels, and also Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean.

Giveaway:

US: Descendants of Ra travel mug and canvas bag.
International: ebook of EVERLASTING: Descendants of Ra Book 2

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Book Blitz: For the Love of Death (Death #7) By Tamara Rose Blodgett @TRoseBlodgett @XpressoReads #Giveaway

For the Love of Death
By Tamara Rose Blodgett
(Death #7)
Publication date: September 5th 2014
Genres: Adult, Dystopia

Description:

The year is 2049 and in the new dystopian order, the Randoms have risen to the top like cream. Earth faces dire consequences because of the Helix Complex and their illicit use of mass-sterilization. Many who could have children, were made into mules from the virulent Zondorae concoction of 2030.

Now middle-aged, Death's children do their best to move forward in a world where technology and paranormal powers collide in a mix of tragedy and circumstance. Zombies have been raised for the slave trade by those Randoms in power.

Paxton Hart and Parker's twin girls are grown and on the radar for those that understand how critical they are for the future. The tight-knit circle of friends continues to network for solutions to the depravity that has taken hold.

Can the original group right a tremendous wrong? Will the new generation of Randoms find a solution for propagation, or will their power base cannibalize those who choose harmony instead of greed?

Quote:

"... Scalps litter the torn wounds of the driveway, some of them stuck between the gaps like raw meat caught in cement teeth...."

***

  

Excerpt:

"Hello?" Gramps voice bellows into the phone like falling gravel.

"Hey Gramps, it's Caleb."

"I know who it is. I've got caller ID as part of my bundle, ya know."

Caller ID. The most archaic thing on the planet.

Jade's lips quirk, easily making out his side of the conversation.

"He needs another ear replacement," she says quietly. I nod, putting a finger to my lips.

"Right. Listen, Gramps... Deegan and Paxton are MIA. Ya know where they are?"

Jade and I stopped at two kids. Felt like ten. There wasn't enough protection in the world for our kids as Randoms. We still worry.

The open line buzzes. "Both the kids were here. Pax and I changed the oil out on the Camaro..."

Good, Pax needs that connection.

"There was a little incident with Deedie."

Jade covers her mouth with a hand, eyes wide. I wrap her forearm with my hand.

Images flow.

She nods, taking a shaky inhale.

"What's going on?"

"Clyde brought her. Some ruffian is trying to vamp her psychic energy right out of her."

"Brad Thompson," Jade says, throwing her arms down by her sides, color spreading across her cheekbones.

I'm so pissed it should be illegal. I can feel my old friend Rage come knocking. I concentrate on my breathing.

I hate some of these Randoms. My prejudice is worse than everyone's because I was part of the problem.

Now we have abilities in the few kids who are left that aren't catalogued. Like trees, they have all kinds of branches.

This shitty Null is also a Drainer. Our government won't give them a name but us leftovers will.

What Thompson is doing is illegal. His father is also the head of the sanctions. He pulls every undead legislation he can.

The prick.

Jade plucks my sleeve and I take my free hand and cup the back of her head. "Is she okay, Caleb?" She worries at her lip with her teeth.

Gramps says, "She's okay, Caleb-just shook up."

A breath whistles out of me.

"Okay. So here's the $64,000,000,000 question: where are she and Pax?"

Silence.

I hear Gramps do a swipe of his face with his palm. Deep exhale.

"Should've been home 'bout now, son."

Jade shakes her head. "They're not," she whispers at my side.

"They're not, Gramps."

I don't ask why my zombie, Clyde happened to be corpse-on-the-spot for Deegan. I don't ask why her Null guard was absent. I don't ask any of that.

Instead I ask, "Gramps..."

"I'll find her."

"And Pax?"

"You don't worry about him. He needs to figure out his own way about Ali, son...."

Guest Post:

Zombie Romance; Death-Style

Did you read that title?

No one could love a zombie.

Well, I do. And so do a bunch of other peeps, apparently. Zombie fiction isn't all post-apocalyptic, disease carrying, mindless brain eaters. (Some of my zombies do get distracted by a tidy meal of brains. But that's for another guest post.)

As I write this, FOR the LOVE of DEATH is getting ready to blow up on Amazon for all the hordes of readers to descend and devour.

I'm all for that.

Is the Death Series about zombie love? Oh yes. But it's a bunch of other things too. It's dystopian. Dark fantasy ( a soft sort of horror, but horror nonetheless). Death is also suspenseful, witty and coming-of-age. My main demographic of readers is females ages 25-34. After that? It's post-60. Isn't that something? I never thought a teen male-POV would interest anyone except... you got it: a teen male-POV. Then Death got its teeth in the readers. Guys discovered it, middle-aged women (I'm one of those so no diss there, girls), teens and older people. Yes, I said elderly. They read and everything. (That's tongue in cheek, lest I get hate mail.)

What makes Death different? For starters, it's male POV. And there's just not much lit out there that is. There's even less from a teen boy's POV. I didn't know any better. I have four sons who complained endlessly about all the "drivel" of chicks who thought they could write like a guy thought.

So this chick thought: why not? It's certainly harder to speak from a teen girl's POV as there aren't any of them galloping around the house. I went for it, and the rest is history.

I thought I'd "grow" the teens through high school and be done at book six. But they kept talking, and readers kept asking for Death (I love how that sounds). Now they're all grown up with some kids of their own. It's a futuristic setting so I've taken liberties with some of the characters as you'll see if you begin the Death odyssey. I know it's a little weird, but my fave character is the MC's grandpa, "Gramps." You ever meet anyone that knows who they are to the marrow? And they're simply indifferent to change or compromise? Filter-less? Yes, that's Mac O'Brien. And I simply can't seem to "retire" him. I also adore the MC zombie, Clyde. He died in a post-depression America and has not let his principles slide. He and Mac get along great.

I threw romance in Death #7, parallel earths, horror, action, comedic dialog, agony, drama and suspense. The pace is fierce (I guess I'm not terrific at slow pacing), and some resolution takes place, along with questions.

Does Deegan's zombie survive? Will Paxton save his Gram? Is Brad Thompson and his dad going to corrupt another earth through Zombie slaving? It's a new earth with the same problems. Where there's power, there is also greed. I had a terrific time writing Death. So much so, I'm already devising a Death 8. Since Death 7 is a spin-off; a case of the "stales" shall not be had.

Book one, Death Whispers, is currently in audio production and I have to say, it was in the top ten surreal experiences of my life to listen to my own words. What I really got out of listening is how mature DW is in some respects. It captures the changes teens experience on the chasm of near-adulthood. Death began as a YA crossover series and is now firmly in the new adult/adult genre. Fans of dystopian, hard sci-fi, paranormal romance, fantasy and action with snappy dialog should dig death.

If you're looking for a unique narrative, jam-packed with action and fast pacing, Death just might be for you. Especially for if you have a crush on zombies....

About the Author-

Tamara Rose Blodgett is the author of forty titles, including her NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling novel, A Terrible Love. Tamara writes a variety of dark fiction in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, romance and erotica. She lives in South Dakota with her family and is an ardent reader who enjoys interacting with her readers.

Giveaway:

Blitz-wide giveaway

--25$ Amazon Gift Card + paperback of For the Love of Death

Open to US/CA/AU/GB/UK; ends September 15th

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Book Blitz Organzied By Xpresso Book Tours

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