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Promo Tour Midnight Angel by Tracey A Wood

MIDNIGHT ANGEL  by Tracey A Wood

Book Tour Spotlight Soulless by Jacinta Maree w/ Giveaway

SOULLESS

by Jacinta Maree

GENRE: Dystopian New Adult

BLURB:

Welcome to Soulless.

We are the generation that laughs at death.

Reincarnation; what was once considered a gift of immortality has become an eternity of nightmares.

Nadia Richards lives in a world plagued by reincarnation, a system of recycling souls where all past memories, personalities and traumatic events are relived daily in disjointed sequences. Trapped within their own warped realities, not even the richest and most powerful are saved from their own minds unraveling. Madness is the new human nature, and civilizations are crumpling beneath themselves trying to outrun it. 

Within a society that ignores death, Nadia appears to be the one exception to the reincarnation trap. Born without any reincarnated memories and with printless eyes, the hot tempered 19 year old quickly becomes the ultimate prize to all those wishing to end the vicious cycle, or for some, to ensure they could evade death forever.

Readers discretion: Adult language, violence and some adult scenes. For mature audiences only.

Excerpt:

His top lip curled, as it always did in his half smile. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“About what?”

In his hands, he fiddled with the hunting knife. “You.” He twisted the blade and flicked out, clearing the dirt under his nails. “You were going to leave me. You said it was better this way, for the both of us.” The rasp of his accusing voice felt like a guillotine above my neck.

I uncomfortably shuffled back but didn’t speak.

“You were right. Your life without me would be better. Easier. Safer.” Every word strained from his lips as though he was pushing air from the pit of his stomach. My eyes widened and my heart picked up speed. Diesel lightly shook his head. “But this isn’t about making things easier. You’re with me now and you won’t leave no matter how hard it gets.”

“That’s not for you to decide,” I said with a cringe.

“Because if you leave me—”

With an anguished sign, I turned my head away. “Let me guess, you’ll always find me? And if I try to run you will break my legs and chop off my fingers and remove my eyes-”

“No. If you leave me, I will vanish… and I don’t want to vanish, Nadia.”

Surprised, my jaw went slack. Without even blinking, Diesel stilled his fumbling and tightened his stare, looking at me in a way I felt penetrated to my very core.

“You don’t know what it’s like living in this hell. I’m drowning under black water and I can never surface. You remember what it feels like to have your body shut down only to wake up not knowing which reality is real. It would’ve been easier to fade into a drifter, to stop the fight all together and just crumple into the purest of insanities. In my darkest moments I almost allowed it to happen, but then I met you. The girl with no reincarnated memories. The one without a soul imprint. It’s you, and only you, who can save me. But then you came into my room with that story about how everything would be better if we were separated. You left me tied to a bed, and for hours I thought I had lost you. Do you know how that feels? To have everything you’ve ever wanted just walk out? I came to realise just how dangerous you are to me. Just how easily you can break me in half. That’s why I can’t let you leave.”

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born in Melbourne Australia, Jacinta Maree considers herself a chocoholic with an obsession with dragons, video gaming and Japan. She writes a variety of genres including YA paranormal, steampunk, horror, new adult, dystopian and fantasy. Winner of 2014 Horror of the year and bestselling author, Jacinta writes to bring enjoyment to others while fulfilling her own need to explore the weird and the impossible.

You can find her here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jacinta.maree.10

Deviant art: http://jacintamaree.deviantart.com/

Twitter: jacintamaree6.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6448929.Jacinta_Maree

Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Soulless-Immortal-Gene-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B014ONKO9K/

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Book Tour The Last Ten Pounds by Lina Sage w/ Giveaway and Guest Post

The Last Ten Pounds: One Woman's Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred...and Everything In-Between) 

by Lina Sage

GENRE: Memoir

BLURB:

Shortly after I was born, my family left Vietnam’s strict Communist regime by escaping on a tiny fishing boat in the middle of the night.

Luckily, Canada accepted us as refugees and we were excited for a new beginning. However, any hopes of a brighter future vanished before an abusive alcoholic father who’s repeated physical violence against my mom left me screaming for any stability. Sexual, physical and emotional abuse clouded my childhood years leaving me so damaged that it changed who I was meant to grow up to be.

In my early twenties, I bought a house and converted it into a full blown marijuana grow op.

Soon after, I entered into the world of elite call girls and became one of the most sought after girls in my agency. By my late twenties, I was on top of the world and the proud owner of a multi-million-dollar luxury day spa.

Just when I thought I had it all, I made the ultimate mistake that ended in me losing everything and hitting rock bottom.

I was spiritually broken and in desperate need of healing. I had no choice but to reconcile with my past. This decision brought me down a miraculous journey that opened me up to consciousness and enabled me to exist in the space I do today; that of uninhibited peace.

The Last 10 Pounds: One Woman’s Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred…and Everything In-Between) is my personal journey and a testament that it is possible to heal and transform. To be the person you were born to be.

Excerpt:

“Uncle Quinn… please stop. Please stop Uncle Quinn! Stop it you’re hurting me!” I wailed loudly.

“Shhh… I’m just playing with you,” he replied with a sly look on his face, as he continued to grope me with both hands.

This had happened many times before, the constant touching and fondling of my private parts every time Uncle Quinn saw me. See the thing is, I didn’t make it easy for him because of my feisty nature. Usually I would be able to run away before he could really get a hold of me and on the times that I couldn’t get away, his inappropriateness would only last a few minutes until I would squirm so hard that he would finally release me from his grasp.

But today was different and I felt it immediately. His huge hand pinned down both my tiny wrists and with his other hand he proceeded to maliciously rip off my summer jumpsuit. His weight crushed my petite frame to the floor so much so that I couldn’t move. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t create enough wiggle space to escape his 6’2 lanky stature. With his free hand he pushed his fingers inside me with such ferocity that a loud scream escaped my mouth before I could even discern what was happening.

Guest Post

 If I’d never heard of me would I read my book? Why?

I would read my book if I’d never heard of myself because I’m a big fan of memoirs and spiritual/self-help books and my book is a combination of those two genres. Not to sound narcissistic, but I really wished there was a book like mine available when I was going through my rock bottom. There were plenty of self-help books out there and, believe me, I bought and read many of them. I never felt like it showed me ‘the how’. Rather, I found that those books always talked about how you would feel once you arrived to that better place in your life. I read the words on those books blankly because the destination seemed fantastic but I needed to know how I could get to that better place. I was in need of guidance and someone that I could read about and relate to.

Studies have shown that 1 in 5 girls are victims of child sex abuse, although the actual number could be much higher as most cases of abuse go unreported. I was one of those girls whose cases went unreported. I, therefore carried the pain throughout my adult life resulting in immense self-hatred.

With my transformation, I realized that forgiveness was the key. It's not as simple as accepting an apology from those who have wronged you because if that were true, why do so many of us recant the past, bringing that person's wrongful action up every time there's an argument? True forgiveness can only happen when you relinquish that person's power over you, claim it for yourself and not allowing the name of that person to trigger any emotion from you.

It took me years to exist in the space I do today. My memoir, The Last Ten Pounds, started off as a personal project to help me process, deal with and heal from the emotional traumas from my past. It originally started off as nothing more than scribbled notes in my journal. Before long, it had filled an entire book. That’s when I realized that my personal project was so much more than journal entries. It was meant to be shared with the world and maybe along the way help to inspire people in their own personal struggles.  If I my book can do that than I have done my job.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lina Sage is a writer, speaker, producer and entrepreneur. She is the creator and founder of Chic Spirituality; a movement whose philosophy is to live your life with heightened awareness by surrounding yourself with things you deem beautiful. Lina believes balance of mind, body and soul, is the key to unlocking all things beautiful. Therefore, she enjoys physical activity to maintain a strong body and meditation to calm the mind. But she especially cherishes time spent with her beloved husband and dog because they are what brings her soul the greatest joy. Lina also likes to surround herself with great food and exotic travels around the world.

Social Media Links:

website: www.linasage.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/chicsage

instagram: www.instagram.com/chicsage/?hl=en

  

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Book Tour Spotlight First Circle Club by Alex Siegel

Supernatural Fantasy

Date Published: September 25, 2015

 

Blurb:

 

When Virgil is betrayed and murdered, he thinks his days of catching fugitives as a U.S. Marshal are over. He is condemned to an eternity of filing paperwork in the First Circle of Hell. Then a demon lord gives Virgil an unprecedented assignment. He will return to Earth as part of a team: two souls from Heaven and two from Hell. They must stop another damned soul who escaped and is now murdering teenagers on Earth. The serial killer has supernatural skills and is part of a larger conspiracy which is well prepared for a fight. If he is not careful, Virgil could be murdered a second time.

 

 

Excerpt:

 

The angel touched down lightly on the sand. A supremely beautiful face made Sara want to cry with joy.
 

"I am Barachiel, chief of the guardian angels. You are Sara Bass"

Sara nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"The Lords of Hell screwed up and allowed an evil soul to escape to Earth. Now we have to clean up their mess."

"Oh. Sounds awful. What do you want me to do?"
 

"Go back to Earth as part of a search team," Barachiel said. "The soul belongs to a serial killer, and he has started to kill again. It's a uniquely important assignment."

"I guess you know my background. I was a medical examiner for many years."

"We picked you because of your background."

"We?" Sara said.

"The Council of Light."

The enormous magnitude of the situation was dawning on Sara. Of all the many millions of souls in Heaven, the Council had chosen her to return to Earth.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"It has never happened before," Barachiel said. "This search team concept is completely new. It might be a disaster, but we don't have any other options. Regular angels aren't suited for something like this.  Hell is sending its own representatives. Try to be polite even if they smell bad."

Sara wrinkled her nose.

"And of course, you can come back to Heaven any time you want," Barachiel added. "If the job proves too much for you, we can find a replacement."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary." Sara was looking forward to doing something useful again. "But how did this happen? I didn't think it was possible to escape from Hell."

Barachiel shrugged its beautiful shoulders. "I'm sure incompetence was the cause. Demons are so consumed by sinful thoughts they can't think clearly. Regardless, it's a big mess now. With all the bickering and accusations, you would think the Apocalypse had arrived."

Sara doubted the explanation was so simple. 

About the Author:

Alex Siegel has written three series, full of hellish scenarios and diabolical plot twists. The First Circle Club is the first book in his latest series. He is a computer programmer by day and a passionate, even obsessive, writer by night. He lives in Chicago with his wife and triplet teenage boys. A gray cat and two guinea pigs complete the menagerie.

Contact Information

Website: http://grayspearsociety.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraySpearSociety

Twitter: @AlexSiegel_

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grayspear/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3275734.Alex_Siegel

Series Reading Order:

First Circle Club

Paradise Hacked

Gambling Demons

Trolling Heaven (Coming Soon)

Purchase Link

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/First-Circle-Club-Alex-Siegel-ebook/dp/B015TXPP0M/

Promo Tour Montana Wild by Roni Hall w/ Review

MONTANA WILD by Roni Hall

Promo Tour Haven by Katherine Bogle

HAVEN by Katherine Bogle

Book Tour The Variant Conspiracy by Christine Hart w/ Giveaway and Review

The Variant Conspiracy 

by Christine Hart

GENRE: Sci Fi Romance

BLURBS:

In Irina's Cards

Irina Proffer leaves mundane small-town life behind when she experiences visions inspired by a strange deck of tarot cards. To get answers, she travels from her northern British Columbia home to the province’s coastal capital. She quickly discovers a world of fringe genetic science and supernatural mystery.

Working for Innoviro Industries, Irina is drawn in by a powerful first love and compelling, yet dangerous questions about the nature of the company’s business. Meeting other 'variants' brings Irina closer and closer to the dark truth about her origins. She finds herself at the heart of two overlapping love triangles as she scrambles to escape her employer's grip. Before she leaves the city, Irina realizes she has merely scratched the surface of a frightening conspiracy on a global scale.

REVIEW:

In Irina’s cards is one of those books that when you start it you want nothing more then to just keep going without regard to anything in the real world; it is a true escape into a world not our own.  The story starts off with a mystery and then you keep getting little pieces here and there and just when you think you have the story figured out a surprise hits you that tosses the idea out of the window.  The characters are deep and intricate and well developed.  You truly care about every one of them and hope for the best.  I love the fact that the variations that the variants each has is so wide and varied some can be in public while others have to hide.  For a first book in a series it does not disappoint.

 

The Compendium

Irina and her renegade variant friends are scrambling to pick up the trail of their former employer, Ivan, and his globally catastrophic scheme. After strategically sharing their story with the media, the group heads south from Vancouver to Seattle hoping to recruit more experienced—and lethal—variants to their cause.

Their attention develops a laser focus on an engineered disaster mere days ahead of them. Ivan is using what staff and resources remain of Innoviro Industries to set off a violent earthquake in San Francisco. While they fight to stop the earthquake, Irina pushes the love of her life Jonah as far away as she can, trying to keep his unstable genetic degradation in check.

Irina’s friends think they’ve seen the worst that Innoviro could bring forth by the time they reach a secret facility in the Mojave Desert. As they near the property, the group uncovers a horror none of them had ever imagined.

REVIEW:

The Compendium starts back up right where the previous story ended.  There was no weird segue into where are we what is going on now.  It is a heart pounding race against the total destruction of San Francisco with twists and turns and oh no moments that you hope none of the main characters to the story fall to harm.  Each scene is detailed and important to the story.  As with the first novel you get sucked in straight away and it is a fast paced ride from start to finish.  I can not wait for the conclusion to this story.

Excerpt from The Compendium:

I awoke standing on an orange cliff under a purple sky. An unfamiliar canyon wound under the horizon on either side. I looked down to see a river of metallic sludge oozing along the canyon floor. Chunks of debris floated in the sludge. Steam intermittently bubbled here and there. The sky darkened as I watched the river. Lights streaked across the sky, red and white, blinking. Black pellets fell from the lights, exploding in the distance as they hit the ground.

A figure walked through the smoke left by an explosion on the cliff directly opposite from me. While the smoke cleared, Ivan reached the edge of the cliff. His face distorted with a ripple. He reached up with both arms, burying his hands in his hair. His fingertips pulled on his scalp. Ivan’s expression melted. He peeled off his face in a downward motion taking the rest of his body with it. In Ivan’s place stood a red-eyed humanoid reptile with giant curling horns, identical to what I’d seen reflected in the window of Ivan’s apartment.

The horned figure let out a ferocious roar. The ground shook. The landscape shivered until the canyon transformed into a green valley below dry sage-covered hills. Ivan seemed himself again, smiling and tapping his wristwatch, strolling toward me. I shuddered, shaking my head. The green grass floor trembled and a crack opened horizontally between us. Trembling turned to shaking. The crack ripped into the ground in both directions until a canyon separated us.

A hand brushed my cheek. I whirled to find the source of the touch. I found myself lying in bed back in the guest bedroom in Josh’s farm house. I shouted and sat up.

Terra Nova

The end of the humanity and an unrecognizable future Earth are now days away. After their first glimpse of the Terra Nova virus, Irina and her variant friends know their former employer’s plans are almost at hand. Their failed attempt to publicize Ivan and Innoviro Industries’ horrific activities has left them utterly reliant on their own wits and weapons.

After surviving a catastrophic earthquake in San Francisco and destroying a secret viral testing facility, Irina’s crew has traveled by a variant portal to London. On the other side of the world, they begin tracking when and where Terra Nova will be unleashed on the world. They know stopping Terra Nova is only the beginning of unraveling Ivan’s plans to reinvent the planet, but if they can’t stop this virus, there will be no one left to save.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Located on BC’s beautiful West Coast, I make my home at the intersection of a lush rainforest and an urban underbelly. I love writing about places and spaces with rich history and visually fascinating elements as a backdrop for the surreal and spectacular. 

In addition to my undergraduate degree in writing and literature, my background also includes corporate communications and design. I am a current member of the Federation of BC Writers and SF Canada.

When not writing, I have a habit of breaking stuff and making stuff – in that order – under the guise of my Etsy alter-ego Sleepless Storyteller (https://www.etsy.com/shop/sleeplessstoryteller).  I share my eclectic home and lifestyle with my husband and two children.

Portfolio and author profile at www.christine-hart.ca.

  

Work experience and professional background at ca.linkedin.com.

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/christineahart

TWITTER:  https://www.twitter.com/chris_a_hart

PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/sleeplesss/

GOODREADS:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1335266.Christine_Hart

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Hart/e/B01BSDU214/

https://www.amazon.com/Irinas-Cards-Variant-Conspiracy-Book-ebook/dp/B01EKCKNWI

https://www.amazon.com/Compendium-Variant-Conspiracy-Book-ebook/dp/B01HQ87Z06

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Book Tour Spotlight Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines

 

Young Adult / New Adult Fantasy

Date Published: May 1, 2016

A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she's just like all the other magi.

A dragon who sees through her lies.

Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.

Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she's got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can't afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.

 

The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.

 

As an illusionist, she doesn't have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems...

Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.

 

Excerpt:

 

Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”

Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.

“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”

His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.

Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”

“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”

He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.

“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”

Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.

His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape the shapechanging Other in their midst.

When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.

Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.

Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.

And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.

She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.

 

About the Author:

I'm a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. These days, you can find me in the Tampa area. I'm currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult/new adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!

Contact Information

Website: www.JessHaines.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jess-Haines/e/B002XHFC1U/ 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jess-haines 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jess_haines 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessHainesAuthor/  

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jess_haines/ 

Tumblr: http://authorjesshaines.tumblr.com/ 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3149825.Jess_Haines 

Purchase Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Mirrors-Blackhollow-Academy-Book-ebook/dp/B01EQF5CAW 

Amazon Everywhere Else: http://hyperurl.co/d7dv3u 

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smoke-and-mirrors-jess-haines/1123723781?ean=2940152987492 

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/632146 

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/smoke-and-mirrors-42 

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-smokeandmirrors-2028707-143.html 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29979322-smoke-and-mirrors 

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/17656592

Interview Prodigal Son by Lisa Beth Darling

Prodigal Son-Sister Christian Finale

Blurb:
When the Hour is Darkest Love and Faith Can Conquer All.

In the final installment of the Sister Christian Series, the Court has demanded a hearing regarding Hannah's capacity. Hannah and Nick are falling deeper and deeper in love. Looking forward to a bright future together they begin planning their life together. A shadowy stranger from the past has set his sights on Hannah and her 3.5 million dollar trust fund. Is he really Rick MacNeill, the son Hannah thought died in the terrible fire at Saint Anne's? Is he someone sinister? The last of the family secrets come to light in this roller coaster ride of suspense, love, betrayal, and faith.

SHORT-EXCERPT:

Coming through the soup kitchen line on that fourth day, she smiled at him as she asked; "You're from Michigan?"

Knowing that his plan was working he did his best to keep his cool as he made full eye contact with her for the first time since he started coming here, "Pardon, ma'am?"

Hannah was thunderstruck by the sight of those piercing blue eyes. Her stomach turned and a knot twisted in her throat making her feel as though she were about to vomit. Catching her breath and trying hard not to stare at those eyes or the arch of his brow and the line of his nose, she cleared her throat as she fumbled for recovery, "I saw the plate on your car yesterday, I'm from Michigan too, Victorville, you probably never heard of it."

"Me too," he mumbled and held his burnt hands out for the steaming cup but she didn't release it to him right away.

Trying not to stare at him and appear rude, Hannah thought he man looked oddly familiar but she couldn't quite place him. He seemed far too young for her to have known when she lived there but it was the only logical explanation coming to her mind, "Did you go to Saint Mark's?" No, probably hadn't been in her class but maybe he was the younger brother or even the son of one of her old classmates.

"Me? No, ma'am, I went to school at Saint Mary's Orphanage, that's where I grew up. But I was born at Saint Anne's." He'd been anticipating a reaction but when her eyes welled with tears and the hot cup between them spilled its hot contents over her hands it was more than he'd hoped, "Ma'am? Are you ok? Here let me take that."

Letting go of the cup she picked up a nearby dishrag to wipe the hot broth from her hands, "Clumsy sometimes, I'm sorry, did you get…did you get burned?" Even as she handed over the dishrag for him to clean his hands, Hannah shook her head slightly admonishing herself. Of course he'd been burned, what a stupid thing to say.

Settling the cup of soup down on his tray he gave her a smile as he held up his hands for her to get a really good look, "They don't feel anything. I got burned a long time ago all the way to the bone."

A bolt of ice shot down Hannah's spine as she wavered on her feet with her knees suddenly threatening to give out from under her. "I'm-I'm sorry about that."

"Why? You didn't do it, did'ja?"

With her throat threatening to swell so much it cut off her air supply and her knees growing weaker, Hannah grabbed her side of the counter to keep steady as she choked out a question, "What's your name?"

"Richard, my friends call me Ricky." Without waiting for her to reply he slid the tray down the line where the nun was waiting to give him French fries and a chicken salad sandwich.  Taking his customary seat where he could see Hannah serving people from behind the line he watched her excuse herself and run off into the kitchen.  Trying not to be too obvious about it, he adjusted his seat and craned his neck until he saw her downing a few pills from the bottle in her pocket. She grabbed the side of the long metal preparing table, bent over it, and tried to catch her breath even as she shook her head, "Got'cha, hook, line and sinker."

INTERVIEW

Tell us a bit about yourselves.

I'm glad you said 'yourselves' because my stories are definitely a collaboration between The Muse and me. I don't always win in fact, he wins out far more often than I do. As for me; I'm rapidly approaching my 50^th birthday, I've been married for 30 years to my wonderful husband and together we've raised two daughters. I love chocolate, can't live without it for too long, my cats (I have 3). I love to grow things in the nice weather although I no longer have an in-ground garden, I still do it in containers on my deck and converted a small row boat into an herb garden. I'm a big movie buff with a collection of more than 500 DVDs and Blu-ray discs. That doesn't count the hundreds of VHS tapes stored away that will never be watched again because I no longer own a VHS player but I just can't part with them. So it's a good thing I finally got a Netflix account now I don't have to buy as many discs but I still buy the ones I know I'll watch over and over again such as "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" series (all extended versions, of course), all of "The Avengers" associated movies; geez I love 'Captain America', and my latest favorite "Dead Pool".

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?
Like me my desk is very eclectic I have scented candles, a Dancing Groot, a Peanut puppet that talks, a crystal ball, and all kinds of kitchy stuff. Those items are permanent. When writing I must have 1 hot drink and 1 cold drink (preferably potent), some burning incense, the iTunes blaring Classic Rock, and my cigs along with another…ah…all-natural smokeable substance.

 What's the weirdest thing you've googled?
Wow, tough one. Being an author I Google a lot of weird stuff and hope the NSA isn't checking out my browser history. LOL I've researched everything from poisons to derive/extract from plants along with how fast they work and their symptoms to rabies, medieval weaponry/torture devices, and an assortment of medical aliments with the drugs used to treat them.

 What is your guilty pleasure, I can’t miss it TV show?
Supernatural. Oh, I just love Sam and Dean. If I miss an episode I can be upset for days when its' gone on hiatus I watch the past seasons on Netflix.

 If you could go anywhere real or fictional where would it be?
A real place would be Greece I want to dance until dawn uninhibited—maybe naked-- on a white sandy beach with a big glass of Ouzo in my hand and visit all of the ancient ruins. For fictional place I really want to live in Hobbiton. I think it's just a wonderfully peaceful place and I would fit right in. Besides, I'm height-challenged so those Hobbit Holes are perfect for me.

 Are you a coffee or tea woman?
COFFEE!! I can't live without it! Honestly, I just do not function without several cups of good old Colombian coffee.

 Paperbacks, hardcovers, or ebooks?
If it's an author I just adore then I buy the hardcovers otherwise I'll go for the paperback. I haven't caught up with the times; I don't even own an e-reader.

 Do you currently have anything in the works?  If so can you give us any hints?
My latest release, "Prodigal Son" is the fourth and final installment in my Sister Christian series. It releases on August 30, 2016. Don't let the title of the series fool you, even though it is suitable for a Christian audience, it is definitely not a 'Christian' or 'religious' series. In fact, the title comes from the Night Range tune of the same name. It's about a long-lost brother and sister; Richard Mason and Hannah Rice. In this installment the last of the family secrets is revealed when a shadowy figure lurks around Hannah, pretending to be the son she lost in a fire shortly after his birth.

AUTHOR BIO:
Lisa Beth Darling is 49 years-old, lives in her hometown of New London, CT with her husband of 30 years, Roy and is mother to their two daughters.  She is the author of more than fifteen novels along with several short stories and non-fiction books. When she’s not writing she likes to garden and is an avid movie buff.

Author links:

Website: http://www.lisabethdarling.com

Blog: http://lbdarling.wordpress.com

Twitter: @lb_darling

Facebook: http://facebook.com/lbdarling

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1577311.Lisa_Beth_Darling

Purchase Links:

Amazon/Kindle: http://amazon.com/author/lisadarling

Nook: http://barnesandnoble.com/c/lisa-beth-darling

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lisa-beth-darling/id411650358?mt=11

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lisadarling