Friday, November 30, 2012

Its The Weekend and Hot Autumn Nights


Going Christmas shopping? Have fun and find lots of sales. But regardless, enjoy the weekend.
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Don't forget the Hot Autumn Nights Blog Hop: Post Below.
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Excerpt from The Crystal:


Leaky pulled a small tool from his back pocket and picked the lock. He slipped through the gate and closed it behind him then crept toward the back of the house.
Christopher flexed his fingers. He really was going to enjoy this. Stepping out of the shadows, he purred, “Are you lost, Leaky? You seem a bit far from home.”
The small man gave a violent start. Even in the darkness, Christopher could see him blanch. But then he had the eyes of a cat.

Leaky tried to bolt, but Christopher was too quick. With a panther-like lunge, he reached out and wrapped his arm around Leaky’s neck. “We have to talk,” he purred in the smaller man’s ear and drew him into the shadows.
Sliding both hands up, Christopher squeezed the jugular. “Now tell me, my little rodent, why you had the audacity to steal from me?”
Leaky gasped for air. “I didn’t know it was yours, Saint, honest.”
Christopher’s fingers tightened.
Leaky pried at them to no avail. “A customer offered me a fortune for it, but I wouldn’t have touched it if I’d known it was yours. You got to believe me.”
Christopher shook him.
Leaky’s head snapped back so sharply, that for a brief moment, Christopher thought he’d broken the man’s neck. “Who?”
“Don’t know,” Leaky gasped out. “You know how the business works. Never any names. Just telephone calls and manila envelopes exchanged.”
Christopher pressed him up against the house and smiled a wolfish smile. “Too bad for you, you didn’t bother with a little more information.”
His ring glittered like arching green fireworks in the dark, as the back of Christopher’s hand made contact with Leaky’s face. The slap echoed through the night.
Leaky tasted blood in his mouth then felt it trickle down his chin.
Even though a chill March wind blew, beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. The rest of his body was cold and clammy, frozen with fear. In the circle Leaky moved in, Saint was called The Tiger, though never to his face. It was said he once ripped out a man’s heart while it was still beating.
Leaky liked to think the story exaggerated, but regardless of whether it was true or fictionalized, The Tiger was not a man to cross.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Enter Hot Autumn Nights Blog Hop

Starts November 29th.
What's your idea of a Hot Autumn Night? I'll take a crackling fire, hot cider, a romantic movie and, of course, the hh to watch it with.
For an opportunity to win a download of Minder, leave a comment along with your email addie.  The winner goes into a drawing for a $155.00 Barnes and Noble gift card. There's fifty-six other blogs you can hop to and increase your chances of winning. Find them at:
http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=165104





VBT: Tudor Rubato



 Blurb:
Having survived a near-death experience all Amadeus Tudor wants to do is escape to the countryside of Scotland with his wife Zara so the two can have some much needed down time together as a couple and work on rebuilding their relationship.  Life for the past couple of years, however has been “a long, strange trip (it’s been)”* for the internationally acclaimed rock star, with no signs of stopping.  (*Grateful Dead - Truckin')
            But before the couple can even get away, tragedy hits close to home forcing the couple into almost delaying their new adventure. Grace Tudor, the family matriarch insists the two embark on their new adventure and recommitting to each other immediately.
            The change of scenery proves exactly what Amadeus needs to reboot his songwriting and his all encompassing bond with Zara.  Together they embrace their new adventure as slowly Amadeus, with the guidance of music icon, Peter McNichol embarks on what promises to be another notch in Amadeus’ career.
            The road is full of twists and turns for the pair as one moment finds them frolicking in the meadows outside Edinburgh to the next learning the shocking and sinister side of one of Amadeus’ own brothers.
Excerpt:
I closed the front door and found Amadeus back in the kitchen helping himself to a huge slice of the blackcurrant pie. He certainly had no problem finding the plates and forks.
“Amadeus! I was going to warm the pasties so we could eat first.”
“But I’m starving.”
“So am I. Put it down. I’ll heat up these pasties so we can eat. Why don’t you open the bottle of wine. And put that pie down!”
“Mmm, okay,” he mumbled as he crammed his mouth full of pie.
I walked over and snatched the plate out of his hand, knowing full well he would eat the entire piece while we waited for the main course. Fortunately for us, the pasties were still fairly warm and I popped them into the microwave for a minute just to make them hot.
I found a corkscrew in a drawer and tossed it to him as I looked for a couple of wine glasses. I took two out of the cabinet and walked them over to him. As I laid them down, the buzzer on the microwave beeped letting me know the pasties were ready. I plated them, grabbed a couple of forks and walked over to the kitchen table situated along a cheerful large window. Amadeus quickly followed and placed a glass next to me as he sat down across the table.
The food was good, and we were both hungrier than we thought. We devoured all four of the pasties before Amadeus was back at his slice of pie. My mind was still spinning with the events of the day. It had been quite a long day for that matter, but I was too keyed up for sleep.
Instead I got up, gathered the dishes and put them in the dishwasher before I walked back over to where Amadeus sat, still at the kitchen table. I began to massage his neck and shoulders.
“How does that feel?”
“God you’ve got good hands. That feels wonderful.”
I knew beneath the table Amadeus was hard as granite, the blood running like lava through his veins, and I knew where this was going if I kept touching him.
I moved his hair to one side and began kissing him against the nape of his neck and smiled as a shudder rippled through him.
“Amadeus,” I cooed softly, “would you like to check out our new bedroom?”
It was all the encouragement he needed. Noisily he shoved back his chair and hauled me into his arms. “Why go all the way upstairs to the bedroom, love?”
Copyright©2012Jamie Salisbury 
BIO:
Jamie Salisbury cannot imagine a time when she did not write. A skill that has served her well throughout her diversified professional career that encompassed public relations in and around the entertainment industry, photography, editing, and special event planning.
 An avid reader of history, biographies, and romance it's only natural that she prefers to write  romances with characters said to be "so authentic they spring forth from the page and shake the reader's hand." No stranger to life threatening situations Jamie pulls from life experience when she creates her stories. Such as when her family had to escape Chile when she was a teen because of the unstable political climate.
 Finding herself unable to walk great distances  as a result of  several foot surgeries, she started writing once again as a way to pass the time. With the completion of her first novel Perpetual Love she dove head first into the eBook and digital publishing paradigm. She couldn't be happier with her decision to grab the publishing industry by the shoulders and force it to pay attention to all she has to offer.
Contact Links
Blog: http://www.jamiesalisburyauthor.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.jamiesalisbury.com/\Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Salisbury-Womans-Fiction-Author/202978499741542
Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/jamiesalisbury
Twitter: @JamieRSalisbury
 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

VET: Over The Mountain And Back


BLURB:

With his father gone missing and his mother losing her grip on reality, Peter Bailey’s life is nopicnic. Peter’s gray existence changes unexpectedly after he takes his new snowboard for a ride in the mountains of Colorado and is stunned to find himself in Transadonia – a hidden world
that coexists alongside with the Earth.

Lara Grover never listened to her elders, so warnings like “do not talk to strangers” mean nothing to her. When a boy from an unknown world saves her from an avalanche with the aid of a snow dragon, Lara is not stunned in the least. Instead, she joins Peter on his quest to help him realize the purpose behind his arrival to Transadonia.

Together, Lara and Peter embark on an adventure filled with perils, trickery, betrayals, and unexpected alliances.

Excerpt:


During warm weather, the bears preferred to dine under the open sky. The dining hall was located in a clearing surrounded by maple trees. The maples were old with thick and powerful trunks, and their branches drew together closely, forming a canopy of thick leaves. There were low benches on the ground that the bears used as tables since they did not have any need for chairs. In the middle of the clearing stood a massive wooden table with attached benches, and Lara and Peter assumed that it was the seat of the Bear Charmer. The dining hall was used only during formal occasions such as celebrations or important announcements. Otherwise, the bears would dine in an unorganized fashion, breaking up into groups of their closest friends.
The kitchen bears were in charge of preparing all feasts, and they were busy delegating tasks to the other bears, instructing them where to place each dish. The bears were carrying large wooden dishes filled with chunks of fragrant roasted meat and baked potatoes. There were baked turnips and carrots, berries and freshly churned cream, and of course, honey. There was fresh icy cold water from the well to drink.
More and more bears kept arriving into the hall, taking their assigned benches. Soon there were scarcely any empty seats left, as the bears waited expectantly for the important guests who were to join them at the feast.
“There you are!” said the Bear Charmer at the sight of Lara and Peter and motioned for them to join him.
The children followed Master Auberon and sat down at the table beside him. The table could easily accommodate six people so there was plenty of room.
“I usually sit alone,” explained the Bear Charmer. “But it is good to have your company.”
The children smiled shyly since they still could not believe the transformation that had taken place in the Bear Charmer’s demeanor.
Naum took a seat at a wooden bench nearby and was joined by four other bears that Master Auberon had chosen to help Peter and Lara. The bears were proud to have been selected for such an important task, and they eyed Peter and Lara curiously. They were anxious to speak with them, but they did not want to interrupt their conversation with Master Auberon. Soon the preparations were finished, and all the bears waited for Master Auberon to commence the feast. He stood up to make a short speech.
“Bears, as you very well know, we have never had human visitors here before. But today something truly remarkable happened. These two children,” said the Bear Charmer placing his heavy hands on Peter’s and Lara’s shoulders, “have saved one of our bears. It was a simple but truly brave and selfless act that restored my faith in humankind. Tonight we shall feast and celebrate in the honor of our guests. Tomorrow our guests will have to face and accomplish a difficult task, and we shall provide them with all the support that we can muster. Difficult times are coming, and we may be called upon to play our part. I am telling you this with full certainty in your bravery and valor and with full confidence that when the time comes, we shall fight proudly together.”



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Dear Reader,

Thank you very much for joining me for Over the Mountain and Back blog tour. The story of Over the Mountain and Back began over twenty years ago when I was fourteen years old and decided to write a novel as an anniversary gift for my parents. It was going to be a fantasy adventure about a boy named Peter and a girl named Lara set in a magical country, Transadonia. I remember writing studiously on the pages of an ornate notebook I had acquired especially for the occasion. Back then computers were not yet widely used, so I had to pay extra care to my handwriting. A year later, Over the Mountain and Back was completed, or at least I had thought so at the time. Needless to say my parents were very surprised with their anniversary gift.

Years passed; I finished high school and went on to college. Lara’s and Peter’s story faded from my mind, replaced by the hustles and bustles of everyday life. Then, one day – the day that happened to be my thirtieth birthday, my parents presented me with a gift: it was oblong in shape and wrapped in shiny paper. After I opened the wrapping, I was stunned to find the long forgotten story I had written all those years ago.
 
Long story short, after two years of extensive work, I rewrote and expanded Over the Mountain and Back into a novel of 95,000 words. For me it had been an exciting journey to be reunited with my old friends: Lara and Peter, Forest Witch Ramona, Chancellor Libra, Bookbrownies, and, of course, Carnelion, among the many others.

I hope that you will join Lara and Peter on their adventure in Transadonia.

If you would like to find out more about my books, please stop by website: www.marieastor.com.
Regards,
Marie Astor

Books by Marie Astor:
For Young Adults:
Kindle Link:


Marie will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

The tour dates can be found here: