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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

#BookBlast The Soul Retrieval by @annjarvie1

Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and more than twenty-five years’ experience as an award-winning writer in advertising and public relations agencies, both in South Carolina and Chicago. She now lives near Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends part of her time as a freelance copywriter and the rest writing fiction.

The Soul Retrieval was inspired by Jarvie’s maternal grandmother’s fascinating life on Indian reservations, where she lived with her physician husband until his mysterious and untimely death.
www.annwjarvie.com
https://twitter.com/annjarvie1
https://plus.google.com/104972649617453739149/posts
https://www.facebook.com/ann.jarvie1

Inspired by a true story, The Soul Retrieval is a suspenseful tale of love, loss and healing
which follows traumatized southern beauty Henrietta Clayborn as she moves between her
home in a small South Carolina town and the New Mexico Native American reservation whose spontaneous healings keep drawing her physician husband back. Tortured by her awful secrets, Henrietta struggles to thrive in either locale, but it is her unlikely friendship with Joe Loco––an eccentric Native American mystic with an Elvis fetish and a gift for healing––that shows her the way to be whole again.

Set in the late 1950s, The Soul Retrieval is richly woven with spiritual insights but also deadly secrets, forbidden healings, a murder mystery, stunning scenery and an unforgettable cast of characters.

A story of transcendent and inspiring power that is both entertaining and enlightening, readers will be cheering for the uptight woman from South Carolina to push through her fears of the forbidden as she searches for truth and healing, faces great obstacles on the frontier of self and
ultimately becomes more than she ever thought possible.

After finishing the second nocturne, he looked up at her. “You know that I’ve been researching the high incidence of spontaneous healings here, right?” Jeff was both a lead physician and medical researcher at the Medichero Indian Hospital. He reached for a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his short-sleeved white shirt.

“Uh-huh,” Henrietta said. She barely heard what he said. How am I going to get into it? How am I going to tell him? She had asked herself these questions at least a million times. She picked up a pen and notebook from the coffee table, trying to keep her hands busy.

Jeff smoked in silence a moment before continuing. “There’s more to it than even I  imagined.”

“More to what?” she asked. She absently doodled on the page without looking up. How am I
going to tell him?

Jeff blew smoke. “The spontaneous healings that I’m so interested in ... the medicine men here seem to be doing something real to affect the recoveries.”

Now he had her attention. “They are?” She looked at him. “Like what?”

Instead of answering, Jeff got up and turned toward the bay windows that cradled the piano in a small alcove off the living room of the doctor’s cottage. His silhouette against the bright morning light was a man-shaped eclipse, his muscled edges luminous and blurred by the smoldering tobacco. It gave him an unworldly appearance, and Henrietta was reminded about how often she felt like an outsider here, and even back home.

The author will be giving away a $75 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card during the tour!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

#BookBlast: Reconciled for Easter by Noelle Adams @NoelleAdams3

Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel. She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

Social Media: Website: http://noelle-adams.com/Home_Page.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoelleAdamsAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoelleAdams3 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6572847.Noelle_Adams Book Trailer for Reconciled for Easter: http://youtu.be/uRCv460Clr0 Embed code:

Blurb:

Abigail has been separated from her husband for almost two years. After a marriage that brought her only insecurity, she seeks a life now of peace and independence with their six-year-old daughter. Thomas wants to put their marriage back together, because he liked the wife he used to have, but she never wants to be that person again.

She might need his help with their daughter and start to enjoy his company again, but she just can't trust him with her heart. Even when she discovers that her heart still wants him for a husband.


Buy links:

Excerpt:

She was leaning back against the counter, and Thomas was standing far too close to her. Once again invading her personal space. And this time she easily recognized his tone as snide. “What the heck is your problem?”

Thomas had one hand on the counter beside her, bracing himself as he stood just a few inches away from her. She would have scooted over, but that would have been a surrender.

His green eyes were intent on her face, and she saw his nostrils flare just a little. “You smell like him.”

Abigail gasped, mostly from shock and outrage but also with the faintest trace of arousal at the intimacy of the words. “What?”

“I said,” he gritted out, edging even closer until the fabric of his shirt brushed against her arm and one of her breasts, “you smell like him.”

“Well, what do you expect?” she demanded, her anger blazing quickly. No one could rile her up like Thomas could. “I spent the evening with the man.”

Something grew even tenser in his expression. “Did you?”

She knew him well enough to understand the resonance in his words. “Damn you, Thomas,” she said in a harsh whisper, making sure her voice didn’t carry past the kitchen. She’d never used such language before they’d gotten separated. “You have no right to act this way.”

Clearly Thomas too was conscious of not waking Mia, since his murmur was thick, rough, and soft. “I’d like to remind you of the fact that you’re still my wife.”

“And what makes you think I need any sort of reminder of that?

His lips tightened into white. “I saw him walk you to the door.”

She sucked in an indignant breath and clenched her fists at her sides. Thomas was still far too close. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, sense the leashed tension in his stance, hear the fast, uneven breaths he was taking. “So someone isn’t allowed to be polite to me now, because I’m still your wife?”

Thomas made a guttural sound and braced his other hand on the counter, imprisoning her in between his arms. He leaned forward, pushing her back, and he rasped against her ear. “That man wasn’t just being polite. You know it as well as I do.”

She was so angry now she could hardly think straight, and it was worse to know that he was right. She’d been foolish in not recognizing what Jim was thinking long before now.

But worst of all was a familiar feeling building beneath her belly. She knew how to recognize it. Knew it was triggered by the proximity of Thomas’s lean, hard body, his familiar scent flooding her senses, his piercing eyes and thick voice.

Her body was primed for sex with him, even as she wanted to scratch lines down his slightly flushed face.


Noelle will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card during the tour!

Monday, March 16, 2015

#Interview with @LouiseLyndon1 for Of Love and Vengeance

Louise grew up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne.

She has been writing the moment she picked up a copy of Diana Gabaldon's first Outlander novel twenty something years ago. She thought to herself, 'this is what I want to do' - not travel back in time, but become a novelist! She has always had snippets of dialogue and scenes floating around in her head with characters screaming at her to bring them to life.

In 2013, Louise won first prize in the Crested Butte Sandy Writing contest – Historical category for her story, The Promise, which is now called, Of Love and Vengeance.

When not writing, she can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls - under the guise of competing in Spartan races all over Australia.

AUTHOR LINKS:
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What is your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?
Of Love and Vengeance has a ‘sensual’ heat level. I’m OK writing sex scenes, I mean, I don’t get embarrassed by them or anything. I get more embarrassed if someone I know reads them! I do a very rough draft of sex scenes and then go back and layer the scene. I have to be careful because I have a tendency to add an extra limb here and there!


How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?
I make sure I go to the gym prior to writing – otherwise if I didn’t do that I wouldn’t move for hours, possibly days on end. If I’m deep into a scene often I don’t notice the time fly so I am often surprised when I look at the clock and realize six hours have whizzed by. I’ll get up and walk through the house or go outside and walk to the end of the street.



What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?
One of the main things I love about Laila is even though she is from ‘medieval’ times, I think a lot of women will be able to relate to her. She has a birthmark down the side of her face and has self-image issues, which I am sure we’ve all suffered (or are still suffering) with. So she learns how to love herself before she can love others. And she is strong! She can look after herself, thank you very much, but she isn’t too strong that she won’t allow others to look after her every now and then.

Aymon, I love his strong moral compass. While he’s very loyal to his king, he also knows the difference between ‘right and wrong’ and he uses his morals to guide him to make his own decisions, regardless of whether or not it could cost him his life.


What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?
I love writing confrontation scenes. You can really let rip and get so much out – especially if the scene involves the ‘baddy’. You can push things a lot more, I feel, than if you are writing a non-confrontational scene.

Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?
I would class myself as a social media addict. I spend way too much time on Facebook and Twitter. I always like to try anything new that comes out. I think it’s important for writers to have a presence on the internet. And I think it’s important to build that presence in advance of having any work available. Social media is now a fact of life and I believe you should utilize it to its fullest.

What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?
I mentioned earlier the self-image issues that Laila experiences in my book, Of Love and Vengeance. Well, I drew from personal experience and infused that in the story. I tapped into the ‘issues’ I’ve experienced and gave them to Laila.
 

If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?
Up until two years ago, I lived in the UK for sixteen years. I would LOVE to be able to go back there for research purposes.

Any fun facts about the research for your book?
I had LOADS of fun staring at pictures of Chris Hemsworth (I’ve based my character, Aymon, on him). So yes, it was extremely tough looking at pictures of him, especially the shirtless ones, but hey, someone has to do it!


Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!
My newest release, Of Love and Vengeance, is about a few things really. Firstly, it’s about prejudices, mainly about how we can tar an entire group by either misconceptions or by the behavior of a few. Both the hero and heroine are guilty of doing this, so we get to see how they deal with this. It’s also about acceptance, not just of each other, but of yourself as well. Laila, the heroine has a birthmark that covers one side of her face, and she really struggles with loving herself because of it. So we also see how she learns to love herself.
 

BLURB:
Forced to marry Lord Aymon to ensure her young nephews survival, English Lady Laila vows undying hatred for the Norman she holds responsible for the deaths of so many innocents. Discovering Aymon has committed an act of treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves.  But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of the king once she learns the truth?

A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command. Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his secret?


BUY LINKS:
Excerpt:
Laila heard them long before she saw them. Their angry, frenzied shouts and thunderous roars filled her ears. With her hands tied securely behind her, she was dragged up the lane toward Tyburn Gallows, where she was to be hanged for a crime she did not commit. The mob sounded blood thirsty. Large. Frightening.

There was no sign of Aymon. Or Hugh. Had they left her alone to die?

Her chin trembled and her nails dug into her palms.

She suddenly fell to her knees and screamed until she tasted blood at the back of her throat. She kicked out and tried to crawl free as her hair was almost torn from the roots as she was pulled up and shoved along the lane.

Her eyes burned with her tears.

“I am innocent!” Laila screamed.

They came around a corner, and that’s when she saw them. There must have been a least two thousand men, women, and children, hungry for her blood. And when they saw her, they erupted into a wild fever of roars and cries for a slow and painful death. Their thirst had been piqued, and now it must be sated.

Laila was shoved into the center of the clearing.

She glanced wildly around in a desperate search for Aymon’s towering, bulky frame. She could not see him.

But what she could see was the Tyburn Tree. The gallows she was to be hanged from. The executioner, hooded, stood beside the tree as he waited patiently for her. Laila’s mouth suddenly went dry.
Louise will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host during the tour.