P. M. Briede on Tour: Smoldering Embers

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P. M. Briede will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

The Charlotte Grace Series

The Charlotte Grace series, in many ways, is a love letter to New Orleans.  I am a southern girl and, while I’m not a Louisiana native, I am a graduate of Louisiana State University.  I spent four and a half glorious, formative years in Baton Rouge with many a trip into the heart of a city I love.

Now, some of you may ask why New Orleans?  Some of you may think you know why a young adult would want to live around a city of excess.  But here’s the truth.  I have family roots tied to New Orleans and LSU.  I recently learned that my family once owned one of the oldest and premiere, touring cemeteries in the city.  While Mardi Gras is quite the display of excess of all kinds, I have family in many of the Krewes.  But it’s the diverse culture of the city that drew me in.  Voodoo and witchcraft.  Vampires and ghosts.  The ultimate playground for the undead of any kind.

Which is what brings us back to what this has to do with my book.  Throughout the series you’ll follow the lives of Charlotte Grace, Wesley Breaux, Olivier Cheval, and Paige Lochs.  Yet, New Orleans is almost a fifth character.  You’ll experience a Mardi Gras Ball and Christmas.  You’ll eat at Café Du Monde, Brigsten’s, and Coop’s Place.  You’ll get the feel for modern living in a plantation and in the Garden District.  Key scenes take place at many historic locations throughout the city, from The Saenger and Fritzel’s to Southern Oaks Plantation and the Bourbon Orleans Hotel.

For me, New Orleans was the only city who could host this story and hopefully inspire your imagination to believe it.

 

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Smoldering Embers

by PM Briede

 

Blurb:

“Death is only the beginning.” You hear that all the time. Maybe it is, for the soul who passes on. But what about the ones who are left behind?

I lost my husband unexpectedly in a tragic accident and now have to move back to my childhood home in New Orleans. Thank God for my friends Wesley and Paige. I’d be absolutely lost without them. As I pick up the pieces of what is left of my life, we settle back into our old routines. That is until I hire Olivier to work for me. Now my world is once again turning upside down as the people I’m closest to, old and new, shed the skin of what is familiar and ultimately redefine the nature of our relationships. Couple all of this with the return of my debilitating headaches and ominous dreams of green fire, and well, I’m just at a loss.

What do you do when what you thought you knew turns out to be wrong? What do you do when you find out you can’t trust the people closest to you? What do you do when you keep trying to move forward but life keeps getting in the way? And given all of this, how am I supposed to figure out who Charlotte Grace is now?

 

Excerpt:

PAIN!  It was the only thought I had.  There were voices but they were muffled even though they were loud and angry.  It was as if their volume kept me from being able to understand anything other than that someone was present.  But they didn’t matter.  All that mattered was the pain.

It surrounded me.  It crushed me from the outside.  It pushed on me from the inside.  The muscles in my body were so tense I thought they’d shred my bones.  My head felt as though it was going to explode.  I wanted it to explode!  If it was gone I couldn’t experience this pain.

Something hit me, knocking my eyes open.  Through the fog I could make out the carpet of my bedroom.  I must have fallen out of bed.  I haven’t had that dream since college.  That eerie green fire that engulfed me.  It’s the only thing I ever remembered about those dreams.  But I was more than familiar with the aftermath.  The throbbing headache that no pill could cure.  The only remedy?  Sleep.

But this time it was different.  This time my entire body was throbbing as if I’d run a marathon I hadn’t prepared for.  There was a pain in my chest that turned my stomach.  I crawled into the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time.

I don’t know how long I laid in my bathroom.  After losing my stomach I didn’t have the energy to move.  Normally after the dreams I’d roll over and find sleep quickly.  The next time I woke up I would be good as new.  But the effects of this dream lingered.  That was until a voice pulled me out of my misery.  “Charlotte!” my mother-in-law called.  I couldn’t answer.  She found me quickly.  “Dear God!  They said no one reached you yet!”

I opened my eyes and saw her panicked, tear-stained face.  Something wasn’t right.  I tried to ask after my nieces.  No words passed my open mouth.

She helped me sit up.  Once she was done talking I wished she’d never found me.  “Charlotte, he’s gone.”  I didn’t need clarification even though she gave it to me.  The truth was written all over her.  My chest suddenly felt empty.  The facts didn’t matter.  I knew it in my soul.  “Giles is dead.”

 

MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_NEWAuthor Bio and Links:

I am a lover of all things artistic. I grew up surrounded by the performing arts both as a spectator and performer. That love of creation and design is the fuel for my writing now. Being able to create and entertain is a dream come true.

The imagination is a powerful thing, able to take you places you never dreamed. I write realistic fantasy. The idea of the possible having impossible explanations fascinates me. That idea is the driving force behind the Charlotte Grace series.

If you are interested in receiving updates when I release new books, please visit me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/pm.briede or follow me on Twitter @PMBriede.

 

 

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Smoldering-Embers-P-M-Briede-ebook/dp/B00HG2M15C/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1411275148

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/474276

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smoldering-embers-p-m-briede/1120182625?ean=9781500784133

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21238032-smoldering-embers

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Elaine Cantrell on Tour: Rest Thy Head

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Elaine will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour and a Drop Card with 5 free books from Astrea Press to a randomly selected host.

Continue reading Elaine Cantrell on Tour: Rest Thy Head

Christine Wenrick on Tour: Guarding Poppy

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http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/05/virtual-book-tour-guarding-poppy-by.html

 

One randomly chosen Grand Prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and a runner up will receive autographed copies of Someone Else’s Skye and Guarding Poppy (US only).

 

Author Interview

1. Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author. Perseverance and a belief in my own work. You have to believe in your work if you expect others to.

2. Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you? That’s a good question because I read mostly contemporary and historical romances but I write paranormal. So I kind of surprised myself when I started writing paranormal. I wrote my first novel, The Charmed, after clearly envisioning the ending for the book. Because the final scene could not happen unless the hero had a supernatural element to him, I would say the genre kind of found me.
3. The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter? I would say I’m a plotter. I would find it much more difficult to write this series, where the stories all tie together and there are many twists, if I were a pantser. But I am impressed by any author who is a pantser.
4. Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline? I have a terrible fear of snakes and spiders, doesn’t matter if they are big or small, poisonous or not. I run for the hills! In Guarding Poppy I mention that Poppy has a terrible fear of spiders.
5. Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you? I have another full-time job as a commercial interior designer so it is a bit of a juggling act at times. But because I love doing both careers so much, I find that I’m able to handle it. I just don’t sleep a whole lot. J

6. Switch positions with one of your main characters in a scene. What is the outcome, disaster or divine intervention? Disaster, more than likely.

7. Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without. I love to write while I’m at the coast. The sound of water relaxes me, and being relaxed is so key to successful writing. At least it is for me. My favorite comfort food is animal crackers, organic ones actually that I get from Trader Joe’s. The ‘organic’ tricks me into believing I’m doing something healthy for myself.
8. Writing inspirations? Obviously other author’s works, but also nature plays a big part for me. My stories are present day but involve supernatural beings that need to live in more concealed places. A lot of years of backpacking in remote areas with my Dad during the summer has inspired a lot of my stories.

9. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them? Assuming they need to be alive I would say Lisa Kleypas. I would ask her what the one story is she wanted to write, but for whatever reason, hasn’t?

10. I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t. Since this is a series about five men, I won’t confirm for them who the five men are or which character is next . . . and it drives them crazy! But I love hearing their guesses.

 

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Guarding Poppy

by Christine Wenrick

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BLURB:

ONE NIGHT . . . ONE VIOLENT, SUPERNATURAL BATTLE . . .

AND FIVE STORIES OF THE MEN WHOSE LIVES WILL BE CHANGED BY IT.

Alec Lambert was born to lead. He’s a ruling Elder of The Brethren, possessing steely confidence, natural smarts, and decisive problem solving abilities . . . and he’s not too bad on the eyes, either. Everything in his life has gone exactly according to plan—until the night of Brahm Hill. Alec loses his best friend at the hands of the uncle he trusted like a father, along with his previously unshakable faith to lead those with whom he’s charged. Despite this, he continues to press ahead, and for his next assignment he’s asked to protect a very beautiful but very clumsy Dhampir who’s being hunted by a powerful warlock. Suddenly, he finds his whole Brethren world is turned upside down . . . and he finds himself harboring a desire for her he can’t explain.

Poppy Honeywell knows she’s far from perfect. Bad things tend to happen when she’s around. She’s more than a little clumsy, with a phobia or two mixed in. Not to mention that her name is certainly unusual. But she doesn’t have time to worry about all that because she’s on the run and not about to back down from the arrogant Elder who’s just been assigned as her protector, claiming he has all the answers to her problems. The real problem, though, is . . . she’s irresistibly drawn to this man who faces constant danger and takes charge so naturally. But Poppy also sees that taking charge of others helps Alec mask his own very deep pain.

WILL ALEC FIND HIS WAY OUT OF THE DARKNESS AND SURRENDER TO HIS FEELINGS FOR POPPY BEFORE THE WARLOCK CHASING HER CATCHES UP TO THEM BOTH?

MEDIA KIT Someone Else's Skye_(Front Cover)_BOOK ONE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEDIA KIT Author PhotoAuthor Bio and Links:

Christine is a graduate of Washington State University where she received a BA in Interior Design. And true to form of using mostly her ‘right brain’, she splits her time between her commercial design career and her imaginary world of writing. She lives in the scenic Pacific Northwest where she enjoys hiking, camping and photographing many of the wonderful places that served as inspiration for her writing. Her biggest reward in life is any given day when one of her books connects with a reader because she herself is such a lover of reading. Some of her favorite authors include Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Kimberly Derting.

 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/christine.wenrick

Facebook Fan Page:   https://www.facebook.com/ChristineWenrickBooks?ref=hl

Twitter: @CWenrick  https://twitter.com/CWenrick

Website: http://www.christinewenrick.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B0094YGA7U_B0094YGA7U_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Christine+Wenrick&sort=relevance&ie=UTF8&qid=1396380022

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Rhonda Shaw on Tour: The Changeup

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The Changeup

by Rhonda Shaw

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/virtual-blurb-blitz-tour-changeup-by.html

Rhonda will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.

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Blurb:

Playing for keeps

After nine years of striking out in the dating department, Maddie Hamlin is throwing in the towel. But just as this mom resolves to remain single, she meets sweet and sexy pitching phenom Chase Patton at a family dinner. He’s perfect for her and aside from the fact he’s only twenty-two.

Chase knows he should be focusing on his rookie year with the Detroit Rockets, but he can’t stop thinking about Maddie. He doesn’t care that the beautiful school counselor is twelve years older, and he’s already lost his heart to her adorable daughter. When an incredible date leads to an incredible night of passion, he knows he never wants to let her go.

But dating in the media spotlight is a whole new ball game. Maddie quickly discovers that not everyone accepts their unconventional relationship and that finding love may mean losing everything else…

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MEDIA KIT The Changeup

Excerpt:

“Lift your left foot there, that’s right, and bring your arm back to here. You feel that?” Chase asked as he held her right arm up, his warm hand moving slowly from her elbow to her wrist. He angled his body and she could feel the feel length of him pressed against her, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. “And then you’re going to bring it through and follow through to here.”

Maddie nodded. Could she feel that? She could feel nothing but that! The breadth and solidness of his chest against her back as he leaned over her made her want to turn and worship its strength. Her butt was snug against his front and she didn’t even want to think about what she could bump into if she moved even the slightest inch. His breath was warm on her neck and his lips were right by her ear making her mouth water. Her skin started to tighten and tingle as the air seemed to clog in her throat, and she could feel her cheeks burning. Her reactions, all of them, were shocking. Had it been that long that any touch from a male was going to set her off? Did it not matter that he was many—way too many—years her junior? Her mind screamed, asking what the hell she was thinking, but her body was happily ignoring the alarms.

 

Author Bio and Links:

After writing one mind numbing technical document after another, Rhonda Shaw decided to combine her love of writing with her love of reading romance. Born in California, but transplanted to the Midwest, Rhonda is a warm weather girl to the bone. She works in the software development industry and was a lifelong dancer until her body told her it was time to come down off her toes.  For more information about Rhonda and her books, please visit her website at http://www.rhondashaw.com.

 

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Website – http://www.rhondashaw.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AuthorRShaw

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorrhondashaw

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