After Reading: MURDER BY MASSAGE by Stuart R. West

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Zach is back! And he hasn't learned one darn thing since the last time he ended up as the number one suspect in a murder case. 

But just like last time, big sister comes to the rescue. And what a big sister! Zora LeFevre's a private investigator. The only down side is she's usually got her four kids with her. 

Join the laughs, chaos and mystery as Zach and Zora race against the clock. No clue is too big, no clue is too small. Even if it involves dancing cops, ex-radical hippy militants, pompous pastors, or a creepy set of "Furries" (don't ask!).

Preorder on Amazon!

I love West's books, and the first in this series, Bad Day in a Banana Hammock, was hilarious. With that title, how could it not be? :) The second book in the series doesn't disappoint. Filled with wonderfully amusing characters, laugh your butt off chase scenes, and of course a murder, it's sure to make anyone enjoy themselves. As usual, Zach is clueless though well intentioned--and very much wanting to ensure that absolutely everyone knows that he is a Male Entertainment Dancer and NOT a stripper (hehe!). Of course it's Zora who I really love in these books. She's smart, spunky, and dealing with altogether too much, though of course she's the one who gets the job done. West has a knack for strong and wonderful female characters and Zora is certainly among these ranks. Overall, a quick, great read that's perfect for anyone looking for a little escape!

Has anyone read any of West's work?

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Blog Tour: Using the Pomodoro Technique to Get Words on Paper by Stephanie Faris

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I have a fabulous guest post to share with you all today, by the lovely Stephanie Faris. Check out her fabulous advice:

Everyone procrastinates, but it seems like it’s worse for writers. Even though I realize most writing-related procrastination comes from fear, I still find myself putting off important projects. I often find myself thinking, “What if the next paragraph I write takes the story in the wrong direction and the book is 100 percent ruined?”

Of course, when I sit down and make myself write, the words eventually start flowing. But even when they’re flowing, my mind automatically begins thinking of excuses to get me back on my feet again. Isn’t there a load of laundry that needs to be done? Maybe I should get something to drink.

Sometimes the best way to keep yourself on your butt, typing away, is to play a game with yourself. The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the 80s as a productivity tool. “Pomodoro” is Italian for tomato, which was the type of timer the inventor was using when he came up with it. Here are the steps you need to take to make the technique worked for you:

Write Down a Goal

With the Pomodoro Technique, you write down a list of goals you want to accomplish in the session, which is generally 25 minutes. For writers, this will probably be a word count goal instead of a list of tasks.

Set the Timer

You can use a standard kitchen timer or an app designed specifically for the technique. Set the timer and start writing. At the end of the time period, if you’ve reached your word count goal, you’re entitled to a break.

Set a Break Timer

The technique calls for a three- to five-minute break if you’ve achieved your goals. You can extend this if you choose, but make sure you set a timer so that you’re back in your seat at the end of the break. After four Pomodoro sessions, you can take a 15-20 minute break if you’re following the plan.

You can adjust the times to find what works for you. The point is to make yourself continue working for the entire designated time. No checking Facebook, no blogging, and no opening the new email that pops up. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll get done.

Piper Morgan

When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.

In Piper Morgan Joins the Circus, Piper learns her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus. She can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along!

In Piper Morgan in Charge, Piper’s mom takes a job in the local elementary school principal’s office. Piper is excited for a new school and new friends—and is thrilled when she is made an “office helper.” But there is one girl who seems determined to prove she is a better helper—and she just so happens to be the principal’s daughter. Can Piper figure out how to handle being the new girl in town once more?

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.

Website:Blog:Facebook:Twitter:Instagram:Amazon

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Blog Tour: LUCY GET YOUR GUN by Valerie Capps

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Thank you Meradeth for hosting me today. This is all new to me--blogging, blog tours, marketing--so your assistance with my first blog tour is greatly appreciated.

Because of recent gun violence in the news there is currently a lot of debate over the second amendment, but Lucy Get Your Gun isn't about that controversy--it is about survival during a time when help wasn't as close as your phone. It is about an adult decision a 10-year-old must make when an unscrupulous man shows up at her farm with plans to take Lucy and her younger siblings away.

If a stranger came to your house to take you or someone you love away and there wasn't anyone to help you, how far would you go to stop them?

Lucy Get Your Gun: It was a different time. Somewhere between the taming of the wild west in the 19th century and the insane indiscriminate violence of the 21st century. People like to think it was a time of innocence. In some ways perhaps it was, but there was evil lurking about in the shadows back then as well. Not everyone lived a "Leave it to Beaver" existence. People in rural areas often had to depend on their own resources. It was a world before 9-1-1. A world where sometimes people had to stand firm and protect their own. That was where 10-year-old Lucy Rhys found herself one day in the summer of 1959. A day of reckoning so to speak. A day when she found herself caught between a child and an adult and had to make a life or death decision that would determine the fate of her family. Lucy Get Your Gun is the fourth in a series of Proctor Hollow short story books released through Amazon.com. Lucy Get Your Gun is the fourth in a series of Proctor Hollow short-story/quick-read Kindle eBooks released through Amazon.com.

Valerie Capps is a freelance writer and author. Her short stories and articles have appeared in various magazines and newsletters with world-wide circulation. Valerie's latest project is a series of short stories with a paranormal theme set in a mid-twentieth century town called Proctor Hollow. The first four books in the Proctor Hollow series, The Holler Witch, Incident at the Diner, Occurrence on a Country Highway, and Lucy Get Your Gun, are available on Amazon.com.

Valerie lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and their Welsh Corgi.

Contact Valerie at:

Blog| Amazon| Twitter | Goodreads

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After Reading: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. (Goodreads)

This play has received a lot of flack from people, and I know it is a bit odd to read about Harry Potter in play format, and yeah there are a few holes in the time-travel component, but it's still Harry Potter. Personally, I liked reading about the different families and their adult lives in particular, as they are now close to my age and it feels much more relatable. That, for me, made this so much more fun. Albus does seem a bit whiney and kind of irritated me a bit, but I can understand where he's coming from. It's not easy being him, and Harry went through a similar stage (hello, book 5, we all remember your beginning and the angsty Harry). Anyhow, overall, this was a really fun look into the Harry Potter universe, with shout-outs to some famous (or infamous) characters. I really, really wish I could see it on the stage...maybe if I win the lotto or something, haha!

Who else has managed to read this? Any thoughts?

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After Reading: LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:

Goblin Fruit
In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses
A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.

Hatchling
Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons? (Goodreads)

UGH, I love a good short story or novella, but the absolute worst is desperately wanting a story to continue and having it end far, far too soon. Hundreds of pages too soon. Sigh. This was the case with Lips Touch, which basically just left me wanting more. Of course, pretty much everything of Taylor's does this to me, so it should not of come as any surprise. Still, what a beautiful book. The language was superb and I just love what she can do with a character is just a few paragraphs--build and grow a whole person just from a few perfectly chosen words. Really, my only issue was this book was wanting more of each of the worlds. Even the last story, Hatchling, which neatly wound itself up at the end, was achingly interesting and beautiful, and I would gladly have kept reading. I should also mention that the artwork inside was quite amazing, even though the cover is distinctly not to my taste. Not that I particularly care about that--I removed the dust jacket and that was that. Anyhow, Taylor has a new book due out soon and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Have you read any of Taylor's books?

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Cover Reveal: THE BOWL AND THE STONE by Bish Denham

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

It's always a treat to share lovely writing peep's new books, and I have a fun one today! Check out what Bish has been up to:

Pirates. Explorers. And spooky ghost hunters.

It’s 1962. Sam and her best friend, Nick, have the whole island of St. John, in the U. S. Virgin Islands, as their playground. They’ve got 240 year-old sugar plantation ruins to explore, beaches to swim, and trails to hike.

But when a man disappears like a vapor right in front of them, they must confront a scary new reality. They’re being haunted. By whom? And why? He’s even creeping into Nick’s dreams.

They need help, but the one who might be able to give it is Trumps, a reclusive hunchback who doesn’t like people, especially kids. Are Sam and Nick brave enough to face him? And if they do, will he listen to them? 

Their carefree summer games turn into eerie hauntings, and Sam and Nick learn more about themselves and life than they could ever have imagined.

Pre-order today and enter the ghostly tale as soon as it releases.

Amazon: Smashwords

About the Author

Bish Denham, whose mother’s side of the family has been in the Caribbean for over one hundred years, was raised in the U. S. Virgin Islands. She still has lots of family living there whom she visits regularly.

She says, “Growing up in the islands was like living inside a history book. Columbus named the islands, Sir Francis Drake sailed through the area, and Alexander Hamilton was raised on St. Croix. The ruins of hundreds of sugar plantations, built with the sweat and blood of slave labor, litter the islands. Then there were the pirates who plied the waters. It is within this atmosphere of wonder and mystery, that I grew up. Life for me was magical, and through my writing I hope to pass on some of that magic.”

The Bowl and the Stone: A Haunting Tale from the Virgin Islands, is her third book and second novel. You can find Anansi and Company: Retold Jamaican Tales and A Lizard’s Tail, at Amazon.com.

To learn more about Bish, you can visit her blog, Random Thoughts. She can also be found on Facebook, and Twitter @BishDenham.

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Book Blitz: FAERY MARKED by Mary Waibel

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I have another BookFish Books release to chat about today, this time by the lovely Mary Waibel. Mary's a wonderful author with a great deal of fun novels to read, not the least of which is FAERY MARKED:

No one ever warned her magic came with a price.

When Callie Rycroft wakes to purple flames on the ceiling, she discovers that not only does the Faery realm exist, but she is the human who must save it. Chosen as Champion by the Faery Queen, Callie is tasked with finding the Cordial, a magical elixir to strengthen the portal between the Human and Faery realms.

The upside? Reece Michaels, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is assigned as her Guardian. Callie hopes by spending time together, he'll start to see her as more than just his best friend's sister.

The downside? She's in a race not only against time, but another Champion and Guardian-a Guardian who stands to threaten her developing relationship with Reece.

Magic, mistaken identities, and hidden agendas are the least of Callie's worries when she learns the Cordial requires a sacrifice. Will Callie be willing to risk all, even Reece, to complete her task as Champion, or will she let the portal fall, destroying both realms?

Guess what? The novel is on sale for just 99 cents! A steal of a price. Definitely snag a copy!

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After Reading: RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard #amreading #audiobook

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal. (Goodreads)

I've heard such awesome things about this book and have looked forward to reading it for ages. That hadn't managed to happen until I realized I was going to be in the car for utterly ages driving to my family reunion, which was the perfect excuse to listen to this. I really enjoy audiobooks, though I don't listen to them nearly enough, so this was a really fun treat for me. The narrator, Amanda Dolan, did a superb job with the voices and inflection of the tale, wrapping me up in the story almost more effectively than if I had been reading it myself. And what a story it was! All kinds of twists and turns and generally a fascinating world to begin with. I flat out loved the dichotomy between the reds and silvers, and in particular the way they reflect the tension in our world today. There were a few things that seemed to echo the Hunger Games in places, but that didn't bother me. And yes, there's several love triangles and competition for Mare (weird side note: my nickname has been Mer for most of my life, so it was quite odd to hear the MC referred to with basically my name--kind of amused me :), but I liked the way it was handled, and Mare's ability to express her own feelings. Overall I loved this and can't wait for the next book!

Have you had a chance to read this novel?

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After Reading: TOUCH THE DARK by Karen Chance

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Can you ever really trust a vampire?

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits - talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous; they just like to talk ... a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.
The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire - and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay ..... (Goodreads)

Whoa, welcome to August everyone! I can't believe the summer is winding down. It always goes far too quickly!

I really enjoyed this book! I've been up for some summer reads: fun and interesting, allowing me to fall into a story and just enjoy it. While this was a little dark for a beach read, it definitely kept me entertained. The world Chance builds is intricate and she does a great job explaining all the ins and outs of how it works. Lots of action and twist and turns to keep the story moving. It was a little strange that the novel is basically just a few long scenes that are full of all kinds of little asides and stories, which sometimes did bog down the pacing a bit, but it still kept me reading. If you're up for a fun paranormal romp, this is one I definitely recommend!

How's August starting for you all? Any fun plans this month?

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