Sallie's Book Reviews and More: Coalescence by Gary Starta

Sallie's Book Reviews and More: Coalescence by Gary Starta: Iris Camden thought she knew who her family was even if they weren’t always forthcoming. Her half sister is a medium reeling from the l...

E.F. Watkins tells us how to recycle - and it's not about going green!

THE IDEA THAT WOULDN’T DIE!

By E. F. Watkins

My new series of Quinn Matthews Haunting Mysteries grew out of a change in my own reading tastes plus my desire to let nothing I’ve ever written completely go to waste.

Of my other six published books, five are “paranormal thrillers.” You also could call them “horror lite.” They have a fair amount of violence, gore and sex, but more on the level of a mainstream thriller, not hard-core horror; it’s the paranormal element that tends to nudge them into the latter category.

I often market my books in person at conventions and book fairs, which brings me face-to-face with my potential customers. A few act curious about my thrillers but hesitate, saying, “I don’t like anything too scary. I’m more into—y’know—mysteries.”

Over the years, I found my tastes moving in that direction, too. When I wanted to really relax, I preferred a mystery over something more emotionally grueling. (I like being scared, but too much gore and brutality does upset me.) Still, I love writing paranormal, and for a long time mystery readers didn’t seem to want “real” ghosts or other psychic phenomena mixed into their whodunit puzzles.

That situation seemed to be changing, though, so I thought of trying a paranormal mystery. Decades ago, I’d experimented with a haunted-house story that never found a publisher. I’d tried the “Amityville Horror” approach when I would have preferred to go for more psychological shudders. Now I decided to turn it into a first-person, almost-cozy mystery with a heroine based loosely on a younger version of myself. I kept the same title, Dark Music, and launched Quinn Matthews as a fledgling psychic amateur sleuth. This time, the book found a welcoming home with my publisher, Amber Quill Press LLC.

How to follow Quinn’s first adventure with a shivery sequel? I reached back into my dusty files for another plot that never had quite come together, about a goth-rock band being hassled by someone from the lead singer’s past. This time, I’d tell the story from the viewpoint of Quinn, an outsider trying to help the singer figure out of he really was under a curse, as anonymous notes claimed. I came up with a paranormal menace even more dangerous than the ghosts of the first book—and finally made good use of my once-abandoned story line as Hex, Death & Rock’n’Roll.

I’m happy to say that, in addition to selling well among those customers who prefer mysteries to horror, Dark Music received the David G. Sasher Award as Best Mystery at last year’s Deadly Ink Mystery Conference, and Hex was a Finalist in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. <br>

So writers, keep in mind that you can recycle more than your old newspapers and bottles—you also can repurpose your plots and characters. After all, good idea is a terrible thing to waste!

Website: http://www.efwatkins.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/E-F-Watkins/256793337731618

Dark Music on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Music-E-F-Watkins/dp/1611248949/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425250449&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+music+watkins

Hex, Death & Rock’n’Roll on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hex-Death-Rock-N-Roll/dp/161124854X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425250586&sr=1-1&keywords=hex%2C+death+%26+Rock%27n%27roll+watkins

Catch the Thrills with Jennifer Chase's EMILY STONE SERIES!

Crime has a new nemesis and her name is Emily Stone. She will continue to hunt serial killers and child abductors as long as they are out there.

This is her life. Tag along with vigilante detective Emily Stone in a first time ever “live action” novel short film.  Be sure to watch it full screen, turn up the volume, and enjoy.

http://youtu.be/OCbpk4jwtZY

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Check out the Award-winning EMILY STONE THRILLER SERIES available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Smashwords, and most online and book retailers.

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You can find Jennifer Chase and all of her books at:

 AuthorJenniferChase.com/

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Jennifer Chase
Award Winning Author & Criminologist

Blog/Website

Books: Compulsion  Dead Game  Dark Mind  Dead Burn  Silent Partner  Screenwriting

New Romance....by N.N. Jackson

This blog features a new romance by N.N. Jackson... Miranda's relationship ends abruptly after she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. She decides to leave everything, and goes to Italy for a summer holiday. She wants to get her mind straight, to find her inner peace, and strength. What she is not expecting is a mysterious, painfully good-looking Italian. She needed to reconcile. It was not even about a reconciliation with John. She needed reconciliation with herself, to forgive herself for the lousy ending. For lousy last 2 years of relationship. For trying to hold on to something that just wasn't there anymore. When she got under the shower, her eyes were open, but she wasn't really aware. She was deeply in a process of reassessment of her life. Of her youth. Of herself. John was probably just the trigger. There were more sinister emotions emerging, mostly occurring when she was really tired. Hatred, resentment, burning anger. But the worst thing was hope. Underneath it all, a part of her hoped they would be back together. Hope can really mess you up. Absence of hope can lead to accepting and letting go. But when there's a hope, and you're not even aware it's there, lying like a cat in the dark, then you have a real problem on your hands. ******************** It was not so much his face, although it was very appealing and tempting. It was the look in his eyes. So dangerous, yet very kind, so challenging but still very passionate. Miranda found herself unprepared for this. She was surprised by her own reaction to this... well, face it, a complete stranger. *********************** "I sense that your heart is filled with sadness, resentment, longing and, maybe even, unfulfilled promises." She wasn't sure if he really felt all that or if it's just a sleazy pick-up line. "How do you know all this, Marco?" He sounded sincere. "It's not that hard. I've been watching you, and what more, I've been listening to you talking. People's voices are a treasury of information. You just have to be open to it enough, and you will be able to hear what they are really saying. Once you do that, you become aware what's really underneath the surface." Miranda was silent, absorbing his every word, absorbing every move his lips made. Marco continued. "Resentment and suppression of emotions are poisonous. It alienates you from your soul. Not to mention, it adds wrinkles to your forehead!" Miranda loved the way he could be deep and funny at the same time. Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NQF95CU

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Viv Drewa - Owl lover and Author!

Before I tell you anything about myself let me answer a question everybody asks me: Why do you have owls in your novels? The answer is because I’ve always loved them and wanted to work them into my passion for writing. My favorite of all the owls is the barn owl which is on my author’s page on FaceBook and the banner on my blog.I had been awarded third place for my nonfiction short story about my grandfather's escape from Poland. Later, I rewrote this story and was published in the "Polish American Journal" as "From the Pages of Grandfather's Life" and has republished it on Amazon.com as a short story.I took creative and journalism courses to help in my transition to fulfill my dream of becoming a writer. I worked as an intern for Port Huron's 'The Times Herald", and also wrote, edited and did the layout or the Blue Water Multiple Sclerosis newsletter "Thumb Prints."
Links to my works:

EBooks:

The Angler and the OwlUS: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Athe+angler+and+the+owl&keywords=the+angler+and+the+owl&ie=UTF8

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Athe+angler+and+the+owl&keywords=the+angler+and+the+owl&ie=UTF8

Paperback:

The Angler and the Owl US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Angler-Owl-Viv-Drewa/dp/1494965410/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1397854756&sr=1-1

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Angler-Owl-Viv-Drewa/dp/1494965410/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1397854756&sr=1-1

The Owl of the Sipan LordUS: http://www.amazon.com/The-Owl-Sipan-Lord-Drewa-ebook/dp/B00HFDIXK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387573936&sr=8-1&keywords=the+owl+of+the+sipan+lord

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Owl-Sipan-Lord-Drewa-ebook/dp/B00HFDIXK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387573936&sr=8-1&keywords=the+owl+of+the+sipan+lord

From the Pages of Grandfather's LifeUS: http://www.amazon.com/From-Pages-Grandfathers-Life-Drewa-ebook/dp/B00I3PNX76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391011816&sr=8-1&keywords=from+the+pages+of+grandfather%27s+life US: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_8?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=ashtrays+to+jawbreakers&sprefix=ashtrays%2Cnull%2C403UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_8?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=ashtrays+to+jawbreakers&sprefix=ashtrays%2Cnull%2C403

Jessica Kong - Inspirations

How did you come up with the idea for your storyline?
If you are an author, I am sure you have been asked this question multiple times. If you are a reader, you must have thought ‘where do authors come up with this stuff?’

Well, for me it all started with a scene from a black and white romance movie that I once saw. It was a couple laying on the beach in an intimate embrace as the incoming waves washed over them. That scene sparked a dream so real that it kept me in its clutches for months. Normally, I read horrors and paranormals as well as watch them on TV. At the time I had this dream, I had become a new mother of triplets. It goes without being said that I needed time to relax and regain my sanity. I did this by replaying in my mind my favorite books and movies and playing video games. And even though those storylines were great, there was always something I wished the characters had done differently.

This led me to ask the ‘what if’ question. What if the man on the beach was a secret agent and the woman he held in his arms was an alien from another world that he was protecting from his government? What if this alien humanoid evolved from felines? My mind began showing me a storyline heading in a different direction than the movies’. I found it interesting and fun, so I started to write it down. My new ‘escape from a chaotic world’ was created.

As I wrote about this blossoming romance, the couple became more real to me. Their story continued to unravel in my head. It began to include family members, best friends, traveling into space, even a timeline. As my triplets grew, I wrote storyline after storyline from that one beach scene, eventually writing A Seacat’s Love starring Rick McCall and Leonora—my spy and alien. Now my fans can experience the dream I had that night so many years ago. Author Biography My writing career began with the publication of the first two books in the Sea-anan Saga, A Lost Kitten and A Forgotten Kitten. The themes and story lines of my books are based on my real-life experience in an interracial marriage. I also incorporate experiences my triplets went through growing up, like being treated as outsiders by kids who weren’t minorities or multiracial, or, now that they’re older, being labeled or avoided. My books have a message about not judging others before you get to know them. Also, by making the differences between races more exaggerated, I emphasize how, when you look past the tiny factor of race, we all share the same basic needs, desires, and cultures. The protagonists in books one and two of the Sea-anan Saga are children of an intergalactic marriage, so, just as in the original Star Wars Trilogy, the first book of the Oceanan Trilogy, A Seacat’s Love, goes back in time to tell the story of the parents who started it all. To connect with me, go to: Website: http://www.seaanan.com Facebook Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sea-anan-Universe/462338863811603 Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Kong/155150417957328 Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jessicakong Twitter: https://twitter.com/AreoMc Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6533956.Jessica_Kong Google +: https://plus.google.com/113667786275043784213/posts?hl=en Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/toxikat/ Tumblr: http://jessicaakong.tumblr.com/

Sydney Arrison & Lilactyme Productions.: " Boys Of Summer" author interview featuring Gary ...

Sydney Arrison & Lilactyme Productions.: " Boys Of Summer" author interview featuring Gary ...:   Here's a short bio on Gary. "Gary Starta is a former journalist who studied English and Journalism at the U...