Saturday, December 6, 2014

If You Believe by Mya O'Malley - $50 Giveaway

If you believe
If You Believe
Mya O'Malley

Sometimes love only comes once in a lifetime. For some lucky people, it is possible to love again. Melody and Jack had shared an unforgettable love story that abruptly came to an end. Melody, left picking up the pieces, finds herself alone years later, with no hope or desire to date again. With the holiday season approaching, Melody finds it particularly difficult to get Jack out of her thoughts. Jack isn’t sure if he’s an angel or a ghost, but his mind is set on one thing only, finding a new love for Melody by Christmas Eve at midnight. Easier said than done, with many obstacles to tackle, Jack underestimates how difficult the task is. With conflicting emotions, Jack takes it upon himself to find a man for a woman he still loves. With the clock ticking as the holidays approach, this charming story of finding love the second time around will have you laughing and crying, but ultimately, it will have you believing in true love.

add to goodreads





Mya OmalleyAuthor Mya O'Malley
Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students. Mya currently has two new releases: At First Sight, a contemporary romance about dating in the modern world, published by Astraea Press, and Where There is Love, a contemporary romance in which a woman struggles with past obstacles, ultimately faced with whether or not she will open her heart to love. Where There is Love is published with Solstice Publishing. Mya is excited to say that Astraea Press will be releasing her contemporary holiday paranormal romance titled If You Believe on November 25, 2014. Due to be released late January is The Calm After the Storm, published by TouchPoint Press. This novel is a contemporary romance taking place in the setting of Hurricane Sandy. The story revolves around the idea of a utility worker from Georgia falling in love with a woman in New York. Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her sixth novel.


50_Amazon_Paypal
$50 Blast Giveaway
Enter to win an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/29/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by readinglight.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Friday, December 5, 2014

Casual Curses & Meticulous Magic by Lee Roland - Excerpt & Review



Casual Curses & Meticulous Magic
The Gramarye Series Book 1

Lee Roland

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance 
Highland Press                  
September 24, 2014
Cover Artist: Iris Hunter


What happens when a dysfunctional witch and a tough PI work together to save an aging apartment house filled with ghosts, dragons and one oversexed house plant?
Spirits, spells and mayhem…Magic rises in the Gramarye

Melian Devlin is a witch who often resorts to exotic and slightly illegal methods of acquiring money to maintain the 300-year-old Gramarye, the stone apartment house that’s her heart and home. Her life is a series of skirmishes that occasionally end with her behind bars. 

Titus Moran is a no-nonsense PI who makes big bucks busting insurance fraud schemes.  So how did he wind up in a tortuous battle to keep Melian out of jail?  Did the delightful young witch with her gray eyes and magic at her fingertips enchant him—or does the Gramarye hold greater mysteries.  

Titus will enter a new exciting world when he joins Melian in her quest to save the Gramarye.  Melian will fumble along in her usual impulsive way, leaving a trail of disasters behind her.   If they’re lucky, they might survive.

Excerpt

Melian Devlin considered her arrest late Friday evening an ill omen, a portent of dire thingsto come. At the very least, it would ruin her weekend. Her bad luck had continued after her arrest when she’d found herself standing before Judge Franklin P.O. Merkle. Merkle’s exact words were, “You again?”
He’d set her bail at an obscene five thousand dollars.
Psychic readings weren’t illegal in the City of Ashburn, Florida, but selling magic potions  skirted the legal line of medicine, hence her arrest. And then there was the sticky issue of not having a business license—again. Minor infractions. So why did Merkle have such a burr up his ass? Maybe because he was working late on Friday? The malicious cop with an aversion to psychics hadn’t helped either.
Standing behind bars at ten o’clock that night, listening to her Great Uncle Will royally chew her butt, confirmed Mel’s dismal assessment of the situation.
“Psychic?” Will’s deep voice rumbled the word. His tired eyes watched her from a weather worn face. “Mel, honey, you ain’t no psychic. You’re a witch. You’re supposed to use magic.”
He shook his head. “I understand why you can’t get a regular job, but can’t you find something irregular you’re good at? Or at least something legal?” He glanced over his shoulder and pitched his voice lower. “You should’ve marked a cop soon as he walked in the door, then spelled him out of making an arrest. You’re allowed basic self-defense. I taught you that.”
Mel winced at Uncle Will’s words. He had taught her. She was simply incredibly incompetent at casting spells and making potions, and utterly terrified of making a mistake. What if she hurt someone? Pretending to be a psychic and selling a few harmless herbal elixirs was easier—and safer.
They’d put her in a simple holding cell inside the precinct station after she’d seen the judge. The arrangement gave detainees a chance to post bail before they moved them to the main jail downtown, something Mel had hoped to avoid. Prospects didn’t look good.

The sparse cell had a single bench bolted to the floor and air filled with the odor of acrid, nose-searing bleach. Her cellmates, two tough prostitutes, sat on the bench staring straight at the wall. Imperfect witch she might be, but she could still deal with the bullying they tried when she first came in.
“Will, please,” Mel begged. “Go talk to Milo for me. Give him an IOU. I’ll get the money some way.” Milo the Bail Bondsman, her father’s second cousin, usually handled her bail. Milo hadn’t returned any of her numerous calls.
“Yeah. Sure.” Will laughed, but it didn’t sound funny. “Gettin’ money some way is what landed you here. I can hear Milo now. Cousin Melian? She told my Granny Panopoulos to put all her money on a horse named Show-Too in the third race and—”
“I told her thirty dollars to show on the number three horse, not… Oh, hell.” She wrapped her hands around the bars to steady herself.
Granny Panopoulos had cried to Mel about not being able to pay her mortgage and buy food in the same month. She figured Granny could lose thirty dollars and learn an excellent lesson about the futility of gambling. How was Mel to know the woman had fifty thousand dollars tucked in her mattress and a persistent bookie looking over her shoulder? Oh, right, she was supposed to be a psychic.
“Okay, girl, here’s the deal.” Will shoved his hands in his pockets like he always did when he had to deliver bad news. “I’ll get you out on Monday—” “Monday?”
“Yep. I’m not going to call Milo on a Friday evening or ruin his weekend. And I don’t trust anyone else.” Will’s head bobbed. His sorrowful expression tore at her. His eyes remained bright and his mind-dagger sharp, but time had worn his aging body. He loved her, and she shouldn’t have troubled him.
“Ya’ know Mel...” He sighed. “Honey, you’re twenty-seven years old. Couple of days and nights in jail won’t hurt. ‘Bout time you learned a lesson. Past time, in fact. While you’re there, think about having to stay longer, what might happen then.” He turned and shuffled out of the room.
Mel leaned her forehead against the cold hard bars. What a stinking mess. She wasn’t a true psychic, but the power, the magic she lived by, occasionally gave her glimpses into the situations surrounding people. A haphazard thing she couldn’t control, but between it and the potions, she made a little money—as long as some cop with an attitude didn’t arrest her.
Mel had paid little attention when the nervous young man with dark, curly hair entered her low-rent storefront room four hours ago. He had a sweet, shy smile and almost pretty face. Not a hint of a cop in him. He paid her forty dollars for a reading and asked her if he would ever find true love. His precise words. “True love.” That alone should have tipped her off. She felt sorry for him and tried to sell him a magic potion. Only a twenty-dollar mixture of Vitamin B and Ginseng, but with the power of suggestion, it might be enough to adjust his outlook on life. He was far too good-natured and attractive to be alone. Then his partner had charged in and gleefully busted her. It didn’t take much to make some cops happy.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a fun, lighthearted read. Casual Curses & Meticulous Magic fit the bill perfectly. This is one of those books that will make you smile, laugh, and just make your day a touch lighter.

Mel was wild, unpredictable, and completely devoted to the Gramarye and its tenants. Money was hard to come by thanks to her uncle, forcing her to resort to some shady dealings to get by. She made me laugh, and I found myself liking her immediately, despite the fact she was in jail. Mel is as adorable and quirky as her tenants in the Gramarye.

Romantic interest Titus, or Tiger as Mel likes to call him, was sweet and rather charming. He was quick to jump to Mel's aid and defense once he learned magic was real and not Mel's delusion. The romance between the two was also rather sweet. I hope we get more insight into his past in future books.

The secret world of magic and witches was intriguing, though with someone like Mel, I wonder how they managed to keep it a secret. I loved the large cast of secondary characters, from ghosts to a poetic demon to a man-hungry plant. These characters made the book so much fun and quite interesting as well. Though book one in a series, this novel had a most satisfying ending. I'm really looking forward to reading more about the Gramarye and the intriguing cast of characters.

About the Author

Lee Roland is a full time writer who lives in North Central Florida. She loves the peaceful rural area where she shares a home with three small dogs who think they are pit bulls and an evil cat with sharp claws.
 
Lee writes stories of urban fantasy and paranormal romance where strong men and women battle the wickedness hiding under the surface of the modern world.  Her characters are passionate in life and love and are formidable enemies to the malevolent criminals in their worlds.

Her first series, the Earth Witches, was published beginning in 2011 by NAL.  Her website, www.leeroland.com offers samples of the Earth Witches books and information on their world. There are short stories and news of any upcoming books and events.

Subscribe to mailing list: http://www.leeroland.com/about/


Giveaway- $250 Christmas Cash!

May your holidays be merry & bright!

An Amazing Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined with me to bring you 1 fabulous prize
1 lucky winner will receive $250 Cash!

Just in the Nick of Time

Christmas Cash Sponsor List

Giveaway Details
$250 Paypal Cash Ends 12/22/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Rehab for Witches: an Anthology- Author Guest Post & Review

 

Rehab is for Witches Anthology

Various Authors
Published By- SideStreet Cookie Publishing
Publication Date- October 31st, 2014

Welcome to Little Raven: an unsullied, beautiful woodland hamlet in the heart of the Midwest. The sort of place where furry creatures romp about and spend their days bursting into song.
Actually, that’s a giant pack of lies.
Little Raven is a town…for witches.
And some of those witches might have bent the rules. A teensy bit. When six magical miscreants dabble with black magic, they end up together at Incantations, the town’s rehab center for witches gone awry. It’s a slap on the wrist for naughty witches. Pretty much a daycare center so they don’t wander off and start turning people into newts on a whim. Each witch must work through her addiction to black magic, and follow the tenets designed to lead them back to the path of the straight and narrow, as boring as that sounds. Even if following the tenets sucks worse than a group round of kum-bay-ya. Which sucks. Horribly.
We will admit we are powerless over magic—that our lives have become unmanageable.
We will make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the Goddess as we understand Her.
We will make a searching and fearless moral and magical inventory of ourselves.
We will admit to the Goddess, to ourselves, and to another being the exact nature of our magical wrongs.
We will make a list of all persons or beings we have harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all.
We will make direct amends to such beings whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
We are entirely ready to bow before the Goddess and have Her remove all our defect of character, even at the risk of being entirely stripped of our magic.
But this is just the start. There’s something rotten in Little Raven, something that seeks to take all the magic it can, and devour the inhabitants in the process. It will take the strength and power of all the witches to defeat the darkness seeping into their town, beat it back, and be rid of it forever…and maybe just make it through rehab while they’re saving the world.


The Authors & Titles-
Tara S. Wood - A Trunk Full of Peril

Tyffani Clark Kemp - A Diary Full of Names

Cynthia Valero - A Cauldron Full of Goodbyes

Miranda Stork - A Closet Full of Demons

J. A. Howell - A Basement Full of Secrets

Elle J Rossi - A Suitcase Full of Revenge

   


Author Tara S. Wood's Top 5 Favorite Things 

Hmmm…this is a hard one.
1.    Books. Of course. I am a reader and a writer. I love all types of books. Fiction. Non-fiction, biographies…the whole kit and kaboodle. There’s something magical that happens between the pages of a book, and it’s a feeling I’ve never quite gotten over. And all kinds, too. Print, ebook, audio. Just bring me a book. And a nice cup of tea.

2.    Anything British. I am an unashamed Anglophile. There is a tiny Union Jack flying in my heart at all times. Visiting the UK is on my bucket list, and I’m fairly certain that if I was given the opportunity to emigrate, I would take it.

3.    Cooking. I love to cook. I love to feed people. It is a tangible expression of love. And if  you leave my house hungry, it’s your own fault.

4.    My circle of writing friends. It’s taken a bit to cultivate them (if I could grow them in a greenhouse, I would), but I’ve managed to garner the love and support of a fair few talented people who are simply wonderful. A few of them have even burrowed so far into my heart they’ve become family. Literary brothers and sisters who make this journey worthwhile. They are truly amazing.

5.    The untold story. Not a thing, per se, but a concept. One that keeps me going. This fevered little brain of mine is constantly dreaming up tales. I have a to-be-written list that rivals U.S. tax law, both in its length and complexity. My estimate is that I will be finished with writing all of them twelve years after I’m dead.

About the Author-
Tara Wood divides her time between creating domestic bliss and creating hot paranormal romance with the occasional side of kink. When not playing June Cleaver for her hubby and daughter, she can be found at the local Starbucks slamming back Frappuccinos and plotting out her next idea. Or she’s watching the BBC. Tara resides with her wonderful and tolerant family in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She is currently at work on several projects, one of them being the next book in her In Blood series.

   

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Rehab for Witches is a rather unusual, yet intriguing anthology in style and substance. Here's a quote from the beginning of the book with an explanation:

This book doesn’t stick to time as though it was a Velcro. It moves in the same direction, but it flits back and forth, because this is a journey of six witches aiming to get through magical rehab. So it’ll follow all on them on their journeys…and then the journey they take together. So sometimes you’ll go back, and sometimes you’ll go forwards. We guess that’s just the nature of magic. You’ll get the hang of it.

That sums it up much better than I could. I was a tad worried that it would be disjointed, but it wasn't. In fact, the different stories and different voices made for a more compelling read. I enjoyed all of the stories, though a couple times I didn't want to leave the character and move to another since I developed a bit of an attachment.

The anthology follows six misguided, miscreant witches in rehab. All had done some bad things with their magic and were being punished as a result. I enjoyed these characters- enjoyed reading about their past deeds and rehabilitation. The anthology is also full of swoon-worthy men, who make the misguided witches hearts beat faster... I think there's a spell for that...

Overall, this is a fun, fast-paced read. If you like paranormal stories, especially ones about witches walking the line between light and dark, be sure to check out Rehab for Witches.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Hemlock Veils by Jennie Davenport - Review & Giveaway



Hemlock Veils

Jennie Davenport

Urban Fantasy Romance
Swoon Romance
November 25, 2014

Amazon * B&N



When Elizabeth Ashton escapes her damaging city life and finds herself in the remote town of Hemlock Veils, Oregon, she is smitten by its quaint mystery; but the surrounding forest holds an enchantment she didn’t think existed, and worse, a most terrifying monster. The town claims it vicious and evil, but Elizabeth suspects something is amiss. Even with its enormous, hairy frame, gruesome claws, and knifelike teeth, the monster’s eyes speak to her: wolf-like and ringed with gold, yet holding an awareness that can only be human. That’s when Elizabeth knows she is the only one who can see the struggling soul trapped inside, the soul to which she is moved.

Secretly, Elizabeth befriends the beast at night, discovering there’s more to his story and that the rising of the sun transforms him into a human more complex than his beastly self. Elizabeth eventually learns that his curse is unlike any other and that a single murderous act is all that stands between him and his freedom. Though love is not enough to break his curse, it may be the only means by which the unimaginable can be done: sacrifice a beauty for the beast.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Hemlock Veils is a beautiful urban retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast. Set in the Oregon wilderness, it's easy to imagine the small town and its secrets hidden deep within the Mt. Hood National Forest.

Elizabeth is running from a painful past and guilt she can't let go. When her car breaks down within a couple miles of Hemlock Veils, she sees the small town as her chance for a new life. The entire town is haunted by a monster that roams the forest at night. Elizabeth sees more than a monster, she sees a kindred spirit hurting as much inside as she is. Henry runs the town of Hemlock Veils. No, he's not the mayor, but the residents defer to him in everything. It's actually quite creepy. He and Elizabeth develop an uneasy friendship over time.

This novel is beautifully written with flowing prose and easy dialogue. I did think it moved a tad slow, especially in the middle. There were a few times when I skimmed through to get to the next scene (mainly skipping some of the longer descriptions). Ms. Davenport did a great job developing the relationship between Elizabeth and the beast.

I really liked Elizabeth- she was strong, sweet, and intelligent. She managed to be hopeful even after the tragedies she has endured. Henry was an enigma. He was intent on scaring Elizabeth away in his ill-attempt at protecting her. When will men learn? Overall I really enjoyed Hemlock Veils. I liked the ending, and the epilogue was intriguing. If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, then this retelling is a must-read.

About the Author

Though Jennie Davenport was raised throughout the Midwest, she now lives in the little desert mining town of Bagdad, Arizona, where six guys beg for her constant attention: a husband, three young, blond sons, a German shepherd with a name much mightier than his disposition (Zeus), and a black cat named Mouse. When she isn’t trying to run her home with as little casualties as possible, Jennie loves snuggling with her family, laughing with her friends, delving into brilliant entertainment of any vein, and playing outside. Despite the way being a writer is in her blood, and the wheels of her writerly mind are constantly turning, Jennie likes to think that in another life, she would have been a Broadway star. Or an American Idol finalist.

Jennie lives for the fall, and not just because of her adoration for the NFL (Go Broncos!). In her perfect world, she would have the springs, summers, and falls of Colorado, and the winters of Arizona—someplace where the climate and weather would allow her to go on a trail run all year round. But even though she prefers the pines and mountains, she is a devoted fan of all nature, from sandy beaches to woodsy cabins, and all are her greatest inspiration. She believes nature is one of the best healing remedies, with a magic all its own.

Jennie’s passion for writing is the way she survives, and is as vital to her sanity as oxygen, caffeine, food, and music. Even before she began writing it, well-told, original, and character-driven romance was always her weak spot. Add the paranormal or magical realism element and she may never make it back to reality. 

Author Links:

Tour-Wide Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Write to Rescue an Anthology- Excerpt & Guest Post by Michael Williams




Write to Rescue Anthology

Published By- SideStreet Cookie Publishing
Publication Date- November 1st, 2014

Rescue animals need love too. That’s why these nine authors got together to write stories that will warm your heart and entertain. All proceeds will go to animal shelters to help take care of and save the lives of the animals that may become your next family member. There’s a little something for everyone.

The Authors-
Taisheena Rayne - Win, Place, or Show
Shauna Wilhelm - Fostering Hope
Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons - The Disturbance
Karli Rush - Nine Lives
Carolyn Wolfe - Miracle Paws
Emily Walker - Cats
Miranda Stork and Trish Marie Dawson - A Tale of Two Kitties
Laura DeLuca - Nine Lives 
Michael Williams - The Pride

 



Guest Post- Michael Williams' Top 5 Favorite Things

#1: Falling asleep with one of my cats snuggled up between my shins. I have one who waits until I’m almost asleep, then climbs between my knees and shoves them apart until there’s room for him to curl up and use my legs as a bed. I love that feeling of casually belonging to his tribe.

#2: Apple jelly made by my mother. It’s not food, it’s magic.

#3: Dracula by Bram Stoker, not just for the vampire but for the brilliant story of affection and care between a group of Victorian proto-hippies. The story is fun and it has genuinely terrifying moments but, more than that, it has real character development and a fascinating web of relationships. The novel may be named after the Count but it’s about a group of friends who, were they lesser people, would have been rivals: three men who loved the same woman but rather than become enemies become brothers and the couple they befriend and their mentor figure? The entire novel is told in epistolary and diary format from the perspectives of those characters, giving us a real chance to get inside their minds and watch the world’s terrors unfold before them. They react with fear, they react with sadness, but they also react with the strength they find in their love for one another. They are the prototype “found family” in an adventure story: the Scooby gang, the Buffy gang, Firefly, you name the genre ensemble cast and they are essentially borrowing this idea from Dracula. (Of course, I’m sure it existed long before this novel, but this novel is my favorite so I’m using it as the framing reference.)

#4: Mario Kart. Gods, I love that game, in all its iterations.

#5: Running in the soft light of a late autumn day when it’s a little cool in the shadows and a little warm in the light.


Excerpt

Please share an excerpt from The Pride with us

Helen Abernathy passed away in her sleep, a slight smile on her face from a pleasant dream, at a ripe old age in excess of years her doctor or she herself had expected. I feel it’s important to include these details, thin though they be, in order to emphasize the fact our story – my story – in some ways begins with a death but is not solely a tale of tragedy. Sad as it made us for Helen to die, it also quite literally made us.
Helen’s death was the awakening of The Pride.
Many stories begin with a death. Many end with a death. Helen liked stories that did both: detective stories with handsome private eyes always a little ruffled and a week behind on rent. She would read them aloud to herself by dim light and she wondered after whether any of her detectives would ever meet a nice girl who could smooth down their fur and make them respectable. Helen liked to imagine herself doing that for them, like those detectives were just another kind of rescue animal waiting to find hers was their new “forever home.”
Helen was a habitual savior. She had a lot of love to give and a very little money to spare and she made it her mission to give both to those just scraping by. She wanted to make things a little easier for them. Helen gave her change to the panhandlers; she gave her time as a volunteer for a half dozen causes; and she gave her heart and her home to twenty-seven cats and one browbeaten St. Bernard named Louie.
Looking back on it, I now think that’s why she always had such pleasant dreams.

We’ll never really understand why, but as Helen’s own mind diminished, ours increased. Dementia crept across Helen’s awareness like rain clouds moving in on a sunny day: the light faded here and there, spotty at first, and over time things became gradually more dim, then altogether dark. As this happened, the light of our own awareness increasingly dawned. We came to comprehend many things over time, among them that we could comprehend. By the time Helen’s mind had mostly gone, intelligence had spread between us like a creeping vine.
It hadn’t quite stuck, though. Helen would have moments of clarity, startling out of her habitual daze to look around at a house maintained by processes she couldn’t remember because she had not participated in them. We had taken care of everything as the blank white sheet of absence was tucked around the corners of her mind. When that happened, it was like sentience was yanked out from under us. We would tumble from whatever vastly complicated process we’d been undertaking, dazed, unaware, once again merely a collection of cats in a increasingly sketchy little house in a slightly shabby neighborhood.
Louie, the St. Bernard, never seemed to notice one way or the other. 

About the Authors- 

Michael Williams
(The Pride)
Michael G. Williams is the author of numerous novels (Perishables, Tooth & Nail, Deal with the Devil) and such short stories as "The Several Monsters of Saint Sara-La-Noire" (ThemeThology: Invasion) and "Daddy Used to Drink Too Much" (Wrapped in Red), "His Shrine to Santa Muerte" (Wrapped in White), and "Stories I Tell to Girls" (Wrapped in Black), a trilogy published across three Sekhmet Press anthologies. Michael lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his partner and two ridiculously spoiled rescue cats.

Laura DeLuca
(Nine Lives)
Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. Her works include romantic thrillers, paranormal fiction, contemporary romance, and young adult.
Let me know if this is okay. Should have the edits back to you by tomorrow.I did go through and accepted all your changes but I want to read it through one more time for type-os and I have to wait until the kids are in bed :)

Karli Rush
(Nine Lives)
Karli Rush was born in the heart of Cherokee Nation and lives in its capital.  Her Native American heritage holds sway over her writing in many ways. She has the patience of a brain surgeon operating under fire in a war zone. You can chalk that up to her being the mother of an autistic kiddo. With the passion of a starving artist, she writes. The obsession to tell her tales have led her to write novels in the worlds of Dark Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, and Vampires. She walks in two worlds, one grounds her and the other frees her imagination.

Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons
(The Disturbance)
Allana Kephart has been making things up and bending people to her will from a very
young age. She loves animals and reading and spends a large amount of time thinking
up ways to torment her characters. Melissa Simmons is an avid reader who married her
soul mate and is the proud mother of a spoiled cat. She spends her days helping promote
independent authors and doing what the voices in her head tell her to. They share a brain, a
love of coffee and the color purple.

Emily Walker
(Cats)
Emily Walker loves creating worlds and stumbling around in them. She is constantly losing her chap-stick, and has an obsession with the color pink. Currently a resident of the mountains and loving the view she writes mostly paranormal fiction, and horror. Her small family consists of her red bearded other half, a rat terrier named Rebel, and a cat called Mr. Creepy.

Miranda Stork and Trish Marie Dawson
(A Tale of Two Kitties)

Miranda’s bio:
I live in the middle of a forest in North Yorkshire, spending my spare time as the wild woman of the woods, scaring small children and upsetting the sheep. On the days that I feel like being civilized, or I haven't got any unicorns to ride, I sit down and pour the tumbling thoughts in my head out onto digital paper and turn them into paranormal/gothic books. I like taking the classical myths and monsters and giving them a new, contemporary twist, then make them into something that readers can lose themselves in.

Trish's bio:
Trish was born and mostly raised in San Diego, California USA. She lives there now with her family and furbabies. When she's not homeschooling or pretending to do chores, she's reading and writing.
Writer of Fantasy Fiction, Paranormal, YA/NA, Mystery, Horror...
The Find Me Series and the Station Series are available online at Amazon, B&N, Kobo and iTunes, as well as The Well Collector and the collaborative anthology, Once Upon A Twisted Time.

Carolyn Wolfe
(Miracle Paws)
Carolyn Wolfe is a free-lance writer, published poet, and author of eight books, which range from poetry to  fantasy and includes children's literature. Her body of work includes writing articles for newspapers and newsletters,  and hosting poetry events in the Winchester,VA area where she lives with her photographer husband, Scott and her  house full of animal companions.

Taisheena Rayne
(Win, Place or Show)
I am a koala bear sleeping between 18 to 22 hours per day, just ask my (grown) kids.
I have always loved to read. I love how you can be in another world, where heroes always succeed and romance blooms.
Now I create my own worlds where heroines can save the day, love survives and maybe just maybe, dragons are the good guys.

Shauna Wilhelm
(Fostering Hope)
Shauna grew up always liking to write, even doing a program in high school called power of the pen called power of the pen which was a competitive creating writing group.  After that she mainly just wrote poems, which was an outlet to express her emotions to everyday situations rather than keeping them bottled up inside.  This is the first time she has branched out into writing more than a poem and it is also the first time she is sharing her work for someone to read.