Friday, November 6, 2015

Best in Show by Maria Grazia Swan - Excerpt & Giveaway




BEST IN SHOW
Mina’s Adventures Series, Book 6
Maria Grazia Swan
Cozy Romantic Suspense, 188 pages


Mina Calvi, Italian transplant to Southern California, thinks her love life might finally come together, just as her professional life has. Her Furry Friends Foundation, a no-kill shelter for rescued cats and dogs, is a success, and Mina hopes she may find a loving forever home for herself, in the arms of Diego Moran, her elusive, frustratingly mysterious, on again-off again, lover.

When a seemingly innocent night out with friends lands Mina in a hospital bed and Diego undercover, and not the covers Mina wants him to be under, Mina has to draw on all her new-found maturity, and all her supportive friends for strength.

Meanwhile, a Best in Show cat takes up residence at the Ritzy Cats B&B, Mina’s other venture, setting Mina on the trail of a suspicious character who might not have the cat's best interests at heart.

Add a Matchmaker to the Stars, a temperamental Italian chef and the usual menagerie of people and pets, stir it all up and you have an entertaining, hard to put down romantic tale of suspense.


Buy Links:      Amazon ebook    Amazon Print



Excerpt:

Did he love her?

In the heat of the night, love was a given. But as daylight unfolded, her insecurities found their path to her heart. Mina didn’t move, afraid the slightest shifting might wake him. His chest rose and fell against her back as he breathed peacefully. Their bodies touched, connected in a perfect fit. A match made in heaven she repeated to herself, in heaven but not on earth?

The longing she felt for him transcended sex and lust. Eyes closed, she revisited their good-bye two years ago in the cemetery in Italy, and that sense of unconditional love he’d brought into her life. It was the kind of love Mina assumed girls customarily expected from a father, a brother, a kin. But that was only a guess, a yearning, since she’d grown up without parents or siblings, so she had never experienced such love, until then, during that magical Italian summer.

Diego stirred and brushed his lips up and down the nap of her neck. “Missed you,” he whispered.

Now wide-awake, Mina quipped, “You missed me? How?”

“How?” In one fluid motion he spun her around, her body pressed against his. “How did I miss you?’

He paused, his eyes burning from a surge of passion she hadn’t seen coming. “For the last two years I carried with me the image of you in your red dress. The way you looked the last time I was near you. It’s branded in my soul. I couldn’t rid myself of it. Even now a glimpse of a red dress would arouse me. I’d be aroused not by the woman wearing it, but by the memory of you in that red dress.”



Books 1 thru 5 Available at Amazon


About the Author
Best selling author Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona--but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?

As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for--ooh-la-la--haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people and pets find the perfect home.

Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco--but then, who doesn't?
Find Me Here –Maria Grazia Swan
mariagswan@gmail.com, personal   mgsweb1@gmail.com readers/website
Webpage      Blog     Twitter         Facebook      Goodreads     Amazon Author Page    Linkedin


Giveaway:

I Love My Cat Locket Pendant (US only)
Paperback copy of any of Maria’s Books, winner’s choice (US only)
Ebook copy of any of Maria’s Books, winner’s choice (Intl)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Cover Reveal: Five: Out of the Ashes by Holli Anderson


FIVE: Out of the Ashes
Five #3

Holli Anderson 

Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: November 30th 2015
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Their last battle ended with death and despair, but they have no time to mourn. One of their own has been taken and the Quinae Praesidia set out to find and rescue her. In this third and last installment of the FIVE series, the FIVE discover new powers, make a desperate run through the Netherworld, land on an island paradise . . . and find that Brone, always a step ahead of them, is becoming more powerful than ever.











Author Bio:
Holli Anderson has a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing--which has nothing to do with writing, except maybe by adding some pretty descriptive injury and vomit scenes to her books. She discovered her joy of writing during a very trying period in her life when escaping into make-believe saved her. She enjoys reading any book she gets her hands on, but has a particular love for anything fantasy.
Along with her husband, Steve, and their four sons, she lives in Grantsville, Utah--the same small town in which she grew up.



Hosted by:
XBT250

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Timesurfers by Rhonda Sermo - Excerpt & Giveaway

timesurfers

Timesurfers

Rhonda Sermo

 "It’s not a choice. It’s a destiny."

Fifteen-year-old Cate takes weird, unusual and plain terrifying in her stride. Five years in witness protection will do that. It didn’t however prepare her for when everything and everyone surrounding her suddenly froze at the bus stop. All still like statues. Only she sees the teens appear out of thin air. One boy hoists the bus she’s waiting to board over his head, while the others disarm a bomb placed underneath it. When she confronts them the teens vanish. Literally vanish.

Intrigued why Cate wasn't frozen at the bus stop, the teens pursue her relentlessly. They arrive at Socrates Private School and all the teachers and the other students act like they've known them all forever– like they’ve always attended the school. Cate sees something different. She is adamant they are totally new to Socrates and have never set foot in the school before today. What's with that? 

When Cate accidentally brings a dead cheerleader back to life, her connection to the secretive teens is revealed. They are Timesurfers who travel through time and battle the powerful dark forces intent on manipulating history. A reluctant Cate is forced into their brutal world. She must discover her magical powers, choose a side, and end an ancient war. That’s if, and it’s a pretty big if, she can survive the initiation trials. No pressure though.


Praise for the book

"With this being more urban fantasy than sci-fi, the author was able to create her own rules that created a unique and fun storyline! I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions kept me on my toes, especially when it came to the romance aspects. I'm eager to read the next installment of the series"--- DelSheree D. Gladden USA Today Bestselling Author

"Amazing Debut for Young Adults. Sermon does a wonderful job of exploring the complexities of time travel and how along with some magic it can alter reality. Cate is a spunky character, and I love that she's strong enough, physically and emotionally, to take care of herself."--- Angela Fristoe USA Today Bestselling Author

"This was an amazing book! Well written, plot was excellent and not predictable. Recommended for all!" --- From Amazon

add to goodreads


Excerpt

“I brought a dead cheerleader back to life,” she blurted.

Naitanui’s luminous yellow eyes widened.

“I probably would have gone with ‘hello’ to break the ice. But that was definitely another option,” Austin said.

“Where am I?” She demanded.

“You’re outside the Break,” Austin said.

“You could have killed her.” Naitanui gave Austin a look Cate was all too familiar look. Her mother used it often. It came with an “I’ll deal with you later” clause.

“But I didn’t. We found her. I couldn’t risk her vanishing.”

“Inside.” Naitanui stepped backward through the cascading water.

“Huh?” Cate muttered. The water didn’t splash on Naitanui’s head. He passed through, leaving the water undisturbed. She pulled back, digging her heels into the ground and crossing her arms. Until Austin did some explaining, she wasn’t going a step further.

“Have it your way.” Austin bent and grabbed her behind the knees, then slung her over his shoulder.

“Put me down.” She pounded on his back with her fists. Unperturbed, he strode toward where Naitanui had disappeared. A shudder ran through her body, and the waterfall was behind them. They had walked straight through and arrived dry on the other side. She stretched to touch the water, and her fingers glided through nothing. Another shudder ran up her arm yet it remained dry.

“It’s a glamour.” Austin set her down. “More magic.” He strolled further into the cave, heading for an opening in the rock wall. The slightest hint of light filtered through the gap.

She looked from Austin to the waterfall, deliberating whether to run or follow. “You can’t go back to 2014 without me. Come and learn about time travel.” Austin ducked through the archway. “You demanded I bring you here for answers, so man up and come and get them.”

Little puffs of red dirt rose as she marched after him. Time travel. What the hell? This wasn’t going at all how she expected.

RhondaAuthor Rhonda Sermon Rhonda lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and two children. Her two ragdoll cats can often be found helpfully walking over her keyboard, chasing her mouse or generally complaining loudly about the lack of priority their needs are being given. On the good days, she adores writing, on the challenging days, it’s still awesome. Her debut novel Timesurfers was a finalist in the Young Adult category and overall runner up in The Strongest Start 2012 Contest hosted by TheNextBigWriter.com.




50_Amazon_Paypal$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 11/24/15 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 the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 2, 2015

Discontent by Melissa Haag - Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway



What is the Profit in an eBook
by Melissa Haag

I knew nothing about the profit (or lack of) in self-publishing an ebook when I started writing.  And I think that was a good thing because I might not have even tried.  However, as I reader, I think the actual profit an author sees is important to understand.  I've seen so many discussions where a reader states it's ridiculous to pay 2.99 for a 41 page story. As a reader, I COMPLETELY agree (I'm a penny pincher!). As an author, though, I've been exposed to a whole new world...and it's all business.

Did you know that it costs about $700 to self-publish a book? Say whaaa?! Yeah, I know. When I started publishing (way back in Jan 2013), I researched what I should do (hire an editor, hire a cover artist, advertise), how much it could cost (around $1000), and decided to try doing things differently. I figured I could self-edit and save myself $500 and buy Photoshop elements ($150) and save myself more $$ over the long term by designing my own covers. And I'd heard stories of people who just published and became famous...so why advertise, right? Eh! Wrong!

You readers are smart (obviously smarter than me) and don't want to weed through books littered with grammatical errors. Within a very short time, I saw my mistake and knew I needed an editor (a team, really...I now pay for a content editor, a proof reader, and still depend on volunteer proofers to catch what they miss). As for the covers...well, it was obvious my artist's eye wasn't as artistic as I'd thought. I now outsource the covers to an actual cover designer.

Anyway, my point is, there's an initial investment to self-publishing. When an author prices a book, they keep the size of the book in mind along with their initial cost. HOWEVER, Amazon throws another little wrench into the growing math equation. If an author prices their book at 2.99 or higher, they earn 70% of the sales price. If it's less than 2.99, only 35%.

Ready? Here's the word problem...

Question: If I write a 40 page novella (about 20k words) and price it at 99 pennies, how many copies would I need to sell to see a return on my ($600) publishing investment?
 Answer: 1765 copies.

And that's just to break even. It would take most self-published authors months (maybe even a year) to sell that many. Imagine wanting a $600 profit...that would be another year. That's not a good return. The only financially smart option is to up the price until the author can see 70% of the sale, which means a 2.99 price point. That would bring the copies an author would need to sell down to 294, which means an author could see a profit within a month.

Writing is a business and as the author, it's my job to understand (hopefully) what readers want. That's why I'm always reading comments, reviews, articles, etc. And, what I'm hearing is "Don't sell me 40 page books for 2.99."

Rest assured, I will listen.  :)

As a reader, I never knew what thoughts had to go into setting a book price or what factors influenced the price selected. As an author, it's a nail biting decision with every book.


(Dis)ContentJudgement of the Six #5

Melissa Haag

Publication date: November 24th 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

I hate. I thought I hated before the letter, before the werewolves, but now I understand that was nothing more than a chip on my shoulder. The urbat took what was mine. They will pay. 
Isabelle leads a very normal life…for an emotional syphon. If not for Ethan and his bar, she would have lost her sanity long ago. But everything changes with the crash of her fighting cage and a man who transforms into a wolf. There’s something about Carlos—when he’s not growling at her—that makes her do things she wouldn’t normally do, like sigh and daydream. 
Attraction aside, she is faced with the very real evidence that werewolves and urbat exist, and the urbat are after her. And the only way she can keep Ethan safe is to join with the werewolves and Carlos. It’s a race against time to stop a war, fight for love, and find the last Judgement. 
Previous books in the series:
Book 1, Hope(less) is available as a free series starter on all retailer sites!
Find the complete series on Amazon here!

EXCERPT:
The phone rang before my alarm. Hell hath no fury like a woman woken before her alarm. I fumbled to find the phone in the dark.
“Hello?” My voice cracked.
“Hey, Z. This is your reminder to pack your bag. You promised to cover tonight.”
“Ethan. You are sick to call me this early. I said I’ll be there. Now, leave me alone.” I ended the call without a goodbye.
The phone rang again before I could drop it back on the nightstand.
“What?” I answered.
“I’ve dusted your gloves, babe. You’re overdue.”
The call disconnected, and I smiled in the dark. Only Ethan, the huge pain in the butt I called friend, could annoy me and make me smile at the same time. He was right. I needed to go in and really purge.
Hitting the bag at home helped, but I suffered from a slow buildup. Ethan compared it to PMS. I grew moodier until I started an actual fight. Except the fights were never fair. In my anger, I pulled too much of my opponent’s emotions, and they tended to just stand there with a stupid smile as I hit them. But I couldn’t avoid the fights. I needed them. Hitting an actual person drained me way more than the bag, and it was the only thing that helped when I got like this. I hated fighting but didn’t see any other choice.
With a sigh, I slid from the sheets and shuffled to the bathroom. My long, red hair was a tangled mess, and I scowled at myself in the mirror. The green of my eyes seemed vivid against the bloodshot background.
I should have slept longer. I already felt edgy and knew it would be a long day.


Author Bio:
Melissa Haag currently resides in Wisconsin with her husband and three children. Touch was her first published novel. She is currently working on book five of the Judgement of the Six Series...along with several other new books. 
Register for her newsletter to learn more about her upcoming projects, and subscribe to her mailing list for deleted scenes, deals, and giveaways, go to http://melissahaag.com/subscribe/
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter





Hosted by:
XBT250