Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Valentine Countine Blitz Day Three: Baker's Dozen by Amey Zeigler




Amey Zeigler wrote her first mystery with her best friend in fourth grade. She wrote, the friend illustrated. It also had a cute boy in it with spiky hair (because that was the style back then). Not much has changed. She loves mysteries. She loves romance. She loves suspense. She loves action, adventure and comedy. But she wants it to have a happy ending.

Because she grew up moving all around the United States, Amey loves writing about different places. In her books, she explores the whole world.

Growing up, Amey was always trying new things. She played violin, drums, flute, piano, all before she was sixteen. She also discovered she didn't have much talent for music.

When people asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was afraid to tell them she wanted to be a writer because she didn't know how to write.

She is so grateful for her Sophomore year Honor's English teacher who gave her a star and five points (out of five!) for Voice on her personal essay. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had enough courage to pursue writing.

In her spare time, she adopts stray furniture left on the side of the road, fixes it up and gives it a new look and home. Amey lives with her husband and three children near Austin, TX.

Connect with the Author here: 
~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~
 ~ Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~




Twenty-three year-old investigative journalist, Andy Miller is armed with her many disguises and creativity to take down the riff-raff of Saint Louis. When her stepbrother is murdered by the mob, Andy soon discovers she’s out of her depth.


Enter Hugh Donaldson who has reasons of his own for discovering the murderer. He’ll use everything in his power to achieve that, including lying to Andy about his past. Dangerous as he is attractive, his martial arts skills and his quirky ways raise Andy’s suspicions.

Although Andy balks at his lies, Hugh’s charms, twenty-inch biceps, and electrifying blue eyes are difficult to resist. Striking out on their own, Hugh and Andy try to outwit each other as they traverse North America tracking down people connected to the case.

As clues disappear and the body count climbs, Andy and Hugh must trust each other and use their combined skills to bring the murderer to justice.






Snippet:


He stepped closer, lowering his chin, giving her a deep stare. His eyes had a depth Andy had never seen before. Knowledge and understanding and something else in those pupils.

“Your black belt won’t always save you, you know.”

Andy turned away. He continued to follow her.

For some reason, his persistence irked her. She thrust a hand to his chest. Rock solid. “Don’t. I could take you down if I had to.”

“I’m sure you could.” A cocky grin started at one side of his mouth, before spreading to the other. “Goodnight, then.” With a salute to her, he marched backward. When he rounded the corner out of sight, Andy found her phone and dialed Carla.

“What did the guy want?” Carla asked.
“Karate lessons.”
“Are you sure? I think he was into you.”
Andy changed the subject. “What did your mom want?”
Before Carla answered, two men in rubber masks rushed Andy, sliding up beside her, grabbing her phone and purse. She immediately let go of the burner phone, but her tote! Everything she needed was in there.


She was not giving up her bag without a fight.






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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Valentine Countdown Blitz Day Two: Courting the Countess by Donna Hatch






Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award.

 A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). 

A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.



Connect with the Author here: 






When charming rake Tristan Barrett sweeps Lady Elizabeth off her feet, stealing both her heart and a kiss in a secluded garden, her brother challenges Tristan to a duel. The only way to save her brother and Tristan from harm—not to mention preserve her reputation—is to get married.

But her father, the Duke of Pemberton, refuses to allow his daughter to marry anyone but a titled lord. The duke demands that Elizabeth marry Tristan’s older brother, Richard, the Earl of Averston. Now Elizabeth must give up Tristan to marry a man who despises her, a man who loves another, a man she’ll never love. 

Richard fears Elizabeth is as untrustworthy as his mother, who ran off with another man. However, to protect his brother from a duel and their family name from further scandal, he agrees to the wedding, certain his new bride will betray him. Yet when Elizabeth turns his house upside down and worms her way into his reluctant heart, Richard suspects he can’t live without his new countess. Will she stay with him or is it too little, too late?




~ AMAZON ~ AMAZON UK ~

AMAZON CA ~ AMAZON AU ~









Snippet:




“Get your hands off my sister!” a voice snarled.

Tristan snapped his head back and stepped away. Alone, Elizabeth wobbled on her feet. Her brother, Martindale, stalked into view, bristling like an angry dog.

With his hands held out, Tristan faced Martindale. “My lord, we were merely—”
“None of your lies, Barrett.”

Other voices made exclamations of delighted horror. Elizabeth faced a nightmare; most of the houseguests stared at her, including one of London’s worst gossip, Lady Einsburgh. Naturally they would assume the worst. Heat crawled up Elizabeth’s neck and burned her cheeks. She’d never live down the humiliation. Closing her eyes, she clamped her mouth shut to avoid screaming at the injustice of it all. She’d only desired a few moments alone with the man she loved. Instead, she’d been caught in an intimate embrace in a dark garden. Gossipers would spread an exaggeratedly sordid tale all over England. She’d be utterly ruined.

Immersed in his role of haughty marquis, Martindale snarled, “Consider your second, Barrett. Tomorrow you shall receive my challenge.”

Elizabeth’s heart stalled. A duel? “No, Martindale. You can’t do this.” Elizabeth’s protest died on her lips as her brother rounded on her.

“Silence! You’ve behaved like a common whore.”

Elizabeth recoiled as if he’d slapped her.

Tristan stiffened. “Hear now, that’s no way to speak to the lady. I give you my word, it was merely a kiss.”

Martindale let out a scoff. “And I should trust the word of a known rake?” He turned to Elizabeth, his eyes boring into hers. “You’ve brought disgrace upon the family.”

Tears burned Elizabeth’s eyes. Martindale was right. Only Tristan could save her from shame. She turned to him, silently pleading for rescue.
Tristan glanced at her, his expression unreadable, before returning his attention to Martindale. He lowered his voice. “Let us go inside and discuss this in private.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. You’ve compromised my sister. Choose your weapon.”



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Monday, January 29, 2018

Valentine Countdown Blitz Day one: The Billionaire's Sweet Valentine by Laura L Walker






Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young, she spent hours drawing characters on paper and fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more serious, however, when Laura met her own hero and they eventually became the parents of six children. In between spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts, transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still enjoys putting her imagination to good use. She is the author of four contemporary romances.

Connect with the Author here: 


"All Penny Merrill wants to do is run her own bakery shop, but her money-thirsty mother and conniving stepfather are making it nearly impossible to keep her dream alive. When Penny finds a clipping advertising a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's cutest couple, with the winnings being enough for her to hold on to her floundering business, she comes up with an idea that might just work--if she can find the right man for the job.

Commercial contractor Preston Ames is starting to develop feelings for Penny, and even though he's been through enough heartache to know that he should avoid her at all costs, he can't keep himself from visiting her sweet shop everyday. When Penny asks him to participate in a crazy scheme so that she can overturn her stepfather's underhanded business ploy, Preston is tempted to run the other way. But one look into her soulful blue eyes and he's a goner. Little does he know that his calm, orderly world is about to unravel--and that just one picture will turn Penny into his sweet valentine! "




~ AmazonAmazon UK



Snippet:
   
 Penny looked up to see Preston shaking his head in disbelief. “Christmas already came and went, sweetheart. Did you overdose on the fruitcake? Tell me you’re not really considering asking a guy to pose with you in this nutty contest.”

    Penny’s smile froze. “Well . . .”

    Preston’s jaw went slack. He set the box of doughnuts down with a thud and braced his arms on the countertop, effectively pinning her with his glare. “I don’t believe it. In the past year that I’ve known you, I never took you for a person who would do something like this. You’ve always seemed so level-headed.”

    He made it sound like she was doing something awful. Maybe her idea was a little farfetched, but she felt confident that she could pull it off. With the right man, of course.


     And the one she was hoping for was standing less than two feet away.



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Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Book Blitz: Tarragon, Key Keeper by Karlie Lucas




Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally
 

Connect with the Author here: 
Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~




For hundreds of years, the gates of Tarragon have been sealed from the outside. Prophecy speaks of the day the last Key Keeper will return and wake the dragons from their spell-cast slumber, returning them to their rightful home.

Seeking to fulfill her father's dying wish, Anwen Porter travels to the Drakonii Mountains where she meets Tyler, a mysterious local with a secret. With his help, she learns more about her clouded past and her own abilities. But when Courtney, a lovesick mage, tries to insert herself into their plans, things begin to go horribly wrong.


With death threatening at every turn, Anwen must learn to rely on her newfound friends to survive. But how can she unravel the mystery of her heritage when everything is trying to kill her?









Snippet:

Courtney pounded up the stairs, almost tripping over a spike that protruded from the last stair. It took her a moment to spot her somewhat friend lying unconscious by the far window. Almost flying the last few feet, she knelt by Anwen's side, shaking her. “Hey, this isn't funny. Wake up.”
When the auburn-haired girl didn't respond, Courtney looked around with large eyes. "Tyler's going to kill me," she uttered, her voice changing pitch. "Come on, Anna. Please!"
The wind picked up, whipping her long hair and she moved to brush it aside. A dark shadow fell over both teens as Courtney turned back to the unconscious girl. It stretched up the wall like a menacing beast. Her heart thudded in her chest as she made to slowly turn around. Before she could so much as turn her shoulder, the shadow's owner was upon her.
“What did you do to her?" Tyler yelled as he thrust Courtney aside, using far more strength than he'd normally use on a mortal. His whole body shook with fury.
Courtney tumbled, then skid across the floor. She shivered in the corner where she landed, legs askew in front of her, her expression filled with shock. It took a moment for her to find her breath. For the briefest of seconds, she thought Tyler's eyes had changed color as he stared at her with anger-filled eyes.


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Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Book Blitz: Reflections by The Pamlico Writers Group





With a love for poetic words and their meaning, a well respected business owner  and native of Beaufort County had a vision. He wanted others to experience and feel the powerful meaning of words. The birth of the Pamlico Writers Group by Jerry Cuthrell in the late 70's has made that dream what it is today.


Since its inception, the Pamlico Writers Group has helped many authors achieve their dreams. Some have written and published books of their own. Others have been inspired to resurrect works long forgotten. Many have come and gone, but the Pamlico Writers Group stands as a beacon of hope to future writers and their dreams.

The Pamlico Writers Group's mission is to help other aspiring writers accomplish their goal in writing. We achieve this through our local critique group meetings, online critique groups, and by offering as an incentive to our young people, a High School Scholarship fund. We're honored to be a co-sponsor of the Pamlico Writers Conference that helps make funding possible for this scholarship. Our visions, help shape the minds of the future.


Connect with the Author here: 
~ Facebook ~ Website





Reflections: Images and Memories, is a collection of exemplary writing by our members and future members. The prose and poetry in this volume represent a collage of work by published authors and emerging writers. Pamlico Writers’ Group is particularly honored to include prose and poetry from high school students—young emerging writers to whom we entrust our future. Each writer whose work is included in the anthology has expertly crafted a piece around his or her own interpretation of this year’s theme—Reflections: Images and Memories. The collection is the culmination of hard work and truly affirms the group’s commitment to its mission. With this anthology, The Pamlico Writers’ Group is proud to deliver its finest product to date.



~ Amazon ~ Amazon UK




Meet Half of The Authors:


 Playwright Beverly Horvath found a passion for films and stageplays while living in Los Angeles and has participated in many small theatre productions. Beverly now resides in Aurora, NC, and has been writing for screen and stage since 2001. She has written original screenplays, book adaptations for screen and two musical stage-plays while collaborating with talented musicians/lyricists. Her musical play “Whiskey Flats” has been produced in New Bern, North Carolina.
Christina Ruotolo is a published author and freelance writer. She works in newspaper Advertising, is a Hot Dish food writer, a bookseller at Barnes & Noble and an adjunct creative writing instructor at a community college. She is the author the poetry collection, The Butterfly Net, and co-author of the nonfiction book, The Day The Earth Moved Haiti. She has a BA in Communications and Literature and a Master's degree in creative nonfiction from East Carolina University. She has won writing awards through Wildacres Writers Retreat, Carrie McCray Awards for poetry, and has published poetry, nonfiction and photography in past editions of The Petigru Review.

C. Inathe Marshall received an MFA in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach, in 2011. She was poetry editor for ARTLIFE Magazine and her poems have appeared in Convergence, 2004, ArtLife, 24th Anniversary Issue, 2004, Verdad Magazine, 2009, Spillway, 2010, RipRap, 2011, The Packinghouse Review, 2012, Beyond the Lyric Moment: Poetry Inspired by Workshops with David St. John, 2014, ELKE, 2016 and Redheaded Stepchild Magazine. She was the December 2016 Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts Writer-In-Residence and attended the 2017 Sewanee Writer’s Conference. 
           
                             

Denis Listerman-Vierling: I am a former social studies teacher and retired Greek Orthodox priest. My wife and I moved from California to Washington, North Carolina in June of 2017. My hobbies include puppetry, gardening and writing. The only published writings have been limited to parish histories and family genealogy books. However I have written a number of fiction stories in my spare time. Now that I am semi-retired, I hope to devote more time to writing.
Dennis Sinar has been a listener nearly all his life. Working as a physician, listening was essential to making an accurate diagnosis and so stories about people provided ample material.   He has published two short story collections about the fictional characters that live in Marsden NC. These are stories told by people you would meet on the street in any Southern town and describe their highs and lows with life, love, and family. Roger and Patrice, a retired couple from Boston, link the stories as they struggle to understand the ways of the South.

    Diane de Echeandia is a native North Carolinian, born in Wilmington, NC.  She writes poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction.  Diane has won awards in competitions sponsored by Christopher Newport University, the North Carolina Writers' Workshop in Asheville, NC, and the Pamlico Writers' Conference. Her poetry has appeared in SUNY Delhi's publication, Agate; Art Inspires Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Poetry 2015, 2016; A Carolina Christmas Anthology 2016; Skinny Poetry 8/16; and online magazines Eskimopi, and Bindweed February 2017. Diane has enjoyed teaching ESL to college students, and refugees.  She lives in New Bern, NC.




Deborah Dolttle has lived in lots of different places but now calls North Carolina home. She has a BA from the University of Colorado, an MA from George Washington University, an MFA from San Diego State University, and now teaches at Coastal Carolina Community College.   Two chapbooks, No Crazy Notions and That Echo, have won the Mary Belle Campbell and Long Leaf Press Award, respectively.  She has had more than 350 poems published in literary magazines, with some most recently having appeared or will soon appear in Atlanta Review, Bear Creek Haiku, Edge, Oberon, Pinyon, Seems and TAB: The Journal of Poetry and Poetics.  An avid print-maker, she has put together a small collection of hand-made limited edition book art. Married to a retired Marine, she has a son and a daughter and three grandchildren.   When not teaching or writing, she volunteers as a Wildlife Rehabilitator.  She and her husband currently share their house with four cats and a backyard full of birds.

Doris Schneider was born in Texas, and lived all over the U.S. and Canada. After thirty-three years of teaching theatre at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and North Carolina Central University in Durham, Doris retired to little Washington where she paints, designs jewelry, plays violin and writes.   Doris has published two novels: Borrowed Things and By Way of Water and has short stories in the anthology, A Carolina Christmas. She is currently seeking publication for her novella, Drummer Girl. Her time is divided between the NC coast and the mountains, where her husband Jim Coke raises wildflowers.
Hallo! I would like to introduce myself as Dylan Fink, an aspiring writer. One of my favorite pastimes is reading, and I always loved to do so. Books created a gateway for my own imagination to blossom into something more than just a simple thought. With my imagination, I could create mass expanses of terrain, huge worlds where people of all types could live. Deep space battles, magical beings, gods fighting over the planet. I want to inspire other people to use their imagination in writing and in reading. That is my goal in writing, and I hope you enjoy.
             

Eileen Lettick is a former elementary classroom teacher and staff developer. After 30 years in the classroom, she continued her mission in literacy—changing readers into writers. Eileen has presented literacy workshops to teachers and administrators on the east coast from New Hampshire to Florida. She maintains her literacy resource website for parents, teachers, and students-- scribbles-n-lit.org. Her own writing, whether fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, often develops through the eyes of strong female characters.
Eileen won the 2017 award for nonfiction at the Pamlico Writers’ Conference for her memoir, The Poetry Lesson. Her middle grade time travel novel, Sarah the Bold, as yet unpublished, placed as a finalist for the 2012 Tassy Walden New Voices in Children’s Literature Book Award. Eileen has published poems in The Teacher’s Anthology of Creative Communications and in the July 2017 issue of Wallingford Magazine. Her article, May the Road Rise up to Meet You appeared in the 2013 July Challenge Magazine. She is presently completing a young adult novel, My Life on Roller Skates.


My name is Elizabeth White and I have always been interested in the arts. My interests have evolved from drawing to expressing myself in poetry, but I’ve always found comfort in creativity. About two a year and a half ago is when I got into poetry; in a way, it brought me back to life in a time when I was not doing well. I intend to collect all the poetry I’ve written and put it in a book and hopefully publish it.


EM Slatterley, The author, that's me to the left, was born on Long Island, New York, which by the way, happens to be the setting for my second historical novel, Nowhere to Go. My wife, Cathy, and I are currently retired and living in North Carolina, close to the Atlantic coast. We have three grown children and three grandchildren. How did I get into writing? Well, I've always been interested in writing and I've written a few things in the past, but now I have the opportunity and more time to share my talent with new friends and faithful readers. 


Hello, my name is Emani Dunning and I am 18 years old. I am from Greenville, NC, where I attended and recently graduated from South Central High School .  I love to spend time with my family and friends, eat, help others and smile! I am now a freshman at Winston-Salem State University with a major in Biology, to have a successful career as a neonatologist or pediatrician and with writing being something I do well, I also plan to become an author. I would like to thank my supportive family, and Mrs. Painter for giving me this opportunity, and also the Pamlico Writers for granting me this title! God bless! 
         



Jonathan Clayborne is the author of “Ten Dollars and a Zippo,” a poetry collection he published in 2017. Clayborne is writing a southern-gothic novel, which he hopes to publish in 2018. He sometimes writes under the pseudonym S. Kruger, and is a director, co-founder and screenwriter for Haunted Pamlico, a Halloween-centered organization that makes short horror films. An award-winning print journalist, he left the newspaper field in 2012. He is an entrepreneur focusing on creative writing and other ventures. His contribution to this anthology is an excerpt from his tentatively titled “Garden Journal,” a soon-to-be-published series of reflections and photographs spanning more than 30 years of his gardening life. 
     

Gloria Loftin: I have been writing since I was five years old. That is my first love.  I am also a voracious reader.  I live in Grimesland, NC. We moved here in 2005 from Northern Virginia. I missed out on college when I was younger.  My parents had four children to support. My parents could not afford to send me to college at that time.
I had my chance when I asked my mom and dad if they would pay for me to go to college at the age of 6, and they said yes.  I missed out when I was younger, but I believe that I appreciated it more at that age.  Now I just love to learn, something I did not care for as a teenager.
I am unpublished, but hope to remedy that soon.  I have found a wonderful group of people who support and encourage every chance they get.
Thank you for the time to get to know me a little better.


Janine Sellers, homemaker, wife and daughter in a historic section of New Bern, has been writing poetry since she was sixteen. With wordsmithing as part of her DNA, she has been the editor and cover designer of two successfully published books. The portals to Janine’s world include book stores, libraries and yard sales. She loves people, especially first person storytellers. An excessive note-taker and memoirist, Janine strongly believes in getting things down on paper. She is happily retired from a professional career in association management.
     

   Jo Ann Steger Hoffman is a writer, editor, and former corporate communications director whose publications include a children’s book, short fiction and a variety of poems in literary journals, including The Merton Quarterly, Pinesong, Fall Lines and New Verse News. She has received recent contest awards from the Pamlico Writers and the Palm Beach Poetry Festival.  Her 2010 non-fiction book, Angels Wear Black, recounts the only technology executive kidnapping to occur in California’s Silicon Valley. A native of Toledo, Ohio, she and her husband now live in Cary and Beaufort, North Carolina.

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To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page