Asheville, North Carolina USA —Rave Reviews Book Club is pleased to introduce, Author, Kim Cox as their “SPOTLIGHT” Author for the week of May 22-28, 2016. Kim’s featured book, All This Time, is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Book Description
At thirty, Jenny Morgan’s biological clock is ticking. But as a fashion magazine CEO with a busy schedule and no significant other, her wish is unlikely to come true. When her father receives a terminal diagnosis, he wants a grandchild before he dies. With her religious beliefs, a sperm donor isn’t an alternative. Jenny’s only option is her single co-worker and best friend, Trevor Drake. Can she really trust him to be a good husband?
Trevor has loved Jenny since college, but she only sees him as a friend with no ambition. After he finds out her predicament, he proposes and sets out to prove he can provide everything she needs. Jenny is determined to have a prenuptial agreement with an “out” clause after one year. Can he convince Jenny of his love by then?
As if they don’t have enough on their plate, someone at the magazine is out to sabotage their marriage, their impending parenthood, and the magazine. Jenny is nearly killed in one such attempt. Can Jenny and Trevor work together to uncover their common enemy?
To learn more about Kim Cox, or to purchase All This Time, please visit:
Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world–one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil’s vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve’s soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Excerpt
The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.
The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path. All the nuns were at evening mass. With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.
Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred. She hesitated. Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey’s main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?
The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.
She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener’s cottage and wait for Andrew’s arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.
She’d rather wait for Andrew here, outside.
Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?
Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him — losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. “I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary.”
* * * *
“Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please,” the insistent voice whispered next to her ear. The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.
She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.
The moon’s pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent’s entrance; yet the stranger’s whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.
A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman’s red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.
Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, “Hush, come. Follow me.”
Anne’s eyes widened.
The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound.
As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.
An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.
Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss…
“Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess, and some of her followers call me The witch.”
Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?
Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) “Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the…cursed forest.”
Do you have any schooling?
Genevieve (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) “Kind Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think.”
What are your worst fears or nightmare?
Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) “I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.
My nightmare – the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way.”
Is it anything that you secretly desire?
Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) “To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees….If the Abbess lets me go… If God forgives me for giving up being a nun…..If I escape alive from the forest…. If….”
Author bio:
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.
She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.
Shadows of the Past, paranormal/light romance/light mystery/light horror was released at the end of 2012 by Wild Child publishing, USA.
Today, I am featuring Janie Franz, author of Warrior Women.
Warrior Women
By Janie Franz
MuseItUp Publishing
Jan-nell the bowdancer, now pregnant with her second child, and her daughter, Mira-nell, trek up a mountain where bards’ tales have said a village of warrior women exists. Jan-nell makes this trip in winter—and in her condition—in order to find a place for Mira-nell where the child’s precocious abilities will be accepted. The women on the mountain, though, are not fighters or even man-haters. They have chosen to live apart from the world in a village of only women, led by a sisterhood of hunters. Chandro, a beautiful trackfinder, rescues Jan-nell and her daughter, offering them a home and the promise of love.
EXCERPT
Nearing the bend in the trail, Mira-nell gave out a cry and pulled on her mother’s cloak. Jan-nell looked back at her. The child’s face was rapt as if she had seen the One before her. “Look,” she said, pointing ahead.
On the trail, silhouetted by the morning sun, a tall woman stood with feet spread wide apart, a hand on an upright spear that towered far over her head. The woman’s short red hair was set afire by the golden rays behind her. She wore a cape and woven pants with high boots made of goat hide. Her stance was powerful. No doubt she could bar their way further up the trail since Jan-nell possessed little strength to push past her, much less fight her for the right to pass, if that was her intention.
Before Jan-nell could ask what she wanted, another tightening spread across her belly. She was prepared for it this time, only turning slightly to hold her staff with two hands as she breathed with it.
When Jan-nell finally raised her head, the woman with the spear stood a few paces from them. Reaching into a pouch by her waist, she brought out two small leaves and offered them to Jan-nell. “Chew and swallow the juice but not the leaf.”
Jan-nell examined the leaves, sniffed them, and then raised an eyebrow to question the stranger.
“It will pause your labor,” the woman explained in quiet tones.
“Pause it?” she questioned with suspicion. “I have used plants to speed a birth and to ease it, but not one to make it stop. I know of no such plant. Where did you find it?”
“It grows in the waste places of the mountain near the edge of the snows.” Then she added, “It will not harm the babe.”
Jan-nell crunched on the bitter leaves and nearly retched as the vile fluid filled her mouth. With effort, she managed to swallow it.
The woman offered a rueful smile and put a strong hand on her shoulder in comfort. “‘Tis awful it is true, but it does the work.” Then her brow furrowed. “The pull of the earth hastens the birth. We must get you to shelter and off your feet—and soon….”
Janie Franz comes from a long line of Southern liars and storytellers. She told other people’s stories as a freelance journalist for many years. With Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox, she co-wrote The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book, and then self-published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She also published an online music publication, was an agent/publicist for a groove/funk band, a radio announcer, and a yoga/relaxation instructor.
Currently, she is writing her tweveth novel and a self-help book, Starting Over: Becoming a Woman of Power.
Character Interview
Nickname or Name? My name is Jan-nell. For part of my life I was known only by my title, The Bowdancer.
Job? I am the Bowdancer, the keeper of the lore of my people. I am also a midwife and healer. I sing the songs of the One. Though I have left my people and that revered place in their village, I still do the work of the One, trying to find my place within this wild world I have discovered.
Most important goal? My most fervent desire at this moment of my life, before the birth of my second child, is to find a home for my clever daughter. Like I was as a child, she is quick-witted. However unlike me, she has no place where that gift is recognized. In the village below this great mountain I am climbing, she was ridiculed by child and adult. And her only future was to be the wife of a dull-witted farmer.
Worst fear or nightmare? My worse fear is that there will never be a place for my daughter Mira-nell, nor for me, for I, too, wish to finally belong somewhere again.
Today, I am featuring Tracey Clark, author of Shocking Finds.
Shocking Finds (A Finder’s Keepers Novel)
-Tracey Clark
Here are a few treats for readers interested in Paranormal/Fantasy Romance (New Adult)
A blurb, a quick excerpt, some links for buying options and author info… and
Lastly… a fun little Q&A session with the main character Marin!!
Happy wordage everyone
Blurb:
An act of rebellion, Marin doesn’t think that running into the new store in town will hurt anything. Her aunt will never know… right? One car wreck later, her aunt is hospitalized, Marin is forced to spend her twenty-first birthday fighting for her life, and magic – the very thing her aunt has always sworn to be for fools – is real. And so is the irresistible Fae dedicated to Marin’s protection.
Kyland has searched Earth-side and all the other realms, looking for a missing Fae child. A child his Queen prophesied would be able to one day save the Fae people from the Danshue, as the evil Fae threat tries to overwhelm the entire Supernatural Community. A child that would know nothing of her blocked gifts, or her Fae heritage waiting to be claimed. A child that has grown into a curvy, delicious morsel he would love to taste
Together Marin and Kyland will fight Fae assassins, overcome betrayals, and if they’re lucky … they will find the Danshue responsible for their plight. That’s if Marin doesn’t shock him to death with her erratic new gift, and her out of control emotions.
Marin needed answers. Like why had they been targeted? The parking lot hadn’t exactly been lacking for vehicular violence victim contenders. There had been a group of at least four women, standing by their cars, chatting. If there was a target more deserving of vehicular rage, it had definitely been that group of women. They had finished shopping, and courtesy demanded that their parking spots were to be relinquished as soon as possible. Why not them?
The man—and Marin was only guessing that the driver was a man—had bypassed those without parking lot etiquette and zeroed in on Lindal. If she had continued her slow progress through the parking lot, would Marin be in this horrible room with its beeping monitors and bleached air instead of Lindal.
Staring down at her aunt’s unmoving form, Marin tried to find a place to rest her hand. She needed to touch her. She needed to know that the only person willing to take her in, after the death of her mother, was really here and still alive.
“They will find him, Lindal. He won’t get away with this,” Marin made her vow as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Lindal’s recovery.
Glancing up to keep tears from falling from her eyes, Marin noticed something swinging off of Lindal’s oxygen line.
“What the…” It looked like a Barbie doll with wings, perhaps six inches tall. The odd little creature wore a loin cloth and sported some overly obvious male attributes. Was it wrong to be checking out the abs of someone no larger than a child’s toy?
His arms tugged and his muscles bunched as he attempted to make a knot in Lindal’s oxygen line. His silver skin tone went beautifully with his tri-colored wings— a mix of light purple, maroon, and gold. The little man didn’t seem to realize that Marin was staring at him.
“Stop,” Marin shouted. Dammit, this was a hospital. She needed to lower her voice. She also needed to go upstairs to the psych ward. Head trauma, shock, or hallucinations…something wasn’t right. If she told Lindal about this, her aunt would call her every kind of fool.
Hallucination or not, she grabbed the little man by the wings, pulled him from Lindal’s oxygen line, and tried to speak more calmly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
She finally had her figment’s attention. A striking, though small, pair of lavender eyes glared at her through overly long sandy brown bangs. On closer inspection, she could see that his hair was actually multicolored. It seemed to go from crystal white sand to bronzed gold.
“Well, answer me. What do you think you’re doing?”
“Waiting for you, of course.”
“What are you?” She was losing it. The buzzing in her temples was increasing. And she was now speaking to a figment of her imagination. Yep, she needed to be medicated.
The creature put its tiny fists on narrow hips. “A Sprite, of course. Don’t you know anything? I have my work cut out for me.” Now she was being insulted by her imagination. Great.
“Nope. Too Much,” Marin said and tossed the little man with wings out of the hospital window. She needed coffee. Either that or a large dose of Thorazine. Maybe both.
All About Tracey Clark!!
I am a country-twang gal from the bluegrass state. Kentucky is a hot bed of horses, cave systems, and whiskey. And I love all three. With my pugs and bossy kitty cat, I spend my days writing and working social media. I write with the help of the voices pushing me to create worlds for them to live in. Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, and eventually some cowboys (because cowboys live in a group all their own, yummmm)… These are the genres that I love best. Oil paints, crafts, dealing with Multiple Sclerosis, and writing into the dead of night… this I my life!!!
To Find out more about Tracey here are some links…
Interviewer: You’ve had quick the introduction to the Fae world, Marin… Can I call you Marin..
Marin (reddened cheeks): Uhh… sure… I mean, that’s what most people call me… Kyland has been call me, Minzet, but I’m pretty sure that’s something just between us since it means Sweet One… but…yeah… Marin would be best.
Interviewer (light chuckle): Great. Well, I nice to finally get to sit down with us… and as the new Princess to the Fae people, with such an odd upbringing… the Fae would love to know a little pit about you… Tell us a little bit about day to day life in the royal world…
Marin: Pfft… Most of the time I think they have the wrong girl… I mean… I was home schooled, and have worked at Finder’s Keepers since I turned 17… for the past four years I have been slipping into Finder’s Trances in order to locate everything from pets to abduction victims… from car keys to family heirlooms… it sounds like important work but really, I mostly had to pull a bunch of information together so that other Finder’s could go out on Mission to locate whatever the client had misplaced…
Interviewer: That sounds like important work to me… also, something that would take a toll on your emotions… do you have someone to cuddle up to at night to help you get through the day???
Marin (Cheeks now flaming red): Kyland… he came out of nowhere and changed my life… and he doesn’t even mind when I accidentally shock him with this new power that has a tendency to get out of control when I’m upset…
Interview: …. (shuffles through questions) … (scoots chair back and grits her teeth)… What goals and hardships do you face… what do you want for the Fae?? I mean… what are your plans to keep the Fae community safe?? (scoots back a little further…)
Marin (head cocked to the side): I’m still learning about the Fae world.. but I would say my goal is to keep as many people safe as I can… (fists clench) … if the evil Fae, those Danshue ********… sorry for my language, but if they would just stop getting in the way, I could learn a little faster… someone needs to stop the Danshue before this community I’m just getting to know dies out…
Sparks light up on Marin’s hands, but Interviewer merely gets a white
Knuckled grip on her set and continues…
Interviewer: One final questions and we will let you get back to your new duties as Princess… Can you tell us what fears you are facing in this new chapter of your life???
Marin: … (Deep Breath…) Lindal… that the woman that pretended to be my only family, that kidnapped me as a child (sparks on her fingertips) … that she will find a way to finish what she started… (more sparks) … that she will find a way to hurt the people I am coming to care about… that she will hurt KYLAND … (small explosion blowing out all the lights)
Interview warily pulls herself up out of the floor, where she dove to avoid flying glass…
Interview(voice shaky) : Alright… I think that’s all we have time for… thanks for stopping by Princess…
Will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé by Memorial Day? If she can, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts for another year.
Customer Review Quotes “A perfect blend of paranormal and humor” “An entertaining ‘Who Dunnit’ that I won’t soon forget!” “… filled with twists and turns” “good read–humor, romance, mystery, and a little something extra with the light paranormal-tone” “Ghosts, and love, and mystery, oh my!” “Entertaining Paranormal Mystery” “I love it when a book makes me laugh out loud, which this one did.”
Lucy had made herself invisible even to Lana before leaving the security of the house. It wouldn’t do for anyone else with an open mind to see her hovering beside her.
A tall, good-looking man walking ahead of Lana yelled, “Ow!” and jumped a few inches off the ground before turning around and giving her a one-eyed stare. He rubbed his rear and then turned back around, walking much faster away from them.
“Lucy,” she whispered, “what did you do?”
“Just a little pinch, my girl. They didn’t make men like that in my day.”
“You’re unbelievable! If you’re not good, I’ll take you back home and you can wait there until I return.”
Lucy laughed. “Did you see the tight muscles in his arms, the dark as night hair and the rear on that man? Ooh la la! Can’t believe you’re still single with men like that in the world. When’s the last time you had a date anyway?”
“I do okay. Besides, I’m in no hurry to settle down.” A cool breeze blew in from the ocean and she breathed deeply.
“Whatcha waiting for? Remember, the Grim Reaper could come a-calling at any time and that’s one fella you don’t want interested in you.”
Hi and “WELCOME” to Rave Reviews Book Club’s BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY at Kim’s Author Support Page!
Location: Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
Giveaways are available internationally in English language only!
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AND THE WINNDERS ARE
Here’s What I’m Giving Away Today:
*($25) Amazon Gift Card – MARGARET DALY
*One (1) e-book copy of ALL THIS TIME – TRACI SANDERS
*One (1) e-book copy of HAUNTED HEARTS – RICHIE GERBER
***
# of Winners for this stop: 3
To enter for prizes, please leave a comment at the end of this page. If you’re leaving a comment for the first time, your comment will need to be approved. But if you’re a returning visitor, your comment will go right through.
I’d like to introduce you to my books and to me as a person as well as an author.
First, I have a relaxing video; second, an interview between the characters from two different book series. Third, is the Story of Kim Cox, and fourth, I’ve included a short blurb on each of my books to help you make the perfect decision in your next book selection. You can also click on a link to read an excerpt of each book. If you like what you read here, please share with your friends, fans, etc. There’s also a surprise cover reveal. I hope you enjoy the (mostly) fall pictures in my header. They were all photographed near my home in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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This video isn’t a book trailer. It is the first and only video I’ve ever done. I hope to produce a few book trailers around the first of the year. This one was created for a class project in Web Technologies in 2012, and it portrays some of the gorgeous waterfalls of Dupont State Forest in Transylvania County, North Carolina–only about an hour from our home. Our final project consisted of many multi-media projects that ended with a full Web site about hiking trails. I chose Dupont for its beauty. The voice isn’t mine but that of a friend of my youngest son’s. I hope you enjoy the video and find it relaxing. It sounds better with earphones on my computer.
Dupont State Forest – Video
Unique Trails and Amazing Waterfalls
The below video is an introduction to the Dupont State Forest, which offers almost 100 miles of unique trails with amazing waterfalls, pristine lakes, and other attractions. Some trails pass over large expanses of solid rock on large granite domes.
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ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
Jenny Morgan Drake and her husband, Trevor Drake, from my book, “All This Time” of the Style & Profile series, visits Lana Malloy to interview Lana for Jenny’s family magazine, Morgan Fashions. This interview will take place between books 2 & 3, GET OUT OR DIE and THE WEDDING CRASHER, from the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY series.
***
A Little Backstory
Trevor reluctantly accompanies Jenny on the trip to James Island in South Carolina. He agrees to go only because Jenny refuses to wait, and he doesn’t want her to go alone in her much pregnant condition.
Trevor doesn’t believe in ghosts roaming the earth, much less someone who can see and talk to them. He expects to see a rundown witch/voodoo shack in the swamp. He’s done his research and knows Lana’s fiancé, Tony Calabria is a man of means, but he figures Tony probably hides his girlfriend out in the boonies as to not scare the town folk.
On the other hand, Jenny has read all about Lana’s experiences and believes she is exactly who she claims, a private investigator for the unusual.
Lana is in the process of moving stuff into their getaway home on James Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, where they will live part-time after they’re married. She loves the house and wants to show it off.
***
The Interview
Lana meets them at the front door. “Hello. Jenny, Trevor, welcome to my home. Please come in? And help yourselves to the tray of iced tea and cookies here in the den. Please forgive the mess. I’m in the process of moving a few things into this house.”
“Lana, how lovely you are.” Jenny touches her belly as she wobbles inside.
Trevor stands in the doorway listening and looking around the house as if something might jump out at him.
“Thank you.” Lana says, as she leads them to the den.
“You have a lovely home. It’s exquisite and huge, but also has a homey feel. I love all the porches.” Jenny elbows Trevor playfully in the ribs. “Doesn’t she, Trevor?”
Trevor clears his throat nervously. “Yes, it’s very nice. The Weeping Willow trees along the long drive are nice.” He straightens his tie.
“Tony bought the house as a wedding present to me. He’s a sweetheart. He knows how I hate living in the city.”
Jenny asks, “But didn’t I read somewhere that you did live near the beach front in Charleston?”
“Yes. I’m transforming it into a full-time office.” She glances at Jenny’s girth. “How far along are you?” Lana asks. “Have a seat, please.” She motions them toward a sofa near the picture window.
“Oh, I’m a little over six months.” Jenny sits on the couch as Lana sits in her favorite chair opposite them. Trevor slides in beside his wife.
“If you’d like, after we finish our snacks, we can go out on the back porch for the interview. It’s shaded from the hot sun this time of day.” Lana takes a bite of her chocolate chip cookie.
“That sounds nice.” Jenny sips on her tea, already having finished off three of her own cookies.
Lana ushers them to the back porch overlooking the pool in the back yard. She turns on the porch’s ceiling fans to stir the air and guides them toward the four rocking chairs lined up across the porch.
As they get settled, Lana feels a kindredship to Jenny. She senses the loss of Jenny’s mother and sister. And that her father, although still alive, had a health scare a couple of years ago.
Jenny positions her pen above her pad to take notes, but asks, “Do you mind if I record our interview?”
“Not at all.” Lana spreads her hands over her sundress to smooth out the wrinkles.
Trevor takes the small recorder from his pocket and presses the on button.
“Jenny, I hope I’m not overstepping, but I was told to tell you that your mother and sister are pleased and thrilled that you and Trevor chose to name your daughter after them. Caroline Beth Drake, isn’t it?”
Trevor almost chokes on the mouthful of tea he’d just sipped. “What!”
“Oh and Trevor, your father hopes you’ll name your son after him. It doesn’t have to be your son’s first name but a middle name would be nice.”
Jenny appears shocked. She believes that spirits are all around them, and she believes in Lana, but just to have her come out and say that was chilling. She never figured her mother and sister would contact her like this. Tears come to eyes and she pulls a tissue from her purse. “Thank you, Lana, and can you tell them I love and miss them. And tell Alfred, we’re not giving our son his first name but we may give him the name David which is Alfred’s middle name.”
Lana smiles. “You just told them.”
Both women look at Trevor who has turned three different shades of red and his eyes are watering. Lana isn’t sure if he’s crying or if it’s from where he’d choked. “How do you, or my father for that matter, know that we’re having a boy this time?”
“Trevor!” Jenny gives him her most furious expression. “Don’t start.”
“No. I’m not trying to . . . I just need to know.”
“That’s okay. Trevor, the spirits know many things that are unknown to us. They give me bits of what they know when they want me to know about it. In this case, you father wants you to know how he feels.”
“Okay. That sounds like my father. Tell him I love and miss him, please.” Trevor sniffs and wipes his nose with a handkerchief. He loosens his tie and opens the top button of his shirt.
“He can hear you, Trevor.” Lana looks at him with concern. She hopes she hasn’t said too much.
He runs both hands through his hair. “I’ve got to take a walk. Will you be okay?” he asks his wife.
Jenny touches his hand as he stands up. “Are you okay, Honey?” she asks him. Concern is evident in her voice.
“I will be, I just need to rethink everything I’ve ever believed.” He walks off the porch and around the corner of Lana’s house.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset him,” Lana says, regretting she’d let Alfred talk her into telling Trevor about his presence.
“It’s okay. His father has always been a sore subject for him. He and his mother lost him when Trevor was only ten.” Jenny searches the area to see if she can see Trevor but he’s out of sight. She picks up her pad and looks at Lana. “Shall we get on with the interview?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Lana, you have been one busy psychic.”
“I suppose so.” Lana smiles.
“How do you do it? Do the ghosts just appear to you and help you solve whatever problem there is at the time?”
“Not exactly. Sometimes it’s hard to get them to talk and other times you can’t shut them up. An example of the latter would be my Aunt Lucy.”
Both women laughed.
“I heard that,” Lucy chimes in.
“Lucy has shown up, by the way. Go away, Lucy. I’m a bit busy here.” Lucy for once does as Lana requests and leaves without another word. “Go ahead. She’s gone.”
“I would love to have your gift, Lana. To know the things you do. To be able to help people, both the dead and the living.”
Lana clears her throat. “You mean you would like to never be alone, hearing people telling or showing you information all the time. And this information may or may not be something you can do anything about. When you least expect it, you’ve got a crisis to take care of. It doesn’t matter that you’re having a romantic dinner with your fiancé, you’re out with friends, sound asleep, or in the middle of a shopping mall. It doesn’t matter. They are demanding your attention.”
“Oh wow! I didn’t realize you’d have no control over the when.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. Probably just wedding jitters. I’m very thankful for my gift, but it can be very disrupting to my life. I like being able to help people, and I love being able to talk to those I love after they’ve passed on, especially my Aunt Lucy. However, spirits can be very impatient. Their time isn’t like ours and it all seems urgent to them for some reason, particularly those who have recently passed. Those who have been gone for a while seem to be a little more tolerant.”
“I see.” Jenny wrote on her pad. “Did I hear you correctly? I think you mentioned twice about getting married.”
“Yes, Tony and I are getting married.”
“When?”
“In two short months, and I’m both excited and terrified about that.” Lana smiles and takes a sip of tea.
“I know the feeling. You met my husband, Trevor.” She laughs.
“Yes. He’s adorable. I could tell right off he’s a skeptic.”
“That’s stating it lightly. Trevor doesn’t believe in much of anything that he can’t see or touch unless he’s experienced it for himself.” She glances toward the edge of the yard but Trevor still hasn’t returned. “So, why are you so nervous? Don’t you know that your marriage is meant to be? If Tony is the one for you?”
“I do but not in the way you mean. I once caught a glimpse of our lives together.” She wrings her hands together. “But lately . . . I don’t know. I’ve not been sleeping well, and I have a strange feeling that something bad is about to happen.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“That’s the problem. I have no idea.” Lana stands and walks to the edge of the porch, placing one hand on the railing.
Jenny leans a little forward. “But you’re psychic. I don’t understand. Don’t you know everything?”
Lana turns to face Jenny and leans against the post. “Most people don’t understand. I only get pieces of things I need to know in order to help someone else. Sometimes those pieces are hard to interpret. Every once and a while, I’ll get a premonition or see someone’s past. Sometimes it may be for no other reason than it’s something I need to know myself. But most of the time it’s to help someone else. I rarely see anything beneficial to me personally. My one vision of my life with Tony was an exception.”
Jenny writes furiously. “Oh, and can you give me an instance of a premonition you’ve had.?”
“Yes. When I was about twelve, I saw my grandfather’s death before he died. He was old and I thought I was dreaming it because he’d been under the weather for the last few days, and I was scared for him. He died within the week.”
“That must’ve been terrifying for you as a child that young.”
“It was. At the time, I didn’t believe in my own gifts. And I thought perhaps God thought my dream meant I wished it. I blamed myself.” Her eyes moisten from the memory. “I see how silly that was now. At times, I feel blessed to have this gift, and yet, cursed at others.”
“Since you didn’t believe in yourself, how did you come to terms with knowing and seeing things that no one else could see or hear?”
“Aunt Lucy and my best friend, Demi, helped me.”
“Demi?”
“Yes. Demi Lancaster.” Jenny clears her throat. “Off the record, please?”
“Sure.” Jenny turns off the recorder.
“I don’t want to get her into trouble. Her boss knows I know things, but he doesn’t want to know about spirits.”
“I understand.”
“Demi’s a Charleston Police Detective and a godsend to me. She helps me figure things out sometimes and gets information for me when I need it if it is a life and death situation.”
“She sounds like a good friend.”
“She is.”
“Back on the record, now?”
Lana nods her head.
Jenny turns the recorder back on. “But how did Demi convince you to believe in your gift?”
“Well, it was after my great aunt Lucy came to see me one night right after she died. Aunt Lucy told me to embrace my gift and stop suppressing it. That suppressing it would only make things worse.”
“I see, but how did that help you?”
“It didn’t really. Aunt Lucy told me I didn’t want to know what would happen if I didn’t accept my gift. She pretty much scared me more than anything else. Not so much her words but the look on her face when she said it.”
“What did Demi do?”
Lana sat back on the edge of her chair, turning slightly to face Jenny. “After I told her about it, she held me while I cried. She patted my back and let me get it all out. Then she said, ‘Now Lana, you know what you have to do.’ And I asked, ‘What?’ and she said, ‘You know you have to do what your aunt said. I believe in you, and you have to believe in yourself.’ She said it just as plain as that.”
“I don’t understand how that helped you.”
“You have to know Demi. She doesn’t give herself freely. She’s a very guarded person. She’s also a straight shooter. She doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean. So, if she says it, you know it to be true. Demi has always been there for me and she’s always believed in me. She believed I had the gift. Never once did she think I’d lost hold on reality.”
“That makes sense.” Jenny jotted more notes on her pad. “So, you seem a little more relaxed.”
“I am. Jenny, you’re a natural. And you’ve made me feel at ease.”
“Thank you. Now, I want to know about some of your cases. I’m impressed with everything you’ve done.” She flipped through the pad. “You helped your Aunt Lucy and her fiancé move on, after twenty years, by helping solve their murder. Can you tell me how that happened?”
“We had a little show and tell at Tony’s house. I also had plenty of help from Tony, Aunt Lucy and Tony’s grandfather, Davide. Of course, Demi helped with that also. She and a few of her friends waited while the ghosts mostly scared a confession from Anthony’s second wife, and the rest of the family for different crimes they’d committed.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“Not really. We had to do a lot of research to figure out who to invite on pretense of Davide’s new will. Getting the family in one place at the same time was a huge undertaking.”
“Tony’s family, your fiancé, correct?”
“Yes.” Lana smiles at the memory of him from that morning, not wanting to leave her here alone to face the mean reporters. He could be overprotective at times.
Jenny jotted in her notebook again. “So, and then there was the angry ghost at a home near here, and you’ve done a lot of pro bono work for those living in the Charleston area.”
“Yes. Adam turned out to be not so bad. He just had some issues he had to work through.”
“You’re being modest, Lana.”
“Not really. I always have plenty of help from the spirit guides and the ghosts themselves.” Lana stands and pours herself more tea. “Would you like more, Jenny?”
“Yes. Thank you. Okay, so how did you help Adam work out his issues?”
Lana fills Jenny’s glass and places the pitcher on the table between them. “I saw into the past lives of both Adam and Sean. Sean was the father of the occupants of the house and Adam’s business partner. Adam and Sean had fought throughout history for one reason or another. When I explained it to Adam, it helped him mellow some. When I mentioned his wife, Kara, and how she’d loved the Ramsey’s children, and the promise he’d given to her on her death bed, he finally saw himself for what he was doing to them.”
“Wow! That took a lot of seeing into his life. Way back to previous lives. You did see his life, right. He didn’t offer you the information.”
“Right. He didn’t know about his past lives. I had a dream about that, and I think Kara showed me herself on her death bed.”
Jenny taps her pencil on the pad. “That sounds like a tough case.”
Lana smiled. “At the time, it was. I was also dealing with the reality that I could be possessed by a spirit if I didn’t prepare myself.”
“What? Possessed? How do you prepare for something like that?”
“A lot of prayer and focus.” Lana replied. Lana stood, picked up the pitcher of tea and her glass and carried them into the kitchen, in hopes that Jenny would take the hint that the interview was over.
Jenny followed behind her into the kitchen. “What now?”
“What do you mean?’
“Are you working on anything else, or will you soon?”
“I don’t know. Not any ghosts right now. I guess if something comes up, I will help. I do have a couple of small jobs, mostly computer work for Tony. Background checks on new employees and things like that. But for now, I’m happy just planning our wedding.”
Trevor walks into the kitchen. “Is the interview over?”
“I think it is. Thank you, Lana. It was a pleasure meeting you finally.” Jenny smiles and holds out her arms to Lana.
The two women hug.
“Yes, thank you, Lana,” Trevor says, a little choked up still. “I appreciate everything.”
Lana nods her head knowingly and holds her arms out to Trevor. He hugs her neck.
Tony walks in and Lana introduces him to the two visitors. He shakes their hands and says, “How did it go?”
“Fine,” Lana says.
“More than fine. Is she always so modest? You have an amazing fiancée, Mr. Calabria.”
“I sure do,” he says, wraps an arm around her waist and hugs her to him. He kisses the top of her forehead.
Tony and Lana walk Trevor and Jenny to the door.
In the car, driving down the long winding road, Jenny turns to Trevor and asks, “So what do you think of Lana Malloy, now?”
“As much as I hate to admit I was wrong, she’s the real deal. What do you think?”
“You heard me back there. She’s an amazing woman.”
***
THE STORY OF KIM COX
Kim Cox lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her talented, chainsaw artist husband (http://leeschainsawart.com/) and their three dogs. She’s the mother to two sons and also has two grandsons (one starting kindergarten next year and the other a senior in high school this year). I know you’re wondering, so yes, you’re right, she married and started her family way too young. 😉 A recap of her life coming up.
In her younger years, she was one who never met a stranger which worried her parents to no end, because she smiled and talked to everyone she met. Yes, even strangers. Luckily, her parents rarely let her out of their sight. But they had to work and one time, before school age, the babysitter sort of kidnapped her. How can she sort of be kidnapped, you might ask. In truth, the babysitter took her to a friend’s workplace without permission and then she was afraid to take her back home. Kim cried her eyes out that night when they arrested the sitter. Kim loved her babysitter so much. The only way to get Kim to sleep that night, her father had to promise her he’d get the babysitter out of jail. And her father kept that promise. To her, her father could move mountains.
In her school years, Kim was a cheerleader from the 7th through 10th grades (head cheerleader in the 10th). Then letter girl in the eleventh grade. Luckily for her, back then, you didn’t need to have any of those special gymnastic abilities, only coordination and a big mouth which she had in spades. Kim loved cheering but sometimes, while focused on the football game, she had to be nudged to start a cheer. Her parents were very strict, so being a cheerleader provided her with the only opportunity to be out of the yard after dark.
Also in tenth grade, she was voted her grade’s Miss Torch Candidate (Torch was the name of the yearbook). She didn’t win, but it made her happy just to be nominated. Why? It meant she got to dress up in an evening gown and have her picture taken for the yearbook. She felt like a princess going to the ball.
Now, Kim is very much a grown up and each year brings her closer to retirement from the day job. At and after the age of fifty, she obtained two associate degrees, one in Office Systems Technology and the other in Web Technology. Kim also obtained a diploma in Medical Office Administration. While at work, she has many titles, including but not limited to, MIS (Management Information Systems) Specialist, Accountability, and Superuser.
On the writing front, she is a multi-published author of short stories, articles, novellas, and novels. Kim also creates and maintains Web sites, and designs and creates her own book covers. You can find her Web Design portfolio and services at Kim Cox Designs. See her published works below.
ALL THIS TIME is a romantic suspense novel. Book 1 in the Style & Profile Series.
“Obstacles occur every step of the way for it seems someone in the office is working to sabotage not only the business but Jenny and her father too. Filled with suspense, mystery as well as heart-filled emotion, All This Time offers a delightful read.” ~ Nancy Carty Lepri, Freelance Editor, Reviewer, and Author of Tommy’s Amigo and TinyAngel
At thirty, Jenny Morgan’s biological clock is ticking. But as a fashion magazine CEO with a busy schedule and no significant other, her wish is unlikely to come true. When her father receives a potentially terminal diagnosis, he longs for a grandchild before he dies. With her religious beliefs, a sperm donor isn’t an alternative. Jenny’s only immediate available option is her single co-worker and best friend, Trevor Drake. Can she really trust him to be a good husband?
Trevor has loved Jenny since college, but she only sees him as a friend with no ambition. After he learns of her predicament, he proposes and sets out to prove he can provide everything she needs. Jenny is determined to have a prenuptial agreement with an “out” clause after one year. Can Trevor convince Jenny of his love by then?
As if they don’t have enough on their plate, someone at the magazine is out to stop their wedding and their impending parenthood, and destroy the magazine’s reputation. Jenny is nearly killed in a sabotage attempt. Can Jenny and Trevor to make a life together while uncovering a common enemy?
In the city of Boston lies a story of revenge and hidden identity. Ryan Donatelli, posing as Thomas Randolph, sets out to avenge his sister’s death, even if it means using Sam Southard’s daughter to do it. After all, Ryan is sure Sam’s responsible.
Natalie Southard is determined to keep her family business out of the hands of known crime boss, Nick DeMarco. After her father is killed, Natalie and Ryan are forced to run for their lives. But, will they live long enough for their hearts to heal once everything is revealed?
Kim has pulled SUSPICIOUS MINDS from her publisher and plans to self-publish it in April, 2016 after she obtains her rights. Here’s the cover she created for this book about a year ago but has been unable to use it. However they may be a few updates to it before she decides this is the one.
“Twists and turns abound in this suspenseful novel having the reader on the edge of their seat until the climatic conclusion.” ~ Nancy Carty Lepri, Freelance Editor, Reviewer, and Author of Tommy’s Amigo and TinyAngel
“Haunted Hearts by Kim Cox is a charming . . . ghost story . . . The ghost characters and their living relatives were all delightful and fun. And of course . . . there is romance as well as the mystery.” ~ Fallen Angel Reviews
Will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé by Memorial Day? If she can, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts for another year.
“. . . In GET OUT OR DIE . . . Lana Malloy helps restless spirits, and the families they are haunting, find peace. The murder mystery aspect adds a nice touch of intrigue . . . a page turner . . .” Paranormal Romance Reviews
Since the news of her first case, Lana Malloy’s Private Investigating/Mediator business is booming. At one pro-bono job, Lana helps a widow communicate with her late husband and learns of a frightening new ability she wasn’t aware she possessed-an ability that could give the spirit the upper hand if she’s not careful.
Lana struggles for control when she encounters the angry ghost who doesn’t want to leave and who doesn’t want the occupants of the house to stay. Will Lana be able to control the situation or will the ghost sense he can overtake her? Does she have other abilities she can rely on to save her?
A Lana Malloy Paranormal Mystery Series, #3 Lana Malloy is marrying the love of her life, Tony Calabria. The night before, she has a vision of a disturbing wedding and wonders if it’s a premonition of her own. Feeling silly for thinking that, she proceeds with her plans as scheduled.
During their honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Lana has visions of a young woman abducted by a madman. The man plans to force his abductee to marry him if he isn’t stopped. Lana feels marriage isn’t the worst thing that could happen as she senses the threads of death circling this victim.
Lana can’t ignore these visions. Will Tony understand this isn’t an obsession, but a calling, and that Lana has to do whatever it takes for this young woman? Will she find the victim in time? If she doesn’t, life will never be the same.
In the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY SERIES, Lana Malloy is a psychic, private investigator who is on a mission to help the dearly departed even when they don’t realize they need help.
In the first novella, HAUNTED HEARTS, Lana sets out to solve her first case—the twenty-year old cold-case and double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé. If she succeeds, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts. With the help of the ghosts and a new love interest, she is able to find the murderer.
In the second novella, GET OUT OR DIE, the success of Lana’s first case has spread throughout the local Charleston area and her business is booming. At one pro-bono job, Lana helps a widow communicate with her late husband where she learns of a frightening new ability—an ability that could give the spirit the upper hand if she’s not careful.
Coming up in the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY series:
Projected Scheduled Releases: Book 4: Christmas Cruise – November 2015 Book 5: Haunted by Her Past – 2016 Book 6: Demi’s Serial Case – 2016 Book 7: Untitled – 2017
To read short blurbs of books in process, go to my Coming Soon page.
SHORT STORIES
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A DREAM COME TRUE FREE Short Story Can Miriam Alexander give her heart to Rhett Yancey again after he stomped on it the first time?
IN HIS ARMS Can husband and wife rekindle their love, put their differences aside and salvage a marriage that was doomed two years ago?
ALL FOR LOVE FREE Short Story Will Carina and Tyler find their way back to each other, or will she turn to an old lover for support?
LOVE CONQUERS ALL Sequel to All For Love: Carina and Tyler are finally back on track when Javier is up to his old tricks
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For the entire month of September, we are embarking on an awesome journey…a 30 day, multi-blog tour! We have a total of 50 blogs participating. Stop at each blog on your journey, and while you’re there, take a moment and read their blog post, check out their books, leave comments, LIKE their page and then share their page all over social media! Each stop that you leave a comment on, you will be entered into the random drawing for that blog’s DAILY GIVEAWAYS! At the end of the 30 day tour, if you have left a comment anywhere along the way, your name will be entered for our grand prizes below:
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This is my last but not least, seventh day for “PAY IT FORWARD” WEEK post. Well, I lived up to the seven posts, but I had to double-up after missing one day. I want to say there are so many supportive members at RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB that it has been extremely hard to choose who to recognize. I would say there are at least twenty others, but probably more, who could’ve made this last spot. But I asked myself who do I see tweeting other authors more than any other and Stephen Geez immediately popped into my head. So here’s my “PAY IT FORWARD” to you, Stephen. Thank you for all of your support.
About Author, Stephen Geez
Stephen Geez earned his undergrad and grad degrees at the University of Michigan. A composer, producer, publisher, and writer, he watches too much television but prefers diving tropical reefs. Watch for his essays, stories, and more books at http://www.StephenGeez.com.
Note that Stephen has for sale at least twice as many books as I’m including on this page. So make sure to visit his Amazon Author’s Page to check them out.
Papala Skies
Chicago native Rochelle DuFortier likes to imagine the future, her world a series of picture postcards so vivid they sometimes seem real. When a foolish mistake at thirteen causes her mother’s death, she’s sent to a secluded Hawaiian valley, an outsider “haole-girl” among pidgin-speaking boys who hurl flaming papala spears under the full moon to summon her mother’s spirit. After boarding school and a prestigious university back east, the ambitious young woman is torn between chasing new career opportunities, discovering her mother’s heritage in a remote French village, and meeting obligations pulling her back to Hawaii.
On this island steeped in ancient mythology and modern superstition, Rochelle tests the possibility of sharing pieces of her life with those whose beliefs she barely understands and never intends to embrace. She dives the depths of a pristine coral lagoon, conceals bodies in a subterranean lava tube, and challenges the eruptions of a living volcano, even as she deciphers the truth about her mother’s death and struggles to satisfy new debts born of old betrayals.
Papala Skies is the story of a young woman who makes all the right choices, only to find herself living an unexpected life. It is about the need to belong, and seeking one’s own version of truth amid such differing cultures’ responses to wrenching loss and abiding
grief. It is about yearning for a sense of place, yet having to confront new ways to honor the love of family and friends.
Will Rochelle lose what matters most, or might she learn what the smart octopus already knows?
Frank relishes fast success and early retirement, but struggling to preserve his life’s work thrusts him into a desperate battle to protect the people he cares about most.
Beverly seeks a new beginning in Tarpon Springs—until those she trusts steal control of her destiny, forcing a fight for her very survival.
All twelve-year-old Kevin wants is attention from the only man he respects, yet murder and the wrenching indifference of a callous legal system toward one vulnerable child proves even friendship might never be enough.
Riven by tragedy, consumed by grief, all three must confront the wondrous possibility that our indelible bonds may somehow transcend even death, that a cherished soul truly can find the way back.
Only together might this improbable family dare embrace their own brand of unexpected love, that infinite potential to achieve more than any one person can alone. Through it all, they are teased by the mystery of those dancing lights, a million pinpoints in every imaginable color swirling to form brilliant images of extraordinary lives.
Been There, Noted That: Essays In Tribute To Life: Observations, Inspiration, Remembrance, & Noteworthies To Share
Been There, Noted That: Essays In Tribute To Life
*Observations, Inspiration, Remembrance, & Noteworthies To Share
The simple lives of everyday people in a mundane world prove extraordinary in this collection of 54 personal-experience essays by novelist Stephen Geez. The eclectic mix of memoir, commentary, humor, and appreciation covers a wide range of topics, each
beautifully illustrated by artists and photographers from the Fresh Ink Group. Geez catches what many of us miss, then considers how we might all share the most
poignant of lessons. Been There, Noted That aims to reveal who we are, examine where we’ve been, and discover what we dare strive to become.
A Tennessee teen in the mid-1990s, Eugene Weisman enjoys pretending to defend a so-called “alien”—until the game turns deadly and his life depends on what others believe.
Hand-picked to helm Program Invigil, Colonel Chester McGovern takes responsibility for detection, isolation, and eradication—then unleashes enormous inter-military power cloaked in black-helicopter secrecy.
Tiring of the clandestine wet-work biz, soldier of fortune Flynn Durbett settles down to run a weapons-smuggling ring for governments and underground patriots—but then old obligations renew, and his own opinions matter less than standing up for others’.
As Eugene attracts followers who declare him the true savior, McGovern lays siege to American citizens while searching for the missing black box in his obsessive mission to preserve life as we know it.
Do we really need to be protected? And who will deliver us?—the military, or a loosely organized rag-tag militia? Is it all fantasy, or a threat greater than we ever imagined?
Everybody has the right to believe, but only one can be the Invigilator.
Robin Chambers is my Saturday pick for “PAY IT FORWARD” – Robin is another supporter for authors and readers of Rave Reviews book club. He was one of the first RRBC members who tweeted (not a retweet) a purchase link for one of my books, and he’s always going that extra mile for his fellow authors.
About Author, Robin Howell
Robin Chambers (1942 – ) first got the idea for his latest series of books while walking dogs through the grounds of The Orchid Garden Eco-Village Hotel in Belize, where he and his wife Amy lived from 2008-2011. Having narrowly survived a murder attempt by local thugs, he and Amy returned to the relative safety of the UK and he began writing full-time at the age of 69. “Myrddin’s Heir” is a long story: longer than “Lord of the Rings”, longer than “The Chronicles of Narnia”. longer even than “Harry Potter and…”
He spent the first 18 years of his life in Bootle on Merseyside. His teaching career was in Inner London schools from 1967-1993. In the 1970s – while Head of English at Hackney Downs School – he wrote stories that were published by Penguin and Granada. He became Head of Clissold Park School in 1979 and was the first head of Stoke Newington School in Hackney (1982-93).
He returned to teaching in 2001 and retired for the second and final time in 2007.
The books in his “Myrddin’s Heir” series are written “for bright children between the ages of 10 and 110”. They challenge as well as entertain – and he wishes they’d been available when he was teaching English.
A Wizard of Dreams (Myrddin’s Heir Book 1) FREE ON AMAZON
“Gordon Bennett was born on 7th August 1999 with extraordinary powers. Where have those powers come from? Who – or what – is “Zack”…? His mother begins to notice that Gordon is different when he speaks his first words at just 5 months old and that’s before the really strange things begin to happen!
Fun, refreshing and certainly different, A Wizard Of Dreams is Book 1 in The Myrddin’s Heir series by author Robin Chambers. Written at a quick, entertaining pace it’s a potent blend of magical intrigue and adventure and whilst the theme is familiar, Chambers has a unique style of writing that sets his work apart. Much more than a trite fantasy plotline his young protagonist is defined in a realistic and empathetic way that pulls the reader through the story with him, and when Gordon interacts with Zack there is always much to be taken from these well observed exchanges. With well-defined characters, Chambers demonstrates a meticulous eye for detail that makes them instantly identifiable and whilst some are more endearing than others they are all very memorable. Each captured with a distinctive tenor that adds greatly to the thematic undertones of his tale. A tale that not only entertains, but encourages thought and timely reflection.
Original and highly engrossing, A Wizard Of Dreams is a wonderful read throughout and sets the tone for a series that undoubtedly deserves your attention. It is highly recommended.” Book Viral Author Spotlight review
Key events in childhood indicate Gordon’s powers are getting stronger…
How does he deal with bullies? How about ghosts, fairies and wizards…?
How seriously weird do things get around his eleventh birthday? And what’s his sixteen greats grandmother got to do with it…?
Very few children get to go where he gets to go…
Book 1 ends on 6th September 2010 – Gordon’s first morning in secondary school: when he finds out for certain that he’s not the only one. There’s a girl in the frame…
This story will make you laugh quite a lot, but I warn you that in places it makes me cry…
The Myrddin’s Heir series will challenge you. One of my most important questions, therefore, is: “Are YOU up for the challenge?”
Amazing Grace (Myrddin’s Heir Book 2) – Only 99 cents
Book 2: “Amazing Grace” chronicles the way in which a girl born on 25th December 1998 plays an increasingly important part in Gordon’s life (and he in hers). Grace can read minds, and she has healing hands…
Could her father really have been a God? How can she have two mums? And what has the most powerful wizard our world has ever known to do with all this?
The answer lies in the Land of the Forever Young (and of the Dead); but they can only get there by leaving their bodies behind…
How will Gordon’s parents react when he tells them the whole truth? How important in the scheme of things are their best friends Nick and Miranda? And quite importantly: how can the four of them help YOU to write really good stories…?
Can the clock be turned both backwards and forwards? And can their guardian angels help Gordon’s dad catch a serial killer…?
Book 2 ends on 27th March 2011 (so they are still in year 7) in a “magical” dell in Wales: where Gordon and Grace aren’t – though their bodies are. And what has Nick just found at the end of a rainbow…?
I hope that this story will make you laugh quite a lot, but I must be honest and tell you that in places it makes me cry…
You will know from reading Book 1 that the Myrddin’s Heir series sets out to challenge you. One of my most important questions therefore remains: “Are YOU still up for the challenge?”
The Quality of Mercy (Myrddin’s Heir Book 3) – Only 99 cents
Book 3: “The Quality of Mercy” picks the story up precisely where Book 2 left off. Where were Gordon and Grace, while their bodies were in that dell in Wales…?
How do fairies cope with growing old…? And what has that to do with the wedding of William Wales and Catherine Myddleton…?
Can Gordon and Grace take on the combined might of wicked wizardry and witchcraft in Chester? And what very interesting discovery about Miranda and Nick does Gordon make along the way…?
Why is someone trying to kill them all? And what do Nick’s father and Miranda’s mother have in common…?
How do The Fantastic Four sidestep The Famous Five to become The Super Six? And who do Gordon and Grace find themselves rescuing…?
So much happens in Book 3 that it has taken 13,000 more words than Book 1 and 4,000 words more than Book 2 to tell you about.
This book will challenge you, perhaps even more than Books 1 & 2. It’s not an easy thing – to make the world a better place. With human rights go human responsibilities…
But if you’re anything like me, it will still make you smile a lot, laugh out loud here and there, and just once or twice feel the tug of tears.
Gifts from the Gods (Myrddin’s Heir Book 4) – Only 99 cents
Book 4: “Gifts from the Gods” will give you some idea of what can happen when “gods” decide to show themselves…
How on earth can Gordon help hominids on a planet many light years away…?
When is a pony not a pony? And what is Groc the Knocker up to now…?
They need to team up; but how can they when the girls are in the grounds of a haunted stately home in Scotland and the boys are in the dungeons of a mediaeval Castle in Ireland? The answer has a lot to do with Lucifer’s rod…
What has the evil Goddess Morrigan LaFaye kept screaming for centuries at the top of a tall tower, where the walls ooze oil and look eerily like skin? And why does the God of the Sea feel the need to get involved?
And if that wasn’t enough, this is the part of the story where The Super Six become The Eight Team. What are Gordon’s sixteen greats grandmother and a lost soul from the sixth century doing getting in on the act?
What “gifts” might the gods be disposed to give: to help in the fight to make the world a better place…?
The aliens are inching their way out of the closet…
There is an explosion of happenings in Book 4. Gordon, Grace, Nick and Miranda are only 41 days older by the end of it. Of course, I can’t be that sure about time, where Zack, Zoë, Kate and Sweeney are concerned…
Just HOW many more books is this story going to take to tell? I did ask Zoë, but she just smiled, and wasn’t telling.
Remember to keep an eye on http://www.myrddinsheir.com. Other clues can turn up there, and there are quite a few things you can do to help…
When the Cat’s Away… (Myrddin’s Heir Book 5) – Only 99 cents
Book 5 begins on the same evening that Book 3 ends. It tells you a lot more about the Council of Thirteen and how its members react to Octavius Mortlake’s death.
What plans does Adolfo Aragon have to inherit Mortlake’s crown? And how much help might he get from the Capo dei Capi in London – the infamous Enzo Potenza? Just how evil ARE some of the other members of the ruling clique?
Carmen, Goddess of The Damned, does not take the loss of her daughter lying down. How will she be revenged? And how next will she seek to destroy the children who were born to heal the world?
Gordon and Grace return from holiday and find out their houses have been bugged while they were away. Soon after that they find out what happens when you don’t fight back.
They are left with no choice. They have to go to war…
During RRBC “PAY IT FORWARD” WEEK, my plan was to recognize a special RRBC supporter each day for 7 days, but I’m behind. I’m just now posting my Friday supporter today. Sorry about this but it was due to a book publishing deadline and bad timing on my part. But without further excuses, please welcome the next author, John W. Howell.
John W. Howell is my Friday pick for “PAY IT FORWARD” – He’s an author, blogger, reader and an overall great guy. He’s very supportive of other authors and especially for the Rave Reviews Book Club members. He has a wonderful blog that I personally love. Make sure to check out his interesting posts. He is the radio host for RRBC’s “RAVE WAVES BLOGTALK RADIO program “SPOTLIGHT” HONORS and also helps host “AUTHORSCOOP”.
About Author, John W. Howell
John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes thriller fiction novels and has a number of short stories published in various on-line magazines. One of his short stories has been recognized by Writers Digest in the Popular Fiction Writing contest. His novel, My GRL published by Martin Sisters Publishing and is the first of many exciting adventures of the book’s central character John J. Cannon.
John J. Cannon successful San Francisco lawyer takes a leave of absence from the firm and buys a boat he names My GRL. He is unaware that his newly-purchased boat had already been targeted by a terrorist group. John’s first inkling of a problem is when he wakes up in the hospital where he learns he was found unconscious next to the dead body of the attractive young woman who sold him the boat in the first place. John now stands between the terrorists and the success of their mission.
At thirty, Jenny Morgan’s biological clock is ticking. But as a fashion magazine CEO with a busy schedule and no significant other, her wish is unlikely to come true. When her father receives a terminal diagnosis, he wants a grandchild before he dies. With her religious beliefs, a sperm donor isn’t an alternative. Jenny’s only option is her single co-worker and best friend, Trevor Drake. Can she really trust him to be a good husband?
Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Jan-nell the bowdancer, now pregnant with her second child, and her daughter, Mira-nell, trek up a mountain where bards’ tales have said a village of warrior women exists. Jan-nell makes this trip in winter—and in her condition—in order to find a place for Mira-nell where the child’s precocious abilities will be accepted. The women on the mountain, though, are not fighters or even man-haters. They have chosen to live apart from the world in a village of only women, led by a sisterhood of hunters. Chandro, a beautiful trackfinder, rescues Jan-nell and her daughter, offering them a home and the promise of love.
Janie Franz comes from a long line of Southern liars and storytellers. She told other people’s stories as a freelance journalist for many years. With Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox, she co-wrote The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book, and then self-published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She also published an online music publication, was an agent/publicist for a groove/funk band, a radio announcer, and a yoga/relaxation instructor.
An act of rebellion, Marin doesn’t think that running into the new store in town will hurt anything. Her aunt will never know… right? One car wreck later, her aunt is hospitalized, Marin is forced to spend her twenty-first birthday fighting for her life, and magic – the very thing her aunt has always sworn to be for fools – is real. And so is the irresistible Fae dedicated to Marin’s protection.
I am a country-twang gal from the bluegrass state. Kentucky is a hot bed of horses, cave systems, and whiskey. And I love all three. With my pugs and bossy kitty cat, I spend my days writing and working social media. I write with the help of the voices pushing me to create worlds for them to live in. Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, and eventually some cowboys (because cowboys live in a group all their own, yummmm)… These are the genres that I love best. Oil paints, crafts, dealing with Multiple Sclerosis, and writing into the dead of night… this I my life!!!
Kim's Musings 