Thursday, January 31, 2013

Blog Tour: Gilded Wings by Amy Lignor (Giveaway)

This blog tour is presented by Tribute Books.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Amy Lignor and book two in the Angel Chronicles series, Gilded Wings.

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

Amy has stopped in with a guest post.

Technology is Not the Only Form of Inspiration

Ever since Mark Zuckerberg appeared and turned the world upside down with Facebook, the younger generation was seen by some as only the age of Youtube, Facebook, cell phones, iPods and video games. But what people don’t seem to understand is that in the last decade+, they have become the largest group of readers in the world.

The young adult genre became huge. It literally exploded with the world of J.K. Rowling and continued with another author who brought kids (and adults) on board with the vampire and werewolf community. Not only that, but young adults have become the biggest bloggers and reviewers, therefore they have the ability to ‘talk’ to their friends and create a huge ’buzz’ about a specific title. They are the ‘Social Media Masters,’ if you will.

There are a great many things in this life to be thankful for; there are blessings, good people, faith and hope that still exist in this day and age. Unfortunately, there’s a darker side that’s also come on strong. From unemployment to poverty to politics to war to bullying - you name it, it’s in the headlines. So a restoration of hope is a truly wonderful thing, and it’s being led by some amazing fiction.

Lately, the ‘fanged ones’ have gotten a great deal of competition from the ‘winged ones.’  There are a majority of angels that are of the ‘fallen’ variety who are trying their absolute best to redeem themselves. There are also love stories being heralded as “Romeo and Juliet,” and more of these characters are showing up on the big and small screen every month.

The idea for my book really stemmed from wanting to do a YA series based on ‘new’ angels; a fresh team that had yet to come down the pike. Matthew and Emily are a partnership - an angel/warrior team that still believes in all the good that their teachers have taught them, but have also gotten mixed-up in the human world where they’ve experienced every emotion possible.  

I originally wondered whether or not a ‘fresh’ team that’s been surrounded by ‘good’ could even make it ‘down here’ among the seriously dark and sometimes dangerous world where humans dwell. Worse, I wondered if they’d even want to? Told from a different perspective, I tried to bring back inspiration with this duo. They certainly still have the adventure, suspense, heartache, etc. that others have experienced, but their biggest challenge is trying to keep their faith in each other.

This time around, in Gilded Wings, they face a completely new set of problems that offer tragedy and, most of all, a twist to a beloved character because of the greed, pride, prejudice, and wealth that made up the Gilded Age. From Houdini to Carnegie - Rockefeller to walking down Fifth Avenue while just a few small blocks away was a world of poverty - Emily and Matthew see it all, live it all, and find themselves needing each other more than ever before.

I love the fact that books are a source of inspiration for young adults - and I hope that no matter what Apple or Microsoft come up with in the next few years the written word stays strong!

Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy



Gilded Wings Summary
The Beloved Angel-Warrior Team from Until Next Time Returns!When Matt and Emily are sent on their second mission they have no idea how truly dark human nature can become...

Emily never wanted to face humans again. With the heartache that went on down below, she’s still trying to figure out how to save souls that don’t deserve saving. The only one she wants to see again is Jason - the young man she fell in love with who became the soulmate she simply can’t forget...

Matt was trained to protect and defend the souls down below. Longing to feel the heartfelt emotions that come from being human, Matt wants nothing more than to have just one life - one chance - to live and love the girl of his dreams...

The powerful team find themselves in a brand new century, living in the Gilded Age of New York City. Emily takes over the body of Anya, a young Russian girl who arrives on Ellis Island after a hideous tragedy. There she meets up with a strangely familiar young man by the name of Drew Parrish, who helps Anya survive in an unknown world of luxury, snobbery and…obsession.

What Anya’s inner angel doesn’t know is that the soul she loves is also back. This time around Jason goes by the name of Max Carrow. Once a quiet and kind boy, he’s now part of the ‘Four Hundred Club,’ and wants nothing more than to be among the most admired as he climbs the shaky ladder of society’s elite.

As two worlds merge, Emily and Matt struggle under the weight of their “Gilded Wings.” Not only will they have to figure out who they should fight to save, but they must also face a romantic choice that could destroy them both. 


Excerpt for read along:
The men once again stood as she entered the room.

“Good evening,” Anya said quietly.

Offering Drew a smile, he stood in almost a reverent silence as he stared back at Anya. His green eyes were wide, and beamed like Irish emeralds across the table. “Hello,” he stuttered back, looking as if he’d seen an angel. “You are...stunning.”


Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here are book links:
Gilded Wings Twitter hashtag:
#GildedWings
Gilded Wings Goodreads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15725493-the-angel-chronicles-book-2
Until Next Time Goodreads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319888-until-next-time
The Angel Chronicles web site:
http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

The Angel Chronicles Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Angel-Chronicles/168932393209654

Amy Lignor's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/alignor

Amy Lignor's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/HelloWritersAmy

Amy Lignor's Website:
http://www.thewritecompanion.com/

Amy Lignor's Blog:
http://hellowriters.wordpress.com/

Amy Lignor's GoodReads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222068

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com


Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176


Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks




Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole ~ Happy Reading!

Review: Sonata by Blair McDowell

Sonata by Blair McDowell

Amazon Book Description:
A jewel heist… When renowned concert artist Sayuri McAllister returns to the west coast of Canada after an absence of five years, she discovers her family home has been a broken into and jewelry worth two million dollars is missing. Michael Donovan, Sayuri’s old high school flame, now a detective with the Vancouver Police Department, is the officer in charge of the case. What chance can he have… Michael takes one look at Sayuri and falls in love with her all over again. But they parted in anger years ago and Sayuri is no longer the innocent girl he once knew. What chance can there be for a Vancouver cop with someone as famous as Sayuri McAllister? Especially when that cop is investigating her family and friends? An unexpected marriage… Then Sayuri’s widowed father, Sean, marries Alyssa James, a woman Sayuri has never even met. The three live uneasily together in the Point Grey mansion until the unexpected arrival of Alyssa’s brother, Hugh James, a devastatingly handsome, charming Irishman who immediately begins a campaign to bed and wed the delicious and wealthy Sayuri. Things take a dangerous turn… Accidents begin to happen. Or are they accidents? Nothing is as it seems. Michael distrusts Hugh James and fears that Sayuri’s life may be in danger.

My thoughts:
This was a fantastic read.  Fast paced and well written.  The pages flew by.   I am a mystery reader and was worried at the start that it was going to be predictable, I am pleased to say that although it was not hard to figure out who the thief was, the story was captivating and entertaining.  

I enjoyed the characters very much.  They are crafted with great thought and detail.  You have to wonder why men like Michael Donovan don't really seem to exist.  Watching Alyssa change was wonderful.  The relationships are interesting.  I was so hoping for the ending to happen like it did.  As a fan of The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks and dogs in general, I was thrilled with Buttercup - the name though....

The plot was intriguing and well played.  I enjoyed all the twists and turns throughout the book and was thrilled with the way Sean and Alyssa's relationship ended up.  

Well worth the read.


I was given this book in exchange for participation in the virtual book tour and an honest review.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Blog Tour: Destiny's Mark (Guardians of Eden #3) by K.H. LeMoyne (tour giveaway)

This blog tour is presented by Enchanted Book Promotions.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature KH LeMoyne and Destiny's Mark.

Author Bio
A former technology specialist, KH LeMoyne now writes romance fulltime with series in urban fantasy, high fantasy, and scifi/futuristic. She lives in Maryland with her wonderful husband and corgi. Much to her dismay, she rarely encounters supernatural beings other than on paper. Visit her website: http://www.khlemoyne.com/  or blog: http://fantasypoweredbylove.com/

Links
Website – www.khlemoyne.com
facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kh.lemoyne
twitter –  https://twitter.com/#!/khlemoyne  or  @khlemoyne

THE GUARDIANS OF EDEN:
A race of beings created in a Sanctum at the far edge of Eden. Co-existing with mankind, they safeguarded human souls and the promise of eternity—until a virus killed all over the age of eighteen. The surviving children fled to the Sanctum for protection, children raising children without the full legacy of their history and knowledge. Two hundred years of solitude have produced a race of semi-immortals fortified with powers and intellect but lacking the mates who will make them whole and allow them to fulfill their covenant with mankind.

Title: Destiny’s Mark (Guardians of Eden #3)
Author: K.H. LeMoyne
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance
The only difference between fate and destiny is choice.
 Tsu Halan, Guardian defense master, has honed his skills and waited patiently over the centuries for the covenant’s promise of a mate to share his soul and a family to cherish. Close enough to taste fulfillment, the dark echoes of the past threaten with danger and death. 
Jai Dashkov harbors her own painful secrets of harsh betrayal and tender loss. Her desperate search to reclaim her life doesn’t allow room in her heart to deviate for love. 
Together they are stronger than apart, but the promise of the covenant is a perpetual test. One that Tsu and Jai must conquer in time or suffer an eternity for their failure.

Excerpt #4(508)

“You want to know how folding works?” Sagari’s face twisted with concentration as she flipped her bo and planted the tip into the training mat.
Jai fisted her hands on her hips. “This can’t be a secret. I’ve seen Tsu come and go. You and Saladin as well. I’ve had my own unintended and nauseating trips.”
“You need to close your eyes. That will help. Think quick.” Sagari pursed her lips, the smile barely held back, before she grasped Jai’s wrist.
Bent over seconds later, with her hands on her thighs to catch her breath, Jai glared at the woman laughing at her. She glanced around, recognizing the open area beside the chapel. “You asked me to spar with you this morning, remember? No more sneak folds.”
“It’s so much fun to have someone new to do things with.”
Jai regretted opening her door this morning. At the time, Sagari’s offer seemed a reasonable request. Her defense skills were nonexistent, and Sagari promised an easy workout. To be fair, her call to Frank motivated her.
He’d been reluctant to pass on bad news, but Tsu dug it out of him.
The new team had confirmed evidence of infant trafficking in the data, which not only increased the jeopardy for Jai’s daughter but highlighted darker secrets connected to Jai’s past. Tsu revisited the issue of her mugging. His conclusion, chillingly logical. Her search had stirred a pot that Cheng’s organization didn’t want exposed.
Further initiatives would require more secrecy, more stealth, and increased caution.
All good reasons to accept a workout invitation. Jai blew out a slow breath and advanced on Sagari. “I’m not a toy.”
“Of course not. We’re going to be good friends. Pretend otherwise if you want, but you have great spirit, and I’m drawn to that. It’s been so long since I’ve shared anything personal with a new girlfriend. We’ll give Tsu a small heart attack with the things we’ll drum up.”
Jai could only stare at her in astonishment. She’d met only two Guardians other than Tsu and Quan, and they couldn’t be more different. Saladin had his reserved demeanor down to an art form, and Sagari, with her tight, colorful clothes and braided hair that refused captivity, wore her openness and confidence like a second skin.
Still chuckling, Sagari snapped a wide leaf from the bush beside the chapel. She dipped her finger in Romi’s gold paint can and dotted the leaf’s edge. “We’re here.”
She folded the leaf in half and opened it again. The dot had transferred to the opposite edge as well. She pointed to the new paint marker. “Now we’re here.”
“This is missing the nuance of how,” Jai commented wryly. “Can I do this? On purpose?”
Sagari handed over the leaf with a shake of her head. “Human mates can only fold to their partner. I’m told it’s rather like a homing beacon, a sharing of heartbeats or souls. But only born Guardians can fold to specific locations. We sort of…hmm, imagine the destination and we’re pulled there.”

Giveaways
One random commenter who posts a message at one of the blogs and leaves their email will receive a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Certificate. 





Friday, January 25, 2013

Blog Tour: Flesh by Khanh Ha

This virtual book tour is presented by Teddy Rose.
The entire tour schedule is at the bottom of this post.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Khanh Ha and Flesh.

Khanh has joined us for an interview.

 ? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I write because I was born with a desire to work with words. That desire had matured in me and become an extension of myself in the form of words. There was no plan and there was no ‘why’. You write because the urge to write has always been within you since you were a young boy. Then when you had enough vocabulary and your thoughts have become more refined, you were then driven to put them down in words. I wrote my first short story when I was a young teen. I won a magazine’s short story contest and was the youngest among the guests to accept the prize. Between seventh and tenth grades, I wrote a lot of short stories, each of them paying good money. I also translated stories in English into Vietnamese and sold them to newspapers and periodicals.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I must have the first sentence down right. Dead right. Every word, every cadence in that first sentence must be right. I torture myself to death before I start a novel, a new chapter, on how to get that sentence written the most truthfully, i.e, no falsity in the voice, in the cadence.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
A routine helps settle your mind before you write. Mine is to eat a light breakfast and  be at my desk between 7:30 – 8 AM. I drink black coffee throughout the morning while I’m at work―no snacks. I listen to classical or relaxation music while I write. I read during my writing breaks. Have lunch, read a newspaper, then back at work until 4 PM.  That’s the capsule of a day in a life of a writer. And it starts over again the next day. If a novel takes a year or longer to write, the routine of each day is duplicated over and over again like clockwork.

? Where do you write and how do you write ~ on paper, typewriter or computer?
A quiet room with a view over the back hillthough I’m not a bird watcher. A room with a bookcase, a desktop computer, a desktop phone, a cell phone, both of which I wish to never ring during my writing. On the wall facing me a painting of a stream in autumn. And a thermos of black coffee. I write electronically, i.e., using a computer. It makes editing, revising much more effective and it helps save your thoughts in marginal notes when you use MS Word.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
A passion for something, then an image. A flame burning low for many years . . . never dying. It starts when you would glimpse people moving around like specters; these would later become characters in your novel. You would see the locales, colorful flashes of them, you could smell them. . . . Then the plot began to form, at times you would interfere, at times you would back off. The moment you could hear your characters speak, see their mental faces, see the beginning, the end of your story, you’re ready to write it.

? Where does a book start for you ~ characters, plot, ending?
It’s always the characters. With literary fiction, you deal with characters more than with plots. You deal with spontaneity and dynamics of characterization which shapes the story line. You don’t shoehorn your characters into a predetermined plot. Depth of characterization is the heart of a literary novel in addition to the mood, the atmosphere, the ambience, the prose. But for me a book starts with a beginning and an end, both of those I must know like the starting point and the destination of a road trip. Anything in between will come into being once I begin writing.

? What are you reading right now?
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. This is the type of books that answers the next question: What makes a good story? Read it and find out how Enest Gaines handles characterization in a literary novel. In fact, he portrays every person he creates as real, as sympathetic, as interesting, and as formidably moving as a grand master of fiction would do.

? What do you think makes a good story?
The characters, of course. They don’t have to be sympathetic, but they must be engaging, interesting in an inspiring or wicked or perverted way like Lester Ballard in Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God. But don’t take anything you read seriously. When you do, when it really knocks you out, “you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it.” Don’t you love a reader like Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye?

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
Let me put that in plural. There are books that I would pick up to read again in my leisure. These are books that for many years have been imprinted in my mind—of very real characters, of human nature, of human twists of fate. As a teen I read The Izu Dancer by Yasunari Kawabata, Rain by Somerset Maugham, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber by Hemingway. They haunt like a good long book. I read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (my creative writing professor at Ohio University), Suttree by Cormac McCarthy and I was in awe of their psychological complexity, and I read The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner and found myself envying him. All these have influenced me.

? Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser”?[1]
I write literary fiction. With literary fiction, you deal with characterization more than with plot. But you need a plot like a highway so your characters can get from A to B while interacting with one another. That said, plot complements characterization, like  a light dessert that complements a rich meal. You deal with spontaneity and dynamics of characterization which shapes the story line. You don’t shoehorn your characters into a predetermined plot. Depth of characterization is the heart of a literary novel in addition to the mood, the atmosphere, the ambience, the prose.

Fun random questions: 
·        dogs or cats?
Dogs
·        Coffee or tea?
Coffee
·        Dark or milk chocolate?
Milk chocolate
·        Rocks or flowers?
Flowers
·        Night or day?
Day
·        Favorite color?
Sapphire
·        Crayons or markers?
Markers
·        Pens or pencils?
Pencils
Flesh by Khanh Ha

Amazon Product Description:
The setting is Tonkin (northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century. A boy, Tai, witnesses the beheading of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his head and then to find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. On this quest, Tai's entire world will shift. FLESH takes the reader into dark and delightful places in the human condition, places where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy may bring you the most comfort. In that emotionally harrowing world, Tai must learn to deal with new responsibilities in his life while at the same time acknowledging his bond, and his resemblance, to a man he barely knew-his father. Through this story of revenge is woven another story, one of love, but love purchased with the blood of murders Tai commits. A coming-of-age story, but also a love story, the sensuality of the author's writing style belies the sometimes brutal world he depicts.

Flesh Tour Schedule

Teddy So Many Precious Books          Jan 7 Interview & Giveaway
Stephanie Eclectic Books & Movies  Jan 8 Review            
Stephanie Eclectic Books & Movies  Jan 9 Interview
Lori She Treads Softly  Jan 10 Review                                                     
Paula Book Lover Stop  Jan 11 Guest Post & Giveaway
Patty Broken Teepee Jan 14 Review                                                     
MK McClintock  Jan 15 Interview
Joy Story  Jan 16 Review             
Shoshanah From L.A. to LA  Jan 17 Review                                                           
Stephanie IMiraculous! Jan 17 Guest Post & Giveaway
Rebecca  A Book Lover's Library Jan 22 Review                                                   
Rebecca  A Book Lover's Library Jan 23 Interview & Giveaway
Jennifer Relentless Reader  Jan 23 Review                                                         
Joy Story Jan 25 Guest Post
Bev The Wormhole  Jan 25 Interview
Valerie Sweeps 4 Bloggers  Jan 25 Review & Giveaway
Kathy Ordinary Girlz Reviews  Jan 28 Review & Giveaway                                                             
Katherine Cuzinlogic Jan 29 Interview & Giveaway
Kelly Belle of the Literati Jan 30 Review                                                 
D. Ann Overflowing Bookshelves  Feb 1  Review
D. Ann Overflowing Bookshelves   Feb 4 Interview
Gina's Library  Feb 4 Spotlight/Giveaway
Jessica Crossroads  Feb 5 Review
Patty Broken Teepee  Feb 5 Guest post & Giveaway
Harvee Book Bird Dog  Feb 6 Guest Post

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Blog Tour: Sonata by Blair McDowell (Giveaway)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE for more tour information.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Blair McDowell and Sonata.

I started to write soon after I found my first pencil. But I began to write for publication about 30 years ago -- professional books. I wrote six of them, all still in print and still in use. Only lately have I turned to fiction. I'd have done it a lot sooner if I'd had any idea how much fun it was!

I’ve lived in many different places. The US -- Certain cities call to me. I love San Francisco and Seattle and the wonderful Oregon Coast. Australia -- among the most open welcoming people in the world, and a wide open young country with incredible land and sea scapes, with amazing animal and bird life right out of science fiction. Canada -- HOME. The place where I belong.

I travel a lot. I usually spend the month of October in Europe, Greece or Italy, and the winter in a little house I built many years ago on a small non-touristy Caribbean Island. I have worked and studied in many places -- Hungary, Australia the US and Canada, and have spoken in most of the States and Provinces as well as Taiwan and various cities in Europe.  I enjoy being surrounded by cultures other than my own. I enjoy my own as well -- but variety is indeed the spice of my life.

I keep busy -- and I love my life. I love meeting the people who come here to the west coast of Canada and stay in my B&B. I love traveling after the tourist season is over. And I love writing. My interests?? Music, especially opera, reading everything in print, and Writing.  And walking on the beach and swimming. At one point I had hoped to swim in every major sea and ocean. I've realized that may not be possible in one lifetime -- but trying has been fun!

Blog:            http://blairmcdowellauthor.blogspot.ca/

Blair has joined us today for an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’m not sure I ever made any conscious decision. I’ve just always written. I’m one of the few who actually enjoyed writing term papers in college. I’ve always written voluminous letters to friends. And I started writing fiction and even poetry as a child.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Writing was always a part of every job I’ve ever had. I was a teacher and involved at the district level in writing curriculum, then as a university professor I was expected to write and I did—six books. Now I’m writing fiction and have just finished the first draft of my fourth novel. Fiction is by far my favorite writing.

? How long does it take you to write a book?

 My first draft—maybe six months. But what happens after that can take another six. The revising and rethinking are very important to me. I don’t usually consider a book “finished” until the third draft.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I really can’t think of any. Of course, my friends all make fun of the way I sit at the computer with my left hand holding up my head and my right hand doing all the typing.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

None at all. I’m always ready to write. I get really snarly when things keep me from writing.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

I’ve lived a long time and known MANY interesting people. I never just reproduce anyone I’ve known, but I have a sort of mental file of character traits and behaviors to draw from.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
It usually comes to me rather spontaneously. And it’s most often a particular setting that engages me. In Sonata it was Canada’s Sunshine Coast, where I’m fortunate enough to live.

? What books have most influenced your life?

I can never answer this question. I read voraciously and many books have touched me.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

Millions and Billions and Trillions of Cats. I have no idea who the author was. I was about five years old.

? What are you reading right now?

Odd you should ask. I’m re-reading Daphne Du Maurier, Frenchman’s Creek, a book that originally came out in 1941.  It’s just been re-released on Amazon. It’s quite dated, but her writing is still beautiful and the story is lovely.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Read, swim, cook. In that order.

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Gnocchi ai Quarto Formaggio. Little potato dumplings in a four cheese  sauce. Sheer heaven.

? What do you think makes a good story?

First of all, interesting characters. Second an interesting setting. Plot matters, but for me it’s only a distant third place.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

I simply can’t answer that question, there are so many good ones. But I buy every Nora Roberts, every Donna Leon and every Andrea Camillieri.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

I have reread many books at a distance of a few years—but no one in particular.
  
Fun random questions: 
·        dogs or cats?         DOGS
·        Coffee or tea?      Coffee
·        Dark or milk chocolate? Dark
·        Rocks or flowers? Flowers
·        Night or day?       Day
·        Favorite color?     Red
·        Crayons or markers? Crayons
·        Pens or pencils?   Pens


Sonata by Blair McDowell

Genre: Romantic mystery
Publisher: Rebel Ink Press
Number of pages:  130 ~ Word Count:   56,500


Book Description:
A jewel heist…

When renowned concert artist, Sayuri McAllister, returns to the west coast of Canada after an absence of five years, she discovers her family home has been a broken into and jewelry worth two million dollars is missing. Michael Donovan, Sayuri’s old high school flame, now a detective with the Vancouver Police Department, is the officer in charge of the case.

What chance can he have…

Michael takes one look at Sayuri and falls in love with her all over again. But they parted in anger years ago and Sayuri is no longer the innocent girl he once knew. What chance can there be for a Vancouver cop with someone as famous as Sayuri McAllister?  Especially when that cop is investigating her family and friends?
An unexpected marriage…

Then Sayuri’s widowed father, Sean, marries Alyssa James, a woman Sayuri has never even met. The three live uneasily together in the Point Grey mansion until the unexpected arrival of Alyssa’s brother, Hugh James, a devastatingly handsome, charming Irishman who immediately begins a campaign to bed and wed the delicious and wealthy Sayuri.

Things take a dangerous turn…

Accidents begin to happen. Or are they accidents?  Nothing is as it seems. Michael distrusts Hugh James and fears that Sayuri’s life may be in danger.

Short Excerpt: The following excerpt takes place the first time that Sayuri goes to Michael’s apartment.

As they went down in the elevator and across to the park, Michael spoke to the dog, “So far so good. We’ve got her in my apartment. I expect your full cooperation tonight. Whatever happens you are not to climb on the bed, should I get so lucky, or slobber all over Sayuri. If there’s any slobbering to be done, I’ll do it. Got it, buddy?”
 Buttercup wagged her tail furiously, nearly knocking over a passing pedestrian.
“Sorry, mam.”
Michael thought about how Sayuri had looked when she answered the door. So cool and composed. Delectable. Good enough to eat. Down boy, he reminded himself. Don’t blow it now. You’ve got her this far.
Taking a deep breath he muttered, “Keep it cool.” Then he looked at his dog. “Okay, Buttercup, do your thing so we can get back up there.”
****
She heard the key in the lock and a moment later man and dog were back in the room. Buttercup trotted over to Sayuri and leaned against her, looking up at her adoringly with one blue and one brown eye.
“That was quick,” Sayuri commented as she scratched the dog behind her ears.
“She was anxious to get back to you. We don’t often have visitors. Actually, I’m surprised at her reaction to you. She usually hides under the bed when there’s anyone she doesn’t know in the apartment.”
“Under the bed? I can’t believe she can get all that bulk under a bed. Just what kind of dog is she? I’ve never seen anything like her. She’s huge. And those eyes are amazing.”
Sayuri moved to the armchair and sat down. Buttercup followed her and put her massive head in Sayuri’s lap.
“Clearly she’s fallen in love with you. The vet thought she was probably half Malamute and half Newfoundland, but I’m pretty sure there’s some wolf in the mixture. And the two different color eyes are unusual, but they do happen, particularly in those breeds.”
“Did you say wolf?”
“Watch.” Michael came over to the dog, knelt down beside her and put his arm around her. He lifted his head back and started to howl. The dog threw her head straight back and joined him. The sound was at one and the same time musical and eerie.
“Wow.” Sayuri stared at the dog. “I haven’t heard anything like that since I was twelve years old and went on a canoeing trip up Desolation Sound with my father. We could hear the wolves from our campsite every night. I loved the sound.”
“Don’t let her howl give you any ideas about Buttercup’s personality. Her wolf genes begin and end with her howl. She’s a complete wimp.”
“She’s a big dog for an apartment dweller.”
“Yes, well, I didn’t exactly choose her. She just sort of happened.” Michael paused. You see, I’m in the R.A.A. Unit.”
“R.A.A.?”
“Robbery, Assault, Arson. We got an anonymous call that there was a break and enter in progress at an apartment house on the east side. When my partner and I answered the call, we didn’t find a robbery in progress. What we found was found a room full of people cutting and bagging cocaine. We called immediately for backup, but before it could come, gun fire was exchanged and people got hurt. It wasn’t supposed to have happened that way.”
Michael paused and frowned. Sayuri wondered if he was going to say anything more.
Then he sighed. “When it was all sorted out, as we were to leaving the scene I heard whimpering. I pulled this small scrawny shivering mass of matted fur out from under the bed. I was supposed to take her to the SPCA, but I didn’t. I took her home with me. She couldn’t have been more than two months old and she was half starved and filthy. I fed her and bathed her and the next day I took her to the vet for a checkup. He said there was nothing wrong with her that food and love wouldn’t cure.”
“So you had a dog.”
“I had a dog. I had no idea at the time she was going to grow into a giant hairy mammoth.” This was spoken with obvious affection as he ruffled the dog’s head.
“But her name?”
“Just look at her.”
Sayuri studied the dog. She had fur as thick as a bear’s, only longer. Her underbelly was white and everywhere else she was brown and black and white in large splotches. “I don’t get it.”
“Look under her chin.”
Sayuri laughed. “Of course.” There was a large spot of bright yellow there.
The dog, tired of being the object of so much attention, moved to the fireplace, circled three times and plopped down in front of it.

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