Blog Tour: Undercover by Maria Hammarblad (Giveaway too)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature Maria Hammarblad and Undercover.

Author Bio:
Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her.

As an adult Maria's creativity got an outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations. She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly satisfied through role playing online on Myspace. It was here, while writing stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike. They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three rescue dogs.

Besides writing and playing bass, Maria enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri.

Upcoming releases
 Flashback, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing June 2013
Operation Earth, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing August 2013
Borealis XII, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing November 2013

Fun FactsFavorite color:              Blue
Favorite food:               Chicken with cashew nuts
Doesn't eat:                  Mammals
Favorite TV Show:        Star Trek TNG and Leverage
Favorite animal:            Border Collie
Quotes:            "Full Speed Ahead" and "Caffeine is good for you"

Find Maria on the web
Website:                       http://www.hammarblad.com
Facebook:                     https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Blog:                            http://www.scifiromance.info
Twitter:                        @mariahammarblad
Goodreads:                   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780.Maria_Hammarblad
Publisher's website:       http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com

Undercover
Maria Hammarblad

Genre: Romantic suspense
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61252-216-6
ASIN: B0098TGWTW
Word Count: 77000
Cover Artist: Gwen Phifer
Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o
 Amazon

Book Description:
When Jenny Moore meets Alexei Roshenko, it's love at first sight. The tall, dark and handsome stranger appears to be the answer to every romantic fantasy any woman ever had. There is however more to him than meets the eye, and a dark and violent past is catching up with him. When Jenny decides to follow him back to Russia, she gets entangled in a web of deceit and secrets beyond her wildest imagination.

Short Excerpt

When the wheels finally touched American soil, Jenny was both relieved and nervous. She was so happy to be home she could cry, at the same time as she fretted over his papers. They looked good but could hardly be real. Alex didn't seem worried at all; he was the epitome of calm as they stood in the long line to the passport checkpoint.

Her own passport had been unused before this trip, and she opened it to look at the stamps. Alex bent over to kiss her on the cheek. He knew her well enough already to know what was on her mind. "Don't worry, I do this all the time."

The comment distracted her, and she thought he probably did it on purpose. She wanted to ask a million or so questions, but didn't even lift an eyebrow. "I can't wait to be home."

Once they reached the counter, the woman sitting there hardly even looked at the photos. She threw one glance at their documents, gave them back, and yelled, "Next!"

They waited for the luggage for an eternity, and Jenny was nervous all the way through customs. She relaxed a little once they were well into the large airport, surrounded by Americans hurrying in all directions. The protection of being in the country was more imagined than real, but she was still happier. They walked slowly hand in hand with the suitcases rolling behind them like obedient dogs, and just seeing the crowds made her heart lighter.

She wondered if her lover would miss seeing and hearing his own language, and if he would miss his own people. He was stranded in a foreign country and culture with nothing but her, with an axe hovering over his head, and all this after knowing her for just a couple of months. Thinking about it made her feel incredibly guilty, and telling herself she couldn't have done anything about it didn't help at all.

Eventually, Alex stopped and pulled their bags up next to a wall. "Are you up for the drive home, or do you want to stay in a hotel tonight?"

She kept going because he did, but now when he said it, she was very tired. "I don't know. It would be good to be home, but it seems so far away. What do you think?"

"Oh, I want to go somewhere and take all your clothes off, but what I want is not important. Your wish is my command, my sweet."

It made her laugh. "So, a hotel it is."

When they walked towards the exit, past one of the cafés, she saw a familiar face turn towards them. A smile played on the man's lips. She had seen him not all that long ago, on the other side of the world, in Alex's apartment. He met her eyes, and she said, "Ignore him."

They walked right past the old man. "They've been with us all the way. One would think people would have something better to do."

She hadn't seen anyone else, but if he said they had been there, they were there.

Giveaway!

One copy of Undercover (kindle, pdf or epub winner’s choice)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

So... if you have been a follower for awhile, you know that Halloween is my favorite holiday ~ the only day it is acceptable for me to wear a witch hat and dress in polite society!

On that note ~ I absolutely HAD to share my early trick-or-treating adventure!

My friend Kathy, from Inside of a Dog, let me trick-or-treat her bookshelves yesterday!  

She has been weeding her shelves to try to make room for all her TBR books and much to my delight I got to pick what I wanted before she donated the rest to the Friends of the Library book sale.

I am now about 100 books farther back in my reading and very happy about my new books!

Blog Tour: Open Door by Christine Locke

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature:

Christine Locke and Open Door.

About the Author:

Christine Locke was born in California and grew up in various locations around the United States as a Navy brat. She was the oldest of six children and today is mother and step-mother to seven. She attended Texas A&M University, receiving her Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature in 1995.

Christine has worked as a writing instructor, a salesperson, and an award-winning retail manager and management trainer, among other things. Today, she co-ordinates makeovers for a local magazine. She and her husband, Mike, live with their children, two dogs, and two cats in Arkansas.

For years, Christine has been writing novels around her work and family life. Open Door is her first published novel. Several other manuscripts are almost ready to follow Open Door onto Amazon KDP, including the Open Door sequel, In Time.

Twitter: @wrtrdoll and @CarinsGriffin

christinelockebooks.blogspot.com

carinatmallacemansion.blogspot.com

http://www.goodreads.com/wrtrdoll

Open Door

By Christine Locke

Book Description:

ENTRANCING OPPORTUNITIES BECKON A YOUNG GIRL...

It's 1987, and 16-year-old Carin White desperately needs her first job.  An elegant woman she's never met appears at her door offering employment.  "Aunt" Helen asks Carin to work for her on the family's rambling, enigmatic estate in the tiny resort town of Eureka Springs.

IN A WORLD WHERE NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS...

Carin takes little notice of Rafe Allen, Helen's other hired help.  But a brutal assault forces Carin to confront her own capacity for violence.  Carin learns her mother concealed her identity from her, and the mansion hides horrific secrets of its own.

 AND ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE HER.

Carin exposes the truth about her presence on the estate.  Will she be strong enough to recognize love and redeem her family legacy?  Or will the temptations of power and control lure her to the same dark places where others lost themselves?

Amazon

Notes to Readers:

This novel is NOT about werewolves, vampires, or fallen angels.  It is a story about magic.  The gothic Mallace Mansion lives and breathes as a character, and only one woman controls its Legacy.  Is Carin the one? Read OPEN DOOR to find out.

This novel does NOT have a cliffhanger ending.  The author does not believe in them.  The story is complete in itself, and the ending points the way to a new storyline for IN TIME, the second novel in the Legacy Trilogy due out this Halloween.

OPEN DOOR is a full length novel at over 46,000 words.

An Excerpt:

Miss Anne never left the door ajar.  Given tonight’s weather, it was an unsettling find.  The towering oaks at the front of Mallace Estate’s grounds cracked with the plummeting temperature, groaning with the change.  Matthew lowered his chin, fighting the urge to look up.  He resisted his desire for the driver’s seat of his large black sedan and the quick drive to his own comfortable home.  He was here.  He was invited.  He must go in and find Anne; she was nearly ninety and could have come to harm.

                This thought--and all the courage he could summon—enabled Matthew to cross the threshold of Mallace Mansion.  He grasped the great door handle in his firm grip and swung the door, expecting the squeak of old hinges to announce his presence.  The hard sole of his shoe trod the stone floor of the arched entry sending soft echoes throughout.  He scanned the darkness within.  The hall was very cold, as cold as the veranda.  Matthew, worried now, closed the door and turned up his collar.  He had little light by which to investigate.  His misgivings increased as he found the light came from one small lamp in the front living room, just around the corner to his right.

                Perhaps she is asleep, he thought.  He cleared his throat.  “Miss Anne,” he announced, “It’s Matthew.  I’ve come, just as you asked.”  No one answered.  His throat closed a little and a chill other than the winter’s air rushed up his spine.  It tingled the back of his neck where his hair grew gray.  He stepped into the living room.

                Anne might have slept in the chair where she sat, but he knew this was not the case.  The fire dwindled under the andirons, yet her lamp still burned beside her.  Her left hand, frail and thin, rested on the arm of her chair, stretched gently toward the little table.

                Crouching down so that his head was lower than Anne’s quiet face, Matthew lifted the page of her stationary from the table just beyond her fingers.  His name was etched on the outer fold in her old-fashioned handwriting.

                “Matthew,” it said inside, “You are welcome to invite all you will find necessary to take care of things.”

                This did not surprise him.  His father taught him, years ago, to expect something like it.  “We all do this once, my son,” Mr. Thomas explained at the time, “Pray it is no more than that in your lifetime.”  Yet the second part of Miss Anne’s note gave Matthew unanticipated concern, considering his responsibility and his peculiar situation.

                “As for the other matter,” she wrote, “you will not find her.  Henry will, but you must not ask him.  There is too much danger.  Watch for her.  Watch for her mother.  Come to them when they are together in this house.  I invite you.  Anne Mallace”

                Matthew called the doctor and closed up the mansion.  He filed papers and made certain inquiries.  Always, in the months that followed, Matthew Thomas kept the final words of Anne Mallace in the breast pocket of his suit.  Through all that would happen, he pondered her requests, and he watched.

Blog Tour: Pure and Sinful by Killian McRae

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature Killian McRae and her book

Pure and Sinful. 

About the Author:

Killian McRae would tell you that she is a rather boring lass, an authoress whose characters’ lives are so much more exciting than her own. She would be right. Sadly, this sarcastic lexophile leads a rather mundane existence in the San Francisco Bay Area. She once dreamed of being the female Indiana Jones, and to that end she earned a degree in Middle Eastern History from the University of Michigan. However, when she learned that real archaeologist spend more time lovingly removing dust with toothbrushes from shards of pottery than outrunning intriguing villains with exotic accents, she decided to become a writer instead. She writes across many genres, including science fiction, fantasy, romance, and historical fiction.

facebook fan page: Goodreads: twitter: website: blog: google+: youtube channel: 

Killian has joined us for an interview:

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

I remember trying to write stories as early as third and fourth grade. I guess you could say that as soon as I had a grasp on basic sentence structure, I was hacking away at it.

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

Define “job.” J  I still have a nine-to-five, as well as second part-time job. Living in the Bay Area is pricey.

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

Anywhere from several months to several years. I don’t work on one book exclusively from start to finish. I have several works-in-progress at any time that I’ll braid in and out of my schedule depending on my mood and what’s catching me.

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

As a tribute to the events and period in my life that resparked my ability to write, I include the tag “hopeful wager” in all of my novels. It’s usually stuck in inconspicuously, but those who know its significance always mention finding it.

? What books have most influenced your life?

In terms of how I cope with existence, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” In terms of my writing, “Les Miserables.”

? What are you reading right now?

This question? (I know, I know. I’m a smart ass.) I usually try to have one non-fiction and one fiction going at a time. At the moment, my non-fiction selection is “Ghost Wave: The Discovery of the Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth” by Chris Dixon, and my fiction selection is “Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)” by Gail Carriger.

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

Sleep, yet it is so infrequent when I’m able to partake of that.

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Biscuits and gravy. This simple dish is harder to come by now that I live in a halal household, but the white gravy isn’t sooo terrible.

? What do you think makes a good story?

PLOT. I detest self-important character studies or books in which very little happens. I want adventure, high-stakes decisions, passionate love, or explosions.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote like he was making love to the dictionary while having as scandalous affair with a Picasso painting. He evokes despair and romance with equal finesse of bitter and sweet.

Fun random questions: 

• dogs or cats?  dogs
• Coffee or tea? coffee
• Dark or milk chocolate? dark
• Rocks or flowers? I’m confused. Both are … No, I’m confused. What does one with rocks?
• Night or day? day
• Favorite color? Dark green
• Crayons or markers? crayons
• Pens or pencils? Pens. In bright-colored ink.

Book Description:

Statistician Riona Dade knows all about probabilities. Still, even she'd tell you the chances of discovering you’re a witch, being appointed to the demon-slaying trio known as the Pure Souls, and finding yourself sinfully attracted to a catholic priest who uses amen and other four-lettered words with equal enthusiasm are pretty slim. Also learning your ex was once Hell’s first-round draft pick, and realizing you're a prize catch for Satan’s soul-damning quota leaves a girl feeling like she just won the lottery while being struck by lightning while riding a unicorn across Atlantis. 

Trying to keep her mind off role playing the Thornbirds with Father Angeletti, Riona leads the Pure Souls against a maniacal menagerie of Mephistopheles’s minions plaguing greater Boston. Giving in to lust is a direct flight to damnation for both her and the priest, leading Riona to distract herself by striking up a romance with her new, foxy neighbor, Lucy. But she can't shake her attraction to Marcello, and as the tension between them grows thicker than a lumberjack’s beard, temptation may become too difficult to resist. 

How long can they deny the pull growing between them, knowing there will be Hell to pay? 

Author Interview and Book Review: Night Sighs by Emma Meade

Welcome to The Wormhole.  Today it is my pleasure to feature:  Emma Meade and Night Sighs.

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

I was writing since primary school, so probably since the age of nine or ten. I was hooked on the Point Horror series, and as a result, most of my school essays for English class were about monsters and the paranormal, raising a few eyebrows from my teachers.

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

Lots. I’d love to work full-time as a writer, but for the moment I’m in magazine publishing, and write in the evenings and at weekends.  I’ve worked in a pub, art gallery, doctor’s office, and even a butcher’s when I was a teenager.

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

In the past, it’s taken years to produce one novel I’m happy with, but in the last twelve months or so, I’ve gotten serious about my writing career.  Now it can take roughly six to eight months to create a first draft, edit and have it ready for publishing.

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

Music can inspire me to write a whole new story and cast of characters.  For instance, Night Sighs developed from a single short story called “The Dead Beats”.  I’d found a powerful, haunting performance by Bruce Springsteen on youtube one day, “Because the Night” live in Paris 1985, and I was mesmerized by the piano sound and his raw magnetism. I created Tristan and Alex as soon as the song ended.

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

I don’t have a routine really. It’s mostly about deciding to knuckle down for a few hours or a whole day with the laptop and keep typing until I run out of steam.

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

Music, books, TV shows and films that have inspired me over the years.  I met a lot of interesting people during my years at college while I worked in a pub.  I like to incorporate mannerisms, dialogue and personality traits from some of the characters I’ve met in real life.

? How do you decide what you want to write about? 

It’s usually the paranormal genre. I start with a character most of the time, and the story develops from there.

? What books have most influenced your life?

The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J. Smith, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, The Stand by Stephen King and the books from the Point Horror and Nightmares series are what have mostly inspired my writing life. 

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

Probably a book of fairytales my grandparents first read to me at bedtime and then later Enid Blyton’s work.

? What are you reading right now?

I’m re-reading Interview with the Vampire.

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

Go to the cinema, listen to music, head out dancing with friends, hang out with my family, blog and interact online.

? What is your favorite comfort food? 
Biscuits and cake with tea.

? What do you think makes a good story?

The characters.  Make your characters as real as your best friends, and I think a good story follows.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

I can’t choose just one. Marian Keyes, Maeve Binchy, Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris to name a few. They’ve all written wonderful characters and their stories have captured my heart for one reason or another.

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

The Twilight saga books.  I fell in love with Edward Cullen and the rainy town of Forks and read these books once a year.

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats?

I prefer dogs, but I have two stray cats: Puss and Fox! They wandered into my back garden one day and never left.

·        Coffee or tea? Barry’s tea all the way. I drink three or four cups a day.

·        Dark or milk chocolate?  Milk chocolate or white chocolate, especially milky bars.

·        Rocks or flowers? Um, flowers.

·        Night or day? I’m a night owl. That’s when I do most of my writing. I still have trouble getting up for work most mornings.

·        Favorite color? Purple. It’s vibrant.

·        Crayons or markers? Right now, I guess crayons. I use them when I’m drawing with my little niece.

·        Pens or pencils? Pens, though it’s now a rarity when I use them. The computer keyboard has replaced the pen for the most part. 

More About the Author:

Author of Night Sighs and coming soon, Under the Desert Moon.
Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland and loves all things supernatural: vampires, slayers, witches, ghosts, aliens & shadow men (or at least the youngest of the shadow men), and regular people who live extraordinary lives (think Slayerettes and you're on the right track). One of her favourite authors is L.J. Smith and she's read Stephen King's The Stand more times than she can remember. Books, dvds and tv show boxsets take up lots of space in her home and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.
She is not ashamed to admit that Dirty Dancing and Twilight make her top ten movie list but wishes to point out that The Last of the Mohicans, Reality Bites, Dead Poets Society, Stand by Me and The Goonies are in there too.

Writing supernatural short stories, watching marathon re-runs of Buffy and attempting to complete novels are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality. .

Music for Night Sighs Book Trailer provided by http://www.danosongs.com/

      Night Sighs by Emma Meade

It's good to be alive...when you're dead!

Meet Alex and Tristan, modern star-crossed lovers of the supernatural variety.
Alex is running-on-empty, one year on from the death of her fiancé, and the only thing that keeps her going is her romance with the young vampire, Tristan. Tristan, meanwhile has a serious obsession with Bruce Springsteen, and is battling a 'can't live without you' sort of love for Alex. He's trying to persuade her to come over to the dark side, but so far she's resisting his efforts.

So come and sing along to Tristan's band, The Dead Beats, the hottest group in London right now, and walk with Alex as she teeters between this life and the next. Because when you're around Tristan, you'll see, how much fun it is to be alive when you're dead....

Night Sighs is an adult paranormal romance, following the relationship and adventures of Tristan and Alex through five short stories: The Dead Beats, The Ancients, Until My Body Is Dust, Bourbon and Jazz and West of Forever.

Free Book!!!! Hellfire and Damnation is free!

Hellfire and Damnation II by Connie Corcoran Wilson

Hellfire & Damnation II by Connie (Corcoran) Wilson is another tour of the 9 Circles of Hell described in Dante's Inferno. It picks up where the first collection of short stories (2011, www.HellfireandDamnationTheBook.com) left off, using the framing device of the sins punished at each of the 9 Circles of Hell in Dante's "Inferno."

Winner of the (IWPA) Silver Feather award, sequel to the E-Lit Gold Medal award winner Hellfire & Damnation, Hellfire & Damnation II as a tour of Dante's Inferno doesn't require that you have read the first collection of short stories, which also illustrated the sins punished at each of the 9 Circles of Hell. There are no recurring characters, but there are 11 short stories, accompanying illustrations and a "From the Author" section explaining the inspiration or each story.

Free Kindle Download - October 27 - 31, 2012

Click HERE to go to Amazon to get the free kindle download!