Coming Soon! Murder of an Oil Heiress by Candy Ann Little

Murder of an Oil Heiress will be released from Inknbean Press on November 12, 2013!!

"The Texas sun isn’t the only thing that is scorching hot. Mallory Dillingham is beautiful, successful and primed to take over the family oil business when her father is ready to retire. However, that isn’t soon enough for the billionaire heiress. She wants it all. And, she wants it now. Mallory will stop at nothing to get what she wants, including seduction, lying and blackmail.

Joseph Barnes has stepped into Mallory’s slippery trap. Can he find a way out before his evil sister-in-law destroys his marriage to Sarah? Will the Dillingham family be able to survive the destruction caused by her devious plot?

Love, betrayal, forgiveness and the bonds of family are all intertwined the complicated lives of the Dillingham family and the people caught in the crossfire. As Mallory wages war on everyone, innocent people pay the price. Will the Dillingham family be able to survive the destruction caused by her devious plot?"

About Candy Ann Little

Candy Ann Little grew up in a small town in Ohio. She moved to Michigan with her family when her husband got a job there. She began writing in the aftermath of tragedy – her third child was stillborn. The nurse suggested keeping a journal to cope with the grief. Although she thought it a dumb idea at the time, she soon found a freedom and healing that writing brought.Eventually that pain and sorrow turned into her first Inspirational romance. Candy Ann finds it therapeutic putting her thoughts into the words and action of her characters. She also finds that discipline is the biggest lesson learned in her writing life. Since then she has finished 3 novels and one novella.When she isn’t busy with her husband of twenty-two years and her two adult kids, you can find her subbing in the public school system, or helping with church activities. Her favorite things to do besides writing is reading, cooking and baking.

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Keeper of Reign by Emma Right - Excerpt!

Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it?

For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema.

Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn't get himself killed first.

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Excerpt!

In the yonder forest, perched on a cypress, Whisperer watched the group with what could qualify as disappointment on his crooked face with his crooked lips. His efforts had failed. This sort of fowl tactics worked umpteen times before when his master ordered him on some mission.

Now he considered other prongs of attacks. The ifs and what-ifs, the whisperings, he could float in the wind. Whisperings that wafted down and instilled fear to all who heard him. This was one assignment he could not afford to blunder. Too much was at stake.

He debated over his options, his heavily lidded eyes darting from tree to tree. For a second he determined to strike the bumbling boy again, but he decided against this. He would wait for Beta and re-evaluate the problem with the latest update.

Whisperer pursed his crooked lips, his breath a gray tube of smoke that swirled toward its goal: the clouds. First softly, then more intensely, he blew. But his gaze never wavered from the struggling, lanky lad with his sister on his back.

Beta had better find that Book, or he would find a suitable punishment for the servant.

Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure - Excerpt!

Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

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Excerpt!

She was tired—oh so very, very tired. Never—not in all her life—had Evony Elorietta known such thoroughgoing fatigue. As she trudged out of the dark woods still veiled in the shadows of early sunrise, out across the expanse of cold, dew-drenched grass and onto the main road of the village, Evony wondered how she would ever endure a day that was only just beginning. Every bone in her body ached—every muscle throbbed in misery, every inch of her flesh begged for respite. Yet there would be none—at least not until she had finished her stitching—finished the near thirteen hours of sewing she now faced under the ever observant, incessantly critical eye of seamstress Agnes Teche.

After such a long, chilled, and sleepless night spent in watching—peering through the darkness and into the rooms of the inn in the woods, until her eyes were too dry to watch any longer—after listening to the shallow, often vile conversations, until her ears hurt from the foul ferment of it—Evony dreaded sewing for Mrs. Teche more than ever before. The woman was a banshee of an employer. And yet, she was grateful Mrs. Teche had had the keen eye to recognize Evony’s superior skills with needle and thread—for how else would Evony have managed to feed Mikol and Tressa—to shelter them—to keep them hidden?

DiSemblance by Shanae Branham

Jason Tanner’s life has always been different from the ordinary citizen’s. It started when he was an infant and his parents were only teenagers. A computer science prodigy, Lloyd attended MIT but left a pariah in the eyes of the school’s dean—but a computer physics genius in the eyes of his primary investor. Then his theories and ideas created a holographic machine and their world shrunk as contact with the outside world became less and less frequent. A computer prodigy now himself, Jason is about to learn that the world never waits for you if you have the ability to change it: it will come for you.

Detective Bruce Durante has been handed the case of the Comfort Killer, a serial killer so named because he appears to abduct terminally ill patients before returning their corpses to their families in refrigerated coffins. When he picks up the trail, it leads straight to the home of Lloyd Tanner.

Jason has been living life through the world of Lloyd’s invention and wishing he could carry on a relationship with Boston, the beautiful girl next door. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, he is brought back to reality in a hurry. He is forced to destroy all of the planted evidence—and finds he is being targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. But the secrets of his father’s invention run deep and Jason, his brother Isaac,Boston, the Comfort Killer, and Detective Durante hurtle towards one another on a deadly collision course that leaves everyone’s life hanging in the balance.

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Author Shanae Branham

I am a professional writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer’s Expo.

I love suspense thrillers and am a master at plot and character development. I enjoy stories with happy endings. I promise all my readers that when they put one of my books down or walk away from one of my movies, they will be enthused with excitement and joy. This does not mean there will not be some sad parts, because you have to feel the bitter in order to understand the sweet. In fact, I have struggled with Dyslexia my whole life, so you can imagine how overjoyed I was when DiSemblance won a Silver metal in the fantasy/science fiction category at the eLit awards in 2012.
 

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The Silver Strand by L.J. Clarkson

Ever since twelve year old Isabelle Tresdon’s silver strand of hair sprouted, it’s been nothing but trouble: bleeding pink dust and sparking like a firecracker. Refusing to be known as the girl with the freaky, grandma hair, she wishes it never grew and the hair withers and tarnishes.

The only problem is, the strand is Isabelle's source of magic, and she can transform particles of energy into matter. It's also her ticket into Mastermind Academy, a secret school inside the earth’s core. Five days remain before the strand drains her magic and life, forcing Isabelle to enter into a deal with two trickster Masterminds to save it. But what she doesn't count on is there is more at stake than just her life.

The Silver Strand, a MG Fantasy Adventure for 9-12 year olds, is book 1 in the Mastermind Academy Series.

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Excerpt!

“Did you know Isabelle has a silver, alien antenna?” Bimouth’s voice sang out over the shouts and chatter of the school bus, capturing everyone’s attention. “In science class, a magnet flew out of Mr. Higgins’ hand and stuck to her antenna. How freaky is that?”

Isabelle’s back pressed against her seat.

Bianca leapt up like a jack-in-a-box. Her voice came out as a hiss. “Shut your face horse mite or I’ll shut it for you.”

Looked like the bus ride might end in death.

Bigmouth turned to face Bianca. “What if Isabelle’s antenna, like, turns us into alien zombies?”

A chorus of whispers broke out.

Catching the bus was a very bad idea. Isabelle prayed again for that black hole to open up and suck her in. Better yet, she wished it would gobble up the bigmouth. Isabelle tugged on Bianca’s arm and said in a low voice, “Just cut it off.”

Her friend’s eyes softened. “You sure, Boof?”

“The hair’s caused nothing but trouble since it sprouted.” The little voice inside Isabelle’s mind begged her not to, but she didn’t listen.

“Ok.” Something in Bianca’s school bag rattled as she riffled through it. She yanked a pair of scissors free.

Isabelle’s gut clenched as her friend laid the strand between the blades. “Wait!” She suddenly felt unsure about whether to get rid of it. What if it were special and magical like Bianca had said? A magnetic hair, although cool, was hardly magical. Isabelle decided to test it. Closing her eyes, she willed her strand to turn Bigmouth into a toad.

But Bigmouth’s voice still carried throughout the bus. “And in gym class, like, she bled this weird, pink dust.”

“Definitely an alien,” someone nearby agreed.

So much for Isabelle’s strand being magical. “Cut it,” she said, exchanging a sideways look with Bianca.

Her friend squeezed the handles together. Fuchsia-colored sparks shot out and scalded Isabelle’s right cheek. The strand sizzled and hissed like a firecracker, drawing the attention of Bigmouth.

She shrieked like a real girl. “Look! Isabelle’s antenna’s on fire.”

Working it Out by Rachael Anderson - Excerpt!

Author Rachael Renee Anderson


Rachael Anderson is the author of four books: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

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Excerpt!

Her eyes continued to search his face—well, more like probe—as though she could see into his mind and thoughts. She held up the brochure she carried, showing Seth the face of the bachelor he’d just bid twenty grand for. He took it from her to get a closer look.

“What do you plan to do about the incredibly expensive date you won?” she asked.

Seth scanned through Cameron’s bio, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He returned the brochure back to her and tapped the page. “Experience an unforgettable day of high adventure, apparently. Sorry if I, uh, took that away from you.”

She looked completely unfazed, as though this strange situation happened all the time. “You know he’s not gay, right?”

“I made that assumption, yes,” Seth said, wondering what was going through that pretty head of hers. “Why? Are you hoping I’ll hand the date off to you since I’m clearly not gay either?”

“Aren’t you?”

The way she said it made Seth’s jaw work back and forth. She looked so confident, so unshakable, reminding him of someone who got under his skin on a regular basis—Lanna. Except the two women looked nothing alike. Lanna was petite and fair, whereas this woman was taller, with darker hair and a darker complexion. But that expression—that impassivity—exactly the same. Maybe Lanna had given her lessons.

Yet for whatever reason, it bothered Seth that this woman might think he preferred men to women. “No, I’m not.”

“Then you won’t mind if I do borrow that date from you. I’m sure Cameron would prefer me over you anyway.”

If she didn’t look so sure of herself, Seth would have said, “Have it, it’s yours.” But something in the way she said it made Seth bristle. “Yes, I would mind, actually. I happen to like ziplining, parasailing, and  . . . romantic horseback rides.”

“And Cameron, apparently.”

Seth took a step forward, leaning close so his eyes were only inches from hers. “Like I told you, I’m not gay.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it. Give me the da—”

Seth immediately dipped his head slightly and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were warm and soft, and she smelled faintly of citrus. For a second, it seemed like she responded, but then she planted her palms against his chest and shoved him away.

Helga: Out of the Hedgelands by Rick Johnson

Twelve-year-old Helga has more danger in her life than most beasts her age—Wrackshee slavers after her, a vicious attack by bandits that nearly kills her, a race against dragons pursuing her, and leading a daring rebellion to save her life and rescue friends and family from the insidious WooZan. And that is just the beginning. But what do you expect when you are a young beast who just can’t see the stupid rules of the world making any sense? Helga can’t accept things as they are and ends up taking on not just one, but two all-powerful, supreme tyrants in two different realms.

Helga never intended to lead a revolution. It just sort of happened because she wouldn’t go along with the “rules of normal” that keep tyrants in power and entire societies enslaved. Beginning on a dangerous quest to solve some mysteries in her own past, Helga leads her quirky comrades on a journey that will not only forever change them, but upset ancient civilizations.

As an author, I’m drawn to eccentric, unexpected characters: those who surprise because they hear a distant galaxy, see a different music, create their own fragrance rather than get hooked on a soundtrack; the child who has her own ideas about how the emperor is dressed; the lunatics and rebels who tell stories on the boundaries. Helga’s unusual story will take readers to worlds they never imagined—definitely a whole new ride.
Time and again, the unconventional heroine and her eccentric comrades overcome ominous tyrants and black-hearted slavers, not by battling to the last beast standing, but by being the first beast to think differently.

Helga: Out of Hedgelands is divided into three books which introduce the epic saga of the Wood Cow clan and their role in overturning centuries of slavery and tyranny. This story will continue in additional volumes of the Wood Cow Chronicles now in development. Over the series of current and future volumes, the entire history of the Wood Cow clan, the fall of Maev Astuté, and the coming of Lord Farseeker to the Outer Rings, will be told.  

Amazon

Excerpt!

Suddenly the kayaks slowed, pausing about twenty yards away—close enough that the Wrackshees’ awful stench covered the area with a suffocating blanket.

Using only hand signals to communicate, the slavers silently peered here and there for any sign of their prey. The razor-sharp tips of dozens of small throwing lances, carried on bandoliers slung over the Wrackshees’ shoulders, shone red in the moonlight.

Helbara knew that terrible things happened to beasts hit by those poisoned tips—going mad with thirst, eyes bugging, bleeding the color of grass. Each time the gaze of a Wrackshee seemed to fix on the spot where they were concealed, Helbara trembled on the edge of panicked flight. To do so, however, would mean certain capture or death. They were trapped. With every ounce of inner strength, Helbara held her panic in check. 

Book Trailer

Keeper of Reign by Emma Right

Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it?

For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema.

Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn't get himself killed first.

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Working It Out by Rachael Anderson

A chance encounter . . . 

Grace Warren's life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.

A chance for love . . . 

Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace's rehab clinic post surgery, she immediately recognizes him. Unfortunately, he's every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there's something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he's everything she's sure she doesn't want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she's willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.

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Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure

Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

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Author Marcia Lynn McClure

Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books, has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”

Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire (Heroes in Training Book 4) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

The action heats up for Zeus and his fellow Olympians in this blazing Heroes in Training tale.

Phew, it’s hot! Under the titan Hyperion’s rule, the sun is burning even brighter than normal and scorching everything in northern Greece—including the villagers! The Olympians are forced to play a sizzling “game” of Dodge the Sunbursts as Hyperion hurls giant fireballs that could fry them to pieces! Armed with some clues, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades set out to figure out why in the world Hyperion has been making things so hot. They also need to rescue Hera, who is still missing. Battling the extreme heat—and some fantastical and scary creatures, courtesy of their old foe Cronus—the boys are off on another epic adventure…and Zeus is one step closer to discovering his destiny.

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Heroes in Training by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams 
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams deliver fun, adventures, and a few surprises as ten-year-old Olympians go on a journey of a lifetime to discover their true identities and defeat their Titan enemies.

Praise for Heroes in Training

"Readers will gobble this down and look for more, make no mythtake." ~ Kirkus

“This is a fun read, casting Zeus in the role of relatable kid, and there is a nice balance between his primary goal of survival and his sense of destiny and adventure. . . Share this title, and likely more to come, with those still too young for Percy Jackson’s adventures.” ~ School Library Journal

The Series

#1 Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom #2 Poseidon and the Sea of Fury #3 Hades and the Helm of Darkness #4 Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire Aladdin Paperbacks (ages 6-9)

http://series.simonandschuster.com/Heroes-in-training  

Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Book 1)

After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new series! The terrible Titans--merciless giants who enjoy snacking on humans--have dominated the earth and put the world into chaos. But their rule is about to be put to the test as a group of young Olympians discover their powers and prepare to righteously rule the universe.... Ten-year-old Zeus is mystified (and super-annoyed) by the fact that he keeps getting hit by lightening. Every. Single. Year. He also longs for adventure, as he has never been far from the cave where he grew up. Zeus gets his wish--and a lot more than he bargained for--when he is kidnapped by dangerous, giant Titans! In self-defense, he grabs the first thing he sees--an actual thunderbolt he pulls from a stone that is covered in mysterious markings. Zeus is the only one who can decipher the markings, and sets off on a quest to rescue his youthful fellow Olympians from the evil Cronus. Armed with his trusty thunderbolt (named Bolt, of course), Zeus is on an adventure of a lifetime--and a journey to fulfill his destiny as King of the Gods.

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Feature & Follow #161

Thanks to the hosts: Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

How does this work? The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends. First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools — keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

This weeks Question:

Back to school. Create a reading list for the imaginary English Lit class you’ll be teaching this semester.

LOL! You really don't want me as a teacher, but since you asked!!

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

This site prefers G+ Followers! :)

Thanks for stopping by!!

p.s. If you enjoy reading young adult, Swoon Reads (an imprint of Macmillan Publishing) is a new type of publishing company. It offers readers the chance to read manuscripts for FREE (yes, FREE)! 

The reader helps decides which manuscript is published by voting for the most Swoon-worthy manuscript! Is that not awesome!!

Check out the great selection of FREE reads at Swoon Reads!

Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!

Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy. His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

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Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist "Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly “…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

• Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
• Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
• Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
• Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
• Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he'll get kicked out of MOA! Although she's not sure it's wise, Athena agrees to help out.

Just This Once by Diana X. Dunn

FREE at Amazon >> Today to Aug. 10th!!!

Adopted by an international multi-governmental agency that doesn't officially exist, her only genuine identity is "F6" - the sixth female baby adopted into the program. Now she changes identities as often as other women change their shoes, moving through the world completing top-secret missions and keeping her distance.


A chance meeting with a handsome stranger tempts her to lower her guard. A second encounter turns up the heat until he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation being conducted by one of F6's former lovers. Now F6 finds herself using her skills, training and multiple identities to help a friend in trouble. Something she has never done before; something she's prepared to do just this once.

Amazon

Excerpt!
___________________________

April 2120

Spring in the rebuilt city of New York felt just as magical as spring in New York should feel.  Older residents often grumbled about the city; many argued that the city had still not yet recovered properly from the fall of the Twin Towers that marked the very earliest stirrings of the Wars that would eventually follow.  But most modern day New Yorkers loved the city just the way it was.

The skyline had been forever altered by the Wars and the years of terrorist activity.  For a while most of the city had been too dangerous for all but the very bravest or desperate to venture into.  As the skyscrapers had tumbled or been abandoned, jobs and people had deserted the city and left most of it empty and forsaken.

Now the city was experiencing a rebirth as people and companies flooded back.  Property prices were suddenly racing upwards and abandoned buildings were being converted into luxury apartments at an astonishing rate.  For older residents, those that had chosen to make the city their home even during the worst times, the rebirth was a mixed blessing.

But today, as the birds sang in the replanted and newly budding trees and the traffic flowed smoothly with no hint of the jams that were sure to be a problem in the very near future, the city looked amazing.  The sidewalks teemed with young, healthy looking men and women in business suits, carrying MPPCs and briefcases presumably bulging with important papers.  Everyone seemed to be striding purposefully through the city.

As day turned to dusk, clothes designed for other pursuits replaced the business suits.   The beautiful people of the city were out in force once more, this time in short skirts and tight jeans, hair and makeup as extreme as they dared, now looking for love or romance rather than the next deal.

Of course a reborn and growing city also has to deal with growing pains, and New York was no exception.  Strictly enforced rules on identity cards, registered addresses, and required employment had cut down on the problems of homelessness and petty crime, but any big city would always have some level of street crime, no matter how hard the police and the government worked to prevent it.

At eight o’clock on a Friday evening a high-security door opened at a large apartment complex in the heart of the rebuilt city.  Three people stepped out from the door and made their way down the sidewalk.  They were clearly dressed for clubbing and it seemed likely, from their staggering walks and hysterical laughter that they had already started drinking or drug taking before they left home.

The two girls and one boy laughed and teased and flirted with one another as they made their way towards the bright lights of the club district.  Anyone watching would assume that they had all worked hard during the week and were determined to enjoy their weekend.  They wouldn’t have been far wrong.  The trio drew nearly everyone’s eyes as they made their way towards their favorite establishment.

All three were strikingly beautiful, but in very different ways.  They seemed to radiate youthful energy and an abundance of enthusiasm for living life to the fullest.

FREE at Amazon! The Jewel of Babylon by Jacob Hammes

When a Special Forces agent working for the United States Government goes on a killing spree, the Department of Defense gets involved. When that very same agent seems to be under the influence of a special object hell bent on destroying the world, the Department of Defense in turn involves the Special Operations Division.

Marcus Constantine and his highly trained band of operatives use a unique perspective, specialized skills, and the worlds most cutting edge technology in order to find and stop the murderous madman. In order to stop John Flipske, the elusive victim of an unknown ailment, the team of agents find themselves struggling to survive a series of dangerous circumstances. In a chase that takes them all across the world and eventually into the heart of darkness, the question must be asked; could John end the world, or just another life?

In the most violent and inexplicable case the Unusual Operations Division has ever seen, sacrifices must be made in order to stop a man who has his mind set on destruction.

FREE at Amazon - August 3rd & 4th!!

Note: Before hitting the buy button, confirm this title is still free.

Add The Jewel of Babylon to your shelf at Goodreads.

About author, Jacob Hammes

Hello everyone!!!

My name is Jacob Hammes and I'm the author of the Jewel of Babylon. When I'm not writing I'm an active duty service member in the United States Army. Currently, I'm enjoying the sun and scenery in some of the more unfortunate parts of the world. While here, I hope to write as much as I possibly can and publish book two by the middle of next year!

King of Bad by Kai Strand

Jeff Mean would rather set fires than follow rules or observe curfew. He wears his bad boy image like a favorite old hoodie; that is until he learns he has superpowers and is recruited by Super Villain Academy – where you learn to be good at being bad. In a school where one kid can evaporate all the water from your body and the girl you hang around with can perform psychic sex in your head, bad takes on a whole new meaning. Jeff wonders if he’s bad enough for SVA.

He may never find out. Classmates vilify him when he develops good manners. Then he’s kidnapped by those closest to him and left to wonder who is good and who is bad. His rescue is the climactic episode that balances good and evil in the super world. The catalyst – the girl he’s crushing on.

A girlfriend and balancing the Supers is good, right? Or is it…bad?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Goodreads * Whiskey Creek Press

  Author Kai Stand

When the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fire and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died, the end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for younger children Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults.

Book Review: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

This is actually more of a rant against the publisher than a book review... :) LOL - You've been warned!

I've been in a reading mood. Yesterday, I went to Barnes & Noble and purchased Magic Rises by the writing team of Ilona Andrews. I was so excited! I love their writing style.

I didn't open the book. I didn't even read the back cover blurb. I got home about 4:00 and and started reading... Argh! The print was teeny tiny and the lines were smashed together. Honestly, it was horrid! What was the publisher thinking?! (Yes, I know, a better profit.) The small print by itself would have been hard, but I would have managed. The narrow space between the lines was awful!

After six pages, I wanted the book to be over; I just wanted to get through it. :( I was sick.

Sigh, I wanted that book! I did the unthinkable... I went to Amazon and purchased the Kindle version. I know, double price whammy! I don't have an unlimited income, just the opposite. My 'fun' money is a very small portion of my overall budget.

Sorry, I digress.

The book was AWESOME!! If I could shout louder, I would! :)

In Magic Slays, I figured out the bad guy within pages. It was a let down. Magic Rises was just the opposite! It kept me guessing the entire time! LOVED it!!! LOL I must have loved it. I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. reading! :)

Honestly, I loved the entire book! The pace was perfect. The action and romance was a perfect balance. At one point, I had trouble seeing through tears.

I tried to find a favorite quote, but I loved them all! The one that stuck with me was...

“Kate. Open the box,” he said quietly.

I highly recommend Magic Rises!!

It is available at all major online stores. Here is the Amazon link.