⭐PUYB Virtual Book Club⭐

Just Released! Hearts at Seaside by Addison Cole & Giveaway!

Title: HEARTS AT SEASIDE (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 3)
Author: Addison Cole
Publisher: World Literary Press
Pages: 280
Genre: Sweet with Heat Romance

Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They're sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you'll be begging to enter their circle of friends!

Hearts at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster's steamy romance novel Seaside Hearts. The stories and characters remain the same and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language.

In HEARTS at SEASIDE...
Jenna Ward is vivacious, spontaneous, and confident--except when she's around the man who stole her heart years earlier, strikingly handsome, quiet, and reliable Pete Lacroux. After years of trying to get his attention and overwhelmed from dealing with her mother's new cougar lifestyle, Jenna's giving up on Peter--and is ready to explore other men.

As the eldest of five siblings, with an alcoholic father to care for, boat craftsman Pete Lacroux always does the right thing and has no time for a real relationship. He's looking forward to seeing his friend Jenna, a welcome distraction who's so sexy and painfully shy that she equally entertains and confuses him.

When Jenna picks up a hard-bodied construction worker, jealousy ignites Pete's true feelings, and he's unable to ignore the desires for Jenna he never realized he had. But Pete's not the quiet guy he appears to be, and his life is anything but conducive to a relationship. Can Jenna handle the real Pete Lacroux--the most alpha male she's ever seen--or will she crack under pressure? And can Pete reclaim the life he once had without tearing apart his family?

SWEET WITH HEAT: SEASIDE SUMMERS SERIES
Read, Write, Love at Seaside
Dreaming at Seaside
Hearts at Seaside
Sunsets at Seaside
Secrets at Seaside
Nights at Seaside
Seized by Love at Seaside
Embraced at Seaside
Lovers at Seaside
Whispers at Seaside

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There should be an unwritten rule about drooling over construction workers, but Jenna Ward was sure glad there wasn’t. She sat on the porch of the Bookstore Restaurant, soaking up the deliciousness of the three bronzed males clad in nothing more than jeans and glistening muscles that flexed and bulged like an offering to the gods as they forced thick, sticky tar into submission. Their jeans hung low on strong hips, gripping their powerful thighs like second skins and ending in scuffed and tarred work boots. What red-blooded woman didn’t get worked up over a gorgeous shirtless man in work boots?

Heaven help her, because she needed this distraction to take away her desire for Peter Lacroux, which went hand in hand with summers on the Cape and consumed her in the nine months they were apart. She zeroed in on one particularly handsome blond construction worker. His hair was nearly white, his jaw square and manly. She wanted to march right out to the middle of the road that split the earth between the restaurant and the beach and be manhandled into submission. Right there on the tar. Wrestled and groped until all thoughts of Pete evaporated.

“Wipe the drool from your chin, chica.” Amy Maples handed Jenna a margarita and, pointedly, a fresh napkin, as she settled into the chair across from her. “Goodness, woman. What’s up with you this summer? I swear you’re in heat. I can practically smell your pheromones from over here.”

Jenna gulped her drink and righted her red bikini top, which was trying its hardest to relieve itself of her enormous breasts. Even her bikini top was ready for a man. A real man. A man who craved her as much as she craved him.

Jenna reluctantly turned away from Testosterone Road and faced her best friends. The women she had spent her summers with here in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, for as long as she could remember and the women she hoped would help her through her most important summer ever.

Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.

Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Addison’s books are available in paperback, digital, and audio formats.

SIGN UP for ADDISON'S Sweet with Heat newsletter. Fun, flirty romance with a dash of heat. www.AddisonCole.com/Newsletter

DOWNLOAD the first book in Addison's Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers series free: READ, WRITE, LOVE AT SEASIDE on Amazon.

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Addison Cole is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen to receive $10 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.
This giveaway ends midnight August 18.
Winner will be contacted via email on August 19.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

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PUYB Virtual Book Chats with 'Bite Thy Neighbor' Esmae Browder

Esmae Browder is an ex-catholic school girl who loves romance and vodka tonics. When not reading a spicy novel, she enjoys creating them by combining elements of well-known tales and updating them for our modern world. She is the author of the Naughty Shakespeare series, as well as, the paranormal romance Bite Thy Neighbor—a sexy Dracula meets Wisteria Lane style novel.

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About the Book:

Title: BITE THY NEIGHBOR
Author: Esmae Browder
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pages: 300
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

BOOK BLURB:

Some neighbors suck...literally.

Quirky Maisy Harker spends her time daydreaming about her sexy husband, Jensen Helsing. Though their marriage is one of convenience, Maisy wishes the sparks of heat she feels around him were reciprocated. Sexually starved, she also lusts after her mysterious neighbor, Adam. True, his incisors do look a bit sharp, and he never seems to drink or eat anything—but hey, maybe that’s how he keeps that yummy, drool-worthy physique!

Yet Maisy knows something’s not quite right, and it isn’t long before she learns Adam is a centuries-old vampire embroiled in a gypsy curse placed on the women of her family. All her female ancestors have been drawn to the vampire and bound by his desires, experiencing a terrible side effect of the curse and resulting in death.

It's up to Maisy to find a way to break the curse once and for all before she, too, falls under his spell.

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Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself?

Bite Thy Neighbor is an erotic, paranormal romance featuring a vampire and several crazy neighborhood ladies. It’s a sort of Desperate Housewives meets Dracula tale. I happen to live on a street where the neighbors are constantly up to all kinds of crazy shenanigans—though we’ve yet to meet Dracula…at least, I don’t think we have! As far as research into creating some interesting characters, I really had to look no further than my street.

Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?

I do both and consider myself a hybrid author. I’ve self published which is rewarding and challenging and I’ve been published in the more traditional way. The Wild Rose Press is the publisher for Bite Thy Neighbor. It’s my first time working with them, but I’ve loved their professionalism and the one on one attention I got from my fantastic editor, Trish Owens.

If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself? Can you tell us what that was like?

I don’t hire anyone to do the ebook version formatting when I self-publish. I’ve learned how to do it over the years and feel like I’ve got it down. There’s a definite learning curve in self-publishing and it does take time to learn how to make your work look professional. It’s not for everyone and hiring someone who knows how to do it would be a good idea if you can afford it. I’m just a control freak who likes to do it all herself!

If self-published, how did you determine the price?

I believe in the “no higher than $2.99” rule when it comes to ebook pricing. However, I also write because I enjoy what I do. I’m interested in getting it in the reader’s hands and sharing my crazy quirks with them. So I run lots of promotions that lower the price or even make it free. Money is awesome, but that’s what my day job is for. I’m in this to get my book in the hands of a reader who is starved for something different and new. If that means lowering the price, that’s what I do!

If published by a publisher, what was your deciding factor in going with them?

What a good question. Authors are often so hungry just to be published that they will submit to anyone without thinking about the long term results. I look at small presses with strong reputations for professionalism. I study the Editor Preaditor boards and read about the experiences others have had. I’m not afraid to ask the PAN group of RWA that I belong to for their opinions as well. Writers have to stick together in this day and age! I want to work with people who really like my writing and will support it with strong editorial advice and promotional help.

If published by a publisher, are you happy with the price they chose?

With The Wild Rose Press, I’m very happy. However, I have been published with a different publisher who is very prominent and I was a bit unhappy—especially when it came to the paperback copy. That is a drawback of traditional publishing though. The author gets no say in pricing.

How did you choose your cover?

Covers are interesting things. They can make or break a book! I’ve had some bad experiences with covers before so when it came to the cover for Bite Thy Neighbor, I was particular about it. Yes, it’s an erotic tale, but I hate covers that are just some shirtless guy who doesn’t match the story. I had a distinct vision of what I wanted to see on the cover. Luckily, my editor and the promotion team at The Wild Rose Press worked together on it until we were satisfied the cover captured the essence of the book. Just another reason I loved working with TWRP on this project!

Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?

I write a fast rough draft of about 50,000 words and then I let it sit awhile. During that time, I work on other things. When I’m ready, I will go back and start the revision process, looking for places where I need to add sensory things or set the scene better. I typically go through 4 or 5 drafts before I let anyone look at it. This can take some time, but it seems to be the best process for me.

What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?

I say do it! Make those readers happy and give them something for free. As I’ve mentioned before, money is awesome—but that’s what my day job is for. Writing is all about creative expression for me and I want to get my work out there in any way I can. If that means lowering a book price or giving away copies of the book, I’m for it. Can I afford to do that all the time? No. But when I can, I go for it!

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?

1. If self publishing, get your book edited. Consider hiring a professional if you can afford it. If you can’t afford it, check and double check your manuscript.

2. Make sure your cover rocks and you are happy with it.

3. Set up some sort of promotion tour whether that means blogging or doing social media on your own or hiring a fantastic book tour service to help you.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?

1. Be accessible. Readers want to connect so be there for them. Keep that website update. Post on your blog. Tweet and Facebook. Be gracious to your fans!

2. Start working on the next release! Ideally, you should have something already half way edited that can be released within 4 to 6 months. Readers want more.

3. Don’t focus on the negative. Maybe you got a bad review or someone only gave you 3 stars instead of 4 at Amazon. Perhaps you’ve had an internet troll go crazy on your Goodreads page. It happens to everyone. Let it go. Don’t respond. Keep working. You’re a rock star.

What kind of pre-promotion did you do before the book came out?

Twitter and Facebook have definitely been my Go To buddies with promotion. They still seem to be the biggest sites for regular people to learn about your work. Keep in mind: you can’t just promote your book all the time. People will tune out, but you can keep them interested in you by tweeting things that are a bit more personal. I like to tweet about my celebrity crush on Adam Levine—which is a good way to also promote Bite Thy Neighbor as Adam has cameo in the story. The promotional team at TWRP also offered some great promo opportunities as well.

Do you have a long term plan with your book?

Bite Thy Neighbor is a stand alone story, but I’m hoping it will widen my fan base. I do plan to build a relationship with The Wild Rose Press and publish more work through them, as well as, on my own.

What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?

Hmmm….where to begin? Some neighbors want more than a cup of sugar!

It's up to Maisy to find a way to break the curse once and for all before she, too, falls under his spell.

This is fun, fast paced story that I hope my readers will enjoy!

Reflections: A Journey to God by Gary & Susan Eby

Title: REFLECTIONS: A JOURNEY TO GOD
Author: Gary & Susan Eby
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
Pages: 268
Genre: Spirituality/Self-Help/Healing/Poetry

BOOK BLURB:

Our disclaimer: you are completely free to reject everything we have to say about spirituality. What we believe in is not that important. What really counts is what you believe that gives your life meaning, direction, and purpose.

This book is about our personal stories with Spirit and what we've learned along our journeys. We're sharing it with you because it might help you on your own journey to God. We only ask that you read this book with an open mind and heart.

We suggest you pick one of these spiritual essays. Ponder it, meditate for a while, even read it out loud. Allow yourself to feel the words and the light, which may lead you to discover the better life you truly deserve.

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Book Excerpt:

Emotional Healing

In the twilight of an Oregon summer night, the half-moon projects a mystical glow. Cool mountain air flows with the gentle sounds of cricket music. A glimmering star curtain unfurls to reveal a celestial vision of power and energy that transcends all human worry, doubt, and fear.

Tonight I am at peace, yet I still struggle with discouragement. A part of me obsesses and worries about an unsure financial future. This negative side is unforgiving, self-critical, and emotionally abusive.

At age 60, it appears overwhelming and even impossible to change the direction and course of my life. As I try out new ideas and new technology to achieve my dreams and goals, I stumble and fall. So many barriers and obstacles loom on the horizon. The prospect of giving up and throwing in the towel appears seductive. Why not just give up? What's the point anyway?

I ask myself why am I trying so hard to achieve my dreams, when reality smacks of karma, suffering, powerlessness, and death? We all know about all of those 'bad things' that keep happening to 'good people'. Right?

I accept that evil and injustice exists in this world. I know random or calculated acts of violence, painful relationships, disease and the loss of loved ones, cause untold pain and suffering. In these moments of despair, frustration, and discouragement, my consciousness returns to the power of the half-moon.

There is darkness but the moonlight always conquers the night. Even when no moon can be seen in the sky, the moon is there. Tonight, I choose to thrive on the Light living within all of us.

Much of life will remain a mystery. The stars above and the universe within will sustain me through predictable trials and life challenges. I choose to embrace the majesty of life made sublimely radiant by those infinite, flashing, celestial spheres.

I feel myself merging with the universe and my thoughts begin to turn toward God. This is the place I want to be. This is the space I want to be in. This is where I want to live my life. I refuse to let the negative overtake me.

I emotionally reach out toward the lights dancing in the sky and accept what is always, always true. I am forever guided by God, and whatever happens in my life, I know Spirit will show me through. No fears, worries or negativity can touch me when I am existing in the Love Light.

PUYB Virtual Book Club Chats with 'Night in Jerusalem' Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy @GaelleLKennedy

Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy worked as an actress and writer in film and television in the United States and Israel. Night in Jerusalem is her debut novel, which she has adapted to film. She lives in Ojai California with her husband and daughter.

She writes, “I lived in Israel in the 1960s, a naive twenty-year-old, hoping to find myself and my place in the world. The possibility of war was remote to me. I imagined the tensions in the region would somehow be resolved peacefully. Then, the Six Day War erupted and I experienced it firsthand in Jerusalem.

I have drawn Night in Jerusalem from my experiences during that time. The historical events portrayed in the novel are accurate. The characters are based on people I knew in the city. Like me, they were struggling to make sense of their lives, responding to inherited challenges they could not escape that shaped their destiny in ways they and the entire Middle East could not have imagined.

I have always been intrigued by the miraculous. How and where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny. How two people who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one another.

Israel’s Six Day War is not a fiction; neither was the miracle of its victory. What better time to discover love through intrigue, passion, and the miraculous.

Writing this story was in part reliving my history in Israel, in part a mystical adventure. I am grateful that so many who have read Night In Jerusalem have experienced this as well.”

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Title: NIGHT IN JERUSALEM
Author: Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy
Publisher: PKZ Inc.
Pages: 246
Genre: Historical Romance

A bewitching love story that is also an extraordinary portrait of Jerusalem, its faith, spirituality, identity, and kaleidoscope of clashing beliefs, Night in Jerusalem is a novel of mystery, beauty, historical insight, and sexual passion.

David Bennett is invited to Jerusalem in 1967 by his cousin who, to the alarm of his aristocratic British family, has embraced Judaism. He introduces David to his mentor, Reb Eli, a revered sage in the orthodox community. Despite his resistance to religious teaching, David becomes enthralled by the rabbi’s wisdom and compassionate presence. When David discloses a sexual problem, Reb Eli unwittingly sets off a chain of events that transforms his life and the life of the mysterious prostitute, Tamar, who, in a reprise of an ancient biblical story, leads both men to an astonishing realization. As passions rise, the Six Day War erupts, reshaping the lives of everyone caught up in it.

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We welcome you to PUYB Virtual Book Club! Can you tell us how you got started writing fiction?

I started writing at about 30, pretty much as soon as I got a sense of who I was. I had been working as an actress and knew the arts were for me. The thing that drew me to writing was that I could do it all myself without anyone telling me what my part was or where I had to fit in. I’ve always responded best to the beat of my own drum, which I can hear loud and clear most days! Night In Jerusalem is my first novel. Previously, I have written screenplays. They are, of course, visually-oriented and provide limited opportunity for the writer to describe the characters’ states of mind - everything has to be revealed on the screen. I was drawn to writing a novel because the canvas is so much larger –as big as you like - and the story does not have to fit a budget. However, the relationship with the reader is more intimate and complete, and there’s a challenge to meet there.

Can you tell us about your most recent release?

I have always been intrigued by the miraculous: how and where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny; how two people who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one another. Night In Jerusalem is a love story set during Israel’s Six Day War in which passion, mystical encounters and the miraculous come together to change the lives of everyone caught up in it.

How did you get the idea for the book?

The love story in Night In Jerusalem came to me on a movie set in Israel. We were filming on a blazingly hot day, dressed as lightly as possible while complying with the dress code of the location, which meant long sleeves, pants and skirts. One of the crew opened his shirt revealing his handsome, muscled chest. An orthodox woman in long black clothes and a wig kept coming out to look at us from her balcony. I sensed how strongly she yearned for contact. The gap between us could have been crossed in a few paces, yet we were centuries apart. I imagined what it was like to be her, what courage it would take for her to break free, how she might do it. Decades later I wrote the book. So far as setting the love story during the Six Day War, Winston Churchill wrote that there is nothing so exhilarating as when someone shoots at you and misses. When the Six Day War erupted. I experienced it firsthand. I spent days in shelters with other women, listening to Arab radio news reports proclaiming victory while we contemplated how we would end it for ourselves. It turned out, of course, that the war went the other way. We were to live! Jerusalem was re-unified. Now, that was exhilarating! At the same time, the search for peace, the endless arguments about what it should look like, and the courageous, impossible loves that thrived despite all odds - the themes of Night In Jerusalem – are questions that have remained with me vividly ever since.

Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?

Reb Eli. He came from an orthodox family in Germany. While still a child, his father, a prominent rabbi, arranged for him to be evacuated to England just before the Nazis slammed the door shut. He was taken in by an aristocratic British family and lived with them until the end of the war. Learning that his own family had been lost in the holocaust, he started a new life in Israel. His intimacy with suffering was matched by the illumination of his spirit, revealing a wisdom untrammeled by orthodoxy, even though he became revered as a sage and spiritual leader of Jerusalem’s orthodox community. His kindness is what makes him my favorite.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?

The sex scenes were the hardest to write. The book is an inspirational love story with a spiritual mystery at its core, but it is truly a love story!

What advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors?

I studied creative writing at Columbia and appreciate the virtuosity of many writers, but I love novels that are told simply, where the writer is unobtrusive and the characters and plot say it all. I think it was Einstein who said it is easy to make things complicated, but it takes genius to make them simple. It is hard to write stories that are so clear and transparent you can see right into the souls of the characters. That’s what works for me, and it is what I strive for. I would say to aspiring fiction authors - get started! Let the characters show you the way, and don’t pay too much mind to anything else. If you get out of your own way and let the characters come alive, you’ll likely find yourself continuously and pleasantly surprised by where it leads you.

The Supernatural Pet Sitter Book Blast @DianeMoatAuthor #bookblast

Title: THE SUPERNATURAL PET SITTER: THE CURSE
Author: Diane Moat
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 155
Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy

Pepper Neely is no stranger to dangerous situations. In The Supernatural Pet Sitter: The Magic Thief, the young gnome defeated an evil witch who was stealing magic from the Familiars that Pepper took care of. She wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of a pack of werewolves, who endured painful, fiery spells to save Pepper’s life.

Now Pepper is determined to repay the werewolves for their sacrifice, no matter what it takes. She decides to break the centuries-old curse that keeps them in wolf form. At first she keeps her plans a secret, but it’s not long before Pepper realizes she will need all the help she can get to end this curse. Magic is everywhere as enemy witches cast dangerous spells to stop Pepper.

Pepper and her family must trust the local witches and work together with them to fend off the deadly spells, find the curse, and break it—before the hostile witches get the best of them.

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Amazon

Scattered around the room were seven women, including Momma Fran and Maggie. An older version of Maggie nodded to them. “Welcome, Neelys. As you know, I am Naomi, of the Samson coven. We have gathered in response to your request to meet. So without further delay, I invite you to speak.”

Here I go. Pepper wished she hadn’t eaten that sandwich a few minutes ago, as there was a fifty-percent chance she was about to throw it up, right here. She felt as if she had argued her case a thousand times. Hopefully this would be the last. She tried to think of the wolves as she took a deep breath around the lump in her throat.

Pepper stepped forward and began, “Thank you, Naomi of the Samson coven. I am Pepper Neely of the Neely gnomes. As you know, several months ago, a witch named Kale was caught stealing magic from Familiars. She was caught, in part, thanks to me and my brother, Jax. When she escaped, she came after me, Jax, and my friend, Luna, who is also a witch.” Keep reminding them Luna was saved also.

“Luna was nearly killed by Kale. But instead, three wolves attacked Kale, saving all three of us. The wolves took great risks in doing this, and they were set on fire several times, giving us time to get away. I know without a doubt that the wolves saved Luna, myself, and my brother. I have taken on a blood-debt to pay them back. As part—” Pepper didn’t get to finish before the witches started talking.

“What does that have to do with us?”

“The werewolves are our enemies; nothing will change that.”

“Do you even know what that means? How can your parents—”

“EXCUSE ME!” A male voice from behind Pepper cut through the chaos. It took Pepper a moment to realize it wasn’t her dad or brother. Everyone quieted instantly, looking behind the Neelys. The male voice continued, as a man stepped out into view. “I believe Ms. Neely wasn’t finished.”

Mr. O’Brien! The warlock had vanished after Kale had stolen the magic from from his Familiar, King Arthur. Pepper had thought he needed time to heal from his broken heart. He looked better than the last time she had seen him. He was still thin, but his face didn’t seem as drawn or haunted.

Mr. O’Brien continued. “I apologize for being late, but I believe my invitation was lost in the mail.”

Title: THE SUPERNATURAL PET SITTER: THE MAGIC THIEF
Author: Diane Moat
Publisher: The Supernatural Pet Sitter
Pages: 140
Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy

Every animal can talk to you. You just have to know how to listen. Pepper Neely is better at this than most, especially because she is in charge of pet sitting all the familiars in her neighborhood. A familiar is a pet magically linked to a witch or warlock. As a gnome, Pepper is no stranger to spells and sorcery. She also knows that, despite their special name, familiars aren't all that different from regular animals. They get anxious when separated from their people, so Pepper uses her special gnome powers to calm them down. She watches Cranky the high-strung ferret, Frank the laid-back parrot, King Arthur the elderly tortoise, and many others. Then, something terrible begins happening to the familiars. Someone is stealing their magic! It not only prevents Pepper from communicating with them but breaks their magical connection with their people. When King Arthur's magic is stolen, his owner's powers stop working too. Pepper can sense that the tortoise is very scared. In order to protect the animal's magic, Pepper decides to track down the culprit. With the help of her best friend, Luna, and her brother, Jax, Pepper fights to protect all of the special pets.

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Amazon

Diane is a Tennessee transplant, animal rescuer, and nurse. The Supernatural Pet Sitter is her debut children's novel. Diane is assisted by her many rescue dogs.

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Hello, My Love by Evy Journey

Title: HELLO, MY LOVE
Author: Evy Journey
Publisher: Sojourner Books
Pages: 317
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

In this modern-day tale inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, bright, beautiful law student Elise Halverson looks forward to a promising career. Falling in love is low in her priorities.

Well-known playboy Greg Thorpe is engaged to be married when he meets Elise. He finds her so unlike the women he used to date and he’s deeply intrigued. Distrusting the image she has of him, Elise avoids him.

But Elise’s parents invite Greg to their frequent dinner parties. There, Greg and Elise butt heads. She’s surprised to find that, behind his rich playboy persona, he’s intelligent and engaging.

The night before his wedding, they give in to their mutual attraction. Although Elise expects nothing more from that night, Greg is in for trouble. His jilted fiancée strikes back, intent on revenge.

Two years later Greg and Elise get a second chance but they find that the way to their happy-ever-after is not so easy.

At the core of this women’s fiction is a literary and realistic romance spiced with a twist of mystery. Hello My Love is Book 1 in the series Between Two Worlds, a family saga about three strong women.

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Book Excerpt:

“Going to your parents’ dinner tonight?” Elise could not help smiling at the text message.

She texted back: “Yes. See you.”

Greg had been sending her text messages for some time. Often, they were greetings, in the morning, at night, on school holidays; or good luck wishes on exams, debates, and mock trials. Sometimes, he asked her opinion or a question about a legal matter or some fact of interest to either of them. She answered most of those messages although he told her she did not need to, if they were the usual greetings.

Before they met, Elise had known Greg—from numerous news reports—as the young, progressive owner of a growing internet-based business, and one of the country’s twenty-five most eligible bachelors. The consensus in the media, especially among women reporters: tall, dark, and handsome. But Greg also had a reputation as a playboy, whose many romances were fodder for gossip columns. While Elise hesitated judging looks and personality, sight unseen, she was certain of one thing. She distrusted the likes of men such as Greg.

But that was a year ago.

Since he began consulting with her father, Dr. Halverson, an economics professor, Greg had been to many dinners at her parents' home. There, Elise got to know him better.

Now, when curious acquaintances learned she knew Greg, they invariably asked, and Elise hardly ever varied her answer: “Yes, to news reports. Greg Thorpe is tall—taller than my father who’s more than six feet. Dark—tanned from jogging, bushy hair the color of French Roast woven with golden strands. And beautiful—clean-cut, cleft chin, smiling greyish blue eyes, and, yeah, lean. But, I think, muscular. I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him without his clothes on.”

It always amused her that her incantation never failed to elicit sighs from young women.

Elise was about to slip her iPhone into her shirt pocket when it rang. Greg—she expected that. He often answered her text messages within minutes of her sending them, usually by texting. Once in a while, he called instead.

“Hello, Elise. How’s the light of my life this afternoon?” Greg said, in his teasing voice.

“Greg, hi. That’s quick. Aren’t you busy?”

“Not for you. And I’m glad you picked up. I was afraid you’d turn off your phone again.”

“I can't turn it on in class, when I'm studying, or when I’m at work, and that’s almost my whole day.”

“Are you staying over at your parents after dinner?”

“I don’t plan such things. Depends. How late it is when dinner ends, whether I have some easy way to get back to my apartment, how guilty I feel about not having seen my parents for a while, etc., etc.”

“I see. It’s Friday so I thought you‘re staying the night with them. Can I give you a ride home?”

Elise protested. “But I live across the bay. That's sixty more miles of driving for you, both ways.”

“Less than an hour in my fast powerful car.”

She smiled. Only when she opened up to him a few months after they first met did she realize that Greg had a wry, often self-mocking, sense of humor.

She teased him back. “But don't you need your beauty sleep? Aren't you getting married in two days? I’m surprised you’re even coming to my parents’ dinner party. I always thought weddings were exhausting. Don’t you need to rest up for yours?”

“Think of this as my last fling.”

“Isn't that when your buddies get you all soused and cavorting with some pretty young things? You definitely need stamina for that.”

He groaned. “I’m afraid you have this unflattering image of me. But, believe it or not, that prospect doesn’t excite me. I feel too old for all that.”

“Thirty-two’s not old. To me, old is decrepit. You’re not quite there yet.”

“I'm glad you think so. Twenty-year olds think thirty is old”

“I turned twenty-three a few weeks ago,” she said, her smile replaced with pursed lips.

“That still makes you a young thing in my book. What if I cavort with you?”

Elise scowled. She couldn’t think of a quick retort, which she knew Greg had come to expect from her. It was not that what he said irritated her. And she didn’t actually dislike it. But she felt a vague sense of unease in her chest.

“I'm kidding. I know you're not the cavorting type. But we’re buddies, right? Well, more like sparring partners, maybe. Don’t buddies kid around?”

That’s it, Elise thought. I’m not the pretty, young cavorting type. At least, I didn’t think he thought so. It didn’t annoy her, but it did bother her in some way. She did not answer.

He added in a softer voice, “Am I wrong?”

She picked up an edge to his voice and she hesitated through the ensuing silence; for her, an uneasy silence relieved only by his audible breathing. He was going to wait until she said something.

“I guess we are…friends, or whatever you wanna call it. That makes everything all right, then; kidding included. So, yes, you can take me home tonight. What’s sixty miles between buddies? No guilt, on my part, that you're going out of your way. I gotta run.” She hung up and did not wait for his reply.

San Francisco Nights by Greg Messel

Title: SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTS
Author: Greg Messel
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
Pages: 232
Genre: Mystery / Suspense

The wife of a wealthy San Francisco shipping magnate leads a secret life but someone is threatening to expose her. Private eye Sam Slater and his wife and partner, Amelia, meet a mysterious woman in a large red hat during a train trip. The woman approaches him pleading for help because she‘s receiving anonymous notes quoting Bible verses which are becoming more and more ominous with each passing day. Her secrets have been discovered but by whom? What really happens behind closed doors in Room 505 in a swanky downtown hotel?

Sam is willing to take the case but Amelia warns that this woman is nothing but trouble. What does the woman really want? She’s been watching Sam for months and has a scheme to pull him into her world.

Find out in the latest Sam Slater Mystery “San Francisco Nights” set in the fall of 1959. It’s the seventh book in the series but is a heart pounding stand alone whodunit.

Watch the book trailer at YouTube.

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Book Excerpt:

The neon lights of the slumbering city gave the streets an eerie blue and purple glow in contrast to the dark store fronts. The three story brick office building was abandoned and the normally bustling street at the entrance to San Francisco’s Chinatown was quiet with only an occasional dark solitary figure walking by. The ancient black metal fire escapes seemed to cling to the facade of the building like an alien spider web.

The interior of the building was dark except in the private eye’s office on the top floor where a single desk lamp provided the only circle of illumination against the thick blackness of the night. The lamp provided just enough light to brighten the frosted glass on the door with the name “Amelia Slater” on it.

Amelia sat at her desk in the dimly lit office shuffling through some papers, but she was unnerved and having trouble concentrating. She took a drag on her cigarette before placing it on the rim of the ash tray. The rising smoke appeared blue as it swirled lazily into the air.

She suddenly stopped, thinking she heard a sound. After intently listening for a few moments, Amelia concluded her imagination was playing tricks on her. She turned her attention back to the items on her desk but was interrupted again by a prolonged squeak of the outer office door opening.

Then Amelia heard the outer door softly closing, followed by the sound of quiet footsteps on the hardwood floor. The sound seemed to stop just outside the door to her office.

Amelia could see the intruder’s silhouette through the frosted glass window. Her eyes were riveted on the door as the door knob to her office began to slowly turn.