Friday, December 20, 2019

#Review #Q&A The Kill Club by Wendy Heard




The Kill Club 
Wendy Heard
On Sale Date: December 17, 2019
9780778309031, 0778309037
Trade Paperback
$15.99 USD, $19.99 CAD
Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
368 pages

Summary:
A haunting thriller about a woman who attempts to save her brother's life by making a dangerous pact with a network of vigilantes who've been hunting down the predators of Los Angeles.

Jazz can’t let her younger brother die.

Their foster mother Carol has always been fanatical, but with Jazz grown up and out of the house, Carol takes a dangerous turn that threatens thirteen-year-old Joaquin’s life. Over and over, child services fails to intervene, and Joaquin is running out of time.

Then Jazz gets a blocked call from someone offering a solution. There are others like her, people the law has failed. They’ve formed an underground network of “helpers,” each agreeing to murder the abuser of another. They're taking back their power and leaving a trail of bodies throughout Los Angeles—dubbed the Blackbird Killings. If Jazz joins them, they’ll take care of Carol for good.

All she has to do is kill a stranger.

Jazz soon learns there's more to fear than getting caught carrying out her assignment. The leader of the club has a zero-tolerance policy for mistakes.

And the punishment for disobeying orders is death.


Review:
Review to come!

Author Bio: Wendy Heard, the author of Hunting Annabelle, was born in San Francisco and has lived most of her life in Los Angeles. When not writing, she can be found hiking the Griffith Park trails, taking the Metro and then questioning this decision, and haunting local bookstores.

Buy Links:

Social Links:
Twitter: @wendydheard
Instagram: @wendydheard

Facebook: @wendydheard

Q&A with Wendy Heard
• Do you plan your books in advance or let them develop as you write?
I plan them for a long time before I start writing them, and I’m constantly revising my outline, but the plot and characters do develop quite a bit along the way. 
• What does the act of writing mean to you?
It means everything to me! I have been writing for a really long time, since childhood. Words and stories have always been the way I’ve made sense of things. I’m constantly making up narratives for people and events around me.
• Have you ever had a character take over a story, and if so, who was it and why?
Jazz held THE KILL CLUB hostage for months because I couldn’t get her to talk to me! She just kept crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at me. She did NOT want a book written about her, and I really needed her inner monologue for that first-person POV! Eventually, I started mentally arguing with her, and then in fighting with her and hearing her side, I started to get ALL of her IM. It was an interesting experience, trying to engage with a character in different ways until they cracked open.
• Which one of The Kill Club characters was the hardest to write and why?
Sofia. Her story is so much like so many others I’ve known. It’s quietly and invisibly tragic, her pain at the loss of her child so sharp.
• Which character in any of your books (The Kill Club or otherwise) is dearest to you and why?
Jazz! By far, Jazz is my favorite character. In my mind, she’s kind of the spirit of Los Angeles. She’s been through so much, and her sense of humor and lack of entitlement gets her through it all. She just continuously makes the best of every hand she’s dealt, moves forward, and doesn’t engage in self-pity.
• Do you have stories on the back burner that are just waiting to be written?
Let me get out my banjo. YES. I have so many. I have a YA that’s waiting to be written after I finish this current work in progress, which I’ve stopped and started a bunch of times, really honing the concept to get it just where I want it. But I’m constantly coming up with book ideas and having to tell them “not right now, darlings!”
• What has been the hardest thing about publishing? What has been the most fun?
Publishing is not for the faint of heart. For me, the beast is always self-doubt, and in a business that is full of rejection, that can really eat at you. It’s so easy to get out of balance and give our creative projects the power to define us. It’s important for anyone selling their art to remember to nurture a healthy life away from it, because art is a fickle master. It will come and go over your lifetime, and it won’t always be kind. You have to accept the rules of the game, but you don’t have to let the game play you.
• What advice would you give budding authors about publishing?
You’ll hear this a thousand times, and you won’t believe it, but: the most important thing is writing a good book, and more than that, the right book. If you let the market and external forces tell you what to create, you’ll resent and blame them when it doesn’t go well. That said, keep an eye on the market, find a way to love something you think can sell, and then put your personal spin on it. No one can tell your story but you. Prerequisite skills for publishing: The ability to revise without having a tantrum; an interest in book marketing and publicity; professional written communication; the ability to hold your freakout moments and vent them far away from a public or professional setting; an addiction to caffeine. And for God’s sake, if you’ve been working on something for years and it hasn’t sold and you’ve revised it forty times, write a new book.
• What was the last thing you read?
All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban. It’s a 2020 book and has a fascinating timeline craft thing that you’re going to love.
• Your top five authors?
This is not fair because I have at least seven thousand favorite authors! How about this--here are some crime fiction authors doing some innovative things in the genre. Kellye Garrett, who’s doing sharp-witted, LA-based mysteries and winning a ton of awards. John Vercher, who talks about social issues while keeping it gritty and plotty. Rachel Howzell Hall, an LA native who does these rad investigative mysteries. Tori Eldridge has a recent and very feminist take on the action thriller with her recent The Ninja Daughter, which I highly recommend. Gabino Iglesias’ award-winning Coyote Songs is this incredible genre mashup, part folklore, part horror, all commentary, and I can’t recommend it enough. One more one more. Carmen Machado’s recent In the Dream House. It’s memoir told in all different genres, it’s chilling, engrossing, dense, and fascinating. Did you read Her Body and Other Parties? Just wow.
• Book you've bought just for the cover?
Wilder Girls. Because holy crap. 
• What did you want to be as a child? Was it an author?
I was torn between the visual arts and writing, and I always vacillated between them. I have a degree in art, and I wrote a book, then did my painting degree, then wrote some nonfiction, then got my art teaching credential. I was trying things on for size. I do wish I still had time for painting. I never intended to abandon it completely in favor of writing books, but there are only so many hours in the day. I hope to come back to it in a future existence in which I have some spare time. In the meantime, I try to write about artists and art as a means of hanging onto it.
• What does a day in the life of Wendy Heard look like?
Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Just kidding. I wake up at five, do publishing stuff, go to work at my day job, get my kid, come home, arm-wrestle her into doing homework, go to the gym, etc. On the weekends I wake up at five (yes I’m serious), write for a few hours, maybe record or edit an episode of the Unlikeable Female Characters Podcast, and then, you know, parenting and life stuff. Whenever my daughter is on a playdate or doing something away from me, I’m writing.
• What do you use to inspire you when you get Writer’s Block?
I dive into the DMs and torture some writing friends, make them brainstorm with me until I feel better and I have a plan. Or I just step away for awhile. I actually have come to trust writer’s block. If I can’t move forward, I need to stop and consider. There’s something wrong, and my brain is trying to get me to stop and gather up the threads. We’re so obsessed with productivity and daily word count, but I actually find I finish books faster when I don’t force myself to write things I know are wrong and waste weeks undoing things.
• What book would you take with you to a desert island?
I have a massive volume that contains all the Sherlock Holmes stories in one. I’d take one of those collection type of books. See, it’s technically ONE book. 
• Favorite quote?
“If you work hard enough, you don’t need luck.” Hell yeah.
• Coffee or tea?
COFFEE.
• Best TV or Movie adaptation of a book?
The Neverending Story.
• Tell us about what you’re working on now.
I’m doing a final round of revisions on my 2021 YA thriller, She’s Too Pretty to Burn. It’s loosely based off Dorian Gray and is about a teen photographer who takes a life-altering picture of her introverted girlfriend, sending them into a spiral of fame and danger in an underground San Diego art scene. It has a character who’s basically a fine art Banksy and lots of art crimes.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

HAP the Prize Winning Horse by Horace Crenshew Jr.


















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Christian Literature & Fiction




Date Published: November 2019








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Hap, the Prize-Winning Horse is such a positive, charming tale of triumphing over obstacles. There is so much heart and dedication in this novella, and you will feel invested in Hap's journey and Kemper County.









There was once a horse named, Hap. He was purchased along with several other horses by Bennett Wingate and he grew up on a farm in Kemper County, Mississippi. When Hap was young, he had aspirations of being great and becoming a great race horse. However, his owners, the Windgates, did not have much money to put him in the best races nor train him to compete for the big prize (s). These setbacks did not stop Hap from dreaming. He knew that if he kept the faith and maintained his determination that one day his dreams would be accomplished. This is a story of triumph over many obstacles and tragedies. But, the central theme throughout the story is that if you maintain a positive attitude, determination, hope, and perseverance you can dream big and those dreams can become a reality.
























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 Excerpt









Chapter 3: Setbacks to make the dream a reality











Even though, Hap had many setbacks early on it was the dream that kept him going. While sitting in Bennett Wingate’s barn each and every day, he would sit in his stall and constantly reflect on what it would be like to win a great race, perhaps the Kentucky Derby. But, the true reality was that his owner did not have much money and Hap realized this. The only true enjoyment that this horse would experience would be riding with his owner after he got home from work each day. However, Bennett had to share his responsibilities and love with horses, the young Hap and the older horse, Jackal. The older horse was quite stubborn and obstinate and at times posed several behavioral problems. But, Bennett and Delores adored this horse even more than Hap it appears. This made Hap especially uneasy because he knew that Jackal had a terrible attitude. He knew this because he was around this horse each and every day.





Matter of fact, Jackal harassed Hap, ate his food, and at times would use the bathroom in his stall. He knew that Hap was young and he took advantage of him on numerous occasions. Jackal told Hap one day that he was going to “kick him out to the wild” and off of the Wingate Farm if he did not obey him and follow his lead. Unfortunately, Bennett Wingate would not see this side of Jackal until the end, a tragic end at that.





Bennett Wingate was a simple man who believed in the simple things in life. He went to church on Sunday’s as a Deacon at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, then went home to sit down, drink a beer, and spit tobacco in the empty can. Pleasant Hill Baptist was a church that Bennett was born and raised, literally.  Most folks in the community knew him by Junior because he was actually born Bennett Wingate, Jr. He was name after his father. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and an all around outdoorsman kind of guy. But, believed in hunting deer in the Winter and turkey in the Spring time.





Yes, Bennett was a simple man living a simple life. But lately his fascination outside of his hunting and fishing was his adoration for his grandkids and horses. Every day after working long hours at the reservoir, he went straight home, fed his cows, and got on his horse. The majority of the time he rode the older horse, Jackal, and let his grandkids ride, Hap.





“Junior, you are always riding that horse” Delores exclaimed. “Do you ever think about others but those horses?” Bennett would state emphatically, “Now, Delores, honey you know that you are my first love”. “Besides after a long day riding around the reservoir, I need a little down time and this relaxes me.” He would say with a huge grin on his face. So, it was his passion and it was not lost on anyone who visited their home. But what Delores did not realize is that he would take his grandson, Curtis with him while he tended the fields and cows. This would have a profound affect on young Curtis because he loved his “ Pa Pa” dearly, and clinged to his every word.  How great it was to visit the Wingates, though because while Bennett was passionate about outdoors, animals, and wildlife his wife, Delores, was passionate about cooking. She worked all her years as a cook at several cafés and restaurants around East Mississippi. Her pound cakes would simply “melt in your mouth” They were just that good!








About the Author




photo Hap Author
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Author, Christian, avid sports enthusiast, Tuskegee Univ., Webster Univ and The GWU alum.





Horace Crenshaw is an accomplished author, business consultant, and motivational speaker. He infuses core concepts such as focus, discipline, leadership and drive into every aspect of his life. He uses these same core concepts to help his clients excel at the highest level, and achieve excellence. Horace loves seeing other people thrive, and he enjoys being an active member of the community.






Contact Links




























Purchase Link






















RABT Book Tours & PR

Friday, December 13, 2019

#Review #Giveaway Let Me Go by Willow Rose






Let Me Go 

Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 5 

by Willow Rose 

Genre: Mystery, Thriller 



Publisher: BUOY MEDIA 

Publication Date: November 30, 2019






The #1 Bestselling Mystery Series on Amazon continues! 



What if a stranger told you that she believed your child is about to be killed? What if that woman was an ex-FBI profiler with a disputable reputation? 

Would you believe her? 



Eva Rae Thomas is chasing down a vicious killer, but no one will believe he even exists. If there are no unexplained dead bodies or missing persons, then how can there be a killer on the loose? 



What they don’t understand is that the perfect murder is the one that doesn’t look like murder. 



Can Eva Rae convince local law enforcement to help her with this case before the killer strikes once more? Or will she have to take matters into her own hands – again? 



LET ME GO is the fifth book in the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series and can be read as a standalone. 




Review to come!







The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.



She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.



Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won't see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three million books.



Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. 















$50 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!










Wednesday, December 11, 2019

#Giveaway #Review The Growing Roots Series by Chelsea Falin






Putting the Pieces Together 

Growing Roots Book 4 

by Chelsea Falin 

Genre: YA Coming of Age

Publication Date: October 27, 2019






Living a “normal” life doesn’t always mean that things will always be good. Bad things happen to even the best of people, and this is a life lesson Willie must now learn when tragedy strikes her close-knit group of friends.



As she continues to grow and change, Willie knows that she is far from the girl who arrived in Oklahoma little over a year ago. She’s growing, changing, and working on putting the pieces together in her life – just as her friends struggle to do the same.



“You never know, Willie. Death doesn’t discriminate by age or gender or social status. It’s one of the few things that doesn’t care. When it comes for you, it comes. It could be today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, but when your time is up, it’s up. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”-Dakota



Praise for the 'Growing Roots Series':



"a great lesson in the way life can change at any time"



"an eye-opener for teenagers and older adults alike"



"Chelsea Falin is a great story-teller. With her clear descriptions of the characters, settings and dialogue, it was not difficult for me to imagine the characters and to picture every scene." 



Goodreads * Amazon

Review to come!
                 “Willie!” The excited voice was from above me and when I turned to look, I stared straight at Spike. He grabbed my outstretched hands to lift me off the ground and immediately pulled me into a tight squeeze. He lifted me off the ground and spun me around once. I laughed and shook my head at his dramatic display of affection. “Miss me?” Spike grinned.
               I shook my head. “Nah. Why would I do that?”
                Spike shook his head and laughed. I realized his hair was down and pulled back from his face. I’d never see him wear his hair that way, but realized it was probably a requirement wherever he worked. His eyes shimmered happily as he looked at me. He released me and took a step back. “Let’s see here.” He eyed me from my toes to the top of my head studiously.
                 “What the hell are you doing, Spike?” I asked, suddenly feeling I needed to be more clothed.
                 “Why, seeing how much you’ve grown, of course.” He clucked softly as he shook his head. “Much too much.”
                 “Much too much what?”
                 “You’ve grown much too much, Willie dear. You look like a woman now.” He paused. “Almost… there’s still some innocence about you that tells me nobody has quite made you a woman yet.” Spike winked and laughed when I blushed again.
                I huffed. “And you still behave like a little boy.” Even as I said the statement, I stole a glance at him. He wore only an undershirt and a pair of black work pants. I noticed his arms seemed stronger and his chest seemed more defined. It was then I noticed the large, black tattoo of a phoenix on his upper left arm.  “When did you get a tattoo?” I exclaimed.
                Spike laughed. “A few weeks ago. To celebrate. Like it?” He turned so he could show it off. The phoenix was done in tribal fashion, with thick black swirling lines creating both the bird and flames. It took up most of his upper arm.
                I reached out and touched it. “I love it! It’s strangely you.” I grinned, then asked, “What were you celebrating?”
                Spike grimaced. “Uh, we’ll talk about that later, huh?”
                I shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”
                Spike kissed my cheek exaggeratedly before he left to “clean the work off” as he put it. I looked up and noticed Jack staring at me from across the yard. His expression was unreadable as he took another long drink from his beer. He shook his head softly as he turned back to the young couple he still talked with.
                 “What? I don’t get any love?” I hadn’t seen Dakota standing there during my exchange with Spike. Maybe he’d just walked up.
                 “Dakota!” I embraced him with a tight hug, and he squeezed back.
                Smiling, Dakota said, “I’ve missed you, kid. Things aren’t the same without you around anymore. You’re really one of the guys…” Dakota trailed off and grinned. “Well, you’re one of the guys but you’ve become decidedly female. When the hell did that happen?”
                I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Why does everyone keep saying that? I didn’t change that much.”
                 “Oh, yes you did.” Dakota grinned. “Externally, anyways. I hope you’ve stayed your lovable smart-mouth self on the inside.”
                I laughed heartily. “Why yes, I think I have.”
                 “Good.” Dakota slapped my back like I was one of the guys. “And now, dear Willie, I need to get cleaned up. I feel like I’ve been dipped in a bucket of sweat.”
                I wrinkled my nose. “You smell like it, too.”
                 “Enjoyable, isn’t it?” He laughed and strode off into the house after Spike. I stood shaking my head silently before deciding to join my cousins at the now-lit campfire.








Great Strides 

Growing Roots Book 3 

Publication Date: April 1, 2014






Willie has finally found her father, and he's welcomed her with open arms. Now she must forge a relationship with the man she never even knew was alive. It isn't just him, however, Willie must also find out how she fits in with her step-mother and half-siblings. Left in Alabama with no close-in-age peers, Willie makes great strides in finding out who she is as an individual without a group of close friends to rely on.



Alabama offers many firsts for Willie. The most notable in her own mind is her first relationship. There are other firsts in store, however, and a whole new cast of characters to get to know. How will Willie handle this newest experience? Will she handle it in the mature the way she has always handled change? Or will this be the point in which Willie loses herself?



“Genetics are a tricky business at times, and you just never know what you're going to get when you throw two ancestry’s together.”

-Willie's Mamaw 

















Personal Growth 

Growing Roots Book 2 

Publication Date: March 18, 2013






Willie, despite a rough start, has become immersed in the culture she should have been born into. As she grows in her own knowledge of her ancestral roots, she also grows in who she is as a person. All things are now within her reach, and all she must do is put forth a little effort. With all of this in mind, Willie has decided to dedicate herself towards her own 'Personal Growth.'



"Our heritage might be bloody, but that's no reason not to be proud!"

-Spike



~~~



'Personal Growth' is the second installment in the fairly popular indie series, Growing Roots. It is the sequel to 'Less Than Humble Beginnings.' Here is what people have said about the series:



"The characters are believable and realistic."



"Chelsea used concise descriptions of her characters which made it very easy to imagine their interactions."



"Chelsea Falin is a great story-teller. With her clear descriptions of the characters, settings and dialogue, it was not difficult for me to imagine the characters and to picture every scene. With her excellent weaving of words, the world of Willie came alive as if I'm watching a movie."



"Being a teenager is never easy, and Willie's internal struggles were easy to relate to." 
















Less Than Humble Beginnings 

Growing Roots Book 1 

Publication Date: November 24, 2012








Willie and Babette have long, long been shielded from their own culture and heritage by their mother. When circumstances change, the girls are thrown into what they were once shielded from - only to find it is nothing like they once believed.



While Babette adjusts easily, Willie finds herself much more hesitant. While she struggles to find her true self, Willie is forced to learn she is not the only one suffering from "Less Than Humble Beginnings."



"Try to remember everyone here has their demons, but we put those demons to good use. Make ourselves better, stronger, wiser." - Jack 
















Chelsea Falin is the 25 year old independent author of well over ten titles. She began writing with intents to publish in 2006, at age 16, and finally published in 2009, at age 19. Chelsea writes in a variety of genres, including but not limited to: romance, young adult, comedy, cooking, poetry, and dramatic fiction. Professionally, Chelsea is also a freelance blog/article writer, web designer, and book blogger. 



In her personal life, Chelsea is the mother of a six year old daughter. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, fishing, hiking, biking, traveling, and spending time with her friends or family. 













$20 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!