Book Blast – What Gifts She Carried

What Gifts She Carried

by

Lindsey R. Loucks

The sequel to The Grave Winner is here! I loved the first one and can’t wait to read this one.

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What Gifts She Carried

Leigh Baxton just wants to pick up the pieces of her life—if you could call it that—but someone keeps resurrecting the dead. These new zombies have a knack for spilling Leigh’s precious blood, something she was warned about by a certain pair of undead sorceresses.

Desperate to find out why they’re here so Leigh can put the nightmares behind her, she must learn more about the gifts she carries. With Tram’s training sessions and clues from her mom’s past, Leigh begins to piece together what she’s capable of.

Too bad there isn’t a Cliff’s Notes version to saving the world.

The zombies have teamed up with followers of the darkest sorceress who ever lived, and they’ll play a wicked game until she’s freed from her prison inside the earth. When the battle to the death begins, Leigh must rely on friends, crushes, and even her enemies to win the war, but not the grave.

 

***You can buy What Gifts She Carried (The Grave Winner Series Book 2) at Amazon.***

 

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Lindsey R. Loucks

authorphoto2 (426x640) (426x640)Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural Kansas. When she’s not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she’s dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she’ll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to reenergize.

She’s been with her significant other for almost two decades.

Check out Lindsey’s website.

Follow Lindsey on Facebook.

Follow Lindsey on Twitter.

In the Spotlight – Linda Covella

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Linda Covella

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Today it’s a real treat to welcome Linda Covella to the blog. Linda is the author of  The Castle Blues Quake and Yakimali’s Gift

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Linda Covella

Linda Covella’s varied job experience and education (associate degrees in art, business and mechanical drafting & design, a BS degree in Manufacturing Management) have led her down many paths and enriched her life experiences. But one thing she never strayed from is her love of writing.

A writer for over 30 years, her first official publication was a restaurant review column in a local newspaper, and as a freelance writer, she continued to publish numerous articles in a variety of publications. But when she published articles for children’s magazines (“Games and Toys in Ancient Rome” and “Traveling the Tokaido in 17th Century Japan,” in Learning Through History magazine, and “Barry’s Very Grown Up Day” in Zootles magazine), she realized she’d found her niche: writing for children. She wants to share with kids and teens her love of books:  the worlds they open, the things they teach, the feelings they express.

Yakimali’s Gift, a historical novel for young adults published by Astraea Press, and middle grade paranormal The Castle Blues Quake published by Beau Coup Publishing are her first novels.

She’s a member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

No matter what new paths she may travel down, she sees her writing as a lifelong joy and commitment.

Read on for more about Linda and her newest book!

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In the Spotlight – Judith Rocchiccioli

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Judith Rocchiccioli

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Today, our featured guest is Judith Rocchiccioli. Author of the Alex Destephano series, Judith brings her own experience to this fascinating medical thriller series.

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Judith is a registered nurse and native Virginian who grew up in Richmond who holds graduate and doctoral degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia.  She has been a practicing clinical nurse for over 25 years and is currently a professor of Nursing at James Madison University and the author of numerous academic and health-related articles and documents.  In addition to her academic writing she is the author of the Alexandra Destephano novels, a group of medical thrillers set in New Orleans and Virginia.  When not teaching or writing, Judith is an avid silk painter and multi-media artist.  She is an owner of the Artisan Galleries, an art gallery with locations in Harrisonburg and Massanutten.  She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her family and a multiple number of canine creatures.

Read on for  more about Judith and her awesome series!

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Book Blast – Bait by Courtney Farrell

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A crew of orphans is all that stands between Jackie and life as a prisoner in some squalid basement harem. When pox killed their parents, she took the boys in. Taught them to scavenge. Taught them to kill. But she’s not much older than they are, and the boys are growing up fast. Her authority is eroding. The guys begin to compete, and the winner will lead the crew, alongside her. Infighting threatens to tear the crew apart. When rival gangs discover that their little band has one of the last surviving girls, Jackie must make a decision. Will she give herself up to save her crew, or take off alone through the streets?

Rape gangs might be the least of her worries. Pox is spreading among animals, who gain an eerie intelligence before they sicken and die. One-legged Joe thinks she’s nuts, but Jackie is convinced. The pox is sentient, and it’s after her.

*****You can buy Bait at Amazon.*****

Read on for more about Courtney and to enter the Giveaway!

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In the Spotlight – Tammy Salyer

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Today we welcome Tammy Salyer to the blog along with her Sci Fi Thriller, Spectras Arise. The third book of this trilogy is the recently released Contract of War. Let’s find out more about Tammy and her newest book.

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Tammy writes a bit, reads a bit, and frequently races cars across intersections from the saddle of her bike. Consequently, you could probably crack walnuts shells on her thighs, but she hopes no one ever tries, because … awkward. Find her on her blog or Twitter, or sign up for her newsletter to be the first to know of contests, new releases, and special events you might enjoy. She’s currently working on a prequel to the trilogy and another project that has something to do with space Vikings. She hopes you enjoy reading her works and welcomes your reviews.

Read on for more about Tammy and her novels…

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In the Spotlight – PJ Fiala

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Today we are joined by the fabulously fun PJ Fiala! PJ is the author of Second Chances and Dog Days of Summer.

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PJ Fiala

In Her Own Words

“I was born in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri named Bridgeton. During my time in Missouri, I explored the Ozarks, swam in the Mississippi River, and played kickball and endless games of hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. Spending summers in Kentucky with my grandmother, Ruth, are the fondest childhood memories for me.

Read on for more about PJ and her novels!

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Cozy Dark – Modern Magics

relics - ebook cover high resolutionThroughout the last year, I have struggled somewhat to assign genres and writing styles to my series, Modern Magics. Yes, it’s definitely genre-bending, but that’s not much help, is it? It’s Urban Fantasy meets Paranormal Mystery meets Sci Fi, so any one of those will fit the three books, Relics, Portals and Magics. The four prequel novelettes are firmly Paranormal Mystery, so they are easy.

But there has also been much discussion with my friends as to my style of writing in this series. Some have said it can go Young Adult, even though the main characters are far too old to qualify for that once the books start. And yes, the writing style is mostly family friendly, although there are some dark scenes.

But I finally have a description that perfectly fits this series! I was chatting with my friend Danielle DeVor this morning, discussing the different levels of dark – whether it be Paranormal, Mystery, Horror, Thriller. I’d mentioned to her how I thought some of Anne Rice’s work was dark, but Danielle explained my idea of dark was rather – well, let’s say not very dark.

Here’s the snippet from our chat:

Danielle:  There was this movement in the 1980’s and early 1990’s called splatterpunk. It was very much extreme violence and gore. Ron Dee is one of the main writers of splatterpunk.

Maer:  Oh yeah…probably not my thing. lol

Danielle:  No, definitely not.

Maer:  I prefer cozy dark. :p

Danielle:  You totally have to start using that.

And she’s right! Because this is the description I’ve been looking to use. Modern Magics has many dark scenes, but they aren’t edgy dark. Nope, they are cozy dark. And there are elements of humor throughout most of the series. So, now I have an answer when people ask me what I write. Although I will still need to use the genre-bending descriptors, now I have something that fits my style.

Who else writes cozy dark novels? I’m sure there must be others.

 

Relics will be releasing with a new edition in the near future!