Monday, June 19, 2017

[Cover Reveal] Torn Away by Vincent Morrone #TWRP


Title: Torn Away
Author: Vincent Morrone
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

EXCERPT:

“My father was always mean and cruel,” Drew said. “And we never knew when he’d strike out. Smacking us with the back of his hand, giving us a kick when we didn’t expect it, but normally it was quick and it was done. Those rages he went into, they were rarer. Sometimes you could go days, other times weeks, but when they happened, it was legendary. It was three weeks before it happened again. Something set him off. Not sure what, but he came home looking for us and we knew. So I did almost the same thing again.”
“What do you mean almost?”
 “Ashley begged me to hide in there with them,” Drew explained. “But I knew he’d look for us and break down the door to get to us. He was already slamming doors downstairs. So I pushed both of my sisters in there. And then I locked the door.”
Sam blinked. “You had a closet door with a lock on it?”
“We did then,” Drew said. “I’d managed to change it out after the last time. I didn’t want them getting out again. So I locked my sisters in a closet and dealt with my father. Ashley is still afraid of enclosed spaces. I did that to her. I knew they’d be stuck in there until I could manage to let them out and sometimes that was hours later, but I stuck them in there whenever I knew he was in a rage. I tried to protect them from my father, but there was nobody there to protect them from me.”

AUTHOR:


Find Vincent on social media at:

Monday, June 12, 2017

I'm Back! #AmWriting #writerslife


Did you notice I disappeared? I sure have! Life certainly got in the way of my dream and I've decided it's not worth forgetting about. So, I'm back! 


My Personal Story


What happened?
To make a long story short, my family and I moved back to the United States in the summer of 2015. We didn't have a home, a car or full-time jobs. Did I mention that I have three boys? It was CRAZY! By the end of summer, I got a job to support our family (a great teaching job that I love, but it's oh-so-challenging) and we moved to an area that we are happy to live, by the water and with excellent schools. We couldn't afford to ship our "home" from Guatemala, so we basically lived with very little. During all this, my father-in-law passed away from cancer, then, a year later, my oldest son moved off to college (Hook 'Em!) and that was a whole other emotional roller coaster.


Slowly, but surely, our lives started to get on track...


This past year, hubs finally got a secure job, and our middle son got a job working for NASA Space Center in Houston and just finished his junior year of high school. My youngest was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease (another life hurdle, but we're ready!), but he's excelling in the States! Best of all, we finally shipped our belongings a few months ago and our "home" is slowly becoming our HOME.

So, in a nutshell, life has been tough. I wouldn't change it for the world, because I have grown through this process. I've realized a great lesson that it isn't the "things" that we need in life, but it's each other. I'm so lucky to have such a supportive family who stood by us! I'm also so lucky to have a husband who I love and would navigate any life's hurdles with again and again (but please slow down, God!)


My Life as a Writer

The bad news...
I have been so out of touch with my "happy place" -- my writing.  It truly depresses me. Two years is a long time to go with nothing to count for in the publishing world. My agent dropped me (rightfully so) and I lost touch with so many great writing friends. I haven't published a book in years. YEARS!!! Now I feel like I'm starting over again from zero. It's no fun.

The good news...
Though I have been busy with life trials, I've been working on a book that I'm almost finished with! My goal is to finish this summer and hopefully find a home! This has been in the works for years now, so I am excited and tremendously motivated to get back at it. Also, I'm working on self-publishing my very first novel, Time Changes Everything. Though this is a whole learning process, I'm so excited to get this novel out there as this book is so dear to me!

Lessons ...

Many people may forget that writers are people too. We have lives, hurdles, trials and triumphs. Usually, we don't like to talk about the tough stuff. Why burden others with our troubles? But I challenge you to reach out to others who you may sense is going through something, be it a writing friend, an author you love, or even an acquaintance. A simple "I'm thinking about you" can go a long way! 

I want to thank those few who have stood by me in this hard time. Who have just said "hello" or asked how I was doing. Knowing that you've been there for me means a lot. 


Now, onward and upwards to my "happy place." The writing world awaits! 

I had to add a little Ry-Ry. ;)





Wednesday, June 7, 2017

[Book Promo] Sworn to Protect by Susanne Matthews


Book Blurb:

Four years ago, a car accident robbed Nancy Frost of her child and her mother, taking what was left of her marriage with it in the process. A forensic accountant, she agrees to look at a company’s books in a divorce case, trying to find hidden assets, but her meeting with the lawyer goes terribly wrong when the restaurant is attacked.

The moment US Marshal Neil Copeland discovers his wife has been shot in a Baltimore restaurant, he rushes to her side, determined not to let her down again. As the police investigate, evidence suggests the attack was a ploy to hide a specific hit. When a professional assassin tries to kill Nancy a second time, it’s clear that she was the target and whatever’s going on is a lot more complicated than they think.

When Nancy awakes after a month in an induced coma, not only does she not remember the attack on the restaurant, she doesn’t remember marrying Neil.

Faced with the challenge of protecting his wife from a powerful, faceless enemy, Neil must bring her up to date, dredging up all the sorrow that tore them apart in the first place, hoping something will jar her memory.

As he races against time, can he save her from an unknown assassin and convince her to give the love they once had a second chance?

Buy link:

Excerpt:
Mustering all the dignity she could, Nancy led the way back to the small space she’d called her own. In her absence someone had emptied her desk and packed up her photographs and other memorabilia. The partially filled box sat in the center of her blotter.
“If you’ll put your arms out at your side, I’ll search you.”
Gritting her teeth, her cheeks burned.
“Oh no, you won’t. I warned you what will happen if you put your paws on me again. There are no pockets in this skirt or jacket, and I’m not about to let you cop a feel,” she ground out, her chest heaving in her fury.
Glaring at her, he mumbled into the radio he carried. Within seconds, a woman, not an employee she recognized, arrived.
“Put out your arms,” the woman said brusquely.
Grudgingly, her mouth a thin line, Nancy complied, allowing the woman to pat her down, more roughly than necessary.
“She’s clean.”
“Satisfied?” Nancy asked, her fury and humiliation warring for dominance.
“Empty your purse,” he stated baldly, while the woman crossed her arms and stood by the open door.
Clenching her teeth to hold back the scathing remark on the tip of her tongue, Nancy turned over the bag allowing its contents to fall on the desk.
“If you’re checking to see if I’ve stolen company pens, don’t worry about it. I haven’t. I prefer something of higher quality.”
The man rifled through the items, checking inside each small bag and pouch and finally nodded.
“Keys.”
“You could pretend to have manners,” she grumbled. Removing the keys and the electronic fob that opened the garage door from her key ring, she handed them to him. As quickly as she could, she stuffed the items back into her purse. He picked up the box.
“Hang on a second. Let me check to make sure whoever packed this didn’t miss anything.”
She opened her desk drawers, but each one was empty. Turning to her filing cabinet, the suspended files were nothing but frames. Even her trash can was gone.
Stunned by the speed with which they’d erased her presence here, Nancy grabbed her coat and followed the two security people out of her office. She didn’t look back. Walking between the rent-a-cops, she held her head high, looking neither left nor right, hiding the fact she was devastated.


Author bio and links:
Amazon bestselling author Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She is of French-Canadian descent. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but with a penchant for happily ever after romances. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.
Her first novel, Fire Angel, set the tone for an exciting new career. While most of her books are romantic suspense, Susanne writes stories that range from contemporary to sci-fi and everything in between. She is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America.

When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, or traveling to interesting places she can use as settings in her future books or as interesting entries for her blog, Living the Dream. During the summer she enjoys camping with her grandchildren and attending various outdoor concerts and fairs. In winter, she likes to cuddle by the fire and watch television.

Follow Susanne on her:  Website     Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt
Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page