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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Books by Some of Our Author-friends #goodreads

 I've been stocking up my Kindle, and was wondering if there was a convenient list of folks we know who've published books. And since I couldn't find one, I decided to start it off. I'll be pasting below the books I can think of. I'm adding only the Amazon links, but you can click through to the author sites for more options and also more books they've written. I've added a bit about each book, so if you see what you like, go buy it!

If you're an author-friend, or a reader who loved a recent download, leave a comment with the link to the book.

So here it goes, in no particular order:

 Alex J Cavanaugh: Cassafire
From the Amazon best-selling author - CassaStar was just the beginning… The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather. The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Toby Neal: Torch Ginger:The island of Kaua`i is remote jungle, golden beaches and ancient culture—but transients are disappearing in paradise, and only Detective Lei Texeira notices. Fleeing a failed engagement, Lei transfers to the island of Kaua`i, where she uncovers a pattern of disappearances that may be related to a bizarre cult—or is it just one madman at work? In Lei's world, everyone is guilty until proven innocent.
In Blood Orchids Lei battled her personal demons and won—but now they've come roaring back with reinforcements, including charming real estate magnate Alika Wolcott and former fiancé Michael Stevens. In the midst of the biggest case sleepy Kaua`i has ever seen, Lei must also discover who she loves.


Frederick Lee Brooke: Zombie Candy (Annie Ogden Mystery 2)
Frederick Lee Brooke serves up another literary treat with this bizarre and comical tale of love and betrayal. Candace Roach enlists her best friend Annie Ogden (our favorite sleuth from Doing Max Vinyl) to find out what her husband is really up to on his weekly business trips - but their home-cooked aversion therapy gets out of hand and hurtles along an astonishing highway of the undead.

Home from Iraq but unsure about her future, Annie Ogden isn't your typical woman sleuth. Her best friend, Candace Roach - gourmet cooking instructor, owner of a house in Tuscany - isn't your typical wronged woman either. Candace teaches gourmet cooking, and loves nothing more than orchestrating a four-course meal full of flavorful surprises and artistic touches. A selection of her recipes is found in an appendix to the book.




J.C. Martin: Oracle: With London gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn't need a serial killer stalking the streets, but they've got one anyway. Leaving a trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police force is no closer to finding the latest psychopath than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solution for his daughter's disability. Thrust into the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parent is wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety of a growing population of potential victims. One of whom could be his own daughter. Fingers point in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer's only answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene.
                                                   


Rick Gualtieri : Bigfoot Hunters  Evolution is about to be kicked in the teeth by some very large feet.When Harrison Kent suggests a camping trip to the dense woods of Colorado, his friends are all for a little adventure. What awaits them, though, is far more than they ever bargained for. They discover that Sasquatch is real; however, these are not the shy creatures of legend. A madness has claimed them, one which has erased their once-peaceful nature and left in its place an unstoppable horde of ravenous monsters.


 Mary Pax: Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge : The Backworlds Book 2. The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.






Jonathan Allen: Corridors of the Dead : In a time long before humans walked the Earth, a mysterious being known only as The Lost Aetelia crafted an elaborate series of Watchtowers, along with their resident guardians, the Aetelia, to watch over the operations of the Universe. In time, a rebellious group of these Aetelia came to Earth in an attempt to challenge the established structure of the Universe. A bitter war ensued, and these rebels, who had come to be known as Watchers, disappeared from human history.
The time of the Aetelia - now known as angels - is returning. After a fateful night of violence, Artist Matty DiCamillo finds herself drawn into this world by a mysterious savior, who becomes a driving force in Matty's new life.



Patricia Lynne : Being Human: For Tommy, there is only one thing he needs to do: survive.
Only surviving isn't that easy. The hunt for blood can be tricky when humans know to fear the night. Desire sits on the edge of his mind, urging him to become the monster humans think he is. Vampire Forces, a special branch of police, is determined to turn every vampire to ash. Tommy included. The only human Tommy can trust is his twin brother. A bond connects them, and with Danny's help, Tommy starts to understand the human world he struggles to survive in. He'll learn what friendships means and feel the sting of betrayal, find that sometimes the worst monsters are very human, and come to understand that family means more than blood.
Tommy just wants to survive and he knows what he needs to do. But with the number of humans that mean more to him than a meal growing, he'll learn there's more to life than simple survival. He'll discover being human doesn't mean being a human.

Marian Allen: Turtle Feathers: The dog Joseph's stepmother gave him leads him away from his intended route. Disobedience puts a young mermaid's life into the relentless claws of a crab. A penguin thinks his fortune is made when he discovers a cache of Scotch. More off-beat animal stories from the author of LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Special A to Z Participant - Lynda R. Young

Today’s Special Challenge Participant is the awesome Lynda R. Young! I met Lynda during the first Challenge and she never ceases to amaze me. Lynda embodies a generous and sweet spirit in more ways than one. Her writing tips are the best and she makes you think. (Thus reading her blog first thing in the morning sometimes makes my brain hurt!) But for the Challenge, she did something a little different with her blog…


You’re a writer – what made you decide to feature your photos for the Challenge?

Last year my A-Z theme was writing tips. It was super fun, but after two and a half years of blogging, it's quite a challenge to come up with new tips for 26 days straight. So this year I wanted to share a little more of who Lynda R. Young is and a big part of me is my artistic side. If I'm not writing, then I'm doing something creative.

Which photo was your favorite and why?

The dwarf pigface about to bloom is my favourite. The lighting was perfect for the shot and the colours are vibrant. I even managed to get it in focus.

Tell us more about your spelunking adventures.

Spelunking is off-the-beaten-track cave exploring which requires rope, a hard hat, and an adventurous spirit. Because I'm so little I could get into some pretty tight squeezes. The dirtier I got, the more fun I had. One time on a trip to Ireland I went cave exploring with some friends. We had a single torch (flashlight) between the three of us and we didn't have any safety gear. Unable to see the other side of an underground river, I jumped across and split my head open on a stalactite. I ended up getting two stitches and a cool scar. So much fun.

You had some great ocean shots – do you live near the ocean?

I live 10 minutes drive from Cronulla Beach, Sydney. The funny thing is, none of the shots I included in the challenge were from Cronulla. When I'm travelling, if I'm near an ocean I'll always make a point of checking out the view. I love the many moods of the ocean and the huge variety of different colours it has to offer.

What the heck is a Kookaburra?

The kookaburra is a native Australian bird with a distinctive call that sounds like a laugh. It always makes me feel happy when I hear it.

With all of the water shots, have you ever dropped your camera in water?

No, thank goodness. I'm a little paranoid about it so I always keep a firm hold of the camera. However, I learned the hard way to always carry around extra batteries. The one and only time I visited the amazing site of Pompeii, my camera battery died. I lost so many incredible photo opportunities there. Makes me a sad panda.

Which is more beautiful – the ocean or the desert?

That's a difficult one to answer. They both have their own unique beauty. However, after travelling for three days on the back of a camel across an Indian desert, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the beauty of the desert through the haze of heat, thirst, and a need for a good long shower.

Have you ever found the end of the rainbow?

I wish I could answer yes to that question. I'm still searching…


Thanks, Lynda!

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Jolie Du Pre Blog Tour: Litria, a new novella in the M-Series


Please give a warm welcome to Jolie Du Pre who is stopping here at the A-Z on her blog tour promoting her exciting new series of paranormal books, starting with the novella Litria.  I don't want to give anything away, but wow, wait until you read her premise. This is a book I'm adding to my Kindle right away. Give her a warm Alphabet-loving welcome with lots of comments, and bloggy love.


Running A Successful Blog


Blogging is a great way to share your opinions, your life, information on almost any topic or virtually anything else you can think of using the World Wide Web. Chances are you want your blog to shine and to be set apart from the rest. Since there are so many blogs on the Internet, there are some things you need to do to make your blog unique and successful.

As a horror/paranormal author and reader, I created my blog PreciousMonsters to blog about all things monsters and to meet other horror/paranormal readers and authors. It's also been a great way to meet bloggers in general. So far I've been pleasantly surprised at the number of hits my new blog has received. However, I knew my blog would not be successful unless I followed some basic rules.

Choose Your Topic Wisely

If there are a million and one blogs about model airplanes, you probably do not want to start another one. Do some research and find out what is currently trending in the world of blogs. Choose something that is popular, but don't choose the most popular topic.

Blog Regularly

Once you have your topic chosen and are ready to blog, you need to be sure that you make regular posts. In order to keep an audience, you should have new content for them to enjoy. If someone comes to your blog and continues to see the same post, they will stop returning. On the other hand, if readers come back and find something new, they will continue returning to find out if you have made a new post. We're all busy, and it's easy to put our blog posts aside for awhile. I've done it many times, but let's try not too.

Respond to Readers' Comments

As readers begin to comment on your posts, respond to their questions, concerns or general comments. If they ask a question, be sure to give them an informative answer. By taking the time to interact with your readers, you are showing that you care about what they have to say. This will keep them coming back as they start to view you as a friend.


Promote, Promote, Promote

Readers will eventually find your blog, but it will take longer if you don't promote it. You don't have to get crazy with promotion. Choose a few of the most popular social networking sites and call it a day. I promote on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. In addition, one of the best ways to promote your blog is by joining a blog hop. The Blogging from A to Z Challenge was one of the best things I've participated in for my blog's success.

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LITRIA starts off THE M SERIES–an exciting new series of novellas by Jolie du Pré chronicling the Buscetto family, their deeds, and their victims. 

LITRIA is available NOW at!



Also at:




Who’s lurking in Layneworth?

It’s the Buscettos—a charming family who live in a nice house?

Not quite.

The Buscettos look human, but they’re not human. They’re Zxxtergins, a type of little-known monster who has roamed the Earth since the fifth century. The youngest Buscetto, beautiful eighteen-year-old Litria, is in search of gorgeous females for sex, followed by food. Her nightly behavior wrecks havoc, causing her family to fear exposure and resulting in grave concern, extra work, and late nights for Layneworth detectives.

When nude and mutilated dead women appear, almost daily, across Layneworth, Detective Brenda Martin, and her partner Robert Moretti, are on the case. The mayor, before his untimely demise, preached to beware of werewolves, and few believed him. But as the killings increase, Brenda thinks she may have more than just a serial killer on her hands. Will Brenda discover the true monsters, and what happens if she does?

Thank you for visiting STOP 4 of the LITRIA BLOG TOUR. Leave a comment to be entered in a contest to win a $5 Starbucks gift card.

The next stop is August 8 at the blog of Annie Walls.