Extract – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Extract Post: The Crew, by Sadir S. Samir

Blurb

Kings of the Wyld meets Deadpool in this action-packed fantasy adventure set in an Arab-inspired landscape.

Varcade fled to the deserts of Harrah to escape his past as an Educator, a member of an order of zealot warrior-monks that aims to shape the world according to their sacred Teachings by force. Varcade makes his living as a reckless sword-for-hire, caring only about himself, until his self-centered lifestyle is turned on its head when he is contracted to recruit a misfit team of unruly assassins and take out the mighty Bone Lord of Akrab.

But the Bone Lord is aware of the plot and sends her band of Dusters to stop them; individuals who have gained bizarre and lethal magical powers by snorting the pulverised bones of dead gods. Hunted by Educators and Dusters in a city-state where an escalating conflict between the human and demon population threatens to boil over in a civil war, will Varcade and his ragtag crew save Akrab from the cruel Bone Lord, or will they make things even worse?

“The Crew is a rampaging romp of an adventure, as thrilling and hilarious as it is fantastically unique. I loved it.” – Dyrk Ashton, author of The Paternus Trilogy

Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG1CBSRY

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62672715-the-crew?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=XFllluZSRG&rank=1

The Crew Excerpt 1

Before the killing began, Varcade wanted to enjoy a glass of iced milk sweetened with honey. He licked his lips, drumming his fingers on the counter as the bartender poured the drink in a clay cup, then set it before Varcade. “There. Happy now?”

Varcade flipped a copper coin to the woman. “You bet,” he said with a smile before downing it in one swig. He exhaled and wiped the milk from his upper lip. “Alright, with that out of the way, it’s time for me to kill a guy. I’m looking for someone by the name of—”

“You what?” the bartender interrupted. “Kill a man? Here?”

“Yup.” Varcade nodded. “That’s the job I’ve been paid for. Why else would I be somewhere like this? No offence, but we’re in the middle of the desert. You couldn’t have chosen a livelier place for your tavern?”

“Are you bloody stupid?” the woman said. “You can’t come to my establishment and tell me you’re gonna kill someone. I’m trying to make a living here.”

“You do you, and I’ll do me. How ‘bout that?” Varcade turned away from the bartender and leapt on the nearest table, knocking over their drinks and food to the dismay of the patrons sitting around it. Now he had everyone’s attention. Behind him, he heard the bartender shouting something about guards.

“I’m looking for a guy calling himself Frying Pan Pete,” Varcade said. “I’ve been told he likes coming here. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll be gone before you know it.”

The man seated by the table tugged on Varcade’s leg. “You really don’t wanna be messin’ with Frying Pan Pete, man,” he whispered. “Trust me.”

Extract from ‘The Hostage of Rome’, by Robert M. Kidd – Giveaway!

The Hostage of Rome

217 BC. Rome has been savaged, beaten and is in retreat. Yet, in that winter of winters, her garrisons cling on behind the walls of Placentia and Cremona, thanks to her sea-born supplies. If he could be freed, a hostage of Rome may yet hold the key to launching a fleet of pirates that could sweep Rome from the seas. For that hostage is none other than Corinna’s son Cleon, rival heir to the throne of Illyria, held in Brundisium, four hundred miles south of the Rubicon.

But Hannibal is set on a greater prize! Macedon is the great power in Greece, feared even by Rome. Its young king, Philip, is being compared with his illustrious ancestor, Alexander the Great. An alliance with Macedon would surely sound the death knell for Rome.

Given Hannibal’s blessing, Sphax, Idwal and Corinna face an epic journey against impossible odds. Navigating the length of the Padus, past legionary garrisons and hostile Gauls, they must then risk the perils of the storm-torn Adria in the depths of the winter. If the gods favour them and they reach the lands of the pirate queen, only then will their real trials begin.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

US – https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/

Extract Post: The Unknown Man, by Natalie Hanson

Blurb

The imbalance between matter and antimatter allowed the big bang to produce the entire universe. Born with a physical abnormality, imbalance is something Zalla Bennbett understands. Her ability to sense out lies gives her an advantage on FBI investigations, but her jaded spirit puts her at odds with most everyone she encounters. The agent’s marriage and career are on the rocks.

Zalla is assigned to work the kidnapping of an FBI informant’s young twins. With no evidence or leads, her suspect is deemed ‘The Unknown Man’. What she discovers makes her question her purpose in the universe. She’ll have to fight against her instincts to find the girls before the kidnapping turns into murder.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3dodT7V

Guest Post from ILANA ESTELLE about her new book

Publisher : RedDoor Press (2 Jan. 2020)
Language: : English
Paperback : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1913062112
ISBN-13 : 978-1913062118

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cerebral-Palsy-Story-Finding-After/dp/1913062112

Bookshop.org : https://uk.bookshop.org/books/cerebral-palsy-a-story-finding-the-calm-after-the-storm/9781913062118

BLURB

Living with cerebral palsy is enormously difficult. But what if you never knew you had it?

This is the incredible story of Ilana Estelle.

Born the second of premature twins, an hour apart, from a young age Ilana knew she was different, but for all the wrong reasons. A child of the 60s, Ilana experienced first-hand the way that disability was, at the time, so often brushed under the carpet, not spoken about. Her constant physical and mental struggles made her feel isolated, alone, frustrated, and misunderstood. It took 46 years for her to find out why.

Part memoir, part motivational guide, Cerebral Palsy: My story is Ilana’s open and honest journey from an angry, confused child, knowing something was wrong, not knowing what was wrong, what her disability was, or that there was a diagnosis – to the ‘real’ her – a courageous woman using her experiences and lessons to create inspiring messages about mental and physical health, resilience and change.

Extract Post: Raven Storm, by Emma Miles

Raven Storm

Fear walks with those in power.

Divided, the land of Chem hangs in the balance. In the west the Ravens seek to bring safety to women, and an end to slavery. In the east the remaining covens cling to their power, refusing to give up their way of life to foreign invaders. Across both lands the priests whisper and plot, their gods a shadowy threat hanging over them all.
To protect their young family, Kesta and Jorrun have made their home in the Raven Tower of Elden. Unable to abandon their responsibility or friends, they remain embroiled in the fight to the north. Whilst peace and friendship blossom between the Fulmers, Borrows and Elden, the arrival of strangers turns the court of Taurmaline upside down.

The history of the Fire-walkers is about to catch up with them, and the Fire-spirit’s truth will be revealed.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raven-Storm-Fire-Walker-Book-3-ebook/dp/B08BWK1QJZ

US – https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Storm-Fire-Walker-Book-3-ebook/dp/B08BWK1QJZ

Extract Post: Justice Gone, by N Lombardi Jr

An act of police brutality hurls a small town into a turmoil of rage and fear, igniting a relentless witch hunt and ending in the trial of the decade.

“When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.

A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran’s counselor, is caught up in the chase.

Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa’s patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield’s dramatic capture.

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?”

BUY LINKS
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Goodreads
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Waterstones
Kobo
Amazon India

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook
Goodreads

Extract: A Little Pick Me Up by Kate Portman

**Buy Link**

http://hallgoodbooks.com/product/a-little-pick-me-up/

Since the beginning of time, women have been made to feel bad about themselves. From our dress sizes to our careers, from our parenting skills to simply having an opinion, modern women come under immense, relentless pressure to look and behave in certain ways.

The stories we tell ourselves can lead to some dark emotions. They can even result in us hating ourselves – and other women.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. We just need to realise our power, our value and our worth.

In a deeply personal book, award-winning blogger Katie Portman (www.poutinginheels.com) talks candidly about her own challenges as a woman and shares the tools she uses to overcome them. She invites fellow females to open their eyes to the beauty, power and potential that exists within them.

Covering subjects such as self-confidence, self-acceptance, ageing and identity, Katie holds up a mirror to gender imbalance, she lightens the mental load of mothers, and empowers everyone to practice self-love, not self-hatred.

With an ever-increasing focus on mental health, Katie’s messages should be relayed in schools, universities, on relationship apps and in mothers’ groups across the land. The book can be enjoyed in its entirety, or readers can dip into the ‘little pick me ups’ again and again and again – whenever they need a reminder of how wonderful they really are.

Extract: Death Remembered (A Sleuthing Club Mystery: Book 1), by K.E. Coburn

Summer 1952.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, but Charity Nicholls is bored of her quiet life in a tiny English village where nothing ever happens. Other than her nagging, marriage-obsessed mother, all she has to fill the time are her dreams of becoming a writer, and the Sleuthing Club – the mystery-reading book club she attends every week.

But everything changes the day her father receives a poison pen letter.

With the help of the Sleuthing Club, particularly handsome Henry Taylor, Charity is determined to find the culprit. But when people start dying and the police arrive, led by the infuriating Inspector James Lawrence, her little village becomes a hotbed of crime.

Can Charity find the murderer before anyone else dies?

Perfect for fans of Helena Dixon and T E Kinsey.

Purchase Links

UK –https://amzn.to/2LnXba7

US – https://www.amazon.com/Death-Remembered-Sleuthing-Club-Mystery-ebook/dp/B088FR2J99/

Extract: Eyes Turned Skyward, by Ken Lussey

**Buy Link**
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyes-Turned-Skywards-fiction-real-world-ebook/dp/B07CRT1C3R/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Eyes+Turned+Skywards&qid=1586180470&s=digital-text&sr=1-2

Eyes Turned Skywards by Ken Lussey

This novel reflects on the rumours and theories surrounding a number of real-life events, including the death of the Duke of Kent and the aircraft crashes of Short Sunderland W4032 and Avro Anson DJ106.

Wing Commander Robert Sutherland has left his days as a pre-war detective far behind him. Or so he thinks. On 25 August 1942 the Duke of Kent, brother of King George VI, is killed in northern Scotland in an unexplained air crash; a second crash soon after suggests a shared, possibly sinister, cause. Bob Sutherland is tasked with visiting the aircraft’s base in Oban and the first crash site in Caithness to gather clues as to who might have had reason to sabotage one, or both, of the aircraft.

Set against the background of a country that is far from united behind Winston Churchill, and the ever-present threat from the enemy, we follow Bob as he unravels layers of deceit and intrigue far beyond anything he expects.

Extract: Josie James & the Teardrops of Summer, by Lily Mae Walters

Josie James and The Teardrops of Summer

Josie James is an ordinary 13-year-old until something extraordinary happens during her summer holidays. Whilst staying at her Great Grandmother’s cottage in the country she finds herself swept into the cursed world of Suncroft where it is perpetual winter. Her new friends believe she could be the Chosen One who it is foretold will lift the curse, but there are more pressing matters. The Teardrops of Summer – magical crystals that render the owner immortal – have been stolen. Along with her telepathic husky-dog Protector Asher and her new friends, Josie must race to find the Teardrops and prevent catastrophe for their world.

Purchase Links

In this chapter, we are starting to learn more about why Josie is the chosen one. Here is where she first meets Asher and realises she can hear his voice.

Josie watched Murphy walked towards him as if summoned.

“I’ve never seen a Husky so big.” Josie was still in awe of Murphy’s size.

“As you can see, Murphy here has the same green eyes as my crystal and if you look at his tail…” Her grandad held his crystal against Murphy. It was an exact match to the black tear drop shape on his tail. “Most Protectors are born and bred in Suncroft, their special gift, like ours, being passed down through the generations. But occasionally one is found in your world.”

With these words a red bundle of fluff raced into the room and launched itself onto Josie’s lap, licking her face and nuzzling her ears. Murphy placed one of his huge paws on its back and suddenly it sat down, green eyes staring intently at Josie.

“Asher is the name, protecting is the game.” Josie could hear a voice with a strong Cockney accent echoing inside her brain. She shook her head in disbelief and looked around the room, bewildered. “It’s me talking, well not talking, oh you know what I mean.” Josie looked at the small Husky sitting on her lap. It appeared to be smiling at her.

“Erm…” Josie looked over to her nan and grandad who had leaned forward in their seats, a look of anticipation on their faces. Even Murphy looked like he was waiting with baited breath. “He says his name is Asher?” Her grandad suddenly leapt up, a huge smile on his face.

“Oh Josie, you don’t know how good it is to hear you say that.” He hugged her tightly. “This is Asher, as you know. He was found in London a few weeks ago after Murphy sensed him and we just knew he was meant for you.” Josie scrutinised the puppy. He was about six months old but already quite large. His fur was long, fluffy and a deep auburn colour. His tummy and legs were a dark cream and like Murphy he had a black tear drop on his tail. “We’ve been waiting for you to be old enough to understand and also to see if you were the one we all hoped you were.”

There’s a follow up, if you’re interested in this one.

Josie James and The Velvet Knife

“For you to find the Velvet Knife, you must solve the riddles thrice.” A mysterious hooded figure, known only as the Velvet Knife has appeared in the cursed village of Suncroft. No one knows who he is or what he wants but when he starts leaving riddles around the village, it is time for Josie to return to Suncroft for a second time.
With Asher, her faithful husky Protector by her side, Filan, a half elf, and her great grandad, will they be able to solve the clues in time and discover his identity? The Velvet Knife is not the only one causing problems for Josie. Her rival for the position of the ‘Chosen One’ continues to grow stronger, and now he has a Protector of his own.
What does all this mean for Josie? Is she destined to lift the wintery curse of Suncroft or will another take her place as the ‘Chosen One’?

Purchase Links

Author Bio

Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honour of her beloved grandparents who also stare in the Josie James series.

She is married with two teenage children, and two huskies that are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books.

Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories.

Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up throughout the series.

Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/josiejames100/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lilymaewalters/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/LilyMaeWalters1