Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Author Chat at Bitch Can Write a Book

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to let you all know that TONIGHT (May 30, 2012) I'll be doing an author chat at the Bitch Can Write a Book blog. 


This is a fun event where readers get to ask me questions about my books, my short stories, my research, writing in general, publishing in general--whatever you want. It's fast-paced and friendly. And I'll be giving away an ebook! The winner will be chosen by the Bitch Can Write a Book administrators based on posts.


To Participate 


1) simply go to the Bitch Can Write a Book blog anytime today and login to the chat tool using your Twitter, Facebook, or Chatroll accounts. If you don't have any of those, you can login as a Guest. You'll see the chat tool on the right-hand side of your screen. 


2) A few minutes before 9 PM ET (that's 6 PM PT), go to the site and get ready to have a blast!


Join me tonight at Bitch Can Write a Book and let's have some fun :)


~Kristine







Monday, May 28, 2012

Author Spotlight - Mike Meyer, Author of Deadly Eyes

I'm pleased to be hosting another guest from Making Connections Book Tours. Author Mike Meyer is joining us today to talk about his new suspense book, Deadly Eyes.




Title: Deadly Eyes
Author: Michael Meyer
Genre: Suspense


Available from: Amazon (ebook) 












Synopsis


A HAUNTING CARIBBEAN MYSTERY


James Cuffy, better known as Cuff, is living in paradise with his girlfriend, on the small Caribbean island of St. Croix, where the sky is as blue as Cuff's eyes, the ocean as pretty as Rosie's cheeks, where the gentle lapping of the waves is a lullaby, and the swaying of the palm trees is a dance. The sandy beaches are as white as sugar, and the horizon is a world away. St. Croix indeed is paradise, the perfect place for living, laughing, and loving. 


But the sandy beaches and the turquoise sea can provide no cover from the deadly eyes of the unknown stalker pursuing Cuff. Murder leads to murder as he attempts to untangle the terrible web in which he has suddenly become entangled. 


The twists and turns are relentless, the roads of the fast action leading in all directions, but time is running out, and Cuff, his faithful Rosie at his side, knows it.


Deadly Eyes Trailer




Excerpt from Deadly Eyes

These were not naked eyes, for the distance between these eyes and the beach bar at Cathy’s Fancy was too great for the naked eye to discern who was who. No, these eyes had planned meticulously. The eyes were glued to a pair of terribly expensive and unbelievably powerful Swarovski Optik binoculars. The balcony on which they now worked, taking in the scene before them, was the perfect place to see but not be seen. The powerful binoculars saw to that. 


The distance, the palm trees, and the rays of the sun all helped. The position had been hand picked, after careful consideration. Every angle had been considered, and, one by one, they had all been discarded for one reason or another until this very spot, the perfect place to observe while not being observed, had been selected.  


Yes, the eyes had seen it all. The eyes had seen precisely what they had hoped to see. They were like a master puppeteer.  They planned, controlled, and observed, but from a safe distance. They did not miss a trick.


The eyes. The deadly eyes of St. Croix.


About Michael


I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, on the island of St. Croix, where DEADLY EYES is set. I gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling around both my home state of California and other nearby states.


I spent my early years in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the home of almost every western movie, in addition to a wide variety of other genres, made in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. In fact, Hollywood still films parts of big-time movies there today. My dad, the town’s lifeguard at the time, personally knew John Wayne, Lloyd Bridges, and Lee Marvin, all of whom came to the town’s pool, the Memorial Plunge, at times to cool off after a hectic day of working in the sun. I was even an extra in a movie filmed there in 1957, MONOLITH MONSTERS, a B-cult favorite even today. I was ten years old at the time. Even though I resided in a small town hours from the big city, I was exposed to the excitement of action and heroes at a formative age, and, thus, my interest in writing novels of suspense such as DEADLY EYES was born.


As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, I now live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats.  

Connect with Michael

Deadly Eyes on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B007IO3O22







Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and helping me support a new author. Let us know what you like about the Deadly Eyes synopsis or excerpt. Michael and i will respond to comments :)

~Kristine




Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Author Spotlight - Chris Redding, Author of Blonde Demolition

Everyone, please join me in welcoming Chris Redding to the blog today. Chris is the author of the thriller/suspense novel, Blonde Demolition.




Title: Blonde Demolition
Author: Chris Redding
Genre: Thriller/Suspense


Available: Amazon (ebook), Smashwords, Amazon (print)










Synopsis


You just can't hide from the past...



Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.


Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back. 


Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.


Excerpt from Blonde Demolition



Booth leaned against the wall in the firehouse, his gaze glued to the beer trailer. When the contract had come down, he hadn't believed whom he would have to kill. She couldn't look any more harmless.


She did know how to defuse bombs.


Go figure.


The kill would be easy. Still, he hadn't been given the go ahead yet. He'd practice his shot until it was time. 


Even if that wasn't how he'd kill her. 


For a moment his heart wasn't in it. He tamped that down. It was unprofessional. Exactly what they'd feared would happen.


He shook his head. No. He'd do the kill.


Shifting his shoulders to ease the tension, he wondered if he was getting too old for this life. He longed for a beach somewhere. The millions he'd stashed away would work for him for many years.


Just one more, he kept repeating to himself.


One more dead body and he was free.


He could feel the sun on his face already. There'd be beautiful women to attend to him. There were no virgins in heaven for him and he was fine with that. He wanted his reward in this life.


He rubbed a hand down his face. The door to the beer trailer opened.


His mark stepped out. 


Time to put on his concerned face.


Meet Chris Redding


Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. When not writing she works for her local hospital in the Emergency Services Department. She has been writing for thirteen years and has six books published. 



Website: www.chrisreddingauthor.com
Blog: chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrisredding


Giveaway!


Chris is giving away two sets of wine-themed notecards. Within the U.S. only. Ends May 23rd, 11:59 PM Pacific time.


To enter:
1)leave a comment with your answer to the question: What is it about thriller/suspense books that attracts you as a reader?
2)leave your email address


Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
~Kristine




Monday, May 14, 2012

Deadly Addiction - Bewitching Book Tour Starts Today

Deadly Addiction is going on tour, again! Last January I did a book tour for Deadly Obsession with Bewitching Book Tours. It was so much fun and such a success that I decided to do it again for Deadly Addiction. I'm excited to talk about my new book and share interesting things that I learned while researching this book.


Bewitching Book Tours


The Deadly Addiction Book Tour is taking place from May 14 - 28th, 2012. I have been busy writing guest blogs and I'm about to prepare an interview with my hero, RĂ©mi Whitedeer. Several book reviewers have also agreed to review Deadly Addiction. I can't wait to hear what they think of my new book!


If you are a blogger or book reviewer and would like to participate in this tour, please contact Bewitching Book Tours (http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/) to be added to the schedule.


Book Tour Stops


(The schedule is posted on my Events page and all updates will be made there.) 



May 14 ~ Tour Intro - Roxanne’s Realm: www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com

May 15 ~ Guest blog (review later) - Obsession with Books: www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

May 16 ~ Guest Blog - Fang-tastic Books: www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

May 16 ~ Review - Mindy Wall Dreamer2229 Books, Books, and More Books: http://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com/

May 17 ~ Review - Reviews By Molly: http://reviewsbymolly.com

May 18 ~ Guest blog - Coffee Addicted Writer: www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com

May 21 ~ Promo and review - Arianne Cruz: http://ariannecruz07.blogspot.com

May 22 ~ Guest Blog - The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com

May 23 ~ Promo and Review - Cocktails and Books: 



My Writing


Deadly Vices Series

Anthology Stories
"Un-Valentine's Day" in Hearts and Arrows


*Clicking the links above will take you to the appropriate page on my blog where you can get more details on each item.

Happy Reading!
Kristine

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Author Spotlight - Michael Lorde, Author of Blind Veil

I'm pleased to be hosting another guest from Making Connections Book Tours. Author Michael Lorde is joining us today to talk about his new book, Blind Veil.




Title: Blind Veil
Author: Michael Lorde
Genre: Suspense/Thriller


Available from: Amazon, B&N,   
Amazon UK, Smashwords












Synopsis


What does an unreported crime that occurred decades earlier have to do with a NYC cop?  Everything.


Nothing the old scientist told him could possibly be true…or so the decorated New York Cop and former Marine tries to tell himself.


But as the evidence mounts, he faces the terrifying question -- is the Blind Veil lifting?


In a race for his life, he must decide if he is losing his mind or is the world he thought he knew merely an illusion?

Excerpt from Blind Veil

Time to hide.


There was only one safe place in the house.  He wasn’t a kid anymore.  Could he still fit?  If they found him hiding there he’d be trapped, but he was trapped anyway, here in the house.  Simms opened the pantry door, almost knocking down an old can of peas.  He caught it mid-fall.  Careful not to disturb the dust, he placed it precisely from where it had fallen.  They’d notice a clean spot.  He grabbed the rope which hung at the rear corner of the pantry wall and pulled it to the left.  It revealed an open space about three feet wide which dropped to a small enclosed area below the house.  The total ceiling clearance there fell just shy of five feet, too small for a man his size to fit.  The radio sounded outside the window.  It crackled before spitting out whispers.  Simms stepped over the pantry floor and into the tiny space and turned around.  He hadn’t made a sound.  He willed himself into the faux root cellar before twisting his hand around for the rope.  He used it to carefully slide the panel back in place, keeping a tight grip on it to lock it in.  He was sealed off from the pantry and the kitchen, but was so squished he couldn’t breathe.  His ribcage was crammed in like an oversized sardine in a can. His lungs couldn’t fully expand.  Standing blindly in the tight closet, he wondered how long he could stay in this position before passing out.  Sweat dripped from his pores.  A spider web clung to his cheek as he turned his head toward the sounds in the house.  


Quiet footsteps meandered from room to room.  The search was thorough.  Twenty minutes later, they were now in the kitchen.  Cabinets were being opened.  He closed his eyes in the pitch black.  He could feel them walking towards him.  The pantry door swung open.  The gun tip shone like a brilliant ring from the kitchen light.  Between the slats, Simms could clearly see the militant head covering and the dark eyes of the man peering from behind it as he searched through the cabinet.    


He felt safe.  No one knew about this cubby hole he’d claimed as his personal hiding space as a child.  It was virtually unseen from the searcher’s viewpoint.  All the same, he didn’t breathe at all until the professional was satisfied with his sweep of the pantry interior and closed the door behind him.  


Things sound so much clearer in the dark.  He listened as they finally left the house.  Fifteen minutes or so later, the engines of the all terrain vehicles faded into the distance.  He was covered in sweat which stuck him to the walls that concealed him.  Still, he waited a good twenty minutes longer before he opened the slat and poked his head out of the pantry door.  He breathed deeply, then listened intently for sounds in the house, any sound.


It was silent.


The soft squeak of the pantry hinge put him on edge as he slipped back into the kitchen and dropped to the floor.  He skidded on knees over to the window.  The vehicles were gone. 


Black and green liquid dripped from underneath Emmett’s truck, pooling onto the yard, beneath it.  He could smell gasoline.  


‘Damn.’  They cut the hoses and the fuel line.


Book Trailer






About Michael Lorde



Author Michael Lorde is a former law enforcement officer and detective.


Books have been a priority for as long as Michael Lorde can remember.  Always reading or writing Michael has written for years, since the first book ‘Babbly’ was completed as a kid in the 1970’s. While growing up, this author loved sports of all kinds, and was on numerous sports teams at school, including track, basketball and swimming, to name a few.


Michael loves kids and animals and enjoys reading thrilling stories, attending live performances, doing carpentry, and artwork.  The Literacy Council, Special Olympics and Samaritan House are causes that this author has participated in and contributed to in the past and present.


Michael Lorde currently lives in Michigan.

Where Can I Buy Blind Veil?

BARNES AND NOBLE:  http://ow.ly/aQXj7
AMAZON UK:  http://ow.ly/aQYiS
SMASHWORDS:  http://ow.ly/aQYdA

Where Can I Find Michael?

Interactive Webpage for Michael Lorde: http://www.wix.com/paperairplanespublis/michael-lorde
Twitter: @BlindVeil
Goodreads: http://ow.ly/aQXxE
Email: paperairplanespublishing@gmail.com
blindveilbv@gmail.com

Thank you all for joining us today. I hope you enjoyed this spotlight on suspense/thriller author Michael Lorde and his new book Blind Veil.



Happy Reading!
~Kristine





Friday, May 4, 2012

Deadly Addiction - Making Connections Book Tour

Now that Deadly Addiction has been released, the virtual book tours are starting. Yay! Book tours are an exciting way to meet new readers and to build lasting relationships with book blogging sites. 

Last January, when Deadly Obsession was released, I went on a month-long book tour, organized by Bewitching Book Tours. It was fabulous! I hit over 20 blogs and met many new readers. And to make things even better, I received some reviews. For a new author, a book tour is essential to getting word out about your book.

Making Connections Book Tour

This time, with Deadly Addiction, I'm doing two book tours of two weeks each. The first is with Making Connections and runs from May 1st through May 11, 2012. Making Connections is the book tour arm of a wonderful Goodreads group I joined in January. Besides organizing book tours, they help match up authors with reviewers, readers with books, and bloggers with authors. If you haven't joined this great group yet, I highly recommend it. Click here to go to the Making Connections Goodreads page.

Book Tour Stops:

May 1st ~ Ramblings of an Amateur Writer: http://reenajacobs.com/blog

[Post Delayed] May 2nd ~ Book Reviews, Fiction Reflections, N’ More: http://personalliterarybookfrenzy.blogspot.com

May 3rd ~ The Book Hoard: http://www.thebookhoard.com

May 4th ~ Making Connections: http://makingconnectionsgroup.blogspot.ca


May 6th ~ Just Another Rabid Reader: http://justanotherrabidreader.info/

May 7th ~ Elizabeth Gorski: http://dailymommysurvival.com/

May 8th ~ Kimberly Lewis Novels: http://www.kimberlylewisnovels.blogspot.com/

May 10th ~ Tricia: http://triciakristufek.com/


Bewitching Book Tour

The second tour, which runs May 14 through May 28, 2012, is with Bewitching Book Tours. I had such a great experience with them in January that I absolutely wanted to do it again. 

The schedule is still firming up for this tour, but I'll update the Events page on my blog with the tour dates as soon as they are available.

Other Activities

I was lucky enough to be asked to write a guest post for the Black Velvet Seductions reader blog. The result of my endeavor was a post about alpha heroes entitled, "He's an Alpha, Not an Ass." It has generated quite a bit of discussion so far. Come check it out and weigh in. I'd love to hear your views.

My Writing

Deadly Vices Series

Anthology Stories
"Un-Valentine's Day" in Hearts and Arrows


*Clicking the links above will take you to the appropriate page on my blog where you can get more details on each item.

Happy Reading!
Kristine