Monday 30 October 2017

Halloween Treats and Paranormal Reads by YA Author Leigh Goff...

BEWITCHING HANNAH, an enchanting young adult fantasy set in Annapolis, Maryland, released its magic on September 17th, and is available in print and e-book on Amazon, BN.com, and MirrorWorldPublishing.com.

In the story, sixteen-year-old Hannah Fitzgerald enjoys her carb-loaded snacks, including an Annapolis comfort food favorite—crab dip pretzels piled high with creamy crap dip that incorporates fresh jumbo lump crab from the Chesapeake Bay. This recipe is a Maryland classic that even fictional characters love!

Crab Dip Pretzels
@sallybakeblog
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. horseradish
½ tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 (8 ounce container) jumbo lump crabmeat (not canned)
white pepper to taste
4 soft pretzels
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350° F (175° C).

BEAT cream cheese, mayonnaise, and horseradish in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in garlic, onion, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce.

GENTLY fold in the crabmeat, and season with white pepper to taste. Spoon mixture evenly over the pretzels, and sprinkle each with ½ cup shredded cheese.

PLACE pretzels in oven until cheese is melted and the topping bubbles, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Here's a peek at both of Leigh Goff’s exciting novels.

Hannah, the thirteenth great-granddaughter of the Wizard Earl Fitzgerald, has always known she was descended from a troubled legacy of alchemy and dark magic. Although a stranger to her coven in Annapolis, she is no stranger to grief and denial; however, when an ancient prophecy reveals the rise of a young, powerful witch and the impending death of another, she realizes she can no longer afford to suppress the magic that has taken away so much. She seeks out the frighteningly scarred, yet mysterious W who is destined to change her life, but even he cannot prepare her for the secrets she must unlock – including one that reveals the location of an unimaginably powerful elixir.

Enemies will hurt her. Loved ones will make her vulnerable. And the impending prophecy that drives her to unleash her magic will cause her to unearth the sins of the past and doubt any promise of a future. Without knowing whom her true rival is, Hannah isn’t certain she’ll survive the game Fate is playing, and if she loses, she may lose everything, including the ones she loves.

Sophie Goodchild is a sixteen-year-old witch living with her eccentric aunt in the small town of Wethersfield, Connecticut—the sight of the first American Witch Trials. She is descended from a powerful black witch, but struggles with her erratic white magic while dealing with a mean girl witch clique known as the Glitterati, who love to make Sophie feel like she is less than they are.

Sophie is beautiful with wild waves of sable-colored hair, eyes the color of dark blue sapphires, and heart-shaped pillowy lips. More importantly, she is beautiful on the inside, although she hides it well behind her impatience and impetuousness, which makes her very relatable.

It is those heart-strong characteristics that lead her into trouble, and since she is ruled by her heart, she’s all in once she finds trouble. She is fiercely loyal, determined, and fearless and there is nothing she wouldn’t do or sacrifice for the ones she loves, especially when she learns of the true love curse her ancestor cast on the Mather family.

When Judge Mather, a descendant of the reverend who condemned Sophie’s witch ancestor to hang, finds out his handsome son (who has recently returned to Wethersfield with a sexy British accent and a face that could melt a black witch’s heart) has fallen hard for Sophie, things get even more dangerous for her. Dark secrets come to light and impossible choices are made as Sophie sacrifices everything, including her soul to save her forbidden true love.

Buy Links Disenchanted: Mirror World Publishing - Amazon

Buy Links Bewitching Hannah: Mirror World Publishing - Amazon

Leigh Goff loves writing young adult fiction with elements of magic and romance because it's also what she liked to read. Born and raised on the East Coast, she now lives in Maryland where she enjoys the area's great history and culture.

Leigh is a graduate of the University of Maryland, University College and a member of the Maryland Writers' Association and Romance Writers of America. She is also an approved artist with the Maryland State Arts Council. Her debut novel, Disenchanted, was inspired by the Wethersfield witches of Connecticut and was released by Mirror World Publishing. Leigh is currently working on her next novel, The Witch's Ring which is set in Annapolis.

Learn more about Leigh Goff on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Monday 23 October 2017

Book Tour: Goth Girl, Virgin Queen by JoAnne Keltner...

Welcome to the 2-week blog tour for Goth Girl, Virgin Queen by JoAnne Keltner.

Follow the tour and connect with bloggers, read reviews of the book, read guest posts, and meet the author.


Book Information:

Title: Goth Girl, Virgin Queen

Author Name: JoAnne Keltner

Genre(s): Young Adult Paranormal

Length: Approx. 298 pages

Release Date: December 3, 2015

About Goth Girl, Virgin Queen:

Calling Jackie Turov psychic makes her cringe. But Jackie’s no normal seventeen-year-old. She picks up emotions from people and objects like a freak. The emotions make her sick, and the guilt she feels for lying to her church when she was twelve causes her to deny her psychic abilities.

So Jackie goes goth to make others stay away from her and forget her past. But her past is soon resurrected when her jealous friend Trish invites a demon, a persecutor of healers, to steal away Jason’s love for Jackie. The demon causes Jackie to be bullied for the lie she told and puts her best friend, Jason, in danger.

Jackie must learn how to use her gift to protect Jason and herself and to heal the negative energies of those around her. To do so means she must overcome her guilt and accept who she is before the demon claims her soul.

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway (ends October 31, 2017)



https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/252425-goth-girl-virgin-queen

Grab Your Copy from Amazon for only $0.99 Oct. 23-25, 2017!




Amazon http://amzn.to/2yx3uCH

Read an Excerpt:

The medicine cabinet mirror—dotted with rust and turning gray—made the powder foundation on Jackie’s face look ashen and her jet-black hair, blurry. She looked like a shadow of a girl. She smeared black lipstick on her lips and shook out her shoulder-length hair. Her straight-cut bangs veiled her mascara-lined eyes, and the layered ends of her hair stuck out in defiant wisps.

Some of the kids at school—the ones she didn’t hang out with—called her Goth Girl. Some, whose memories wouldn’t die, called her VQ for Virgin Queen.

Jackie preferred Goth Girl, to be one of the living dead, to be numb to the emotions that plagued her. But this was what she wanted, not what she got.

Goth Girl or Virgin Queen, she was a freak, absorbing the emotions around her like a sponge. Sometimes the emotions made her sick. Sometimes they made her see things.

Because of this, she kept to a tight-knit group of goth friends—Jason, Zeta, and Trish—and avoided social activities. She attended high school only because Mom wouldn’t let her homeschool. Mom was afraid she’d hang with Babu all day, making piroshki and doing needlepoint instead of studying. Jackie, afraid of what life offered a freak like her beyond high school, had to admit that hanging with Babu all day was tempting.

Typically, Fridays were movie nights for Jason and her, but tonight would be different. Tonight, she’d subject herself to a hodgepodge of emotions from crowds and rides and the very ground she’d walk on to protect Jason. For this, she would need physical and spiritual strength, which she sought from Babu these days.

Babu’s door was cracked, and Jackie slowly pushed the door open. “Babu?”

The room smelled of beeswax and down. A candle burned on the shrine on the dresser. The flickering flame animated the icon of the Virgin of Vladimir and cast shadows across the picture of Babu, Grandma, Mom, and Jackie. Although Babu didn’t speak English, and Jackie didn’t understand much Russian, Jackie knew Babu kept that picture on her shrine to pray for Grandma, who passed away several years ago; for Mom, who divorced Dad; and for the girl who saw the Virgin when she was twelve—for the girl she had become as a teen.

Babu sat in bed, a country quilt spread over her legs, her thumb pressed against a knot of her prayer rope, her head bowed sleepily, and her lips wording prayers.

“I wanted to say goodbye,” Jackie whispered.

Babu crossed herself and then smiled at Jackie, her gold eyetooth shining from the light of the bed-stand lamp. She patted the empty space beside her. “Sadees.”

Jackie sat down beside Babu at the edge of the bed and took Babu’s hand in hers. Babu’s hand was warm and knotted with arthritis. Jackie rubbed her thumb over the bumps on Babu’s knuckles; her black fingernails were a sharp contrast to Babu’s flour-white skin.

She wasn’t afraid to touch Babu’s hands and absorb her emotions. Jackie got a good feeling from her. Babu filled Jackie’s inner vision with white light. She renewed her spirit. And this is what Jackie needed for the commitment she had made for tonight.

Kooda eedyosh?” Babu asked.

“I’m going out,” Jackie said as if Babu understood her. This is how they communicated: Babu telling her stuff she couldn’t understand, Jackie telling Babu stuff she couldn’t understand. Somehow they carried on fine this way.

Eedyosh sdroozyamee?”

“I’m going with Jason.”

Babu rubbed the top of Jackie’s hand and ran her thumb over black fingernails. “Fsyevo kharoshevuh,” she said in a comforting tone and gently squeezed Jackie’s hand. Then she cupped her hands around Jackie’s jaws and pulled her forehead to her lips. Jackie imagined Babu’s kiss imprinted on her forehead and carrying Babu’s blessings and love with her tonight.

Meet the Characters of Goth Girl Virgin Queen

Jackie: A psychic—oops, she doesn’t like to be called that—and the seventeen-year-old protagonist who denies her paranormal abilities and hides from her past. She’d do anything for her best friend Jason, anything except … well, you’ll have to read the book.
Jason: Jackie’s best friend in the whole world, a total emo who wears his heart on his sleeve and a heavy weight on his shoulders. He’s totally in love with Jackie.
Driving to the Oktoberfest, Jackie focused on the road. Sometimes she looked at Jason, but focused only on his mouth or his jacket. When he was around her, his aura turned from black to reddish purple, almost like his spirit had been bruised. She interpreted it as a mixture of pain and love—the love he felt for her pouring over his pain like salve. Yes. She sensed Jason was in love with her. But this relationship worked out well for the both of them, she supposed. Jason liked to suffer. It made him feel alive. Though, she knew he’d never admit it. And she was comfortable being around him, not just because he allowed her space, but because he accepted her as she was. He made the guilt she carried more bearable.—JoAnne Keltner, Goth Girl Virgin Queen
Trish: Jackie’s brooding and fickle friend who draws Gothic crosses in her school notebook and loves the occult. Using her Ouija board, she unwittingly summons a demon and is the reason Jackie gets into the trouble she’s in.
Zeta: Jackie’s sassy and most energetic friend. Always there to give Jackie moral support … no, seriously.
Babu: Jackie’s great grandma. Once a devout Russian Orthodox Catholic, she now burns her holy candles at home, prays the chotki, and religiously watches Wheel of Fortune. She can’t speak a word of English, only Russian, but still she and Jackie (who knows only how to say “the soup is good” and “I love you” in Russian) communicate just fine.
David: The smoking hot seminarian whom Jackie can’t shut off emotionally. He’s from her old church and shows up at her door one day looking for her help in understanding a paranormal phenomenon that occurred there.
She wanted to shut the door in his face, but he was looking at her with those dreamy, mesmerizing eyes. She pressed her fingers to the business card. She was having a hard time reading him. She only got a feeling of him being hung in a balance, but maybe that was her.—JoAnne Keltner, Goth Girl Virgin Queen

If you’d like to get to know Jackie and her friends better, pick up a copy of Goth Girl Virgin Queen today!
Meet the Author:



JoAnne Keltner is the author of Goth Girl, Virgin Queen (Solstice Publishing, 2015) and Obsession. As an only child and avid daydreamer, she spent hours alone in her backyard on the South Side of Chicago, which she imagined to be everything from an alien planet to the Antarctic. She currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, four dogs, cat, and three chickens. When she isn't writing or freelance editing, she's obsessively streaming popular TV shows.

Social Media Links:

Wednesday 18 October 2017

Book Blitz: The Sun God's Heir; Redemption, Book 3 by Elliot Baker...



The Sun God's Heir: Redemption
Book 3
Elliott Baker



Book Details:

Print Length: 468 pages
Publisher: Pronoun
Publication Date: October 18, 2017
Sold by: Macmillan
ASIN: B074Y474QB
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Add to your shelf on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36181772-the-sun-god-s-heir

Purchase your copy from Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2wXdxO3

About the Book:

Death is not life’s final stop. There are worse ends.

Two brothers, once disciples of the Pharoah Akhenaten, reincarnate in seventeenth century France. From Spain to Morocco to Egypt, one is determined to rule, the other to protect.

Horemheb, driven to destroy his brother and end their ancient rivalry, invites an African shaman to assist in recovering ancient artifacts of power that will ensure his dominance. Twice before, these artifacts have raised and then destroyed civilization.

RenĂ© Gilbert escapes from the murderous sultan of Morocco, closely followed by the sultan’s personal guard, the Bukhari. Trained from childhood, these assassins live to kill.

Now, in the blockbuster conclusion to the Sun God’s Heir trilogy, RenĂ© must find a way to fulfill a commitment made lifetimes ago. His long journey across the ages hurtles toward its climax, with the fate of his soul, and perhaps our very world, in the balance.

Meet the Author:



Award winning novelist and international playwright Elliott B. Baker grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. With four musicals and one play published and produced throughout the United States, in New Zealand, Portugal, England, and Canada, Elliott is pleased to offer his first novel, Return, book one of The Sun God’s Heir trilogy. A member of the Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild, Elliott lives in New Hampshire with his wife Sally Ann.

Monday 16 October 2017

A Taste of the North from Chris Pavesic’s S’Mores Recipe and Book #2 of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls…

Quick & Easy S'moresWhen you envision scenes of family or friends sitting around the campfire at the cottage or campsite, what food pops into your mind? Hot dogs? Marshmallows? Well, yes, but how about those gooey gobs of sweet joy children crave the most? Yup, I’m talking about S’Mores! Enter my author friend, Chris Pavesic who has a sure-fire recipe that will fill those campfire desires enough to sit back and enjoy a ghost story or two inside or outside. Take it away, Chris...

This kid-friendly recipe is quick and easy to make. It’s a little bit like a s’more, a little bit like a bird’s nest, and 100% yummy. Get those marshmallows and chocolate chips ready!

Ingredients
  • 1 Package (12 OZ) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • ½ Bag (5 OZ) Mini Marshmallows
  • 2 Cups Pretzel Sticks
  • 2 Cups Vanilla Wafers (broken into pieces)
Materials
  • Baking Dish
  • Large Spoon
  • Parchment Paper
Directions
  1. Pour the chocolate chips into an ungreased baking pan. Pop it into the oven at 250 degrees for about 5 minutes. (Basically until the chocolate chips get shiny. They should still retail their shape.)
  2. Take the pan out and immediately start adding the other ingredients. Stir as fast as possible because the chocolate will cool quickly.
  3. This can be a bit messy when stirring—you will get chocolate on your hands—but that’s part of the fun!
  4. When the other ingredients are coated, start spooning the mixture onto the parchment paper in serving-size portions. Allow to cool completely and serve.
Thank you, Chris! While you’re busy devouring your treats, here’s a taste of what to expect in the next installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Blackflies and Blueberries set to be released in 2018 through Mirror World Publishing

Seventeen-year-old Hart Stewart possesses psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. He inherited this phenomenon from his murdered mother. Now a year has passed, and Hart has endured homelessness and hunger, as well as kept his secret of being illiterate under wraps. Then, through contact with a social worker, Hart learns of a great-aunt named Gertie Ellis living in a small northern community called Fairy Falls.

Seventeen-year-old Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls too. She lost her mother a year ago, through a senseless murder. This eats away at Diana until Hart finds her lost ring. The ring whisks him away to another place and time where he witnesses Diana’s mother’s murder. The ring’s vibrational memory informs Hart that she knew her killer. Now Diana has hope for justice, and through Hart’s psychic ability, Diana and her friends, Brook Bennet and Donovan Johnson, along with her younger sister Nancy MacGregor start their own investigative process that leads them into the corrupt world of a big development corporation easing its way into Fairy Falls, and of the treachery and greed that accompany it.

Meet Chris Pavesic:

Chris Pavesic lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends. She blogs on www.chrispavesic.com and Tweets @chrispavesic 



Thursday 12 October 2017

Let’s Get This Cookbook Party Started…

Who doesn’t love the holidays? You get to bond with family and friends, shop till you drop for that perfect gift, decorate the house to your heart’s desire, plan a meal worthy of gracing your table, and attend all those fabulous parties. Wait…hope I didn’t exhaust you already? Yes, we ALL love holidays and celebrations, no matter what time of year they fall, but it can get a little (okay, a lot) overwhelming when it comes time to prepare for those holiday meals and parties when you’re working a full-time job, and taking care of your family’s needs.

How about some relief from the stress and pressure of figuring out what to serve your hungry guests during holiday get-togethers, events, or celebrations?

Cue a holiday-inspired cookbook written by the following thirteen busy authors, of various ages and genres: Carol Browne, HL Carpenter, Sara Daniel, Dominique Eastwick, Leigh Goff, C.D. Hersh, Vonnie Hughes, Alicia Joseph, Emma Lane, Sharon Ledwith, Anne Montgomery, Chris Pavesic, and Sloane TaylorThese wonderful writers have created recipes that will make your life easy and simple when it comes time to prepare tantalizing appetizers, tasty beverages, mouth-watering cookies, and decadent desserts.

The ABCDs of Cooking with Writers is your go-to recipe book for entertaining over the holiday seasons, hosting events, or celebrating that special day. Compiled by Sloane Taylor—a gourmet cook in her own right—and designed by mother-daughter duo HL Carpenter, the included recipes have been tested and approved of by the most finicky family members.

Oh, and did I mention that it is FREE?  

So why not have your cake and eat it too? Yes, pun intended. You’ve got nothing to lose, and time to gain when you download The ABCDs of Cooking with Writers. There’s a recipe for every holiday, celebration, or event in your life. Give yourself a gift this holiday season with a cookbook from thirteen writers who share their favorite recipes and tips to help relieve the stress in your busy life.

Download your FREE cookbook at SmashwordsKobo, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Or click on the Cookbook Cover featured on my sidebar to download FREE PDF!

Monday 9 October 2017

Thanksgiving Day(s) Goodreads Giveaways…

In the first book of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series, Lost and Found, the main character, Meagan Walsh has the psychic ability to talk to animals. Imagine possessing the power to be a diplomat between animals and humans? To bridge that gap, and find common ground. In the first book of The Last Timekeepers young adult time travel adventure series, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, my main characters are given a ‘Babel’ necklace. The main purpose of this necklace is to break any language barriers while on a mission in the past so that my characters will be able to understand and talk to everyone they meet.

I believe books hold the power to not only transport readers to different worlds, but also translate the world for us. You don’t need a Babel or a psychic ability to crack open a book and let it take you on a journey. Books have always been a wonderful gift to give, so I thought why not pair the first two books in both my series, and schedule a Goodreads Giveaway starting on the Canadian Thanksgiving (Monday, October 9th) and finishing on the American Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 23rd)? It sounded like a solid plan, and a way I can give back to my readers, especially during the upcoming holiday season!

If you haven’t read the first books in The Last Timekeepers young adult time travel adventure series or Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mystery series, please consider entering both giveaways for a chance to win a signed copy and bookmark. We all need time to rest and rejuvenate during the holiday season, and I can’t think of a better way than relaxing with a good book, a comfortable chair, and cozy blanket. Good luck, and hope you get to escape to the past and have a blast with one of my books! Cheers and thank you!



Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis by Sharon Ledwith

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis

by Sharon Ledwith

Giveaway ends November 23, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Lost and Found by Sharon Ledwith

Lost and Found

by Sharon Ledwith

Giveaway ends November 23, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

Monday 2 October 2017

Meet the Furry Residents of the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter…

During my year-long stint as an animal care attendant, I learned so much about the procedures and daily routines of working in an animal shelter. Then, one day, I found myself wondering what the animals would say if they could talk? How they would act and sound? What did they really think of humans? So, chasing down the animal voices frolicking in my head, I decided to write their story. The result is, Lost and Found, the first book in my teen psychic mystery series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls.

All the shelter animals in Lost and Found are based on an animal I cared for in some capacity at the shelter. Now, trying to come up with each animal’s unique voice wasn’t that hard for me, since I went by the personality of the cat or dog. I observed certain quirks, how each animal behaved, what were they afraid of, what they liked, and so on. What I found was that every animal (even kittens born in the same litter) was different. Just. Like. People.

When I was ready to sit down and write their story, I compiled a list of shelter animals that readers would emotionally relate to and connect with. Many came to me as a surprise, others were firmly planted in my imagination from the very beginning. Below are the names of the main shelter animals who I decided to animate in Lost and Found, and the roles that they played:

WHISKEY: The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter observer’s real name was Whiskers, but I thought that might be confusing when describing a cat’s anatomy. Whiskers was an old, calico cat who was on medication to keep her alive. She always tried to mooch food from us during lunch, and there seemed to be an air of wisdom about Whiskers, as if she truly was the sage of the shelter.

NOBEL: This bouncy Husky-Doberman cross was the pack leader of the shelter dogs, and was named for the town of Nobel where he came from. He was hard to handle at times, so we had to walk him outside and around to the kennel runs so he didn’t go off on the other dogs inside. Nobel had the most amazing blue eyes, and was truly a top dog in every respect. At least I think that’s how he thought of himself!

Good ol' Louis
GEORGE: The little white cat with grey markings on his ears and tail was very timid and shy when I met him. He was left on the shelter’s steps, along with his twelve siblings, and was the last to get adopted. George got along with all the cats on the floor, and would go around and scoop up any meat leftovers in the cat bowls. He seemed the perfect choice to be the underdog, er cat of Lost and Found.

LOUIS: Everybody loves Louis! Seems people relate to his goofiness and the innocence that this big Rottweiler-mix exhibits. The real Louis used to spin around in circles when we let him out for a walk. He also had a hate-on going with some of the dogs on the floor, so I removed this part of Louis’s personality to make him more lovable and easy-going.

SHADOW: Yes, there was a vicious beast named Shadow at our shelter, though she came in with two friendly kittens. Whoever put Shadow and her family in that box and plopped a log on top must have pissed her off good. No wonder she didn’t trust us humans! We had to use welder’s gloves to handle Shadow because if we didn’t, she’d lunge and spit at us while we tried to clean her cage. Shadow made the perfect antagonist for Whiskey and George, and I truly enjoyed giving her a believable voice readers love to hate. The real Shadow eventually calmed down enough to get spayed, and found a nice home with an old lady.

Poppy - one of the leaders in the animal shelter
BRUTUS: Found in a live trap, Brutus (known as Scar) came to us with red, raw ears infested with ear mites. Poor boy. At first, I was intimidated by his monstrous size, but soon grew to love him! Unlike his tough, fictional counterpart as the leader of the lost cats, the real Brutus won the hearts of the shelter staff with his charm and cuddly manner. Brutus ended up being adopted by a student studying as a veterinarian technician. Now that’s what I call karma, and it was a happy/sad day to see him go!


So there you have it, a glimpse at the shelter animals who inspired me to write Lost and Found. I wished I could have written all the animals into my book, but as you may guess, there was far too many. Which begs me to ask that if you’re thinking about getting a dog or cat to add to your family, then I urge you to adopt a pet from your local animal shelter. Trust me, there’s an animal with a personality type that will fit every household looking to give a forever home to an animal in need of tender loving care.