***RELEASE BLITZ, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY*** In Between: the Novel by Shannon Foy

Title: In Between: the Novel
Author: Shannon Foy
Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance
Published: August 4, 2016

Loan officer Roosevelt St. Vincent travels the globe as she unravels the secreted histories of the vampire community invisibly surrounding her. Follow her on the journey that confirms the existence of the paranormal which gives her the strength to accept someone else’s past, even as it alters her future. Peppered with sex and sarcasm, Foy’s light hearted voice finds depth and detail that will cause the reader to both laugh and cry, probably at the same time. “How vampires should be written.” “She doesn’t take the easy route.” “Maturely polished….hooked after the first page.”

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Which In Between: the Novel Character Are You?

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Part Two:

Part Three:

In Between: the Novel Excerpt © Shannon Foy 2016
“Um,” I started nervously, “is Mount Fuji active?”
“Yes,” Don answered, “but don’t worry; it hasn’t erupted in like three hundred years.”
That didn’t make me feel any safer.
Don grabbed a pack out of the back seat of the car and headed into the trees. I took a deep breath and followed him.
You can romanticize suicide anyway you like, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience.
I had not been afraid of death; I had killed people. But finding bodies littered about the trees affected me on a terribly deep level. I’d step over a fallen trunk only to trip upon a tangle of brush and body. I’d sweep a branch aside, chance a look up, and see another hanging above me. Eyes open. Eyes closed. Various states of decomposition. A man in a suit with his shoes set neatly next to him.
And the smell. I’ll never be able to properly describe the smell and I hope to never encounter it again. Blood. Gun powder. Moss. Decay. Earth. Hair. Sadness. Laundry detergent.
We hiked deeper and deeper into that suspended forest. The sounds of our footsteps, our voices, our invasion of the uninhabited landscape were swallowed by the soft earth. No echo. No breath of life beyond the flora. And us.
And then a gunshot—shattering the silence into a million pieces, the fragile glass of life gone in an instant.
I wanted nothing more than to be out of that forest immediately.
“Are you okay?” Don asked, tentatively.
I gulped and shook a quick nod, fear keeping my voice hostage. I didn’t mean to cry, but I did.
Don took my trembling hand and we continued on the path, which wasn’t much of a path at all, but rather the course of least resistance. And believe me, the forest resisted.
If Don hadn’t been leading the expedition or if I hadn’t been rapt with fear, alert to every micro detail, the sunken chamber in the ground would have swallowed me up forever. Barely a few yards across with roots emerging from where the soil had fallen away was a hole—the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
“This is it,” Don whispered.
“How do you know?” I had seen pictures of other ice caves around Mount Fuji. They all had signs, railings, stairways, or ladders. They were well-manicured and definitely not reminiscent of a place to dispose of a petite, American body.
“This is where Tatsuya found me.”
Don removed his backpack and started setting items out along the ground—a rope, a flashlight, and a knife that shone a brilliant silver. He quietly and quickly tied the rope around a nearby tree whose trunk was covered in thick moss.
“Take these,” he said, handing me the knife and the flashlight and the center of the rope. “You must go alone.”
“What? I thought that’s why I’m paying you?”
“You’re paying me to help you find Miyuki, but if you want her help, it is a journey you must make alone.”
I grumbled to myself as I wrapped the rope around my waist, knotting it so that I could slowly rappel into the earthen pit.
“I’ll wait here for you.”
“What do I do down there?”
“Just look,” he said simply.
I, the novice, and Don my mystical, Japanese Master—him speaking to me in riddles like Yoda or Mr. Miyagi. I squatted down and shimmied myself into the opening.
Slowly I went. I had rappelled a few times from a rock wall at the gym—my fear of heights calmed by the harnesses and belts and foam mats beneath me. Right at that moment, I was inching down toward anything—and it scared the shit out of me.
The deeper I got, the more heightened my senses became as blackness enveloped the passage through which I was lowered. The cold nipped at my nose and other uncovered bits of skin. I could hear the strain on the rope and the subtle echo off of the earthen walls. The overwhelming scent of damp soil was unbelievably refreshing compared to the stagnant air in the forest above.
I didn’t think it would ever end. I knew logically that I hadn’t gone that far below ground, but my mind played tricks on my stomach, and I thought I felt gravity switching. I came to my senses as my feet abruptly hit the ground, buckling my knees, landing my backside in the dirt. I untied myself, zipped up my hoodie, and removed the flashlight from my pocket. The floor was slick and my first steps were hesitant. Slipping on ice was not my favorite activity.
As I turned the flashlight on, its wide beam illuminated the narrow cave. There was nothing. No markings on the wall, no scratches on the floor, or giant sign that read, “Miyuki—Straight Ahead.” I had hoped for signs.
I followed the frozen floor along a straight path. There were no off-shoots or dead end corridors, just solid icy walls. It took me five and a half minutes to get from one end to the other.
Five and a half minutes of anticipation and fear and baited breath . . . and no Miyuki.
It wasn’t the right cave.
I turned and made my disappointed way out. I got back to my rope, tied it around my waist, and sent a ripple up the nylon cords. Shortly after, I felt a tug and was lifted back to the surface.
“Nothing?” Don asked.
“Nothing.”
“Then we keep going.”

A story teller and creator at heart, traversing both performing and visual arts, it is only natural for Shannon to explore a focus on literary pursuits. In Between: the novel, her debut work, is the beginning of this new adventure. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho with her fiancé and her dog, who inspire her imagination more than they'll ever know.

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***RELEASE TOUR, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY*** Counting Daisies by Nicola Haken

 Title: Counting Daisies

Author: Nicola Haken

Genre: MM Romance

Release Date: August 1, 2016

Dylan Roberts and Cameron O’Neil were good kids. Growing up together, they shared everything. By the age of fourteen they were more than best friends – they were in love. They dreamt of their future, of success, marriage…happiness. They were going to grow old by each other’s side. But… “Kids are stupid.” When tragic circumstances forced them apart, Dylan discovered that life wasn’t the fairytale he dreamed of; it was dark, difficult, saturated with pain and shame. Life wasn’t meant to be enjoyed, merely survived, but even that became a challenge. Damaged, worthless, and disgusting, he saw no point to his pitiful existence… Until he came face to face with the boy he used to love. Successful, honourable, and happy, Cameron had achieved the future they planned. He was good, positive, popular…everything Dylan would never be. What would happen if Dylan let him back into his world? Would he destroy Cameron too? Would his poison push him away like everyone else? “Everybody leaves.” “They leave or they die.” But what if…what if Cameron didn’t?

“This is a deep and powerful book with the main theme which is refreshing less about the path of a relationship and way more about the real life gritty obstacles that come on the way of their HEA.” - Reader Review

“This book was phenomenal. I cried so many tears. Story was heart breaking and heartwarming all at the same time.” - SiKReviews

“This was a beautifully crafted story of friendship, love, bonds, addictive behaviour and heartache. It was hugely emotional in parts, and Nicola doesn't hold back.” - 2 Girls & Their Kindles

He clung to my shirt, his knuckles turning white. “Make it s-stop.” 

“I…I don’t know how.”

Fuck this. Fuck heroin. Why the hell would someone do this to themselves? I’d never seen this level of pain before that hadn’t resulted in death, and even that was only on TV. 

Dylan sobbed into my chest and I held him while he did. My arms were all I had to offer. He remained so cold despite my palms rubbing up and down his back, and he was dirty, too - dried up vomit sticking to his skin and hair. I’d never felt so helpless in all my life.

Needing to do something, anything, I climbed to my feet, lifting his body with me. “Come on,” I encouraged, struggling to take his weight on my own. “Try and walk for me.”

He whimpered and mumbled but made little effort to move. So, sliding one arm behind his thighs, I scooped him up like a baby, carrying him towards the bath. He clung to my neck, his grip weak, while I turned on the water. I turned the temperature down to barely warm, worried the heat might burn his shivering skin, before lowering him into the bathtub, under the fine spray of the shower. 

His muscles twitched and his eyes closed as he hugged his knees to his scrawny chest. Taking a sponge and some shower-gel, I scrubbed softly up and down his trembling body, gently manoeuvring his arms and legs when needed so I could clean every inch of him.

“I’m tired, Cam,” he barely whispered, dropping his head to the side.

My heart ached, like it was trapped inside a vice that was trying to crush its ability to beat, as I lathered some shampoo into his fair hair. “You can sleep soon. Nearly done.” 

I tried not to cry as I massaged his scalp. I wanted to be strong, but I’d never felt more vulnerable. Removing the showerhead from the hook on the wall, I hovered it over his head, rinsing away the tea-tree scented suds, before doing the same to the rest of his skin. After shutting the water off, I grabbed a large towel from the heated rail next to the toilet and rubbed it over his skin in the bathtub before lifting him out and doing the same to his back.

“I-I can’t d-do it anymore,” Dylan cried as I wound my arm around his waist, urging him to take a step.

“You are doing it. It’s almost over.” I had no idea if my words were the truth, but I had to hope they were for both of our sakes. Honestly, I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore either.

 

Nicola lives in Rochdale, England with her husband and four children (six if you include the dog and cat!) She is the author the author of the m/m romance Souls of the Knight series, and is currently working on a standalone with new boys, James and Theo, due for release early 2016. When she is not busy playing with her imaginary book friends (or talking about them with real life friends!) she can usually be found carrying out her ordinary mum/housewife/all round slave duties. Oh, and if the kids ever ask, she moonlights as the Pink Power Ranger while they're sleeping...

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***RELEASE BLITZ, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY*** Molly Part Two by Tracy Lorraine

Title: Molly Part Two

Series: Angel #1

Author: Tracy Lorraine

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 Release Date: August 2, 2016

Blurb

After months of fighting their feelings for each other Molly and Ryan have at last decided to make a go of it but will the actions of the guy Molly has been seeing ruin that before it has really started?

As Molly chases after Ryan will she be able to convince him that she is fed up of fighting the connection between and that she is truly ready to start a serious relationship with him despite all her insecurities that keep rearing their ugly heads?

Can Ryan prove to Molly that despite the past she is the only one for him even when his mother starts interfering and tries to break them apart by using Molly’s biggest fears against her?

As a couple will they be able to deal with the unexpected events life throws at them and come out the other side stronger than ever?

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Excerpt

“Oh my god, we have a hot tub!”

I feel him walk up behind me before he engulfs me in his arms. “Yes we do. Fancy trying it out?”

“Hell yes!” I say moving towards the door so we can go and check it out. Ryan lets me go and follows. He removes the lid and turns the underwater lights on.

“You go and get ready while I tidy up the kitchen and pour us some bubbly that we didn’t get to earlier.”

“Okay,” I say rushing off to the bedroom to find a bikini, I don’t remember seeing one when I unpacked but Ryan seems to have thought of everything so it will be here somewhere.

After five minutes of hunting through our cases I give up. “Ryan,” I shout. Moments later he’s in the doorway.

“What’s up gorgeous?”

“I can’t find a bikini, did you pack one?”

“Oh damn, I must have forgot,” he says with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Whoops!”

I place my hands on my hips and glare at him. “Whoops?” I question.

“Guess we’ll just have to go in naked,” he shrugs trying to play it cool.

“Yeah, I guess we will,” I say as I pull my top over my head. When I look back at him I can see his eyes have darkened significantly as he takes in my topless state. I quickly remove my trousers and knickers before grabbing a robe that is hanging in our wardrobe and draping it over my arm. “Are you just going to stand there staring, Ry, or are you going to join me?” I question as I walk past him and out to the decking making sure my hips swing seductively as I go.

When I get to the hot tub I see that he has already put the bottle of champagne on the side in a cooler and two glasses along with a couple of cans of beer for him. I just get settled in one of the moulded seats when Ryan appears in the doorway of the bedroom completely naked. He just stands there and stares at me with a smirk on his face. I can’t help myself, I move over to the edge of the hot tub, rest my chin on my hands on the side and appreciate the work of art in front of me. I slowly take him in head to toe, and back up again! His hair is a total mess from where I was running my hands through it earlier. I move my eyes over his broad shoulders, down his sculpted torso towards his slim waist. My mouth waters at sight of his very obvious excitement before I make my way down his strong thighs and to his feet. I make my way back in at the same speed feeling my heart rate increase and my clit start to throb as I take in every inch of him and commit it to memory. When I make it back up to his eyes I see they are dark with lust and he is biting his bottom lip.

“Finished?” he asks.

“Never! But I think I need to use my hands to ensure what I’m seeing is real.” He quirks an eyebrow at me and slowly starts making his way in my direction. The closer he gets the faster my heart beats.

Author Bio

Tracy Lorraine is fast approaching thirty and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband and slightly crazy dog. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she had dreamt up. Molly has been in production for a while now but at last Tracy feels she is ready to be set free.

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***700 LIKES GIVEAWAY***

 In Celebration of reaching 700 likes on my Facebook page, I am doing a few giveaways.  The first one can be seen below or on my Facebook. Prizes will include some signed paperback from some authors I met a the Hard Rock Author Signing in July. I will include some swag with each book as well.

  

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***COVER REVEAL, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY*** Refrain by Kennedy Ryan

COMING AUGUST 15!

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S Y N O P S I S

People dream of a love that runs deep. So deep it feels like it's always been with you, just waiting for the person who'll own your heart and soul forever. So few ever find it, but for Rhyson Gray and Kai Pearson, happily ever after was only the beginning... One of the biggest rock stars in the world and one of the brightest rising stars make a life together. Sometimes it's glamour-filled days and blissed out nights, but it's mostly staying true in the too-bright glare of the spotlight. It's long stretches where the road is lonely and the work is hard. It's living in a love that's the safest place you know even while danger lurks at your door. Book 3 of The Soul series is an emotionally-charged epic conclusion that had to be told and should not be missed for fans of this series and this couple!   

 

E X C E R P T

She slides onto me, a scalding clasp of flesh. That first thrust steals our breath at the same time, pounds our hearts together, twines our souls into one accord. Rising, falling, she milks me with tight, shallow pumps, her movements barely perceptible, but rippling through me. She captivates me with the tiniest undulation of her hips and takes me so deep I’m sure I’ll come out on the other side of her. Her nails claw into my scalp, stirring a sharp pain into the bliss. She digs her fingers into my shoulders, gripping to hold on as I thrust into this tight, slick fantasy. I piston up and into her with enough force to break her, but she clutches me. Clings to me. I don’t want to come. I want to fuck her infinitely. If I could seal us in this moment, preserve it in amber, I would. I’m not just inside her body. We inhabit each other’s souls. And this thing watering her eyes, clogging my throat, clamping my chest, it’s more than emotion, more than a feeling that could fail or flee. It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever had. If this is light, it’s blinding until she is all I see. If this is sound, it’s music. We are the verse, we are the chorus. And as we come together, her cries harmonizing with mine, this love resounds. It’s loud; so deafeningly loud that all I hear is her. And all she hears is me. We are our own refrain.

Catch up on the Series!

Start with Book 1. Free in KU!

**Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Series**

Book 1, MY SOUL TO KEEP Amazon Goodreads

Book 2, DOWN TO MY SOUL Amazon Goodreads

*Join the MY SOUL TO KEEP read along that starts August 3!*

G I V E A W A Y

Go to Kennedy's Author Page for the chance to win one of (5) Amazon Gift Cards!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I just can't write about myself in third person for one more bio! I'm a wife, a mom, a writer, an advocate for families living with autism. That's me in a nutshell. Crack the nut, and you'll find a Southern girl gone Southern California who loves pizza and Diet Coke, and wishes she got to watch a lot more television. You can usually catch me up too late, on social media too much, or FINALLY putting a dent in my ever-growing TBR. I love to hear from readers at kennedyryanwrites@gmail.com.

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***RELEASE BLITZ,EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY*** Rock Bottom by Josephine Traynor

Title: Rock Bottom
Author: Josephine Traynor
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 1, 2016

Blurb

“Money. Fame. Success. I had it all. And now I have nothing. No band. No contract. I’m roughing it with the commoners, and I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”

Reece Ashton is used to living the dizzying heights of being a celebrity, until his only other band member leaves just as they were about to embark on a world tour. Sold out shows, groupies, and living the high life are long forgotten as he has to learn to fend for himself while living in suburbia. Hiding out in the tiny town of Portmouthe, England is as about as far away from the spotlight as possible. He doesn’t want to be there, but he’s got nothing but time on his hands now that he’s been left high and dry by his band mate. No job, limited money and no life skills - he’s completely out of his element. No one in town knows he’s there except one girl who keeps his secret. Falling in love was never part of his comeback plan.

Madelyn Arnett knows all too well what it’s like to be on the wrong end of the paparazzi. She’s quietly rebuilding her life in the sleepy town of Portmouthe away from the prying eyes of trash media when the most famous musician on earth ends up in her workplace. Worried that when the media comes hunting for him, they will find her and she’s worked too hard to let some spoiled little rock star take her life away from her. But this helpless rock star is in need of a friend. Turns out, she’s the only person on the planet to truly know the real Reece Ashton. Fighting to not fall in love, she knows their time is fleeting as the glare of the spotlight comes hunting for Reece.

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Excerpt

“Have you heard of the term ‘first world problems’? You have Google on your phone, Reece, best get acquainted with it. Man has been doing things for himself for a long time, I guess this is the way of natural selection, who can figure things out and who can’t—”

Running my hand through my hair, I grip the phone tighter. “You know I only use my phone to ring, text and porn.”

“Good God, I’ll send someone around in a week, no doubt you will be dead from starvation or masturbatory dehydration.”

I hold the phone away from my ear and yell, “Laugh it up chuckles. You’ll see. I don’t need any fucking help.”

***

I need help.

I’ve walked for ten minutes, and all I’ve passed is more suburbia. I’m sure I’ve seen this same house three times. I’m ashamed to say that I’m pretty useless with my sense of direction. I can get lost just turning in a circle. The first five minutes of walking was hell. I started to sweat. My pants were clinging to my legs, and the rank stale odour of my body was blowing up wind.

The longest I’ve had to walk was from the door of the hotel to my waiting car on the street, or from the tarmac to the airport. I don’t include the hours across the stage a night. That was fun. This is as boring as bat shit. I don’t have headphones, I don’t have a car, and I don’t have a driver. I don’t have anything that I took for granted. 

The houses are all blending in, and I don’t know which one’s mine. I’m waiting for David to text me the address, but I know he’s taking the piss. Bastard. Teasing me about first world problems. I know I sound like a whiny little bitch, but my life is in stark contrast to what it was forty-eight hours ago, and I’m struggling to adjust.

Author Bio

Josephine Traynor is very good at keeping secrets - she’s been a closeted writer for years but only got brave enough last year to show her writer friend a small chunk of what she’d written. 

She’s a mother of two small boys and only told her husband about her book when it was completed. God knows what he thought she was doing on the computer for all those hours!

Josephine’s a lover of tea and has a thing for all things vanilla. She loves a good book that makes her laugh and has heaps of character growth. Her aim is to write books that inspire, cause sore stomach muscles and have memorable characters for all the right reasons. 

Josephine Traynor is not her real name. The pen name is derived from Josephine being her favourite girls name and Traynor is inspired by Will Traynor from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. His message from that book was for everyone to be brave in this world and to make their mark. This was a huge lesson for her to get over her fear of publishing. She’s doing this for her, her dream is to be a published author, what’s your dream and go after it. 

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