Monday, June 20, 2022

Ghost Light Book Tour and Giveaway

 


Ghost Light

by Jane Tesh

Genre: Paranormal Mystery 

Theodosia "Teddy" Ballard knows nothing about community theater, but when the stage manager for “Little Shop of Horrors” takes a tragic header down the costume-loft stairs, she agrees to fill in for the sake of her actor friend, Will. Teddy takes the superstitions and swelled heads of The Stage in stride—till she meets George Clancy Everhart, the theater ghost, who informs her that the previous stage manager was murdered and demands that she find the killer. Both investigation and rehearsals are complicated when she makes a surprising discovery about her relationship with Will—and learns that George has his own dramatic agenda.

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 “Your whole theater life’s in here,” I said. “Do you keep a scrapbook?”

“No, but you should see my mother’s. She has every ticket, every program, from me being a camel in first grade up to now.” He sighed. “I suppose she’s still doing that.”

My distraction plan was unraveling. “You have to know they’re proud of you. When’s the last time you talked to them?” Will’s parents had moved to Asheville, an arts friendly mountain town about three hours away.

“They came to see Noises Off.”

“Did they tell you how awful you were and that you should give up acting?”

“No. They said the play was hilarious and they enjoyed it very much.”

“Well, then.”

“I don’t know, Teddy.” He turned back to the picture from The Music Man. “I feel as if I’m standing in the reflection of their light, not my own.”

“You have plenty of light. You’re the lightest person I know.”

His eyes narrowed in mock offense. “Are you saying that because you think you can lift me?”

“I know I can lift you.”

“Try it.”

I grabbed him around the waist and tried to heave him off the sofa, which resulted in a brief wrestling match before we both fell on the floor and knocked the stack of scrapbooks over. Will managed to roll on top of me.

“I win!”

“Think again,” I said, and used both hands to smack his shoulder, pushing him off balance long enough to reverse our positions. “Now what are you going to do?”

He grinned up at me. “What are you going to do?”

What was I going to do?

I had a sudden oh my god what now moment, one of many I’d experienced during my lifetime. The first one had been in seventh grade when Bobby Alexander put his hand on my arm in Geometry class, and I’d stared at him until he withdrew. Later, I thought, should I have smiled? Patted his arm? He was a nice fellow, very friendly, but I missed some sort of signal and it was too late to go back. The next incident had been during a date that Grandmother Louise, worried about my lack of interest, had arranged with one of her friend’s sons. I’d forgotten his name, but we went to a concert, and halfway through, he reached for my hand and held it. What now? I remember thinking. I’m supposed to feel something, aren’t I? I’m supposed to do something, but what? More awkward dates followed until I’d had enough. I didn’t go to my high school prom, or have sex in the back of a car, or have a boyfriend to break up with and agonize over or any of those things I thought everyone did.

There was another incident not too many years ago. Jackie and several of my girlfriends invited me to go see a Chippendales show in Parkland. All I could think of was, Eeww, no. I did not want to see overly developed men with abdomens like alien turtles gyrate. Everyone else in the world thought these strange moves were sexy. What was wrong with me? I knew I wasn’t gay. I liked men. What was I?

Then there was Will. He was exactly the right size and shape, athletic, but not full of weird muscles. I liked looking at him, his hair, his beautiful eyes. I thought he was very handsome. But right now—I was at a loss. I’d seen enough movies and read enough novels to be acutely aware that right now, with me on top and him smiling up at me, this was a stereotypical situation when I was supposed to have overwhelming desire to lean down and kiss him, which would lead to a wild passionate make out session on the floor. Didn’t all this involve words like groping and heaving and thunder and lightning and so forth? Was this the point where I declared myself?

Jane Tesh, a retired media specialist, lives in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith’s home town, the real Mayberry. She is the author of the Madeline Maclin Mysteries, featuring former beauty queen, Madeline “Mac” Maclin and her reformed con man husband, Jerry Fairweather, and the Grace Street Mystery Series, featuring struggling PI David Randall, his psychic friend, Camden, and an array of tenants who move in and out of Cam’s boarding house at 302 Grace Street. Ghost Light is her first standalone mystery and the first to feature an asexual heroine.

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Friday, June 10, 2022

The Antonello Brothers Sci-Fi Romance Box Set

  


Complete Set of The Antonello Brothers 

by Kayelle Allen
New Release

Synopsis

Snuggle up with the Antonello Brothers. This boxed set contains all five exciting stories in the science fiction romance series, plus links to three bonus books.

♥ A Stolen Heart - This child can steal anything. Including a warrior-pirate's heart...
♥ Bro - He can be invisible, but he can't hide from the truth...
♥ At the Mercy of Her Pleasure - She's addictive. He can't touch her. But what if he kissed her just once...
♥ For Women Only - His secret truth is her people's darkest lie...
♥ Crystal Clear Truth - How can you trust when your own truth is a lie...

Three brothers. One missing mother. Not raised together, none of the brothers knows about the other. That is, until fate brings the youngest into the life of a former warrior-pirate. From the moment Luc decides to intervene and save a frightened child, nothing in his life will ever be the same.

If you like science fiction romance on the sweeter side, have an ache for wounded heroes, and admire heroines who don't wait around to be rescued... The Antonello Brothers series is for you.



#SciFi #Romance #Read #BookSeries #Read #NewRelease #BookTour #RenesGetaway #RLFBlog #AntonelloBrothers


Purchase Links

Universal Buy Link https://books2read.com/ab-complete

Website https://kayelleallen.com/antonello-brothers/

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Z6G6JHJ


Excerpts

#1 - A Stolen Heart

A Stolen Heart

In this scene, Luc and Senthys are riding in Luc's hoversine (a limousine that flies right above the ground). The word arcane conjures up magic and sorcery, but its definition is "requiring secret or mysterious knowledge." To Luc, who's an Arcane Master in the Thieves' Guild, those secrets are the lifeblood of the skill. Here, he explains one of the basic rules to Senthys, who is three. Pietas is the king, Luc's ex.

The boy swung his feet, which, on the short rise of the hoversine's safety seat, meant he kicked the main seat with his heels.

That was already old and it had just started. Luc leaned down close to distract him. "Let's learn some thief rules."

"Why?" Senthys tilted his head. "Don't you already know them?"

Luc stopped himself from reacting. After all, he was talking to a child, not that different from talking to Pietas. "Yes, I do, and I'm going to teach them to you. I told you there would be two rules inside the store and if you obeyed them, you could pick out a toy."

"Oh. I 'member." Like Luc, Senthys folded his hands before him. "Ready."

"You are to stay next to me at all times. You may hold my hand if you like, but do not leave me to look at things, or to see things unless I give you permission. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Say it back to me."

"Um..." The boy fidgeted. "All of it?"

Luc decided against counting for patience--to any number. "Tell me what you understood."

"Stay with you."

"Good! That's perfect."

The child bounced in his seat.

How delighted this boy was to do well. Luc must encourage that. "The other rule is not to steal anything in this store. Say it back to me."

"Don't steal in the store?"

"That's right!" Luc patted his hands together. "What a good job."

Senthys clapped, grinning.

"I'm going to tell you something and I want you to always remember it. Honorable thieves do not steal unless under contract. If an honorable thief cannot afford something, then he must work a regular job to earn the money." Luc placed a hand on the boy's arm. "My Deshai are honorable. They do not take things without a contract. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Can I have a contract?"

"You can have one when you reach level thirteen. At that level, you can be hired professionally."

"Are you level thirteen?"

Luc brushed at his sleeve. "I'm level forty-eight."

"Oh." The boy nodded as if impressed. "Is that better than thirteen?"

Amusing, however deflating that might be. "Quite a bit better," Luc told him. "It's the highest in the Guild. Arcane Master."

Senthys cocked his head. "Then that's what I want to be. A Arcane Mister."

"Master," Luc corrected, smiling. "Arcane Master."

"Arcane Master. I want to be that. Brinn says I can be anything."

True words. Luc held up a hand, reached across the seat, and Senthys high-fived him. "Your brother is absolutely right."

#2 - Bro

Bro

In this scene from Bro, Senth is playing with a new tool he acquired for work as a thief, a cloak that makes him invisible. And he's about to test it on a room filled with bullies--his peers.


Senth shook out the midnight blue cloak. The garment resembled the previous cape he'd worn for years, and had the standard lining with the Guild symbol, a skeleton key behind a slashed circle. Supposedly, the cloth inside had the same ability to view images and video. The back fell straight down from his shoulders to the ground. Multiple pockets allowed him to carry equipment and stash items. Hidden sleeves let him wear it as a coat.

Best of all, it had room for all his tools and lockpicks.

After slipping it on, he pulled on gloves of the same material. When he lifted the hood, the Nightstealth film embedded in the cloth activated.

His body disappeared.

For a moment, he had the sensation of floating, and threw out his arms to steady himself. Recalling his training, he closed his eyes to reorient himself, took a deep, steadying breath and opened them.

The world stabilized.

The cloak had fooled him, but how well would that sucker work on a group of thieves who'd been training to use it for weeks?

Senth strode right through the entrance to the Great Hall and straight to the thieves waiting in line. Taking care not to disturb the air and cause a breeze where none should be, he strolled along the crowd, looking each person in the eye. The thrum of voices continued, unabated. He stepped back, waved his arms. Jumped up and down.

Nada, zip, zilch, zero.

No one glanced his way.

No response.

No disturbance in the hive.

He'd been erased from the room.

Senth pumped both fists in the air.

His professors had droned on about the layers of nano-reflector-whatevers and the history of its development. Huge yawner. What mattered was it worked.

If this upgrade fooled copbots as well as it did people, he'd live up to his guild name, Blue Shadow. And how perfect was that?

Time to test it in public.

#3 - At The Mercy of Her Pleasure

At The Mercy of Her Pleasure

In this scene from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen, NarrAy Jorlan has just met Senth Antonello for the first time. She's taking it slow, sizing him up for the job at hand. Usually, men are distracted by her pheromones, but on this occasion, she finds herself on the distracted side.

NarrAy crossed her legs, exposing a good portion of her skin under the short dress. If she'd been sitting opposite Senth, the length might have been welcome. But his father lounged in that chair and Senth sat beside her on the couch. Her position put her a little closer to him.

"Empress Destoiya murdered my parents," NarrAy continued her story, "as surely as if she'd been the one who shot them in the back. They were scientists working on secret technology. When rumors got out that they were planning to give their findings to the rebellion, the Conqueror had them killed and then confiscated everything, including their personal belongings. There was a locket my mother inherited from my grandmother, which my grandmother inherited from her grandmother. It's mine and I want it back."

#4 - For Women Only

For Women Only

In this scene from For Women Only, Khyff has received a notereader (a tablet-type device) filled with information about his mother, who died when he was three. More info is available to him, but at what price?


Khyff flung himself back in his chair. Every time he and his brother talked, they ended up arguing. Khyff rubbed his eyes. The pleasant meal they'd started lay almost untouched and any appetite he'd had was gone.

It had taken seconds to read the all too short bio of their mother that his brother was perusing.

Sileenya Antonello had run away from home on Trien at age ten and been arrested for theft at eleven. While still on probation, she'd disappeared at thirteen and been arrested at age fourteen for unlicensed prostitution. When her pregnancy test had come back positive, they'd placed her back on probation. She'd run away again and been fifteen when she'd given birth to Khyff.

Two years later she began living with an armada-enlisted man who transferred to Felidae, taking Sileenya and Khyff with him, but then he abandoned them. Her next boyfriend addicted her to drugs and prostituted her to newly recruited male Kin soldiers eager to spend their first pay to experience sex with a human female. When she became pregnant, he transferred off-planet, leaving them to fend for themselves.

An Elder of the Ruh clan found Sileenya huddled in an alley during a thunderstorm, holding the nearly lifeless Khyff in her arms. A scant month later, the Tzesar of the Kin ordered the halfbreed newborn destroyed, but the elder intervened and sold Senth to slavers to save his life.

Sileenya and Khyff had been cast into the streets.

Days later, she was dead by her own hand and Khyff was a slave. Senth ended up at an orphanage where he was later adopted by Luc Saint-Cyr.

Senth poked at the notereader's buttons. "This thing is encrypted. What if the Empress knows who my father is? Don't I have a right to know that? You have to talk to her. Find out what she wants. Maybe she'll give you the key."

"Destoiya's not going to give me information without demanding a favor. I have nothing left to give that woman. She's already taken way too much."

"Khyff, that's unfair. I need this. You can't ice up and go all mental."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

His brother growled, a predatory cat sound that made the hair on Khyff's neck stand up. He scrambled out of his chair and stepped back from the table.

"That"--Senth pointed a finger at him--"is what I mean. I do anything Kin-like and you freak. Get hold of yourself, Khyff. You're falling apart. The brother I knew two years ago would've done whatever it took to find out who his father was. He would've helped me find mine."

#5 - Crystal Clear Truth

Crystal Clear Truth

In this scene from Crystal Clear Truth, Shohn and Joe meet for dinner and to discuss how Shohn's company, idBot, can help Joe find the person he's looking for.

Though she knew the answer, Shohn asked, "How many doctorates do you hold, Joe?"

"Three. I always wanted to research firestorms, so I have one in the new Firestorm Science, directed by my father, one in Energy-and-Power Engineering, and one in the old favorite for geologists, Fluvial Geomorphology."

"What is that last about?"

"Characteristics and configuration of land forms, and their evolution. My father wrote two books in that field."Joe scooted his chair closer. "Is it true that what I say to idBot stays with idBot?"

"It is. Like lawyers and clergy."

"My father considered firestorms not as random incidents." He chewed his lower lip, his bright-blue gaze focused on Shohn. "Kin know when someone's lying, isn't that right?"

"Yes. Human scent gives them away. It's not impossible to lie to us without us knowing, but it is rare."

"You'll know what I say is the truth, correct?"

What was he getting at? Did he plan to lie? Odd way to go about it, if so. "I would know whether you believed something was true."

"Okay." Joe squared his shoulders. "My father believed firestorms have a personal agenda."

She considered those words. "What you're saying is he thought the firestorms themselves were planning where to strike."

"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but when you examine the evidence..." He sighed. "I don't mean to sound condescending, but you wouldn't understand. There are only a handful of people who would, and those few are all in the TCF. But they refused to take him seriously."

If Saint-Cyr could hear this, he would be cheering. Firestorms did indeed have their own agenda, but this was the first time anyone other than an immortal had recognized it.

Gaining Joe's trust might be the key to carrying out both her missions.

Shohn laid back one ear. "I imagine the TCF tried to silence him."

"They thought he'd lost his mind. He and I debated his theory often, and we'd swap sides. We'd each argue for, then against. We tried poking holes in it, but it held. It frustrated him that the TCF considered his observations 'metaphysical' instead of scientific."

"They didn't appreciate the balance between the two?"

"Not one bit." Joe folded his hands on the table. "My dad literally wrote the book on firestorms, and knew what he was talking about. They'd never dream of letting him go, of course, even if they considered his later theories quackery. I'm more careful about discussing the topic."

"You're saying that, professionally, you have to be dishonest about your beliefs."

"Yes. At least, inside the TCF. I don't talk about what I believe, and I document none of what I do with the TCF. Dad's research was private, but they laid claim to it when he died, and suppressed it. What they don't know is that I have copies of everything in a secure location. His final theories were ridiculed when he was alive, and now that he's gone, they exist, officially, only in what we shared, what I remember, and handwritten notes I've locked away."

About the Author


Kayelle Allen writes sci-fi and space opera with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role-playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.

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Sunday, June 5, 2022

Cinco de Mayo Book Tour and Giveaway

 


Cinco de Mayo: What Is Everybody Celebrating?

2nd Edition

by Donald W. Miles

Genre: Nonfiction, Hispanic History

Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a holiday so popular that in the United States it draws larger crowds than here in the United States. About half a million people turn out for the annual event in Los Angeles alone, but exactly what is everybody celebrating? They're there for the music - and the half-priced margaritas - but if you ask around, you won't find many people who can tell you what happened in Mexico on that day. There are very few adult-level books currently on the market about that subject, but readers can now learn how the Mexicans took back their country after a five-year struggle against the French army in this 90,000-word book, Cinco de Mayo: What is Everybody Celebrating? (2nd Ed.)

The original 2006 edition has now been upgraded to include color photographs in every chapter and maps to help readers navigate the story. There's also a new cover which has already won graphics awards for the book design firm that created it. The photos were taken by the author and his wife (who is originally from Mexico City, ) during more than 50 years of family visits and travel to as many as 53 cities in Mexico.

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Don Miles’ professional career of almost 50 years was split about evenly between teaching and broadcasting. He was News Director for radio stations in NYC, NY, CT, FL, NE and Texas. He won AP’s “Best Newscast” award in Nebraska, his news teams in Florida and Nebraska have won numerous awards, and he has judged broadcast news awards for UPI Rhode Island. He has taught at the Universities of Florida and Nebraska, at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas,and at elementary schools in New York, Connecticut and Texas.

He is the author of two books in the field of broadcast news: Broadcast News Handbook and Broadcast Newswriting Stylebook. He has a bachelor's in education from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a master's in journalism and Communications from the University of Florida.

This is Don’s fifth book. There was a 2006 edition of this current volume, but several new features appear in the new version including maps to help the reader navigate the text and color photos in every chapter. There was also Cinco de Mayo, the Novel, published in 2012.

Don’s inspiration for this book came mainly from his late wife, Dr. Minerva Gonzalez-Angulo Miles. Minerva grew up in Mexico City near Emperor Maximilian’s Chapultepec Castle, and would often visit the castle and view the portrait of the emperor and empress whose story is featured as part of the history you’ll follow as you read the book.

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Friday, June 3, 2022

The Eidola Project Guest Post and Giveaway

 


The Eidola Project

An Eidola Project Novel Book 1

by Robert Herold

Genre: Horror 


A gothic version of the X-Files. The Eidola Project is a 19th century team of ghost hunters who become ensnared in a deadly investigation of a haunted house.

 They are a psychology professor, his assistant, an African-American physicist, a young sideshow medium, and a traumatized Civil War veteran, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses. Will any of them survive?

**On Sale for Only .99 cents June 3rd- July 1st!!**

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Excerpt from The Eidola Project:

Sarah retrieved the lamp and twisted the peg. The outhouse door swung open on its own, and she gasped.

“Momma?” Sarah asked as she held out her lantern. No. A ruined version of Molly stood in the doorway.

Before her disappearance, people often commented on the sixteen-year-old’s beauty, but in the last twenty-eight days birds pecked out her pretty blue eyes, and maggots now swam in the sockets. Molly’s head hung to the left at an odd angle. Her skin looked mottled with patches of gray, blue, and black. A beetle crawled out of Molly’s half-opened mouth and darted back in.

Sarah’s heart leaped to her throat, and she jumped back. She lost her footing, fell onto the outhouse seat, and dropped the lantern to the floor. She bent to retrieve it; thankful the glass globe did not break. Sarah looked up and saw an empty doorway.

Impossible, she told herself. Must’ve dozed off, had a nightmare, and woke up when I dropped the lamp. Her heart still pounded in her chest, and Sarah took a deep breath to calm herself.

Holding the lamp before her once more, she crept out…


Moonlight Becomes You

An Eidola Project Novel Book 2


The Eidola Project travels to Petersburg, Virginia, to investigate a series of murders in the Black community—rumored to be caused by a werewolf. Once there, danger comes from all quarters. Not only do they face threats from the supernatural, the KKK objects to the team's activities, and the group is falling apart. Can they overcome their human frailties to defeat the evil that surrounds them?

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Excerpt from Moonlight Becomes You:

Doc Curtis fought for every reserve of strength and managed to quicken his pace. He could hear them shouting behind him and dared not look back, fearing it might slow him just that much more.

He made it through the field and emerged onto a rough access road running between the cultivated land on one side and the woods on the other. The doctor dashed across the dirt road and through the weeds and scrub bordering its opposite side. The trees stood twenty yards ahead. He would make it, find a thick trunk to hide behind, and fire a warning shot. If he could drive them off, it would be best. If not, he would do what needed to be done. Life had reduced itself to its most basic terms: kill or be killed.

Just five yards from the trees, a gigantic black beast bounded from the woods and landed before him. The doctor skittered to a stop, and his feet went out from beneath him. The creature stepped closer, looming. Its eyes glowed red, and the skin around its muzzle drew back, revealing a mouthful of sharp canine teeth.

The Klan had come at him in two directions, the doctor realized.

He raised his pistol and fired into the snarling face above him.

Totem of Terror

An Eidola Project Novel Book 3


The Eidola Project, a team of 19th Century ghost hunters, have been tasked with trying to stop a deadly shapeshifting demon attacking the native people of La Push, on the Washington Coast. The team brings their own demons with them, in the form of drug addiction, a werewolf's curse, and being in mourning from the death of a loved one. Can they rise to this new challenge, or will they face they same grisly end as the shapeshifter's other victims?

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Excerpt From Totem of Terror:

“Mother!” Kitichid’s voice sounded almost seductive. The girl put her arms around her mother’s head in a childish embrace. Kitichid appeared to whisper in Taka’s right ear as a look of puzzlement and pain came over Taka’s face.

The old shaman ran up and grabbed the girl’s hair, wrenching her head back. A loud popping sound filled the room as he broke the seal around Taka’s ear. Saliookcha let go of his wife and child in shock as a fountain of blood and gray matter spewed from his wife’s ear. Taka’s body collapsed inward upon itself, looking like a withered husk as it fell to the ground.

Check out Robert's other new release! 

Witch Ever Way You Go

A Friday the 13th Story

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What inspired you to write this book?

The Eidola Project series began with a story I wrote about for my junior high school English class. The teacher loved the story and had me read it to the class. I was hooked (but it was a long time until I found my way back to making it a novel). Years later, a tv writing guru, Larry Brody, suggested I try writing novels as a way of breaking in. It turns out I really like writing novels and plan to stick with it.

The first chapter of Totem of Terror, my newest novel, was originally a short story I wrote for a college class many years ago. The teacher had us read our stories to the class. He asked how long I had worked on it. I told him I couldn’t say, because I had revised it something like twenty times. He looked at me and said, “You may have what it takes to become a writer.”
The lesson from all of this is don’t throw away your stories and ideas. They may well be useful to you later!

What can we expect from you in the future?

I just completed a novella titled Witch Ever Way You Go. I’m working on the sequel to that. I also plan to start another installment for the Eidola Project Series, either the fourth in the series, or a prequel. I have ideas for both. I also have an idea for a YA or middle grade fantasy/adventure novel. I also have a novel I wrote long ago and shelved. I may dust it off and see what I can do with it.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

I have a prequel in mind for the Eidola Project Series and I’m also considering a side story about Monique, the witch who has been plaguing Nigel. (Several readers have requested that!)

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in (Name of book)?

Totem of Terror is the latest installment in the Eidola Project Series. The Eidola Project is an intrepid group of supernatural investigators dedicated to bringing the light of science to that which has been feared, misunderstood, and often manipulated by charlatans. They are William James, a real person who was the father of psychology in America and was also fascinated with the supernatural, Annabelle Douglas, his assistant and second in command, Edgar Gilpin, a brilliant African-American physicist, Sarah Bradbury, a sideshow medium with real powers, and Nigel Pickford, a traumatized Civil War lieutenant who also has supernatural abilities, but is suffering under a witch’s curse. Each possesses unique strengths and weaknesses.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

I read a marvelous nonfiction book, Ghost Hunters, William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death, by Deborah Blum. The book chronicles James’ study of the supernatural and his eventual conflict with the head of the American Society for Psychical Research. I imagined that this was a catalyst for James to start his own organization and my books chronicle their adventures.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

William James was a real person, a Harvard professor and father of the study of psychology in America. He was also an avid investigator of the supernatural. Annabelle was a character in a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Gilpin was totally made up. Sarah Bradbury’s last name is one of my favorite writers. Nigel Pickford was a young Confederate lieutenant in the Civil War. His last name is similar to Pickett, who led the infamous offensive during the Battle of Gettysburg. In Totem of Terror, the Indian agent was a real person, but his family and the experiences that befall him were largely fictitious. I hope his descendants, and those of William James, will forgive me.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I can’t tell you without spoiling it for you!

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

Annabelle Douglas is an intelligent, strong-willed woman whose mother has recently died. She began the group with William James and is second in command.

William James is a real figure from history. He was a brilliant professor of psychology at Harvard and was really into investigations of the supernatural.

How did you come up with the title of the book?

Eidola is a Greek word for ghosts. The group began to investigate reports of the paranormal. However, they have begun to encounter all kinds of supernatural creatures.

Moonlight Becomes You is a pun on the werewolf theme.

Totem of Terror has the group traveling across the country to the Washington Territory. The bulk of the book takes place among the native people on the NW Coast.

Who designed your book covers?

Debbie Taylor. She’s done a great job!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Nope. The book has already been through many drafts and represents my best effort.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I do a lot of research in the writing of my books to bring the past to life. I aim to make the books believable so that when supernatural elements are introduced, they seem believable too. I address a lot of the social ills of the time, including prejudice, drug abuse, and sexism—issues that still plague us today. Many of the nonsupernatural events in the books really happened.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Joseph Gordon Leavitt would make a great Nigel. He has a broad range to his acting and I think he could make an excellent cad but with a wounded soul.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Eat your veggies!

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

I always come up with an ending first, so I’m in the driver’s seat and know where we’re headed.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

My books have won a number of awards, as seen on my website https://robertheroldauthor.com

If you would enjoy a gothic version of The X-Files, then The Eidola Project series is for you!

Have you written any other books that are not published?

I have a book that I wrote many years ago that I’m thinking of dusting off and reworking. I’m going to hold off on the title for now.

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

Is there a graveyard scent?

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend, and numerous other stories, novels, and screenplays. Matheson successfully straddled all those mediums. I would be interested in any tips he might have. (Note: After writing this, I went onto YouTube and found several interviews where he does just that!)


The supernatural always had the allure of forbidden fruit, ever since Robert Herold’s mother refused to allow him, as a boy, to watch creature features on late night TV. She caved in. (Well, not literally.)

As a child, fresh snow provided him the opportunity to walk out onto neighbors’ lawns halfway and then make paw prints with his fingers as far as he could stretch. He would retrace the paw and boot prints, then fetch the neighbor kids and point out that someone turned into a werewolf on their front lawn. (They were skeptical.)

He has pursued many interests over the years (among them being a history teacher and a musician), but the supernatural always called to him. You could say he was haunted. Finally, following the siren’s call, he wrote The Eidola Project, based on a germ of an idea he had as a teenager.

Ultimately, he hopes his books give you the creeps, and he means that in the best way possible.

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Thursday, June 2, 2022

Incognito Guest Post and Giveaway

 


Incognito: Secret Lives, Forbidden Loves
By Lisabet Sarai

Taboo contemporary erotic romance (Five flames)
BDSM/Ménage/Multiple partners/lesbian/gay
Smashwords and Amazon KDP (Fourth edition)
ISBN (Smashwords):  9781005550738
ASIN: B0B1N7CTMQ
Approximately 87,000 words, 293 pages
HEA ending

#menage #lgbtq #eroticromance #bondage #discipline #dominance #submission  #victorian #boston #beaconhill #london #crossdressing #literature #Shakespeare 

Not for the Faint of Heart

I don’t like “reader’s advisories”, especially when they detail every sexual activity included in a novel. Erotica is not about sex acts, but about desire and its fulfillment. 

On the other hand, I don’t want to offend any readers who pick up my new release Incognito without a clear understanding that it contains taboo content. 

I’m willing to admit, some people might be shocked by this book. Both Miranda and Mark are polymorphously perverse characters, attracted to both their own and the opposite sex. They’re natural switches, drawn to roles on both sides of the BDSM power equation. The book includes pretty much every variety of sexual encounter, from incest fantasies to age play to cross-dressing. I’m sure that some readers would dismiss the book as nothing but gratuitous sex. 

That’s not how I see it, though. Incognito is, first and foremost, the story of one woman’s journey to realize and express her sexuality. Miranda’s heart-crushing initiation into sex leaves her emotionally scarred, unable to reconcile the experiences of love and lust. She’s ultimately healed by her relationship with Mark, a man who’s open and accepting of all her desires – even the most extreme.


             
Shy and serious by day—insatiable by night.

Blurb

During the day, Miranda Cahill works diligently on her doctoral thesis. At night, she has sex with strangers.

Public coupling, multiple partners, age play, spankings, bondage, lesbian lust—each salacious adventure exposes new dimensions of her depravity. Her secret life explodes when she realizes her masked partner at a kink club and the charismatic colleague courting her are in fact the same man.

Dickens scholar Mark Anderson seems like an affable, uncomplicated Midwesterner, but he has hidden depths, myriad talents, and an unlimited appetite for erotic variety. With Mark as her guide, Miranda comes to accept the intricacy of her own desires, as well as to trust her heart.

Reader Advisory: This novel is an erotic romance featuring a committed relationship and culminating in a wedding. Nevertheless, the main characters participate in a wide range of taboo sexual activities, both together and separately.

Excerpt 

A knock on her office door brought Miranda back to the here and now. She had been lost, uncharacteristically, in the manuscript, a classic piece from the collection of the British Museum. There were no annotations, no commentary, on the photocopied pages. Her laptop, neglected, had turned itself off to save power. She sighed and shook her head as if to clear away the lascivious images.

“Come in,” she called, wondering who it could be. She often worked on Saturdays, precisely because the department was deserted and she could read and write undisturbed.

The grizzled head of Harold Scofield poked through the door. “Hello, Miranda. I am sorry to intrude, but I have someone to whom I would like to introduce you.”

Miranda smiled to herself; her genial thesis advisor always sounded like a grammar textbook. The gray-bearded figure in suspenders bustled in, followed by an attractive young man in dark-framed eyeglasses.

“Miranda, I would like to present Mark Anderson, our new lecturer. Mark will be handling the Dickens course for the summer session.”

“Mark, this is Miranda Cahill, my most promising graduate student.” Miranda blushed, and Dr. Scofield’s eyes twinkled. “Miranda has chosen a rather controversial topic for her thesis, a new interpretation of the corpus of Victorian erotica.”

The newcomer’s polite smile expanded to a grin. “Really. That’s fascinating. Sounds far more—stimulating—than my dissertation on the metaphorical significance of orphans in Dickens and his contemporaries.”

Miranda’s blush deepened as she noted the double entendre. She met his teasing gaze, almost defiantly. “Yes, it is an intriguing topic, and I believe one of considerable literary and social significance, as well.” He had thick, dark hair, slightly tousled. His eyes behind the glasses were velvety brown with glints of gold. In his face, she saw intelligence, energy, and humor.

“Miranda has championed an unusual theory, that the explosion of sexually-oriented writing during the latter half of the nineteenth century was a reflection of actual practices, rather than a reaction against repressive public morals.” Her advisor appeared to be enjoying the role of agent provocateur. “She believes that the detailed accounts of sexual adventure and aberration published during the era chronicled real experiences, not merely fantasies.”

“Hmm.” Their bespectacled companion looked both amused and interested. “What evidence do you have to support this proposition?”

“Well, to begin with,” said Miranda, automatically adopting an academic tone, “a significant fraction of these writings are first person accounts. And a surprising number are related from a woman’s perspective. If this were primarily a literature of fantasy and titillation, I would expect a male point-of-view to dominate, as it does in modern pornography.” Miranda was encouraged to see that her audience listened attentively and gave due consideration to her points.

“Secondly, these tales are full of real-world details and commentary that would be superfluous and even distracting in fictional erotica. The protagonists discuss social issues such as poverty, child abuse, oppression of the lower classes, things that can only detract from a work intended as escapist fantasy. Even a hack pornographer knows better than to mention the unpleasant or the mundane, illegitimate pregnancies, unpaid bills, rising damp. Yet references to such items are common in the corpus.

“Finally, I find in many of these writings a thoughtfulness that conflicts with the conventions of the pornographic genre. The narrators are engaged in a wide variety of sexual activities, which are described in vivid and provocative detail. At the same time, in many cases, they reflect on their own desires and behaviors, sometimes justifying themselves in the face of the official morality, sometimes castigating themselves for weakness and sinfulness. Either way, there is a psychological depth that would be redundant in fictional erotica.”

“So, what you are saying,” interposed Mark with a grin, “is that a fictional character would simply go ahead and bugger his maid, whereas an individual writing a clandestine diary would spend some time and effort wondering why he wanted to bugger his maid, before he got around to actually doing it?”



Incognito New Release Giveaway

Win a $10 bookstore GC or free books in my INCOGNITO giveaway. Contest runs from June 1 to June 15.

To enter, do any or all of the following. (Each action is one entry.)

o Join my VIP email list: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

o Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisabet-sarai

o Email me, telling me what book of mine you’d like to read: contest@lisabetsarai.com

On June 16th, I will randomly select one grand-prize winner who’ll get a $10 gift certificate, plus two runner-ups who can choose any ebook from my indie back list. 


Buy Links

Kinky Literature: https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/362-incognito-secret-lives-forbidden-loves

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1N7CTMQ

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B1N7CTMQ

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165857058

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1147874

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/incognito-secret-lives-forbidden-loves

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61138791-incognito




Review Quotes

“…brings a fabulous level of intensity and sensuality to the reader.” ~ Dawnie, Fallen Angels Reviews (5 Angels)


“Sarai skillfully combines the present day storyline with some tantalizing Victorian history. This book is well researched, erudite, well plotted and very sexy. Highly recommended.” ~ Emma K., Amazon (5 stars)


"Truly a buffet of pleasures, with something for everyone. There's the enjoyment of piecing together the mirroring, multi-layered narratives. Historical and literary echoes provide extra spice for the careful reader—in particular Shakespeare fans might enjoy the parallels to Miranda in The Tempest—all sweetened with abundant humor and clever feminist twists. Always you'll find masterful prose in sizzling erotic scenes that offer flavors to please any palate. And last but not least, the novel will change your view of the world in surprising ways." Donna George Story, Erotica Readers and Writers Association.


About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genreparanormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Youll find information and excerpts from all Lisabets books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. Shes also on Goodreads, Pinterest, and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh