Faerieground: Wish + Giveaway

Synopsis: Two friends, torn apart. Soli and Lucy argue, and then Lucy disappears, taken by the faeries who live in the forest near their homes. Can Soli save her friend, even if it means facing the biggest dangers she's ever experienced?

Willow Forest is a mysterious and magical place and Soli and Lucy have been told never to wish while there. The forest has a connection to Faeries and they will make your wishes come true, only not as you intended them. Beautifully illustrated, the text is interspersed with vibrant illustrations.  This creates a unqiue, graphic storytelling reading experience.

My Review:  I LOVED Faeriesground: WISH - I can't wait for the next one to come out.  I am not a huge fan of paranormal unless it faeries or witches (good chicklit type witches).  Vampires, zombies, ghosts....are not my thing.  WISH's focus was faeries, but I have a feeling there will be more about a witch (good one) in the book.  I hope so!  

Soli and Lucy have been more like sisters for as long as they can remember.  Their bond is so strong, but when Soli gets angry at Lucy one day, she makes a wish in the forest and is not able to take it back.    I don't want to give anything away, but it is very exciting and the girls friendship is tested to the max.  What they discover and how the book is fantastic and left me wanting MORE!

The illustrations included throughout the book are beautiful and give the book a special touch.  I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about a book with illustrations - but it added so much too a wonderful book.

Even though WISH is targeted for 8 - 13 years old, it is a must read for any age! Bravo ladies - I LOVED it!

Meet the Authors and Illustrator: 

Beth Bracken is a children's book editor. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, Steve, and their son, Sam. When she's not reading, writing, or editing books, Beth spends most of her time knitting endlessly while watching reruns of old TV shows and drinking lots of tea.

Kay Fraser is from Buenos Aires. She left home at eighteen and moved to North Dakota—basically the exact opposite of Argentina. These days, she designs books, writes, makes tea for her husband, and drives her daughters to their dance lessons.

Odessa Sawyer is an illustrator from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She works mainly in digital mixed media, utilizing digital painting, photography, and traditional pen and ink. Odessa's work has graced book covers from many top publishing houses, and she has also done work for various film and television projects, posters, and album covers. Highly influenced by fantasy, fairy tales, fashion, and classic horror, Odessa's work celebrates a whimsical, dreamy, and vibrant quality.

Connect:  You can connect with the authors and illustrator online at their website and you check out the book trailer video here!

Giveaway:  I am so excited to be able to offer one lucky person (in US/Can) their own copy of Faeriesground WISH!  All you have to do is: 

• Follow this blog (via email of GFC) and 
• Leave me a comment letting me know your what your favorite type of paranormal book is....vampires, faeries, witches, zombies, ghost, etc.  

Make sure you leave me your email address (email at where ever dot com is more than fine).  

Contest ends May 4th, midnight, EST.  Goodluck!

Green Beans & Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement - Guest Post

Synopsis (from Amazon.com): Green Beans and Ice Cream? At first glance, they don’t sound like they go together. But this groundbreaking new book from author Bill Sims, Jr. will change forever the way you deal with your family, customers, coworkers, students, and yes, even your spouse! 

In Bill’s thirty year history, he has helped design more than one thousand behavior change systems that have produced tremendous gains in performance and profits at America’s top companies including Disney, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, General Motors, and Dupont. Hidden in this book you will find Bill’s “secret sauce”, and the recipe for rapid, sustainable behavior change and engagement--Positive Reinforcement (PR+) The book explains why positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. 

Use it wisely, and performance moves off the chart. Use it poorly, and the results can be disastrous. Green Beans & Ice Cream analyzes over 100 years of research in the field of human behavioral science, and compares it to “real world, in the trenches” true stories that Sims recounts. It points out clearly that the thing we need the most, is the thing we often receive the least—positive reinforcement and feedback from those around us. Using the techniques outlined in this book, you can master the remarkable power of positive reinforcement, and make a real difference in the world around you. This book is for everyone who must lead others. Whether in the family, the school, or the workplace, it is a “must read” for anyone who wants to improve the performance of their team. With this first book, Sims has dropped a stone in the still pond of leadership. The waves will only get bigger.

Meet the Author: Bill Sims, Jr., is President of The Bill Sims Company, Inc. For nearly 30 years, Sims has created behavior-based recognition programs that have helped large and small firms to deliver positive reinforcement to inspire better performance from employees and increase bottom line profits. A sought-after speaker, he has delivered leadership workshops and keynote speeches around the globe and has built more than 1,000 positive reinforcement systems at firms including DuPont, Siemens VDO, Coca-Cola, and Disney.

Words With the Author: I am so happy to share with you all, this post from Bill Sims, Jr., about his book Green Beans & Ice Cream: The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement.  

A week or so ago a friend of mine in Alaska told me  a story that I think sums up the power of the book…

“Some years ago, my 9 year old son Timmy asked me if he could cut the grass. Now my yard is a big one, and grass grows fast when you have 20 hours of sunlight a day in Alaska. Plus, I’m a fanatic about straight lines of cut grass. I guess you could say I cut grass with military precision.  After a long deliberation I told Tim he could cut the grass, if he could crank the mower.

I figured he would try a few times and give up. But not Timmy. That kid was out there for three days solid pulling that old starter cord.

Then my wife called me at work.

“Shane, Timmy got the mower cranked. He wants to know if he can cut the grass….” (this of course was my worst nightmare. But, I had given my word to Tim, so I told him to start cutting grass.

As I drove up in the driveway there was Timmy, smiling back at me as big as you please. He gestured to the straight line he had cut across my 2 acre yard, smiling brightly. It was perfect, except for the fact that he had cut right through two of my favorite flower beds and destroyed my prized Iris plants!

I wanted to chew Tim out, but one look at his face told me I just couldn’t. Instead, I took a long look at the path he cut and I told him—‘Son that’s the straightest line I’ve ever seen!’

From that day forward, I never had to cut my grass again. Tim did it cheerfully. In fact, by age 14 he was making $400 a week cutting grass for the neighbors, and he put himself thru college that way.”

As parents, teachers, and business leaders we do a great job of telling folks what they do wrong…..and a really, really bad job of telling them what they do right.

More than a hundred years of research says that what people really want to hear is a simple “Good Job.” And sadly, more than 75% of us never hear that.

I learned the same lesson Shane did when I was four….and Mom said, “Son if you eat your green beans,  you can have some ice cream.”

It worked. Right then and there when my behavior changed I got a smile and pat on the back from mom. It was immediate, and NOT at the end of the year in my kid performance appraisal.

If you want to change the behavior of others around you, master the power of positive reinforcement. My book is designed to do just that.

Purchase it: You can order Green Beans & Ice Cream today at www.greenbeanbook.com.

Marriage Matters - Guest Post & Excerpt

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):  She barely has time to attend a wedding, let alone plan one, but Chloe has just caught the bouquet. So has her married mother… and her widowed grandmother. With three generations set to walk down the aisle, each “I do” sounds more improbable than the last.

On top of grad school, clinical hours, and part-time work, Chloe is surprised to find a ring on her finger. Sharing the news about the engagement is easy, except with her best friend. Their relationship has always been platonic...so why is Chloe so afraid he is going to object?

Kristine is successful at running her travel bookstore, but her twenty-five year marriage is on the rocks. When her husband suggests a vow renewal ceremony, she agrees to say I Do...until a tempting employee makes her wonder whether or not she wants to be married at all.

June knows what’s best for her and everyone around her. Given a second chance at love, she’s delighted to plan the family wedding of her dreams. But when June gets a little carried away in her enthusiasm, she risks losing more than the love of her life... she risks losing her family.

In Cynthia Ellingsen’s heartwarming and hilarious novel of first loves, second chances, and unexpected twists, three generations of brides-to-be discover that love is always better as a family affair.

Guest Post from Author, Cynthia Ellingsen:  Cynthia is an author and screenwriter.  She graciously accept my offer to write a guest post for Seaside Book Nook.

"My first novel, The Whole Package, is a hilarious romp about three best friends who decide it’s a great idea to open a restaurant staffed by scantily clad men. Of course, hilarity ensues.

I was delighted when women started asking me to sign extra copies to send to their best friends from college and high school. So, when I started to put together an idea for my second book, I wanted a story that women could share with their mother and grandmother. Marriage Matters was born.

Marriage Matters is about a mother, daughter and granddaughter who all get engaged at the same time and decide to share a wedding. As if being a bride isn’t stressful enough, can you imagine doing this with your mother and grandmother? I had such a fun time imagining everything that could go wrong.

Although the wedding theme is the hook of the book, you really don’t see anything wedding related until Part Two. The heart of the novel is the relationship between the three women and their relationships with each other and the men. My favorite scenes are, of course, the ones where the mother, daughter and granddaughter are together, causing trouble.

The book is a fun, heartwarming romp of a novel. Romantic Times has proclaimed, “At times, this novel is so overwhelmingly romantic that it will bring genuine tears to readers' eyes, while numerous other parts will have them chuckling out loud… Readers will enjoy every minute of their time with this very memorable and sweet novel.”

I hope you fall in love with Marriage Matters, too!

Connect:  You can connect with Cynthia online on her website and Facebook.

Purchase It:  You can purchase Marriage Matters online at Amazon for $16.99 (Kindle version $9.99)

Excerpt from Marriage Matters:

Chloe, the granddaughter, has not heard from her grandmother in three days. Concerned that June has had a heart attack or fallen, Chloe enlists the assistance of her fiancé, Geoff, to search her grandmother’s house.

Geoff searched the entire house from top to bottom. Nothing. In the kitchen, he walked over to the counter and eyed an apple on the cutting board. “This seems . . .” A note of hope crept into his voice. “Decently fresh.” He held it up. The apple was cut in half and only slightly brown at the edges.

Chloe’s heart pounded with relief. There might still be time to save her.

Geoff’s eyes darted to the window. “I think I just saw something move outside.”

Of course! June would have been working in her garden. Maybe she’d fallen out there. Chloe rushed for the back door. It was dark outside and she couldn’t see a thing, but she could hear the faintest muffle of laughter. “Grandma?” she called.

Abruptly, the laughter stopped. There was the sound of shuffling and nervous whispers. Chloe squinted. Through the dark night, she could swear she saw Charley Montgomery dart across the lawn. But he wasn’t wearing a shirt. And his hands were crossed in front of his . . .

Chloe froze. Her eyes fell on the wrought-iron table where her grandmother typically ate her breakfast. A checkered gardening shirt was neatly draped across it like a napkin. A few feet away, something white was suspended over a rosebush. Chloe put her hands over her mouth.

It was a brassiere.

She gasped in horror. No. This couldn’t be . . .

Geoff rushed into the yard, the beam of a flashlight bobbing in front of him. “Did you find her?”

With one hand, Chloe shielded her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “But something terrible is happening. Please turn off the . . .”

“Chloe?” June called, her voice high pitched and nervous. “Is that you?”

Geoff shined the light in the general direction. June was peeking out from behind a tree, a branch pulled over her form. Even though the tree was covering her, it was perfectly obvious that she was naked.

Chloe dove for the flashlight, turning it off. “Oh, no.” She clutched it in her fist, maintaining eye contact with Geoff, afraid of what else she’d see if she dared to look away. “Oh, no.”

“Chloe?” June called again. The leaves on the tree rustled.

“Don’t,” Chloe shrieked. “You stay right there!”

Geoff’s eyes widened as he, too, finally figured out what was happening. “Oh, no.”

Chloe closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Apparently,” she said, “my grandmother is not dead. Not even close.”

There was silence. Out in the garden, both June and Charley chuckled.

“Sorry,” June sang. “Didn’t mean to scare you. We just . . . um . . .”

“Got attacked by fire ants,” Charley said. “Had to wash the clothes out. But I think everyone’s okay now.”

“Yup.” June’s voice was cheerful. “Doing just fine.”

A small smirk settled at the corner of Geoff’s mouth. Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Fire ants. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

New Lands: The Chronicles of Egg

Synopsis (From Amazon.com): This highly anticipated sequel to Rodkey's much-praised debut is funny, heartfelt, and action-packed. Don't miss it!

After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies—against which our heroes' only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue.

They're going to need help. But who can they trust? Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side…or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple?

My Review:  I really enjoyed the first book in The Chronicles of Egg, Deadweather and Sunrise.  My review can be found here.  New Lands, the second book in the series didn't let me down.  It is a MUST read book.

I don't want to give away the secret Egg discovers in the Okalu temple, but I didn't see it coming and it made me so happy.  I liked how Millicent and Kira helped Egg.  Since I can't  tell you the end, which was my favorite part of the book, I will tell my second favorite part.  I couldn't believe who pirate Burn Healy turns out to be.  I never figured it out, but I like how we found out and who it is!  I think it would be too cool to know a pirate! Also, I am so happy Guts was by Egg's side again.  Guts is just very funny to me!

New Lands is another book that all my friends at school can't wait to read.  They are passing around the first book, Deadweather and Sunrise and were jealous I was reading the second book too!

I am looking forward to the third book in the Chronicle of Egg series!

Meet the Author:  Geoff Rodkey is the author of the Chronicles of Egg middle grade comedic adventure series and the Emmy-nominated screenwriter of such hit films as Daddy Day Care, RV, and the Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas. 

Geoff grew up in Freeport, Illinois and began his writing career on his high school newspaper. While in college, Geoff was an editor of both the Harvard Lampoon and the Let's Go travel guide series. His early writing credits include the educational video game Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, the non-educational MTV series Beavis and Butt-head, and Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect. 

Geoff's debut novel, Deadweather and Sunrise, is the first book in the Chronicles of Egg trilogy. The final volume in the series,  Blue Sea Burning, will be published by Putnam in 2014.

Geoff currently lives in New York City with his wife and three sons. They do not have any pets, mostly because the whole experience with the goldfish was just too upsetting.

Purchase it:  You can purchase New Lands - The Chronicles of Egg, Book 2 online from Amazon for $16.99.

When the Butterflies Came

Synopsis (From Amazon.com):  A moving story of a young girl's struggle with love, loss, family, and magic from the beyond, from critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little.

Everybody thinks Tara Doucet has the perfect life. But Tara’s life is anything but perfect: Her dear Grammy Claire has just passed away, her mom is depressed and distant, and she and her sister, Riley, can’t agree on anything. But when mysterious and dazzling butterflies begin to follow her around after Grammy Claire’s funeral, Tara knows in her heart that her grandmother has left her one final mystery to solve. Tara finds a stack of keys and detailed letters from Grammy Claire. Note by note, Tara learns unexpected truths about her grandmother’s life. As the letters grow more ominous and the clues harder to decipher, Tara realizes that the secrets she must uncover could lead to grave danger. And when Tara and Riley are swept away to the beautiful islands of Chuuk to hear their grandmother’s will, Tara discovers the most shocking truth of all, one that will change her life forever. Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a magical, breathtaking mystery full of loss and love, family and faith.

My Review:  I really enjoyed When the Butterflies Came.  I loved the relationship between Tara and her Grammy Claire.  Even though Grammy Claire has just passed away, she is as much of the story as Tara is.  Tara has to solve her Grammy's riddles/clues to save the research Grammy Claire has been working on for years.  The riddles/clues were fantastic.  The way they wove the story together right to the very end was so clever.

Even though When the Butterflies Came is recommended for 8 years and up - it makes a great read at any age.  The underlying messages throughout the book on people's character, family, friends, and doing the right thing are wonderful. I really enjoyed the story from the beginning to the very last page.  In fact, I didn't want it to end.

Meet the Author:  Kimberley Griffiths Little is the author of The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, as well as dozens of short stories that have appeared in numerous publications, and the novels Breakaway, Enchanted Runner, and The Last Snake Runner. She is the winner of the Southwest Book Award. Kimberley lives near the banks of the Rio Grande in New Mexico in a solar adobe house with her husband and their three sons.

Purchase it:  You can purchase When the Butterflies Came online at Amazon for $17.99 (Kindle version $9.89)

My Life on Craigslist - Interview with Author

Synopsis:  FINALIST OF USA BEST BOOK AWARDS.  Craigslist can be a real sharkfest! But it's a mirror of who we are. Alexandra Ares takes these two statements to a dark, funny place in this page turner satire of today's wildest mores brazenly unleashed on America's largest free online dating website. A zany New York girl trolls it for fun, love, sex, relationships and everything else, doomed to run from trouble to trouble. But she has a special talent...

Meet Emily Thompson, 25, quirky, wholesome, with a keen eye for contemporary art. One year after she moves from Buffalo to the trendy East Village, where she lands a job in an art gallery and an artist boyfriend, her life is turned upside down when she loses everything. Alone, broke and discouraged, she turns to Craigslist to find - for free - everything she needs for both fun and survival. She soon discovers a wild, flawed world where everyone is either the con or the conned, and decency has flown the laptop, the desktop, and the smartphone.  A roommate who is rarely home, turns out to be an escort, which makes Emily get on her high moral horse, but later, when Emily herself is forced by circumstance to become an escort for a day, things spiral out of control...

With her deadpan wit and trademark unconventional insight, Alexandra Ares delivers a fast-paced, rakishly entertaining and ingeniously plotted novel that confirms her status as one of the hottest new writers around.

Interview with Author:  I am thrilled to be able to share this interview with Alexandra Ares!

Favorite color, food, drink and animal?

Red, chocolate mousse, wine…as for animals it's a tie between dogs and horses.  

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Strolling in Central Park, travelling, discovering a book that I enjoy reading – which all amounts to escaping into another universe.  

When/Why did you start writing?

I started writing in January 2005, after a series of life changing events that I described in Dream Junkies, my most autobiographic novel so far, that, by the way, just won an award last week (Finalist of the Book of the Year 2012 Award by the prestigious ForeWord Reviews). Dream Junkies is a character driven novel with strong romantic elements and some outrageous ideas that might offend less liberal people…I grew up in Bucharest, Romania where my dad was a well known playwright, so I decided to make a name for myself in a different field, in TV. Only when I moved to New York, in 1998, I gave myself “permission” to become a writer. It was something that I had always imagined myself doing, ever since I was a teenager scribbling in my diary or writing short stories and plays; but doing anything ‘long form’ meant breaking a certain barrier, one that I wasn’t prepared to break until much later, in the US.

Where/When do you feel most comfortable writing?

For some bizarre reason, I’m feeling highly creative in New York. My life is complicated here, nothing seems to flow easily, except my creative juices. I write at my desk at the 31^st floor in my apt, looking at the East River. You could say I live and write in “a room with a view.” 

Have you ever been inspired by another author? If so, who?

There are many novelists that I admire, but I can’t say that they inspired my writing. Ironically, I feel most inspired by Woody Allen, a screenwriter, because he is so free, unconventional and funny, and each of his films/screenplay explores a new genre. I don’t know any other novelist who does that, so I would like to be the first one.

Is it hard to let the characters go once you complete a novel?

I like to joke that I write because I can’t afford a therapist, so each novel explores things that interest me at that point in time, and by the time I finish it, I’m ready to move on.  Each of my novels has an open ending, giving me space to return if I’ll ever want to, and readers often asked me to write sequels. Yet I fear that writing sequels would turn me into an overly commercial author, so I prefer to let my characters go.  

Where does your inspiration for a story come from?

Real life, real people, and budding ideas that germinate under the status quo pushing their way up into the mainstream. Dream Junkies written in 2006, published first in Europe, and only recently here, talks about many of the issue that came in the forefront of American speech only with the OWS movement.  My life on Craigslist, explores the increased promiscuity of the mating habits and the once ‘off stream’ becoming ‘mainstream.  The Other Girl rants against the last feminist taboo, ageism, and the fact that women are still socially expected to date and marry older men, while older men feel entitled to date younger women, even ridiculously younger, as their birth right. This is the last double standard that I hope next generations will change. 

So what I think what sets me apart is that I am trying to write novels that are not only about plot, story, and escapism, but also about ideas, if only somewhere in the background. But don't get me wrong: I do want to entertain my readers, not bore them or preach to them, so I write in a light-hearted, self deprecating way about these serious things. I also enjoy picking a very personal experience and transforming it into ‘fiction’ by being intellectually detached from it. I don’t fall in love with my characters, to the contrary, I challenge them, and explore their vulnerabilities. Women authors are not really expected to do that. They are expected to deliver strong heroines that could be role models. I don’t think men authors have to worry about that, which often allows them more real life complexity. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, my novels are inspired by my life as a single woman in New York, and explore the different challenges single women meet in different phases of their lives: in their mid 20s (My Life on Craigslist) when they try to find a way to their dreams; in their early 30s (Dream Junkies) when they have had many experiences, but many question if they are on the right track, and late 30s (The Other Girl) when they stopped looking at life with starry eyes and their options changed. My characters are usually misfits, people who question the status quo, vibrant, vulnerable, brave, and, of course, in trouble.  I hope the readers of your blog will  like them. 

Do you have a favorite author?  Who? Too many…I love Ayn Rand (Fountainhead), Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), Elie Wiesel (The Night), Balzac, D.H. Lawrence, Tom Wolfe, Margaret Mitchell, Nabokov, Candace Bushnell (her first book, the Sex in the City collection of vignettes), Jennifer Egan and, most recently, Colleen Hoover. I don’t write like any of them, but I enjoy their books a great deal. 

Connect: Connect with Alexandra and check out all her books online, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.  Alexandra has an entire part of my website titled “find me”, where I list a bunch of writers groups and forums that I belong to, from Pen American Center. to various blog communities.  

Purchase it:  Purchase My Life on Craigslist, Dream Junkie, and The Other Girl online at Amazon.

Mapmaker's War: A Legend

Synopsis:  This will be the map of your heart, old woman. In an ancient time, in a faraway land, a young woman named Aoife is allowed a rare apprenticeship to become her kingdom’s mapmaker, tasked with charting the entire domain. Traveling beyond its borders, she finds a secretive people who live in peace, among great wealth. They claim to protect a mythic treasure, one connected to the creation of the world. When Aoife reports their existence to her kingdom, the community is targeted as a threat. Attempting to warn them of imminent danger, Aoife is exiled for treason and finds refuge among the very people who had been declared her enemy. With them, she begins a new life surrounded by kindness, equality, and cooperation. But within herself, Aoife has no peace. She cannot share the grief she feels for the home and children she left behind. She cannot bear the warrior scars of the man she comes to love. And when she gives birth to their gifted daughter, Aoife cannot avoid what the child forces her to confront about her past and its truth. On this most important of journeys, there is no map to guide her. In this tale—her autobiography— Aoife reveals her pain and joy, and ultimately her transformation.

The Mapmaker’s War is a mesmerizing, utterly original adventure about love and loss and the redemptive power of the human spirit. Watch for its epic sequel, The Chronicle of Secret Riven, in 2014.

My Review: The tale of the Mapmaker's War is very intriguing.  Mapmaker's War weaves a tale about dragons, war, a mysterious town and mysterious people called the Guardians.  The one unsettling detail about the book is the way it is written; in the 2^nd person.  It is as if I was reading and talking to Aoife, rather than the reader.  However, Mapmaker's War is fascinating and allows you experience the dazzling details of love, war, grief and redemption.

Meet the Author:  Ronlyn Domingue’s critically acclaimed debut novel The Mercy of Thin Air was published in ten languages. Her work has appeared in The Beautiful Anthology (TNB Books), New England Review, The Independent (UK), Shambhala Sun, and on The Nervous Breakdown. She lives in Louisiana with her partner, Todd Bourque, and their cats. 

Connect with her online,  Facebook, and Twitter.

Purchase It:  You can purchase Mapmaker's War: A Legend online at Amazon for $23.00 (Kindle version $9.68)

Trilogy: A Collection - Guest Post

Synopsis:  Trilogy: A Collection is comprised of three stories, all of which have an otherworldly, paranormal theme to them. Each of the main characters in these stories wrestles with extraordinary circumstances in an otherwise ostensibly ordinary world. All of the tales have their own moral and life lessons, which Prudence MacGregor aims for each reader to individually formulate, as life itself is not clear cut and is at the mercy of the subjective. Journey with the stories’ main characters as they navigate the unplumbed depths of the unknown. 

The first story, Parallelograms, centers on protagonist Justine, a determined yet troubled young woman who, quite by accident, discovers that she has a double and thus finds herself facing unexpected and ultimately terrifying consequences. Her previously tightly controlled world spins out of control, causing her to question her very existence. 

The second story in the trilogy, Random, concerns Ulyssa, a young woman who is intrigued by the possibility of releasing a balloon with a note and seeing where it lands. This seemingly innocent activity will take her down a dark path, the circumstances of which may or may not be resolved. This will conflict with the outwardly picture perfect world that she thought she inhabited. 

The final title, Up There, focuses on Gregory, an unassuming office worker who is fascinated by the airplanes he sees in the sky. Quite by accident he meets Sherry, a beautiful motivational speaker who just may have a connection to one of the planes he has seen. An activity he previously saw as harmless and a bit innocuous -watching planes fly overhead and guessing their destinations - turns questionable and ultimately forces him to take a look at his world: is it real or has it always been an illusion?

Guest Post with the Author, Prudence MacGregor:  I am so excited to be able to share with you all this guest post on how Prudence created Trilogy: A Collection.

I knew that I wanted to write a collection of short stories when I started Trilogy, and I knew that I wanted to write them in the paranormal genre. The world of the paranormal and the unknown has always fascinated, intrigued and just plain interested me, even thought admittedly if I ever confronted it I would be more than a bit taken aback and speechless. I have always loved The Twilight Zone television series, and how it approached regular scenarios with a paranormal twist, most often with a moral to each episode. I don't know that the stories in Trilogy have a moral; however, I think it would be safe to say that it could be something along the lines of "be careful what you wish for."

Each story encompasses a situation that I have always wanted to explore, if not in real life then definitely in writing. The main question that each story examines is what if. Parallelograms deals with what would happen if we each had a double, and the ramifications of confronting a parallel universe with those that we encounter on a daily basis. I have often heard that each of us has a double somewhere, so I posit this theory and wrote the story assuming this is true and what the ramifications could be. Random deals with the release of a balloon message and in whose hands it ends up. I have read and heard stories of balloons traveling thousands of miles, so what if it traveled not very far but ended up in another dimension, if you will? Up There, the final story, examines a young man's obsession with planes in the sky and their destinations. The fact that I love to travel and fly spurred me to write this story, because what if a person who will touch your life in a profound way is traveling in a plane that you see up above? I leave it to the readers to come up with their own thoughts and conclusions to each of these stories. That way, the possibilities are numerous and really make readers think about the stories.

I wanted to keep the stories in Trilogy short, as I hope that their brevity packs a powerful punch.

I was born on the isle of Manhattan and began writing stories at an early age.  There are things besides writing that I love to do. Mainly, travel, read, and indulge in decadent delights such as Australian red licorice and trying different perfumes.

Purchase it:  You can purchase Trilogy: A Collection, online at Amazon for $11.95 (8.99 Kindle version).

The Shadow Man - 99 cents!

The Shadow Man by Mark Murphy--.99 cents through April 22nd!

Synopsis:  Savannah surgeon Malcolm King had a perfect life--a loving wife, devoted daughter, and a thriving medical practice. But when a random airport parking lot hit-and-run links him to a dead body in a Florida hotel and an acquaintance is found dismembered and stuffed into a garbage bag, Malcolm finds himself on the run as a suspected serial killer. But he's no murderer. Or is he?

Who is the mysterious Thin Man who lurks at the edges of his vision? Are the ravens that crowd the skies overhead a warning of impending doom--or do they exist at all?

With the help of Seminole tracker Billy Littlebear, Malcolm tries to untangle the web of clues left behind by a mysterious chameleon-like killer known as the Shadow Man. But will he be too late? The Shadow Man is a complex, atmospheric thriller in the tradition of Stephen King. Darkly evocative and relentless in its twists and turns, it dares the reader to put it down--even for a minute. 

What Others Are Saying:  Boasting 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads, The Shadow Man is a quick, deliciously creepy, fun read. Deemed "an enjoyable, well-written and twisty thriller with gruesome aspects balanced by warmth, believable relationships and a likable hero," by Kirkus Reviews, it follows surgeon Dr. Malcolm King, whose “perfect life” is destroyed as he is named the prime suspect in a serial murder case. But he’s not a killer. (Or is he?

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says The Shadow Man is  “…downright creepy. . .particularly the ending. You will live Dr. Malcolm's physical and mental distress trying to piece together sliced up evidence before you and he are caged behind bars.” 

Meet the Author:  Mark Murphy is a gastroenterologist by day, author by night, and columnist with the Savannah Morning News in between. His work has also appeared on the Huffington Post.

Purchase it:  You can purchase the kindle version of The Shadow Man online at Amazon for only 99 cents!