Thursday, October 17, 2024





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Black In White
Quentin Black Mystery 
Book One
JC Andrijeski

Genre: Urban Fantasy Mystery Romance
Publisher: White Sun Press
Date of Publication: September 9, 2015
ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-1545436714  
ISBN-10: 1545436711
ASIN: B01554ZHH6
Number of pages: 268
Word Count: 76,755

Cover Artist: Damonza

Tagline: Meet Quentin Black: Private Investigator. Psychic. Possible murderer.

Book Description: 

Gifted with an uncanny sense about people, psychologist Miri Fox works as a profiler for the San Francisco police. When her best friend, homicide detective Nick Tanaka, thinks he's finally nailed the serial murderer known as the "Wedding Killer," she agrees to check him out, using her gift to discover the truth.

But the suspect, Quentin Black, isn't anything like Miri expects.

He claims to be hunting the killer too, and the longer Miri talks to him, the more determined she becomes to uncover his secrets.

When he confronts her about the nature of her peculiar "insight," Miri gets pulled into Black's bizarre world, and embroiled in a game of cat and mouse with a deadly killer--who might just be Black himself.

Worse, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Black, a complication she doesn't need with a best friend who's a homicide cop and a boyfriend in intelligence.

Can Miriam see a way out or is her future covered in Black?

THE QUENTIN BLACK MYSTERY SERIES encompasses a number of dark, gritty paranormal mystery arcs with science fiction elements, starring brilliant and mysterious Quentin Black and forensic psychologist Miriam Fox. For fans of realistic paranormal mysteries with romantic elements, the series spans continents and dimensions as Black solves crimes, takes on other races and tries to keep his and Miri's true identities secret to keep them both alive.


Excerpt:

I tilted my head, still smiling, but letting my puzzlement show.

“Why are you talking to me at all?” I asked finally.

“Why shouldn’t I talk to you?” he said. “I’ve already told you that you’re the first person to walk in here that I thought might be worth my attempting to communicate.”

“Because I’m female?” I said.

“Because you seem to be less of a fool than the rest of them,” he corrected me at once.

“But you said Nick had a mind?”

“I said he had a mind of sorts. Not the same thing at all. Although, given the nature of his intellect, he has undoubtedly chosen the right profession for himself.”

I smiled again. “I’m sure that will be quite a relief for him.”

I heard laughter in the earpiece that time, right before Nick spoke up.

“See if he’ll tell you his name,” he said to me.

“Certainly, if you really want to know,” the suspect said, before I could voice the question aloud.

“My name is Black. Quentin Black. Middle initial, R.”

I stared at him, still recovering from the fact that he’d seemingly heard Nick give me an instruction through the earpiece.

Clearly, he wanted me to know he’d heard it, too.

“You heard that?” I said to him.

“Good ear, yes?” he said. Smiling, he gave me a more cryptic, yet borderline predatory look.

“Less good with you, however. Significantly less good.”

He paused, studying my face with eyes full of meaning.

I almost got the sense he was waiting for me to reply—or maybe just to react.

When I didn’t, he leaned back in the chair, making another of those graceful, flowing gestures with his hand.

“I find that… fascinating, doc. Quite intriguing. Perhaps that is crossing a boundary with you again, however? To mention that?”

I paused on his words, then decided to dismiss them.

“Is that a real name?” I said. “Quentin Black. That doesn’t sound real. It sounds fake.”

“Real is all subjective, is it not?”

“So it’s not real, then?”

“Depends on what you mean.”

“Is it your legal name?”

“Again, depends on what you mean.”

“I mean, could you look it up in a database and actually get a hit somewhere?”

“How would I know that?” he said, making an innocent gesture with his hands, again within the limits of the metal cuffs.

Realizing I wasn’t going to get any more from him on that line of questioning, I changed direction. “What does the ‘R’ stand for?” I said.

“Rayne.”

“Quentin Rayne Black?” I repeated back to him, still not hiding my disbelief.

“Would you believe me if I said my parents had a sense of whimsy?” he asked me.

“No,” I said.

“Would you believe that I do, then?”

I snorted a laugh, in spite of myself. I heard it echoed through the earpiece, although I heard a few curses coming from that direction, too.

I shook my head at the suspect himself, but less in a “no” that time.

“Yes,” I conceded finally. “So it is a made-up name, then?”

The man calling himself Quentin Black only returned my smile. His eyes once again looked shrewd, less thoughtful and more openly calculating.

Even so, his weird comment about “listening” came back to me.

Truthfully, he was looking at me as if he were listening very hard.

The thought made me slightly nervous.


About the Author:

JC Andrijeski is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of gritty, character-driven, “real”-feeling paranormal mysteries and apocalyptic fiction. Her books have strong romance subplots, found families, and often a metaphysical bent. JC has a background in journalism, history and politics, and loves hiking, people watching, yoga, meditation, weird tourist destinations, the beach, coffee, birds, snails, and tacos. She grew up in the Bay Area of California, but travels extensively and has lived abroad in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and from coast to coast in the continental United States. She’s now living and writing full-time in Hollister, California.



 












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Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow by Sam Baltrusis - Haunted Halloween Spooktacular



SLEEPY HOLLOW’S HEADLESS HORSEMAN

By Sam Baltrusis

For more than two centuries after Washington Irving unleashed “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the Headless Horseman is still very much alive in pop culture.

   Elizabeth Bradley, a historian and author of Knickerbocker: The Myth Behind New York, rattled off a few of the various adaptations of the great American ghost story on the October 26, 2022 edition of WNYC News.

   “It has such legs and you can see that in all of the different interpretations,“ Bradley said during the radio interview. “There truly is a version of ‘Sleepy Hollow’ for every generation.” It’s an impressive list that includes Disney’s animated classic from 1949 and Tim Burton’s supernatural horror flick starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.

   Of course, no one can eclipse the original which was initially published with a collection of essays and stories for The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent in 1820.

   “Irving's version of the Headless Horseman is set in the Hudson Valley region, and it pits an outsider, a Yankee, named Ichabod Crane against a very insular Dutch community,” Bradley said. “Throughout the course of the story, Ichabod pursues a local Dutch heiress in an effort to integrate himself into this community and is ultimately run out of town by the apparition of the Headless Horseman.”

   Bradley told WNYC that she believes the famed short-story writer created the headless Hessian in an attempt to populate a young nation with its own ghosts and mythologies. “You have to remember that Irving was born the year after the American Revolution ended,” she said. “The war was in the rear-view mirror of the people of Sleepy Hollow and a very new United States. It was an opportunity to create a whole regional culture. He really seized the moment and had a lot of fun with it."

   How did “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” become associated with All Hallows’ Eve? Bradley explained that the holiday wasn’t even on Irving’s radar when he fleshed out America’s first monster. “He doesn't mention Halloween once in the story,” she said. “[The Headless Horseman] is often associated with having a pumpkin for a head,” she said, adding that the character’s jack-o’-lantern prop was added in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and, over the years, the haunting imagery then seared itself into pop culture. “Most people only knew the Disney version and that’s where the Halloween association really started to come into play,” Bradley added.

   J.W. Ocker, author of The New York Grimpendium and creator of the OTIS: Odd Things I’ve Seen blog, is on board with the idea that the Headless Horseman has somehow become the unofficial ambassador of spooky season. “The Headless Horseman is the spirit of fall,” Ocker told me during a sit-down interview at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel. “Every monster wants to be associated with autumn, but there’s something about him running through a forest with the leaves changing colors that makes him the patron monster of Halloween. The bigger Halloween gets, the bigger he gets. Everytime you feed Halloween, you feed him.”

   Ocker agreed with Bradley that the animated version from the Disney movie has ingrained itself into the American psyche. “Our generation grew up with the Disney cartoon,” he said. “You can’t think of the Headless Horseman without thinking of the purple-cloaked, cackling creature from the animated version. The imagery has almost become a part of the monster’s brand.”

   The United States of Cryptids author said he always thought the Headless Horseman had a jack-o’-lantern in one hand and a battle sword in another, but was shocked to learn that Irving didn’t include the macabre accessories in the short story. He was also convinced that the Headless Horseman eventually caught up with Ichabod Crane on a covered bridge. Not true.

   “People who visit Sleepy Hollow always want to see the covered bridge, but it doesn’t exist,” Ocker said. “If I could change one thing to the original story, I would make it a covered bridge. It just seems fitting.”

   Despite being tweaked a bit in the modern adaptations of Irving’s story, Ocker said the Headless Horseman is still his all-time favorite galloping ghoul. “Irving gave us the first real American monster,” he told me. “I’m not a very patriotic guy, but as an American there’s something that speaks to me about the horseman. It’s our monster. Frankenstein is from Germany and Dracula is from Transylvania. Thanks to Irving, we have our own.”.

   The secret to the short story’s success? Ocker believes the ambiguity of Irving’s fearless phantom somehow amplifies its mystique. “All we know is he was a Hessian soldier who lost his head during the American Revolution,” he told me. “There’s not much of a backstory to him. He’s this vague creature that pops up in the graveyard and runs around on his horse. He’s not jumping out of your closet. He has no face, He’s in essence an invisible man and there’s something unnerving about him as a monster.”

   In Brian Haughton’s Lore of the Ghost, he mentioned that Irving was living in Birmingham, England when he wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and surmised that the celebrated American author “probably picked up on some of the elements he used in the story” overseas. “The headless ghost motif was known in German folklore at least as early as 1505 when it was recorded in a sermon written by Geiler von Kaysersberg, who mentions headless spirits being part of the Wild Hunt,” he noted.

   While Haughton wrote that Irving was strongly influenced by the stories told by Dutch immigrants during his childhood in New York, he suggested that it’s also likely that the writer was inspired by the recurring headless ghost motifs from northern European folklore. “The tradition of the headless ghost is found worldwide in many diverse cultures, and exhibits broadly the same characteristics connected with death and death warnings,” Haughton reported. “Popular tradition attributes such hauntings to the wandering spirits of those who died by beheading, either by execution or accident.”

   Haughton is in agreement that Irving’s story continues to leave a profound mark on popular culture. “Irving’s dark story of the headless Hessian soldier who rides forth every night through the dark lanes of Sleepy Hollow, and the dénouement of the tale involving a supernatural wild chase through the woods, has had a significant effect on the nature of American hauntings,” Haughton wrote in Lore of the Ghost. “The influence of Irving’s tale on popular culture is evident.”

   Alex Matsuo, author of Women of the Paranormal, told me that there may be an underlying reason why “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” continues to strike a chord with American readers. “We don't think about it often, but there are countless legends that were created to dehumanize a group,” Matsuo explained. “Instead of perceiving the Hessian as a real person, granted a terrifying figure during the time of the Revolutionary War, he turned it into this story that is meant to remind people that the Hessians were not meant to be trusted, even after the war was over.”

   Even though Matsuo sees a deeper meaning to what could be viewed as a cautionary tale, she said the Headless Horseman keeps luring her back to the Hudson Valley area, “Between the story of the Hessian soldier who lost his head around Halloween in 1776, and Ichabod Crane encountering him while trying to avoid him at all cost, there is a lesson to be learned there,” Matsuo said. “But I think the way that Disney commercialized ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ plus the Tim Burton film, there is a romanticization of the spell-bound region that has cemented it into Halloween traditions.


Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow: 
Haunts of the Headless Horseman
Haunted America
Sam Baltrusis

Genre: Ghosts & Hauntings
Publisher: History Press
Date of Publication: September 23, 2024
ISBN: 978-146715802
Number of pages: 144
Word Count: 32,500

Tagline: Chilling Tales of the Hudson Valley

Book Description:

Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown are steeped in history and ghost lore. Famous for Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the storied Westchester region also has a dark history of witches, spies, and pirates. 

Rumors of Headless Horseman sightings surge during spooky season while visitors flock to the Valley’s haunted hot spots like the Old Dutch Church and the famed writer’s Sunnyside home. 

Join author and journalist Sam Baltrusis on a bone-chilling journey through the streets of Sleepy Hollow as he breathes new life into the legendary village’s long-departed souls.

Amazon     BN     Arcadia




Excerpt:

Sleepy Hollow, New York is brimming with ghostly legends that have somehow taken on a life of their own.

Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, the fabled region —which includes the adjoining Tarrytown— has become the go-to place during spooky season thanks to the popularity of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Late-night lantern tours in search of a decapitated soldier's galloping ghost? Yes, please.

If one spends enough time walking through the labyrinthine paths of the village's historic cemeteries, however, there's something sinister oozing beneath Sleepy Hollow's rustic, story-book facade.

It's as if the entire hamlet is under some sort of enchantment. Or, as Irving penned in 1820, it oddly feels like the locals are somehow bewitched and "are subject to trances and visions."

The revered writer referred to the area as the "spell-bound region," and rightfully so. According to several first-hand accounts, creepy music and disembodied voices emerge out of thin air

Based on Irving's mythical take on his later-in-life hometown, it should be no surprise that the Headless Horseman isn't the Valley’s only fearsome phantom seeking postmortem revenge.

The entire region seems to be teeming with paranormal activity. Several publications sensationally claim that both Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown together make the "most haunted places in the world."

But, is it?

After digging beneath the surface, it's difficult to pinpoint what's actually paranormal activity versus a made-up ghost story that has been collectively conjured over a 200-year period.

Alex Matsuo, a Maryland-based author and paranormal investigator who has written about the area’s alleged paranormal activity in her Spooky Stuff blog, believes that the line between fact and fiction is somehow blurred in Sleepy Hollow.

“After Washington Irving's infamous tale plunged the area into fame, I would hypothesize that perhaps some of the paranormal activity could be attributed to thought-forms,” Matsuo told me. “There's also the case of self-fulfilling prophecies that people can accomplish without realizing it.”

Matsuo cited the replica of the bridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery as a potential hotspot for ghostly encounters that are freakishly fueled by the expectations of thrill-seeking visitors.

 “Just by knowing the tale and the true story behind it, they would already get a case of the creeps,” she explained. “Then, with tensions rising, they hear a branch break or footsteps, and they get really spooked. They go home and tell their friends and family about the creepy experience, unknowing that there was an animal nearby causing the ruckus.”

Also, there are what paranormal researchers call thought-forms or an outward manifestation of the heightened emotions of those who visit Sleepy Hollow during spooky season. Matsuo believes that based on this concept, extreme fear can somehow take a physical form within the spirit world.

“When you have a massive amount of people invested in a story, even a fictional story based on real people, that energy has to go somewhere,” she said. “In the case of Sleepy Hollow, it may have manifested into paranormal occurrences. I would guess that most of that energy is more organized, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of that energy was displaced, which could explain some of the random paranormal events that have happened over the years.”


About the Author:

Sam Baltrusis, author of Ghosts of Salem: Haunts of the Witch City and featured in The Curse of Lizzie Borden shock doc, has penned eighteen paranormal-themed books including Haunted Boston Harbor and Ghosts of the American Revolution. He has been featured on several national TV shows including the Travel Channel's A Haunting, Most Terrifying Places, Haunted Towns, and Fright Club (1 & 2). He also made a cameo in the documentary The House in Between 2 and on several additional television programs including The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd, History’s Most Haunted, Paranormal Nightshift, and Forbidden History. Baltrusis is a sought-after lecturer who speaks at libraries and paranormal-related events across the country. Visit SamBaltrusis.com for more information.












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Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Living Green with Eliza Hampstead


Thanks so much for having me on as a guest. I’m excited to share some tips on how to live green.

Living sustainably is a deeply personal mission for me, one that I believe is essential for the future—ours and our children’s. Each of us has a role to play, and while the challenge can seem overwhelming at times, small, consistent changes can make a significant impact. There are a few key areas where everyone can contribute, starting with one of the biggest factors: diet.

Switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet can reduce your carbon footprint immensely. Did you know that food choices account for around 18% of a person’s CO2 emissions? The way we consume food has a direct effect on the planet.

Around 80% of agricultural land is used to grow crops for animal feed or to raise livestock. Reducing meat consumption would not only cut down methane and CO2 emissions, but also free up large areas of land. Additionally, health studies show that reducing meat intake can help mitigate certain illnesses that have become common in modern, industrialised societies. It’s a change that benefits both the earth and your personal well-being.

Shopping is another area where we can make a huge difference. Consumer culture encourages us to buy more than we need, often under the guise of self-reward. But think about this: how many items do we own that rarely see the light of day? Excess consumption doesn’t just drain our wallets; it clutters our lives and fills our closets. A staggering 30-40% of food gets wasted globally, and an enormous percentage of clothing is discarded due to fast fashion trends. The less you buy, the more space you create—not just physically, but mentally too. From my experience, owning less has made me feel freer. It’s not about having nothing, but owning only what truly brings you joy and serves a purpose in your life.

There are many other ways to contribute, such as using your car less or riding a bike more often. It’s not just eco-friendly; it’s good for your health. Small changes, like adjusting the use of air conditioning and heating, can also make a difference. These small adjustments not only reduce your carbon footprint but can also lead to significant energy savings. 

And lastly, let’s not forget the power of our voice. Supporting political parties that prioritise climate action is a long-term investment in a healthier planet.

Living sustainably can feel overwhelming, especially when you realise how many areas of life need change. But it’s important to remember that you don’t need to transform everything at once. Start small, take it step by step, and build from there.

For example, you could begin by having one meat-free day each week. Once that becomes a habit, increase it to two days, then three. Small, manageable changes like these make the transition easier and more sustainable in the long run. The same principle applies when shopping. Before buying something, ask yourself: "Do I really need this?" Consider where you’d put it—would it require freeing up space or even buying an extra shelf just to find a spot for it?

Think about your transportation too. Can you make your journey by bike instead of taking the car?And when it comes to heating or air conditioning, ask yourself if you really need the temperature to be that high or low. 

Even in the kitchen, the same mindset applies. Before rushing to buy more food, take a moment to check if you already have ingredients at home that can be used first. 

Living sustainably is a gradual process, and every step counts. It’s not about being perfect but about making thoughtful, conscious decisions that help the planet. Step by step, you’ll find that these changes, while small, add up to something much bigger, benefiting both the earth and your own life.

The Nephilim’s Fate
War of the Nephilim Series
Eliza Hampstead

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Date of Publication: 16. August 2022
ISBN: 979-8837459108
ASIN: B0B72G3H1T
Number of pages: 307
Word Count: 87K
Cover Artist: Rio B Nugroho

Tagline: She will find a way, even if it leads to a war between Heaven and Hell.

Book Description:

In the heart of London, Alissia's ordinary life takes a thrilling turn when she is attacked by bloodthirsty vampires. When Nate, the man she dreamed about for years, swoops in to save her, her reality shatters as she discovers a shocking truth: she's a witch, and he's a Nephilim. But their love is cursed, forbidden by ancient laws that threaten to tear their world apart.

As old rivalries resurface and dark secrets come to light, Alissia and Nate must confront their deepest fears and fight for their love, even if it means igniting a war between Heaven and Hell.

With unforgettable characters, steamy romance, and gripping plot twists, this captivating new fantasy series by award-winning author Eliza Hampstead delves into a world of angels and demons, forbidden love, and the inexorable power of fate.



Excerpt 2 Learning about her mother:

My heart stopped for a moment before resuming its work at double speed. I gulped. Now was the time for the truth. Seraphina stood up and walked to her desk; when she turned back, she held a photo in her hand. My heart was beating frantically as Seraphina held out the picture. I nearly didn’t take it. I suddenly wanted to live in ignorance, yet my body reacted before I could decide and took the photo. I looked at a woman who resembled me a great deal. She also had dark hair and green eyes, her nose was a bit longer than mine, and her lips were thinner. However, it was clear that she was my kin.

“Her name was Keira Shepard. Your father is still unknown; the coven thinks he was a human and unimportant to her. She never told anybody about him.”

Keira Shepard. A beautiful name that fitted her. I wanted to know everything about her, right now. “What do you know of her? Is her family an old witch family? Did she leave anything behind?”

“She was from an old family. To our knowledge, it had died with her until now. Her belongings went to the coven after her mother—your grandmother—died ten years ago. Her file states she could glimpse into the future. She was much into the second sight. If you want to, I can ask for the whole file, including the documentation about her going missing.”

“That would be splendid. Thank you.” I tried to say more, but my thoughts were spinning. I had the name and face of my birth mother and a thousand questions


About the Author:

Award winning author Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she's not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she's always planning her next adventure.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2024

How I Made Artful Tables from Salvaged Wood by Kit Karlsson


How I Made Artful Tables from Salvaged Wood

Hi, I’m Kit Karlsson, writer of monster girls and fantastical adventures. I’m also somewhat handy and a big fan of learning new things. 

When I moved into my first apartment alone during law school, my taste for nice things conflicted with my limited budget. I had a specific aesthetic in mind – warm industrial with an edge of rustic and a pinch of the 1960s – and decided that the best way for me to the tables I wanted was to make them myself. I’d never done this before, but after some research, I gave it a try. I outsourced some of the drilling to my father, but the process itself was simple!

This is what I did to create live-edge wooden tables in my apartment:

1) Find wood to use for the surface(s). Sure, you could go buy wood from the store, but if you want interesting wood textures or shapes, you may need to look for salvaged wood. I lucked out – there was a guy locally who was an engineer by trade but salvaged wood as a hobby. When a tree went down in a storm, he’d be out the next day with a chainsaw to load it onto his truck. He even built his own kiln. Cool guy. But basically, he was selling a TON of really cool looking salvaged wood.

 I wanted my wood to be beautiful in an imperfect way (like my character, Alessi), so I looked for visually interesting pieces. Things like worm holes or even mildew can give the wood incredible color and texture variation. The piece of wood I chose for my coffee table had come from a twisted, scarred, and worm-eaten part of the tree and might be the most aesthetically pleasing thing I own. If you’re using salvaged wood like I was, make sure it’s thick enough to be structurally sound, and only used kiln dried/aged wood or you might also have some new, six-legged roommates.

2) Process the wood. If it’s rough and you want it smooth, you might need to plane and sand it. If it’s smooth and you want it rough (heh), I don’t know how to help you. Basically, here you get the wood looking how you want. I sanded and stained my tables since I wanted a slightly darker color, then coated them with polyurethane so they wouldn’t be damaged by water. You can leave your table totally raw and natural, too – that’s the beauty of DIY.

3) Acquire legs. You could use wooden legs, even cut them from a branch if you want. However, I wanted hairpin legs for a little mid-century spin on my side and entry tables, and trapezoidal legs for my coffee table. They turned out wonderfully. 

4) Attach legs to table. I needed a drill and some small metal plates to level one twisted corner.

My family members helped me choose the wood and sand the pieces, leaving us with positive memories. Creating tables was an excellent way to have fun together, save money, make good use of salvaged wood and end up with unique pieces I get compliments on to this day. 

If you try this at home, please wear goggles and follow common sense and standard safety procedures you can find online. I am not responsible for any injuries that may occur, and sawdust in the eye makes for a bad time

Wanderer of the Wastes
Kit Karlsson

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Lake Country Press
Date of Publication: October 29, 2024
Number of pages: roughly 300
Word Count: 97,700
Cover Artist: Fay Lane

Tagline: In a world where magic can save or shatter, Kol Mendona must survive lethal secrets—and an even deadlier love—as he discovers he might not be as human as he believed…

Book Description:

Kol Mendona, one of the last humans on the magical continent of Alon, is desperate to escape his dying underground compound. When Alessi, a fierce dragon slayer with silver eyes, arrives, Kol sees a way out.  As they journey together through the deadly wastes, an unexpected bond forms between them – one fueled by passion and dangerous magic. 
 
But as Kol’s strange new powers awaken, their bond becomes increasingly unstable. Something within him is changing in ways he doesn’t fully understand, and if Alessi ever discovers the truth, Kol may lose more than her affections…

Excerpt 1:

“If you take me with you, I’ll do anything,” he said. To buy Astor some time. To get out of there.

She opened the door and pushed him out, preparing to close it again, but he put his foot in it.

“Anything?” she asked.

“Anything.”

“That’s a dangerous word when there are fates worse than death.” She tilted her head again to the side, an amused look on her face. “You’re a strange man, Kol.” She slammed the door, and he was alone in the darkness.


About the Author:
 
Kit enjoyed writing as a child and rediscovered her passion during the COVID-19 lockdown. She has a degree in finance from Southern Methodist University and recently graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the administrative editor of an academic publication. When she’s not writing, you can find her running barefoot, taming stray cats, or listening to paranormal podcasts.





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Saturday, October 5, 2024

Release Day Blitz - Six Degrees of Separation by Amanda Mackey




Writing with Kids….how do you juggle family life and writing?

It’s not easy! My kids are now 22 and 24 but I’ve been writing since before they were born. 

It’s all about balance. Some days all you want to do is write but you can’t so you have to manage your time and share it around. 

I also work 4 days per week so it’s extra hard. Mostly it’s at night and some time on my days off. 


Six Degrees of Separation
Amanda Mackey

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Amanda Mackey
Date of Publication: 5th October, 2024
ASIN:  B0DGCL3C32
Number of pages: 223
Word Count: 62,855

Tagline: What if the distance between you and your soulmate was 6 people?

Book Description: 

What do you do when you find yourself in a midlife crisis at forty after leaving an abusive marriage?

You buy a cheap villa in Italy and leave everything you knew behind to live in a remote town, perched on top of a hill, with nothing but a suitcase full of clothing.

Oh, and did I mention the only Italian word I know is ciao?

I question my sanity as I sit at forty thousand feet, seven hours into the flight.

But as soon as I reach my destination, I realize I've made the right decision.

My villa is everything I hoped for, apart from needing some TLC, but with my divorce money, I plan on turning it into a home. My home. My sanctuary.

When I find a cabinet in the garage left by the previous elderly owner, with a letter inside, I get my real estate agent and only acquaintance to translate it for me.

What she reveals is insane to say the least.

The letter is from a woman in search of her soulmate who had heard about a theory called Six Degrees of Separation. A crazy notion that everyone on the planet is connected by six people.

Method: Send out six letters to people you know who when forward them to six people they know. Continue the process six times and it'll reach your intended person.

By some miracle, the woman managed to meet the great love of her life and live happily ever after.

So, when my agent and budding friend talks me into testing the theory, I'm not expecting anything to happen. It can't be that easy, right? Plus, I don't know six people in Italy.
But she does.

And so, we send out the letters, partly as a joke and partly to see if it actually works.

But in the meantime, fate intervenes.

It's in the form of a younger man who steals my breath. A man I never saw coming.

It would seem we're not connected by six people, but two.

What then happens to the handsome stranger who replies to my letter?


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Excerpt:

A very handsome waiter approaches us, all masculine energy and charm. With his arrival comes stronger pinpricks under my skin. It’s akin to getting zapped in winter from static. But as I glance around the restaurant, everyone else is carrying on as normal so I sit and try to act normal as I look up at the sexy as sin man. I’d peg him as thirty perhaps. Ebony, silky hair, styled back off his face. Deep eyes, Roman nose and full lips. What is it with Italian men? Are they all attractive at this age?

My eyes fully appraise him as my pulse jackhammers. My neck feels flushed, causing beads of sweat to form. God, can he see my reaction? I’m mesmerized like a hormonal teen, riveted to the spot.

His full smile adds to his beauty and for a moment even Bianca remains mute as he greets us. There’s a presence about him I can’t define. It’s that certain something that ‘just is’. The X Factor. Energy is pouring off him and I’m in the line of fire. Can someone please bring me a cold glass of water? Or an industrial fan?

She quickly recovers though and offers a ‘ciao’ which I robotically mimic, enthralled by his rugged beauty up close. The flickering light of the candle on our table, catches his high cheek bones and full mouth, stealing my attention for way too long. His short-sleeved black shirt fails to cover a tattoo which disappears up his forearm.

“Do you speak English?” Bianca asks for my benefit, a little too loudly might I add. When I peek at her, she’s wearing a knowing expression, right eyebrow raised, lips tipped up. Her foot taps mine under the table. When did she begin staring at me like that? Probably when I answered him like Siri.

“Of course. I’m fluent. I’ve been learning it since high school. Would you like a drink first?” That voice. Every syllable and word hit me front and center. The tone sounds like a deep lullaby I could be rocked to sleep with. Sheesh. What is happening with me tonight? Am I hormonal? My menstrual cycle is on point, my period not due for another two weeks so it can’t be that. If this heat doesn’t settle down, I’ll need to step into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. I’m pretty sure the restaurant is air-conditioned too.

I look back to the waiter who is blatantly ignoring Bianca and watching me with his shockingly beautiful eyes. Eyes one could stare into if they wished to find all the answers of the universe. Eyes which see right through you and invoke a sense of belonging. As if you’ve seen them before. Familiar. Comforting. Ones I want to dive into and never leave.

They’re turning me into a hot mess. I need to get my act together. I’m acting so out of character. Like a schoolgirl, not a forty-year-old divorcee. My hands fidget on my lap as I glance around the room. It’s not big. A cozy, intimate space with guests lined up outside the door like we were moments ago. I count the tables. Fifteen. That’s all. I’m guessing they need to expand soon. Either that, or they want to keep it the way it is.

My eyes are drawn back to Mr. Handsome as he flicks his attention from Bianca and back to me again. It truly is getting too unbearably hot in here.

“Two glasses of your best wine. And would it be possible to have a garlic bruschetta?”

“Sure. Let me get that for you.” Finally he turns and saunters back to the kitchen, leaving me with heated cheeks and a flutter in my belly. But as soon as he’s gone, the temperature cools back down to normal. That’s strange. Is he running a fever? Does his body temperature run abnormally high all the time?

“Maybe he’s the one,” Bianca laughs. “He was checking you out.”

“And clearly younger than me. He was probably just being friendly to the tourist.”

But I doubt my own words. Men don’t make prolonged eye contact if they aren’t interested. Pity we’re leaving the day after tomorrow. I’d probably come back just to see his face again. A girl can dream. But how can he possibly be the one? Not the first hot Italian guy to speak to me. It couldn’t be that easy.



About the Author:

Amanda Mackey was born in NZ and moved to Australia as a child with her family. She’s been living in sunny Queensland ever since. An avid reader as a child, writing became an extension of that. She wrote her first book in her twenties, but it would take a further sixteen years to get her book published. That first book was the catalyst for her writing career, and she now has penned book number twenty. 

Amanda is both traditionally, and self-published and writes in multiple genres. She hopes to make writing her full time career. 

Next year Amanda and the cover model on Six Degrees of Separation, Alejandro Salomone who plays Nico in the book, are travelling to Italy, where the book is set, to film some of the scenes so stay tuned for that!








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