Indie Spotlight is my effort to share information about Indie Books with all of you, and I hope you share them with your social media followers as well. Let’s get the word out about great Indie Books! Check out Exodus Team: New Roads by BEBogden. This is a genre mashup that intrigues me: Christian and Paranormal.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
For Maj Newhouse, life revolves around her faith, her friends, Aimee and Kevin Cole, and her projects at the old barn–but that was before Jason Knight walked through the door. The handsome businessman from Chicago has a problem; he has staked his career on rehabilitating a haunted hotel. An encounter with Kevin has led him to the old barn, and Maj is shocked to learn that Knight expects to hire her and her friends as exorcists for his property! Will Maj’s distrust of the charming stranger and her own self-doubt cripple the newly formed Exodus Team before it starts?
BOOK TRAILER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BEBogdon is a Christian entertainer from the Midwest whose passion for writing began with a love for reading. Although a newly published author, Bogdon has been telling stories for years. Through involvement in theater, film, commercial, and voice-over work, she has had the opportunity to breathe life into the written word, and as an avid daydreamer, she is thrilled to see those dreams finally settle onto the printed page.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a Halloween freebie. Since I don’t read horror or anything too bloody or scary, I decided to post covers of books that include ghosts, witches, or vampires, but are not scary or too violent. Check out my list below. Some of these are books I’ve read and some are books I’m interested in. Some of them are available on Kindle Unlimited.
A grieving widow buys a New England mansion with plans to open up a bed and breakfast. Her first night there, she meets a former resident of the house. He explains to her that he was murdered and wants her help in catching his killer. This is Book 1 of the Salem B&B Mysteries, which has a total of 6 books so far.Mrs. McClure is managing a mystery book shop in Rhode Island, but soon discovers the store has another resident, a private investigator who was murdered in the store 50 years ago. This is book one of nine in the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.
The Harry Potter series needs no introduction, and it’s full of ghosts, witches, and other magical beings.
Although Twilight does have some violence, it’s not too much for me to handle. I love the fact that the Cullens do not hunt humans and I love the Native American werewolf shapeshifters protecting the town of Forks. I’m Team Jacob. lol.Jane Garbo has tried to live a normal life, but given that she’s a witch, that just isn’t possible. Her family runs a world-famous haunted house in an old mansion in Maine, and when Jane runs out of options she moves back home. What her family has neglected to tell her is that there are serious problems at the mansion, and no one knows what’s at the root of the trouble. If Jane can’t solve the mystery, more lives could be lost. Including her own.This is Book 1 in the All Souls Trilogy. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.This is Book 1 of 4 in the Harper Connelly Series. This is not one of Charlaine Harris’s more popular series, but it’s my favorite. Harper Connelly has what you might call a strange job: she finds dead people. She can sense the final location of a person who’s passed, and share their very last moment. Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast—because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them.This is Book 3 in the Paige Papillon Mystery Series about a paranormal investigator. I’ve not read this yet but it is available on Kindle Unlimited, so I’m going to check it out.Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts. Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works. Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past—and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help—even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.I didn’t believe in ghosts…until I became one. Okay, let me back up a bit to the time when I wasn’t dead. I’d been promoted to manager of special events and concessions at Colby Pointe’s much-loved cinema and drafthouse. I was having a ball with my pug, Cleopatra. And to top it off, I’d started dating a gorgeous cop named Scott. Then five days ago, I was strangled at the cinema, and it was all taken away from me. It wasn’t until I met Celeste, my Orientation Specialist and Guide to the Beyond, that I quickly learned that not only was I dead, but there was a good reason for my lingering: to help solve my own murder and put a killer behind bars… Oh, and interesting twist: Scott is the only living person who can see and hear me in my ghostly form. One problem: he’s a skeptic. Will I convince this no-nonsense cop that he’s not going crazy and I am indeed real? And if so, will we be able to catch my killer before they claim their next victim? I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Join Hannah Jenkins in the Hannah the Ghost P.I. series, a paranormal cozy mystery featuring a ghost sleuth, clairvoyant pets, and a murder to solve.
What about you? What spooky but not too scary books do you like?
In the old South, a haint was a ghost or evil spirit. George Haint, originally begun by Helen Diessner in 2012, takes us into the most unusual ghost story you will probably ever hear.
It is not only a ghost story but a short story of murder most foul and takes place in the mid-1800s, in the Virginia City, Nevada, area during the gold- and silver-mining days. The story contains a lot of local history of the area.
This book was written by the late Helen Diessner and her sister Marta Moran Bishop. The audiobook is narrated by Christopher Meglin.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
This is a spooky and surprising ghost story. I thought it was going in a certain direction, but then was completely shocked and scared but delighted to go a different way. It’s a bit darker than I usually read, but worth it. In this ghost story/historical fiction mashup, we learn the history of Virginia City, Nevada during the gold rush and we meet some interesting characters with quite a tale to tell. Go on this short ghostly adventure to a town in the past, and prepared to be a little terrified but completely entertained, for that is what a good ghost story does. Fans of horror, magical realism, and historical fiction will love this story.
The audiobook is a story-length (45 minutes) treat read by Christopher Meglin, who does a wonderful job.
I received a free copy of the audiobook. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
Triggers: Murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marta Moran Bishop walks in the shoes of her characters and weaves the tapestry of their lives with the threads of her dreams.
Ms. Bishop is a prolific and versatile writer, writing in multiple genres, while continuing to stretch herself and her craft.
Her series The Divide: Darkness Descends (book 1) and The Between Times (book 2) tells the story of a bleak world, where society consists of the poor and the rich and the poor live in squalor, depending only on a prophecy for hope of a better future. It has a touch of paranormal within its pages. She is currently working on Book 3 in the series.
George Haint is a story started by Marta’s late sister, Helen Diessner.
She has written three adult poetry books and a variety of fantasy and paranormal stories. A few of them are stories that her mother wrote over forty years ago and Marta finished, while others are new and vibrant stories.
She currently lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, three horses, cats and a conure parrot named Jack. They help her remember to view the world through a child’s innocence and keep her young and imaginative.
Q&A WITH MARTA MORAN BISHOP
Good Morning, Marta, and thanks for answering my questions today.
Marta: It’s so wonderful to meet you and an honor that you invited me to be on your blog.
Bonnie: Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know from reading your bio.
Marta: I’ve worked as a magician’s assistant, and danced in a few TV commercials.
Bonnie: That is so interesting! Where did you work as a Magician’s Assistant, and what commercials did you do?
I worked as a Magician’s Assistant in Chicago. My brother and I did a disco/jazz act and won a few contests. The commercials were for Sugar Twin and a “Women’s Product.” Lol.
Bonnie: This story was conceptualized and started by your sister Helen Diessner, who has sadly passed away. I am so sorry for your loss. Can you tell me a little bit about Helen and what it means to you to complete this story and have it published?
Marta: Thank you for your condolences. Helen is and will always be so missed. She was one of the most intelligent people I ever met. Interested in just about everything, but in particular history, ghosts, mysteries, and had a love of animals and life, with a great sense of humor.
Bonnie: At what point in the story did you pick it up? Did you already know what the ending would be?
Marta: Helen and I had talked over her story, and I read her first few pages, gave a few comments regarding tenses, etc., and at that time she told me who she planned on the first kill to be, but not how to get there. She stopped writing it in 2016 and I didn’t see it again until after her death. What she had written was so good that I knew she’d want me to finish it. She stopped writing about a quarter of the way through chapter three.
Bonnie: Although this is a short story, it contains a lot of information about the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. What was your (or Helen’s) historical research process?
Marta: Helen lived in the Gold Hill area of Virginia City for many years, and worked for The Way It Was Museum. She read everything they had in the Museum and knew all the legends. The shack on the cover was a picture she took that helped inspire the story.
Bonnie: George Haint seems to be going in a certain direction, and then catches the reader by surprise. Is this something you’ve done in your other writings and can you tell us a little about your previously published work?
Marta: Yes, I have done this in other books and stories I have written or finished that I inherited from my mother’s writings. I am a multi-genre author and prefer to write in first person (even if it is first person horse or cat) when I write I seem to fall into the mind of the characters and they many times surprise me. I’ve written poetry (both children’s and adult), paranormal short stories, dystopian novellas, as well as my award-winning novel Dinky: The Nurse Mare’s Foal, which is written through his eyes about the first year of his life. When a character begins to talk to me too loudly the book or story gets written.
Bonnie: Magical realism/the paranormal is very present in this story. Is this true of any of your other work as well?
Other than my animal stories it is present in all of my other books and stories.
Bonnie: Are you currently working on anything else and can you tell us about it?
I’m currently finishing the sequel to my series The Divide, a dystopian series with magical realism and paranormal mixed in to give hope and save the world. I’m also writing a book based on the premise that Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickenson had a love affair through letters.
Bonnie: The Poe/Dickenson love affair sounds intriguing! What was your inspiration for that and will you come back again to talk about it when it’s ready to publish?
Marta: The idea came out of some poems I wrote between them, way back when someone said I was “Emily to his Poe,” and an “inspiring force in his creative process.” They are published in two of my first poetry books. Absolutely I’d love to come back!
Bonnie: Thanks Marta for your great answers and for joining us today! I look forward to speaking with you again!
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
I know it’s Sunday, but I’m late with SPS because I have the grandkids this weekend. I’m about to drive them back home, which is a 4.5 hour round trip for me. Here is SPS, and sorry it is late.
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to share self-published/indie books with the readers of my blog in hopes that they will share them with their readers. Self-published/Indie authors have to do it all, and any help with marketing is crucial.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Winner of the Firebird Book Award for Fiction. Following the traumatic end of the Knights Templar, a remnant band of knights in hiding attempt to make a new life for themselves in the eastern Byzantine Empire. Chaperoning merchants and pilgrims through perilous lands in the midst of a brewing war, their mettle is put to the test on a daily basis. However, this assignment is unlike any other they’ve taken. Braving infamous clans of assassins and an encroaching army of Ottoman forces, they must escort a girl to safety during a time when their faith is shaken and the girl proves to be more than what she seems. Brought to you by the award-winning author of The Angels of Resistance and the Redeem the Knight Trilogy.
BOOK REVIEW
Torn Asunder is set in the early 1300s after the Knights Templar have been persecuted and destroyed by the King of France. It is about a band of surviving Templars who are just trying to get by and stay alive. They take a job to escort a girl to her cousin, but soon realize she is more than she seems.
This book overall is a unique and solid effort. The character of Parisa is wonderful, and the magical realism/paranormal she brings to the story really lifts it up. But Parisa is not really introduced right away and the story moves slowly until she is. At times I felt the plot dragged a bit and I got a little bit weary as we went from battle to battle without much of a break. I did not connect with the other characters as much as Parisa until near the end of the book. But the idea of a surviving band of Knights Templar is certainly intriguing, and the ending was wonderfully done. Overall, this is a solid story with a great ending. I give it 3.6 stars overall, rounded up to four stars.
Anyone interested in the Knights Templar and magical realism should check this one out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An award-winning indie dark fantasy and science fiction author from Long Island, David V. Mammina’s novels contain a solid storyline, deep character development, and twists and turns that can challenge any reader. Apart from writing page-turners, he also teaches history to middle school students with learning disabilities. Themes of his work include the redemption of fallen heroes, good versus evil, and the unity of those split by their differences in the face of supernatural adversity. Set in post-apocalypse or dystopian eras, fantasy realms, and the present day, Mammina can satisfy any and all tastes in genre fiction.
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Can she uncover the truth about her family before it destroys her?
Following the death of her grandmother, Becca Martin comes face to face with an ancestor she is unaware of; an ancestor who threatens her very existence.
Antony Cardover bears a vampire curse, and he will stop at nothing to sever his ancient bindings.
As she uncovers the dark truth about her family, can Becca embrace the legacy she now bears?
Or will the mistakes of the dead return to kill her?
If you like A Discovery of Witches and The Vampire Chronicles, you will LOVE Marie Anne Cope’s BONDS series.
Step into a world of magic, mystery and mayhem, buy BONDS today!
EXCERPT
Suddenly, she froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, her breath caught in her chest. She stared at Spook as he cowered down in the garden, his ears back, his teeth bared. The hairs on the back of Becca’s neck were now upright, and she shivered as a sudden draught wrapped itself around her. She caught the scent of him as the draught moved through her towards the patio doors, and she saw a dark shadow advance towards the threatened cat. The fork dropped from her hand as she raced towards the patio doors. She yanked the handle, but it was locked. She fumbled for the key. She always left it in the lock. It wasn’t there.
‘Noooooo!’ she screamed as the shadowy figure crouched down in front of Spook and leaned in really close to him.
‘Leave him alone!’ Becca shouted and banged on the glass, hoping to scare Spook, but it was almost like he was in a trance. He didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t even try to lash out.
Becca picked up a chair and smashed it as hard as she could against the glass, but it bounced off. She dropped to the floor sobbing as she watched the figure reach out towards Spook. Suddenly the cat took off, and the figure stood up and stared at Becca.
‘Noooooo!’ Becca screamed, as she stared into the eyes of Antony Cardover.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Anne Cope is an author of contemporary and paranormal fiction. She grew up in Manchester, moving to North Wales in 2005, where she lives with her three cats, Jasmine, Texas, and Stoker.
She writes for women who want to read gripping stories that combine strong female leads with powerful, provocative storylines, which take them to the edge of their comfort zone.
Marie has always had an interest in the darker side of fiction—particularly in crime and the supernatural—but it wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she began taking a serious interest in writing. She published the first novel in her dark paranormal BONDS series in 2013 and followed it with the second and third novels in the quartet, BROKEN BONDS in 2015 and BONDS RE-BOUND in 2018. The journey ended with ETERNAL BONDS in November 2021, the Kindle edition reaching number one in both the Vampire Suspense and British Horror Fiction categories, as well as number three in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction.
The BONDS series is set against both contemporary and historical backdrops, following the story of the complicated and unusual relationship between Becca Martin, a reluctant witch forced to face up to who she is and accept her gift of the Craft, and Antony Cardover, a man who traded his soul for the chance of vengeance and paid the ultimate price – eternity bearing a vampire curse.
BONDS was a finalist for the 2020 Golden Stake Literary Award at the International Vampire Film & Arts Festival, as well as a quarter-finalist for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
Marie has published two collections of dark short stories under the series title TALES FROM A SCARYGIRL. The first volume, entitled DARK AND SCARY, moves from the realms of the supernatural into the borderlands where folklore and superstition meet real-world fear, while volume two, entitled DARKLY SINSITER, delves into the darkest vaults of the human psyche, daring the reader to question what lies beneath the surface.
DARKLY SINISTER came out on Halloween 2020, with the Kindle edition reaching number one positions in the Horror Short Stories, British Horror Fiction and British & Irish Short Stories categories, as well as number two in Psychological Thrillers.
Under the pen name M A Cope, she has also published her first children’s book called THE MISFITS. The story follows an unlikely group of supernatural misfits as they embark on an adventure that teaches them it is okay to be different from who they are expected to be; the important thing is to be happy in their own skin.
Marie is working on several other projects at the moment, including a screen adaptation of BONDS and a contemporary romance novel called CHASING RAINBOWS.
At the heart of everything she writes is a simple aim – to tell stories that captivate the reader.
This is another review I did for the May edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. It’s true crime meets magical realism. A fascinating combination.
In 1860s New York, Annie Moore is sent to a convent for fallen women after getting pregnant out of wedlock. After the nuns take her baby, she tries to find the child but ends up going into prostitution just to survive. She becomes Bessie and is soon highly sought after by men. She earns her own money, is showered with jewels, and gets the opportunity to travel. However, she longs for a different life. When the man who she thought would return her to respectability betrays her, she begins to seek revenge. Based on a true story, this is a captivating book with a surprise.
The first half of this book stays very true to the real-life story, but then there is a supernatural element that begins midway through. It makes the novel even more interesting and unpredictable. As Annie, the main character is treated abominably by society and the church. As Bessie, she is used by men and madams but still finds a measure of success. After marriage, she eventually realizes that her husband has no intention of living a normal life with her. But by then it’s too late. We travel with Bessie to Chicago, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and Texas, and then into the world of the paranormal as Bessie seeks revenge. The magical realism aspect of this story really sets it apart. The plight of women in those times is evident, and the theme of revenge is explored. This is an intriguing combination of genres—true crime, women’s fiction, and the paranormal—all woven into a compelling historical novel. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Hadlock’s love of history goes all the way back to junior high, when she was a member of the Junior Historians of Texas, so it’s no surprise her first novel is historical. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and worked as a broadcast journalist and then in nonprofit public relations before turning her focus to fiction. She also writes screenplays and won the 2020 Dallas International Film Festival’s screenplay contest.
Lyla is having the worst year of her life and then her Mum announces they are moving to a strange new town.
The only silver lining is the signs that a cat has made itself home in the new house.
Lyla quickly finds out though that Shimmer is no ordinary cat….
BOOK REVIEW
Shimmer is a middle-grade fantasy adventure starring a special cat and a girl who is having a rough time. After Lyla’s father dies, her mother decides to move and get a fresh start. Lyla is angry and upset at having to move away from familiar surroundings, and she is instantly bullied at school. On top of that, Lyla would like a cat, but her mother has adamantly refused. Then she begins to hear a cat mewling in the house.
This is a sweet and magical fantasy with a surprise twist in the middle. Although this is a short book, it packs a lot of story into 86 pages and it’s perfect for the middle-grade reader. There are some school fights included, so parents may want to be aware. All in all, this is a sometimes sad, but always sweet adventure with a magical and special feline star. Kids will love it, but so will their parents and grandparents.
I received a free copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Meredith lives in sleepy West Sussex with his wife and two children. He relocated there after suffering a psychosis back in 2000. Writing stories was a childhood love that he lost as he mistakenly believed that imagination had no place in the grown up world.
He likes taking reality and weaving fantastical elements into it. Alan’s writing reflects his belief that life is a journey of highs and lows and the idea that ‘life should be fair’ is an unrealistic expectation to give anyone, especially kids. If you are looking for the sugar coated ‘Happy Ever After’ you have come to the wrong place.
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help Self-Published/Indie authors with marketing. These authors have to do it all, from cover design to editing to marketing. If I can help even a little bit with marketing, I’m happy to do it. This week’s feature is a The Coronation, historical fiction with a tough of magical realism. It is set in Prussia in 1761.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
It is 1761. Prussia is at war with Russia and Austria. As the Russian army occupies East Prussia, King Frederick the Great and his men fight hard to win back their homeland.
In Ludwigshain, a Junker estate in East Prussia, Countess Marion von Adler celebrates an exceptional harvest. But this is soon requisitioned by Russian troops. When Marion tries to stop them, a Russian Captain strikes her. His Lieutenant, Ian Fermor, defends Marion’s honour, but is stabbed for his insubordination. Abandoned by the Russians, Fermor becomes a divisive figure on the estate.
Close to death, Fermor dreams of the Adler, a numinous eagle entity, whose territory extends across the lands of Northern Europe and which is mysteriously connected to the Enlightenment. What happens next will change the course of human history…
BOOK REVIEW
Justin Newland is known for creating well-researched historical fiction that is touched with magical realism, and he does not disappoint here. He brings us to East Prussia in 1761, and we meet Countess Marion Von Adler, who is trying to keep her people safe and fed during wartime. She meets Ian Fermor, Lieutenant of the Russian Army, who comes to her aid and is abandoned by the Russian Army. Their connection with the Adler, the mythical eagle, takes fascinating turns throughout this novel.
This is a unique take on the Seven Years War that is filled with adventure, suspense, and intrigue. What is the Adler and where is it leading Prussia and the world? How does the Industrial Revolution come into play? The reader will be left with a fascinating ending and a look at the future. Each chapter is headed with passages of scripture, which adds to the theme of the book, because following the Adler is a spiritual journey for Marion and Ian. This is quite a mystical trip into history. Fans of historical fiction and magical realism will enjoy this novel.
I received a free copy of this book from Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers – that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
His Books
The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind.
The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.
Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery.
*If you buy the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
We’re celebrating the release of The Stars Forgot Us, by bestselling author R.J. Garcia. This beauty will be available on March 30th. Read on for details and a chance to enter a fantastic giveaway – A paperback copy & a $10 Amazon e-gift card (US only) and an e-book edition if the winner lives outside the US!The Stars Forgot UsPublication Date: March 30th, 2022
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher:Midnight Tide Publishing
Fifteen-year-old Jacob Kelly would love to go back to simpler times. Before his parents’ divorce and the onset of his older brother’s schizophrenia. But when he returns to his hometown, things feel off. After a series of strange occurrences in his new house, Jacob fears the house is haunted, or even worse, he is losing his mind.
To his surprise, Jacob discovers a mysterious teenage runaway, Sanctuary Daniels, living in the house. She reveals she has been kept by a figure known only as Mother, in a place where downstairs children are languishing prisoners, and upstairs children do Mother’s bidding.
Both Jacob’s investigation into Sanctuary’s allegations and their budding romance are cut short when she is reclaimed by evil beings. Beings who unleash terror upon Jacob and his family. Now he must journey to a real haunted house to save his first love and fight for his life.
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Excerpt
My eyes snapped open as three words surfaced in my sleepy brain. You’re not alone. A cold settled into my flesh, making the fine hairs on my arm stand up. I sat up in bed, sucking in a deep breath, and stared into the darkness, unsure what had woken me. My lights were off. It was pitch black. Then the distinct pitter-patter of footsteps sounded down the hall.
“Mom?” When I got no answer, I jumped out of bed and scrambled for the light switch. The overhead fluorescent light blinked on, and I immediately noticed the closet door was partway opened again. This time, I was sure I’d closed it, so I started off with slow, measured steps to investigate. I yanked the door open the rest of the way and hit the closet light. I scoured the walls to discover more writing. The single word, HELP, was written in the same marker on the wall. My pulse skyrocketed. It freaked me out.
I crept back over to the bed and grabbed the blanket, swinging it around my shoulders like a cape, settling down on the drafty hardwood floor. With a shiver of anticipation, I kept my eyes pinned to the door, and strained to hear the slightest noise. It was eerily quiet. Even the wind had died down.
Unexpectedly, I heard a girl’s voice, so soft it was hardly audible, as it drifted up from the floor. It was only the word, “I’m.”
I scooted over to the vent and whispered, “Um…hello?” There was no reply. It could have been a ringing or humming in my ear. Yeah, I’d only imagined it was a voice. Yet, I hadn’t imagined the writing on the wall. I mean, what the hell? I got up and decided to have a look around. If someone was in the house, I had to know. I exited my room and began my search.
I stood face to face with a long and quiet hallway—doors on the left and right. My mind was a hot blank space as a thread of fear tugged me along. My mom’s bedroom was kitty-corner to my room, so I stepped in just far enough to take in the visual of her tucked in bed. Her sleeping sounds were somewhere between wheezes and moans.
“Mom?” I whispered, but she didn’t wake up, and I decided to just let her sleep.
I crossed over to the spare bedroom, smacking on the lights. There was only a desk and Mom’s old computer in the corner. Determined, I was now on a serious hunt and rushed to the closet, flinging the door open. There wasn’t anything. Not even writing on the wall.
Next on the list was Michael’s room. I found him sitting up in bed with a vacant stare. The lights were off, but the blinds were open. Moonlight flitted in, creating shadowy outlines above the chest of drawers that appeared incompatible and menacing.
My gaze returned to my brother as I cleared my throat. “Were you just walking around?”
“No.”
“Did you hear a girl’s voice, Mike?”
He came to life. “Yeah. I heard her.”
My mouth dropped. “Holy shit, I hoped I imagined it.”
Michael stared at me with an unsettling intensity. “I heard her in the vents, the drainpipes, and in the walls. If you listen closely enough, you’ll hear them all.”
Oh great, I’m losing it too.
My brother nodded approvingly. Tension slid from his features, softening his mouth and jaw muscles. Misery loves company, I guess.
R.J. Garcia is a wife, and proud mom of two smart teens and a chorkie, Zoey She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!
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Teri Altro is a no-nonsense Special Investigator whose whole life revolves around putting drug dealers behind bars. The Valley Walker is a soldier who walked away from the Vietnam war, wandering aimlessly until he is taken in by a Hmong woman in Laos. The meeting in a Michigan drugstore between Teri and the Valley Walker is otherworldly and begins a story that will keep you entranced.
Wow. This is an intriguing combination of crime/thriller, Hmong folklore/mysticism, and the devastation and trauma experienced by soldiers during the Vietnam war. It is so much more than a typical crime story. Hmong shamans, a former soldier with unbelievable abilities, and a mystical “dragon” are interwoven with flashbacks to the Vietnam war, as well as the fight against the drug lords in Asia and the U.S. This book is about battling back against the powerful, who use whoever and take whatever they want. Underneath it all, the devastation that the Vietnam War wrought upon so many people is made evident. As T.W. Dittmer puts it so matter-of-factly in this novel, “No matter which side wins a war, the soldiers and their families always lose.”
I enjoyed the “story within a story” of Bao and her rescue, which shows Hmong mythology and tradition, as well as the fight against evil.
The Valley Walker is filled with powerful mysticism, intrigue, love, pain, and loss. It is a lesson in Hmong folkore and legends. It is an absolute adventure ride that slips between reality and myth, normal and paranormal. But most of all, it is a fight of good against evil, and a story of those willing to sacrifice and fight for others. Throughout this novel, a mantra is often repeated, once which I think the author, a Vietnam Vet, knows well…”Two salt tablets, a canteen of water, and push on.”
Read this book. It’s so good on so many levels.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T. W. Dittmer’s full name is Timothy Watson Dittmer.
He was raised in Gary, Indiana, the son of a steelworker who turned to preaching the Gospel. After high school, he joined the Army, volunteered for service in Vietnam, then reenlisted for service in Vietnam. When his time with the Army was over, he studied music, digital electronics, and information technology.
He started writing music and poetry in high school, and has carried the love of those arts through his life.
The Stars Forgot Us
Publication Date: March 30th, 2022
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: 
R.J. Garcia is a wife, and proud mom of two smart teens and a chorkie, Zoey She earned her MSW and worked with foster children and as a school social worker. Writing has been her other great love. She has been writing short stories for as long as she can remember. To her amazement, those short stories became novels!
Bonnie Reads and Writes 
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