#SaturdaySpotlight is on The Winter Series by Alex Callister AudioBook!

Good Morning,

Well Old Man Winter has gripped us in his icy claws. I'm sure you've heard me say this before....

I Am NOT a Winter Person....UGH. 

The ONLY thing good about today is that I'm going see the movie Redeeming Love based on Francine Rivers' wonderful novel! 

It's been a while since I hosted an audiobook tour here on our blog so please welcome, Alex Callister with her Winter Series brought to us from ....

About Audiobook #1

Author: Alex Callister

Narrator: Ell Potter

Length: 11 hours 31 minutes

Publisher: Audible Originals⎮2019

Genre: Thriller

Series: The Winter Series, Book 1

Release date: Mar. 21, 2019

Synopsis: When you buy murder online, who is there to stop you?

GCHQ agent Winter has just 14 days to bring down the website of a formidable criminal organisation before a teenager is tortured to death in front of an online audience of millions. Going deep under cover disguised as the paid assassin Snow White, Winter must infiltrate the inner circle of the extraordinarily powerful man at the heart of the dark web. This is a gripping, fast-paced ride through a disturbingly plausible technological future in which Callister’s protagonist must battle to bring down the terrifying crimes tearing through society.

About Winter

Master hacker, highly intelligent, combat trained: Winter is a very modern spy. Worlds apart from the straitlaced characters created in the minds of Ian Fleming and John le Carré , Alex Callister's lead protagonist wouldn't dream of playing the part of the impeccable agent. However, despite her intimidating skillset, Winter is delightfully human and often prone to prioritizing her libido over her employer. Undeniably sexy and exceptionally accomplished, Winter is a true 21st-century heroine.

Listen to an excerpt or Buy Winter Dark on Audible

About Audiobook #2

Author: Alex Callister

Narrator: Ell Potter

Length: 10 hours 33 minutes

Publisher: Audible Originals⎮2019

Genre: Thriller

Series: The Winter Series, Book 2

Release date: Oct. 1, 2019 

Synopsis: Winter returns to face the most feared hitman of all time, the Guardsman. 

Winter has put the world of organised crime into crisis by unmasking its boss, Alek Konstantin. Hunted and permanently on the run, he has been caught on camera in Mexico, Virginia and Marseille. Retracing his steps, Winter attempts to uncover his motives and bring the world's most wanted man out of hiding using the tracker he embedded in her wrist. But things aren't quite that simple. After finding Lucy and watching her die a sickening death, Winter's desire to bring down the legendary Guardsman overrides her orders. Knowing Firestorm’s top contract killer is experimenting on victims, she takes a contract out on herself to catch him.  

Once again disguised as her alter ego, Snow White, Winter follows the Guardsman to Moscow expecting to spring the trap. However, things aren't quite what they seem. Who is the Guardsman and why does he know everything about Winter? With the reality of the situation unravelling as the world’s leaders assemble in London, just how much has Winter underestimated her opponent and is the realisation all too late? 

Winter faces her biggest challenge yet in this dark commentary on our surveillance society.

Listen to an excerpt or Buy Winter Rising on Audible

About the Author: Alex Callister

Alex is an action movie fan and her books are full of cult references and movie one-liners. Her kick-ass heroine, Winter, was inspired by Bond, Bourne, John Wick, Vin Diesel, Jack Reacher and many others. She has a history degree, a certificate in creative writing and a murderous imagination. She writes when she gets a chance, which is mainly at night between 10pm and 2am at home in London, with her three Bengal tigers. Her debut WINTER DARK was the Audible UK Thriller of the Year and was a finalist at the Audies in 2020.

About the Narrator: Ell Potter

Ell Potter is an actor, writer, and award-winning narrator. While training at LAMDA, she was named Audible’s ‘Breakout Star’ and her debut audiobook was subsequently nominated for an Audie. She has since recorded extensively with numerous publishers, winning multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards in the process. 

Her narrator credits include Hamnet, the Winter series, Dark, Salt, Clear (BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week), In At The Deep End , and little scratch .

Click here to view the full tour schedule!

Well, friends, hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Kevin K Chapman with his #audiobook Lethal Voyage!

Good Morning,

Last week I mentioned it had been a while since we hosted an audiobook tour so you're getting 2 in a row LOL!

Let's see what Mr. Chapman has to say about his book...

Author: Kevin G. Chapman

Narrator: Kevin G. Chapman

Length: 9 hours 39 minutes

Series: Mike Stoneman, Book 3

Publisher: First Legacy Productions

Released: Nov. 22, 2020

Genre: Thriller

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Robert Herold & The Eidola Project!

Good Morning and Welcome!

Lot's of states are lifting their stay-home orders but still strongly encouraging continued precautions (wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands often, etc). Although I'm ready for things to get back to normal, I believe we'll have a whole new idea of what that means to us individually, as residents in our towns, cities, states and as a nation as a whole. Whether you're fed up or scared silly, please be smart and be safe!

Today's guest was brand new to me and our blog last month when he shared some words with us, but before I spotlight Robert Herold and his book I'd like to announce the monthly gift card giveaway winner for April.....(drum roll please).......

Kara O'Neal! 

Now without much further ado, please welcome Robert Herold back with a peek into his novel, The Eidola Project....

The Eidola Project is recruiting. Dare to join them?

It's 1885 and a drunk and rage-filled Nigel Pickford breaks up a phony medium's séance. A strange twist of fate soon finds him part of a team investigating the afterlife.

The Eidola Project is an intrepid group of explorers dedicated to bringing the light of science to that which has been feared, misunderstood, and often manipulated by charlatans. They are a psychology professor, his assistant, an African-American physicist, a sideshow medium, and now a derelict, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses.

Called to the brooding Hutchinson Estate to investigate rumored hauntings, they encounter deadly supernatural forces and a young woman driven to the brink of madness.
Will any of them survive?

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

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

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

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

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

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


Oh my goodness, Robert...I knew your book was horror but .... SHUDDER.... LOL!

If you love horror novels, friends, The Eidola Project is published by The Wild Rose Press and can be purchased at Amazon and B&N. Watch the book trailer HERE (if you dare LOL!)

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

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

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

Ultimately, he hopes the book gives you the creeps, and he means that in the best way possible.

Robert is Paranormal Romance Guild's 2019 Reader's Choice 2nd place Winner and a contributor to the charity anthology Australia Burns volume 3. All three volumes are the product of authors, editors and our publisher donating their efforts for the victims of the wildfires in Australia. All profits will go the Australian Red Cross. Volume three contains SF, paranormal, and horror stories!

Find out more and connect with Robert through his Website, on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek into Robert's book folks. Be sure to leave a comment and enter into my monthly gift card giveaway!

Until next time, take care, be safe and God bless.
PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Robert Herold!

Good Morning!

Well, the weather has gone crazy as usual...from 80's to 40's this week, but it doesn't surprise me. I've always said we have a cold snap around Easter. Speaking of, I pray your Easter weekend was blessed despite the current affairs.

This week we welcome a brand new-to-me author to our blog....

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

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

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

Ultimately, he hopes the book gives you the creeps, and he means that in the best way possible. Connect with Robert on Twitter @RobertHerold666, Facebook, Instagram or through his website.

Now let's see what Robert has to share with us today.....

Tips for Aspiring Writers

By Robert Herold

Author of The Eidola Project

As a newly published author, I am close to the circumstance in which you find yourself and have a good idea of what you may be going through. A short while ago, I was you. Here are some thoughts that may help you on your journey.

• Most significant: KEEP WRITING!  Writing is a learning process and it will probably take years before you are published &/or gain notoriety. Prepare the psyche for the long haul.

• Put the inner critic into a strong box and lock it tight until you’re done. (Let it out only when you’re in the editing process and only if it’s on good behavior!)

• Come up with an ending first.  (If you are in the middle of something and don’t know where you’re going, stop and come up with an ending.) This gives your writing a direction and a purpose and you will avoid dead ends.

• Don’t stop to do major revisions/edits until you’ve completed your first draft.

• Once your first draft is completed, let the critic out, but keep it on a tight chain. Do not let it drive you to despair and cause you to delete your work. In fact, save each draft.  You may later find you want to use something from an earlier draft. Also, don’t let your inner critic cause you to get caught up in endless revisions.

• Join a writers’ group!  Try to find one with published writers &/or members who are better writers than you. You’ll learn from them and their praises and encouragement will carry weight.

• Develop a thick skin. Handle criticism wisely. Do not engage in defensive remarks or in explaining what you meant. Note what they had to say, and after a day or two decide if you will give it credence.

• Take note if you hear the same criticism from more than one source.

• Traditional AND self-published writers will need to engage in marketing. Cultivate those skills.  (A great resource is Your Book, Your Brand by Dana Kaye)

• Read as well as write! Read broadly, as it will enrich your writing and help you learn by example.

• Start your next book, story, or article.

• Apply the lessons you’ve learned along the way. We learn by doing.

• BEST WISHES!

THANKS Robert! We certainly appreciate you sharing your writing tips with us and wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your career.

Robert's book, The Eidola Project can be found at Amazon and GoodReads. Watch the trailer HERE.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll drop by weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight! 

Be sure to leave a comment to enter into my monthly gift card giveaway.

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT

Saturday Spotlight is on John Prather author of The Nephilim Virus

Good Morning Friends,

If you've followed me for long you know how much it excites to me to introduce to you brand new-to-me authors and today's guest is no exception! Brought to us by Adams PR Group, please welcome John Prather.....

John Prather grew up with seven siblings in Memphis, Tennessee, on a steady diet of BBQ and southern values. After graduating from the University of Memphis, he moved to Hollywood to try his hand at the entertainment industry. He has been featured in TV series such as Scream Queens on Fox as well as WWE Raw. His commercial work has included ads for FedEx, Old Navy, Burger King, and Ruffles, in addition to various other major corporations. As a model, he has been featured in national magazines such as People, GQ, Men’s Health, as well as on the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine, among others. John and his wife are expecting twins in early 2018, and hope to adopt their foster daughter very soon. 

For more information, visit www.JohnTPrather.com or ​Follow the Author on: Facebook  Twitter  &  Instagram

Welcome John! Tell us a little more about your book.....

Q: What inspired you to write “The Nephilim Virus”?A: I always had this idea for a story where two thirds of the world was infected with a blood disease, but I never knew how I was going to tell it. There are several obscure verses in Genesis 6 about the Nephilim, a race of beings created from the sons of god sleeping with the daughters of men and that passage always fascinated me. One day, I decided to put those two ideas together and tell a story where I got to imagine what the world would look like if that race of super humans were still around.

I have been a writer and lover of stories ever since I was young. My grandfather was a wonderful storyteller and I used to listen to his stories over and over to learn the rhythm and pace and punch line of a good story. I had dozens of unfinished stories lying around, but I never sat down and made myself finish one. Then in 2013, I decided it was time I finished a manuscript. And I did. And it was bad. But it showed me I could finish one. Then I had the idea for The Nephilim Virus, so I started writing that in 2014 as a short story. I knew I had to get the idea out of my head or it wouldn’t leave me alone. As I kept writing, the story kept coming. Five months or so later, I had another finished manuscript. This one seemed publishable. Now, almost four years later, here we are.

Q: What do you hope readers will experience with this novel?A: All the great themes, like redemption and sacrifice and love, of all the great stories are just tiny versions of the greatest story, God’s story. That is the reason a reader can feel them in his or her soul—regardless if the work is Christian or non-Christian. I want readers to connect to the greatest story by reading a book that has little glimpses of that story woven into it. The overall theme of the book is the idea that every human has been infected with a blood disease, but there is a cure. I want readers to be entertained while subconsciously connecting to the truth —sometimes in ways they might not even realize.

Q: In addition to being an author, you are also an actor and model. How does that affect your work as a writer?
A: Working in the entertainment industry allows me to continually learn about people. Being an actor is a great way for me to be in touch with my own emotions and internal motivations and also to see and feel my fellow performers’ emotions and motivations. Everyone has tics and mannerisms that are specific to them and I feel being aware of these individual characteristics helps me create strong characters for my stories. It has also helps me hone the art of storytelling to see how other artists tell their own stories, whether they are writers, photographers, actors, directors, or whatever.

Q: Why do you believe this novel will appeal to both Christians as well as non-Christians? A: My all-time favorite author is C.S. Lewis and he said something that has always stuck with me. He said, “What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent.” The novel will appeal to Christians who like stories that can be taken seriously by the world while still holding deeper truths. Sometimes “Christian” entertainment can avoid or sugar-coat real life topics that people deal with every day. This novel is one a Christian could enjoy and pass on to their friends who might not read something blatantly Christian. The novel has no cussing or sex, but at the same time, it has death and villains and adventure. It shows the battle between good and evil without being offensive on one hand or preachy on the other. Non-Christians will enjoy the book because it reads like a movie or a Netflix series. It has short chapters and short sentences and lots of cliffhangers. The deeper truths are hidden just below the surface so a non-Christian could read it simply for its entertainment value and not realize the Christian themes, imagery, and symbolism right away. The Nephilim Virus doesn’t talk overtly about God, but you can see Him throughout the work, similar to the book of Esther in the Bible.

Q: How difficult is it to live your faith in the entertainment industry?A: Being a Christian is the norm in the South. Everyone has a church, even if they never go to church. In the South, it costs you very little to be a Christian. But in Hollywood, it costs you a lot. Christians are the enemy out here. No one understands them. The good thing about that is that it cuts out the lukewarm Christians. Out here, if you aren’t deep with God, you will soon be done with Him because it costs too much. I’ve been to countries where faith costs much more than it ever will here, but it probably costs more to be a Christian in Hollywood than it does anywhere else in the United States. Being a follower of God in L.A. can get you ostracized, fired, friendless, and broke. For example, I literally got screamed at by a casting director because I turned down a role that I wasn’t comfortable doing. He screamed at me about how the role could make my career and how I was a moron and other unrepeatable things. And that was one of the more tame encounters I’ve had with someone who doesn’t understand my worldview.

Another difficulty of having faith in Hollywood is that, as an actor, you often don’t get to see the whole project for which you are auditioning. The small part of the script that they show you could be acceptable, but you don’t know what overall story they are telling. So you really have to trust God to keep you away from the wrong projects. The thing people outside of Hollywood don’t understand is the difficulty of the industry. Even someone who has no morals and no qualms about doing anything in any project has a one in a billion shot of making it. Being a Christian further narrows their odds by being an outcast who refuses to do something or represent something that is against their morals. I often think of Hollywood as America’s version of “the gates of hell” that Jesus talked about. Christians out here are the tip of the spear. They are in the hottest spot. They need lots of support. But that’s ok because Jesus promised the gates of hell would not prevail.

Q: Talk about why you and your wife decided to be foster parents. A: My wife and I met on a mission trip in Brazil where we took a medical boat down the Amazon river. That is another story for another time, but one of the first things we connected on was our desire to build a family through adoption as well as biologically. We were both big believers in adoption. We also wanted to try to save a kid who wouldn’t have a great chance at life without us. We think adoption is a wonderful thing in all its forms, but we wanted to take a child from a situation where they had no hope of a family otherwise. We aren’t rich, and we don’t have a lot, but we do have a heart for children without a family. So we decided to adopt out of the California foster care system. We were very naive as to the difficulty of that process, but we started taking foster classes and getting certified two months after we got married. We planned on having our own children first and then coming back to adopt when the time was right. It is a very long story, but God had other plans. We ended up bringing a little foster boy into our home in order to adopt him. He was later given back to a family member. Giving up my son was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

Two months later, we brought a little girl into our home. We brought her home from the hospital and she just became a one-year-old. We are currently in the process of trying to adopt her, and everything looks good so far, but things could change in an instant. It breaks my heart and scares me to death that a social worker could call tomorrow and say, “pack up your daughter, I’m coming to get her and you will never see her again.” The foster system is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my entire life, and I hope that one day I will be in a position to help make changes in the system. Until then, I’m very open and write about our journey in my blog in hopes of helping other people and shedding light on the subject. God willing we will adopt our daughter shortly after our twins are born. Then, in a few more years, we will try to adopt another child from the system.

Q: As a sought-after model, you obviously keep yourself very fit. How do you believe your physical health impacts your spiritual well-being?

A: I believe the physical body and spiritual body are closely linked. As a Christian I believe that God himself lives inside the human body. God’s spirit should permeate every part of a person’s life, including the physical and mental aspects. The Bible says to love the Lord with all your heart and soul and strength —mind, soul, and body. I think sometimes Christians emphasize the mind and soul, but neglect the body. But God asks for all three. Your physical life is your spiritual life. You couldn’t say, “my mouth is eating donuts, but my body uses it like broccoli.” It doesn’t work that way. The outside begins on the inside.

In addition to the close link of your physical life and your spiritual life there is the idea that the discipline of building your body by exercising builds discipline in other areas as well. It builds self-control (another spiritual trait). The strength to build the discipline to work out every day translates to the strength and discipline to read your Bible and pray every day. God told Joshua four times in three verses to be strong and courageous. Paul often used physical examples to teach spiritual truth. When Samson failed spiritually, he also lost his physical strength.  God asks for all of you. Every piece. Body and soul.

OH Wow, John what a story! Your book sounds fascinating. Where can we find a copy?

The Nephilim Virus can be found on Amazon and my website.

Thank you very much for visiting with us today, John. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your novel (and adoption!!!).

Well friends, hope you have a great day also and that you'll drop by often to see what's happening on Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

Virtual Book Blast Guest - Roy McConnell

Hello Again Friends!

Hope you're week is going well. If not so far, I pray it gets better!

Today's VBB guest is Roy McConnell and his book, Mind Walker brought to you by Premium Promotional Services.

About Roy McConnell


Roy McConnell is multi-published in short & novel length fiction *Thrillers That GRIP You To The End!* MIND WALKER, released September of 2009 is a suspense/thriller loaded with action, romance, and even a twist of sci-fi. McConnell was selected as a Rising Star author on the Barnes and Noble website. Mind Walker has been in the top twenty novels of the Rising Star series since publication.

About “Mind Walker”

For more than four hundred years, the males of the Ostermann family have unleashed their secret power on the world, destroying lives and amassing great fortunes. But five centuries prior, the first woman to inherit the identical gene as the males foretold that another female would be born with the same power. It was she who would stand against the madness of the Ostermann reign. No one knew when she would come…until now.

In present-day British Columbia, Wolf Ostermann rules his exotic estate with an iron fist. Ostermann has no son to continue his family legacy, so if he and his family are to maintain their economic grip on the world, Wolf must indoctrinate his reluctant daughter, Tara. Unfortunately for Wolf, Tara will have nothing to do with him anymore, and that doesn’t bode well for the tyrannical megalomaniac.

Now on the run, Tara and ex-CIA operative Chris Landry must battle for their lives as they ultimately realize the tenacious reach of her father’s powerful mind-and the evil it unleashes on all of humanity.

Bursting with raw emotion, Mind Walker combines action and suspense in a nonstop ride from the landscapes of British Columbia to the Caribbean Islands, and ends in a chilling climax in New York City.


Jo-Anne Vandermeulen Interviews Roy McConnell
 
1.) How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was twelve years old. A school friend of mind started me writing poetry. Him and I used to compete with our poetry. At the time it seemed like we were writing some brilliant stuff.

2.) What motivated you to write this electrifying thriller, “Mind Walker”?

About eight years ago I began to realize how much satisfaction I derived from writing. I thought I wanted to develop my writing further and joined a writers group and started taking workshops. It was in a workshop with a published author, who turned out to be my mentor for over a year, that I got the idea to write a book. Music had always been my inspiration for writing, so one night listening to Pink Floyd I got the first insights into Mind Walker.

3.) Who would enjoy reading “Mind Walker”?

I continue to ask myself this question. It seems that Mind Walker has a very broad audience appeal. Men and Women from ages 16 to 80 have read and enjoyed the book.

Even many who don’t normally read thrillers have told me they enjoyed it.

Mind Walker has a bit of everything. I guess that is why it has such broad appeal.

I was listening to one of Steve Berry’s podcasts the other day and I believe Mind Walker as something he describes as the wow or oooohhhh factor. When I describe the book to people I get the wow response.

4.) What’s next for Author Roy McConnell?

I am working on a sequel for Mind Walker and so far I am getting very positive feedback from my writers group on its development. I also have a third book in the works based on a character from Mind Walker.

5.) Where can viewers/followers/friends/fans interact with you?

On Facebook, GoodReads, email me from my website, Twitter, or Linkedin.

Facebook – http://bit.ly/bnYmjz

Goodreads – http://bit.ly/a3y1cN

Website – http://bit.ly/cmk7jR

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/rjmc100

Linkedin- http://bit.ly/91shFR

6.) Would you like to add any closing thoughts today?

I always find it amazing, when I sit down to write and I think the story is going to go a certain direction, but when the thoughts and ideas start flowing freely they often form themselves much differently than I had planned.


Well Friends, hope you enjoyed this VBB brought to you by PPS!

You can find out more about Roy McConnell and his "action packed thriller!" at his website and where to purchase the books here.

Leave a comment and your name will be put in a drawing to win a copy of the book!

Good luck!

Until later...Be Blessed!
PamT