Thursday, October 29, 2020

Meet Linda Nightingale, Author of Sci-Fi Romance LIFE FOR SALE, Book 2 of Tomorrow's Angels

About Linda

After 14 years in Texas, Linda returned home to her roots in the South Carolina red clay. She has eight published novels, four of which are available in audio from Audible.com. For many years, she bred, trained, and showed the magnificent Andalusian horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a pickup truck pulling a horse trailer. Several  writing awards have come her way,  including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award for Excellence, the Raven Award, and the SARA Merritt. In real life, she was a legal assistant. She loves to dress up, use the good china and crystal, and host formal dinner parties. She has a fondness for sports cars like her current ride, Zippy Z.

About LIFE FOR SALE

Here's a catchy tagline: A sentient, humanlike android and his owner race to stop an insane robot before someone else dies.


Mayfair Electronics has created life.

In Love for Sale, the high-tech electronics company, in black and white, offers "love for sale". Mayfair has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from humans. March Morgan flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life. Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight, but her past and his future soon threaten their happiness--and their lives.

In the sequel, Life for Sale, four of the Special Editions have escaped. Rebel, Christian and  March  are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator's plan to destroy him. They've discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure. March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer's next victim.



                                                                    Christian

Excerpt:

March shivered again, rested her face on his chest. “Hold me until I stop trembling.” Tears she didn’t want him to see welled in her eyes. The whole ghastly business had to be hard on a man encoded to protect not harm humans.

Her AI angel stroked her hair, and a sob broke through her control. She squeezed her eyes shut, battling tears.

“Shush, dear. It’s over now,” but he didn’t sound confident. The thing buried in the backyard could tear them apart or worse.  Any slight misstep, and they both faced Death in all his chilling glory.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He brushed a kiss to her lips and pulled held her closer.

For some time, they stood. taking comfort from holding each other and simply being, then, hand-in-hand, they walked, when they wanted to run, to the house. Christian had switched on the overhead light in the anteroom. In the brilliance, it was possible to pretend the past few minutes hadn’t occurred. Again the tears threatened, and he held her until she’d regained control. She straightened, gazing into his eyes. Battered emotions stained them darker blue. Mayfair hadn’t missed even that small detail. He cradled her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly, his lips soft and his body close. In a lifetime of searching, she’d never have found anyone like him. If she were to lose him…she couldn’t imagine living without him.

Once, Mayfair had taken him away.  They could do it again—and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. The golden ring on the third finger of his left hand should protect Christian from Mayfair, but who’d investigate a missing robot, or even believe her in the first place?

With almost religious fervor, she and Christian had adhered to Mayfair’s first commandment. Above all, the company demanded secrecy. The Special Editions passed for human, and no one was ever to know that Mayfair had engendered life, but at any moment Aguillard, the wild card for whom the Christian line was named, might renege on the freedom he’d grudgingly bestowed.

Her cell rang, ending their moment of respite.

People are saying:

Linda Nightingale’s Life for Sale takes the characters from Love for Sale and sets them on a dangerous adventure for these androids posing as human. After fleeing at the end of the first book, they are trying to hide from the watchful eye of Mayfair, but decide a reunion is in order. One of the four, however, is suffering a murderous malfunction. The resulting story is not so much a murder mystery as it is a study of a chaotic mind, albeit lab created, yet eerily human in its madness. Nightingale has seamlessly made the unbelievable believable for the reader with a totally unexpected, but thoroughly satisfying ending to this duet. Imaginative premise, well developed characters and an insight into a mind gone wrong make this a great read…S. Hutchinson


A Note From Linda


My lovely hostess asked me to describe five reasons why you should buy my new release, Life for Sale. My hand flew to my mouth, my poor brain scrambling. How could I ask another person to buy my book?! What was I to say? I’m an introvert with a half*ss extrovert rising (translate to Capricorn with Aquarius rising), and the thought alarmed me.  While I’m thinking about it, does anyone mention sun signs anymore or is that the 80s? My mind is a time machine. Many of you are writers, too, and your stories travel the past and future, right? Time machine.

So, here goes. You’ll hear this as I type it. I dare not edit it or the begging might bleed in. Kidding, sort of. I hold the mic in my trembling hand, and I say,

1. In Life for Sale and Love for Sale, the two books in my Tomorrow’s Angels series, imagination has leaped ahead of robot technology to tomorrow when we have androids like Data on the Star Trek: The New Generation. Androids with true consciousness: Knowing they are a part of the world around them, learning, feeling, looking totally like humans. Can you imagine talking with someone like Data with a computer for a brain and a central processor for a heart? Speaking of a heart, the androids in Tomorrow’s Angels fall in love, more particularly are programmed to love their purchaser. Wouldn’t you wonder what such a person would be like? That’s the #1 reason: Curiosity.

Since Amazon has once again—they can’t make up their rabbit-butt minds—pulled the free codes, you can’t get a really good narrator on Royalty Share on a bet.  And. Audible prices it’s books at the price of a filet mignon, read. Grab an eBook. 

Reason #2:  Cheap at only $4.99.

A reviewer who has already reviewed 270 books this year, gave Life for Sale 5-stars. Listen to S. Hutchinson:  “Nightingale has seamlessly made the unbelievable believable for the reader with a totally unexpected, but thoroughly satisfying ending to this duet. Imaginative premise, well developed characters and an insight into a mind gone wrong make this a great read.”  

Reason #3: - Good Book

4.   I need the validation. I’m in a writing funk, can’t seem to get a book finished, and have an approved proposal in my hand. 

Reason #4: Help an Author.

Characters are nice folks, except for one, maybe two if you count Mayfair, the androids’ creator. Christian and March are super. Well, he’s super being an android. She’s a very nice human. If you meet him on the street, you can’t tell he’s a machine stronger and smarter than most male creatures (handsomer, too. That’s why you stopped in your tracks  to look). Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. Their problem is a Special Edition like Christian has suffered a serious malfunction and become a serial killer…on a cruise ship. Of course, there’s a reason. 

Reason #5: Boy and Girl Next Door Romance w/mingling of Romantic Suspense and Sci-fi in the middle of the Atlantic.

There are more reasons than I thought. Maybe I’ll buy the book. Say, would you buy a Special Edition at a cost of roughly an Aston Martin? Remember he or she is beautiful and programmed to love only you.

Thank you for letting me ramble on your stage, Diana.

Purchase LIFE FOR SALE

Purchase LOVE FOR SALE

Connect with Linda

Twitter


Facebook


Website – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.


Blog - Lots of interesting guests & prizes


Goodreads


Pinterest


Amazon





Monday, October 26, 2020

Meet My Guest, Best-Selling Author and Dear Friend Brian L. Porter in His Own Words

I've known Brian for many years. We collaborated on a historical romantic thriller, Sharing Hamilton, which became an Amazon international best seller. I've read many of his books, and recently finished Requiem for the Ripper, Book 3 in the trilogy that I devoured. You'll see my praise for Requiem in my review below.

Here are Brian's own words about his journey and his best-selling books:

JACK THE RIPPER AND MORE

First of all, I’d like to thank Diana for inviting me to contribute this article to her blog. Diana has recently read and reviewed the third part of my recently republished fictional Jack the Ripper trilogy, Requiem for the Ripper. Diana loved the book, I’m pleased to say, having already read and similarly reviewed the first two books in the Study in Red trilogy, A Study in Red, The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper, and Legacy of the Ripper.

I became interested in the crimes of Jack the Ripper while serving in the RAF over 40 years ago, but it was my son who eventually encouraged me to write A Study in Red, the first book in what became the trilogy. After over 40 years of studying the Ripper murders, I’m no nearer to coming up with the real identity of the Ripper, though like all students of the subject, I have my own prime suspect. So, not wanting to come up with yet another ‘true’ revelation of the Ripper’s identity, I decided to create a fictional series, which, though relating the true facts of the Ripper’s crime, is a series of fictional tales all linked by the crimes of the one and only, Jack the Ripper!

About Requiem For the Ripper

William Forbes is desperate. The former solicitor to Jack Reid, he believes that the soul of the notorious Victorian serial killer, Jack the Ripper is haunting him. 

Seeking help, William contacts criminal psychologist David Hemswell who invites William to his remote Scottish island home, Skerries Rock. 

Together with David's friend Kate, a paranormal investigator, they begin to understand the terror that Forbes is facing.

But what are they really up against, and can they survive the final confrontation in Requiem for the Ripper?

 

Diana’s Amazon Review


5 out of 5 stars


I'm Sorry It's The End Of The Series

A huge Jack the Ripper buff, I’ve read the other books in Brian Porter’s Study in Red series, and thoroughly enjoyed each one, but I devoured this. In this final instalment, the eerie tale is brought to a shattering conclusion. Fans of the paranormal will be happy to see otherworldly elements weaved into this plot which doesn’t quit until the final word. As I am very much into the paranormal, this story was a double treat. A remote island off Scotland’s coast serves as the setting and is it ever a perfect setting.

William Forbes, the former solicitor (lawyer) to serial killer Jack Reid, believes the spirit of Jack the Ripper haunts him. He contacts David Hemswell, a criminal psychologist, to help him. As William explains his horrific experiences, David realizes this case may be beyond his capability, so he calls on his paranormal investigator friend Kate, who arrives and confirms that paranormal forces are at work here. I won’t give away any more details, for the story leads to more twists and turns, culminating in a horrifying crescendo that is more terrifying than the Jack the Ripper murders Brian described in the earlier books.

Not only was the story brilliantly constructed and structured, the prose was at the highest level of professionalism. As a novelist myself, I consider the prose just as important as the story itself. Brian knocked this one out of the park! 

As you might have guessed this is quite a scary and atmospheric tale, that I felt brought the trilogy to a suitable, satisfactory ending with just a hint that maybe it isn’t really the end. Although each book in the trilogy is suitable for reading as a stand-alone novel, it would definitely help readers if they begin, as Diana did with book one and then work your way through the series.

More about me

 

I hope that’s whetted your appetite a little, and perhaps now would be a good time to tell you a bit more about me. I’m a former member of the Royal Air Force, who then spent around twenty years working in business management before becoming a full-time writer.


I now have over twenty Amazon bestsellers to my name.




I’m probably best known as the author of the bestselling Mersey Murder Mystery series of books, which are all set in and around the city of Liverpool in the UK, where I’m from of course, and also my bestselling Nonfiction series, ‘Family of Rescue Dogs’, the title of which I hope is self-explanatory.




I also co-authored the bestselling historical romance thriller Sharing Hamilton with Diana, after she invited me to collaborate on her book by adding a serial killer subplot. Thus the character of Dr. Severus Black came into being, a wonderfully charming yet creepy English doctor with a heart of stone, who proved to be a popular addition to Diana’s novel.



Also recently released

 

I can’t let this article pass without mentioning my other recent release, a very topical Cold War Thriller, Pestilence.


Originally released ten years ago and recently updated and republished, Pestilence is chillingly topical, when one takes note of the current pandemic sweeping the globe. In the book, a small English village is suddenly struck by a new killer disease, which doctors are at first unable to diagnose, but which is eventually identified as a new and previously unheard-of strain of pneumonic plague!


Pestilence


Breathe... if you dare.


English countryside, 1958. The idyllic village of Olney St. Mary has stood in its peaceful location for over 900 years.

Until one day, when two teenage boys are struck by a mysterious illness. The newly arrived Doctor Hilary Newton suspects a common flu to be the cause of their malady. Before long, the doctor and residents of Olney St. Mary are plunged into a nightmare, as the disease ravages the local population. Despite the doctors employing the latest medicine available, the death toll keeps rising.

Someone in the village knows the reason behind the pestilence that has struck at the heart of the village, but can the medics learn the truth before it’s too late, or will they join the growing list of names that appear on the death roll in Olney St. Mary?

 

Here’s a recent 5-star review:


Could This Happen To Us?

It took Hilary less than five minutes to drive the half mile to her home. During those minutes she reflected on the state of her latest patient. That David Bradley was ill she was in no doubt about. That it was influenza she was reasonably sure about, though she had a terrible feeling that she might be witnessing the manifestation of a new strain of the killer bug. Influenza had been responsible for millions of deaths throughout the history of mankind and the "flu virus had developed an uncanny means of mutating from time to time, developing new and more powerful biological weapons in its global war against the human race. Hilary knew that if this was indeed a new strain that had found its way to Olney, then she would need help from outside.' This was Doctor Hilary Newton's diagnosis after attending her first patient as the new resident doctor in Olney St. Mary. And much to her distress, her fears were increased when a second patient turns up with the same symptoms. Hilary decides it's time to send both patients to the nearest hospital for further evaluation. The patients were sent to Ashford General Hospital where Doctor Paul Trent, a specialist in respiratory diseases, would examine them and hopefully find something to relieve their stress as well as prevent others from becoming infected with what appeared to be a new strain of the `flu. But fears increase for both doctors when one patient dies on his way to the hospital. After his examination of the surviving patient, Doctor Trent has an idea as to what they are dealing with. This theory is confirmed by the department head Doctor Malcolm Davidson. The village of Olney St. Mary has just become involved in a very serious epidemic of the "plague." Brian L. Porter has again brought to light the possibilities of an incident that could occur and may have already occurred without the general population knowing. How far will a government go to keep something this serious contained? How far will they go to keep it quiet? And what will they do if it turns out that the original source may have come from within the government itself? Pestilence is another eye-opener that will really make you start wondering about these questions and the possible answers.--Martha A. Cheeves


Purchase Pestilence


 

You can find all the books in my Ripper trilogy here.


See my Mersey murder mysteries here.


My Amazon author page for a full list of my books here.


I'd also love to see you on my page at Next Chapter Publishing.

 

 

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Meet Diane Bator and Read About “Drop Dead Cowboy,” Book 1 of the Sugarwood Mysteries, Just in Time for Halloween!

Every year I gather at least a dozen ghosty, spooky, creepy and paranormal books for October, and in between watching all the paranormal TV shows, I read them. Here's another, by my guest Diane Bator.

About Diane

Diane is the author of several mystery novels—and series. She’s a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime Toronto, International Thriller Writers and the Writers Union of Canada. When she’s not writing, she works in a small, professional theatre which will one day be subjected to immortality in a whole new paranormal mystery series.


A
bout DROP DEAD COWBOY




I wrote this book during NaNoWriMo 2019 where you push yourself to write 50,000 words in a month. I did it, and then some, with a push from a great friend! I spend the next couple months editing, expecting it to be published in September 2020. Then Covid hit and my publisher moved it UP to June since I’d already finished and submitted it!

This November for NaNoWriMo, I’ll be working on Book 2, currently titled Spirted Witch which is a Christmas book. 

What's it About?

Audra Clemmings loves Halloween. At least until she sees the display of voodoo dolls in the shop next door that resembles nearly everyone in Sugarwood, Ontario—including her. 

Then there’s the matter of the dead cowboy on the bench in front of her shop Stitch’n’Time…

An Excerpt

Merilee laughed as she walked toward the storage room for another box. She returned with a large, tattered cardboard box. “I thought you were going to put up these decorations. Weren’t they your dad’s?”

The instant I saw the childlike scrawl of crayon across the side of the box, I sighed. “Yes. My mom dropped them off for us to use in the store window, but I wasn’t sure what to take out. Some of them are pretty old. Go ahead and use what you want.”

“Okey dokey.” She pawed through the beat up box and came out with a yellowed skeleton about a foot tall. “This guy looks kind of fun.”

“That’s Herbert. The kids might like him. He always gave me shivers,” I said. “I suppose we can put him up in the window. There should be a metal stand he hangs from.”

Merilee cackled. “Bwahaha! Come with me, Mr. Herbert. You are getting a place of honour in the front window.”

I chuckled then paused. “You didn’t finish telling me what Miss Lavinia put on the bench out front.”

She placed Herbert in the window then spun around and clapped her hands. “Oh right. It’s not a what so much as a who. This morning, there was a drop dead gorgeous cowboy out there playing guitar.”

“Playing a guitar?” My mouth fell open. “Is he like one of those mechanical things you can buy at the hardware store?”

“Nope, he’s a real life flesh and blood cowboy.”

“How is a cowboy playing a guitar Halloweeny?” I asked.

“Have you ever had an earworm?” Merilee returned to rifle through the box some more.

I slid several skeins of cobalt blue embroidery thread into their own cubby then tossed the small white box toward the counter. “A what?”

“An earworm,” Merilee said. “You know. One of those songs you hear that gets stuck in your head all day and when you’re trying to go to sleep at night. Don’t forget to save those boxes for Miss Lavinia.”

“Oh no! Do not tell me what song you heard.” I covered my ears. “I don’t want it stuck in my head all day too.”

“See. They’re scary,” she said. “Anyway, I heard that cowboy playing a song on my way here this morning and now I can’t get it out of my head. The funny thing is, I’ve never even heard the song before. There’s this one line…”

When Merilee stopped talking, I glanced up. “What is it?”

“‘Looking for her is like finding a needle in a haystack,’” she said.

I thought a moment. “You said he’s dressed like a cowboy, right?”

“Right.”

“So does that mean he’s looking for an old girlfriend, his dog, or his horse?” I bit my lip and struggled not to laugh.

Merilee’s eyes grew wide. “Could be his truck. I didn’t see a horse out there anywhere.”

We burst into laughter. Merilee pulled a few more items from the box. One was a costume that made my eyes well with tears. I turned away and put the box of embroidery threads in the bottom of the custom cabinet Merilee’s husband Tony had made us. Needlepoint was always my passion, and it took a tidy lump of money inherited after my aunt’s death to prompt me and Merilee pitch in to rent a tiny store front on Main Street.

Stop by https://bookswelove.net/bator-diane/ to learn more about Diane's books and for buy links!


Connect with Diane

Website

Blog (which features Escape with a Writer!)


Facebook


Facebook Escape with a Writer Page


Goodreads


Amazon

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Salem, a Halloween Landmark--and if You're Fascinated With the Salem Witch Trials...

We all read Hawthorne's stories and books THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES in school, but did you learn what made the handsome brooding genius tick, and what haunted him?

I’ve always been fascinated with Hawthorne’s dark stories, but never knew he wrote out of his own fears and demons until I began researching my story about him and his wife Sophia. This was a true love story.

About FOR THE LOVE OF HAWTHORNE


Salem, Massachusetts witnessed horrific and shameful events in 1692 that haunted the town for three centuries. Accused as witches, nineteen innocent people were hanged and one was pressed to death. Judge John Hathorne and Reverend Nicholas Noyes handed down the sentences. One victim, Sarah Good, cursed Noyes from the hanging tree: “If you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink!” She then set her eyes on Judge Hathorne. “I curse you and your acknowledged heirs for all time on this wicked earth!” Hathorne was not only Sarah Good’s merciless judge; he also fathered her son Peter and refused to acknowledge him.

In 1717, Nicholas Noyes choked on his own blood and died. Every generation after the judge continued to lose Hathorne land and money, prompting the rumor of a family curse. By the time his great great grandson Nathaniel was born, they faced poverty.

Ashamed of his ancestor, Nathaniel added the ‘w’ to his last name. His novels and stories explore his beliefs and fears of sin and evil, and he based many of his characters on overbearing Puritan rulers such as Judge Hathorne.

When Nathaniel first met Sophia Peabody, they experienced instantaneous mutual attraction. Sparks flew. He rose upon my eyes and soul a king among men by divine right, she wrote in her journal.

But to Sophia’s frustration, Nathaniel insisted they keep their romance secret for three years. He had his reasons, none of which made sense to Sophia. But knowing that he believed Sarah Good’s curse inflicted so much tragedy on his family over the centuries, she made it her mission to save him. Sarah was an ancestor of Sophia’s, making her and Nathaniel distant cousins—but she kept that to herself for the time being.
  
Sophia suffered severe headaches as a result of childhood mercury treatments. She underwent routine mesmerizing sessions, a popular cure for many ailments. Spirits sometimes came to her when mesmerized, and as a spiritualist and medium, she was able to contact and communicate with spirits. She knew if she could reach Sarah and persuade her to forgive Judge Hathorne, Nathaniel would be free of his lifelong burden.

Sarah Good’s son Peter had kept a journal the family passed down to the Peabodys. Sophia sensed his presence every time she turned the brittle pages and read his words. John Hathorne’s legitimate son John also kept a journal, now in the Hawthorne family’s possession. Living on opposite sides of Salem in 1692, Peter and John wrote in vivid detail about how the Salem trials tormented them throughout their lives.

Nathaniel finally agreed to announce their engagement, and married Sophia on July 9, 1842. They moved into their first home, The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts. Wanting nothing else but to spend the summer enjoying each other, we became Adam and Eve, alone in our Garden of Eden, Sophia wrote in her journal.

As success eluded Nathaniel, they lived on the verge of poverty. After being dismissed from his day job at the Salem Custom House, he wrote The Scarlet Letter, which finally gained him the recognition he deserved. But the curse he believed Sarah cast on his family still haunted him. In the book he asks for the curse to be lifted.


                      The House of the Seven  Gables, Salem, MA, built in 1668
                                                            Photo by Me

Sophia urged Nathaniel to write a novel about the house, knowing it would be cathartic for him. While they lived in Lenox, Nathaniel finished writing The House of the Seven Gables. The Gothic novel explored all his fears and trepidations about the curse. He told Sophia, “Writing it, and especially reading it aloud to you lifted a tremendous burden off my shoulders. I felt it physically leave me. I carried this inside me since my youth and couldn’t bring it out to face it. And I have you, and only you, to thank.”

But he did not believe the curse could be lifted.

Sophia invited renowned spiritualist John Spear to The Gables. She explained that she needed to complete one final step to convince Nathaniel the curse was lifted.

Purchase For The Love Of Hawthorne on Amazon




Sunday, October 18, 2020

Meet Jill G. Hall & Read About Her Trilogy of Novels About Strong Women Through History

Jill writes about women through ages, as do I--and the books in her trilogy are set almost exactly during my New York Saga: 1894, 1930s and 1960s. I am planning to purchase and read Jill's books, but meanwhile, meet her here and read about them:

About Jill

Jill is the award-winning author of a dual timeline trilogy about women searching for their place in the world connected by vintage finds. The Black Velvet Coat and The Silver Shoes are book club favorites. The third in the series, The Green Lace Corset, will be released October 13. Hall is an instructor at San Diego Writers, Ink as well as a seasoned presenter at readings, and community events. She loves visiting with book clubs and organizations and now with Zoom and other virtual platforms she’s able to do so anywhere in the world. In addition to writing, she fashions whimsical mosaics using found objects. On her popular blog Crealivity she writes about the art of living a creative lifestyle. 

Warwick’s Bookstore in La Jolla will be hosting a virtual release celebration for The Green Lace Corset on Facebook Live October 24, 2020 at 4pm PDT. Click here for info.



About THE GREEN LACE CORSET

Anne McFarland, a modern-day, thirty-something San Francisco artist in search of spiritual guidance, buys a corset in a Flagstaff resale boutique―a purchase that results in her having to make a decision that will change her life forever. 

One hundred and thirty-five years earlier, in 1885, naïve Sally Sue Sullivan, a young woman from the Midwest, is kidnapped on a train by a handsome but dangerous bank robber. Held prisoner on a homestead in Northern Arizona’s Wild West, Sally Sue discovers her own spunk and grit as she plots her escape.

Ultimately, both Anne and Sally Sue face their fears and find the strength to journey down their designated paths and learn the true meaning of love and family . . . with a little push from the same green lace corset.
 

Even though this is the last in a trilogy, each of the novels standalone and can be read in any order. Artist Anne McFarland’s story begins in The Black Velvet Coat and runs through the other two novels, but the threads are only hinted at and not necessary to enjoy the read. I often tell readers they may choose the historical era that interests them the most; noir 1960s in The Black Velvet Coat, 1929-1930s flappers in The Silver Shoes or 1885 Wild West in The Green Lace Corset. If they start with my second or third book, and if they like Anne and my writing style they may want to read the others as prequels.

Purchase at Amazon

Purchase at B&N

and through your local independent bookstores.

Contact Jill

To schedule a book event with her feel free to email her directly at jill@jillghall.com. Learn more about her at www.jillghall.com. Follow her on Facebook for frequent updates and giveaways at www.facebook.com/JillGHallAuthor


 

 

Monday, October 12, 2020

Meet J.E. Rowney and Read About Her New Book I Can’t Sleep: The gripping psychological thriller that will keep you awake at night

 

J.E.'s new title will be released tomorrow. Meet her and read about I CAN'T SLEEP.....

 

 




 

A gripping psychological thriller about a young woman losing her grip on reality in a world where she can’t even trust her own mind.

 

 

Editorial Review

“A cracking thriller with a killer twist. Loved it.” – Stuart James (author of Apartment 6)

 

Advance Reader Reviews

“I recommend for all lovers of the psychological thriller!—Alexandra Arnott – Goodreads Reviewer

 

“This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Is she imagining someone watching her or is someone really there and, if so, who?” – Rachel Axford – Goodreads Reviewer

 

“Wow I couldn't put it down. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I was totally unprepared for the shocking ending. The author certainly kept me guessing. ” – Linda – Goodreads Reviewer

 

“Absolutely loved this book...thrilling easy read...didn’t see it coming ....” – Naz Hutchings – Goodreads Reviewer

About I CAN'T SLEEP

“I can’t sleep.

Not since June 16th, 2018.

Not since what happened…” 

Traumatised by the events of her past, exhausted by insomnia, Becky Braithwaite believes that a new start will help her to recover. She leaves home to fulfil her brother’s dreams, and honour the life he never had… but she soon finds that escaping from the past is not as easy as she imagined. Is her fatigued mind playing tricks on her, or is danger really lurking in the shadows? This unputdownable psychological thriller will keep you turning the pages to find out the truth. 

The best psychological thrillers take the reader on a journey to the edge, and dangle them over. I Can’t Sleep hooks readers from the outset, and keeps them addicted. 

The book is dark and full of twists, leading to an ending that readers will not see coming. 

About J.E.

J.E. spent several years in the cold Yorkshire hills and now lives in Dorset. She started writing novels when she commuted from Leeds to London in her previous life as a change management specialist.

"Charcoal", her debut, was published in 2012 to wide critical acclaim, and was a bestselling novel on Amazon within days of release. Her third novel, "Ghosted", was released in January 2020 and quickly also became a bestseller.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading a wide range of books, and walking by the sea.

She says, "I always dreamed of bein a writer, until I realised that I was. Then I started to write."



Purchase I CAN'T SLEEP on Amazon

 Connect with J.E.:

J.E.'s Website

You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest: @jerowneywriter

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

My Halloween Story, Orb Photos, and a Favorite Salem Paranormal Romance Novel

DOWN SALEM WAY by Meredith Allard

A Journey Back to the Horrific Salem Witch Hysteria



I will read anything connected to the Salem Witch Trials and the hysteria that led up to 19 innocent victims’ hangings. DOWN SALEM WAY by my author friend Meredith Allard tells us the story in vivid detail through the eyes of John Wentworth and his beloved wife Elizabeth, a couple extremely devoted to each other and very much in love. They were acquainted with many of the victims, such as Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good and Rebecca Nurse, and witnessed the horror of their trials and executions. The 1692 atrocities were enabled by “Hanging” Judge Hathorne, (Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great-great-grandfather), Rev. Nicholas Noyes and Jonathan Corwin, after witnessing the ‘afflicted’ (the young girls whose hysterical behavior triggered the events). This led to the accusations of these victims. This book will take you back to 17th century Salem and Boston (the location of another dungeon where the victims were held). I won’t tell you about an unexpected turn at the end…

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My Halloween Story

I do paranormal investigations with a local group, and attended my first ghost hunt with them on Halloween Eve 2008. About ten of us visited Old Dunstable Cemetery where some victims of a 1702 Indian massacre are buried. It’s the oldest cemetery in Nashua NH, dating back from when the land was part of Massachusetts. The earliest burial dates from 1687. Researchers had found the victims’ names, so we were able to locate their gravestones. 

The only equipment I had at the time were my dowsing rods and a digital camera. While others in the group made their attempts to contact spirits, I stood before a gravestone that read: this Man, with Seven more, that lies in this Grave; was Slew, All in A day, by the Indiens. 

Holding my rods, I asked a few questions: "Did you die in the massacre? Were you born here?" You can only ask simple yes or no questions and ask the rods to cross for yes and separate for no. I got answers to all my questions. 

I then stood before another stone reading: Rev. Thomas Weld, Born June 1653, Settled as the first minister of the church in Dunstable Dec. 1685, probably massacred by the Indians while defending the settlement June 7, 1702, age 49. All the while, I felt a strong presence, and immediately began feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I found that this happens quite frequently when I ghost hunt. I’ve never seen a ghost, but have felt presences near me, and always get dizzy when I sense someone is nearby. 

I took several photos throughout the cemetery, and some came out with brightly colored arcs among the tombstones. I didn’t dare visit that graveyard on Halloween night!

My husband Chris took this photo at dusk in the old graveyard at York Village, Maine. Note the bright orb towards the right:



I took this photo in the old schoolhouse right across the street from the graveyard on a ghost tour with Roxie Zwicker who gives informative and entertaining tours in Portsmouth NH and York Village, Maine: New England Curiosities


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