Meet Alicia Dean and Enter Her Contest to Win an Amazon Gift Card

Alicia has been my guest many times, and for Friday the 13th, she and twelve other authors (13 total, get it? 😊) each wrote a spooky, suspenseful story in the ‘A Friday the 13^th Story’ series. They are stand-alone but have recurring threads and they were all released on Friday, November 13^th.

Alicia's contribution to the series is titled Blood and Breakfast. Check it out below. And be sure to check out her contest where you can win an Amazon gift card! 

Click here for details. (Contest ends Dec 15, 2020)

Fun Fact from Alicia:

 

I was plotting my story and trying to figure out why a normal family man would suddenly snap and murder his family. I realized that hallucinations could cause people to do crazy things, so I researched what could make people hallucinate. I discovered that the plant, jimson weed, can cause serious hallucinations. I also wanted to incorporate some kind of an authentic local legend in my story, so I researched legends in various states and came across the Devil’s Footrock in Rhode Island.  I was able to mesh the two–jimson weed and the Devil’s Footrock–to come up with how the husband/father in my story lost his mind and killed his family. It’s so much fun when ideas click and make a story come together. Here’s a photo of Devil’s Foot Rock:

About BLOOD AND BREAKFAST

Determined to boost the sagging ratings of her internet radio show, “A Dark Place,” murder junkie Sasha Gillette checks into the Talley House Bed and Breakfast in North Kingston, Rhode Island. She and her co-host plan to broadcast an episode about the murders that took place there thirteen years earlier on a Friday the 13th, when a man butchered his entire family.

Not long after Sasha arrives, the other guests begin to disappear. Has a killer from the past resurfaced or is there a copycat on the loose?

One of the lone survivors, Sasha finds herself trapped with a sadistic killer and, suddenly, murder isn’t as much fun as she thought.

Excerpt 

“I’m going to look for her. It’s not okay that she’s been gone for hours when she said she’d be back in thirty minutes. Do you know where she was taking her walk?”

“I-in the woods.”

“Well, of course she was,” I muttered. “Agnes, do you have a flashlight I can borrow? And maybe something I can use for a weapon?”

Agnes nodded. “I’ll get you a flashlight. I have a hammer.”

Dorset rose as well. “I’ll go with you.” He cut his gaze to Bradley, but the dufus just sat there without volunteering to help. “Nothing, old chap? Not going to offer to come along?”

“I should stay here in case she comes back,” Bradley murmured but he didn’t look at them. Was he afraid…or feeling guilty?

 I shivered when we stepped outside, drawing my hoodie tighter around my body. The nearly half full moon hovered in the cloudy sky behind the branches of a Tulip tree. Lightning flashed, illuminating the back yard. The icy air held the scent of rain. “We need to hurry,” I told Dorset. “It looks like it might storm.”

He nodded. “I’d say let’s split up to cover more ground, but with one flashlight and hammer, and with the odd happenings lately, maybe we should stick together.”

“Agreed.” My teeth chattered, though it wasn’t all that cold.

We walked along the wood line, shouting for Macy, shining the flashlight between the trees. Nothing. As if by mutual agreement, we entered the woods. I shuddered, not only concerned about a potential maniac, but also leery of whatever creatures might be scurrying around at my feet. I was a city girl and didn’t even own a pet. I was not okay with encountering an animal, of any kind.

We searched for another half hour with no sign of Macy. We were deep into the woods when the sky opened up and doused us with buckets of rain. Thunder rumbled and more lightning flashed. We gave up and hurried back to the house.

The others were waiting for us.

“Anything?” Bradley asked, his voice high-pitched with anxiety. He seemed much more concerned about Macy than he had been about his wife.

“Not a sign,” I said. “We need to call the police.”

“I did.” Agnes was seated in the forest green wing chair in the corner of the library. “They took the information but said she’s an adult and can leave any time she wants.” She rose. “We waited dinner for you. Let’s eat.”

A pall hung over the room as we ate in silence, the air thick with fear and confusion.

Afterward, I excused myself and headed upstairs, anxiety weighing on me. I had an overwhelming feeling that I wouldn’t sleep a wink. Nor would anyone else.

 

 

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Purchase BLOOD AND BREAKFAST on Amazon

 

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All stories in the Friday the 13^th series:

 

Links to Evil by Rolynn Anderson

Till Death by Maureen Bonatch

Blood and Breakfast by Alicia Dean

Retribution by D.J. FitzSimons

Shattered Reflections by Tamrie Foxtail

A Deadly Game by Jannine Gallant

Dead to Rights by Margo Hoornstra

In the Still of the Night by Callie Hutton

Glimpse, the Dinner Guest by Stephen B. King

Scorned by Anna Kittrell

Vanity Kills by Dianne McCartney

Fatal Legacy by Krysta Scott

Azrael’s Chosen by Leah St. James

Meet Paullina Simons, Win Her New Book THE TIGER CATCHER, and Other Prizes

Meet Paullina

Paullina Simons was born and raised in Leningrad, USSR. In 1968, her father was arrested for protesting the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and spent the next five years of his life in the Gulag prison camps and in exile. In the mid-seventies, Paullina and her family managed to leave the U.S.S.R. and immigrate to the United States. While growing up in Russia Paullina dreamed of someday becoming a writer. Her dreams were put on hold as she learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture.
After graduating from the University of Kansas and various jobs including working as a financial
journalist and as a translator, Paullina wrote her first novel Tully. Through word of mouth, the book was welcomed by readers all over the world. She has since written twelve novels, a memoir, a cookbook, and two children’s books. Her books have been published in over 23 countries, sold millions of copies, and have been on many bestseller lists around the world.
Paullina has lived in Rome, London, and Dallas, and now lives in New York with her husband and half of her children.
THE TIGER CATCHER is Paullina’s first book in the new End of Forever Trilogy. A BEGGAR’S KINGDOM, Book Two, will be published in August 2019, and the final book in the trilogy, INEXPRESSIBLE ISLAND, will be published in December 2019.

About THE TIGER CATCHER

All the colors of your world are about to disappear…

Young and handsome, Julian lives a charmed life in Los Angeles. His world is turned upside down by a love affair with Josephine, a mysterious young woman who takes him by storm. But she is not what she seems, carrying secrets that tear them apart—perhaps forever.

So begins Julian and Josephine’s extraordinary adventure of love, loss, and the mystical forces that bind people together across time and space. It is a journey that propels Julian toward either love fulfilled…or oblivion.

The Tiger Catcher takes readers from the dizzying heights of joy to the depths of despair and back again in an unforgettable new novel from a master storyteller.

Purchase THE TIGER CATCHER

Email me at diana@dianarubino.com to win an autographed copy of THE TIGER CATCHER.

 Click here  to win:

•             A TIGER CATCHER tote
•             A quartz crystal necklace
•             A red beret
•             A “From the Desk of Mr. Know-it-all” notepad

One lucky winner in the continental US will win this Grand Prize and a runner-up will receive a quartz crystal necklace. 

An interview with Paullina:

Q. Have any favorite authors influenced your writing? Who were they? 

A. Dickens for his great humor.

Hugo for his extraordinary capacity to write profoundly and poetically about the human condition.

Thomas Hardy for making prose sound like poetry.

Truman Capote for his obsessive attention to style.

Ira Levin for his sturdy, strong, clear, well-written storytelling.

Stephen King for the "I can't put it down" narratives.

Dostoyevsky for his tortured Russian soul that his books are stamped with.

Q. Do you encounter any obstacles in writing? If so, how do you overcome them?

A. I am full of obstacles. My body aches from sitting in one position, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, sometimes I don't want to get out of bed, sometimes I want to play the piano, or walk outside in the sunshine, or go shopping. I overcome it by my obsessive nature. Whatever I start doing, I want to continue doing. So I force myself to start with my work. It doesn’t always work, I can’t always force myself, but when I do, then I can't even remember the other things I wanted to do. There is no balance.

Q. Do you start with an outline, index cards, etc., or write from the seat of your pants and make it up as you go along?

A. Since I write fiction, I'd say I do make it up as I go along, sort of the nature of the job, but I don't make it up as in, I don't know where I'm going. I always know where I'm going. How I get there is another matter. I don't do index cards. That's a surefire way for me not to do what it says on the card. I've got the oppositional disorder syndrome. If I make a list, I will only do the items that are not on that list. 

Q. Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time.

A. I have a small writing studio less than a mile from my home. I go to work in the morning after I drop off my daughter at school and then come home at dinnertime. That sounds much saner than it is because as I get deeper into a book, it gets harder and harder to turn it off. So I’ll often also work at home, in bed, on the train—almost anywhere.

Q. What is your advice to aspiring writers?

A. Write your first book, everything follows from that.

Q. Which book that you've read (not one of yours) is the closest to your heart? Why?  

A. Gilda Radner's It's Always Something. Because it's heartbreaking. It's so full of humor and hope and desire to live, to lick this thing that's killing her. Her soul is on every page. And the poem that ends the book that Gene Wilder found when he was going through her things after she died is just devastating. “My body turned its cold back on me, at less than forty-three…” 

Q. Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of editing. How about you?

A. I’ve tried it both ways, but usually I write the first draft and then see where I need to make changes. The other way, I once spent three months writing and revising and editing one 30-page chapter, and when the actual book was finished, I had to delete most of it and start again. So I learned my lesson. Because it's only when you have the whole story down that you really know what part you keep and what part you throw away. 

Also, writing and editing come from related but different parts of my brain. Editing is meticulous, analytical, and left-brained, while writing flows and is right-brained.

Q. If you could be dropped into any book as a character, who would you be and why?

A. Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz books.

Q. What are you reading now?

A. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell and The Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen.

Q. Do you listen to music when writing or do you need silence?

A. I used to listen to music nonstop while I wrote my books, many of the songs on infinite repeat, but in 2008 I began teaching myself to play the piano and that ruined background music for me for good. Because I can't hear anything now without my hands trying to form the sounds on the black and white keys and the brain following along.

Q. Which three historical figures would you most have wanted to meet?

Albert Einstein

Joan of Arc

Marilyn Monroe

Q. Describe yourself in one word.

A. Anti-punctual.

Connect with Paullina

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Meet Carolyn Arnold and Check Out the "Save the World" Giveaway to Win a $175 Prize Pack

FINAL CHANCE

How You Can Save the World and Enter to Win a $175 Prize Pack!

Visit Me on Long & Short Reviews Winter Blog Fest for My Contest and More! A Prize on Every Post!

Visit me on Long & Short Reviews and leave a comment for a chance to win my historical romance FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET for your Kindle. Click here to visit Long & Short Reviews

Magic of Books Promotions BIRTHDAY BASH from Now Till Thursday. Happy 3rd Birthday Tami & MoB!

Magic of Books Promotions hosted its first tour during the month of November three years ago.

The company was created from the passion and desire of its owner, Tami Adams, because of her experiences as an author. From her struggles to have her books viewed and appreciated she knew there had to be another way.

Three years later Tami no longer writes but is determined to show the world the magic that lies within the pages of all books.

The following authors are helping Magic of Books to celebrate its birthday. Enjoy.

Message from Tami:

The last three years have been an incredible journey. I've made so many friends who began as bloggers, readers, and authors. I have been privileged to present and showcase new and old books from seasoned and new authors. I've learned so much I didn't even realize I should know prior to getting into this business. And after three years I can honestly say I'm still learning, I'm still growing, and I'm still making friends. I love and appreciate all of you who have supported my little slice of heaven. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

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ROMANCE

Romance in traditional literary terms is a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings. The term romance has also been used for stories of mysterious adventures, not necessarily of heroes. These adventure romances usually are set in distant places.

Please enjoy these books that focus on romance and all the sub-genres. The list is available in alphabetically order by title.

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter.

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A Journey Home by Angela Scavone

Contemporary Romance

Air Force Captain Stephanie Tyler's sole duty is to fly overseas to war torn areas of the world to retrieve and escort the bodies of fallen soldiers back home to the United States. It is a tough and emotional job but she is honored for the privilege. Her duty also helps her to escape her past and her failed marriage.

But those flights have become increasingly more dangerous and she is forced to have a partner accompany her. Much to Stephanie's surprise and dismay, she is partnered up with her ex-husband, Captain Douglas 'DA' Aston.

From the moment DA enters the scene, he irritates her. It could have something to do with the fact he slept with her best friend while she and DA were married. As they go on several missions together, Stephanie is forced to be courteous and professional with DA even though the very sight of him irritates her beyond comprehension.

Then, Stephanie's cheating, husband stealing, ex-best friend is killed in Afghanistan and Stephanie and DA must escort her body home. While executing this difficult duty, a myriad of conflicting emotions makes Stephanie ponder how short life really is . . . and to question her own ability to forgive.

Early One Morning by Aubree Lane

Contemporary Romance

Under the guise of saving her best friend’s marriage, Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX to Oahu. Less than twenty-four hours after hearing Marissa wanted to kiss their old high school crush, Annie sails away with the handsome owner of the Erika Rose excursion boat. She only meant to keep Terence Javier from locking lips with Marissa, but the moment she learns his little girl needs an advocate, Annie brings her friend back into the fray and destroys the remnants of Marissa’s vacation.

Caught between two women from the mainland, Terence Javier finds himself at a crossroad. Ten years ago, he had the dubious honor of having his high school photograph drooled on by Annie and Marissa’s choir class. If not for his daughter and the ensuing custody battle, he wouldn’t have given either woman more than an appreciative glance. When Marissa’s credentials check out, he has little choice but to accept the savvy lawyer’s offer of help. Knowing he’s walking a tightrope, Terence prays he can purge the beautiful Annie from his mind and keep the balled fist of Marissa’s jealous husband away from his nose.

Hotter Than The Caribbean by Stacy Hoff

Contemporary Romance

Luis Serrano, the unwanted love child of a hotel construction magnate, is determined to reach his father’s level of success. When Luis finds himself pitted against his half-brother for control over their ailing father's company, sibling rivalry comes to a head. The stakes are high. The brother who best completes their portion of the Caribbean construction project will gain control over the entire company. To win, Luis hires an interior design firm. But the firm will have to perform difficult work under serious time constraints.

Melanie Merritt is used to sibling rivalry. She’s always been second best to her older sister, the "golden child" of their parents' interior design firm. Melanie's desire is to be an artist. She works for her family to appease them. Her newest task is to implement a complex project for Luis Serrano under an impossibly short deadline. If she fails, her family’s company may go bankrupt. But Melanie can’t keep her too-creative ideas away from her family, and the client.

Completing work on time won't be easy. Especially when dual sibling rivalries threaten to destroy the project, and a passion hotter than the Caribbean.

Ink me more by Jude Ouvrard

Contemporary Romance

This book can be read as a standalone.

Love can be stronger than friendship, but what happens when love takes an unpredictable turn?

Valerie Lee has left Seattle, including everyone she knows and loves, to join long-time boyfriend John Maverick at the University of Boston. Fast forward a year later to graduation. Val is excited about heading back to her hometown, but John wants to stay and climb his way to the top in Boston. She doesn’t agree with the change of plans so takes matters into her own hands. When she leaves like a thief in the night, there will be a lot to explain.

The night before her big future-changing step, she meets country singer Miles Kent. Worried about her state of being for his own personal reasons, he extracts a promise from Val to keep in touch until she arrives at her destination.

Jobless and homeless, Val arrives unprepared to face her friends and family, so spends her first night in a cheap hotel. It doesn’t take long for word to spread that she’s back in town. A call to her old friend Nix, and things don’t seem quite so impossible anymore. Will her friends support her decision? Will she regret leaving John and their life in Boston? Or will her hometown, and new adventures, bring her the happiness she’s hoped for?

Love on Trial by P.C. Zick

Contemporary Romance

Two lawyers on opposite sides of the aisle despise one another...at first.

When Jude Crandall fights for justice, she is a formidable opponent. Malik Moore may hate his job as an attorney for a prestigious Chicago law firm, but he stands up to the force of prosecutor Jude in the battle of opposites.

They disagree on most everything, except the love they both feel for their dogs, a Boston terrier and a Jack Russell terrier. When Jude's Italian mother and Malik's Iranian mother decide they are a great match, Jude and Malik are thrown together out of the courtroom. Both dogs and mothers fight to bring the two sides together.

But his Persian heritage and her father's political-aspirations throw the biggest barrier of all between them. Their dogs, Clyde and Suzanne, show them how to love. It's up to the two lawyers to overcome culture, religion, and their families to find happiness.

Love on Trial is the first book in the Rivals in Love contemporary romance series set in Chicago. The six Crandall siblings find success in their careers, but sustaining a relationship eludes all six of them.Their father, a U.S. senator, demands perfection, and their mother, heiress to a Chicago meat-packing conglomerate, only wants grandchildren to fill her empty nest. A lawyer, a pilot, an actress, a race car driver, a cable news anchor,and a chef--over-achievers all--discover there is more to life than a career.

Out of the Box Awakening by Jennifer Theriot

Contemporary Romance

**2017 Texas Association of Authors 1st Place: Romance Series** 

**2016 Reader's Favorite Award Winner in Women's Fiction** 

Olivia Petersen thought her life ended the day her husband walked out. Little did she know, it had only just begun.

A good woman, mother, and wife, she's got it made. She didn't expect anything to change, but of course it does...

Swept from her perfect paper-doll life in Houston, Olivia finds herself in Chicago, alone, betrayed, and far from home. Soon everything she thought she knew about herself and her life will be challenged.

Ash Harper is the man who has everything--everything except healing from the losses of a lifetime and a dark family secret.

What happens when the married woman and the sexy handsome widower are thrown together by fate?

Out of the Box Awakening is a women's seasoned contemporary romance about second chances, shared passion and shared joy. Jennifer Theriot has written a compelling series about what happens when two people over the age of forty find new life and new love for themselves.

Recommended for readers over the age of 18. This book contains adult language and situations.

Tahoe Blues by Aubree Lane

Romantic Mystery/Suspense

When Cara Lee Greene finds that the glitz and glitter of casino life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, she divorces the Lake’s self-proclaimed King of Tahoe, and tries to separate herself from the rich and powerful Alexander family. In her quest for a new life, Cara is able to reconnect with some old friends. She finds a new home, a new love and a new piece of jewelry around her ankle. Under house arrest and accused of a crime she didn’t commit, Cara must rely on a funky group of misfits to uncover the truth and set her free.

Believing himself above society’s mores, Duncan Alexander doesn’t know what he has until his beautiful college professor wife walks in and finds him in bed with another woman. Losing Cara is not an option and Duncan will do anything to get her back. With a family whose wealth was built on profiteering during the Prohibition years, Duncan is not above doing what he deems necessary to retrieve his queen. His family sits on the sidelines. They have given Duncan free rein, but in the end will Duncan be able to retain his throne?

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you could travel to the 15th century what would you do? (in 25 words or less)

I Answered That Question--And Won A Prize!

 

While going through the Ricardian Bulletin, the Richard III Society's British magazine that I get as part of the membership, my eye caught something familiar--my own name! I won the contest they ran in the March issue, with the question, "If you could travel back to the 15th century, what would you do and why?"

The word count was real low--like 25 words--no more than one sentence.

Since time travel is one of my huge interests, having written 2 time travel novels featuring Richard, I couldn't resist including him in my trip back through 5 centuries. So I submitted:

"I would return to April 1485 and send an urgent message to King Richard not to let the Stanleys anywhere near the battlefield in August!"

On August 22, Richard was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, mainly because the two Stanley brothers changed sides at the last minute.

Richard's last words were "Treason! Treason!" Not "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" as Shakespeare had him say. But Laurence Olivier did put up a good fight in that final scene, dying on cue to the music.

My prize is free access to "The Everyday Lives of Medieval Folk." offered by Medieval Courses  Check it out--they have some great courses on there!

 

The Battle of Bosworth, August 22, 1485, where Richard III lost his crown to Henry Tudor--

and his life

 

The Richard III Society has greatly enriched my life and I've met some fascinating people who've become dear friends. Visit the American branch here.  

My time travels featuring Richard are Traveling Light and For Love & Loyalty 

 



Vampire Romance Novel Giveaway Friday, June 12

Dear Vamp Lovers,
I'm giving away a copy of A Bloody Good Cruise on the blog of erotic author Roxanne Rhoads on Friday.
Go to www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Also check out her blog at www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
Have fun!