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Saturday, December 30, 2017

And the price goes up!

You heard it the price is going up but not until January 1st. What price you ask? the price on Scarlett ebook.

I released it at a lesser price to give everyone a chance, especially at the holidays while we're running around spending money on Christmas gifts. I can't keep it at such a low price. With any story there's a lot of work that goes into it. 

I want to give you a day or two notice so you can snag a copy before it goes up.




The price will go up to 4.99 where it will stay. 
Amazon/Kindle
Apple/Nook/Kobo

Excerpt:
His legs long, he coasted beside me soon and I bumped against him. He caught my arm and pulled me backwards, gaining the lead. I purposely led him away from the staircase and reached the first step when he realized I tricked him.
“I’m soo going to get you. You sneaky, manipulative girl,” he said with a smile as he rushed towards me. I wasted no time in scurrying up the steps. My heart pounding from the excitement. A giant dollhouse similar to the house sat in the opposite side of the rectangle room. Shelves of dolls lined the walls and a small wooden rocking chair made for a child took residence in the middle of the room, facing a window. The bench beneath the window was covered with fluffy padding, bleached by the sun.
“This is a little girl’s heaven,” Raury said as he stopped beside me, his eyes as wide as mine.
Was this all Shari’s? Drawn to the dollhouse, I peeked through the windows. All the furnishings were mirrored to those in the house. Chills traced my spine even after all the weirdness I knew existed.
“Look at this,” he said with the lid top of the bench open.
“What?” I padded towards him. Inside the chest was a box and more dolls, some made of cornhusks and handkerchiefs. Inside the box were paper dolls. The ones I always saw Shari playing with. We dug further into the chest and endless assortment of toys; a cup and ball, a bag of marbles and wooden building blocks. The further I dug the more creeped out I felt. It was a feeling of dread like none other I’d felt.
I backed away, noting that no dust covered anything in the room, as if it was cleaned daily. The dolls and toys were neat, unlike what a child’s room would really look like. The magic of the house was stuck in a time warp in the room. I continued backing away until I reached the steps. “We shouldn’t be here.” I darted down the steps without looking back until I reached the first floor grand living room. The familiar peace I always felt settled on me and I relaxed. My quickened pulse returned to normal.
A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” asked Raury, sincerity and concern flashing in his brown eyes.
“I think we should leave. We weren’t meant to be there.” His punched lips and scrunched brows displayed his confusion. No doubt he didn’t have a sixth sense like I did, but other things about the room had to ring bells in his head. “Look at the dust and cobwebs around you. That room was clean, sparkling clean as if...” my words hung in the air.


Friday, December 29, 2017

Vanishing Twins

It's almost always necessary to research something when writing a book. Scarlett took me into some very interesting research and I delved a little beyond it into the unknown. Scarlett has heterochromia or different colored eyes. One is amber the other green. Hetero meaning different and chrom meaning color.


This is a real condition and can happen for a variety of reasons which are generally genetic. In Scarlett's case its caused by having a vanishing twin. So what is a vanishing twin?

A vanishing twin is a twin that dies in the womb because of a miscarriage and the other twin absorbs the fetal tissue. This was first discovered sometime in the mid twentieth century. Scarlett's story begins in 1961 when she's five. There wasn't much known about it at the time. Recent research and studies disclose much more than would have been known then.

When the surviving twin absorbs the other gets a mix of DNA which can cause heterochromia. In Scarlett's case having a vanishing twins is genetic. Now if its truly genetic I'm not positive. I didn't find anything to back that up but I think its completely plausible; having twins can be genetic and discrepancies in reading DNA, producing proteins and much more can all be passed from parent to offspring. If research in the area continues we may find that in some cases vanishing twins is genetic.

In most cases a twin miscarries in the womb because of a defect and the mother rarely notices until she goes back to the doctor and suddenly has one baby instead of two.

I added a mystical paranormal twist to vanishing twin syndrome in which Scarlett's twin whom she absorbed is still hanging around in ghost form. He ages with her and if she becomes pregnant his spirit can enter the baby.

Scarlett aware of her twin, visits a metaphysical store and purchases a book and other materials to keep ghosts away. The book also contains other information about vanishing twins in the spiritual realm. Of course this stuff is completely fictional.

If you'd like to read about vanishing twin ghost experiences click the link:


Mid-way through the story Scarlett is nick-named Chimera and aptly so. She has different colored eyes and two sets of DNA -- her vanished twins and her own.

More research:

Those are most of the websites I used to dig up research. What is most interesting to me is that I did the research after I wrote the pages in the book. That's not unusual for me though. All the astrology in the Ruthless Storm Trilogy was done at the end of each book not before. It gives me chills and I firmly believe the characters created have energy.

Scarlett releases 11/12 and will be .99 until 11/19.





Mother May I: Knight Games Book 4 by Genevieve Jack

It's hard to finish such a great, addicting series. No doubt I'll listen to it again. The final book kept me stuck like superglue!



My Review:
This series became an addiction from page one of the first book. In the last segment Grateful Knight faces a new threat, one that may see the end to her and with Rick void of his memories and magic things can't get much worse. But they do when the goblins nearly kill her. The threat on her life takes her and gang on an epic journey and battle.

Of course I can't say what happens but it's possibly the best story in the series. The suspense mounts and the odds don't look favorable as Grateful fights for love. I adore this authors style. She adds the right amount of comedy, suspense and mystery. She breaths life into the characters and twists into the plot. 


The narrator is also amazing. She gives the right amount of everything to the story. I'm sad the story its over but positive I'll listen to again. 

Amazon/Audible

The Red Tower Part Two: Infected Freaks by Jason Boreggo

I've enjoyed this series from the start. It's a fantastic zombie series!



My Review:

I have read this entire series and loved it. The suspense and gore kept me pushing for more. The final book ends Abraham's journey to find his family. He is a man with a will to live and drive to find his family. He faces one horror after the next. It feels his battle is fruitless. There is no shining light in his future as he meets one obstruction after the next. I can't say he finds the silver lining or give away any details of this final segmant.

From the beginning I loved how this fictional story is based on an actual disease that affects bugs. It isn't a far cry for a fungus or any organism to evolve. The possibility is a suspense builder alone than add this authors writing and it had me intrigued and trapped. I had to keep reading.


The red tower is far more terrifying than Abraham could have expected and the authors hand, words and imagination bring this story to life.

Amazon/Audible

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Stop Cancelling My Shows!

Over the month I've been binge watching Netflix. 

My obsession began with The 100. I felt empty after watching the last episode of season 4 and hungered for more. After a quick google search I realized it'll be back in 2018 for a fifth season. I let out a huge sigh. The anticipation is eating away at me but I get to watch it because there will be another season.

Bored one day I found another series, Dark Matter. I didn't really know what to expect so watched out of curiosity. I quickly became addicted. The thrird season ends with a huge cliffhanger. My google results slapped me in the face when I read the show has been cancelled and for no apparant reason by SyFy. It has a dedicated fan base and great ratings. 

I was crushed, completely. Smashed like a tin can. I even signed the petition and have done some tweeting. This is a great series! I signed the petition. This is a show I'd like to see continue. If you feel the same as me click here to sign the petition.

In typing this blog post I found there is a slight possibility there may be a Dark Matter season 4. Read about it here. I feel like I'm a part of that as I signed the petition proudly and have done some tweeting. I'll be tweeting more. Check out @DarkmatterFTL

With that disappointment I again searched Netflix and found Bitten. Ok, I figured it has at least 3 seasons so I'll give it a try. I'm into season 3 now and decided to google it before it I get to the last episode. Guess what I found? You guessed it Bitten was cancelled for no aparant reason even though it had great ratings and fan base.

I found a few petitions but they were all closed. I'm extremely dissappointed. Bitten is again a great show complete with paranormal elements. It's based off Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong. Of course I can always read the books but I know books and shows are never really alike.

Interested in making waves on Twitter try hashtag #Bitten.

So why am I fighting for all this? That answer is simple I like great shows and will watch them start to finish. Here's my list of favorites. Ghost Whisperer, True Blood, Dexter, Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Wicked City. I even spent the money to buy some of them on DVD so I can watch anytime I'm in the mood. It also doesn't make sense to me why they'd want to cancel shows with great ratings. It makes no sense.





Thursday, December 14, 2017

Night Society by Ambrose Ibsen

This duo is phenomenal! 



Review:

It would be hard for this author/narrator combo not to be excellent because they are like peanut butter and chocolate! 

The night society is made of three guys who are losers. They work menial jobs with no ambitions to do anything more with their lives. Bored they come up with the night society where they meet in a creepy, abaondoned old house and show and tell scary stuff. One of them brings in a recording he found online that sounds like an actual murder. As the story progresses all the men start hearing and seeing things.

Yes this book is creepy and one that might make your skin crawl but that's what's so awesome about it. The author has a way with buiding suspense and writing horror scenes that are actually scary. The narrator has the perfect pacing for the story and is always a pleasure to listen to.


This is another great one!

Amazon

Warlock for Hire by Sean Stone

Original and lots of fun!



Review:
Sen is a witch in a dying town founded by her ancestors because it sits atop a magic vortex. She's an out of practice witch who is annoyed by her spunky aunt. She works at the newspaper but rarely is there and is engaged to the current mayor and long time boyfriend. Her family is having a grand opening to their hotel as they're trying to bring income to the dying town. When someone dies the day of the grand opening things get a little sticky.

Her ornary aunt was really my favorite character and the only one who seemed to have a handle on things. I also enjoyed the ghost grandmother, neat twist. Overall the book is fun and light. It's something that can be listenened to with someone any age. The narrator's voice didn't quite cut it for me. She was too airy sounding. 


Overall it's a cute story. Not at all a bad choice for a family road trip.

Amazon

Witch You Well by Colleen Gross

Fun, light-hearted mystery!



Review:
Sen is a witch in a dying town founded by her ancestors because it sits atop a magic vortex. She's an out of practice witch who is annoyed by her spunky aunt. She works at the newspaper but rarely is there and is engaged to the current mayor and long time boyfriend. Her family is having a grand opening to their hotel as they're trying to bring income to the dying town. When someone dies the day of the grand opening things get a little sticky.

Her ornary aunt was really my favorite character and the only one who seemed to have a handle on things. I also enjoyed the ghost grandmother, neat twist. Overall the book is fun and light. It's something that can be listenened to with someone any age. The narrator's voice didn't quite cut it for me. She was too airy sounding. 


Overall it's a cute story. Not at all a bad choice for a family road trip.

Amazon

The Hidden by Ethan Sandlow

Good story and especially loved the ending.



Review:
Amanda helps out at the local soup kitchen. She lives alone with her cat and otherwise seems to have a very boring existence until she meets a Lycan that changes everything. She's an empath and there's people after her. The Lycan takes it on himself to help her escape the madness and get away safely but around every turn is danger until the very end.

The story wasn't quite complete to me but then again it's a series. Maybe more light on why or who is chasing her. The action is great and the book is safe for any ages. The suspense factor is medium, not edge of the seat but curiosity piquing. I thought the end was cute, although, I'd expected it for quite some time. Either way it was still fun.


A good story.

Amazon

Grayson Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw

Excellent audio, excellent story!



Review:
Loved it! All the important elements were present! Suspense, mystery, great characters and p!of. Addison inherits a house when her mother dies. A house she never knew existed. She hires Jake to renovate it for her. They become close are the story progresses. Addison starts seeing things like when she was a child. Visions of the past and future. She and Jake find a hidden room and dress with blood stains.


There's plenty suspense and plot twists. The story moves quickly and is exciting start to finish!

Amazon

The Dwelling by Thomas S. Flowers

This book was great until it ended. The author has a talent for writing freaky scenes. Freaky enough they made my skin crawl.



Review:

I loved this authors writing. He does creepy, scary well. What I wasn't so sure about is the plot. John lost his Levin the war while he watched his best friend Ricky die before his eyes, powerless to stop him. Jake is a priest who watched a soldier die in front of him and Maggie is Ricky's widow. John and Jake see ghost soldiers. Maggie is distraught. Together they were the self proclaimed suicide squad. Then there's the house. It has a history of death through various eras. 

It wasn't explained how the characters, suicide squad and house fit together and the story ends abruptly. I love cliffhangers but this isn't a cliffhanger. It's an incomplete story. If the author had included a couple extra chapters tying everything together I'd probably be giving this book 5 stars.


My advice is to buy book 2 and read one after the next. I'm assuming/hoping how they're tied is in book 2.

Amazon

Sweet Karoline by Catherine Astolfo

Creepy and clever!



Review:
The story begins and Anne confesses to herself that she killed her friend. The story is her retelling of her life after the death of Karoline. The women had been friends since they were kids. They come from affluent homes and live together in L.A. At some point they drift away before Karoline is murdered.Later revealed maybe Karoline isn't who everybody thought.


Anne is deeply depressed and doesn't know who she is or how to live without Karoline. Piece by piece what really happened is revealed through memorey fragments and vivid details. There are plenty of plot twists and crazy unexepected turns of events. Fantastic!

Amazon

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Working on my collection of great classics I found this at a great bargain and since I love this kind of stuff I had to buy it.



Review:

I've seen the movies, old and new but never ever read the book. Now that I have its so much better than any movie. In this version I loved the narators. The story is creepy enough on its own but with their voices, pacing and accents they nailed it!

Amazon

What the Dead Fear by Lea Ryan

I totally loved this and the idea of a story from a dead person's view point. A bit morbid maybe but excellent!



Review:

This story was really refreshing. The author has a way with words that paints a picture. The story had an easy flow and my only disapointment was that it ended.

Juniper is dead and landed in limbo where she quickly meets Cricket, a little girl. She also quickly meets the caretaker. After a trip to the living during the day which is against the rules she gets locked away. I won't give away anymore.


The story is short yet powerful and dark.

Amazon