Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Mary
Ann Poll and her new book, “Ravens Cove”!
For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click
on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Mary
Ann and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Ravens Cove
by Mary Ann Poll
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GENRE: Supernatural Thriller
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BLURB:
Welcome
to Ravens Cove, Alaska, a tiny town nestled in a small hollow on the majestic
Cook Inlet. A town familiar with storytelling—after all, Alaska abounds in rich
legends. In Ravens Cove, though, legends have a tendency to come to life.
Meet
Josiah Williams, the peculiar stranger whose warning to lifetime residents Kat
Tovslosky and her cousin, Sheriff Bart Andersen, raises more questions than
answers; a man whose dark past and knowledge of the murders make him a suspect
more than an ally. Join Kat and Bart as an unlikely troop forms (including a
very unwelcome FBI agent) to discover the identity of a killer. The unearthing
of which will throw the reluctant warriors into a battle for their very lives
and the lives of all who call Ravens Cove home.
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EXCERPT TWO:
“This
is Agent Melbourne again. If you hang up, I will call back as many times as it
takes. This is urgent. Tell your boss to pick up the phone, and do it now!”
Kat-fight
mode sounded the first bell in the back of her brain. She knew her orders, and
she would enforce them.
“With
all due respect, Agent, no.” She dropped the phone into the cradle.
Ten
minutes and several Melbourne calls later, Kat stomped to Bart’s office, angry
at being ordered by the know-it-all FBI agent to get her “boss.”
Bart
looked up to blazing eyes and a flushed face. He leaned back in his chair,
linking his hands behind his head, and hoping his body language would diffuse
the onslaught of emotion. It didn’t.
“There
is an Agent Melbourne who keeps calling. He insists on talking to you.”
“Told
you my policy on nosy outsiders.”
Being
reprimanded brought the stew of frustration, weariness and hunger to a boil.
“Yes,”
her voice rose, “yes you have. And, I told him, too. And I hung up. And he
called back again, and again, and again. I hung up again, and again and AGAIN.
He is now ordering me, under threat of interfering with FBI business, to put my
‘boss’ on the phone. He is on hold.”
Bart
knew Kat. No matter who paid her, she did not have a “boss.” She had been, and
always would be, a freethinker and free spirit. He could not control the grin
creeping across his mouth.
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GUEST POST:
Describe Your Book Cover and How it Came About:
When
we developed the book cover for Ravens
Cove, I hoped to capture the readers’ curiosity and interest, in addition
to instilling a sense of foreboding and/or danger. After all, it is a
supernatural thriller, and it is creepy. Haha.
I wanted a cover
that said, “Come on in, if you dare!”
The
cover needed to project a visual picture of the story. In order to meet the
criteria, I was faced with writing a short paragraph for my publisher’s graphic
artist. At first, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know if I could explain what was
in my head well enough for it to be put in picture format. After the initial
self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, I pretended I was looking at a piece of
artwork and wrote what I saw. (Below is the description I sent to my publisher.
Until now, it has not been seen by anyone but my publisher and the graphic
artist.)
The object who lures people to
destruction is Pet, a shapeshifter. In Ravens Cove he is a sharp rock and/or
arrowhead. The focal point is a black rock, emanating a yellow and purple light
sitting on or close to a path that drops off into a ravine. There is vegetation
on either side of the path and a large dirt mound to the right of the path
(called Corpse Mound in the book). Black
quickly envelopes the path. A dead tree stands off to one side of the
path. It has ghostly limbs and moss (or
something that looks like hair) hanging from its top (the old hag tree
mentioned in the book).”
Most
of this description was used by the graphic artist. The rock, the pathway, and
his rendition of the tree are all on the cover.
The
artist and my publisher made a critical addition—the raven sitting in the tree
above the pathway. It tied the book art to the title, and the addition of the
raven tells a reader, consciously or subconsciously, this is an ominous place.
When I saw the raven, the hair on my arms
stood up. I was surprised by my reaction. I couldn’t understand why the raven
added dramatically to the creepy feeling we were trying to project. So, I did
some research. And recently my publisher sent me some examples of why a raven
evokes such dark feelings. In addition to my earlier research, these examples
helped solve this mystery:
1.) In some cultures, the raven is seen as a
bad sign. In others it is described as a trickster and deceiver. Both
descriptions of the raven ring true in Ravens
Cove. The raven is a symbol of the darkness within.
2.) Edgar Allan Poe is a great example of using
a raven to create an ominous, almost frightening, ambiance in his work, The Raven. Poe was the master of using
symbols in his writings. The symbols always represented something else. Edgar
Allan Poe's use of the raven is very emblematic. A raven is midnight black. His
story does take place at midnight. The darkness of the bird is the perfect,
sinister symbol for the man. Poe’s
spooky raven enters the narrator's house, perches on a bust above his chamber
door, and repeats only one word, “Nevermore.” The narrator soon learns the
raven has come to stay, and he'll never be free of longing for his lost love,
Lenore. In The Raven, Poe could have
certainly used another animal, but the effect wouldn't have had the same
impact. He could have used a parrot, for example. But not only can a parrot
speak many words, they are brightly colored. And there is not much threat in a
parrot. There is something menacing
about a midnight-black raven repeating only one word, “Nevermore.”
3.) In Greek mythology, ravens are associated
with Apollo, the god of prophecy. They are said to be a symbol of bad luck, and
were the god's messengers in the mortal world. According to the mythological
narration, Apollo sent a white raven, or crow in some versions, to spy on his
lover, Coronis.
These are just a few
examples of the mystery and foreboding ravens can impart, and have imparted,
over the centuries.
Creating
this book cover took many hours and careful thought. What is odd is I didn’t
realize how much thought we all put into the cover until I wrote this post. I
loved the process of creating the cover. I cried when I held the first edition
in my hands. Now, I know why I am always excited to create and see the book
cover when we release a new novel. They are a part of me as much as the book
inside.
Thank you for the
opportunity to tell you a part of my story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
I’m Mary Ann Poll, America’s Lady of
Supernatural Thrillers and charter member of Author Masterminds. The first
question most people ask is, “What is an Iconoclast?” Iconoclast means, “The
destroyer of religious beliefs or symbols.” I took this definition and applied
it to the supernatural realm, which is how the Iconoclast Thriller series was
born. My books revolve around the battle between good and evil. They also
revolve around the heroic acts of ordinary people who must face extraordinary,
even unbelievable, circumstances.
I
draw from real-life experiences, as well as my imagination, to create these
supernatural thrillers. My love for a creepy, goosebump-creating ghost story
and my love for Christ come together in these books.
I am
a proud pet lover, which is also reflected in my writing. In my off time, I
enjoy gardening, swimming and spending time with beloved family.
I
pray you enjoy reading Ravens Cove as much as I enjoyed writing it. Blessings
in Christ!
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CONNECT WITH MARY
ANN:
Website:
Blog:
Facebook Fan Page:
Facebook Personal Page:
Twitter:
BookBub Author Page:
BookBub Book Page:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback #1:
Amazon Paperback #2:
Amazon Audiobook:
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Kobo eBook #1:
Kobo eBook #2:
Google Play eBook:
The Book Depository Paperback:
Author Masterminds eBook:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Mary Ann will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC
to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
My family and I all appreciate you bringing to our attention the book description of another great book to read. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteHello, Rita Wray! Thank you for taking the time to comment. Do you have any questions I can answer?
DeleteThank you for hosting me, Fabulous and Brunette! It is a treat and a privilege.
ReplyDeleteHello, James Robert. I am thrilled you are interested in Ravens Cove. What are your core reading goals for the next 12 months?
ReplyDeleteDid you have any alternative titles for the book?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie Wallace. What a great question. Yes. I did have an alternate title. It was Iconoclast. My publisher and I went toe-to-toe because he felt the book should be titled Ravens Cove. We all know who won that battle. Haha.
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