The Unveiling of Polly Forrest by Charlotte Whitney - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Charlotte Whitney and her new book, “The Unveiling of Polly Forrest,” here on FAB!!  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 $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Charlotte and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

The Unveiling of Polly Forrest

by Charlotte Whitney

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Historical Mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Rural Michigan, 1934.

During the throes of the Great Depression Polly marries for money. After her husband Sam dies in a bizarre farm accident, new bride Polly assumes she is set to pursue her dream of opening a hat-making business. Instead, she becomes the prime suspect in Sam’s murder. Secrets abound and even Polly’s family can’t figure out the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT TWO:

Sarah Wolcott Johnson

Thursday, May 24, 1934

I couldn’t hold back. “Polly, you’re such a liar. You kept making excuses for all your bruises and now you’re still hiding stuff from us. Sam’s letter. And now the coffee. When will it all end? All these lies. All this deception.”

Contrary to what Wes said, I was not going to apologize for anything.  She was the one who needed to make amends.

Polly stiffened, put the coffee cup on the table, and stood rigid, arms crossed. I looked out the kitchen window and could see Sailor Dog in the yard a few feet away, probably drawn close by our voices.

Polly wrinkled up her nose. “Well, sometimes deception is the best course of action. Fewer people get hurt.” She was making no sense.

“I think not,” I responded. “Deception only builds and builds until you have such a mess you can’t get out of it. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.”

“That’s enough, Sarah,” Wes said to me. He was speaking as if I were a misbehaving child, which perturbed me even more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Describe Your Childhood on a Small Midwestern Farm

I grew up on a small farm in south-central Michigan, somewhere near Marshall, somewhere near Battle Creek, somewhere near Kalamazoo. You get the picture--pretty much the middle of nowhere. We were quite poor when I was small, but I didn’t know it.  That’s just the way things were. Not many presents at Christmas time, but there was always an orange in the toe of my stocking. My childhood was not much different from those of the neighbor kids and I look back at those times as happy.

Because I was living on a farm, not having a lot of toys simply didn’t matter. We had so much land to explore and outbuildings to play in, and then, of course, there were all the animals including a dog and barn cats in addition to the farm animals of cows, pigs, and chickens. When the corncrib was empty we used it as a playhouse. When my father was shoveling silage, you could go in there and sing and listen to the echoes. The haymow was a great place for climbing and hiding, but my favorite hide and seek spot was on top of our garage. We had a peach tree next to the garage and it was easy to climb it up to the garage roof and watch the kids running around below. They never looked up to see me in plain sight.

One of my favorite childhood activities was going down the fields with my father to round up the cows and bring them back to the barn for the late afternoon milking. Our cows were docile, friendly creatures, and I was never scared of them despite their mammoth size. We had five or six cows and from the earliest age, I knew each of their names, just as if they were my siblings.

While I always wanted a horse, we never had one. However, the neighbor kids had ponies, but not enough saddles, so being the youngest kid, I got the pony without a saddle. Needless to say, I fell off the pony many times as we rode down the gravel road between our farms. I always emerged with skinned elbows and knees, but never complained or cried. I was the youngest kid and didn’t want to be excluded from the fun.

We had our fair share of snow and were fortunate to have a couple of old sleds in the shed so my favorite winter time activity was “sliding downhill.” I had old rubber overshoes that leaked and depending on the temperature I would come home with either very wet or extremely cold feet. Again, there were no complaints as the activity was so much fun.

All in all I wouldn’t trade my childhood for any of my more well-to-do peers. There’s a rhythm to farming and depending on the season some of the tasks and chores change. Going out into a plowed field and collecting earthworms was a springtime treat. Eating raspberries right off the vine was only one of many highlights of the summer. In the fall I’d walk through the forest collecting the most beautiful leaves to iron between waxed paper. Then in the winter we’d play fox and geese in the new-fallen snow. So many precious memories. So long ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Charlotte Whitney is the author of historical fiction set during the Great Depression in the rural Midwest. Her most recent work, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, a stand-alone historical mystery follows her groundbreaking novel, Threads A Depression-Era Tale, which was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. She received a master’s degree in English at the University of Michigan, and after a short stint of teaching at two community colleges, worked at the University of Michigan where she was an associate director of the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts. Currently living in Arizona with her husband and two dogs she enjoys hiking, bicycling, swimming, and yoga.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE:

Website:

https://www.charlottewhitney.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CWhitneyAuthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CWhitneyAuthor

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/charlottewhitney65

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-whitney-8235463a

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/charlotte-whitney

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-unveiling-of-polly-forrest-by-charlotte-whitney

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1972943.Charlotte_Whitney

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59108383-the-unveiling-of-polly-forrest

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/39sKB92

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3wA5ze2

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/37OU4XI

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Unveiling-Polly-Forrest-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09T24Q72J

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Unveiling-Polly-Forrest-Mystery/dp/B09SNSGWJ3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Charlotte will be awarding a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.

Everything's Coming Up Daisy by Nancy Fraser - Blurb Blitz - Book Trailer - Fun Jigsaw Puzzle - Book Sale - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Everything's Coming Up Daisy

by Nancy Fraser

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Romantic Comedy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Kristen Matthews is a single mother of a very precocious five-year old named, Daisy. When Kristen and Daisy relocate to Last Chance Beach to live with Kristen’s eccentric aunt, Kristen has her reservations. The move brings them in close proximity to her ex-boyfriend’s rich family. Given Daisy’s father never wanted a permanent arrangement, neither he nor Kristen ever told his family about Daisy’s birth.

Ellis Tait has taken over the management of all of Tait Holding’s businesses since his father’s passing. His step-mother prefers her Summerville mansion. His playboy brother hasn’t been seen or heard from in nearly five years, preferring to travel around Europe squandering his inheritance. After a number of intense business negotiations, Ellis travels to the family’s vacation estate on Last Chance Beach for a few weeks of relaxation—not that he ever truly relaxes.

When Kristen and Ellis meet for the first time, Kristen’s determined to keep the secret of Daisy’s heritage to herself. However, the more she gets to know Ellis, the more she realizes he’s nothing at all like his younger brother.

A modern twist on the classic Sabrina. Can this single-mom avoid her ex’s family and hide the fact that her daughter is heiress to the family fortune? Or, will the island magic of Last Chance Beach unite an overworked mom and curmudgeon of a family patriarch in time for a happily-ever-after?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

Crosswinds Bridge, Point of Entry for Last Chance Beach

Present Day

This was a mistake. A huge mistake.

Kristen Matthews pulled into line behind the cars waiting for access to the bridge leading to the island. She spared a quick glance in her rear view mirror and assured herself that her daughter was securely buckled, and her booster seat was in the upright position.

To Daisy, this was a big adventure, a chance to live in a place filled with sunlight, ocean breezes, and fun! To Kristen, it was a recipe for disaster.

“Are we almost there, mommy?” Daisy asked.

“Yes, Doodlebug. We’re about to get on the bridge. Then, once we drive across the water, we’ll be on the island.”

“I wanted to take the ferry, like we did last summer when we came to visit Auntie El.”

“We couldn’t this time because we’re pulling a trailer full of our things. There’s no room on the ferry for trailers, just cars.”

“Are we going to live in one of Auntie El’s cottages, or in the big house?”

“We’ll live in the big house with Aunt Eloise. From what she told me in her last email, she got rid of the cabins last fall.”

“She gave them away?”

“No, dear. She had them torn down and the land cleared. I’m pretty sure she also had the main house painted as well.”

A soft whimper sounded from the back seat. “But I liked the polka dots. I hope she kept them.”

“This is Aunt Eloise. Even if the dots are gone, I’m pretty sure there will be something just as fancy in their place.”

“Maybe it’ll be unicorns,” Daisy reasoned. “I love unicorns.”

“Yes, I know,” Kristen agreed, a chuckle smothered rather quickly behind a yawn. It had been a long day, with no measurable end in sight.

“I can’t wait to see Jerry, and Elvira, and Petunia, and even Juniper. Maybe this time, she won’t think my finger is a carrot stick.”

“In Juniper’s defense, you have to remember she is blind in one eye. You have to be careful when you offer her food and make sure you approach from her good side.”

“I wonder if Auntie El has adopted any more guinea pigs?”

Oh please, no. Kristen pulled in a breath and prayed there wouldn’t be more rescued animals added to the menagerie who lived in her aunt’s home. Between the four guineas, two barn cats, and her fourteen year old terrier, Jake, you couldn’t go ten feet without tripping over a water bowl or stray toy.

They reached the island less than twenty minutes later, and Kristen merged into traffic along Ocean Drive. Eloise’s home was on Windsurfer Drive, with a beautiful ocean view and within walking distance to one of the nicest public beaches on the island.

“Look, mama,” Daisy said suddenly. “You can see someone flying up in the sky.”

Kristen chuckled. “I’d better not take my eyes off the road. No doubt it’s a tourist taking advantage of Land or Leap’s parasailing adventures.”

“I think it’s a superhero flying around protecting people.”

She spared a quick thought for her good friends Chase and Jared, owners of Land or Leap. Both were certainly hunky enough to be considered superheroes. “Maybe,” she conceded. “Or, maybe, it’s a flying guinea pig.”

Daisy’s exaggerated sigh echoed through the car. “Don’t be silly, mommy. Piggies don’t fly. According to Auntie El, all they do is eat and poop.”

“Well you know what your grandpa always says. ‘If you’re going to do something, do it really well.’ I’d say the piggies have mastered both.”

They passed Barnacle Bill’s mini golf, the pier leading out to Rod’s bar, the parking lot at Cliff House, finally turning onto the side road leading to house. Pulling into her aunt’s long driveway, she drew to halt, raised her gaze, and let the latest changes to the century old home sink in.

For frick sakes! Like Daisy, Kristen found herself wishing for the return of the polka dots. “What do you think, Doodlebug? Has Auntie El outdone herself with the renovations?”

“Wowzers,” Daisy said, giggling. “One, two, three, four... um... five different colors. It looks like a box of crayons exploded all over the front of auntie’s house.”

“One thing’s for sure. We’ll never get lost. I’m pretty sure this place glows in the dark.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Her spicy romances have won top awards year after year and received cover quotes from some of the most recognized names in the romance industry. Her sweet romances have gained the attention of a number independent reviewers and she was named a “bright new voice in sweet/inspirational romance” by the Christian blog Independently Reviewed.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH NANCY:

Website:

www.nancyfraser.ca

Blog:

https://notesfromaromanticsheart.blogspot.com

Sweet Reads Blog:

https://romancesweetreads.blogspot.com

Facebook:

http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor

Pinterest:

https://pinterest.com/fraser425

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y

Bookbub:

http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA

Newsletter Sign Up:

http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Nancy will be awarding a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When Earth Shall Be No More by Paul Awad & Kathryn O'Sullivan - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paul Awad and Kathryn O'Sullivan will be awarding a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Environmental scientist Constance Roy is one of forty-nine refugees rescued from Earth’s destruction and transported to the ark spaceship Orb by an automaton race called the Curators. Twelve months have passed since their rescue. But now, with the ship’s orbit decaying, the refugees seem doomed to crash into Jupiter’s fiery belly.

In a parallel universe on present-day Earth, another version of Constance seeks answers to the questions that have haunted her since childhood: How and why did her mother die? The head of a mysterious corporation housed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility can give her the answers, but not without a price.

Two timestreams collide when the Constance on Earth discovers that Nicolas, her son, has the ability to save the Orb and its inhabitants. Now she must battle treacherous Curators wishing to destroy Nicolas, while on the Orb, another Constance must fight to save the ship from Jupiter’s fatal pull. Only together can they save their son – and future generations of humankind.

EXCERPT THREE:

“Ms. Roy?” came a voice from behind her.

She stopped. The Curators were the only creatures she knew who could travel as if barely moving the molecules of air. “Yes?” she said but did not turn around.

The voice belonged to the Curator the refugees called Fifi. Nobody could remember who had come up with the nickname, but it had made everyone laugh and stuck. Like the other Curators, Fifi’s features were angular, thin, and asexual. It was only because of her smaller stature, slightly puckered lips, and short, softly curling hair that she had been given a female gender. She was the opposite of everything Constance thought a Fifi might be.

“You are not scheduled to be on this ring today,” Fifi said.

“No,” Constance said, turning around. “I needed to stretch my legs.”

Fifi cocked her head like a befuddled Golden Retriever and scanned Constance’s legs. Constance knew how literal the Curators could be, particularly Fifi, and she imagined what must have been running through Fifi’s mind as she tried to contemplate the stretching of legs. For all their sophistication, the Curators seemed incapable of understanding metaphors or similes or the subtleties of human emotion. She had studied the Curators when they attempted some representation of feeling. They never endeavored to show anything other than the six universally recognized feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and anger. And when they did, at no time did it seem genuine—like a smile that involved upturned corners of the mouth but not the eyes. Their mimicked facial expressions were an attempt to put the refugees at ease, not a reflection of limbic system activity in their brains. Constance wondered if they could feel at all.

AUTHOR BIOS:

Paul Awad and Kathryn O'Sullivan are an award-winning husband and wife writing and filmmaking team. They have collaborated on feature and documentary films, screenplays, and a web series. WHEN EARTH SHALL BE NO MORE is their first book collaboration. Paul is a cinema professor and Kathryn is a theatre professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Kathryn is also the author of the Colleen McCabe mystery series.

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHORS:

Paul Awad
Kathryn O'Sullivan
Goodreads

BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon
Book Sirens
Secant Publishing

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Murderous Interruptions by C.J. Carson - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.J. Carson will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The paranormal mystery The Veils of Parallel Times continues with “Murderous Interruptions”. Allie Callahan’s nemesis is a challenging and formidable adversary.

Travel with Allie as she finally accepts and embraces her ancestral gifts to stop her archenemy who would have her destroyed for his own lust of power. Explore the depths of her relationship with this rival in this life and beyond the veil.

EXCERPT ONE:

When I turned from the fire to respond, the woman hushed me. “You have much work to do, my dear, now rest.” She held me in her arms, swallowing me up in the most comforting sleep I could remember for a very long time, maybe ever.

Hours later, the warm glare of the sun’s first light sliced through the trees of the forest, waking me from a sound sleep. The air was cool and crisp, and I was laying next to the fire that had burned down to smoldering coals. Suddenly, realizing I wasn’t dreaming, I was in unfamiliar surroundings. I remembered the woman I had met the evening before, but she was not within eyeshot. Glancing around to get my bearings, it was shocking to be sitting in the middle of a small clearing of the woods. Several teepees made of tall tree branches wrapped in animal skins sat along the edge of the clearing. Standing and sliding out from under the animal skin blanket, I looked down to see myself dressed in unfamiliar clothes, and leather moccasins covering my feet. I had the strange sensation I was in a familiar place, but still not where I belonged.

Before I took one step, I scanned the area. Then something compelled me to approach one of the dwellings. As I drew closer, an Indian brave stepped out. Grabbing me by the arm, he pulled me into the teepee and shoved me to the ground. Walking to the edge of the space, he retrieved a large round basket and shot it at me with such force I thought it might fray. Shocked, I gazed up at him, he looked oddly familiar, but it was his eyes that gave him away. These new experiences were teaching me that the eyes were indeed the window to the soul. Those dark brown eyes were those of a man I knew all too well. Makya! Could this be Makya? Had I known him through other lifetimes? Although he spoke in a different tongue, it somehow translated perfectly for me.

He was angry and started barking. “You are a lazy dreamer. Why you insist on leaving our dwelling and choose to lay with the fire in place of me is a mystery. You need to do your gathering, and you are late in starting your day. I am off to hunt. You will obey me and begin behaving like a squaw worthy of me.”

I heard footsteps outside as someone was approaching. “Calian, are you coming? We are late; the morning is half over.”

Stunned, my eyes widened. Makya? Although the man called him Calian, the spirit was too familiar. It was the evil spirit I’d come to know as Makya! It didn’t look like him, but it was his temperament.

As I pushed up to my knees, Calian glared down at me, striking out in my direction. Although his hand never touched me, a force knocked me back to the ground. As I raised my hand to him, he grabbed my wrist, twisting it, and forced me back to the ground.

“You know better. Do not use your powers on me. I will strike you down every time. You are no match for me!”

Panic rose in me as I struggled to understand what was happening. If this brave was indeed Makya by a different name, how did we get here?

Pushing through the opening in the structure, he paused without turning to me. “Do not return this afternoon unless you have filled that basket with berries and some healing herbs. You must learn your place and mind your responsibilities. Do not make me the laughingstock of this tribe one more time!”

I listened to his footsteps as he jogged off, mounted his horse, and rode away before I got up from the ground.

AUTHOR BIO:

CJ Carson was inspired by a great story from a very early age. What brought her to this juncture in life and encouraged her to put pen to paper are the many rich experiences and opportunities of her life's journey.

While working in the medical field, she explored energy work and became a Polarity Therapist and Reiki Therapist.

Exploring acting brought her into the theatre world both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Painting introduced her to a group of artists that shared her passion for bringing a scene to canvas.

Her love of singing allowed her to travel twice to Europe as a soloist with conductor Sonja Dahlgren Prior, who inspired her to do something, she never dreamed possible.

CJ Carson has always wanted to write. Now she is introducing to the world her second published book, "Murderous Interruptions," from her trilogy, Veils of Parallel Times.

CONNECT WITH CJ CARSON:

Website

BOOK BUY LINKS:

Audible
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES by CEE BEE - Cover Reveal - Book Sale - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host CEE BEE AKA Christina Bauer and her new book, “VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES,” here on FAB!!  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 $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with CEE BEE/Christina and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES

Vampires of the Daemonverse Series

Book One

by CEE BEE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Vampire Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Lexa Kozlov must pay off her family's massive debt to the mob... all while raising even more money to save her little sister. The result? A never-ending (and incredibly illegal) stakeout for the Bratva. Lexa barely has time to sleep, let alone find love.

Enter Caelin Vass, the handsome Scotsman who runs Empire Investments. Caelin offers Lexa a new job with dollars galore, as well as a hot bod (his own) to contemplate every workday. Even so, Lexa isn’t sure. Freaky things keep happening whenever Lexa and Caelin are alone. The energy between them is magical, sensual, and way overwhelming.

Is Lexa leaving her old prison just to enter a worse one… or is Caelin Vass all he seems and more?

***12,000 word novella, previously published on Kindle Vella as Blood Slave***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

Another Saturday night, another stakeout.

This time, I'm watching the apartment of James Fisher, a major Wall Street tycoon and even larger dumbass.

Suddenly, my phone blares the Imperial March from Star Wars. I stifle the urge to groan. That's the ring tone of my current boss, Otto. He's a middle aged guy with a beer gut, receding hairline, and iron-fisted grip on my lady balls. Long story.

I pop in my ear buds and click accept. "It's Lexa."

"What the fuck?" Otto's gravelly voice blares in my ears. "I can hardly hear you."

"I'm in Big Apple Coffee." The place looks like it fell out of the 1950's... and didn't land too nicely. In other words, Big Apple sports dingy walls, a grimy tile floor, and chipped Formica tables.

"Why can't you run a stakeout from some place that's quiet?" asks Otto. "You know, like a normal person?"

"I don't know," I counter. "Why can't you text instead of call? You know, like someone from this century?"

A few seconds later, my phone dings with an alert. No question. That's a text from Otto. I should know better than to look, but I've never been the type who knows better about anything.

I take a peep.

It's a drawing of me as a pin-up girl from the 1940's. Which isn't too far off. I'm on the shorter side with lots of curves. I don't dress in pin-up style--no push-up bras and bright colors for me, thank you very much. With my job, it's best to blend in. Today, that means a pencil skirt and white top. Unlike this image on my phone which shows me bare-ass naked.

Ugh. What an Otto thing to do.

"The pic is good from the shoulders on up," I say dryly. The artist captured my heart-shaped face, ice-blue eyes, and long black hair.

Otto snickers. "One of the club shlubs left this under my door."

Club shlubs. That's what we call the gents who visit Otto's Lucky Ladies Lounge And Exotic Dancing Club. It's a horrible name, but Otto is known for hiring great strippers, not having excellent writing and grammar. I live in the club's back room and participate in the odd bikini contest for extra cash. Fan art is a sad side effect.

I really shouldn't have looked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

CEE BEE writes stories that blend epic fantasy, steamy romance, and lots of sass. If you want immersive tales that transport you to fresh worlds (and new book boyfriends) then you’ve come to the right author. To learn more about CEE BEE, please visit www.ceebeeauthor.com. Her new book, VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES, is available on Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/3G7WYDC.

CEE BEE also writes young adult fare under the name Christina Bauer. Check out Christina’s books at www.christinabauerauthor.com. There’s a literal sh*t ton of them.

Stalk CEE BEE/Christina on Social Media at the links listed below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH CEE BEE / CHRISTINA:

Website:

https://www.ceebeeauthor.com

Website:

https://www.christinabauerauthor.com

Blog:

http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/category/christina

VLOG:

https://tinyurl.com/Vlogbauer

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CB_Bauer

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/christina_cb_bauer

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14671802.Cee_Bee

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61075349-violins-and-vampires

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3wBD4NX

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**The VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book tour!!!**

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3G7WYDC

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09ZYVCNC3

Amazon UK Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09ZYVCNC3

Amazon AU Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09ZYVCNC3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VAMPIRES OF THE DAEMONVERSE BOOK SERIES:

Check out CEE BEE’s exciting new book series!!!

VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES

BOOK ONE

https://amzn.to/3G7WYDC

VEILS AND VAMPIRES

BOOK TWO

https://amzn.to/3wBFE6B

VALOR AND VAMPIRES

BOOK THREE

COMING SOON!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

CEE BEE will be awarding a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.

Divided Fates by Stephanie M. Allen - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Stephanie M. Allen and her new book, “Divided Fates,” here on FAB!!  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 $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Stephanie and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Divided Fates

Immar & Stauros Trilogy

Book Two

by Stephanie M. Allen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Ten days after the battle in the north, the world of Erez has been thrown into turmoil.

Princess Isemay awakens - injured and weak - in a strange village. Branded an outcast because of her mixed heritage but forced to stay against her will, she must choose to conform to the sha’nidow way of life or face the consequences. When a mysterious stranger arrives with a heartbreaking message, Isemay’s hope abandons her to a fate far more destructive than she was prepared for.

Princess Alena finds herself the queen of the northern kingdom - powerful, adored, alone. Fighting inner demons of darkness, she travels south to visit her brother, now the king of Neilos. But fate will not allow her to find peace, and she must decide whether she will side with those she loves or the one who holds ultimate power.

Niri Flesh-cleaver, granddaughter to the elusive Choshech and heir to the nashech throne, has everything she could want - and yet her heart yearns for more. Torn between her mother’s orders and a forbidden love, she quickly realizes she cannot have both. Driven by brokenness, she will seek to destroy the one person she blames for Choshech’s demise - and find that perhaps her heart was the better guide all along.

Three women. Three separate journeys. One path to find that fate will divide even the closest of bonds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT TWO:

Golda sprinted in the same direction, her tail flagging behind her as she stretched her feline body to its limits. With calculated precision, she ran between the doe and their buck, separating them with ease. After watching the hunters chase after the three females, Isemay drove Kele toward the buck, squeezing with her thighs to ensure her balance as she let go of the mare’s mane. Clumsy at first, she spun her hands in a circle, clenching her fists as she readied her weapon. The telltale whistling began as she spun the straps above her head.

Golda snapped at the buck as it grunted in fear, keeping him separated from the other deer. The sha’nidow hunters maintained their focus on the doe, their mounts moving toward them at a marvelous pace. Sensing his herd was in danger, the male tried to swerve toward them. Golda cut him off, causing him to twist mid-stride and continue in the direction he was heading.

Isemay would have to be fast if she wanted to release a lethal blow. With a snap of her hand, she released the darts from her weapon, flinching as she felt that her aim wasn’t quite right. The buck squealed as a single dart hit his flank. Isemay shifted her weapon, sliding another dart in position before spinning her arm once again.

Before she could release it, the buck grunted as three darts slapped into his neck and chest. Melech thundered past her, his weapon already whipping around with a whistle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Bring on the boo’s!  Everyone loves to hate the villain!  Tell us all about this truly loathed character and the inspiration behind their development.

The villain…it’s both the most loved and most hated character that many authors write. In this particular trilogy, which has been the story of my heart and mind for many years, I knew that I wanted an epic villain that was also going to have a lot of depth. I love villains that have a tragic story that causes the reader to feel something for them. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish. So many times, villains can fall flat or come across as maniacal without a purpose. I certainly didn’t want to have my villain be one of the forgettable ones.

In the first book, Dueling Fates, Choshech is the villain that is talked about but not seen. He’s behind the scenes, stirring up tension and strife, though his handiwork can be seen throughout the book. In Divided Fates, we finally get to meet Choshech and understand his plan and purpose. Choshech is a dragon, and he was once the most powerful, light-filled dragon there was. But he grew prideful, power-hungry, and felt jilted at the fact that he wasn’t as needed as he wanted to be. He decided to cause chaos among the humans, but he didn’t count on something happening – he fell in love.

Ah, yes, the age-old problem for the villain – forbidden love. Choshech fell in love with the queen of a kingdom, though he didn’t realize she was the queen. And then, of course, his heart was broken, and he was betrayed by the only one who’d taken his heart. Cursed to lose his wings and his freedom to shift, he’s forced to bide his time, waiting for the one who can come along to free him. Ironically, it will be sacrifice of a new love that will free him and he knows that it will break him once again.

Choshech is the villain that my readers love to hate. He is both charming and cunning, power-hungry yet patient. In Divided Fates, he revels in the fact that he is coming back into his power. He has yet to realize that the required sacrifice will break him far more than he ever expected, driving him to the very edge of his sanity in the third and final book. Overall, he is one of my favorite villains that I’ve ever written and it’s doubtful that he will ever see redemption. However, he will learn along the way and he will evolve, even if it means breaking through the shattered remains of his brutalized heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Stephanie M. Allen graduated from California Baptist University in 2009 with a B.A. in English and a desire to share her imaginative stories with the world. She loves to write fantasy, particularly centered around young adults. Aside from writing, Stephanie loves to read, ride horses, and sing. She currently lives in Wyoming with her husband and two children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephanieAllen

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/StephMarieAllen

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thestephmarieallen

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15844466.Stephanie_M_Allen

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60885240-divided-fates

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3NvK84A

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/39NATOF

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3PBUGAN

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Divided-Fates-Immar-Stauros-trilogy-ebook/dp/B09X9PHJHF

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Divided-Fates-Stephanie-Allen/dp/1950502716

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Stephanie will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.