Dan Romain - The Quaker State Affair - Guest Post

About the Book

What happens when “some day” finally arrives?

A mysterious explosion in Taiwan. Nuclear secrets stolen from Los Alamos. China’s manifest destiny at hand.

In the near future, America and China go head-to-head in a battle of technological bluffs, setting in motion a chain of events that could lead to skyrocketing oil prices, the end of the dollar, the American way of life, and the republic itself. The only man who might have an answer in the midst of the international crisis is Patrick “Mac” McDaniels, a world-renowned physicist who wants nothing to do with the government. Has he been conducting revolutionary energy research in secret? And if so, will McDaniels be America’s salvation—or its ruin?

Guest Post

When writing The Quaker State Affair, I realized that Americans have grown numb from all the buzz killing news thrust upon them every day. All of us are suffering from chronic media "TMI." As a result, we’ve become desensitized at precisely that moment in time when our perspectives need to be challenged.

So, I endeavored to write this book to be an enjoyable read notwithstanding the fact that all hell breaks loose. And, from the various books reviews we’ve enjoyed, I guess that I managed to do just that. I hope you enjoy the book and I’d love to hear from you.

The world revolves around the drill bit and yet, man has passed the point where we pump more black, unctuous goo (oil) today than we did yesterday. This comes at a time when our oil appetite continues to grow exponentially. Just imagine 1.3 billion Chinese with average incomes in 2035 equal to American incomes today (fact).

The problem is that oil is priced in US dollars and those greenbacks are losing their buying power at an unparalleled rate. Meanwhile, a worldwide movement is afoot to replace the US dollar as the sole currency used to purchase oil. When, not if, that occurs, life as we know it will turn to pooh. This book is about such a moment in time, sans the buzz kill, of course.

Compounding the geopolitical problem is an emerging China with serious structural and cultural issues that they will not be able to suppress for much longer. Their economy is riddled with corruption, unofficially high levels of inflation and political unrest arising out of the enlightenment of its people. Socio-economic tensions in China are real. Its rural population is depopulating at a time when Chinese need evermore from those migrating farmers. Pollution in China is out of control. They thirst for oil. Their imports are growing faster than their exports. The overall trade surplus of China has fallen 34 percent since 2009. America, China’s favorite buyer, is dead, flat, irritably broke. That’s a problem if your job is to centrally plan the world’s second largest economy.

Amidst all the turmoil, China is amassing a naval armada unequaled in man’s history. It uniforms over one million men and trains them at a pre-war frenzy. For what?

If one could construct a financial balance sheet to depict the world’s economic “net worth”, that image would paint a dire picture. The world’s sovereign paper-based currencies and the countries that print them are bankrupt. The corresponding Credit Default Swap redemptions would collapse the financial systems if that realization ever took hold. This, then, is a tale about all such things coming to a point in time when a seemingly harmless event pushes the inevitable into motion and sets upon the landscape a hundred years of backdrop that unfolds "overnight." It’s a story of intrigue, tragedy and hope.

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The Quaker State Affair can be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble.com
MyBookOrders.com

Hardcover
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Price: $22.95
ISBN: 9781937293406
Pages: 375
Release: November 1, 2011


About the Author

Dan Romain is a nationally recognized business consultant who built one of the most successful insurance firms in the country. A graduate of the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Economics Society, he currently resides in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Lori, their two children, Danielle and Brian, and their black Labrador, Kona. He has been widely credited as one of the few who accurately predicted the economic melt down.

http://www.thequakerstateaffair.com/

The Kingdom on the Edge Of Reality by Gahan Hanmer Spotlight

About the Book

Sometimes it's funny how fast things can change, and sometimes it's not...

Welcome to Albert Keane's beautifully designed medieval kingdom nestled in a completely isolated river valley in the Canadian wilderness. Peaceful, happy, and prosperous, it takes nothing from the modern world, not so much as a single clock.

There is a castle, of course, and a monastery. There is even a pitch dark, rat-infested dungeon - because you simply have to have one if you are trying to rule a feudal kingdom!

Farmers work the land, artisans ply their trades, monks keep school and visit the sick, and nobody (well, almost nobody) misses the modern world at all.

So why has Jack Darcey - actor, wanderer, ex-competitive fencer - been tricked and seduced into paying a visit? And why hasn't anyone told him that the only way to leave is a perilous trek across hundreds of miles of trackless wilderness without a compass or a map?

Because a tide of fear and violence is rising from the twisted ambitions of one of King Albert's nobles, and Albert's fortune teller believes that Jack could turn the tide - if he lives long enough ...

***

The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality can be purchased at: MyBookOrders.com

eBook
Kindle - $7.99
Nook - $7.99
MyBookOrders.com - $7.99

Print
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Price: $22.95 hardcover
$14.95 paperback
ISBN: 9781937293642
Pages: 360
Release: April 2, 2012

About the Author

Gahan Hanmer enjoyed a colorful career in the theater as actor, director, designer and technician, and also wandered extensively searching for love, happiness and truth. He unintentionally became a grown-up raising two beloved daughters and now lives in the high chaparral desert of California.

In describing his book, Hanmer says, "The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality has the shape of a fantasy (small kingdom set aside in time and space, saintly king, evil duke, prophecy, unlikely hero), the book is about a real kingdom set up in the present day by a wealthy eccentric in the Canadian wilderness; there is no magic, no bizarre weapons or fantastic creatures. Everything that takes place is the story is possible and plausible. It's not a fantasy. Among other things its a serious book about the human predicament and lies across several genres, or maybe falls through the cracks between several genres, and that's what makes it unique."

http://www.thekingdomontheedgeofreality.com/

Jennifer Malone Wright - The Vampire Hunter's Daughter - Guest Post

Guest Post

Developing characters, for me, is one of those things that normally happens on its own. I’m a pantzer, I just think of something and begin to write. But, every now and then I get a character that won’t develop on his own. Recently I had a character that everyone kept telling me was flat, that they didn’t care about him.

So, I kept asking myself why. Why didn’t they care about him?

Finally, I went into the story and edited it so that he had a back story. This changed the feel of his character immensely. I could not believe the difference. So, I’ve learned that giving someone a back story…even if I’m the only one who knows about it, really helps the development of the character.

Like I said though, most of the time I let them develop on their own as I write. But, I know that I need a few things for each character. I need to give them full names, ages, a quirk (something that bugs them or they are passionate about), and a mission. After giving my characters all of these things, I am able to create a realistic world around them and let their story flow.

I never outline, but I do sometimes make character profiles. They aren’t very extensive, they usually just have the things I mentioned above and then other little things that I may need later if I forget, like eye color or hair color.

A writer is always going to need to study their craft and practicing exercises for developing their characters is great practice. I highly recommend doing the character profiles, but way more extensive than I do them, that is a great exercise for character development.

In my opinion, the characters drive the book, and they must be well developed to have any feeling for them. Love them, hate them, it doesn’t matter because those are both feelings and feeing for a character means they are well developed.

Thank you so much for having me on the blog today.

About the Book

Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters. Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community.

When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder.

With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter is a short story series, parts 1-4 are available and parts 5 and 6 are releasing very soon.

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 1:  Free
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 2:  $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 3:  $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part 4:  $0.99
The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Collector's Edition:  $1.75 (parts 1-3)

About the Author

Jennifer Malone Wright is an author of the paranormal; her works include The Birth of Jaiden and The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series. She resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fifteen all the way down to one year, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel The Birth of Jaiden.

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last eleven years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Connect with Jennifer:
Amazon 
Facebook 
Goodreads
Twitter
Website

Kenny Scudero - Comfortably Awkward - Author Interview

Author Interview

1) Who is your favorite character?
My favorite character is Albert Ferenzo, from my debut novel "Comfortably Awkward." Albert is a kid out of college looking for his place in the world. He did what he had to do through his whole life to get to where he was but then he hit a dead end. He couldn't find a job and grew angry with the corporate lifestyle which he was trained to live in since high school. Strange, awkward, ironic things are always happening to Albert and it always seems like the world is against him but he is smart and he eventually figures out what he needs to do to be happy in life.

2) Why is he/she your favorite?
Albert is such a great kid. All he ever wanted to do was to make enough money to support his girlfriend and what ever family members need help. Albert is like me in many ways, especially when things get crazy in the book. He's my favorite character because he does things that I would not be capable of doing in real life. Albert is all about justice and doing the right thing. His courage is something that I admire and I wish I had.

3) How did you come to create him/her?
When I couldn't find a job after college, I created Albert Ferenzo. I thought about what I wanted to do with my anger and frustration and that mindset turned into Albert's mindset. I thought about all of the times I could have said something back to someone in an argument or times when I would have liked to have done something different in my life and I made Albert do all of those things. As I went through stages and began to figure out what I needed to do with my life, Albert did the same and I always seemed to be a step ahead of him. Or was he a step ahead of me?

4) When did he/she first enter your mind?
When I thought about all the people who discouraged me in my hopeful professional career, I thought about what I could do about it. I didn't want to care about struggling and having a job and responsibilities. I wanted to stop caring about everything and just live life for the moment and enjoy myself. That's when I started writing about Albert Ferenzo. He was living the life I wanted by not letting every little thing get to him and learning to enjoy life one moment at a time.

5) Where was he/she given life in the creative process?
"Comfortably Awkward" is my debut novel and Albert fit perfectly with the story and what I was going through at the time. In a way, I think Albert made me realize what I should have been doing with my life. More importantly, I think Albert Ferenzo is the perfect character for today's world. Everyone is struggling with the economy the way it is and people need something to believe in. They need faith and hope and I think Albert brings all of those things to life in my book. Albert is a modern character who I think can relate to anyone at any point in time.

6) What do like the most about him/her and what do you dislike the most about him/her?
I love Albert's ideas, his courage and his ambition. He believes in the right things and wants good people to be rewarded and bad people to be punished. It would be nice to have more people like Albert Ferenzo, in that sense. On the other hand, Albert is too indecisive and he is constantly second-guessing himself. He has great ideas and he runs with them most of the time, but the second someone puts him down, he begins to wonder if he is doing the right thing or not. If you read my book, you'll understand Albert's transformation throughout the story and I think you'll be rooting for him until the bitter end.


About the Book

For Albert Ferenzo, life is a series of ironic events that may or may not have a reason behind them. While struggling to find a niche for himself, Albert blames the corporate world for hindering his dream of making money and living a prosperous life. After playing the good guy his entire life, Albert decides that the only way to get ahead in the world is to be the bad guy. Albert questions his own fate as he drives himself to insanity in an effort to find happiness. The destinies of Albert and everyone around him intertwine as he finally realizes what life is all about or at least, he thinks he does in this revolt against normality.

Buy Link: Amazon


About the Author

"Comfortably Awkward" is Kenny Scudero’s debut self-published novel. He is a twenty-two year old author from New York City who looks forward to a bright future in writing. Kenny recently graduated from St. John’s University where he majored in Sport Management. At St. John’s, Kenny was Sports Editor for the University newspaper. After graduating from St. John’s, Kenny had trouble finding a job and wrote “Comfortably Awkward” based off that frustration. He is currently working on his second novel.

Connect with Kenny
Website

Denise Robbins - Phish NET Stalkings - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is your favorite character?
My favorite character in Phish NET Stalkings is my heroine, Jane East.

2. Why is he/she your favorite?
Jane is my favorite because she is the complete opposite of me. She’s into organic cosmetics. Me, I don’t do cosmetics. She’s afraid of men with badges. The only fear of men I have is those with full beards. Don’t ask! I’ve never sat on Santa’s lap. Jane is rather proper in her dress and even her manners. Me, not so much.

3. How did you come to create him/her?
I didn’t create Jane. She created herself. I sat down one day in Panera and Jane just popped into my head. Complete with her name and her job, and even the name of her Cosmetic company, ‘Not So Plain Jane’s’.

4. When did he/she first enter your mind?
Jane showed up the Sunday morning I sat in Panera and started asking who my characters were. For some reason, Jane was very chatty and informative.

5. Where was he/she given life in the creative process?
Jane showed up with life. It had beaten her down and then she met her mentor and business partner, and he helped her rebuild it. When the hero, Cooper Chance shows up, Jane fears her life is about to tumble away again.

6. What do like the most about him/her and what do you dislike the most about him/her?
What I like most about Jane is her ability to pick up the pieces and move on. She’s almost too good at walking away and starting over. What I like least is that she can’t be completely honest with anyone. That’s a hard way to live, not trusting anyone.

About the Book

Buy Links: Amazon ($16.95), Kindle ($4.99)

All she wanted was to find love. Was that too much to ask? How difficult could it be to find one man, the perfect man for her?

After dating the losers of the century, Jane decides there has to be a better way. She turns to an online dating service. After all, they guarantee a ‘happily ever after’ or your money back.

Jane East, CEO of Not-So- Plain- Jane’s organic cosmetics wants to fall in love with a man who makes her toes curl when he kisses her. Unfortunately, the one man who makes her toes curl also wears ladies’ pink underwear and a badge. The pink underwear she could probably deal with, but the badge is a different story.

Ever since seeing her mother and granny Pearl murdered by men with badges, Jane has a fear of cops and anyone who carries a badge. Especially, because the killers are still on the loose and searching for her.

Former FBI Cybercrime special agent turned small-town Chief of Police, Cooper Chance, gets caught with his pants down and his family jewels tucked in pink ladies’ underwear with lacy frills when he meets the woman of his dreams. That’s not his only issue. The woman has a fear of cops. If he can get past her guard, maybe he can save her life.

Book Excerpt

Cooper went into his office, shut the door, and closed the blinds. “No way can I pull this off,” he protested holding up the leather skirt and heels. He stripped down to his skivvies and slid into the black leather skirt. “No way!” His damn boxers hung too low, below the skirt hem.

“Shit,” he growled and raked fingers through his hair. Just listen to him, he already sounded like a girl talking about hems.

“That’s why we included the ladies’ panties,” someone shouted back. Muffled chuckling rumbled behind his locked office door.

He riffled through the pile and found a pair of bright pink panties with ruffles and the tags still on them. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

The raucous laughter and low snickering that met his complaint burned his ass. What made him think that becoming the Chief of Police of a small town would be simple, easy? He must have been nuts. At least if he had been in a big city, like New York, Boston, or Minneapolis, he might not have felt so ridiculous. He would have fit in with any number of transgenders who walked the street. But here, in Manchester, New Hampshire he would stick out like a wolf in a pack of cats.

“Do women really wear this kind of underwear?”

“Panties,” one of the men shouted from the outer office.

“Panties,” he grumbled out the corner of his mouth. He held the silky material and eyed it with caution half expecting his men to supply him with a thong. Air wheezed out of his lungs when he saw that there was material on all sides and not some tiny strip that would ride up his ass. Just the thought of it made his shoulders shiver.

Before he lost his nerve, Cooper stripped off his cotton boxers and stuffed his beefy legs into the pink panties. When the underwear reached halfway up his thighs, he heard a popping noise. He glanced down and saw the elastic in the leg holes had ripped apart. “Not one size fits all, are they?”

About the Author

High-tech becomes high-risk in Denise Robbins’ novels. The New Hampshire based author uses two decades of experience in computers to explore the killer possibilities in technology. Denise integrates her knowledge of computers and technology along with secrets, intrigue, suspense, and even a little romance into all of her techno-romantic thriller novels. Readers and reviewers agree Denise writes stories that will keep you at the edge of your seat and clamoring for more. Her latest book is Phish NET Stalkings.

Connect with Denise
Web Site
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Official Tour Page

Happy Book Birthday to SPECTRAL

Celebrate Spectral's April 10th release day, by following the kick-off to the blog tour or purchasing a copy at these links:

Kindle - $2.99
Nook - $4.95
Google - $3.79
Smashwords - $4.99
PDF - $4.95

Happy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
Vê Inamonico
anotherone [dot] fortheradio [at] gmail [dot] com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.

1) Add Jolene Perry's upcoming May 2012 release, Knee Deep, to your Goodreads to-read list. Click here for the direct link.
2) Leave a comment with your email address.

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Night Sky
by Jolene Perry

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

http://night-sky-book.com/