Tuesday 9 September 2014

José Picada, P.I.: Deception Al Dente by Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser: Interview + Giveaway

José Picada, P.I.: Deception Al Dente (Book 1)
by Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser
Having left the dull life of workers’ comp insurance behind to strike it out as a private detective, things aren’t going well for Josie P. Cates. Her new career isn't as exciting — or lucrative — as she thought it would be. As her bank account dwindles, her first major client finally walks in the door. Chef Marco, a successful local restaurateur, hires Josie to find out who's skimming money from his business. It doesn't take long for Josie to discover that things at Bistro Italiano aren’t what they seem. Secrets seem to cling to Chef Marco like splattered marinara sauce. With the help of friends both old and new, Josie unravels a case that takes her from the bistro to the world of deadly dark magic. At least it keeps things from being too boring. 
ebook, 111 pages
Published February 22nd 2013 by MuseItUp Publishing



About the Authors:
Heather Fraser Brainerd
is a renaissance woman. After earning a degree in Anthropology, she embarked on an incongruous career as a workers’ compensation insurance adjuster. She rapidly climbed the claims-handling ladder before surprising her colleagues by leaving the high-powered world of lumbar strains and carpal tunnel syndrome to run a child care center. Thousands of dirty diapers and gallons of strained peas later, she decided that maybe the insurance industry wasn’t quite as bad as she remembered. Unfortunately, it was. Fortunately, a few years later, she met the most wonderful man in the world. Now a stay-home mom to three amazing boys, she is able, at long last, to focus on her writing. Heather lives in New York with her family and their crazy pug/terrier.

David Fraser was born on March 25, 1973. March 25, incidentally, is International Waffle Day (Varfudagn in Sweden) and Tolkien Reading Day (The Ring was destroyed on March 25). Elton John shares his birthday. So next March 25, you should eat a waffle while reading Lord of the Rings and listening to Rocket Man. I know Dave will. Before deciding to become an internationally-famous author, Dave held a number of different jobs. He processed small business insurance policy changes, tested software on digital copier/printers, put out little orange flags in pick-your-own strawberry fields, installed internet cable in schools, shelved books in a library, taught college calculus, and handed out raffle tickets at a Barry Manilow concert. Granted, this last job was a one day temp job, but it was awesome. He currently does little fix-up jobs around his house and chauffeurs his kids while trying to find time to write.


Find us:
Blog: http://drivingblindproductions.wordpress.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/BrainerdFraser
Twitter: Heather: https://twitter.com/HFBrainerd
David: https://twitter.com/DonaldFarster
Heather on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6953796.Heather_Fraser_Brainerd


 

Making Connections interview with brother/sister writing team David Fraser and Heather Fraser Brainerd
 
Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
Main character Josie P. Cates is a funny, irreverent, brand-new private investigator whose business isn’t exactly booming. Chef Marco is an annoying restaurateur who becomes Josie’s first big client. Bobby is Josie’s best friend and go-to computer geek.
 
What is the best advice you have been given?
Never wash your face with soap. Oh, did you mean writing advice? Probably "I before E except for after C, with the exceptions of height, albeit, protein, weird, counterfeit, glacier, atheist, reign, heir, Fahrenheit, beige, feint, neighbor, and a bunch of other ones that make the list too long to write out in its entirety."
 
How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?
Our books are filled with wacky characters, dysfunctional relationships, and a lot of humor. Does that tell you a little something about our upbringing?
 
Describe your ideal writing spot.
On the PeopleMover in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Not that we’ve ever written there, but we’d like to try it some time.
 
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Scotland. We're juist a wee bittie Scottish, d’ye ken?
 
If you could have any superhuman ability, what would you choose and why?
Does teleportation count? ‘Cause we totally want that. Or maybe the ability to eat all the cheesecake we want without gaining weight. It might not be too useful in saving the world, but, hey, don't the Avengers already have that job?
 
Which do you prefer: hard/paperbacks or ebooks?
We prefer JRR Tolkien in hardcover and everything else on ebook. Just not The Silmarillion. That thing weighs something like 45 pounds.
 
What book are you reading now?
Heather is reading Different Kind of Knight by Mary Waibel - YA Fantasy awesomeness. Dave is reading Count & Color with the Little Monsters by Lynne Mitchell.


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Wednesday 3 September 2014

Eternity (Descendants of Ra #1) by Tmonique Stephens




Eternity (Descendants of Ra #1)
by Tmonique Stephens
 


Paranormal Romance 
Paperback, 332 pages
  
Published February 4th 2013 by Soul Mate Publishing

Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover...until now.

A late night walk home throws Stella Walker into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep blue eyes of the man trying to kill her—and the first things she sees after a seven day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm or the man who wants to finish her off? Is it fears she feels when Roman touches her or the memory of something sweeter?

Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them.

Roman will do anything to recover what they once had. Though Stella’s ruined childhood has made her close her heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts.
Tmonique Stephens wrote her first novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. She loves writing flawed characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. She writes complicated stories for complicated people. Paranormal romances and fantasy novels are her favorite genre.

Eternity and Everlasting are the first two novels in her Descendants of Ra series. Evermore, the third novel will be released in September 2014. Currently, she is working a contemporary revenge series and Encore, the fourth novel in the Descendants of Ra series. She will read anything about fairies, demons, or angels. She also enjoys Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Preston and Child.

She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where she won an English Department Award for her play Tea with Salt in 1987.

Born in St. Thomas USVI, Tmonique Stephens grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves SyFy, the History channels, and also Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean.

Website: http://tmoniquestephensauthor.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TmoniqueStephens
Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTmoniqueStephens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tmoniquebooks
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tmoniquestephen/


Q & A with Author Tmonique Stephens

Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
Meet the Descendants of Ra. The men of the Nicolis Family.

Male descendants from Egyptian Gods. Scars and secrets have shaped them into brutal warriors. Can love turn them into heroic men?


Roman Nicolis

 
Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover...until now.

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

Reign Nicolis

 
Kill the beast, save your brother, win your freedom from the Goddess of the Dead. No problem for a 2000 year old warrior. Falling in love with the cop trying to arrest you? Problem.

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

Avery Nicolis


There is no such thing as a chance meeting.

There is no room in Avery Nicolis’s life for an obsession, yet why else does he stalk Emeline Gamble. Lurking in the shadows, he hungers for what he can’t have. Between the secrets he guards and anarchy infesting his soul, his only solace are his glimpses of Emeline. He will resist her, protect her from himself, and deny his desire to claim her heart.
   

What is the best advice you have been given?
The best advice I was ever given was to never stop writing. I equate writing a novel to climbing Mount Everest. So every novel, I will myself to never stop, never quit, to keep climbing no matter the obstacle. So far it has worked.
  

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?
My upbringing stifled my writing, but nurtured my imagination. That is probably why I love fantasy and paranormal genres. Reality sucks. In fantasies, your mind can go anywhere.
 

Describe your ideal writing spot.
I wish I could write during that space of time when I got to bed and fall asleep. The best ideas come to me during that time. Unfortunately, I can’t. So, I would have to say my favorite writing space is the left side of my bed, propped up on my comfy pillows with a snack and a cold drink.

  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Since, I write an Egyptian God series, I would love to see the pyramids. Maybe after the unrest in the region calms, I will be able to travel there. 

  If you could have any superhuman ability, what would you choose and why?
My superhuman ability would be to repel fat. LOL. Who wouldn’t want that superhuman ability to eat any and everything, and not gain weight? I would be the envy of everyone.

Which do you prefer: hard/paperbacks or ebooks?
I buy more e-books than print books, but there is one author whom I buy her hardcover book for my permanent collection, JR Ward.
  


What book are you reading now? 
I am re-reading CL Wilson’s Tairen Soul series because of the vivid imagery, and Jeanine Frost’s Night Huntress series because of her kick ass heroine.






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