Readeropolis

October 2018

Read an Excerpt of WALTZ WITH ME, COWBOY by @DebraHoltBooks + $10 Amazon/BN GC #Giveaway | @GoddessFish Presents Contemporary Romance #ConRom

Posted by: Mayor Sonni Posted date: 9:00 AM / comment : 2 Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Giveaway, Now, Romance, Slider

WALTZ WITH ME, COWBOY by Debra Holt is on book blast tour and stops at Readeropolis with an excerpt. The contemporary romance is available now.

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Debra Holt will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Calla Rose returned home to McKenna Springs to help save her family's business... The Yellow Rose... a ninety-year old Texas dance hall. She also came home to heal. Being a victim and finding her trust level in men damaged, she is determined to succeed in this one thing for her family and nothing is going to deter her from doing just that. Now even a green-eyed cowboy/mayor with heart-stopping smiles and kisses that threaten to thaw the ice around her heart.

Ty Conners wasn't looking for love. He had simply stopped in to welcome the latest business owner to town. But coming face to face with Calla Rose would prove an unforgettable experience in more ways than one and send his heart into a tailspin. Never a man to not face a challenge head-on, he prepared to get past the barricades she had erected between herself and the male population. But it was easier said than done, and just when he's within reach of her heart, a lie brings memories of pain and distrust and Calla's heart may be out of his reach for good.

Read an Excerpt:

“You’re right. It’s the best offer. And I’ll take you up on it.” She placed her hand in his in order to get a hand up from the step. Mistake. His hand was warm, and the warmth seemed to flow up her arm and fill her with a sense of peace that was most disconcerting. Once on her feet, she gave a slight tug and he released his grip. Was she sorry? Silly thought. Her mind was just tired from the long and trying day. The fresh air would do the trick to put things in their proper perspective... including the man beside her.

A few minutes later, Calla felt the tenseness leave the neck muscles and the corners of her mouth curved upward of their own accord. The windows were down, and the pickup was making its way along the country lane as it followed the curves of the river, crisscrossing bridges from one side to the other as it went deeper into the tall canyon. The breeze ruffled through her hair. Here she was, taking a ride in a pickup, listening to a lively George Strait swing tune on the radio, and a good-looking cowboy beside her. If those people from her old life could see her now… would they think she had lost her mind? Did she think she had?

Or would they think she had finally found it? That sudden realization brought a strange feeling with it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she had finally found where she belonged. But that couldn’t be… could it? The city life and a stately courtroom had been her mecca. How did things switch course in mid-stream on her? Calla’s gaze went to the man beside her and just then, he turned and gave her a look and smile that answered her unspoken question. Silly! She jerked her gaze back to the open window. How could he know what she was thinking? When she wasn’t sure of it herself?

About the Author:

Born and raised in the Lone Star state of Texas, Debra grew up among horses, cowboys, wide open spaces, and real Texas Rangers. Pride in her state and ancestry knows no bounds and it is these heroes and heroines she loves to write about the most. She also draws upon a variety of life experiences including working with abused children, caring for baby animals at a major zoo, and planning high-end weddings (ah, romance!).

When she isn’t busy writing about tall Texans and feisty heroines, she can be found cheering on her Texas Tech Red Raiders, or heading off on another cruise adventure. She read her first romance...Janet Dailey's Fiesta San Antonio, over thirty years ago and became hooked on the genre. Writing contemporary romances, is both her passion and dream come true, and she hopes her books will bring smiles...and sighs...to all who believe in happily-ever-after’s.

Debra invites you to visit her website. She loves to hear from other aspiring authors or readers via email.

Website: http://www.debraholtbooks.com
Email: debraholtbooks@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraHoltBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraHoltBooks

Buy the book at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FRKGCGW/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I #AmReading The Second World War by Antony Beevor :: #ARCtober2018 Reading Challenge + Prize Pack #Giveaway:: October 1 - 31 :: Mark Your Bookish Calendars

Posted by: Mayor Sonni Posted date: 12:00 PM / comment : 0 Event, Giveaway, News, Reading Challenge

The goal of ARCtober is to read ARCs. Mission accepted.

How is your reading month going? Any good reads?

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

I am clearing 99 books from my bookshelves. This advance reader's edition of A SIMPLE MURDER: A Mystery by Eleanor Kuhns is one of them. It is a chilling historical novel about the mysterious murder of a young Shaker woman.

So I am mixing in two other goodies and giving away an ARCtober 2018 Prize Pack (US only, 18+ years) that includes:

One pre-owned advance reader's edition of A SIMPLE MURDER: A Mystery by Eleanor Kuhns

One 2018 16-Month Cats Calendar (5.6 in x 5.3 in) [Because cats are the best Halloween creatures.]

One Cat Cutie Series Bookmark

OCTOBER 22

I am reading my ARC of The Second World War by Antony Beevor. Have you read it? The history book is 843 pages! I will be reading it through the end of November for the Nonfiction November Reading Challenge on YouTube / BookTube.

OCTOBER 10

I am reading and releasing my advance reader's edition of A Simple Murder: A Mystery (Will Rees Mysteries, #1) by Eleanor Kuhns. Have you read it?

Eleanor Kuhns recently wrote an author guest post about Luddites for the blog. She is promoting The Devil's Cold Dish: A Mystery, the fifth book in the Will Rees series. Check her guest post out here.

OCTOBER 1

I am reading and releasing Driven by Faith: The Trevor Bayne Story (ZonderKidz Biography) by Godwin Kelly. Have you read it?

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2018 ARCtober Reading Challenge sign ups are open! I am going to read four ARCs during the challenge. Are you planning to participate? What are you going to read?

Click the banner below for more details or to sign up.

Runs October 1 – October 31, 2018. [You have until October 5 to sign up.]

The (only) goal is to read ARCs.

You don’t have to be a blogger to participate.

I'm participating in #ARCtober2018! Are you? https://t.co/8HsMiu491V https://t.co/4k1aRq13vp pic.twitter.com/kCs3bxrdlI
— Mayor Sonni (@Readeropolis) September 17, 2018

October is National Cookbook Month | 5 Ways To Celebrate

Posted by: Mayor Sonni Posted date: 12:47 AM / comment : 0 Cookbook, Event, News, NonFiction

National Cookbook Month is an annual designation observed in October.

cookbook (noun): a book containing recipes and other information about the preparation and cooking of food. - Oxford Dictionaries

5 Ways To Celebrate National Cookbook Month

1. Pull out a cookbook and try out a new recipe.

2. Revisit one of your old favorite recipes.

3. Share a favorite cookbook on social media using #NationalCookbookMonth or #CookbookMonth.

4. Create your own personal recipe book or cookbook.

5. Write a cookbook review.

Join Kathleen at SMS NONFICTION BOOK REVIEWS in The Cookbook Challenge during the month of October.

The challenge is easy - write a cookbook review and link it up at SMS NONFICTION BOOK REVIEWS.

I will be reading and reviewing these cookbooks during October for National Cookbook Month:

Drop enter for a chance to win the Help For Making Dinner Giveaway ($60.25 RV). The prize includes two cookbooks.

DON'T MISS THESE GIVEAWAYS!

Read an Excerpt of Astraeus by @haley_cavanagh | Book Tour and $25 Amazon Card #Giveaway | Silver Dagger Tours Presents #SciFi #Romance

Posted by: Mayor Sonni Posted date: 12:30 AM / comment : 1 Fiction, Giveaway, Now, Romance, Science Fiction, Slider

Astraeus by Haley Cavanagh is on virtual book tour. The science fiction romance stops at Readeropolis with an author guest post.

Be sure to enter for a chance to win the giveaway for a $25 Amazon GC and follow the Silver Dagger book tour (for other dates see the link at the bottom of the post).

Astraeus

by Haley Cavanagh

Genre: SciFi Romance

One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien.

When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.

There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope.

Add to Goodreads

Amazon * B&N * Google * Kobo

Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she's not writing. She loves to hear from her readers, and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media. She also writes under the name Roxanne D. Howard.

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Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

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“What are you called? What’s your name?”

He opened his mouth, and she moved closer, eager for his first words. Instead, he focused on her lips with obvious fascination. His intriguing eyes caught the light. Despite her disappointment that he couldn’t speak, a rush went through her. Alien or not, he was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, with the kind of ethereal elegance some upper-class, privileged men on Earth spent fortunes on plastic surgery trying to achieve.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk, or if you can’t. We’ll get there. Now, I’m going to check you.” She kept her voice gentle, as she might use with a child. She pressed the button to disengage the protective bubble over the med bed and shone the retinal scanner in her own eye to demonstrate. “I just need to look at your eyes with this.” She motioned with the scope to him. “It won’t hurt. I promise.”

Warm puffs of his breath blew on her neck as she leaned in. She paused, noting the remarkable eight-pointed star-shape of his pupils. The mutation was his one physical difference, and only if one looked closely. The pupils dilated when hit by the scope’s light. She’d never seen eyes as remarkable.

“You’re doing great,” she soothed. Her head burst with countless questions.Where are you from? How did you get here? What do you want?

He appeared to like the cadence of her voice. His posture relaxed, and his breath against her was steady. How long had she been staring into his eyes? Should she push her luck and try to examine his mouth?

Before she could try, his finger stroked her inner arm. He was still restrained at the wrists, but he could reach her.

She allowed it. He stroked a featherlight finger along her forearm. As he did so, his gaze never left hers. She offered a kind smile. “That’s right. Friend. Sakota. Sa-ko-ta.”

He opened his mouth and let out a chicken-like squawk. “-Ota,” he said in a throaty, deep voice.

She raised her eyebrows. “Good. Very good.”

He tilted his head, watching her lips. “Gooood.”

Excited, she lowered the retinal light. “Can you understand me?”

He looked confused. “Me…”

“Okay. That’s a no. Then let me take this opportunity to say, in no uncertain terms, you, my friend, are the stuff of dreams and legends. I’ve waited my whole life for this. Are you getting this, Alistair?” she called out.

He came in over the speakers. “I am. Amazing. I’ll get to work on a linguistics program. Our friend seems to want to communicate.”

She moved to pull away, but the man’s fingers closed over her wrist.

“Let me go.” She jerked her arm, but he wouldn’t release his grip. She gave him a cautionary look, and he loosened his fingers, though he still held her. Warning bells went off.What if he’s not here in peace?But his eyes sparkled impishly. He seemed to enjoy her skin pressed against his. Maybe he hadn’t been touched in a while. Or maybe he had a crush. Who knew.

Before she could extricate herself, the intercom chimed. “Sakota, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. He’s just being friendly—”

The man’s forefinger trailed along her arm again. She sucked in a breath and shut her eyes as a series of images flashed through her mind.A high wall made of stacked stones. A hand spread out to touch the tips of tall, golden wheat of a field. Multihued buildings in the distance under a purple sky. Children’s laughter and then screams. She jerked when the images changed.Strange rain, like metal. Black ships attacking from the sky, horrible screams which rent the air, death.A gentle brush against her hand again. She inhaled and opened her eyes. The man searched her, calm and patient. She struggled to see straight, but her mind spun.

“W-was that your—”

The isolation walls shot up. Rutledge burst into the room and advanced like an angry bear, brutish, immaculate, and combat ready in his black Oceanstone fatigues. “Let her go,” he snarled.

Rutledge yanked the man’s hand off her and pushed her aside. She fell to the floor on her back in a dizzy haze, reeling from the vision. She turned her head. The man bellowed and tore loose from his restraints. His and Rutledge’s images faded into one as they collided and fought. Rutledge’s weapon whirred as he strained to activate it. The rifle propelled over her head and hit the wall.

“Stop.” Her pleas fell on deaf ears. She closed her eyes.

The men barged into the room with heavy footfalls and angry shouts. She opened her eyes, but her vision swirled. The blurred image of the alien lifted Rutledge’s lieutenant like a kitchen chair and catapulted him in the same direction as the weapon. “Stop,” she hollered to the men. “Don’t shoot him. He wasn’t attacking me.”

Another soldier fell to the floor with a sick thud, holding his stomach. “Yeah? Well, he’s attackingme.”

The alien pounced over her, crouching low. He caged her with his body and made a guttural rumble in his throat, a warning to the men. She turned her head to the marines, who zeroed their weapons in on them.

Author Q&A ft @zaidamusic | THE LAST NOTE by Zaida Alfaro + Kindle Copy #Giveaway | GREAT ESCAPES TOURS #CozyMystery

Posted by: Mayor Sonni Posted date: 12:00 AM / comment : 3 Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Giveaway, Interview, Mystery, Now, Slider

THE LAST NOTE: A Miami Music Mystery by Zaida Alfaro is on virtual book tour with Great Escapes Book Tours. The cozy mystery stops at Readeropolis with an author interview.

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/THE-LAST-NOTE-BANNER-640.jpg

Author Interview

How did you come up with the title of your book or series?

As a singer-songwriter, the most important note in a song, for me that is, is the last note the song ends with. It can be the most impactful note. That is the reason I titled my novel, The Last Note. A Miami Music Mystery was my publisher’s idea. I am from Miami, Florida. The novel is based in Miami, and it’s about music. I thought it was a genius series title.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image?

My publisher’s art department designed the cover. It is my first book being published, so when I received 8 mock covers, I was in heaven! The cover that I selected fit my style the most. The neon colors, it being ‘art deco,’ and the microphone completely won over my decision.

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

My favorite character from my book is Alexia. At first, Alexia was not going to have such a big role in my book, but the more I wrote her, the more I fell in love with her character. The character is based off my older sister, and a lot of the bantering, communication, and the closeness that Vy and Alexia have in the book, portrays my actual relationship with my older sister.

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?

In high school, I had to take two years of a foreign language. I speak Spanish, and I don’t have the accent to speak French, so I decided to take Sign Language. I enjoyed it so much so, that I took three years of Sign Language in high school. My intent was to become an interpreter, so I minored in Sign Language, and majored in English. Needleless to say, I didn’t become an interpreter, but I do know how to sign. And, I am a comic book nerd, so I have a great collection of comic books!

How can we contact you or find out more about your books?

I am all over social media. You can visit the following websites to find out more about my books:

FaceBook: @zaidaauthor

www.facebook.com/zaidaauthor

Instagram: zaidamusic

Twitter: @zaidamusic

www.twitter.com/zaidamusic

Website: www.zaidamusic.com

What can we expect from you in the future?

My goal is to write two more books for this cozy series. I love the cozy genre. It is lighthearted, and I feel like you can relate to the characters, at least in the cozy mysteries that I have read. I want to bring that feeling of ease, relating to, and laughter in my future cozy books. I believe I did it with The Last Note, so you can expect that I am going to aim for that in the next two books.

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?

The best advice I can give is to not give up. I received so many rejection letters, that I was on the verge of not sending out any more query letters. Then I attended a book signing for one of my favorite authors. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for her, I was the only person that attended the signing. I was able to sit with her for an hour and talk about my novel and the hardships. She said to me, “give yourself a deadline of a year before you resort to self-publishing. Do not give up just yet.” So, when I left that signing, I calendared a year from that date. In six months, my book was picked up! So, do not give up. Give yourself a deadline and send out as many query letters as you can. There will be one publisher that will believe in your work, but make sure that you believe in your work first.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you, reader and/or reviewer, for taking the time to read my book. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Welcome to my crazy world!

About the Book

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Zaida-Alfaro-The-Last-Note-COVER-684x1024.jpg

The Last Note: A Miami Music Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (January 24, 2018)
Paperback: 268 pages
ISBN-10: 1946063487
ISBN-13: 978-1946063489
Digital ASIN: B079T5H45S

Killer songs and a killer voice, but a killer at her gig?

Vy has always found herself at the center of attention as the lead singer for one of Miami's top cover bands, but when she finds herself at the center of a murder investigation, while performing at the Steel Horse Bar, that changes the tune of the night. Someone believes that Vy knows the truth behind the murder of the bar owner Ricky, and now that person is after her. Vy better figure out quickly who wanted Ricky dead, who is threatening her with her favorite band’s song lyrics, and why she’s falling for the handsome Detective Houston, before she too sings her last note. With a mixture of mystery, mayhem and comedy, you will find yourself immersed in Vy's musical and murderous world.

About the Author

The Last Note’s main backdrop, the amazing city of Miami, Florida, is beloved and well-known to me. I was born and raised in Miami, and like the novel’s main character Vy, I am a singer/songwriter, as well as the lead singer to a self-proclaimed cover band. All things relating to music or literature are my passion. I keep a journal, and I am constantly writing poems, stories, and any thought that comes to mind. I have a fascination for black and white films, that have the element of mystery. As I have been told by many, I have a very creative imagination.

Author Links:

Website - www.zaidamusic.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/zaidaauthor

Twitter - www.twitter.com/zaidamusic

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/zaidamusic

Purchase Links: Amazon Books2Read

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

October 22 – Varietats – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 23 – Valerie's Musings - REVIEW

October 23 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST

October 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

October 24 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW