Padme's Library: 11/12/14

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Women of Murder, Mystery, & Mayhem Author Spotlight: Lorrie Farrely

Author Bio:

A Navy brat and graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, LORRIE FARRELLY is proud to be a Fightin' Banana Slug. Following graduate school at Northwestern University, she began a career in education that included teaching art to 4th graders, drama to 8th graders, and finally, math to high school students.

She's a three-time winner on "Jeopardy!" She has shepherded wide-eyed foreign exchange students along Hollywood Blvd, and has happily curried and shoveled as a ranch hand at Disneyland's Circle D Ranch. And always, she writes.

Lorrie has won a Presidential Commendation for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. She's been a Renaissance nominee for Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Orange Rose Award in romantic fiction. Her novels have been awarded Readers' Favorite 5-Stars. TIMELAPSE and TERMS OF SURRENDER are winning MEDALISTS in the 2014 READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS. Lorrie and her family live in Southern California.

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Author's Guest Post:

There’s nothing like a little murder, mystery, and mayhem to start a book off right! Today I’d like to share the Top Five of my favorite fictitious women to whom MM&M is all in a day’s work:

NYPSD LT. Eve Dallas

Created by the remarkably gifted Nora Roberts (writing as J. D. Robb), Dallas is the finest of New York’s finest – or anywhere else’s finest for that matter, on-planet or off. Smart, honest, wry, tenacious, ferocious, but at times, achingly vulnerable, she is a natural leader and a bulldog of a cop. Eve’s world is gripping and fascinating; set in the near future, the In Death series combines nail-biting suspense, gritty police drama, a crack crime-fighting team’s loyalty and camaraderie, and sizzling romance. Even up to her sealed leather boots in gore, Eve keeps readers coming back for more!

NYPSD Detective Delia Peabody

Originally Eve Dallas’ aide and protégé, over the course of the In Death series Peabody becomes Eve’s partner and devoted friend. Smart, compassionate but tough, insightful, and much better at connecting with people than is Eve, Peabody is often “good cop” to Eve’s “bad cop.” A better team could hardly be imagined. Peabody also provides a welcome bit of whimsy and relatability, but the minute a cocky murder suspect thinks she’s a gullible pushover, she slams the cell door. Hard.

FBI Agent Lacey Sherlock

Author Catherine Coulter’s smart, sexy, savvy Sherlock is the law-enforcement partner and passionate wife of fellow FBI Agent Dillon Savitch, a tough, country-music-loving computer genius. In the FBI Series, they take on some seemingly impossible cases – cases that might have come straight from the X Files. No matter how bizarre and deadly the circumstances, Sherlock keeps her head, her focus, her toughness, and her compassion.

P.I. Mary Jo “Mojo” Sheepshanks

In Deadly Gamble and Deadly Deceptions, author Linda Lael Miller gives lucky readers the wise-cracking, inventive, my-life-is-a-mess P.I. Mojo Sheepshanks. Living over Bad-Ass Bert’s Biker Saloon, Mojo discovers the dearly departed have as many secrets as the living, and they either need her help, or they want her dead. Equipped with her Damn Fool’s Guide to Lucid Dreaming, Mojo’s ready to take on whatever comes at her – from either side of the grave.

Blair Mallory

The delightful creation of author Linda Howard in Drop Dead Gorgeous and To Die For, Blair, who owns and runs the Great Bods fitness gym, is a Southern belle through and through. She’s also tough-minded, hilariously sarcastic, entitled, persistent, courageous, and completely logical in the most illogical way possible. Her significant other, police Detective Wyatt Bloodsworth, finds she is as tough to tame as an entire mob of crooks. When Blair sets out to investigate an attempted murder case – her own attempted murder – neither the cops nor the villains will be safe for long.

To my mind, with these five compelling women characters, mystery, murder, and mayhem were never better!

Dangerous

Summary:

Dangerously burned-out, ex-LA cop Cam Starrett imagines his new job in a small, central California town will be a haven from the tragedy, grief, and anger that have shattered his heart. His battered soul cries out for peace and quiet and merciful boredom.

Instead - during his very first day in the new town - he fires a gun, delivers an unusual baby, and hauls a passionate young woman into his embrace for a kiss of pure, scorching hunger. Shaken, he's left stunned, perplexed, extremely hot and bothered - but not one bit bored.

Despite her training as a school guidance counselor, Meredith Hayden secretly admits that people - especially men - baffle her. Confused and embarrassed by her reckless abandon in the arms of dangerous-looking Cam Starrett, she resolves to keep him at a distance, tempting and torturing them both all the more.

But when they uncover an escalating pattern of bigotry and violence that threatens the lives of everyone in the community, Cam and Merry face an ordeal that will test not only the limits of their courage and trust, but also the true depth of their passion.

DANGEROUS has been awarded READERS' FAVORITE 5 STARS.

The Guardian's Angel

Summary:

When nobody knows what to do with a troubled, damaged kid, it's time to call Elizabeth Driscoll. A wary, vulnerable, unusually intuitive young woman, Libby has a knack for helping children that others have given up on.

Certainly nobody knows what to do with Tommy Madden, least of all his fiercely devoted guardian, Seattle Police Detective J.D. McCammon. McCammon believes the autistic little boy witnessed a double murder: his mother and his father, the city's District Attorney. J.D. is determined to help and protect Tommy at all costs, and somehow, find a way to communicate with him.

When Tommy's life is threatened by the corrupt organization that killed his parents, J.D. and Libby take him on a desperate and dangerous flight to safety. They must place their trust in one another to escape a relentless evil that threatens not only their lives, but that of the child they've both come to love.

On the run, Libby and J.D. are tested to the limits of their courage and resolve. They discover an intimate and mystifying bond that will either drive them apart, or become their greatest source of strength and passion.

THE GUARDIAN'S ANGEL has been awarded READERS' FAVORITE 5 STARS.

Dangerous

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The Guardian's Angel

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King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court by Kim Iverson Headlee

TITLE – King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court

AUTHOR – Kim Iverson Headlee

GENRE – Science Fiction/Fantasy Time-Travel Romance

PUBLICATION DATES – 1 November 2014 (ebook, illustrated)

– February 2015 (audiobook, performed by Caprisha Page)

– November 2015 (hardcover, featuring more than 100 illustrations)

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – (350 pages/70K words)

PUBLISHER – Lucky Bat Books

COVER ARTIST – Jennifer Doneske

ILLUSTRATORS – Jennifer “The Royal Portraitist” Doneske and Tom “The Creature King” Doneske

Summary:
Morgan le Fay, 6th-century Queen of Gore and the only major character not killed off by Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, vows revenge upon the Yankee Hank Morgan. She casts a spell to take her to 1879 Connecticut so she may waylay Sir Boss before he can travel back in time to destroy her world. But the spell misses by 300 miles and 200 years, landing her in the Washington, D.C., of 2079, replete with flying limousines, hovering office buildings, virtual-reality television, and sundry other technological marvels.

Whatever is a time-displaced queen of magic and minions to do? Why, rebuild her kingdom, of course—two kingdoms, in fact: as Campaign Boss for the reelection of American President Malory Beckham Hinton, and as owner of the London Knights world-champion baseball franchise.

Written as though by the old master himself, King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee offers laughs, love, and a candid look at American society, popular culture, politics, baseball…and the human heart.

Chapter XI: The Queen in Search of a Baseball Club

CLARICE HELPED ME pack my clothing and accessories for the relocation to London: just what I would need for the first brace of weeks, which amounted to eight large traveling cases, one of which was devoted to my hair accoutrements and cosmetics. Not long after arriving in this century, Clarice had introduced me to these wonderful products, which allowed me to create the same visual effect as I had done for decades with the aid of magic; now you sit privy to the secret of how I could cast ever so many enchantments for President Malory and remain looking as glorious as ever.

While I was yet sorting through my garments deciding which to bring and which to leave, my thoughts turned toward a leaving of another sort. I must have appeared sorrowful, for of a sudden Clarice asked if aught ailed me.

“I shall miss you, Clarice, when I get to London.” Since that answer represented only half the truth, I hurried on with: “And yet I know that you shall perform your duties in continuing to oversee my office here in Washington to the utmost of your considerable abilities.”

That made her smile, and she thanked me for the compliment, but her look turned shrewd. “I imagine you’ll miss President Hinton, too.”

“Of course I shall. She has become as a sister to me.”

I resumed examination of the dress I had been holding, a sexy little black thing that I would have loved to have worn only for Accolon…

“Please tell me about him,” said Clarice.

“I beg your pardon?”

The shrewd look was back. Mayhap it had never left. “Sir Accolon. Queen Morgan, you have not—um, partnered with any man of this century more often than once to my certain knowledge, since I manage your schedule. I suspect that you have not yet found anyone you like, let alone love, as well as he. No one of this era could make you go all moony-eyed while looking at a dress; therefore, you must be thinking about Accolon. So, please tell me about him.”

Ha. I knew I had chosen her as my trusted adviser for good reason, and I rewarded her accordingly. As the memories swirled about in my mind, making me yearn even more acutely for Accolon’s company, I said:

“He was a knight with very few peers during his lifetime, excepting only Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawaine. And my brother—those three were the only knights who ever bested him in single combat. So naturally, he was big—in all parts and portions—and muscular, and very strong, yet as a lover he was no brute, but as tender as any virgin maid could ever wish for. His intellect was nearly as keen as mine, as was his eagerness to assist me in righting the wrongs inflicted upon me by my brother. He had hair as glossy black as a raven’s wing, which he kept short-cropped in the old Roman style; he once said it was more comfortable under the helmet than having masses of hair stuffed up under and making the head sweat overmuch. It had a fine curl to it that I found most endearing. His eyes were an unforgettable shade of blue, and he had a strong chin that he kept clean-shaven…Lord God in heaven! Who on earth is that?”

While I had been discoursing on Accolon’s virtues, Clarice had activated her screen, which was now displaying the image of a man who could have been my dead lover’s twin.

Clarice grinned. “You said the other day that you wanted to find another general manager for the Knights. This man is Alexander Leroy ‘Sandy’ Carter, former WBF second baseman and 2073 Tournament MVP for the Connecticut Yankees. Since his retirement as a player, he has served in various capacities for several teams, including as a GM. He is a renowned expert in all matters baseball.”

In any era, when something—or someone—sounds too good to be true, it—or he—usually is. I asked, “If he is so valuable, then why does he not stay with one team?”

A look of chagrin crossed her countenance. “Sandy Carter is what we call a ‘loose cannon.’ He can be temperamental and wild, and he gets into fights with players and coaches and…sometimes even with his bosses. And not just verbal fights, either. Usually his points are quite valid, but his means of expressing them don’t earn him any friends.”

In a word, then, passionate. Passionate men I understood and could work with. It had been thus with Accolon at the start of our association, and look at all I had been able to accomplish with him. Everything I had ever desired, except King Arthur’s throne.

Wit I well that lying and gullibility were two facets of human nature that had not changed in the last fifteen centuries and shall not change in the next fifteen, either. I had learned this while trying to evaluate potential new Knights for the team. Everyone speaks glowingly of his accomplishments and accolades; no one ever mentions his flaws or mistakes or regrets unless a wise employer chooses to ask specific questions of this ilk. Yet Clarice had offered the bad along with the good of this man. Still, I would be forced as a point of honor to relinquish my coveted title of The Wise if I accepted her words at face value; upon turning the thought-receptors toward me, I soon verified everything she had told me about this volatile man.

I asked, “Is Sandy Carter available now?”

Clarice’s grin returned. “For the right price, Queen Morgan, anyone is.”

It took only one call, and Sandy Carter expressed exceeding pleasure and eagerness to accompany me to London as general manager of the Knights. The fact that I had worn the sexy black number during the call saved the team quite a sum with regard to Carter’s agreed-upon salary.

Neither as queen nor as ball club owner do I ever make idle promises.

Please tells us a little bit about the main characters of your book: ALL CALL ME Queen. For my unparalleled skills in leechcraft, most call me “The Wise.” No man dares call me “le Fay,” lest he die. I hight Morgan. That is to say, my name is Morgan, so chosen by my mother, Duchess Igraine, to honor the Great Queen of the Old Religion, Mór Rigan, goddess of war. My mother never knew how prophetic her choice would prove to be. I am the daughter of Duke Gorlois, the sister of Queen Margawse and Queen Elaine, the wife of King Uriens of Gore, and the mother of Sir Uwaine of the Table Round. Blessed good fortune made me all of these things. By the capricious hand of ill fortune, King Arthur became my younger half brother, spawned upon my most virtuous and blameless mother by that demon in man’s raiment, Uther Pendragon. I am the only personage, kind reader, with whose biographical information you should concern yourself. What? You wish to learn more about some of the other minions—that is to say, individuals with whom I cross paths during my sojourn in your century? Fine. Being The Wise does not always make me The Magnanimous, but you caught me in an agreeable mood today, and so I shall make an exception for you. The first person (of any consequence) I met after my time-travel spell went awry by 300 miles and 200 years was Clarice Centralia, a bright and talented young woman whom it pleased me to later name as my assistant in all matters political and magical. Clarice introduced me to the woman who would become my greatest ally in this era to which I did not belong, American President Malory Beckham Hinton, and President Malory’s husband, ex-Senator Ambrose Josiah Hinton. The less that is said about Ambrose, the better; I shall leave you to discover how he and I danced. Clarice also introduced me to the magnificent man who would become the love of my life—two lives, if you account for my shift in time—Alexander “Sandy” Leroy Carter. Sandy could have been the twin of my sixth-century lover, Sir Accolon, but he proved to be ever so much more, in ever so many ways. A renowned expert in all matters baseball, and a world-class player himself once upon a time, Sandy hired on as general manager of my team, the London Knights. In the course of helping me forge a team worthy to take on the formidable American juggernaut, the Connecticut Yankees, he not only taught me about baseball, but he taught me to look into my own heart. Our association was not all wine and roses, and I leave those details for you to discover too, but I must state unequivocally that Sandy Carter was, is, and ever shall be my Once and Future Love.

Top 10 Years to which I would like to travel, in (what else??) chronological order.
1. 2550 BC (give or take) to watch the building of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Then I would fast-forward to AD 1799 or thereabouts, during the Napoleonic Wars, to prevent Napoleon’s troops from using its nose for target practice.

2. 1590 to discover what happened to Roanoke Colony (Roanoke Island, North Carolina).

3. 1612 when my ancestor Ivan Susanin sacrificed his life to save Mikhail Romanov, founder of the Romanov dynasty, thus earning “Friend of the Tsar” (i.e., nobility) status for Susanin’s descendents in perpetuity.

4. October 1917 to witness the appearance of my great-grandmother’s ghost in the family’s mansion in St. Petersburg, Russia, a week prior to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution.

5. 1947 to witness what happened in Roswell, New Mexico.

6. November 1963 to witness the JFK assassination and determine who was actually responsible.

7. 1972 to give a pep talk to my younger self about my swimming career.

8. 1987-1988 to witness the massive rash of UFO sightings in a little crossroads town in southwestern Virginia whose name wouldn’t become important to me for another dozen years: Wytheville, Virginia.

9. February 2000 to change my decision about turning down the movie-option offer for my debut novel Dawnflight.

10. November 11, 3111 … the next day ALL the digits turn odd. Because, well, why not??

Author Bio:
Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, and assorted wildlife. People & creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins — the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-20th century — seem to be sticking around for a while yet. Kim is a Seattle native (when she used to live in the Metro DC area, she loved telling people she was from “the other Washington”) and a direct descendent of 20th-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim’s novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband’s ancestor, the 7th-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia. For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, and other novels under her new imprint, Pendragon Cove Press. She also writes romantic historical fiction under the pseudonym “Kimberly Iverson.”

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New Regime(Rune Alexander #5) by Laken Cane

Title: New Regime

Series: Rune Alexander Series Book 5

Author: Laken Cane

Genre: Paranormal, Horror

Tour Host: DRC Promotions

Summary:
Rune and her people have been taken under the mysterious wing of the Annex, an agency that works toward Other equality. But with the new regime comes changes and some monstrous enemies the Annex seems to have brought with it. The crew finds themselves up against a group called the Shop, whose leader cares only about his lab and the monsters he creates there. But he hasn't been able to build monsters he can use or sell...until now. Now Rune must follow a path of horror that leads from a little werefox named Megan to a town full of evil in Reverence, Kentucky, and find a way to defeat something worse than blades or guns or bombs.

Magic.
She can't use her claws on magic.
Can she?

In book five of the Rune Alexander series, Rune must deal with not only the monsters, but the escalating tension between the berserker and Owen, flashbacks from the COS attack, and the fear that she's losing Levi to the chasm of darkness started by Karin Love and deepened by the slayers. She and her crew will fight with everything they've got to defeat the evil, even if some of that darkness lives inside each one of them. Because they're Shiv Crew, and that is what they do.

Shiv Crew (#1)
Summary:
Rune Alexander wants to get through her days doing her job, which is protecting the humans against the myriad of supernatural creatures, known as Others, who exist uneasily in a human's world.

But she is unstable and damaged. She realizes how broken she is even as she continues to submit to the unspeakable things her lover does to her, craving desperately the strange peace she finds in the aftermath.

When she discovers things are not as they seem and a faceless human is torturing the supernatural groups in her city, she and her crew must break the rules and begin to protect the Others from the humans.

But as the darkness inside her becomes stronger and she ends up on the wrong side of a battle she must not lose, who will save Rune from herself?

Blood and Bite (#2)

Summary:

Shiv Crew is back in book two of the Rune Alexander series.

Rune and the crew--some of them a little healthier, some of them a little more battered--take on new monsters and unbelievable surprises in Blood and Bite.

While Rune is keeping her promise to Ellis and trying to get her mind fixed, the berserker goes away to take care of some business--mysterious business he doesn't share with Shiv Crew.

What he brings back with him knocks the wind out of Rune and makes her question everything she thought she knew about Strad Matheson.

But the worst is yet to come.

With a mad vampire master she must destroy, a child she must save, and unimaginable screams from a past she has to ignore, Rune has her hands full. But there is always something new and terrible waiting in River County--waiting, it seems, just for her.

Because just when she thinks she can't possibly handle one more terrible thing, she discovers a shocking truth about herself, her blood, and her bite.

Strange Trouble (#3)

Summary:

A baby necromancer calls her mother from the grave, starting a zombie infestation Rune and the crew are not prepared to handle.

But as always, they jump headlong into battle--a battle that will lead into some of the darkest moments of Rune's life. Moments that will shatter her tenuous grip on sanity and make her long for the man whose abuse allowed her to function.

And when she falls, the berserker is there to catch her. To bring her back. To give her what she needs.

The zombies are just the beginning. Worse even than the zombies is what comes after--a nightmare witch named Damascus, a horrific decision, and death.

Always, death.

As she is given another jagged piece to the puzzle of her past, Rune knows that despite its best attempts, life doesn't have the ability to destroy her--though she offers it all the help it might need.

With Strad Matheson and the crew behind her, Rune will stride through hell, horror, and the endless, black despair of her own mind to show the monsters why Shiv Crew is the scariest group of warriors they will ever face...

Obsidian Wings (#4)

Summary:

Gruesome murders begin to pop up in River County, and Rune is introduced to the bird shifters--to one bird in particular, a woman named Cree Stark.

When she gets a whiff of the shifters' scents where COS had been executing a grisly sacrifice, Rune begins to suspect the birds know more about the slayers--and the twins--than they're willing to admit.

Nothing is more important to Shiv Crew than finding Levi and Denim, but when Lex psychically connects with the twins, it isn't good news she brings back.

As always, COS is at the center of it all.

The world is beginning to look at the church differently, thanks to the tireless work of Bill Rice and others like him. The humans' acceptance is turning to fear.

And what people fear, they hate.

What the slayers are planning next will either finish them for good or give them everything they've ever wanted--Karin Love and unchallenged power.

Rune and the crew race against time to save River County from the biggest monster they've faced yet. If they fail, the church will be closer than ever to their dream of creating an Otherless world.

In Obsidian Wings, Rune hides a devastating physical weakness, makes an important choice in her love life, and gains a new understanding that will help her face the future.

No matter what happens, their world is changing. The crew is growing. And so is Rune Alexander.

Author Bio:
I live in Ohio and I write urban fantasy. Laken Cane is a new pseudonym for me--I also write erotic paranormal romance for publishers like Loose Id, Ellora's Cave, and Liquid Silver Books under a different pen name.

Shiv Crew is my first book as Laken, and I've never been as satisfied writing as I am with this series. I have a sort of end game planned for the crew, but I have no idea how many books it will take to get there. I'm having too much fun with them to think about ending them!

I do have plans to bring in a new character for one book, just so she can eventually get her own series when (or maybe before) the Rune Alexander series ends. That's the plan.

Besides writing--when I have time to do something other than write or read--I play the heck out of my Playstation 4, my Nintendo 3DS XL, and occasionally I find time to play my Xbox 360 or Wii U. Yes. I have a sickness.

I also drink coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. But I have been trying to dilute all that coffee with some green tea. Decaf green tea. That makes up for all the caffeinated black coffee, right? Yeah. That's what I thought.

What quirks do I have? Hmmm. The word "quirks" makes it sound so cute. I don't swallow pills. I chew them. Yes, I chew them. Tylenol, vitamins, doesn't matter. Even if I crush it and put it in ice cream first, I still chew. I chew ice cream. For some reason, people seem to think that's weird. I don't get it.

One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. That man can tell a story.

I'm obsessed with vanilla bean lotion from Bath and Body Works, journals, electric blankets, and ink pens. And electronics, coffee, and books. And pizza. And any candy that has peanut butter in it.

I'm something of a hermit, but I don't feel that makes me weird. I don't like the sun on my face and I can't stand the scent of garlic. Maybe I'm part vampire. Maybe. Quirky. Just quirky.

Math and bugs are two things I don't like. At all. I always have a calculator handy and I scream when I see bugs. I've been known to set off the security alarm when I spotted a spricket in my house. Shudder.

A little about my past: I grew up in the country with six siblings. We went to church. A lot. Pentecostal. There were nightly episodes of speaking in tongues, singing and dancing, and the casting out of demons. As a child, I wasn't real sure if those demons were going to leave their hosts and set up residence inside me, so that made for plenty of nightmares!

We had no TV for much of my childhood. Books were everything to me. I was only allowed certain books, so the others--the good ones--I had to sneak and read. I did a lot of sneaking! I read everything I could get my hands on. Didn't matter what it was, I'd read it. I was not a fan of school.

When I was very small, my main goal was to grow up and eat all the ice cream sandwiches and potato chips I could hold.

Then I grew up and decided they had too many calories. Sigh.

I was lucky enough to be a mother to two truly amazing children, a son and a daughter. My little girl was born with a variety of severe health issues, and on a bleak December day in 2009, I lost her.

I write.

Little things--
I'm a lefty. I'm a pretty terrible driver--possibly because I get lost in daydreams and stories and forget I'm driving. I'm very short. I can't sleep without a fan.