Before Vengeance by Louisa Lo

Title: Before Vengeance

Author: Louise Lo

Series: Cosmic Balance #.5

Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Release Date: August 10, 2015

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Summary:
What if everything you’ve ever known, down to what you are, was a lie?

Growing up in the enchanted kingdom of Dualsing, seventeen-year-old Lady Serafina has always known she’s different. Her fae power never manifested itself during puberty, and her parents treated her like a tolerated houseguest rather than family. Even her childhood sweetheart, Crown Prince Eldon, distanced himself the moment he was old enough to know the secret about Serafina that everyone in their world seems to know—except her.

Now her upcoming birthday is being treated as a national holiday by the very people who’d neglected her, Eldon is in for a political battle of his life that she’s somehow being dragged into, and Serafina is developing abilities that feel terrifyingly right, but aren’t fae power at all.

As she starts to investigate her origin, Serafina has no idea she would be setting in motion events that would have far-reaching consequences not just for herself, but for all the planes.

***Note: BEFORE VENGEANCE is a prequel of VENGEANCE BE MINE.***

1. What is the biggest interest that brought you to this genre?
I’ve always loved documentaries, and fairy tales were a great part of my childhood. Writing fantasy just seemed like such a natural next step. I get to do cool worldbuilding using the knowledge I’ve gained and add in fantastical creatures from the old stories that I love. For example, I watched a nature show about eagles that would drag mountain goats off the mountain and to their deaths. Before I knew it, I was writing a supernatural fight scene based on that, except the mountain is now a skyscraper and the victim in question is a demon-in-training.

2. When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I have to say I enjoy the worldbuilding part the most, so I really have to watch myself not to overdo it—lol. For every new book, I keep a spreadsheet with a million tabs, eighty percent of which will change during the course of the actual writing process. That’s a good thing because what looks really cool on excel could suck in a story, yet sometimes my subconscious mind plots three steps ahead of me and I end up with some wonderful twist I didn’t even see coming. It’s moments like that I really live for!

3. When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I read across a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction. One day I might be reading a hard sci-fi, the next a zombie thriller, the day after that, a deck-building manual. The weird thing is, the deck manual might just end up being the most beneficial for my writing because the decking technique could somehow find its way into a scene without me making any effort to put it in there. So no reading time is wasted reading time. When I was younger, I had a list of books I thought I “oughta” enjoy, and I tried to force myself to read them. They are mostly books that are considered “classics” and “respectable”. Not that I don’t enjoy the classics every now and then, but even the best of them couldn’t possibly be loved by everyone. Not every book is right for you. Nowadays I’ve learned to trust my instincts and respect my own preferences. If I find myself not going back to a book after putting it down, then I don’t go back to it. End of story.

4. If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
I’m not sure I’m the co-authoring type of author. While I try to network with other authors as often as time allows, I’m a bit of a lone wolf in the creative process. Success or failure, I want to own it a hundred percent. Instead of answering this question, I’m providing a list of authors I would like to do other stuff with:

To have tea with: Agatha Christie, except I would have to make sure she doesn’t put any poison in my tea. I have no intention of being the star in a murder mystery.

To tap dance on the roof of a TARDIS with: Neil Gaiman, except my husband would want to come along and dancing is not his strong suit...

To knit with: Nora Roberts, so that I can grill her on the secret of being so prolific.

5. Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I’ve known since I was six years old that I wanted to be a writer, yet I stopped writing for a long time after adolescence. For me, the struggle has never been figuring out what I want in life, but to have the courage to embrace it. It’s far too easy to get comfortable and forget your dreams. But in the end, all the trappings of a good life are just that–trappings. I tried it. It didn’t work. It didn’t make me happy. I spent three times the time and effort finding substitutes to fill the void of not having writing in my life until I decided I might as well get off my butt and do it. So I did, and I haven’t stopped since.

Author Bio:
“Louisa Lo has an exciting new voice to bring to urban fantasy and a fun and breezy writing style that kept the pages quickly turning well into the night! I need more!” –Michelle Rowen, National Bestselling Author

Louisa Lo lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, an aristocratic cat, and more cardboard boxes than she cares to unpack. She decided to write about vigilantes, because it seems like a better life choice than trying to become one and landing herself in jail. She just has that kind of luck.

Please visit www.louisalo.com to learn more about Louisa and her books.

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Golden Heat & Loving Therèse by Ju Ephraime

Titles: Golden Heat & Loving Therèse

Author: Ju Ephraime

Genre: Erotic Romance

Release Dates: Golden Heat: July 11, 2015

Loving Therèse: June 21, 2012

Golden Heat
Summary:
Set in the beautiful state of New Mexico two very strong minded individuals found themselves thrown together while working on a project. And, as it inevitably happens, Andy and Bernie were not able to be in each other’s company for more than five minutes before the heated sparks begin to fly. Not wanted to mix business with pleasure, Bernie fought it with everything she got. While Andy tries to be the stronger one, but there was no fighting the golden heat that came alive whenever she and Andy were in the same room. It was so bad, on more than one occasion Bernie contemplates severing the professional relationship and going hog-wild on Andy, but she persevered, that was, until the final day of the project, then all hell break loose.

Loving Therèse

Summary:

Foxx LaCasse is a player, on and off the field, until he met Therèse. He’s athletic, handsome and hot-blooded, with vengeance on his mind. 

Therèse is an intensely passionate English woman, who refuses to follow convention and chose instead to select her man from the natives of the French Caribbean island of Martinique, Foxx LaCasse. When she began to receive threatening notes, asking her to stay away from Foxx, she fled back to her home in England, without giving Foxx any explanation. Now two years later, she is back on the island, trying to pick up from where they’d left off, but Foxx was having none of it. He had one goal in mind; to have his way with her, and discard her, as she had him, two years ago. But when he finally reunites with his beautiful, passionate, elusive target, he finds himself offering his protection and his heart. 

Filled with Ju Ephraime’s trademark sensuality, characters you love to hate and men you wish to love, Loving Therèse will have you enthralled with its unexpected plots and refreshing style, as these two destined lovers, recaptured and embraced their love.

Golden Heat
Andy rushes into the lounge area of the Crown & Bull where he’s meeting Bernie. Taking a seat where he can observe the entrance, he orders a Scotch on the rocks and sits back to wait a bit. Just then, a strikingly gorgeous woman walks through the revolving doors. This is the kind of woman who drives a man to drink, he thinks sardonically.

It takes him a moment to realize she’s coming toward him. Man, she’s gorgeous; beautiful is too mediocre a word to describe her. She has a body that makes a man twitch just watching her, and he has the itch. He’s so busy trying to conceal the evidence of her effect on his body that he is taken by surprised when she addresses him.

“Mr. Redfield? I’m Bernie Harp.”

The voice is a husky contralto that makes the blood vacate Andy’s brain and rush to his masculine parts. He has to take a deep breath to slow down his heart rate. His powerful physical response to the woman irritates him. God damn it, he was expecting a man. Jonas never told him the investigator was a woman. He’d foolishly assumed, with a name like Bernie, it had to be a man. -----, he needs a moment to get himself together. So, instead of responding immediately, he sips his drink that the waiter had put in front of him a few moments earlier. Without saying a word, he lets the mellow taste of the liquor course its way through him like a kiss from the lips of a sensuous woman—like the one standing in front of him now, with her hand extended. Only after the taste on his tongue has dissipated to a shimmering echo of heat does he look up. Why, he asks himself, would a woman who looks like this, be named Bernie?

Loving Therèse
With a barely suppressed growl, Foxx brought her head around to his as he lowered his mouth to hers. He ran his tongue over her lips before moving to the corner of her mouth. He was reacquainting himself with familiar terrain, his touch almost reverent in its gentle intimacy.

Then he moved to the soft lobe of her ear without fully taking possession of her mouth. Having him so close, yet denied the full taste of his mouth, had her blindly seeking it, wanting the full pleasure of his kiss.

Moving with a sudden urgency, he caught her in a deep, soul-searching kiss that had her whimpering and straining to get more of him. He gave it to her slowly, as if releasing and revealing himself a little piece at a time.

Each kiss from him was followed by a slight nip at the corner of her mouth, only to have his mouth returning to hers in sweet abandonment, as if to take away the sting. She was so enthralled that the stings hardly registered. His ravishing mouth became the only reality and sweet reward to her sex-crazed mind.

Again and again, he went back and forth between her ear and her mouth before dipping down to the pulse beating wildly in her neck. Her nipples were stiff from the friction of rubbing against his chest, and her panties were damp with her juices. She wanted him so much that her body temperature rose and she broke out in sweat, causing a rivulet to run down between her breasts. This was too much for Therèse. The rhythm of her breathing became frantic as she felt herself almost on the verge of an orgasm.

She wanted to wrap herself around him, to feel him deep inside her as he took her again and again, as only he could. Desperate to reach fulfillment, she tried pressing down on his rigid cock, but this proved too much for him, as, with a harsh curse, he suddenly broke the kiss and lifted her back to her seat.

Therèse felt so bereft she wrapped her arms across her breasts where her nipples were still tightened into hard, painful knots. She rocked back and forth, making a keening sound, which had Foxx looking at her strangely. She didn’t know what to make of that look, but she could tell both of them were equally shaken by this interlude.

“I can take only so much,” he muttered, as he lowered the window of the vehicle to give them some much-needed cool air, lessening the sexual haze fogging up the vehicle.

The knowledge that he was not in full control and was willing to reveal this to her filled Therèse with a mindless excitement that remained with her as he eased the vehicle back into traffic.

It took a while for the sexual tension in the vehicle to simmer down. Then, with one smoldering look from Foxx, she was back to burning up. His heavy-lidded eyes were a deep green, the brown all but gone. That look had her squirming in her seat in anticipation of their next encounter.

In less than twenty minutes, they were pulling into the first stop on Foxx’s trip, a local farm he was visiting. He got out of the vehicle and came over to her side, holding out his hand to her. She placed her hand in his and immediately felt the heat of his firm grasp as he helped her from the car.

Lowering his head, he made as if to reach down to her lips, but with a muttered curse, he swung around and went striding toward the farm. The owner came out to greet him, and began speaking in French.

“Bonjour, Foxx, que vous a amené ici aujourd’hui?”

Foxx answered him in English. The other man responded in English, and they continued the conversation in that language.

Therèse was grateful for Foxx's consideration. Although she could follow the conversation in French with no problem, she felt better when she did not have to translate everything in her head. What she did get immediately was that Foxx asked for cognac. She wasn't surprised; cognac was the drink of choice on the island and most homes had it in stock.

“Do you want something to drink, Therèse?” he asked after he’d introduced her to the owner.

“If I may, a long, cool drink with lots of ice will do me good,” she replied as she watched Foxx down the drink he was handed and hold out his glass for a second serving. This one he sipped slowly.

In no time, Foxx had concluded his business, and they were on their way to his next stop. They visited two other farms, but Foxx didn’t spend any time there, he was in and out. He appeared to be in a rush, and she sat back and watched as he pushed the vehicle to its limit.

Author Bio:
Ju Ephraime began writing professionally at age 19; at that time, she wrote short stories for the local radio station in her home town. She gave up writing to pursue her education and has since earned several degrees, including two Masters and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. During the course of her schooling, she wrote and published a working curriculum for a career school, a business manual and its answer key, as well as other literary work. In 2010 she revisited her first love, writing for fun and enjoyment. She writes high heat, steamy, romance novels. The first was, State of Ecstasy in the LaCasse series, which was soon followed by, Temptation to Sin, Loving Therèse, #2 in the LaCasse series. Ju has gone on to write several more books, including, The Odor of Violet, on tour this month, Complete Surrender, #3 in the LaCasse series; as well as, a Christmas Novella, Footsteps in the Sand and her award winning paranormal, White Magic Woman, Quarterfinalist in Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, 2013, out of over 10,000 entrants.

Ju lives in Connecticut, where she is very active in her community. She is the administrator of a business school and the president of a non-profit organization that dresses individuals for job interviews.

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Circling Back by Amanda Young

Title: Circling Back

Author: Amanda Young

Genre: Erotic M/M/F Romance

Release Date: August 10, 2015

Summary:
A second chance is only the beginning...

Stella fled home at seventeen with a broken heart, an unplanned pregnancy, and a vow never to look back. Twenty years later, she has a career she enjoys and a solid relationship with the child she placed for open adoption. When that child goes in search of her birth father and calls for assistance, Stella is forced to return to her hometown and face the men who broke her heart, one of whom fathered her child.

Gavin and Holden raised a lot of hell as teenagers. They broke the law, broke their mother's hearts, and almost broke each other before they finally got their act together. Through all the ups and downs, they stuck by each other and managed to build a happy life together. The one thing they couldn’t do was forget the woman they’d loved and lost.

Forced to face the past and each other after so many years is no small feat. The trio does their best to make amends and put the past behind them while forging new bonds. Old feelings are rekindled and new emotions emerge from the ashes of their youthful indiscretions. Something remarkable could be on the horizon if they’re strong enough to navigate the pitfalls of a triad relationship and stand strong against the outside forces conspiring to bring them to their knees.

     Stella wasn’t sure who moved first. One minute they were all sitting in different places and the next both men were bookending her. Holden took her face in his hands and gazed soulfully into her eyes before slowly lowering his head and covering her lips with his own. She moaned into his mouth and kissed him back. Their lips moved with one accord, tongues reaching out and finding purchase as they slid over and around and tangled together. She lost herself in his taste and touch, both the familiar and new.
     Then Holden retreated and Gavin took his place, slotting his lips over hers as if they were made for each other. She kissed Gavin just as vigorously as she had Holden, relearning his taste and the shape of his mouth. They parried back and forth, taking turns exploring lips, teeth, and beyond.
     Her head spun and her body quickened. Arousal stirred inside her, speeding her pulse and warming her skin. She couldn’t believe this was happening, that Gavin and Holden were both there and interested in her. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her—smart, responsible, boring people who ate heartily and didn’t exercise as often as they should. Erotic escapades like this were reserved for svelte, stacked blond bombshells, not doughy, pale-complexioned redheads.
     Something about her must have turned their cranks though because the way they kissed her couldn’t be faked. There was real passion there. She recognized it in every fevered press of their lips and the hungry brushes of their fingers over her shoulders and arms. She clung to them in return, grasping plump, muscular biceps or hard, rounded shoulders, and kissed them back until she was gasping for breath between kisses. A heavy ache settled between her thighs. She clenched her muscles, trying to soothe the smoldering need building inside her, and only succeeding in making the vast emptiness inside her more noticeable.
     The men switched places again. Holden took her mouth and Gavin kissed his way across her jaw to her ear and captured the lobe in his teeth, nipping the tender flesh and then eased the sting with his tongue. “Tell me you want this.”
     She pulled back from Holden and met Gavin’s gaze. “I do. I want this.” She looked at Holden, wanting to include him. “I want both of you. In fact, I think we should move this to the bedroom.”
     “Yeah,” Holden said with a nod. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard today.”
     “Me too.” Gavin stood and held his hand out to her.
     She put her hand in his and let him pull her up onto her feet. Gavin held her hand all the way into the bedroom, with Holden following close behind. Once they entered, Stella released Gavin’s hands and kicked off her shoes at the foot of the bed. She turned around to speak and the words she’d been about to say evaporated like mist.
     Holden stood just inside the room, tall and proud, and as naked as the day he was born. Her gaze bypassed his broad shoulders and landed on the smattering of dark hair between his firm pecs. She followed it down, over his tight abs, as it thinned into a sparse arrow beneath his navel and pointed directly at what she wanted most. The substantial length of his cock jutted out in front of him, the wide, flared head flushed a deep red and already glistening with moisture.
     “What happened to your clothes?” She asked without looking away from his groin.
     “I thought I would save some time. It’s been twenty years since we were all together. I don’t want to waste another minute.”
     “Smart thinking.” Stella couldn’t agree more. She licked her lips and took a step toward him. Gavin stepped into her path, momentarily stealing her attention. While she’d been gawking at Holden, Gavin had undressed as well. He was a touch shorter than Holden, but no less fit, every inch of his body toned and smooth. She dropped her gaze and had to sink her teeth into her bottom lip to stifle the mmm mmm mmm noise trying to roll off her tongue. From what she could see, Gavin had no hair anywhere. The skin around his long, hard cock and low-hanging balls was as smooth as glass.
     “Why don’t you make yourself a little more comfortable?” Holden asked.
     “Oh yeah.” Stella chuckled nervously. “I guess I should get on that, huh?”
     “I can help, if you want,” Gavin offered with an exaggerated leer.
     “Thanks but I can do it.” Either way she went, getting naked in front of them was nervewracking. It would be better to just strip everything off as quickly as possible and get it out of the way. In less than a minute, her clothes were on the floor. She stood in front of them, naked and vulnerable, and tried not to fidget under the weight of their stares.
     Holden’s gaze lowered and then slowly crawled back up her body. “You’re beautiful, Stella. So goddamn beautiful.”
     Gavin didn’t say a word. He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. He slid his lips over hers, stealing her ability to think, and speared his tongue through the parted circle of her lips to glide over and alongside her own.
     She clutched Gavin’s shoulders, kneading the firm muscles beneath her palms. His body was so warm, radiating heat like an electric blanket, and his skin was so nice. She slid her hands lower, over his plump biceps. They flexed under her touch, and made her smile against Gavin’s mouth. Someone was showing off. She loved that he was trying to impress her. Little did he know, she was already in awe of them both. They were so good looking, so genuinely good, and they wanted her. She was beyond roused. Mystified was closer to the truth. She wasn’t going to think about that now. Not when she had them naked in her bedroom.
     As if being pressed against Gavin and kissed to within an inch of her life wasn’t enough stimulation, a second warm, masculine body pushed up against her back and sent her senses into overdrive. Each man’s unique smell surrounded her. The soap they shared, the potent, underlying hint of musk and man. There was no better smell on Earth. Holden’s larger frame rubbed against her from chest to groin. His steely erection rode the sensitive crease between her buttocks and pressed against flesh no one other than her gynecologist had ever touched. Gavin’s cock prodded the softness of her belly. Both men felt hard as steel and ready for action. Her own sex was moist and growing more so by the second as her imagination went wild wondering what might happen next.
     She squirmed between them, rolling her ass back at Holden and brushing her breasts over Gavin’s chest, rubbing her stiff nipples over his smooth skin. They tightened up like springs and ached worse with every exploratory sweep. The more she moved, teasing herself as well as the men, the more she yearned for them to throw her down on the bed and ravish her. The demand was on the tip of her tongue. But then so were Gavin’s lips and she didn’t want to stop kissing him long enough to speak.
     None of them were talking. While she and Gavin kissed, Holden started running his mouth up and down her throat, from the curve of her neck to the sensitive patch of skin beneath her ear. His humid breath washed over her skin and sent a shiver down her spine.
     Her core throbbed, empty and eager for what they could give her. They’d barely gotten started and she was already on the verge of begging. Who knew what she’d be willing to do once they touched her below the waist. All she knew for certain was that if something didn’t give soon, her thighs were going to go up in flames, her knees were going to give out, and she was going to melt into a puddle of goo. Goo was not sexy. Holden and Gavin wanted a hot, desirable woman and she was going to do her damnedest to fill that slot.

Author Bio:
Amanda Young lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and two pampered pooches. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found chasing after a mischievous toddler or daydreaming about the characters in her next book. She loves to hear from her readers, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Her website, www.amandayoung.org, is where you can find up-to-date information on all of Amanda’s current and upcoming releases.

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Release Day Blitz: One with the Night by Susan Squires

Title: One with the Night

Author: Susan Squires

Series: Companion #4

Genre: Regency Paranormal Romance

Release Date: August 11, 2015

Cover Design: Rebecca Poole, Dreams2Media

Summary:
Far from the glittering lights and shallow bustle of 1822 London lies another world—a realm of shadows and secrets, where desire holds dominion and passion know no limits…

ONE DESIRE
Jane Blundell’s keen intellect and wit have always set her apart from her marriage-minded peers. But such differences are nothing compared to the change that comes upon her when she is infected by a blood sample in her father’s laboratory. Suddenly her veins resonate with a terrifying, exhilarating power. Dr. Blundell takes Jane to the Scottish highlands to research a cure, where she collides with the only man who can understand her hunger—and slake her unending desire…

ONE DESTINY
Callan Kilkenny has returned to England from Marrakech, still filled with self-loathing at the deeds he committed in the name of a beautiful, depraved vampire. Now that he has tracked down Dr. Blundell in hopes of a cure, he has also found a kindred spirit in Jane. Her passion and her blood call to Callan, fueling a carnal need that shocks them both with its intensity. But others have come in search of the cure too…for reasons that are deadly. And to save Jane and the rest of their kind, Callan must risk everything—even his last chance at redemption…

ONE WITH THE NIGHT
“When it comes to combining extreme sensuality with dangerous drama, no one does it better than Squires.” --Romantic Times BOOKreviews

     He came to stand behind her and cleared his throat. “I ha’ been meaning ta thank ye for what ye did for me that first night, and fer sharing th’ blood ye collect. Ye’re verra kind.”
     “It was nothing. You would have done the same.” He was too close.
     “Ye dinnae know that.” He shifted awkwardly. His eyes were light in the darkness of the tower room. Did he feel his mistake in standing too close? Would he move away?
     “Yes I do.” Her body was reacting as if it had been struck by the lightning that illuminated the loch. The thunder was rolling farther away now. Or maybe that was just the thumping of her heart in her chest. Her thighs were slick. She had been running from the feelings he raised in her ever since he got here. But in truth, she wanted very much to know what it would be like to make love to Callan Kilkenny.
     “Ye must ha’ thought me churlish no’ ta thank ye and yer father.” He, too, looked out over the loch so he wouldn’t have to look at her.
     “No. I didn’t think you churlish...” She took a step toward him in the darkness. She could feel his ragged breathing. And what of her own? She took a breath. It is an experiment. She only wanted to see how the physical act of making love with a vampire, in her new vampire state, compared with her experience, human to human, with Tom Blandings. That was all it was. She felt his reluctance, and yet she was sure he wanted it, too. Was it his honor that kept him from taking her in his arms?
     She knew he was honorable, for all his pretense of callousness. “I thought you didn’t think yourself worth helping. That’s different.”
     “I might ha’ been right.”
     Jane had to get some distance here, or she was going to just throw herself at him.

Author Bio:
Susan Squires is a New York Times bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance writing. Whatever her time period, or subject, some element of the paranormal always creeps in. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer's choice awards. Publisher's Weekly named Body Electric one of the year’s most influential mass market books and One with the Shadows, the fifth in her vampire Companion Series, a Best book of the Year. Time for Eternity, the first in the DaVinci time travel series, received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly.

Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach in Southern California with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three very active Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboarddddddddddddddddddddddd.

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The Weight of Guilt by Jon Ripslinger

Title: The Weight of Guilt

Author: Jon Ripslinger

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Romance

Release Date: February 24, 2015

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

Summary:
Driving home from a bonfire party, eighteen-year-old John Hawk crashes, killing his girlfriend, Riley. Bullied and tormented at school, and crushed by his guilty conscience, John transfers to a school on the banks of the Mississippi River, where he attracts the eye of the principal’s daughter, Megan. Though he’s reluctant, she convinces him to be her prom date. The morning after prom, Principal Jones reports Megan missing. Four days later, her body is recovered from the river, and John becomes the prime suspect in her death.

Charley Cotton, Megan’s best friend, knows that Megan had a secret, but she doesn’t trust John because of his past. John is desperate to avoid adding to the shame he carries for Riley’s death, though—it’s destroying his life. With Charley’s help, he learns that others in Megan’s life had a motive to keep her quiet. But every effort they make to uncover the truth edges them closer to a desperate murderer with everything to lose.

1. Why should people read The Weight of Guilt?
First of all, I think because of the editorial help given to me by the Red Adept Publishing's content editor, line editor, and proofreaders, the story turned into first-class entertainment. It offers mystery, suspense, action, danger, and romance. Secondly, woven into the story is a valuable but simple message for teens: No one's life is cursed. No matter how bad things have been in the past, you can make your life good again by facing problems head on. Though John Hawk is the primary protagonist, part of the story is told from Charley Cotton's point of view, a very strong and appealing female character. In fact, with out Charley's help John would not have survived his ordeal. Thirdly, I'd like to think the book offers an exciting story with great take-away value for mystery and romance enthusiasts and for male and female readers.

2. Elaborate on your author biography.
I am a retired English teacher, married 59 years, the father of six children and grandfather to thirteen children—twelve of them girls. I have three great granddaughters and a great grandson. I am a Korean War veteran, having served aboard the battleship USS New Jersey. After four years in the Navy, I earned a BA degree and a Masters degree and taught English in public school systems for thirty-five years, the last thirty-three years at Davenport West High School, Davenport, Iowa.

I estimate that during my teaching career I taught over 10,500 young adults in my classrooms. This is not to mention the others I met casually in the school building's cafeteria, library, gym, and halls, or in the parking lot and at sporting events.

So it turns out that I am an 82-year-old grandfather and great grandfather writing books for teens. At my age, perhaps I should be writing books like The Five People You Meet in Heaven. But I'm not.  Heaven can wait. I'm writing books for teens and having fun doing it.

3. How many novels, short stories, etc., do you now have in print?
I've published eight young adult novels and have recently signed a contract with Red Adept Publishing for a ninth, titled Trapped. During the 1960s-1980s, I published over fifty short stories in men's magazines that were popular during the era such as Mr., Man to Man, and Sir. Recently, I've published 18 short stories with Woman's World, a leading, weekly woman's magazine. My blog, one-minuteromance.com, features over one hundred 800-1,000-word romantic short stories, the only blog of its kind, I believe.

4. If you were to write a blurb for your YA novels, what would it say?
My blurb for my YA novels would read: Contemporary young adult fiction with an impact. Realistic and absorbing stories of mystery, danger, love, and self-discovery.

5. Do you have a favorite setting?
I'm a small town, rural person. I've spent a lot of time hunting and fishing Iowa's cornfields and lakes and also boating and fishing on the Mississippi River. My wife and I, when our six kids were young, spent summers camping in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The rural, wilderness scene is what I know best, and it's what I stick to while writing YA fiction. The Mississippi River, especially, presents a lot of opportunity for mystery and intrigue.

6. What point of view do you use? Who narrates your stories?
I write from a first person male point of view. This is the first time I've used a female POV for part of a book. Writing from Charley's POV frightened me at first. But once I developed a clear picture of her in my mind, understood her personality, knew her goals and fears, I felt I could climb into her skin each time I sat down in front of the computer to write another scene. Also, in earlier books I wrote in the past tense but have gradually shifted to the present tense because of the feeling of immediacy that tense gives to the story.

7. What’s your favorite part of writing?
I totally love rewriting the rough draft. That's when I have a chance to mold the story into the vision I had in my mind when I started. It's energizing to see the story improve with each rewrite and to see the characters and theme emerge in ways I hadn't dreamed when I started. Each time I revise, I love reentering my story world, allowing me to become once again the characters I created.

8. What’s the most difficult part of writing for you?
The most challenging part is getting the rough draft written. On a good day, after two or three hours of writing in the morning, I'll get maybe five or six pages written. Sometimes only two. Maybe one. The most challenging part of writing the rough draft is writing the first chapter—setting the scene, suggesting what kind of story this is going to be, introducing the main character and introducing conflict but avoiding information dump. The hardest part of writing the first chapter is hooking the reader with a first sentence. I can't tell you how many times I wrote and rewrote the first chapter for TWOG. Twenty, thirty—I don't know. I wish I'd have kept track. Even now if I reread the chapter, I'd find some little thing I'd like to change.

9. What’s your favorite element of fiction to work with?
I like working with character and plot. I like creating a likeable, vulnerable, flawed character who faces an overwhelming situation, perhaps a death-threatening one. He attacks the situation head-on, overcomes great obstacles, and emerges triumphant. In the process, he earns a better understanding of himself and of the world in which he lives—just like John Hawk. I like making sure the plot is structured—beginning, middle, climax, resolution.

10. Now that you've seen The Weight of Guilt in print is there anything you'd like to change?
Yes, there is. I wish I'd given more time and space to Charley Cotton.  She's unique. She's funny, brave, clever, loving, and loyal. If she hadn't possessed all those qualities, she and John would have died, victims of a ruthless killer's gun. Definitely, she deserved more chapters, and I feel bad that I didn't give them to her. I hope she's forgiven me.

Author Bio:
After Jon retired as a public high school English teacher, he began a career as a young adult author. His credits include eight published YA novels, including Red Adept's The Weight of Guilt. His wife and he live in Davenport, IA, where their six children and their families also live. Jon and Colette are the proud grandparents of twelve granddaughters, a grandson, and three great grandchildren. When not working on the computer, crafting his next YA novel, Jon enjoys playing pool and spending time with his family.

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Release Day Blitz: Bridget's Phantasies by Izzy Szyn

Title: Bridget's Phantasies

Author: Izzy Szyn

Genre: Erotic Romance

Release Date: August 11, 2015

Summary:
Bridget Parker has worked for Scott Davis' company Davis Industries for the past six months. Her life up until now has not been an easy one. Her mother was a drug addict that always chose men and drugs over her daughter. Bridget is summoned to Scott's office unexpectedly. When she arrives she is in for a shock when she sees her mother sitting in the office.

Her mother had used Bridget's credentials to log in and embezzle funds from Scott's business accounts. She offers Bridget's services in exchange for them dropping the charges.
Scott and his head of security Nick have more than a working relationship. They also like to share women. It was well known around the company that women came and went very quickly. Most of them tried to go after Scott and his money.

Bridget had seen them in the elevator and wanted them ever since. She even had named her favorite vibrators after them. When her mother embezzles from Scott's company she knows that her fantasy of being with them will never happen. But Nick and Scott are not going to let her go that easily.

Author Bio:
Izzy Szyn was born a year ago when a friend dared her to write. Born and raised in Detroit, Mi. Now lives in Oklahoma City with her furchild Misty, the friendliest Chihuahua/Terrier you will ever meet. Currently works in a call center, where she writes in between phone calls.

Izzy loves to keep in touch with her readers.

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EMAIL: izzyszyn@gmail.com

Will add links when I get them--Sorry

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