The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall

The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall

by Lauren Smith

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Romantic Suspense with Gothic Elements
Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: September 29, 2014

A thrilling gothic romance from Entangled’s Otherworld imprint…

To defeat a dark evil, they must face his family’s past…

Bastian Carlisle, the Earl of Weymouth, doesn't believe in ghosts. Even though tragedy and mysterious hauntings have driven his family away from his ancestral home, Stormclyffe Hall, he is determined to restore the castle to its former glory. His plans are disrupted when a stubborn American shows up on his doorstep hoping to pry into his family’s tragic history.

Jane Seyton, an American graduate student, is convinced there’s more to the tragedy of Stormclyffe Hall than history claims. Ever the scholar, she is determined to discover the truth, even if it means putting up with the arrogant, yet sexy, Bastian.

Although Bastian wants nothing to do with the pushy American, it soon becomes clear that something evil is in the house—and that something is targeting both Jane and Bastian. The two must join forces to purge the ghosts of Stormclyffe Hall once and for all—even as they try to fight a physical attraction between them that grows more and more impossible to deny.

The twenty-minute drive to the estate took her on a narrow road that paralleled the edge of the coast. Although it was October, the grass was still green on the hillsides, and storm clouds were only a vague outline on the horizon.  The landscape gave way to a slowly rising hill and a mass of distant trees, gnarled and knotted together tight as thorns. Just beyond was a glimpse of the castle. It was a massive edifice that stood stark against the sky and trees, towering over the fields, and she couldn't help but stare.

The countless photographs she’d collected over the years hadn't prepared her for the raw beauty and power of the structure. The worn battlements were still fully intact, facing the sea like warriors, ever defiant in the face of nature’s force on the coast. The steep cliffs merely half a mile from the castle loomed, dark and threatening.

No fence lined the cliff edges. No warning signs guided visitors away except one that read Private Property. Heavy Fines for Trespassing. She repressed an achy shiver as a cloud stole across the sun’s path, dimming all light.

The gray stones of Stormclyffe stood stalwart and proud, challenging her to drive closer. The road turned to gravel and thinned even more, leaving only enough space for her car.

Sheer desolation seemed to pour off the structure as she pulled into the castle’s front drive. If not for the five work vehicles that obviously belonged to various handymen, she would have thought the castle was devoid of all life.

Strands of hair stung her face as the wind whipped it about. There was an unsettling silence on the grounds, like something unnatural muffled the sound of the sea. No crashing waves, only the violence of the wind against the castle’s stones.

The house seemed to be wrapped in an invisible layer of thick wool, where sight and smell were dulled. The wind’s icy fingers crawled along her shoulder blades and dug into her hair, making her tense with apprehension. The castle walls were pitted with small chinks in the stones like fathomless obsidian eyes that stared at her, sized her up, and found her wanting.

The hairs rose on the back of her neck. The eerie sensation of eyes fixed on her back sent a cold wave of apprehension over her skin. She whipped around to look at the deserted landscape, suddenly fighting off a rush of panic at being alone out here.

Her heartbeat froze for a brief moment. A woman in a long white nightgown, hair loose down to her waist, stood hesitantly on the cliff’s edge, half turned toward the sea. She stared at Jane. Her skin was grayish, and her eyes were shadowed with black circles as though she hadn't slept in years.
Something wasn't right about the way she looked, or the fact that the nightgown looked far too old in style for any modern woman to be wearing. Not to mention a woman in a nightgown in broad daylight wasn't right either…

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Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. Lauren loves hearing from readers and can be contacted through her site at www.laurensmithbooks.com.

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Interview with Logan Judy author of dystopian Sci-Fi FINDING SAGE

       BOOK ON AMAZON

 

     What is your book about?

   Finding Sage is set in a dystopian future where people have superheroes, but the oppressive government hunts them down.  The prevailing thought is that being one of these people, called rogues, gives you genetic properties that make you violent.  The story follows a few of those rogues, and their quest to find the freedom fighter known as Sage.

·         Once a character is fully developed do you set them free or do they still dance around your mind?

 

 Characters are always dancing around in my mind.  For Finding Sage in particular, a lot of the plot elements played out in my head and I wrote them down.  My characters are always talking, which is awesome when I’m writing, but also distracting when I’m elsewhere.

·         Who gets to read your drafts before they're published?

Primarily just people who are giving me feedback.  For Finding Sage, that was a few close friends and some outside beta readers.  For my second book, I’m utilizing a professional editor, but I’ll still consult close friends and beta readers first, to ensure that it’s the best it can be.

·         What project(s) are you working on now?

   I’ve been working on the sequel to Finding Sage since pretty soon after Finding Sage was released at the end of March, and that’s taking up most of my creative time.  I also have a project reserved for NaNoWriMo, a dystopian story about the state raising children in a government boarding school and encouraging some very depraved behavior, and a the resolve of a few teenagers there to be honorable amidst the immorality.

·         What authors inspire or influence your work?

Several authors inspire me.  I think the biggest ones are probably C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, and Ray Bradbury, as well as modern author Neal Shusterman.
    

·         Where can readers find you and your book(s) online? 

  My book, and all books I’ll publish in the future, can and will be found on Amazon.  You can also follow me on Twitter at @loganrjudy or on Facebook .  I also have a website where I sometimes blog about writing or give news updates, and you can also sign up for my newsletter from there

www.loganjudy.com 

 

Finding Sage is a dystopian story about a future where some people, known as rogues, exhibit supernatural abilities.  That’s not a good thing, however, because the global government hunts them down and executes them, imprisons them, or forces them to become assassins.  Silas is such a rogue.  He lives day by day constantly paranoid about his chances of survival.   So when a wide-eyed hobo offers him a solution to his problems, a mysterious man who the U.N. seems desperate to find, he follows, not having the slightest clue what he’s just stepped into.

Alice hides a dark secret. Many rogues have come and gone in past years, but if people only knew how dark her so-called gift was, they would reject her. Attack her. Kill her. Where can she turn?
Sage is the one that connects them. The one that offers hope to them both. Little is known about him and precious few have seen him. So why is he the only one that the U.N. is afraid of?

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The Abduction of Joshua Bloom by Michael L Thal

A high school track star is abducted by aliens, explores strange worlds, uncovers genocide on a planetary scale, and is thrust into extraterrestrial politics that decides the fate of an Earth on the brink of war or unification.

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom tells the story of a teen abduction by an alien race who justifies their act in an attempt to save their people. Joshua finds himself in a world dominated by women, and men are subjugated to their whims. He travels to a dinosaur world, visits a water planet, and the alien home world doomed by a star about to nova.

 

ON AMAZON

 

 

~ ღ ~ SHATTERED HEARTS ~ ღ ~ by LEE RYDER

Jess lost her family when the plagues came, but gained a new one when she married Ian. Pregnant with another man’s baby, Jess and her new family travel through the vast labyrinth of cemeteries searching for the Promised Land.
Surrounded by the unknown will they get there before the baby arrives?

SHATTERED HEARTS on AMAZON







Lee Ryder is a mother of 3 children and one angel. She currently lives in New England. She started writing small works at an early age and was featured in local publications. She studied theater and vocal performance and was featured in several plays. She believes in love at first sight and married her soul mate at age 19. She also has read reviewed and edited other published works. You can visit her at her blog and on her on Facebook 

Leeryderabfa.blogspot.com

HOCK G. TJOA ~ CHINESE SPYMASTER and much more

CHINESE SPYMASTER

Chinese Intelligence uncovers a North Korean trying to sell a nuclear device. Then they find five other dealers trying to do the same. The buyer is the same in every case--the Pashtuns.

Is this a "Pashtun Spring"? A realignment of geopolitical power in Central Asia? A resurgence of Islamist terrorism?

In order to anticipate and confront these threats, Spymaster Wang must negotiate through bureaucratic rivalries, as well as personal ambitions, at home and abroad. He reaches for ancient insight into strategies and unorthodox alliances. But the struggle he must undertake cannot cease, and the outcome always remains in doubt.

The Spymaster must also confront a vendetta within the Party as well as the determination of his Old Friends and their wives to make him a "match."

COMMENTS FROM EARLY READERS:

“… the rare feat of a convincing description of hand to hand combat together with a very skillful development of plot and background.” A. G. Chaudri.

“This is fascinating, a true Smiley for current times and troubles, with the added, exotic allure to Western readers of the mystique that is China. It has all the hallmarks of a literary thriller.” Kay Christine Fenton.

“A complex story … so vivid, lifelike and realistic.” Charles Knightley, Author.

THE INGENIOUS JUDGE DEE 

A double homicide, a "reluctant" corpse, a bride poisoned on her wedding night--all taking place in a small county, one of fifteen hundred in Tang dynasty China, and all demanding investigation and judicial response within a month!

Judge Dee deals with these cases with his usual investigators and with his customary aplomb, even though he is himself under investigation by an Imperial Censor. He is unorthodox in his choice of investigators (former bandits and a female ex-cat burglar) and one of his suspects is a voluptuous woman who alleges harassment on the part of the authorities. He may also have stepped on some toes of the local gentry.

What is an upright civil servant to do?













HEAVEN IS HIGH and THE EMPEROR FAR AWAY

This is the story of Shopkeeper Wang and the friends, the regulars, and the transients who visit the Yutai (Abundant Peace) Teahouse, a Beijing neighborhood institution, during the decades of the early twentieth century. The setting is intimate and the atmosphere, action and themes, Dickensian. The play is adapted from Teahouse by Lao She (Shu Qingchun) Chinese original published in 1957. The original has been reduced from three acts, set over fifty years, with nearly seventy characters to a play in two acts set about twenty-five years apart with a cast of twenty (some multiple casting). It tries to reproduce as much as possible the characters and actions that Lao She created for a world of those living at the bottom edge of civility and into which corruption and exploitation roughly intrude. This is a world of the poor caught up in the spin-cycle of world historical change.






THE BATTLE on AMAZON

Long ago, along a stretch of a river deep and wide but far away from the consciousness or imagination of anyone outside All under Heaven, a battle was fought that determined the fate of its people for the next four hundred years.

The Battle of Chibi vividly retells selections (translated by the author) from the great Chinese classic, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This novel combines fascinating characters in action as well as ideas in conflict and battle scenes, deception, and earnest debate; there is even a marriage arranged for the purpose of entrapping of the Loyalist leader.

It weaves together stories, drama, poetry--events and episodes that have engrossed Asian readers and listeners for the last seventeen hundred years. Above all, the warriors and leaders in this retelling, their loyalties and conflicts, show why this classic has been valued as the best introduction to Chinese thought

*NEW * by Darden North, MD **WIGGLE ROOM **

 

 

Darden North MD  , is the award-winning author of four medical thrillers, the latest WIGGLE ROOM. WIGGLE ROOM is a contemporary thriller set against the backdrop of the Iraqi war and the Deep South. Even though this work is fiction, the subject matter of WIGGLE ROOM was extensively researched though author interviews with a forensic pathologist, a police criminal investigator, and several physicians in the military.

Darden North is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who grew up in the Mississippi Delta and now lives in Jackson where he practices medicine. A graduate of Ole Miss and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, he is a certified DaVinci robotic surgeon and still delivers babies. North and his wife Sally have two children, as well as two dogs and a grand dog. Several years ago, he hung up his golf clubs for a laptop and began to write novels. In his spare time, he gardens, walks for exercise, reads fiction, enjoys his friends, and travels with his family.
North's first novel HOUSE CALL was awarded Finalist in Mystery/Suspense by the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. His second novel POINTS OF ORIGIN was recognized in Southern Fiction by the 2007 Independent Publishers Book (IPPY) Awards. His third novel, FRESH FROZEN, is in film development by Frank Vitolo and Scott Alvaraz. FRESH FROZEN received Best Cover Design in the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards and Finalist in Regional Fiction.

www.dardennorth.com

 

 

 

BUY HERE

 

Serving as an Air Force surgeon at the height of the Iraq War, Major Brad Cummins fails to save an injured soldier yet must mend the Iraqi national maimed in the same IED blast. He survives the medical tribunal’s inquest over the GI’s unexplained death but endures rigid criticism from his peers. Still blaming himself for losing the soldier after successful surgery, Brad is haunted by the Iraqi’s words: Maybe you should rethink what you really are.

Returning from deployment, Brad resumes surgical practice with his twin brother in Mississippi and soon discovers him shot to death in a suspected robbery. When he finds their name tags mistakenly switched, Brad cannot forget the anonymous text I will give you a little wiggle room and is certain that he was the intended target. Along with Brad’s fiancée, the police discount his fears as paranoia.

No one suspects the true motive: The rescued Iraqi wants Brad to die for saving his life, thus cheating him of martyrdom and honor in Allah’s eyes. However, there are others who seek death for Dr. Brad Cummins but for different reasons. Brad will never be safe until Dr. Diana Bratton, his new partner in the surgery clinic and growing love interest, pushes to uncover the truth.

 

 

 

HOUSE CALL

While Dr. Knox Chamblee struggles to build a medical practice, a nurse is found floating in a bloody bathtub, and his physician mentor falls to a frozen death. The suspect is Dr. Aslyn Hawes, whose jealousy of the victims cloaks her in suspicion. As the investigation unfolds and a psychotic killer plans to strike again, Chamblee's career is sabotaged by reverse sexual discrimination.

 

 

BUY HERE

After movie star Allyn Saxton survives a string of broken relationships, she enters a reproduction center to have a baby. Her plans of seclusion are misguided when an Internet spy breaks through the center’s security to steal her frozen embryos. But there is competition. A nearly-bankrupt policeman and his tormented wife are also patients, the wife so desperate for pregnancy that she plans to kill. Human reproductive tissue becomes a fatal commodity in "Fresh Frozen."

 

 

 

 

BUY HERE

 

Small southern towns are not always sleepy—particularly in Larkspur, Mississippi, where homes burst into flames and lives are destroyed. It is the suspicious death of a young woman that costs premiere plastic surgeon Dan Foxworth his surgical dynasty, his life, and that of his wife. Devastated by the loss of both parents and unable to meet a bitter grandfather's expectations, Sher Foxworth tries to save an elderly woman from her burning home. Suddenly the accidental hero, his life is turned upside down by disturbing twists of fate. To dig his way out, Sher makes a deal to wear a fireman’s hat and remains the hero. But it is the philandering, wealthy trial lawyer Cordell Pixler who collects the enemies. Many in the boiling southern town seek revenge against Pixler—some because of sex and some because of money—and it’s a race to see who nails him first. “Points of Origin” was awarded nationally in Southern Fiction by the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards and is the second novel by Darden North. The audio book is narrated by Fred Wolinsky.

 

 

VISIT Darden North's PAGE on AMAZON SAY hi CLICK LIKE

RELEASE DAY BLITZ ~ A Good Girl ~ by MARY ANNE EDWARDS

A Good Girl

by Mary Anne Edwards

Series: The Charlie McClung Mysteries, #2

Genre: Mystery

Cover Designer: Jasmin Woodworth

Release Date: September 23, 2014

For Charlie McClung, going home to Virginia with Marian was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but upon arrival at his childhood home, he’s met with a note instead of his family.

 “Don’t worry, Love, we’re all okay. Come to the shop. A dead girl was found in an armoire delivered just now. Huggies, Ma”

Charlie is quickly recruited to help solve the murder of a young girl who was on the path to become a nun. The suspects begin to mount as Charlie delves deep into the girl’s life, revealing a sordid and ugly side of the town’s good girl.

Luke pointed to a man sitting at the end of the counter chatting up a giggling blonde girl. “That’s Scottie the Hottie. Looks like he does like them young.”

Charlie eyed the dark-haired man. He didn't see anything special about him. Looked like someone who could play the part of a pirate in a movie. But there must be something about him women liked. Even old Dora, who was old enough to be his mother, seemed be drawn to Scottie. Since they walked in, she’d wiped the same spot on the counter over and over with her eyes glued on Scottie. Charlie smirked. He’d never understand what women found attractive in a man.

Luke sat to the left of Scottie and Charlie sandwiched him in by sitting at the end of the counter to the right. “Say, Scottie, do you know who we are?” Luke asked.

The giggling girl rolled her eyes. “Can I get you two anything?”

“Two large Dr Peppers to go,” replied Luke without looking at her.

Scottie rolled a toothpick between his teeth. “I've seen you around town. You’re a cop,” he said to Luke then turned to Charlie and pointed the toothpick. “Hmm, you must be that big shot detective everyone is talkin’ about. Am I right?” Scottie chuckled, “What can I do for you gentleman today? Need a ride somewhere?”

Charlie was not amused. “Yeah, you can come with us to the police station.”

Scottie’s smile froze. “What? Why? I mean are you joking me?”

Charlie’s face hardened. “No. We have some questions concerning the murder of Darla Jean Rogers. You can answer them here or in the privacy of the station. Your choice.”

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon AU

Book 1: Brilliant Disguise

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Although I was born in Mercedes, Texas, I have lived in Georgia most of my life which has been filled with a variety of experiences. Some were great and some, well let's just say I have learned many lessons the hard way.

I have been married for 33 years to the most practically perfect man, Jeff. We enjoy traveling and watching mysteries on TV. We are also a part of the drama team at our church. Funny thing, he writes all the skits, I just act. I am active in Sisters in Crime Atlanta Chapter and sit on the advisory board of Rockdale Cares, Inc., a non-profit advocacy group for the developmentally challenged.

I began writing in high school but not seriously until 1999. I write traditional mysteries and my biggest influences are Agatha Christie, Anne Perry, Caroline Graham, Elizabeth Peters, and my family. I have had short stories published in Evangel and The Associate Reformed Presbyterian magazines. I have published a collection of eclectic short stories titled, My Favorite Work of Art.

My first manuscript, Useless Beauty, is waiting for me to breathe life into it. It was put on hold because my second manuscript, Brilliant Disguise, was begging to be written. It is the first in the Detective Charlie McClung mysteries. “Brilliant Disguise” was released on January 21, 2014. The second book, “A Good Girl”, was released on September 23, 2014, and the third book, “Criminal Kind”, will be released in April, 2015. There are seven more to follow in the series.

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eMail: maedwards58@gmail.com

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SHATTER POINT by Jeff Altabef

About the book: Maggie met Cooper at a young age, but even then she sensed something was wrong with him. His charm, good looks, and wealth could not hide the danger that burned in his sapphire eyes. Some nightmares don’t go away. He’d been haunting her from a distance for as long as she could remember. Now things have changed. When her sons Jack and Tom discover she’s been taken, they set out to rescue her and uncover nefarious family secrets, explosive government conspiracies, and a series of horrific murders along the way. Only their colorful great aunt and a covert resistance group can help them navigate the dark underworld full of political subterfuge and class warfare. All the while, Maggie struggles to outwit her tormentor in a life and death psychological battle of tense desperation. Will Jack and Tom arrive before Cooper reaches his shatter point?

Midwest Book Review has described Jeff Altabef as an “articulate and engaging story teller” and “a contemporary novelist of considerable merit and imagination.”

Reader's Favorite has given Shatter Point two 5 Star Reviews!

This is one of those books that no reader will be able to part with until they reach the end, I guarantee it. —Anne-Marie Reynolds, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews and Awards This book has myriad twists and turns that will keep you holding on and wondering what is coming next.—Kathryn Bennett, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews and Awards     About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win a $15.00 gift cards to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or an autographed copy of Shatter Point! a Rafflecopter giveaway About the author: Jeff Altabef lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of "telling stories," he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres. Fourteenth Colony, a political thriller, is his debut novel. Jeff has a blog designed to encourage writing by those that like telling stories. You can find his blog, The Accidental Writers Workshop, on The Patch. Connect with Jeff on his website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.   Read an Exceprt! I’m a killer. No better than a common murderer, and worse, really. More like a serial killer who can’t help himself as he takes life after life, unable to stop even if he wished he could. Darian frowned at the corpse on the stainless steel autopsy table. “Damn it, Zeus, I thought you were going to make it.” His frown deepened until long lines etched into his face. Remorse wasn’t good enough. It was useless. Pointless, really. Remorse would not bring Zeus or any of the others back. He glanced at the video projections of Zeus’s brain development. His original brain on the left screen appeared normally formed and perfectly functional. The one on the right showed Zeus’s brain after he had injected him. Misshapen and grotesque, it was so overdeveloped it strained against the skull. Darian shook his head. “Not again. I can’t lose another batch of test subjects.” “We’re making progress, Doctor Beck. This time, the brain enlargement slowed at the end. With some adjustments, next time it might stop before....” George attempted to smile, but only the tips of his lips responded. Twice Darian’s age, he was so optimistic he could see the silver lining in a hurricane, but this lethal turn of events left even him speechless. “We’re missing something critical. We need to stop the brain development before it overwhelms the subject.” Darian peered through the glass wall that separated the autopsy room from the rest of the laboratory. The remaining five subjects sat perfectly straight and stared mournfully at the glass as if Darian and Zeus and the table with death hovering above it drew their gaze. An icy chill tickled its way up his spine. The others had no idea Zeus had died. They were often separated. To them, the glass wall was a simple mirror. They had no idea—could have no idea—a laboratory sat beyond the glass, yet he suspected they knew the truth: that Zeus was dead and he the killer. Darian nodded toward the remaining subjects. “It’s odd that they haven’t eaten their breakfast. It’s already past noon. They must be hungry.” Color drained from George’s face. “It’s unnatural for them to stare at the mirror like that.” Darian pressed a button on a keypad and the one-way glass window turned gray, blocking the other subjects from view. Led Zeppelin started playing. “It’s just our imagination. Hand me the circular saw. Let’s hope we can learn enough from Zeus to save his friends.” George handed him the shiny autopsy tool, but before he switched it on, the lab door swung open and Brenda Callaghan darted into the room. The normally composed, rather attractive young researcher appeared ashen, her jaw clenched tight. “What’s wrong, Brenda?”