Learn
How to Build Massive Wealth In the Midst of Uncertainties
by
Nora A. Gay
Genre:
Non-fiction, Self-Help, Inspirational Business
In
today's volatile economy, self-discipline and sensible financial
planning is more crucial than ever. It
is no longer possible-or even desirable-to build wealth solely on a
paycheck as you move up some corporate ladder. Rather, today's sound
decision-makers are anticipating the certainty of uncertainties in
life and in their finances. In Get
Minted!,
Nora Gay shows how the strategies that help the world's wealthiest
individuals flourish can be adapted and applied to everyone. By
challenging assumptions, pinpointing one's unique economic value, and
identifying weaknesses in established personal financial plans,
anyone can achieve financial success and prosperity. Gay,
a financial strategist who has researched, taught and implemented
financial concepts for individuals and families of all sizes,
describes the unique method she has used to help them create,
multiply, and pass on wealth. Incorporating
stories from her own experience and anecdotes from other wealth-builders and financial advisors, Gay shows how self-discipline and a
little know-how lead to massive financial rewards. Get
Minted! offers
clear and empowering advice for anyone looking to break through; for
anyone with a big financial goal but with no idea how to achieve
it. This engaging, perspective-shifting book demystifies the
mechanics of wealth building for individuals and families alike.
Nora
A. Gay started a fintech company with the mission of
helping people accomplish financial security. She specializes in
everything ranging from personal finance, wealth management, and
financial technology platforms.
Moira McNaulty has only known a life in the forest with her father and two sisters. On the eve of her 15th birthday, a fire burns down their cabin and unearths a secret that Moira’s father had meant to keep from the teen and her sisters forever. A secret that could change more than one world. Moira’s life is going to change overnight and there’s nothing she can do about it because, as the prophecy says, no one can stop The Rising.
Krystle Able grew up and still lives in Central Illinois with her three children and pets. Krystle knew she wanted to be a writer when she won a book making contest in summer daycare when she was 9 years old. After 10+ years in retail management, she took the plunge into writing full time in 2015, and also works as a freelance web content writer.
Krystle enjoys being a multi-genre author with releases planned in the romance, thriller, contemporary fiction, and paranormal genres.
Always a reader first, Krystle's favorite hobbies include supporting and cultivating relationships in the indie publishing and small press publishing world, and talking about literature. She is currently finishing her BA in English Literature at University of Illinois Springfield.
I am passionate about many things such as lacrosse and
writing, but lately, I am most passionate about finishing my sequel which is
due out this fall!
What do you do to unwind and relax? Hang out with friends,
watch tv, play lacrosse, and listen to music.
Do you have a favorite movie?
I definitely have a favorite movie but my top three movies
based on their creativity are: #1 Deadpool 2, #2 Inception, and #3 Interstellar
What can we expect from you in the future?
Writing over the last few years and thinking about my books,
I have gathered several book ideas. When I have the time in the future, I hope
to have another book or series again, within the science fiction genre.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to
play the lead?
The main character, John, the protagonist, is a difficult
casting call. I definitely have ideas for the remaining cast, however. Chase,
John’s sidekick, could be played by Jack Dozer or Asher Angel. Hazel can be
played by Millie Bobby Brown. Crofar, the antagonist, could be played by Alex
Pettyfer.
What did you edit out of this book?
The final chapter, hence the sequel! The edited out chapter
which has never been seen by anyone will be available for free by those that
read The Uncontrolled and tag me on their social media account.
Pen or type writer or computer?
I use my laptop with an accompanying monitor which allows me
to view several documents at once. This is useful if I need to research a topic
for my book.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Yes, most writers experience writer’s block where they feel
unmotivated to write. When this happens to me, I look to other creative projects
such as film or tv. This also lends itself to the necessity to read other
genres as it will help you with your own.
The
Uncontrolled:
Hiding
Can't Save You From Robotic Smiles
by
Zachary Astrowsky
Genre:
YA Cyberpunk SciFi
Tracking
Devices, Mind Control, and Visions of the Future
An
action-packed adventure set against the loss offree
will that comes from a mind control serum.
The
robotic way people smile is John's first inclination that things are
not quite as they seem in Amber City.
At
the age of fourteen, everyone is "vaccinated" with a
biological implant that makes people controllable. John is supposed
to get his shot the very next day, until he and his parents find out
about the mind-controlling chip requiring his family to devise a plan
to put a stop to this once and for all, but things don't go exactly
as planned.
Along
with his friend Chase, and an irrepressible girl named Hazel, the
three of them find themselves in the world of the controlled, where
they must try to escape the notice of this powerful society and its
leader, Crofar. As the trio of teenagers attempt to defeat Crofar on
their own, they stumble upon the Renegades, a formidable group of
"the uncontrolled," led by Maximus.
Warily
forming an alliance with the teenagers, the numbers are not in their
favor, and the uncontrolled are barely holding their own. Until that
is, they realize they have a secret weapon. John starts to have
regular visions of the future, which can change in interesting ways
when certain variables are adjusted.
While
John has visions they can use to win the war against Crofar, things
become complicated because Crofar has visions too. With two
adversaries who can see the future, only one can outsmart the
other.
The
Uncontrolled is an adventurous, sci-fi book written by award-winning
teen author Zachary Astrowsky.
It
all began on a trip to NYC when I was five. I couldn't read yet,
but I wanted to understand every sign and billboard I saw. I
began putting letters together and for my birthday a few months
later, I was requesting the fourth book in the Harry Potter
series. Reading allowed my mind to explore and create
stories, and as a young child I began filling them with colorful
characters and sharing them with anyone and everyone who would
listen. Since then, I’ve progressed quite a bit to formulating
longer and more complex stories and eventually completing my first
novel, The Uncontrolled.
Caltha is a secondary, but important, character in my first
and second books, A Merman’s Choice and Music for a Merman (each book in the
Sea of Love series is a standalone story featuring a different couple). She is
a feisty mermaid, who is the leader of all the mermen Clans. She helps the
heroes and heroines of the first two books achieve their happily ever after, so
I always wanted to tell her story. But I struggled to think of a man or merman
who would be a match for her… until the idea came to me that he could be a
powerful warlock.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I have just had two short stories accepted by my publisher.
The first, “The Holiday Mermaid,” is a Christmas fantasy romance featuring a
mermaid and a shape shifting unicorn. It will be out in October in the “second
chance at love” Desire Me Again anthology by BVS. The second story is a sci-fi
tale, “Space Cowboy Blues,” which will be out in February next year in an anthology
of cowboy romance stories by BVS. Saddle up, it’s going to be quite the ride!
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Jonty is a warlock who became overconfident about his magical
skills, and as a result the woman he loved was killed. He has lived with the
guilt for 18 months. When he meets Caltha, he has renounced magic. She has to
convince him to be a warlock again so they can accomplish their mission, which
is to capture a water monster, an afanc, who is threatening to flood London.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in
Mermaids Marry in Green?
Caltha
is feisty, tough and brave, an experienced and fierce fighter used to holding
her own against the warriors of her Clan. But she still mourns the death of her
parents, and feels she is living in the shadow of her mother. She keeps putting
the welfare of her people above her own physical and emotional needs… until
Jonty makes her see that she has a right to be loved and happy. She is sensual
and caring, determined to protect those she loves at any cost, whatever their
species.
Jonty is
loyal, caring and brave. When he was younger, he was one the best warlocks in
England. His success at hunting magical creatures made him over-confident. He
took on a trio of hags to impress the woman he loved. His defeat and her death
scarred him deeply. He is still wrestling with his guilt when he meets Caltha.
His physical attraction to her very soon turns into something deeper, and he
realizes that he must let go of the past and forgive himself for his error, if
he is to find love and happiness. He pushes Caltha away to protect her, but
once the war is over, he knows that he cannot live without her.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Caltha is my feistiest female character so far, a proper
little warrior. I enjoyed writing her. I also enjoyed showing the magic of the
warlocks, the spells and the fighting. Finally the book is my first story set
in London, my city, and I loved describing it. It has its own particular brand
of magic.
Who designed your book covers?
Jessica Greeley at Black Velvet Seductions. I think the cover
of Mermaids Marry in Green is my favourite so far!
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Every book in the series is a standalone story which features
a different couple. You can read each book independently – or read them all and
enjoy seeing how the world of the mermen develops.
How did you come up with the name of this book?
It stemmed from a sentence that Yann, the hero of my first
book A Merman’s Choice, says to his human love Alex: “Mermaids marry in green.”
I thought it would make a great title.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
The fight scene between Caltha, Jonty, and Jonty’s friend
Ariel, and the hags, towards the end of the book. I had great fun with the hags
and the spells.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all
come entirely from your imagination?
They are mostly from my imagination, though I do like to give
baddies the names of real people I don’t like! Rob, the hero of my second book
Music for a Merman, is a shape shifting merman and a cop. I was inspired by the
riot policemen in my hometown in France, who double up as lifeguards in the
summer. I was tickled by the thought of cops rescuing someone in the morning
and arresting protesters in the afternoon.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
It is an exciting urban fantasy romance with great characters
and a sizzling love story at its core. And magic. And a knife-wielding mermaid.
And super-sexy warlocks!
What did you edit out of this book?
Some of Caltha’s dreams. They were too similar to those of
the heroine in the second book, Music for a Merman. I kept only two of the
dreams, because they were important to the story of Caltha’s budding
relationship with Jonty.
Mermaids
Marry in Green
Sea
of Love Book 3
by
Alice Renaud
Genre:
Fantasy Romance
Caltha
the fierce shape shifting mermaid has no time for romance… but
Jonty the warlock has a few tricks up his sleeve!
Caltha
Dooran is the toughest, fiercest shape-shifting mermaid in the
western seas. She has three Clans to rule, and no time for romance.
But when a warlock, Jonty, turns up and asks her to come with him to
London to capture a water monster, she can't say no. In London, away
from her duties, her attraction for Jonty grows... and they soon fall
under each other's spell. But will his past and her responsibilities
pull them apart, or can they find the only true magic, the one that
binds two souls together?
“Rob
Regor knew that humans were trouble. All the shape-shifting mermen of
the Morvann Islands knew it. And human women were double trouble,
especially when they were lying on the road in front of a
digger.”
Rob
has a mission. Go to the mainland. Work as a policeman. Find out as
much as possible about the mainland humans. Report back to his
father, the head of the Regor Clan. It should be easy.
Until
he has to arrest Charlie. Rob can’t fight his attraction to the
sexy eco-warrior, and it puts him on one hell of a collision course
with his family and his Clan. Will he break the rules – or break
her heart, and his?
For
centuries the shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands have lived
incognito among humans. But one of them, Yann, has developed some bad
habits. Like rescuing humans, even when doing so risks revealing his
true nature. When he fishes Alex out of the sea, he doesn’t expect
her to reappear eight months later, and turn his life upside down by
asking him to be her guide.
Alex
is determined to fulfill a promise to her dying grandmother, by
gathering pictures and stories of the Morvanns. But she soon
discovers that, on these remote Welsh islands, legends have a habit
of becoming true!
Over
the course of a few days, Yann and Alex grow close. But some mermen
hate humans. Their hostility, and Yann’s secret, threaten to tear
the couple apart just as they are discovering that they are soul
mates. Can Yann overcome the obstacles in his path and make the right
choice?
Alice
lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she's a
compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes
fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and
time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,”
was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the
first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes
and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a
Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green,”
will be released on 1 November. Alice has also written a short story,
“The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic
Desire” anthology, out now. Alice loves reading and writing
stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!
I
like to call myself a thirty-seven year overnight success. I started sending
out manuscripts when I was eighteen, back B.C.
Before Computers. Before the Internet. In those days, you typed your manuscript
on a typewriter or word processer, found a box it fit in, and mailed that box
to New York. Then you waited and waited, and when it came back, you sent it off
to the next publisher or agent on your list. I was amazingly happy when the
Internet arrived and I could send manuscripts and queries via email, but even
then, I was still getting rejections.
But
my goal in life was to have a book published, so I kept going. After twenty
years, I managed to get an agent, but she wanted me to change way too many
things in my book. She even wanted me to change my hero to a woman, which would
have upset the entire universe I had planned for my characters and their
relationships. The hardest decision I ever made was when I said no, thanks, and
we parted ways.
However, I found a publisher who did not require and
agent, and after two years of going through their long editing process, I was a
published author! I had just turned fifty-five and had retired from my job as
an elementary school librarian and have since published thirteen mystery novels
and five fantasy novels. Writers are very lucky to be
living in this time because of all the different options available: traditional
publishing, self-publishing, ebooks—and who knows what other routes will be
open in the near future? So my message to all writers out there is don’t ever
give up. If I can make it in 37 years,
you can, too. Only I hope it doesn’t
take you that long!
Gone
Daddy Blues
Grace
Street Mysteries Book 7
by
Jane Tesh
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Discouraged
by a recent deadbeat dad case, PI David Randall wonders if he should
close the detective agency he operates from his psychic friend
Camden's boarding house at 302 Grace Street in Parkland, North
Carolina. But Doreen Padgett, a scrappy teen, convinces him to find
her useless father, Arliss. Arliss and Doreen's mother have
divorced, and Doreen wants the man to pay what he owes her family.
It's another deadbeat dad, but Randall agrees to take the case.
When
policeman Jordan Finley comes to Grace Street with a blouse he wants
Camden to touch, a blouse that belongs to the victim of a suspected
serial killer, a man with a bizarre fondness for blond hair. Camden
has a serious reaction to the blouse, but can't see anything that
will lead to the killer except a hatred for a woman named Margaret.
Despite
Cam using an accident as an excuse not to be psychic, Randall finds a
connection to Margaret, Arliss, and the serial killer. All of them
plan to attend an upcoming high school reunion, the same reunion
Cam’s wife Ellin is looking forward to. Randall has to find the
killer, especially since he realizes that except for himself,
everyone who lives at 302 Grace Street is blond.
Gone
Daddy Blues is the seventh in the Grace Street Mysteries, the
continuing adventures of the family and friends who live at 302 Grace
Street.
"The
mystery plot is convincing and motives abound, but the vivid
characters are the main draw, in particular the wryly observant
Randall, who narrates the story with verve. Fans of cozies with a
paranormal twist will be rewarded." —Publishers
Weekly
Flamboyant
actor Leo Pierson's Art Nouveau treasures have been stolen, including
a one-of-a-kind Lalique glass dragonfly he claims is cursed. David
Randall, 302 Grace Street's private eye, agrees to recover the
valuables before he realizes murder has raised its ugly head in the
Parkland art community. Samuel Gallant of the museum board is
missing, until Randall and his landlord/consultant Camden find
Gallant's body stuffed in a museum closet. When another board member
suffers a fatal accident and the art critic for the Parkland
Herald is
attacked, Randall suspects the stolen dragonfly is indeed cursed. He
investigates Richard Mason, curator of the Little Gallery, whose
artwork consists of ugly mechanical sculptures, and Nancy Piper,
finance manager at the Parkland Art Museum.
Meanwhile,
Camden struggles against psychic visions he's had since birth, taking
pills to limit sudden intense visions. His wife, Ellin, fends off
Matt Grabber, a television celebrity healer threatening to take over
her Psychic Service Network and using his two large pythons to
emphasize his bid. The pythons take a liking to Camden, upping his
stress level, while he takes more pills hoping his visions—and the
snakes—disappear. Kit, a new tenant at Grace Street, is a young
rock star who is also psychic. As Camden becomes more addicted, Kit
becomes an early warning system, alerting Randall to the next attack.
Randall
works to solve the murders, find the jeweled collection, help Cam,
deter Grabber and his pythons, romance the young lovely Kary, and
avoid stray curses. A spirit on the Other Side surprisingly requests
his help, a spirit with ties to the stolen pieces of Art Nouveau.
"...readers
seeking a cozy, feel-good mystery will enjoy this outing to Grace
Street. The delightful characters navigate their worldly and
otherworldly challenges with affection and humor, and Tesh maintains
a whimsical tone that doesn't detract from the serious subject
matter."
—Publishers
Weekly
Camden's
friend Rufus Jackson receives a letter from his ex-wife, Bobbi, and
he's surprised to learn he's the father of a baby. When Bobbi is
found murdered in her home and her baby stolen, Rufus becomes suspect
number one. PI David Randall immediately takes the case.
But
Randall is almost sidetracked from the case by a series of what
appears to be never-ending favors. When he takes his friend Cam to
the Carlyle House to sing for a concert, Cam encounters Delores
Carlyle, a troubled spirit trapped inside a huge mirror, who wants to
see her daughter, Beverly, one last time. Beverly Carlyle will come
to the house on one condition: that Randall find a home for her surly
teenage son, Kit, and a band for her obnoxious daughter, Frieda. Kit
is welcome at 302 Grace, but to secure a spot for Frieda, Randall has
to get a local girl group a gig at a local nightclub. The owner
agrees, if Cam will pose as a teenager and spy on a rival club. Cam
agrees if Randall will take him to Green Valley to answer some
questions about his past. And another ghost is haunting the hot dog
restaurant, refusing to talk to Cam.
In
addition to the tangle of deals, Randall has to contend with Rufus
being hell-bent on revenge, the return of Cam's telekinesis, and
growing concern that if the baby—a girl named Mary Rose, as it
turns out—is found, Rufus, might not want to keep her.
David
Randall, a private detective short of work, invites his psychic
friend Camden into a case. Miss Viola Mitchell, an aging local
actress, has recently been reported missing. The Parkland PD's Jordan
Finley objects to the pair inspecting Viola's home, claiming the
police don't need their help. Moments later, despite the array of
birds and cats perfuming the residence, Cam advises Finley, "Check
the basement."
Viola
is neatly planted there in a square of dirt. Who would kill her? Why?
Are others targeted? Is a local performer twisted by jealousy? Could
a role in a Parkland Little Theatre production have caused her death?
Cam goes undercover at the theater while rejecting demands from his
fiancée that they marry this month. His psychic gifts have expanded
to levitate objects. He fears for their children. She wants to put
him on television.
Meanwhile,
a new Grace Street client, owner of popular BeautiQueen Cosmetics, is
searching for her arrogant, absconding partner. Randall tracks him to
Clearwater, Florida, and soon finds himself chasing shoplifters
stealing pharmaceuticals and helping a jazz musician woo his woman
while failing to woo his own love, Kary. Will Randall and Cam piece
all this together?
Who
is audacious enough to steal an antique box once owned by Harry
Houdini? This collector’s treasure, skillfully hidden in the local
Magic Club— a nightclub where magicians perform—is not merely an
old theatrical prop. It is the prize in a contest that promises to
jump start a magician’s career. At least that’s what Taft and
Lucas Finch hoped before their prized possession was stolen. Private
investigator David Randall is already busy searching for socialite
Sandy Olaf’s missing diamond bracelet when he begins the search for
Houdini’s box. But instead of finding the valuable box, Randall
finds Taft murdered, his body locked in a backstage trunk. The
magical world is brimming with jealous suspects, less successful
magical competitors, romantic rivals, business conflicts, and
festering hurts from long ago. Randall’s friend Camden is concerned
with losing his voice, his girlfriend Kary insists on being a
magician’s assistant, and Cam’s girlfriend Ellin has to deal with
the overbearing Sheila Kirk, wife of a potential sponsor, who insists
on hosting the Psychic Service Network’s programs.
Warned
away from interfering in a police homicide investigation, Randall
focuses on finding the box, searching for a missing diamond bracelet,
and handling the crises embroiling his unique housemates in their
rambling home on Grace Street. It will take a stroke of magic to
connect the interlocking circles of these crimes.
"A
solid mystery with a plethora of suspects and quirky
regulars."—Kirkus
Reviews
It's
Christmas in Parkland, North Carolina, and PI David Randall is
looking forward to his mother's visit, even though he knows she'll
want to talk about his daughter, Lindsey, who died in a car accident.
Further dampening the season's cheer, his psychic friend Camden has
harrowing flashbacks to a murder: Randall and Camden found Camden's
friend Jared Hunter brutally stabbed. Among the suspects is Boyd
Taylor, Randall's client. Jared had served time for breaking into the
Parkland Museum of History. Bert Galvin, son of the editor of the
Parkland Herald, was also involved.
And
what of the inept superhero, the Parkland Avenger? The Superhero
Society of Parkland insists the Avenger isn't one of them. Are these
things all somehow related?
2018
– ALA Book Club October Pick, Things that Go Bump:
Paranormal Mysteries
David
Randall's perfect family life came derailed when his little daughter
Lindsey died in a car crash. Thrown out by his second wife and
wanting to leave a dead-end detective agency to start his own, he
reluctantly accepts his psychic friend Camden's invitation to stay in
Camden's boarding house in Parkland, North Carolina.
Meanwhile,
working the case of the murder of Albert Bennett, Randall's only clue
is a notebook filled with odd musical notation. When another client,
Melanie Gentry, hires him to prove her great-grandmother was murdered
by her lover, composer John Burrows Ashford, over authorship of
"Patchwork Melodies," Randall sets out to find a connection
to Bennett's murder, as well as to the murder of a Smithsonian
director, who was preparing a new PBS documentary on early American
music.
Randall's
investigations lead him to another notebook, where he finds not only
"Two Hearts Singing," Ashford's most famous song, but a
valuable early copy of Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susanna,"
hidden in the cover. But things become more complicated when
Ashford's spirit parks itself in Cam...and refuses to leave until
Randall proves Ashford's innocence.
Jane
Tesh lives and works in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith's
home town, a real life Mayberry. She is a retired media specialist
and the author of ten mystery novels, three fantasy novels, and over
thirty plays for children. When not writing, Jane plays the piano for
productions at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.
