Excerpt Tour: I Have a Story

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Colleen L. Donnelly. Today, Colleen shares her new release I Have a Story.

Blurb

Jim Turner writes crime but doesn’t live it. He respects his grandfather’s tales of heroes but doesn’t believe them. When his failing grandfather sends him to a remote peninsula to write the end of his own heroic love story, Jim includes a war criminal interview to maintain his edge.

Chastity is an anomaly, a misfit in pre-WWII culture as well as in Jim’s life. Her spritely charm and endearing features turn Jim’s world upside down, especially when she reveals his grandfather’s peninsula as the site of her upcoming wedding.

Do good journalists flee when their interviewee is murdered? Do heroes write fiancés out of another’s story and themselves in? “The End” become the hardest words for Jim to write.

Excerpt

Author’s Note: Boy meets Girl. A commitment that lasts forever.

“I want you there with me.” She gazed down.

“I would love to stand up there with you,” I said with far too much honesty in my voice. “If I can’t be the groom, I can at least be a brides-man instead of a bridesmaid.”

Warmth shone in her eyes when she looked up. “You will always be my brides-man, Jim. Always and forever.” She squeezed my hands.

We both stared at our clasped hands, her naked ring finger amidst her other heavily ringed ones almost shouting, “I am waiting for Dwayne, for his promise—I am keeping myself for him only.”

I touched the empty place where a diamond should be. If Chastity was my girl, she would be sporting a rock so big guys like me would stay away from her.

“No wedding or engagement rings,” Chastity said. “I assume that is what you are wondering. Dwane suggested we get tattoos. I will have a D on my ring finger, and he is having a C tattooed onto his.”

“You’re what?” I practically bellowed, fascinated and horrified at the same time. “You can’t do that. I mean, are you sure?” What would her parents think?

Her cheeks tinged pink as she stared at her stark finger.

Surely, I could come up with a word less discourteous than “outrageous.” Some writer I was. “It’s just that a tattoo is pretty bold.” Unless you were a sailor. “If something happens to Dwayne, you will have to wear gloves the rest of your life.” My dark and slimy side didn’t have to suggest that I buy her a pair as a wedding gift. White gloves with a tiny pearl button at the wrist. It was purely my idea, and even if I carried the wrapped gloves with me the rest of my life, I would buy them.

Buy Links

Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub

Author Bio and Links

Colleen L Donnelly put her science education to use for years and then put it behind her to pursue other passions. Her first love is writing and her second is hunting—hunting for that next good story, hunting for relics and antiques, hunting for the next good author to read. An avid believer in work hard/play hard, Colleen splits her time between indoors and out, always busy at something.

Giveaway

Colleen L Donnelly will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Colleen on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

10 Fun Facts About My Protagonists

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back award-winning author and journalist donalee Moulton. Today, donalee shares interesting facts about the characters who populate her new release, Melt.

Here’s donalee!

My new book Melt is a mystery. It’s also a story about friendship. Melt is what happens when three yogis with a penchant for solving crime are asked to help prevent a seventeen-year-old boy from going to jail for the rest of his life. It requires more than a downward dog.

Welcome to Melt. Here are 10 fun facts about the people who populate these pages.

1. There is power in numbers. In my previous books, there was a main character. In this book, there are three. Someone asked me which of the triad was the most important. The answer: no one. Each woman—Charlene, Lexie, and Woo Woo—is equally significant and plays a key role. They also, as friends, become greater than the individual sum of their parts.

2. There is power in PPT. When you write a book, characters develop personality quirks you hadn’t anticipated. One character has a penchant for PowerPoint. Hint: It’s the auditor.

3. There is power in professionalism. I did not do a detailed backstory for the three protagonists when they were first introduced in Bind. Much of how the characters evolved was organic. They seemed to tell me who they were—and what they did for a living. Can you guess who is the auditor, the comedian, the reflexologist?

4. There is power in having a puppy. This is my first cast of characters that features a pet. Madoff is the auditor’s dog, but he becomes everyone’s favorite ball of fur, and everyone is active in his life: walking him, rubbing his belly, giving him well-deserved treats, and tucking him in bed when he stays up past his bedtime.

5. There is power in pasta. As with the first book, food plays a central role in Melt. It brings the women and their friends together for pleasure—and for less-pleasurable activities. The food that is dished up also serves as a way of introducing readers to some favorite restaurants, bakeries, and delis in Halifax.

6. There is power in the pub. In the first book, the two detectives meet for beer, burgers, and business in a pub. Pubs are part of the fabric of life in Nova Scotia. They are places to unwind, eat good food at good prices, and sip something hoppy (or otherwise). In Melt, the detectives continue to gather at the Dry Dock. In some cases, they’re joined by the three women who have also become part of the fabric of their lives.

7. There is power in a punchline. To my surprise, and perhaps my chagrin, Melt is funny. I should be neither surprised nor chagrined by this because my writing often has an edge to it. I just didn’t see it turning up here. The characters knew better.

8. There is power in place. I grew up and live in Nova Scotia. It made sense to locate Charlene, Lexie, Woo Woo, and their friends here. What I didn’t realize was how knowing a place well would transfer to the page. Many readers have told me how much they enjoy seeing where they live come to life. Many of those who don’t live here have told me they feel like they have come to know Nova Scotia as locals know it.

9. There is power in poetry. For the first time, poetry makes its way into one of my mystery books. It’s an inside joke admittedly, but it is also a reminder that poetry isn’t something we learn in high school and leave behind. If we’re lucky, it’s something we take with us as life unfolds.

10. There is power in a provocative first line. The first line for Melt came to me quickly. It made me chuckle, and it set the scene for the opening chapter. I second guessed myself though wondering if the line was too much. In the end, I ended up where I started. Happily. Let me know what you think—you can read the first page below.

The first page

Luke’s balls are itchy.

His left hand, casually resting on his left thigh, is mere inches from his testicles. He could surreptitiously edge his hand forward and find relief.

“Surreptitiously” is not a word in Luke’s usual vocabulary. It has nothing to do with IQ. Indeed, Luke is smart enough to read the room before he moves his hand a nanometer. He scans the beige walls, the brown tables, the black gowns, the onyx gavel. A courtroom, he concludes, is not the best place to scratch your scrotum. Luke clenches his legs together to stop the itching. Now he has to piss.

Luke looks up to see the judge looking down at him. “I want to confirm your plea. You understand by pleading guilty to trafficking a schedule one drug you could spend 25 years in a federal prison.”

This is not news to Luke. It is not good news, certainly, but it is not a surprise. It is what he has signed on for. Luke’s lawyer nudges him. Luke stands up. He returns the judge’s gaze without malice or defiance. “Yes, your honor, I understand.”

The associate chief justice of the supreme court of Nova Scotia quickly and efficiently takes in Luke’s demeanor, his clarity of voice. She takes in his blue suit, at least one size too large; his tartan tie, with Value Village written all over it; his left hand, which seems to have a small twitch. She looks into Luke Castle’s eyes. She sees what she often sees: fear. What she does not see is hope.

About the author

donalee Moulton’s first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, was published in 2024. It won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two new books out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency.

A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee’s short story “Troubled Water” was shortlisted for a 2024 Derringer Award and a 2024 Award of Excellence from the Crime Writers of Canada.

donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post,, and Canadian Business. As well, donalee is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored the new book Better Policy | Better Performance: The Who, Why, and What of Organizational Policy.

Social media | Online info

Spotlight on The Rebellious Countess

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Helene Matheson. Today, Helene shares her new release, The Rebellious Countess.

Blurb

Society may be run by the men of the ton, but six scandalous sisters are determined to take it by storm one gentleman at a time.

Máira Blair married for love, her honeymoon trip with the Earl of Dorset is a dream come true—until reality turns it into a nightmare. Máira wakes up to discover her husband isn’t an earl, but the captain of a pirate ship and what was supposed to be her honeymoon, is a voyage bound for war-torn France. If that isn’t enough to disparage her husband’s character, he abandons her in the middle of a French port where she must find a way to survive as she defends her virtue and her life. Just when she’s convinced of what kind of rogue she married, the pirate transforms into a hero on a quest to save her and the missing Earl of Astley.

Sir Elias Drake married for convenience, he needed a Scottish bride to complete his mission. He can resist his desire for his beautiful wife, especially after she discovers his true identity. Except Máira Blair was more than he bargained for. He needs her skills, cherishes her compassion, and is tormented by her passion, which only makes him want her and the life their marriage represents more.

It will require both of their talents to rescue the Earl of Astley, and it will take more than a war to defeat their hard-won love—if they can escape.

Excerpt

Her Scottish blood began to simmer. The mettle of her ancestors wronged by backstabbing, licentious English bastards was rising to a call so deeply ingrained in her soul, she wanted to fight. It didn’t matter her mother was English, she was a Scottish bastard through and through as far as the ton was concerned. One of the scandalous sisters. Even Iseabail’s marriage to a duke hadn’t been able to stop the label from spreading. Máira’s good-for-nothing husband had just added to her family’s ruination by making her a walking, talking scandal of the worst kind.

It was Ellison. There was no doubt. It didn’t matter that he wore clothes she didn’t recognize, or that a hat sat low over his brow hiding most of his features. It didn’t matter that the sun was going down and the only light in town was coming from the windows of The Happy Hag. It didn’t matter that she’d somehow slept the night and day away probably due to the bump on her head.

She knew it was Ellison by the tune he whistled and poetical way he performed it. He’d whistled that same tune the night of their wedding. How she remembered that she wasn’t certain, but it was him, of that there was no doubt. He could whistle like no one she’d ever heard in her life. Melodic, and sorrowful, his song spoke of love found and lost. It spoke to her soul, and she wanted to punch those sinful lips for making her feel anything but hatred.

Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million

Author Bio and Links

Helene Matheson writes steamy Regency historical romance novels with intelligent, unstoppable heroines who don’t require an alpha male to save them—having one in their bed is another story.

Helene moved south for fun in the sun after she retired from public service and began pursuing her life-long dream of writing. She wrote the Amazon best-selling mystery series The Book Barn Mysteries for Lyrical Press and has written multiple award-winning romantic suspense novels under Kym Roberts.

In her spare time she can be found woodcarving by the pool or blogging for The Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction. To contact her on social media, you can find her under KymRoberts911 on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Her books can also be found on her websites: HeleneMatheson.com or KymRoberts.com

Giveaway

Helene Matheson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Helene on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Book Blast: The Passenger

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Joie Lesin. Today, Joie shares her new release, The Passenger.

Blurb

She’s a 1940s ghost whisperer.

Burdened with her empathic gift, Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of it and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of an old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home.

He’s the son of a ghost.

Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who abandoned him as a child. To help the father pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger. Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction.

Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?

The Passenger, a 1940s ghost story set in the California wine country, tells a tale of family connections, life-changing choices, and love—lost and found.

Excerpt

Elizabeth’s stomach churned in nervous knots. She squirmed on the cloth seat, and her foot twitched. If he heard her erratic heartbeat, he’d realize how frantic she was—and hot. Perspiration built up on her forehead. Grabbing the metal handle, she rolled down the squeaking window, and inhaled the pure air. The fragrances of the forest filled her senses—the resinous scent of pine, the earthiness of soil, and damp detritus of fallen branches and decaying leaves. The surrounding land was alive, vibrant, and something more she couldn’t quite identify. Somehow, the vehicle they drove in and the path it traveled seemed out of place.

Gravel on the uneven road crunched and ground under the truck’s tires. Elizabeth sat straight in her seat and stole stiff, awkward glimpses at Giovanni. A frown marked his lips. His lean, well-defined face held soulful eyes bringing to her mind images of the sad little boy he must have been.

A thin red scar stretched down his right cheek and she itched to run a finger along the faded edges. She’d caress his stubble-shadowed chin and tell him how terribly his father missed him.

Instead, she stared out the truck window.

Buy Links

The Wild Rose Press Book Page | Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Author Bio and Links

Award-winning, Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and poet. She is most recently the author of The Passenger (The Wild Rose Press, 2024) and her work is also featured in Scribeworth Magazine. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including mermaids and ghosts. Joie writes character-driven, emotional, atmospheric tales about heartache and hope.

Giveaway

Joie Lesin will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Joie on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Book Blast: Ghosted

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Wild Rose Press author Lori Matsourani. Today, Lori shares her new release, Ghosted.

Blurb

When her fiancé’s infidelity prompts Bethany Hendren to map out a new path forward, her plans are disrupted by an unexpected encounter with Nick Dorsey, who convinces her to help search for the remains of a troubled eighteenth-century ghost. Nick is the handsome summer boyfriend who ghosted her years ago, and now he wants to rekindle their relationship.

Despite her reluctance to trust him, Bethany discovers he’s still the funny, caring person who captured her heart as a teen, but giving him a second chance is risky—it could lead to love and happiness or result in another devastating heartache.

Although Bethany wants a happily ever after with Nick, does she have the courage to trust him with her future?

Excerpt

The fountain that night was magical. Spotlights positioned at the edges of the narrow brick patio lit the cast-iron maiden as she filled her goblet from an urn with a never-ending flow of water.

Nick stopped and retrieved his dime. Bethany fished a penny out of her pocket, and they counted to three before flinging their coins into the pool.

After settling on a nearby bench, he drew her into his arms. Was this it? The moment she’d wondered about, waited for? She looked up into his eyes and inhaled, filling her lungs with the scent of sunscreen and salty air. His scent. Then he leaned down, touched her cheek with his index finger, and brushed his mouth against hers. His lips, spiced with traces of red pepper flakes, were softer than she had imagined. Without thinking, she lifted her face to his, hungrily snatching more kisses until she’d spent her last breath.

“My wish came true,” he’d murmured, tightening his arms around her as his mouth rested on hers.

She’d whispered back, “So did mine.”

The memory dredged up the old ache, now muted by time. Nick thought they were still friends, although he’d been the one who ended their relationship. Was it possible he still thought about her, and his heart still pounded with the chemistry that had pulled them together so long ago?

Buy Links

Books2Read | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | WildRosePress

Author Bio and Links

Author Lori Matsourani is a romance addict. Give her stories with a touch of heartbreak and a spark of joy, and she’s happy. Throw in characters with a huge helping of heart and soul, and she’s up reading all night in romance heaven! While currently a Texas resident, Lori grew up near Baltimore and often draws on the historical flavor of Annapolis and Maryland’s Eastern Shore to inspire her story settings. She authored her first fiction story at twelve and has been hooked on writing ever since. Early on, her writing career focused on articles for magazines and newspapers before shifting to her first writing love—fiction. For Lori, connecting words to tell a story is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, and she loves the challenge of creating every piece.

*Win a copy of the book at this Goodreads Giveaway. *

Giveaway

Lori Matsourani will be awarding a $20 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Lori on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Interview with Christine Amsden

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Chrstine Amsden. Today, Christine shares her creative journey and new release, Knot of Souls.

Here’s Christine!

What was your inspiration for this book?

The idea for Knot of Souls came at the end of 2020, after a year of working social media for two state senate campaigns. Politics is always fraught, but in the midst of a global pandemic, trolls were out in force, leaving me wondering how two opposite sides could ever come together on anything. In November, I sat down at my computer, stared at a blank cursor for a minute, and typed out three words:

Write something happy.

Joy got a name before she got a plot!

Now, it’s hard to write something you don’t feel, and I didn’t feel happy at the time, but I did manage hopeful. The key hope I wanted to ignite? That two very different beings at cross-purposes can find a way to work together, and even become close.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

My favorite part of being an author are the times when someone sends me an email and tells me they loved my book(s). I recently got one from someone I’ve known for seven years who only just got around to reading me, and she said, “Why did I wait so long???” Those kinds of things put a smile on my face every time.

The worst part of being an author has been grappling with how big a role luck plays in success.

Describe your writing space.

I write in a basement office where the only light comes through a small, high window covered with stained glass sunflowers. Due to a visual impairment, I write almost exclusively on a desktop, using a very large monitor mounted on an arm that I bring so close to my face that my (hot pink) keyboard is under and behind it. The keyboard clicks. Click click click. I love the tactile and auditory feedback. On a table nearby, I place a jar candle that I light when I’m working on a novel. The scents vary; I like to keep things interesting. Right now it’s vanilla, but I’m probably going to move to something more woodsy soon.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Self-confidence. (Is that a superpower? It feels like a superpower!)

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?b>

Games! I’ve been learning chess for a year or two, and I play some video games … they aren’t all accessible enough, but I’ve gotten into cozy ones like Stardew Valley. I read a lot, both fiction and nonfiction, and as I primarily read on audio I knit to have something to do with my hands. I also enjoy walking, yoga, and a good cup of tea.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Never forget to play, and to take joy in your work.

Book Blurb

Two souls, one body …

When Joy wakes up in an alley, she knows three things: she was brutally murdered, she has somehow come back to life … and she is not alone. She’s been possessed by an inhuman presence, a being that has taken over her dying body. That being is powerful, in pain, and on the run from entities more dangerous than he is.

Shade, a Fae prince on the run, didn’t mean to share the body he jumped into. Desperate and afraid, accused of a murder he didn’t commit, he only sought a place to hide—but if he leaves Joy now, he faces discovery and a fate worse than death.

Forced to work together to solve multiple murders, including her own, Joy and Shade discover hidden strengths and an unlikely friendship. Yet as their souls become increasingly intertwined, they realize their true danger might come from each other … and if they don’t find a way to untangle the knot their souls have become, then even the truth won’t set them free.

Knot of Souls is a stand-alone buddy love fantasy that forces two very different beings to work together … and come out stronger on the other side.

Knot of Souls is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

Joy

The first thing I realized, after I died, was that my body could walk and talk and no longer needed my help for any of it. I was in there, able to look through my eyes and hear through my ears, but even the simple task of aiming my gaze had slipped outside my control. I was a passenger inside my own mind, an observer along for the ride.

Kristen had been right, I thought numbly as I struggled to make sense of my new reality. Had it only been lunchtime today when she’d told me I’d never get ahead if I didn’t learn to assert myself? “Take control of your life,” she’d said, “or others will take it for you.” She couldn’t have been thinking of anything quite so literal. Whatever was happening to me, it wasn’t because I’d failed to advocate for a promotion at work or refused to ask out a coworker.

Right?

My body reached my car and slid behind the wheel. A rattled thought—not my own—cursed as it tried to understand how the contraption worked. How much can cars have changed in only a century? Visions accompanied the thoughts, memories—again not my own—of a classic car, gleaming black and elegant, its top down, my bobbed hair whipping around my face as I laughed with glee, a white-faced young man at my side gripping the door, begging me to slow down. I did not.

Which brings me to the second thing I realized, after I died: I was no longer alone inside my own mind.

Whoever was in there didn’t seem to have noticed me yet. Fine. I slid into the smallest corner of my brain I could find, ignoring the intruder as they struggled to figure out how to work an automatic transmission. Maybe they’d get frustrated and give up and go find someone else’s body to possess.

Holy shit! I’ve been possessed by the ghost of someone who died in like 1930.

But why?

I tried to remember what had happened, but the images danced just out of reach. I recalled that the night had been unseasonably cold for October, the chill biting through my inadequate jacket as I hurried to my car, parked in a garage two blocks away from the shelter where I’d been volunteering. Hugging my arms around my torso for warmth, I took a shortcut through an alley and …

There was a noise. I’d startled, my heart pounding in my throat, already on edge because of the argument.

Wait. Back up. There’d been an argument. That seemed significant, but my scattered thoughts couldn’t piece it together as yet, not when a bodily intruder fumbled at the gearshift of my two-month-old Hyundai Accent with only fifty-eight “low monthly payments” left to go.

Low is such a relative word.

– Excerpted from Knot of Souls by Christine Amsden, Christine Amsden, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Christine Amsden is the author of nine award-winning fantasy and science fiction novels, including the Cassie Scot Series.

Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but Christine believes great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. She writes primarily about people, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

In addition to writing, Christine is a freelance editor and political activist. Disability advocacy is of particular interest to her; she has a rare genetic eye condition called Stargardt Macular Degeneration and has been legally blind since the age of eighteen. In her free time, she enjoys role playing, board games, and a good cup of tea. She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two kids.

Website | X | Facebook | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Christine Amsden is giving away 2 epub sets of the 4-book Cassie Scot series (gifted through BookFunnel! This includes Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective, Secrets and Lies, Mind Games and Stolen Dreams. Enter here.

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.

• Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one set of the 4-book Cassie Scot series (four books total).

• This giveaway starts July 1 and ends September 26.

• Winner will be contacted via email on September 26.

• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Blurb Blitz: Christmas Watch

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back multi-published author Petie McCarty. Today, Petie shares her new release, Christmas Watch.

Blurb

The Watchers Series

Fallen angels seeking parole for their betrayal . . .

Someone is watching Rachel . . . but who? And why?

Child psychologist Rachel Kelly has her Christmas stocking full of troubles this holiday season, both personal and professional. Recently separated from her boyfriend, Rachel still loves him but has no idea how to win him back. If that’s not enough to cause her sleepless nights, she’s uncertain how to handle her newest therapy client—a six-year-old boy who claims he talks to Watchers. And a Watcher is coming to help Rachel.

Lt. Jake Dillon has his heart broken when his fiancée Rachel, without warning, suddenly calls it quits. Yet when a stalker crashes Rachel’s Christmas party and takes her young clients hostage, Jake is the first person Rachel calls. Now he has a choice to make—stand back and wait for the cavalry to save her, or step in and try to save her himself. Time is running out, and Jake may be their only chance for rescue.

Unless Rachel’s young Watcher spy is telling the truth . . .

This romantic suspense tale with paranormal elements is Book 2 in The Watchers series . . . A captivating tale of small-town Christmas romance that will leave you looking over your shoulder and wondering, Is someone watching

Excerpt

Jake whipped his BMW into the Azalea Center parking lot and switched off his headlights in one smooth motion. Guided by the light from the few streetlamps, he coasted to a silent stop next to Wally’s Jeep, though his emotions had urged him to come screeching around the corner like the cavalry. Common sense and the need for stealth won out. He couldn’t risk driving the trespasser underground only to have him surface later after Jake had gone.

Clicking off his interior lights, he unlocked his glove compartment and drew out his Sig Sauer, then climbed out and quietly pushed the car door in until the latch held. He waited several seconds to let his eyes and ears take in the entire scene. Damn. All the landscaping crowded around the Center provided a multitude of places for a trespasser to hide.

He put a hand on the hood of Wally’s Jeep. Still warm, even in the cold night air. A brief stab of guilt hit him for dumping his team so abruptly in the Beef n’ Barrel. Couldn’t be helped.

He scanned the closest landscape beds for some sign of Wally. A stiff north breeze whipped across the parking area, stirring up leaves and debris. Barely visible through the treetops, the almost-full moon blazed bright.

He made his way past the large perimeter oaks to the interior sidewalk and began a slow circle of the building, checking sections of the garden as he paced. All the offices on the west side of the building were unoccupied, and all the windows were dark, with a few showing vestiges of their interiors due to adjacent emergency lighting.

Rachel’s office, just around the corner, faced the back of the property. At this time of night, her office interior would be entirely visible with her lights on. Jake knew this because he’d snuck over here enough times in the last few months to observe her office from the garden. He was pathetic and, every few weeks, needed a glimpse of her to get by. A wry smile twitched the edges of his mouth. He could’ve been called in as a trespasser on any one of those nights should someone have spotted him and cared enough to make the call.

Careful to remain off the sidewalk, he silently paced toward the back garden. If the trespasser was a stalker, then the perp probably knew the Center had no security guard and no security system. A fact that had always bothered Jake.

At the back corner of the property, he crossed the sidewalk to inspect the landscape areas adjacent to the building. With quick steps, he shifted from one landscape bed to another. Crouching as he left the larger camellias, he moved through the shorter azaleas and Indian hawthorn.

Clearing the corner, his position even with the back of the building, he paused to reconnoiter and stared at the faint pool of light cast by an overhead office. Rachel’s office.

As his gaze rose to the second-floor office, his eyes searched for the all-too-familiar figure. Without thinking, he straightened to his full height, clearly visible to anyone glancing out the window. Yet no one searched for a figure in the garden. All eyes in the office were busy.

Rachel stood with Olivia and her children on one side of the conference room. On the other side of the room, a man in a worn red jacket and baseball cap faced them. Pointing a gun.

This was Jake’s horrible nightmare.

Author Bio and Links

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time.

These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

Giveaway

Petie McCarty will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Petie on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Blurb Blitz: The Spirit of Vanderlaan

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome psychologist and author Susan Harris Howell. Today, Susan shares her debut novel, The Spirit of Vanderlaan.

Blurb

When beloved professor, Samantha Hayes, learns that her favorite four students live in as many of her old dorm rooms, she wonders how it happened and for what purpose. As she and her student entourage explore the possibilities, they uncover a death years ago and what appears to be the ghost of the dearly departed. All of this stirs up Samantha’s long-held fear that she was responsible for that death, challenging all she thought she knew about herself and the work she holds dear. They must figure out what happened before Samantha gets fired for “dabbling in the paranormal.”

Excerpt

As she walked to her first class of the day, Samantha congratulated herself that for the first time this semester she would arrive at her own class on time. A glance at her watch revealed she even had five minutes to spare. With Douglas Hall in sight and her classroom on its main floor, she was sure to make it on time—

“Samantha!”

Grrr! So close. Although showing up late for class frustrated her, she was mostly annoyed by the person who was about to detain her. If I ignore him, maybe he’ll go away.

“Samantha!” This time he was more insistent.

Samantha released a breath of resignation. She should have known better. He wasn’t the kind to be ignored. Samantha turned to face him as she reached the door of the building. She hadn’t been at Vanderlaan long enough to flout someone who carried the weight around here that he did. “What can I do for you, Len?”

Dr. Len Titus stood before her, dressed as always, in a suit with a starched white shirt and tie which he would loosen by afternoon. His graying hair with a precise part on the side had become his hallmark, along with his hands-on-hips pose and gravelly voice. Levi’s imitation of each was spot on, although professional decorum required that Samantha refrain from the encouragement her laughter would ensure. Since Len Titus was of slight frame, someone unfamiliar with this man might assume passivity or weakness. Not Samantha.

“I see we’re both teaching in Douglas Hall this semester,” he said. “Hope I won’t be in your way.” He peered over his wire-rimmed glasses. “Or you in mine.”

Samantha took a breath, gritted her teeth, and walked through the door. She would use the back entrance next time.

Author Bio and Links

I am a psychologist, speaker, and author of The Spirit of Vanderlaan, my debut novel released in December of 2024. This book is a fun, cozy, ghost story featuring a professor, Samantha Hayes, and her lively band of students who get caught up in solving a campus mystery. This book draws on my teaching career of over thirty years to capture the camaraderie and warmth between a professor and the assortment of personalities which inhabit her office.

I have also published extensively on equality between women and men. My first book, Buried Talents, explores the subtle ways women are discouraged from entering male-dominated occupations. Buried Talents was named a winner in InterVarsity Press’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards.

My husband and I have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, one adorable grandson, and an incorrigible beagle named Doc. While Doc doesn’t understand a word I say, he fully supports my books and their content.

Giveaway

Susan Harris Howell will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Susan on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Spotlight on Fanning Fireflies

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author LS Delorme. Today, she shares her new release, Fanning Fireflies, Book 3 in the Limerent Series.

Blurb

There is something rotting in Harrisville.

It’s 1944 and Veronica works so she can afford to eat. Maybe one day she will save enough to own the home her family is living in, but for now, she doesn’t have time for fanciful thoughts, or much else. She doesn’t have time for the fire whispering to her, the ghosts trying to talk to her and the son of her boss, who can’t stop staring at her. She definitely doesn’t have time to think about Lazlo, the handsome black soldier that she processed at the draft office, but she can’t seem to stop herself. As her ability to ignore Lazlo evaporates, so does her self-imposed ignorance about her hometown.

There is, and always has been, something rotten in Harrisville. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. After all. Veronica works in the cigarette factory. where corpses hide in the tobacco with the roaches.

Excerpt

She knew that she shouldn’t be here, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave. This isn’t being brave, it’s being foolish, her brain told her. He will suffer more than you if they catch him…

Lazlo was now holding the paper wrapper—the biscuit was gone. Veronica took the last bite of hers. She didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want him to be in the war. She wanted to protect him.

“Well, it was nice to meet you,” she said, sticking out her hand. Women didn’t shake hands much, and almost never with a man, but she wanted any excuse to touch him.

He took her hand in his. He didn’t shake it; he just held it for a moment as his eyes met hers. His eyes were dark and open. Veronica wanted nothing more than to kiss him. He leaned forward a bit and she did the same. But then the sound of voices drifted over on the wind—male voices somewhere down the tracks.

“I should go,” he said softly.

Veronica nodded, as her heart spasmed in her chest.

Lazlo got up, jumped from the rock, and landed gracefully on the ground. He turned to her, smiled, and then started back down the train tracks.

“Lazlo!” Veronica called out.

He turned around quickly and took a few steps back in her direction.

“Why don’t you write me?” she said. “I would love to hear about what you see out there in the world.”

Even from this distance, she could see his eyes widen. But then he smiled and nodded before turning and running up the embankment and disappearing.

Author Bio and Links

Lexy Shaw Delorme (writing as LS Delorme) is the award-winning author of The Limerent Series, a genre-defying collection of emotionally resonant novels that blend supernatural mystery, psychological thriller, historical fiction, and romantic suspense. With a background as a lawyer, pop musician, and science writer, Lexy brings intellectual depth and lyrical prose to every story she tells. Now based in Paris, she lives with her French husband and two very cool sons. Her work explores themes of limerence, memory, identity, and the echoes of past lives—and she’s not afraid to push boundaries along the way.

The Limerent Series (Books 1–4)

• Caio — A supernatural romantic thriller about grief, justice, and forbidden connection. • Bright Midnights — A YA dream-thriller following a magnetic girl caught between dimensions. • Fanning Fireflies — A 1940s historical ghost story and romance centered around race, secrecy, and sacrifice. • Ghosting Academy — A high-stakes psychological thriller with VR technology, elite agents, and spiritual unraveling.

Each book is a standalone, yet interwoven through deeper cosmological themes and recurring characters.

Media Recognition & Reviews

• Kirkus Reviews praised Caio as “an entertaining fantasy with a dash of macabre eroticism.” • Bright Midnights received a coveted BookLife Editor’s Pick from Publishers Weekly, with critics calling it an “enthralling, character-rich narrative.” • Fanning Fireflies was IndieReader Approved (4.8/5), described as “an emotionally charged, thought-provoking read.” • The series has been celebrated across the book blogging world as genre-bending, hypnotic, and emotionally gripping.

Awards & Honors

• Bright Midnights won the Golden Wizard Book Prize (UK) in the YA Fantasy category. • Caio received a positive “Get It” verdict from Kirkus, signaling quality and appeal. • Fanning Fireflies was awarded near-perfect marks from IndieReader, achieving critical acclaim.

Media & Events

• Featured guest on BBC Radio 2 – The Gabby Roslin Show, discussing Fanning Fireflies and the mythic architecture of the series. • Interviewed on the What We Reading UK blog and spotlighted by the British Fantasy Society. • Frequent guest on virtual book tours hosted by LiterallyPR and Goddess Fish Promotions. • Upcoming panelist and moderator at C2E2 Comic Con 2025.

Reader Response

• Called “a cult classic in the making” by readers. • Described as having “characters who stay with you long after the last page.” • Celebrated for blending literary depth with page-turning suspense.

Follow LS Delorme

Website | Instagram | TikTok | Publisher Contact: LiterallyPR (London)

Giveaway

LS Delorme will be awarding a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow the author on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Set in 1944 North Carolina, Fanning Fireflies is a beautifully crafted novel that seamlessly blends the supernatural with stark historical reality. Veronica Crane, a young woman who possesses the unique ability to communicate with ghosts, serves as a guide through a world marked by racism, poverty, and loss. But this is not a whimsical ghost story. Ms. Delorme does not sugarcoat, so be prepared for an unvarnished look at the struggles of Black Americans.

At the story’s heart is the quiet but powerful romance between Veronica and Lazlo, a Black soldier fighting for a country that denies his humanity. Their bond, tender and defiant, underscores the novel’s deeper message: Love and truth endure, even in the darkest times.

A haunting and heartfelt novel that will linger in consciousness.

Blurb Blitz: WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING.

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome poet/singer/songwriter Intensia. Today, Intensia shares WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING., her collection of lyric excerpts and emotional snapshots from pop songs in progress.

Blurb

Have you ever wondered how your favorite songs really began?

Not with the words, not with the melody, but with a feeling.

Becoming a vision, becoming lines, becoming a complete piece of sonorous truth meant to be shared to unite people who resonate with it.

A mystical, fascinating process you can now be part of.

INTENSIA, a new heartfelt, poetic singer songwriter likely to belong with your favorite pop music companions, is turning the traditional release model upside down, inviting you to look into her soul and mind before anyone else.

Be among the first to witness this spark before her distinctive voice echoes through the world. This unique approach offers an unprecedented glimpse into evolving art, so you can feel and enjoy the essence of her songs before they are even complete.

Dive into this curated collection of lyric excerpts and emotional snapshots from pop songs in progress. Each piece stands on its own as a modern, poetic message, paired with brief reflections about the meaning or emotions behind the words.

It is more than something to read. It is a space to pause, reflect, and connect, with room for your thoughts and reflections too. Write what moves you, what you feel, what you dream. This book and its songs to be are meant to accompany you wherever you go.

For even more space to express yourself, the companion notebook PLACE TO THINK. OR TO WRITE. (ISBN 978-3-911445-02-3) is available as a dedicated space.

WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. out 26 June 2025 on Amazon. Paperback (ISBN 978-3-911445-00-9), eBook (ISBN 978-3-911445-01-6).

Join INTENSIA’s free Intense Inside Club at http://www.intensia.music and discover this special music developing experience as it unfolds, where connection begins as songs come to life.

Excerpt

Author Bio and Links

From Munich’s vibrant core, Intensia is sparking a poetic, tuneful movement with a unique glimpse into her evolving pop songs-to-be book, “WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING.”. It combines lyric snippets with heartfelt reflections, inviting readers to discover her art in progress in a new and unexpected way.

INTENSIA’s story began in childhood with a simple radio cassette recorder, a portal to a mesmerizing world where her voice became a powerful way to explore emotions and transform them into melodies.

Her lyrics delve into self-reflection, personal growth, relationships, and empowerment. Themes that reflect the vision of her boutique flagship label, Intensia Music International, which is also dedicated to inspiring others to explore their creative side.

With a high art, down-to-earth attitude, INTENSIA stands for emotional pop tunes that feel like after a meaningful conversation with a good friend. Step into her world at http://www.intensia.music and you will find a new sonorous companion for life.

Artist Website | Publisher Website/Music Label | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Book Buy Link

Giveaway

Intensia will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Intensia on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.