Virtual Book Tour: Blinded by Love by Gladys Cross

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Gladys Cross to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here today to tell us about her new release, Blinded by Love. Gladys will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Blinded by Love

by Gladys Cross

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE: Romantic Comedy, (RomCom), Contemporary

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Kassie knew she was in trouble when her matchmaking best friend announced she’d gotten professional help in time for Valentine’s Day. Her friend’s attempts had always been hilariously ridiculous and never in a million years was Kassie expecting a hunky firefighter to show up on her doorstep.

 

Her online dating profile said she was looking for a superhero, and Declan couldn’t help but believe it had to be fate. But fate was a fickle mistress who left him to wonder who he was behind the mask. He’d been hiding in plain sight for long enough that he wasn’t sure if he even knew the answer. And until he figured that out, he had nothing to offer the world, let alone Kassie.

 

Love had already ended in tragedy once for Kassie, and she feared that history was doomed to repeat itself unless Declan could learn to trust her with his secrets. This time around, would it be enough to harden her heart for good, or would his deception restore her faith in second chances?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPTS:

 

“Declan went on a date and called me from in front of her apartment.” There was a hushed conversation that I only caught bits and pieces of, mainly hugged, and thought he was gay. Fuck my life, I thought as I drove down the long straight-away leading out of her apartment complex. “Are you still there?”

 

“Of course, I’m still here. Who else am I going to call Spencer?” I asked sarcastically. “I’m not even sure the boy’s balls have dropped yet.”

 

Sadly, there was no one else I could call for love advice outside the guys from the firehouse and it made me miss my mom that much more. Hell, she’d probably be calling Kassie herself, asking what colors she wanted for the baby blanket. 

 

“He is eighteen,” Webster said pulling me from my melancholy. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”

 

I snorted. “Do you remember that call we went on where there was an eighty-year-old dude in leather that had lost the keys to his handcuffs?”

 

He chuckled. “Don’t remind me, and I mean that literally. I’m still not fully recovered, and that was two years ago.” There was silence on the other end of the line as I drove under the overpass. The nothingness went on for long enough that I wondered if we’d gotten disconnected when he snapped his fingers. “Call her back right now and ingeminate the date tomorrow.”

 

“Do what with the date?”

 

“Repeat the date.” He huffed an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t make it to the movies, right?”

 

“Webster you're a genius!”

 

“And Declan. This time kiss the girl, so she doesn’t have to ask if you're a homosexual.”

 

“She only asked me that because I admitted to watching every episode of Sex and The City.” I hit my head against the back of the seat. “Never mind, I just heard myself, I am an idiot.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Books transport us to a fantasy world where anything can happen, and once I overcame my difficulties in learning how to read, I was hooked. My mother always carried a Harlequin Romance with her, so it was only natural that I was drawn to that genre. There was something magical about the concept of eternal love and as I grew older, my tastes within the genre broadened to include everything from historical to dark.

 

My writing blossomed in much the same way. The first story I wrote was the Vanderbilt Affair, which was inspired by a field trip. Back then, I was fortunate enough to have an English teacher willing to nurture my love of writing by becoming my editor after school.

 

The writing bug stayed with me, but over the years, life got in the way, and it wasn’t until my early forties that I published my first short story in a Christmas Anthology. From there, I began writing and publishing across many sub-genres, with each book carrying some element of the unexpected.

 

When I’m not up to devious pursuits, like shooting a character, you’ll find me curled up with a book next to my dog, watching TV with my better half, or engaging in random water gun fights with my daughter and the neighborhood kids.

 

Stalk Me!

 

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3w9JkKM

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2102530.Gladys_Cross

 

Facebook Private Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3772742262760749/?ref=share

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladys.cross.author/?hl=en

 

Tiktok: http://tiktok.com/@authorgladyscross

 

The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Blinded-Love-Superhero-Disguise-Romcom-ebook/dp/B09LD4WSJN/ref=sr_1_1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Full Moon Dreaming Q’s

 

The Questions – please choose at least 5
1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

If I were marooned on a small island, hands down, I would pick my husband to be with me. He’s loads of fun and handy to have around. As for the item, if we’re going full on Gilligan’s Island, you can’t go wrong with a knife.

2) Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?
3) Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic lights
4) What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

Romantic time is at a premium when you have a kid, so date nights are normally dinner out. If we can get away, I’ll take any trip he’d care to take me on. One of my past favorites was a trip to Charleston. We both love botanical gardens and plantations.

5) When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

My latest work in progress started with a character, but that’s not normal for me. Usually, an idea or dream will come to me that ends up being a piece of the plot.

6) If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

If I were to pick an actress to portray me, I’d pick Scarlett Johansson. She has the range to capture my quirky nature and, to be honest, I wish I had her figure.

7) Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

Michael Myers is my favorite horror villain because he’s totally believable and still scares me to this day.

8) Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

My historical crush is Abe Lincoln. He was tall, eloquent, faithful, and loved his country.

9) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Book Tour: Falling For You anthology

Good morning! Please welcome authors  Jae El Foster, Jennifer Patricia O'Keeffe, and Adesanya to Full Moon Dreaming! They are here to discuss their new anthology. Jae is going to talk about his story, The Joys of Getting Pregnant or Sweet Little Angel From Hell. The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC and goodies signed by Lord Vikkas (the cover model) to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour via Rafflecopter. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on this tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

FALLING FOR YOU

by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe, Adesanya, and Jae El Foster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Romantic Comedy, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit anthology

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

The Joys of Getting Pregnant or Sweet Little Angel from Hell by Jae El Foster

Toby has taken the best job – being paid to get a beautiful woman pregnant! Yet, things begin to turn sour between him and his new client when they keep running into each other at various places and get to see each other’s more ‘combative’ sides. While fuming over one such confrontation with the client, Toby is suddenly struck by a car and his world begins to change forever. He is given a business card that leads him to an abandoned warehouse where, once inside, he learns there is much more to this place than meets the eye. As Toby’s luck would have it, only his latest client can save him from what awaits him. What darkness lies within this old warehouse? What secret is his client hiding from him? Will this sudden adventure bring the two unlikely mates closer, or will it make Toby think twice about being her baby-maker? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this hilarious cutting edge tale of good versus evil!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT from The Joys of Getting Pregnant or Sweet Little Angel from Hell by Jae El Foster

He stood outside the doors, trying to look in through the opening, but it appeared dark inside and he could see nothing.

“Hello?” he asked again, and still, he received no response. Finally, growing impatient, he pushed the doors open and allowed the rays of sunlight to brighten the interior.

For a building that had last served as a textile factory, what he saw seemed misleading. The sunlight brightened a long hallway that was lined with a red carpet and narrow wooden walls on either side.

Toby stepped inside and took two steps forward before turning around to the sound of the doors closing behind him. Now, with the sun blocked out, he was trapped in utter darkness.

“Okay,” he said, nervous and on guard as he turned in a circle. “Who’s there?”

At the end of the hallway, a single light flickered on, showing him that the hall ended with a turn to the right. Knowing he should just turn around and run, he decided against chickening out. He’d had such a bad run already that this adventure would either turn out better for him or just finish him all together. He knew one of those had to be the outcome, but the world was pissing him off and he was ready to face it, rather than hide from it.

Slowly, he walked toward the end of the hall and the flickering light that brightened it. There, he paused, looking down the right turn and seeing more of the same – nothingness through the darkness. Shaking off the nerves, he made the turn and continued.

Again, at the end of the hall, a light came on, this time illuminating a door. The door appeared to have a wooden frame with a frosted glass window. The window had writing on it, but from where he stood, he could not read it. So, with more timid steps, he approached it to read it.

“John Smith, Esquire,” read the lettering.

Although this made no sense to him – having an office and this sort of hallway in an old condemned factory – he was at least glad to see Mr. Smith’s name. That gave him a bit of confidence in that, perhaps, he had not fully had the wool pulled over his eyes.

Because of the frost glass, Toby could not see through the window to tell if anyone was inside or not, and so he knocked on the wooden portion of the door.

There was no answer. Of course there was no answer, he thought, shaking his head. It was Sunday. Even if this John Smith and his Chans Dyab Enterprises were real, they wouldn’t have been in this dark and abandoned building on a Sunday afternoon. Likely, the man was off golfing or playing a round or two of tennis. At least, that was what Toby thought rich business men did on their time off. Then again, he could have just been out hitting more people with his car.

As he turned to leave, the door clicked and opened just a few inches. The room seemed dark, but regardless of that, he pushed on the door and opened it fully. It illuminated as he stepped inside.

It was, indeed, an office. There was a grand mahogany desk with a chair that looked like it had cost Mr. Smith more than Toby’s baby juice had cost Roslyn. There was a tall file cabinet, two computers, and two guest chairs. A globe sat atop a bookshelf, and there was a window with the curtains closed at the far wall behind the desk. Although it was simply furnished, it felt posh – more executively exclusive than anywhere Toby had ever stepped into. It even smelled good.

The chair, he thought, looked too inviting. He looked around and behind him, ensuring no one else was in the room with him, and he walked to Mr. Smith’s chair, touching its soft warmth. Then, wondering what it would have felt like to have been a well-to-do businessman, he sat in the chair to get a feeling… to imagine his life being much better than it actually was.

The office door shut, securing him inside. Toby stood with a jolt of surprise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings, thank you for the interview! As I enjoy the list of questions, I’m only one in an anthology of authors and would like to keep the focus on the book as much as possible and not so much on me. I’ve answered a couple of the questions and have included a couple not on the list as well. If they don’t work and you have other questions toward the project itself that you’d like to ask, please do forward them my way and I’ll be happy to oblige. Much thanks! ~ Jae El

Question 1:       When you start a new story, do you begin with a character or a plot?

Response:        Usually the first thing to hit me is a title. It may be a tentative title, and it may never lead to a story, but the first thing that most often arrives is a working title. Most of the time, the title brings along with it the premise of the story – whether by the appearance of a character in my mind, or by a situation… or even an object. For instance, I’m drawn to antiques and creepy old houses. When I see something that strikes a chord in me, I can’t help but wonder what all it has seen and experienced over its time. Everything and anything is food for thought and possibly the bones of my next project.

Question 2:       Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive?

Response:        No one should ever be ready for the stories I have to tell. I work increasingly hard to create unusual books that are not expected of me, and at the same time, I like to be relevant. I push limits with my writing, and from time to time, I push buttons with it too. In recent years, I’ve incorporated more humor into what I write than I used to, but that’s only because I’m older now and realize that life is something you have to laugh at, or else you might just cry. Yet, everything I pen has a lesson and a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. No one is ever ready to be told the things they need to hear, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t hear them. In my story ‘The Joys of Getting Pregnant’ or ‘Sweet Little Angel from Hell’ from the Falling for You anthology, the lesson is blatant, but for it to be learned, one must read the story. Yes, I know… everyone loves a spoiler!

Question 3:       Who is your favorite horror villain and why?

Response:        I have always been fond of Norman Bates. A momma’s boy suffering from an intense case of split-personality disorder – one of which is his serial killing helicopter mother – is pure terror. Norman, himself, was a boy that never got to grow up. Even though Norman dies shortly into author Robert Bloch’s sequel ‘Psycho II,’ Anthony Perkins helped keep the character alive for film fans with a few sequels, one of which includes a good deal of Norman’s back story. While the film franchise received a somewhat tasteless reboot with a Vince Vaughn Norman and an Anne Heche Marion Crane, ‘Bates Motel’ helped make Norman Bates a household name again through television, offering a modern look at the character and some interesting twists and turns in his story. Still, Norman Bates has always remained the same – a killer who kills from fear and necessity, all beckoned by Mother. I would be interested in seeing a prequel to ‘Bates Motel.’ Little ‘Young Sheldon’ would make a fantastic young Norman Bates.

Question 4:         Where did the idea for ‘The Joys of Getting Pregnant’ or ‘Sweet Little Angel from Hell’ come from?

Response:           This story is all because of my editor, the fabulous Jean Watkins. We planned and plotted the premise of the anthology and what we hoped for the cover together. Then, the call for submissions went out and I needed to write my inclusion. My anthology submissions for her have been more comedic, action-packed, or scary than erotic – something that I once wrote very well. So, when I asked her what she wanted for this story, she told me to give her something ‘hot.’ I tried to give her precisely what she asked for and began ‘The Joys of Getting Pregnant,’ about a young man who acts as the sperm donor for a woman trying to have a baby. The two fall in love, have a baby, and live happily ever after. Of course, that was the plan, but it’s not really what happened. Somewhere along the way, things took a comedic, dark turn, and the story melded into ‘Sweet Little Angel from Hell.’ Don’t blame me; blame the muses. Either way, it ended up being a hilarious dark romance that is exceptionally perfect for the Halloween season, and I’m quite proud of it.

Question 5:         Tell us about your protagonist.

Response:           Toby is your average twenty-something guy living in the city, working too many jobs, and still struggling to pay his bills. He takes a job as a sperm donor because he needs the money, and because he loves beautiful girls. Like most guys his age, Toby immediately becomes infatuated with this new, mysterious woman – and yes, she prefers the old fashioned way of getting pregnant. Problems arise when the two learn they have clashing personalities, and when his client’s father comes into the picture. Toby is a guy who, despite the threats in front of him, stands his ground the best he can. He’s stupid, and he’s brave, and he’s the type of man who will do anything it takes to keep the woman of his dreams by his side.

Question 6:         What’s it like ‘sharing the stage’ with the other writers in the anthology?

Response:           I am the last story in the book, and I follow two great female authors – Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe and Adesanya. This is the third anthology that I’ve been included in with Jennifer, and my second with Adesanya. Jennifer is fresh in the field and is a wonderful romantic comedy and chick lit author. Her stories are pg-13 and are amazingly funny and heartwarming. I’ve known Adesanya for over half of my life. She and I go way back. Adesanya writes everything under the sun, and she does it well. She and I have written together many times in the past, and we’ve often borrowed one another’s characters – always respectfully. Aside from my significant other, no one knows me better than Adesanya, so writing together is a natural flow for us. When Adesanya, Jennifer and I get to be in an anthology together, the readers definitely know they are in for something special. All of our offerings for the Falling for You anthology are very different in content, but we are all deeply imbedded into our craft, so you know we’ve given you the best we’ve got.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jae El Foster is an author with whom you question going to bed with at night, but you dare to venture beneath the sheets with him anyway. As the venture concludes, you are perhaps romanced by it, or perhaps you are frightened by it. Don’t worry, because you are always satisfied by it. Despite the title or genre of the book, Jae El sets out to please you with climatic and unexpected conclusions that will make you tremble with emotion. Hop aboard the Jae El train and give it a good ride.

Additional Releases from Jae El Foster

Restless

Where the Demon Is

Shaded Whisperings: Forever

Shaded Whisperings: Playing St. Nick

Kings & Queens (DCL Anthology)

Enchanted Fairy Tales (DCL Anthology)

Beauty Within

Restive

The Greatest Gift of All

Visit Jae El Foster online at

www.jaeelbooks.com

Buy Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Falling-You-Jennifer-Patricia-OKeeffe-ebook/dp/B07VDLWKZ6/ref=sr_1_4

Tag Word Suggestions:  Chicklit, Romcom, Romantic Comedy, angels and demons, accident prone, firemen, autumn romance, Halloween, fallen angels, getting pregnant, devil’s advocate, erotic romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Book Tour: Spooning Daisy

Please welcome author Maggie McConnell, here to tell us about her new release, Spooning Daisy. Maggie will be awarding a Marc Jacobs "Daisy" fragrance spray pen - purse size - to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post.

SPOONING DAISY

by Maggie McConnell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  contemporary romance (romantic comedy)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce to die for. But Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen after a "bit of trouble" at her last job. Now blacklisted from Seattle to San Francisco, Daisy's sole job offer is from Wild Man Lodge in Otter Bite, Alaska, where the end of the road is just the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

   His laugh was immediate. Daisy realized how ridiculous her allegation was. Max Kendall's particular brand of woman didn't need lies to motivate her into his bed. His women were fun and adventurous and, unlike Daisy, didn't have impossible expectations.

  

"I thought we were talking about you," he said with a dying chuckle. "But if you think you're helping the enemy..." With his good leg bearing the brunt of his weight, he rose from the bed. Grabbing the handles on his duffle bag, he slowly stepped toward the bathroom.

  

"If the lights were dim and the music soft and the wine expensive." 

  

Max turned at the door. "And?"

  

"And what?"

  

"I don't believe for one second that you, Daisy, would be undermined by lights, music, and wine."

  

"And… if I thought you were...special."

  

"And what makes a man special?"

  

Daisy hesitated at the fork in her road. She could give Max an honest answer or… "Well, for one thing, he's very forgiving--"

  

His eyes crinkled as his grin returned.

  

"--And he would never use all the hot water just to prove some ridiculous point."

  

"I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble giving a straight answer. See you when the water runs cold." The bathroom door clicked shut.

  

"And he makes me smile," Daisy murmured, smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood overseas as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local humane shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes dog Molly, cat Sara, horses Quinn and Teena, and an ever-growing dynasty of chipmunks. Every year, like the Gray Whale, Maggie returns to Alaska.

Website: 

http://MaggieMcConnellRomance.com

Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMcConnellRomance/

Amazon Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Spooning-Daisy-Otter-Bite-Romance-ebook/dp/B015VA3O10

Barnes & Noble Buy Link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spooning-daisy-maggie-mcconnell/1122713766?ean=9781601836861

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  a Rafflecopter giveaway