Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Virtual Book Tour: Shooting Picasso

Please welcome author Vanna Tessier, who is going to talk about her newest release, Shooting Picasso.  Vanna will be awarding a $15 Amazon GC and a soft cover, autographed copy of Shooting Picasso (US only) to one random commenter during her tour, as well as an ecopy of the book to three randomly drawn commenters.  The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Look for the rafflecopter at the end of this blog post!


Shooting Picasso
by Vanna Tessier

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




BLURB:

The 9/11 surprise attack on the World Trade Center creates unimaginable chaos and grief in New York City. Ruthless opportunists try to take advantage of the ensuing panic, but a promising young reporter known for her no-holds-barred story-chasing hunts them down and soon finds herself at the heart of a criminal underworld.

How deep into that underworld, and her own past, is she willing to go? And more importantly, will she have the strength to face a drastic life change?


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

EXCERPT:

  
As Riviera waves him in, she points to the narrow door leading to the back of the art shop. I notice the man’s birthmark when he turns. It resembles a wine-colored skull with teeth. I have to stop him. However, I can’t go past Riviera who allows him to open the door at the rear. He enters and quickly shuts the door behind him. She walks around the counter and halts in front of me.

“Have to see what you have for sale again,” I say.

The barrel body of the stout woman rolls on her short legs as she returns to the counter and wipes the glassy top with a wrinkled towel.

She hisses. “Stubborn, huh!” Her bracelets clink as she blinks at me. “You thought things over and decided to buy the choker. You love it. Right?”

I don’t want to back away. I have to let her know I’d never buy a choker. “I’m thinking about it.”

“You’d like that cameo. It’s lovely. Looks like you.”

“No. It doesn’t.” I can’t stop myself from adding, “I can’t buy that choker.” I stare at the works of art on display. The drawing of the little girl with her puppy is not hanging on the wall now. Only a pale blue stain is left at the place where the drawing used to be.

“Where is the neat sketch showing the little girl and her puppy on the pier over a lake?”


“How dare you ask me a question in that tone of voice?” Riviera shakes her finger at me. “You’re nosy and I don’t have to answer. Why should I? You’re too cheap to buy anything. You belong to the bunch of young people who are jobless and do nothing except cause problems.”



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



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Vanna Tessier writes about the world we live in today. She believes reason and modern technology can enrich the quality of life allowing us to face changes affecting modern society.

Her fiction is at times broadcast on CBC Radio and her book reviews appear in The Edmonton Journal and The Edmonton Sun.

Gypsy Drums, her collection of short stories, was a finalist for the Howard O'Hagan Award. Another collection of short fiction, Thistle Creek, appeared before her book Sandweaver. She translated from Italian, The Last Waltz of Chopin, a novel by Gilberto Finzi.

In 2002, Peppermint Night won The Poets' Corner Award.

She examines the challenge of survival within a forever mutating environment influenced by the onerous demands of our civilization coping with the threat of terrorism.

The author agrees we could find a refuge within the realm of our imagination leading us to discover a balance between reality as is and as we would like it to be.









a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Announcing the winners....



MA and I want to thank everyone who participated in our first blog hop! It was a lot of fun, and we plan to have more in the future!

Now for the winners from my blog!


First winner is Sherry, and second winner is Shorty!  You each win one of our Be My Alien pillows, plus some V Day candy that says Be My Alien!

And the winner of an ebook copy of Be My Alien is Laurie!

I'll be contacting the winners tomorrow!

Thanks again for being a part of our first blog!

Edit: I've redrawn a winner for one of the prizes, and now a pillow goes to Dreamseeker!  Congrats!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Painted Veil Review

 The Painted Veil       

Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: Penguin
American release date: 1963
Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Drama/238 pages
Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★


Kitty Fane and her husband of two years, bacteriologist Walter Fane, live in Hong Kong, where he works. Kitty basically married Walter not for love, because she doesn’t love him, but because being unmarried at the age of twenty-five had become unbearable, and her eighteen-year-old sister is about to get married before her. Plus Walter wants to get married as soon as possible because he has accepted a position in Hong Kong, which means Kitty can escape her family. So Kitty accepts Walter’s proposal and they go to Hong Kong, even if she doesn’t love him. He obviously dotes on her, that should be enough, right?

Except it isn’t, and she’s having an affair with Charlie Townsend, Assistant Colonial Secretary.

Charlie’s older than her, forty to her twenty-seven, and he’s youthful, charismatic and very handsome. However, when Kitty hears the handle to her bedroom being turned, she thinks that her husband has come home early, and he knows. What is she to do?

The Painted Veil is one woman’s journey into self-realization. Kitty begins as a very shallow woman who thinks nothing of cuckolding her husband. She justifies her actions to herself because she enjoys what she’s doing, and believes herself to be in love with Charlie, who is also married.

The discovery of the affair brings ugly truths to light and takes both Kitty and Walter far away. Can what is broken be fixed? Or is this a deliberate ploy on Walter’s part to bring about Kitty’s death?

Kitty comes face to face with harsh realities and how she responds to them is the heart of the book, with her soul-searching and her insights into the person she is. This novel is very character-driven in that the action isn’t fast-paced, and it isn’t highly emotionally charged. But it is deep, as you delve into Kitty’s psyche and follow her journey to awareness.

It gave me a lot to think about. I can’t say I necessarily liked Kitty, and everything we learn is from her point of view, so we never get a good glimpse into Walter’s head, or the other characters, such as Waddington, or the Mother Superior. But every person Kitty meets has their part to play in her development.

If you like Maugham, you’ll certainly like this. Perhaps his novels don’t move like freight trains, but they are very deep and intense in their own way. I do recommend this one. I’m going to check out the movie too, and see what they did with the novel.


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Guest Blogger Rob Colton

Please welcome fellow Briefer, author Rob Colton. He's going to tell us about his hot new release, An
American Lamb in Europe! Woot!  Sit back and relax, Rob. I made us something hot to drink. You go ahead and start, why don't you?









Thanks for having me today, Julie. I appreciate your support.

I’m Rob Colton and I’m here to talk about my brand new paranormal novella, An American Lamb in Europe. The book was released Wednesday, February 12th , and is available from Dreamspinner Press and all your favorite online book stores.

Since “Europe” is part of the title, I want to talk a little bit about location. An American Lamb in Europe is set in the Czech Republic, in a small city near the German border.

When I first envisioned the character of Tomas Bernhardt, I immediately thought of him as a sexy, mysterious man from Bavaria. The largest and oldest state in Germany, Bavaria is located in the southeast corner of the country. Its capital city is Munich. What drew me to Bavaria was the backdrop of the gorgeous Bavarian Alps, along with its many breathtaking castles.

But I didn’t want to set the story in Tomas’s home town, so we only get a fleeting glimpse of Tomas’s home in this book. I plan to revisit these characters in a future book—and Castle Bernhardt will play a bigger role.
With Tomas’s background set, I knew that I wanted the book to be set nearby, in the Czech Republic.

Because Jamie is searching for his missing brother, he unfortunately doesn’t get much time for sightseeing. Much of the novella takes place in a vampire nightclub, as well as an underground bunker left over from the cold war. Churches also play a big role in the book.

While Jamie isn’t particularly religious, he finds a moment of peace in the town’s small church. Churches also are used in other key points of the story. His search for Rudy leads him to an old church where he meets a French princess, and the climax of the story takes place in the catacombs located underneath the ruins of an abandoned church.

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from my novella. And thank you again to Julie for letting me borrow a bit of space!
  


Blurb:
Jamie Anderson knows you need to look before you leap, but he forgets it often enough to land in trouble. When his brother and only remaining family member disappears, he doesn’t think twice about quitting his job as a dental hygienist to travel to the Czech Republic to search for him.

Rescued by the sexy, mysterious Tomas in a small city near the German border, Jamie enlists his help in locating Rudy. Soon Jamie realizes the man knows more than he’s sharing. When Jamie demands Tomas tell him the truth, Tomas reveals he’s a vampire. Horrified the man he’s fantasized about is a monster, Jamie struggles with the fact he still needs Tomas's help to find Rudy.

Jamie never expects their search will land him in the middle of a vampire turf war.

Excerpt:
Unable to sleep, I shoved the covers aside and got dressed. Hoping it would help me blend into the night, I dressed in black jeans and a black shirt.

Overwhelming paranoia swamped me as I walked down the street, so I stepped briskly. Every noise made me jump. I repeatedly looked over my shoulders, convinced I was being followed. Whenever I looked, there was no one there.

When I finally reached the club, it appeared to be closed. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Apparently, I was a little too early for the undead nightlife.

I hid across the street behind the corner of a deserted building, watching.

The idle time gave my mind space to think, and I was having second thoughts. Maybe this was a bad idea. I didn’t even know if Tomas would be here. The excuses kept coming, and I was about ready to turn and go back.

Two very large men entered the nightclub together, followed a few moments later by a dozen or so stragglers, both male and female. I assumed them to be lambs. As for the two big guys…. I don’t know what they were. They didn’t look like the kind of guys who would let vampires feed off them, but what the hell did I know.

Within minutes, the club came alive. The music kicked on, and more and more people began to arrive and disappear inside. Some loitered outside for a while, smoking under the streetlamps, but the chilly weather drove them back inside quickly.

I didn’t have to wait long to see Jiri arrive, surrounded by a small group. Before going into the club, he stopped and turned around, and I swear he looked right at me. I quickly ducked around the corner.
Shit.

My heart pounded in my chest. If he caught me, he would drain me. I just knew it. Did he really see me, or was I imagining it? Should I wait? Should I run? Should I peek to see if he’s still there?

“What are you doing, lämmchen?”

I bit back a scream and spun around to find Tomas standing next to me, so close I could feel his breath on my skin. His two friends stood a few yards away, watching. Where the hell did they come from, and how did they do it so quietly?

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” I huffed in annoyance while moving a step away from Tomas.
“It looks like you are the one doing the sneaking.”



Author Bio:
Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.
Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.
Visit Rob online:

Purchase Links:


Friday, February 14, 2014

The Power of Love M/M Blog Tour 2014



Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to our Blog Hop! MA Church and I will be your hosts for this event, and we're happy to see you here! We hope this will be just the first of a lot of blog hops, and we've invited some of our fellow authors to help us celebrate the event! You can find the links to their blog at the end of my post. There will be fun for all, and there will be giveaways!

As the hostesses of the hop, MA and I are doing something together—a joint giveaway between our blogs. You can find MA here. (US only, sorry)

1. Two First place winners will receive one handmade Be My Alien pillow and Valentine's candy. (Colors of the pillow will vary)





2. Two Second place winner will receive one handmade Be My Alien pillow and Valentine's candy.  (Colors of the pillow will vary)

3. Two Third place winners will  win an ebook copy of  Be My Alien. 


Visit both blogs for a greater chance to win.

In addition, I'm going to offer one winner their pick of anything from my backlist.

To win, leave a comment, along with your email address. Following our blogs would be nice, but not mandatory.

So today is Valentine's Day, traditionally a day of love and romance. At the risk of repeating myself, I'm going to run the flash that I wrote for the holiday last year, because I like it that much, and plan to expand it. I hope you like it too. It's a bit of a twist on giving your heart to someone. Enjoy!

This is going to be a series, one that I call Losing My Religion. The first book has no name yet.  

Someone had the worst timing in the world.

And judging by the jangled sounds of a lyre that emanated from his smartphone, it was his distant cousin and bandmate. When Sebastian caught up with Orpheus, he was going to have to hurt him for interrupting his pleasure.

“Who’s that, baby?” The man’s voice was muffled, its owner’s face buried in the thick pillows of the hotel’s double bed. Sebastian couldn’t remember his name. That was an inconsequential detail, nothing to clutter his mind with. Whoever he was, he had a very delicious ass, one that Sebastian had thoroughly enjoyed plowing. At least until the moment had been so rudely interrupted.

“Fuck me,” he muttered under his breath, before deigning to reply. “Someone. I won’t be long. Just lie there.” He pulled out, irritably, and slid off the other man, wrapping the sheet about him, ignoring the shiver his action produced. He grabbed the phone and stalked into the bathroom, firmly shutting the door behind him before answering.

“This better be damn good. I was busy—”

“I can only imagine.” A throaty chuckle from the other end of the line.

“Why don’t you find Cupid and torture him if you’re bored?” Sebastian searched his image in the mirror. The lighting was harsher than he might like, but he still looked damn good. That was one of the benefits of being a demigod. Maybe he hadn’t gotten the looks that some of them had, particularly the bastard offspring of Aphrodite, his own father’s consort. But Sebastian was certainly beautiful in his own right and he knew it.
He pushed back unruly locks of curly black hair that came just to the nape of his neck. Twisting his head for a better view, he decided he should let it grow out just a little more. The trace of sexy stubble that he maintained above his full carmine lips and along his jaw was pleasing to him—he’d keep that as it was.  His cool grey eyes were carefully lined in black. A perfect vision of loveliness. He blew a kiss at his reflection and smiled.

“Stop admiring yourself.” Orpheus laughed again. Sebastian scowled at the phone and turned from the mirror. “You know I can’t do that. The man’s busy, or have you forgotten what today is?”

It wasn’t so much that Sebastian had forgotten, he simply didn’t care. He found Cupid to be annoying, for the most part. Going on and on about love all the damn time. Like it really existed. Like it really mattered. As if it wasn’t anything more than hormonal urges that produced a vast mass hysteria. A hypnosis that muddled the brain and threw it into a tailspin from which it seldom recovered. It ruined lives, and made fools of normally intelligent men. The only useful byproduct was that it was also responsible for a great deal of violence, and had launched many a war.

Sebastian Laguerre loved no one but himself.

And thank the gods he was beyond Valentine’s Day.

 “Go bother my brothers, why don’t you? I’m busy,” Sebastian repeated. Okay, technically Phobos and Deimos were half-brothers, but whatever.

“You’re the only one that likes to hang with them,” Orpheus pointed out. “Normal people avoid them.”

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“You’re you and I love you for who you are, Sebby.”

“Zeus’s beard, don’t call me that. I’m going. Go fuck yourself. Literally.” He clicked off the phone without waiting for the smart reply he knew was imminent and exited the bathroom. He let the sheet fall away as he wound his sinuous way back toward the bed; it trailed behind until he stepped from it. Dropping onto all fours, he crawled across the bed in a predatory manner.

“I’m back,” he purred in a sultry voice. The other man shivered in anticipation, lifting his head at Sebastian’s return, although he was well trained enough that he did not turn to look. “Miss me, love?”

“Mmm, yes, I did. Missed your cock up my ass. So much…”

“Of course you did.” Sebastian wore a very self-satisfied smirk. “Roll over, pet.”

“Is it time, then?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

He had a nice body, Sebastian admitted. Darryl? David? Dan? Something with a D, he was fairly sure. He was young, early twenties. Young and eager to please. And so far, he’d done a decent job of it. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Sebastian wasn’t going to let that stop him from enjoying himself thoroughly.

He positioned himself between the boy’s legs—Dirk? Devin?—and took himself in hand, pumping his cock a few times. Orpheus’ ill-timed interruption had brought it down slightly, but a little well-applied pressure restored its former tumescent state.

“Now where were we?”

“About to reach glory,” the innocent supplied.

“Ah yes, just so.” He thrust inside of that tight channel in one hard stroke, producing a gasp of pure pleasure. Hot velvet surrounded his cock, a sensation heightened by the tightness of this boy’s muscles that clung so deliciously. “Touch yourself,” he instructed and the boy obeyed, grasping his cock and pumping.

“Not too fast,” Sebastian cautioned. “And don’t close your eyes. I want to see.”

The lids fluttered open again. Sebastian drove into him again, over and over, watching for the right moment. He’d know it by the boy’s responses. He’d see it in his eyes. He’d laid his instrument within reach; when he was ready he picked it up, looped the silk necktie about the boy’s neck and began to tighten it slowly, slowly…

Sebastian could see the play of emotions in the boy’s blue eyes as he spun into euphoria, until his orgasm was inevitable, and Sebastian had wrung out all that he could. As the boy came, he tightened the tie completely, until all breathing ceased.

* * * *
The body was discovered in front of a café near the Eiffel Tower, the heart in a small box beside it, along with a note—Happy Valentine’s Day, Inspector.



 Now check out all the other authors who've come out to play on Valentine's Day!




Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Wednesday Briefs: Dallas in Wonderland II: Chapter Four

The week is flying by once again and Hump Day is back! So, if it's Wednesday, it must also be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! Don't forget to check out our website too!

Last week, we saw Dallas in a session with his doctor, Samuel Levi. That man just confuses Dallas until he doesn't know up from down. In today's episode, he's watching his very intelligent nephew, Oz, who might know more than Dallas thinks. Find out, and then see what the other Briefers are up to. Their links follow my tale. Enjoy!

Dallas in Wonderland II: Chapter Four


Today’s session had ended as badly as any other. Why had Dallas dared to hope differently?

Hell if he knew.

Dallas didn’t have to work again until tomorrow night. Which worked out well for his sister, Paris, who’d begged his services as a babysitter for her son. Dallas didn’t mind watching the precocious eight-year-old and never had.  Campbell had worked a long shift and crashed immediately afterward. He’d probably come across the hall and join them when he awoke. He and Oz got on like gangbusters, luckily. The boy needed some stability in his life. Living with ditzy Paris couldn’t be easy, Dallas knew only too well.
Lately, though, he had to wonder just how stable an influence he was, either.

Dallas missed cooking. Real cooking, that was. The sorts of meals he provided at the greasy dive where he worked bore no resemblance to anything he’d done before. Back when life was easier. As a sous chef and a talented culinary student, he’d earned the respect of his head chef and his fellow employees, his teachers and his peers.

Now he was master of a greasy grill where the most demanding order he might get all night would be for a triple burger with “all the fixins”. A place where the terms ceviche, sous vide, and crudo held no meaning.
God, how he hated the Rusty Heifer.

Tonight, he’d indulged himself and Oz a bit. He showed his nephew how to make pork tenderloin Diane using pork loin rather than tenderloin for a juicier bite. Oz played the part of his sous chef and did everything Dallas had asked of him to perfection. They’d made potatoes Lyonnaise, and Oz had sliced the potatoes and onions to perfection.

Dallas was very proud of him. Oz was probably the closest he’d ever have to a son of his own.

After dinner, they’d watched an Adam Sandler movie together, laughing and crying both. Much needed catharsis, Dallas decided. Sometimes he had a tendency to hold things in, letting them build up into almost unbearable proportions.

Plus he needed to stop thinking about Samuel so damn much.

Now the two of them were relaxing in Dallas’ living room. Dallas had turned the television to a music channel. Smooth jazz played soft and low in the background. Oz sat on the floor, playing with his beloved musketeers.

Dallas was glad that some things seemed to never change.

“Is Campbell coming over, Uncle Dallas?” Oz looked up from his faux duel between a musketeer and one of the “evil” Cardinal’s men. Dallas had found miniature epees that fit into the hands of the figures, giving them a rather lifelike quality. Not sharp, of course. But they looked real enough for Oz and him.

“Probably.” He was really grateful to have Campbell in his life. His own personal Rock of Gibraltar. There was nothing romantic between them, although sometimes Dallas wondered if there could be, had he not met Samuel first...

Well, he had, and there was no use going down that road. Not when his heart was no longer his to give away.

And didn’t that sound like a Hallmark Valentine sentiment? When had Dallas become so sappy? Good thing it wasn’t really Valentine’s Day. He wouldn’t get the chance to make a fool of himself for a few months yet. He didn’t believe for a moment Samuel’s heart could be won with chocolate and cheap sentiments.

Where the real key was hidden, though, Dallas had no clue.

Oh yes, Oz’s question.

 “I’m sure he will once he gets up.”

The music shifted from one song to another, and the melodious strains of “Take the A Train” began to flow. Vintage Duke Ellington. Dallas loved it.

“What about your other friend? Will I ever see him again?” Oz persisted.

What? Who? Dallas frowned, trying to think who Oz might mean.

“The one in the dress that wasn’t a dress,” Oz patiently explained, as if he thought Dallas should remember without the reminder.

Dallas felt warmth creep into his cheeks. Oh yes, he remembered. Samuel in that form-fitting cheongsam.
How could he possibly forget?

Dallas blinked. His breath caught in his throat. Yes, another piece of vindication. Proof that Samuel had existed in his life outside of the analyst’s couch. Oz had seen and met him.

More importantly, he remembered him.

“Do you... do you remember his name?” Dallas felt the rhythm of his heart going into overdrive as he waited for the answer.

“He didn’t say,” the practical child replied, and Dallas realized that was probably true. Caginess on Samuel’s part, or a simple oversight?

“But I bet it’s Samuel,” Oz continued.

“Wh-what? Why do you say that?”

“Because that’s the name I heard you say in your sleep.  When you were staying with us.” He turned his too-wise eyes up toward Dallas, his figures frozen in mid-battle. “Don’t worry, Uncle Dallas, your secrets are safe with me and all my friends.” He returned to his maneuvers, leaving Dallas open-mouthed.

Before Dallas could get out another question, he heard a discreet knock at the door and his heart began to thump even harder for no good reason. Perhaps at the juxtaposition of the subject matter and the desire to see said subject in the flesh. Foolish though that hope probably was.

The door opened and Campbell’s pretty face appeared, followed by the whole package. He’d changed from his workday scrubs to a pair of well-worn faded ripped jeans and a tie-dye T-shirt. For a moment, Dallas was reminded of the hippie in the boat. Although the last time he’d seen him was in the courtroom, when he’d been acting as Samuel’s attorney.

If any of that was real, that is.

“Everything good here?” Campbell closed the door behind him and padded in on bare feet. Dallas nodded as Campbell dropped onto the carpet beside Oz, who greeted him with a hug.

“Saved you some dinner.”

Dallas was rising when his phone  began to ring.

to be continued

Now, go visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to!







Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Virtual Book Tour: Shannon's Law

Author Emma Calin is back! Last time, she revealed her cover for Shannon's Law. Now, she's going to talk about the book, and tell us something about forensics! I know I'm intrigued! Emma is going to be giving out a $30 Amazon Voucher to one randomly drawn commenter, a print copy of Shannon's Law to two random commenters, and a digital copy of Shannon's Law to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour. All entrants will be emailed a digital cookery book of recipes (including photos!) for meals/food eaten in Shannon's Law! The book is called 'Cops Cuisine'. Here's the Rafflecopter link for entries. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find out where the other stops on the tour are, go here.

Thank you so much for letting me showcase my forthcoming steamy action-romance novel SHANNON’S LAW. It’s  the second in my PASSION PATROL series - stories where sassy female cops lock up the criminals and always get their man.


February marks the start of my “Pinterest Reveal Virtual Book Tour” in the run-up to the launch on the 28th February 2014. 

Every day there are feature posts on topics relating to SHANNON’S LAW on blogs all around the world.  They’re all linked together on one big Pinterest Board. Each post replaces a ‘mystery’ silhouette that was posted in January. I saved all  my notes and photos as I was writing, on a private Pinterest Board and now I can share them with you.

Today’s subject is: Forensics



In writing  Shannon's Law I had to do a lot of research. Although police scenes of crime procedures form the subject of several TV shows, they tend to focus on the exciting and juicy bits. When a body is found in a ditch, Shannon is the first police officer on the scene. Her first concern is to preserve all possible evidence. This is a job for a cop with a reel of tape. Only in fiction do detectives check pockets and deduce in seconds that the murderer was a left handed man with a spaniel dog.

A random body with no identity represents a tough case for police. Most murders are committed by someone already close to the victim. A difficult case may call for the Sherlock Holmes approach. A couple of days ago I watched an episode of the latest incarnation of the great man from 2010. The episode was entitled “A Study In Pink”. Because of his superior mind, Sherlock was allowed to attend the corpses of  victims wearing his normal clothes with his longish hair dangling over the scene. My poor ex cop partner was having a fit!  I love Sherlock – although this model seems a shade too rude and arrogant to me. Certainly his personality plays to the geek gallery with a belief that everything in life has a technical solution. Please Sherlock – don't contaminate the crime scene with your genius level skin cells, saliva droplets and hair fibers.


In reality police scenes of crime work is thorough and determined. Painstaking fingertip searching of a hectare of grassland is not for the swashbuckler. In Shannon's Law there is a big problem for  our heroine village cop. She has old fashioned intuition and needs to get a sample from a suspect address. She could just knock the door and ask for one. The criminals inside would just love to know what she was thinking. She has to let things run and get a sample for DNA testing by going outlaw. She runs risks but then needs expert help. It was time to phone a friend and ask him to run the same risk.

“You understand that forensic samples are subject to strict procedures. There must be no risk of contamination. The evidence has to have continuity and police statements to prove its origin.”
“I do know that.”
“So, you can’t gain this evidence properly?”
“Not without alerting some serious villains that I’m interested in them. I think they’re involved with the dead girl. They’re also up to their neck in drugs. I have zero evidence and even if I did and we steamed in, we’d lose the chance to scoop them for the big picture.”
The professor nodded seriously.
“I’m going to trust you totally......  



Book Blurb

Wild child inner-city cop Shannon Aguerri walks a dangerous line between her methods and justice. When the bosses lose their nerve, after yet another maverick mission, she is transferred to green pastures to play out the role of a routine village cop. When she encounters signs of slave and drug trafficking she homes in on serious millionaire criminals.

As a loner she has attracted men but nothing has stuck. When she meets Spencer, the hunky and widowed Earl of Bloxington, there is an immediate rapport between them. Their social differences mean nothing to their passion and need. 

Already in the mix is an upper class female rival – who has long plotted her way into the Earl's bed. The jealousy is an evil shade of green and the anger is a violent scarlet. 

Often inhibited by a sense of duty and honour, Spencer is slow to reveal his feelings. When Shannon confronts him with the need to choose between her word and that of her rival, he does not immediately support her.

All issues are set aside, when they are forced together to carry out a desperate rescue mission. Their love is stronger than everything ranged against them.



SHANNON’S LAW comes out on February 28th 2014 in print and digital formats for all e-readers.


Amazon are offering some great discounts for pre-orders of the paperback version

You can pre-order the digital version at a pre-launch special price from Nook, Kobo, and iTunes. It will also be available in all digital formats on Smashwords

See this post and others from my tour as they go live on Pinterest or click the Goddess Fish panel below to visit the other blogs in the tour.

Follow Shannon’s Law on Facebook

Visit the Shannon’s Law Website for book details and pre-order information.


RAFFLECOPTER DRAW
Win Amazon vouchers, copies of the book PLUS a free gift for every entrant (see prizes below).


The draw will be made at random, by Rafflecopter on the 7th March 2013.


Companion Cook-Book

In addition to SHANNON’S LAW, I’m launching a companion digital cook-book with illustrated recipes for all the meals from the novel.

 It’s called  COP’S KTICHEN - Read the love story and taste the romance!

To celebrate the launch of SHANNON’S LAW, there is a special FREE gift for you in my RAFFLECOPTER draw. As well as great, unique prizes to win, EVERY ENTRANT will get their own digital copy of – COP’S KITCHEN. There are many ways to get bonus chances – by commenting on this post, liking Facebook Pages etc.



Main Prizes in the Draw:
$30/£20/€25 Amazon Gift Voucher, 2 paperback copies of Shannon’s Law, 3 digital copies of Shannon’s Law.

Shannon’s Law comes out in paperback and digital formats for all e-readers
on February 28th 2014.