As part of the Goddess Fish Virtual Blog Tour, we present:

SHADOW ON THE WALL

By

 

Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?

Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah's call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?

Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandSBOUT torm.

In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.

EXCERPT 

A man. A voice. Darkness tangled her thoughts with fear and childhood warnings.

Sabiha, you shouldn’t be walking alone, she’d heard it say.

Stupidity had made her rash; selfish concerns about her brother caused her to make the worst possible mistake—the kind of mistake that would make her wish she had died, if by any chance she managed to survive.

The low voice knew her name, knew her family name—it had come specifically for her.

She ignored its call, quickening her pace. A laugh broke out in the night, mocking her fear. Suddenly the owner of the voice grabbed her, turning her around to face him.

Refusing to meet the voice’s gaze, Sabiha fixed her eyes forward. Her gaze came to rest on his arm where she saw the outline of a tattoo, dark and menacing. A snake’s tail circled his bicep and disappeared behind his back, only to reveal itself on the other side of his neck with two onyx eyes staring at her, unblinking.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number-cruncher who has been committed to causing trouble since her first moment on this Earth. Her eclectic career has flirted with Broadway, Teaching, Law Firms and the IRS. Author of many short stories, Pavarti spans genres from Horror and Erotica all the way to Fantasy. Currently Pavarti is hard at work establishing her Indie Publishing Company Fighting Monkey Press.

Pavarti K Tyler’s novel Two Moons of Sera is a Fantasy/Romance and began in a serial format in November 2011. Her next novel Shadow on the Wall is scheduled for release in May 2012. Shadow on the Wall is Book One of The SandStorm Chronicles, the saga of Recai Osman — businessman, philosopher, Muslim and . . . superhero.

LINKS:

My blog is all ages: http://www,fightingmonkeypress.com
My tumblr is 18+ only: http://pavartidevi.tumblr.com/
My Fan Page needs your likes: https://www.facebook.com/#!/FMPress
My Twitter likes friends: http://twitter.com/#!/PavartiKTyler
My Google+ is random: https://plus.google.com/?gpinv=JFSVnKSj7Uk:FdjR-3NCJW8#me/posts

TRAILER FOR THIS BOOK: http://youtu.be/MeWoIv5osNc

Here are links to my books:
Two Moons of Sera: http://www.amazon.com/Two-Moons-of-Sera-ebook/dp/B005U81SCQ/ref=pd_rhf_cr_p_t_1
Shadow on the Wall (The SandStorm Chronicles #1): http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wall-SandStorm-Chronicles-1/dp/0983876908/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326905139&sr=8-3
Consumed by Love (novella): http://www.amazon.com/Consumed-by-Love-ebook/dp/B004PYDQBC/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

PRIZE INFORMATION:
One randomly drawn host will win a $50 Amazon GC.

Last Dance--ladies choice

Today marks the end of an era--for the Last Rose of Summer anyway.
Keena Kincaid's "Something Special", #24 in the Class of '85 series, closes out the reunion.

For the last dance of the night, I invite everyone to pick their choice in music.
For me, I'll take Johnny Mathis' "This is a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening".

How about you?

Veronica

If I were the casting director . . .

As I sit here in my comfy couch, all snuggled up with a plush throw over my legs, I'm watching a rerun of "Miracle", the story of the 1980's USA hockey team who won Olympic Gold. "Do you believe in miracles?" is still a catch phrase and Jimmy Craig still lights my fire just as he did back in the day. I mention this because every time a goal is scored, my laptop jumps and I am forced to go back and correct typos. 

But I digress. Back in the summer of 2010, as I wrote "The List", I kept a picture of the younger, infinitely healthier Nick Nolte in my head to play Mick Dineen, former member of the Pittsford Road Posse, turned modern day Palladin for the helpless and hopeless.

For those of you who only know Mr. Nolte from recent mug shots, I want to assure you when this man played the lead in "Prince of Tides" opposite Barbra Streisand he was a living, breathing hunk. His hands fascinated me as did his voice--the same effect Mick's had on Fiona Thorpe as she sat with him at the Eastman Awards banquet, trying to figure out who the hell he was. Like Nick Nolte, Mick walked with purpose, a fluid athletic stride, jacket slung over one shoulder, opposite hand in his pocket, the briefest of smiles on his craggy face. Yummo.

Now for Fiona Thorpe, formerly known as Fat Aggie and Thunder Thighs. My first pick would be a slightly younger Madeleine Stowe. If she was unavailable, Catherine Zeta Jones would work. Catherine has those dancer's legs, smoldering eyes and the build. 

My pick to play Ready Betty Baumgartner? Kyra Sedgwick or Cameron Diaz.

I have no clue who could do justice to Dickhead. Any thoughts?

Veronica 

Meet Mindy MacKay and Euphemia Cartwright

Veronica's Tales is delighted to welcome Mindy MacKay, author of Fallen From Disgrace, who in her own words said, “Hokeydokes. For this interview, I've chosen to interrogate Euphemia Cartwright. Let's see how she does on the other side of the interrogation table for once, hehe.”

1. What is Fallen from Disgrace about? The story is about my sister, Rosella, her descent into madness, and her eventual redemption through her love for her employer. Think Crime and Punishment meets East of Eden meets The 120 Days of Sodom. Though we have quite the (one-sided) rivalry going on, I'm more of an auxiliary player…though it's quite alright. With my author, it's safer not to be in the spotlight.

2. What did you think the first time you saw Kyle? Hmm, the first time I saw Kyle…gee, my mind was just all over the place. I'd just finished solving the toughest case of my life, and my own sister was the perp. My world? Pretty shattered. But then Kyle and I had a chance encounter and he asked me out for coffee…usually, I'd have said no, but he seemed really sweet…and cute…so I figured, why not?

3. What was your second thought? Probably the sweet and cute thing.

4. Did you think it was love at first sight? Definitely not. I try to avoid love at first sight--it's always ended disastrously for me in the past. But it turned into this perfect, complementary, organic love as we got to know each other. He's really mellow and chill, and I'm just, always on top of things, planning fourteen steps ahead, a total workaholic…we keep each other in check.

5. What do you like most about Kyle? His aesthetic sensibilities. And that's really not code for anything, as some of my acquaintances might think. He's a brilliant artist and has a unique way of thinking about things, too.

6. How would you describe him? Reasonable, level-headed, complacent. Maybe a little too complacent. Unique. Understanding. Empathetic. Good things.

7. How would he describe you? Analytical, I'm guessing. Quirky, cryptic, introspective…I'm hoping pretty…and the word "workaholic" will definitely come up.

8. What made you choose detective work as a profession? Besides a natural aptitude for criminal psychology, I really just wanted to bring some balance to my hometown. I've got quite the diabolical imagination, but I keep myself in check…some people, like my sister, aren't so good at doing that, and somebody's got to keep the streets clean and murderer-free.

9. What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear is that one day I'll go as crazy as my sister. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces, and there's definitely good in her, but she has proven herself a danger to society, and when I think about how we had the same upbringing, it freaks me out to know that could have been me in the papers.

10. How do you relax? Relax? I don't know the meaning of the word! Nah, just kidding. I like to surround myself with people and just get to open up. So much of my work deals with confidentiality, and it's a huge breath of fresh air to get to socialize with people, whether it's at a friend's place, church, or this support group that meets at my sister's workplace on Sunday nights.

11. What is the best piece of advice you ever received? The best piece of advice probably came from Kyle when he told me to stop blaming myself for all the little problems around me, most notably my sister's criminal tendencies. I know it's not my fault, but I get to thinking in this mode that maybe if I'd been a more caring sister, she'd have turned out different. Even though I did everything I could for her, and she did manipulate me from the cradle, it's hard sometimes not to feel like I don't owe her the childhood our parents never gave us.

This one is for Mindy, the author: What books or movies have had an impact on your writing?

I'm a huge nerd for old literature, so I've been inspired by everyone from Shakespeare to Steinbeck to Dickens, but I don't completely live in an archaic box. I also really admire a lot of authors and directors of modern media--Palahniuk, Christopher Nolan, and Lemony Snicket to name a few. I'm equally impacted by books and movies I don't like. I won't name any names, but when I watch or read something that's just horrible, I need to satirize it.

Website: www.mindymackay.com

Blog: theylikemehere.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mindy-MacKay/127228420656362

A bit about Fallen From Disgrace:

Rosella Cartwright wakes up in the hospital after a yearlong coma with no recollection of who she used to be. Her only clue is that everyone around her despises and avoids her. Then, she discovers the truth: before she was hospitalized, she was the most wanted maniac of New York's criminal underbelly.

Disgusted by reports of her own heinous crimes, she attempts to reform herself, but her efforts are in vain as society continues to cast her out in hatred and fear. All the world seems against her until she is offered a job by Daniel Ryan, a rising executive and self-made success who hides a lifetime of inner turmoil behind a façade of cool indifference. Drawn to his mystery as he is by her irrepressible darkness, Rosella starts falling for Daniel, but love can't save her from her past.

A former victim of hers wants revenge, and will stop at nothing to get it. Her partners in crime want her back by their side, though she wants nothing more to do with them. And a sinister plot of her own design, buried beneath her amnesia, is, unbeknownst to her, still very much in progress. These are the monsters she will have to fight off alone, and if she doesn't watch her step, she might not make it out alive.

Link: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=201

thanks for the fun visit, Mindy!  

Veronica

Meet Scott Holt and Marie-Nicole Ryan

This morning I am pleased to have Marie-Nicole Ryan and Scott Holt visit.
Let's learn a bit about Scott and Tess from "Love Me If You Can".
While you're at it, check out the cover art . . . positively yummy!!

1. Where are you from, Scott? Born and bred in Music City, USA.
2. What is LOVE ME IF YOU CAN about? It’s the story of how I met and won the heart of a Metro Homicide Detective by the name of Tess O’Malley. There’s a serial killer running amok in town, too. Likes to kidnap and kill teenage boys.
3. What did you think the first time you saw Tess? I thought she had a great set of wheels, but she couldn’t make up her mind between whole milk or skim for her coffee.
4. And your second thought? As soon as she turned around and threatened to arrest me as a public nuisance, my response was, “Wow.”
5. Did you think it was love at first sight? More like a combination of irritation and lust.
6. What do you like most about her? Tess is bright and beautiful. Doesn’t get any better than that.
7. How would you describe her? Medium height, fiery red hair that waves down to her shoulders. Cute little freckles across her cheeks and nose. Wide grey eyes that tell you she won’t tolerate any bullshit from perps or anyone else.
8. How would she describe you? Probably that I’m a major pain in the ass.
9. What made you choose being a private investigator as a career?

It chose me. I was in my last year of law school when my father and stepmother were killed in a car wreck. In order to support our blended family of six, I had to quit law school and take over the family business.

10. What is your biggest fear? Losing Tess.
11. How do you relax? I work out at the Y, and I coach kids—soccer and baseball. Watch sports with my stepbrother Justin.
12. Who is your favorite fictional character and why? Perry Mason because he never lost a case.
13. What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Shortly after my dad married my stepmother and we went from a family of three to a family of eight, I was complaining a bit about lack of privacy and all the girls getting in my business. He told me, “Son, family is everything. Without family you’re disconnected and alone. Suck it up, and some day you’ll be as happy as I am.”

To Marie-Nicole: Which movies or books have had a significant impact on your life or your writing? I was the original bookworm, reading everything I could get my hands on from the sides of the cereal box to my mother’s high school literature books. But the book that captured my imagination most is GREEN DARKNESS by Anya Seton. It combined past and present lives in a wondrous way.

From Veronica: Thanks, Marie-Nicole, it's been a pleasure meeting Scott Holt and learning a bit about him and the woman who has captured his heart. “Green Darkness”. I remember reading that book during my early teen years. I recall little about it but the author's name is [and was] so unique to me, I've never forgotten it. Thanks for joining us today.

And now a blurb and excerpt from "Love Me If You Can" . . .

 

 

Blurb:

Nashville sizzles in the summer. No wonder Tess and Scott combust.

Nashville Homicide Detective Tess O'Malley has a lot to prove. She comes from a long line of police officers, including her father and older brothers. First she and her partner are taken off a high profile case and sidelined with a cold case instead. After reviewing the files, she is certain her cold case is connected to the current one, and she sets out to prove it. Too bad it means locking horns with a handsome PI who could win her heart and derail her career.

Scott Holt is all business when it comes to running his famiy's PI firm. When the lovely Detective O'Malley comes to question him about his possible involvement in her cold case, he has everything but business on his mind. Like locking lips with the fiery redhead.

Excerpt:             

Tess took another bite of pizza, her silver gaze never leaving his. 添ou going to help me out or not? Forbes is your client, after all.Her voice rose and, again, heads turned in their direction.

“Calm down. I'd like to live long enough to walk you home and maybe get a good-night kiss.”

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and signaled everything was cool. 添ou want to walk me home and kiss me good-night? How sweet.”

Her soft tone mocked him, but he didn't care.

“Like we're high school sweethearts?She wrinkled her nose, but her eyes shone with moderate good humor.

“Would you rather I said what I was really thinking?”

Her lashes fluttered briefly, then she eyeballed him directly. 溺aybe. Depends on what you were really thinking.”

He lowered his tone a notch. 鄭bout pressing you up against the wall and having my way with you.”

For a second, her gray eyes flashed silver.

Damn. He was a goner, he'd gone too far. Said too much. Too soon.

She leaned forward. 斗'll have you know I don't engage in up-against-the-wall, wild animal sex on the first date, not that this is even a date.Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. Maybe he could still pull his nuts out of the fire before they went up in smoke.

“A guy can always hope,he said, without a chance in the world she wouldn't kick him to the curb. Or have one of her fellow officers do the honors.

“A guy can hold his breath until he turns purple.”

“I can see I've put my foot in it. I'm sorry. But damn, the sight of your mouth. Your skin. Your eyes. Dammit. You're driving me up a wall.”

“Another reference to the wall? Would that be the same wall?”

“Bad choice of words.”

Social Networking Links:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/marienicoleryan.author

Twitter: http://twitter.com/marienicoleryan

to purchase this book go to: www.thewildrosepress.com

 

Long and Short Review--4.5 books!!

Here it is. I still can't believe it myself!

The List by Veronica Lynch

The List by Veronica Lynch
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary,
Length: Short Story (70 Pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 books
Reviewed by Fennel

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Twenty-five years ago, Fiona Thorpe's classmates voted her most likely to explode. Through hard work and rigorous self-control she is now every woman's fantasy, every man's wet dream. Head held high, and less than half her former size, Fee returns to her high school reunion weekend. Her goal: exact revenge on those who made her life a living hell back in the day. Her first attempts are remarkably easy and give her profound satisfaction. But no one is more shocked than Fee when she discovers the handsome, respected man seated beside her at the opening banquet is a modern day Paladin, who avenges those unable to defend themselves. To make matters worse, he is her former chief tormentor, Mick Dineen.

Are some wounds too deep to heal? Or can two former enemies find common ground?

How much do past events in your life effect your future actions? How often do you fantasize about getting revenge on those who caused you grief in the past? And how far would you go to avoid such confrontations?

All these questions and more confront Fiona Thorpe when she receives an invitation from The Reunion Committee of Summerville High.

Ms. Lynch’s feisty heroine relives her traumatic school days as the victim of some horrendous bullying. You may assume the story would be deep and dismal, but you’d be wrong. The author’s skilful weaving of backstory with present events is masterfully done and creates several laugh out loud moments.

Druzilla Horvath may be a secondary character but she is the motivator that has Ms. Lynch’s heroine breaking her vow never to return to the scene of her miserable childhood. Druzilla’s strength of character is never in doubt and made apparent in a few cleverly constructed sentences that enhance rather than detract from Fiona.

Ms Lynch uses her heroine’s memories to introduce several other characters to her story, so by the time the reader meets the hero, Mick Dineen, his background and past misdemeanors are well documented, as are his later achievements.

The manner of Fiona and Mick’s reacquaintance guarantees more laughter and reader satisfaction. If I have a small nit with The List, it is the manner in which Fiona reacts when her identity is revealed. It seemed out of character with all her previous actions and attitude.

That said, the author's fluent writing style, in your face characters, story plot and goals were captivating, and had this reader eagerly turning the pages to discover how the author brought the hero and heroine together

An update on The List

This has been the week that was!

I was notified just this afternoon that The List has received a 4.5 star review from Long and Short Reviews [aka LASR] AND it is up for the book of the week.

As soon as the review is available, tomorrow I hope, I'll post it.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed and . . . VOTE!!!

Peace,

Veronica