My Stamp of Approval (part 3)

It’s been a nice ride, folks. Sadly, this is the last of the promotional posts… for now. On the bright side, you should have a really high “to-read” pile by now.  Before you dig in, if you haven’t already, allow me to introduce to you the last, but certainly not the least, five amazing authors on my list.  I should add, there are several great authors in the Prose & Cons clan. After all, we started out with the alias “The gang of twenty-one” and have only grown from there.  I think we have about twenty-four authors now. Don’t quote me on that. But I’m fairly certain that’s the number.

With anything else, certain people tend to flock to others. Their personalities gel and/or they are like-minded.  While others tend to keep to themselves. There’s nothing wrong with being shy mind you.  It’s just harder to get to know the ones who are.  Personally, I like to take care of my own, the authors I’ve gotten to know through Prose & Cons. My post-school clique, if you will.

Let me just say, I feel terrible that this post didn’t make it in for the end of the last week, as originally planned (or was it the week before– yikes!).  I’ve been out straight lately. Polishing my latest manuscript, crafting the perfect query for it, the synopsis, etc. And in the middle of it all, this bronchitis-type bug wiped me out.  “I don’t have time to be sick!” was my first thought. The illness didn’t care, or wasn’t listening.  Needless to say, it has slowed me down a bit.  It hasn’t stopped me because I won’t allow it to.  But truthfully, it has slowed me down, as much as it kills me to admit.

Okay, back to the reason we are here today.

If you love crime fiction as much as I do– as a reader and a writer– you’re in for a real treat with the first two authors on my list.  Drum roll please… 

Mia Thompson is the author of an internationally bestselling New Adult Thriller series.  Her first two novels, STALKING SAPPHIRE and SILENCING SAPPHIRE, were published by Diversion Books in 2013. To learn more about Mia, or to browse her other books go here.

Description of Stalking Sapphire:

Despite the illusion Sapphire Dubois presents to the rest of the world, she is not just your stereotypical 22-year old Beverly Hills heiress; she hunts serial killers. While her fellow heirs spend their nights with trending celebs and drugs at the hottest club, Sapphire secretly spends hers luring, capturing, and anonymously handing over So-Cal’s most wanted killers to the police — just your average Tuesday night.

What Sapphire doesn’t know is that one of her adversaries is watching her every move, aware of both her true identity and her unconventional hobby. Needless to say, he doesn’t approve.

Used to being the one who redefines the definition of predator and prey, Sapphire’s world abruptly shatters when a gruesome ‘gift’ arrives for her at the Beverly Hills Country Club.

Getting the message loud and clear, Sapphire now has to rethink her routine strategy and figure out how to capture a killer who already knows she’s coming.

To purchase Stalking Sapphire go here.  Or to purchase Silencing Sapphire go here.  *Note: I read Stalking Sapphire, and loved it!

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Holly West is a crime fiction writer based in Los Angeles. She’s the author of the Mistress of Fortune series, set in late 17th London and featuring amateur sleuth Isabel Wilde, a mistress to King Charles II who secretly makes her living as a fortuneteller. The first in the series, Mistress of Fortune, was published by Harlequin’s Carina Press in February 2014 and its sequel, Mistress of Lies, is forthcoming in Fall 2014. Find her online at hollywest.com. 

To browse other great books from Holly West go here.

Description of Mistress of Lies:

London, 1679

Isabel, Lady Wilde, mistress of King Charles II, has made a good living disguised as fortune teller Mistress Ruby, counseling London’s elite. But after the murder of one of her customers, business has taken a downturn, and Isabel is on the verge of accepting the king’s offer to move into the palace.

Isabel’s plans are interrupted when a beggar girl named Susanna shows up at her home, claiming to be her niece. Isabel always believed that her older brother, Adam, died alone during the plague. When Susanna reveals that Adam was actually murdered, Isabel is compelled to take up an impossible task: discover the truth about her brother’s death, twelve years after it happened.

Isabel’s investigation leads her through the gamut of London society, from bear-baiting matches and brothels to the realm of wealthy bankers. But as she uncovers her brother’s dark secrets, Isabel begins to wonder whether the past is better left buried—especially when uncovering the truth could lead to her own funeral.

To pre-order Mistress of Lies go here. Or to purchase Mistress of Fortune go here. It comes out this month so you don’t have to wait long.  While you wait you can read the first chapter!  I can’t wait to tell a dear friend of mine about these book.  This is one of those series she will love!

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For all of you dark speculative and sci-fi fans, Garrett Calcaterra is the author you want to read.  Garrett Calcaterra is an author of dark speculative fiction. His newest book, Dreamwielder, is an epic fantasy novel from Diversion Books. He is currently working on the sequel to Dreamwielder and an unrelated sci-fi novel. Learn more at www.garrettcalcaterra.com.  To browse other books by Garrett go here.

Description:

In a world shrouded by soot and smoke, young Makarria has literally been forbidden to dream…

“I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s fast-paced, colorful, and richly detailed. It’ll pick you up quick and won’t let you down again until it’s over. My kind of book.” -James P. Blaylock, World Fantasy Award winner, author of The Aylesford Skull and The Last Coin

“Good solid fantasy adventure.” -Tim Powers, multiple World Fantasy Award winner, author ofHide Me Among the Graves and On Stranger Tides

Legend has foretold the demise of Emperor Thedric Guderian at the hands of a sorceress with royal blood, and the Emperor has made it his legacy to stamp out all magic from the Sargothian Empire in favor of primitive coal fired smelters and steam powered machines. When Guderian’s minions discover a Dreamwielder on a seaside farmstead, a chain of events forces Guderian’s new threat- the young Makarria-to flee from her home and embark upon an epic journey where her path intertwines with that of Princess Taera, her headstrong brother, Prince Caile, and the northman Siegbjorn, who captains a night-flying airship.

Dogging their every step is the part-wolf, part-raven sorcerer, Wulfram, and Emperor Guderian, himself, a man who has the ability to stint magic and a vision to create a world where the laws of nature are beholden to men and machines. Only by learning to control the power she wields can Makarria save her newfound companions and stop the Emperor from irreversibly exterminating both the magic in humans and their bond with nature.

To purchase Dreamwielder go here.  I also have a friend who will love this book!  He’s getting an email today, too.

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We all need a good laugh from time to time, right? Well, this next author is just the one to give it to us.  Leigh Anne Jasheway writes funny stuff and stuff about funny. Her latest books are 101 Comedy Games for Children and Grown-Ups and Date Me, Date My Dog.  She’s also a stand-up comic, comedy professor, and the humor columnist for the Register Guard in Eugene, Oregon.  To browse other great books from Leigh Anne go here.

Description of Date Me, Date My Dog:

Millions of single, dog-loving women are dog paddling in the dating pool “with dog.” And although the plethora of online, pet-lover dating sites may arguably make the business of finding Mr. Right for you and your pack easier, it can still be overwhelming.

Date Me, Date My Dog: Finding Mr. Right for You and Your Pack is a LOL single woman’s guide to dating that not only empowers you to hold out for a guy who loves you for the dog-loving woman you are, but also suggests ways to use your dog’s sensibilities to find Mr. Right for you and your canine kid.

Are you stuck in the endless loop of hooking up with bad boys your Chihuahua “Charo” wouldn’t even look twice at? Or have you lost many a man to dogus-interruptus (otherwise known as canine voyeurism)? Whatever your issues may be, Date Me, Date My Dog barks up all the major problem areas single women with dogs face when trying to find Mr. Right.

Date Me, Date My Dog will teach you the best places to “meet your match” and what to do once you’ve fetched him. It will also help you learn how to (among many others):

1. Communicate in English rather than “dog speak.”
2. Know when it’s appropriate to let the crazy dog lady loose.
3. Decipher the language men use in personal ads.
4. Use astrology to glimpse the future relationship between your two BFFs.
5. Prevent dogus-interruptus!

Equipped with a canine contract and dating capability test, Date Me, Date My Dog: Finding Mr. Right for You and Your Pack will help you successfully navigate the dog-eat-dog world of dating with humor and compassion…and more than a little help from your faithful, furry, forever friend.

To purchase Date Me, Date My Dog go here.  Did you catch the part about Leigh Anne being a comic?  Need I say more?

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For all of you historical fiction fans, I have a treat for you today. Tj Turner is a scientist, a federal agent, a military officer, and a writer. His first novel, Lincoln’s Bodyguard, is due out from Oceanview Publishing in April 2015. To learn more about TJ Turner go here.  Impressive resume, right?  How can’t this be a great book!

Description:  Lincoln was supposed to die. He famously prophesied his own death as a necessary end to the Civil War and the only way the South would truly surrender. But when Joseph Foster saves the President from the last act of revenge in a dying war, he changes the course of our nation—not necessarily for the best. An insurgency rages in the South, Lincoln is trapped in an office he desperately wants to leave, while Joseph loses his daughter—kidnapped by the very elements he thwarted in Ford’s Theater.