Release Blitz & Giveaway~ Accepting the Fall

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 61,000 words

Cover: Black Jazz Design

Blurb

Confronting the past is never easy.

Cole Whitaker is happy. He has the job and boyfriend he always wanted. His heart’s in no danger of being broken, and he can’t ask for more from life. As a kindergarten teacher, he sees it all; however, one troublesome student has him reaching out to the parent, wanting to help. There’s something about Savanah that tugs at his heartstrings.

He never expected her father.

Zander Brooks hasn’t had an easy life, and he’s made some mistakes. Freshly retired from the military and working as a firefighter, Zander thought he’d left Cole in the rearview mirror. He’s not expecting him to appear in St. Petersburg, Florida, of all places, teaching his daughter’s kindergarten class. Suddenly, his biggest mistake is being shoved in his face.

This is Zander’s chance to close a door he’d never fully shut, but time with his former flame might change his mind.

Excerpt

Time had done nothing to dull Cole’s memories of Zander Brooks, though he wished it had. His stomach rolled, and he had to lock his knees to keep upright. Breathe, Cole, you’re being dramatic. Of all the places for them to see each other after nearly two decades…. It was some consolation, a very small amount, that Zander appeared equally as shocked to see Cole. He stood in the doorway, unmoving and silent, his lips parted. Cole could feel Zander,s gaze on him like a physical touch. It made his skin prickle, his heart skip a beat. He was supposed to be over this.

Cole needed to find his words. He was a professional, and whatever personal history they’d had, it was just that. History. It was irrelevant in this room. He played pretend with his class sometimes. He could do that now. He cleared his throat, feeling a bit like a cat with a hairball. “Hello, Mr… Emerson?” It was less confident than he’d been going for, but it would have to do. Zander took a minute to noticeably reorient himself. He walked into the classroom slowly. His pace could even be considered hesitant. Cole tried to ignore the observation, the nagging surge of satisfaction that he wasn’t alone in being off kilter.

From behind him, Savanah snorted. Cole glommed onto the excuse to look away from Zander and turned to her. Savanah’s pert nose was scrunched. “Can I play outside?” she asked, gaze darting between Cole and her father.

Jesus. Zander was a father. Zander was the father who Cole had been wanting to meet. If Cole didn’t regulate his breathing, he was going to have a full blown panic attack. He’d been in love with one of his student’s fathers. He’d had his heart broken for the first time by him. Seventeen years later and it somehow still stung. “No, but you can use one of the stations,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too strangled. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, damp from sweat. He thought it was possible he’d had a nightmare like this before.

Savanah pouted but went in silence to the reading corner. She made sure to scuff her shoes over the carpet on the way.

“It’s Mr. Brooks,” said Zander, sounding much closer. His voice was the same, deep and smooth like velvet. It sent parts of Cole’s insides fluttering in a way he hadn’t experienced in years.

Cole retreated under the guise of picking the workbook and pencil off the floor. Savanah had Goldfish crumbs littered around the legs of her desk. “Ah, I see. My apologies.” He aligned the book and pencil symmetrically on the scarred desktop. A few of the workbook’s pages were crinkled now, folding in on themselves. He tried to smooth them down and noticed in the process that Savanah had been working ahead. He made a mental note of it.

He was going to have to stop delaying and face Zander eventually. Could he play this off like he hadn’t recognized Zander or was that cat long out of the bag? “Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll be right with you.” He cupped his hand at the edge of Savanah’s desk and used his other to sweep eraser crumbs into his palm.

“Uh.” Zander coughed, shuffling his feet and rustling his jeans in the process. “Here?”

Cole managed to look at Zander at last. His lips even twitched into a half-smirk of their own accord at the picture of Zander squeezed into a child-sized seat. The smirk didn’t last long. Zander was too close. Cole could make out the nearly golden striations in his irises, could see the slow progression of his pupil taking over the brown. He had a scar at his temple now, a jagged slash from hairline to the arch of his eyebrow. Stress lines looked to be permanently etched in the dark brown skin at the corners of his eyes and mouth. If Cole didn’t know better, he’d have said he was staring at someone in their forties. The years they’d been apart had not been overly kind to Zander.

Strangely the realization left Cole with a hollow feeling, a tinge of… disappointment, maybe. He’d been angry with Zander with every fiber of his teenage being, but buried underneath had always been a quiet hope that Zander would figure out how to be happy.

Clearly he’d not.

Author Bio

Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF, and recently completed a masters program for Publishing in the UK. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes. In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

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WRITERS WRITE... WRITING PARTNERS FEUD ~ Review of DOOLIE GOGH by Steven Ure

Once again, we are deferring to one of our alter-egos, and sharing a review from their quirky view points.
 

FROM THE DESK OF

DONA PENZA TATTLE, ESQ.

AND

ASSOCIATE WRYE BALDERDASH
 

Greetings,

“You are where?” Wrye spoke into his cell phone, having just donned his vintage tux, including top hat, white scarf, boutonniere, and silver tipped cane. 

“A few states away.”

“But we are supposed to announce the Tattle and Wrye Book Review Award.”

“That’s in December.”

“Noooo.  It’s this month.”

“Ut oh…I’m bad.”  Tattle looked sheepish.  “I thought it would be the perfect Christmas gift, and…well…errrrr…I messed up.  But I do have a perfect article for this month.  Our review of DOOLIE GOGH by Steven Ure, a humorous sci-fi adventure from CBG’s BURST!”

“Well, I must agree, that was a fun read and deserving of being brought forth without further ado.”

“You’re wearing that old tux again, aren’t you?”

Noticed a moth ball aroma and wrinkled up his nose.  “Let’s just get on with the review.”

Tattle leaned back and rocked comfortably on her rubberized sparkly gown.  “Doolie Gogh is an old world super hero, the type who makes women drool and men envy.  His heroics are super-duper cause he has super speed, super healing, super speed, and super flying ability.”  Her hands flay about as if dramatizing his assets.  “Of course, he is also muscular perfection and handsome oozes from him like honey from a hive.  Even his alter facade, mustached Ryan Lott, is spectacular.  He is super wealthy, super classy and super unidentifiable.  Yup, sometimes he even wears glasses.”

At his end of the cel phone, Wrye shed his hat, bow tie and top coat.  “You forgot the super ego part and rat-destroying fetish.”

“Was getting to that….”

“He’s really an alien,” Wrye interrupted.  “He initially worked for the Galactic Police Bureau and was sent to Yoiq Prime, where elephant sized rats were….”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but he never got there and ended up reborn on this planet with a super need to help those in distress….”  Tattle sighed softly.  “I have to admit, the helping part is secondary to the obsessive attention getting part.  He even enlists the help of Tiffany Turner, a little known but ambitious newspaper reporter, to promote him in a positive light.  After all, fighting supervillains oft got messy when tossing villains and their outrageous equipment about.”

“You’d think?”

“Anywho, Doolie and Tiffany had a short-lived romance, but a long-term alliance.  For a couple of years, he got his shinny image and she became a TV reporter media star.  Meanwhile, he kept attempting to overcome that little disability that caused him to rip apart or squash, depending on his mood, any rat that crossed his path.”

“He soaked up the accolades but soon discovered, as time went on, that people weren’t quite as adoring.  Then,” Wrye lowered his voice to a deep baritone level.  “Da da da daaaaa, after Doolie destroyed one bank too many, Senator White declared Doolie and all copy cats of his sort a menace.  Under threat of incarceration, he declared them all banned from all and any super-heroic deeds.  Doolie became a defunct hero.”

“What is a superhero to do?”

“In Doolie’s case become a supervillain!”  Wrye twirls his cane as if a band leader.

“Pre-ban, however, he had saved Eva Byers, a gorgeous, non-famous actress, from a fatal accident.  Her encouragement to follow his heart takes him on a complicated journey that could lead to his annilation.  Poor Doolie… um… I think.”

“This book is a hoot,” Wrye stated.  “It has a sharp comic wit wrapped in a layer of satire.  Despite Doolie’s super-extreme ego and misguided attempt to redeem his character for the sake of that very outrageous self-image, he is somehow likeable.  You want him to win the day, win the girl, and be the ta-da superhero.  Though Doolie is shallow, somehow the author has managed to intertwine enough good to make him a winner and earn the reader’s interest.”

Tattle attempted to sit up, but rolled and did a full-circle somersault, yet kept talking.  “The author has a clean writing style and the story keeps you charmed, laughing and enthralled.  You never know what will happen next.  The characters are all flawed yet, somehow, that makes them strangely complicated and compelling.  Even the final supervillain is so pathetic and round-the-bend nuttier than an attic full of hoarding squirrels, you feel a twinge of pity.  Plus, underlying humor can be found in both prose and dialogue.  At the same time, there is a fundamental truism about the over-all nature of mob mentality and political manipulation that gives depth and mesmerizing appeal.”

“We would both highly recommend this book to not just sci-fi readers but those who simply wish to be entertained.  It is a great fiction experience!”

Until next month, keep reading.
 

Dona Penza Rutabaga Tattle, Esq. and Associate Wrye Balderdash

of Blather City, Wannachat

Created and written by:  Angelica Hart and Zi

***
We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at writingteamcw@yahoo.com (Write - Blog Dawn - in subject line) and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a free ebook (choose erotic or romantic thriller) and add you to any future mailings.



Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com

WRITERS WRITE... WRITING PARTNERS FEUD ~ Interview with J. C. Mead

Interview from our alter egos:

FROM THE DESK OF

DONA PENZA TATTLE, ESQ.
AND
ASSOCIATE WRYE BALDERDASH

Greetings,

“I felt it!” Wrye held up his index finger as they sipped sweet iced tea on the veranda outside their southern office.

Tattle barely raised her head. They were supposed to be working, but the sweet September morning brimming with sunshine and humming birds lured them outside. “What did you feel?”

“A breeze, a wonderful, hint of autumn-to-come breeze!”

“Don’t hurry our lives away, it is still technically summer, m’literary-partner-in-gossip… I mean… ummm… blather… errr chatter….” Tattle abruptly halted, noting the sound of coo-coo from the clock on the other side of the sliders. “Ut oh, we’re late!”

Wrye picked up on their tardiness. “We certainly are late for our Love of Literature Leap into an interview.”

With a rush, the two whisked off to the home office of J. C. MEAD, author of THE SILVER CORD.

T: Be not afraid, we come bearing cupcakes... and questions. (Handed Jean a double-iced gooey treat) Oh, everything in cyberspace, as you know, is calorie-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, allergy-free, and well, cost nada, too.

W: (Interrupted) But not taste-free. We use our imagination!

T: So, J.C., let’s get this interview started! (Noted J.C. still looked startled) Ummm…. We’re Penza Dona Tattle and Associate Wrye Balderdash and we’re here for your interview. (Does a tap dance) Ta Da!

W: Now, we know all about you. (Wrye winks) Or at least about THE SILVER CORD. Mmmm, very interesting. Supernatural meets witchcraft meets country with a bit of sleepy southern charm and a dash of romance sort of sums it up… perhaps? Maybe? Care to tell us more?

J.C.: First off, this cupcake is divine! Now then (wipes mouth), I think you have most of it wrapped up. Its got best friends, hot men, interior design, and mommy-stuff, too. OH! And there’s loads of Georgia history and some Cherokee info bits in it as well. So I guess historic paranormal romance would describe it best as far as genre. So, here’s the deal: After her husband’s death, single mom Kat Cambridge leaves bustling Boston and her high pressure interior design job to raise her kids in a sleepy southern town. Purchasing a run-down property with her best friend and fellow single mom, Jess Greenleaf, is the first in a plan of fixing and flipping homes. It was time for Kat to get back to nature, and back to being a witch.

Getting back into witchcraft was as easy as riding a broom, so easy that Kat begins to have reality-bending visions of a smokin’ hot Scottish soldier in their house. While exploring the house’s history, Kat meets charming & sexy Southern gentleman Colin MacKay, who unknowingly reveals the identity of the man in her visions. The soldier summons Kat and Jess to save his drifting soul before it is lost forever. As challenging as that seems, creating the perfect spell is easy compared to choosing between the ghost who knows everything about her, and Colin, the real man in her life, who wants to.

T: (Grins) Just knew you’d like the sweet, ‘cause you are sweet, but that book sounds even more than divine! Wanna gobble it all up and know more. Tell us is Kat Cambridge a little like you, or totally made up?

J.C.: A bit of both actually. Authors write what (and who) they know. I did move from the North to the South and there are a LOT of differences, so that part was totally me. I have been here 11 years now and still get a giggle over slang phrases and terms, but love it here. So, that being said, I definitely know where Kat lives, but there’s a little of me in the character Jess as well.

T: So, be honest, it’s just us and all those readers, if you could make the oooh-sizzle hot Scottish soldier or the yummy yum-yum Colin Mackay real, who would be your personal pick for happily ever after?

J.C.: That is a tough one. The benefit of being the writer of these characters is the fun I have creating these “perfect yet flawed” guys. I mean, let’s face it; Colin is a smooth talking, yet sweet, Southern gentleman (who, by the way, looks best with his shirt off). The Scottish soldier is, well, Scottish (sigh) and lean and tan and just plain sexy…wait, what was the question again? Oh, yeah…um, I guess Colin (you’ll have to read the book for more info on these two – I can’t give it all away!).

W: if you could be a character in any of your books, which one would you choose and why?

J.C.: I love Kat and Jess. They are women I could definitely kick back with and have a glass (or three) of mead with while watching our kids run amok, but when I grow up I want to be Lilly. She’s awesome, incredibly wise, funny, strong, and I wish she was MY neighbor!

T: Now, that you've confided in who'd you'd like to be, tell us which antagonist in one of your books you loved to create and if there is any of you in the villainous character?

J.C.: There aren’t really any antagonists in this book other than time. But the cop and garden club cougars were fun to write about, they weren’t really antagonists, more like speed bumps in the grand scheme of things. And no, there is none of me in either. As far as antagonists, the second book is when it starts getting really interesting. Spoiler alert: Major trust issues…

W: Does the tribe of weird and strange apply to you? Or is logic your muse? (Points to Tattle and mouths) Weird. (Thumbs his chest) Logical.

J.C.: I am pretty weird, and have my strange and exceedingly silly moments more often than not. BUT I’m also a librarian, so I guess that makes me logical as well. Can I be both? Say 80% weird and 20% logical…that was logical of me to come up with, right?

T: Quite! Though, personally, I am proud to be a member of the weird persuasion, but I guess, (let's out a long breath) there is a place for logic now and again. After all I am quite fond of Data and Mr. Spock. Which brings me to another question. Do you read the type of stories you write?

J.C.: Yes! While I read a bit of everything, I am currently reading “Brownies and Broomsticks” by Bailey Cates. There is also Laurell K. Hamilton (love the Merry Gentry series), Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris. I think my favorite genre to read is magical realism. Authors I love (to name a few) are Sarah Addison Allen, Erica Bauermeister, Alice Hoffman, and Susan McBride. Being a librarian, I read all genres but my guilty pleasure is rock star biographies.

W: What does sci-fi characters have to do with.... Oh, never mind, like I mentioned earlier, weird! Now, for a more sensible query. If you could live on a planet of your own creation, what sort of planet would it be?

J.C.: Fun question! Let’s see, it would have loads of books, magic, oodles of forests with both coffee and mead waterfalls, music, puppies, and exceptionally nice people who don’t dog ear books or yell in libraries.

T: (Mutters) And he's the logical one?

W: Did you say something?

T: Yup. Was just asking J.C., if there was an alien invasion, and you could only take one thing, would it be your laptop, best sneakers, heels or your stash of candy?

J.C.: ALIENS!? (shudder) My laptop. Not only for writing, but music. I’m a music addict and can’t live (or write) without it! I even have a playlist that goes with “The Silver Cord”, it is on my website.

W: Thank you so much for allowing us to steal a piece of your busy schedule. You have been a dear.

T: And exceptionally patient. (Grinned broadly and pointed to Wrye) He sometimes asks strange questions.

J.C.: Thank you! Loved the questions -the stranger the better. See? 80% right there. Again, thanks for your time – and the cupcake.

J.C: Note: J.C. can be found at http://jcmead.weebly.com/ and loves questions and comments. If you would like to Skype with her for a book club, drop her a line on her comments page – she really loves book club discussions! J.C. is currently working on book two of the Cord Trilogy, so keep an eye out.

Created and written by: Angelica Hart and Zi

***

We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at writingteamcw@yahoo.com (Write - Blog Dawn - in subject line) and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a free ebook (choose erotic or romantic thriller) and add you to any future mailings.



Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com