Sunday, July 23, 2017

Exciting Day for #OurAuthorGang

It is such an exciting day for Our Author Gang!
Our books were chosen by the Judges & Readers as
Finalists in the Golden Quill Award Contest.



JUDGES' CHOICE FINALISTS


Historical Fiction


War is coming to Saxon Briton.
As one kingdom after another falls to the savage might of the High King, Cerdic of Wessex, only one family dares to stand up to him — The Du Lacs.
Budic and Alden Du Lac are barely speaking to each other, and Merton is a mercenary, fighting for the highest bidder. If Wessex hears of the brothers’ discord, then all is lost.
Fate brings Merton du Lac back to the ancestral lands of his forefathers, and he finds his country on the brink of civil war. But there is worse to come, for his father’s old enemy has infiltrated the court of Benwick. Now, more than ever, the Du Lac must come together to save the kingdom and themselves. Can old rivalries and resentments be overcome in time to stop a war?


Historical Fantasy


Morana waited centuries for the chance to reunite with her beloved Joland and gain the power to rule the ancient clan that still exist hidden among us with its strict hierarchy, deadly rules and traditions. Ilona doesn’t know that she was chosen to stop Morana’s evil plan. She doesn't know about her heritage besides legends and rituals when begins to remember her mother’s instructions concealed as rhymes and is unaware that her pleasant life as a doctor is about to change and she will be thrown into a dangerous world filled with secrets. The discovery of her healing power and ability to freeze time is exciting and frightening. A sinister man appears, and Ilona connects his presence with the series of mysterious deaths around her. She has been in love with her unsuspecting best friend when she meets a stranger. She is drawn to him and confused by the sudden magnetic feeling.


Heroic Fantasy


This time around, Dorgo falls in love with a witch known as The Girl Who Loved Ghouls, battles creatures from another dimension, and meets one very special cat named Crystal. It’s also the first time he hears about the ancient death cult — the Order of the Serpent. Then, after a young woman is murdered and a mysterious book of arcane lore is stolen from her, Dorgo comes closer to learning more about the snake-worshiping Order. But first he must battle both humans and demons in order to find and destroy The Book of Echoes. Finally, when called upon to help a young girl trapped inside an evil spell, Dorgo must confront fiends born of dark sorcery as he tries to save her and destroy the undying warlock who is the leader of the Order of the Serpent. 


Military Romance


Richard Dempsey grew up in Acorn Hills. He was a star athlete and his prowess put many trophies in the cases that lined the halls of AHHS. Upon graduation, Richard and a classmate enlist in the Navy and are shipped to Vietnam.
War and its remnants are cruel, as he finds out. One of the lucky ones that survived, his turn in Vietnam changed him. He followed the suggestions of his commanders and tried counseling, but it didn’t work. His nightmares continued. Richard met with a couple friends for a few beers. The conversation turned to suggestions of flying across the world to modern day Saigon. He agreed, hoping to slay the dragons that continue haunting him.
Richard’s Relics, Book 5 of the Acorn Hills series, details the uglyness of PTSD, is filled with history of the Vietnam war, and a few surprises that emotionally engage you in this epic story.


Young Adult Fantasy


One boy…one Rite… And a world of deadly secrets that could change the course of history—forever
And so begins the tale of Mierta McKinnon. When a horrible fate reveals itself during his Rite of Wands ceremony, he must find a way to change not only his destiny but also the land of Iverna’s.
Forbidden from revealing the future he foresees to anyone, he is granted a wand and his magical powers, but still must master the realm of magic in order to save himself and those he loves.
But Mierta is not the only one with secrets…especially when it’s impossible to know who to trust.

READERS' CHOICE FINALISTS



Romance


Blake McIntyre had held his position at Bankston Promotions for fifteen years. He is the top music artist promoter in the business. Potential clients by-passed the CEO’s daughter and sought out his expertise. He assumed that was why he was fired. With an interview scheduled in less than six hours, he needed sleep and to be on his A-game, but the wailing coming from the apartment across the hall prevented it. 
Renee Manelli, a frustrated musician, had worked twenty years as a paralegal. Her goal was to stockpile money, write songs, retire early, and hit the road performing. Her most creative time happened to be at 2 am. Her crystal-clear voice and messages in her songs make her the fastest rising independent artist in the country. 
A working relationship between Blake and Renee turned quickly into the personal journey of a lifetime under the stars and Moonlight & Music.


Military Romance


Richard Dempsey grew up in Acorn Hills. He was a star athlete and his prowess put many trophies in the cases that lined the halls of AHHS. Upon graduation, Richard and a classmate enlist in the Navy and are shipped to Vietnam.
War and its remnants are cruel, as he finds out. One of the lucky ones that survived, his turn in Vietnam changed him. He followed the suggestions of his commanders and tried counseling, but it didn’t work. His nightmares continued. Richard met with a couple friends for a few beers. The conversation turned to suggestions of flying across the world to modern day Saigon. He agreed, hoping to slay the dragons that continue haunting him.
Richard’s Relics, Book 5 of the Acorn Hills series, details the uglyness of PTSD, is filled with history of the Vietnam war, and a few surprises that emotionally engage you in this epic story.

Afraid of what?




By Cristina Grau



Puget-Théniers
A few days ago, somebody asked me if I am not afraid of being by myself in the middle of nowhere.
And this is something I get asked often.

Obviously, I am not afraid, otherwise, I would not be living the kind of life I live.

Many people have difficulties understanding my kind of life.

They don’t comprehend how can I stay in people’s houses (housesitting), or stay with people that I never met before (CouchSurfing, workaway, helpx), and not be afraid.

I am not afraid.

What I am afraid of, it is not to live my life to the fullest, not to live the way I want to live and not to do things because I am afraid.

And, afraid of what?

We create the anxiety about something before it happens, and most of the time what we think it’s worse than what it actually is.

One thing I learned during my travels is that most people are nice.

And the people that accept strangers into their homes are open minded people like me. Otherwise, they would not be letting people they never met into their homes. It works both ways.

And if an intruder breaks into the house I am house sitting now, the two westies would run toward the door barking and waving their tails, and go belly up for a scratch. And what intruder in the right mind would resist that and rob me?


Downtown

Downtown

The female westie is alwasy on top of me



Guest Author Bobby Nash #OurAuthorGang

 Our guest author today is Bobby Nash



Although he doesn’t run around getting into shootouts, car chases, or adventures himself, author Bobby Nash spends his days writing about heroes who do, like Abraham Snow and his friends.

Bobby is an award-winning author of novels, comic books, short stories, novellas, graphic novels, and the occasional screenplay for a number of publishers and production companies. Bobby was named Best Author in the 2013 Pulp Ark Awards. Rick Ruby, a character co-created by Bobby and author Sean Taylor also snagged a Pulp Ark Award for Best New Pulp Character of 2013. Bobby has also been nominated for the 2014 New Pulp Awards and Pulp Factory Awards for his work. Bobby's novel, Alexandra Holzer's Ghost Gal: The Wild Hunt won a Paranormal Literary Award in the 2015 Paranormal Awards. The Bobby Nash penned episode of Starship Farragut "Conspiracy of Innocence" won the Silver Award in the 2015 DC Film Festival. Bobby is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers and International Thriller Writers.

For more information on Bobby Nash and his work, please visit him at www.bobbynash.com. Learn more about SNOW at http://ben-books.blogspot.com/p/snow.html

What inspired you to start writing? 

I fell in love with adventure stories as a child and wanted to experience my own adventures. I started crafting story ideas and eventually started writing them down. As I got older, I started to take it more seriously and kept on writing. Eventually, I found a publisher, then another, and so on. Now, writing is my career and I love it. I’m still not where I want to be, and there’s still some literary mountains to climb, but I’m loving the journey and still seeking adventure.

What genre do you write?

I have written many genres, but I tend to gravitate toward crime fiction. The beauty of writing crime fiction is that is easily mixes with other genres, which is a whole lot of fun for me.



Abraham Snow's career ended with a single shot, but now he’s back behind the wheel and looking for a saboteur.
The Chambers Racing team hires Snow Security Consulting to get to keep their people and equipment safe and to get to the bottom of whoever is trying to put them out of business and why.
Archer Snow volunteers Abraham Snow and Big John Salmon as part of the pit crew. Can they keep the team's young hothead out of trouble long enough to stop the saboteur before the next race?
Meanwhile, an old enemy sets her sights on Snow when a bounty is placed on his head.
SNOW DRIVE is the third book in the continuing adventures of Abraham Snow.

https://ben-books.blogspot.com/p/snow.html

EXCERPT:
Abraham Snow was excited.

He hadn’t been to the racetrack in years. The last time he had visited the Atlanta Motor Speedway, his dad had surprised him, Douglas, and Samantha with tickets. He had agreed to take the kids to the races to give their mom a much-needed day off.

Or so they had been told at the time. Snow would later learn that his mother had stopped taking her medication and was having issues dealing with things. When this happened, Snow’s grandfather, Archer would step in to help. Like everyone else, Laura Snow loved the old man and listened to his soothing words. It was the exact opposite reaction she had to her husband, Dominic.

Snow and his dad rarely saw eye to eye, even when Snow was a kid. He couldn’t put his finger on the reason their relationship was strained, but it had been as long as he could remember. No matter who was at fault, and Snow admitted that there was enough blame to go around, there was one thing that he and his dad had in common.

They both loved the races.

Since he had returned to Georgia after retiring from his previous profession, Abraham and Dominic Snow had given one another a wide berth. They were civil when they saw one another, but there was definitely a chill in the air. Not surprising as things had been chilly between them for a couple of decades.

When Archer Snow, who was not only Abraham’s grandfather and Dominic’s father, but also the owner of Snow Security Consulting, ergo, their boss, asked them both to accompany him to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to meet with one of their clients, they both agreed to be on their best behavior.




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