Wednesday, December 31, 2014

#NewRelease: Dark Wolf Enterprises by A.M. Griffin @AMGriffinbooks

A. M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.

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Blurb:
The big break Trudy Hollander’s small accounting firm needs has finally arrived, but unfortunately it comes with murder, mayhem and Kristof Farkas, a man she just can’t seem to resist. Even worse, Kristof is the CFO of Dark Wolf Enterprises—the one person who can pull the plug on the job that will take her company to the next level.

And then there are the assassins who can jump from three stories up and still be able to run away…

Kristof has no intention of giving in to his inner wolf and claiming Trudy. She’s human. Too fragile to withstand being a shifter’s mate. But the need to protect her is stronger than his resolve, and his desire is more powerful yet. He’ll fight with everything he has to keep her safe, both from those who would hurt her, and from himself.

Excerpt:
©A.M. Griffin

Trudy groaned. She had kneed her client, and very well the sexiest man she’d ever seen, in the nuts. She pretty much assumed getting fired was a done deal now.

He was the kind of man that women dreamed about. Tall, dark and handsome—literally, he was the epitome of it. He looked to be in his early thirties and too young to run a large company. He stood over six feet tall and had a muscular frame. His dark hair was cut short, not a strand seemed out of place. His eyes were dark brown and unsettled her as he watched her. His clothes looked expensive, from his shirt to his shoes and even the wool coat that he wore. If she was the swooning type, she would be on the ground.

The man standing next to him was just as handsome as Kristof was. He was dark and tall like Kristof but he didn’t have the same muscular build. He had lean muscles like a runner, while even with them hidden underneath his clothes Kristof looked to be all muscle. The two men shared so many similarities Trudy was sure they had to be related.

The officers had everyone wait outside while they did a sweep of her house. She stood in uncomfortable silence with Kristof and Lajos. Now was not a good time to ask them why they traveled all the way to her house. She needed to put some time between her assault on him and begging to keep the contract.

She tried to keep her eyes focused on anything except for Kristof but, no matter how much she tried, she kept peering at him from her peripheral vision. She swore he was doing the same and watching her as well. What she really wanted to do was touch him.

Do it. Touch him.

She took a step in his direction before she caught herself.

What am I doing? I can’t go around fondling my clients.

She didn’t know why, but she had these urges to go to him, stand next to him, caress his body and make love to him.

Shit. Get a grip girl.

It’d been a little while since she got laid, but this was going way beyond horny. It wasn’t even the sex part that pulled at her. It went way beyond that. It was as if she was supposed to trust him…with her life.

She needed to touch him. There was a sense of urgency to it. She maneuvered Piper to one arm and stuck out her hand. “Trudy Hollander.”

Kristof took her hand in his and there was an instant—something. Trudy couldn’t even describe how she felt, because she’d never felt anything like this before. Her hand and his felt connected, as if they were one. He looked down at her and his eyes changed color again. Something behind them flashed with sexual heat and longing.

“Kristof Farkas.”

The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
 

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Interview with @KPKollenborn for How the Water Falls



Although I've been writing since childhood, I have a BA in history. I love studying history as much as wanting to evoke stories. I like to believe that after decades worth of introspection we have learned to value our lessons, and the best way to recite our lessons are through storytelling. That's why I love history: To learn. To question. To redeem our humanity. Submitting to a moment in time allows us to remember, or to muse even, our society's past. Although writing can educate as well as entertain, yet what makes art incredibly amazing, to that of paintings, photographs, and music, it transposes emotion into another form of humanity, and therefore, it is our humanity which keeps all of us striving for an improved future.

I am fortunate to have been trained by one the top ten writing teachers in the US, the late Leonard Bishop, and author of 'Dare to be a Great Writer.' I owe my love of writing to him. In addition to writing, I draw, paint, create graphic design, and am an amateur photographer.


1. At any given time do you work on only one story at a time and maybe plot out the next one or are there many ideas racing around your head?
I try to keep focus by writing on one story at a time, although smaller stories have unexpectedly popped out and have become incomplete projects as a result.  But I do keep mental notes of future stories in the back of my mind that can ferment for years before I decide to commit.

2. Is there a genre you haven't written in but would like to? Or wish you could write in?
I enjoy watching science fiction, although can’t write in that that genre.  I have tried on several occasions and have felt like wearing clothes that were two sizes too small.  Just not a good fit.

3. Do you add an element of romantic suspense in your stories?
With my second novel, How the Water Falls, yes, because that was an easy fit.  Already dealing with the backdrop of South Africa’s apartheid, and establishing two of the characters with different backgrounds and political beliefs, it was as if the tension and suspense was outlined for me.

4. Say you have unlimited funds: What kind of writing office/cottage would you create for yourself?
With unlimited funds, I would put up Fort Knox so I could have complete privacy and no distractions!

5. If you could turn your novel into a TV show, which novel or series would you do? Where would it be set? Network TV (ABC, NBC, CBS), Cable (AMC, BBC, Lifetime) or Premium Cable (HBO, Showtime, Starz)? 
It would either be HBO or Showtime based on the violent and sexual content of the book without censorship, while maintaining the integrity of a strong plot and strong characters.

6. Finally, tell us about your latest release!
On the fringes of a civil war arise a kaleidoscope of stories of abuse, power, betrayal, sex, love, and absolution, all united by the failings of a dying government. Set in the backdrop during the last years of South Africa's apartheid, How the Water Falls is a psychological thriller that unfolds the truth and deception of the system’s victims, perpetrators, and unlikely heroes. 

The two main characters, one white, Joanne– a reporter, the other black, Lena– a banned activist, have their lives continuously overlap through the people they know during a thirteen-year period and eventually become friends as a result of their interviews together. Joanne personifies the need to question and investigate apartheid’s corruption from a white person’s perspective. 

Although her intentions begin with idealism, no matter how naïve, as the years pass while the system is failing, she crosses the threshold of what it means to be caught up inside the belly of the beast, especially after crossing paths with the Borghost brothers. Lena, who is inspired by her predecessors, such as Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela, is among the minority of black women to peacefully battle for equality, even if her struggle is indicative of sacrificing her health and safety. 

Hans Borghost is Johannesburg’s commissioner of police who, like all those before, had a military background before pursuing a law enforcement career. Violent, manipulative, and controlling, he incarnates the image of South Africa’s perpetrators. Jared Borghost is the younger brother of Hans and, like his brother, has a military background, but unlike Hans, he internally combats between his sense of duty and morality. His inconsistency indicates a conscience that leaves one to ponder whether Jared is either a perpetrator, victim, or both. 

As his surname suggests, Bor-GHOST represents the “ghosts” that haunt the family’s past. Many other characters play the roles of spies, freedom fighters, lovers, adversaries, and supporters.  This novel is as complex as apartheid was itself, unlacing fabrics of each character’s life to merge into a catalyst downfall. 

The question of who will survive this downfall will suffice in the courts of truth and reconciliation and whether love is strong enough to preserve peace.

Where to Buy: Amazon

Excerpt:

Gently pressing his hand for support, she said, “Good luck, Rrobbie. I’m surre you will find fulfillment dere.”

“So does my wife!” he laughed again. “She ‘as thrreatened to find anotha ‘usband if I don’t stop complaining so much.” Catching his breath, he announced, “So, Lena, shall we begin?”

He stepped back to the edge of the sidewalk and started to snap shots. Several people, who were white, walked by Lena and the other two protesters, and only glanced at the signs. Robbie took the photos of the passersby glancing at the signs. Although not stopping, they were at least noticing the existence of the signs. Robert eased his way around to photograph the two others who were dressed in their fine work attire appropriate for retail sales. Twenty minutes into the silent protest, the owner of the shoe store swung the entrance of the door open. In his early forties, wearing a suit and tie, he angrily pointed at his employee.

“What is the meaning of this, Dingane?” he demanded.

“Rread de sign, baas,” he calmly replied, as if softly blowing a toy boat down the stream.

Glaring at Robert, he turned his pointing finger into his direction. “You there!” he cried. “Stop taking photos! You have no right to take photos in front of my place of business!”

Robert removed his press card from his jacket to show the store owner.

“This is public prroperty,” Robert defended smoothly. “As a member of the prress, I ‘ave the rright to be ‘ere. You can call the police if you like, but I tell you, they cannot do anything to stop me.”

The owner blinked as if he had been slapped in the face. Then turning to his employee, he ranted, “Dingane, get back inside before I fire you! You know very well I pay you the going rate for kaffirs!”

K.P. Kollenborn will be awarding a print copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

#NewRelase The Anonymous Girl by Holy Ghost Writer @SultanOfSalem

Who is The Holy Ghost Writer?
 
The identity of the author is part of an international contest, and the first person to correctly name the HG Writer from the clues found in the Count of Monte Cristo sequels will receive a reward of $5000. Visit the Holy Ghost Writer's Amazon Author Page for Details and see if you can discover the real identity of the author being heralded as the new Stieg Larsson for That Girl Started Her Own Country, the successor of Alexander Dumas for The Sultan of Monte Cristo and the next Ray Bradbury for The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter. Contact the author c/o books@illuminatedpublications.com
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Blurb:
 
"Action against corrupt authorities mixed with master plans concocted from prison build the suspense of this young woman's story.
"A precocious young woman uses prison computers to plot her future in the bundled edition of That Girl Started Her Own Country and its direct sequel, The Anonymous Girl. These two episodes of this series build mounting suspense about the mysterious heroine's family lineage and future plans.
"To hide her identity, the titular girl uses aliases, such as Pippi Longstocking and Ester Bilderberg, but she calls herself Zaydee among friends. A reactionary moment with an FBI agent lands her in the Federal Detention Center in Miami. There, a sympathetic prison guard facilitates Zaydee's occasional time away, where she awaits trial for charges she insists are spurious. On these sojourns, she orchestrates revenge on the two FBI agents responsible for her incarceration and pursues romantic interests. While in prison, she sets in motion a master plan to establish her own country, using her computer skills to hack websites. Zaydee believes she possesses the resources to populate her private domain solely with exceptional people like herself.
"Zaydee's mysterious identity is compounded by the parallel story of her twin sister, Lizee, who experienced a less nurturing childhood. Liz goes to London to visit her lover, Lars, a computer expert sequestered in the office of a hacking group. Unaware the two women are actually different people, Lars mistakes look-alike Liz for Zaydee, who he claims to truly love. Hearing a menacing noise at the office door, he tells Liz where to hide and gives her a box of letters intended for Zaydee. This chapter ends in heightened suspense: 'Slipping through the small opening [within a wardrobe], she let the door close behind her, sealing herself into the safe room.'
Excerpt:
She explained to Ralfsson why this was a good time for this business, that IPOs in the U.S. were drying up. “Consequently, I have a second proposal for you. You transfer to me the controlling interest in these shells, and buy from each company ten million dollars of stock. You will have a legal minority interest in each company. Then, I will make those companies successful.”
Ralfsson would have thought it generous of Pippi under different circumstances, and he kicked himself for getting nabbed by the Feds. “But what if I don't have the funds and they were embezzled in turn from me, by my partner Barduri?” He took a breath before continuing. “I have with me two crooked hedge fund managers who will buy shares in shells. Will you let me have something for helping you recoup your losses? Let me bring them over to join us from that table over there.”
He glanced at the table where the agents sat. The business suits made them look like they could be FBI agents, but otherwise they looked crooked.
“I don't care how the fuck you get my money back as long as you get it back legally and without delay,” scolded Zaydee. 
Ralfsson, now feeling confident, took a chance in going one step further. “There is one condition,” he said, as Zaydee narrowed her eyes at him. “As you know, I'm breaking the 'know-your-customer' anti-money laundering laws by representing you without knowing your true identity. Therefore, if you can’t properly identify yourself, I won’t lift a finger to help you. Of course, you can go to the police, but if you do you will incriminate yourself.”
Zaydee's blood boiled. She sensed something afoot. There was something awkward about his demand. “I'll deal with you on a different level moving forward. You have been given a generous offer and have been forewarned. You should not take the consequences of upsetting me so lightly.”
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