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Saturday, 3 December 2016
Sunday, 20 November 2016
Lakota Honor Coming Soon in Audio Book!
I never thought I'd get the opportunity to have one of my books published in audio, but it has happened and I have Apparatus Auspicious Press to thank for it!
Book 1 in the Branded Trilogy!
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Why Anne Rice is Awesome!
When SACRED LEGACY was in the editing
stages with my publisher, Imajin Books, it was up to me to find endorsements
for my new book. This is one of the author jobs I don’t particularly like. I
can never get the email right, self-doubt shrouds me, and anxiety sits in the
back of my throat waiting to steal my breath and cramp my chest.
Anne Rice was one of the authors I decided
to contact. I know she is way out of my league, and I am just a miniscule author
compared to her and all of her achievements, but I admire her so much I thought
I’d give it a try.
Over the six years I have been a published
author, I’ve had the honor to hold small conversations with Miss Rice via her Facebook page. She has even shared one of my blog posts, which I will never
forget and will forever be thankful for.
I drafted an email asking Miss Rice if
she’d read my new book, SACRED LEGACY, and possibly
offer me a review blurb.
This was a long shot I know, but to be honest I didn’t think she’d get my
email. I figured a short form letter that was given to all her fans was the response, if any, I'd receive.
So after numerous drafts trying to get
the email just right, several cups of coffee later, and a new twitch I'd developed in my left eye, I hit send. I told myself there would be no reply today and went about my routine.
Twenty-five minutes later I received a
notification in my mailbox from Anne Rice. It was not a form letter, but a
simple note written with kindness by none other than one of my favorite
authors, Miss Rice herself.
She did not accept to read my book, and to
some of you this may not be good news. However, to me it was everything!
Anne wrote me back!
Yes, she denied the opportunity to read SACRED
LEGACY, but she read my email, she read the whole thing, and she wished me
luck! I understood why she could not read the book she was suffering from
shingles and Bells Palsey at the time to which I wished her a speedy recovery.
Anne Rice is the author I want to be…
You see, Miss Rice does not hold herself on
a pedestal because she’s sold millions of books. She does not reek of
arrogance, and ego-driven mentality because she’s been a New York Times
Bestseller, and is basically known all over the world. She is kind, demure, and
genuine. She holds conversations on her page with her thousands of fans. She
shares posts, she engages, showing who she is and what she stands for. If
comments get out of hand she handles them with the utmost respect for those on
the page, and for herself.
I aspire to be the author Anne Rice is, not
for the riches and celebrity, but instead the self-effacing, the always knowing
where I came from, the one who gives back, the author who emails a small-time
author personally to wish them well on their book, to tell them it sounds
wonderful…and maybe…had she not been sick she might have read it?
"Whether you're a writer or a person trying to go on learning from things, you try your best to be charitable to others. Never, never to hurt their feelings. Never, never to be cold. Never to be indifferent. Never to think that your grief or your pain, entitles you to do that to another human being. The words from St. Paul are absolutely true - we must have charity, and we must have love. That's what grief has taught me. It's taught me to love. I think I can love more deeply now than ever. I think God has been very good to me in giving me that capacity. I want to put that into my novels." ~ Anne Rice
Saturday, 27 August 2016
The month of August is all about my SACRED LEGACY book tour! I've posted all my stops below if you want to follow along. Enter to win a $100 Amazon card or a Kindle HD.
BeWitching Blog Tour
WIN: Kindle HD Fire
***
August 1 Guest Blog
Roxanne’s Realm
August 2 Guest Blog
Bloodthirsty Muses
August 3 Spotlight
Mello and June, It's a Book Thang!
August 4 Spotlight
Whiskey With My Book
August 5 Guest blog
The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
August 8 Spotlight
Zenny's Awesome Book Reviews
August 9 Spotlight and review
Queen of All She Reads
August 10 Interview
Book Chatter
August 11 Spotlight
Share My Destiny
August 11 Spotlight
A Night’s Dream of Books
August 12 Spotlight
T's Stuff
August 15 Spotlight and review
Book Boyfriends and Booze
August 16 Interview and review
The Book Junkie Reads . . .
August 17 Spotlight
Books N Pearls
August 18 Spotlight
More Books Than Livros
August 19 Guest Blog
I Smell Sheep
August 22 Interview
JeanzBookReadNReview
August 23 Spotlight
CBY Book Club
August 24 Spotlight
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
August 25 Interview
Infinite House of Books
August 26 Interview
Fang-tastic Books
August 29 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books
August 30 Review
Fantatical Paranormal Romantical
August 31 Spotlight
Ramblings of a Book Nerd
August 31 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
HF Virtual Book Tours
WIN: $100 Amazon card
***
Sunday, July 31
Tour Kick Off at Passages to the Past
Monday, August 1
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Wednesday, August 3
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Friday, August 5
Review at Back Porchervations
Wednesday, August 10
Review at The Book Junkie Reads
Thursday, August 11
Spotlight at Book Nerd
Monday, August 15
Review at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Wednesday, August 17
Guest Post at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Thursday, August 18
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Friday, August 19
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Friday, 26 August 2016
New Release! Judy Penz Sheluk's Skeletons in the Attic...
What goes on behind closed doors doesn’t always stay there…
Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she didn’t know existed. But there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.
Callie’s not keen on dredging up the past, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who is more than happy to expose family secrets. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge and encounters numerous skeletons in the attic.
Editorial Reviews:
“Skeletons in the Attic is a thought-provoking, haunting tale of decades-old deception. In this first-of-a-new series, Judy Penz Sheluk reveals herself to be a masterful storyteller, weaving a page-turner that hooked me from the start and kept me intrigued until the stunning finale.” —Annette Dashofy, USA Today bestselling author of the Zoe Chambers mystery series
“Mystery readers will find Callie a compelling protagonist, the plot a fine, winding investigative piece that redefines the concept of “dirty laundry” and whether or not it should be aired in public or secreted forever, and the story of how family connections, wealth, and truth can take on lives of their own a vivid production that translates to thoroughly engrossing reading right up to a completely unexpected, thought-provoking surprise conclusion.” —Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
About Judy:
Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published inSkeletons in the Attic, the first book in her Marketville Mystery Series, was published/will be published in WHEN. Judy’s short crime fiction appears in World Enough and Crime, The Whole She-Bang 2, Flash and Bang and Live Free or Tri.
In her less mysterious pursuits, Judy works as a freelance writer, specializing in art, antiques and the residential housing industry; her articles have appeared regularly in dozens of U.S. and Canadian consumer and trade publications. Past editorial responsibilities have included the roles of Senior Editor, Northeast Art & Antiques, and Editor, Antiques and Collectibles Showcase. She is currently the Editor of Home BUILDER Magazine, and the Senior Editor for New England Antiques Journal.
Judy is also a member of Sisters in Crime International, Sisters in Crime - Guppies, Sisters in Crime - Toronto, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, Inc. and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in a small town northwest of Toronto, Ontario.
Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews other authors and blogs about the writing life.
Monday, 22 August 2016
I have author, Andy Peloquin on my blog today telling us what inspired him to write his newest release, LAMENT OF THE FALLEN.
What Inspired the Hunter?
The Hunter is a half-demon assassin, the
sort of character you'd usually find as the VILLAIN in a fantasy novel rather
than the hero. Well, make no mistake: the Hunter is no hero. He as much as says
so in the first book:
"So the great Hunter turns his back on who he
is," the First mocked. "He disowns his blood to play the hero, the
protector."
The Hunter gritted his teeth. "I am no
protector, demon," he snarled, pounding his chest with bestial ferocity.
"I am the Hunter, and tonight, you are my prey."
The Hunter is an assassin, a cynic who has
seen the worst of humanity. Over his long lifespan, he has witnessed people
doing terrible things in the name of their god, coin, greed, honor, or even
love.
So what could drive me to write such a
character? Seems like I'd have a pretty bleak outlook on life to write this
kind of maudlin, gritty person.
You'd be wrong…
I'm actually a very optimistic person, and
I love to see the brighter side of life. I always believe the best of people.
My wife actually tells me I'm too trusting and naïve, and people will take
advantage of that.
The Hunter is pretty much the opposite of
who I am. Into him, I put all the pessimism that my optimistic nature
stubbornly refuses to believe, and the cynicism that contrasts my trust. And
yet, in his own way, he still has the nobility of character that I think we
should all aspire to. There's enough of who I believe I am to make him a
character people will want to read.
The inspiration for the Hunter came from a
short story I wrote almost a decade ago. In this story, a terrified man is
fleeing an implacable, bloodthirsty monster that is sent to hunt him down. When
I started writing again in 2013, I thought, "Well, that could make an interesting
story." But, instead of making the character a monster, I decided to make
him a bit more human. Human enough that he is relatable and sympathetic, but
not so human that he's a typical heroic character.
And thus the Hunter was born. He inspires
terror in his victims, for he is implacable and, in the eyes of those he kills,
bloodthirsty. He has encouraged a legend in his city of Voramis, creating a
mysterious persona that protects his human side. People fear him so much that
they never seek to cross him or hunt him down out of vengeance.
Yet beneath that mask lies a person who
cares, deeply, for a very limited number of people. Harm a hair on their heads,
and there will be hair to pay!
Book Blurb:
The
Last Bucelarii (Book 2): Lament of the Fallen
The
Hunter of Voramis is no more.
Alone with the bloodthirsty voices in his
head, fleeing the pain of loss, he has one objective: travel north to find Her, the mystery woman who plagues his
dreams and haunts his memories.
When he stumbles upon a bandit attack, something
within urges him to help. His actions set him at odds with the warrior priests
commanded to hunt down the Bucelarii.
Left for dead, the Hunter must travel to
Malandria to recover his stolen birthright. There, he is inexorably drawn into
direct conflict with the Order of Midas, the faceless, nameless group of
magicians that holds the city in a grip of terror. All while struggling to
silence the ever-louder voice in his mind that drives him to kill.
From feared assassin to wretched outcast,
the Hunter's journey leads him to truths about his forgotten past and the
Abiarazi he has pledged to hunt. His discoveries will shed light on who he
really is…what he really is.
Fans of Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, and Brent
Weeks will love the Hunter…
Excerpt:
He filled his
lungs with the fresh night air. The taste of smoke mixed with the earthy scent
of loam. The warmth of the fire soothed and relaxed him, the hypnotic rhythm of
the dancing flames calming his mind. The fatigue of the day washed over him,
and he allowed his eyelids to droop.
The visions
came then; memories leapt out at him.
Within the
bright depths of the flames, he saw the hell he had glimpsed in the Serenii
tunnels. Lord Jahel's face appeared in the fire, laughing, mocking. Bone and
skin morphed into the faces of Lord Cyrannius and the First of the Bloody Hand.
Shuddering waves of flesh and gristle writhed, shifting, transforming.
Demons roam Einan once more. People
treat them as myth and legend, but I know the truth.
The Hunter
retreated deeper into his blankets, his sword clutched to his chest. He told
himself it was out of habit rather than fear.
He had left Voramis behind, not only to find the truth of the woman
whose face plagued him, but to discover the truth of the demons. Curiosity
drove him to learn of his past, and his own heritage as a Bucelarii—descendant
of the Abiarazi horde.
The demon added its voice to the swirling maelstrom in the Hunter's
mind. 'He disowns his blood, all to play
the hero, the protector.'
The Hunter was
too tired to fight it off.
I'm no hero. If it was up to me, they'd all rot.
He had no
desire to save the world. He had no reason to save humans from themselves.
A vision of
horror flashed through his mind. Creatures of nightmares seized a screaming
child, tearing at pale skin with razor-tipped claws. Blood splashed across
chitinous armor as the demons ripped the child apart in their haste to devour
the flesh.
The girl bore
Farida's face. She lay bloody,
mangled, discarded like refuse, gasping her last agonizing breaths.
Oh, child. I am so sorry.
He wished he
could scrub the memory from his mind forever. With it gone, the sorrow would
leave. He needed no reminder that he was once again alone.
He turned his
back on the fire and buried his face in his cloak.
He could turn
his back on those who had feared and hated him, yet he had not the strength to
hide his face from the suffering of innocents. People like Old Nan, Ellinor,
Little Arlo. They would suffer most should the Abiarazi find their way into the
world once more.
The demon
whispered in his mind. 'Why must you protect them? You are not one of them,
after all. You are Bucelarii.'
They do not deserve such suffering.
He squeezed
his eyes shut and pushed back against the demon's voice.
I'm doing this for them.
He pictured
Farida the way he had seen her that day in the Temple District, with that same
bright smile. She was happy. That was what mattered, and that was what he would
remember.
I'm doing this for her.
Buy Links:
Amazon Kindle: Not yet availabe
Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Bucelarii-Book-Lament-Fallen/dp/1535388668/
Book Launch Event:
Join my Thunderclap: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/44830-the-hunter-rides-again
Bio:
Andy
Peloquin: Lover of All Things Dark and Mysterious...
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