Author Interview Jay Got Married

Author Interview

       1.How long have you been writing?

I have been writing seriously since 1995 or almost 30 years. I know that might seem like a long time but I struggled with my first book. The final copy didn’t come out until 2012. I’m working on my 7^th book so they’ve come a lot faster since then.

2. Can you tell us a little about your book?

My sixth book Jay Got Married, is a book of 9 humorous essays consisting of various subjects. The book revolves around one essay which carries the title of the book and centers around modern marriage and, in particular, what would happen if my wife of 43 years would suddenly pass away. Although the content sounds serious, it is handled in a very humorous manner with clipart to bring out the points. Other topics discussed are celebrity and George Orwell’s book, 1984. The book is very different and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it.

3. What did you find most challenging about the book?

I find putting together the subject matter to fit the topic to be the toughest part. And getting the essay to flow properly.

Which aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?

First drafts or beginning drafts are the pits. Sometimes I want to abandon the project because the initial drafts are so awful. But once I get going, the humor gets flowing, and I can add the art, I begin to really enjoy the project. When I begin to chuckle at my own jokes, I’m really having fun.

5. Are you working on another book at the moment?

I’m just starting a sequel to my first book, Fighting the Effects of Gravity: One Man’s Journey Into Middle Life. The sequel is tentatively titled, Old Age Sucks. I was just starting to feel the effects of Middle age while writing the first book but now at age 67, old age is now taking over.

Book Excerpt

Yes, apparently, violence is okay. But strangely enough, foul language in films is still a bit of a problem. Many movies are weighted down with an R for that reason—primarily the ever-popular F-word. Those 100 that I counted in the first half of a mob movie are extremely rude.

Westerns use the F-bomb. You even hear it in romantic comedies. It has a guttural, nasty ring to it. It just sounds ugly, as it comes off the tongue. That’s why many of us use it in our everyday speech. That’s why scriptwriters use it so much in gritty films. It doesn’t make for a better movie, but they think it promotes realism. I use it occasionally, but only to make a point.

Recently, I watched Airport, made in 1970, on cable. There were no F-bombs used for emphasis, and I enjoyed the movie just fine. Yes, I know, I’m getting old, but watch a “clean” classic movie like The Way We Were, and you’ll see what I mean. F-word free is to movies as gluten free is to food. Airport did move at a snail’s pace until the end, when a bomb smuggled on the plane in an attaché case by one of the passengers (Yeah, I know, that’s laughable.) was detonated. And the technology was so ancient that it was funny to watch.

Martin Scorsese apparently figures that any group of men who kill and cut each other up must use the F-word plentifully. But he has never really lived for any particularly extended period of time with a mob. He might discover that their verbal skills are quite different than he portrays.

“Hey, Scorsese,” they might say. “Why do you use all of those F-bombs in your movies? It’s an ugly word. We don’t use it.”

Sex is a whole other matter. I’ve seen some sex scenes on Cinemax After Dark that I would describe as porn. Beyond NC-17. They should’ve been rated X, if we were still using it. Too intense for regular movies. (Of course, I only watched them for research purposes.)

The trickle-down censors who control the TNT crowd are adamant about this.

“We don’t care about you adults,” they say. “We know you’re pigs. But we owe it to the innocent children to save them from this puke. If you allow them in the room while you’re watching HBO or that Cinema After Dark crap, well, shame on you! But we run a pretty tight ship. Sure, we may allow a goddammit or two. But the F-word is simply forbidden.”

Indeed, goddammit has been given the green light by just about every TV channel. The extreme moral right has a cause with this issue but doesn’t seem to care. The once taboo four-letter word shit is slipping into the mix in some circles. I heard a lot of shits in a movie on FX recently. DiCaprio’s Wolf of Wall Street had very few goddamns, and all the naughty F-words were removed, but every other invective was left in. I can’t list them here. All naked breasts were shadowed out.

I watched a Kevin Hart concert on Comedy Central in which all of Kevin’s F-bombs (and there were many) were nixed, but the shits were flowing profusely, and goddammits were running like water. Kevin uses the word goddammit like you or I would say golly or gee whiz.

Kevin might be setting himself up for a rude awakening. I can see him standing before St. Peter (if that’s indeed who waits at Heaven’s gate).

He says, “Kevin, you’ve used the Lord’s name in vain an awful lot in the process of performing His work—making people laugh. He’s very disappointed. He can forgive the rest of your colorful language, but your blasphemy is troubling.”

 

About the Book

Title: Jay Got Married

Author: James Robinson Jr.

Genre: Non-Fiction Humor

Jay Got Married consists of 9 humorous and, at times, poignant essays chronicling the ironies of everyday life in word and picture. Take for example the lead essay, aptly titled, “Jay got Married,” where I find myself mired in a horrendous dream.

In the fantasy, my aging father–dressed in his favorite Champion t-shirt with stains covering the front–marries my wife and I like he did 42 years ago but, this time around, the my 92-year-old ex-clergy dad forgets his lines causing me to coach him through the event with hints like: “ask for the rings, ask for the rings.” All the while, my best man sings Sonny and Cher’s, “I Got You Babe.”

Finally married, my wife and I end the ceremony with a kiss. But as I turn to exit, my eyes catch a glimpse of the bridesmaid who is no longer my wife’s best friend but now Gal Gadot from Dell Comics and Wonder Woman Fame. She is dressed in full Wonder Women regalia and looks totally shocked by the whole affair.

My mother turns to my father (now in the audience) with a quizzical look and says, “Dad, look at that bridesmaid. Isn’t that Superman?” She doesn’t get out much.

As we exit the church, and the bubbles fill the air–no one uses rice anymore—my wife ignores the limo and takes off on a sleek motorcycle, leaving me in the lurch—hence the cover.

Sure, it’s sounds crazy. But, in truth, isn’t the world of marriage crazy these days? In my case, what would one do when faced with the prospect of losing their beloved wife after 42 years? At age 67, would they remarry? Would they even want to remarry? These and other marital tidbits are discussed with humor and as much reverence as I could muster.

P.S. The author pairs up with Wonder Woman again in a final bit of photo wizardry Why? How? How are tricky copyright infringement laws avoided? Read Jay Got Married and find out.

 

 

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Book Excerpt The Sanctity of Sloth

Book Excerpt

The person, if it was a person—it could have been a large dog, she hadnʹt gotten a good look—lay unmoving where theyʹd left it. Her heart thudded in her chest. What should she do?

     Abby couldnʹt leave her cell. Not without help. Her father had wanted to give her an escape hatch, but sheʹd said no. The experience had to be as realistic as possible.If she could come and go whenever she wanted, it would defeat the whole purpose. But sheʹd never imagined something like this would happen.

     Guilt and anxiety itched like a hair shirt. What on earth had possessed her to take six weeks off work to lock herself in these four walls? She hadn’t anticipated this feeling of helplessness. She’d only thought about the peace solitude can bring and her publishing goals, of course. She pushed herself off the stones, walked five steps to the other end of her enclosure, pivoted, and took five steps back. Repeat. Repeat.

 

About the Book

Title: The Sanctity of Sloth

Author: Greta Boris

Genre: Suspense, Mystery

Series: The Seven Deadly Sins

There’s one thing more dangerous than testifying to a crime—staying silent.

Locked in the ruins of a California Mission, Abby Travers watches helplessly as a girl dies outside her window. As she struggles between her moral obligation to come forward as a witness, and her commitment to a Medieval religious practice that requires her to retreat from the world, the situation spins out of control.

Abby’s hesitation starts a series of catastrophes. She finds herself at the center of a deadly cover up where every minute counts and indecision could be fatal. She questions all her beliefs and everyone she knows becomes suspect. To save herself and those she loves, she must break free from her self-imposed prisons of stone and fear.

The Sanctity of Sloth is a taut, psychological thriller that answers the question: What happens when a good woman does nothing? Fans of Paula Hawkins and A.J. Finn will enjoy this third book in Greta Boris’s Seven Deadly Sins Series.

 

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Author Bio

Greta Boris was raised in Greenwich Village, New York by an opera singing, piano playing, voice coach and a magazine publisher. Her original life plan was to be a famous Broadway actor, singer, and dancer, but when she moved to Laguna Beach, California, she changed her plans due to the commute. Today she writes to inspire, entertain, motivate, and so she can afford nice wine.

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Book Excerpt The Monster of Selkirk Book 1: The Duality of Nature

Book Excerpt

Tallis should have been more attentive to watch for birds or deer, but she could not help but brood and be distracted by her own thoughts and worries. Thankfully, Donovan could not sleep, either.

Joining his cousin, he gently bumped her shoulder as a way of greeting.

Tallis glanced at him. “It’s not fair, cousin.”

Donovan nodded. “No, it’s not.”

“I thought that coming out here … I thought I’d finally have answers and figure out who I was. But now I don’t think I want to know. I don’t think I’m going to like what we find. I just want to go home and pretend like none of this happened. I’d even marry Henrik if it meant we could all just go back to the way it was.”

“Oh, come now, you’d be bored stiff if you married Henrik and stayed in Kincardine.”

“Maybe, but I didn’t want this.”

“I know, Tally. But the world is not obligated to care about what you or I want. I’m sorry it happened to you, but, well, if it helps, I think you’ll be able to handle it. Whatever it is.”

“But I don’t want to handle it. I just want to be normal.”

“Aye, but being normal is so dull.”

“So what? I’d rather be boring than hated and feared and treated as an outcast.”

“But this way, we’ll get to be a hero, Tallis. People would kill for the opportunity to save their country.”

“I don’t want to be their hero. I don’t want to be anyone’s hero. I just wanted the chance to be like everyone else. I wanted someone to protect me just this once. I don’t need someone to shelter me, but it’d be nice to be protected all the same. Don’t I deserve it? Strong or not, I want someone to hold me and tell me it will be all right.”

Donovan draped his arm around his cousin’s shoulder and gave her a gentle hug. “I know, Tally. And maybe one day you’ll find someone who will be able to hold you and make you feel safe and secure no matter what. But for now we have to keep going. We have to keep fighting.”

Tallis gritted her teeth. “Aye, you’re right. Thank you, Donovan. What would I do without you?”

Donovan chuckled. “Curl in a ball and try and hide, most likely.”

Tallis rolled her eyes. “Oh, right, I forgot all about running and hiding. Is that still an option?” They laughed together and passed the rest of the night in silence.

About the Book

Title: The Monster of Selkirk Book 1: The Duality of Nature

Author: C.E. Clayton

Genre: Fantasy

Monsters come in many forms, and not everyone knows a monster when they see one. After three hundred years of monstrous, feral elves plaguing the island nation of Selkirk, everyone believes they know what a monster is. Humans have learned to live with their savage neighbors, enacting a Clearing every four years to push the elves back from their borders. The system has worked for centuries, until after one such purge, a babe was found in the forest.

As Tallis grows, she discovers she isn’t like everyone else. There is something a little different that makes people leery in her presence, and she only ever makes a handful of friends. But when the elves gather their forces and emerge from the forests literally hissing Tallis’s name like a battle mantra, making friends is the least of her troubles. Tallis and her companions find themselves on an unwilling journey to not only clear her name, but to stop the elves from ravaging her homeland.

 

Author Bio

C.E. Clayton was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, where she attended the University of Southern California (Fight On!) for both her Bachelors and Masters, and then worked in the advertising industry for several years on accounts ranging from fast food, to cars, and video games (her personal favorite). After going the traditional career route and becoming restless, she went back to her first love—writing—and hasn’t stopped. She is now the author of “The Monster of Selkirk” series and her horror short stories have appeared in anthologies across the country. When she’s not writing you can find her treating her fur-babies like humans, constantly drinking tea, and trying to convince her husband to go to more concerts. And reading. She does read quite a bit. More about C.E. Clayton, including her blog, book reviews, social media presence, and newsletter, can be found on her website: https://www.ceclayton.com/

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Book Excerpt Miranda Bay

Book Excerpt

From a sunny beginning it ended a raw day with a blast of winter swooping up the island. Heavy smudged clouds threatening a drenching pressed down on the bay. Only after hours of madness did the wind drop leaving the sky clean, a tangled web of fresh stars naked in winter blackness. Waves had scoured the beach depositing driftwood high on the once sleek shore.

Winter was for seagulls and seals.

Miranda spent the day doodling in her new Reception office. She was trying to decide on a name. Miranda Bay Motel sounded dingy. She wanted signage that would impart a fun holiday experience along with an efficiently run business.

The new sign was duly delivered.

Neville spent a day erecting it. MIRANDA BAY Beach Resort.

Pansy read the sign out loud.

“Try to pronounce it like its font, Pansy,” Miranda laughed. “It’s not Copperplate Gothic.”

With modest building renovations progressing, Miranda considered furnishing options being drawn toward a timeless texture of wool, leather, fur and stone. She wanted the effect of warmth and relaxation, not that she could afford real. But Trade Aid sold vases from Africa, and their faux-fur throws would be cozy. And ethnic wall hangings.

She was full of enthusiasm. And Chianti.

About the Book

Title: Miranda Bay

Author: Susan Tarr

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Miranda, a strong-minded and lovable young woman, splurges her inheritance on the old Miranda Bay Sanatorium in the sub-tropical Bay of Islands, New Zealand, simply because it bears her name. She knows little about running a business and depends heavily on loyal cousin Pansy’s expertise.

In her frantic drive for success Miranda hires a local character to get cracking on the property. Hamilton, her lascivious financial advisor, seizes the opportunity to undermine her. But now with paying guests expected, she must make some serious decisions.

So the guests trickle in – hardly the sophisticates Miranda has envisaged.

At the brink of despair, she experiences deepening depression and manic behavior. She contrives an outlandish economic solution to the problem. What follow is intrigue and terror, and an emotional and tender unfolding of events in the face of financial ruin.

“Witty and wicked, scandalous and scary, this is a story to make you laugh and cry.”

 

 

Author Bio

Susan Tarr has been writing for 25 years, drawing on her international travels, work within the NZ tourism industry, and her work in various psychiatric hospitals within New Zealand.

She lived in Kenya, East Africa, for some years where she began her family.
Although she writes from personal experience, she also uses anecdotal information from conversations and other peoples’ stories, resulting in her characters taking on a life of their own and becoming larger than life. She enjoys a wide variety of personalities.

Susan says, “As I write their stories, my characters will often lead me to places I couldn’t imagine. So I relax and let them form as they will. I am passionate about my writing and I usually have three books on the go at any one time.”

 

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Book Excerpt and Book Review Her Russian Fixer

Book Review

In this suspenseful, sizzling contemporary romance, Benedikt Volkov, a member of the Russian Maffia, rescues Lucy from a gang of street tugs.  Lucy turns out to be everything Ben isn’t… Although they might have more in common than they think. At first, Lucy is reluctant to trust Ben since he looks and seems pretty dangerous… But the more she gets to know him and he gets to know her, the more Ben starts to realize he would be willing to risk everything for this girl…

The story was so engaging it kept me reading from start to end! What a sizzling, hot romance.

Book Excerpt

She swallowed hard, the tiny movement drawing his attention to the softness of her skin and the pale column of her throat. He could see the tiny, rapid pulse beating at the base of her neck and battled the insane urge to dip his head down and run his tongue over the sensitive spot.

Lucy gave a slight nod, her eyes wide and her breath held.

Lips compressed, he cursed under his breath and backed away to the opposite side of the elevator. Fuck. This whole attraction he had for her was getting way too far out of hand. It was starting to mess with his concentration and his work. That was completely unacceptable. It was completely wrong on so many levels.

Yet, the tightness in his body and the blood now rushing to his cock said otherwise.

Ding!

The elevator jerked to a halt and the doors slid open and Ben hurried out into the hallway like he had a lit Molotov cocktail shoved up his ass. He didn’t even check to see if Lucy followed. Right now he needed to get his head on straight and his libido under control. Right now, his family was depending on him as never before to get this mission done and recover that money. And family came first. Always.

 

About the Book

Title: Her Russian Fixer (Volkov Brothers Book One)

Author: Leslie North

Genre: Contemporary Romance

The line between right and wrong blurs when a ruthless Russian becomes her dark protector.

Benedikt Volkov grew up in Chicago, but his family’s ties to the Russian Mafia run deep. So when his godfather, Pyotr Mishin, steals millions from the Bratva, it’s up to Ben to find him or his family will be forced to pay back the money. However, his careful plans are quickly complicated when an impulsive brunette forces him to become her unlikely hero. Ben hates surprises, and uncontrollable Lucy with her luscious red lips is a distraction that could get them all killed. But with an unexpected connection to his godfather, she may be the key to securing his family’s future.

Lucy Paprocki may be reckless and disorganized, but she finds a new focus when her world is turned upside down. She’s determined to find her real father, Pyotr Mishin—a man she didn’t know existed until recently—and Ben Volkov may be her best chance. One look at his tattooed skin, muscled bulk, and penetrating stare, and Lucy knows Ben is Bratva. The mafia man may be hugely intimidating and wound tighter than a string, but Lucy will have to trust him if she wants to discover the truth about where she comes from.

With danger lurking behind every door, passion quickly ignites between impulsive Lucy and methodical Ben. They may just be using one another to get what they want, but what if all they really need is each other?

 

Author Bio

Leslie North is the pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women’s contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

The truth of the matter is she loves her fictional persona, Leslie North, more than her normal, day-to-day persona! Her bestselling books focus on strong characters and particularly women who aren’t afraid to challenge an alpha male. Inspired after years of travel, her stories are set all over the world, from the tough streets of Russia to the beautiful beaches of the middle east.

Leslie fell in love with romance when she first picked up a scrappy, dog-eared romance book from her local library. She began writing soon after and the rest, as they say, was history. She now lives in a cozy cottage on the British coast and enjoys taking long walks with her two Dalmatians, George and Fergie.

Read SIX full-length novellas by USA Today best-selling author Leslie North for FREE! Over 548 pages of best-selling romance with a combined 1091 FIVE STAR REVIEWS! Sign-up to her mailing list and get your FREE books HERE!

 

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• Amazon US -> http://amzn.to/2otUede
• Amazon UK -> http://amzn.to/2EZIdq4
• iBook -> https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1353435565
• Nook -> https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-russian-fixer-leslie-north/1128072654
• Kobo -> https://www.kobo.com/ch/en/ebook/her-russian-fixer
• Googleplay -> https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7WBODwAAQBAJ

 

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Three lucky winners will get an eBook of Her Russian Fixer (two winners) or an audiobook of Her Ruthless Russian (one winner).

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Book Excerpt Feathered: Swan Maiden Book 1

Book Excerpt

I move to sit up but my limbs feel off-kilter. Since waking, I’ve known something is wrong with me. I don’t know what, but something’s happened to my body. It takes me a few minutes to work up the courage to look down, and when I finally do, I’m greeted with a shock that nearly kills me for the second time today.

I scream. I want to run. But it’s hard to escape when the only thing you’re running from is yourself.

In place of my arms, white, feathered appendages stretch out to my sides: wings. And where my feet once were, orange flaps of rubbery skin now take their place. I appear to be some kind of . . .

“Ah, Princess. I see you are awake.”

My eyes—feeling strangely out of proportion on my new face—narrow at the familiar voice. Only one person I know uses that nickname.

“Elward,” I say. Well, that’s what I mean to say, but what comes out is more of an angry honk. “I should’ve known you’d be behind this.” I still have little control over my new body, but manage to turn my head towards the man in the velvet waistcoat. His face is twisted into the same smug smile he gave me at the guillotine. He understands my animalistic noises just fine.

“Behind what?” He raises a straight black eyebrow. “I believe I have just saved your life, Princess.”

“By doing what?” I squawk back. “Turning me into some sort of . . . duck?”

Elward rubs at the stubble on his chin—a gesture I’ve always despised. I wish he wasn’t so young—then I might hate him a little less. As it is, our proximity in age only heightens my dislike for him. To think I might have anything in common with the sorcerer is enough to make me want to retch.

“The term, my dear, is swan. There is a big difference. I transferred your soul into its body. I found it dying on the bank. Some sort of heart disease, I think. Be thankful it wasn’t a skunk I saw first.”

“You turned me into a swan?” I blink. “A dying swan?”

If I still had hands, they would be clawing through my hair by now. Well, feathers. Curses, has my whole identity been stripped from me?

 

 

About the Book

Title: Feathered: Swan Maiden – Book 1

Author: Rachel Wollaston

Genre: Fantasy

The light and the dark were never meant to be separated.

When her bargain with a malevolent wizard goes terribly wrong, Marion DuVal finds herself trapped between two forms: a beautiful but darker parallel of herself, and a swan. Somehow, she must adhere to the wizard’s wishes, but it’s hard to perform epic magic when your feet are flippers and your neck’s the length of a small fishing pole. Caught up in a lie of royal proportions, her task is to get close to the queen, and such a thing is difficult when a certain handsome prince keeps getting in the way.

One girl; two identities. Marion must stop the darkness inside her before it’s too late.

Based on the classic tale of Swan Lake.

 

Author Bio

Born and bred in Gloucestershire, UK, Rachel Wollaston is a huge lover of all things fantasy. From an early age, her dream was to be a fairy, but the pay was no good, so she decided to become a writer instead. A Creative Writing student, Rachel is the author of young-adult fantasy and loves to build worlds that she wishes she could be a part of.

Besides writing, Rachel also enjoys a range of other artistic hobbies, including dancing, drawing, and an unhealthy amount of arts and crafts. You will almost always find her with a cup of tea and a cat watching old ‘70s comedies.

 

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Book Excerpt Goddess of the Wild Thing

Book Excerpt

Eve sharpened her focus. She saw the sharp nail of a witch’s right finger tracing Graciéla’s image on a foggy mirror in a grungy bathroom, touching the center of the mirror with a hatred so intense, the glass burned red hot. The mirror in Graciéla’s kitchen cracked. Shards jettisoned at the old healer then were magically warded off and drifted in place about her head and neck.

Graciéla’s energy, tired as she was, had fended off the pointed shards. She hadn’t been impaled. But the strain had ushered her from one world to the next. Death came not by the hand of another but by a weakened mind and body defending itself.

Eve, shaken, allowed her soft touch to stay on Graciéla’s forehead, confirming the horror of what she’d seen. Shamanic wisdom, often discussed between the two kindred souls, spoke to Eve as she stroked her friend’s head, remembering that death provided passage for one whose life had been well spent and whose time had come.

Eve wept.

 

After a few moments, she closed her friend’s green eyes and whispered tenderly, “Always my friend, always love, always together in life and in death.” She stood and wiped the tears from her eyes. A gray-brown, green-eyed, great horned owl hooted from the largest cottonwood branch outside the back window.

Eve heard Shirley finishing her call to the EMTs and police, and then walking to the front of the store to await their arrival.

One large shard lay at the end of the table, sharp tip pointed outward. It reflected Eve’s image, a glowing red ember menacingly centered at the brow point.

 

About the Book

Title: Goddess of the Wild Thing

Author: Paul DeBlassie III

Genre: Paranormal Thriller

Goddess of the Wild Thing is a dramatic tale of one woman’s spiritual journey where magical happenings, unexpected turns of fate, and unseen forces influence her ability to love and be loved. Eve Sanchez, a middle-aged woman and scholar of esoteric studies, encounters a seductive but frightening man who introduces her to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life. In the mystic realms of Aztlan del Sur, Eve and three friends struggle with whether bad love is better than no love and discover that love is a wild thing.

 

 

Author Bio

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico. He specializes in treating individuals in emotional and spiritual crisis. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, the Depth Psychology Alliance, the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.

 

 

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Book Excerpt No Quarter – Wenches

Book Excerpt

Dr. Sander Strangewayes stood at the forecastle of the ship smoking his pipe. Over the past few months, he learned never to take solid land for granted and relished the times off ship. Although his medical skills were highly valued and his shipmates were now friends, he felt his age – sixty. It was time to claim a small patch of the world and call it a day.

Red Legs Greaves stood beside him in a kilt, leaning on the rail. “There’s le Grande’s Toro and Coxon’s Dorado.”

“Such manly names, ever notice that?” Strangewayes admired the bull figurehead with sharp horns on Toro’s bow and Dorado’s horse figurehead.

“What flag are they expecting?” Mason asked.

“No flag,” Red Legs said.

“Take us in, Mr. Culliford,” Mason ordered.

Cully climbed up to the quarterdeck. “Aye, aye, Captain Mason, sir.”

“Steady as she goes, Mr. Culliford. We’re among pirates now.”

Once anchored, they took the longboats ashore. Large illuminated tents were erected among the trees and rowdy pirates roared with laugher. The meat cooking in a nearby spit made Strangewayes’s stomach growl. Ship rations were no match for a mouth-watering roast. He, Red Legs and Mason headed into the main tent.

A dancer draped in sapphire blue with a crystal in her belly button paraded by. A Nimcha sword balanced on her head while she clicked brass castanets with her fingers. She shook her hips provocatively.

“Oh, not for me, thanks,” Strangewayes said. “I just finished pillaging the eastern Caribbean, I doubt I could raise more than my drink tonight.”

 

About the Book

Title: No Quarter: Wenches – The Complete Series

Author: MJL Evans and GM O’Connor

Genre: Historical Romance

Behind every successful pirate is a cunning wench! In 1689, Atia Crisp finds herself imprisoned in the wickedest city on earth, Port Royal, Jamaica, while the refugees from Strangewayes’s plantation in the Blue Mountains are on the run and seeking a new home, deep in the Caribbean. Captain Jean-Paul la Roche must get them to safety and find a way to liberate the woman he loves while waging a war against the English with the pirate Laurens de Graaf.

While besieged people suffer and starve, a group of women form a secret and illegal society deep from within the bowels of the city called: WENCH. A network that deals with smugglers, merchants, cutthroats and thieves. Dragged into the struggle for supremacy of the Caribbean, the women are divided and find themselves engulfed in bloodshed. The pirates of Port Royal and former enemies may be their only hope of escape.

 

Contains Volume 1-5

 

 

Author Bios

MJL EVANS wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old and in 2014 she finally got her act together and pursued her dream. Author of No Quarter: Dominium and No Quarter: Wenches, she is a huge fan of Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and other BBC shows, her time is devoted to acrylic, oil and watercolor painting, catering to her two senior cats and of course, writing.

You can connect with MJL Evans on Twitter at @artistmjlevans or noquarterseries@gmail.com

 

GM O’CONNOR is a huge movie fan, writer and visual artist. A lover of sci-fi and history, half his brain lives in the 17th century while the other half sails perpetually through space. Author of No Quarter: Dominium and No Quarter: Wenches, he hopes to one day bring the No Quarter Series to film and/or graphic novel format.

You can connect with GM O’Connor on Twitter at @gm_oconnor or noquarterseries@gmail.com

 

 

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http://www.thenoquarterseries.com/
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Book Excerpt Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail

Book Excerpt

As she held the lantern up over her head, she could see old carvings on the cave walls. She raised her hand to touch one of the walls and noticed a strong dampness in the stone. It was cold and damp to the touch. She wondered if there was a good bit of water behind the rock causing all the dampness. But, then again, as dark and hidden as the cave was in the coolest section of the woods they had so far discovered, it didn’t really surprise her.

Magdalena happened to notice a second lantern a few feet from where she was standing and asked Gabriel to grab the lantern and light it. Maybe with two lanterns there would be enough light to get a better view of the cave drawings. Curiosity was in overdrive now. It was the same kind of curiosity that would leave her teachers scrambling crazy by the end of the school day. She continued to study the cave walls waiting on Gabriel. The carvings felt as though they had been etched very deeply into the rock.

Meanwhile, Hubert stood in the cave entrance chanting something over and over that sounded like, “Lord, help me, please. Get me out of here. I won’t eat everything ever again. I promise!”

Gabriel had just finished lighting the second lantern and walked over to stand right behind Magdalena. He stood looking over her shoulder as she was crunched down trying to get a better view of the drawings. She squinted her eyes as her brain was trying to process what she was looking at, and then it came to her. The drawings seemed to resemble some sort of sacrifice, which seemed so odd to her in this day and time. Did those things really exist back in the day? Especially in or near a small, quaint town like Lily Brooke. She had always assumed that sacrificial rituals were something that really only happened in scary mystery books or horror movies. Of course, these things didn’t happen in real life. Was this her mind trying to calm her nerves, or the shock of what was in front of her own eyes causing denial?

Gabriel and Hubert must have realized what the drawings were resembling about the same time as Magdalena because as she turned around to speak, she was face to face with four very frightened eyeballs. Hubert had decided to move in closer to get a good look. Boy, he was really regretting it, at the moment. Scary woods, crooked paths, cold temperatures and breezes, shrill ringing noises, cave drawings resembling rituals, and mumbling ghostly voices. Hubert was now praying out loud.

“God, please, please take us home. Please let me never remember this place again. God, please make Magdalena decide to leave this place before we get eaten alive, or worse!”

 

About the Book

Title: Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail

Author: M. Gail Grant

Genre: YA Fantasy

The enchanted secret of Lily Brooke was safe and sound, until Magdalena and her thirteen-year-old friends accidentally unleashed the revengeful demons of the past. How were they supposed to know that a friendly expedition in the woods on a stress-free Saturday morning would lead to the most intense and scary moments of their lives? So many mysterious happenings have occurred ever since they found that crooked trail leading to the sacrificial cave, and hidden monstrosity of a treehouse. With the chanting voices and shrill noises that only Magdalena could hear, the friends decide there is something sinister living amongst them. Time is of the essence to save Lily Brooke and their childhood club, the Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke, knows it is up to them to capture the demons hiding in their community and set the town free. Witches, wizards, and some black magic may just be what it takes for Magdalena and her best friends to save the day.

 

Author Bio

Melinda Gail resides in Canton, Georgia with her three daughters, husband of over twenty years, and two adorable fur babies.  Surrounded by the north Georgia mountains, the scenery provides for inspirational settings for her novels. Being raised in the south, she brings a little southern flair and tradition to her characters, all the while remembering the adventurous nature of middle grades to young adult age children. With a passion for the extraordinary and imagination, Melinda hopes you enter a world of fantasy as you see life through the eyes of the characters.

Writing has always been her underlying passion in life. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and a minor in Sociology, she felt understanding and studying human behavior on the individual and collective level, would apply to anything and everything chosen to do in life. Identified as being a strong writer for her age at the time, she attended a summer literary writer’s camp around age twelve. She flourished and loved every moment of the experience and it has stayed with her throughout adulthood.

The desire to write has always been an integral part of who Melinda is, and about eight months ago she decided it was time. Having always been an avid reader of topics from intense young adult fantasy and thrillers, to light hearted summer romances, she chose juvenile to young adult ages for her book. In middle school summers, she would stay up to the wee hours of the morning reading because she just couldn’t put the book down. This basic idea, not being able to put a book down, is the principal she built on while writing Magdalen Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail. It has moments of ease, moments of intensity, moments of humor, striving to offer some of her own personality in her writings. There is a time for sweetness, a time for seriousness, and always a time for kindness and life lessons. Her style isn’t made up. It is simply who she is, on paper.

 

 

Links

For author signed paperback and hardcover editions:   http://www.MelindaGailBooks.com

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Book Excerpt Seven Threads

Book Excerpt

Life is a Rummage Sale

Part 1 – Feeling is believing

 

The only sounds piercing his ears were heavy raindrops pounding the concrete slabs around him. The occasional engine hummed by without a care while he sat and closed his eyes. It was dark. The only light he saw was from the vehicle headlights that passed him by.

 

To his left was a cart of belongings, if you could call them belongings at all. To his right, an old dog with only an umbrella for comfort. He sat with his bum on the unforgiving slab, his knees and feet drawn close to his chest. This was his only method of staying warm while the rain poured from the sky.

 

The shirt he wore was at least long-sleeved, but his clothes were not thick enough to withstand the temperatures outside. They would have to do, though, as anything else he could wear was either torn or short-sleeved. His boots were fairly new; he’d stolen them from a street vendor a few weeks ago. It was either that or go barefoot again.

 

His cart was the building block of a cardboard box that fit as his home. It wasn’t much of anything, really, but at least it covered all three sides. The opening allowed him a view of what was coming his way, whereas a fully enclosed box would have completely isolated him from the world. The cart held it in place by applying pressure to the side. Otherwise, the box would fall over, limp and useless.

 

This was his life. It hadn’t always been this way. There was once a time when he was prosperous and well-known in his community. He had a house, a family, a job he loved, and of course a younger and healthier looking dog by his side; life was good. It’s interesting, though, how small turns of events can change the course of one’s life, blinding you with every turn until you finally see where you are and wonder how you ended up here.

 

Now, this concrete slab was home. Tired and alone, he looked over at his dog who was laying down, trying to sleep. He wished he was like his dog: somewhat carefree, his only concerns being where to get his next meal and obeying his master. That would be so much easier to deal with. He reached over and stroked the wet dog on the head, scratching behind his ear. The dog lay motionless but opened its mouth as a sign of enjoyment.

 

About the Book

Title: Seven Threads

Author: Jason Atkinson

Genre: Short Story Collection

Seven Threads is a book of 7 short stories full of twists and turns. A girl on the run, a man accused of murder, a homeless man who finds his way, and much more. While each story is unique, they all offer the same human compassion that is sometimes lacking in today’s world. The reader is sure to find each story a page turner full of emotions, and left wanting more!

 

Author Bio

Jason Atkinson is a 32 year old, married man with one adorable toddler. With Seven Threads being his third book, he certainly enjoys writing and also spending time getting to know new people.

 

Links

www.alifeofheart.com

Mascot Books