When the Serpant Bites by Nesly Clerge

Nesly will be awarding a signed paperback copy of When The Serpent Bites to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

  

GENRE: Crime fiction, psychological thriller

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BLURB:

Frederick Starks has it all—a gorgeous wife who was his high school sweetheart, three beautiful children, a mansion and cars others envy, millions in the bank, respected in his community, admired by his employees, loved and respected by loyal friends. He revels in the hard-earned power and control he’s acquired. As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold,” which Starks discovers when gut-wrenching betrayal by his wife sends him over the edge and into a maximum security prison. There, Starks is a new “fish,” stripped of nearly everything he’s always relied on. In that place, where inmates and guards have their own rules and codes of conduct, Starks is forced to face the darker side of life, and his own darker side, especially when the betrayals, both inside and outside the prison, don’t stop. He must choose which path to follow when the line between right and wrong becomes blurred: one that leads to getting out of the physical and emotional hellhole he finds himself in or one that keeps him alive.

 

EXCERPT:

 

A handcuffed Starks was escorted by a bailiff into the courtroom from the holding cell. He shuffled directly to where Parker and the other top three of a long list of attorneys from Parker, Birnhaum, Bailey, and Todd sat at the defense counsel’s table. He nodded at each man in turn. The chair next to Parker was empty, which the attorney pulled out for him.

“I see you brought your muscle,” Starks said.

“Sometimes it makes a difference, especially for someone as high-profile as you are. But I’m lead counsel for your defense.”

Starks turned to check out who was in attendance in the gallery. Behind the prosecutor’s table, Margaret Hessinger glared at him. He looked away. Directly behind him and toward the middle sat his mother, his aunt Anita, and her son, Hank, who waved at him. Next to Hank sat Jeffrey Davis, who smiled and gave Starks the thumbs-up sign. Starks nodded, his own smile not reaching his eyes. He continued to scan faces, thankful that Emma had heeded Parker’s advice and stayed away.

The one person he wanted to see wasn’t there.

Where the hell is my wife? She should be here, supporting me.

After all he’d done for her; after all he’d sacrificed for her and their children. And after all, it was her fault he was here.

His jaw was tight as he turned to face the judge’s bench.

“All rise. The Superior Court of Suffolk County, State of Massachusetts, is now in session. The Honorable Benjamin Solomon, presiding.

Once the formalities were taken care of, the prosecuting attorney walked to the jury box and began his opening statement.

Starks blanched at the words used to describe him. That person was unrecognizable to him: Extreme sense of entitlement, calculating, serial philanderer, a monster with a violent temper who’d planned his revenge on Ozy Hessinger—the victim of a deliberate, brutal, potentially fatal attack in front of his wife and two young children.

Starks rested his forearms on the table. Leaning to his right he said to Parker, “He’s trying to make it sound like Ozy was the only victim.”

Parker touched Starks’s right forearm, making clear his message to stay silent.

Starks slouched in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. He crossed his arms and sighed.

Parker whispered, “Sit up straight. And get that expression off your face.”

Starks did as instructed and glanced at the jurors, who listened with frowns on their faces as the prosecutor continued to speak. My God, he thought, I’m being branded as some rich CEO who believes the law doesn’t apply to him.

Now he understood why Parker had advised him to keep his expression as blank as possible and not to look at the jury. He felt certain none of those people who were supposed to be his peers would think or imagine anything other than what they were being told to. None of them knew what he’d been through. How would any one of them feel if their spouse had cost them their self-respect, reputation, and family, and in the excruciating way his wife had?

Starks’s head snapped up when he heard his name.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Nesly Clerge received his bachelor’s degree in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Maryland, and later pursued a doctoral degree in the field of chiropractic medicine. Although his background is primarily science-based, he has finally embraced his lifelong passion for writing. Clerge’s debut novel, When the Serpent Bites, will be available in 2015, with the sequel to follow in 2016. His debut novel explores choices, consequences, and the complexities of human emotions, especially when we are placed in a less-than-desirable setting. When he is not writing, Clerge manages several multidisciplinary clinics. He enjoys reading, chess, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with his significant other and his sons.

Official site: www.clergebooks.com

https://twitter.com/clergebooks

https://www.facebook.com/ClergeBooks/

http://www.amazon.com/When-Serpent-Bites-Starks-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01350WD38/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448849864&sr=8-1&keywords=when+the+serpent+bites

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY LINK: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1633

TOUR DATES: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/03/excerpt-tour-when-serpent-bites-by.html

Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich

Karin will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 Follow the rafflecopter and tour stops links located

 at the end of this post for Eolyn.

 

BLURB:

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a ruthless purge of the magas. Eolyn, last daughter of the magas and sole heiress to their forbidden craft, seeks refuge in the South Woods.

When she meets the mysterious Akmael, heir to the throne of this violent realm, she embarks on a path of hope, seduction, betrayal, and war. Desire draws Eolyn toward Akmael’s dark embrace, but fate binds her to Corey of East Selen, a cunning mage whose ambition challenges the limits of love and loyalty.

Can she trust either man?

Hunted in a realm of powerful wizards and brutal deceptions, Eolyn must find her own path to freedom or she will burn on the pyre.

"Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes, with a romantic thread." -Publishers Weekly

 

Excerpt:

Farewell

Eolyn knew Akmael did not agree with her decision, and for a moment she thought he would ruin their last meeting by starting another argument. Instead he drew back his sleeve and said, “I would like to give you something to remember me by.”

The symbols embroidered into the fabric of his robe reflected the forest in multiple shades of green. Underneath the folds, Eolyn saw a silver band around his arm. Removing the jewel with care, Akmael offered it to Eolyn.

Awed, Eolyn turned the bracelet over in her hands. On the etched surface she recognized multiple forms of Dragon: winged serpent, snake, lion, butterfly, river otter, fish and many others. Each figure blended into the next, creating a single creature as fantastic as imagination itself.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“It was a gift from my mother.” Akmael’s voice broke with quiet emotion. “She gave it to me before she died.”

Retrieving the armband gently from her grasp, Akmael slipped it over Eolyn’s wrist and moved it just past her elbow. The metal coiled into a perfect fit against her skin.

Akmael’s hand traveled back down Eolyn’s arm. He caught her fingers in his and studied her for a moment. “I will miss you, Eolyn.”

Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

  Karin Rita Gastreich

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to The Silver Web trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Website: http://krgastreich.com

Twitter: @EolynChronicles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eolyn-110814625640244/

Purchase link for EOLYN: http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn-Silver-Web-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01B8F4G50/

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1604
TOUR STOPS LINK: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-blast-eolyn-by-karin-rita-gastreich.html

Cassandra: Night Shades relesed today

GENRE:  Contemporary Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Cassandra Hoffman orphaned at the age of five was raised by her maternal grandmother. Two decades pass when she is confronted with a letter from her father’s Denver based attorney. She's shocked to learn that her dad lived through the car crash that took her mother and brothers in 1985. 

 

Casey’s haunted nights begin with the death of her father. Who is the shadow man in her dreams? Could it be her dad whom she had believed dead? She discovers he had another family, and some dark secrets Casey sets out to solve the mysteries of her abandonment, and find the answers to the nightshades that threaten her sanity. 

Our heroine runs afoul of a previously unknown nemesis as she searches for answers, but she also finds the love of her life. He too abandons her, as he struggles with physical and mental wounds from multiple tours in the Middle East. Can Casey forgive him as they confront a mutual enemy?

Excerpt:

Rush hour in Denver was every bit as aggravating as rush hour in Cleveland. It was a frustrating fact of life everywhere that people needed to commute to a central work place. Traffic was at a standstill.

She overheard Ken call ahead to apprise Mr. Jackson, “We’re tied up in traffic, and will arrive later than anticipated.”

It sounded as if he were talking to someone other than Bob. Casey hoped the message would be relayed to him. As the thought flitted through her mind she gazed out at the passing cars and trucks also crawling along. Except for occasional glimpses of the majestic mountains, they could be stuck in traffic anywhere. The interstates were all the same and fairly uninteresting, especially within city limits. Casey found her mind wandering back to dinner the previous evening and her very brief encounter with Captain JD Gannon. She wondered where he was this morning. He’d been on his way to the airport when he left them, but that was all she knew. Well… not quite all—she knew that she could reach him through Bob Jackson, but she wasn’t sure she liked the feeling that he knew more of what was going on than she did. She couldn’t shake the idea that she should somehow remember him.

Finally, they reached their destination. Her nerves were already raw when she entered the elevator. As the doors began to close, a teenage boy thrust his arm through the gap, and they sprang back open. Casey watched him with a good deal of suspicion when he leaned against the frame of the elevator opening to keep the doors from closing. He grinned at her as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his attention toward the lobby. Three stunning women entered the elevator.

Great, she thought, I’m trapped in an alien transport on my way to an alternate universe where all the women are tall, blonde, and have baby blues.  Or maybe, I’ve been cast in one of those films marketed to little girls that star the Barbie icon and her friends. The three were at least five foot ten, and—with the exception of the variation in age—they could have been cast from the same mold. The trio was regal, sophisticated, and aloof. Casey was sure the perfume they were wearing was every bit as expensive as their outfits, but she was fighting nausea from the scent within the close confines. The senior Barbie’s designer skirt hit about mid-knee; her navy-colored suit and pale blue silk blouse looked high end. The outfit probably cost more than Casey made in two weeks.

Aesthetically, she found the elevator hijacker a relief and a welcome contrast to the blondes with the heart-shaped faces and aristocratic airs. Nearly as tall as the women, he appeared to be in his early teens, that awkward, gangly, time of life. An engaging smile set off a mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. Outrageously long lashes and eyebrows of a slightly darker brown than his wavy hair enhanced those appealing eyes. His high cheekbones, square jaw, and a patrician nose with a sprinkling of freckles already commanded a second look. The freckles kept him from being a complete heartbreaker. She felt sorry for the teenage girls in his path; they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Author Links:

 
Writing Blog: http://jackieanton.com/
Author Website: http://talesbyjackie.com/
Author Page with buy links: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/jackie-anton.html
FB Adult Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorjmanton?ref=hl
Book Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/607837
Janton's Square Market: http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/
IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/jackie-anton.html
Half Appy Press Links:
Website with book store: http://www.halfappypress.net/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/halfappy.press

Fan Contest for a new blog

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Win a copy of Cassandra’s print book (U.S. ONLY) or e-book. 

Tell author J.M. Anton your favorite character from the “Troubles in Love-Land Series,” or those in her 2015 award winner “Wind River Refuge.” Share your favorite and why in the comments. Contest winners will be drawn on March 30th of 2016.

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Thank you for vitiating Nightstalker and Nightshades:

Our blog tours will be moving here in about 7 days. Until then we will double post from A to Z to make this transition as smooth as possible.

This blog was previously set up as an access to a Goddess Fish pavilion party for one my adult books a few years back. As part of Cassandra’s release debut she will help kick off the Nightstalker and Nightshades blog.

Adult works will move here, and author interviews as well as children’s books and selected YA books on tours will be added to the posts on Writing for readers in a .com world http://jackieanton.com/