Cover Reveal: When Fire Rains Down, by Cecelia Earl @shanannigans81 and @authorcecelia

I’m so excited for this cover reveal, it’s absolutely beautiful! In my opinion it’s just as pretty as the first and second book in the series: Book Blitz: When Smoke Rains Down by Cecelia Earl! Check out the story bellow, it’s even better than the cover… if that’s even possible!!

When Fire Rains Down: A Kingdom Come Novel (Book #3)

Author: Cecelia Earl

Release Date: July 27, 2018

Genre: YA/ Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

The little town of Shady Creek is under attack by Lucifer and his demons. To save the people she loves, human-angel Hybrid Julia must rescue their kidnapped Guardian Angels, even when it means defying her father.

Trouble is, he knows only too much about Hell’s perils. When a demon sucks Julia into a cosmic vacuum, the experience leaves an indelible blight she dares not mention for fear of losing her place on the angelic rescue team.

As a growing demon army surrounds Shady Creek, Julia’s feelings for her own Guardian become all too real and dangerous. But the cosmic imbalance fueled by Hybrid Angels, Rogue Guardians and Warriors is already depleting the strength of the Rescue Team. And there’s no room for distraction when the mission is to get into Hell—and out again.

For the sake of the mission, Julia must face the truth of the Hybrids’ existence. Because nobody will be safe unless she can trust the gift of free will—for others and for herself—in this end-of-the-world finale to The Legend of Shady Creek Trilogy.

Stay tuned for another trilogy in the Kingdom Come Series: The Stories of Summersby Corner

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Available for Pre-Order

Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK)

Paperback will be available July 27^th!

Facebook Party!

The author will be hosting a Facebook cover reveal event today (june 25) with giveaways, trivia, excerpts and more, so be sure to check it out!

Excerpt

“Nicholas can teach you to use the demons’ weapons against them. You may become an expert, the best. Cole and I can get you inside. We can provide detailed descriptions of Hell and instruct you on how to find Tobias and the others, but we were there for months, for years, and we are blessed to miraculously be sitting here before you now.

“There’s a slim chance you’ll get in and an even slimmer chance you’ll get out. Especially with all the Guardians. An attack from the inside out is the only way, but some of the Guardians have been there a long, long time. There’s no telling how beat up they are, and I don’t mean bruised bodies, I mean tortured minds.”

His words are met with a hushed silence.

I expect Nicholas to look defeated, but he rises again, and his voice is as strong as ever. “It will not be easy, and none of us can expect it to be. We’ve all fought demons before, and we know as well as anyone how they can manipulate, deceive, and pervert truths. We know how nearness to them for any short or lengthy period of time can affect the strongest of angels.”

He doesn’t look at Cole when he says this, and Cole doesn’t appear to be offended. I suppose they’re too timeworn and wise to mind obvious truths and overlook what humans might take as a slight.

Dad’s looking at his folded hands, clenching his jaw. I feel bad for him. With what he saw and felt, it’s no wonder he doesn’t want me to go. I want to wrap my arms around him now and put my forehead to his like I did when I was a little girl. I want to remove those memories as much as he wants to save me from experiencing them.

“But in knowing this, I hope we will become stronger, more prepared, more resolute. Even though it is dangerous and will be difficult, knowing what being near Hell does to our Guardians, we have all the more reason to rescue them. I am still all in for this mission. My plan to take a small team in order to get in without detection, accomplish our mission, and get out, stands.

“With so many Guardians in captivity, we cannot simply sneak them out. Our breakout will be catastrophic. It will be an upset. We will go in small, like a whisper, but we will come out shouting in victory.” He pounds on the table. It shakes and the sound echoes throughout the cave. Once it’s quiet, he asks, “Who is with me?”

Stunned, we all sit in silence. But after a moment I realize he is waiting for us, for at least one of us, to respond.

I don’t look at my dad before I rise. “I am with you.”

Other Books in this Trilogy

When Ash Rains Down (Book #1)

Shady Creek gets a whole lot scarier after Julia learns she’s part angel, especially since the only person she can trust is an angel who’s as infuriating as he is attractive.

Julia received a necklace containing the songs of the angels from her dad when she was four. When she was eleven, he abandoned her family and the necklace went silent. At seventeen, Julia’s doing everything she can to maintain security for her family, but now her necklace seems to have come to life once again. And that’s not all that’s changing.

When a robber attempts to steal from their diner, the necklace blazes and burns her chest. Pain in her back is nearly unbearable as the thief transforms before her eyes… into something demonic.

Demon after demon threaten Julia’s home, family, and friends, and she realizes there may have been something more behind her dad’s disappearance. And now there may be something–or someone–dangerous after her.

Julia has to accept that she is not quite human. Will her infuriating but attractive Guardian Angel be able to prepare her for the battle to come?

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When Smoke Rains Down (Book #2)

If only humans knew the invisible danger lurking around them…

In the aftermath of an explosion and Homecoming battle, Julia tries to form some semblance of a routine: work, study, and visit her brother who remains hospitalized. Unable to confide in anyone about her double life of being both human and angel, and fearful she’ll bring more death and destruction to those she loves, she pulls away from her family and best friend.

When demons once again start to show up at every turn, seemingly bringing about her brother’s deepening depression, she demands her sword from Nicholas. Ever the stern Guardian Angel, he forbids her from using it. Isolated, she takes protecting her brother into her own hands. But when demons show they have evils hidden within their weapons in addition to their ability to siphon souls from the living, Julia’s not sure she knows the best way to handle saving him any longer. Especially when ash-colored lines begin to appear on humans, lines of demonic poison that travel through their veins toward their hearts and alter their moods.

Thrust into a dark world of conspiring demons, Julia is in more danger than she ever imagined possible. To stop evil from spreading and overtaking those she loves, she’ll have to seek out the one person she mistrusts most–especially when a line appears on her own arm, and her apathy toward doing much of anything, including saving anyone, grows.

Enter a complex world where humans, demons, and angels collide, all battling to rule the Earth.

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About the Author

Cecelia Earl graduated with a degree in education and has been teaching ever since. She’s a wife, a mom of three boys, and an owner of a magical laundry pile that never stops growing. She lives near enough to Green Bay, WI that her refrigerator is always stocked with cheese, and the first colors her children learned were green and gold.

She’s a first grade teacher in a Catholic school by day, a mom always, and a writer in her sleep, but that’s okay because being an author is a dream come true. She writes angel fantasy books for young and youngish adults. If you feel young, she writes for you—whether or not you feel particularly angelic.

Cecelia Earl | Newsletter | Goodreads

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Giveaway!!!

Win a SIGNED paperback copy of book #1 When Ash Rains Down, including the bonus story Before the Ashes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal Organized By:

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Two more crime writers that deserve to be read

Check out these awesome crime author recommendations from the fictionophile blog! I couldn’t agree more!! 😍

Fictionophile

While perusing my book shelves, I look fondly on certain tomes.  Some authors are ones I haven’t heard about in a while…  I have highly positive memories of their work. Where are they now?  Are they still writing?

In this blog post, I aim to introduce you to two of these exemplary crime novelists. Perhaps you’ve heard of one of them, or perhaps, if you’re a huge crime fiction fan such as myself, you’re familiar with both of these names.  If you have NOT heard of them, then perhaps it is time to start yet another new reading adventure.

Most of the novels I’ve mentioned in this post are available on Amazon (though not all are available in Kindle format).  If you can’t find them on Amazon, check out your local public library.  If they don’t have them, then perhaps they will get them from another library for you…

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A Seasoned Author’s Tips On Handling Criticism!

Sometimes I think of reviews and critique, be it negative or positive, as being suggestive ingredients of sorts for my next creation. Like my writing/books is actually a four course meal. I’ve shopped, prepped, marinated, mixed, chopped, fried, blended, and baked until I’m utterly exhausted. I feel like the food is as perfect as I can possibly get it and it’s time to be served.

The guests show up, ready to devour my masterpiece (or read the book per say), and here I am pacing the floors from the sidelines. I watch as some people slowly pick at it before actually giving it a taste. Some people dive right in without second thought. They’ll eat as much food as possible, as quickly as they can, until they’re ready to pop. Some let each bite swirl around in their mouths slavering the flavor.

And in the end, EVERYONE has something to say about your cooking.  OR, not say if the case may be, which can be even more intimidating and stressful, because you’re forever left to wonder what they really thought.

There’s the trick (or three) to dealing with this stress!  A secret approach as the chef/author on how to take in your critics. How to handle the wave of opinions that’s soon to wash over and quite possibly drown you if you let it!

If you follow the following steps… You’ll be able to use your criticism to your favor rather than let it either break you or fake you (as in fill you full of fake shit, AKA blow so much smoke up your ass that even your head is full of hot air.).

First step, is the mind set going in. This is HUGE! Remind yourself before your book is released that you write because you love it. You chose this story because it’s what YOU wanted to write. No every one likes cake and not every one likes pizza. Most people will eat it anyway because they’re hungry, but they might not have anything nice to say about it afterwords…. And so be it.

Also, some people like pizza and cake a little too much. They’re going to be a bit of experts on the mater, knowing the ins and outs of brands and dough’s, flower and flax. They’re going to pick it apart because no mater what, they’ve had better. They may even think they can make it better themselves when in reality they probably suck at baking.

Some people just love all sorts of food period. They’ll enjoy the meal, appreciate what’s best about it rather than search for false, and if there is a bite that is too salty, they’ll tell you away from the group because they can’t wait to taste your next meal… That’s even better than the last!

Understand all of this before you even serve your meal. You’ll be prepared for all things negative and positive. Hopefully you invite a big enough group of the right guests 😉

Second step is to take notes as if the meal/book isn’t even yours. This one can be tricky. It isn’t always easy to detach, but it IS easy to make sense of things once you are detached.

Think of when you’re reading a slew of reviews on a book you’re debating on reading. I don’t know about you, but I can usually tell in the first paragraph of a review on whether it’s genuine or not. Sadly enough, a lot of reviewers only write them for their own benefit.

Example: Your guest might announce to the crowd that “this frosting is way too sweet, I can’t even eat it without worrying about my teeth,” and then, when no one is looking they’ll take a spoonful from the top of the entire cake and eat it in the shadows of the room. They don’t want people to know how much they actually love it. (my husband teased me the entire time I read 50 shades. He called them the ‘Mormon mom’s closet pleasure. No one will ever know, but they’re all secretly reading it behind each other’s backs.’)

Another Example: Someone might smile, nod and agree with the rest of the crowd who loves the sauce, and then turn their back when they swallow it so that no one sees them gagging!

If you’re detached and not taking it personal, it’s a lot easier to separate the phony followers from the genuine opinion makers. While taking notes on the worth while criticism, make sure you’re noting what will actually improve your cooking/writing skills rather than overwhelming yourself with a bunch of unnecessary crap. YOU’RE the expert, you know what’s worth noting!! If someone tells you to add a bunch of garlic salt to vanilla pudding would you listen?

LAST STEP, move on to your next meal. There’s a lot more to this than just starting to cook something new. You have to be conscious about your previous work. Make something that compliments what you already know, learn something new, and challenge yourself with improvement… all at the same time.

This step is actually pretty complicated. Not only do you have to use the right ingredients suggested, but you also have to let the ones that wont work for you roll off your back. The trick is starting with the biggest most prominent suggestions. The ones that you have to use in order to improve, but by habit it’s hard! Once you can conquer that, you can conjure it all. You have to break your bad habits, and move on to the smaller, more tedious things from there.

Let’s say, you use too much salt. It’s the way you like to eat, therefore it’s the way you cook even though literally not another person in the world likes quite that much salt. (for me its adjectives lol… I have tendency to overdo it. I’ve really had to break myself of this!) If most of your eaters tell you everything would have been completely perfect with just a pinch less salt… Then maybe you should accept the mistake, fix it and move on. Don’t dwell, don’t be embarrassed, DETACH yourself and just make a conscious effort to add less salt. That simple. It’s only more complicated if YOU make it that way.

Summery: 

• Go in with a practical and productive attitude. Be ready for all scenarios, and excited to build even further from where you’re currently at. Every single project in your life should be an internal improvement from the last.
• Detach and sort your criticism accordingly. It’s okay to feed bad about something as long as you don’t dwell and you learn from it. It’s more than okay to be grateful and love your readers. BUT let the feelings sink in afterwords… Because, it’s also okay to detach yourself during the sorting process.
• Move on and GROW because of your readers, not despite them. Your criticism is what you make of it. Life is all in the eye of the beholder.

GOOD LUCK AUTHORS, AND HAPPY WRITING!!

 

 

 

Happy Fathers Day!

May the fish jump to shore without effort,

May your beer stay a’ plenty and cold,

May the laughter of your kids surround you,

And may the love from your family be bold.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DADS!

 

Cover Reveal! The Scented Bones: The Svabodina Case Files (book 1) by Angelina Kerner

The Scented Bones: The Svabodina Case Files (The Svabodina Case Files Book 1)

Genre: Paranormal/ Crime Thriller

Expected Publication Date: September 28, 2018

Publisher: KDP Select

Synopsis:

Angel Svabodina is a rookie forensic anthropologist, enjoying the beginning of her new career. That joy comes crashing down when she figures out the skeleton she’s working on is not human and then it vanishes.

She throws herself fully into the case without thinking about the parties involved, a psychopomp associate, and paranormal mafia families made up of vampires and werewolves—or the consequences.

When she sees there’s no avoiding the inevitable, Angel has to suck it up and work with the werewolves to solve the case but can she trust them?

Werewolves and witches are in a centuries-old feud, but that doesn’t stop the shivers running down her spine from one wolf in particular. What’s more, nothing comes for free, including information. To get what she needs from the werewolf don, Angel has to meet with the fae queen. Can she meet her without repercussions and solve the case?

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Available for Pre-Order: Amazon

About the Author

ANGELINA KERNER is a self-published author of paranormal and lighthearted romance. She’s the wife of a photographer/physicist, and the mother of a cute little toddler, but she’s also been a dancer, a psychologist, an anthropologist, a geographer, a dreamer, and an adventurer. She does her best writing while being bothered by her cats, taking care of her son, in dressing rooms while waiting for family to try on clothing, and at home in sunny California. Angelina loves to play goddess-dragon matchmaker, transporting readers to a place where young goddesses have lovable flaws, the Fates plan to dethrone, the universe is endless and untamed, and dragons roam free! She also loves to write carefree romance where one can finish reading with a smile.

Visit her website at www.kernerangelina.live

Author Links:

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A Fire Too Close For Comfort

If you were to take a twenty to thirty minute drive from my house to a nearby and much loved mountain range (It’s actually where I was married) you’d drive right to the flames of this frightening forest fire.

 

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO, IT’S INSANE!

What started as a prescribed burn has spread. As of last Saturday, the flames were contained and we thought the entire en-devour would be coming to a close. Oh were we all so very wrong!  Due to the extreme dry conditions that this year as to offer, accompanied by massive winds that kicked up all day Sunday and beyond… this fire has spread immensely. The winds pushed the flames, and they grew far beyond the original intention.

 

There are several small towns so close to the fire that the air quality is miserable and it’s been raining ashes for days. It’s a dry year as is, and they’ve had to dip into our reservoirs to use the water with helicopters for over a week now. I personally have a swamp cooler, and last night we had to unhook our fire alarms because they wouldn’t stop going off. I have to keep the windows open despite the heat just to keep a little air circulation inside my home. Our eyes are itchy, our breathing is miserable, and our headaches are booming.

Now, before you get the complete wrong impression, just know that I’m not saying all of this merely to bitch and moan…  I’m drawing a clear picture of our life quality, right now, here in central Utah to ASK FOR PRAYERS AND POSITIVE VIBES! Please send thanks to our local firefighters, and help us pray for containment.

 

Keep in mind that I’m not a professional picture taker, so most of these images were snapped by friends and family (Sorry guys. It’s a good thing your stuff isn’t copyrighted, cause I’m a thief lol). These last two in particular you can see two helicopters dumping water. You can also see how close the flames are to a Power Plant! This plant, along with another one close by, are a part of our local life source. I have many loved ones employed here, including my own brother and several other family members. Day in and day out they work hard to provide power to not only a large portion of Utah, but also several cities in Nevada and California alike.

If this plant catches fire it will be an incomprehensible devastation.

So, I ask one last time….

PLEASE KEEP THE TRAIL MOUNTAIN FIRE (in central Utah) IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!

 

The Little Mermaid Girl and the Great White Shark – A Short Story for All Ages by K. D. Dowdall

Check out this super short story by one of my favorite Indi-Authors!!

K. D. Dowdall

There was once a little girl who believed with all her heart she was a mermaid. The mermaid girl was living in Florida on the beautiful Gulf Coast, when her mother and grandmother took her and her siblings to the “Jetties” at Indian Pass to swim. It was a popular place for locals, but not well-known for tourists. The Jetties are breakers made of huge boulders that, like a pier, one can tie a boat up to. It wasn’t the sunniest of days to go swimming. Gray clouds covered the August sky, and the sea was rolling with drab green humps like whales coming to shore, a telling sign that in the far distance there had been a big storm churning up the waters.

The little girl was in fact, a natural mermaid. Anyone would think she had a tail, as she swam out farther than anyone else. Like a…

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5 Star Review: Fox in the Closet, by Alisa B. Bates (Another stellar debut!!)

Review:

Liverpool in the late 18oos/early 1900s was a cruel place to be for Annie, but she never lost her hope for the future or compassion for humanity. Although fictional, Fox in the Closet is based on a factual ancestor of the author Alisa Bates. The research put in is beyond impressive, and the dedication to her character Annie is lovely. This book is tragic through and through, yet its written in a way that inspires hope and beauty in all situations. Annie finds light, and an upside to her living conditions no matter what barrel she’s scrapping the bottom of.

The book starts out with Annie in love. She’s a barmaid at her brother’s place, and has fallen for a patron. They’ve planed to run away together, but he leaves her stranded, alone with the baby growing inside. From there it spirals from one low to another for Annie all throughout her pregnancy and beyond. After her only family and childhood contact situations turn sour, she bounces from homelessness on the cruel streets of Liverpool, begging for food and taking a couple of abandon children under her wing.

She’s picked up by the authority, and finds herself in a religious placement for distraught women and their babies. It’s an ideal place, yet because Annie is not Catholic, she is only allowed a few weeks stay. They refer her to seek out a sweatshop type workhouse. It’s a less than ideal situation, but at least it offers a roof over her head, a small meal in her growing belly, and has a decent hospital for when the baby is born. It’s an option she can’t pass up.

Annie follows instruction and is admitted in the workhouse, and its much worse than expected. She’s given a mere box with straw to sleep on, it’s lined against a wall with several others. Privacy is non existent, the food is sparce, and the work is grueling. That’s not to mention the tension and hatred the workers have with one another.

Annie winds up having her beautiful little boy Charlie here, which starts a whole new journey for her. The love and devotion she has for her baby is felt deeply. Annie fights through thick and thin to keep him, and to give him a healthy happy life despite their situation. While Charlie is still an infant, he and Annie are placed in a working home as caretakers for an elderly couple. They’re happy, and well for a short time. She’s making a living and their stay is comfortable. Sadly, they’re stricken with red measles and forced back to the workhouse hospital.

The struggle continues as Charlie grows. By the age of three, he’s been in and out of family placement, the workhouse nursery and schooling, and has stayed with Annie another short time as she was able to find work and care for him. The second time Annie was stricken with sickness, it was Cholera, and they barely made it back to the workhouse hospital, as it nearly claimed her life. This time around, Charlie is placed in a home during Annie’s recovery and she’s forced yet again to make a decision of giving Charlie a better life than what she can offer as a single homeless mother in a cruel poverty stricken place.

As the book draws to an end Annie decides to try mending fences with her brother, which is an utter fail. She also makes the decision to try and seek out Charlie’s father. She loved him dearly, and her memories of him nearly convince her that the abandonment was a fluke… nearly!

Annie’s journey is one of a kind. She has a beautiful soul despite her mishap, and loves her son with the kind of dedication that really touches a mothers heart. I absolutely loved her drive and dedication to do what’s best for Charlie no mater what, and her heartache is written flawlessly by Alisa Bates. There is a taste of poetry at the end of each chapter as an emotional sum up, and it’s perfection, I loved it! There is also an index after the story describing situations, wording, and placement as they’re linked to historical facts and places. I love everything about this book, and recommend it with the highest regard!

Description:

Annie Brett waits near the quay of the River Mersey to begin a fresh, new life with her sailor. As the moon sinks lower in the sky, she pines for her true love, though he is nowhere to be seen. If he does not come, he will leave her with a lifelong remembrance and burden. Annie rubs her tightening belly. “I fear we be alone and withered, dear child. Our hearts be properly broken, now.”

Book Review – Search for Maylee by Didi Oviatt

Wow, thank you so much Jina at Author Inspirations Blog for this wonderful review of Search For Maylee! I’m absolutely thrilled and humbled at the depth and care put into it. I’m glad you enjoyed the read Jina!!

Jina S. Bazzar

Another book review!

Title: Search for Maylee
Author: Didi Oviatt
Published: October 6th, 2017
Synopsis:
Since Maylee was abducted from her high school the very month of graduation, her Aunt Autumn has never lost hope in finding her. It’s been three years. Autumn has finally reached inside herself and found the courage to track down an old lead. She moves across the country to find him. Will Autumn be able to pry Maylee’s case back open? More importantly, what will Autumn uncover in the process of searching for Maylee? It’s a cold dark world we live in, and she is about to find out just how cruel it can be. Strength and determination are on Autumn’s side and she will do whatever it takes.
My Review:
Search for Maylee is a story that tugs at the heart, makes the tear ducts active and keeps one turning page after page. From…

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