Daily Archives: October 28, 2022

Review – Dreamland: A Ghost Story by NIck Clausen @NickClausen9

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MY REVIEW

I love the cover and it is perfect for the story. I have read a lot of NIck Clausen’s books and he never ceases to amaze me with his ability to add a fresh twist to a familiar tale. Translating his books to English has not been an issue for him. They read seamlessly. The characters wormed their way into my heart, especially Louis. He gets lost in his nightmares and it is through his own ingenuity that he finds his way out. Do you believe in ghosts? Do nightmares haunt your sleep? Maybe Louie can give you some hope.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dreamland by Nick Clausen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dreams can come true. So can nightmares.

In his sleep, Louie starts visiting a magical world where he meets his father, who died when Louie was still a baby. But nothing turns out to be what it seems, and great horrors loom very close by …Welcome to Dreamland
 

A mysterious teen ghost story about fear and loss and losing yourself in dreams, Dreamland was originally published in Danish to great reviews, and is now available in English.

ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN

Born 1988 in North Jutland, where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a much more powerful pull on me.

Nick Clausen

I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book, Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at 14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should be an author.

That day I made a promise to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the publisher and came out a year later.

I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.

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Giveaway – All This time by Annabelle McCormack @XpressoTours

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All This Time
Annabelle McCormack
(Brandywood, #1)
Publication date: October 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Almost ten years ago, Samantha Redding swore off her hometown of Brandywood, Maryland. Sure, she misses her family, but she’s over the gossip and drama that came with small-town living. Besides, she has the photography career she always dreamed of now.

Then her mom gets sick. Faced with a long stay at home, Sam is forced to relocate a holiday photoshoot to Brandywood to meet a tight work deadline. Only problem is, she needs help from the townspeople she’s spent years distancing herself from. Strangely, Sam finds an ally in someone who kept her at arm’s length all his life: brooding and sarcastic Garrett Doyle—the guy that dumped her best friend at the altar years before.

But Sam never knew Garrett tried to keep his distance because he was really in love with her. And he’s just come back to town after trying to get his life together. Garrett knows he ought to stay away—but the sight of her brings back all those old feelings. Anyway, she’s leaving Brandywood soon enough, and then he can go back to trying to forget her.

. . . except, Sam’s about to discover that everything she thought she knew about home—and Garrett—was wrong.

A contemporary romance with steamy, open door romance and tear-jerking moments about facing the past and finding forgiveness, All This Time is the first book in the Brandywood Small Town Romance Series. CW: alcoholism, abuse, cancer, language

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EXCERPT

Sam/Garrett (Sam’s POV)

Garrett nodded toward Yardley’s. “You should go back. Mr. December might show up eventually, and from what I’ve heard from the women at Bunny’s, you don’t want to miss a date with him.”

Fresh embarrassment prickled Sam’s cheeks. He must know about the firefighter calendar Katie had been going on about. “I’m actually glad he didn’t show up.”

Garrett gave her an odd look then understanding dawned on him. He started walking again. “Because you’re not ready to move on from Eli. I get it.”

Eli? Huh. No, that had been the furthest thought from her mind. She practically had to trot to keep up with him. “Please slow down. It’s pretty much impossible for me to keep up with you and I don’t want to walk you to your place in a broken heel.”

Garrett laughed. “You don’t have to walk me to my place.”

“Well, maybe I could use some company tonight.” Her breath crystalized and fogged in front of her. “It’s been a really shitty night.”

“Because of Mr. December?” Garrett looked over his shoulder at her, then seeming to notice the pace he was setting for her, he stopped again.

She caught up to him, her heart racing from exertion. “Why don’t you let me call you a car?”

“It’s a ten-minute walk, Redding. I’d already be halfway there if it wasn’t for you. I’m not from New York, like you.”

From New York. She lifted her brows. “How am I from New York?”

“You’re impractically dressed for a night at the end of November in the mountains.” Garrett smiled tightly. “And encouraging me to do rideshare. Go home. And I don’t mean to your mom’s. You don’t want to be here anyway.”

“Why are you acting like this? I thought we were—” She stopped, her shoulders falling. That feeling of closeness with Garrett over the last week . . . had it all been one-sided?

His face darkened. “You thought we were what?”

“Nothing.” Sam turned and looked back up the street, half-tempted to just walk away and call a car. Garrett awaited an answer. “I don’t know. Friends? You’ve been nice to me, Garrett, even when most everyone else has been making me feel like I’m this awful human being.”

Whatever anger Garrett seemed to hold toward her seemed to thaw and his mouth pursed. Unzipping his coat, he took it off and handed it to her. “I know. You don’t need my help, but if you’re going to walk me back to my house, you should probably have it. I’d offer you my shoes, but I don’t think they’ll fit.”

She laughed lightly and put the coat over her shoulders.

Garrett’s warmth radiated from the coat. And his scent. Raw and masculine, with a hint of something smoky and sweet. Almost the way the pipe tobacco from the old cigar shop in town used to smell. She’d stopped in there occasionally as a kid, just to fill her lungs with it.

Addictive.

Something in the scent and the warmth of his body made her legs tingle, her nerves lurch.

“Thank you.” She willed her feet into motion and continued at his side. “Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nope.” Garrett put his hands in his pockets. He gave her a sidelong glance. “So are you going to patch things up with Eli then?”

“No. If being back has taught me anything, it’s that Eli is part of my past. We keep trying to make it work, but I think it’s mostly because we were always good friends and neither of us wanted to hurt the other by letting go.” Her gaze moved to the picture windows of the shops lining Main Street. Overnight, Christmas decorations and lights had gone up. “And in the end, we probably hurt each other more than we would have if we’d just had the courage to let go.”

“Then why were you glad Mr. December didn’t show up?”

She pulled his coat tighter around her. Why had she? Because she had only agreed to do this for Katie’s sake. And because . . . she blinked. “I don’t know. It was just a dumb blind date. I would rather spend time with someone I care about. Like you. So it all worked out.”

Garrett froze, swiveling on one foot to face her. He caught her by the wrist and opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Then his thumb brushed across the soft skin right near her palm.

Gentle, but deliberate. A caress so thoughtless she shouldn’t have noticed. But she did. She noticed.

And goose bumps rose under his grip, her fingertips buzzing into their own strange life, aching to reach his fingers and brush against them.

Her breath caught and her eyes flew to him, her breath slowing as he scanned her gaze. Then his gaze closed off and he let go of her wrist. “Well, I’m glad it worked out too.”

What the hell was that?

The sensual tug wasn’t unfamiliar, but it had never been so strong, never so intense. Garrett had touched her before. But something just then had been different.


Author Bio:

Annabelle McCormack spins you tales of epic historical adventure, heartfelt romance, and complex family dynamics with strong female protagonists to make things interesting. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Writing Program. She’s a sucker for pizza (cheese, bread, and tomatoes are the perfect foods) and mangoes, loves baking and photography, and never wants to do laundry again. She lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, where she serves as a snack bitch for her (lucky-they’re-cute) five children and three boxers.

She’s half-Costa Rican and speaks fluent Spanish, so you can always drop her a line in either English or Spanish. Pura vida!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Twitter


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Giveaway – The Gryphon And His Thief by Karen Michelle Nutt @RoxanneRhoads @KMNbooks

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Spirits from the Other Side by Karen Michelle Nutt

A couple of years ago, my friends and I went to see AJ Barrera, a psychic-medium.

There were about 158 people there for the event, so my expectations of having a reading were pretty slim.

Barrera explained that his communication with the other side was more like impressions, not actually chatting with the spirit in a way we have conversations. So, as he revealed the impressions and if it sounded like it could be one of our loved ones, he wanted us to stand. There was always a possibility of similarities, but as he continued to receive the impressions, it should eventually become clear who the spirit was trying to reach.

For the first reading, Barrera started by saying he felt the spirit was looking for someone in a particular area of the room, which so happened to be where my friends and I were seated. Then Barrera said the spirit’s name, which was my father’s. He then mentioned the spirit’s complications with his health right before he died. That was my father’s ailments. I couldn’t believe it. Was it really my dad?

When Barrera named my mother and my siblings, my two friends kept nudging me and telling me the spirit wanted to connect with me. Stand up!

Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely wanted to believe we could communicate with our loved ones, but there was that nagging feeling in the back of my mind wondering if this was all a sham, but yes, I finally stood.

However, as Barrera revealed other impressions he received, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with the possibility this reading was all too real. He knew my father’s personality, physical appearance, and what he would say to us. Perhaps the psychic could find some of this online, but there were other things he could not have known or located with a Google search. My father passed away before cell phones with video cameras and social media were around to broadcast our every move. A primitive Myspace was the popular platform when my father passed away. So, there weren’t any recordings of his voice or him talking anywhere online.

What proved even stranger— as if this wasn’t already extraordinary— was the two people I thought about before I left home to go to this event were the very souls that came through the strongest. My father, for one, and of course, you could easily assume I’d want to speak to my father, but the other spirit was even a surprise to me. I’ve lost many family members I was close to, so there was no reason for me to think of my father-in-law. The man passed away before I met my husband, but for some reason, impressions of this man popped into my mind right before I left the house. So even if the psychic could have somehow found out information about my family, he wouldn’t have known about the two people I hoped would come through for the reading? According to Barrera, my father wanted to introduce me to my father-in-law. Crazy, I know. According to Barrera, my father had quite a few souls with him, which I found comforting. Family and friends surrounded him.  

Everything considered I found the reading eerily fascinating. All I can say: It was an experience like none other.


The Gryphon and His Thief
Karen Michelle Nutt

Genre: paranormal/ shifter romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: June 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1509241774
ASIN: B09VZS3LLZ
Number of pages: 220
Word Count: 57k
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris

Tagline: A gryphon shifter cursed for centuries encounters a thief who unearths his secret identity.  

Book Description: 

Darrien Andros, a gryphon sworn to protect humans is cursed to live forever, safeguarding the items in the Museum of Cursed Antiquities. His mundane life between the world of the living and turning to stone as the sun rises is disrupted when a thief attempts to steal Hecate’s Stone. He cannot eliminate her for her thieving ways. Not when she resembles his dead wife.

Cali Angelis, a thief for hire, needs Hecate’s stone for her client. Only Darrien makes her question her client’s motives. She’d like to think Darrien delusional, but she’s seen the unbelievable. 

Will they unravel the mysteries behind the stone before history repeats itself?




“Get a grip,” she warned herself. The gryphon didn’t blink his eyes. Yep, and it didn’t fly from the back room and station itself at the door, either. She gulped and leveled the beam of the flashlight on the statue once more. Only what stood there now was a man, a large man with dark hair, a beard neat and trim…and eyes that glowed like the gryphon’s eyes had.

“You cannot take the item from the museum,” the man’s deep voice boomed with authority meant to intimidate, and his words were flavored with a Greek accent. “You must return it immediately,” he finished the threat. Sure there had been no threat voiced, but she all but heard the ‘or else’ just as clearly as if the words had been spoken.  

“Who are you?” she countered, even though she had no right to inquire. Obviously, this man must be the night guardsman. Her gaze slid over his attire and frowned. He wore garments she’d only seen painted on Greek vases and paintings—an intricately designed tunic, a dark colored cloak, and gold sandals adorned his feet. Her one eyebrow lifted. Perhaps he was a thief who liked theatrics. She had an uncle who liked to dress like a caped superhero when he went on his jobs.  

She straightened her back and met the guy’s gaze head on. “I think you need to leave, or I’ll call the cops.” She pulled out her cell phone and lit up the screen to prove her point. The guy didn’t have to know she was bluffing. She didn’t want the cops here anymore than he probably did.

He didn’t quite react the way she thought he would. Oh no, he had the audacity to laugh, a deep guttural laugh. “You amuse me human woman,” he told her.

“Human woman?” Okay, this nut-job was off his meds. “Fine, you stay here, and this human woman will say good evening. It’s been a long day. I need to head back to my spaceship before E.T. calls home and tells Mom and Dad I’m late.”  

The man’s brows furrowed, deep creases marring his forehead. Maybe she loaded on the crapola a little thick. It was best to end this conversation and get out of Africa—as her father would say—and make like a cheetah on the hunt. She took a few cautious steps toward the front door.

“You will halt,” he demanded with his palm up as if his stance alone could stop her. 

Well, yep it did, for a full three seconds. She knew some self-defense moves, but this guy was built like he lifted weights in his sleep just so his bulk didn’t decrease in the middle of the night. It didn’t appear like the front door was an option, but… her gaze latched onto the window next to it. “Oh, hell.” She charged and prayed this old building hadn’t been refurbished with safety glass.

Otherwise, this stunt was really going to hurt.



About the Author:

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets.

When she’s not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates book covers at Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”.
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, time travel or contemporary romances, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com

Blog: http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com

Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”
http://judgeyourbookbyitscover.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarenmichellenutt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KMNbooks

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/karenmnutt

Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Michelle-Nutt/e/B002BLLBPE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmn_books

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karen-michelle-nutt

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/karenmichellenutt  

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmichellenutt

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kmnbooks

IMDb: https://tinyurl.com/yy27qubr

 



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