Monday, February 9, 2015

Bradford Scripps Author Spotlight -- Blondie's Books From Friends

Blondie's Books From Friends -- Bradford Scripps, Author Spotlight

Bradford Scripps, Author, Entrepreneur
My new author spotlight feature offers my lovely readers a water splash each Monday with booky goodness from some of my favorite author friends. When you see my blog with the BFF title it means you're in for a treat. If you would like to be featured on my blog contact me at any of my social media sights below.

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card



How? Simply leave a comment below and I will pick one random winner this month. It's that easy.


Bradford Scripps

This week on my Author Spotlight, I bring you something completely different than the horror of Wendy Potocki, or the thrill from Rachel Amphlett. Today I am featuring Bradford Scripps's and his new children's book called Who are the Fear Fighters?! A non-watery book, but I've made the exception for this talented young fella. 

Brad's travel site: www.tripizy.com
I met Brad on twitter a few years ago and I'm quite impressed with his entrepre-neurial spirit. Since we met he has created several diverse projects including a travel website, an app, and a childrens' book. How is that for talent?

 The travel site is called Tripizy and you can find it here:  www.tripizy.com. 
It is a site where you can book everything from hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. Book your next hotel stay for up to 80% off with over two hundred and fifty thousand properties 
worldwide. 
Brad's App ToGather
Coming Soon!

ToGather App



 Brad's app, ToGather, will be available in three weeks. 

 With ToGather you can organize a public or private event, find friends nearby to hang out with, find out what is trending for events in your area, follow friends, family, colleagues and much more. 

It is the fastest and easiest way to create an event. Stay tuned I'll be tweeting his links when that is out. 

 Who Are THE FEAR FIGHTERS?

Brad has created an entire brand around this book and the characters. Please take a minute to checkout the Website where you can find a lot of character details, a Fear Fighting Certificate, and other fun things. 



Synopsis:

 Devin has normal fears of anyone his age. He is afraid of the dark and animals really scare him. Like a lot of kids, he has trouble facing his fears. 

 After a class field trip to the zoo where he is made fun of by the class bullies, Devin is dared to return to the zoo that night to prove he isn't scared. After bluffing, and saying that he didn't have fears, Devin and, his best friend, Aiden go on a wild, heart-pumping adventure and along the way faces his fears, makes new friends, and experiences an adrenaline surging night that ultimately changes their lives forever. 

 From author Bradford W. Scripps comes an exciting and feel-good story introducing a new children's brand that helps your kids face their fears. Kids learn that family and friends are always there for support.

What People are Saying

"An engaging and well-written story that gives children power over fear and the necessary coping skills to feel better, stronger, and safer. This book is a great teaching tool to explore childhood fears and to help children understand that they are not alone and that there are many people they can reach out. A must in classroom libraries!"

Ana Lorena Fabrega, Bachelor Degree in Childhood Education and Special Education at New York University
1st grade Teacher (Boston Private School) The Learning Project Elementary School


"Who Are The Fear Fighters?! is a charismatic story that addresses the normality of having childhood fears. This exciting storyline depicts the positive impact of having support and encouragement from friends to help in the process of overcoming the feelings of doubt and uncertainty. Courage, trust, and friendship all played their parts to triumph fear."

Annick Dagot, Masters of Arts in Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy, Bachelors of Arts in Early Childhood Education (Grades K-3)


"As a teacher I read daily to my class during read aloud time.  What I like about The Fear Fighters, it will capture the full attention of children all ages and spark their imagination.   The writer addresses the problem right away and takes the children on an action packed adventure that will have the reader rooting for Devin to overcome his fear of animals. 
The writer’s sensitivity and ability to address problems that young children fear but are not able to express is amazing. An excellent book! A must read for all young children."

Minnie DeVico, Master's Degree from Point Loma University.  
"Very endearing story that my boys (5 & 7) related very well to. They are both really into learning about wild animals. Knowing the Fear Fighter's were wild animals kept them enthralled with the story.   As a mom, I appreciate the fact that the author addresses common fears most children have. The story reinforced to my boys that their fears can be overcome through confidence in themselves and friendship!" 

Cristina Spillane, Mother of two boys


Links


Connect With KJ Waters


When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
  • Check out our website here.
  • We are on twitter here.


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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Author Spotlight on Wendy Potocki -- Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF)

Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF) Author Spotlight on Wendy Potocki


My new author spotlight feature offers my lovely readers a water splash each Monday with booky goodness from some of my favorite author friends. When you see my blog with the BFF title it means you're in for a treat. If you would like to be featured on my blog contact me at any of my social media sights below.

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

How? Simply leave a comment below and I will pick one random winner this month. It's that easy.


Author Spotlight on Wendy Potocki
I'm nearly giddy with excitement to bring you this week's
Wendy Potocki
Author Spotlight. Wendy Potocki is one of my favorite Facebook author buddies and has been a huge supporter of my writing. 

 In fact, she featured and interview about my novel Stealing Time on her blog recently and two of my beta readers were from her request. You can see the post here. Wendy has this really cool author trailer that you can check out here.

 Wendy is a horror writer and a really good one at that. You can find her other books on the links at the end of this post. For your reading enjoyment is an excerpt from Thrill and it leaves me wanting more, but not in that boat, and definitely not in that lake, which is saying a lot, since you all know how much I love water. 

Thrill



Some Rides Should Never Be Taken ... 
You can find Thrill here.
Kyle Evans is a teenager who wants to be somebody. To achieve his goal, he joins a gang called Hell's Bells. While Kyle thinks he's arrived, he only finds danger.
The club is obsessed with finding thrills and taking chances, but Kyle’s unaware that there’s a price to pay. Up for a dare, he accepts a challenge that lands him on the wrong side of the supernatural. 


A Thrilling Excerpt from Thrill

A light rain beat against the glass, the tepid sound pulling him out of the past. A fog settling, it was thin enough to allow visibility, but thick enough to keep prying eyes from seeing what they were never meant to see. He’d delayed the inevitable long enough. Letting the robe drop to the floor, he rushed downstairs, grabbing his rod and reel.

The mist continued to gather as he strode onto the launch and climbed into the small boat used for fishing. The lake was constantly stocked so his hook never remained empty for long.

Right along with his expensive fishing equipment, he loaded a few large stones into his boat. He used the engine to make it to the center of the reservoir. When he was almost there, he cut off the motor and rowed the last few feet. The visibility further diminished, the timing was perfect. A twinge of uneasiness took hold. He wrapped the fishing line around the stones, weighting the hook. Sending the line out in an arched dive, she had to be down there—she just had to be.

The soft plink of the homemade sinkers hit the water. They were as good as anything you could buy in the store. The rocks wasted no time in towing the hook down to the bottom. He let the line run, not impeding the unreeling of it.

It didn’t take long for a tug on the line to occur. While he hadn’t expected the resistance, there was no doubt that something was caught. But his aim couldn’t be that good—nor his memory that accurate. It was unreasonable to think that out of the vast lake, he’d pinpointed the exact spot with such precision.

While the odds against it happening were astronomical, he wasn’t in the mood to question his unbelievable luck. Especially not when the force he used convinced him that he’d caught something bigger than a trout. He tried reeling it in, but the object wouldn’t budge. Refusing to give an inch, he stood up in the boat, praying that the heavy line would hold. An unexpected yank threw him off balance. He wobbled, struggling to recover his footing. Battling to regain his equilibrium, another pull caused the rod to slip out of his hand.

He’d been stupid to stand. Regretting the decision, his fishing pole plunged beneath the choppy surface. Watching in disgust as it disappeared, he couldn’t believe that large of a fish was alive in this lake.

“Lee.”

Jerking his head around, he could have sworn he’d heard his name. Moving towards the edge of the boat, he peered over. A small pool of air bubbles nearby, an undulation of the waves began. Once the gentle rocking was initiated, it increased in ferocity.

It was ridiculous to think that the wind was causing the waves. There was no breeze to speak of and nothing had occurred to create this much disruption. It meant something was pushing on the stern. 


Other Books by Wendy Potocki:


The Vampire's Game: Part I of the Adduné Vampire Trilogy
The House of Cards: Part II of the Adduné Vampire Trilogy
Trillingham
The Man with the Blue Hat
Black Adagio

Connect with Wendy





Connect with Wendy Potocki

Mailing List
Blog
Facebook
Twitter


Attachments area


Connect With KJ Waters


When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
  • Check out our website here.
  • We are on twitter here.

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    Monday, January 26, 2015

    Blondie's Books From Friends -- Author Spotlight on Rachel Amphlett

    Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF) Author Spotlight on Rachel Amphlett


    My new author spotlight feature offers my lovely readers a water splash each Monday with booky goodness from some of my favorite author friends. When you see my blog with the BFF title it means you're in for a treat. If you would like to be featured on my blog contact me at any of my social media sights below.

    Please leave a comment below to welcome Rachel to my blog and let me know you were here. This month I will choose one random reader comment to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Stay tuned!




    Author Spotlight on Rachel Amphlett and Before Nightfall
    Rachel Amphlett
    What a thrill to be able to connect with authors all over the world! I love social media and its ability to make these connections seamless. Today I bring you one of my Aussie author buddies, Rachel Amphlett, who has been a great connection on twitter. She writes some really bad ass suspense novels so I hope you check out her work. Her current novel, Before Nightfall, is only  99 cents so it's hard to go too far wrong with that. My hope is that you'll be hooked and find her other books as captivating. You can also get her first novel White Gold for free by signing up for her newsletter on her website.

    Today I bring you a behind the scenes look at how Rachel came up with the novel concept for Before Nightfall. I have to admit I got chills when I read this, partly due to the magical trip she describes but mostly at how her creative process was inspired by the sea that surrounded her. I wish my writing ideas worked out so neatly. Not that I have trouble but I don't write my books in 9 weeks. I chase kids and work at my two jobs and create awesome things for the PTA. maybe someday I'll get the chance to write in a solid straight line and get something done quickly.  Here is Rachel and her watery adventure.


    Inspiration and a Change of Scenery


    I’m not naturally drawn to the sea. It’s something I blame on my Anglo heritage, and the fact that if I go out in the sun my vampire-like skin simply burns. I always joke that people will know if I’ve got a tan because I go from blue to white.

    However, it was while on vacation in Malta eighteen months ago that the idea for my current thriller, Before Nightfall came to fruition, which goes to show that being out of your natural environment (for me that means countryside and greenery) can often spark your creative juices in ways you might not expect.

    It was about three days into the holiday that the idea first popped into my head. I could see a woman on a chair, her hands tied behind her. She had a Hessian sack over her head, and was scared – very scared. Her head was bowed, and she wore no jewelry. She’d tucked her feet under the chair, her toes pointed at the ground.

    That evening, we met with family members who had flown to Malta to meet us there, and I described this scene to my aunt over drinks at a bar overlooking Sliema harbour – it wouldn’t let go, and I was aching to find out who the woman was, and why she was there.

    What had she done to get into that situation?

    Did anyone know where she was?

    Would she get out alive?

    I’d just published the second in my Dan Taylor thriller series, Under Fire, and my aunt suggested a rest from the series to explore this new idea. Rather than take a break from writing completely, the concept of writing something different as a means to dust off some different writing skills held appeal.

    The next day, we spent a leisurely time walking and taking taxi boats between Sliema, where we were renting an apartment, and Valetta. The noises of the busy harbour-side and shouts from people as they worked the docks, and the aromas of salty air, and diesel fumes from the boats, evoked a real sense of place in my mind.


    The warm air held an undertone of these smells – it would waft past us as we sat at tables outside cafes, sipping our cool drinks under an umbrella as we watched the world go by.
    I knew the setting of the story wouldn’t take place in Malta – the place is too friendly (I wanted a location facing social upheaval), and too small to hide someone for any length of time. However, these sensory moments stayed with me, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt that the woman would be held captive near water.

    The overheard conversations of everyday life and salty air would become the sounds and smells that sustained her, and how she would work out her location.

    The day before we were due to fly home, we treated ourselves to a boat trip up the east coast of the island towards Comino and Gozo. The owners of the short tour used a traditional Turkish gulet, a beautiful wooden-hulled vessel that held special memories for us from trips to Turkey in the past.


    We tossed books, a small camera, and my notebook and pen into a backpack, wandered down to the quayside and found a quiet place to sit on the small yacht.

    For a while, we watched the scenery and fell into our usual companionable silence, and then I suddenly reached out for my backpack, pulled out my notebook and pen, and started scribbling.

    Twelve pages later, I had the rough outline of the plot completed. I knew who the woman was, how she got there, and how much trouble she was heading for. When I finished, I was stunned and turned to my other half, a huge grin plastered across my face.

    ‘I’ve got the story,’ I said.

    He laughed, shook his head, and turned the page of the book he was engrossed in. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Then you can start writing it when we get back to Australia.’

    I smiled, put the notebook back in my backpack, then went to stand at the guardrail to watch the island of Gozo grow closer to our starboard side.

    Nine weeks later, the first draft of Before Nightfall was complete.


    Links:

    Website: www.rachelamphlett.com
    Twitter: @RachelAmphlett (http://twitter.com/RachelAmphlett)
    Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rachelamphlett/
    Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5070038.Rachel_Amphlett

    Before Nightfall is available for the special price of $0.99 until 31 January 2015 from eBook retailers, including:
    Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Before-Nightfall-Rachel-Amphlett-ebook/dp/B00KOAMTRS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1421825195&sr=1-1&keywords=rachel+amphlett
    Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-nightfall-rachel-amphlett/1119258325?ean=9780992268527


    iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/before-nightfall/id864292743?mt=11





    Connect With KJ Waters

    When I'm not working on Stealing Time you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

      I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
      • Check out our website here.
      • We are on twitter here.
      • Facebook link here.
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      Wednesday, January 21, 2015

      Blondie's Books From Friends --Author Spotlight on Geoffrey West

      Blondie's Books From Friends -- Author Spotlight on Geoffrey West

      This year on my blog I am offering my lovely readers a splash of watery fun using excerpts from some great authors' books. When you see blogs with the title Blondie's Books From Friends (Blondie's BFFs) you know you're in for a treat with a new water adventure from a talented author. If you would like to be featured on here please leave a comment or contact me on any of my social media sites below. 

      My novel, Stealing Time, is out on Amazon and you can find it here, and it currently has 13 5-star reviews on the US and UK sites!  I'm working on getting it in paperback as soon as possible and I'm in negotiations with a voice talent for the audiobook. Book two is half-way done and I'm busy writing the rest of it.

      As always I encourage you to leave a comment below. I'm always grateful when readers let me know they were here.

      Author Spotlight on Geoffrey West and His Novel Doppelganger

      This week's watery splash is from Geoffrey West and his second novel in the Jack Lockwood Mystery series Doppelganger. Geoffrey was introduced to me by the infamous Terry Tyler (@terrytyler4 on twitter) to help me with the historical bits and bobs on my debut novel, Stealing Time. Geoffrey was a huge help with the English dialog and historical whatnots from the eighteenth century and I highly recommend him. 

      My business, Blondie's Custom Book Covers also created the cover from his latest release, Sheer Fear, that you can find here. We are helping him with a new book in the Jack Lockwood Series, that you can find more on here

      Doppelganger -- The Second Jack Lockwood Mystery Novel

      SYNOPSIS


      What happens if you fall in love with a killer? Jack Lockwood, psychologist/criminal profiler and writer falls in love with Lucy Green, whom he later has reason to believe may be the child-killer, Megan Foster. Megan was held in custody at age eight, in 1982, and released ten years later with a new identity. Simultaneously, Jack is being targeted by a gangster who does not want him to write his (unauthorized) biography. What’s more there’s a serial killer on the loose in historic Canterbury, someone christened ‘the Bible Killer’, who targets women and kills them in a particularly gruesome manner. Is Lucy the Bible Killer? Jack has to find out, but the answers are far from simple.

      EXCERPT

           Once I was outside, feeling the full force of the rain pounding hard into my face, I wondered if I’d been stubborn and stupid to have taken the decision. The swirling torrent was already a flood by anyone’s standards, the water I was plunging through nearly six inches deep, swirling and eddying as I walked, and hard to negotiate, like wading through a swimming pool, oozing and sucking at each step, already surging over the top of my Wellington boots and soaking my socks. The rain was falling so hard it actually hurt my cheeks, such was the force of the water, and all I could do was keep my head down and go forwards. My ‘storm proof’ flack jacket’s waterproofing was also compromised, so that icy water clawed at my skin. And it was practically impossible to see through the misty torrent, as if I was groping through an angry, dark, terrifying world of freezing streaming water.
      I remembered I’d seen Ken Gifford’s cottage when I’d first arrived here in sunshine, and I recalled it was only a few hundred yards down the road. I pictured the water getting as deep as a couple of feet, then up to my waist. Would there be some kind of tide, or water-borne currents that could sweep me away? I had no idea, nor did I really want to dwell on the thought. It was better not to think too deeply, just get on with what was in front of me. 
      After a while I saw Ken’s cottage in the distance, and thanked heaven that I’d be there very soon. The rising rock of the mountain was to my left, but to the right the road had now completely disappeared, and without the rock to cling to I could easily have become disorientated. Unable to get back to Llantrissant Manor.
      Wading up what I assumed was Ken’s front drive, I made it to his door. The builder of Ken’s cottage hadn’t been so farsighted as those who had constructed Llantrissant Manor. Although Ken’s ground floor was a foot higher than its surroundings, this was barely enough to keep the flood at bay, and the water level was virtually up to his top step. 
      He came to the door in response to my knock. “Hello, neighbour,” the old man said warmly, peering out at me above his half glasses. He wore blue jeans and a large blue sweater, and gumboots, the same as mine. “All set for the flood?”
      “That’s what I came to ask you about.” I replied entering his narrow hallway, shivering with the freezing ice against my skin. “You’re very welcome to come up to the Manor—I think we’re on slightly higher ground than you are.”
      “That’s kind of you, but this is nothing, happens most years.” He sounded calm and relaxed. “Ten years ago the valley was flooded bloody nearly three feet deep, and it wasn’t much better last year. We’re used to it, see? Just a question of shifting things upstairs and staying put. Maureen and I did all that this morning, so we’ll just go up and sit it out.”
      “What if the electricity goes?”
      “Candles. We’ve got plenty to spare if you need any. We’ve even got a battery powered telly to pass the time. Plus a camping stove for cooking, and we’ve already filled our water carriers. You’d better do that, sometimes the tap water gets contaminated.”
      “We will, I remember seeing some in the cupboard. As for the candles, there’s no need thanks, we’re supposed to have a backup generator.”
      “Buggers, generators, work fine when you test ‘em, then when you depend on them, sometimes they let you down. Just take a few in case.”
      “I didn’t mean to–”
      “Course you didn’t, I know that.” He took my arm and squeezed gently. “We really appreciate the offer. I knew you were a nice bloke. Liked you the first time I met you, instinct you might say. And to think you’ve made all this effort to came out in this bloody awful weather because you wanted to help us out of a mess. The least we can do in return is let you have a few essentials in case you need ’em.”
      “Well if you’re sure.”
      Ken thrust a dozen candles into a carrier bag and handed them over, adding a large torch.
      “Oh I almost forgot,” he said, bustling away and returning with a brown paper parcel. 
      “This arrived for you a few weeks ago, kept meaning to give it to you, then I forgot. I’ll put it in the bag.”
      “Thanks.”
      “You’d best get back before the water gets any deeper.”

      LINKS

      Jack Lockwood mystery novels:

      #1 ROCK’N’ROLL SUICIDE  http://viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4

      #2  DOPPELGANGER http://viewBook.at/B00B6U64B2

      #3 SHEER FEAR  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00OY578V6

      Coming soon:  JACK LOCKWOOD DIARIES, 21 short stories, see some here now at  https://jacklockwood.wordpress.com/

       All other info on my website   www.geoffreydavidwest.com

       Please support Geoffrey by following him on Facebook and Twitter.




      Connect With KJ Waters

      When I'm not working on Stealing Time you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

        I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
        • Check out our website here.
        • We are on twitter here.
        • Facebook link here.
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