Tag: Giveaway

Rumi And The Retribution Schedule Book Tour

The Da Vinci Code meets Rumi in a global thriller/mystery

Rumi and the Retribution

Gabriel McKnight Book 1

by Pooneh Sadeghi

Genre: Global Thriller, Mystery

You Are What You Seek.

Gabriel McKnight, a decorated former U.S. Navy SEAL and bestselling author, sees his perfect life come unraveled when he’s named the prime suspect in a murder case after his twin brother vanishes without a trace.

Now on the run from the law, Gabriel embarks on a desperate worldwide quest to clear his name and uncover his brother’s fate.

His only ally is Noor Rahman, the scion of a once-powerful Iranian dynasty whose past intertwines with a mysterious book of Rumi’s poems left behind by her deceased parents.

Together, Gabriel and Noor decipher cryptic passages suggesting a link between the historic murders of Noor’s family and his brother’s disappearance. From the back alleys of Washington, D.C., to the bustling streets of Paris, and the vibrant vistas of Tehran, they navigate a labyrinth of danger and deception leading them inexorably to Rumi’s mystical resting place in Turkey.

But discovery comes with a perilous cost. With every revelation, Gabriel and Noor inch that much closer to unlocking the sinister truth behind their parallel destinies.

Can they outwit their unseen foes and decode the final mysteries before they themselves become the final casualties in this deadly game?

Get the paperback on Amazon or B&N! 

Or get the ebook:

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rumi-Retribution-Gabriel-McKnight-Book-ebook/dp/B0CZ1DBZLR

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/rumi-and-the-retribution/id6504419789

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rumi-and-the-retribution-pooneh-sadeghi/1145815063?ean=2940186008590

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pooneh_Sadeghi_Rumi_and_the_Retribution?id=KaoOEQAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/rumi-and-the-retribution

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/rumi-and-the-retribution-gabriel-mcknight-book-1-by-pooneh-sadeghi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214676717-rumi-and-the-retribution

Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

Paris, July 14, 1997

Dying for your loved ones is a noble sacrifice, but outsmarting a killer before you die is a  sweeping triumph. That’s what Shiraz Rahman thought as she rushed out of the Trocadero metro station on a balmy summer evening.

The sun had begun its descent, making way for midnight blue skies. Paris dressed in lights, welcoming all to its various restaurants and cafés. Shiraz’s gaze darted around as she turned into the Delessert Boulevard. Her posture was stiff, her pace fast, and her breath labored.

Up ahead, the Café Delessert bustled with activity. Waiters rushed about delivering trays of food. The aroma of coffee and French cuisine drifted in the air. Parisians and tourists clustered around the tables lined by the sidewalk, their carefree laughter carrying into the night.

Shiraz recalled the days when she, too, laughed freely, unaware of the evil surrounding her. A loud clatter broke through the night. Shiraz bit back a scream and jerked around.

A waiter had dropped a tray on the sidewalk. He bent over to pick it up. Shiraz clutched her purse and hastened her pace. Every so often, she looked back to make sure she wasn’t being followed.

The Delessert Boulevard swarmed with people. It was no surprise. This area offered the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Each year, thousands of people gathered here to celebrate and watch the dazzling fireworks display from the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero gardens.

It seemed like a normal night, and by all accounts it should have been, but Shiraz knew better. I will die tonight. Beads of sweat formed on her upper lip. I’m not afraid. I’m prepared.

After all, her daughter’s life depended on it. Noor, my sweet Noor! Shiraz rubbed her chest as she considered her options another time. 

There was one way to keep Noor safe, and when the time was right, Noor would know the truth. Shiraz had made sure of it. She approached her bookstore and risked another glance over her shoulder.

A shiver ran up her spine. The killer was in the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to strike. She squared her shoulders. Come and get me. That’s all you’ll get.

She entered her bookstore and let her head fall against the door. The scent of worn leather, polished wood, and new books were welcoming and familiar.

Jean Luc, her friend, and the bookstore’s sole employee, sat by the reading nook.  Shiraz pasted a smile on her face. “Why are you working when you should be outside celebrating with the rest of the country?”

Jean Luc placed a book on a shelf close to the armchair he occupied. “Cheri, we have a splendid view. I can watch the celebration from here.”

Shiraz placed her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows into a mock frown. “It’s Independence Day. Go drink wine, celebrate your freedom, and flirt with someone nice. I’ll close the store tonight.”

“Come with me,” Jean Luc pleaded. “We’ll find two delicious men and party all night.”

Shiraz snorted. “The only man I’ll ever love is Parviz.” She rushed on before Jean Luc could  say anything. “I know my husband died years ago, but what Parviz and I had was unique. Something like that happens once in a lifetime.” She made shooing motions with her hands. “That’s why I’m closing, and you’re leaving. It’s your turn to find your soulmate.”

A movement outside of the window caught her eye. For an instant, Shiraz saw a familiar figure standing in the crowd outside of her store. She gripped the armchair and craned her neck to get a better look.

The Trocadero gardens overflowed with people wearing France’s national colors. Its fountains switched from red to blue and back. The Eiffel Tower shone tall and proud. 

Her heart thudded wildly. “Why did it take me so long to figure out the truth?”

“Shiraz, are you all right?” Jean Luc asked, concern evident in his ruddy round face. “You were mumbling to yourself.”

Shiraz studied her hands. Her knuckles had gone white. She let go of the armchair and relaxed her features. “I’m fine. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

Jean Luc looked uncertain. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”

Shiraz bobbed her head. “Yes, Noor and I have plans. Go enjoy your evening.”

Jean Luc finally gave in and left the store. Shiraz shut the door behind him then poured herself a cup of tea. She sat behind the counter and picked up a volume of Rumi’s poems.

“Life is a multitude of patterns that rise, fall, and flow together. You taught me that.” She traced her hands along the book’s spine. “It’s Noor’s turn to find her place and purpose in life. I know you’ll guide her as you did me.” Shiraz opened the book and lost herself in Rumi’s compelling verse.

The sound of chimes announced a newcomer. Footsteps echoed in the silent store. The grandfather clock ticked in the corner, counting every second that remained of her life. Shiraz closed the book and stared into the stone cold eyes of a killer.

The killer aimed a gun at her. “I put the ‘Closed’ sign up. Let’s go to the back of the store.”

Shiraz grimaced, revulsion evident in her face. “I can’t believe it. All the lies, and the betrayal. How could you do it?”

The killer spoke with a coldness Shiraz had never heard before. “Easily. Now move. I don’t have all night.”

She rose and headed toward the small office at the back of the store. Her enemy held the gun at her back and pushed her into the office. She stumbled and straightened herself. “I know why you’re here. You shouldn’t have come.”

“Where is the package?”

Shiraz raised her chin. “I don’t know.”

Her enemy slapped her with enough force to knock her head against the bookshelf behind the desk. Shiraz stumbled and straightened herself. She spat blood, and at that moment the future of her daughter was all that mattered. Her face flushed.

There was a moment of stillness on both sides, then Shiraz charged her foe. She was no match for her opponent’s strength, but it took her assailant off guard.

They fell to the floor in a struggle. Shiraz kicked her opponent as hard as she could and  struggled to rise to her feet. Outside, voices rose as thousands of Parisians sang their national anthem.

The murderer grabbed Shiraz’s ankle and dragged her back down. Shiraz reached out and grabbed the volume of Rumi’s poems. She knocked her assailant over the head with the book.

“Argh!” her assailant grunted, nonplussed.

Shiraz wobbled to her feet. Her breath hitched as she forced her shaky limbs to move. She made it halfway to the exit when the murderer grabbed a fist full of her hair and dragged her back to the office.

Shiraz’s chest heaved, and her lungs burned as she gulped air.

The killer aimed the gun at her. “I’m in no mood to play games. I’ll ask one more time. Where is the package?”

Shiraz met her foe’s gaze defiantly, and for an instant, her mouth turned up. “You’ll never find it.”

Nostrils flared. “Then you’re no use to me.”

Gunshots echoed in the store just as the fireworks at the Trocadero started. Shiraz blinked. She felt nothing for a few seconds, then fell to the floor as pain gripped her body. She tried to rise. Her body didn’t cooperate. Her body twitched and convulsed as blood drained from her wounds. She flung her hand out, trying to reach for the telephone cord a few feet away. Her vision grew blurry, and her breath came gasps.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when footsteps approached her. A man bent over her. Shiraz squinted through the haze of pain. It was Morris, her late husband’s friend. Morris pressed his hands over her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. He shouted something, but a tremor shook her body, drowning out his words. 

She coughed blood.

Sweat formed on Morris’s upper lip. “Hold on.” He tore strips of his own shirt to bind her wounds. The pain began to ease and grow distant. A bright haze filled her vision. Shiraz felt light, as if she was floating. She looked up and blinked. 

Her late husband, Parviz, stood by the doorway of her office. He gazed at her lovingly, then opened his arms.

No, not yet! Shiraz mustered all her strength and gripped Morris’s arm. “Noor,” she whispered.

Morris’s eyes glistened with tears. He nodded grimly. “I’ll keep her safe. You have my word.”

Satisfied she’d done everything she could for her daughter, Shiraz Rahman took her last breath and stepped into her husband’s arms.

Giveaway

Print Copy of Rumi and the Retribution, $10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/RumiRetributionTour

About the Author

I was born to a diplomat and housewife in Tehran-Iran then whisked across the globe to whatever country my parents had been assigned to.

Raised to appreciate various cultures, landscapes, languages, and viewpoints, my life was one grand adventure until a revolution took place in my country and turned our lives upside down.

Between then and the age of eighteen I had experienced both the joy, freedom, and magic our world offers as well as wars, deprivation, and oppression.

My undergraduate studies were in the Middle East and my post graduate studies were at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

So, when did I become a writer? Books had always been my greatest friends, teachers, refuge, and the inspiration to forge my own future.

In college I realized I wanted to write engaging mysteries and thrillers. At the same time, I wanted to give readers more than a story. I wanted to share the rich beauty of Persian literature as well as that of other cultures.

For that I embarked on a twenty-two-year journey, traveling to various countries, and experiencing life while establishing a successful career.

Gabriel McKnight and his first story had been on my mind for several years yet it wasn’t until my mid-forties that I picked up the proverbial pen. The time had come to share my stories.

The next step was making my dream come true. I queried several agents and one glorious day in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic my wonderful literary agent reached out to me with an offer for representation. She took my story to publishers and before I knew it, we had a publishing contract –and here we are.

Today, I live in Oklahoma City, USA with my family and two dogs. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the power of words. Words can heal, teach, entertain, inspire, and evoke change. I hope you enjoy Gabriel’s adventures as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://poonehsadeghi.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557188217131

X: https://x.com/SadeghiPooneh

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

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Pooneh-Sadeghi/author/B0D7DPZ2VD

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/50396878.Pooneh_Sadeghi

The Moldy Orange Bandage Book Tour

As much as we may love our families and friends, they possess the ability to drive us crazy!

The Moldy Orange Bandage:

Playbooks and Short Stories 

by Lirio Blanco Show 

Genre: Literary Fiction

As much as we may love our families and friends, they possess the ability to drive us crazy!

In this pair of theatrical playbooks (with a few short stories as an added bonus), two family-friendly plays for tweens and up showcase two different dramas.

In The Moldy Oranges, married life between an American husband and his Latin immigrant wife never proves dull . . . especially when the mother-in-law lives under the same roof.

And then, when their trusted neighbor requests a mysterious brown bag be hidden in their closet, it provides the trigger for family secrets, suspicion, and intrigue.

What is in the brown bag? A diary? Stolen jewelry? A secret detonator for a kitchen stove, perhaps?

Based on the events of Atlanta’s 2014 ice storm, a group of middle school girls are trapped in their after-school classroom, seemingly abandoned by the last faculty member, who flees to protect her own family during the crisis.

Three girls and the class bully must learn to cooperate for survival until help arrives in The Box of Bandages.

From architect/author Lirio Blanco Show, these stories provide a peek into family life with an in-law, stranded girls struggling to cope with a bully, as well as a handful of short animal stories . . . some based on true events, some completely fiction. Who dares to say which is which?

The answers lie within…

Amazon * BookLogix * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Moldy-Orange-Bandage-Playbooks-Stories-ebook/dp/B09J67P5D5

BookLogix: https://shop.booklogix.com/product/the-moldy-orange-bandage/

B&N: https://valsec.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-moldy-orange-bandage-lirio-show/1140257810?ean=2940162476467

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-moldy-orange-bandage-playbooks-and-short-stories-by-lirio-blanco-show

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59203907-the-moldy-orange-bandage

Book Trailer:

EXCERPT:

Terry the Chipmunk

Terry the Chipmunk was running through the mead-ow when he caught a glance of beautiful acorns in the distance.

He was hypnotized by their beauty. The acorns were fat and shiny. They captivated Terry’s eyes. He did not waste time to run and start filling his cheeks with these attractive acorns.

His two cheeks were so puffy, and they got puffier, puffier, and puffier, until they both looked like a pair of furry water balloons.

However, Terry wanted these acorns all for him-self. . . So he started to plan how to conceal them inside his cave.

Realizing his neighbors would return soon, he became frantic, his eyes swelling with the emotion of owning these marvelous acorns.

Venus, one of his friends, approached him and he tried to run and hide from her. Curious, she chased him for some time until she cornered him against a tree root.

Terry was so afraid to share his nuts that he pressed his teeth together protectively to hide them . . . tighter, tighter, and tighter until—Snap! Crack! Ping!

Tiny pieces of his teeth began to chip off. Hearing a desperate yelp from Terry, Venus tried to get a better look.

Somehow, she convinced him to  open his mouth. Not only did the shiny acorns fall to the cavern floor, but tiny pieces of pearly white inci-sors, the two front teeth Terry had been so proud of, tumbled all over the ground.

Terry kneeled down in disbelief and cried and cried and cried in his distress, sobbing “What a pain, oh, what a pain!”

Feeling compassion for her friend, despite his greedy behavior, Venus tried to calm Terry down.

Terry couldn’t stop crying until, suddenly, he realized among the spilled acorns, he saw all that was left of his beloved incisors. He held his head with his two paws 

in disbelief and scrambled to rapidly retrieve his trea-sures. This time Venus clutched a few in her own paws to challenge his attention.

She held one paw out, and Terry hesitated. Venus smiled at him warmly, and when Terry saw her teeth reflecting the radiant sun-light, he remembered his own lost teeth.

Terry dropped the few acorns in his grasp and his fingers touched his naked gums with the realization that he had lost some-thing far more precious than a few acorns . . . 

He had lost his teeth.Venus explained that, had he not been so greedy by trying to hide the extra acorns—more than he could have ever eaten all winter—he would never have bro-ken his teeth.

“But don’t worry, Terry,” she continued soothingly, patting his quivering paw with her own, “Dr. Drill, the Chipmunk dentist, will fix your teeth.”

Terry replied, now calm, “Thanks Venus . . . but will you take me to him?”

“Of course,” Venus said. “But next time, Terry, you have to remember—when we give to someone, we are entitled to receive as well.”

Giveaway

Giveaway 

$10 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/MoldyOrangeBandageTour

About The Author

Albalis Vargas-Smith, a.k.a. Lirio Blanco Show, is an architect, painter, muralist, and writer from Panama.

She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from Universidad Autonoma de Centroamerica in San Jose, Costa Rica. In addition, she received a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts from Auburn University, Montgomery.

She has more than twenty years of experience in architecture, having worked both in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Atlanta area.

She has done theatrical scene and set design as volunteer work for community theatre groups. Back in July 2016, Albalis went solo as an entrepreneur, architect, and painter, founding the Vargas-Smith Studio.

The reason? To spend more time with her daughter. In 2020, she decided to finish a series of backburner short stories and theatrical plays.

One of the theatrical plays is presented in this book. Currently, Albalis lives in Johns Creek, Georgia, with her daughter, husband, her dog, Toni, and a precious bird, Ruperta.

Website * X * Instagram * TikTok * Etsy * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://www.albalis.com/

X: https://x.com/Lirioblancoshow

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

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@lirioblancoshow

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LirioBlancoShow

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21880276.Lirio_Show

New Zealand Freebie Blitz & Giveaway

A tale of treachery, lust and conflict, it spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans.

New Zealand: A Novel

By Lance Morcan

Genre: Historical Romantic Adventure 

New Zealand: A Novel spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans.

From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south.

The hardy, brown-skinned people who arrive here first call themselves Maori and they call their new home Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud.

The fascinating, eventful and sometimes violent lives of descendants of those first arrivals are traced through the centuries until the arrival of Europeans aboard Captain James Cook’s bark the Endeavour. Cook names the new land New Zealand.

Maoris call the white intruders pakeha. Their arrival heralds a clash of two vastly different ideologies as European civilization collides head on with indigenous culture.

The misunderstandings, tension and bloodshed that follow are relayed as seen through the eyes of one of the Endeavour’s youngest and most engaging crewmembers, Surgeon’s Assistant Nicholas Young, as the vessel embarks on its historic circumnavigation of the country.

Amidst the life-threatening challenges Nicholas faces at sea and on land, the young man finds true love when he meets Anika, a beautiful Maori princess who steals his heart.

**Get it FREE Dec 14th & 15th!**

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Novel-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B0DPTJTDCQ

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/new-zealand-a-novel-by-lance-morcan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221413728.New_Zealand

Excerpt

Alongside the same headland Captain Cook had named Young Nick’s Head aboard the Endeavour moments earlier, a young Maori sat looking out to sea, basking in the sun.

The headland was on his right. Close by, on his left, was the outlet to a river that flowed past his iwi’s inland pa, which was located just half a mile upriver.

Moki was the oldest son of the chief of the Ngati Porou, the region’s predominant iwi, or tribe.

He was also a direct descendant of Mahanga, the rangatira who had saved his people from being overrun by Te Arawa invaders more than two centuries earlier.

His lineage could be traced back to the Hawaikan rangatira Hotu, who, with his son Kafoa, landed on this very beach aboard the Ronui waka some four hundred years earlier.

Barely eighteen, Moki was a blooded warrior, having claimed his first kill in a clash with warriors of another iwi more than a year earlier.

Since then, he’d proven himself several times over, as a warrior and as a hunter, and despite his youth was considered a worthy successor-in-waiting to his father.

As the young warrior continued to daydream, something caught his eye on the horizon.

At first, he thought it was a cloud. Then he wondered if he was hallucinating. Coming around the headland was what looked like a giant bird. Sunlight reflected off its huge white wings, which appeared to be flapping in the light breeze.

Alarmed, he jumped to his feet. He waved frantically at the fishermen out in the bay, but they were too busy fishing to notice him.

Moki, his heart pounding, fled into the bush that bordered the beach. He didn’t stop running until he reached the safety of his pa.

The fortified village, located on a rise above the same river he’d been sitting alongside a short time earlier, was home to almost a thousand Ngati Porou villagers. Fifty wakas of all sizes rested along the riverbank – either in the water or high and dry on the bank itself.

The river provided ready access to the freshwater that the unoccupied pa on the nearby headland lacked. In terms of its construction and fortifications, it was reminiscent of the coastal pa.

Smoke from cooking fires spiralled up through openings in the rooves of at least half the pa’s whares, which numbered in the hundreds. The rangatira’s whare, the largest of the dwellings, occupied a commanding position on the marae alongside an even more impressive meeting house.

Constructed primarily of timbers from the native totara tree, the meeting house displayed intricate carvings relating the history of the iwi going all the way back to Kafoa and Hotu. The carvings were replicated throughout the pa and on the bowsprits of the wakas as well.

“Papa!” Moki shouted as soon as he was within earshot of his father’s whare. “A great bird comes to attack us from over the sea!” Breathing hard, he repeated his warning twice over as his father and other villagers emerged from their dwellings.

Giveaway 

$10 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/NewZealandFreeBlitz

About The Author

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 35 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work.

A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

The father-and-son team’s published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit, Fiji: A Novel and Into the Americas.

They also have several series including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series, which includes Genius Intelligence and The Catcher in the Rye Enigma. 

Several of their books have been regular visitors to Amazon’s bestseller lists over the years.

An additional non-fiction title they’re especially proud of is Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, which was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide. 

Lance’s first solo-authored novel, a historical adventure-romance titled New Zealand: A Novel, was published late 2024.

Spanning almost 500 years, this novel covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans.

From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south.

Researching and writing this epic was literally half a century in the making for Lance who described the task as “A labour of love that spanned 50 years.”

The Morcans’ production entity Morcan Motion Pictures has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas and White Spirit. 

Website * X * LinkedIn* Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://morcanbooksandfilms.com/

X: https://x.com/SterlingGate

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-morcan-4b87ba43/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lance-morcan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lance-Morcan/author/B005ET3ZUO

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5099267.Lance_Morcan

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder

When Mel O’Rourke traded in her badge for a spatula, she had no idea baking could be so hard…or deadly. 

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder 

By Marla A. White 

Genre: Holiday Cozy Mystery Audiobook

After injuring herself on the job as a Los Angeles cop, Mel O’Rourke leaves the force battered both physically and mentally.

Looking for a fresh start, she moves to a quiet mountain town and opens the Babbling Brook Inn.

Excited for her new life, Mel decides to participate in the town’s holiday cookie contest, but her newfound joy crashes when one of her guests turns up dead in her lobby.

Mel is tempted to attribute the death to natural causes, but when another guest dies, her cop sense kicks in.

The local Sheriff tells her to stand down, but with her own life in danger, Mel won’t back off. With everything on the line, she has to push through her own fears to catch the killer before more bodies drop, perhaps even her own.

Get the Audiobook at:

QiwiAudio * Google * Kobo 

Or you can get the ebook:

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
QiwiAudio: https://store.qiwiaudio.com/products/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder

Google: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAEDyfkc-pM

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder-1

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Surprise-Murder-Christmas-Cookies-ebook/dp/B09FYXBBMP

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder/id1585527745

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder-marla-a-white/1140148620?ean=2940162321743

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/bMw0v8

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder-by-marla-a-white

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59063839-the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder

Audiobook Excerpt: 

Excerpt:

While Mel booted up her computer and opened the file he’d sent from his phone, she nervously noticed Jackson scrutinizing the pictures on her wall of herself and her family.

She felt they gave away far too much intimate information about her. Then again, she’d never expected anyone to enter her personal domain to see them.

“See something you like?” she growled, hoping he got the message.

He just kept studying her wall.

Finally, he turned around with eyebrows furrowed. “That’s a picture of you and a man wearing Six-Pack of Peaks T-shirts. I’ve read about this challenge, there are some tough climbs involved.”

“That’s my brother, Liam.” She got lost in the picture for a minute, remembering the day like it was yesterday

She and Liam toasted the camera with a beer in one hand, arms draped around each other, and grinning from ear to ear with pride.

It was physically painful for her now, remembering how much fun climbing used to be. She forced herself to shake it off. “Somebody had to go with him or the idiot might have fallen off.”

“But you’re terrified of heights?”

“Would you believe I consumed a ton of edibles?”

Shaking his head, he moved closer to her desk. “There isn’t enough CBD in the world for the person I saw almost pass out from a panic attack today to climb those mountains, not to mention smile like that.”

Mel didn’t dare risk meeting his gaze, so she turned back to study her computer, jaw clenched. “Apparently heights didn’t always bother me. Congratulations, Sherlock. Now can we just drop it?”

“What happened?”

Apparently, they weren’t dropping it, so she chose the mature route and ignored him.

Jackson would not be deterred. “Mel, I’m no psychologist, but I’m not an idiot. Obviously, something traumatic happened to turn this woman—” He pointed at the beaming smile on her face in the photo, then waved directly at her as she sat at her desk. “—into this.”

She made a sweeping head to toe gesture at her body. “Hey! What’s so wrong with this?”

“Not a dang thing on the outside, but you clearly have some serious trauma, and talking about it is the first step in controlling it rather than letting it control you. And nobody keeps secrets like a Cajun,” he added with a small, crooked smile.

Giveaway 

Audiobook of The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder, 

$10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner each! 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/StarlightMintSurpriseMurderBlitz

About The Author

Marla White is an award-winning novelist who prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life.

Her first full-length mystery novel, “Cause for Elimination,” placed in several contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite, and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic Suspense.

Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry.

She currently teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage.

When she’s not working on the next book, she’s out in the garden, hiking, cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.  

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * TikTok* Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://www.marlaawhite.com/

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

X: https://x.com/TheScriptFixer

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marlaw825

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/marlaawhite.bsky.social

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marla-a-white

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marla-A.-White/author/B094DVMCR4

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21467766.Marla_A_White

Frist Drive Book Tour & Giveaway

Grab your hat, step into your boots, and strap on those spurs. Your cow pony is saddled up and ready to ride the trail from San Antonio to Abilene.

First Drive 

A Seph Vermillion Western Adventure Book 1 

by David Fitz-Gerald

Genre: Historical Western Adventure Fiction

Grab your hat, step into your boots, and strap on those spurs. Your cow pony is saddled up and ready to ride the trail from San Antonio to Abilene.

Seph Vermillion grew up dirt poor. As long as he can remember, he’s been pushing a plow and arguing with a mule.

A couple of times a year, a trio of bandits ravage the family farm and make off with their savings.

Pa never returned home after the war. Seph’s siblings have been gone so long, he doesn’t remember what they look like.

When Ma dies after a long illness, Seph trades the family farm for a horse named Sheriff. The kid next door tells Seph about the Deatherage Longhorn Cattle Ranch.

The allure of adventure beckons. They partner up and hit the trail. Lacking skills, they are the last cowboys hired and agree to work for half pay.

The outfit’s top hand, Stoke Moreland, pranks, taunts, and threatens Seph. Why does the seasoned cowboy seem intent on driving him off?

Seph doesn’t know much about self-defense, but he is tired of being a victim and feeling violated. How long can he turn the other cheek?

The trail is fraught with hazards from perilous river crossings to the mother of all stampedes.

When they realize they’re being tracked, followed, and hunted, a growing sense of doom overwhelms the fledgling outfit of cowboys who are still wet behind the ears.

The outlaws that plagued Seph’s past have followed them and they are determined to take the herd.

Their plan is simple: pit the cowboys against each other, pick them off one by one, and stampede the beeves.

Since they left San Antonio, the drovers have looked forward to whooping it up at the end of the trail.

That was before somebody began killing cowboys. Now, Abilene seems like an impossible dream. Will anybody make it to the end of the trail?

Grab your slicker, fetch your bedroll, and swing up into the saddle. Sign on with the Dagger D, Angry R brand—First Drive is calling your name.

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/First-Drive-Vermillion-Western-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0D3JM8LYC

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/first-drive-a-seph-vermillion-western-adventure-by-david-fitz-gerald

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213012434-first-drive

Character Profile – Meet Lullaby and Yodel

In First Drive, James “Lullaby” Funderburk and his older brother, William “Yodel” Funderburk, are more than cowboys. They anchor the Deatherage outfit with wisdom, music, and their unshakable bond.

The brothers hail from Springfield, Illinois, where their father worked for the bosses’ dad. But it was their Granny Matilda, with her firm hands and unyielding spirit, who left the deepest mark on their hearts and minds.

At 19 and 20 years old, these young black cowboys carry the wisdom of storms weathered and lessons learned beyond their years.

Lullaby is the outfit’s spiritual compass, a calming voice of faith and wisdom. When the cowboys need a steadying presence, they turn to Lullaby for a thoughtful prayer or a soothing hymn.

Yodel, by contrast, is quieter, often letting his harmonica speak for him. He teases his brother when the mood strikes, but his rare words carry weight.

Together, they embody balance: Lullaby’s steady faith and thoughtful guidance complemented by Yodel’s restless energy and mischievous heart.

One stormy night on the trail, as the firelight danced and the wind roared, Lullaby shared a memory with his fellow cowboys—a story shaped by Granny Matilda’s wisdom and the lessons of his youth.

The boys were quiet, listening intently as Lullaby began to speak, his deep voice loud enough to carry over the wind, but steady.

Back when I was just a kid, about eight or nine years old, we lived up in Springfield with Granny Matilda. She was a strong woman, not just in her hands, but in her spirit too. One night, there was a storm so fierce, I thought it might tear the house right off its foundation. Wind howlin’, lightning flashin’, and rain hammering the roof like it had a grudge. We were scared—me and my brother, Billy-Goat, though he never would have admitted it.

Granny lit a single candle. I remember it like it was yesterday. She set it down in the middle of the room, and she made us both sit there with her. The wind rattled the windows, and the whole house creaked, but she just kept her eyes on that flame.

“Don’t pay that storm no mind,” she said. “Look at the center of the flame.” And I did. I stared right at it, and the more I looked, the more I saw how steady it was, even when the wind outside tried to shake everything else. “That’s where the fire’s strongest,” she told me. “No matter how wild things get, the center holds.”

Billy-Goat, though, he couldn’t sit still. Always fidgeting, tapping his foot. Granny smiled at him, passed him his harmonica, and said, “Play me something, Billy Goat. You know you got music in you.” And sure enough, he started playin’. The storm didn’t seem to bother him much after that.

Granny had a way with music. She could sing a lullaby that would put you to sleep faster than a long day in the saddle, but she’d also yodel when she was feeling lighthearted, just to make us laugh. And that night, she did both—softly hummin’ a lullaby one minute, lettin’ out a little yodel the next. It was like she was remindin’ us that no storm could take away what we held inside.

By morning, the storm had passed, and Billy-Goat, with that quiet grin of his, teased me, sayin’, “You keep staring at that flame, Jimbo. One day, you’ll be puttin’ folks to sleep while I’m playin’ tunes for ‘em.” He didn’t say much, but when he did, it stuck with you.

Lullaby paused, letting the memory linger before adding:

I learned a lot from Granny that night. The storm didn’t stop, but I found my peace in that old flame, just like she said. I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. Don’t matter how rough it gets. As long as you hold onto what’s steady, you know where you belong.

His words settled over the group like a warm blanket, drawing the cowboys closer to the flickering fire and to each other.

The brothers’ shared upbringing shaped them into complementary forces on the trail. Lullaby’s faith keeps the crew grounded, while Yodel’s harmonica fills the silences and lifts heavy hearts. Their music helps quiet the beeves, and their balance calms restless souls.

Whether leading the outfit in prayer, lightening the mood with a tune, or sharing Granny Matilda’s wisdom, the Deatherage outfit would not be the same without these musical brothers.

Even as storms rage and danger looms, Lullaby and Yodel remind their trailmates to find their center—where the fire burns strongest—and hold steady no matter what comes.

**FREEBIE ALERT!**

**Get the freebie prequel Farewell to Poesta Creek here!**

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8i8386a45t

Excerpt

The sharp crack of gunfire sliced through the air, jolting Seph Vermillion from a daydream. He sat up tall in the saddle. The skin on his forearms prickled. A familiar punch detonated in his gut. That blast in his belly signaled danger.

His ear twitched, and he blinked rapidly.

The first shot was followed by several more, each one closer than the first.

Seph glanced down at the buttstock of his rifle. His father called the Hawken Uncle Yves, but Seph never knew his grandfather’s brother—or why his father had named it after his long-departed uncle. He considered drawing the gun from its scabbard.

His heart thundered in his chest. He glanced at his partner, Slaw. The look on his friend’s face mirrored his own sense of dread.

They had hoped to avoid trouble on their journey to San Antonio.

The sound of pounding hooves on the trail behind them grew to a rumbling thunder. With an urgent nod, Slaw signaled a detour off the trail.

Seph dug his heels into the side of his claybank dun, a fast horse named Sheriff, and dropped the lead rope on his pack mule. Immediately, Seph was on the heels of his partner’s horse, a dapple-gray called Win, short for Winter.

Dirt chunked from Win’s hooves, pelting Seph. Seph hunched over Sheriff’s neck and squinted, hoping to keep the gravel from stinging his eyes.

As they raced across rugged terrain, Seph spared a glance over his shoulder. Dread coiled in his belly at the sight of three familiar figures in hot pursuit. The approaching riders hooted, hollered, and howled.

These weren’t random bandits. Seph knew these skunks all too well. He couldn’t count the times they had raided the Vermillion family farm.

They’d gallop into the barnyard, help themselves to whatever they wanted and ride away, heckling and cajoling. Seph was always left to deal with the aftermath.

But this time was different. Seph was no longer a helpless victim. Never again, Seph told himself. He gritted his teeth, urging Sheriff onward. Determination flowed through his limbs, and Sheriff lengthened his strides.

He was thrilled to own a horse that loved to run.

** And look out on the horizon for book 2 riding in soon! **

Dead Heat

Coming May 2025

PreOrder Here! 

Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

https://bit.ly/FirstDriveTour

About the Author

David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850.

Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.

Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.

Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.

Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://www.itsoag.com

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

X: https://twitter.com/AuthorDavidFG

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/david-fitz-gerald

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Fitz-Gerald/author/B076CJK284

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17341792.David_Fitz_Gerald

Crimes After Hours Review Tour

GENRE:  Noir Multidimension Thriller

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Alice, a shrewish and nosy typist stays in the office after duty hours to rummage through the personal effects of her hateful colleagues, who’ve mocked her for years, in search of compromising material to use against them.

At the same time and in the very same neighborhood, a serial killer with a split personality is lurking, intent on carrying out his cruel game, entrusting the choice of his next unsuspecting victim to chance.

The solitary lives of typist Alice and Cold Hands/Warm Hands are destined to fatally intertwine in the dark and unknown underground of the Prati district of Rome.

The investigations into the trail of senseless crimes that Cold Hands leaves behind are entrusted to Riccardo Rosco, a commissioner with a rough character and a disastrous private life.

Will Alice uncover the secrets she so desperately seeks, or will she become the next pawn in Cold Hands’ deadly game?

Time is running out, and in the shadows of Rome, no one is safe. Don’t miss this pulse-pounding thriller where every choice could be fatal.

Excerpt

Often, she had thought about it, every time she had seen her colleagues leaving one by one, each caught up in the vortex of their own lives from which they already seemed to be sucked in.

She watched them while some left slowly, some more hurriedly, all putting on their coats and hats and disappearing beyond the entrance door, at the end of the smoky hallway.

Remaining in the office after working time, that was the thought lingering in her mind for a while. That would be the right moment when she could start her own personal investigation, uncovering what their lives might be hiding.

Everyone had managed to establish sentimental relationships, some stable and others fleeting, and each one had something that drew outside of those gray and anonymous walls.

Not her, though; she had long been labeled as antisocial, bitter, single, introverted, irritable, and difficult, despite her age not yet surpassing thirty-five years.

And now finally she was alone, walking down the hallway where office doors opened, moistening her thin lips with the tongue, like someone about to eat a tasty meal, free to delve into the lives of others. 

The door had creaked slightly. The warm light from the lamp left on the desk greeted her like the torch of a cinema mask, giving her the same urge to uncover a new story, a vulnerable world that revealed itself in all its fragility.

The time and tranquility allowed her to settle into the comfortable dark leather swivel armchair, much more comfortable than the rigid chair where she was forced to sit for hours at the typewriter.

She played with it for a few minutes, twirling it around, enjoying the effect of being able to gain a different height, higher if it spun to the right, lower if to the left.

Then she started caressing the edge of the desk, as if to test the reality that the coward touched every day, until she decided to squat down and start rummaging through his drawers, starting with those that didn’t seem to be locked.

Giveaway

The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Use the link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f5037/

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/10/review-tour-crimes-after-hours-by.html

About The Author

Daniela Alibrandi is the author of successful thrillers and noirs in Italy and abroad. With her sixteen published novels, five English editions and many short stories she is often guest on Italian RAI television and radio broadcasts, she is present in the most important national literary Italian book fairs.

Some of her Italian editions are present in Harvard and Yale libraries as well as in New York Public Library.

She has won numerous national literary awards, including the Women Arts Week 2022 for her literary career. For years and from various sources, such as literary critics and reviewers, this author’s style has been defined as multidimensional, until it was officialized as MultiDimensionCrime (Acronym MDCrime).

A reading experience that forges imagination in a multi-dimensional way. In the complex and intertwined plots of her novels, which lead to sudden and unexpected twists, the characteristics of different strands are harmoniously blended.

The reader follows the investigation to solve a murder and at the same time he amazingly enters the mind of the killer, reasoning alongside him, preparing the crime with him, and even partaking in the victims’ despair and terror.

All in a growing suspense, both during the narration and in the final pages, when the reader often has to question all the beliefs he has developed during the reading.

On last July 18th, Daniela Alibrandi published her English edition of the book “Crimes After Hours”. And the settings the author chooses are always amazing and palpable.

That’s what we find in “Crimes After Hours”, set in the city of Rome and in its underground world, during the late Seventies. 

“Crimes After Hours”, in its Italian edition, has won two national literary prizes (Mondadori Contest and Grottammare Noir Competition) and is the first of the MDCrime series Rome’s Multi-Dimensional Crimes, set in Rome’s undergrounds between the late Seventies and the Eighties, whose plots are not connected and can be read independently, all standalone. 

Author’s English website: https://danielaenglishwebsite.wordpress.com/ 

Author’s Italian website: https://danielaalibrandi.com/ 

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Daniela-Alibrandi-Autore-100056951476831/ 

Twitter: https://x.com/danielaalibrand

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielaalibrandi/ 

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

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9MG6K5V 

Free to read on KindleUnlimited