Amy M. Reade – a new novel update

Amy M. Reade has previously been featured on Reading Recommendations in April 2015 and April 2016. She returns now to tell us about a new mystery novel.

The House on Candlewick Lane
by Amy M. Reade
Published by Lyrical Underground
Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Suspense

It is every parent’s worst nightmare. Greer Dobbins’ daughter has been kidnapped—and spirited across the Atlantic to a hiding place in Scotland. Greer will do anything to find her, but the streets of Edinburgh hide a thousand secrets—including some she’d rather not face.

Art historian Dr. Greer Dobbins thought her ex-husband, Neill, had his gambling addiction under control. But in fact he was spiraling deeper and deeper into debt. When a group of shady lenders threatens to harm the divorced couple’s five-year-old daughter if he doesn’t pay up, a desperate Neill abducts the girl and flees to his native Scotland. Though the trail seems cold, Greer refuses to give up and embarks on a frantic search through the medieval alleys of Edinburgh—a city as beguiling as it is dangerous. But as the nightmare thickens with cryptic messages and a mysterious attack, Greer herself will become a target, along with everyone she holds dear.

Where to purchase Amy’s book:
Amy’s website

Amy M. Reade – update on a new novel

Amy M. Reade was previously featured on Reading Recommendations in April 2015. She’s back now to tell us about a new novel being released today!

House of the Hanging Jade
by Amy M. Reade
Published by Lyrical Underground (Kensington Publishing)

A dark presence had invaded the Jorgensens’ house. On a spectacular bluff overlooking the Pacific, something evil, something wary and watchful, had shattered the peace.

Tired of the cold winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of Hawaii. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of calm at the House of Hanging Jade—an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave Kailani shaken and afraid. But it’s the unexpected appearance of her ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has her fearing for her life …

Where to purchase Amy’s book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
KOBO
Kensington Publishing
iTunes

Seumas Gallacher – a few thoughts on returning to self-publishing

Seumas Gallacher has been a long-time pal of Reading Recommendations and has done a great deal to promote (and become friends with!) many of the other authors I promote, as well as with me, and of my writing! He has been featured in the group, Reading Recommendations Revisited, and has returned to tell us of his recent publishing experience and why he switched back to self-publishing, a story that is best told in the Kind Sir’s very own inimitable style.

The Jack Calder Series
by Seumas Gallacher

… having recently returned to the ranks of the self-published author brigade, I’m delighted to report that the joy of being able once more to track my Amazon Kindle activity on a daily basis makes me a much happier scribbling bunny

… I traipsed into the realm of the ‘housed writers’ for a year, and although the good people at Crooked Cat Publishing, Stephanie and Laurence Patterson, are delightful folks, and easy to communicate with, I missed
the complete ‘control’ over my own literary destiny via the promotional push program that every author needs

… I know many authors are content to let that part of the ‘business of writing’ remain with a publisher, but I felt I needed to be closer again to the action, hence the parting of ways

… result? … my ability to monitor the movement on my sales downloads has been productive, and my titles are selling regularly, if modestly, but have certainly picked up pace from the last several months

… the most recent launch in August 2015, KILLER CITY, is doing well, but astonishingly to me, the earliest two titles, THE VIOLIN MAN’S LEGACY and VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK have each found a new lease of readership life

… strange ol’ business, huh!…

…the universal buying links are:

THE VIOLIN MANS LEGACY

VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK

SAVAGE PAYBACK

KILLER CITY

Seumas’s Website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

And here’s the man himself with a poetic tribute he made to me on the occasion of Reading Recommendations‘s 2nd Anniversary!

PS. On a personal note, I have had the great honour to read all of Seumas’s novels and enjoyed every one of them, so much so that his books were included in my annual Best Books Read list – two years in a row! smt

Brittney Sahin

Brittney Sahin

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Silenced Memories. Romance Suspense. (Book 1, Marine Special Forces Series– stand-alone)

Quick description: Kate Adams has never found it difficult to keep a professional relationship with her clients, but then she’s never had a client like Michael Maddox. Tension mounts between them as Kate discovers she has major problems—an untraceable stalker and a dangerous past. As Michael steps in to help her, she is worried about his own secrets. Although he may save her, she is worried he will break her heart.

Brief biography:
Brittney Sahin began writing at an early age, with the dream to be a published author before the age of 18. Although academic pursuits (and, later, a teaching career) interrupted her aspirations, she never stopped writing—never stopped imagining. In 2015, she published her first novel, Silenced Memories. When she is not working on upcoming novels, she spends time with her family. She is a proud mother of a spunky toddler and a lover of suspense novels, coffee, and the outdoors.

Links to buy Brittney’s book:
Apple
Amazon (paperback/ebook)
B&N (paperback/ebook)

Brittney’s promo links:
Website
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

What are you working on now?
(Book 2, Marine Special Forces Series– stand-alone) – title is still ‘under construction’

Brittney’s reading recommendation:
Cynthia Eden

Geoff Le Pard – an update on a new book

Geoff Le Pard was previously featured on Reading Recommendations in Feb. 2015. He’s back to tell us of a new novel he’s recently published.

My Father and Other Liars
by Geoff Le Pard
Genre: Fiction, Suspense/Thriller

When British freelancer Maurice Oldham finds his father, having thought him dead for decades, all he wants to do is exact some sort of revenge. He follows him to a ProLife conference his father is covering in San Francisco with the aim of finding out more about his father’s life. But his initial anger is already fading when Maurice finds himself sharing a lift with American geneticist Lori-Ann Beaumont who is escaping from a pack of journalists, one of whom is Maurice’s father. Maurice does Lori-Ann a small favour but does not expect to see her again.

Six months on, and Lori-Ann is on Maurice’s doorstep, bruised, penniless and desperate to find her boyfriend, Peterson, who has gone missing in England. Gradually Maurice is drawn into Lori-Ann’s orbit. He soon realises nothing is as it seems with Lori-Ann and the questions begin to mount.

Why is she chasing Peterson? Why has her father, Pastor of the Church of Science and Development sent people to bring her home? What is behind the Federal Agency which is investigating Lori-Ann’s workplace in connection with its use of human embryos? What happened in Nicaragua a quarter of a century ago that is echoing down the years and causing Lori-Ann and her father such anxiety?

For Maurice and Lori-Ann the answers lie somewhere in their fathers’ respective pasts. Finding those answers will take Lori-Ann and Maurice from England via America to Nicaragua; in so doing they will have to confront some uncomfortable truths about their fathers and learn some surprising things about themselves.

This book explores the interrelationship between science and religion; it digs into the ethics of using embryos in genetic research; it debates the way society treats the adult orphan. But mostly it is about fathers and their impact on their children. And a thriller!

Where Geoff’s book may be purchased:
Amazon

Amy M. Reade

Amy M. Reade

What is your latest release and what genre is it? My latest book, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, is being released today, April 28, 2015. It is a novel of romantic suspense.

Quick description: Peppernell Manor, an antebellum plantation on the banks of the Ashley River near Charleston, South Carolina, has seen better days. But when its owner hires restoration specialist Carleigh Warner to oversee its return to grandeur, disagreements over the property’s future threaten to tear the Peppernell family apart. Carleigh is swept unwittingly into a whorl of secrets and betrayals that she must face in order to protect her future and that of her young daughter.

Brief biography:
After deciding that the practice of law was not as thrilling as she thought it would be, Amy found her passion in writing. Her first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House, was published in 2014. It tells the story of Macy Stoddard, a nurse who goes to work for a private client among the Thousand Islands in northern New York only to find that there are secrets reaching into both her past and her future. In the face of violence and threats, Macy must search for the identity of the person who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried.

Amy lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children, one fantastic dog, two cats who refuse to speak to her, and one tiny fish named Poseidon. She loves reading, traveling, and anything to do with Hawaii.

Links to buy Amy’s book:
Readers interested in Amy’s books can find them at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, books.google.com, kensingtonbooks.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, and kobobooks.com. They can also check indiebound.org, where a ZIP code search will point them to local independent bookstores where her books can be found.

Amy’s promo links:
Amy loves to connect with readers and invites people to find her online in the following places:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

What are you working on now?
The novel I’m working on right now has a working title of The House of Hanging Jade, but that will almost certainly change. It’s the story of Kailani, a young Hawaiian woman who moves from Washington, D.C., to become the personal chef to a family of four on the Big Island of Hawaii. But her new job in the tropics is anything but tranquil. Kailani is haunted by a person from her recent past, as well as secrets and tensions that unfold in the household where she works.

The book is scheduled for publication in March, 2016.

Amy’s reading recommendation:
Can I list more than one? I’m currently reading Senseless Acts of Beauty by Lisa Verge Higgins, and I love it so far. I also enjoyed The House Girl by Tara Conklin, The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle, and The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini.

Oliver Chase

Oliver Chase

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Blind Marsh (sequel and last book to Marsh Island of The Hirebomber Series) – thriller/suspense, crime, mystery

Quick description: Phillip Pfeiffer is sent home from the Gulf War with a broken back and a bad taste in his mouth. His country all but forgot its promise and left him to die on the battlefield. Only luck or providence, and an iron will let a wandering band of nomads save him. Out of uniform, Phil opens a modest private investigation agency in downtown Phoenix. When a widow convinces him to secure a death certificate for a husband killed while boating in Mexico, people start dying. After the photos of a look-a-like husband appear in a celebrity magazine, Phil goes to Oregon. When, the celebrity suddenly dies in an aircraft accident, Phil is left to swim for his life, survive on a coral atoll, and face a murder charge that ends him in a Bahamian prison.

Brief biography:
Oliver Chase grew up on military bases throughout the U.S. enjoying convertibles, beaches, and drive-ins. With Herb, his best friend, he joined a college program for the Marines. A few years later with a Smith Corona in hand, Oliver landed in the same war and not far from the spot where Herb died. With thirty other young men, he flew day and night with the intent to come home alive. Several did not. A thousand missions later, the typewriter and he moved to the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico where busy days and long nights healed the soul.

The years and venue changed, yet the writing never stopped. The Smith was traded for a Zenith, Mac, and a PC as The Hirebomber Crime Series – Marsh Island and Blind Marsh were born.

Today, Ollie lives along the Gulf of Mexico with free roaming farm animals and friendly dogs. He flies a Grumman Tiger and swims to regenerate a fertile mind. Soon, he will put the finishing touches on Levant Mirage, a story about the world’s survival in the face of extremism. The first draft of The Joshua Tree, will complete next spring. A rising political star faces the temptation of power and the corruption success engenders.

Links to buy Oliver’s books:
Smashwords – eBook
Amazon – eBook and paperback

Smashwords
Amazon – eBook and paperback

Oliver’s promo links:
GCWA Authors
Website
Blog

What are you working on now?
Levant Mirage – Spring 2015
The Joshua Tree – Winter 2016

Oliver’s reading recommendation:
The Keys by Frank Wilem
A Dangerous Element by Gregory Lamb

Susan Holmes

Susan Holmes

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Deadly Ties (A Waterside Kennels Mystery) Genre: mystery/suspense

Quick description: A cozy mystery with an edge, Deadly Ties is a tale of family, friendship, and betrayal in a mountain community where ties run deep and grudges can linger for a lifetime.

Come to a place haunted by legends … where the search for treasure just might lead to murder.

Come to the hills of the Ozarks and meet Maggie Porter and her dogs—a champion Labrador Retriever, an aging Cocker Spaniel, and a Beagle retired from federal service. Maggie’s returned home to reopen the family dog kennel business, where she’s plagued by problems from the start. Serious trouble arises when a gossip-loving employee turns up dead holding an heirloom locket belonging to Maggie’s mother.

When Maggie starts asking questions she finds herself the target of anonymous threats and mysterious break-ins. When a security crisis puts everything she loves at risk, she realizes somebody doesn’t want Waterside Kennels back in business.

As the region sizzles in record heat and drought, a “Treasures of the Ozarks” advertising campaign disrupts her quest for answers even as it breathes new life into old tales and brings out tourists and treasure hunters alike. With her loyal dogs at her side, Maggie must dig for the truth. Along the way she learns everyone has something to hide.

And some secrets are worth killing for.

Brief biography:
Susan Holmes fell under the spell of books during her first visit to the public library, and she’s been enthralled ever since. By the fifth grade she’d progressed to reading Shakespeare, an experience that came in handy when stationed in England early in her military career. Years of writing military publications proved great training when she moved into academic publishing and then fiction. Today, she lives in northwest Arkansas where she works as a writer, editor, and college professor. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Dog Writers Association of America.

Her third book, Deadly Ties, is the first in the Waterside Kennels mystery series. Ozark folklore and traditions are recurring themes in the series, which is set against the backdrop of the Eureka Springs area. In pursuit of authentic material, she joined Search and Rescue exercises, ventured deep into caves, and followed the trail of Ozark legends. She works closely with dog trainers, kennel owners, and veterinarians to create an environment that dog lovers are sure to recognize and appreciate.

Links to buy Susan’s book:
Amazon US – eBook, paperback, audio (currently featured in the Kindle Unlimited program)
Amazon UK – eBook, paperback, audio
Amazon CA – eBook, paperback
Audio edition on Audible/Amazon

Susan’s promo links:
Website
Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Author Page
Follow me on Twitter
Read the first five chapters free!

What are you working on now?
Here’s a peek at book #2 in the series, which picks up shortly after Deadly Ties ends: After the trouble she had over the summer, all Maggie wants is a quiet life. Alas, that’s not to be. First, an abrasive community member launches a campaign to enact a “dangerous dog” ordinance which could force Maggie out of business—or into jail. When he’s found dead near the kennel, some have their own reasons for wanting to pin the murder on Maggie herself. Under a cloud of suspicion and with her home and business at risk, she sets out to clear her name and finds herself caught in a murderous land feud that could tear the mountain community apart.

Susan’s reading recommendation:
Anything by Alyssa Maxwell, Ritter Ames, Marja McGraw, or Deborah Garner—enjoyable cozy mystery writers!

Gerald W. Darnell

Gerald W. Darnell

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Reelfoot is my latest release – November 2013. It is classified as Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Quick description: The eleventh installment of my Carson Reno Mystery Series is set in Western Tennessee, including Memphis and several smaller communities.

An ex-Memphis cop, and a friend of Carson, is in trouble – but what kind of trouble? While trying to answer that question, Carson finds more questions – and all with no answers. What Carson also finds is trouble coming from all directions. The Mafia, the Teamsters Union, an unhappy sheriff and some very rough characters are all looking for his friend, and Carson is in the middle of this mess. An apparently senseless murder only complicates Carson’s problems, which makes getting to the truth more difficult. Things are not what they seem in Carson Reno’s adventure at Reelfoot.

Brief biography:
A Florida native, Gerald grew up and attended high school in the small town of Humboldt, Tennessee. Following graduation from the University of Tennessee, he spent time in Hopkinsville, KY, Memphis, TN, Boston, MA and Newport, AR before moving back to Florida – where he now lives.

Gerald worked as a Senior Manager with several Fortune 100 companies, before officially retiring in 2007. His non-fiction book, Don’t Wake Me Until It’s Time To Go, is a bio-narrative including humorous stories and events spanning his life from pre-high school to retirement.

His fiction books are what he calls ‘Fiction for Fun’. They use real geography and include pictures and characters some readers might recognize. The Carson Reno Mystery Series are adventure mysteries set in the early 1960 time period, with the primary geography being Memphis and small southern towns. Core characters continue through each book, along with new and unique characters for each story.

During the early 70’s the author worked from an office in the Memphis Peabody Hotel, so many of the events about the hotel in Carson Reno’s stories are real, as well as many of the characters you meet.

Links to buy Gerald’s book:
Amazon Author Page
Gerald’s Storefront – Lulu
Bookcountry.com
Author’s Den

Gerald’s promo links:
Website
Carson Reno Mysteries Series
Facebook
Twitter

What are you working on now?
Justifiable Homicide – the next adventure in my Carson Reno Mystery Series. Scheduled for release October/November 2014

Gerald’s reading recommendation:
Fired Up by Thomas Weston

Nancy Beattie

Nancy Beattie

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Broken is psychological suspense. It is a compilation of three short stories and three poems.

Quick description:
Short Stories
The Bird: Held hostage by the intricacies of a disturbed mind, a patient will go to any length to secure the attention of her love interest.
The Queen: One of history’s most infamous Queen’s is given a voice. Her insidious evolution is revealed, as well as her current day strategy for the destruction of relationships.
Ensnared: Marilyn is torn between the desire to support her mentally ill brother, and the need to ensure the well-being of her family. She is determined to protect her son. But has she been focusing on the wrong family member?
Poetry
In Pride, the vice is stripped away to reveal that it is only a shield; a form of protection from the realities of self.
Faced with difficult choices and uncomfortable circumstances, Resilience illustrates overcoming perceived annihilation through faith and acceptance.
Transformation explores the emotional journey from despair, through the rugged path of resistance, to wholeness.

Brief biography:
I began my writing career in an effort to recapture something for myself, after being at home for a time, raising our two daughters. My love of all things psychology allows me to create work that explores the depths of the human psyche. I live outside Montreal with my husband, two daughters and one rather annoying cat.

Links to buy Nancy’s book:
Morning Rain Website

Nancy’s promo links:
Website

What are you working on now?
A follow-up piece to the second short story in this compilation, The Queen. I’m also working on a degree in Counselling Psychology.

Nancy’s reading recommendation:
While creating fiction, I tend to read non-fiction. My current favorite is Boundaries, by Cloud & Townsend.