Saturday, February 9, 2019

Blitz: The Salem Grey Series by Raymond Lee Hegsted




Raymond Hegsted was Born in Juneau, Alaska and raised by a truck driving Dad. Joined the Army on voluntary draft and served with 4th infantry Regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance reaching the rank of corporal.

He spent time living and working in Italy where he also got the chance to travel to many other European countries. After returning to America he helped develop a computerized scheduling system for the Oklahoma Scheduling Department.

After ten years of marriage ended in divorce he was sent to Ohio to head up corporate scheduling. Here he married second wife, Dr. Glena Louise Hegstad (A Montessori teacher). He then took early retirement, started and managed 5 different Montessori Daycare Schools (three of them in Flagstaff, Arizona under the name of The GlenMar Corporation).

Raymond wrote his first book at the age of sixty-one.  His wife got her Doctorate in education and he wrote books. He love writing! One of the reasons he decided to write was "I got tired of seeing ever one else on TV; I was vicariously living their life and not my own. Everyone had a story...share yours." He and his wife and have enjoyed many years with their four+one children…one child adopted them. They have been happily married for many years.

Amazon ~
Goodreads ~


Obsessed with finding a serial killer whom he has chased for years, Salem Grey has moved to a small town in Littleton, Washington. 

Operating as a police chief and from his compound home, he is finally closing in. With the help of his lady forensic M.E., A dangerous and shocking reality is being unveiled. 

Amazon Book 1 ~ 
Goodreads ~





 Dr. Riva Parker Grey, Md and Chief of Police Salem Grey go to Las Vegas where Riva is to be the Keynote Speaker at a forensic conference. They meet old friends, but quickly get drawn into a strange series of murders. 

As the bodies begin piling up the twists and turns fueled by lies, deceit and unruly children make the investigators feel as though they keep making unneeded or wrong turns in a giant maze.

Goodreads 




When mass graves are discovered in a glacier and also in the south-west desert of California, Salem Grey is called in to track down the killer or killers.

One of the victims is a woman whom Salem had once dated. Back at home trouble ignite when jewel hunters arrive in Littleton, Washington. Salem's half brother and his new bride become deeply involved. Faithful dogs, Otto, Fritz and Sarg stand ever ready to protect their friends.
Goodreads ~







Snippet From Book 3:

For the last hour his gut had been eating at his insides. Like a dose of battery acid scalding his flesh, he could feel his stomach as it scratched with claws of anxiety. Over and over he told himself, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper.” He glanced though the back window of his black pickup truck and fixed his irritated eyes on the flower patterns of the shower curtain lying on the Rhino liner. It was too late to hope it was just a dream or some kind of a stupid mistake; the body was still there, she was not coming back to life. Quickly, he returned his stare to the windshield. Wouldn’t be good if I got stopped by some bored Highway Patrolman.


   The light mist was letting up as he zipped past a roadside rest stop. A few eighteen wheelers were pulled over and four or five small cars were parked next to the outhouses, but no patrol cars. Small sheets of water shot up from the back of his truck as he continued heading east on Highway 10. Herschel Mead could feel his heart racing as he spotted the sign indicating he was about to enter Death Valley; it was his destination, and the final stop for Angel Goodgirl, or whatever was her name.




To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 





Friday, February 8, 2019

Blitz: Queen Mary’s Daughter by Emily-Jane Hills Orford




An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. 

As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. 


~ Facebook Goodreads ~ 
Website ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~




There are so many possibilities that affect the course of history. One change, one small item overlooked, can make a world of difference, not only in a person's life, but in the history and well-being of an entire nation. And then there are those multiple scenarios of what if? What if King James VI of Scotland didn't succeed in amalgamating Scotland with England? Would Scotland have remained free and independent and a nation of its own well into the twenty-first century? And would Scotland, this independent version, make its own decision to join the European Union when its southern neighbor was choosing to pull away? And, what if there was another heir to the Scottish throne?
In Queen Mary's Daughter (Clean Reads Publisher), author Emily-Jane Hills Orford presents another plausible timeline, one that incorporates both historical fact and fiction with the endless possibilities of time travel. 




Top Ten List:

1.     my family,
2.     my dog (though he’s really not a thing),
3.     my garden,
4.     chocolate,
5.     books,
6.     piano,
7.     music,
8.     painting,
9.     nature,
10.life




To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
and Official Event page Part 2 




Thursday, February 7, 2019

Blitz: A Chaotic Courtship by Bethany Swafford





For as long as she can remember, Bethany Swafford has loved reading books. That love of words extended to writing as she grew older and when it became more difficult to find a 'clean' book, she determined to write her own. Among her favorite authors are Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer.

When she doesn't have pen to paper (or fingertips to laptop keyboard), she can generally be found with a book in hand.






~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~
   



Twenty-year-old Diana Forester, a country-bred young woman, fears that her inexperience and uncertainties have discouraged the charming Mr. John Richfield. 

On arriving back home from London, she learns that he has already arrived, ready to continue their acquaintance and explore whether they are suited for each other. 

If Diana thought that deciding her future marriage mate was difficult in London, courting takes on a whole new aspect when Diana's younger siblings become involved. She finds herself dealing with her own feelings, her sister, her younger brother, jealous members of a house party, a jilted suitor, and a highwayman as she falls in love with the charming Mr. Richfield.




Top Ten List:

1.        A new book
2.        Chai tea (preferably iced)
3.        The beach
4.        My cat
5.        The smell of petrichor
6.        Book cover art
7.        The Piano Guys music
8.        Used bookstores
9.        Bookmarks

10.      A new notebook





To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
and Official Event page Part 2 




Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Blitz: The Certain Hope by E. C. Jackson





E. C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. For three and a half years she published the Confidence in Life newsletter for Alpha Production Ministries, in addition to writing tracts and devotionals. 

Teaching a women’s Bible study at her church for eleven years naturally led to her current endeavor of writing inspirational romance novels and teen and young adult fiction. Her mission: spiritual maturity in the body of Christ through fiction.





Love at first sight. It’s every girl’s dream. 

But Tara Simpkins is finding out it’s not as easy as it seems. Is this truly the man God sent to be her husband, or is she just desperate to escape her loneliness? The recent loss of both parents has left her reeling, and close friends don’t think she’s in any position to make major life decisions. 


She and her new-found love are convinced they can live happily ever after in the home of their dreams. His family thinks he’s moving way too fast and might disappoint the kind-hearted woman he’s fallen head over heels for. And then there’s Leah. Leah is supposed to be part of his past, but what if she decides she’s his future? 


Tara’s match made in Heaven may be over before it truly begins.




Top Ten List:


Resolutions for the year:
1.     Wake up each morning with thoughts of God.
2.     Maintain a song within my heart.
3.     Make wise decisions.
4.     Move forward.
5.     Remember what is important.
6.     Value people and their realities.
7.     Encourage everyone, including myself.
8.     Live a well-balanced life.
9.     View the world without blinders but with empathy.
10.Grow in spiritual maturity.




To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
and Official Event page Part 2 




Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Blitz: Lord Blackwood’s Valentine Ball by Arabella Sheraton



Arabella Sheraton grew up on a diet of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and many other writers of that period. From Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, Arabella has found both enjoyment and inspiration in sparkling, witty Regency novels. She also loves history and generally finds the past more fascinating than the future. Arabella wrote her first Regency romance to entertain her aged mom who loved the genre. Arabella is honoured to share the adventures of her heroes and heroines with readers.








In this charming traditional Regency romance novella, Patience Cherwell is resigned to a life of spinsterhood. Therefore, when her young friend, the lovely Lorna Hartley, comes to stay for a London season, she decides the eligible, handsome Lord Blackwood is the perfect match for Lorna. Granted, Lord Blackwood, at forty, is much older than the vivacious 20-year-old Lorna, but Patience is determined to help her young friend make a good match. So why isn’t she happy when his lordship and Lorna seem to like each other’s company? The problem is that Patience is already madly in love with his lordship! 

An unexpected invitation arrives for Lorna and Patience to attend Lord Blackwood’s Valentine Ball. This is the perfect moment for him to propose to Lorna. Mysteriously, a corsage arrives from an anonymous admirer. Who is it for? And what will be the outcome for the wearer at Lord Blackwood’s Valentine Ball? 



This novella is the prequel to The Lady’s Revenge.








Top Ten List:

10 Fun Facts
1.        Arabella Sheraton is a pseudonym but if I tell anyone who I really am, I’ll have to kill them…

2.        The image I use for Arabella is a portrait my grandmother painted many years ago of her best friend. It seemed a fitting tribute to my wonderful grandmother and her friendship.

3.        I love anything olde worlde, which means that since I write in the genre of Regency romance, perhaps I lived once upon a time in Jane Austen’s era. Who knows? I like to think so.

4.        Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Austen book and book to series adaptation. I just love Mr. Darcy, even when he is acting like a starched shirt.

5.        I have always loved reading romances set in the Regency era, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that apart from my mom having all the Austen books, she was also an avid Georgette Heyer fan, and as a result, so am I.

6.        I am never short of ideas for a Regency novel and sometimes a title just pops into my head and from that comes a book.

7.        I wrote my first Regency romance to entertain my aged mom, now passed on, who loved the genre.

8.        I generally find the past more fascinating than the present.

9.        My second favourite book to series adaptation is North and South starring the divinely sexy Richard Armitage.

10.      I can’t start the day without a pot of English tea to get me going.






To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
and Official Event page Part 2