Monster Mash Blitz: Ocean So Wide by Nichole Giles

USAT Bestselling author, Nichole Giles, is the author of The DESCENDANT series and The WATER SO DEEP series. Her dreams include owning a garden full of fairies, riding a unicorn, and taming her pet dragons. She loves traveling to tropical and exotic destinations, driving with the convertible top down, and playing music at full volume while she sings along.

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Recently forced into the underwater city of Atlantis, Emma Harris has managed to avoid marrying the merman who brought her, but her grandfather—the Sea King—insists that joining with the abusive Merrick is inevitable. When Emma discovers a poison that might restore her human lungs, she goes in search of the rare creature that carries it, prepared to try the poison no matter the cost, so she can return home to her family—and to James.

Since his girlfriend went missing, James’ depression has destroyed his chance at a basketball scholarship and incurred the wrath of his uncle, who was once his strongest supporter. When the police inform him that he’s a suspect in Emma’s mysterious disappearance, James sells his beloved motorcycle to buy a boat so he can find Emma and prove his innocence before going on trial for a murder he didn’t commit.

With destiny against them, it’s only a matter of time before both are imprisoned forever.

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Snippet:

The detective tapped his fingers on his knee, choosing his words with care. “You were the last person to see her. You returned with her brother, her car, her clothes and her cell phone—but not her. Other than Keith, you have no witnesses, and I have to be honest, James, if you were on trial and I was a member of the jury, you’d be looking at a conviction.”

Desperation clawed at his throat. “But the video—”

“Coercion. Editing skills. Bad lighting, a good actress with a similar look—that video is not enough when the rest of the evidence points directly at you.”

James’ heart thundered in his chest. “I didn’t hurt Emma.”

Peters stood. “Then help us find her. Look, I know there’s something you’re not telling me. Now’s the time for you to share whatever information you’re holding back, otherwise, you’ll be answering for more serious charges than outing a secret.”

James pinned his focus on the wall behind the detective, too stunned to move. His father stood, grunting with the effort, and pointed at James. “That’s enough. Don’t say another word.” He directed his next words at the detective. “My son is done talking to cops without a lawyer.”

Peters raised his brows, but didn’t seem all that surprised. “Does that mean you’re finished cooperating with the case?”

“It means.” Richard’s commanding tone was a voice James hadn’t heard in years. “The next time you have questions, make an appointment.”

“Okay then.” Detective Peters flipped his notebook closed and slid it into his jacket pocket. “Guess that will do for now.” He stood, offering a friendly hand, which neither of the other men accepted. Peters let his arm drop to his side and started for the door. “James, we’re considering you a person of interest in Emma’s disappearance. It would be best for everyone involved—especially you—if you don’t leave the state.”

He nodded in acknowledgement, numbness flowing into his limbs as his father ushered the detective out and locked the door behind him. Then Richard returned to his James, draping his arm across James’ shoulders in a show of support. “Don’t worry, Son. We’ll get this sorted out.”

James embraced his father, trying not to think about how awkward the practice had become since the man had almost doubled in size over the last few years. “I don’t know, Pops. From the way he talks, I wonder if the only way to get me out of this mess would be to find Emma and bring her back.”

“So let’s do that, then.” Richard released James, wheezing with effort as he returned to his chair.

James scrubbed his hands into his dusty hair, causing white tile powder to rain on his eyelashes. “It’s not that easy.”

Richard dropped into his recliner, clearly relieved to be sitting again. “I’m only going to ask this once, and I promise I’ll believe you, as long as I can see that you’re telling the truth.” He leaned a thick elbow on the arm of his chair, tipping the entire frame to one side. “Did you do something to that girl? Do you know where she is?”

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Monster Mash Blitz: 6th Turn: Kat by Ren Garcia

Lord Belmont’s life ended in Clovis, in the impenetrable darkness beneath the ground where forbidden rites were once held. Lady Gwendolyn was his love, body and soul, and the Demon in Blue Light killed her.

Every year, on the anniversary of Gwen’s death, he returned to Clovis to stand in the cold desolation, hearing the wind moan through the lonely passes, feeling her loss all over again.

On this anniversary, he wasn’t alone in Clovis. He heard the noises rustling in the brush. He smelled the raw river of Shadow tech. Then he saw it:


The claws …
The flicking tail …
The maniacal, glittering eyes fixed on him …
“I’ve been waiting for you,” it said in a grating voice as it attacked.
* * * * *

Far away, across the cosmos in a city of wondrous crystal towers, two people watch in horror as the desperate scene at Clovis unfolds. They had worked so hard, sacrificed so much, even argued for it before the gods. They convinced the gods they were right, that they knew best, and everything would go well.

But, things weren’t going well at Clovis.

If this situation went poorly, then ages worth of work would be lost, and, just possibly, the universe might come to an end.

   

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Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio. He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature. Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood, he also has a passion for caving, urban archeology and architecture. His highly imaginative "League of Elder" book series is published by Loconeal Publishing

  

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Snippet:

They were taken far away from Shade Church and brought before a council of Black Hats, who gazed at them through their featureless masks. Behind them was a writhing cocoon of Shadow tech wherein the Black Abbess herself resided.

“You have been selected from among all others at Shade Church, thus your privileged existence. We are entrusting the four of you with a very im­portant mission. Know you of the Shadow tech Goddess?” the Black Hats asked.

The Shadow tech Goddess; a name she had heard whispered over and over in the stony passes of the Shade Church, a deplored entity who may or may not exist, with the power to destroy the universe. The Shadow tech Goddess was the only person dreaded, feared, and obsessed over by the Black Abbess. She and her three sisters had no concept of the universe; the word meant nothing to them. Could this Shadow tech Goddess destroy the Shade Church? That would be power.

The four of them were to undertake a perilous mission deep inside enemy territory, deep inside the hated League itself, and the prospects for their survival were minimal at best—the Black Hats were quite clear about that. If they survived the trip, which was in no way assured, and if they man­aged to elude the ever-watchful eye of the League’s mighty Sisterhood of Light, to the one trainee who brought the Black Abbess information on the whereabouts or the identity of the Shadow tech Goddess would be granted freedom from the Shade Church and all the horrors within. She would be granted great power, be given a name by the Black Abbess herself and pre­sented with a temple of her own; allowed to become a full Black Hat, at last ready to unleash Hell.

“We have it on good authority that information regarding the Shadow tech Goddess may be gathered in a remote area of the League … The four of you shall go there and procure this information; we will send Autocons to monitor your activities and ensure you do your duty. Only one of you shall return to us, to great riches. The others will die in the heart of the hated League.”

Only one? Counting on her fingers, she realized one, two, three … of them would die.

She wasn’t afraid of death, or was she?

You have much to live for, the angels had said.

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Monster Mash Blitz: Swim Season by Marianne Sciucco

During swim season you can find Marianne Sciucco, a dedicated Swim Mom for ten years, at one of many Skyline Conference swim meets cheering for her daughter and her team, the Mount Saint Mary College Knights.

Marianne is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, she dreamed of becoming an author when she grew up but became a nurse to avoid poverty. She later brought her two passions together and writes about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues.

Her debut novel "Blue Hydrangeas," an Alzheimer’s love story, is a Kindle bestseller, IndieReader Approved, a BookWorks featured book, and a Library Journal Self-e Selection. She also has two short stories available on Kindle, "Ino's Love" and "Collection.”

A native Bostonian, Marianne lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, and when not writing works as a campus nurse at a community college.

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Sometimes winning is everything. Champion swimmer Aerin Keane is ready to give up her dreams of college swimming and a shot at the Olympics. As she starts senior year in her third high school, Aerin's determined to leave her family troubles behind and be like all the other girls at Two Rivers. She's got a new image and a new attitude. She doesn’t want to win anymore. She's swimming for fun, no longer the freak who wins every race, every title, only to find herself alone. But when her desire to be just one of the girls collides with her desire to be the best Two Rivers has ever seen, will Aerin sacrifice her new friendships to break a longstanding school record that comes with a $50,000 scholarship?

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Top Ten List:

10 Fun Facts About Me 
1.     In 8^th grade I cut off my waist-length hair so I could have the Dorothy Hamill bob. I thought I could always grow it back. I never did. In my dreams, I have long hair. 

2.     There were 1300 kids in my high school graduating class!  

3.     I once had a cat that had no tail. 

4.     The cat I have today was a rescue.  

5.     The first car I ever bought for myself was a 1974 Mustang. We called it the baby blue buggy. 

6.     My next car was a 1970 Plymouth Valiant that I bought for $750. It was green, and ugly, and like a tank.  

7.     I once worked for a high-end coat manufacturer, and because I was a size 10 was often called to the president's office to model the latest designs. 

8.     In 6^th grade my friends and I learned all the words to the top  hits, including The Lion Sleeps Tonight, I Think I Love You, and Little Willie. 

9.     I met the members of U2 backstage at a concert in Rhode Island in 1983.

10.  My favorite author let me interview her for my honors thesis (as long as I didn't publish it, thus she remains unnamed, but she's a multi-time New York Times bestselling author.)

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Monster Mash Blitz: Stevie-Girl and the Phantom Pilot by Ann Swann

Ann lives in Texas with her husband and rescue pets. She taught reading and other subjects for a number of years before leaving to devote more time to her first love—writing. Reading with children was always her favorite part of teaching.

Cool Well Press published her ghostly series for the young at heart, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, Stevie-girl and The Phantom Student, and Stevie-girl and The Phantom of Crybaby Bridge.

Her adult novels—All For Love, women’s fiction, and the suspense trilogy Stutter Creek, Lilac Lane, and Copper Lake, are all published by 5 Prince Publishing.

Takers, Ann’s foray into speculative fiction, was released earlier this year.

She has won several awards for fiction since her college days and has had short stories and essays published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, The Binnacle, Timeless, an anthology, Seasonal Sweet, and Suspenseful, an anthology, Jitter Press, Fictionterrifica, The Rusty Nail, The Sandstorm, Reflections, an anthology, and Blue Mountain Review.  

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When a small plane crashes behind Jason Lee's rural home, the spirit of the pilot decides to stick around. What would you do if a phantom took up residence in your closet? Jase decides to ask Stevie-girl for help. She's the only kid he's ever seen entering the old haunted Taylor mansion--alone.

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Q&A With the Author:

1.     When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author? 

 I’ve been writing since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. My mom, dad, and Aunt Alma bought books for me on every birthday and Christmas. They fostered my love of reading, which in turn fostered my interest in writing. I wanted to be like my author-icons.

2.     Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? 

My current project is Stevie-girl BOOK FOUR. I love the title of this Stevie-girl book so much that I am afraid of jinxing it (by revealing it too soon), but it is almost finished. However, my next—upcoming—release is titled THE REMAINS IN THE POND. It is my newest Romantic Suspense novel and will be published by 5 Prince Books on November 13^th.

3.     What is your favorite writing snack? 

 When I’m writing, I have to have my Diet Vanilla Coke and something crunchy – trail mix or any kind of nuts. If the nuts have a chocolate coating, so much the better!

4.     If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve? 

  I would love to have dinner with Stevie & Jase. I would serve Stevie’s Inside Out Chocolate Cake and ask them to tell me their best ghost stories!

5.     Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 

  When I first wrote about Jase and Stevie, I thought it would be limited to a short story (which is how it began), but it won a couple of awards and an editor asked if could expand it, so I did. And it’s still going…I love this pair!

6.     How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? 

  Reading, movies, playing with grandkids, going to the beach (which is a million miles from here) and walking on my favorite trail while listening to one of my many playlists or audio books.

7.     What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?

  My unfulfilled dream is to write the story of my parents’ lives. I’m working on it bit by bit.

8.     What do you fear most? 

  My greatest fear is for some harm to befall one of my loved ones.

9.     What advice would you give someone who wants to write a book some day? 

  Just start writing. Write the most important parts first. Don’t worry about making it pretty, just get it down while it’s fresh. You can always revise later.

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Monster Mash Blitz: The Golden Hour by M K Graff

Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 

Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, www.auntiemwrites.com.

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American writer Nora Tierney is house hunting in Oxford to solidify her little family that includes her almost-year old son, Sean, and her partner, Det. Insp. Declan Barnes. But why does she feel like she's being followed? 

When tracking devices confirm Nora has a stalker, it sets off a chain of events that connect to Declan's murder investigation of a young Oxford art restorer, and will bring bioterrorism and a psychopath into their lives, while Sean's hangs in the balance. The fourth Nora Tierney English mystery is the most tension-filled yet, a meditation on what is family and home, combined with art theft and an international conspiracy.

This is the fourth book in the series and while it can be read as a standalone it is so much more enjoyable if you read the series in order! So find the entire series below.

Find the links to the entire series here:

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Q&A With the Author:

1. When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?

I've written since grade school, with two teachers in high school, Mrs. Smith and Mr. Royston, telling me I had a gift for writing and should pursue it.  I would have loved to show them my books but they are both gone. Agatha Christie, PD James and Colin Dexter were big influences in terms of writing mysteries, and Daphne Du Maurier has always been a favorite for creating suspense.

2. Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? 

I'm currently writing the second Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery. Trudy is a nurse who works for a NY movie studio as a medical consultant. It's titled Death of an Heiress, which is the name of the TV movie she's sent to. Her role is as the on set nurse, but in reality she's been sent there by the producers to watch over the star of the movie, who is hiding a pregnancy after several miscarriages--and suddenly disappears and a cast member is murdered soon after. The movie is being shot at The Dakota, a famed NY building that houses stars and millionaires--it was home of John Lennon before he died. In reality, The Dakota will not allow filming of any kind to protect it's residents' privacy, but in Trudy's world they do! 
  
3. What is your favorite writing snack? 
I usually have a large jug of iced green tea on my desk, and I'll snack on bits of fruit and the occasional Dutch pretzel! 

4.  If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? 
What food would you serve? Boy, that's a tough one! When I was writing THE GOLDEN HOUR, I had a great time creating and writing the villain, so I'd say Viktor Garanin. He's a wealthy Russian psychopath who has a devious plan to destroy the British, whom he hates beyond reasons. His mother was British, but his Russian father raised him to a certain ugly standard, while giving him polish, manners, and epicurean tastes. He wears bespoke suits and shoes and if you don’t see the dead light in his eyes, comes across at first as charming and attractive, a large man with huge tastes for food, wine, women and murder. I'd probably have to serve him chilled vodka, goulash, and blinis with caviar!  

5.  Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 
I always learn something about human nature when I write, and then through my research, I learn things specific to that novel. For instance, I learned what's in bloom in Russian gardens in early fall, and found that information by calling my NC Botanical Gardens. The head botanist would have looked up the answer to my question but instead put me in touch with one of their volunteers, who had lived outside Moscow for years! These little tidbits keep the fictional aspects of the book balanced to me, rooted in reality as they are. If I'd made up what was in bloom then, that same person reading my book would immediately know I'd gotten it wrong. So to allow for the height of reality, it's important to me that the majority of the fictional things happen within the storyline, not the setting. 

 6.  How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? 
It's so cliched to say I love reading, but I do! I read three books a week on average to keep up the reviews for my crime review blog, and it's always been my solace and greatest pleasure. Before Kindles, my luggage on vacations was half books! I still prefer to read a hard copy, but use the Kindle for trips and it's much easier. We also have a 10 mos old Australian Labradoodle names Seamus, and I enjoy playing outside with him. He loves to run after a flying Frisbee! 

 7.  What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it? 
That's a tough one to answer. I've met and become friends with my writing hero, PD James, for 15 yrs before her death. I've studied at Oxford and attended St Hilda's Mystery and Crime Conference, and hope to return next summer for the third time. These were all things on my bucket list after "becoming a published author." It would be nice to have a wider presence in England where the series is set. There's a pivotal scene in THE GOLDEN HOUR where my gal Nora is doing a reading of her children's book at Bath bookshop, a real store I visited a few years ago and obtained permission from the owner to use in the book. He's selling THE GOLDEN HOUR right now, so one bookshop at time!  

8. What do you fear most? 
I lost a good friend from nursing school to drowning as she tried  to save her son who was caught in a riptide. The boy survived but my friend didn't. I'm not a strong swimmer and do go into our river, which is very shallow, but deep water tends to panic me to this day, 40 years later . . . 

  9.  What advice would you give someone who wants to write a book some day? 
First, read. It's the way you will learn best what makes a good story and draws other readers in. You'll learn from good writing and poor, so read everything and constantly. Second, learn yourself and your writing style. You can study conventions of a certain genre, grammar, plotting, etc, but to pull it all together, you need to find yourself as a writer and your voice. Some people write better in the morning but others in the afternoons (me) or evenings. Find your own place for comfort and carve out your own routine. Let your voice flow. Third, become part of a writing community. Writing alone facing that sea of white pages is daunting and lonely. It's good to be a part of a writing group, whether in person in your area or online, that allows you to share pages, get good critical feedback, and commiserate!

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