Allie Boniface - The Promise of Paradise - Virtual Book Tour

Ashton Kirk, youngest daughter of a prestigious senator, fiancee of a hotshot attorney, and fresh Harvard graduate, is headed for a promising law career when scandal breaks apart her family. To escape, she rents an apartment in the sleepy town of Paradise, New Hampshire, where no one knows who she is.

Ashton hopes for solitude, but all bets are off when Eddie West, the town’s most eligible bachelor, moves in downstairs. Eddie likes his women and his cars shiny, sleek, and fast, and when he meets his new housemate, he wastes no time getting friendly. While he's looking for a no-strings romance, though, he gets more than he bargained for in Ash, who sees through his bravado to the pain of a loss too fresh to mention.

Can two people from different worlds find common ground, a place to fall in love and build a future? Is it possible to find your soul mate in the place you least expect?

5 Things Readers Would Be Surprised To Know About You

Thank you so much for having me here today! Welcome to my "5 Things" virtual book tour, otherwise known as "Two Weeks Getting To Know a Little More About Allie." While I'm touring with Reading Addiction Blog Tours to let readers know about my newly released book, The Promise of Paradise, I'm also chatting about my writing life (and okay, sometimes my non- writing life too). Anytime you leave a comment on one of my blog posts during these 2 weeks, you'll be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate. So comment away! I'll be popping in here all day to see what you have to say :)

If you visit my website or read any of my official author bios, you'll find that in addition to writing on the side, I'm a full-time English teacher, I'm married, and I love to travel. Want to know some of the nuttier, more random facts about my life, ones you won't find anywhere else?

1. I clean up after cats every Saturday morning. For the last 5 years, I've volunteered at a local animal shelter. Each weekend I go to the "cat house," where I scoop poop, change fleece blankets, and give the kitties lots and lots of attention. In fact, last month I helped out with a massive hoarding rescue and fostered 2 very scared strays for a couple of weeks. What can I say? I'm a softy when it comes to animals (the hero in The Promise of Paradise, Eddie West, is too – he rescues a kitten who's caught in a downpour. How can you not love a guy like that??)

2. I once hiked the Alps in a 2-day rainstorm. My husband, sister, and brother-in-law and I traveled to Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic one summer. While the men stayed in Munich and enjoyed the Hofbrauhaus, my sister and I decided to hike the Alps. It was beautiful. It was accessible (believe it or not, it's really tough to get lost, because the trails are well marked). And it rained the entire 2 days we were up there. Ugh. I remember lots of fog and
soggy socks and shoes. I'd love to do it again – but only if it's sunny this time!

3. I don't eat cooked fruit. I know, it's weird. But I never have. I think it's a texture thing; I love fresh fruit and could eat it all day long. But when it's warm and mushy, something about my taste buds revolts. This means I don't eat apple pie, blueberry muffins, oatmeal raisin cookies, strawberry shortcake...

4. I had a pen pal all through college. I met a guy one summer when I was nineteen who went to a college in a different state. We hit it off but never dated, and he turned out to be one of those amazing people who liked to write letters. Long ones. About observations on everyday life, the future, the past, our friendship, favorite books and movies...and for the next 5 years or so, we exchanged letters every month. They were old-fashioned, handwritten, and I loved opening my mailbox and discovering them. It truly was a treasured friendship.

5. One of my favorite places to write when I was a teenager was the local cemetery. Macabre, right? But also beautiful and peaceful and quiet – no one ever interrupted me! It was only about a quarter-mile from our house, quite small, and very old. I loved looking at the dates on the headstones, how far back they went and the names and ages of the people buried there. In summer, I would sit in the grass, notepad on my knees, and scribble poems and ideas for stories.

So there you have it! 5 quirky things about Yours Truly – and yes, all of them in some way has
affected my writing. Happy reading!

Allie Boniface is a small-town girl at heart who's traveled around the world and still finds that the magic and the mystery of small towns make them the best places to fall in love and find adventure. From the New England coast to Rocky Mountain hotels to tiny European bars, she's found more character and plot inspirations than she could ever count. Currently, she's lucky enough to live in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley with her own "Hometown Hero," a guy who can fix, build, drive, and grill anything and is the epitome of the strong and silent type.

When she isn't writing love stories, Allie is a full-time high school English teacher who gets a kick out of helping her teenagers negotiate the ups and downs of writing along with the ups and downs of life (because, really, she's still trying to do the same thing!). And while she'll continue to travel far and wide, Allie knows there's really nothing like coming back to the place where the people who have known you forever welcome you home with open arms.

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon

Chief Complaint Cosmic Blast

Chief Complaint: Brain Tumor

At 57 years old, I thought I was the poster child for fifty-year old healthiness: I competed in triathlons, rode in 100 mile biking events and ate a healthy diet chock full of organic vegetables. Then I discovered that I had a brain tumor the size of my wife’s fist.

My memoir chronicles the first year I spent addressing tumor-related health issues: preparing for my first operation, discovering a dangerous skull infection, having the infected portion of my skull surgically removed, learning about my substantial vision and cognitive losses, undergoing rehab and radiation treatments, and learning to live with my “new normal.” And, as best I can tell, the phrase “new normal” is the medical community’s code words for “You’re alive, so quit bitchin’.”

As my health changed, so did my sense of humor. My humor started out superficially light-hearted prior to the first operation; transmogrified into gallows humor after several subsequent operations; and leveled out as somewhat wry-ish after radiation and rehab.

Topics I write about in the book include:

• How not to tell everybody you have a brain tumor
• Why it’s a lot of work to die in this country
• Why I had difficulties in naming my tumor
• How I negotiated bathroom visits with “Nurse Don’t-Bother-Me”
• Why I could prove that I was the “dumbest guy in the room”
• Why someone compared the back of my head to a diseased goat
• How I flunked a job interview with myself

This is a book for anybody interested in memoirs about people dealing with personal crises, for patients trudging through rehab, for caretakers helping victims of serious illnesses, or for anybody looking for an unexpected chuckle from an unlikely subject.

Purchase Chief Complaint: Brain Tumor at Amazon.com

About John Kerastas

I've worked at a global advertising agency, at several technology start-up companies and as a free-lance writer. Currently I spend most of my time blogging, speaking and writing about brain health, brain tumors and rehab. I speak to hospital rehab groups, stroke and aphasia groups, and last summer spoke at the American Brain Tumor Association's annual "Patient and Caregiver" conference.

My charity and non-profit efforts includes work through the Taproot Foundation on behalf of Apna Ghar (a Chicago-based non-profit providing domestic violence services to immigrant communities). I also go on Appalachia Service project trips through my church, participate in Early Response Teams that follow first responders into disaster areas, and teach and certify Early Response Teams through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (e.g.UMCOR).

Follow John Kerastas

Website | Facebook | GoodReads

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Jess Wygle - Evol - Virtual Book Tour

What doesn't kill you...

"I will do whatever it takes to keep us together. Nothing can keep us apart. You're mine now." She'd love him just as he loved her. She had to. She didn't have a choice.

In love and happily living the life she always dreamed of, Venna Caldwell doesn't know she is the object of a secret obsession. Until one night when she's home alone and her stalker finally acts on his fantasies, dragging her into a sadistic nightmare that she barely escapes. Running for her life, from a man who will never stop hunting her, Venna reaches out to her estranged half-brother, grasping desperately at what little hope she has left. How far will she go to keep out of the clutches of the unrelenting monster that's hungry for her?

With her ability to grab the reader by the shirt collar, Jess Wygle delivers a fast-paced and intensely psychological thriller that will make you think twice about the people around you.

10 Tips to Becoming a Better Writer
I am purely speaking from experience. I am not formally trained in writing, and I still consider myself an amateur. These are just tips/techniques I’ve used that have helped me grow as an author.
1. Write. You can’t get anywhere if you just let your ideas sit inside your head. Even if you’ve never actually put anything down on paper (or on digital ‘paper’), you have to get your feet wet.
2. Reread. Go back and take a look at what you have written. The more often you proofread, not only for grammatical and spelling errors, but for loop-holes in your story also, the sooner you’ll be able to correct a common mistake throughout the story and won’t continue to make it.
3. Read. It may seem silly to do a lot of reading while you’re writing because some may say it leads to plagiarism or stolen ideas, but it can be very inspirational and aspirational. Try reading a genre you don’t read often to get a better feel for different writing styles and elements used.
4. Have two sets of eyes. It doesn’t matter how many times you read through your own work, you’re never going to catch all of your own mistakes. It’s important to let someone else have a gander before distributing your story out. Better safe than sorry.
5. Write some more. It’s not easy to write when you’re not ‘inspired’ and it definitely reflects in your story, but the only way to get better is to keep at it. You don’t have to use what you don’t like, as long as you keep at it.
6. Take advice. We all start out as amateurs and need guidance. Take what you can get because not everyone has the opportunity to be picky.
7. Swallow your pride. Not everyone is going to like what you write and some will be more vocal about it. You can get a lot out of negative criticism if you learn to read between the lines, even if it’s painful to do so.
8. Get involved. Being a part of a community of other writers is a great way to get support. But to get support, you’ve also got to do some supporting of your own. There are a number of online communities as well as local book clubs and blogs that help first-time writers and indie authors.
9. Put yourself out there. Showing off your writing to the world can be scary as it’s a pretty intimate, personal hobby/lifestyle. You can’t be afraid. Nothing reflects better than pride in your own work. It’s yours. Own it.
10. Write. Have I mentioned you need to write…write…write…write…and write some more?

Author Bio:

Jess Wygle is a short story author and novelist. Her titles include Keep it Safe, Evol, Not Alone, Long Awaited, and Where’s My Accident. Primarily writing thrillers, she has included non-fiction and romance in her repertoire.

Jess is married to her husband, AJ and has a young son named Landon. She’s also mother to a one-year-old red fox lab. This self-proclaimed movie buff has a knack for photography. She’s currently enrolled at a local college studying education and has plans to teach English at the high school level as she works her way up the bestseller list.

Blog / Bookrix / Amazon / Kobo / Barnes and Noble / iTunes
Twitter: @jcwygle
Facebook: Jess Wygle
Instagram: jesswygle
BookRix.com username: jesswygle

Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue - After the Ending - EXTREME PROMO BLITZ

The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.

When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend,
my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now—broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamil-iar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

EXCERPT

Looking around apprehensively, I made my way toward the convenience store in hopes of finding a bathroom. The vacant world around me was eerily silent. All I could hear was the creaking of a giant wooden billboard being assaulted by the wind.

How long has it been since anyone was here? Through the dark windows I saw a bathroom sign that looked promising, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I wonder if it’s safe… As I stood outside of the store, I noticed a newspaper box still filled with papers. I leaned closer. The headline read, BILLIONS DEAD, and the paper was dated December 9, right before everything had started to shut down. I inserted a quarter and snatched out a paper. Scanning its contents, my mouth grew dry and my body stiffened.

…the H1N1/12 pandemic…
…looting and riotous outbreaks everywhere…
…end of civilization as we know it…
…survivors losing their minds…
…governments can’t control…
…the Apocalypse…

The newspaper slipped from between my fingers. Frozen in place, I was suffocated by the reality of our situation. This isn’t going away. The world ended. Thinking of the strange feelings I’d been experiencing, I once again questioned my own sanity. My thoughts were too loud to silence. My heart thudded, and I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat. Looking out into the abandoned world around me, I realized how alone we really were. I bent down to reclaim the paper and turned on my heels to head back toward the truck, completely awestruck as the words I’d read replayed in my mind. Each was a reminder that the only world I’d ever known had ended.

Author Bios:

Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats.

Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.

The Ending Series / Barnes and Noble
Amazon -- (*Kindle Version will be FREE 3/15 - 3/17*)

Review/Promo - Maria's Match by Astrid Cielo

It was love at first sight...

Silvius fell head over boots in love with the fiesty Latina nurse the first time he saw her, helping keep a battered woman alive. Having lost everyone he loves to the terrible disease that nearly left their planet extinct, he thinks he has found his mate.

She was instantly attracted to the alien, and that scared her to death...

Maria shared a blissful and life-changing night with Silvius, losing her heart and gaining the baby now growing within her womb. But old hurts won't let her stay and accept that Silvius loves her. So Maria runs-- like she always does.

Little does Maria know that she has finally met her match...

Be advised: Content intended for persons age 18+. Contains violence and scenes of a sexual nature (but not at the same time!).

Review: Maria's Match was a fantastic alien/human romance and I was so excited over the "mixed" child to be born! It's the first alien/human story I had ever read where they mated and made a child and it was really excited to see how that turned out! Actually I haven't read that many stories on alien romances anyhow but am becoming quite intrigued with them and this one makes me want to go out in search of more. Very much recommend it to folks whether they have read this genre or not! I give it 3 stars or in my case 3 puppydog paws!

Author Bio:
Astrid Cielo is a Mississippi girl who enjoys a variety of things. By night, she is a nurse in her local ER, and by day, she is spilling her imagination out on paper.

Astrid began writing when she was a child her stories featuring a variety of characters (including her imaginary friends). When she was in high school she wrote her first completed story and was published twice in poetry anthologies. Gathering her courage, Astrid self-published her first book, Surrender Serenity, Salin's Salvation, Book 1 and enjoyed every minute of it.

Now she balances her time between being a nurse (which she loves) and writing down the scenes that play out in her mind. She also plays World of Warcraft (which all of her friends think is weird)!

Astrid would love to hear from you!

Astrid / Blog / Amazon / ARe / Smashwords / iBOOKSTORE / PRINT

Excerpt:
Maria pushed the eggs and chorizo around on her plate. She was hungry, but she didn’t
want this to come back up like most mornings. She was tired of vomiting. She couldn’t even go to the doctor and get an antiemetic for it because she feared the repercussions. “Oh, hi doctor. Yes, I’m pregnant. Oh no, it’s an alien.”
She laughed at the direction of her thoughts. She had well and truly lost it.
“Mija, you need to eat the food, not play with it.”
“I know, abuela, but I don’t want to vomit again.”
“Aye, mija. Just go to the doctor.”
Maria dropped her fork, its clatter echoing the kitchen causing her abuela to jump. Her
emotions were too close to the edge lately. She didn’t have control. Not anymore. The tears fell down her cheeks and she swiped at them angrily. Before she didn’t cry at all, but now she cried about anything.
“I can’t, abuelita. I’m not sure what they will do to me. What if something is wrong with the baby? I can’t even get the pre natal care because I’m scared I’ll go to prison.”
“Well you know that you can’t do without prenatal care, especially since the father is an alien.”
“I know abuela. But how am I supposed to get that care without going to prison.”
Maria rested her head in her hands and the smell of chorizo and eggs hit her like a slap in the face. Placing a hand over her mouth, she jumped from the table and ran for the bathroom.
Silvius stepped into the kitchen and caught her by the shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Maria?”
She tried to move around him, but he wouldn’t release her. He wouldn’t let her go to the sink or trash can. Then it was too late and Maria could only look up at him in horror after she painted his shirt with her vomit. She burst into tears at the mess that covered him, sure, that he would hate her now. Wasn’t that what I was going for? The thought only made her cry harder.
Silvius removed his shirt and wiped her mouth with a clean spot before pulling her into his arms. Maria rested her tear stained cheek against his firm crimson chest.
“Are you okay?”
His whispered question only made the tears start again. He didn’t push her away. He didn’t press her for more information. He simply held her as she bathed his chest in her tears. Finally, the crying stopped and she was relieved that she could finally see his face without the sheen oftears to blur her vision. He regarded her with furrowed brows.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For vomiting on you.”
“No worries about that. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I can’t quit vomiting. I was just telling...”
“Yes. I heard. You need a doctor, but you haven’t gone to one.”
“Hey! I can’t help that! I’m carrying an alien’s baby!”
He released her as though she were a hot coal, his nostrils flaring. She wished she could take it back, take her words back. She placed a hand over her stomach and rubbed soothing circles over where a baby resided. Her baby. His baby. She sighed. Sometimes she forgot that it wasn’t just her involved in this fiasco. He was here, which was more than she could say for some men.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know if it’s a crime. I mean they’ll never believe that I don’t know anything since I slept with you. Hell, they’ll think I’m just a whore if I didn’t do it for information.”
Maria gasped when Silvius pinned her against the counter. He grasped her hair and brought her face to his. She was awed at the anger she seen reflected in his blue eyes.
“Is that why?”
“Calm yourself, mijo.”
Maria looked to the side to see her abuela just watching with interest. Silvius had never
been anything but patient with her, but his body didn’t scream patience right now.
“Answer me, Maria!”
She flinched.
“Why what?”
“Is that why you let me make love to you? For information?”
Maria struggled to get loose from his hold, but he was stronger than she imagined. How could he think so little of her? She couldn’t take it anymore. Maria brought her knee up, kicking him in the thigh beside his groin. Sure, she could’ve been a bitch and kick him in the family jewels, but she just wanted him to release her. She hated the feeling of being held so firmly, his face merely inches from hers. It reminded her too much of the way he would kiss her, his tongue snaking into her mouth to duel with her own. He didn’t seem to feel her kick to his inner thigh, instead his grip got tighter.
“No!”
He stared into her eyes and Maria squirmed under his intense scrutiny. He relinquished his almost bruising hold and held her close, his breaths coming in almost pants. What was this all about?
“The point is I need to see a doctor. I need prenatal care, Silvius, and I don’t want to
become an experiment since this is your baby, too.”
He pulled back and nodded before leaving her with her abuela. Maria collapsed in the chair.
“Are you okay, mija?”
“Si.”
Have you tried to get to know him, mija? I know you don’t put much faith into my visions, but I have a good feeling about you two. All you have to do is trust him.”
“I can’t Abuela. He’s leaving.”
“Do you really think he’ll leave his baby?”
Wasn’t that what scared her the most? That he would take her baby and leave her behind.

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