Blog Tour for Murder at Midnight by John Ukah

Title: Murder at Midnight

Author: John Ukah

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Alex Simpson, an ex-police officer, decides after a bout of typhoid fever to take a break in a serene and therapeutic environment. The last thing he expects is to be called upon to solve a murder at the Kinging Guest Lodge. But that is what happens, when the delectable and vivacious Maria Marshall is found dead in her bedroom at midnight.

The gallery of characters living at the guesthouse and thrown into the mix, do not make his task of solving this chilling and brutal murder any easier …

Excerpt:

But I was inclined to think that if Mrs. Marshall was making up the stories, the people concerned could easily refute them; instead she always seemed to have them in a very tight spot.

“Let’s leave all that,” I said. “Let’s get down to why you are really here.”

As Maria pouted and fluttered her beautiful eyelashes, I found it difficult to concentrate on what she was saying. She was a very beautiful young woman. I am sure I must have mentioned that before. I was utterly entranced by her radiating beauty. Her perfume was so heady, that it made me want to hold her close. I had to shake my head from side to side, several times in order to clear my mind.

“You see, Mr. Simpson, let me take a hypothetical case of Ayuba and his wife, Amina. I’m only being hypothetical, you understand?”

I assured her that I understood and she continued. “Now if Amina was found dead at the bottom of a cliff, from which she had apparently jumped, having suffered some emotional traumatic event and the Police are satisfied that it was suicide and close the case. But somehow I discovered a letter that shows that Ayuba was the one who asked her to meet on the cliff, to discuss certain things, which she knew that he had done but which Ayuba did not want her to tell anyone else and for which he may have decided to push her over the cliff, to shut her mouth. What should I do with the letter? Because although the letter was written by Ayuba to Amina, asking her to meet him there, it still is no proof that Ayuba kept the appointment with her or that he pushed her.”

I was quiet for a few moments. Although she said it was hypothetical, it was obvious that to me that she knew some secret which was troubling her. Yet, she wanted to protect somebody. Was it her mother or Nagoth?

“If I were in your shoes, Maria, I would hand over the letter to the Police, even if they have closed the case. If there is anything to uncover, they will do so. But even if they don’t act on it, you would have done your lawful duty. Otherwise, you may be suppressing useful information.”

“I thought you might say something like that,” said Maria, with a deep sigh. “But what if I am in love with Ayuba and I don’t want him to feel that I have betrayed him by going to the Police? Couldn’t I confront him with the letter and hear what he has to say, first? She was starting to get really worked up about this so-called hypothetical story of hers. I wondered about the identity of the person she was trying to protect.

“Maria, if Ayuba did push Amina off the cliff and you confronted him with such evidence, as the purported letter, it could be dangerous for you. If he has killed before to shut somebody up, he will do so again.”

“But if he loved me, he would explain everything to me,” said Maria, still pouting.

I could see that she had already made up her mind to confront the person that she was protecting. She only needed me to back up her decision. But that, I could not do. Working with the story at hand, it was a dangerous step.

“Why don’t you tell me the whole story, maybe I could offer more concrete advice?” I prompted.

“Well you see, it was yesterday. I heard a noise in my room, like a rat scurrying around. It had disturbed me, all through the night. So, I decided to search for it. I went over to my chest of drawers and … I …” she suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth.

“What is it?” I asked.

She looked frightened. “I don’t think that I should tell you any of this, Mr. Simpson. I think I should go now.” She stood up and adjusted her skirt.

I reached out and held her left hand. She seemed so confused and scared.

“You can confide in me, Maria.” I stood up. She looked at me with those bewitching and beautiful eyes. We stood in close proximity and maybe that was what made touching her not such a good idea. A pulsating stream of electricity ran through me, as we held hands. I think she felt it too. I could not tell if I drew her into my arms or if she walked into them. We were suddenly in each other’s arms and in her eyes I gleaned a need to be comforted. I didn’t know what was troubling her but it had her completely unsettled. I yielded to a sudden impulse. I lowered my head and kissed her waiting lips. Her lips parted as mine met them.

Author Bio

John Ukah is a seasoned banker and Associate of the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ACMR). He is a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Benin, where he was listed as University Scholar. He also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA).

Links

Purchase “Murder at Midnight” on Amazon: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and India. 

It is also available on Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble (Nook), Okadabooks, and major online stores. 

Okadabooks is mainly for buyers in Africa. 

Interview with John Ukah:
1. What is your favorite part of this book and why?
It is the scene where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) interrogates the suspects at the guest house and blows cigarette fumes in their faces. His MO is unorthodox and his style of interrogation gets on everyone’s nerves.
2. If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would spend the day with Mrs. Marshall and find out all she knows about the people around me. She has got a knack of getting people to open up to her. She sees and hears an awful lot.
3. If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
It would still be my just published book. Every writer has their muse and signature.
4. Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination? 
My characters are from my imagination. They are entirely fictional.
5. What made you want to become a writer?
I have been writing since childhood. I have always kept a personal journal. Writing is cathartic and exhilarating. There was no conscious decision to become a writer. Writing has always been a part of me.

Made Maleen Cover Reveal

"Just let me love you..."

When Maleen King’s father catches her naked in the hay loft with her high school sweetheart, he sends the eighteen-year-old away to receive a college education and rise above the humble beginnings of an Idaho dairy farm. Now fourteen years later, Mal comes home to run the farm after the death of her father. The stress of a disastrous marriage and being a NYC stock broker made her long to return to a simple life.

Braydon Daniels, devastated when Mal’s father sent her thousands of miles away, has thought about her every day since. Now, over a decade later, he finds himself alone, divorced, and beaten down by the trauma of his broken marriage. When Mal comes back to town for her father’s funeral, he realizes the feelings he once had for her are just as strong. There’s one little snag, though. His ex-wife is the woman Mal has hated her whole life. And they have a child together.

Despite the struggle to recover from their past relationships, the undeniable attraction between them still exists. Can they rekindle the passion they once had?

About the Book

Made Maleen
by Jeanne St. James

Series
n/a; standalone

Genre
Adult
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Publisher
Independent

Publication Date
March 12, 2017

 

About Jeanne St. James

JEANNE ST. JAMES is an erotic romance author who loves an Alpha male (or two). She was only 13 started writing when she started writing since it gave her an escape from teenage angst! Her first paid published piece was an erotic story in Playgirl magazine. Her first erotic romance novel, Banged Up, was published in 2009. She is happily owned by farting French bulldogs. She writes M/F, M/M, and M/M/F ménages.

Jeanne's Links

 

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Virtual Book Tour for Planted by C. T. Collier

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: June 2016

Publisher: Asdee Press

It’s Monday of spring break when Professor Lyssa Pennington’s backyard garden project unearths a loaded revolver. With no record of violence at their address and no related cold case, the Tompkins Falls police have no interest. But the Penningtons and a friend with the State Police believe there’s a body somewhere. Whose? Where? And who pulled the trigger?

Excerpt:

She handed Bree the bundle of cloth with the pouch nestled inside. “Your find. Your job. If it’s something really awful, just end it, please.” She rose from the chair and took a few steps outside the circle of eager faces.

“You mean like a dead mouse?” Bree chuckled.

Richie snorted, and Dick elbowed him with a grin.

Bree flipped the leather sack from one hand to the other and bounced it a few times. “It’s too heavy for an animal or a body part.”

Lyssa wrapped her arms around her middle and tapped her foot.

Bree explored the outside of the pouch with her fingers. “It feels hard, like metal.” She fully loosened the drawstring and peered inside.

Her voice deepened. “Holy cannoli.”

“What?” Lyssa asked.

“What is it?” Dick said.

“What’d they bury?” Richie’s eager voice asked.

Bree drew out a handgun, gripping the wood handle with her thumb and two fingers.

C. T. Collier was born to solve logic puzzles, wear tweed, and drink Earl Grey tea. Her professional experience in cutthroat high tech and backstabbing higher education gave her endless opportunity to study intrigue. Add to that her longtime love of mysteries, and it’s no wonder she writes academic mysteries that draw inspiration from traditional whodunits. Her setting: entirely fictional, Tompkins College is no college and every college, and Tompkins Falls, is a blend of several Finger Lakes towns, including her hometown, Seneca Falls, NY (AKA Bedford Falls from It’s a Wonderful Life).

Contact Information

Website:  https://drkatecollier.wordpress.com

Facebook: /kate.collier.315

Twitter: @TompkinsFalls

Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/zds5zps

Purchase Links

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/h2f2xeh

Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/huqsd54

Spotlight Tour for A Fine Year for Murder by Lauren Carr

Book Description:

After months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.

When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.

Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?

Buy the Book:  Amazon  ~ Add on Goodreads

Book Trailer:

Author's Bio:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

Guest Post with Lauren Carr

What is Basic Eighth (or is it 8th?) Grade Grammar? By Lauren Carr

Any successful writer will tell you that you need to leave your ego at the door when dealing with editors. View your editor as your fairy godmother, who can make your upcoming date with readers either a success or a bomb—depending on how well they do their jobs.

Therefore, it is important not only to listen to your editor, but also to get a good one—one who knows their job and one who knows basic grammar and punctuation.

This is where things get difficult in the writer/editor relationship: that whole basic grammar and punctuation thing. What is that?

Many writers (and readers and reviewers) don’t realize different editors use different style manuals as their reference. I use the Chicago Style Manual. What may seem blatantly wrong to you as a writer may be grammatically correct according to that editor’s style manual, and vice versa.

For example, years ago, I edited a middle school book, which was a sports story. Therefore, it was loaded with numbers: weights, scores, etc. While editing this book, I was constantly referring to my style manual on writing out the numbers or using digits. When I finished and sent the book back to the writer, he sent it back wanting all of those spelled out numbers put back into digit, no matter what the manual said.

Since the author has the last word, I did so.

Once, I was editing a book in which there was a character whose name ended in an “s”. Well, throughout the book, there were many instances in which his name was used in possessive.

Now, every editor has a thing or two or three or dozen, in which they will not trust their knowledge, but will look it up in their style manual every single time. For me, the question of a proper name ending in “s” and used in possessive is one of those things. The Chicago Style Manual called for this possessive to be “s’”, not “s’s”.

Well, the author said I was wrong and that it is supposed to be “s’s”.

So, I looked it up again, not just in the Chicago Style Manual, but several sites on the Internet. Not only did I discover that the answer varies in the Chicago Style Manual depending on which edition you use, but I also found a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States had gotten involved in this very argument while writing a decision on a case! Even the justices disagreed! Clarence Thomas (who should know since his name ends in an “s”) declared that it is “s’”.

I let the author have the last word and changed all of the possessive references for this character to “s’s”.

Then, upon proofing the book, the author brought in his daughter, a technical writer, who declared that it should be “s’”, without the extra “s”.

So I had to change it back.

Many people who are not in the business of writing, editing, or publishing fiction fail to realize that many of the grammar and punctuation rules that we were taught as being carved in stone really are not—especially when it comes to fiction.

As an editor and publisher working with new writers on their first books, often I have been amazed by how many have friends who are grammar teachers, or professional technical writers, who suddenly come out of the woodwork when it comes to proofing (not editing) their buddy’s first book. These friends are more than ready to criticize how the book has been edited. Unfortunately, these friends, who are well meaning and probably have the apostrophe rules down pat, are not experienced editors of fiction, which is as specialized, and different, as technical editing.

If you needed a heart transplant, would you ask your neighbor, who happens to be a brain surgeon, to perform the operation or to stand by in the operating room to second guess your heart surgeon?

The fact is that “basic grammar and punctuation” is not really so basic when it comes to fiction.

Example: Can you imagine Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn written in the Queen’s English? Well, it isn’t. If a high school language arts teacher had gotten her hands on that novel …

Editors of fiction have to take the author’s voice, the character’s point of view, the reading audience, and how the general population reads novels into consideration when it comes to editing a novel.  YA audiences read present day erotica differently than readers with a more educated palate will read a sweeping historical epic. As a result, the editing needs to be adjusted accordingly.  

Sometimes, due to the character’s point of view and the circumstance—like a climactic scene—the passage will call for fragmented sentences that would make your eighth grade language arts teacher’s hair curl.  Or maybe another passage will call for long run-on sentences.

Now, this is not to say that when it comes to writing that we should toss out our high school grammar books and let anything go. No, that is not my point.

When reading fiction, I have found that I have grown to become more forgiving of what I would have viewed previously as blatant grammatical errors, because maybe in some style manual somewhere this error is not incorrect. Unless it is a glaring misuse of the words there, they’re, and their. That I cannot forgive—or is the Supreme Court of the United States arguing about that, too?

Giveaway:​

One winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card (Open internationally)

Ends April 22

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Cover Reveal for the I DO, I DON'T Series cover reveal by Lauren Layne

Tasty Book Tours Presents...

READY TO RUN

I Do, I Don't (Book 1)

Lauren Layne

Releasing Aug 22nd, 2017

Loveswept

The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this
addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be
star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.

Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the
perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway
grooms: Luke Elliott, a playboy firefighter who’s left not one but three brides
at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or
return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit
him in person. It’s not Manhattan but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem
friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the
slick womanizer Jordan expected.

Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero
intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York.
But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar,
the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow
seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the
more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that
Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.

~*~

RUNAWAY GROOM

I Do, I Don't (Book 2)

Lauren Layne

Releasing Sept 12th, 2017

Loveswept

For one charming playboy, getting cast on a
Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime—until he finds love
where he least expects it. And now the chase is on!

Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has
been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands
him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe
brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to
drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he
is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast,
but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s
a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk
her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she
could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of
the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie
anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into
secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the
camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie
to start believing in storybook endings.

 ~*~

JUST RUN WITH IT

I Do, I Don't (Book 3)

Lauren Layne

Releasing Oct 24th, 2017

Loveswept

A good girl takes her wild twin’s place on a
provocative dating show and meets the man of her dreams . . . off-camera . . .
in this charming rom-com about loving the one person who can’t love you back.

High school science teacher Violet Simmons has
spent her entire life helping her twin sister out of one scrape after another,
but this time, Zoe’s outdone herself. After signing on for the hit reality show Jilted, Zoe
ends up pregnant, and it’s Violet who finds herself in the
exquisite New Orleans mansion with twenty guys trying to coax her down the
aisle. Everyone buys Violet’s cover, including the one man she wishes would see
right through it: Bennett Chapman, the TV executive who looks good in a
suit—and even better out of it.

Bennett’s always expected to take over the
network from his father. Now, to seal the deal, he needs record ratings from
their tackiest show, which means the ditzy star needs to walk down the aisle
with one of her meathead suitors. But Zoe Simmons is no bimbo. She’s too smart,
too sarcastic, and far too alluring. The more they butt heads—and lock lips—the
more Bennett wants her all to himself. And when Zoe drops a real bombshell,
Bennett is forced to choose: between the job he’s destined for, or the woman
who’s stolen his heart.

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen romantic comedies.

A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career.

She lives in midtown Manhattan with her high-school sweetheart, where she writes smart romantic comedies with just enough sexy-times to make your mother blush. In LL's ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

ALEX: Perfect Opposite by Zoya Tessi blitz

ALEX: Perfect Opposite Book One (Extended edition)
Zoya Tessi
Publication date: January 23rd 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Their wishes were simple and modest. Fate had other things in store though, and she can be a real bitch sometimes.
All he wanted was to get the job done and somehow to endure those long months playing nanny to a spoiled little rich girl. Without strangling her with his bare hands in the process. Well, it is going to be much easier said than done.
All she wanted was to escape the past and live like any other girl. Her plan definitely didn’t include the arrogant, tattooed savage, with his awful mohawk and lack of social graces, whose only mission was to stick real close and mess up her life.
But, people aren’t always what they seem to be, are they?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Sasha

I strode into the room confidently and, hands on hips, placed myself between Alex and the TV. Casting the joystick aside, he leaned back further and raised an eyebrow at me. I imagined fires being put out by one of his cold stares.
“Don’t you think it’s time to earn some of the money Nikolai pays you?” I asked quietly, careful not to let Beth overhear.
“On the contrary, Princess. I don’t think Nikolai pays me enough. Spending all my days in your sweet company qualifies me for special, early retirement.”
“Oh really…” I looked him full in the face and pointed to the chandelier. “The bulb blew this morning and needs replacing.”
“You’re right.” He nodded and continued to look at me, with no intention of making a move.
“Are you trying to make me lose it, or am I just imagining it?”
“No. I’m waiting for you to ask me nicely.”
“It wouldn’t cross my mind to ask you for anything.”
“You don’t need to ask me, exactly, just a few polite words: Alex, would you change the bulb? It’s not hard, trust me.”
“Are you serious?”
I couldn’t believe that he, of all people, felt entitled to instruct me about manners. God, he was infuriating. I regarded him carefully, a wicked smile building at the corners of my mouth.
“Alex, honey, would you be so kind as to change the bulb in the chandelier, it would mean such a lot to me?” I asked in the most sugary voice possible.
I watched as a barely noticeable look of satisfaction appeared on his face and smiled even more. Some men actually lived in the conviction that their word must always be the last.
“And please, while you do that,” I blinked at him like some kind of cartoon, “be sure and get electrocuted, would you?”

Author Bio:
Zoya spent years doing volunteering work all across Europe, from cleaning school basements in Northern Russia to excavating Stone Age artifacts in Euskadi (the Basque country) and renovating castles from the middle ages in Southern France. She always dreamed of working with ‘Doctors without borders’ somewhere out in Africa, but ended up doing an ‘ordinary job’ in one of the smaller European countries.
Her greatest passion is devouring each and every book that comes within her reach.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

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Cover Reveal Blitz "The Last Resort" by Ember Leigh

About the Book

Title: The Last Resort

Author: Ember Leigh

Genre: Erotic Romance

Rose Delaney is a baby bounty hunter, rescuing children from fugitive ex-spouses. All she wants is to return a recovered child to its mother and get back to her regimented solitary life. But when a snow storm leaves her and baby Emmy stranded, Rose has no choice but to lean on the ruggedly handsome rescuer, who thinks the baby is hers. Holed up in their mountain resort-under-construction and unable to contact Emmy’s mother, Rose’s priority is hitting the road—even if Garrett’s erotic touch entices her to ride out the storm.

Construction boss Garrett Galo loves his job, but he never imagined a perk like being snowbound during a whiteout with the sassy brunette he just rear-ended. He’s learned to stay away from women who want a family, especially when they come with a kid in tow. When passionate nighttime encounters flare between them, Garrett begins to question what he’d risk to keep Rose.

This isn’t the time or the place for romance—but will five days on a mountain make these loners reconsider giving in to love?

Author Bio

Ember Leigh has been writing erotic romance novels since she was far too young. A native of northern Ohio, she currently resides near Lake Erie with her Argentinean husband, where they run an Argentinian-American food truck. In addition to romance novels, Ember also writes travel memoirs and occasionally updates a couple of blogs. In her free time, she practices Ashtanga yoga, hops around the world, and eats lots of vegetables.

Website: www.emberleighromance.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EmberLeighAuthor

Twitter: @EmberLeighAuth

Giveaway

Win a $5 Amazon gift card during the cover reveal.
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