T's Stuff

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Orange Blossoms, Love Blossoms by Dalia Dupris

Book 1 of California Hearts

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: October 19, 2020

Publisher: The Wild Rose

Strong-willed Elaine Hart is determined to save Hartland Orchards, her family’s’ California orange groves from being taken over by the bank. After the recent ending of a turbulent relationship, she vows to keep her professional and personal life separate, even though she’s attracted to David Cole, the one man who holds her family’s fate in the palm of his hands.

Serious-minded banker, David Cole, recovering from recent love and work fiascos has one goal and that’s ensuring that the delinquent Hartland Ranch account is brought up to date and not becoming personally involved with the unpredictable and beautiful Elaine Cole.

When a series of circumstances brings Elaine and David together, they must decide if they will continue to suppress their emotions or succumb to passion and take a chance on a forever love.

Excerpt

“Great.” Smiling, he squeezes my hand. “That’s taken care of then.”

“If I have to wait until Monday for him to repair the car, I’ll need to find a hotel.”

“There’s one inn and one bed and breakfast in town and they’re both completely booked months in advance.” His eyes twinkle and he laughs the deep, echoing laugh that I’m starting to get use to. “I’m not making this up. You can call and check for yourself, if you don’t believe me. Strawberry Festival is a big deal and people travel from out of town to come and enjoy the festivities. You’ll have to spend the night with me.”

The last thing I need right now is to spend the night with David. With the undeniable attraction between the two of us, I know exactly what will happen. My vow to not mix work and my social life has completely gone haywire, because here I am sitting in the cozy intimacy of his car. Betsy is on the way to the mechanic’s garage and I’m stuck in a remote little town that I never knew existed until a week ago. On top of that I’m with the most magnetic man I’ve ever met, who manages to make me feel emotions that are simultaneously new, exciting and frightening.

“I’m okay with that.” He’s the kind of man that I can trust. It’s me I’m more worried about. If we are going to be in close proximity, I’m not certain that I can keep my hands to myself. “Do you have a two-bedroom apartment in Littleton?’ I try to sound nonchalant.

“No, I don’t.” He has a twinkle in his eyes. “I have a one bedroom.”

“Oh,” I sigh, resigned to the fact that this is going to be a super challenging weekend. “We’ll have to make the best of it then, won’t we?”

He throws his head back and lets out a deep, robust laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Here I am getting all sweaty, nervous and yes, even a little aroused, thinking about the possibility of sharing a bed with him and he’s laughing like its a joke.

“Okay.” He gains control of himself—finally, casting a more serious expression in my direction. “You should have seen the look on your face. As if it would be torture to have to share a bed with me.”

“That’s what’s so funny?” I glare at his remarkably even features. If only he knew that I was wondering what kind of underwear he wore, boxers, briefs or God forbid, that the man slept in the nude. “Better that you don’t try to read my mind. Although, I’m glad to see that you have a good sense of humor.”

“Of course I do.” He gives me an odd look, and his words are slightly defensive. “Who doesn’t have a sense of humor?”

“Can we stick to the subject?” I tap my fingers on my leg and l glance at him inquisitively. “So…we’ll be sharing a room, is basically what you’re saying?”

About the Author

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing and grew up surrounded by a wide variety of books, from westerns to romance novels. I love stories—watching them, listening to them, reading them, and writing them. My contemporary novels include complex and diverse characters that grapple with family legacy, love, loss, and laughter as they face the challenges of life. When I’m not working on my next manuscript, you can find me bike riding along the beach with my husband or exploring the mysteries of the universe with my daughter.

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Newark Minutemen by Leslie K Barry

Historical Fiction

Date Published: October 6, 2020

Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Based on a true story about fighting fascism in 1930s New Jersey, Newark Minutemen tells an unforgettable tale about forbidden love, intrigue and a courageous man’s search for avenge….

During the Great Depression, Jewish boxer Yael Newman meets Krista Brecht, daughter of the German-American Nazi high command. When his affections turn real, his friends warn him against crossing the line. When Krista leaves for American Nazi summer camp in Long Island, New York, he swears to rescue her. But his mission becomes much more when he’s recruited into the Newark Minutemen by the Jewish mob and FBI to go undercover and fight the American Nazis who are taking over America.

Newark Minutemen Optioned first film

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Put on the Gloves

February 20, 1939

YAEL: Madison Square Garden. New York, USA

If we fail today, we might as well throw in the towel.

My ears hammer against the roarin’ crowd. We must stop the rallying call for a Nazi Party in America. The last thing we need in the middle of the Depression is a fascist party here to support the one the Nazis are building in Germany. Everyone’s still nursin’ their wounds from the Great War.

I catch the cold iron bar—the one I spent all night sawin’ off with my hacksaw—on the first bounce. But the clank it makes between Sieg Heil chants signals our death warrant. My heart freezes as I scan forty-thousand blinkin’ eyes around the arena. I wonder which ones have read through my fake salute? Blood thrusts through my veins like water loadin’ in a fire hose. I almost vomit. Dangit! I’m my own worst enemy.

The pumpin’ in my body mounts like a geyser ready to blow. Right here and now, maybe I should grab my fellow fighters and exit the Germandom defiling the Garden. Yes. Madison Square Garden. New York City, USA. The last time I was here I was sixteen and my best pal, Harry Levine, knocked out another heavyweight to win the 1936 Golden Glove. Now, just three years later, the Bund’s American Führer, Fritz Kuhn, is celebrating Der Tag—The Day—on Washington’s birthday in the most iconic American arena we have.

Another cheer goes up and shakes the ceiling rafters. The heat from heiling bodies curdles my stomach as if I’d swallowed gasoline. I fume when I think about how Kuhn is bastardizing our American symbol into a red, white and blue Nuremberg Rally on our sacred President’s Day, February 20, 1939. Today, the stainin’ of an American symbol, tomorrow our country could be consumed by a brewin’ dictatorship if Hitler marches on Europe. The disgust rears saliva in the back of my throat. I hack out the salty vile.

Even if I’m not as stupid as I am brave, my options are limited. Blockin’ the aisles, seven hundred brown-shirted, swastika wielding, high-booted Hitler replicas are poundin’ their boots against the coliseum floor to the beat of the drum corps. Many of them are not much older than me. Addin’ insult to injury, the mockin’ color guards wave their swastika flags side by side with American ones. I clamp myself to the floor. Let’s face it. At this point, I have one choice. Pray no one kills me.

Beads of sweat simmer on my brow. Any false hopes of escape are dashed as a glint bounces off the brass knuckles of my worst nightmare, Axel Von du Croy. The light licks my good wool suit. Well, my only suit. Behind the uniformed soldier, his fixer, Frank Schenk, pokes another Gestapo-type Stormtrooper and grabs a third. He leads a squad through the masses toward us, disrupting unified party cheers of Free America. Free America. Free America.

But we, they call us the Newark Minutemen, are trained boxers. We won’t be knocked out without a fight. Our members are scattered throughout The Garden. To the left are Maxie and Al Fisher, Nat Arno, and Abie Pain. Nearby are Puddy Hinkes, Harry Levine, and his cousin Benny. And then there’s me, Yael Newman. The eight of us muscle against the press of fanatics, forcin’ our way through the crowd. We wedge between Hitler disciples and chafe against Nazi regalia. The evil glares tell me we’re not makin’ friends. We clamber over seats, step on black boots and duck under Hitler salutes. We’re searchin’ for the other members of our militia to gain a foothold that will help disrupt this ominous occasion. I’m countin’ on the rest of our scattered troops to slide their hidden iron bars down their sleeves into their fists. As I dodge a swastika-banded arm, my own bar falls again. But this time, I catch it breathlessly before it sets off alarms. Harry and I hurry toward the swarmin’ center aisle.

An amplified German accent booms. “Fellow Americans. American Patriots. I do not come before you tonight as a stranger. You will have heard of me through the Jewish-controlled press as a creature with horns, a cloven hoof, and a long tail.” I glance up at the stage. Below the towering portrait of George Washington, the Hitler uniformed Bund leader, Führer Fritz Julius Kuhn, leans into the microphone at the podium.

The hard-faced, square-jawed Führer pronounces what he calls a unified Germandom in America. “We Gentiles are fighting for an Aryan-ruled United States, insulated from dirty blacks, Japanese, Chinese, vermin Jews, dishonest Arabs, homosexuals, Catholics, and even useless cripples and alcoholics.” This shadow-Hitler party is putting democracy up for negotiation. There’s no doubt. I’ll bet my right arm that the Nazis are gonna start another world war.

Around me, the shoulder-belt wearin’ audience raises Hitler salutes to the six-foot, two-hundred plus pound bully. They’re cheering a man who is dehumanizing people. Peerin’ into the crowd, I cringe at the notion that so many good German-Americans who could be my own neighbors have bought into the Nazi stance. Sure they have inherited the high cheeked look. But it’s more. They have assumed that stiff carriage, that humorless expression. That mind that screams discipline and punctuality, rules and obedience. A heart that freezes everything they touch, like a tongue that freezes on an icy flagpole.

Kuhn commands his Aryan audience to demand that the government be returned to the American people. “We, the German-American Nazi Bund, will protect America against Jewish Communism parasites,” he says. My teeth clench. He’s a master at twisting thoughts. “We will protect our glorious republic and defend our Constitution from the slimy conspirators and . . . WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT.”

Führer Kuhn stuns me with his words. From the next aisle, the commander of our Newark Minutemen, prizefighter Nat Arno, waves at me to keep movin’. But my distraction is costly. In the time it takes me to blink, khaki arms trimmed with a black spider woven on a red armband lock around me. They drag me toward the exit to the tune of a female voice singin’ the American anthem. “Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming—”

About the Author

Amazon best-selling author, Leslie K. Barry is most recently a screenwriter, author, and executive producer. Her previous professional work includes executive positions with major entertainment companies including Turner Broadcasting, Hasbro/Parker Brothers, Mattel, and Mindscape Video Games. Other areas of business include executive for the first e-shopping platform called eShop and marketing for Lotus Development, the US Post Office, and AOL. She was an Alpha Sigma Tau at JMU (James Madison University) in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and attended a grad program at Harvard. She has spent the last twenty-five years with her husband, Doug Barry, in Tiburon, CA raising their four kids, Zachary, Brittany, Shaya, and Jackson, and their dog, Kona. On the side, she's devoted to genealogy where she has uncovered many ideas for developing untold stories that help us appreciate the context of history, preserve lessons of the past, and honor memories through family storybooks. For fun, she likes to travel, ski in Sun Valley, Idaho, play tennis, and visit her family in Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina, where she most enjoys Maryland hard crabs and hush puppies, Ledo's pizza, and chocolate horns. You can visit her website at NewarkMinutemen.com.

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NBTM FS Tour The Duty Bound Duet by Sydney Jamesson

The Duty Bound Duet - DUTY OF CARE - THE CARETAKERS

by Sydney Jamesson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Mystery/Suspense (Psychological)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

DUTY OF CARE:

On her death bed Emily Derbyshire’s mother made her promise to take good care of her little sister. Keeping her promise, twelve-year-old Emily did exactly that and became five-year-old Rita’s benefactor and bodyguard.

After eighteen years of sisterly devotion Emily receives some shocking news! Rita has committed suicide. When disturbing details start to surface, Emily puts her highflying career on hold to seek out those responsible. She hires an American private investigator Robert Blackmoor; a motorbike riding, no-frills, computer hacker who will use any means necessary to unearth the truth.

Not surprisingly, Robert uncovers secrets from Emily’s troubled childhood and chips away at the glossy veneer of deceit which masks the truth behind, not only Rita’s life, but Emily’s imperfect life too.

Together they assemble the pieces of a sinister puzzle, revealing a cruel and corrupt world of exploitation and murder: a Dark Web into which Rita has become entangled.

As dark forces encircling Emily tighten their grip, and with everything to lose, she must make a life and death decision that she may live to regret.

THE CARETAKERS:

Emily Parsons is a product of a difficult childhood: self-reliant, fiercely protective and willing to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. She has even slayed a monster, or two … or three in the name of poetic justice, and yet she is haunted by the image of a beautiful blond girl.

Sixteen-year-old Louise Travis has been abducted.

Louise’ fate rested in Emily’s hands, but she let her slip through her fingers like gold dust, only to be swept away by a malevolent band of brothers.

By once again enlisting the help of computer hacker, Robert Blackmoor, Emily must find Louise before she is lost forever in a Dark Web of heinous crimes, cruelty and corruption. The clock is ticking, and Emily’s investigation is drawing the wrong kind of attention, but she will not back down. She is duty bound to protect those she loves.

With skeletons from her past being unearthed, who can she turn to, and who can she trust with her own sinister secrets?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPTS (Please choose only ONE to use with your post):

Excerpt One:

DUTY OF CARE

Chapter 1

Emily

“The whole world can become the enemy when you lose what you love.” Kristina McMorrris.

I STOOD ALONE in the graveyard the day they buried my sister. There I was, Emily Parsons, the hapless figure lurking behind a gnarled oak tree—an unwelcome guest.

A savage January wind gnawed at my cheeks. It made my eyes sting; eyes already brimming with salty residue left over from a night spent sobbing into a pillow. Sapped of all strength, I leaned against the trunk, held it between my hands; gloved fingers tracing rough edges. I breathed in its wild, woody perfume; rotting branches, unclaimed timber—a steadfast pillar of support in a surreal tableau.

At our parents’ request, I didn’t show my face. Did they fear I’d cause a scene, throw myself onto the coffin?

Who knows?

Who cares?

With or without their blessing, I had to go. I had to be there to witness my little sister’s departure from this mortal coil and, if that meant enduring sniveling platitudes caught on the wind—so be it.

Our parents, family members and some of Rita’s friends circled the cavernous hole in the ground like ravens; a flock of silhouettes set against a snowy backdrop. My watery eyes lingered on the word Rita formed in purple violas on the wreath—a tiny name for someone with a big personality and an even bigger heart.

Having endured the lamentations of the priest marking the passing of a life ended much too soon, I absconded. I sprinted like a bandit between gravestones, my feet slipping on ankle deep snow that shrouded everything, creating a clean, sterile landscape. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing except my sister’s charred body lying six foot under in a mahogany coffin fifty yards away.

I took refuge in my car and sat in silence, refusing to acknowledge the shifting congregation. Concealed behind windows veiled with condensation, I left unseen.

In those days leading up to Rita’s funeral, I cried nonstop. I would wake from dozing and the world would be as it was. I would smile through cracked lips, but then I would remember and my heart would ache and my body would shake and tears would cloud my eyes once more.

The myriad of memories we had made were my only lifeline: phone conversations, photographs and texts existing in a vacuum, authorless—a cruel kind of comfort. For the sake of my sanity, I tried to come to terms with her passing, I really did, but the realisation that the one person I loved more than any other had gone and left me behind did not make any sense to me.

We had made a pact when we were kids to never be separated.

Why had Rita broken it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sydney Jamesson is a USA Today bestselling author by night and an English teacher by day. She is nocturnal by nature and loves nothing more than staying up late, listening to music and being inspired to write. She has always written creatively; in her home is one enormous wastepaper basket full of discarded phrases, opening lines and pieces of dialogue that have hit her like lightning in the middle of the night. Her USA Today bestselling trilogy, THE STORY OF US sold worldwide, and she has been thrilled to continue Ayden Stone's and Beth Parker's epic love story in The Story of Us Series: Into the Blue, featuring Blue Genes, Blue Hearts and Blue Moon.

More recently, Sydney has focused on psychological suspense. THE DARKEST CORNERS was her first venture into the new genre: a complex love story filled with lots of angst, emotional scenes and edge of your seat suspense as a single father and a troubled young woman confront their deepest, darkest fears together. The twists come think and fast and the ending is unforgettable!

In her latest novels, DUTY OF CARE and THE CARETAKERS - THE DUTY BOUND DUET -readers explore the seedier side of the Dark Web; witness abduction, human trafficking, and a devoted sister’s willingness to do whatever it takes to safeguard the wellbeing of those in her care. It’s a real page turner, filled with incidents which are heart-breaking and heart-stopping in equal measure!

Author platforms:

Website: https://www.sydneyjamesson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sydney-Jamesson-516585008400062/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SydneyJamesson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074207.Sydney_Jamesson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamessonauthor/

DUTY OF CARE:

UNIVERSAL LINK: viewbook.at/DUTYofCARE

AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/Duty-of-Care-Sydney-Jamesson-ebook/dp/B08CNGJVGF

AMAZON: UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=DUTY+OF+CARE+%28The+Duty+Bound+Duet+%231%29&

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54443373-duty-of-care

THE CARETAKERS

UNIVERSAL LINK: viewbook.at/THECARETAKERS

AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/The-Caretakers-Sydney-Jamesson-ebook/dp/B08CNKPLH5

AMAZON: UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08CNKPLH5

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54443506-the-caretakers

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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Follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

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The History of The Small World by Dr. Gerhard Plenert

The Siege of the Small World

The History of the Small World Book 1

by Dr. Gerhard Plenert

Genre: Epic Fantasy

The Southern Plains became dependent on trade with the North Groves. Each had their own areas of expertise and each had come to rely on the other for their survival. But for some unknown reason this vital trade came to an abrupt halt. The Dwarfs no longer came to the south to trade. Most believed the Dwarfs of the north couldn’t be trusted. Were they trying to starve out the south? Were they trying to increase the price for their goods? Where were they? What game were they playing? You'll need to read more than the glimpse provided to you on Amazon to learn the answers. This is a beautifully illustrated novel that is "clean" from start-to-finish while also intriguing and genuinely fantasy mystical!

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The Uniting of the Small World

The History of the Small World Book 2

The Southern Plains became dependent on trade with the North Groves. Each had their own areas of expertise and each had come to rely on the other for their survival. But for some unknown reason this vital trade came to an abrupt halt. The Dwarfs no longer came to the south to trade. Most believed the Dwarfs of the north couldn't be trusted. What was their game? Were they trying to starve out the south? Were they trying to increase the price for their goods? Where were they? What game were they playing? In the first book in the History of Small World series, titled The Siege of the Small World we journeyed with the leprechauns as they organized an expedition to the north in order to find out why trade had stopped. This second book in the series begins with their arrival at the North Groves and continues with their trials and challenges in the hope that the northern and southern trade can be reestablished.

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Dr. Gerhard Plenert, former Director of Executive Education at the Utah State University Shingo Institute, has more than 25 years of professional experience in organizational trans-formations helping companies and government agencies strive for enterprise excellence by utilizing the Shingo Model to drive cultural transformations. Dr. Plenert is an internationally recognized expert in supply chain management; Lean/Six Sigma; IT; quality and productivity tools; and in working with leading-edge planning and scheduling methods. He has literally “written the book” on leading-edge supply chain management concepts, such as finite capacity scheduling, advanced planning and scheduling, and world-class management. With 14 years of academic experience, Dr. Plenert has published over 150 articles and 22 books on Lean, supply chain strategy, operations management, and planning. Dr. Plenert previously served as a tenured full professor at California State University, Chico; a professor at BYU, BYU–Hawaii, University of Malaysia, University of San Diego; and has been a visiting professor at numerous universities all over the world. He earned degrees in math, physics, and German; and he holds an MBA, MA in international studies, and PhD in resource economics (oil and gas) and operations management. Dr. Plenert continues to serve as a Shingo examiner and as an Adjunct Faculty member for several universities.

Dr. Plenert’s first effort in the world of fiction was the fantasy Small World Series. Since then he has also ventured into mystery and suspense novels. He looks forward to a career as a fiction author. Gerhard Plenert has proudly served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Philippines and currently resides in California with his wife.

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Turning Point by K.M. Smith

Turning Point

by K.M. Smith

Genre: Paranormal Urban Fantasy

Adam is the resident vampire in a small college town in Michigan. It’s the same scenario every night: wander campus, snag a co-ed for dinner, get home before dawn. Rinse. Repeat--until an irresistible new professor appears. From the shadows, he follows her every footstep, lurking, until he witnesses a tragic accident. As life drains from the object of his desire, he is faced with an impossible choice: Should he intervene or not?

22 years later, Alice Peterson is well on her way to graduating from college. Her life and goals are set, and her future is bright. But Alice meets Adam and a tempestuous wind portends a different fate. Thrust into a world she thought to be fictitious, Alice must rely on wit, cunning and newfound powers if she hopes to survive. Adam will do what he must to keep Alice from learning too much about her past, including the unthinkable.

No good deed goes unpunished as familial bonds are pushed to their limit and new relationships are tested. Filled with action and bloodlust-fueled drama, read on to unlock the mystery when Alice reaches her Turning Point.

**Only .99 cents!! **

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K.M. Smith has been around the world and currently resides in Texas. Writing is her passion, and writing about vampires and people with different supernatural abilities makes her giddy. Growing up in Michigan and spending time in several parts of the world has provided her with unique perspectives and innumerable opportunities for storytelling. K.M. is married to a wonderful and understanding man, and she is the mother of two children who test her knowledge of life and push her limits of caffeine intake daily. She is a bit of a dabbler and jumps headfirst into any endeavor she takes on (like writing a book and turning it into a series). When not at her desk, she can be found smashing her way through the tennis courts in the suburbs of Houston. Occasionally, she can be found writing at her blog kristynotkirsty.com.

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Goddess in Time by Adriadne LeFox

Goddess in Time

Women of Time Collection Book 1

by Adriadne LeFox

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Time Travel

Myths and Legends have always inspired me. I especially love the King Arthur legends. The knights, ladies, valor, chivalry, and trust between them. I have never been one to trust easily, but with these legends, I feel like I am a part of their world somehow. As a college student, I chose to study these myths and legends because I want to find out if they are real or not.

So my journey began, by traveling to England. I have heard there is a professor there who has found the remains of what used to be Arthur's castle. What I actually find when I get there is more than just the remains of a castle, it is the start of a new adventure.

In a land of myth and magic, what awaits me is more than I could have ever imagined...

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Adriadne/Sybella is a mom of two little heathens and 2 furry cats where she lives in Oregon where she started her writing hobby at 11. When she isn't writing, she is hiking the many trails, visiting graveyards, and plotting death and dismemberment.

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