Monday, April 30, 2012

Interview with Luke Romyn @LukeRomyn

The Digital Ink Spot interviewed Luke Romyn.  Luke utilized his life experiences to fuel his own expansive imagination and began writing fiction. Initially starting with short stories, Luke rapidly progressed onto novels. His first book, THE DARK PATH, has been a Top 20 Bestselling Horror on Amazon and was also voted in the Top Ten Horror novels of 2009. BLACKLISTED, his second novel, saw his writing divert slightly away into the action-thriller genre, while his third, BEYOND HADES, sees the world plunged into a horror unleashed from mythology from which only one man can save us... if he stays alive long enough.
Visit the author at his website: http://www.lukeromyn.com 
Follow Luke on Twitter:  @LukeRomyn

The Digital Ink Spot: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Luke Romyn: I think it was always there, hidden beneath many layers of ignorance. As a child in school I easily grasped the skills involved in writing, and my imagination always took me to places where I could escape from what was sometimes a horrific existence. Later in life, like many people, I always spoke of writing a novel about my life experiences, and then one day I just decided to do it. It was as simple as that. Of course, the memoir totally sucked and I decided to change course dramatically and write something completely fictitious, which I titled THE DARK PATH, and it went on to become my first published book.

The Digital Ink Spot: What was the book that most influenced your life — and why?
Luke Romyn: Definitely THE DARK PATH. When I began it I was drinking heavily and trying to turn my life around from what was once a very violent and miserable existence. Part of writing was to exorcise my own demons by creating an external version of all the rage I felt inside, putting it all within a character who could deal with it far better than I. Vain emerged and seriously kicked ass. By the end of the book – which took me many years to complete the first draft – I had quit drinking and vanquished many of the demons which had terrorized me for much of my life. He will always be there, within me, whenever I need to call on him for help. That is the power of writing.

The Digital Ink Spot: What are the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing your stories to life?
Luke Romyn: The scope involved in one of my novels is usually huge. One day I think I’ll need to challenge myself and write a miniscule-scale book centered on a single boring character locked in a room instead of the colossal, world-encircling adventures that I end up involved in. Until that time, however, I need to do enormous amounts of research on locations, technology, weapons, theology, religion, superstition, mythology, uniforms, armor, animals, plants, soil, speech patterns, and everything in between. Added to all this research is the task of putting myself into the boots of multiple diverse characters – some of whom are quite bizarre and mentally unhinged – and situations. Load it all up with heart-pounding action and a pace which sometimes leaves my keyboard smoking and you have one hell of a task on your hands.

The Digital Ink Spot: I hear you and a fellow author are trying to get on The Ellen Show. How did that all come about?
Luke Romyn: Haha! Yeah, we’re determined not to give up on that one, but I won’t hold my breath… yet. I spend a lot of time online networking with readers, writers, and basically anyone who wants a chat, mainly on Twitter, where I have over 180,000 followers. A good friend and fellow author from Canada named Claude Bouchard usually get on there at least once a day and exchange banter, and for some reason this has developed quite a following of its own. People often chime in with things and one day we joked to someone that we were going on The Ellen Show. All of a sudden things came alive on Twitter with people contacting Ellen (who follows both me and Claude) pestering the hell out of her to get us on there. A petition began and to date we’ve had over 1000 signatures, but no contact from Ellen. I’ve even had people offering to pay for my flight over from Australia if Ellen invites me on the show, so it really is kind of mind blowing. Twitter is definitely an amazing part of the internet, that’s for sure.

The Digital Ink Spot: What can readers expect from you in the future?
Luke Romyn: I don’t want to become too predictable, too safe. My goal in writing is to constantly challenge myself, to expand my horizons with each and every word I type until I become the greatest possible author I can be. Complacency is definitely not my goal. I have three more first-drafts already written and awaiting full editing before publication, which I am currently working my ass off doing every moment I get. The next release is a sequel to BEYOND HADES and is even larger in scale, action, and thrills. Wes returns for more ass kicking and wise- cracks as he tumbles through new dimensions in an attempt to stop the destruction of the universe. I can’t say much more about it, except that if people enjoy BEYOND HADES they will definitely love what’s coming. And following that I have planned a four-book saga, loosely following in the footsteps of THE DARK PATH. This won’t be a sequel, and Vain will not be the main protagonist, but he does make several appearances throughout, and fans of THE DARK PATH definitely won’t be disappointed.

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The Great Twitter Adventure by Kathy Lynn Hall @RedMojoMama

The Great Twitter Adventure: How 5 Tweeps Saved the World

When their Twitter pal, Frank, a conspiracy theorist blogger, goes missing, his 4 closest tweeps - a female novelist, a recreational hacker, a cowboy-banker and a golf pro - fly to Los Angeles from around the U.S. to solve the mystery. And then, of course, there's the world to save.

Visit the author's website: www.redmojomama.blogspot.com
Follow Kathy on Twitter: @RedMojoMama


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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Blood Awakening by Wenona Hulsey @WenonaHulsey

Blood Awakening (The Blood Burden Series)

Evil starts the clock ticking, leaving Nicole's life changed forever....
Hidden powers, ancient grudges, romance and action that will leave you begging for more....

You can friend her on Twitter: @WenonaHulsey
Like her on Facbook: www.facebook.com/WenonaHulseyAuthor
Follow along on her blog:  wenonahulsey.blogspot.com/

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Hard Target by Barbara Phinney @BarbaraPhinney

Hard Target (romantic espionage thriller)

Sgt. Dawna Atkinson has worked hard for her South American embassy posting. She'd also taken the blame for a shared indiscretion with her instructor, Tay Hastings.

But when her embassy is bombed, she comes under the microscope all the more. Worse still, her unit sends Tay to search for any mistakes she's making.

Tay had tried to take the blame for that one night of passion, but when that failed, he quit his instructor's post. But circumstances force him not to reveal any of this.

As the investigation heats up, and danger lurks around every crowded corner, Dawna and Tay find their relationship is also heating up. And with a killer who can create bombs, use a sniper rifle, and poison the embassy staff, they must set aside their hurt, and distrust, or risk many lives.

What they can't set aside is their growing attraction. And that may just get them killed.

 Visit the author's website: www.barbaraphinney.com
Follow Barbara on Twitter: @BarbaraPhinney
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Friday, April 27, 2012

Finding Poe by Leigh M. Lane

Finding Poe

Follow the final moments before Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious death, journeying through twisted bits and pieces of his musings, both brilliant and mad, in search of the truth behind his final, unfinished work "The Lighthouse," while unraveling the mystery behind the elusive woman desperately seeking the author for answers behind her husband's haunted death.

Visit the author's website: http://www.cerebralwriter.com

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Tell A Thousand Lies by Rasana Atreya @rasana_atreya

Tell A Thousand Lies

In a land where skin colour can determine one's destiny, fraternal twins PULLAMMA and LATA are about to embark on a journey that will tear their lives apart.

Dark skinned Pullamma dreams of being a wife. With three girls in her family, the sixteen year old is aware there isn't enough dowry to secure suitable husbands for them all. But a girl can hope. She's well versed in cooking, pickle making, cow washing -- you name it. She's
also obliged her old-fashioned grandmother by not doing well in school.

Fair skinned and pretty, her twin sister Lata would rather study medicine than get married. Unable to grasp the depth of Lata's desire, the twins' Grandmother formalizes a wedding alliance for the girl. Distraught, Lata rebels, with devastating consequences.

As Pullamma helps ready the house for her older sister Malli's bride viewing, she prays for a positive outcome to the event. What happens next is so inconceivable that it will shape Pullamma's future in ways she couldn't have foreseen.

A mainstream, multi-ethnic, world literature book from India, TELL A THOUSAND LIES is a sometimes wry, sometimes sad, but ultimately realistic look at how superstition and the colour of a girl's skin rules India's hinterlands.

Visit the author's website: http://rasanaatreya.com
Follow Rasana on Twitter:  @rasana_atreya



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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Interview with Benjamin X. Wretlind @bxwretlind

The Digital Ink Spot interviewed Benjamin X. Wretlind, author of The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski. The author of Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors and Sketches from the Spanish Mustang, Benjamin has been called "a Pulitzer-caliber writer" with "a unique American voice." Aside from novels, he has been published in many magazines to include The Horror Express, All Hollows: The Journal of the Ghost Story Society, Horror Carousel and Bare Bones. You can find Benjamin psychoanalyzing himself on his blog (bxwretlind.com). Follow him on Twitter, @bxwretlind.


The Digital Ink Spot: What can you tell readers about The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski?
Benjamin X. Wretlind: The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski is the final piece that will make up the Sketches from the Spanish Mustang, a novel due out July 1st. The story revolves around a 50-ish waitress at a fictional casino in Cripple Creek, Colorado who has been running from her ex-husband for two years.  She's paranoid, a fact brought out through an understanding of her past.  What she thinks she sees, though, may not actually be what's really there.  It's really a novella about our lives, about coming to a point where we have to face our past whether we want to or not.  Can we keep running away from all the bad?  Is a rough life the end, or can there be a future free from the pain we've suffered before?

The Digital Ink Spot: How did you decide on the title?
Benjamin X. Wretlind: All of the sketches in the Sketches from the Spanish Mustang are people.  Originally, I thought I'd have some creative titles, but as the novel came together, each sketch ended up with a single name (e.g. The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski became "Carolyn" in the novel)--an anonymous name people can relate to, perhaps. The name Woltkowski doesn't appear in the actual novella, but there was a reason for it.  First, I like to flush out all my characters, whether or not their names appear.  This gives me an opportunity to get to know them better.  Second, I had intended to use the strange last name in a bit of dialogue.  For example: "How do you expect me to hide from him if I have a name like Woltkowski?"  I opted not to do this, however, but the title and the name stuck.

The Digital Ink Spot: Are there experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life or something from your mind?
Benjamin X. Wretlind: Not really, no.  The original idea behind the Sketches from the Spanish Mustang was to take a stranger and "sketch" out some sort of story.  I am a novice student of personality disorders--such as Carolyn's paranoia--and I like to create characters that have significant flaws.  No one is perfect, of course, but some are even less perfect than others.  I did quite a bit of research into Cripple Creek, Colorado, however, and what you'll find in all of the sketches is a history and a truth that can't come from throwing together a fictional town full of fictional people.  Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.

The Digital Ink Spot: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Benjamin X. Wretlind: I don't recall the moment my interest was piqued, but I do recall an interest as far back as 2nd grade when I wrote my first story  (that I remember).  I really didn't think of being an author until I was in the 7th grade, when two different events sort of shone a blinding light on the future.  The first was a simple exercise using a root sentence (like "I heard a sound in the forest"), and the second was my entry into the Young Writers of America contest for a story I wrote about a luckless dragon named Puff who stood only two or three feet tall.  While I could go on and on about these two events (which I did in this post:  http://bxwretlind.com/blog/2011/05/23/the-obligatory-reflective-post-parts-i-ii/ ) suffice to say I think we all have moments we can use to divide our life into "before" and "after."  When I finally understood that 7th grade was the "moment," I said I will be a writer, no matter how long it takes.

The Digital Ink Spot: What can readers expect from you in the future?
Benjamin X. Wretlind: As I mentioned earlier, The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski will appear in the Sketches from the Spanish Mustang due out July 1st.  The novel weaves together ten lives all viewed from eyes of an artist with a gift to "see."  It won't be horror, it won't be a thriller, it won't be a family drama.  Sketches from the Spanish Mustang will be an experience for all genres.  After that, the first novel I wrote, A Difficult Mirror, will be polished (no pun intended) and released when the snow covers the ground (or early 2013).  A Difficult Mirror is a magical realism piece about dealing with our own past.  It's epic in nature and serves as a sort of introduction to a series of novels that will be coming out over the next decade or so.  Finally, I get to start my political thriller, Driving the Spike, a novel about three brothers, three different lives and how all of them come together at the fall of a country.  It certainly won't be anything you've read before.


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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Interview with Bev Pettersen @BevPettersen

The Digital Ink Spot interviewed Bev Pettersen, author of Thoroughbreds and Trailer Trash, as well as other titles. Bev Pettersen is an award-winning writer and two-time finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Contest. She competed for five years on the Alberta Thoroughbred race circuit and is an Equine Canada certified coach. Presently, she lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and two teenagers. When she’s not writing novels, she’s riding.
Visit her at www.BevPettersen.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @BevPettersen



The Digital Ink Spot: What can you tell readers about your book, Thoroughbreds and Trailer Trash?
Bev Pettersen: On the way to visit an equine wellness facility, I drove through some lovely horse country with lush fields and perfect white rail fences. Beautiful Thoroughbreds happily ate grass while on the other side a scruffy pony poked his nose under the fence, reaching for a few stolen bites. It was easy to imagine an owner struggling to make ends meet, while living next to a field of pampered horses.
A fictional wellness center is the setting for this book. It offers many helpful therapies, including infrared, whirlpools, massage and an oxygen chamber. The heroine is a masseuse who doesn’t care about the background or breeding of an animal; she just wants to help animals. However the new owner has more profit-oriented goals and scorns her and her ailing pony…at first.

The Digital Ink Spot: What process did you go through to come up with the title?
Bev Pettersen: Thoroughbreds developed from an elite world of money and breeding, both human and horses, and I wanted a title that that portrayed two opposing worlds. Plus I love alliteration.

The Digital Ink Spot: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Bev Pettersen: It’s sometimes challenging to write on a warm sunny day when I’d really prefer to be riding. However a quick trip to the barn often re-energizes and helps me write once I’m back in the office.

The Digital Ink Spot: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Bev Pettersen: I learned that I’m not a plotter. I like to let the people and horses lead the book and if I try to follow too strict an outline, the writing can bog down. I’m not always sure what the characters are going to do and the horses are even less predictable. It’s very tough for me to hurt an animal. I want that happy ending.

The Digital Ink Spot: What can readers expect from you in the future?
Bev Pettersen: I love to write entertaining books with a mixture of horses, romance and mystery. That combination will vary but as long as people want them, I’ll continue to write. I’m very grateful to my readers for making this career possible.

 Other works by Bev Pettersen


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Thoroughbreds and Trailer Trash by Bev Pettersen @bevpettersen

Thoroughbreds and Trailer Trash

Jenna Murphy, a dedicated horse masseuse, relies on her job and street smarts to support what's most important...her younger sister. But when the Thoroughbred Wellness Center experiences a hostile takeover headed by a charming but ruthless corporate shark, both her heart and career are in jeopardy.

Visit the author's website: www.BevPettersen.com
Follow the author on Twitter: @bxwretlind

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The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski by Benjamin X. Wretlind @bxwretlind

The Independence of Carolyn Woltkowski (Sketches from the Spanish Mustang)

She crept up behind the wall of a house and waited, her breath exploding in front of her. She could backtrack, wait for the others to pass her along the highway then jog to the north, keeping to the shadows. For all she knew, though, they'd split up, each one poised with a knife, blocking all the ways back to her truck. What if there were more? Another waitress? An unknown accomplice on the street? All of them would be waiting for her to make that one last mistake.

Visit the author's website: http://bxwretlind.com/
Follow the author on Twitter: @bxwretlind


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The Ambassador's Wife by Jake Needham @JakeNeedham

THE AMBASSADOR'S WIFE (An Inspector Samuel Tay Novel)

The first body is in Singapore, on a bed in an empty suite in the Marriott Hotel. The second in Bangkok, in a seedy apartment close to the American embassy. Both women. Both Americans. Both beaten viciously and shot in the head. Both stripped naked and lewdly displayed.

The FBI says it's terrorism, but the whispers on the street are that a serial killer is stalking American women across Asia.

Inspector Samuel Tay of Singapore CID is something of a reluctant policeman. He's a little overweight, a little lonely, a little cranky, and he smokes way too much. Thinking back, he can't even remember why he became a police detective in the first place. He talks about quitting all the time, but he hasn't. Because the thing is, he's very, very good at what he does.

When bodies of American women start turning up, Singapore CID calls in Inspector Tay. It's a high profile case, and he's the best they have.

Then why is it, Tay soon begins to wonder, that nobody seems to want him to find the women's killer? Not the FBI, not the American ambassador, not even his bosses at CID.

When international politics takes over a murder case, the truth is the next victim.

Visit the author's website: http://jakeneedham.com/
Visit the author's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jake-Needham-Novels/301948476492115
Follow the author on Twitter: @JakeNeedham
Read the weekly 'Letters from Asia: http://jakeneedham.com/category/blog/


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London Calling (Susanna and the Spy) by Anna Elliott @anna_elliott

London Calling (Susanna and the Spy)

Romance and treason in Regency London

It is the autumn of 1809, and Susanna Ward's life is more perfect than she could ever have dared hope. She is reconciled with her estranged family and engaged to the man she loves, Lord James Ravenwood. But across the English Channel, Britain's war with the Emperor Napoleon still rages. And when a chance letter arrives from London, Susanna learns that James has secretly allowed himself to be drawn into the shadowy world of espionage and intrigue. To be with James, Susanna travels to London--and is soon caught up in a dangerous operation to uncover a ring of French spies and a traitor within the British War Office.

Susanna will risk her life to protect both her country and the man she loves. And yet as she sees James torn between love for her and duty to King and country, she realizes that the greatest danger may be to her own heart.

Set against the glittering backdrop of a Regency London Season, London Calling is a cozy mystery, appropriate for all ages. It is approximately 61,000 words or 244 pages in length.

Although London Calling can be read alone, the story builds on the events of Susanna and the Spy.


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Interview with Fiona Robyn @fiona_robyn



The Digital Ink Spot interviewed Fiona Robyn, author of, The Most Beautiful Thing. She is a novelist and psychotherapist living in Malvern in the United Kingdom. She co-founded Writing Our Way Home with her husband Kaspa, and offers ecourses in mindful writing and creativity coaching.

The Digital Ink Spot: What is your book, The Most Beautiful Thing, all about? What will draw a reader to it?
Fiona Robyn: The book follows 14 year old Joe as he stays with his artist Aunt Nel in Amsterdam. He returns at 29 to stay with her again, when both of their lives are very different... People tell me that once they've started reading it they can't put it down and I've been responsible for a few very late nights... The characters are very ordinary and fallible human beings, just like all of us, but through their journey I hope readers will learn something about themselves. It will also make you laugh (and probably cry).

The Digital Ink Spot: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Fiona Robyn: Yes, but I can't tell you what it is or I'd be spoiling the story!

The Digital Ink Spot: If you had a book club, what would it be reading — and why?
Fiona Robyn: One of my favorite books is John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany . I haven't read it in years and so I'd love to revisit it and see how I feel about it now. Our feelings about books can change over time, just like our feelings about people, but I have a feeling I'd still love this one.

The Digital Ink Spot: What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing your stories to life?
Fiona Robyn: I was nervous about writing as a fourteen year old boy (and a twenty-nine year old man) but so far the men who've read the book have said that I've done a good job! Joe is also very interested in details and facts, which isn't like me at all. I had to concentrate... And there's the usual difficulty of getting the first draft finished, which doesn't get any easier (this is my fourth novel). I hate writing first drafts!

The Digital Ink Spot: What can reader's expect from you in the future?
Fiona Robyn: I'm writing about April (from my work in progress, yet to be titled) at the moment, and her story starts with a very bad car crash. I've been reading books about long distance runners, which might give you a clue...

Other works by Fiona Robyn



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Monday, April 23, 2012

A Voice in the Wilderness - Anthology


A Voice in the Wilderness

This volume contains compelling fiction and thoughtful essays from Winston Crutchfield, Don Yarber, Henry Brown, David Crutchfield, Deborah Caligiuri, Justin Lowmaster, Nathan James Norman, Philip Carrol, and Ken Harmeyer.


Nathan James Norman

Justin Lowmaster

Don Yarber

Henry Brown

Philip Carrol

 
John the Baptist was a unique person in the history of God’s plan for redemption, and in the history of the world. He was the last of the Old Testament Prophets, and the first of the Apostles. He was sent before Christ to prepare the world to recognize and receive the Savior. Authors were challenged to fulfill the function of John the Baptist’s office in creative and visionary stories.

Luke 3 (NIV)
3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD!”





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Devil's Hand by M. E. Patterson @mepatterson

Devil's Hand (Drawing Thin, Book 1)

The lone survivor of a tragic plane crash, Trent Hawkins inherited a supernatural lucky streak that made him famous, and hated, in the poker circles of the City of Sin. It wasn't long before the eyes in the sky threw him on the blacklist and chased him out of town. Now, after years away, Trent returns to Las Vegas, and walks right back into trouble.

As a serial kidnapper terrorizes the city, Trent and his wife rescue an unusual thirteen year-old girl, only to find themselves caught in a fallen angel's plot to cleanse Las Vegas with an unholy blizzard.

The neon goes dark, Vegas freezes, and Trent is forced to make terrible sacrifices in order to protect his new charge as they run through the demon-infested shadows of a frozen city.

Will Trent stand up to the monsters of a dark world he never knew existed? Or will he fail, leaving our world in ruins beneath a blanket of shadow and ice?

Visit the author's website: http://mepatterson.net/
Follow M. E. Patterson on Twitter: @mepatterson

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The Most Beautiful Thing by Fiona Robyn @fiona_robyn

The Most Beautiful Thing

Meet Joe. 14 years old, obsessed with birds & the weather, and perplexed by humans. Spend the Summer in Amsterdam with his chaotic artist aunt Nel. Come back fifteen years later, witness a tragedy, and discover a secret which will change everything...

Visit the author's website: http://www.writingourwayhome.com 
Follow Fiona on Twitter:  @fiona_robyn

 
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The Geronimo Breach by Russell Blake @BlakeBooks

The Geronimo Breach

The Geronimo Breach is a breakneck-paced thrill ride that pits the world's most unlikely protagonist against the deadliest  adversaries on the planet. From the corridors of Langley to the sweltering jungles of Panama, from the hills of Pakistan to the cocaine trails of Colombia, a clandestine scheme to preserve a terrible secret goes horribly awry, plunging a reluctant hero down a deadly rabbit hole of deceit and betrayal, while raising disturbing questions about the media, the war on terror & its linkage with the war on drugs, & the nature of reality in an age of sound-bites and photo ops.

Albert Ross is a malingering misanthrope - a boozing, chain smoking philanderer; shifty, lazy, cowardly, going to fat, & more prone to doing the wrong thing than any man alive. His purgatorial existence working for the State Department in Panama gets shattered when a routine errand becomes a race against the clock, battling adversaries for whom no price is too high to protect a secret that could topple the world order. As the body count climbs in a struggle without rules, Al must face his own demons, as well as the myriad very real ones intent upon destroying him. The unexpectedly shattering conclusion of this richly drawn thriller is both topical & chillingly plausible, making for a roller-coaster action/adventure without parallel.


Visit the author's website:  http://RussellBlake.com/ 
Follow Russell on Twitter: @BlakeBooks 

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Discreet Activities by Claude Bouchard @ceebee308

Discreet Activities (Barry/McCall Series)

As a result of information gathered via electronic surveillance by intelligence agencies in the U.S. and Canada, a budding terrorist organization, the Army for Islam or AFI, is suspected of planning an attack, its target possibly NYC, Burlington, Vermont or even Canada's famed Montreal.

When four foreign students from Pakistan with known ties to the AFI's Montreal cell arrive in the area on New Year's Eve, Discreet Activities' head, Jonathan Addley, along with Chris Barry and other DA consultants are more than willing to take on the additional workload.

After two of the DA team members die violently in an AFI related suicide-bombing, the job becomes getting revenge on those responsible for this Holy War...



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Interview with Claude Bouchard @ceebee308

The Digital Ink Spot interviewed, Claude Bouchard, author of Discreet Activities, the sixth book in the Barry/McCall crime series, and the stand alone novel, ASYLUM. Claude Bouchard was born in Montreal, Canada, where he still resides with his spouse, Joanne.
He completed his studies in human resources, accounting and management at McGill University and worked in various management capacities in the fields of HR and finance for a handful of firms.
Bouchard first stab at writing was in 1995, the result being his first novel, Vigilante . This was subsequently followed by The Consultant (1996) and Mind Games (1997), all of the same series.


Besides writing, editing and promoting his work, Bouchard also spends some artistic energy with five guitars, oil paints and watercolours. It should also be noted that following several years of practice, he now excels at being cat furniture for Krystalle and Midnight, or so they tell him.

The Digital Ink Spot: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Claude Bouchard: I’ve always had a knack for writing and did quite a bit of it in work related situations but my first attempt at fiction was when I penned Vigilante in 1995. The catalyst was the O.J. Simpson fiasco which got me thinking about violent criminals working their way out of paying their dues through loopholes in the system. From there, my story rushed out as I created someone who made sure these animals were punished for their crimes. I immediately followed up with The Consultant and Mind Games, the next two of now six installments in my series.

The Digital Ink Spot: What was the book that most influenced your life — and why?

Claude Bouchard: I always find this type of question very difficult to answer because, though I’ve never
counted, I can easily say I’ve read somewhere around two thousand books and that number keeps on growing. I’ve never been much attracted to the old classics though I’ve read some such as LOTR, an obvious masterpiece. Another I enjoyed was Jack London’s Sea Wolf which so well depicted man’s ability to fight for what’s right and do what is required to survive.
Books which I’ve quite enjoyed in recent years are Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and its sequel, World Without End, both classics in their own right. I’m also a big fan of authors like Lee Child and Michael Connelly though the current prices of many ebooks from traditional publishers has nudged me towards indies such as Luke Romyn, Russell Blake and several others.
All that said, I can’t say that any one book has specifically influenced me. More so, reading many books has influenced me in general.

The Digital Ink Spot: I see you use video book trailers. Do you believe they help in getting the word out and do you produce them yourself?
Claude Bouchard: Exposure is key. If people don’t know a product exists, how can one expect them to buy it? Video book trailers are just another tool available to catch potential readers’ attention, using visuals and sound in addition to words. They help people get a glimpse of what the story is about, something along the lines of the cliché, a picture is worth a thousand words. To answer your question, yes, they help in getting the word out as do reviews, interviews, blog posts, etc. Every little bit helps.
I did indeed produce my video book trailers myself and take credit only to the extent of writing text, selecting photos and music and being able to follow simple instructions at animoto.com. With a little practice, I think even my cats could put a video trailer together.

The Digital Ink Spot: You have a very loyal following. What is it about your books that attracts the readers?
Claude Bouchard: I’ll start by mentioning that my main promotion platform is Twitter where I now have over 250K followers. I obviously tweet about my books but also cross-promote with numerous other writers and chat and joke with anyone who wants to. This has helped immensely in developing networking avenues, friendships and attracting readers.
If we speak specifically of books, eye catching covers and intriguing titles are necessary elements in order to generate initial interest. Over time, I have revised some of my covers and made titles bigger, keeping in mind that on sites such as Amazon, a thumbnail is what a reader first sees when shopping for entertainment. If the cover is blah or the title is illegible, they’ll just skim over it. The product description must then grip the reader and with time, good reviews also help a great deal.
Through reviews and direct comments made to me via Twitter, Facebook my website and email, what my readers say they enjoy of my thrillers and keeps them coming back for more are my characters and story-lines, both which are described as realistic and believable. Also appreciated is my fast-paced writing style which I don’t tend to clutter up with lengthy descriptions of the landscape, furniture or thread-count in the draperies in any given scene.


The Digital Ink Spot: What can readers expect from you in the future? Hopefully that includes a spot on
The Ellen Show.
Claude Bouchard: I’d certainly be thrilled to be a guest on The Ellen Show though the heart attack I’d suffer when I received the invitation might be unpleasant. However, Ellen and her team have some say in the matter and the phone has yet to ring.
In things which I do have control over, I’m currently working on a stand-alone entitled The Last Party but I’m at the early stages so it won’t be available for several months. I’ve also started putting together some ideas for the seventh episode in the Barry/McCall series, tentatively entitled Femme Fatale, which will center on Leslie Robb, a character which I introduced two books ago in 6 Hours 42 Minutes.

Thanks again for having me on here. Highly appreciated.



Visit the author;s website: http://www.claudebouchardbooks.com

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A SEA STORY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE U.S. NAVY RESPONSE TO 9/11 by Joseph Pignataro

A SEA STORY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE U.S. NAVY RESPONSE TO 9/11.

The U.S. Navy was among the first responders on 9/11. Entrusted with the iconic Ground Zero flag, the Roosevelt battlegroup took to the seas searching out those responsible, and to bring justice to a nation in mourning.

0900 September 2001, the U.S.S. Leyte Gulf deployed within hours of the attack on the W.T.C. with orders to shoot down and destroy any "birds not squawking" over New York City. We were entrusted with the iconic ground zero flag raised by the NYFD. We flew that flag with pride and determination from our mast on our important mission. After two days we were then redirected to the gulf and given orders to destroy the Taliban with the Tomahawk missiles onboard. During transit, we were told by our Captain that the Taliban would be waiting for us in the narrow Suez canal. So narrow in fact, only a single ship can go through at any one time. If the first and last ship were to be hit by surface to air missiles, there would be no way out. The aircraft carrier U.S.S Roosevelt, would be trapped in the middle and defenseless. There they were, waiting for us on horseback atop the sandy Suez dunes...following us. Just a bunch of scared kids manning the ships 50 cal guns, wondering what was to happen next.

One late night in the gulf, Bush declared war. It was our task to launch the first Tomahawk missiles and kick off the war on terror. We were cut off from the outside world. Email and any other means of communication had been banned for security reasons. Television reports of Anthrax gripping the country with fear and WW3 rumors scuttling through the ships decks. A six man boarding party manned up to routinely search an unresponding suspect Iraqi tanker...what was found would change our lives forever. 


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Daughter of Deceit by Carrie James Haynes @jhines340

Daughter of Deceit

Someone wants Alyce Hythe dead…

Shunned from London society for being the daughter of England’s most notorious spy, Alyce Hythe desires only to clear her father’s name. For years, she has been hidden away from all prying eyes, given a new identity and told to forget who she was. But strange things have been happening causing old rumors to once more be whispered.

Long has Lord Julian Casvelyn lived with guilt brought on when his brother was murdered by England’s most infamous traitor. But one eventful night has changed everything Lord Julian believed about his brother’s death. Never did he suspect the woman he has just saved from certain harm is the daughter of that man. Now Julian is caught in midst of a conspiracy and desire for that woman.

Thrown together by fate, the two search for answers long denied them and along the way discover a love that can free them both.

Visit the author's website: http://jerrihines.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Review - Banished: The Gods Among Us by William L. Deen @WilliamDeen

Banished: The Gods Among Us: Book One

The author offers this synopsis:

Enki is the son of Anu, God King of Nibiru. Heir to the throne and his father's closest confidant, his only rival is the malevolent god Inlil, his half-brother. Having committed transgressions against other gods, Inlil is put on trial. His father, Anu, banishes him to Earth. There, he is given the ability of versipellis, a shapeshifter. He chooses to reside in the form of a wolf and rules within that realm. With this banishment, Anu places one decree on Inlil. He must not encroach upon the domain of man. Inlil cannot resist. He discovers the pain and suffering of man strengthens him. He determines this empowerment can be used for a return to Nibiru. Once there, he plans to overthrow his father, and seek vengeance upon those responsible for his banishment. In response to Inlil's latest offense, Anu sends Enki to Earth. Also given the ability of versipellis, Enki chooses the form of a great white eagle and the adventure begins. Using myths and religious legends, Inlil recruits followers as the Egyptian god Apep and Zoroastrian demon Ahriman. For two thousand years they battle through ancient Egypt and Pakistan, with the future of mankind in the balance.

Did I judge the book by the cover? Yes, I did. I see a lot of covers and this one needs help. If I can offer any advice it's this; change the cover. Now, what I found inside was a pleasant surprise. This story rocked. I have a personal interest in the stories of the old gods. This brought new life to old stories. William L. Deen is a talented writer. The characters come alive like magic. The tension and excitement is felt from beginning to end. It begins with a court drama torn from the pages of god-like headlines and transforms into a chase across space and time.
When reviewers say a book is a page turner, this one is. When reviewers say a book is too good to put down, this one is. I highly recommend it.

Visit the author's website: http://authorwilliamdeen.blogspot.com/


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The Eldridge Conspiracy by Stephen Ames Berry @writerredux

The Eldridge Conspiracy

1943: The destroyer USS Eldridge vanishes during the Philadelphia Experiment. The ship invisibility project ends.

Nuremberg, 1946: Nazi death camp doctor Martin von Kemnitz is hung.

The Pentagon, 1999: A dying hand gifts Angie Milano and Jim Munroe with the deadly legacy that is the Eldridge Roster, the long-lost crew list of the Philadelphia Experiment. The two are soon on the run from the vicious killers sent for the roster. Without it, Project Telemachus, perversion of a wondrous meld of genetics and physics, will fail. And mankind may survive.

As the conspiracy unfolds, Jim and Angie go on the attack, gathering strength from each other as they battle Telemachus and the undying evil at its heart. Old foes of Telemachus, allies with very Different skills, join them. But only by together mastering the secret torments of their pasts can Jim and Angie defeat the Project and crush the dream of its brilliant, diabolical architect.

All allegiances unmasked, all powers unleashed, battle is joined as Project Telemachus launches its final experiment, its success signaling humanity's brief but anguished twilight.


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Saturday, April 21, 2012

Hell Comes for the Hurried by Steve Wands @swands

Hell Comes for the Hurried

Set many years after the zombie apocalypse, Hell Comes for the Hurried follows a group of weary survivors in their trek north through a wasteland of ruined cities and quickly takes a turn for the worse. Some things are worse than death; guilt and cowardice chief among them.

Short Story, approximate word count: 5, 277
Visit the author's website: http://stevewands.blogspot.com/

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The Art of Whoring by George P. Saunders @gpsaunders30

The Art of Whoring - Adventures in Prostitution

A fun-filled romp and true account of one man's lascivious adventures with pay-for-love, featuring stories, anecdotes, advice and recommendations. Not for the meek, this no-holds-barred manual for those curious about whoring, or who want to compare their experiences with the author's, pulls no punches. If you liked Beer in Hell, you'll love The Art of Whoring, which affectionately nods at the Sun Tzu classic as its leering model. A book whose time has come, for which there exists no parallel, love it or hate it, you've never read anything quite like it. Adult content and language.




Website: http://www.georgepsaunders.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/gpsaunders30

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003306600485

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006438/

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Love is a Wounded Soldier by Blaine Reimer @BlaineReimer

Love is a Wounded Soldier

Love is a Wounded Soldier combines the old-fashioned romance of a Nicholas Sparks novel with all the gut-punching grit of Saving Private Ryan to bring you a story of heartbreak and hope.

Despite growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, and having to cope with the untimely death of his mother, Robert Mattox has retained his innocence and idealism. He woos and marries his first love, Ellen, and it appears his life is set for a happily-ever-after ending.
But World War II is raging, and its vortex snatches him away from his young bride. He finds himself fighting in Europe, witnessing and participating in the unspeakable ugliness and brutality of war. His love for Ellen holds him back from utter despondency, and his will to fight and live draws strength from his desire to return home to her.
When he finally does return home to Kentucky, he’s exhausted, jaded, and scarred—inside and out. His worst fear is how Ellen will respond to the changes in him, but when he gets home he finds that Ellen is different, too—much different.
Can things between them ever be the same again? Or will their love be the war’s most tragic casualty?


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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Night of the Squirrels by Eric S. Brown

Night of the Squirrels

A collection of short horror tales featuring zombies, forest creatures and other things that lurk in the night. 


ericsbrown.wordpress.com/
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My Vampire Summer by Elle Casey @ElleCasey

My Vampire Summer (Vampire Seasons)

My Vampire Summer, a novella, the first novella in a series of four ... Reserved bookworm Iona Candella and her best friend, wildchild Cheri Blake, are spending the summer before college in a small medieval town in France. Iona plans to spend the time reading 100 books on her Kindle and Cheri plans to spend it interfering in Iona's book reading/hibernation plan and finding gorgeous French boyfriends to help them pass the time instead. Both of them get more than they bargained for or even imagined. Ancient curses, haunted castle ruins, crypts protected by supernatural serpents. My Vampire Summer is a veritable YA Fantasy banquet, all in a novella-sized package.

Visit the author's website: www.ElleCasey.com

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