This Tale Is True by Deborah Adams

 Get lost in a world of fantasy when you read an excerpt from This Tale Is True by Deborah Adams and then download your own copy. Be sure to follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

They don’t make goddesses like they used to….

For eons they ruled, but modern times have been rough on the ancient deities— their temples collapsed, their worshippers wandered off, and their purposes were made redundant by industry and technology. And the Fates aren’t finished with them yet.

Mere days before the annual renewal of their immortality is to occur, the goddess of youth disappears. Without her and her restorative nectar, time and age will catch up with the goddesses. In the blink of an eye, they will shrivel and die, leaving the world to fend for itself, unless a skeptical mortal can find a way to save both worlds.

combines the humor one expects from Adams with magical realism and a dash of literary fiction, resulting in a boisterous read that pushes back against the boundaries of genre.

“Deborah Adams offers goddesses in peril and a protagonist who dares all to save the immortals in a wild, wacky, and wonderful romp. Imaginative, creative, fabulous fiction.” ~ Carolyn Hart, author of the otherworldly Bailey Ruth series

Read an excerpt:

“A squirrel in the toilet is not an omen.” Cybil felt this bore repeating. “It’s just a rodent whose curiosity proved to be more than it could handle.”

Evie, her roommate and current audience, unlocked their apartment door and stepped inside, then closed the door and engaged the deadbolt as soon as Cybil had joined her. Pre-emptive security was important to Cybil, and she’d worked hard to instill good habits in her new roommate. Despite her trusting nature, Evie tried to comply with Cybil’s insistent rule about staying safe, although Evie was certain that the real dangers in this world could not be restrained by man-made mechanisms.

“I never said the squirrel was an omen,” Evie insisted.

“You didn’t disagree when the wacky witches were putting forth that very notion,” Cybil reminded her. “If you don’t speak out against the nonsense, you are in tacit agreement.”

“They have a right to believe whatever they like.” Pushing back the hood of her purple velvet cloak, Evie ran the fingers of one hand through her nut-brown hair. “And surely you can see why they thought it had meaning. It’s hard to believe the squirrel just happened to pop up in Belinda’s toilet at the very moment we invoked the Great Goddess.”

“It’s harder to believe that a goddess of Hera’s standing would send her RSVP through a bushy-tailed rat.”

“You never know,” Evie said with sincerity. “Goddesses don’t think or act like mortals.”

“I daresay you’re right about that,” Cybil conceded.

Buy Links:

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Deborah Zenha Adams, recipient of the Macavity and Flair Awards, is an author, a naturalist, and a yoga educator. In {This Tale Is True}, a work of magical realism, she unveils the fate of ancient Roman goddesses as they struggle to survive in the 21st century.

The seven novels in her Jesus Creek mystery series were published under her own name, and other works appear under a variety of pseudonyms. She is also the author of numerous short stories and essays.

She has been a guest lecturer at numerous events, including Southern Festival of Books, Appalachian Studies Conference, Warioto Regional Library Board of Trustees Conference, Southeastern Booksellers Association, Georgia Library Association Convention, Emory University, East Tennessee State University Writers Program, and many others. She is a lifetime member of the Southern Literary Coalition.

Deborah-Zenha is available for interviews, speaking, and author events. Her signature workshops include Write Your Memoir (even if you aren’t a writer) and Write Your Yoga Memoir.
Learn more about the author and her books on her website: www.Deborah-Adams.com

Deborah Adams will be awarding a $25 Visa gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Moon in Bastet by E.S. Danon

 

Welcome to the book blast tour for Moon in Bastet, a magical realism, Jewish fiction book by E.S. Danon. I have an excerpt for you to enjoy today. Then if you follow the tour, you'll find even more. Be sure to let the author know what you think along the way. Best of luck entering the great giveaway!

A memoir turned into thrilling fiction; Moon in Bastet is based on the life of author E. S. Danon. The story follows a fourteen-year-old girl named Eva, an orphan living in the Negev desert of Israel who is working as a custodian of Cirque Du Christianisme. Her life is controlled by a volatile drunk named Bella who favors a group of equally volatile teenage bullies over her and her own safety or sanity.

Bullied, neglected, and alone – Eva’s only friends are an odd, thirteen–year–old Sephardic boy named Jack and a small cohort of Bedouin sister-wives. On the brink of giving up on life, Eva stumbles upon a mysterious cat in the middle of the desert. Or really, did the cat stumble upon her?

Together they must fight to stay alive, win the battles thrown at them, and Eva must learn to not only lean on others but to trust in herself.

Filled with mystery, magic, and symbolism – Moon in Bastet is a story of resilience, survivorship, forgiveness, and women empowerment. This is a work filled with Jewish mysticism that can be enjoyed by people of all races, ages, and religions everywhere.

Read an excerpt:

Mist twinkles atop the desert sand as a cohort of camels take their morning promenade. A girl runs past them, chasing the rising globe of fire.

Her breath labors as she slips on a rock.

“Ugh!”

A perfect little scrape forms on her knee, but she continues onward and unfazed.

Her skin is olive tinted; her head covered by a canopy of endless brown, curly hair. On her face sit two prominent beauty marks, on either side of her mouth. She is slender and not yet fully grown, but by no means does she have a frail frame. She wears a beige, spaghetti strapped dress that is knee length and complete with a secret pocket - all of which is covered in dirt. A headband woven from plants and flowers sits around the girl’s head.

This girl is named Eva.

She sprints up another dune’s side, her dress ballooning around her as she sits suddenly with crossed legs. The mirage of the sun’s gaseous performance begins to play on the horizon; another Israeli sun rise in the Negev. Like toy soldiers, the sun’s rays advance in a medley of oranges and yellows. Pink is usually reserved for sunrises - however on this day, a rosy aura is cast around the girl as she grabs a rock and casts it towards the sun: This is how a desert girl skips rocks. Next, she takes aim at the arse of the nearest camel.

The rock misses by centimeters, causing a fuss amongst the cohort, but Eva’s almond shaped, brown eyes glisten.

“G-d! Adonai! Where are you? I see you in the colors of the sky!” Her voice echoes as her eyes drift upon the sunrise. “Why are you ignoring me like everyone else does? I feel you in the warmth of light but where are you? Why haven’t you rescued me yet?” She shivers and brings her bare feet in closer to herself. “Can you at least give me a jacket? You’re not very gentleman-like, you know… it’s really chilly this morning.”

Eva puckers her lips in defeat, and then meditates in the following silence, focusing on the warmth ricocheting from the sand and onto her goosebumps.

“Well at least my cramps are gone,” she says once her anxiety diminishes – massaging her lower stomach, happy that her most recent predicament has gone away. “But yet I still must deal with the cramp of life: being unheard and misunderstood.”

Reminded of the reason why she came to pray in the first place, Eva turns to the sky and gives a cloud a dirty look. “G-d, you have approximately twenty-four hours or I will throw rocks at every camel that I see! I can’t survive in that stupid Circus another day.” She throws a finger towards the unsuspecting cloud in the sky and pauses, thinking of a way to coax G-d into saving her.

“You know what - if you like your camels so much, then you better get me out of this place!” Shaking her head, she mumbles, “I’ll just throw rocks at each of their heads. Not like they would care. They’re already dumb… dumb camels.” She looks at a moon shaped scar on the top of her hand, given to her by one of the water-hoarding creatures several years ago.

“Dumb camels,” she repeats.

Silence again is all that responds to Eva once she finishes speaking to herself. She slumps over, shrugs, and decides to head back to her home that sits half-a-mile away from the dunes.

Her feet slip on the sand, causing her to lift her left hand to her face. She huffs as she thinks of her favorite book; reading it gives her solace in her own solitude. Eva sighs, feeling stuck in an ocean made of sand and trapped with her own imaginary desert marlin. She’s already picked out several camels to act as the sharks.

Ironically, one of the camels spits at her as she passes – as if asking, “Where’s your rock – dumb human?”

“Rude,” she mutters in response.

Eva finds her way to a camp studded with only several architectural structures that is surrounded by seven-foot-high wall made of sand. There is only one exit and one entrance, a sky-high rectangular structure made of wood that suffices as a gate. As she skips under it, a sign that reads Cirque du Christianism sways after her.

Officially home, she is welcomed by an array of Circus tents.

Her lazy footsteps saunter past the main tent to her right, soon halting as she approaches a much smaller blue tent. Looking back towards a white tipi, she can feel her body tensing as she holds her breath before leaping forward in front of the blue tent.

I hope he doesn’t attract attention to me.

Buy Links

Amazon * BN

Elizabeth Danon received her B.S. in Marine Science from Stony Brook University before working as a Marine Biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service. She traveled the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico: collecting data aboard commercial fishing vessels and dredges.

When that didn’t pan out to be the glorified job that she expected, finding herself covered in shark snot and fish scales daily, Elizabeth became a technical writer. In her spare time, she began doing standup comedy after taking comedy bootcamp with the Armed Services Arts Partnership. At this time, she married the most wonderful man who also provides most of her joke writing material. Unfortunately, because he’s Indian he has also enabled her Maggi addiction… Like she needed that on top of her already long-standing iced coffee issues.

Her favorite show is Schitt’s Creek, as she feels a special bond to her fellow comedians - and Sephardic brethren. Growing up half-Jewish herself, Elizabeth eventually converted to being full-Jewish with Temple Israel as a student of Rabbi Panitz.

Her enriched, but complicated, heritage has been an inspiration for most of her creative writing. Being an Aries, she has always felt like a leader and has therefore integrated her feminist beliefs into her work, albeit dropping every women’s studies course that she ever elected in college.

Additionally, her writing has an unmistakable international presence. Elizabeth wanted to discover as much as she could about her Sephardic Heritage and went on Birthright, followed by her independent travels to over ten other countries… carrying nothing but a red bookbag.


Website: https://linktr.ee/esdanon

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/esdanon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/DANON.ELIZABETH.BOOKS/about/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/esdanon_

E.S. Danon is giving away a $10 Amazon GC via Rafflecopter during the tour. 

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Review of Cooking For Ghosts (Secret Spice Cafe) by Patricia V. Davis

 

A couple of weeks ago, I featured The Secret Spice Cafe trilogy here on Andi's Book Reviews and told you that I would be reviewing the first book soon. Today I'm sharing my thoughts with you. I was pleasantly surprised! You can also see an excerpt and then even more thoughts if you follow the tour. Be sure to let the author know what you think. And best of luck entering the giveaway!

Do hearts broken long ago forever leave a tangible trace?

A Vegas cocktail waitress. An Indian herbalist. A British chemistry professor. An Italian-American widow. Four unique women with one thing in common: each is haunted by a tragedy from her past.

Cynthia, Rohini, Jane, and Angela meet on a food blogging site and bond over recipes. They decide on impulse to open The Secret Spice, an elegant café on the magnificent ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary, currently a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Rich in history and tales of supernatural occurrences, the ship hides her own dark secrets.

The women are surrounded by ghosts long before they step aboard, but once they do, nothing is quite what it seems. Not the people they meet, not their brooding chef's mystic recipes, and not the Queen Mary herself. Yet the spirits they encounter help them discover that there's always a chance to live, as long as one is alive.

An Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection, and read by Ann Marie Gideon, COOKING FOR GHOSTS is an unforgettable tale of love, redemption, and divine female power.

Read an excerpt:

Unconcerned with what her business partners were up to, Rohini was giggling with excitement. Hugging herself, she whirled in circles, then flung her arms up over her head and collapsed back in dizzy elation onto the enormous bed in the glorious stateroom. Everything was glorious. She was here. This was her room. The Secret Spice was, in part, her restaurant.

Hers.

And when she’d first seen the Queen from the back seat of Cynthia’s preposterous little car, she knew she was headed to exactly where she should be. She couldn’t stop smiling, until, abruptly, a lump formed in her throat and her eyes misted with tears.

“I made it, Zahir,” she whispered. “I made it.”

She sobered as she thought of him, of all he’d done for her, and all that she might still need to do on her own.

But that wasn’t for today. Today was for celebration and thankfulness. Getting up from the bed, she opened her case, pulled out all the little plastic sacks of spices and herbs she’d packed, and sighed with relief. Not a one had opened or torn. Even so, she could smell their pungent bouquet right through the protective wrappings. Rauvolfia, Serpentina, Jaiphal, Javitri, Khus Khus, Ashwagandha and more — why did cinnamon always smell the strongest? There were dozens of varieties that she’d stuffed inside shirt sleeves and trouser legs and white cotton gym socks, just like a drug dealer might hide a stash. The TSA had missed them completely. They’d even affixed a sticker to the top of her bag: “Checked by Homeland Security.”

Giggling again at that, Rohini placed all the smaller sacks into a large white bag she’d found in the wardrobe. The bag had a price list for various laundry services printed on it. With that mission accomplished, she took her treasures downstairs to the kitchen.

But she wasn’t two steps in before she stopped stock still and remained right where she was, listening.

“Oh, my,” she murmured to herself. “Oh, my, my, my.”

Now she understood why she’d felt that the ship had summoned her. To anyone else who might peek in, the kitchen appeared silent and empty. But not to Rohini. She could hear the walls sighing.

Gradually, she walked further inside, and the sighs turned to whispers. She stood still, breathing cautiously, waiting, watching. In unison, the stainless steel cooking utensils dangling from the long, narrow cylinders that were screwed to the walls began to sway, soundlessly. The copper pots that hung from the ceiling over the two spanking-new ovens and eight burner stoves began to twirl, gracefully. Every inanimate object in the room that wasn’t bolted down was waltzing eerily, on its own. To Rohini, the dance seemed sad rather than ghoulish.

Walking quietly, listening carefully, she followed the hushed sounds as they moved along the walls, leading her back to the scullery. As she approached, an ancient, enormous, floor-to-ceiling freezer blew out a puff of ice cold air as its door swung wide open as though it were greeting her, then gently clicked closed again.

Unafraid, Rohini observed it all. Still clinging to the laundry bag filled with her precious sacks of spice, s she turned in a full circle, leisurely, so as not to miss any of it. After a while, she set the bag down on one of the gleaming stainless steel work tables. Bending into a full and formal curtsy, she spoke aloud.

“It is my great honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

Buy on Amazon

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**My thoughts**

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story at all. And I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to be so delighted with the author's debut novel.

I admit that I did not like any of the characters at the beginning. But you know that all four of them are coming from difficult pasts and are starting their lives over again. There's hope for them as they start to heal and share about their pasts, which are somewhat of a mystery to each other and slowly come to light. As we learn more about each of them, we understand their quirks and can forgive them.

And there are all of the other characters who bring out the more likable sides of the characters - the daughter, the other employees. But most importantly is the main character, the

 ship. The Queen Mary. She is full of more secrets than these four friends who have taken on a restaurant onboard. She slowly reveals some of them, while also being very protective of her new tenants. I think I like her the best of all.

This book has so much going on - friendship, second chance romance, coming of age, magic, psychic powers, mystery, suspense, paranormal, ghostly encounters, history, and more. But all of these different cogs work together seamlessly to tell a fascinating story that keeps you turning the pages all evening until you are done. Strong storytelling makes every scene clearly play out in your mind, almost as if you are watching a movie at the same time. I think this would make for a great movie or miniseries. 

A bonus is that several of the stories are based in fact. Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end, but only after you have read the whole book.

I'm now curious about the rest of the series.

Thank you to the author and to Goddess Fish for supplying me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

PATRICIA V. DAVIS's debut novel series, THE SECRET SPICE CAFE, is comprised of three books: COOKING FOR GHOSTS (2016) SPELLS AND OREGANO (2017) and DEMONS, WELL-SEASONED. (2019) The audio books will be released in 2020 by Tantor Media, and narrated by Ann Marie Gideon. Patricia lives with her husband, who is both a poker player and a rice farmer, so she divides her time between southern Nevada and northern California. Say hello to Patricia at her author website: www.TheSecretSpice.com


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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patriciaVdavis

TikTok: @patriciavdavis

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_V._Davis

Patricia V. Davis will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Blackbriar Cove (Borderlands Saga #2) by Jennifer Silverwood #FantasyForChristmas19

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Blackbriar Cove

(Borderlands Saga #2)

By Jennifer Silverwood
Fantasy, Magical Realism
Paperback & ebook
May 25th 2020 by SilverWoodSketches

In a single night of madness, Amie won the battle and lost the two people she loved most. As she struggles to be the queen her people need, her family band together against the hidden threat at their borders.

Haunted by the ghosts of her past, Amie strikes a pact with an ancient being called The Storyteller. In order to see Emrys again, they must put aside their blood feud, and cross the veil to a place of spirits and monsters.

Blackbriar Cove is a land where superstition and chaos reign, and spirits plague dreams. A dark curse has twisted the Unseelie who once lived in the home the Blackbriar twins vowed never to return. But death is not the end in Silver Hollow, and the war for the Borderlands has only begun.

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iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords | !ndigo

Excerpt

Faye fell back into the mud as her enemy’s memories released her. For a long breathless moment, she listened to the patter of rain in the forest and breathed with her own skin. Not the echo of a life already snuffed out, fading into the earth.

Jo had always hated when Faye used her gifts like this. So Faye only used her otherness when her twin wasn’t around.

What Joey don’t know… well, her sister had James now. As for Faye?

A deep chuckle bubbled past her throat at the memories she pulled from her “date’s” remains.

She didn’t hear the soft tread until he was upon her.

Faye’s laughter faded as she turned her smile upon Arthur Hawkeye.

The once and future king, she thought with a giggle.

She pretended she wasn’t at all embarrassed to be caught like this, any more than she pretended not to appreciate the legendary man’s answering grin.

“Hey Ginger,” she greeted. Her best friend’s grandfather sank down to her side, looking entirely too gorgeous for his age.

“Mind if I share your restful abode?” Arthur’s musical voice rolled over her spine and sent shivers to her gut. He drew Excalibur—yes, that sword—over the golem’s remains.

“I wonder,” he began, softer now, “how many more they shall send before Jessamiene discovers your little scheme, Dark Heart.”

Faye shivered at the echo of the golem’s thought following the nickname. One thing about Arthur that Faye tended to forget; Amie would always come first in his book. No one had been able to predict the old man, not since Amie had saved her grandfather’s life and somehow reversed the aging process. Now it was not only impossible to tell his age but also improbable to untangle his motivations.

She opted for honesty this time. “Amie has enough to deal with, and we’ve kept them off the castle grounds so far. That has to count for something, right?”

Arthur nodded, pausing in his doodles in the mud so she could see the Celtic runes he’d left behind. His red hair gleamed in the moonlight as he turned an amused cerulean eye her way. “Aye, and it’ll be your funeral when she finds out.”

Faye stabbed her dagger into the earth and sat up until their gazes were even. “We haven’t learned enough. Once we know who’s sending them and why…”

Arthur’s abrupt guffaw interrupted her. She rocked as he elbowed her side. “Is that what you tell yourselves? You don’t think she doesn’t already know? She’s the bloody Emerald Eyes, love. And she remembers everything now. They’re too afraid of her to make any real moves.”

Faye’s attraction to the human was replaced by white-hot ire, as was often the case. “So we should let them spy on us?!”

Arthur shook his head and tilted his chin up to taste the rain. “Ever considered spying on their spies?”

Faye gaped a moment, and then flashed him a wicked grin. “Ever consider dating again, old man?”

“For you, I might make an exception, lass,” he replied.

Other Books in the Series

Silver Hollow
(Borderlands Saga #1)

By Jennifer Silverwood
Fantasy, Magical Realism
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 429 Pages
May 31st 2018 by SilverWoodSketches

Amie Wentworth trusts books more than people. After her parents' deaths ten years before, she writes fiction to escape reality. A timely invitation from her long-lost uncle arrives, but she's used to ignoring the mysterious surrounding her life.

Until she is stabbed in an alley and brought back to life by a handsome stranger. Soon Amie is dragged into the very sort of tale she is used to selling. To make matters worse, the man who saved her life keeps turning up and her would-be-murderer is still at large.

After crossing the Atlantic to her father’s homeland, she discovers a world beyond imagining. Silver Hollow is a place of ancient traditions and supernatural dangers, where everything is the opposite of what it seems and few escape sane. Faced with an impossible choice, Amie is forced to confront a deadly family legacy while remembering a life she soon wishes to forget.

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood has been involved in the publishing world since 2012 and is passionate about supporting the writing community however she can. After studying traditional art at University, she loves helping Qamber Designs & Media bring authors’ books to life. Jennifer is the author of ten novels and founder of We Write Fantasy, a blog and support group for fellow genre authors. She hopes to share her passion for art, music, and literature via words and work ethic.

Learn more about Jenn’s misadventures in writing & life at www.jennifersilverwood.com

Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 1st: Launch

December 2nd: Rebecca Belliston - Heart of Red, Blood of Blue

December 3rd: Morgan L. Busse - Flight of the Raven

December 4th: Jes Drew - Tales of Parallel Worlds

December 5th: Ronie Kendig - Brand of Light

December 6th: Alisha Klapheke - Fate of Dragons

December 7th: Jessica Leake - Through the White Wood

December 8th: Belle Malory - Electric Skies

December 9th: Melissa McShane - Burning Bright

December 10th: Jennifer Silverwood - Blackbriar Cove

December 11th: Melissa Wright - Shadow and Stone

December 12th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive an Amazon Fire Tablet and a $50 Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally (as long as winner is eligible to receive prizes)

Ends December 16, 2019

ENTER HERE

Cover Reveal Blackbriar Cove by Jennifer Silverwood #BlackCoveCR

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Blackbriar Cove

By Jennifer Silverwood

Coming in 2020...

(Borderlands Saga #2)

Contemporary Fantasy, Magical Realism
Paperback & ebook
2020 by SilverWoodSketches

In a single night of madness, Amie won the battle, and lost the two people she loved most. As she struggles to be the queen her people need, her family band together against the hidden threat at their borders.

Haunted by the ghosts of her past, Amie strikes a pact with an ancient being called The Storyteller. In order to see Emrys again, they must put aside their blood feud, and cross the veil to a place of spirits and monsters.

Blackbriar Cove is a land where superstition and chaos reign, and spirits plague dreams. A dark curse has twisted the Unseelie who once lived in the home the Blackbriar twins vowed never to return. But death is not the end in Silver Hollow, and the war for the Borderlands has only begun.

Goodreads│iBooks│Kobo│Smashwords│!ndigo

Other Books in the Series

Silver Hollow
(Borderlands Saga #1)

By Jennifer Silverwood
Contemporary Fantasy, Magical Realism
Paperback & ebook, 429 Pages
May 31st 2018 by SilverWoodSketches

Amie Wentworth trusts books more than people. After her parents' deaths ten years before, she writes fiction to escape reality. A timely invitation from her long-lost uncle arrives, but she's used to ignoring the mysterious surrounding her life.

Until she is stabbed in an alley and brought back to life by a handsome stranger. Soon Amie is dragged into the very sort of tale she is used to selling. To make matters worse, the man who saved her life keeps turning up and her would-be-murderer is still at large.

After crossing the Atlantic to her father’s homeland, she discovers a world beyond imagining. Silver Hollow is a place of ancient traditions and supernatural dangers, where everything is the opposite of what it seems and few escape sane. Faced with an impossible choice, Amie is forced to confront a deadly family legacy while remembering a life she soon wishes to forget.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository
Should you make a purchase through my affiliate link, I may earn a few pennies at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my websites!

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time, she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it's the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador, or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of three series--Heaven's Edge, Wylder Tales and the Borderlands Saga--and the stand-alone titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight. She recently released her first serialized Urban Fantasy, Angel Blue in August 2018.

Website│Blog│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Tumblr│BookBub

Cover Reveal Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive a $30 Amazon Gift Card plus a digital copy of Silver Hollow (open internationally)

- 1 winner will receive a signed hard copy of Silver Hollow plus swag (US only)

- Ends July 19, 2019

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Days of Fantasy for Christmas: Jennifer Silverwood

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

What's in a name? For today's stop, Jennifer Silverwood tells us more about the reasoning and meaning behind the names of her characters in Silver Hollow. You can also look up your own name for fun. But first you'll want to download your own copy and enter the amazing giveaway.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Jennifer Silverwood for

Days of Fantasy for Christmas

Silver Hollow

(Borderlands Saga #1)

By Jennifer Silverwood
Contemporary Fantasy, Magical Realism
Paperback & ebook, 429 pages
May 31st 2018 by SilverWoodSketches

Amie Wentworth trusts books more than people. After her parents' deaths ten years before, she writes fiction to escape reality. A timely invitation from her long-lost uncle arrives, but she's used to ignoring the mysterious surrounding her life.

Until she is stabbed in an alley and brought back to life by a handsome stranger. Soon Amie is dragged into the very sort of tale she is used to selling. To make matters worse, the man who saved her life keeps turning up and her would-be-murderer is still at large.

After crossing the Atlantic to her father’s homeland, she discovers a world beyond imagining. Silver Hollow is a place of ancient traditions and supernatural dangers, where everything is the opposite of what it seems and few escape sane. Faced with an impossible choice, Amie is forced to confront a deadly family legacy while remembering a life she soon wishes to forget.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository

Book Trailer

Guest Post: What's in a Name?

I remember reading articles that said Tolkien, when he was writing his Lord of the Rings saga, began with names. A linguist himself, it’s not surprising that he believed that our history can be told through our words and names.

Let me state for the record I am not J.R.R. Tolkien, nor am I Robert Jordan or any of the brilliant fantasy authors who made me want to write. But I am proud to admit they taught me a thing or two about characters, places and the meaning behind the name. If you read their stories, particularly Tolkien, you can almost feel the connection between the name and what that place or person truly is. If only we had a guide to duplicity in real life, right?

For Silver Hollow, I wanted to give my characters a little extra meaning and give some hints as to their true nature. After all, you’ll soon discover that everything in Silver Hollow is only the surface above hidden layers.

(Due to the location of Silver Hollow in the Borderlands, most of the names below are taken from Scotch-Irish/Celtic origin, while a few below are old Germanic.)

Welsh

Emrys- Welsh form of Ambrose, who was a Romano-British military leader they later based the character of Merlin from.

Highland/Old Irish-Celtic

Morcant- Morcant is my nod to a modernized Morgan le Fay. Her updated name is derived from Old Welsh, a form of “Morgan.”

Elisedd- Celtic for “kind.” (Her last name, Underhill, was my direct nod to Tolkien)

Slaine- Scottish in origin, typically a feminine name meaning “good health.”

Iudicael- An old, Breton form of Judicael.

Drustan- A much older, Breton form of the name, Tristan. (My nod to Tristan & Isolde)

Old German

Grim- Simply means “grim” (however older Norse variations also mean “mask”)

Dearg- flame or red haired.

I’ve made you want to look up your name haven’t I? Well since you didn’t ask, I’ll tell you the meaning behind my name. Jennifer is a Cornish version of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar or Guinevere and means pure spirit/fey. And just because I’m that nerd, I’ve included a link in the pic below to find the meaning behind your name too. Have fun and see you at the next tour stop!

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time, she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it's the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador, or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of three series--Heaven's Edge, Wylder Tales and the Borderlands Saga--and the stand-alone titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight. She recently released her first serialized Urban Fantasy, Angel Blue in August 2018.

Website│Blog│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Tumblr│BookBub

Tour Schedule

(Links won't work until the posts go live.)

December 1st: Launch

December 2nd: Gillian Bronte Adams - The Songkeeper Chronicles

December 3rd: Morgan L. Busse - Mark of the Raven

December 4th: Evangeline Denmark - Curio

December 5th: Kate Avery Ellison - A Gift of Poison

December 6th: J.M. Hackman - Spark

December 7th: Ronie Kendig - Embers

December 8th: C.E. Laureano - Oath of the Brotherhood

December 9th: Belle Malory - The Twelfth Keeper

December 10th: Melissa McShane - Voyager of the Crown

December 11th: J. Ellen Ross - The Remembered Queen

December 12th: Jennifer Silverwood - Silver Hollow

December 13th: Melissa Wright - Blood & Brute & Ginger Root

December 14th: Morgan Wylie - The Age of Alandria Series

December 15th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

Grand Prize #1: Winner will receive a FIRE HD 8 TABLET along with the following ebooks (open to those who are eligible for the Fire Tablet in their area can receive Kindle gifted copies of ebooks):

- CURIO, MARK OF BLOOD and ALCHEMY (The Curio Prequel), and THE ICE CHILD (a holiday novelette) by Evangeline Denmark

- A GIFT OF POISON by Kate Avery Ellison

- THE TWELFTH KEEPER by Belle Malory

- SERVANT O THE CROWN or VOYAGER OF THE CROWN (winner's choice) by Melissa McShane

- THE REMEMBERED QUEEN by J. Ellen Ross

- SILVER HOLLOW by Jennifer Silverwood

- THE FREY SAGA (Books 1-3) ebook box set by Melissa Wright

Grand Prize #2: Winner will receive the following print books (open to continental US residents):

- ORPHAN'S SONG by Gillian Bronte Adams

- MARK OF THE RAVEN by Morgan L. Busse

- SPARK by J.M. Hackman

- ABIASSA'S FIRE 3-book collection by Ronie Kendig

- The complete set of SONG OF SEARE TRILOGY by C.E. Laureano

- SILENT ORCHIDS by Morgan Wylie

Ends December 19, 2018

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When a Stranger Comes... by Karen S. Bell

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those titles that I think my readers will enjoy.

When a Stranger Comes

Achieving what you crave can also bring the terrifying fear of losing it. For Alexa Wainwright, this truth has become her nightmare. Born Gladys Lipschitz, the daughter of an unwed Soviet-era Jewish immigrant, her debut novel, A Foregone Conclusion, soared to number one on the bestseller’s list and became an international sensation. The accompanying fame and riches were beyond her expectations. Unfortunately, her subsequent work has yet to achieve the same reception by critics and readers. Yes, they have sold well based on her name recognition, but she dreads the possibility of becoming a mid-list author forgotten and ignored. She vows to do whatever it takes to attain the heady ego-stroking success of her debut. But is she really? 

Witnessing an out-of-the-blue lightning bolt whose giant tendrils spread over the blue sky and city streets below her loft window, Alexa doesn’t realize just how this vow will be tested as she’s magically transported to an alternate reality. In this universe, the characters from her books are given the breath of life and she meets publisher, King Blakemore, who just might be the Devil himself. At first, she shrugs off her doubts about this peculiar publisher and very lucrative book deal offer because the temptation of riches and refound fame is too strong. But all too soon, Alexa realizes she’s trapped in an underworld of evil from which she desperately wants to escape. For starters, she finds herself in an iron-clad book contract that changes its wording whenever she thinks of a loophole. Desperate to get her life back, she devises schemes to untether herself from this hellish existence. She’s also aided by the forces for good who attempt to free her from her fate. However, King Blakemore is cleverer and more powerful than she can begin to understand. Playfully, he decides to give Alexa a second chance to save herself from eternity with him and to be free. He offers her the prospect of a rewrite, as most authors do as part of the writing process. Given this chance, will Alexa make the same choices and the same mistakes again? Alexa is relatable, likable, and vulnerable with a keen sense of humor. Her world is very small because writing is her life and so she is an easy target for entrapment. Her pact with the Devil is an allegory for the evil lurking in our midst. The social decay of modern society with its excessive greed is perhaps brought forth by the darkest forces of human nature.

Only available on Amazon

Read an excerpt:

Getting up from a high-backed chair placed so that it has a position of prominence is an extremely tall, older gentleman who towers over me even in these heels. He’s elegantly dressed in a black suit of fine fabric and black silk shirt with a bright-red silk scarf tied flamboyantly about his neck. Peeking out from his jacket pocket is a matching red silk pocket square. This is undoubtedly the man fittingly named, King. At first look, his eyes knock me back, as if looking into yellow glowing eyes with vertical pupils like an ancient beast of lore. But then, when I blink they immediately transform and become normal looking but dark and hidden. 

I’m also nonplussed by his uncanny resemblance to the evil characters played by Vincent Price in classic horror films my mother watched obsessively when I was growing up. I always thought it peculiar, but she told me it was a way for her to relax from her studies. So, yes, this guy could easily be a vampire or the Devil himself, with his goatee, pencil-thin mustache and slicked-back black hair the color of shoe polish. He extends his hand in welcome and his ice-cold touch sends shivers up and down my spine. Strangely, as he holds my hand for a moment, a calming, relaxing warmth circulates through me. 

“Please…sit, sit, Alexa,” he says in an indefinable cultured sounding manner with the hint of a British accent and shows me to a quite comfortable-looking armchair in a conversation arrangement with two other armchairs. The chair gives me a sensation like I’m floating on air as we three sit facing each other, King, Jewel, and I. Although there are comforting sensations pulsing through me, I am also on high alert feeling at a disadvantage in this stranger’s domain. 

These opposing feelings throw me off-kilter. Here I sit in his personal space to which I am now privy, as if I were among his intimates, yet I am a total stranger. I would have preferred an office meeting, something more sterile, businesslike. But at least I’m sitting…damn shoes! King crosses his legs and reveals he’s wearing matching red socks and red sneakers. What an odd fellow. Wealthy, but odd.

About Karen S. Bell

I get so much satisfaction in the writing process. I take care to choose just the right word, to make sure each sentence has the right cadence. I appreciate other writers who respect the craft in this way, and I hope my readers do so with me. Writing is a need, a desire for expression, and springs from well within my subconscious mind. Thoughts rise up, scenes rise up and blend in with the over-arching story. These thoughts emerge whenever they want to and wherever I am and probably not when I am at the computer. The computer is for the craft, the technique. The thoughts come during walks, or while driving the car, or at the grocery store. I am the willing recipient of these thoughts and so they seek me out. It's a mystery this business and art of writing and it keeps me enthralled.