Life, A Bit More? by Andrew Thomas Elder Virtual Elder & Giveaway

Life, A Bit More?

Andrew Thomas Elder

Genre: Self-Help/Motivational/Inspirational

Writers Republic LLC

Date of Publication:  October 4, 2019

Paperback - 9781646200740

Hardback -  9781646200764

Ebook -  9781646200757

Number of pages: 118 pages

Word Count: 8,698 words

Book Description:

Andrew Elder would not let his tragedy get him down. Instead, letting his experience be an inspiration to others not to lose hope and faith and love for one’s self and to keep that peace of mind that somewhere in people’s tragedies, there’s God that’s ready lift one up when the going gets the toughest.

Andrew’s book of inspirational nuggets, Life, a Bit More? is even more proof of God’s graciousness when He uses people like Andrew to spread his love.

Writers Republic        Amazon  

About the Author:

Andrew is a regular guy who had to relearn life as a double amputee at nineteen years of age! He hopes to inspire you with topics that he has, and he is learning about life and a bit more.

http://www.andrewthomaselder.com/   

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Witch Tease by Cindy Keen Reynders Virtual Book Tour

Witch Tease
Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan
Book Three
Cindy Keen Reynders

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Date of Publication: December 19, 2019

ISBN: 978`677131563

ASIN: 781677 131563

Number of pages: 272

Word Count: 70,000

Tagline: Elizabeth, “Lizzie” Rose, high witch of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan, must enlist the assistance of her former lover, Kincaid McAllister, the famous Spirit Wulver, to save her coven from a banshee attack.

Book Description:

As the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan prepares to celebrate Mabon (autumn equinox) by holding a “Blessing of the Brooms” ceremony at the Royal Witch Arena, a banshee swarm attacks. While clan members are held captive, the banshee leader, Sorcha, barters with the Supreme Witch’s Council to bestow life to her group within the next 48 hours.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Rose, high witch of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan, has recently been running late to coven events. She arrives at the arena after the banshees’ attack, and manages to escape.

She hires the famous Spirit Wulver, who is known in the magical world for dispatching demons and evil spirits. When he arrives, she realizes it is Kincaid McAllister—the same man she fell in love with centuries ago, back in Scotland.

Kincaid and Lizzie set aside their personal feelings in order to save her clan. Unfortunately, Kincaid’s typical pest exterminations fail. As a last resort, he plans to travel to the Land of the Fae to consult with the Faery King to determine the best way to get rid of Sorcha’s gang.

Despite the dangers, Lizzie insists on going with Kincaid. After rekindling their love, the two vow to spend their lives together. They find Uaithne; a magical harp that will destroy the banshees. Possession of the item requires the sacrifice of a life. To Lizzie’s dismay, Kincaid offers his.

Refusing to accept Kincaid’s fate, she frees her clan, then begins the process of returning to the Land of the Fae where she hopes to free her lover. Hopefully, Lizzie’s timeless love for Kincaid will unlock powerful magic to fuel her quest.

Amazon     Solstice Publishing

About the Author:

Cindy Keen Reynders is a contributing editor and staff writer for LCSD1’s Public Schools’ Chronicle. She worked as a book critic for Storyteller Alley and has published articles with True West and Wild West magazines.

She is the author of mysteries The Saucy Lucy Murders, Paws-itively Guilty and A Killer Slice. Additionally, Solstice Publishing released The Seven-Year Witch in March, 2019. The second book about the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan sisters is, A Witch at Midnight, which was released in July, 2019. Witch Tease, is the next book in the series.

Besides reading, writing and crocheting, Cindy’s favorite activity is seeing new places. She was born in Portland, Oregon and has lived all over the United States and in Misawa, Japan. She has visited Canada, the Philippines, Samoa, Hawaii, both the western and eastern Caribbean and New Zealand.

From baby alligators to glow worms, Cindy has seen a variety of life’s wonders.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cindy.k.reynders           

Twitter https://twitter.com/littlewing1959

Blog https://wyomingfreelancemuse.blogspot.com/

Website http://www.cindykeenreynders.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reynders.c/

Columbian Betrayal by Randall Krzak Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway

Colombian Betrayal
A Bruce and Smith Thriller
Book One
Randall Krzak

Genre: action-adventure thriller, political thriller, suspense thriller
Publisher: Randall Krzak Books
Date of Publication: March 30, 2020 (Kindle)

ISBN: 0978944100

ISBN-13: 978-0978944100

ASIN: B0854CFJTV

Number of pages:  330

Word Count: 82,039

Cover Artist: Matt at www.darngoodcovers.com

Tagline:  Colombian Betrayal exposes the death and violence behind the entangled interactions between governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug lords.

Book Description: 

Colombian Betrayal tears the cover off the drug trade and exposes the death, and violence behind the twisted connections between governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug lords.

Watch as an unholy alliance is formed when the profits of a Columbian drug lord Olivia Moreno, begin disappearing and deadly new international competitors appear on the horizon.

Moreno, head of the Barranquilla Cartel, strikes a deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Little does she know she is signing her own death warrant! FARC has a group wanting a foothold in South America—the Islamic State, and she is in the way.

On the run, Moreno is captured by a CIA team. She spins a tale to use her money and manpower to destroy ISIS in an effort to save herself. Laws and rules of engagement are meaningless to Moreno, her life and her family are her only concern. Will the CIA leader fall for her offer?

Will team leader AJ Bruce strike a deal to turn the tables on Islamic State? Can she stop them from launching an attack on the United States? Or will she be too late?

Is it worth trading control of Afghanistan’s poppy fields with Moreno as a reward for her cooperation? Or is Bruce playing her in an attempt to double-cross her and kill two birds with one stone?

Get your copy today, and watch this high stakes game of kill or be killed.

Amazon     Amazon AU     Amazon CA     Amazon UK

Excerpt  2 (947 words)

AJ Bruce weaved through heavy traffic on the Capital Beltway. She alternated between leaning on the horn and cursing at slower motorists.

“Late again. I don’t need this!” She slammed a hand on the steering wheel of her gunmetal gray Honda Pilot. “Boss is gonna kill me.”

She slipped to the right around a banged-up clunker, her vehicle bouncing on the rough shoulder. AJ spotted her exit and sped along the edge of the freeway and flew down the ramp. She raced through a red light and whipped her vehicle toward the security checkpoint at the CIA facility in Langley, skidding to a halt at the end of a line of cars waiting for access.

“C’mon, c’mon!” AJ urged the cars in front to move faster. At last, her turn came. She flashed her badge at the sensor and shot past the barricade. She grabbed a pass from the console, flung the placard on the dash, jumped out of her car, and raced inside.

Once through the turnstile, she rushed to the elevator, the one-inch heels of her black leather shoes clicking on the tiled floor. Two minutes later, AJ waltzed into her section and made her way to the boss’s office, stopping at a kiosk on the way for a cup of black coffee.

“AJ, so glad you could join us today.” Robert Lintstone, head of the counter-terrorism division responsible for tracking terrorists in Latin America, sneered as he half-bowed and waved her to a seat. “What’s your excuse this time?”

Prick. As if I’d tell him in front of others. He’s always talking about the need to know. Staying out all night after the class reunion is my own business. Flicking her long, brown hair, AJ slid into a chair and glanced around the table. Four of her staff occupied seats, with empty coffee mugs in front of them. Within easy reach, notepads were covered with several lines of writing. Damn! I’m really late—wonder what they already covered? She tried to sneak a peek at the pad nearest her. The person smiled and turned it so she could read.

A stranger with black hair in a military cut, piercing green eyes, and olive complexion sat opposite her. Silver eagles of a full colonel adorned the epaulets of his uniform. His nametag read Smith.

Lintstone rubbed a hand through his thinning gray hair and cleared his throat. “There are indications the Islamic State is attempting to gain a foothold in our territory. They’ve already infiltrated a number of countries around the world. We’re trying to ascertain the validity of the intel before we make a move.”

“What’s the source?” AJ scribbled on a notepad while her boss spoke.

“Two sensitive contacts, both unconfirmed. One reported Islamic State purchased an old freighter from an Iranian corporation through a cutout. They’re using the Liberian-flagged ship as a floating command post. The other stated IS training camps are being set up in Colombia and Panama.” He shook his head before peering at them through thick glasses. “It might be a smart move on their part since no one would believe they had willing conscripts in these countries.”

Lintstone pounded a fist on his desk. The civilians flinched. “Dammit, people! We need collaborative intel. Fast! Someone check with NSA and Homeland Security. Find out if they can help. Call State as well, but I doubt they’ll be of any use.”

A tall, thin man with receding gray hair vaulted from his chair. “On it, sir.” He hurried from the room before Lintstone added any further instructions.

“Contact the British and the Canadians, too. Perhaps they’ll share with us, although there’ll be a quid pro quo.”

A bald man, on the heavy side, lumbered to his feet with the use of a cane. “Will do, chief.”

“Don’t offer any more than necessary.”

“Yes, sir.” The man limped through the doorway, banging the door shut behind him.

Lintstone glared at two women sitting at the end of the table. “Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Back to your computers and analyze. Contact NGA—see if the geospatial folks know more than they’ve shared. Find me something—anything to point us in the right direction.”

The women nodded and left.

“What about us, boss?” AJ gestured toward the colonel to include him in her question.

“This is Colonel Javier Smith, First Special Forces Operational Detachment. He’s here as an advisor. Colonel, meet AJ Bruce, my troubleshooter.”

AJ gazed at the colonel. “So you’re Delta Force?”

“Yes, but I’m not just here to advise.” He glanced at Lintstone. “This will be my last time in the field before taking up a new assignment at the Pentagon. That’s why I’m in uniform today. I met with my new commander earlier, and he’s a stickler for proper military etiquette and attire. Didn’t have time to change before this meeting.”

Both stood and walked around the table to shake hands. The colonel dwarfed AJ’s five-foot-ten-inch frame by six inches. AJ noted a thin scar running from his left ear to his chin. After a firm squeeze, both returned to their seats.

“You’ll be working togeth—”

AJ pursed her lips. “Sir, I work alone.” Oh great. Just what I need—a special forces guerrilla tagging along. But, least he’s cute.

“Not this time. Orders from above.”

“Don’t worry, AJ, you won’t slow me down.” His bass voice resonating, Colonel Smith smiled.

“Excuse me, Colonel, I don’t want you to be in my way.” AJ crossed her arms. A frown etched her face.

“You two finished?” Lintstone glanced at both of them. “Good. You’re working together—no debate.”

“Yes, boss.” AJ dragged the words out.

About the Author:

Randall Krzak is a U.S. Army veteran and retired senior civil servant, spending thirty years in Europe, Africa, Central America, and the Middle East. His residency abroad qualifies him to build rich worlds in his action-adventure novels and short stories. Familiar with customs, laws, and social norms, he promotes these to create authentic characters and scenery.

His first novel, The Kurdish Connection, was published in 2017, and the sequel, Dangerous Alliance, was released in November2018. Both placed in the 2018 Global Thriller Book Awards sponsored by Chanticleer International Book Awards, with The Kurdish Connection finishing as a semi-finalist and Dangerous Alliance being selected as one of seven first in category winners. The third novel in the series, Carnage in Singapore, was released in August 2019, and is currently a semi-finalist in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards. He also penned "A Dangerous Occupation," a winning entry in the August 2016Wild Sound Writing and Film Festival Review short story category.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a general Master in Business Administration (MBA) and a MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Focus, both from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently resides with his wife, Sylvia, and six cats in Dunfermline, Scotland. He's originally from Michigan, while Sylvia is a proud Scot. In addition to writing, he enjoys hiking, reading, candle making, pyrography, and sightseeing.

Website: www.randallkrzak.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rjkrzak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallkrzak/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011369255833

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My Blood Runs Blue by Stacy Eaton Book Tour & Giveaway

My Blood Runs Blue 

My Blood Runs Blue Book 1 

by Stacy Eaton 

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

“I’m still a cop, and my blood runs blue.”

Officer Kristin Greene has always felt that something was missing from her life. Although her job with the Fawn Hollow Township Police Department keeps her busy, she still feels like there is something else out there for her. 

She soon finds herself investigating a homicide where a young woman has had her throat ripped out. As she begins to dig for the answers, she finds herself thrown into a world she didn’t know ever existed. 

When the two strong and silent men walk into her life, she finds herself being pulled into a love triangle that has been going on longer than she has been alive. Who are they and why do they keep calling her Calista? 

Join Kristin as she fights to learn the truth about the recent murder, the two seductive men who have entered into her life and the real truth about herself. 

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The Pulse of Blue Blood 

My Blood Runs Blue Book 2 

The Pulse of Blue Blood is a short story that should be read AFTER My Blood Runs Blue. This story of 17K words is the back story to Kristin & Calista. Reading this story before reading My Blood Runs Blue will spoil many plot points. 

In My Blood Runs Blue, you were introduced to Kristin, Julian, and Alexander, and you also learned a little about Calista. 

Now take a trip back in time to learn more about the decisions that Calista made in her choice between Julian and Alexander. 

Learn about her relationship with Julian, and why you choose Alexander at the end of My Blood Runs Blue. You’ll also learn the way she caused her untimely death. 

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Blue Blood For Life 

My Blood Runs Blue Book 3 

“You belong to me… for life…”

After a month off, Kristin comes back to work happier than she’s been in a long time. Her new status in life has her solving crimes faster and better than she ever could before. 

When Alex goes missing, Kristin finds she finally has to reveal the secrets of her life to her friends. Will they be able to stand beside her after they learn all that she has hidden from them? 

Julian and Gabe stand beside her faithfully as they try to locate Alex. They are surprised to find Trent already in Fawn Hollow, but know that Trent may be the only one to do what Alex has asked them to do. As one more choice is taken away from Kristin, she attempts to make the best of it, but finds herself drawn to Trent in a way Julian and Alexander could never compare to. 

Trent goes to work with Kristin to keep her safe, but will he be able to handle all that her police world entails? Can he handle the side of her that she reveals, the one that Alex and Julian know nothing about? When Kristin and Trent uncover the connection between her job and the kidnapping, they are finally able to put the pieces together, but can they get to Alex fast enough? Will Kristin be able to handle rescuing Alex and all that she learns in the process? 

Join Kristin, Julian, Trent and Alexander as they dive into a new mystery that will have you turning the pages quickly to find out who is responsible and how Kristin’s life is forever changed once again. 

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Mixing the Blue Blood 

My Blood Runs Blue Book 4 

Officer Kristin Greene returns along with the rest of the characters you have grown to love. Only this time, it’s not just her life on the line. Now the entire breed’s existence is in danger.

Olivia Newman has been Kristin’s best friend for years and loves the new life that Kristin is living. Her relationship with Gabriel is bittersweet, and she knows that because she is human, a future between them can never really last.

Gabriel Montgomery takes his position in the Vampire Military Force seriously and never expected to have such intense feelings for a human woman. When Olivia is kidnapped, Gabe, Kristin, and the gang realize they have stumbled upon a human trafficking ring. Only this ring isn’t for sex. The leaders of this ring are hell-bent on destroying the breed.

Can they rescue Olivia and save their future before old enemies return and destroy the breed? Find out in Mixing the Blue Blood. 

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Blue Bloods Final Destiny 

My Blood Runs Blue Book 5 

Julian Hutchinson walked away from it all: his job, his friends, and her. As Julian drives out west, he randomly stops at a roadside tavern and runs into some people from his past.

Lyssa Lakin helps her father around the tavern as she raises her fifteen-year-old daughter, Lorna. When Julian walks into the bar, Lyssa’s past crush on him hits full force, but even she can tell that he is far from ready to be involved with anyone.

As Julian and Lyssa grow their friendship, their past romance is rekindled. When Julian’s past comes back to haunt him, and an old enemy shows up in town, Julian knows a showdown is imminent. Will Julian be able to deal with his past and his enemy without destroying the new life he has created?

The gang is back for one final book where lines are drawn and quickly crossed, and Julian and Kristin will have to work together one last time to save people that they care about. 

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BOX SET – All 5 My Blood Runs Blue Books $6.99 

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COMING THIS SUMMER! 

Kristin: Blue Blood Returns 

The Blue Blood Returns Series Book 1 

Releases June 9th 

It’s been forty years since the gang was together in Blue Bloods Final Destiny, and many things have changed. Lives have been lost, mates are different, and the breed is on the verge of war. This war isn’t just between the two factions within the vampire race, but now includes the humans who have learned of their existence.

With the Mistress, Kristin, at the helm, the tension is growing, and the elders are pushing for a change. The U.S. government wants information on the breed, and Joseph Portage, Kristin’s newest enemy, is lurking in the shadows.

Hugh McMurphy heads a task force that is determined to get the vampire race under control and learn what they can do. When Kristin and Hugh find themselves pulled toward one another, the only option is to make Hugh her human consort.

It’s not until she tastes his blood that she realizes Hugh is more than originally thought, and with Portage’s men wreaking havoc on the town, she realizes that something drastic needs to happen.

Can Kristin and the new gang figure things out before a major transition occurs, or will Kristin and her sister get blindsided by the taste of blood?

Kristin, book 1 of The Blue Blood Returns is an adult paranormal romance with sexual situations, violence, language, and does contain a cliffhanger that leads right into the second book, Hugh. While this is a new series, it does spin off of the My Blood Runs Blue Series. 

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Stacy Eaton is a USA Today Bestselling author and began her writing career in October of 2010. Stacy took an early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen years of service in 2016, with her last three years in investigations and crime scene investigation to write full time.

Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law enforcement, and her teen daughter. She also has a son who is currently serving in the United States Navy, and two grandchildren. 

When Stacy is not writing, she enjoys photography and relaxing on the beach. 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest * LinkedIn * AllAuthor * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads * Newsletter * Audio Only Newsletter

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Esperanza by Sandra C. Lopez Book Tour & Giveaway

Esperanza 

A Latina Story 

by Sandra C. Lopez 

Genre: Teen Fiction 

Fourteen-year old Esperanza Ignacio could only think of a few words to sum up her life: crap, crap, crap! She was born into a poor Latino family living in a small crummy apartment in the barrio side of town, where the graffiti chiseled more the souls and character of the residents than it impacted the exterior looks of the buildings. Her father was a drunken gambler, and wife-beater who, one cold night, got arrested after a violent intrusion. Her entire circle of relatives consisted of nothing but formers- former drug-addicts, former gangsters and gang-bangers, former alcoholics, former everything. Yep, her life was nothing but a huge load of crap. And she hadn't even started high school yet. 

After surviving a scorching summer heat, Esperanza enters the unfamiliar world of high-school with a tight knot in her stomach. On the very first day, she is sucked into a blunder of catastrophic events beginning with accidentally running into the world's BIGGEST bully. Now, she has made herself the prime target for a main course. And, to top it all off, she has to see this girl everyday in P.E! P.E.-the one class Esperanza truly despises the most. Could life be any worse for her? Well, her family could take in a relative hopped up on drugs, a probable shooting can take place right in front of her, and Esperanza could also sit and listen to the crazed ranting of her loud psychotic mother. Oh, wait, all that does happen. To make things even easier, her best friend, Carla, won't stop trying to marry her off to her twin brother, Carlos. And she has these two puny siblings constantly vying for her attention. God, it's a wonder she doesn't strap herself in a straight jacket and pretend to be Elvis. Nonetheless, Esperanza attempts to get through it all. She is a smart and ambitious young kid struggling to survive her life while fighting to make her mark on the world. Her story is filled with pain, strength, and too much loud bickering. It carries a voice enriched with barrio slang and sarcastic humor. Esperanza illustrates what persistent Latino youth can achieve when they get back up after a fall and keep on walking straight into college. 

"Esperanza is an admirable and too real story of many Latino youths lacking role models, who find themselves lost and isolated in the paved jungles of the inner cities and overwhelmed by the dissonance of barrio life. Sandra C. Lopez has created a resilient and likeable character, Esperanza, who seems closer to a naked truth-seeker than to a barrio kid-desperately trying to get out of a crappy world, but not knowing exactly where she was going to. Highly Recommended." 

Andrea Alessandra, University of California, Berkeley 

"Sandra López is a fresh and resonant voice from the Hispanic rainbow." 

Ray Michael Baca Author-"Brotherhood of the Light" 

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Book Trailer 

https://youtu.be/mwPl-CH_9FQ

Sandra C. López is a writer, artist, blogger, and book reviewer. She is one of today's funny and influential authors in YA and chick lit. Her first novel, Esperanza, was published in March 2008 WHILE she was still in college. Her most recent and bestselling book is Single Chicas, a collection of humorous short stories about zany chicas. She is currently working on the next installment of the Single Chicas series called Holiday Chicas. Release date coming soon! When not writing her stories, Sandra supports the art and literary communities with freelance work, book promotion, and running a Read and Review Program. For more info, see below: 

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

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The Abby Normal Series Book 1 by Samuel Thomas Fraser Book Tour & Giveaway

Abby Normal 

The Abby Normal Series Book 1 

by Samuel Thomas Fraser 

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror 

Abby Henderson has lived her whole life under a dark cloud. When she was born, a demon called the Deacon claimed her family as his property. When she turned 13, she was traumatized by an ominous psychic vision. When she turned 14, her dad had a psychotic breakdown and tried to kill her.

She’s just turned 25, and now people are dying all around her.

This is all according to the Deacon’s plan. He believes that Abby is the key to a ritual that will unleash an ancient evil on the world, and he will stop at nothing to make sure that ritual succeeds.

Now, Abby is in the fight of her life against an enemy that defies all reason. Together with her pious girlfriend, her magic-slinging ex-teacher, and a hotheaded Amazon with a machete, Abby will have to use every trick in the book to outlast the Deacon. Because if she can’t, her next birthday is going to be Hell. 

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Samuel Thomas Fraser is a writer and actor from the rainy mountains of Vancouver, BC, Canada. A lover of medieval literature and truly weird fiction, Sam holds a BA in English and a Certificate in Creative Writing from Simon Fraser University. His short fiction and poetry has appeared in outlets including The Macabre Museum and Unleashed: Monsters Vs. Zombies Vol. 1. As a performer, he has inhabited such memorable stage roles as Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest and Charlie Cowell in The Music Man. Abby Normal is his first novel. 

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The Crimson Inkwell by Kenneth A. Baldwin Virtual Book Tour

The Crimson Inkwell
The Luella Winthrop Trilogy
Book One
Kenneth A. Baldwin

Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Publisher: Eburnean Books
Date of Publication: May 8th, 2019

ISBN: 1095674749

ASIN: B07Q76QYMW

Number of pages: 277

Word Count: 97,000

Cover Artist: Vikncharlie

Tagline: A Gaslamp Fantasy Novel

The Crimson Inkwell is a story about journalist Luella Winthrop. In her journey to become Dawnhurst-on-Severn's most acclaimed writer, she discovers that her city houses dark, magical secrets too uncomfortable to believe.

When an enigmatic carnival worker offers her a pen that can turn fiction to fact, she quickly learns that tampering with the unknown can be intoxicating, lucrative, and dangerous.

Book Description:

Magic exists where we cannot see.

It lives in unexplained phenomena, in attraction to strangers, in a pen and crimson inkwell, from a trunk, in a tent, at a fair, in the fog.

I didn't believe in magic.

Before he died, my father taught me the world was solid. Reporting was more like science, anyway. Hard facts. Logical inferences. Of course, I wasn't exactly an award-winning reporter so what did I know about it? But, when Detective Edward Thomas told me he had seen a phantom, something woke up inside of me. I could have tried to dismiss it as a trick of the lamplight, but how else could I explain the body on the cobblestones?

Instead, I simply believed him, and not just because he was arrestingly handsome. I was engaged, after all, to a sensible, though older man--the same man who published my articles, in fact.

No. I believed him because somewhere, deep down, I knew magic was real. What's worse, I knew it was a part of me. The detective's ghost story had just woken me up.

As soon as I accepted this truth, everything changed. My writing career, my family, my domestic prospects, and my freedom.

What woman, pray tell, can fit three men and a writing career in her life and still keep her sanity?

But there I landed.

Byron was my fiancé. He was sensible. He could provide a modest life of means for my sister and me. He could also continue to publish my little articles in his weekly magazine. He adored me.

Edward was my detective, so good and true, straight as an arrow and noble as a knight. He inspired me to be something more. But, I could never live up to such a high standard.

Bram was a mystery. Who could say where his life had taken him before he met me or what adventures he had endured. Everything he did was curious. I was drawn to him in ways I didn't understand.

Could I escape this journey with my engagement intact? Which course would lead me down a road to the woman my father always believed I should be?

And why did I feel so angry all the time?

My fingers still have that enchanted twitch even as I peck these words out on an old typewriter. Before another episode comes, let me tell you what happened that fateful autumn in Dawnhurst-on-Severn. . .

Amazon

Excerpt:

“Excuse me,” I said, after clearing my throat.

“Who’s missing?” The clerk didn’t look up.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Missing persons will file with Ms. Turner down the hall.”

“I’m not here to report a missing person,” I replied. This was enough to give the clerk at least a moment’s pause. He glanced his terrier of a face up at me and squinted one eye in the lamplight.

“Has your husband beat you?”

“I’m not married. I’m looking for Sergeant George Cooper.”

“Sarge, you’ve got a visitor!” he bellowed down the hallway behind him before turning back to me. “Right down the hallway, Miss. He’ll be happy to have a visitor that isn’t a felon. I guess, assuming you’re not here to turn yourself in… You aren’t uh, you know, soliciting wares and suddenly discovered religion if you catch my meaning?”

This I did not grace with a verbal response. Instead, I leveled my eyes at him the way I used to as governess of an impish child, took off my gloves menacingly, and started down the hall.

“Please have a seat,” said whom I presumed to be the Ms. Turner the clerk had mentioned. She wore a tweed skirt and vest, and her hair was done up into what was once a bun. She too was busy in paperwork, pounding away furiously at a typewriter. I brushed off a filthy chair and waited. I watched Ms. Turner for some time, wondering what pathway may have brought her to this desk. She appeared older than me. It’s difficult to guess the age of women around the middle of their lives, but the gentle lines around her eyes hinted to me that she was now closer to forty than thirty. I noticed no wedding ring.

I felt an almost immediate kinship to Ms. Turner. It wasn’t a large stretch to imagine that I was looking at myself in ten years, pounding away at a typewriter, perhaps trying to publish works of my own in my spare time outside of my professional duties.

I have Byron now. I had to remind myself about my fiancé so often. How silly. Even when I was here on his bidding, for his publication no less.

“I wasn’t drinking on the job, sir!” I heard a man’s raised voice through the sergeant’s door.

Ms. Turner slowly looked up at me. “They all say that.”

The door swung wide open, and I was struck by what I could only assume was the model for a police force figurine. The man had an acutely trim waistline that stretched up into a broad chest and shoulders. His hair was combed impeccably, as if each strand dared not stray from its assigned position. His eyes, alert and lively, were peculiarly warm for being steely grey. His brow furrowed, and his neatly trimmed policeman’s mustache curved downward into a disconcerting frown.

He swept through the office door and stood erect, as though he was at a self-called attention. Behind him, the large Sergeant George Cooper, a man whom I could only describe as a younger, meaner looking Father Christmas, filled the doorway.

“I don’t want outlandish stories, Lieutenant. I want arrests. I want brigands behind bars. I want young do-it-alls like you to stop trying to turn every little case into the next apocalypse,” Sergeant Cooper stammered. He was only mostly red in the face.

The young lieutenant stood and, though he looked thoroughly unamused, took the tongue lashing admirably.

“You’ve got a visitor,” butted in Ms. Turner. Sergeant Cooper looked at me, and his expression instantly melted into a rehearsed sympathy.

“Ma’am, my deepest apologies,” he said, putting his hand on his heart. “Do you have a missing person to report?”

“No,” I stuttered. “I’m here… do you get a lot of missing persons?”

“Most of the women we see in here are reporting a missing husband or, regrettably, a missing child,” he replied.

“I’m sorry to hear that. But, and, well, I’m not sure how to put this exactly. I’m here from Langley’s Miscellany, and I—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the warm expression on Sergeant Cooper’s face melted away.

“You’re a reporter. Thank you, Miss, but the door’s over there.” He turned and retreated back into his office. I stuck my foot in the door, which was more painful than I thought it might be.

“I don’t want to be a bother. I’m just curious about the latest. I don’t mean to fabricate anything or inflate your efforts. I just—”

“You just want to be first to know about the dreadful muck the police force deals with each day.”

“Well, yes,” I replied.

“Like I said, Miss, the door is over there. I have a lot to do.” He put on a pair of spectacles and sat down at his desk. I felt a burn creep up my cheeks. It was one thing to be denied, another to be rejected right in front of a woman I had suddenly come to admire and a deeply handsome police lieutenant. The propriety!

“Please, you knew my father,” I said. He looked up at me over his spectacles. They were comically small for his large face. “Gerald Winthrop.”

“Jerry Winthrop?” the sergeant said with a laugh. “Devils blind me. You were the scrap of a thing always hiding in the corner, thinking we couldn’t see you.”

I nodded. He barked out a triumphant laugh.

“Your father was a hell of a man! Always sticking his nose in places it didn’t belong. Any mate of his in trouble, he’d be here before a spit trying to talk their way out it.” He stared into the air as if he could see my father in the office presently. “How is Jerry doing? I got into more arguments with him. He could take a yelling and deal it out in turn. If only my lieutenants had half the backbone. We exchanged words like lads in a fistfight.”

“Well, I hope you got the last word in then,” I said. His countenance dropped sharply.

“You don’t mean—how’d it happen?”

“Fever. Or something like that. I never did get a straight answer from the doctors.” I hated doctors. A fair majority of them might as well be bunkmates with critics.

“Doctors are thieves,” the sergeant said.

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Miss,” said a clear voice behind me. They were the first words the lieutenant said to me. The purity in his voice took me off guard. After losing my father, I’d heard “I’m sorry for your loss” time and time again. In nearly every case, it was mere etiquette, obligation, and passing fancy, as though someone might check a box of a tidy little list somewhere by saying the appropriate thing. This man, whom I barely knew, sounded arrestingly sincere.

I turned toward him, and he bowed slightly. Behind him, Ms. Turner slid into focus with two very inquisitive eyebrows.

“Yes, well, this is Lieutenant Edward Thomas. He’s our resident… bleeding heart and imaginist,” Sergeant Cooper said. Edward extended a hand.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I said. His eyes were smothering. I couldn’t seem to escape them. He had no shyness about looking a stranger squarely in the face, that’s for certain.

“The pleasure is mine,” I managed. “Imaginist?” I inquired of the sergeant.

“No doubt in it. In fact, Lieutenant Thomas may be exactly what you’re looking for,” he said with a coy smile.

“I’m engaged,” I spit out.

Sergeant Cooper erupted into an ungraciously loud belly laugh. I noticed Ms. Turner turn her face down to suppress a giggle as well. Edward flushed.

“I’m sure you are. I meant for the stories you’ve been looking for,” Cooper said. I immediately felt feverish as itchy perspiration appeared on the small of my back. Luella Winthrop. Gift with words, I have.

“He has a story for me then?” I muttered, eager to move on.

“Aye. Lieutenant Thomas here claims to have seen a ghost!”

About the Author:

Kenneth A. Baldwin loves stories you can sink your teeth into.

He lives nestled under the Wasatch Mountain Range with his wife and dog. He writes historical fantasy. When he's not working on his next book, he can be found teaching story mechanics or sketch comedy writing.

Kenny has worked as a staff writer for TV, Radio, web, and comedy scripts for years. The Crimson Inkwell is his first published novel.

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