Friday, July 6, 2012

Free Angel Friday

FREE ANGEL FRIDAY
Friday, July 13, 2012

Help us lower the Amazon sales ranking of Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles.

Next Friday, "purchase" your free Kindle copy at:
http://amzn.to/xOQ4eL

Please feel free to spread the word far and wide and let's see how low we can go!

P.S. Be sure to add The Angel Chronicles, Book 2 (coming November 1, 2012) to your Goodreads to-read list at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15725493-the-angel-chronicles-book-2

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Gus Pelagatti - The Wicked Wives - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
A gang who seduces lonely wives, persuade them to insure their husbands, then poison their husbands for insurance money.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Collecting life insurance money after poisoning husbands.

3. When does the plot take place?
1935-1942

4. Where does the plot take place?
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
It was based on a true story.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
It was based on a true story.


About the Book

When I was an eight year old boy I overheard adults in my South Philadelphia neighborhood discussing 17 disenchanted and unfaithful neighborhood wives who murdered their husbands for insurance money, love and lust. This was a fascinating topic for an eight year old boy eavesdropping on adult conversation. The adults were discussing the true story of Philadelphia’s infamous 1938 murder scandals. My fascination led to obsession. I knew that I had to write about these wicked wives someday.

After I became a trial lawyer in 1964, I researched the poison murder cases in the law library and obtained newspaper accounts of the scandals dating back to October, 1938. Thereafter I conducted interviews with judges, lawyers, police, witnesses, sheriff deputies and neighbors who knew the defendants. One of the chief conspirators was a tailor who seduced, then persuaded at least twelve wives to poison their husbands for insurance. The setting for his seductions was the couch in the rear of his tailor shop, located two blocks from our family home.

A fascinating conspiracy unfolded in these murder cases. The poison gang’s colorful and hilarious characters helped to deep-six a minimum of 20 husbands. The supporting cast includes Giorgio, “The Don Juan of Passyunk Avenue. ” Aside from scheming Lillian, “the society wife”, the wives include Rose, the “Kiss of Death Widow, ” Eva “the nymphomaniac” and the “hopelessly in love, ” Joanna.

After many comical episodes, intriguing detective work and two suspense filled high profile trials, 12 wives plead or are found guilty of murdering their husbands. Two male conspirators were executed in the electric chair.

“The Wicked Wives” gleefully explores the sins of lust and greed, and the disappointments that love often brings. The characters, although they commit murder and adultery, are extremely likable, and often amusing. Writing “The Wicked Wives” was a true labor of love.

Price: $9.95 paperback, $2.99 Kindle, $3.99 Nook
# of Pages: 294
Genre: Mystery-suspense
Publisher: Mill City Press
Buy Links: Amazon, Kindle, Nook


About the Author

Gus Pelagatti is a practicing trial lawyer with over 47 years of experience trying civil and criminal cases including homicide.  He’s a member of the Million Dollar Advocate Forum, limited to attorneys who have been recognized as achieving a standard of excellence as a trial expert.  He has spent years researching the true story of the 1938 insurance scam murders, interviewing judges, lawyers, police and neighbors involved in the trials.

Gus was born and raised within blocks of the main conspirator’s tailor shop and the homes of many of the wives convicted of murdering their husbands. His latest book is The Wicked Wives.

Links to connect with Gus:
Web site
Twitter
Facebook 

Friday, June 29, 2012

Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow

Q:  Birthday Wishes-- Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake...Who is it and what book are they from?

I would love to see Harry Potter pop out of my cake, I think he would be very interesting to talk and spend time with.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Daniel Armand - Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution - Excerpt



About the Book

Adam Orser: The Chronicles of Evolution


Book One in the Adam Orser Trilogy

A visitor in the celestial realm of interdimensional communication

Adam Orser seems to be a regular guy, leading a fairly successful life in Toronto as a psychologist with a loving girlfriend, Jazmin.

But there is nothing ordinary about Adam.

Fate interrupts his planned marriage proposal, and a serious car accident thrusts him into a metaphysical reality behind a deep coma that holds his physical body in check. Through an advanced system of training and evolution created by the celestial realm, Adam is called to a dangerous mission with profound implications for the world he knows, and life and death consequences for one missing nine-year old girl, who is no ordinary kidnapped child. Fantastical forces are at work on both sides of the veil between the world we recognize and those yet to be discovered.

Destiny compels Adam to freely choose the part he will play in a no-limits competition between good and evil. Questions of existence, causality, and truth converge as Adam struggles to find his way back to Jazmin and a life that will never be the same.

Paperback
Price: $17.95
Release: April 2, 2012
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

Chapter 2
The Proposition


"It’s gonna rain,” I said, looking out and up from my fourth-story office window in the Clemensdale Professional building. I was beginning to get a little “steamy” under the collar, primarily because I was not in the best of moods; but also, I had the morbid sensation that my life was very quickly heading nowhere. Apart from that, the erratic weather was going to ruin the outing Jazmin and I had planned. To be more precise, the Ontario Place visit, which Carly anxiously anticipated.

“Beatrice, do we have any more appointments scheduled for today?”

“No, Doctor, Mrs . Palmiero called and canceled her son’s four-thirty appointment.”

Naturally I thought. Why waste time and effort on a useless remedy? If Albert wasn’t ready to put away his childhood and begin accepting the challenges of adulthood, his world would still revolve around Power Rangers and Loony Tunes at sixteen or sixty-one. It’s not like I hadn’t tried reaching him. Lord knows, I’d practically exhausted my means. It’s just that every time I managed to get closer to him, he took a quick step back and built another wall defending the spot where he left behind.

“Beatrice, is Mr Towanna still scheduled for tomorrow?”

“Towanka. Yes, Doctor, he’s still scheduled for his nine o’clock.”

“Thank you, Beatrice.”

Marcel Towanka, twenty-one years old, and a construction worker by trade, was half French-Canadian, half Native Indian. He came to me one day with a very interesting proposition. According to this self-proclaimed “Dragon Chaser,” once, under the influence of drugs that helped him to “psychically travel,” he encountered a tribal ancestor known as a shaman. The grim elder warned Marcel of the dangerous path he had chosen. The shaman severely pointed out how their race was on the verge of extinction, and the young man’s negative conduct was helping to speed up the burn of their long-rooted heritage and proud millennial traditions.

That’s when this young native came to see me. He literally begged me to help him get reacquainted with his lost traits. It’s been nearly four months now since our first meeting, and I am proud—no, that’s not the right word—I am thrilled that Marcel Towanka has not consumed anything more stimulating than aspirin, or drunk anything more relaxing than herbal tea, for over two months now. As for his heritage, Marcel attends religious ceremonial rituals held biweekly on sacred conservation grounds, as well as taking part in Native Indian arts and crafts.

It is said that when a man’s future looks shaded with gloom, he should attempt turning over a new leaf. The way I see it, this young man, armed only with native courage and fueled entirely with compassion, had managed to turn over an entire season. Regarding my role in his quest for spiritual freedom, all I can say is that he is the artist, the master who, day by day, piece by piece, painstakingly chipped away at his monumental totem pole, in honor of the great warriors of the past and the ones yet to come. I, his humble assistant, merely swept away all the flying dirt and debris, clearing the path for all those who wish to come and see the work of a genius.

My time with Marcel is quickly coming to an end; although this man wishes to continue therapy, and I equally wish to continue to help him. I must honor him and let him go, for he no longer needs my help. Ironic though as it may seem, he never really did.


About the Author

Daniel Armand lives in Toronto, Ontario. His inspiration behind Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution originated during the summer of 1983, after a near death encounter offered an incredible insight into the obscured aspects of life, love, and the progression of the human spirit.

Daniel is currently working on the next novel of the Adam Orser saga. "I truly hope this novel will help inspire readers all over the globe, to embrace their spirituality. It is through clarity of mind and understanding that we may one day 'bloom' into harmony and unlock our limitless potential."



 




About the Blog Tour

Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution blog tour site
and
Tribute Books Blog Tours

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
nightsky1102 [at] gmail [dot] com


Enter to win Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1 by Amy Lignor, a young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.


1) Click here to add Tribute Books' upcoming YA release, Owlet to your Goodreads to-read list.

2) Leave a comment with your email address.


***


Until Next Time: 
The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
by Amy Lignor


How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday

My teaser today is from:

http://the-color-of-snow.blogspot.com

The Color of Snow
by Brenda Stanley


When the horse’s hooves made contact with the lake bottom and we started to emerge from the water, I wanted to burst from relief and joy. “That was the most wonderful thing ever!”

Stephanie was sitting on a large tree limb that had fallen while her horse munched on fresh new grass beside her. “I didn’t think you’d do it. I’m proud of you.”

“It was so scary, but then it was so amazing.”

“I’m glad you liked it, because that’s how we’re getting back.”

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Debra Mares - The Mamacita Murders - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
It’s based around Laura, a troubled 17-year-old sex worker and Gaby Ruiz, the prosecutor who is investigating Laura’s assault.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
It’s a who-done-it mystery. Who sexually assaulted Laura and left her for dead in a motel is the main thrust of the plot. The sub-plot is Gaby’s struggle to find closure over her own mother’s death.

3. When does the plot take place?
Present day. Most of the plot takes place over the period of a month.

4. Where does the plot take place?
In three separate places. First, the crime happens in the fictional Tuckford County, which is inspired by Riverside County, a county east of Los Angeles, California. Gaby lives in Blackbird Beach, which is inspired by Laguna Beach, California. And the investigation is taken to the fictional Walled City, inspired by Cartagena, Colombia.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
By chance, surprise and intuition. As Gaby investigated the crime, I never knew what she was going to find or where it was going to take her.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I started writing as an outlet. At the time I wrote The Mamacita Murders, I was working in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, meeting troubled youth, and learning about sex trafficking. The made-up plot became a natural expression for me at the time. I am also passionate about the main issue driving the plot - closure - whether for an investigation or personal loss. So it naturally found its way in my writing too.


About the Book

When Laura, a seventeen year old key witness goes missing during trial, Assistant Prosecutor Gaby Ruiz is called to action.  Ruiz, a Latina prosecutor, investigates the sexual assault on Laura, who is left for dead in a motel in a drug- and gang-ridden community.  The investigation twists from the backwoods in Tuckford County to the back rooms of law enforcement buildings all the way to the Walled City.  Did Clown, Laura's boyfriend, try to kill her when she wanted to leave the Lincoln Gang's prostitution ring or -- did a random assailant ransack Laura's room and assault her -- or did law enforcement try to kill Laura to protect one of their own?  Through pure determination, Gaby Ruiz does not let anything stop her search for justice and to secure her witness for trial.

Gabriela Ruiz is a sex crimes prosecutor in Tuckford County and runs The Mamacita Club, a community outreach effort from her chrome Vintage Airstream motorhome. She travels with her friends around the county to reach at-risk women.  Women affected by drugs, abuse, gang and domestic violence, sex crimes, and broken homes -- they're all in The Mamacita Club.  For Gaby, the law is rarely black or white -- it's more about determination, persistence, and finding closure for her victims.  But it's always about justice.  Gaby has spent all of her professional life seeking justice for others.  But what she should have been doing is searching for closure for herself.  It is not until Laura goes missing, that Gaby is able to start fixing her own guilt-ridden past for not protecting her mom from an abusive relationship -- this time to save her own life and seek closure over her own mother's death.

Price: $12.99 (Paperback), Free (eBook), $.99 (Kindle)
# of Pages: 352
Genre: Courtroom drama / mystery lit
Publisher: Justicia House
Release Date: May 13, 2012
Buy Links: Kindle, Paperback, Smashwords 


About the Author

Author Debra Mares is the granddaughter of a Mexican migrant farm worker and factory seamstress, was born and raised in Los Angeles, is the first to graduate college in her family, and grew up dancing Ballet Folklorico and Salsa. Debra followed a calling at eleven years old to be an attorney and voice for women, currently lives in Orange County, and appreciates international travel and culture.  She has been a county prosecutor in Riverside, California since 2004 and is assigned to the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. Debra has prosecuted cases ranging from gang homicides and domestic violence to political corruption and major fraud. Debra co-founded The Women Wonder Writers, a community outreach organization and co-created The Write of Your Life, a mentorship and writing program for at-risk young women throughout Riverside County. The Mamacita Murders is her first novel and first in a series of courtroom dramas and chick lit mysteries.

Links to connect with Debra:
Web site
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube