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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Saturday 31 December 2016

Happy New Year and the winners...



I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and will have a very happy and healthy and successful New Year

The winners of my recent Blog Tour were 
TRACI who wins the Amazon Gift Certificate and
JAMES who won a copy of download of one of my books

Congratuations, you should both now have received your prizes.

Sorry to be so late with this announcement -

The winner of the Highway Cafe Blog Hop was Tina Stedtler!  Congratulations Tina - let me know whether you'd like a download of Starquest or Dancing with Fate



See you all next year!

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Beyond Every Mirror



Beyond Every Mirror
Anachronistic Dimensions Trilogy
Book One
Christine Church

Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Publisher: Grey Horse Press

Paperback Publication: 10-31-16
Kindle Publication: 11-30-16

ISBN: 978-0692782705
ASIN: B01MG56AW1

Number of pages:  370
Word Count: 130,000

Cover Artist: Christine Church

Book Description:

Beside his own image, Dane Bainbridge sees another; a ginger haired beauty--behind her, red mountains and clouds as if from another world. He's seen her his entire life, a life filled with glamour and fame... and loneliness. For the woman in the mirror is his one true love. But, this he does not know, not until he is dragged into her world--one of beasts and lands beyond imagination. One where his sacrifice is the only thing keeping her and the world in which she resides alive.

Once they are together, he remembers it all, and that knowledge means his doom for all eternity. But if he escapes her world, she will perish as will all others behind the looking glass. He is the key that keeps her alive, and she is the key that gives him hope. Can they break the curse that keeps them separated by torture and death? Can they escape together from a world that exists beyond every mirror?

5 Star Reviews

"I have never read anything quite like it and I loved it. Brilliant and well written. Superb!! And the writing style of the author was amazing." Rabia Tanveer, Readers’ Favorite

"Fans of Lord of the Rings, Anne Rice, and all fantasy novels will really enjoy this book! Truly one of the best books I've ever read!" Bonnie, Amazon Customer

“Christine Church gives readers a lovable protagonist. A wonderful love story. Like a dangerous but beautiful animal, this romance novel comes with some nail-biting moments that are definitely worth reading. I recommend this book to vampire fans."  ~Benjamin Ookami

"I actually fell asleep with the book in my arms and woke up to read it in the morning." Amazon Customer

"Great fantasy and very exciting, a real page turner." Amazon Customer


Five-Star Reader’s Review Favorite
Love's Grasp
December 20, 2014
He remained perfectly still as the chains were wrapped around his body.  The metal cooled the heated flesh of his bare chest.  All around him echoed a cacophony of screams, bellows and stomping of feet that almost crushed him beneath its weight.  The air tightened with the chains and a rush of collective exhilaration and nervousness swirled through his senses.  He glanced quickly at the red-faced, muscular man standing beside him, who finished fastening the chains and stepped away.
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. And then he waited, anxiety pounding in his breast. The air was thick with heat and sweat and smoke, but he'd grown accustomed to it through the years, as with the rest of the ritual. The one thing he could never get used to, however, was the flip-flop in the pit of his stomach that occurred as the platform he stood on slowly lifted into the air, revealing him to the anxiously awaiting crowd that crushed nearer. Starving animals before a feast.  He looked straight out, refused to look down, lest the vertigo take him.
How he hated heights.
He listened for the eerie orchestration of strings and organ that marked the beginning of his leisurely descent back to earth. The notes began with a rhythmic resonance that was almost conquered by impatient bellows that quickly turned to a roar of frenzied excitement.  As the platform lowered, a muzzy sensation circled Dane’s mind and his throat felt as though his stomach had been hoisted up into it. 
He held his breath in anticipation.
An amplified voice echoed over the din. “Ladies and Gentlemen.  Through the misty storm they come. Battles rage and blood is spilled and tonight you will feel…the rage of the... Dark Myst!”
           
The crescendo of notes rose with the screams and soon the vast crowd, shrouded in the mist of machine smoke and lighting from the trusses above, came into view.  The platform touched the stage simultaneously with a deafening blast of canon fire, blinding light and searing heat from the pyrotechnics.
Dane thrust his arms outward in an ostentatious display of feigned strength and released his long held breath as the chains fell free of his body.  As he leaped forward the crowd crushed against the stage, nearly 20,000 screaming fans all at once a serried mass swarming towards him.
Tingles of excitement clawed at his spine, a feeling that never waned with the years.  He ran to the front of the stage and grabbed up the microphone as Bruce struck the first hard note on his Strat.  The music pounded out its heavy rhythm and the audience's cries warred with its volume. Sharp beams of laser light cut a zigzag through the haze. Dane twirled around and his heart jumped.
Oh what fresh hell!
He was staring at himself!
The stage had been set up like a room in a lover's palace; giant mirrors everywhere—behind, to the sides, even above, stretching as high as the trusses.  Due to a severe snow squall the truck carrying an important part of the band’s stage set had gone off the road and gotten stuck. No one was injured, but the set had not arrived in time to be set up in the sold-out Target Center.  Someone had decided the light show would look better reflected. Dane, however, was aghast. Not only was their stage set designed to coincide with most of their songs, but the effects of the colored lights continuously bouncing from mirror to mirror would inevitably result in the whole band plagued with a throbbing headache by concert’s end.
Their manager had to have approved this—someone had to have approved it. No one had told Dane! The mirrors must have been erected last moment. Everyone associated with the band knew how Dane hated mirrors. But now, no matter which direction he turned, he saw himself in his black costume and ragged-edged cloak; which portrayed him as the yin to the band's yang.  They were the mist, and he the dark storm.
To keep his attention from the mirrors, Dane fixed his gaze on the audience and the speckled glow from thousands of cell phone flashes, resembling a sparkling star-filled evening that stretched out before him. But he knew he would eventually have to turn around.
            By the third song it became maddening, not able to dance around as he normally would for fear of what might be hidden in those mirrors. But, thankfully, half way through the song he spotted one of the girls he'd met the last time he was in town.  At last, something to keep his mind and eyes busy.  In the front row she stood, arms raised toward him.  The bulldozing horde had her pressed against the stage, long auburn hair flittering about as she bobbed her head to the beat of the music.  He smiled in her direction, despite his sudden dread at remembering the promise he'd made to her the year before.  A promise—ashamedly—he had no intention of keeping.
He had never seen her before that night a year ago, so she hadn’t been a regular.  Conquering new territory was always fun. She’d displayed the looks normally reserved by the group of girls who always seem to know just how to be chosen above others and handed backstage passes.  This one, however, had taken a different approach. She had approached him on the floor of his hotel as he made his way to his room. Fortunately he had been alone—a rarity. He had invited her in.  Ample breasts and a nice round bottom offset by a perfectly slender waist. Dane knew he would be having a good time that night.
She had wanted too much, however, a commitment he couldn't give. Teasing him and denying him her favors until he'd made the vow. What else was there to do? And so he had said exactly what she wanted to hear. And, as naïve as she was, she had believed him. He couldn’t, after all, say no. Not when she lay there in his hotel bed displaying all her luscious charms. But he couldn't keep his promise, either.  There were plenty of women in countless towns, women the band’s crew knew were his type. Women who would be offered passes just so he could meet them, drink with them, bed them. And there would be more waiting in the next town after that.
Now, a pass with the name of a local radio as sponsor dangled around her neck. So, she had won backstage passes this time. There would be no avoiding her tonight. What would he say to her? He could not even recall her name. As her fiery glare burned through him, he absentmindedly turned away, catching Bruce’s smug grin as he looked from the girl to Dane.  He mouthed the words “there she is,” as he switched guitars with an assistant for the next set of songs.
Dane smirked, shook his head at his friend, then strutted to the other side of the stage as the next song began—one of the band’s trademark tunes that he wrote about a medieval land of lords and knights.  He wielded a sword, one of many from his collection, and proceeded to dance around in choreographed mock swordplay as the hired orchestra played their bit.  
At this point, his disappointment surged that the integral element of their regular stage set had not arrived.  The video wall depiction of a castle and rolling green hills was installed. However, mirrors now replaced the large faux-stone steps that were to lead to the balcony above the stage, giving Dane the appearance of riding atop one of two red-eyed dragons that should, at that moment, be gazing menacingly down at the crowd, smoke, laser and fire effects erupting from the eyes and fanged mouths. Those that came for the show would be fervently disappointed.
During Bruce’s brief guitar solo near mid-song, Dane closed his eyes for a moment and raised the sword high, drawing in the deep odor of sweat and heat. Machine-created fog crept along the stage and curled around his feet like a chill mist in a graveyard.  The lights were so dim he could scarce see even the front row of the audience as the laser lights sliced through the stadium and across his body like sharp-edged blades.
In accordance with his routine, and without second thought, he twirled around—and was suddenly staring right into one of the tall mirrors that littered the stage.  The lights brightened.  His craggy-hemmed cloak billowed as he spun from the ghastly reflection of his own sweat-soaked face only to catch the same image in the mirror beside that one. His gut wrenched and he tried to turn away, back to the front of the stage, back to the audience. But he froze as movement caught his eye and when he turned his head, she was there—the “Mirror Lady.” His illusion. His own delusion.
Onstage.
            As real to him as his own reflection.

            No! Not here!
Her thigh-length ginger hair was loose, rather than pulled back in the usual braid. The shining tresses poured over her shoulders like a rushing waterfall and cascaded down a beautiful gown of burgundy velvet that hugged her slim form. The tears in her golden eyes told a tale of sadness that wrenched at his heart, and he felt himself take an involuntary step forward. More familiar to him than Martha or Lance or Sir Kori, the sight of the “Mirror Lady” twisted his gut, a tornado rampaging through him, a tangled enrapture of perplexity and fear, love and pain—as if he had known her for more years than his life was long. And that familiarity drove him somewhere beyond her presence in some glass. 
            His dilemma with the redhead in the front row disappeared.  The girls he’d met in the past or would meet in the future no longer mattered. It was this stranger, this illusion. She alone meant everything—and she scared the hell out of him.  But deeper than fear lie an unbearable urge to leap into the mirror and gather her into his arms. 
Protective impulses tugged at him relentlessly and he was suddenly frightened not of her but for her. Terror seized his heart, and refused to let go, pounding through him harder than the music that continued to fill the stadium, confusing him profoundly.  Passionate emotions thrashed at his brain and his head ached with the need to bring them to the surface.  But he couldn’t.  A mental barrier walled off the needs screaming for release.  Why couldn’t he just go to her; feel for her the love he’d been missing his entire life?
            Behind him, the glass’ surface reflected a flurry of activity; lambent light bounced from one mirror to the next, heightening the pain in his head.  The small section of audience visible moved and swayed, their images like dancing ghosts in the dark mist of the stadium.  Stephan’s long strawberry hair swayed as he bobbed his head up and down while he plucked away at his bass. He hadn’t seen her.  At the time Dane didn’t think anyone else saw her, but her form was as solid in the mirror as was his own, as she had been in every mirror throughout his life. 
Concentration became impossible. He faltered, his voice cracked and he missed the chorus altogether. Familiar with the music, the mistake must have been quite obvious to the crowd. But he couldn't turn from that damn mirror.
Dane tried to force his mind back to the song when a searing bolt of pain sliced through his head. The clank of the sword and the microphone sounded loud to his ears, even above the music, as they dropped from his hands and crashed to the stage. Feedback screeched from the monitors and the music stopped. The burden of emotion and conflict pressed him downward and, like Alice, he found himself falling. Down. Down. The spotlights swirled like shooting stars and agony screamed through his shoulder as he hit the hard stage floor. 
The fog consumed him.
The stadium went dead silent. Bruce and Stephan rushed towards him. Adrian leapt from behind his drums. Road crew members and strangers circled above. The audience pressed closer to the stage, security guards frantically tried to hold them back.  Their lips moved, their hands pounded the stage. He saw them all, yet he heard nothing. And then he was forced into a vacuum of darkness.

About the Author:

Christine Church has been writing since she was 9 years old. As a kid, she wrote and drew her own picture books, then moved on to short stories as a teen. By her 20s, she was writing full-length novels, but her first success in publication was a nonfiction book about the care of indoor cats, Housecat, published by Howell Book House in 1998. Several more nonfiction books followed, including the major award winning book, Indoor Cats (TFH publications),  which won the Iams Responsible Cat Ownership in 2001. After a broken hand, she took a hiatus from writing for quite some
time, then returned to find everything had changed and her world turned upside down. She decided then to take a stab at self publishing. Her first novella, Sands of Time, Fate of the True Vampires won Finalist status in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her second book, as well as Beyond Every Mirror, have won five-star status on Reader's favorite.




Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/christinechurch   @christinechurch




Tour giveaway

$15 Amazon gift card
3 copies paperback, signed.
5 Handmade metallic bookmarks
10 handmade jewelry items themed to the book.



For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Shadows of Atlantis


Shadows of Atlantis 
Awakening
By Mara Powers ​

Genre: Fantasy


Atlantis is a luxurious paradise run by crystal technology built in alignment with nature. For thousands of years, Atlanteans have powered their cities with a Crystal Grid fed by psychic mindlight.
But the Grid has been infiltrated by parasitic shadows that feed off the negative emotions of humans - an epidemic called “the madness.” 

D’VINID, a dejected musician, is consumed by his personal problems. He meets Brigitte as she seeks to uncover the corruption in the Grid. Their magnetic attraction forces him to face his past and accept his future. He is among those born with a gene unlocking mystical powers once believed to be the birthright of all humans. 

As Atlantis slowly drowns in the trap of hubris and self-indulgence, he is faced with the shocking realization that his life may be mirroring Atlantis itself - he must choose to awaken or face destruction.


MARA POWERS has been researching Atlantis avidly since she was a teenager.
Mara Powers is a true Gen X American nomad. She has managed to establish a life of travel, moving around all her favorite cities on a quest to chase the perfect weather. She discovered the myth of Atlantis at age 16, and has made it her life work to unravel the riddle. She studies both esoteric and secular theories, and incorporates them all in her stories. In a way, her Atlantis series is a dissertation on the knowledge and experience she has accumulated over almost 3 decades.
Also a social butterfly, Powers spent the early part of her career as an event manager. She has worked at resorts, on boats, restaurants, in the festival circuit, and underground clubs as a promoter of bands, performers and electronic music.
Her many travels have been incorporated into her work. For instance, her time spent as a denizen of Venice Beach is represented by the dog-town-style hover tricksters who have plagued the streets of Atlantis.

She loves hearing everyone’s past life memories of Atlantis. Shoot her an email with yours.



Website * Amazon * Goodreads Facebook











For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Catch Me If You Can - audiobook tour and Giveaway




It's always a pleasure to feature the work of my talented fellow friend, fellow author and cover artist, Miss Mae.  This is a great edge of the seat romantic suspense you won't want to miss! (Even better now it's in audio format, it really brings the story to life!)


Catch Me If You Can
by Miss Mae
Genre: Romantic Mystery, Thriller 

Format: Audiobook



You Can Now Hear the Award-Winning "Catch Me If You Can"
The howling wind of a hurricane. The creak of footsteps on the stairs. The wailing of a dog in the dark of night.
"Catch Me If You Can", the thrilling romantic mystery by award-winning author Miss Mae, is now available in an enhanced audiobook at PulpRadio.net.
"Catch Me If You Can" got five-star reader ratings at Amazon.com, and the brand new audio version enhances the story with extensive sound effects, background accents, and a complete music score. The story is performed by five of Hollywood's best voice artists, and is produced by Roger Rittner Productions of Los Angeles.
In this riveting story, Lois Steinberg is washed ashore on a South Carolina island during a category four hurricane. She seeks shelter inside an old plantation house that was scheduled to host a video game convention to announce the newest mystery game, "Catch Me If You Can". But almost immediately, the cook is found murdered. Then the prize to be awarded at the convention, a CD of the game, goes missing. The quest to discover the answers becomes a maze more complicated than any "Catch Me" game could ever be devised, as Lois races to save her life ... and keep hidden her mysterious secret.
The new audiobook is available in a deluxe 6-CD set in library case, or as an instant MP3 download at PulpRadio.net.


Reviewers say:
"Love the pacing of the story. Catch Me If You Can has intriguing characters and more and more surprises in each chapter." Geeta M. Kakade.
"The emotion in the voices and the sound effects are great." Larry Hammersley.
"The sound effects ... absolutely make the story come alive, transporting the reader right in the midst of the story." C. Rogers.

Hear an exclusive audio excerpt here!

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZvIrgZI2530ifTgQYVi6UjfNenVhrIiPHy 


About the Author:
Miss Mae is an award winning best selling author. "Said the Spider to the Fly" has received consistent five-star reviews and has won the renowned title of Best Book of the Week from The Long and the Short of It Reviews and The Romance Studio. With her writing style compared to Agatha Christie's after the release of her gothic thriller, "See No Evil, My Pretty Lady", she's gone on to pen "It's Elementary, My Dear Winifred" which was featured in the Top Ten Read at Myshelf.com in 2009.

Get caught in the 'web' of Miss Mae's books!
Creator of famed journalist, I.B. Nosey. After all, aren't you Feeling Nosey?
My Audible Page: Miss Mae
Twitter: AuthorMissMae
Smashwords: Miss Mae
Amazon: Miss Mae
Facebook: Miss Mae's Fan Page 
Hi-Octane Caffeine Coffee ShopJoin the Fun!


About the Producer:
Roger Rittner is a producer of audiobooks, audio drama, and audio marketing and training. He created the cult radio adventure "The Adventures of Doc Savage", and "Bulldog Drummond - The Audio Adventure", which won the AVA Platinum Award for Audio and the Hermes Creative Award for audio drama. He created and produced The Variety Arts Radio Theatre live stage show, and co-created and directed "Charlie Sent Me!", the original musical comedy for radio, heard on National Public Radio.


About the talent:
"Catch Me If You Can is narrated by and stars Stephen Mendel, whose voice credits include radio and TV commercials, video games, and audiobooks.
Robin Riker has starred in TV series for ABC, CBS, FOX, and Showtime, and films including the cult favorite film "Alligator". She is currently a regular on "General Hospital".
J.W. Terry is an Emmy-winning TV actor whose voice credits include video games, anime, audiobooks, and cartoons.
Toni Attell is an Emmy-nominated film and TV actress, as well as a respected acting coach and motivational speaker.
Dave Mallow has been heard in commercials, film, radio plays, audiobooks, and numerous video games and cartoons.
















For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Sunday 11 December 2016

A Sale and a virtual blog tour for the Destiny Trilogy.


I'm on tour with Silver Dagger Scriptorium
http://silverdaggertours.wixsite.com/sdsxxday! 

So exciting!


If you haven't read the first book in my trilogy - now's your chance to pick it up at a bargain price.  Yes it's just 99c for the length of the tour, from either my publisher The Wild Rose Press or Amazon.com or  99p from Amazon UK.  I haven't had it on 'sale' before so this is a unique opportunity - but hurry because it ends on 16th December! Although Starquest is the first book, it's complete and a 'standalone' as are the other two books - but they all feature some of the same characters, who all have their different adventures and dangers to face before finally getting their 'h.e.a.'

The Destiny Trilogy, Starquest Volume 1
BLURB
When Jestine Darnell is rescued from her sabotaged starship by the crew of the Destiny her only objective is to complete her mission and keep her promise to save a world from slavery. Love is the last thing on her mind. However, she has not counted on losing her heart to Kerry Marchant the ship’s second in command, who makes his distrust of her painfully obvious, despite the chemistry between them. The completion of her mission has consequences that neither of them could have foreseen.

Enter Dahll Tarron, who becomes involved in a long and dangerous quest to find the Destiny. Fates become intertwined, perils shared, culminating in the realization that sometimes love may be so close that there is a danger it will not be recognized until it is too late…

(292 pages) Sensual

EXCERPT
Kerry knelt beside Jess and groaned in anguish. There was nothing he could do to save her. His eyes misted as he lifted her into his arms. "It should have been me. That laser was meant for me--"

His voice faltered, and he shook his head to clear his vision. A smear of blood glistened on her lips ... a stain on perfection and evidence of his own negligence.

"Please..."

He should have prevented this. Somehow, he should have prevented it! He ran his fingers through the mass of flame-colored hair, golden highlights gleaming in the Phidian sunshine. He buried his face in its softness and held her close to his heart...


Follow the tour here:
Dec 5 – Mello & June
Dec 5 – VampyreLady's Lair
Dec 6th- Book Giveaways
Dec 7th- A Writer's Life
Dec 8 – The Author's Blog
Dec 9th- Echo's Tales – Review Beloved Enemy
Dec 9th- Shelf Life
Dec 14– Teatime and Books
Dec 14th- Books Dreams Life
Dec 15th- The Reading Spot
Dec 16th- Jazzy Book Reviews
For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)