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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'.

Thursday 24 October 2013

Melissa Douthit - Review of 'The Return'

I am thrilled to be part of Melissa Douthit's blog tour - and to have had the chance to review 'The Return' the third and final part of the series that started with 'The Raie'Chaelia.'


After the fall from the Maaldan cliff, Chalice is reunited with her friends on a journey that takes them to the coastline of Ielieria.  Little do Vlaad and his Fierain know what is in store for them , as bit by bit, their plans are thwarted by this blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty.

The small band of rebels then travels across the Realm, preparing it for war, while Chalice herself is brewing plans of her own that may just land her in the hot seat.  What will happen when she returns her father to the throne?  What will happen when he finds out what she has done?  And ... what will happen once Dar'Maalda learns of the rebels' location? In the third and final novel of the trilogy, The Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, you find out.  It is a dramatic finish to an epic story of action, adventure, betrayal, forgiveness and love.

My Review

I was looking forward to reading this story and I was not disappointed. It continues where the last book 'The Firelight Of Maalda' finished and is an exciting, breathtaking ride. Chalice  is eighteen in this story and it is interesting to see how much she has changed and grown up since the first book.  She is still feisty, very independent and at times fiercely stubborn and firm in her resolve when she believes a certain course of action is the right one, despite misgivings from those around her, even her one true love, Jeremiah.

She makes mistakes, she is not perfect, or always right, despite her special abilities, and this is one of the things that make her  very easy to like and to relate to. Jeremiah is strong, sweet and gentle, and knows just how to handle her. Their mutual respect and affection comes through the pages very clearly and they are perfectly suited. Sadly, their differing cultures mean they cannot marry, but they are in every other way man and wife, and the dilemma is resolved in a surprising manner at the end.The love scenes are hinted at without actually being described and this is a great read, suitable for any age group from Young Adult upwards.

The story is by turns, gripping, exciting and moving. It kept me turning the pages and much as I wanted to discover how it all turned out, I did not want it to end.  This is  an epic story, spanning three volumes,  I think  you could read 'The Return' without reading the other stories in the series, and still enjoy it, but they are all three worth the read and the various characters and groups will  be much easier to follow if they are all read, chronologically.)  The series  has a 'Tolkeinesque' feel but is completely fresh and original and Melissa has created a world in which the reader can feel completely at home. The fantasy and magical elements in it are have a rationale and are therefore believable, and there are familiar animals as well as imaginary ones.

I was sorry that Chalice lost 'Sunny' the beloved palomino horse given her by her father, but the beautiful horse that graces the cover, Nipha, is a worthy successor and an important character herself. There are several twists and turns to this exciting story, and the climax had me on the edge of my seat. As the story concludes there is an unexpected but satisfying twist.

I really enjoyed 'The Return' and felt sorry that there would be no more - or will there?

I think perhaps there's scope for at least one more episode, Ms Douthit?

A Review copy of this book was provided by the author. No compensation was received for this review and it is my own personal and unbiased opinion.

Melissa’s websiteFacebook, and Twitter
Buy 'The Return' at Amazon Kobo and 
B&N
   
*Be sure to check out the wonderful giveaway that Melissa is holding for a free eReader or a $75Amazon gift certificate. *

Follow Melissa on her book Tour HERE


Tuesday 22 October 2013

The Tempest Murders




The Tempest Murders


by p.m. Terrell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

A provocative story of a love that spans centuries, of soul mates found, lost and reunited… and the lengths to which one man will go to change their destiny.

Irish Detective Ryan O’Clery is working a series of homicides in America when he discovers a journal written by an uncle, Constable Rian Kelly, five generations earlier. The journal detailed the same type of murders as the worst storm in Ireland’s history slammed into the island in 1839.

As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the North Carolina coastline, Ryan discovers even the killer’s description matches his cases exactly. And as he falls in love with television reporter Cathleen Reilly, he begins to wonder if she is the reincarnation of Caitlin O’Conor, Rian Kelly’s lover—the woman who was lost to the killer as the storm raged in Ireland—and if he is the reincarnation of Constable Rian Kelly.

Now he’s in a race to rescue Cathleen before the killer finds her—or is history destined to repeat itself?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

“I know you too well,” Claire said. “You’re wanting the story of Caitlín O’Conor, aren’t you?”

“Who?”

She smiled. “Her name was Caitlín O’Conor. She was supposedly the great love of Ríán Kelly’s life. It was a star-crossed love story. Her father was a prominent man in the village and Ríán was a ‘lowly county inspector’ and though they were deeply in love, her father would not permit Ríán to ask for her hand in marriage.”

He felt his chest tighten and he sipped his coffee to avoid Claire’s piercing eyes.

“The tale is that they sneaked around for years; everybody knew it. Everybody except Caitlín’s father, that is. They were madly in love.” She sighed wistfully.

“What happened?” He kept his eyes on his coffee. “Did she marry someone else?”

“Her father died. Quite unexpectedly. Heart simply stopped. And without him in the way, they were clear to be married.” She brushed non-existent crumbs from the countertop before continuing. “He asked for her hand in marriage on New Year’s Eve. Let’s see, I believe it was 1838. Yes, that’s right. December 31, 1838.”

“How can you be so certain of the date?”

“Because seven days later, Caitlín was dead.”

His head jerked up and he stared into Claire’s eyes. They were as green as the fields of Ireland and now she cocked her head and eyed him curiously.

“He’d gone to Dublin, so the story goes,” she continued slowly.

“Ríán Kelly.”

“Aye. He’d been called away on business. And as Fate would have it, the great flood came while he was gone and Caitlín was swept away. It was January 6, 1839—Epiphany.” Her voice took on a whispered note as though she was telling a ghost story. “There were those in the faith who had forecast the end of the world would occur on January 6, 1839—the day of Epiphany. So when the air grew completely still, so still they could hear the voices of neighbors miles apart, there were some who thought the end was near.”

He waited for her to continue. His cheeks were growing flush and he could feel beads of sweat beginning to pop out across his brow. “What happened then?”

“By nightfall, there were gale force winds. They moved from the western coast of Ireland all the way to Dublin, where Ríán Kelly had traveled. Some said the winds were accompanied by an eerie moan, a rumbling of sorts. But not thunder; it was a sound never heard before nor since. It increased as the winds grew. And then the northern sky turned a shade of red that had never been seen before.

“Well, so the myth goes, Ríán Kelly left Dublin immediately. It was a miracle he made it back to the village at all. He traveled through the night, in the rain and the hail, with the winds all about him. Bridges had been washed away; the wind had been so strong—stronger than anything Ireland had experienced in more than three hundred years—so strong that it whipped the Atlantic into a fury and pushed it all the way across the island. Streams and creeks became raging rivers. Whole villages were wiped out. Even some of the castles were beyond repair.”

He rested his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands.

“You’re sure you don’t want to lie down, Re? You look as if you might faint.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “What happened when Ríán Kelly reached his village?”

“It was gone. Oh, there were a few buildings still intact. The church, for one. But Caitlín O’Conor’s home had been washed away. There was no sign of Caitlín.”

“So that’s where the story ends, does it?”

“Oh, no. I suppose it’s where it just begins.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than eighteen books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee and her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. 

She sits on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library and the Robeson County Arts Council. She has also served on the boards of Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com, follow her on Twitter at @pmterrell, her blog at www.pmterrell.blogspot.com, and on Facebook under author.p.m.terrell.

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tempest-Murders-ebook/dp/B00EOAFTYY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377895714&sr=1-2&keywords=the+tempest+murders


HOW I GET TO KNOW MY CHARACTERS

I have to say that writing the characters of Irishmen Ryan O’Clery in The Tempest Murders and Dylan Maguire in the Black Swamp Mysteries series have been the most enjoyable experiences of my writing career.

I knew when I was writing Vicki’s Key, the first book to feature Dylan Maguire, that I needed a man Vicki would fall for quickly—and intensely. I researched what women like best by going to online surveys conducted by national women’s magazines. I found that the most loved accents in the world are Scottish, followed by Irish and then by Australians.

I considered making Dylan (who at that point was unnamed) Scottish, but decided I liked the smoother Irish brogue and their reputation for good humor. I immersed myself in the Irish accent; much of it found on YouTube videos. Because most of those videos were home movies, it allowed me to understand the common Irish language versus the Hollywood version.

I also discovered there is a big difference in Irish in the west, in rural regions, and in large cities. So when I began writing The Tempest Murders, which takes place partially near Dublin, I would have to write with a more educated Irish vocabulary than Dylan’s rural upbringing in my previous books.

My family’s heritage is Irish and in delving into the Irish culture and physical characteristics, there was never any doubt that both Ryan and Dylan would have black hair. Ryan’s eyes are very green (like my father’s) and Dylan’s is hazel (like my mother’s).

Height is often a factor in attractiveness, so both men are tall. And of course, they’re muscular and fit.

Personality is often driven by the plot itself. Because it was important for Vicki to fall in love with Dylan in Vicki’s Key, he needed to be good-humored and good-natured. But when I wrote The Tempest Murders, it begins with a man who feels like he’s lost himself—or perhaps never found himself—so Ryan is more brooding and introverted in the beginning, but finds himself when he falls in love with Cathleen Reilly, becoming capable of deep passion and love.

When I am writing, it is important that these characters be as real to me as flesh-and-blood; they must be multi-dimensional and multi-faceted for the reader to be able to feel them, view them and sense them as vividly as I do.

P.M. will be awarding this lovely Celtic bracelet (US only) to a randomly drawn 
commenter during the tour.





To follow the tour please click on banner above - the more stops you comment on the better your chance of winning!


Monday 21 October 2013

The Seduction of Emily


New Blog Tour Sign-Up: The Seduction of Emily by Rachel Brimble

It's my great pleasure to welcome fellow 'Brit' writer Rachel Brimble to the Flight Deck today. Welcome Rachel, make yourself at home, enjoy a glass of something sparkling, and without further ado, let's here all about your latest release, THE SEDUCTION OF EMILY

Seduction is a wicked game, and no one plays it better  than the devilish Will Samson in Rachel Brimble's  captivating new novel. . .

Since girlhood, Emily Darson has accepted that she will  marry Nicholas, the son of her father's trusted business  partner. The marriage contract safeguards her family  legacy, Emily's fortune, and everything she values--  except her independence. Only when a sinfully  handsome scoundrel enters her life does Emily realize  quite how much a loveless match will cost her.

 Will Samson has advanced from expert pickpocket to  confidence trickster of the highest caliber. Now he has  come to Bath to exact vengeance on the man who  destroyed his mother--the man Emily will soon marry.  But from his first glimpse of the enemy's bewitching,  spirited fiance, Will's plan changes.


Amid the ballrooms and salons of elegant society, heated glances explode into scandalous kisses. Revenge is sweet, but surrender will be irresistible.



BIO

I live with my fantastic husband, our two young daughters and my beloved black Labrador, Max in a small market town near the famous Georgian City of Bath. Having always ‘played’ with writing, I didn’t seriously sit down and write toward publication until I became pregnant with my second daughter – then I told myself to get my butt in the chair and get on with it before she grows up and I’m forced to get a real job!

My first novel was published with The Wild Rose Press in 2007 and since then at least one book a year has followed. In 2012, I signed contracts with Harlequin Superromance (romantic suspense) and Kensington (Victorian romance). They will be available in February and April 2013 respectively.

And when I’m not writing? You’ll find me with my head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with my family. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is 
never, ever refused.



Friday 18 October 2013

The Fort Pitt Museum

What a place to get inspiration for an historical romance novel! I loved the little tableaus of people and events.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Blockhouse at Fort Pitt Museum







 What a fascinating place this was! I love museums, especially ones like this that bring history to life!

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Who would expect to find a waterfall in the middle of the city?

I can't believe it's three weeks since I was on holiday in the US with my hubby and dear friend and Author Roast co-hostess Mary.  It was great to meet up with Mary again, and also with Mary Beth, Sharon Donovan's lovely sister, who took us for lunch with Sharon's parents, who are such a special couple.

We had a fantastic time and below is a short video clip I took while we were in Pittsburgh. What a beautiful city, so many trees and fountains. I am a country lover but have to admit I certainly fell in love with Pittsburgh. We had a riverboat barbecue cruise starting on the Mon, and then going up the Ohio and Allegheny rivers, and visited the Pitt Museum among other things, before meeting up with Mary to travel on to Ohio and the Dreamhorse Guesthouse where we stayed last year. Cat and Allan treated us like family and it is such a lovely place, in the heart of Amish country, with four beautiful horses and a real character of a cat, called Woofie.

I'll try and put some more pictures up in the next week or so. We made wonderful memories and renewed friendships. Who could ask for more




The view from our hotel room
We walked to the fountain we could see from our hotel room







Me, Mary Beth and Dave about to take a triip on the three  rivers