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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 11 June 2015

Another five star revew for the second book in 'The Destiny Trilogy'


I've just come across this lovely five star review on Amazon!  Thank you so much 'Mainer' - I don't know if you lovely readers realise it, but a review means the world to an author - how else are we to know you enjoyed our books :)  and reviews like this encourage us to go on writing!
 
 (Don't forget to look out for more news of the third in the series, 'Beloved Enemy' -  I'm currently working through edits! The cover will be revealed next Wednesday - and I have to tell you, it's gorgeous! )

REVIEW:  CHILDREN OF THE MIST (A sequel to 'Starquest' and the second in the 'Destiny Trilogy)
June 9, 2015

This is world-building at its finest. Tamarith fell in love with a man she can never have but meets handsome Vidarh who has abilities beyond most of their people. The people in this world are psychics, but have suddenly fallen prey to a deadly disease. They call for help from some old friends (see Starquest, the first book in this series) and then have to fight off invaders. A nice romance in an interesting world.

 Thanks again to everyone who has ever been kind enough to leave me a  review - I really appreciate it!

Tuesday 9 June 2015

An Exclusive Interview with Hawk MacKinney - author of The Cairns of Sainctuarie and other novels

I am really excited to welcome Hawk to the Flight Deck once more and thrilled that he has agreed to share some more about himself and his books.  

Good morning, Hawk - get the service drone to bring you something cool and refreshing while you relax and tell us a little more about yourself, with three things not many people know...

Hawk: OR maybe they do.
1    Ego and confidence make a matched team BUT in no way shies away from giving credit for the help I’ve been fortunate to receive.

2    Getting a genuine thrill out seeing a mind with dreams supported by those they love & love them; watching them train/work/fail/learn/grow & finally blossom into gifted creative artist(s) or trained creative professional(s) in the unbelievable grandeur-architecture of living things…plant or animal to me are the same. Kind’a makes artist & healer the same.

 3   Having had the good fortune to have an expanded education that gave me many doors to use/choose.

HL:   Great answer Hawk, Now ... what do you do for fun when not writing?

Hawk: Read historical non-fiction or the latest scientific quantum revelations out of CERN…some outstanding quantum physics authorities that have a writers-gift few ‘scientist-researchers’ possess…they express their work in terms the person in the street.

HL:  So when did you start writing?


     HAWK: the sixth grade for my class weekly news sheet…a serial mystery.

HL:  Ah, I suspect many of us started writing that way.  I'm curious - what comes first for you: the plot or the characters?

HAWK:  Depends on how the idea strikes me. Title & plot…I carry a notepad with me constantly, or during the night when resolution to a plot slams me wide awake…I luv it.

 HL:   Oh yes, when inspiration calls she (or he) doesn't worry about the time! Tell us about your

latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.

 HAWK: There are 2 latest release, an Ingram thriller, Walking the Pet & Vol-II in the Cairns sci-fi(s), The Missing Planets. Enjoy? Like in any told tale or play or film it’s the identity with the character interplay that’s the interplay of the tale. All else is tasty whipped cream & fresh strawberries.

 HL:   Love the analogy! If someone were to play one of  your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be and why?
       
HAWK:  Probably Travis van Winkle…he started young in castings I’ve never heard of, but I’ll watch R&R action films to get my mind off edits and manuscripts. Character(s) developed during the film(s), as in any of the creative arts, he brings confidence and experience and crafted tools added to screen presence that makes his role(s) living-real. In my sci fi series The Cairns of Sainctuarie, for the Murian protagonist…Keanu Reeves…eyes, facial and physical expression, he can become a poker-faced stoic in a crisis. Same with books. My Since women characters are some my favorites…I’d have to think on that...they’re very special.

 HL:  Aw, it's not always easy casting for your books is it! Have you a favorite actress?  

HAWK: Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland…I’m dating myself, but these actresses don’t need paparazzi or media blitz to be so-called stars. These actresses let their craft speak for them…most certainly not available to cast as young widow of a SEAL.

HL:   They were certainly amazing actors. What have you learned about writing since you were published that surprised you the most? 

HAWK: Characters that step off the pages can hold any plot…example sci-fi OR any tale well-spun.

HL:   Oh I couldn't agree more Hawk, I love it when characters become so real they 'step off the pages' as you say. So what’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

HAWK: Yes and no. Editing is the key. Honesty, sometimes brutal honesty with the figure in the mirror is essential. I don’t think there is “a” single process. One does what is comfortable; writing is so very private. My man-cave solitude is my world when I’m interweaving characters with each other, the plots and within themselves.

HL:  I certainly agree with you about the editing, and the honesty! Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find it  distracts you?
  
HAWK:…the great classics, Chopin, Beethoven, Sibelius, Smetana’s Má vlast 
 
HL:  I rather enjoy listening to the classics myself when I write.  Now, do you have a support system? Do you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them?

HAWK: A support system - yes. A writing community - yes. The most valuable lesson in constructive editing (not criticism but learning) only from individuals with goals/examples I respect…in Southron-speak civilized. I take very hard looks at any decision (including my own) about altering/changing a manuscript/cover/title.

HL:  You are so right.  Sometimes you have to think really hard about prospective changes. Enquiring minds want to know - what is your personal definition of success?

HAWK: Listen to your heart/Learn from those that want to help/Turn mistakes into learning  opportunities.

HL:   That is actually great advice! What is your favorite source of inspiration?

HAWK:  A lifetime of respected smart common-sense individuals, most of them gone, some who helped from a sense of, as you expressed, “…helping to promote [fellow authors] others who work hard to dream/live their dreams.”

HL:  And is there any advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had  been given?

HAWK: Not advice but examples set by those I respect: Believe in your dreams; never say NO to yourself & never quit.

HL:  I think that should be in large letters above every writer or artist's desk! What sort of research do you do for your books and what’s your favorite source of information.

HAWK: Depends a lot on the settings/characters/plots I’ve visited BUT not grown up in and around.    Example: being born and raised in the SoWest (Tex/Ark/Ok) gave me little firsthand touch and feel for the history of The Late Great Unpleasantness…i.e. The War Between the States. Placing ancestors of the serial protagonist in the Ingram mystery series into/against dealing with such a background, and especially in So.Carolina, demanded not stumbling over relevant facts. Being a history nerd was a plus; knowing the details of that upheaval as a background for Moccasin Trace was De rigueur in the French meaning…in strictness. Southron <Scottish origin which you might well be familiar] families in the deep heart of Dixie know their history cold…most of it from family ties. The same for creating a world/language/race/DNA of a species foreign to our spaceship Earth…one can stumble all too easy in such artificial, yet not quite artificial, worlds. Research—digging where the dust-trails take BUT digging in detail. “Ain’t it fun!”

HL:   Absolutely, I love research!  Now, just for fun, if you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?


HAWK: Probably a German shepherd…they’re elegant animals, smart, alert, easily trained & just enough wolf to be loyal to the pack, giving way more than we give them. I miss mine terribly.

 HL:  Aw, I've never had a German shepherd, although I've had dogs (and horses) all my adult life. Shepherds, as you say, are so smart and elegant. Beautiful animals.  Getting back to books, many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them? 

HAWK: Absolutely…characters related to other people are usually victims in my mystery-thriller series. To write from the heart is the only write. To paraphrase Mark Twain, “If you want to know about me, read my books.”

    HL:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
     HAWK:  
                  The Ingram Mystery-Thriller Series
                  Craige Howelle Graeme Roynane Ingram – Craige Ingram serial protagonist
                

                The Cairns of Sainctuarie

                 Vol – I The Bleikovat Event *

                 Klarvkaa Etkaa Celovaa Bremanovaa – The Dowager Empress Klarvkaa

                 Herklo Korvo Celo – Korvion Elder/Korvon clan

                 Vol – II The Missing Planets

                 Eklam a’Qoc – Teratoan apprentice Outpost Terato/from the hamlet of a’Qoc

                 Herklo Korvo Celo – (same clan name/descendent) Chief Oligarch/Grand Duke

                 Vol – III [untitled]
                 Eklam a’Qoc – League Judikarr/Commander Terminus Terato
                 Herklo Korvo Celo – (same clan name) Chief Oligarch/Grand Duke

               Vol – IV [untitled]

               [characters not assigned]


               HL:  Who is your most favorite character of all time from any book?
               
HAWK:  Bernadine Eugénie Désirée Clary, one-time fiancé of Napoléon Bonapart. Discarded in  favor of Josephine; she married General and Marshall of France Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte. She became Dowager Queen of Sweden and Norway, founder of the Bernadotte Dynasty on the throne of Sweden to this day. Ahhh…a tale worthy of Walt Disney…a lesson in history…if we care to look. Even better…if we read.     

HL: Is there a question you really, really wish someone would ask, but they never do?   
If so what would be your reply?

HAWK: Perhaps the connection(s) that stretch from the romance of Moccasin Trace straight thru the descendant(s) of that bloodline & the traditions/duties that shaped the serial protagonist Craige Ingram. Ditto for the dual protagonists in the Cairns series…Eklam a’Qoc & Korvo.

HL:  Hawk, that is probably the most interesting answer I've ever had to that question! :) Thank you so much for taking time to visit my blog, it’s been a thrill having you here and learning more about you and your writing. I wish you much success both now and in the future.


and finally, here is a summary of Hawk's books.



With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention.  Walking the Pet is Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series. The first book in another mystery-thriller series is scheduled for release in 2015. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012. Its sequel, The Missing Planets, has just been released. Readers can connect with Hawk at:

Monday 8 June 2015

Love's Sorrow - free on Kindle

Yes, you read that title right...
Love's Sorrow is FREE on Kindle!! 
Be sure to share this offer with your followers & cyber buds...it's only available for FREE download until Friday!
Love's Sorrow

Means of Mercy #1 by Terri Rochenski
Release Date: April 21, 2014
Genre: Historical Romance
Keywords: Romance, Historical, Series, Civil War, Scotland, 19th Century, America
Hired as a nanny for her cousin’s children, Anne Tearle finds security and a loving family. The children are a dream, but London society is a world of its own, one where a displaced farm girl has no business being. But, wealthy rake, Gavin MacKay, helps her to see associating with the upper class might not be as horrid as she first assumed. 
Like all things worthwhile, love comes at a price, and the cost soon bestows more anguish than joy. Lost, but not undone, Anne must find the courage to begin life anew, or succumb to sorrow's unrelenting waves of grief.
~~~oOo~~~
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT LOVE'S SORROW!

5 Harleys!! - Harlie's Book Reviews
"Do yourself a favor and buy this book.  Put it on the top of your TBR pile and spend a day with Anne and Gavin.  You will feel gutted, stunned and just plain open-mouthed in the end.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you but this book is not to be ignored.  Ms. Rochenski has written a brilliantly, in some ways brutal, book that everyone must read and then come back and cry with me.  Only 7 months until the next book."
 5 Stars! - Amazon Review
"This is not a cookie cutter romance that can be found in every bookstore. I applaud Terri Rochenski for writing the truth about Love. It can be faked, and people learn everyday in all walks of life that they have been used by people that they thought loved them.
I’m excited to see Anne’s journey continues with Love’s Revenge. It is a book I'll definitely read."
5 Stars! - Amazon Review
"I have to admit when I read the blurb and first started reading Love's Sorrow I though it was a very well written but run of the mill historical romance, but don't be mistaken I do not at all regret reading this book in fact I am avidly awaiting the next installment and believe me if I could help Terri Rochenski in any way for it to be out earlier I would."
4 Stars! - Amazon Review
"If you want a feel-good, not-too-realistic romance, don’t read this book. If you want a realistic depiction of London in the 1800s, society’s prejudices, people’s selfishness and love and all its agony, this is the book for you."

Friday 5 June 2015

Viking Heart by Sky Purington


It's a great privilege and pleasure to welcome my dear friend Sky Purington to the Flight Deck once again.  Welcome Sky - and may I say what a gorgeous cover you have - and it matches my blog! LOL


Viking Heart
The MacLomain Series
Viking Ancestors
Book 3
Sky Purington     

Genre:  Time-travel Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication:   June 4, 2015

ASIN:  B00V1653EK

Number of pages:  260
Word Count:  87,000

Cover Artist:  Tamra Westberry

Book Description:

Amber is heartbroken. Supposedly because of a pact made between three ninth century
Viking brothers and Mt. Galdhøpiggen’s seers, her sisters have vanished into the distant past. Struggling with grief, she leans on her part-time fling Sean until even he is torn away. Or so it seems.

Of dragon blood and brother to the king, Kol Sigdir ‘the lucky’ has been determined to avoid his fate since the moment he promised himself, sight unseen, to a woman from the future. He adores all women and it’s no easy thing knowing he has to eventually pledge his heart to just one…until he meets Amber. A spirited artist and musician, she captivates him. When she offers him a soul-deep glimpse at what was missing from his life, he soon wonders how he will ever be able to let her go.

As Kol and Amber grow closer, they face multiple threats. Eager for revenge, King Alrek declares war. To make matters worse, he has an ally nobody could have anticipated. One determined to see everything come to an end.

Hearts struggle, rip apart, and then are rebuilt when the laws of time are tossed aside. A thousand years means nothing when two star-crossed souls are meant to connect. Even so, will the strength of love be enough to withstand a powerful enemy and bridge a gap across time already closed?

Available at   
Amazon    iTunes    Kobo    BN


After receiving another horn of ale, Kol leaned back and eyed Amber with amusement as she stopped in front of the men playing bodhran drums. Unlike her sisters, she seemed to be embracing their society right away or so said the slow sway of her hips. Fortunately, the fires kept it warm enough that she’d removed her cloak, giving him and every other man a pleasurable view of her backside.

And just like him, there was nothing but lust in their eyes.

He didn’t recognize the low growl in his chest and had no idea he was heading in her direction until he was halfway there. Her sisters might be a solid wall of protection around Amber but far too many men were contemplating a way past them. Even with the potential wrath of the king and Raknar coming down on them, several clearly thought the loot well worth the inevitable punishment.

She must have said something about the instrument because Kol had nearly reached Amber when one of the men stopped playing his drum and handed it to her. Red dragon haze skirted the corners of his vision when the musician wrapped his arms around her from behind. Though he was only showing her how to use the drum, Kol also knew he was just as aroused as the men now forming a circle around her.

A dagger at the ready, he stopped beside her sisters and glared at any man willing to meet his eyes…which were few. No, they weren’t just lusting but downright enchanted by Amber. Even his eyes were snagged from protecting her when warm laughter bubbled up from her chest. She tossed her hair over a shoulder and winked at the man behind her. Arms crossed over his chest, Kol was impressed with how smoothly she kept the musician from pressing too close while simultaneously making him feel like the world revolved around him.

He had never seen anything quite like it.

From a woman that is.

Hel, Amber maneuvered a man nearly as well as Kol maneuvered a woman.

And that’s precisely what they did. Made the opposite sex feel special until they tired and moved on to the next. But Kol would bet that like him, she rarely left a man lacking. If anything, she left them happier than they were prior.

“I knew it wouldn’t take her long to make herself at home,” Megan murmured and bumped shoulders with him. “Put away the dagger, Champ. She’ll be all right.”

“I’m sure she will.” But he didn’t put away the dagger. Better that his fellowmen see his intentions…or at least that she was under his protection. Yet even as he tried to keep his attention on the bastards around her, he soon became as enamored as the rest when she held the crossbar beneath with expertise and started playing the drum. She had a way of moving her hand in such a way that the sound made the listener feel the passion within her.

Incredible passion.

Blatant sensuality.

The woman possessed a natural eroticism that simmered beneath the surface of every move she made. Kol watched the speed and roll of her hand, imagining that same hand playing his body with as much talent and hunger. Because there was a definite hunger in the sound she created. One that originated in the depths of her soul. A soul that felt things far more deeply than most.

Though Kol narrowed his eyes at the man behind her, he didn’t need to. Amber was handling him perfectly as she pulled away and nodded her thanks. Then her eyes met the women playing the pipes and she offered a dazzling smile as they caught her beat.

Captivated, he couldn’t decide which part of her he wanted to eye more. Her animated face, the way her hand deftly worked the instrument or the sway of her lovely hips as she moved in synchronization to the beat she created.

About the Author:
Sky Purington is the best-selling author of fifteen novels and several novellas. A New Englander born and bred, Sky was raised hearing stories of folklore, myth and legend. When combined with a love for nature, romance and time-travel, elements from the stories of her youth found release in her books.

Interested in keeping up with Sky's latest news and releases? Visit Sky's website, http://www.skypurington.com to download her free App on iTunes and Android or sign up for her quarterly newsletter. Love social networking? Find Sky on Facebook and Twitter.

Website:   www.skypurington.com






Tour giveaway
  
1 $50 gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
 a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tuesday 2 June 2015

Future's Edge - Book Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway


I'm delighted to welcome Mort Herman to the Flight Deck today, for my stop on his blog tour.  Enjoy hearing more about him and 'Futures Edge' below, and don't forget to enter the Giveaway and follow the other stops on his tour.


Author Bio:

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Mort Herman has a Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. Holder of six patents, he worked at several companies including IBM, Texas Instruments, AT&T and Lucent Technologies where his specialty was semiconductor electronics, systems design, and marketing.

Mort lives on the Jersey shore with his mate Mary Ann. When he’s not writing, Mort is an avid sailor, a wood sculptor, and a charter member of the Arts Society of Keyport. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, he added his technical, artistic, and project management skills to the design and implementation of three, free form concrete sculptures that replaced destroyed public art in the town of Keyport, NJ.

Author Links - 




Book Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Publisher: Amazon
Release Date: September 25, 2014


Book Description:
Most people do not carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. Sam Greenhut does. 
 
By the year 2230, the world is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. All power is harnessed directly from the Earth’s core. A clever integration of neural technology and wireless energy gives rise to the Global Network (GNET), revolutionizing society. Diverse industries operate efficiently under the umbrella of a neurally connected world economy, powered by an unlimited geothermal fuel supply controlled not by Presidents, Sheikhs nor Monarchs, but by a Corporate Federation run by seven individuals.
This is the state of the world when the Corporate Federation charges Sam Greenhut with ensuring GNET’s unquestioned reliability and integrity. 
 
Sam sees a world whose population is totally dependent on GNET, as if the previously admired trait of self-reliance was weaned from the gene pool. Inevitably, the insatiable demand for energy prompts a reckless decision by Corporate Federation board members to expand the geothermal energy lattices. Despite Sam’s protest, the choice to exceed the cautionary “Greenhut Limits” precipitate a string of earthquakes that destroy GNET and plunges the planet into the chaos known as “The Upheaval.”
What happens next fundamentally alters the destiny of the planet and catapults Sam into the center of The Seed – book one in my science fiction trilogy, Future’s Edge.


Excerpt:

With the village stabilized and work preparations for the upcoming season proceeding smoothly, it was finally time for Kappi and Elizabeth to depart – a little later than usual, but still in time to be comfortably cradled between winter and spring. They left Tyber in the capable hands of the core group of people who had been with Kappi since the beginning of their enterprise. As agreed, Frank stayed behind to carry out his primary job of caring for the puppies. This was to be Kappi’s and Elizabeth’s alone time.
Their preparations were simple and swift. They chose to take their three favorite dogs led by Jupiter, the oldest, strongest, and most even-keeled of the lot. He had the experience to tame any wild or unsafe actions of the other dogs and could administer discipline when needed. Tassi (Tassiorpok, the guide) was the youngest and she possessed the keenest of senses. When there was uncertainty concerning the weather, a sound, or what path was the safest, Tassi was the one all looked at for guidance. Lastly, there was Angus (Angusuktok, the good hunter). Angus could smell prey for several kilometers and understood by verbal command what animal Kappi and Elizabeth wanted him to seek. This proud team was considered a vital, integral part of their family.
Off they went on their adventure with their dogs carrying food, supplies, clothing, hunting weapons and tools. They were finally able to leave behind the realities of the real world. There was no need to discuss their destination. Each knew instinctively where they would go.
With Tassi in the lead, Kappi provided the verbal commands that guided them toward a special hidden river valley. In the summer months, the river would flow freely, but now it was completely iced over. Tassi understood where Kappi wanted to go, and he let Tassi guide them with little intervention.
Elizabeth and Kappi were struck by the sheer majesty of this place even though they had been there before. Their place, which they called Uyaraut (meaning “precious stone” in the Inuit language), was bounded on three sides by cliffs providing a magnificent vista of the frozen river valley as it stretched for kilometers between the Arctic Ocean on the north end and the cloud-topped mountains to the south. Their camp was about halfway down the steep slope on a relatively flat area with a deep cave at the most easterly point. Uyaraut presented a perfect view of the sunset at this time of year. The setting provided shelter from the strong winds relentlessly funneling across the treeless, snow-encapsulated tundra.
Throughout their stay, Kappi and Elizabeth hardly uttered ten words to each other. In Uyaraut, they let in the solitude, the silence, their heartbeats, their individual breaths and all that surrounded them. It was an empathic event for Kappi and Elizabeth and it bridged the barrier of mental separateness intrinsic to humans. Uyaraut acted as an amplifier…