Kill Call Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the KILL CALL by Jeff Wooten Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

KILL CALL
Author: Jeff Wooten
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Publisher: CamCat Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/KILL-CALL

Dreams do come true. It’s Jude's job to make sure they don’t.

Born with the curse of prophetic nightmares, Jude sees violent murders through the eyes of the killer before they happen. His father, who shares Jude’s dark gift, has trained Jude since birth to save the innocent and to kill the killer. A life for a life―it’s the only way.

But everything goes awry when Hanna Smith, the young woman he was supposed to save, rescues herself instead, and catches Jude in her home. Fate isn’t inescapable, but it demands balance. While Hanna may be safe for now, Jude knows that the killer will strike again, only next time there will be no warning. Jude must now find the killer on his own, without the visions to aid him, in order to carry out the task he’s been training for before it’s too late.

 Book Playlist

Music affects our brains. It’s verifiable with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. When we listen to music, our limbic system lights up like an American sky on the 4th of July. The limbic system is a set of brain structures that filter and affect emotions. As a physical therapist, we see positive reactions with patients with dementia when we let them listen to music. The exact relationship between cognitive function and music is unclear, but it is undeniable.

I say all this to say this. Music makes me want to write. Music inspires me to write. Music motivates me to write.

I understand that some writers can’t have music playing while they work. And that is what it is, but for me, I’m not sure I would have written KILL CALL or anything I’ve written if not for music.

Specifically, eighties alternative. That music puts me in a state of creativity instantly. Not sure why. Maybe because I was a little kid in the eighties. It gives me a sense of nostalgia that just makes me happy. Also, it’s amazing music. Give me a song that tells a story like Human League’s, Don’t You Want Me.

You know it, come on sing it with me:

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar

Right? Good stuff.

It’s the first music I remember, too. I firmly believe you will be a fan of the music you grew up with for the rest of your life. You may like other music, but that music from 5ish to 25ish will be with you forever.

The other music I listen to while writing is the Pandora channel Hipster Barbeque.

This one is anyone’s guess. I’m not positive what a hipster is, but I am certain I ain’t one of them. No hate, just facts. I do enjoy a good barbeque, though, but I need to know who’s bringing the potato salad, because I’m very particular about my potato based salads.

Jeff Wooten lives in Arkansas with his wife, three kids, and one dog. He is a physical therapist that works with adults and kids with orthopedic issues.

Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

 

(1) winner will receive a finished copy of KILL CALL - US Only.

Ends March 15th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/12/2024	Writer of Wrongs	Excerpt/IG Post
2/13/2024	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post
2/14/2024	Kountry Girl Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
2/15/2024	@darkfantasyreviews	IG Post
2/16/2024	jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Post/TikTok Post
2/17/2024	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post/IG Post

Week Two:

2/18/2024	YA Books Central	Interview/IG Post
2/19/2024	Little Red Reads	Excerpt/IG Post
2/20/2024	Callisto’s calling	IG Review
2/21/2024	@dana.loves.books	IG Review/TikTok Post
2/22/2024	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Blog Spotlight/IG Spotlight
2/23/2024	GryffindorBookishnerd	IG Review
2/24/2024	@bookish_aly_cat	IG Post

Week Three:

2/25/2024	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
2/26/2024	@books.mo.reads	Review/IG Post
2/27/2024	@thepagelady	IG Review
2/28/2024	Books and Zebras	IG Review
2/29/2024	The Momma Spot	Review
3/1/2024	@anitralovesbooksanddogs	IG Review
3/2/2024	@evergirl200	IG Review

Week Four:

3/3/2024	@enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
3/4/2024	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post
3/5/2024	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
3/6/2024	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
3/7/2024	Confessions Of The Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
3/8/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post

The Night Island Blog Tour: Excerpt

The Night Island (Lost Night Files #2)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: January 9, 2024
Publisher: Berkley

Description:

The disappearance of a mysterious informant leads two people desperate for answers to an island of deadly deception in the second novel of the Lost Night Files trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz.

Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, bonded by a night they all have no memory of, are dedicated to uncovering the mystery of what really happened to them months ago—an experience that brought out innate psychic abilities in each of them. The women suspect they were test subjects years earlier, and that there are more people like them—all they have to do is find the list. When Talia follows up on a lead from Phoebe, a fan of the trio’s podcast, she discovers that the informant has vanished.

Talia isn’t the only one looking for Phoebe, however. Luke Rand, a hunted and haunted man who is chasing the same list that Talia is after, also shows up at the meeting place. It’s clear he has his own agenda, and they are instantly suspicious of each other. But when a killer begins to stalk them, they realize they have to join forces to find Phoebe and the list.

The rocky investigation leads Talia and Luke to a rustic, remote retreat on Night Island in the Pacific Northwest. The retreat promises to rejuvenate guests with the Unplugged Experience. Upon their arrival, Talia and Luke discover guests are quite literally cut off from the outside world because none of their high-tech devices work on the island. It soon becomes clear that Phoebe is not the first person to disappear into the strange gardens that surround the Unplugged Experience retreat. And then the first mysterious death occurs...

There would be nightmares again tonight. 

She'd always had a knack for finding misplaced keys, glasses, and pets. She was fine with that. But her new psychic ability for tracking down the bodies of those who had died by violence was not only depressing but frequently led to anxiety attacks and disturbing dreams. 

Why couldn't it have been a talent for something more positive-like, say, picking winning lottery numbers? Why did it have to be dead bodies? 

Talia March clenched the dead man's gold cuff link in one hand, gathered her nerve, and flattened her other hand against the metal side of the industrial-sized trash bin. She was braced mentally and physically, her core Pilates-tight; nevertheless, the jolt of psychic lightning rattled her nerves and her senses. In the past few months she had learned that the energy laid down by violence always came as a shock. 

She had finally figured out that what she detected with her new ability was the psychic stain of the killer's emotions-or lack thereof-and the pain and fear of the victim. It made for a toxic brew that seeped into the crime scene and, to her, was as obvious as a pool of blood. 

She was aware of a weak frisson emanating from the cuff link. The owner was dead but the item that he had worn frequently in life was still infused with the hollow echo of his vibe. 

She could work with almost any object that had belonged to the missing or the deceased, but over the course of the past several months she had learned that some materials absorbed and reflected paranormal energy more efficiently than others. Gold was a particularly strong conductor, almost as good as crystal. 

"Shit," she whispered. She took a quick step back. "He's in there." 

Roger Gossard, the head of Gossard Consulting, a crime scene consulting company, studied the trash bin with a pained expression. "Are you sure?" 

"You hired me for my best guess," she said. "This is it." 

Roger grunted but he did not argue or demand more details. He knew better than to ask her to explain her conclusion. He looked at the unhappy man wearing a security guard uniform emblazoned with the logo of the company that controlled the loading dock. 

"Okay if we take a look?" Roger said. "We need to find out for sure if there's a body inside before we call the police." 

The security guard shrugged. "Boss says I'm supposed to cooperate but I'm telling you right now I'm not going into that bin to look for a dead body. You're on your own." 

"Right." Roger switched his attention to the two members of his team who were waiting for instructions. "Bailey and Thomas, take a look. We need to make sure." 

Grim but resigned, the pair pulled on heavy gloves, climbed into the bin, and went to work sorting through the trash generated by the several hundred office workers employed in the building.

Talia retreated to the front of the loading dock and contemplated the view of the alley. The rain was coming down in the steady way that was typical of Seattle in the late fall. The heavy skies indicated the weather was not going to change anytime soon. The Big Gray was just getting started. 

In the past she had been comfortable with the drama of the city's dark season. But the night she had lost to amnesia had changed a lot of things. Now she was aware of a relentless sense of urgency simmering just beneath the surface, a sensation that was intensified by the late dawns and early twilights. 

She tuned out the noise of the trash bin excavation process and opened her phone. There was no new text from her mysterious informant. She was starting to lose hope. Maybe she had been conned. It was a discouraging thought because the lead had appeared so promising. 

"Looks like we found Clayton, boss," Bailey called. "Wrapped in plastic sheeting. Not a pretty sight."

Excerpted from The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz Copyright © 2024 by Jayne Ann Krentz. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. Learn more online at www.jayneannkrentz.com. 

Photo Credit: Marc von Borstel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zone Blog Tour: Spotlight + Giveaway

 

The Zone

Author: Stu Jones
Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Publisher: Dropship Publishing

Blade Runner meets Judge Dread and The Running Man in this no-holds-barred cyberpunk thriller from Dragon Award Nominee Stu Jones. Start this neon-soaked thrill ride today!

In a tech-addicted dystopia, a young cop struggling to survive is forced into a high-octane gladiatorial grudge match, where sinister corporate overlords pull the strings and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.

ONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT

In the super-city of Neo Terminus, millions of tech-addicted fans surround a walled-off inner-city wasteland to watch nano-boosted gladiators called Enforcers fight to the death in the Conglomerate-controlled event known as The Zone. Enforcers are promised wealth and celebrity—if they survive.

Officer Chance Griffin fights to clean up the mean streets of Neo Terminus, and scrape together enough money for his infant son’s vital surgery. Driven by his family’s need, Chance signs on as an Enforcer for The Conglomerate.

As Chance rises to the top of the Enforcer ranks, The Glom’s mysterious Founders coerce him into competing in the greatest Zone trial ever conceived. Chance knows he’s the favorite to win. He believes his family is safe. He believes his son will get the medical care he urgently needs.

Chance is wrong.

Too late, he uncovers a plot by The Glom to rig the trial and enslave the citizens of Neo Terminus, ensuring obedience—forever.

Blinded by fame and fortune, and used as a pawn by the corporate machine, Chance resists. But he is about to discover that every deal with the devil has its price…

You can purchase The Zone at the following Retailers:

        

Photo Content from Stu Jones

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Jones served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force - hunting the worst of the worst.​

A Dragon Award Nominee, Jones is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology and Condition Black, written with co-author Gareth Worthington (Children of the Fifth Sun, A Time for Monsters).

Known for his infectious storytelling and blistering action, Jones strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

Jones is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain literary. He lives in Alabama with his wife, two children, and a golden-doodle who thinks he's human.

        

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

WEEK ONE

JULY 10th MONDAY Cover2CoverBlog EXCERPT

JULY 11th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd EXCERPT

JULY 12th WEDNESDAY A Bronx Latina Reads REVIEW

JULY 13th THURSDAY fundinmental REVIEW

JULY 14th FRIDAY Casia's Corner REVIEW

WEEK TWO

JULY 17th MONDAY TTC Books and More REVIEW

JULY 18th TUESDAY FUONLYKNEW REVIEW

JULY 19th WEDNESDAY Rajiv's Reviews REVIEW

JULY 20th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

JULY 21st FRIDAY Insane About Books REVIEW

WEEK THREE

JULY 24th MONDAY Movies, Shows, & Books REVIEW

JULY 25th TUESDAY Laura's Bookish Life REVIEW

JULY 26th WEDNESDAY #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee REVIEW

JULY 27th THURSDAY Living in a Bookworld EXCERPT

 

Bailey McKenzie, Crime Scene Specialist Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BAILEY MCKENZIE, CRIME SCENE SPECIALIST by Tina R. Young Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

BAILEY MCKENZIE, CRIME SCENE SPECIALIST
Author: Tina R. Young
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Publisher: Emerald House Group, Incorporated
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: June 6, 2023

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/BAILEY-MCKENZIE-CRIME-SCENE-SPECIALIST

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited membership!

With a mom in forensics and a dad on the police force, it’s no wonder that fourteen-year-old Bailey McKenzie has her sights set on working in the field of law enforcement as well. When she and her friends are given the opportunity to be junior forensic interns for the summer with her mother leading them, Bailey jumps at the chance to get a start on her career.

But investigating a murder scene takes a personal turn when the team, specifically Bailey, comes under attack and their lives are placed in danger. As the team continues to try to put the pieces together, can they depend on God to help them figure out who the murderer is and catch the criminal before it’s too late? Or will Bailey’s dreams of fighting for justice never become a reality?

Bailey must follow the clues to answer these questions. But through it all, Bailey must learn to decide who she can trust and place her faith in the One Who will never let her down.

ENDORSEMENTS
“Twenty-five years ago, Tina R. Young started her forensics career as a Crime Scene Specialist at the National City Police Department. Her creation of Bailey McKenzie, Crime Scene Specialist provides teens and young adults with an exciting adventure and technical knowledge of the fascinating world of crime scene investigations.” Jose Tellez, Police Chief, NCPD, National City, California

“Tina’s life work and passions are expressed in Bailey McKenzie, Crime Scene Specialist. This wholesome forensic novel for teens and young adults will lead the reader through a crime scene investigation as they analyze clues and learn real world forensics applications all while being entertained by the interactions of Bailey and her crime scene team!” Marie Durina, Senior Forensic Document Examiner and Forensic Evidence Technician (retired), San Diego County Sheriff’s Regional Crime Laboratory

 

 Top 5 Favorite Scenes and Why

1. Chapter 1 The Crime Scene Team – I love the introduction and the excitement of going to a crime scene. It’s the introduction to all of the characters and who they are as individuals and as law enforcement and forensic professionals.

2. Chapter 2 A Triple Homicide – This chapter describes the crime scene and real-life forensic technology techniques. I love teaching forensic technology and I loved describing the forensic applications to the reader.

3. Chapter 5 Team Building – This chapter allows the reader to learn more about the characters and I enjoyed the interactions they had with one another. I also very much enjoyed writing about Papa McKenzie, Bailey’s Scottish grandfather who was inspired by my Scottish father-in-law.

4. Chapter 6 Fingerprints Rock – Similar to Chapter 2, this chapter describes forensic techniques, but the location is within the lab, rather than the crime scene. This chapter allows the reader to have an understanding of forensic techniques inside the crime laboratory.

5. Chapter 11 10-16 – This is the final chapter in which Bailey almost dies; Jake saves her life; and Bailey gets her first kiss. It’s an exciting page-turner and I believe this chapter had my best creative writing within the book. Other chapters contained technical writing, which comes more natural to me, so I enjoy the creativity of this chapter and I enjoy the ending of the book (which is a good segway to a second book.)

Tina Young is a Professor in the Administration of Justice Department at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California, where she teaches basic and advanced forensic technology and forensic photography courses, as well as California State-certified forensic technology and bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) courses. She is a private BPA practitioner and has testified as a BPA expert witness in San Diego, Riverside, and Los Angeles County Superior Court. She has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Forensic Sciences degree. Since July, 2007, she has maintained certification as a Certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst through the International Association for Identification.

Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

(1) winner will receive a finished copy of BAILEY MCKENZIE, CRIME SCENE SPECIALIST - US Only.

Ends July 11th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/26/2023	@evergirl200	IG Review
6/27/2023	YA Books Central	Interview/IG Post
6/27/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
6/28/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review
6/29/2023	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
6/29/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post/IG Post
6/30/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post

Week Two:

7/3/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
7/3/2023	bookgirlbrown_reviews	Review/IG Post
7/4/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
7/5/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
7/5/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review/TikTok Post
7/6/2023	@dharashahauthor	IG Post
7/7/2023	@pagesforpaige	IG Review
7/7/2023	Books and Zebras	IG Review