Monday, July 27, 2020

Character Q&A: Basil Stark of Misha Handman's SHADOW STITCHER




Character Interview Day! Today's guest is Basil Stark from inside the pages of SHADOW STITCHER by Misha Handman.  It is a pleasure to have him with us at The Literary Nook!


What is your name?

Basil Stark. A few people call me “Gentleman Starkey”, but only if they’re trying to upset me.

What do you look like?

I liked to think that I look like a man who’s lived a good life. A friend once told me that I looked like ‘a ragged sharp-nosed Humphrey Bogart wannabe.’ I take it as a compliment.

Where are you today and what are you doing?

I’m following up on some leads for my latest investigation. I expect it’s going to involve going down to Marooner’s Bay to chat with a pair of suspicious mermaids, which I am not looking forward to because they inevitably try to drown me.

Describe the outside of your home.

I’m fortunate enough to have been allowed to build a home on Piccadilly territory, so it’s fairly standard for the area – slat sides, low roof, a small vegetable garden that, if I’m being honest, is mainly tended by some well-meaning neighbors, and a good community around me. 

You come face to face with your worst enemy. How do you react?

Resignation, followed by terror, followed by death. If I ever have to face the Pan again, I doubt I’ll survive the experience. Fortunately, he’s long since gone from the island.

At least, everyone keeps telling me that.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

In my line of work, I’m up more nights than mornings, so I’ve become a night owl over time.

A police officer stops you for a minor violation. What violation is that and how do you react?

Now that is a difficult one. I’m stopped for a lot of minor violations. It’s probably trespassing, though. I usually try to keep my cool, but one way or another it generally means a night in jail. The Commissioner quite likes having an excuse to lock me up for a bit, just to annoy me.

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

My old World War I greatcoat. I think it makes me look fairly dashing.

Do you have any phobias? What are they and how intense are they? How have they impacted your life?

I was afraid of swimming for a very long time, after a very bad day. I’ve mostly pushed through it, now, but it gives me the shivers from time to time. 

Open your wallet, purse, or briefcase. What do you find?

My wallet has a few bills of various denominations, a pair of business cards in case I need to give someone contact information, and a small matchbook. I don’t smoke, mind you, but enough people do, and it’s always nice to have a source of fire to scare off monstrous things.

You move into a new home. What's the first thing you buy for it?

A set of good locks.

How do you feel about mortality?

All too used to it, but I’m not quite looking forward to it.

What scares you?

Failure.

Oh, I’m not exactly calm when I’m in a deadly situation, but I can work through that. It’s failing others that I really don’t care for.

How would your parents describe you?

Hah. They would have said that I was a disappointment, if they ever bothered to mention me at all. Haven’t seen them since I was barely more than a child, and good riddance.

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed at night?

Clean my pistol, make sure it isn’t loaded, and put it by the bed.

Who is your best friend?

Probably Niall. He’s a researcher at Second Star, and we’ve had a long and complex life together. There are people that I’m closer to, but they’re all family.

Who is your worst enemy?

Whoever is currently trying to kill me.

Are you faith-oriented?

Not particularly.

Are you married or in a relationship?

Definitely not. Did Plum put you up to that question?

Do you have children?

… next question, please.

Where is your favorite hangout?

Oh, it would have to be

You are at the zoo. What is your favorite animal?

When I was younger it was tigers, but they keep trying to eat me, so the shine has gone off. These days? I honestly just have a soft spot for penguins. They’re quite determined out of their element, and so graceful within it. It’s good to see.

You just woke up to find that war has been declared. What’s the first thing you would do?

I try not to drink unless things are pretty bad. I think that qualifies.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Independent.

If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would that be?

I’ve spent many years trying develop a sense of hope. I’m not quite there. I would very much like to be, though.


 
 
About the Book  
 

Basil Stark isn’t the man he once was. A reformed pirate and private detective, he walks the line between criminal and hero, living in the corners of what was once the island of Neverland, its magic slowly fading into the new world of the 1950s.

When a routine missing-persons case turns into a murder investigation, Basil finds himself pulled into a tale of organized crime, murder, unstitched shadows and dangerous espionage. With only a handful of fellow outcasts and a stubborn determination to bring a killer to justice, will he survive the many people who want him dead?

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1770531998/
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadow-stitcher-misha-handman/1132633222


 

About the Author 

Born on Vancouver Island, Canada, Misha Handman spent his early life immersed in the arts, with one parent a teacher and the other a manager of theatre and opera. Moving across the country to Ottawa, and then Toronto, he began writing at a young age – first writing comics and designing card games for his closest friends and then, buoyed by their approval, gradually expanding out to submissions to magazines and short story collections, and graduating from the University of Toronto with a classic English degree.
Misha has always believed in the importance of entertainment to our health and well-being. He is also interested in our shared fictional history, working in game design to develop collaborative games and story-driven experiences and exploring the new worlds that we are sharing. His fascination with these things led to the development of his first novel, Shadow Stitcher, as an exploration of the English classic “Peter Pan.”
When not writing, Misha spends his time in Victoria, Canada, working as a professional fundraiser for charities – a job he describes as “helping people to help people.” He continues to work on game design on the side, and is always excited to see the myriad ways that people approach story construction and creation, both as a voracious reader of genre fiction and a dedicated player of games.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.mishahandman.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/frivyeti
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmhandman/

Monday, July 20, 2020

Book Blast: 8 Minutes a Day to Make an A! by Pamela L. Johnson





  

Inside the Book:




Title: 8 Minutes a Day to Make an A!
Author: Pamela L. Johnson
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Self-Help/Self-Management
Format: Paperback/Hardcover

Using this System, your child can go from D's and F's to A's and B's within 4-6 weeks and stay there! Your child will also remember to do routines and chores without having to be reminded.

Purchase Here

Meet the Author:
A former educator and owner/operator of learning centers, Pam Johnson was diagnosed ADHD and had most of the same problems in school that her students were having. She had learned over the years how to compensate for her different learning style and lack of organization, and knew what would work for her students .These compensation techniques were incorporated into her Centers. Her students went from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s within 4-6 weeks. These compensation techniques were incorporated successfully into her Centers using her “Study Quick" System. Mrs. Johnson also started the first ADHD Support Group for Parents in Hixson, Tennessee to help parents learn to help their children quickly learn routines and structure at home without having to constantly remind them. Every parent who used these techniques and was consistent had immediate success!iveaway

Pamela is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

  
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins July 26 and ends on August 7.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on August 8.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone! 

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Tour Schedule

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Character Interview with MacKenzie Fraser of Susan Wingate's HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS




Character Interview Day! Today's guest is MacKenzie Fraser from inside the pages of HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS by Susan Wingate.  It is a pleasure to have her with us at The Literary Nook!


What is your name?

My name is MacKenzie Fraser.

What do you look like?

Nothing stellar but not bad either. Mousy blonde hair. I look more like my Mom than my sister does.

Where are you today and what are you doing?

I’m out on False Bay Road sitting on a split-rail fence waiting for the moon to show up.

Describe the outside of your home.

The yard needs mowing and the roof needs someone to come out to remove the moss. The paint’s okay if you don’t mind the mold growing up near the roof and the decks need washing. My Mom can’t do everything by herself. I help sometimes but I’m taking summer school before I head off to Seattle for college.

You come face to face with your worst enemy. How do you react?

I call in The Incredible Hulk. ‘Nuff said.

You keep a photo album of memories from your lifetime. If you could only keep one photo, which one would that be?

That’s easy. The one of my little sister, Tessa. She was riding round and round in our circular driveway.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I’m a teenager. Nothing fun happens in the morning.

A police officer stops you for a minor violation. What violation is that and how do you react?

Not again!

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

My Doc Maartens.

Open your wallet, purse, or briefcase. What do you find?

An old scrunchy of Tessa’s. I always kept one in my backpack just in case she wanted me to put her hair up into a ponytail.

How do you feel about mortality?

We all die. Like Tessa. Sometimes I hope I’ll go sooner so that I can see her again. But mostly I think about what my future will be so I guess I’ll have to wait.

What scares you?

Mean people. Deceitful people. And drunk drivers.

How would your parents describe you?

I’m all they have now that Tessa’s…you know. So they think I’m awesome. Although Mom still cries all the time.

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed at night?

I say my prayers and then say “Goodnight” to Tessa.

Who is your best friend?

I don’t have one right now since Gemma’s betrayal. I think it’s best I don’t have one. Especially with college looming. Just as well. Maybe I’ll find a new best friend in college. Someone adult and honest.

Who is your worse enemy?

I can’t even say her name. She’s the worst person I’ve ever known. I’m still in therapy about it so I don’t want to think about it. Okay?

Are you faith-oriented?

“Faith-oriented?” Is that what people are saying these days? Okay. Yeah. Sure. I’m faith-oriented. I believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost, who I call Asher, like the tribe in Israel.

Are you married or in a relationship?

I’m only eighteen! Give me some time, will ya?! LOL.

Do you have children?

Pfft!!! LOL. See previous Q, por favor!

Where is your favorite hangout?

Roy’s Coffee Shop used to be until Tessa’s accident. I guess I’ll have to find a new one like a new best friend.

You are at the zoo. What is your favorite animal?

I’m not at the zoo but I’ll tell you my favorite animal. It’s the felinus minimus. 😊 If I were at the zoo, my favorite animal there would be the felinus maximus. 😊

If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would that be?

That my sister isn’t bugging me all the time now. I would change that. That I had my sister back.


About the Book  
For those who enjoy reading books like Where the Crawdads Sing and My Sister’s Keeper
MACKENZIE FRASER witnesses a drunk driver mow down her seven-year-old sister and her mother blames her. Then she ends up in juvie on a trumped-up drug charge. Now she’s in the fight of her life…on the inside! And she’s losing.

HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS is a coming of age story about loss, grief, and the power of love.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08676VMT3

 

About the Author 

Susan Wingate is a #1 Amazon bestselling award-winning author of over fifteen novels. Susan writes across fiction and nonfiction genres and often sets her stories in the Pacific Northwest where she is the president of a local authors association. She writes full-time and lives in Washington State with her husband, Bob.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.susanwingate.com
Blog:    www.susanwingate.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanwingate
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsusanwingate

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Slow Down Book Teaser Trailer


We're happy to host Lee Matthew Goldberg's Slow Down Book Teaser Trailer today!


About the Book:
Title: SLOW DOWN
Author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
Publisher: All Due Respect
Pages: 270
Genre: Thriller/Noir

BOOK BLURB:

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? For budding writer and filmmaker Noah Spaeth, being a Production Assistant in director Dominick’s Bambach’s new avant-garde film isn’t enough. Neither is watching Dominick have an affair with the lead actress, the gorgeous but troubled Nevie Wyeth. For Noah’s dream is to get both the film and Nevie in the end, whatever the cost. And this obsession may soon become a reality once Dominick’s spurned wife Isadora reveals her femme fatale nature with a seductive plot to get rid of her husband for good.

Slow Down, a cross between the noir styling of James M. Cain and the dark satire of Bret Easton Ellis, is a thrilling page-turner that holds a mirror up to a media-saturated society that is constantly searching for the fastest way to get ahead, regardless of consequences.

Here’s what readers are saying about Slow Down!

“Slow Down is a frenetic first novel…full of unedifying characters scrambling for the elusive, perhaps imaginary, brass ring.”
Publishers Weekly

“Lee Matthew Goldberg writes like a young Bret Easton Ellis doing a line of uncut Denis Johnson off the back of a public urinal. Memorable in the best possible way, also mostly illegal, Goldberg’s Slow Down is a mad man’s tour of Manhattan’s vices, follies, and ultimate betrayals.”
–Urban Waite, author of The Terror of Living and Sometimes the Wolf

What would happen if one of Raymond Chandler’s 1940’s femme fatales were to join forces with one of Jay McInerney’s enfant terribles? Lee Matthew Goldberg wrings every delectable trope imaginable out of this mashup while still managing a fresh spin. A writer to watch out for.”
–David Kukoff, author of Children of the Canyon

“Slow Down starts fast and gets faster quick, gunning through yellow streetlights on its way to a full collision with your shattered soul. Lee Matthew Goldberg takes on the American Zeitgeist in this stunning debut.”
–Stephen Jay Schwartz, LA Times bestselling author of Boulevard and Beat

Slow Down is a brilliant rush of a work charting the rise and fall of Noah and other pretentious losers. Savor this book.”
Foreword Reviews

“Dark and hard-boiled writing that grabs you by the throat. Slow Down is one of those rare novels that’s so good you want it to go on forever!”
–Nick Pengelley, author of Ryder: An Ayesha Ryder Novel

“The plot takes off…there’s no denying it’s fun to watch rich snots destroy themselves.”
Booklist

“Goldberg’s portrayal of the New York demimonde is one of the book’s strengths and brings to mind Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero. He also succeeds in marshalling a complicated plot.”
CrimeFictionLover.com

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3dmv8UU



About the Author

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE DESIRE CARD, THE MENTOR, and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the 2018 Prix du Polar. The second book in the Desire Card series, PREY NO MORE, is forthcoming, along with his Alaskan Gold Rush novel THE ANCESTOR. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Cagibi, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press, Monologging and others. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.leematthewgoldberg.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LeeMatthewG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leemgol
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leematthewgoldberg


Monday, July 13, 2020

The Summoned Ones: Book 1 of Flight to Bericea Series Book Teaser Trailer!



We're happy to host Darryl A. Woods' THE SUMMONED ONES BOOK 1 OF FLIGHT TO BERICEA Book Teaser Trailer today!


About the Book:

Title: The Summoned Ones, Book 1 of Flight to Bericea
Author: Darryl A. Woods
Publisher: Brelsford Ridge Publishing
Pages: 336
Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Can a group of college-aged friends from a small Kentucky town actually be the Summoned Ones of prophecy, called to a strange world filled with magic and devastated by war? Can they save the lives of the desperate inhabitants and help them defeat a wicked tyrant? Their epic journey will push them to the limits of their endurance. This unlikely group will discover truths about themselves and experience another world beyond their imagination.

During their journey, they will explore this new world, discover new talents and previously hidden abilities, develop friendships with people they couldn’t have dreamed possible, and will be forced to take actions they would have never considered in any less dire circumstances.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2JOJ4K7

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/2RlMkAK

Kobo → https://bit.ly/3aTEYMX
Fishpond → https://bit.ly/3e9IDs2

About the Author
Darryl Woods is a storyteller who hones his craft entertaining coworkers. He also enjoys regaling family and friends with stories of his upbringing in rural Ohio, of the motorized contraptions his father fabricated, and of the timber cutting and sawmill work he did with his father-in-law. With an appetite for reading fantasy, it was inevitable he would choose to write about an epic journey in a world dominated by magic and sword fighting.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website Address: http://darrylawoods.com/
Newsletter: http://darrylawoods.com/newsletter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarrylAWoods
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-A-Woods-Storyteller-and-Author-104898847706876/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdarrylawoods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrylawoods/