✍The First Page: S'mores Siren Song by Virginia Barlow

 

 S'MORES SIREN SONG

by Virginia Barlow

 

Paranormal Romance Fantasy

Addy Townsend runs an ice cream parlor in Mystic Cove, Maine. Cursed to spend her days human and her nights as a siren, she has until her twenty-fifth birthday to make her decision. Fighting against as corporate fishing company to preserve the lifestyle and well being of the locals, she asks for help and Commander Benjamin Yeates of the Coast Guard arrives to investigate her allegations. As a marine biologist, he is very interested in the rumors of a mermaid in the cove and wants to collect DNA for study. He falls hard and fast for Addy before he discovers there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Book Information

Release Date: July 6, 2022

Publisher:  Wild Rose Press

Kindle eBook: 86 pages; $3.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cASLNS

 

The beginning of the end came on a Tuesday.

 All afternoon, the door of Scoops Ice Cream Parlor jingled with customers browsing the shops along the seafront facing Mystic Cove. The temperature hovered in the seventies, and Adysson Townsend caught whiffs of sea air every time the door opened. Gulls squawked and fought over food crumbs on the sidewalk running in front of the seaside shopping center, and people laughed as they strolled past. Around seven, as the sun dipped low, her shop emptied of customers, and Adysson cleared trash and wiped down booths. Her gaze went to the gray-blue water rippling in the distance as she filled napkin dispensers. The lure of the waves beckoned her, and the smell of the sea filled her senses. In a couple of hours, the cool silk of the ocean would caress her skin as she glided through the water on her quest to find fish for the locals. 

Mr. Marshal of Marshal International Inc. wanted to corner the fishing market and run the local fishers out of business. For the last two years, he did everything to divert the giant schools into his nets and left meager pickings for the families in Mystic Cove. At night, when her curse took over, Adysson swam the surrounding area, singing and luring what fish she could find back into the cove for the locals.

 

Virginia Barlow has a great zest for life and loves her family. She likes to crochet, knit and quilt, and likes to make blankets for her grandchildren. She bakes a little and cooks when she has to. Roses are her passion and at one time she had over a hundred rose plants in her yard of various colors.

Virginia has always been an avid reader and loves being an author. Seeing her stories in print are one of the finest things in her life, next to her family and friends.

Her latest book is the paranormal romance fantasy, S’mores Siren Song.

You can visit Virginia’s website at https://www.virginia-barlow.com or connect with her on Twitter, Goodreads and Facebook.

 

✍The First Page: Birthright by Jeanette Baker

 BIRTHRIGHT

by Jeanette Baker

Women's Fiction

Two women on a course to confront the past, one to expose its secrets, the other to bury them. 

Claire Williams travels halfway across the globe from Southern California to Ireland to find the mother who gave her up and the questions that need answering. Norah O’Connor is equally determined to avoid revisiting the most shameful time of her life and the devastating decisions she was forced to make.

Claire’s presence fifty years later is the engine for the confrontations to come when neighbors Norah has known forever recognize Claire’s resemblance to a younger sister. Norah must face the man who fathered both her daughters, and decide to either hold the secrets that continue to embitter her or release them for the shame that will surely mark her.

“Jeanette Baker’s award winning novels have earned her a place in the paranormal genre beside giants such as Barbara Erskine and Kristin Hannah. Now she brings her unique writing style and compelling characters to the stage of contemporary Ireland, sharing a world as alluring as its secrets are opaque.”
—Lauren Royal, New York Times and USA Bestselling Author.

“Gorgeously descriptive and unforgettably moving, Baker’s novel is a wondrous journey of the heart.” 

—Candi Sary, author of Magdalena 

“Birthright will find a welcome place in any library strong in stories of mother/daughter relationships, Irish culture, and the special conundrums faced by adult children who seek answers to the decisions their birth parents made.”

—Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Book Information

Release Date: June 21, 2022

Publisher: Top Reads Publishing LLC

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1970107296; 254 pages; $16.99; eBook $4.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HJjpzA 

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3tTpSlU 

 

Look at the time, half-eight, and not a child in the house washed. The expression was my late mother’s, voiced nearly every day in the house where I grew up, ten children tucked into two bedrooms with one bath upstairs.

We were never close, my mother and me, not for any particular reason I can remember; we just didn’t get on. It was Fiona and Kathleen she preferred and Jimmy, always Jimmy, her middle child, the ciotogach, the red-headed lefty of our family who wasn’t supposed to amount to much and ended up in America with more in the bank than all of us put together.

The funny thing is Jimmy loved Tralee, still does, more than Keith or Liam or Michael, certainly more than I ever did. I was desperate to immigrate and wouldn’t have come back, not after Boston, but some things can’t be planned and shouldn’t be remembered.

Never mind all that, my mother would say. Memories never emptied the sink or hung out the washing. All they’re good for is regret. She was right. I know now that she was a font of wisdom I didn’t appreciate. It was my dad I preferred, the jokester, the man’s man, always ready with a wink, a story and a pint. Even when he told me bees could be captured in a can without a lid because they never looked up, and I tried it and nearly died from the experience, I blamed myself and never doubted him. Interesting how perspectives change after six decades.

 Speaking of the washing, it’s a good day for it, breezy without a hint of rain. I’m moving slowly today, feeling unsettled, looking for an excuse to avoid housework. Fergus Murphy, the postman, on his way to the door, is as fine a reason as any to sit down for a pot of tea and a scone.

“Good morning, Mrs. Malone,” he calls out. “How is the day treating you so far?”

“It’s a bit early to weigh in on the day, Mr. Murphy. Have you time for a cup of tea. It’s just made, and the scones are fresh.”

He scratches his head, checks to see that his few remaining wisps of hair are positioned over the shiny dome of his head, and winks. “Wasn’t I just thinking how I’d like one of Mrs. Malone’s scones?”

  

Jeanette Baker is the award-winning author of twenty paranormal, historical and contemporary novels, most of them set in the lush countryside of Southwest Ireland where she lives with her husband and writes during the “Seasons of Silence,” the autumn and winter months. Her ancestors, the O’Flahertys, hail from the counties of Kerry and Galway. She takes great pride in the prayer posted by the English over the ancient city gates, “From the wrath of the O’Flahertys, may the good Lord deliver us.”

Jeanette spent many years teaching 6th grade in a small school nestled under a canopy of Eucalyptus trees where the children consistently surprised her with their wisdom, their hopefulness and their enthusiasm for great stories. Currently, she enjoys the company of her own grown children and her precious grandchildren.

Jeanette graduated from the University of California at Irvine and holds a Master’s Degree in Education.

She is the Rita award-winning author of NELL.

Her latest book is the women’s fiction, Birthright.

You can visit her website at www.JeanetteBaker.com  or connect with her on Facebook.

 

✍The First Page: Amiranda: Princess Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest by John P. Adamo

 

 AMIRANDA: PRINCESS AMIRANDA AND THE TALE OF THE DECIDUOUS FOREST

by John P. Adamo

Tweens

An instant classic tale portraying the life of “Amiranda,” an innocent and brave princess, who unwittingly sets out on a quest that will ultimately determine the fate of her entire kingdom. From her castle window, Amiranda would gaze at the beautiful countryside below-always watching carefully, always observing everything. Gradually the princess realizes that she knows very little of the small kingdom over which she would one day reign. Nevertheless, Amiranda would never disobey her father’s wishes, especially the one to never enter the mysterious dark forest, which borders their kingdom. That is, until one day when she would have no other choice.

 Amiranda will take a journey that will lead her on a wild adventure, where the decisions she makes will determine the fate of many lives-the lives of her animal friends, her family members, those who dwell in her kingdom, and her very own life as well. Travel along on this trip where Princess Amiranda hopes to find the missing piece in her existence and ends up trying to achieve the impossible….

Book Information

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher:  Legwork Team Publishing

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1935905417; 275 pages; $13.95; E-Book, FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FxWgRu

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2QBqk5d

 

A stately dressed butler hurries into the room.  He is properly dressed in tails, medium in height, lean in stature, with balding gray and silver hair.  

     “Amiranda, hurry down here!” the proficient butler calls out to her, careful not to shout, as that would be undignified.  “…Already you are way off your schedule!  You know if you’re not down here promptly for your swimming practice, your father will have my hide!”  

     The butler is hasty in his routine around the manor as he always tries to maintain a rigid schedule, and is fervent as far as his duties are concerned.  Ritualistically, he prepares some garments and towels, folding them and draping them over the changing partition. 

      A young girl’s voice replies politely.  “Can't I have breakfast first today, Jove?  It's too early to go swimming; I just woke up.”  Although she cannot be seen, the girl’s sweet voice rings clearly from the top of the stairs.  She has the kind of voice that resonates in the purest of tones and with the most perfect pitch, yet remains timid and not overpowering. 

      The young girl slowly makes her way down the marble staircase; seen only by her bare feet first, and then the frilled lace bottom of her long and flowing white nightgown, hemmed neatly at ankle-length.  Pitter-pattering at her feet, the paws of her puppy move closely along beside her.  The young pup makes his way clumsily down the stairs, too small yet to manage proficiently by himself, although he tries.  He consistently trips on the young girl’s toes as she descends the stairway, but she remains diligently careful not to step on her faithful companion.  

John Adamo is a Long Island-based author and songwriter who has copyrighted more than four hundred poems and has both written and composed numerous songs and short stories. Music has always been an integral part of John’s life, as he has performed at different venues all across Long Island—both as a professional pianist since the age of seventeen (one year after his father passed away) and also as a disc jockey / emcee for various private parties and public events.

Amiranda: Princess Amiranda and the Tale of the Deciduous Forest is John’s first formal work, which was originally written as a screenplay and copyrighted in 1998. John has always had the visualization that an animated movie would one day be made from his work. The author wanted to put together a story unlike any other, and one that could be enjoyed by people of all ages … both young and old alike. A story that reinforced good values, covered common ethics, and taught morals as John feels those important criteria are so often left out in today’s modern fairy tales.

After having the screenplay sit on his shelf for nearly fifteen years, John felt that it was finally time to let the world know the life and world of Amiranda—a Cinderella-type princess who has everything in the world that a princess could possibly ask for, but is still missing something more in her life. With your help, John hopes that he can help fulfill Amiranda’s aspirations, hopes, and dreams. Last but not least, John hopes you like Amiranda’s story just as much as he enjoyed writing it … Enjoy!

Visit John at Facebook!

✍The First Page: DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES: THE URBAN BOYS BOOK 1 by K.N. Smith & Win $25 Amazon Gift Card!

 

DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES: THE URBAN BOYS BOOK 1

K.N. Smith

Two Petals Publishing

340 pp.

Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.

“A captivating and poetic tale of mystery, fantasy, and reality tied together by action!” 5-stars, Lars Jackson, Amazon Customer

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

“Brilliantly crafted and written!” – Megan King, Indie Book Reviewers

“An energetic adventure debut with stellar action sequences. Smith’s writing is intelligent and often lyrical. Her exuberant prose never fails to dazzle.” – Kirkus Media

“Author K.N. Smith uses her mastery of the written word to weave an entrancing, yet powerful tale of adventure that keeps you turning pages in an unquenchable desire to find out what happens next.” – Publishers Daily Reviews
Book Information

Release Date: September 29, 2015

Publisher: Two Petals Publishing

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-0989474757; 340 pages; $12.95; E-Book, $2.99

Amazon: http://getbook.at/theurbanboys

Amazon (U.S. Amazon only – please use the link above)

https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Boys-Discovery-Five-Senses-ebook/dp/B015ZS01MI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Barnes and Noble/ Nook

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/discovery-of-the-five-senses-kn-smith/1139618809;jsessionid=D48E7EAB97403158786ABCC03C6B258A.prodny_store02-atgap18?ean=9780989474757

IndieBound

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780989474757

Apple iBooks

https://books.apple.com/us/book/discovery-of-the-five-senses/id1045819157

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-urban-boys-discovery-of-the-five-senses

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/581782

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58655684-discovery-of-the-five-senses

 

 

THE COMMUNITY OF DANVILLE HEIGHTS offers the scenic route to a carefully crafted universe.  Casts of shadows cool and soothe, beckoning the weary, comforting their plight. Explosions of color captivate, blanketing the land. A peaceful valley filled with families disinterested in city life, its combination of natural resources and quaint charm enchant those fortunate enough to dwell within.  

Nature expressed itself always, as seen in a swirling butterfly as it dipped toward a crimson landing pad. It meandered along clean streets where comfortable homes with large porches seemed to have been plucked from the pages of a country interiors magazine.  

Sunlight showered a dwelling with pale mint and  creamy white paint, warming the sun porch and a  shallow saucer of water left for visiting birds.  

The butterfly swooped to examine embellished  mailboxes, flapping its orange wings as though it were  clapping for the winner. One of the mailboxes read:  Parker Residence.  

A bike lay sideways in the yard.  

In this town, folks enjoy ripe tomatoes, fragrant  peaches, and loads of neighborly warmth. People were glad to see each other, or at least they understood the  politeness of saying hello. After all, a warm smile that’s  always on the menu is reassuring indeed. 

K.N. Smith, winner of the “Best of” in the category of “Outstanding Young Adult Novel” at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. Her lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist and grind through action-adventure and urban fantasy in edge-of-your-seat narratives. K.N. has over twenty-five years’ experience in communications and creative design as an award-winning consultant. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits.

Her latest book is the YA Action Adventure/YA Thriller/Urban Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller DISCOVERY OF THE FIVE SENSES (The Urban Boys Book 1).

You can visit her website at www.KNSmith.com or connect with her on Facebook.

K.N. Smith is giving away 4 ($25) Visa e-Cards!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• Four winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Visa e-card.
• This giveaway ends midnight August 31.
• Winner will be contacted via email on September 1.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

✍The First Page: PROMISE OF THE HEART by Susan Berry

PROMISE OF THE HEART

by Susan Berry

Clean Romance

After a distasteful first meeting, and a rocky start to their romance, Maggie Kinsley has been happily married to Desmond for the last eleven months. And although she was often alone when he traveled for business, she rather enjoyed how he passionately greeted her when returning home.

So when he received a letter naming him as executor of a property that belonged to a deceased family friend and had to leave for a few weeks, Maggie should have been content as she kissed him goodbye. But there was something about the whole thing that made her uneasy. Why was Desmond so evasive with her when she asked him about the previous owner. And why had he insisted she not tell anyone of his plans to stay on the property. Maggie soon found the answers to her questions were more than just a woman’s intuition, but rather something that not even her wildest, darkest fears could have foreseen.

“I so enjoyed the long awaited final book to the trilogy the author so lovingly created. Maggie’s story has a wonderful ending and she’ll be in my heart and mind for a long time.” – Amazon

Book Information

Release Date: February 21, 2022

Publisher:  Independent

Soft Cover: ISBN: 979-8420398647; 203 pages; $6.99; E-Book, $1.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wk29M8

 

“Jilly, hurry up. We’ve got to leave!” The agitation in Maggie’s command was unmistakable as she stood at the bottom of the steps.

     “I’ll be down in a minute,” the cheerful, female voice called out.

     “Sure you will,” Maggie muttered as she went into the living room, sat on the couch, and picked up one of the magazines scattered on the coffee table. Her face frowned as she thumbed through its colorful pages. Usually, she was more even-tempered with her older sister and her lack of time management. But not today. Today was too important.

     Hearing a noise behind her, Maggie twisted her head in the hope she’d see Jilly. But instead of her sister's bobbed, blonde hair, the orange and white striped tail of a large cat came into view.

     “Hello, George, old boy,” she greeted the cat and placed him on her lap. George had been her constant companion since she was eighteen years old. And in the nine years since, he’d been her most trusted confidant.

     “How about you help me out and go upstairs to hurry your Aunt Jilly along?” Maggie suggested as his cold, wet nose brushed her cheek.

Since Susan Berry was a young girl, she loved to write. Her imagination was filled with stories that she couldn’t write down fast enough. But it wasn’t until her grandmother had given her a Harlequin romance novel to occupy her time on a long, boring car ride, that she fell in love with reading romance. The excitement of the characters first meeting, and the dance of the heart that followed, left Susan frantically turning pages. From that day on, Susan spent her free time with her beloved grandmother, reading the latest novels they’d retrieved from a used book store, or the local second hand shop. That reading eventually turned into the writing of her own romance novels. Novels filled with characters who have not yet found love, but eventually find a way to overcome romantic troubles with humor, wit, and the consumption of lots and lots of chocolate.

Susan’s latest book is the clean romance suspense, Promise of the Heart.

You can visit her website at https://www.SusanBerryauthor.com   or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.