New Release! “Ghostly Interference” by Jan Sikes @JanSikes3 #IARTG #ASMSG #WritingCommunity #newrelease #mustread #newage #runes #solider #ghosts

I’m excited to have Jan Sikes here today to share her new release, “Ghostly Interference!”

BIKERS AND NAMING YOUR BIKE

Thank you, Mark, for having me as a guest on your blog site today! I appreciate you helping me launch Ghostly Interference!

Have you ever known anyone who rides a Harley? If so, most likely you know that lots of Harley riders will often name their bikes.

Nicknames are as much a part of Harley history as are the bikes themselves. More often than not, the bike nickname will be female. There are a lot of theories about that, but the biggest one being the male ego and not wanting to be caught riding a bike named Bob.

In Ghostly Interference Rena Jett rides a red Harley named Candy Kicker.

The motorcycle had belonged to her brother, Sam Jett. When Sam was deployed and didn’t return from Afghanistan alive, Rena took posession of the bike. It is her sole means of transportation. She rides it whether it’s cold, hot, raining or snowing.  

While it is not entirely unusual to see a woman riding a Harley, statistically, most riders are male.

In this story, it is one of the traits that separates her from the main male character, Jag Peters. Jag is more conservative and doesn’t like to push the envelope.

Rena is all about pushing the envelope, then ripping it open. I love that the cover designer put a prominent red Harley on Ghostly Interference. It says a lot about the story.

Here’s a short excerpt:

By the time the clock turned over to 6 am, she kicked the covers off and jerked on her leather riding gear. A cup of coffee and long ride in the cool morning air would be the right combination to clear the cobwebs.

She’d never see Jag Peters again, so she might as well get that through to her head and move on. She had one thing she could count on in this whole wide world, and it sat patiently beneath her in the garage always there, always waiting, always silent. At least until she turned over the starter and let the engine roar.

She couldn’t repress a grin when she remembered how proud Sam had been the day he’d bought the Harley. And, the exhilaration and freedom she found riding behind him. There she was safe, protected by a brother who’d fight off anyone who dared hurt her. He’d asked her to name the bike, and because of its brilliant red color and quick response, she’d chosen Candy Kicker. He’d had the name painted in small script on the side of the gas tank. Yes, it was her and Candy Kicker now against the world and that’s the way it would always be.

It would be enough, she promised herself. If she could only convince her heart.

She bounded out the door and down the stairs taking two at a time. The crisp morning air teased her face and she couldn’t wait to get out on the open road. In less than a minute, she was inside the garage and pulling on gloves. She ran a hand over the shiny chrome and straddled the big machine.

She turned the key and jumped to kick-start it. Candy Kicker never failed her.

With her helmet fastened, she backed out of the garage and tore down the street, the loud pipes echoing off brick buildings.

A great Christmas gift!

What about you? Have you ever ridden on a Harley? When I was twenty, I met a man with a Harley and loved riding down country roads or city streets. I’ve never forgotten the feeling of complete and total freedom.  

BOOK BLURB

Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.

Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?

Check out the book trailer!

Purchase Your Copy

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-Interference-White-Rune-Sikes-ebook/dp/B08KW1KFMW/

BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghostly-interference-jan-sikes/1137871003?

Connect with Jan

http://www.jansikes.com

https://jansikesblog.com/

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CS9K8DK  (Author Page)

https://twitter.com/JanSikes3

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Welcome to Day 10 of the “SIR CHOCOLATE AND THE ICE CREAM RAINBOW FAIRIES” Blog Tour! @bakeandwrite @4WillsPub #RRBC.

Today I am excited to host talented author/cake decorator Robbie Cheadle. Together with her son, Michael, she has written a series of children’s books.

GIVEAWAY:  (7 winners) Each will win a copy of one of her Sir Chocolate Story and Cookbooks. For your chance to win, please leave a comment below!

Sir Chocolate and the Ice cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook

Welcome to part 10 of the fondant cat parade

The fondant cat parade tells the story in limericks of Dinah the Kitten, daughter of Daddy Grey and Mommy Cat, who likes to sleep and escape to Wonderland in her dreams. While in Wonderland, Dinah meets a variety of brightly coloured and fun fantasy kittens. The fondant cat parade illustrates some of the wonderful fondant art that appears in all the Sir Chocolate books.

Today, you will learn about Blue Boy the Kitten.

 

This is the end of Dinah in Wonderland, fondant cat parade. You can download the full illustrative PDF of the fondant cat parade here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/dinah-in-wonderland-fondant-cat-parade/.

Learn about Chocolate Land

In Chocolate Land everything is edible including the houses. There are lots of different homes in
Chocolate Land with gingerbread houses being the most popular. The sugar dough bees live in a choux
pastry beehive and Professor Smartie lives in a Wizard Hat house made of cake. The fondant hamsters
live in a house made of chocolate and the Candy Dragon has a run-down gingerbread home decorated
with candy bones.

All sorts of creatures and people inhabit Chocolate Land and they all have one thing in common, they are all made of sweets, chocolate, fondant and biscuits.

 

Sir Chocolate poses with the Roundy Twins who are made of candy-coated chocolate Easter eggs. Next to them is Professor Smartie and Sylvia Honeylegs who is made from honey brittle and Licorice Allsorts. The man on the moon is made of cheese and the moon babies shine with edible gold glitter. Taylor red is shocked when a hungry snail eats all the fondant flowers and the nougat clown is happy when he gets to play his guitar.

BOOK BLURB:

Join Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet on a fun adventure to discover why the milkshake rain is pale and white.

Contains five recipes that children can make under adult supervision

Watch the trailer:

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with seven published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.

I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.

I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.

I have participated in a number of anthologies:

• Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle;
• Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley under Robbie Cheadle;
• Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle; and
• Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth under Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Robbie Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Twitter

https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite

Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle

Twitter

https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour

AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:

TSL Publications:

https://tslbooks.uk/product/sir-chocolate-and-the-ice-cream-rainbow-fairies/

Lulu.com:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/robbie-cheadle-and-michael-cheadle/sir-chocolate-and-the-ice-cream-rainbow-fairies-story-and-cookbook/ebook/product-24468045.html

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Cream-Rainbow-Fairies-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B086DYYNFQ

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to schedule your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!

The Thirst for Gold, Part One of Three

Dawson City, Yukon, during the Klondike

October 21,1897

The horse sped by and kicked up chunks of manure that struck the front of Albin’s Mackinaw jacket. He shook a fist at the rider and blued the air with curses. His foul mood further soured as he slogged along the muck-slimed boardwalk to Heaven’s Hearth Inn. He began to contemplate the madness that had driven him to come here. All the best claims had been staked.

Hen cackles pierced his thoughts, just seconds before he heard the rattle of glass panes. The front door of The Gilded Bruin Saloon had smacked against the outside wall after being given a hard shove.

A young bull, his massive head squished into a wide-brimmed hat stumbled outside. His twiggy sidekick was slung over a granite outcrop shoulder like the strap on a haversack.

A pair of scurvy-plagued down-and-outers, one draped in a threadbare horse blanket that fell across pyramid shoulders, the other, a gargoyle with moth eaten gloves that exposed frost bitten digits, pleaded with the corned louts for a handout.

The sidekick waved a boney arm dismissively, slurred them to eternal damnation and ordered them to pull foot.

The bovine, however, whispered in his ear and gave him a wink. His partner chuckled before his mouth curved into a crescent moon.

“Can you stand, Tom?” It was a rhetorical question because Tom was dumped onto the porch before he could answer. He wobbled on new-born fawn legs and had to grab the nearest awning post.

“Ya gotta ‘nuff dust Gabe?”

Gabe nodded. “Plenty.”  He squeezed a meaty hand into his pocket and pulled out a caribou-hide poke, after opening the draw strings, his sausage fingers removed a pinch of gold flakes. “You ready for some fun!” He winked and tossed them into the filthy spittoon beside the door.

The beggars raced for the spittoon, shoving, and punching each other, they knocked it over, spilling the vile liquid over the porch. The pair landed in a heap and continued to battle with the ferocity of feral cats, alternatively clawing at the opponent’s eyes and the liquid. The philistines howled with delight.

Disgusted, Albin averted his gaze. The fires of Hell were being stoked for these two. God’s wrath would fall upon those who made a mockery of starvation. His eye caught something that confirmed the Creator’s justice and His benevolence towards Albin. Something glittered in the muck, just an inch from the porch. The fool had unwittingly dropped a significant amount of gold. The combatants were entangled, and the devils were too drunk. Temptation called for immediate action, but Job came to mind . . . patience was always rewarded.

The wait had the lifespan of a sneeze. The gasping corpses tired quickly and agreed to an even split. Both ruffians gave a final whoop and stumbled off, no doubt on the prowl for harlots.

Albin moved swiftly, scooping the gold, he placed it in his red handkerchief. The Lord certainly does work in mysterious ways. As in everything, this had happened for a reason. The gift wouldn’t be squandered, he knew what to do.

He entered the den of iniquity. At first, the patrons took little notice of the large man in the filthy coat, but as Albin wandered past the bar, even the most inebriated threw him looks of revulsion. He side-stepped a painted lady who straddled her client’s lap. She wrinkled her nose and demanded the head of whomever had let this pig inside.

Albin paid no heed to any of them. His focus remained fixed on the vault style door at the far end of the room. A solid slab of oak, it was leagues out of character with the typical match-stick construction that littered this shanty town. The most impenetrable portal in Dawson, complete with a heavy deadbolt, its only weakness was a small peephole. Behind it was the fortified lair of Dawson’s Klondike King, Karl Jackson.

The door wasn’t the only thing barring unsolicited entry. Two behemoths stood guard, both armed with Smith and Wesson revolvers. The one on the left appeared to be around thirty. He fell three inches short of Albin’s six-foot-two stature, but every square inch rippled with muscle. His hair was black as Satan’s heart, heavily coated with Macassar Oil and parted just above the left eye, one of a pair that were darker than a mine shaft. His face would have caused a swoon among the fairer sex, had those peepers been less soulless.

His back up had an extra inch of height and an equal portion of muscle. Close-cropped brown hair spiked above hazel eyes that signaled a generally docile disposition that would turn murderous if provoked or commanded to do so by Jackson. Probably mid to late thirties, but the weathered face, and the sizeable scar under the left eye suggested the accelerated aging of a hard life.

A phantom hand gripped Albin’s stomach and he questioned if this truly was God’s plan. He slowed his gait to a shuffle and prayed silently and swiftly for guidance and deliverance. The effect was immediate; a surge of confidence that removed doubt and relieved pain.

There were two powerful motives to see this ordeal through. One practical, the other was the need to lay eyes on a beast who profited from misery and death.

The guards had noticed him, and Albin sensed the entire patronage holding its collective breath. All were hungry for blood. The door men sized him up. How must he appear? A big man covered in horse crap with a wild look in his eyes, headed straight for them.

In unison, their hands moved to rest on their pistols. Neither displayed emotion beyond amused curiosity. The reach for the guns was purely instinctual. No morale code would prevent them from killing him, as one might a pesky rat, but shooting would be bad for business, so unless he made a grievous error, he should remain on this side of eternity.

Albin raised his hands to show that he was unarmed. The larger man nodded and relaxed his grip, but Macassar Oil repeatedly clenched and unclenched the pistol butt. His ambivalence stretched Albin’s nerves.

“Whoa there, partner. Where do you think you’re going?” Mister “docile” stepped forward and raised a hand the size of a Clydesdale hoof, the other had returned to roost on the pistol. His voice had the quality of one who gargled with stones on a daily basis.

Albin came to an abrupt halt, arms still vertical. “I’m requesting an audience with your boss.”

To be continued . . .

 

 

 

Review of The Enigma Factor, by Charles V. Breakfield & Roxanne Burkey

The Blurb:

Jacob Michaels, computer network security-tester extraordinaire, tries to settle into a quiet life of work to polish his technology skills after the death of his mother.

Cyber-criminals are hunting for new victims when they target the brilliant programmer to try to seduce into joining their cause. More people are hunting him than just the Russian cyber kingpin.

As Jacob sets off to find those who target him, he discovers other technologists’ views which puts him in direct contact with previously unknown global experts.

Buzz, when looking for the easy way inadvertently crosses the line to the dark side then begs his best friend Jacob for help. Jacob, brilliant as he is may not have enough experience to win this on his own. Of course, having your identity erased makes helping anybody else secondary to your problems.

Jacob battles against global cyber masterminds using his knowledge of programming, identity theft, and hacking, but learns more about security and encryption when he connects with the distractingly beautiful encryptionist Petra.

Jacob’s challenge is how to keep ahead of the criminals and identify who to trust.

In their debut TechnoThriller, The Enigma Factor, award-winning authors Breakfield and Burkey weave a complex tale of danger, intrigue, and international cyber combat. They use a relevant technology foundation, then layer on travel, romance, humor and mystery

Like rust, the cat and mouse game of the new cyber warfare age never sleeps.

My Thoughts:

I’m not the most tech-savvy humanoid on this blue marble, lucky for me that my oldest daughter is into coding, so at first, I was a bit overwhelmed by the lingo. There is a glossary of terms at the end of the book, so you might want to read through that first.

That being said, I soon found myself intrigued and completely immersed in the world of cyberwarfare and the unseen forces at work in this world. A wonderful ‘cloak and dagger’ mystery in binary code.

There are more plot twists than a rogue power cord, each one a pleasure to unravel. I loved the challenge!

I’m not naïve, but the technical expertise possessed by these authors, opened my eyes to the vulnerability of the general population. The skilled hacker can erase and/or steal an identity in a few keystrokes.

There was also an emotional and human side to the story. Our brilliant main character, Jacob Michaels, struggles with everyday desires and hurts.

This is the first in a series and you can bet I’ll be filling my Amazon cart with the next book, The Enigma Rising.  

Five Stars!

Meet Charles V. Breakfield:

Charles V. Breakfield likes travel in Texas on a motorcycle, World War II history, wine & good food, and voice/data technology. As a colorful and somewhat controversial individual you can find him either in his shop building furniture, writing with his co-author Roxanne E. Burkey, or out riding his motorcycle, but always meeting people looking for suitable character material fpr the next installment of the Enigma Book Series. 

Meet Roxanne E. Burkey:

Writing is a passion for Rox that incorporates many of her interests and dovetails nicely with her full time work in customer experience technologies. After successfully writing white papers and technology documentation she wanted a different more fun, less stress writing outlet. Her co-author Charles Breakfield agreed and The Enigma Series began. You are invited to explore their website http://enigmabookseries.com/ and leave/read comments in the Enigma Chronicles Blog area. She enjoys learning, travel, family, outdoor activities, good food, wine sampling, reading, living and visiting good friends which helps to bring diversity and new ideas into the stories.

She is still learning humor and there is hope that she will master it this century!

Purchase your copy: 

Amazon.com     

Connect with them:

They are members of the Rave Reviews Book Club.   You can visit their Rave Reviews Author Page 

Facebook

Twitter

Website

New Release: This Last Chance by D.L. Finn

Today, I’m privileged to bring you the next supernatural thriller by author D.L. Finn, This Last Chance. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author and I’ve already got this one loaded on my Kindle!

Please have a look!

Thank you, Mark, for having me here today, and sharing the release of This Last Chance 🙂

Excerpt from This Last Chance.

“My name is Nester. I’ve been around a long time, way before humans invented their first stone tool. My kind migrated from a distant planet that couldn’t sustain us anymore, in case you’ve been wondering where we came from. Although I doubt you winged ones—that’s what we call you angels—give evildwel history much thought. Your attention goes to the humans, including this young woman, Amber. You hardly leave her side. It’s an unsettling thought, but I can almost understand your devotion. I feel something from Amber that used to repel me, but now it draws me to her, much like you. Not sure what it is, though.

“I’m attempting to communicate with you, like winged ones do, by thoughts. I can’t take the chance of speaking out loud and being overheard by another evildwel. Anyway, it’s my hope you can hear me because my life is literally spinning out of control.”

Nester paused and studied the beautiful winged one. Zelina didn’t indicate she wanted him to stop, so he continued to push his thoughts to her.

“There was this planet before Earth where we ran out of food. We had no entities like winged ones to stop us, so the planet’s inhabitants destroyed each other. We feasted well on their fear and suffering, something we’ve done since time began. I’ve heard some voice the opinion that it was even before that, since we only know we are here, not how we came into existence. I’ve never pondered much on the philosophical part of our presence but considered what we did like culling the weak from the herd, until now.

“Humankind was still new when we arrived, but they supplied us with a feast, much like the banquets spread out for kings and queens. I don’t like to admit it to you, but I’ve dined on the hatred and misery with each blow inflicted through slavery, genocide, torture, burning witches, wars, serial killers, or a man simply abusing his wife or child. Human hatred and fear were delicious food for me.”

Nester paused again, making sure Zelina wouldn’t lash out at him for saying that. Her face was serene, gazing down at her human. It was as if he didn’t exist. His discomfort sharing himself was painful, like a festering open wound, but what other choice did he have?

Blurb:

Six months after Amber’s sister is brutally murdered, she’s still looking for answers, and now someone is stalking her and no one believes her. Home alone with a powerful snowstorm approaching, Amber is determined to take control of the investigation by hiring a private detective, but her plans are disrupted when she finds herself snowed in with people she may not be able to trust. Meanwhile, Nester the evildwel, whose entire existence has been feeding on fear and pain, is seeking help from the angel who’s protecting Amber. Nester and Amber need answers. Can Amber figure out what’s going on with some subtle help from an angel? Will Nester find what he needs from his enemies? The worlds of good and evil clash, and the outcome will determine not only Amber’s and Nester’s fate but life as they know it.

AMAZON ORDER LINK 

Fun Finn Facts:

1. We have two wood rat houses off the magical trail.
2. Lake Tahoe is the first place I saw it snow.
3. I’ve only been on a boat on Lake Tahoe once–to scatter cremains.

 

Meet D.L. :

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include adult fiction, poetry, a unique autobiography, and children’s books. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

Evildwel/Angel Series: 

This Second Chance (Book 1)

The Button (Book 2)

This Last Chance (Book 3)

Companion Evildwel/Angel Stories: 

A Long Walk Home: A Christmas Novelette

“Red Eyes in the Darkness: A Short Story”

Connect with D.L. :

Twitter    Facebook   Instagram   Pinterest  D.L. Finn blog

 

Purchase Links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble