Margay Leah Justice: Pushing the Limits - Of My Reading Pleasure!

Margay Leah Justice: Pushing the Limits - Of My Reading Pleasure!: "I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why ...

Margay Leah Justice: Sloane Wolf Excerpt

Margay Leah Justice: Sloane Wolf Excerpt: Shiloh nearly leapt off the sill as his hand touched her knee. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to remain seated and app...

eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies Kindle Fire Giveaway!

eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Tina Haveman is the founder and CEO of eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies. Tina was born in Europe, left there at age eight, then traveled to several countries with her parents, to finally settle in Australia for many years. She immigrated to Canada in 1973 where she has lived since. After raising a family of five as a single mother, she finally found time to concentrate on her writing. In 2000 she started her own publishing house with a partner but became too busy with eXtasy and Devine to continue her involvement and withdrew to focus entirely on eXtasy and Devine. Tina devotes all her time to her publishing house and authors and is grateful for the success her company is experiencing. “After many years of struggling to keep my head above water while raising five children on my own, I have much to be thankful for,” said Tina. “While the company affords me a comfortable living now and I have quite a staff aboard, I thoroughly enjoy what I do and won’t stop until someone up above tells me it’s time.”

About eXtasy Books

eXtasy Books first opened its doors December 2002 with a small website that was soon revamped into a more business like site. Within a matter of months, eXtasy outgrew that website and had to build another site to accommodate its growing catalog. Since then, the site has been revamped a number of times. Our imprint, Devine Destinies, started in 2008 to accommodate mainstream, YA, inspirational and children's books.

Since eXtasy’s birth, it has seen several upheavals, but with hard work, a loyal staff and a loyal stable of authors, eXtasy managed to survive them, along with the depression that hit our countries hard.

This past years has seen tremendous growth at eXtasy and we have moved our website to our own dedicated server to accommodate its growing readership.

We publish a wide variety of stories ranging from short stories to full books, pricing kept reasonable to accommodate our readers. Prices range from 1.59 to 5.99.

eXtasy Books has always been and is a devout supporter of e-books and e-readers. There are so many print books destroyed every year, it’s unbelievable. Go Green, is our motto. Save our forests! With so many new e-readers on the market, think about the ease of taking books along when traveling, getting rid of dust collecting books in your house, thereby making more room, being able to read a book on your phone or handheld while going to and from work on a bus or train. Think about the many books you can store on your computer. And think about the books you can hide from nosy relatives or children…

We have an attractive reward program in place. Receive 5 dollars on first sign up for an account that can be applied if you spend 20 or more dollars. For every purchase you receive 10% of your total in rewards. These rewards can be saved or you can use them when you come back to buy more books. We're always looking for new ways to make our site a great shopping experience. Come and visit us at http://www.extasybooks.com and/or http://www.devinedestinies.com

Follow eXtasy at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/extasybooks.

Follow eXtasy at Twitter at ttps://twitter.com/#!/eXtasyBooks.

Follow Devine Destinies at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DevineDestinies.

Follow Devine Destinies at Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/DevineDestinies.

~ ~ ~ KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book and eXtasy Books are teaming up to give you a chance to win a Kindle Fire!

Here's how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form throughout the tour. The Kindle Fire promotion will run from June 1 - August 31. Winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on September 1, 2012. Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Margay Leah Justice: I Could Handle This Renegade Passion!

Margay Leah Justice: I Could Handle This Renegade Passion!: I have a love/hate relationship with novellas. On the love side, they are quick bites from an interesting course at a literary buffet. O...

Wistful Wednesday

New Book Release!

Interested?

How about now?

Yes, I know I'm a tease, but doesn't this book look good?

If you want to read an excerpt of this book, check out Karen's blog here.

Suffocate by S. R. Johannes Releases Today!

It is May 21st and guess what that means?

S.R. Johannes’ Suffocate is out today!

Suffocate is the first novelette in THE BREATHLESS series. It is a 15,000 word young adult thriller that combines the dystopic and science fiction genres.

Here’s a little about the novelette…

“For centuries, the world outside the Biome has been unlivable. Today, marks the first time anyone will attempt to leave the suffocating ecosphere. Eria is not worried because her scientist father has successfully tested the new Bio-Suit many times. It's a celebratory day until something goes horribly wrong. In the midst of tragedy, Eria uncovers a deep conspiracy that affects the very air she breathes.

If those responsible find out what she knows, they won't stop hunting her until she takes her last breath.”

The 2nd novella in the series, CHOKE, is scheduled for Fall 2012. The 3rd, EXHALE, is scheduled for Winter 2013.

You can purchase Suffocate for only 99 cents at
Amazon –
B&N –

Also you can add it on Goodreads! - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13648347-suffocate

And in case you were wondering here is a bit about the author –

S.R. Johannes is author of the Amazon Bestseller Untraceable and a current nominee of the Georgia Author of the Year in the Young Adult category. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her goldendoodle Charley (notice he is listed first :), her British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.  You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/srjohannes
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/srjohannes
Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/srjohannes/
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5235537.S_R_Johannes

Tweet about it!
“Today is the release of @srjohannes’  novelette, Suffocate! Check it out on (insert your blog link here)”

Wistful Wednesday

The road from book concept to 

publishing the Sirenne Saga

By Matt Chatelain

As a kid, I craved reading mysteries. Sherlock Holmes was my first character love. Across the Channel, in France, I found my second character love, Arsene Lupin. A gentleman-thief the intellectual equal to Holmes, Lupin was created by Maurice Leblanc. In his second book, 'The Hollow Needle' (available free as kindle, see my website), published in 1908, Leblanc introduced an amazing story of codes and historical treasure, in Etretat, France, a small touristic town, nestled between chalk cliffs on the English Channel.

When I decided, six years ago, to write my first serious novel, I naturally returned to Lupin and to Etretat, building my story around 'The Hollow Needle'. I wanted to have Hitler in the story. Not sure why. I just did. That was the sum total of my inspiration.

The problems began when I started doing research. At first, I didn't even know Etretat was a real place. I didn't know Leblanc lived there. I didn't know secret tunnels had been dug through the cliffs hundreds of years ago. I didn't know Leblanc hid codes in all of his books, tracing a map to Rennes-le-Chateau, Berenger Sauniere's home and the center of 'The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail' controversy.

Bizarrely, the research was also turning up a series of coincidental links to an earlier novel 'The Greyman', an attempt to express my spiritual views in an action format.  I did more research. The links solidified.  I saw how the two seemingly separate stories could be connected with a couple of bridging books. My series was born.

Trying to find a title for the stories took some time. Many people would find the title of Book One of the Sirenne Saga, 'The Caves of Etretat' too revealing. After all, that's what my main character is looking for. I'm giving away the biggest secret of the book in the title. That's the first mystery you'll encounter. What is Book One really about? The answer can only be found by reading the four books.

Writing the series was, in a way, the result of a lifelong quest for answers to questions such as: Why are we here? Is the world even real? What is it all about? The process of writing the Sirenne Saga was necessary to find my answers. It was also my search for a path in life. I needed to learn if writing was right for me. The series was a formative experience, forging the skills I needed to succeed.

Along the way, characters started talking to me. The story went where it had to, instead of where I wanted. Editing entered the picture, teaching me how to refine my work. Pace appeared. So did my antagonist, the immortal Weissmuller, a serial-killer like no other. The four books clarified into distinct levels.  Editing continued.

An unanticipated problem appeared. I could not publish Book One until Book Four was complete, to ensure story continuity.  It delayed everything. On the other hand, the series was becoming highly polished. Every sentence had been ripped apart, examined, and reassembled to say exactly what was intended. Nothing was left to chance. Skipping sections in this story is a bad idea.

The series was circular, finishing at the beginning of Book One. Reading could be continued, Book One changed into Book Five by the revelations in the rest of the series.  The continual honing had helped me create a non-stop pace, likening the books to a rollercoaster, so filled with twists that nothing was what it seemed. If you think you've got it figured out, think again.

I'd selected a specific agent and sent letters only to her. She refused me every time. However, her refusals were always accompanied with timely advice. They helped me see the problems to my story, or my writing skills. She suggested writing a series was not necessarily a good thing for a starting author. She was probably right. Unfortunately, I was committed.

Since I was a child I had been searching for books that went the distance. Never finding them, I'd written an action/adventure story that, not only went the distance, it took pictures and came back. Unwilling to wait for an interested agent, I decided to go the self-publishing route, intending to publish all four books in 2012. Another pet peeve. I hated waiting for authors to finish writing their series so I could buy their books.  

So far, Book One of the Sirenne Saga, 'The Caves of Etretat', is out, available at Kindle as an Ebook, and at Amazon.com as hardcopy (See website for more). Book Two (The Four Books of Etretat) will be out in May 2012 or earlier. Books Three (The One Book of Etretat) and Four (The Greyman), will be out in August/Sept and Oct/Nov respectively.

My website, www.mattchatelain.com, has much more on the series, such as audio excerpts, interviews, various essays about the series, and my bio. It has many extras, such as old audio shows and some short stories. You can also register to a monthly contest to win signed copies of my books.
Thanks for reading about how I wrote the Sirenne Saga. Drop in to my website and let me know what you think of my books.

The Caves of Etretat
by Matt Chatelain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

In 2007, Canadian bookstore owner Paul Sirenne is suddenly thrust into a quest for answers, when his parents are found brutally murdered, their bodies cut up and shaped into the letters H.N. Finding a note inside his father's copy of 'The Hollow Needle', by Maurice Leblanc, Sirenne is determined to uncover the roots of his long-forgotten family secret.

He heads to the town of Etretat, France, on the trail of a hundred year old mystery hidden in the pages of the 'Hollow Needle'. Falling in love with Leblanc's great-granddaughter, he deals with puzzles, theories, codes and historical mysteries, leading him to believe that Leblanc held a secret war against Adolf Hitler, fighting for the control of an incredible complex of caves hidden in Etretat's chalk cliffs.

'THE CAVES OF ETRETAT' is the first in a four-book epic adventure following Paul Sirenne, an average man unknowingly manipulated into becoming the key in the final phase of a complex conspiracy spanning millennia. Inextricably woven into history, the series re-writes everything we know in a non-stop rollercoaster of a ride where nothing is ever as it seems.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Entering my room, I approached the small shelf above my bed. I scanned the titles, finding the book easily, to my relief. Removing it from the shelf, I opened it from the back, finding my father’s original note, an old piece of Vellum paper. The tape holding it in place had dried out and yellowed, the glue having become crusty over time. I wondered why my father had done that, knowing we held the same reverence for books.

The thought slipped away when I read the note he had written so long ago:

Dear Paul:

On the occasion of your ninth birthday, I give you the same book my father gave to me when I was nine. It’s a wonderful story but it is also so much more.

It is the beginning...

The beginning and the end,
Follow the circle, it bends.
The end and the beginning
The answer in the connecting
Your Father

PS:
A real story ends near Etretat
Lost until Paul infers new ideas subtly
You ought understand responsibility,
Necessarily after moiling Etretat

When I had read this note at age nine, I had not grasped my father’s true intent. Today, it seemed obvious that he was signalling the start of a hunt. Something was going on in the town of Etretat and it was connected with this book.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born in Ottawa, fifty-two years ago, I have been the owner of a used bookstore I opened in Ontario, since 1990. I have been writing since I was ten. Beginning with poetry, I quickly moved on to short stories and non-fiction pieces. I stayed in that format for many years, eventually self-publishing a franchise manual (How to Open Your Own Used Bookstore), as well as a variety of booklets, such as 'How to Save Money at Home', 'Build a Greenhouse with Style' and the ten booklet series of Eddy Brock, Brockville Detective.

Having semi-retired from the bookstore, I embarked on the project of writing my first serious novel, which I expanded to a four book series after discovering an incredible mystery hidden within Maurice Leblanc's books.

My interests are eclectic. I like Quantum Physics, Cosmology, history, archaeology, science in general, mechanics, free power, recycling and re-use. I'm a good handyman and can usually fix just about anything. I'm good with computers. I love movies, both good and bad, preferring action and war movies. I can draw and paint fairly well but am so obsessed with perspective and light that I cannot think of much else. I am too detail oriented. Takes too long to finish anything.

Website:   http://www.mattchatelain.com
Facebook page:   http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003486781507

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRIZE INFORMATION

Matt will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host whose post receives the most comments (excluding his or the host's) during the tour.