Softly and Tenderly by Lisa Binion Book Tour & #Giveaway

Softly and Tenderly

by Lisa Binion

About The Author:

Lisa Binion is a writer, editor, and wife. She makes her home in the beautiful state of Kentucky. Her two children are now grown, but she has been blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, Tyler and Zoey. Her family also includes four dogs, four cats, and two goats.

As the Fiction Writing Editor for BellaOnline, she writes articles, reviews fiction books, and interviews fiction authors. She is also an editor for Silver Tongue Press and Edit 1st. In her spare time, she attempts to clean house and relax. You can find her at https://www.facebook.com/pages/BellaOnline-Fiction-Writing/125143070846792., http://www.silvertonguepress.com/, and http://edit1st.com/.

Genre: Horror Short Story

Publisher: Silver Tongue Press

Description:

“Mom died in her sleep last night.” Those are terrifying words for a child to wake up to. The beetle that falls off the stretcher and stares at her is only the beginning one of the strangest and most frightening times in Lori’s life. Death is not a pretty thing, especially not when the funeral is to be at the Lights Out Chapel and Crematorium. Once she walks into the funeral parlor, she experiences things that no little girl should ever have to experience. No one is acting normal. No one can see what is going on. Is Lori the only one who sees the blood oozing from the pictures of Jesus on the cross? Doesn’t anyone else see the beetles? Is Lori hallucinating when she sees her mom sit up and hears her speak? There is absolutely nothing soft and tender about what happens to Lori. From her overly morbid piano teacher to the creepy preacher and a father that just isn’t acting like himself, Lori is surrounded by people and things that hint of something bizarre. Once she leaves the Lights Out Chapel and Crematorium, things will go back to normal. Or will they?

 Excerpt 1:

“Lori, it’s your turn to say bye now. You need to tell her that you love her and how much you will miss her.” Daddy put me down next to her coffin and placed his hands on my shoulders. He pushed me so close to her death box that I felt the white satin that overlapped to the outside. It rubbed against my hands. At least it was soft for Mommy. She would be comfortable in there.

I decided to speak out loud this time. Maybe no one else would bring me back up here again if I spoke my goodbyes out loud. “Mommy,” I began, but then I started crying so hard I couldn’t speak. Daddy rubbed my shoulders until I quieted down and could begin again. “Mommy, I love you. I don’t want you to leave me. Please come back. No one, not even this Jesus, is worth leaving me over.” I opened my eyes and looked at her. She hadn’t moved since Mrs. Minuet had dragged me up here. But then her eyes opened, and she stared at me. She was staring at me! I sucked my breath in and felt my legs grow weak as my head began to spin. With one hand I grabbed on to the edge of the coffin, while with the other hand I grabbed hold of Daddy’s arm.

“Daddy! Daddy! Mommy’s not dead! She looked at me!” I screamed as I jumped up and down. “She was still alive when they took her out of the house. I saw her trying to get out from under the sheet.” I pulled on his arm and shook it. “Please, Daddy. You’ve got to save her.”

Daddy was beginning to sound a bit mad. He picked me up and held me over top of Mommy. “Maybe if you give her a goodbye kiss you’ll understand she’s dead, and believe me when I tell you she isn’t coming back.” I was so close to Mommy’s cheek that I could see the makeup was beginning to cake in her pores. There was no warmth rising up from her body, only icy coldness.

 Giveaway:

10 eCopies of Softly and Tenderly

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Journey After School by Jasmine Sheffield

Journey After School

by Jasmine Sheffield

About The Author:


Jasmine, a loving mother and wife, is a resident of Virginia. She is a 

graduate of Florida A&M University where she received a B.S. in 

Computer Information Systems. She went on to receive her M.S. in 

Management Information Systems from University of Illinois Springfield. 

Although she has a passion for technology, her greatest love is helping 

her peers with their careers and finances. 



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Book Genre- Self-Help

Publisher - Our Journey Publishing
Release Date - 1/9/2013
Amazon

Graduating from college is easy when compared to the effort of getting hired after graduation. Once hired, maintaining your professionalism and managing your finances can be challenging. Journey after School seeks to provide guidance for new graduates. Like the syllabus provided by a professor at the beginning of a semester, Journey after School is a brief, easy read.

Excerpt 1-

You’ve proven you have the skills, experience, and personality to join the company. From the first day on the job, you have to perform and do it professionally. For young professionals, a challenge will be proving that you are capable of performing the job. You are no longer in college and should not give your colleagues the impression that you are a student.

Appearances are important, and just like at your interview, you should wear appropriate attire to work. The business attire you wore to the interview may not be required for your office; therefore, it is important to ask your recruiter or hiring manager about the dress code. As you begin working, you can observe your colleagues and determine how formal or casual they dress.

In school, classes had a defined schedule, but in your career, you may not have a specific schedule. Many employers expect that you will be at work at a reasonable time and do all of your hours for the day. If you have the luxury of choosing your own schedule, be mindful of your company’s core business hours. Typically, the core hours
are defined between a start and finish time like 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If your schedule is predefined, be sure you are punctual. You are not expected to work non-stop when you arrive at work, but you should minimize your downtime. When you are away from your workstation for an extended period of time, you should inform someone that you will be away. Your colleagues should not have to search for you and should never question whether you have actually worked all of your scheduled hours. 

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3 Day Book Bash: The Black Song Inside by Carlyle Clark

The Black Song Inside

by Carlyle Clark

Author Bio:

Carlyle Clark was raised in Poway, a city just north of San Diego, but is now a proud Chicagolander working in the field of Corporate Security and writing crime fiction and fantasy. He has flailed ineffectually at performing the writers' requisite myriad of random jobs: pizza deliverer, curb address painter, sweatshop laborer, day laborer, night laborer, twilight laborer (of the fang-less variety), security guard, campus police, Gallup pollster, medical courier, vehicle procurer, and signature-for-petitions-getter.

He is a happily married man with two cats and a dog. He is also a martial arts enthusiast and a CrossFit endurer who enjoys fishing, sports, movies, TV series with continuing storylines, and of course, reading. Most inconsequentially, he holds the unrecognized distinction of being one of the few people in the world who have been paid to watch concrete dry in the dark. Tragically, that is a true statement.

Author Links:

http://carlyleclark.wordpress.com/

Title: The Black Song Inside

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Publisher: Make Luck Press

Release Date: November 14^th, 2012

Amazon

Synopsis:

Shortlisted for the 2012 Faulkner-Wisdom Award

Newly engaged private investigators Atticus Wynn and Rosemary Sanchez have seen the dark and violent side of life. Atticus's dry wit is born of a traumatic childhood that's left him emotionally scarred and estranged from his homicide detective sister. The medals Rosemary earned during her tour of duty in Iraq are little reward for returning home to San Diego missing a leg and tormented by PTSD and her continuing failure to save her younger brother from his own violent nature. Still, nothing they've been through has prepared them for an explosive murder investigation that tests the couple's trust as they struggle to solve a case where the best result leaves them in prison or dead.

Atticus's manipulative and gorgeous ex-girlfriend, Claire, bursts back into their lives wielding a secret about Rosemary's family that she exploits to force the couple into investigating the execution-style slaying of her lover. The case thrusts Atticus and Rosemary headlong into the world of human trafficking and drug smuggling as well as rendering them pawns in Tijuana Cartel captain Armando Villanueva's bloody bid to take over the Cartel. Villanueva Machiavellian scheme sends one of his minions, Rosemary's own gangsta brother, after Atticus, and as if that weren't bad enough, Villanueva dispatches "The Priest", a former child soldier for a Colombian rebel group who is now a messianic mercenary whose religious psychosis has launched him on a trajectory that can only end in mayhem.

The Black Song Inside is a vivid crime thriller rife with the murder and madness, melded with gallows humor and the heroism of two flawed protagonists who, in struggling to unravel a skein of human suffering, learn the nature of redemption and the ability to forgive others and themselves.

Excerpt:

Rosemary suppressed a sigh. As the only child of parents who had wanted a brood, her life had been spent as the wobbly point of an inverted pyramid, forever attempting to balance the burden of hopes and expectations meant to be spread over a half-dozen children. Instead, it was only she and her adopted brother Johnny, the mayhem magnet.

“The leg I have now isn’t agile,” Rosemary said, rapping it with her knuckles. “With this new one, I can step over things, walk backward, change directions quickly. I’m no longer stuck just going one way and having a change in direction be a major ordeal. I’ll be free.”

Rosemary maneuvered the X2 case for a better view, marveling at the complexity encompassed in its artistic form. “Come take a look at it.”

Mama stayed put, offering a wan smile. “It’s very fancy.”

Mama sniffed as she levered herself out of the armchair. She pivoted toward the window and pushed the silk drape aside. The waistband of her stretch pants dented her torso. From behind, her hair-sprayed bob seemed smooth and solid, as formidable a protection as the brass dome of a deep-sea diver, the hose stretching from the helmet up to a world of stability, sameness. “So much bad weather this summer.”

Rosemary felt the urge to knead her mother’s shoulders. “You could change, Mama.”

Her mother’s neck stiffened. Still looking away, she shook her head. “I happen to like who I am.”

Ah, and there it was, the roundabout implication that Rosemary was somehow betraying Mama by being with Atticus—the only thing that had set the pyramid to wobbling as much as her joining the Army Reserves. Hadn’t Mama’s fears been grimly vindicated when an IED exploded under the Humvee she was driving? Didn’t she have an “I told you so” moment when the explosion transformed the man who’d been next to her in the front seat, Specialist First-Class Yukio Morimitu, an always smiling human being with a new bride and a child on the way, into a spatter of blood and bone clumped in her hair, clogging her ears and nose, and filling her mouth with gobbets of flesh.

Rosemary hobble-stepped to the window, leaned against the sill, and put her arm around Mama’s shoulders. Lightning flickered in the lining of steel gray clouds. “More rain coming,” Rosemary said. “Maybe you better go now.”

“I rearranged my day so I can take you to rehab. We could have lunch, relax, then go.” She studied Rosemary’s face a moment and squinted. “What? You don’t want me?”

Rosemary forced her expression to be neutral. “Of course I do, but you said you couldn’t go, so I asked Atticus.”

“So. You’d rather have him than your own mother.”

“Oh for God’s sake. I asked you to take me first. You said you were busy.”

“So Atticus can’t change his schedule?” The sky cast a greenish tinge on Mama’s face.

Here we go again, Rosemary thought. Countdown…three…two…one…

“Atticus, Atticus, always Atticus. I’m sick of hearing his name.”

“Blastoff.”

“What?” Mama blinked.

“Cape Fucking Canaveral.” Rosemary shuffled back to her bed.

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Ace of Diamonds by Vogue (#Giveaway)

Ace of Diamonds

Book III in The Diamond Collection

by Vogue

About The Author:

Vogue is the author of Diamonds in the Rough and Diamonds Are Forever. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, she is a graduate of Winthrop University, possessing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Vogue currently resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

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Instagram - MarilynMonRHO_1922

The Ace of Diamonds

Book III of The Diamond Collection

Genre: Urban Fiction

Publisher: Crown Jewel Publishing

Release Date: February 11, 2013

Amazon Kindle | Paperback

Book Description:

Since his release from prison, Brookstone’s most notorious drug lord, Jay Santiago, has been hard at work rebuilding his life and empire. With two businesses under his belt and one in the making, Jay is readily known as one of New York’s elite men.

While the root of his financial status lies in the newly rebuilt Santiago cartel, Jay is determined to expand his wealth. After reconnecting with an old comrade, he believes that he has found the one thing that could increase his fortune and allow him to leave behind the dangers of his criminal enterprise for good.

However, as Jay’s new business venture begins to come to fruition, he quickly learns that the one material object that he loves the most could lead to his biggest downfall yet. 

Excerpt from The Ace of Diamonds

Excerpt #1

Carmen stared out the window as Kane’s Jeep backed out of the driveway. She wanted to call him to come back, but she knew that he wouldn’t. While they had cleared the air on one issue, another one had surfaced. This one, though, she couldn’t fix. She was nine months pregnant and Nyla was coming regardless of how Kane felt. He might not have liked the idea, but he knew when they renewed their vows that she was pregnant. He seemed okay with it then, but obviously the whole thing was an act.

When his car disappeared out of the gates, Carmen began to think that her marriage wasn’t going to survive. If Kane was running out now then she knew it would be worse when Nyla came. Jay would be around more than ever and she would be forced to communicate with him. There might even be times when he had to come to the house. The distance between her and Kane would only grow.

Carmen pulled the curtains closed as she made her way back to the bed. She sat down, and tried to fight back her tears. She and Kane had been fine until Jay’s lawsuit, which sent them spiraling back into a place that neither one of them wanted to be. Carmen wanted to come up with an answer to fix everything, but she couldn’t. Softly crying, she did the only thing she knew how; she prayed to God for guidance and strength. She told herself that this would be the last time she would allow Kane to leave. After tonight, she would put her foot down. If she wanted to

save her marriage, she had to act like it, now or never. 

Diamonds Are Forever

Book II of The Diamond Collection

Genre: Urban Fiction

Publisher: Passionate Writer Publishing

Release Date: October 25, 2010

Amazon Kindle | Paperback

Book Description:

Eight months pregnant, Carmen Davenport is unsure of what is waiting for her outside of the Metropolitan Correctional Facility. For six grueling months, she sat in a cold cell with only the thought of her unborn son, keeping her sane. Now, she has returned to Brookstone to discover that Flame is now a multi-million dollar enterprise, all thanks to her best friend, Tiara. Diamonds Are Forever is a reunion with familiar characters and another look into the dramatic lives of Brookstone’s finest.

Diamonds in the Rough

Book I of The Diamond Collection

Genre: Urban Fiction

Publisher: Passionate Writers Publishing

Release Date: June 1, 2010

Amazon Kindle | Paperback

Book Description:

Carmen Davenport is living the American dream. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she has anything that a twenty-one year old college student would want: supportive parents, a set of fly friends, and an inheritance to one of the most lucrative clothing companies in New York: Flame, Inc. The only thing missing is love, but that doesn’t seem to faze her until she lays eyes on Jay Santiago, a Puerto Rican drug lord who is destined to make Carmen his at any cost. Instantly, Carmen begins to fall for him despite his reign as the head of a multi-million dollar drug cartel.

After securing the rights to her inheritance, Carmen soon learns that Flame, Inc. is headed towards a downward spiral. Too ambitious to allow her dream to go down the drain, Carmen begins pulling at all lifelines to save her company. Putting aside everything she’s ever believed in, Carmen soon finds herself entangled in a web of lies, betrayal, and crime. However, Carmen knows that in order to achieve her goal, she must remain focused no matter how dangerous the road to success may get.

Giveaway:

One Signed Copy of Ace of Diamonds

Open to US/Canada 

International Winners will receive an E-Book

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3 Day Book Bash & Giveaway - DADspirations by Pete Densmore

Dadspirations:

The 1^st 100 Days of Fatherhood

by Pete Densmore

About The Author:

Father of two, Pete Densmore doesn’t consider himself an expert in parenthood by any means. He makes the same number of mistakes as every other parent and doesn’t have any fancy combination of letters after his name. Densmore believes that anyone can be an inspired dad as long as he wants to put the time, effort and heart into becoming one.

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About The Book:

Genre: Parenting | Inspirational | Fatherhood

Publisher: DADspirations

Released: August 1, 2012

Paperback: 176 pages Language: English ISBN-10: 061566363X ISBN-13: 978-0615663630 Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches Amazon Price (Paperback): $13.95 Amazon Price (Kindle ): $7.99

Book Description:

DADspirations: The 1st 100 Days of Fatherhood is a fast-reading, humorous book which includes an actionable checklist of essential ideas to help inspire dads to become the best father they can be. In short, this book offers a strategy for the expecting/new father focusing on 35 weekly ideas that Dad can do for himself, his wife and his newborn. A few of these ideas, which Densmore refers to as DADspirations, include:

• Develop a baby birth time capsule, which captures all of the precious moments from a day you're likely to forget.
• Send your loving wife to the spa, which secures for you an afternoon of introducing Bob Ross and Kung Fu to your baby.
• Build a toy box, which gives you the perfect excuse to spend an entire day alone in the garage with power tools and beer.
• Make up a holiday, which affords time for infant and grandma to bond, and gives you and your wife time for nookie.

Testimonials

 

GoodReads Reviews (3 out of 3 reviews)

1. Josee Phillip, December 10, 2012: Thank you for Goodreads and to the author for providing me a free copy of this wonderful book. I read this book along with one of my good male friends who is expecting a baby girl. This book is fun and realistic and makes a future dad "as ready as can be" to take upon this terrific challenge. I ended up giving him the copy of he book; he can always learn something new.
2. Jennifer Dilks, December 13, 2012: Hilarious! This book should be required reading for all new dads. And those who aren't "new"...there's always room for improvement, right? A comical outlook on the first 100 days of fatherhood, with enough sentimental touch that moms will enjoy reading also. A light-hearted, quick read that would be a perfect gift for the father-to-be. I'm so thankful to have received this book as a Goodreads first-reads giveaway...but I'm passing it along to a friend (a new dad!).
3. Lacey Gordon, December 16, 2012: I won this book through the GOODREADS GIVEAWAYS and it was a win that I am glad I won. I did read this book but I mostly won it for my husband. I want to give it to him when we start our family. I know he'll enjoy it as much as me. Great book!
4. Sandra Slack, January 28, 2013: This book surpassed all my expectations.I wanted it to give to my grandson who is currently "expecting".This is an ideal "Daddy" gift, to be given during the pregnancy so he can learn his role in the launching of Missy or Junior.Best, would be the expectant parents reading this aloud to each other in the weeks before the actual arrival of the adored bundle of noise, needs and nocturnal disregard, so soon to dominate the household.It is obvious the "Daddy" who wrote this book loves his children and managed to keep his sense of humor through it all.

  Amazon Reviews (3 out of 10 reviews)  

1. Best Book for Dads!!! November 5, 2012: An excellent an awesome book!!! Written by a DAD. Great advice, easy to read, funny and smart, I totally recommend this book to first time Dads. It would help you and entertain you a lot while the first months of your baby. 5 STARS!!
2. Makes the perfect gift for your buddy who's about to be a dad! October 15, 2012: This book couldn't be more perfect for that buddy of yours who's about to be a dad. Filled with awesome ideas and great tips to make those first couple of months easier on you and mom.
3. First hand Creativity and Confidence October 14, 2012: Lets be honest, as exciting and miraculous the birth of a child can be for a father, it is an experience that can challenge ones confidence. That is where the book Dadspirations steps in. This first hand account of fatherhood will help calm your nerves, keep you laughing, spark your creativity and give you the confidence you are looking for. It gives you ideas on how to keep daddy, mommy, and baby supported and happy. What a great gift for all the soon-to-be dads in your life or a new perspective for those who already have children.

Excerpts:   

Daddy Letter For My Daughter

On the day Marie was born, I was a mess. We had a false labor the previous day, I had to give a client presenta-tion at work that morning, and our babysitter for Henry bailed on us, causing a last minute scramble. When Marie is old enough, I will share with her the excite-ment, the anxiety and the fear that was bottled up inside me the day she was born. Every dad is a complete wreck that day, whether he admits or not. After all, you are in a dimly lit, cold hospital room, surrounded by strang-ers, while your wife is in pain for hours on end, you feel helpless to make her feel better, and all while the best experience in the world is going to happen at any moment.

Looking back on that day, I want my daughter to know that her dad was swearing like a sailor as he fought un-precedented traffic at 9:00 p.m. on the way to the hospital; that her dad nearly missed her birth because he was in the parking lot transferring her brother’s car seat to grandpa’s car; and that her dad stole a piece of pizza from the hospital floor’s community refrigerator. (Give me a break; I hadn’t eaten in twelve hours.) And, above 14 PETE DENSMORE all, there are three things I want her to know that I was thinking when I first held her in my arms: boy that pizza was good; how do I make sure she ends up with a good guy like Daddy; and how do I make sure she knows that being smart is cool. These are the types of thoughts, feelings and ideas I will share with my little girl so that she can understand her OCD father a little bit better.

Giveaway:

Beautiful Baby Tower Gift Set - An adorable tower with a large variety of gifts for the new baby. Open to US/Canada. International choice of Paypal Cash or Amazon Gift Card for same value. ($39.95 Value)

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Trapped by George Bernstein

Trapped

by George Bernstein

About The Author:

George A Bernstein is a youthful seventy-six-year-old, with a B.A. from Northwestern University, now living in south Florida, and the retired president of a publicly-held Chicago company. George's main interest is as a serious novelist. He has attended numerous writers’ conferences and seminars, including that of famous fiction agent, Donald Maass, and he has worked with independent editor, Dave King, all with the goal of improving his craft. George is also a “World-Class” fly-fisherman, and has held a dozen various IGFA fishing World records. In his life before writing, George ran Outdoor Safaris, a World-wide fishing & hunting tour operator, working with airlines and travel agencies promoting premier sporting trips. He has also published the definitive book on fly-fishing for pike & musky, Toothy Critters Love Flies.

George's first novel, Trapped, is published by TAG Publishers, after being a finalist in their Next Great American Novelcontest. Dee Burks and her staff really love the story, and her revision suggestions helped make Trapped the best it can be. Trapped was also a finalist at the 2012 Florida Writers Association RPLA fiction contest in 2012. Trapped has received virtually all 5-Star reviews on Amazon.

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Genre: Mainstream Suspense

Publisher: Tag Publishing LLC

Release Date: October 15, 2012

Buy: Amazon

Book Description:

The darkness is still, silent. Jackee Maren’s heart pounds reverberating through her body as fear sears her veins. Someone’s coming. No way out. This time they will kill me. Her breath is short, her chest burns. Must run. Faster. Faster! Her eyes fly open, her heart still racing with blinding fear. Jackee breathes deeply with relief and stares at the ceiling desperately trying to calm herself. The same dream. Something, someone is watching . . . and waiting.

A tragic car accident leaves beautiful, vibrant Jackee Maren completely paralyzed, in “Locked-in Syndrome,” able to move only her eyes. Jackee’s husband, Phil, is devastated and her two young boys left with nothing but a shell for a mother, but still, Jackee senses the foreboding of an evil presence and knows time is short.

Slowly, Jackee learns to communicate with her physical therapist, Kevin, by blinking her eyes. As evidence comes to light that her car accident was no accident, Jackee doggedly strives to expose the person who wants her dead before they get a second chance.

While Jackee struggles to put all the clues together, she’s stunned to discover she has the ability to sense the thoughts of others, but she hides this talent from everyone but her sons, not knowing whom she can trust. By actively exercising her new psychic ability, Jackee finally learns who masterminded the “accident” but feels helpless to stop them from trying to kill her again.

Desperate to survive, she slowly concocts a psychic plan to not only ensure her boys are safe forever, but to exact retribution on her would-be murderer. Jackee vows not to rest until this villain understands what it is to be TRAPPED! But she must hurry. Her psychic manipulations of the players in her “skit” of revenge are sapping her meager reserves, leaving her with only months to live.

Excerpt:

PROLOG

Turn signal flashing, she eases into the right lane in front of a large, battered pick-up, with less than a half-mile to the Old Orchard Exit Ramp. Jackee Maren rarely drives so aggressively, but first delayed by her two sons’ late departure from school, and then navigating around a minor fender bender on Dundee road, she is already ten minutes behind, and she’s never late. The Northern Illinois Chapter of the United Way won’t start their planning session without their chairwoman, and Jackee hates the idea of keeping so many busy people waiting. Peeling onto the ramp, her attention is drawn to her two boys, bickering and shoving in the back seat. Glancing back at the road, a ridge of goose bumps cascades down her spine. They’re hurtled toward a string of glaring taillights… cars unexpectedly stopped by a red light at the first intersection off the expressway. Jamming a foot on the brakes, she’s stunned when the big Mercedes slews sharply right, smack into the path of the huge pickup truck, which had exited behind her. It slams into the rear fender of the sedan, sending it careening off the road, the seatbelts gouging her shoulder, crushing the breath from her lungs. “Hang on boys,” she gasps. Oh God! My sons! They can’t die here. They spin down the embankment like an eccentric top, ricocheting off a bridge column. The wheel torn from her grip, the air filled with the screech of rending metal and the stench of burning rubber, the car rears like a great angry beast, its rear legs hamstrung. Slamming down, it hurtles backward into the culvert, bucking and skipping along the steep embankment. Despite seatbelts, Jackee is flung around like a rag doll in the jaws of some huge terrier. The air bag erupts in the midst of their tumultuous downward plunge, rushing out at 200 MPH, just as frontal impact slings her forward. Her face catches the brunt of the blow, skewering lips on her teeth, smashing her nose. A searing bolt of pain fires across her brain, igniting a burst of red heat behind her tearing eyes. A sharp pitch right crushes her left cheek against the window, knocking her momentarily senseless. The sedan teeters, enveloped in a cloud of dust, hunkering precariously on its haunches before crashing down on its wheels, coming to a thunderous, grinding stop. She awakens to wailing and blubbering from the two small boys in the rear seat. “Mommy!” The call gasped through ragged breathing. “Mommy!” Now a frantic screech. “I’m…I’m here.” We’re alive! Thank God, we’re all still alive. She sags against the seatbelt, every joint singed with agony, unable to will herself into action. Help should be coming. She moans. Gotta hang on… She slips out of consciousness. The continued bawling and moaning of her sons stir her, drawing her out of the fog of semi-consciousness. One of her eyes is swollen shut, but the other flickers open, glazed with shock. Where the Hell’s Fire/Rescue.

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The Freedman and the Pharaoh's Staff by Lane Heymont

The Freedman and the Pharaoh's Staff

by Lane Heymont

About The Author:

Lane Heymont was born in Pennsylvania. He earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a focus on literature and history. He also holds a double minor in psychology and business. After college, he turned his focus back to writing. Lane has several short stories published, one of which was recommended for the 2012 Bram Stoker Award in short fiction.

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Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Slipstream
Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.

Release Date: December 23, 2012

Buy: Amazon

Book Description:

Jeb, a former slave, rescues his brother-in-law Crispus from the Ku Klux Klan, pulling him into a world of Creole Voodoo, hatred, time travel, and redemption. The two brothers-in-law set out to stop Verdiss and his Klan followers from using the Pharaoh's Staff, a magical artifact from ancient Egypt. Soon, Jeb and Crispus learn Verdiss’ diabolical plan and discover that he is working for an even more evil force. In the end Jeb and Crispus must stop the eradication of an entire people and each must find redemption for his own past sins.

Excerpt:

Allenville flashed in Jeb’s head. Bodies burning, people tortured and brutalized in the streets. Somehow he felt the same thoughts in Fallon. The way his slender hand tightened around his when he’d said the word. He imagined hatred blistering inside the boy. Maybe the need for a father blinded him. Thank the Lawd–that ain’t the case no more…I hope.

“Jeb. Fallon. This way. I found a mambo a few blocks away on Laurel Street.” Crispus’s voice broke through the crowd.

“Come on!” Fallon pulled Jeb through the throng of people. Crispus’s voice always sounded just beyond them, amidst the night madness of Baton Rouge. “Wait!”

“Where’d he go?” Jeb tugged on Fallon’s hand, pushing aside a doughy man.

“He took a right down Nacadian Road. Wait, Crispus!” The hideous ensemble of vendors, farriers, knackers, and other merchants crying out their goods seemed to drown out the boy’s call.

One moment, mayhem wracked the market, the next it fell silent. Fallon stopped, so Jeb did. He couldn’t move, the herd seemed to stop stampeding. Footfalls echoed in the street. The crowd spread. Then came the heavy clacks of soldier’s boots on the flagstones. A band of men, too many to tell. But Jeb knew them by the procession’s cadence–Confederate soldiers. Men clad in gray uniforms marching through Baton Rouge. No doubt, they’d be Klansmen too. Shouts of jubilation spread like wildfire among the townspeople.

“Kill them carpetbaggers!” came a woman’s elegant voice.

“Long live the general!”

“The South shall rise again!” shouted a boy.

Jeb felt the panic in Fallon’s hand, his heartbeat racing as he pulled him away. “What general? I know that cadence like I know my field.” Jeb focused on dodging whatever lay in his way, stumbling over garbage and bumping into people.

Fallon stammered over his words, “Not–not–nothing. Nathan Bedford Forrest?” He gasped, tightening his grip on Jeb.

Somehow Jeb overcame his instincts, keeping his head bowed. Not daring to look up in fear that monster of a man would see him. Though blind, Jeb saw Forrest clad in the gray Confederate officer’s uniform, adorned with medals. He’d seen photos of him. Tall, in his fifties, a receding hairline and a curly mane of black hair. A well-kept goatee tinged gray like his uniform.

I can end it all. Fight through the crowd. A single shot to the head. To hell with being blind, I can do it. For a moment Jeb meant it, caressing his pistol. It’d be easy. Instead, he listened to the Ku Klux Klan founder, savior of the white race, and ender of Reconstruction, parade along the street. Celebrated by a throng of who knew how many people. They were closer now, close enough for Jeb to count them. Four guards following him. Plus Forrest, that’s five. Six shot pistol. Just enough for one miss. He gripped his pistol. It didn’t matter that the crowd loved Forrest, even cheered him on. Six rounds is enough. Jeb edged his pistol free from its holster.

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