An offer with deadly strings... #Mystery #PI #Giveaway

Blurb

Sam Quinton hadn't thought much about the entertainment business for several years. His days as a minor celebrity were part of his past, which was fine with him. But when a Hollywood producer walks through the doors of his gym and offers to create a TV show around his life, Sam doesn't say no right away.

Then the producer's partner ends up dead in her hotel room, and Sam has to put on his private detective hat to straighten things out. It doesn't take long to realize the TV offer may not have been exactly what it was cracked up to be. Suddenly, a whole lot of seemingly bad folks are gunning for Sam. Forget his budding Hollywood career. He has to do everything possible to keep himself and his client alive.

Excerpt

I looked in the direction he pointed, then turned back to him. “It’s a Jeep Cherokee, cashmere pearl color. Why?”

Carson shook his head back and forth a couple of times. “No, that’s not right. Not right at all. A guy like you needs to drive something with some fire. You know, like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini.”

“You ever drive a Lamborghini in rush hour traffic?” I asked.

“Maybe we should take my vehicle instead,” Carson said as he turned a quarter ways and pointed towards a sky-blue Corvette, complete with rental barcode sticker, about forty feet away.

“Mr. Carson,” I said, “I’m not even sure I can fit into something like that.”

“This is what I drive,” I said, gesturing towards the Cherokee. “You want to go meet your partner or not?”

After a little more grumbling, Carson climbed into the passenger seat of the Cherokee.

“How old is this thing anyway?” Carson asked.

“About six years.”

He craned his head to look my way. “You drive a six-year old car?”

“Sure. What about it?”

“But it’s not even a classic. What do the babes say when you try to pick them up in it?”

“I’m a bit past the picking up stage,” I said through partially gritted teeth. “And at the moment there’s only one woman in the picture.”

About the Author

A retired high-school teacher and former college instructor, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of five novels in the Sam Quinton mystery series, all published by Camel Press. He’s also written four crime thrillers, including And the Devil Walks Away and The Anchor, and one horror novel, The Litter, along with numerous short horror stories published in small magazines over the years. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel. A lifelong Midwesterner, Doyle currently resides in Missouri and has loosely based the city of Providence in the Quinton books on Columbia.

Website: http://kevindoylefiction.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kevindoylefiction

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Booker-Sam-Quinton-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0FDCZ1NJC/ref=sr_1_1

Kevin R. Doyle will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

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A world built on power, secrecy and blood – #ParanormalRomance #ReviewTuesday #Giveaway

Blurb

Vampires are real. Powerful, organized, and nearly untouchable, they move through society under the governance of the Cardinalis Order—an ancient system built to protect their kind and punish those who defy its laws.

Michael Chamberlain is one of them. A successful entrepreneur with a carefully buried past, he returns to The Hamptons to take over his father’s elite nightclub—and to secure a contracted blood source. Cold, controlled, and emotionally detached, Michael has long accepted the rules of his world. That is, until he meets Paislee Sullivan.

A determined college student working nights to fund her future, Paislee doesn’t know the truth about the Order—or that her presence at the nightclub is more dangerous than she realizes. When her path collides with Michael’s, she’s pulled into the shadows of a world built on power, secrecy, and blood.

As their connection deepens, Paislee must navigate a society where consent is contractual, love is forbidden, and ignorance offers the only safety. But some connections can’t be denied—and breaking the rules could mean losing everything.

The Cardinal Code is a seductive and high-stakes romance set in a world where the elite don’t just run society—they feed on it.

Excerpt

Michael appeared in front of Paislee before she even registered him moving, blocking her path to the hall with a satisfied grin. “You can run, but I’ll always catch you.”

Her heart leaped, though she tried masking it with a scoff. “I’m not running.” She waved her hand flippantly and took a step back, only for her shoulders to meet the wall.

Michael leaned forward, his palms braced on either side of her, caging her in without touching her. “What would you call it?”

She swallowed hard, her gaze darting anywhere but his face. “I’m allowed to walk around my sanctuary, right? You can’t technically stalk me here.”

“You invited me in,” he reminded her, his tone rich with amusement.

She opened her mouth but then closed it. A flicker of shock crossed her face as she scrambled for a clever response. “I…my neck… It’s extremely sensitive. I just need another day to recover—”

He chuckled softly, and his breath brushed across her cheek. “Sensitive, huh? What other parts of you are sensitive, Paislee?”

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she quickly ducked under his arm, darting out of her sanctuary. “To be clear, I’m not running away,” she declared over her shoulder, though her words rang hollow. “I need some water.”

Michael straightened and turned to follow her with the deliberate pace of a predator. “You’re a terrible liar, Ms. Sullivan.”

Her heart raced as he closed the distance between them; his presence was overwhelming and magnetic. “I-I just think we should talk about—”

He caught her wrist gently and spun her to face him. His eyes gleamed with quiet triumph as he guided her into his bedroom. “We’ll talk,” he promised, his tone both indulgent and commanding. “Later.”

Review by Lisabet Sarai

I’ve read this story before... A beautiful, feisty, innocent young woman attracts the attention of a brooding, charismatic, centuries-old vampire. At first she rejects him, but she can’t fight either the fascination he wields or the sympathy he kindles. For the blood-thirsty hero she should be just a diversion, a tasty source of sustenance, bound to him by a strictly limited contract. Instead, he falls in love with her, to the point of obsession. Meanwhile, enemies within his own clan plot to destroy him by hurting her.

Does the world really need more vampire romance? Apparently. There’s something about the genre that continues to draw readers. Indeed, even though I’ve read more vampire romance than I’d like to admit, I enjoyed many aspects of The Cardinal Code. I am not immune to the lures of power and darkness, nor to the dream of eternal love. Avery Sterling skillfully brings these elements to life.

Paislee is an engaging, multi-sided character. I empathized with her awkwardness and her casual style, while admiring her courage and her desire for independence. The intimate interactions between Paislee and Michael are vivid, intense and sexy. I particularly liked the rather original notion that the Cardinales possess a venom that acts like a drug upon their victims. In most vampire tales, the act of blood-drinking itself is pleasurable; the venom idea makes this more interesting and more plausible.

In some paranormal worlds, vampires are rogue creatures, often isolated or fighting among themselves. Avery Sterling’s Cardinales are far more organized, with a hierarchy stretching back into antiquity, a set of laws that must be obeyed on pain of terrible punishments, and a pretty offensive but probably justified superiority complex. This back story could have been interesting, but the novel didn’t completely follow through. Many of the vampire characters don’t take the revered and terrible Cardinal Code very seriously. Politics and personal vendettas seem to take precedence and the individuals who should be enforcing the code have no scruples about violating it. It seems the Cardinal Code is “more honored in the breach than the observance”, to quote the Bard.

Still, I was willing to accept the view of vamps as a higher order of creature, evolved beyond the level of Homo sapiens. This certainly makes as much sense as any other vampire origin myth.

I should mention that the graphical design of the book was truly lovely. Unfortunately I did notice a few typographic errors. This wasn’t enough to spoil my reading experience. Given the obvious care that was lavished on the production of this novel, though, I was quite surprised at these lapses in editing.

Would I recommend The Cardinal Code to other readers? Up until the last chapter, I would have answered with a qualified yes. I was pretty disappointed by the ending, however. It’s not exactly a cliff hanger, but none of the conflicts is resolved. The last page is a blatant come-on for what is apparently the next book in the series.

I like books that stand on their own. I feel a bit cheated when I realize I’d have to buy another volume to get the resolution I crave.

If you’re a sucker (oh dear!) for a steamy blood-drinking scene, though, you may feel differently.

About the Author

Avery Sterling fell in love with romance novels as a teenager, drawn to the raw emotion and sweeping adventures they offered. She wrote her first novel at sixteen, chasing the thrill of crafting love stories that feel both authentic and unforgettable.

Having spent much of her youth traveling, Avery discovered that love is universal, found in both the grand and quiet moments. Her stories aim to reflect that truth, blending emotional depth with all the steamy romance readers crave.

https://www.avery-sterling.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19674760.Avery_Sterling?ref=nav_profile_l

https://www.facebook.com/avery.sterling.125

https://www.instagram.com/avery.sterling17/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/avery-sterling

Avery Sterling will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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Charity Sunday: Education Means Hope – #CharitySunday #Laos #Literacy

Welcome to another Charity Sunday, one day a month when you can increase the amount of good in the world simply by browsing the web.

These days, the news leaves me emotionally exhausted. War, famine, natural disasters, human rights trampled underfoot, selfishness and greed running rampant... Charity is needed more than ever, but it’s almost impossible to know where to begin.

Today, I’m turning away from the bad news to tell you about a very local effort which gives me hope.

Big Brother Mouse is a grass-roots primary education program in the Southeast Asian country of Laos. The organization is driven by the passion of a few people, but one candle can kindle many others. They’ve grown tremendously since I started supporting them few years ago. They now have over 2700 students. And they’re starting work on a new school, Little Deer. 

 

https://www.bigbrothermouse.com/education/school_network.html

As I’ve explained in previous posts, Laos has many problems. Never very developed, with rugged and difficult terrain and a small population, Laos also has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in the world.

Education is one key to progress. Big Brother Mouse is working to create curious, capable, compassionate young people – one student at a time. Their educational philosophy focuses on active learning, critical thinking and fun.

You might want to sign up for their monthly newsletter (just scroll down to the middle of their home page). It’s really lively and interesting—as well as not being afraid to express strong opinions.

Maybe you’re thinking that a small country, so far away, isn’t relevant to you, your life or your issues. My belief is that we are all connected. Educating strong young people in one country can benefit the world as a whole.

Anyway, because I really need hope these days—and I suspect you do too—I will donate five dollars toward the fund-raising for Little Deer school for every comment I receive.

Don’t miss this chance to make a difference.

For my excerpt, I’ve got a short snippet from Vows, part of my Asian Adventures series. This is a somewhat controversial story, dealing as it does with a Western man’s erotic attraction to a Lao Buddhist monk. I mean no disrespect. The story explores the ways that the physical and the spiritual are intimately entwined.

Excerpt

The vegetation thickened around us as we left the city center behind. We passed rough wooden houses on stilts, chickens scrabbling in the shade underneath, laundry swaying in the gentle breeze. Occasionally, we heard the muted babble of a television or radio, but we saw no one. It felt as though the whole of the city-village was dozing in the afternoon. I took a deep breath, and then another, trying to release the awful tension that gripped me, but it was no use. I was consumed by desire and dread.

Finally we reached the arched gateway to Wat Xieng Thong. Souvannaphone’s home. Gilded nagas, the serpent-dragons that sheltered the Buddha while he meditated, guarded the entry, their scales a riot of multi-colored mirrors. As we stepped over the sill and into the sacred compound, I felt something shift inside me. The choice was made, the effects would follow. Let karma do its worst.

At first, the place seemed deserted. Directly in front of us was the magnificent sim, or ordination chapel, with its five-layered, flame-tipped roof swept into dramatic earthward curves. Smaller but equally ornate buildings were scattered around it. Blue tile and gold leaf were everywhere.

An enormous, fantastically-twisted tree shaded the entire courtyard. At the same moment —I could tell from the way her hand tightened in mine—Dani and I noticed the figure seated, full lotus, on the turf at the foot of its main trunk.

It was, of course, Souvannaphone. His eyes were closed; his chest was bare. The golden, hairless flesh fascinated me. His nipples, more bronze than gold, drew my eyes and made my balls contract and ache.

It was his expression, though, that once again brought up my tears. It gave me a glimpse of total peace. Bliss. Perfect stillness and unearthly beauty. My craving to know his exquisite body faded and transformed into intense longing to know what he knew, to experience this state of completion.

And Dani? Had she abandoned her perverse plans for this man, this saint, as he seemed to me at that moment? I ventured a glance in her direction and saw that she too was transfixed by the vision of him. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was ragged. Her eyes were fever-bright. Her mind was closed to me.

A huge sigh shuddered through my chest. At that sound, or perhaps just from the sense of our presence, Souvannaphone opened his eyes. He smiled at us, a smile at once simple and wise.

Please, please—don’t click away before leaving a comment. Add your little bit of hope.

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The cartel king has finally found his queen - #DarkRomance #Captivity #Preorder

Blurb

Kidnapped by the enemy. Bought by the jefe. Will his smoldering touch thaw her frozen heart?

Rubén Lozano, the new leader of the Lozano Cartel, craves peace amidst a legacy of bloodshed and death. He never expected to find his ex-lover, Drina Cabrera, in the clutches of his vicious rivals. Her haunted eyes compel him to rescue her, but freeing her is another matter.

After five months of captivity, Drina trades one captor for another. Though she succumbs to Rubén’s masterful touch, the bittersweet memory of her daughter and the life she was stolen from is a constant wedge between them.

When Rubén’s darkest secret comes out, he will have to wash his hands in crimson. Will Drina let her king face the danger alone, or stand at his side as his cartel queen?

– Book two in the dark romance series, the Lozano Cartel. All the books can be read as a standalone, but are part of an interconnected series.

– Scenes featuring forced seduction, drug distribution, torture/violence, kidnapping/captivity, and attempted sexual assault may be uncomfortable for some readers.

– No cheating and HEA guaranteed!

– Written in 3^rdperson.

Excerpt

(Background Info on Scene: Rubén is hosting a fundraising gala at his home. He’s waiting for Drina to appear, who’s running late.)

Rubén’s words cut off as Manuel whistled. Drina stepped into the room with a confident, fluid grace that masked the uneasiness and tension narrowing her eyes—but he saw it. Her soul was his to bear free.

The chatter dimmed. Heads turned her way.

Dios mío. He couldn’t blame the men for ogling. Her emerald-green satin gown clung to her curves and pushed up her generous cleavage past the heart-shaped neckline. The cap sleeves flared out with sharp, stiff, brocaded wingtips that only a powerful woman could pull off. She did it in spades. From her diamond earrings and black velvet choker to her hair pinned up on one side with jeweled clips and flowing loose on the other, she was sex incarnate. A goddess. Male pride surged right to his core.

Drina strode toward him without gifting her admirers a glance. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She shifted her gaze from Rubén to Enrique and back again. “I had the hardest time deciding if I should wear this. Is it too much?” She slid her hands down the bodice of her gown.

As Enrique laughed, Rubén choked and swallowed hard to find his voice. “No, no. It’s perfect. You look like a queen.” My queen. “The only thing missing is your crown.”

“Thank you for the jewelry. I didn’t see the box until I sat at the vanity to do my makeup.” She fingered her teardrop diamond necklace, then patted her blemished cheek. Foundation and rouge smoothed out the pinkish-brown discoloration. “My scar isn’t fully covered. You’re welcome.”

Sassy woman. What he wouldn’t do to take her upstairs, bury himself between her thighs, and banish his regret for hurting her days earlier? Patience—he needed patience. Once she healed, he would treasure her body so thoroughly he’d wipe their last encounter from her mind.

“Incoming,” Enrique murmured as Manuel, Gerardo, Ferrer, and the others drew near.

Rubén placed his hand on the small of Drina’s back. “Gentlemen, this is Drina Cabrera.” As he rattled off the men’s names and designations, he glared at each of them, silently warning them to behave.

The board members bobbed their heads in greeting, respectful as always.

Gerardo’s gaze dipped to her chest before he jerked it back to her face.

Manuel openly gawked at her and flashed Rubén a lewd grin. “You lucky bastard. How did you get this beauty on your arm?”

“Remember who you’re talking to,” Rubén bit out.

The man’s smile faltered. He grabbed a flute from a waiter’s tray and gulped it down.

Rubén snatched one for Drina and handed it over. “Excuse us while we make our rounds,” he said to the group. Clasping Drina’s arm, he guided her around pockets of his guests to the foyer. “You’re doing well,” he whispered to her. “Keep your head up and back straight. Before the night is over, everyone will know I’ve taken a new woman.”

She pursed her red lips. “Wonderful. What number am I in this long line of mistresses and whores?”

“Third.” He rounded on her and backed her gently against the side of the staircase. “After Ramona and Fay. You’re special, Drina. Everyone will see that.”

Her throat bobbed, the diamond teardrop swaying. “I see. That’s all right, then.”

 Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231721773-lost-in-his-spiderwebs

Check it out on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/lost-in-his-spiderwebs-lozano-cartel-book-2-a-dark-captivity-second-chance-romance-by-amber-daulton

Preorder Today

Available October 14, 2025

Universal: https://books2read.com/LostInHisSpiderwebs

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4joCJUV

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-in-his-spiderwebs-amber-daulton/1147318586?ean=2940184374895

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lost-in-his-spiderwebs

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7lNYEQAAQBAJ

Apple/iBooks: https://apple.co/4jpLyht

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1648364

About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the Lozano Cartel, the Arresting Onyx, the Embracing You, and the Ramseys in Time series, as well as several standalone novellas. Her books are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media Links

Follow Me: https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

Check out my website (Daulton Publishing): https://amberdaulton.com

Sign up for my Exclusive Newsletter (free ebook to new subscribers): https://amberdaulton.com/newsletter-signup/

There’s no way I belong in her universe – #OppositesAttract #BDSMRomance #MFRWHooks

Greetings! It’s Wednesday again (so soon!) which means it’s time for another MFRW Book Hooks blog hop. I’ve selected a never-before-shared excerpt from what might well be my most romantic book, The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. (One of my sexiest, too...)

Hope you enjoy it.

Blurb

Trust can’t be bought—it has to be earned.

She’s the billionaire. He’s the virgin. Still, he knows how to make her melt. One word from Theo, one touch, and Rachel surrenders to bliss. It seems that love and complementary desire may harmonize their differing values, until Rachel’s unwitting violation of Theo’s trust tears them apart.

The Hook (Theo)

I pull on a tee shirt and a pair of gym shorts and head for the kitchen. I know I’ve got some chicken breasts in the freezer. With some couscous and a salad, they’ll make a decent supper. Probably not up to Rachel’s standards, but she’ll just have to make allowances.

The damp, rumpled quilt on the dining room table and the ropes scattered over the floor give me a slightly queasy sense of satisfaction. I can hardly believe it happened, but here’s the evidence. I—no, we—actually did it. Can’t tell Dr. Hopkins about this, of course. Although he’s pretty laid back, I suspect there may be limits to his tolerance. No, this will have to be our secret—mine and Rachel’s. My smile’s so broad my cheeks hurt as I coil up the lengths of cord and stash them in a drawer. The emergency release process shortened them, but they still might be useful in the future.

The future. I ponder the possibilities as I putter around the kitchen, putting the chicken into the microwave to thaw, whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, basil and tarragon for the marinade, tearing romaine leaves and slicing vine-ripened tomatoes. Did Rachel and I have a future? Was there any way I could fit into her high-flying, super-charged, billionaire executive life?

We connect sexually. I have no doubts about that, not anymore. Despite her position, or maybe even because of it, she has a natural desire to submit, a desire that I can apparently satisfy. And make no mistake, I’m happy to oblige—to push her to her limits, and beyond. I’ve never felt the kind of power and certainty I felt this afternoon. And that was just the beginning. There are so many things I want to do to her—with her. I’m getting hard again as a parade of X-rated images runs through my mind.

But sex is not enough. Entertaining as it might be to fantasize about a life with Rachel as my 24/7 slave, I know that’s ridiculous. We come from different worlds. We have different values. Rachel measures everything in dollars and cents.

That’s not fair. I arrange the chicken in a baking dish, dump in the marinade, sprinkle chopped garlic over the top, and leave it to sit for ten minutes. From what I’ve seen so far, she also values creativity, innovation and hard work, just like I do. She’s super-smart, energetic, funny. And brave. It took guts for her to take me to Home Depot. I’m sure she realized I might have had a total melt-down. Hey, I almost did.

She’s a lot braver than I am. Would I ever have admitted my interest in kink if she hadn’t found my stash?

Vinegar, oil and Grey Poupon make a quick, tasty salad dressing. Too early to pour it over the greens, though. I put the chicken in the oven, setting the timer for half an hour.

Now the cat’s out of the bag. And she didn’t run away screaming—quite the contrary! It’s pretty likely she’s going to want more.

So now what? She lives almost an hour away, even if there’s no traffic. She runs a billion dollar company. She’s glamorous and self-confident, with a taste for luxury. And me? I’m just a nerdy computer scientist with a touch of Asperger’s and a penchant for bondage. People scare me. Change terrifies me. There’s no way I belong in her universe.

Even if she wants you there? A startling notion. Dr. Rachel Zelinsky always gets what she wants.

 

Find all the buy links at: https://www.lisabetsarai.com/gazillionairevirginbook.html

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!

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Things that inspire me – #HistoricalFiction #Ballet #Giveaway

By MG da Mota (Guest Blogger)

Inspiration comes from very different things and sometimes from quite unexpected sources. For example, years ago when I visited on holiday the Portuguese Islands of the Azores, I saw a beautiful house, a little derelict, but which I could see it had once been glorious. It stood in the middle of a garden and small park with tall, ancient trees. I remember looking at it and asking my husband to take a picture because I’d need it for a novel. The impact of the house and the islands with their rugged, in places wild, beauty was so strong I instantly felt a story and its characters populating my head. I tend to have a small notebook in my handbag or rucksack and I took it out and jotted down furiously the ideas that seemed to explode inside my brain. After returning home, I eventually wrote a novel entitled The Dark Side of Dawn. 

Music, great opera or ballet also inspire me. I wrote a novel based on grand opera and a type of voice I particularly like (a tenor’s voice) with an Italian title as a homage to opera, Canto di Tenore. This novel is currently out of print but I will be revising it and republishing it at some stage. Of course the book in this tour, Arabesque¸ was inspired by ballet and ballet dancers. 

I can also get inspiration from dark events. For example in my trilogy The Triptych one of the characters is imprisoned for a few years in a basement by a man and forced to have his child. I heard a similar story in the news and it didn’t let go of me until I began writing the novel. Of course for this trilogy the other inspirations were the biography of the intriguing, unconventional life of Guilhermina Suggia—a Portuguese cellist from the first half of the 20^th century—and the beauty of the instruments made by Antonio Stradivari, particularly his cellos. People are aware of the violins but know little or next to nothing about the cellos.

A poem can also be the inspiration for a novel and I’ve had a couple of cases when that happened, as for example my novel Unbowed, inspired by the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley.

Historical periods or events are often a source of inspiration like East Germany before the Fall of the Berlin Wall in Arabesque and Portugal during the years of WWII in my novel Stars Maintain Their Glow.

I hope to have shown how many different things can inspire me to write a novel. The point is that a writer never knows (or at least I don’t) where inspiration will come from. Often when I least expect it an idea just turns up in my head. It is probably different for other people but this is how it is for me personally.

Blurb

A woman living alone in a coastal Sussex town in 1998 plants a copper beech sapling at 3 a.m. on a dark, cold night. Why? 

A ballet dancer in 1960s East Germany is oppressed, longs for escaping with his little daughter but not his wife. Why? Will he make it?

In 2022 Karsten von Stein, widower and principal of the Royal Ballet, with two young children, meets Ivone Benjamim, a Portuguese, newly-arrived principal dancer. They discover a magical chemistry when dancing and soon it transfers to their private lives.

Against the background of ballet and its dancers, a woman called Grace tells her story from a rehab centre. Obsessive, delusional she begins believing Ivone robbed her of the man of her dreams—Karsten. And then a skeleton is found in a garden...What connects all these people and their stories?

You’ll be the audience facing the stage of this balletic novel.

Excerpt

Prologue

Southeast England, late November 1998

She looks out of the window. Dark night. Black but clear. Twinkling dots punctuate the raven velvet of the sky. Stars shimmer cold and icy. Their light slightly wavering. She knows it is the Earth’s atmosphere. But that’s neither here nor there. It doesn’t matter a jot. Not at this moment anyway.

Darkness is the important thing. No moon. New moon. Why do people refer to a new moon when there is no moon or when one cannot see the moon from our revolving, ever turning blue dot? The moon is still up there in the sky. It’s just that at some point during its orbit its farther side from us is facing the sun. So the side facing us is dark and we can’t see it. As simple as that.

Tonight is new moon. An ideal night. She opens the window quietly and glances at the houses to her right first, then to her left. Like hers they are all immersed in silent darkness. People sleep. She looks at the luminous hands of her alarm clock on the side table. The shorter hand points at the number three, or close to it, and the long hand at somewhere between ten and fifteen. Probably around 3:12 in the morning. Her house stands almost but not quite alone on top of the hill. To her right, looking from her bedroom window that faces the back garden, there are two houses. The one closest to hers is empty.

About the Author

M G da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is a Portuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera. Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs and books for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International and Seen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors, speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, called flowingprose.com, contains photos and information.

Website: https://www.flowingprose.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m.g.da.mota

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarida-mota-bull/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgdamota/

One randomly chosen winner will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

 

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