Showers of Books #Giveaway Hop - Tidal Whispers #PNR #Fantasy #UF

Let's celebrate water, shall we? What better book to giveaway than Tidal Whispers, a 4 story anthology by J. Taylor Publishing. Let's see the goods ...

Click on image to add on Goodreads

Tidal Whispers  

PNR / Fantasy / UF

by Jocelyn Adams, Claire Gillian, Julie Reece, Kelly Said

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece
After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian
Under Poseidon's rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by Kelly Said
Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn't love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It's a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love. 

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams
Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters.  When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

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

Be sure to check out the linky list below for other participating blogs! 

Thanks for stopping by SS & best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#EotS Tchotchkes & Tidal Whispers - #AtoZChallenge

I've got a special treat today for you today!!! My debut fantasy novel, Eye of the Soul (Pool of Souls #1) Tchotchkes release today! What are they??? 

PURDIES! 

FREE downloadable images based on the image - slideshow image, cover, poster, and more! Here's a little sampling of what's available.

Head over to my website freebie page by clicking on the image above to see the rest of the goodies! 

Now onto the A-Z Challenge post of the day ...

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

“Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.” 

― Mark Twain

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

Click on image to add on Goodreads

Tidal Whispers Anthology 

Pearl of Pau'maa

Fantasy / PNR

by Kelly Said

Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn't love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It's a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love. 

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

Excerpt:

The cold current exhausted Harmon like no battle ever had. That frigid band of ocean coursing through the Ladali Trench blued the peach of his skin and shriveled the long dorsal fin stretching down his tail. He could handle the intense pressure— accustomed to swimming at all depths—but the Trench waters squeezed precious heat from his blood.

The cold reminded him that he wasn’t a regular to the chilly offshoots of the ocean—a soldier, not a scoundrel. He had hon- ored his people, serving his time in the 7th infantry, in the bright, warm surface waters of the Pau’maa Rim. Not down in the murky nadirs with the thugs and crooks of the sea.

Like his brother Creeb.

Harmon clawed through the water, savoring the heat of anger pumping through his body.

Once I have the curve of my mother’s heirloom pearl in my palm, he thought, my brother’s wrongs will be brought to order. He pinged the dark waters, outlining the trench walls. He was getting closer.

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

Purchase Links:

 Amazon.com

Can Kelly Said Keep A Secret?

Welcome to my week-long Meet The Author fest! We've been  focusing on the six lovely ladies of the Make Believe Anthology from J. Taylor Publishing that released December 3rd!

Today we're meeting with one of my oldest (time-wise!!!) beta buds.

 Kelly Said

YA Author, Cookie Monster, & Caffeine Sipper.

Tell us why we should read your story.

For the mystery and magic, hehe!

What is the first thing you thought of upon seeing the picture prompt for the Make Believe Anthology?

I was very curious about the object in the background, it looked like a natural rock formation, but upon closer examination, I thought I saw a castle in those jagged peaks…

Which came first: The story or the character?

The character came first, the girl in the red cloak. I spent a lot of time wondering about her, how she got there, what she was doing in the middle of a snowy field, leaving no footprints or any trace of her travels. The story spiraled out from there.

How did you choose your setting?

I let the photo prompt dictate the setting.

Is there a moral behind your story?

Well, I had no particular moral in mind when I wrote it, but I suppose after reading it, the story unfolds as a gentle reminder to be thankful for the time we have with each other.

What is your favorite body part?

My hands, even though my fingers are a bit short they’re mighty strong, flexible and gentle when needed. 

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Pay off everything, give huge to my favorite charities and then travel the world on a private jet, stay in posh hotels, order room service, and shop for gifts for friends and family.

What is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?

Birthdays are the most fun, it’s so awesome to get together and celebrate the day your favorite someone came into this world. 

If you had to spend a day not using any technology, what would you do?

REEEEAD! :D hehehe, I would read all day long, by candlelight if I had to.

What habit would you be willing to give up if it guaranteed you would live to be 100?

Exercise.

Can you keep secrets?

Yes, yes I can, hehe! 

Describe a time you didn't. (Keep a secret.)

Confession, at church. ;)

Stalk Kelly Said

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Meet the other ladies of Make Believe:  Lynda R. Young, J. Keller Ford, Jennifer M. Eaton, J.A. Belfield

#BookReview : Tidal Whispers

Paranormal / Fantasy Anthology

Overall rating 4.5 Stars

Heart's Desire by Julie Reece  4.5 Stars

This short story is very moving - loneliness, loss, & love. Ms. Reece portrays them beautifully - brings them alive - so we can experience them with Tessa, the MC.

I don't know about you, but I've always had a dream world I escaped to. A few actually.  Tessa wakes from her favorite one to a gut wrenching reality that easily gained my empathy. I longed for her to re-find Cam, just knowing he would ease her heartache. And *spoiler alert!* he does.

Warm fuzzies, folks.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian  4 Stars

I loved Disney's The Little Mermaid, and this story reminded me of it.  A voice lost, a love found, The Sweetest Song was just that - sweet.

Otis, the male interest in this story was precious. A great character, fleshed out & believable for so short a story. He heads to his doom for love which any fairy tale / fantasy needs IMO. The 'happily ever after' comes about by two gods, Poseidon and Aphrodite, who act like a couple of modern childish brats. That threw me a smidge. I always imagined the gods to be prim & proper - ancient, lofty, condescending beings.

Overall, a great little story I enjoyed submerging myself in.



Pearl of Pau'maa by Kelly Said  4 Stars

While the whole anthology is fantasy in some way, Ms. Said is by far the most imaginative IMO. While all the stories are of love, this one has that magical element attached - a pearl - which brings the two characters together in dark, watery depths.

I had one major issue with this lovely story, though. Although fantasy, all stories still need that believability factor. One scene lacked that for me. Harmon, the male interest, rescues the lovely lady, Miki, from drowning. Moments later he leaves her treading water to dive down & retrieve her lobster trap. While down there he holds a long conversation w/ his brother, another merman, giving no thought to the weakened woman the pearl led him to. I just felt he'd be anxious to leave her side, or should have taken her to shore first seeing as how she doesn't have a tail, but two human legs. Dunno. Could just be me.

A wonderful little story, though, one NOT to be skipped.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams  5 Stars

This was by far my favorite story in the anthology. Ms. Adams drew me in and hooked my empathy from the get-go. She created two characters whose story affected me long after I finished reading. LOVE that.

Rarely do stories brim my eyes with unshed tears, but this one did. More than once. I felt Nixie's loneliness, enjoyed her innocence which was portrayed beautifully and consistently.  Her journey through life is touching - heart aching, yet warming. Surprisingly, it didn't feel rushed in the least bit.

This story, while fantasy like the rest, far outshone them with that magical feel - that dream-like quality that moved my emotions.

So do I recommend this anthology? Without a doubt. Add it to your Goodreads list HERE. Purchase your copy from Amazon or Barnes & Nobel.  You'll thank me later!!





'Tidal Whispers' Release Day!!

J. Taylor Publishing released it's newest anthology today, Tidal Whispers, which includes four of my Scribo buds.

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Romantic, Urban Fantasy

 The Blurbs:

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece
After a terrible accident, Tessa returns to her family beach house to heal. She doesn’t expect to see her first summer crush from seven years before. Cameron, though, reappears and ignites a relationship that’s far more intense than ever before. The only problem? Summer is once again coming to an end, and this time, Tessa will have to decide whether to choose life with Cameron or to never see him again.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian
Under Poseidon's rule, Circe is the most destructive siren in the Pacific ocean, her songs luring ships and their crew to their watery graves. Not Otis, the best halibut fisherman in the Alaskan waters. His ship, the Calypso, has avoided disaster each time Circe set her sights on him.

Given one last chance to deliver Otis to Davy Jones’ locker, Circe takes to land to waylay the handsome captain. Instead, it may be Otis himself who hooks the Siren.

Pearl of Pau’maa by  Kelly Said
Should Miki choose to wed the local wealthy boy she doesn't love, her stomach will stop grumbling. Her soul, however, will suffocate. With one last opportunity before she must concede, she sneaks off for a final dive to her hidden crate at the bottom of the seabed. What waits for her is more than a captured lobster. It's a treasure she cannot claim without great sacrifice or true love. 

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams
Nixie, a water sprite, lives a solitary existence as she struggles to understand the strange world beyond her waters.  When she meets one of the pink ones, a curious boy named Wyatt, their friendship blooms into a love that can exist only upon the sands that divide his solid ground from her underwater paradise. Some love, though, once born, cannot be undone, even in the face of death.

Sounds like an awesome antho, doesn't it??!! Get your copy EPUB HERE or kindle copy HERE today!

Make Believe Cover Reveal!!!

Here it is, folks - my name on the cover of a book. *major dork dance* It's my first anthology publication with the great

Let's go ahead & let that SQUEEEEEEEEEEE out, shall we? hehe

And yes, I DID re-do my blog & website to match. It's that OCD thingy that sometimes rears its silly head.

So what is this anthology about???

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.
With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford
There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.
After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Birthright by Lynda R. Young
Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.
She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.
Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Petrified by Kelly Said
A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow.  Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.
The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton
Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.
The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield
From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.
Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

So are you excited? Gunna gobble this one up on December  3rd or what!??? Can't order one yet, but add it to your Goodreads shelf by clicking HERE.

F: FREAKIN' AWESOME NEWS!!!

So. It's official. Sacrificial Oath is contracted with J. Taylor Publishing !!! 

Squeeeeeeeeeee! Here's the link to MY PAGE on their website.

*insert another squeeeeeeeee here*

Here's part of the press release: 

Make Believe Anthology authors revealed!

Five authors to be featured with J.A. Belfield in Make Believe Anthology from J. Taylor Publishing.

On December 3, 2012, J. Taylor Publishing will release Make Believe, an anthology of six short stories, ranging from contemporary romance to fantasy, written based on a photo prompt with a wintery setting and a woman in red.

The anthology will open with Terri Rochenski’s Sacrificial Oath, a story of self sacrifice. J. Keller Ford’s The Amulet of Ormisez will follow—a story of success in failure. From there, Birthright by Australian author Lynda R. Young will delve into secrets revealed. Kelly Said returns to this anthology with Petrified, taking the reader on a journey of finding one’s purpose. Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton finds us in a post-apocalyptic world where not all is as it seems. Rounding out the anthology, is our headline author, J.A. Belfield, author of Darkness & Light and the to-be-released Blue Moon, with Escort to Insanity. 

 December is a LONG ways away, so I'll leave you with one last SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

D: Divert

I'm posting a day early because I'm heading to the internet-less boondocks tomorrow.
I'm also cheating with this post, but for good reason.

J. Taylor Publishing is releasing an anthology, TIDAL WHISPERS, in June of this year. I was lucky enough to meet each of the four contributing authors this past year on the best writer's forum on the face of the earth, Scribophile. Figured it's only right to help promote their work.

SO, I'm diverting you to my oldest (known time that is *wink*) beta bud, Kelly Said's, blog. She's released an excerpt from her story, Pearl of Pau'maa.

Enjoy!