A look behind Vengeance of Grimbald by Richard Hacker

Fantasy meets thriller in Vengeance of Grimbald by Richard Hacker. Today he takes us behind the scenes of his book, the characters and the world he has created. Then you can also check out an excerpt to whet your appetite some more for downloading your own copy. Be sure to let him know what you think in the comments! And then follow the tour for even more fun and to enter the great giveaway!

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Battling evil through time and death.

Six hundred years after a fifteenth century scryer gains the alchemical knowledge to create a dark future in his own image, Addison Shaw inherits a destiny: to fight this ancient war that threatens all he loves with extinction. Using an alchemical pen, he writes himself into past lives, leaving his body in the present. Upon completion of his mission, he must die in order to break the link and return home. Addison, and his inking partner, Jules, are members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum. They believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance. 

You might wonder where a story like this comes from. People who know me would say a twisted mind. LOL. But actually, it started with a fountain pen. I was holding a fountain pen one day and my mind wandered to the power of words. Human beings have been naming things since the beginnings of language. It’s how we find our place in the world and in some cases I think, gives us a sense of control. Or at least the illusion of control. So, what would happen if a character had a pen filled with alchemical ink that when he wrote the name and a date for someone living in the past, his consciousness would be transported into that person? What would he do with that astounding capability? And as with most technology, what if someone decided to use the alchemy to acquire power and control time itself? How would the protagonist fend off this attack on the time continuum and reality as he knows it? And then I put the fountain pen down, pulled out the laptop, and started writing.

The story goes all over the world, past, present, and future such as ancient Egypt; 19th century Alexandria; WWII Belgium; an altered present day Seattle and Tokelau Atoll in the Pacific; 1940’s Padang, West Sumatra; 17th century Delft, Dutch Republic; and Cromwell’s England. As the story in Book 2 unfolds the time continuum once again shifts, sometimes with subtle changes and sometimes with radical shifts in culture and technology. And my characters have to play on this multi-dimensional chessboard. So, I’m sure you can imagine, I had to be structured to the point of working from an outline and making notes to myself at the end of each writing session to keep me oriented.

But what drives a story are characters. I think you’ll find the protagonist, Addison Shaw, to be both an interesting and a complicated guy. He has a deep guilt and sense of responsibility for the death of a girlfriend when he rolled their car on a mountain road in a snowstorm. He carries the scars of that night, emotionally and physically with a damaged knee requiring him to use a cane to walk. He went from school athlete to disabled loner. As the story progresses, he will face even greater challenges and will have to find a way to heal himself enough to move forward. He’s also a bit of a smart ass, a little compulsive, more shy than he’d like you to think, and willing to act even when he’s terrified.

His partner, Jules, takes more center-stage in VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD. She is a strong character, well-grounded, with a burning desire to seek justice for the murder of her parents, who were also inkers in the League, by Kairos. Unknown to her, she has died in one continuum, to exist in another. Given that a relationship can be challenging in one-time dimension, her relationship to Addison, who has known her in each, becomes complicated.

In in the fantasy world, many of the books lean toward fantastical world building far from our own reality. The Alchimeia Series has its feet on the ground, anchored in the actual. There’s a sense that, even though the story is fantasy, the speculative and historical elements feel very possible. I once heard Ken Burns say the attraction of professional baseball is that you can watch in the stands and think you can actually play the game. But of course, it takes tremendous skill to hit a 95 mph fastball. But it sure is fun imagining the possibility! In VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD, readers can realistically imagine they could do the things these characters are doing. It seems possible. Which I think is an important message in our day and time. When life looks hopeless, when everything seems to be turned upside, the people who make a difference are not superheroes, but people like you and me, people who persevere in spite of the odds and do the best we can.

Thanks again for being a reader. Please check out DIE BACK and VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD on Amazon. And I’d love to hear from you. Visit my website, www.richardhacker.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RWHacker and drop me a line.

Addison and Jules, members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum, believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance.

Read an excerpt:

The concussive force of the explosion scrambled the pod’s nav system, her pod, wobbling, flipping and twirling out of control. Jules fought to override the navigation controls, but the G-forces whipped her around viscously, her vision narrowing until she finally lost consciousness altogether.

Blackout.

With a start, she took in a deep breath, the ocean moving swiftly toward her. She reached for a manual control, something like a gaming control she once to use in a life that seemed so very far away. She pulled back on the stick, the water still rushing toward her.

“Come on. Come on, dammit.”

Without warning, the pod leveled out.

“Thank god.” Her heart pounded, but she took in another deep breath, grateful to survive. The moment didn’t last.

Like being caught in a Tilt-a-Whirl, the pod spun around as if top heavy, then crashed into the ocean like a stone skipping across a pond. Once, twice, three times, then hitting hard enough to submerge completely under the water. For a moment, disoriented, Jules sat frozen in place. Then survival instincts set in, holding fear back long enough to find a way out, a lever, a release button, something. She knew the pod was in motion, but she wasn’t sure in which direction–floating to the surface and light and life, or sinking to the bottom and darkness and death.

A sudden burst of morning light confirmed the former, the pod bobbing in the ocean. She scanned the surface. Addison. Come on, Addison. Where are you? But she couldn’t find another pod bobbing in the water. Meili had given her life to get them to Tokelau. Against her will she let the possibility enter her mind that Addison may have died as well. Rising and falling with the swells, Jules held her face in her hands and wept.

Buy on Amazon

Richard Hacker, lives and writes in Seattle, Washington after living many years in Austin, Texas. In addition to the science fiction/fantasy novels of The Alchimeía Series, his crime novels ride the thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. Along the way, his writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary contests shuch as PNWA and ChicLit, and as a freelance development editor, he enjoys the opportunity to work with other writers. In addition, he is the Sci-Fi/Fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review. DIE BACK was his first novel in the Alchimeia series.

Del Sol Press books by Richard Hacker are available at Amazon

The Alchimeía Series
DIEBACK: Book One
VENGEANCE OF GRIMBALD: Book Two

Other books by Richard Hacker:

Nick Sibelius Crime Series
KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE
BUZZARD BAIT
ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

Follow the author at www.richardhacker.com
Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RWHacker

Richard Hacker will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Saunders' Choice by Gina Briganti

Dear fans of fantasy romance, this one is for you! Please enjoy an excerpt from Saunders' Choice by Gina Briganti before you download your own copy. Get even more as you follow the tour. And as always, best of luck in the giveaway!

She lives life below the waves. What will a man sacrifice to discover it’s not a dream?

Mermaid Velvet has always had a special fascination with the World. And studying its two-legged humans has given the aspiring comedian unique skills to make her audiences laugh. But when she saves a human who believes he’s drowning, she’s stunned by the magic that flows between them.

Saunders is trapped between two realities with no memory of his past. Lost in a strange, underwater domain, he comes face-to-face with an alluring goddess of the sea. When he disappears from her realm, he’s desperate to reunite with the entrancing beauty.

As Velvet continues to bring Saunders out of the darkness, her love for him grows along with her fear that his next disappearance might be his last. And as his memories slowly return, Saunders must decide if he’s willing to leave the World permanently for a chance to be with the mermaid he desires.

Can Velvet and Saunders overcome his terrible fate and sink into each other’s perfect arms? Saunders’ Choice is a standalone novella in the enchanting Natural Gifts fantasy romance series. If you like irresistible attraction, mystery, and love against the odds, then you’ll adore Gina Briganti’s tale of the deep.

*An early version of Saunders’ Choice was published in the Changing Worlds anthology. Buy Saunders’ Choice to dive into an ocean of passion today.

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

Laughter followed Velvet as she left the stage in the grotto where she had been hired to perform a private show for the wealthy creatures’s birthday party.

She knew the crowd were eyeing her bare torso, hoping the current would sway her long silver and lilac-tinted hair off of her breasts so they could see if the color of her nipples matched the color of her lilac fin.

She sighed. Maybe it was time to change. Raven black hair with a bright, shiny aqua blue tail made her audiences stare, but she did get more jobs that way. She wanted more shows at the big clubs.

“Velvet.” Cassidy, her manager, called out to her from where she waited in the luxurious apartment the management called a dressing room.

Cassidy was a mermaid, too. She was much older than Velvet, who was only one hundred years old. Cassidy was more than three hundred years old. No one would know that if it weren’t for the Hall of Records there in The Dreaming because everything stayed the way you wanted it to.

UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3nvKDB

About Gina Briganti

Gina Briganti writes fantasy and sci-fi romance in north Texas. She also writes holistic health non-fiction because real life can be magic, too. Her credentials in holistic health include certification as a Reiki Master Practitioner and teacher, certification as a nutrition consultant, and a degree in holistic nutrition.

When she's not writing, eating delicious healthy food, reading, or making videos, she is spending time with family and friends. Her constant companion is a special soul who masquerades as a lab and chow mix.

There are exclusives and announcements that she shares only in her newsletter, which you can sign up for right here: http://ginabriganti.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=efb8eaf5e244c4ac83bb036d2&id=f0d488464f

Links:

Website: www.ginabriganti.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.brigantiauthor

Instagram: @ginabriganti

Newsletter: https://ginabriganti.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=efb8eaf5e244c4ac83bb036d2&id=2bb9bdfd73

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCddcTr_wNeqiqRWHiGaujQ

Twitter: @brigantigina

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gina-briganti

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4236998.Gina_Briganti

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gina-Briganti/e/B008QZ2ZVI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Gina Briganti will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Jungle Beauty Goddesses Series by C.G. Sturges

Welcome to the Name Before the Masses Tour for the Jungle Beauty Goddesses series by C.G. Sturges! She gave us a short interview about herself, plus we have an excerpt for you to enjoy. Check out the whole series and follow the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

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Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

I don’t have any tattoos. I plan to get a tattoo –maybe in my 70s. It gives me something to look forward to. I don’t have anything against tattoos—I get bored easily. It would be torture for me not to be able to change it or remove it quickly.

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Externally to the casual observer, one could say that nothing about my life has changed. I drive the same car. I have the same address. I wear the same size in clothes and shoes. I have the same people in my inner circle. I have the same job.

However spiritually, psychologically, and philosophically—everything about my life has changed within the last two years. I am in my mid-fifties; however, I feel like I just “grew up” “or have become a full grown “adult” within the last few years. I literally just learned that life isn’t “textbook fair” and that the combination of hard work and being a pushover is not the solution to accomplishing your supreme dream. I have learned within the last two years that being physically touch is the easy part. My mother told me that if someone hits me to hit them back. This has been a breeze in comparison to being psychologically and emotionally tough. I haven’t learned how to pretend that something doesn’t hurt my feelings. I haven’t learned how to not care about negative things that people say about me, my family, or my work.

I have learned that the notion of good and evil is very subjective and that it is very important always to protect your aura, your possessions, your relationships, and your loved ones. I have some very powerful rituals, prayers, candles, oils, and incense.

Gratitude is the most potent emotional energy in the universe. I believe it fuels the angelic and spiritual realm to bring about change into your life.

I started wearing pink hair about six months ago, only on the weekends when I wasn’t teaching in the classroom. I pondered as to whether I should wear my pink hair on campus. I knew that wearing pink hair to work would be a mission statement that says; “I am content with who I am, where I am—and I have no desire to be promoted to administration. My professional advancement and growth stops here.”

I decided that I love teaching and I am a writer so I did the unthinkable—I started wearing pink hair to work. What surprised me is that more people started speaking to me, complimenting my hair, and sharing their life stories with me while riding the elevators or walking to class.

It seems like being true to myself has made me more approachable.

Jungle Beauty Goddesses “Pretty Blue” Book 1

If you were given planet Earth as a gift to develop its life forms—would the world be a better place than it is today? What would your primary expectation and goal be for each human? Would you give them free will or plan their destiny? Would you demand that your humans worship you as their creator? Would you be available to assuage their every desire; and acquiesce to their demands, prayers, and wishes? Would you grow to resent them for living the life you imagined?

The Jungle Beauty Goddesses were free-spirited goddesses who enjoyed their freedom as the youngest children—and the last deities born to their parents—creators of the universe. Per the family tradition of being awarded a planet, the septuplets were given planet Earth as a gift for their birthday. Their siblings, also gods and goddesses of the universe since the beginning of time, warn them about the challenges of selflessness, power, worship, and divine duty.

The seven sisters struggle to maintain their own freedom as limitless beings, while sibling rivalry makes it difficult to accept their collective duty to fulfill the family obligation to the deity-hood as creators for planets.

The entire universe threatens to collapse due to their negligence and disobedience. They question the boundaries of their divine powers as they ponder whether it is possible to mold a being to be superior to its creator.

Available on Amazon

(affiliate links included)

Jungle Beauty Goddesses “Aquatic Ball” Book 2

Sometimes your worst nightmare is having everything you ever wanted. Upon visiting planet Earth, the Jungle Beauty Goddesses discover that the life forms they created are in danger of extinction, and an unforeseen dominant species has positioned itself to take dominion.

Unprepared and disillusioned about how to access their highest vibrational frequency; the Jungle Beauty Goddesses face their own demise.

The only way they can save themselves, their planet, and ultimately the universe is by managing to align with their deity powers and the wisdom of their highest selves in the face of their worst fears, disappointments, and betrayals.

Available on Amazon

Jungle Beauty Goddesses “Dirty Ball” Book 3

If you had the power to make anyone in the world fall in love with you—would you? Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar revokes her deity vows and takes her destiny into her own hands by participating in the life she was born to create for others.

Afar embraces the deepest, darkest nuances of her shadow self with brutality, dignity, and integrity. She brazenly unleashes the murkiest qualities of the human condition and leaves the chaos for her unsuspecting sisters to clean up or suffer the consequences of losing the planet given to them by their parents--creators of the universe.

Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar’s actions give a new meaning to the saying, “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.”

Available on Amazon

Read an excerpt from the series:

“They will never have to worry about a male demanding to be let into their being or feeling betrayed by another female who decides to do so. Their fishtails represent the wholeness of femininity; nothing can be taken away or added to who they are as complete beings. They are capable of reproducing themselves without males. I have decided that ten percent of the hybrid fish human water beings will be males; however, they will not be capable of reproducing, and they will only be attracted to other males. This is the best way for me to control masculine energy so that it aligns with feminine power and domination.” Afar continued to style the hair on various heads, never looking up at Mada.

Swish. Bloop. Engh.Engh. Engh. Swoosh. Blurp. Blurp. Sheesh. Sheesh. Bloop. Engh.Engh. Engh.

The loud silence of the hybrid half fish half human beings, swimming in the aquariums, fills the air in the room between Afar and Mada.

Mada walks around the table to Afar, places his hands on her shoulders, pulls her close to him, and asks, “Why are you so aloof, distant, and cold?”

“You mean like your kisses, dahling?” Afar quipped, looking deeply into Mada’s eyes.

“What happened to you? Have you gone mad?...Where is the woman? I fell in love with? Hhmm?” Mada asked.

“Under the apple tree waiting for the man who promised to adore her, pacing back and forth searching for him night after night, year after year; listening to the echo of his voice in her head promising that he would love only her,” Afar says nonchalantly before laughing deeply. “She is where you left her, dahling.”

About C.G. Sturges

Cassandra George Sturges is the author of "A Woman's Soul on Paper," "Success & Beauty is an Attitude," "The Illusion of Beauty: Why Women Hate Themselves & Envy Other Women," and "Why Racism is a Mental Illness." For many years, she was an advice columnist for Today's Black Woman Magazine and is currently a full-time psychology and sociology professor at a college in the mid-west. She is a high school dropout who graduated with her General Education Diploma and eventually earned five college degrees including two masters and a doctorate degree. In her late forties, she began making life-size fabric sculpture, cloth dolls that turned out to be the main characters in her Jungle Beauty Goddesses coming of age, modern creation Nubian Mythology fantasy fiction, sensuous, romantic series. She is the mother of two adult children, a grandmother, and for over 20-years has shared her life with her twin flame.

Cassandra George Sturges Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/Authentikbeauty

https://www.authentikbeautymagazine.com/c-g-sturges-bio

https://twitter.com/georgesturges

https://www.instagram.com/cassandrasturges/

http://junglebeautygoddess.blogspot.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/AuthentikBeautyBlogs

https://www.amazon.com/Cassandra-George-Sturges/e/B00AAPRMBK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_5&qid=1573637943&sr=1-5

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

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Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle

Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle! I have an excerpt for you to enjoy today. And then if you want more, you can follow the tour to read those. Let the author know what you think in the comments! And then of course, take advantage of multiple opportunities to enter the giveaway!

Kingdom Cold
The Complete Collection

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Book I: Kingdom Cold
Book II: Kingdom Soul
Book III: Kingdom Untold
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Beware: a binge awaits. 

Deliciously dark, romantic and gripping, the Kingdom Cold trilogy now can be yours in a dazzling collection. 

Kingdom Cold follows the impulsive, teenage princess, Charlotte, as she attempts to murder her betrothed. But an arranged marriage is only the beginning of her problems, for the world as she knows it is falling apart. Her kingdom faces total destruction at the hands of Merlin and Lancelot, leaders of power-crazed Camelot. 

Will wicked King Arthur prove, once and for all, that ruthless deeds create the legend? Can Princess Charlotte sacrifice love to save her home?

Only one can reign.

Read an excerpt:

A thud sounded on my door. My shoulders tensed. I hoped it was one of my maids—I needed to get out of this thing. I hurried to the door and pushed it open. Prince Young stood in my doorway.

"Charlotte," he said. I looked into the hall behind him to see if someone else was passing, anyone who could help me—but it was only him.

"Please pardon me for coming to your chamber. I wondered if I might be able to have a word with you before the—"

Grabbing him by the shirt, I pulled him into my chamber. "Get in here," I said, shutting the door behind him. I took two steps toward the center of my room and said, "Quick, untie it. Help me take this off."

"Well... this is going better than expected," he said, half under his breath.

"Hurry, I can't breathe," I shouted.

Young's hands moved clumsily over the ribbons. "Sorry, I've never done this before," he said, "Uh-uhm. I mean—"

"That's okay. Neither have I," I said without thinking. What did I even mean by that?

"How do I do this?" he whispered.

I said, "Just try to loosen it. I just need a deep breath."

He pulled at the ribbons and I felt a slight release around my waist. I exhaled. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" I asked as he continued pulling aimlessly at strings behind me. He let my question hang there. I wasn't sure if he would answer.

"I wanted to know if you're happy with Emmett."

I opened my mouth to answer. "A-"

"No, that's not what I wanted to say. I guess what I mean is, do you still want to marry me? No, I guess you never really did want to. What I'm trying to say is, I miss Vires."

My heart thudded and I felt my corset tighten.

He continued. "Now that I'm free, I can return there, but for some reason, I can't—and I think that reason is that I want to marry you. Still."

My heart slammed into my ribcage. Was this a proposal? I turned to face him, holding the front of my dress up with my arm. It made no sense. "Why? There's barely a kingdom left. You know what Emmett will do if I don't go through with this."

"I don't care." He stepped closer. My eyes disobeyed me and my gaze slipped to his lips for a fraction of a second. His eyebrow raised slightly. He'd noticed. As if he was reading my curiosity, he leaned in.

The door swung open, "Brother! Emmett is headed this— Oh," Minseo said, eyeing my half-untied dress. I sprang back from Young in a panic. Minseo grinned. "Wow, that really went better than I expected." My face exploded with heat.

"Minseo, she can't breathe. How do I untie this?" Young said, gesturing to my back. With three quick fluid motions, Minseo untied my entire corset. One thing was clear: Minseo had done this before.

Get it on Amazon

About Brittni Chenelle

BRITTNI CHENELLE currently lives in Seoul, Korea which inspires her multicultural fantasy books. Her favorite genres to read and write are Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult Romance, Fairytale Retellings, and Young Adult Dystopian novels. She's very passionate about equal representation and makes a point to include characters from different backgrounds and cultures in her Fantasy stories.

Social Media

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/brittnichenelle

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/brittnichenelle

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/InvolutedRRT

Blog:  https://brittnichenelle.blogspot.com/

Website:  www.brittnichenelle.com

Brittni Chenelle will be awarding a free e-book version of the box set to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Read an excerpt from The Veiled Threat by Sophia Menesini

Read an excerpt from Bound Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood


On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the blog tour for Bound Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood! Today I'm sharing an exclusive excerpt with you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of the series, plus follow the book tour for more fun with the book. And then there's a great giveaway at the end for you to enter!

Bound Beauty

(A Wylder Tale #3)
By Jennifer Silverwood
YA Dark Fantasy
Paperback & ebook
December 21st 2018

Beware the bond between blood and beasts...

Vynasha has united the warring human and forgotten clans of Wylderland, claiming her majik and power as curse breaker. Her brother, Ceddrych keeps their nephew safely hidden away while Vynasha and her new allies fight against the feral beasts roaming their borders.

Meanwhile, her friendship with the Iceveins family deepens, unveiling a love she never expected. But her majik is still bound to the cursed prince she left behind and he isn't done fighting for her soul.

Darker forces walk in the forests, all drawn to Vynasha's light and the shade of a corrupt Enchantress haunts her waking dreams. A war is about to begin, between the forgotten people of Wylderland and the evil power of Bitterhelm.

Prophecy and Forgotten unite in the epic third chapter of the Wylder Tales Series, a gothic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

The Wylder Tales Series

Craving Beauty (Vol. 1)

Wolfsbane's Daughter (Vol. 1.5)

Scarred Beauty (Vol. 2)

Bound Beauty (Vol. 3)

Read an excerpt:

No longer did Vynasha mourn thoughts of Whistleande Village and the cabin she built over her family’s ashes. Home had been her nephew’s strained heartbeat against her ears and winter looming like Death over them, whispering, “Give him to me. You cannot hide forever.” 

Erythea’s sigh interrupted Vynasha’s darker thoughts. The girl was always chattering about every thought which entered her head. “I’ve never seen spring, did you know?” 

Vynasha blinked and for a moment, saw the valley of Whistleande, carpets of fuchsia heather and sage grass. 

Thea touched stray branches, infusing blue tendrils of energy into the sleeping buds. “My majik is tied to the earth like Mother’s. It wants to end this winter and let things grow.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vynasha with a crooked smile. “Did you know the last true spring hasn’t come in an age?” 

Vynasha pressed her claws into her palms. “Since the curse,” she whispered. Her voice held a rasp she couldn’t shake, ever since the fire. Not even her transformation under the curse could hide what she was before. 

Murderer. Monster. 

“Are you alright?” Erythea reached back to grab Vynasha’s hand, concern in her gaze. Eyes too old for so young a face. 

Vynasha nodded, though her attempted smile fell false. 

Thea squeezed Vynasha’s hand. “We practiced too long today. Come, Grandmother’s stew will make it better.” She leaned in until her shoulder brushed Vynasha’s arm and teased, “The twins say the pack should return for the festival soon.” 

Vynasha couldn’t help but tense at what her young friend didn’t say. 

Baalor. 

She hadn’t seen him in three moons, not since she agreed to stay and live with his family and leave her nephew with Ceddrych. 

She couldn’t think about Ceddrych, not now as they entered the paths taking them behind painted houses and torchlights. The fires never went out, no matter the cold or lack of fuel. The mirror folk saw to that, Vynasha had learned. There was much more to the relationship between guardian and mirror folk than she had once imagined. And still more they hadn’t explained. 

But this was for another night, when the promise of Baalor’s return and Grandmother’s stew weren’t looming before her. Tonight she would not be a curse breaker, and she would not dream dreams and she would learn to be happy.

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Other Books in the Series

Grab the first book, Craving Beauty, for FREE! You can find your preferred format here. Or grab the compilation of volumes 1, 1.5, and 2 on Amazon.

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of two series—Heaven's Edge and Wylder Tales—and the stand-alone titles Stay and Silver Hollow.

Website│Blog│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Tumblr

Tour Schedule

December 3rd:
Launch
Books to Light Your Fire
Mythical Books
J.L. Mbewe
December 4th:
Rockin' Book Reviews
Wishful Endings
Locks, Hooks and Books
December 5th:
Colorimetry
Declarations of a Fangirl
December 6th:
Reading On The Edge
Book Butterfly in Dreamland
Bookworm Lisa
December 7th:
We Write Fantasy
Nicole's Book Musings
December 8th:
Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

PRIZE PACK #1: Print copies of Wylder Tales Vol 1-2 along with a "Gothic fairytale" themed basket. (US only.)

PRIZE PACK #2: $10 Amazon eGift Card and winner's choice of two of the author's ebooks (if a novella series is pickes, i.e. Heaven's Edge, then all three novellas will be included). (Open internationally.)

Ends December 12, 2018

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Thank God for Jean - The Evolution of Beauty Within by Jae El Foster

Welcome to the book tour for Beauty Within by Jae El Foster! Do you know how important an editor is to the writing process? I can always tell when an author doesn't use an editor and when someone has a really good editor on their hands. Today, Jae El Foster talks about the importance of an editor and sings the praises of the one he uses. Find out what he has to say and then check out his latest book. Be sure to leave comments and questions all along the tour and download your own copy after you enter the giveaway!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nothing is better than a good editor, and I have a great one. Without editors like Jean Watkins, our books would not see their potential.

The importance of an editor is extreme, and on my first attempt at a fairy tale, I needed an editor more than ever before. An editor’s job extends further than correcting a writer’s punctuation, grammar and spelling. They see things that we as the authors do not see, and they help us correct them, build on them, or eliminate them if needed. Some writers feel that an editor will rewrite their books, but they are so very wrong on that assumption. A good editor will guide your hand as your tweak your story to make it the best piece of fiction that it can be.

Beauty Within was a book that saw several incarnations on its road to publication. It was the first of several books to hold a clue in my Jae El Fandom Hardcore Easter Egg Competition, and that clue had to be worked seamlessly into the story and still point people in the right direction to the second clue (full details are at www.jaeelbooks.com/contests). I’d never held a contest before where I’d had to hide clues in my books, so this was a challenge for me, and my editor helped me make that clue flow along with the rest of the novel – like it should – but stand out enough to be noticed by participants in the competition.

When it comes to misspellings, sentences that don’t flow, and paragraphs that are too complicated, my editor spots what my own eyes do not see, and she helps me rework what needs to be reworked, and sometimes, that is all because of my dyslexia. In Beauty Within, Jean came across a typo – Sirpiece instead of masterpiece. Not only was Sirpiece – which is not a real word – capitalized, but it was used at least three times throughout the book. I don’t know what the word means or why I created it, but I’m thankful my editor questioned it.

There is a French hair stylist named Pierre that is introduced a few chapters into Beauty Within. His role is to provide my protagonist Natalie with a unique hairstyle for a ball. In the original draft, Pierre did not understand a lick of English and spoke only French, so every time he would speak in the book, his words were in French and poorly translated to Natalie via her nemesis Sarah. While I saw the humor in the conversational situation, my editor pointed out that the only people who would understand what was going on and would get it were me and people who spoke French. I hadn’t thought of that when writing the scene, and so Pierre became a Frenchman with a bad English accent that my readers still enjoyed.

Jean and I worked our way through two – maybe three – edits of Beauty Within until all corrections had been made and the story flowed without pause or loss of flow. Yet, on my final read-through, when the book was set for publication, I realized Beauty Within was not finished. It didn’t feel finished. It lacked something – something big – and it had to do with the ending.

The original ending of Beauty Within is still there, but it is no longer the ending to the book. I drafted a whole new ending, adding a few more chapters onto the otherwise ready-to-go manuscript, and dropped it back to Jean.

The new twist in Beauty Within was so unexpected that even she admitted surprise to it. Yet, even as these new chapters did not much affect what we’d already edited and corrected, they had to be fixed from errors and inconsistencies, and the book as a whole had to be reread as well.

My editor has seen the best of my writing and the worst of my writing. She is why Beauty Within evolved into the wonderful fairy tale that it is, and she is why most of my writing is seamless and makes sense. I do not make life easy on her – especially with my first drafts and sudden ‘hey I had a’ thoughts. Yes, she’s a trooper, and if I have one piece of advice for any and every author out there, it is to get out there and find an editor. And when you do, hope that he or she is as good as Jean Watkins.

By the way – you might be able to tell – I did not let Jean edit this Guest Post beforehand.

My thanks to Books to Light Your Fire for hosting me today! Thanks also to Goddess Fish Promotions and DCL Publications for making this possible. Also, to those of you who have swung by to see what’s up, I hope you enjoy what you see. Thanks for stopping by!

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Beauty Within

An enchanted mask. A harrowing castle. A reclusive dark lord. With the helping hand of the village witch, these three ingredients form a spell that will warm your heart as much as it chills it. Madame Howell makes her second appearance in Jae El Foster’s literary universe in this fairy tale that puts a new twist on an old classic. When a village maiden finds herself in a forbidden castle, she discovers that its sole occupant might be less of a monster than he has been made out to be. However, dark secrets and black magic are afoot, and a ‘happily ever after’ could turn disastrous. Will true love conquer all, or will a dark power make their world come crumbling down?

Read an excerpt:

Hanging his head low, he sighed with a deep sadness, and in a bout of self-anger, he jerked his head up to the ceiling and cried out with an agony and a rage that he had never expressed with such intenseness. His scream ran long, and it echoed loudly throughout every hall and chamber of the castle and even into the blackened air outside. When this scream fell silent, he cried out once again, this time falling down to his knees in bitter self-loathing. His hands fell across his face, touching upon the scars that had sealed his doom. Running his fingers from his face to his hair, he grabbed two fistfuls of the golden locks and pulled hard, adding pain to his already crippling misery.

“Lest he who hath created his hell perish in his hell…” he whispered as the tears began to dry from his eyes. Then, with a leap, he rose to his feet and crossed the foyer to the staircase. With slow, steady movements, he began up the stairs, formulating in his thoughts what his next actions would be. His mind was hazy and in a fog, and thinking made his head only hurt more.

The stairs seemed to continue up for an eternity, but he was used to the climb and he made it to the belfry of his castle with practiced ease. There, he rushed past the old brass bell that had not rang in many, many years, and he forced his hands to brace him as he stopped abruptly at the stone encasing that prevented him from falling to his death below.

With tear-stained cheeks, he stared down at the foggy ground, barely able to see the dirt of the hill. He looked over just slightly and gazed at the village of Foliage, which was completely lost in the night and the thick of the fog surrounding it. The wind still blew with massive force, rocking against his chilled body but never once ringing the bell behind him. Had the bell decided to ring, it would have rocked up against him with enough strength that he would have been pushed from the belfry and down to the ground below, shattering every bone in his body.

This thought chilled him more than the powerful wind, and he held himself in his arms as he tried to find the cottage of the mistress with the mask. Even though he could see none of the buildings contained within Foliage, he knew now the exact location of the fair maiden’s home, and he stared in that direction for the longest of time.

“What I would give,” he whispered, releasing fog with his breath, “just to touch you… to hold you… to share but one dance with you.”

Available on Amazon 

About Jae El Foster

Jae El Foster is an author with whom you question going to bed with at night, but you dare to venture beneath the sheets with him anyway. As the venture concludes, you are perhaps romanced by it, or perhaps you are frightened by it. Don’t worry, because you are always satisfied by it. Despite the title or genre of the book, Jae El sets out to please you with climatic and unexpected conclusions that will make you tremble with emotion. Hop aboard the Jae El train and give it a good ride.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.jaeelbooks.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaeelbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjaeelfoster/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/communities/105715668467648152419

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

Amazon Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/jaefoster

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4540432.Jae_El_Foster

Blog 1: https://www.jaeelbooks.com/blog

Blog 2: https://thoughtsbyjaeelfoster.wordpress.com/

Jae El Foster will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Rogue Dragon Rising (Part One) by TJ Shaw with Giveaway

Welcome to the book blast for Rogue Dragon Rising, Part One by TJ Shaw. As you follow along the tour, you'll find excerpts to enjoy from this fantasy romance, as well as numerous opportunities to enter the giveaway. Be sure to also leave the author comments and questions! You can download your own copy on all of your favorite platforms!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to support my websites at no additional cost to you.

Rogue Dragon Rising

Twenty-three year old, Amari Hawke, is thrust into the world of two-soul shifters when she is injured and kidnapped by trackers outside the veil, beyond the safety of her homeland. Unable to remember her past, she trusts no one and relies on instinct to survive. As her awakening approaches, the first time she will transition into her animal, she must evade rogue shifters trying to capture her.

Now free from the King’s Army, powerful dragon lord, Jaxon Blackthorn, seeks a peaceful life. Intent on building his lands into a viable plantation, away from war and bloodshed, he is reluctantly pulled back into the fight when he defends the mysterious shifter with no past against an unseen enemy.

As evil threatens to destroy the entire realm, can the battle-hardened warrior and coming-of-age noblewoman accept their differences to forge an alliance that will ultimately unite the shifter nations?

Buy links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble /  iTunes / Google Play / Kobo 

Read an excerpt:

Giving his curious dragon some freedom, Jaxon stepped close and breathed in Amari’s scent. Cinnamon spice drifted through his nostrils and settled in his brain. She didn’t smell like an herbivore.

Interesting.

“Are you toying with this dragon?” he murmured in her ear.

She did not like him so near, her self-preservation instinct urging her to move away. Although pressed against a wagon wheel, she could have sidestepped out of his reach. But instead, she squared her shoulders and held her ground. Her entire body quaked, yet she stood before him with her chin thrust forward in defiance. Not normal behavior for a sheep.

Kip snickered at his back. “You’re losing your teeth, Jax.”

“Especially when a sheep challenges the great Jaxon Blackthorn, instead of cowering at his feet,” Crispin added.

Jaxon leaned closer, his mouth a hairsbreadth from the delicious curve of her neck. “Is that what you are? A sheep?”

About TJ Shaw

TJ Shaw is a multi award-winning author who writes from her heart by incorporating her dreams and experiences to create strong, passionate characters who must overcome personal flaws to survive against the challenges of traversing through magical realms, undiscovered planets, and apocalyptic catastrophes.

TJ is a member of Romance Writers of America and Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance Writers.

Website: https://tjshaw.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tjshawauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TjShawAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TJShaw

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/tjshaw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TJShawAuthor

The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Release Day! The Mage Heir (The Life Siphon Book 2) by Kathryn Sommerlot with Giveaway

Welcome to the release day celebration for Kathryn Sommerlot's latest book, The Mage Heir. It's the second book in her Life Siphon series. Check out an excerpt and then get your own copy of both books. The first book is just 99 cents. You can also enter the giveaway for a free e-copy of The Mage Heir. Thanks for stopping by to check it out and best of luck entering!

The Mage Heir

Traitor: that’s what Tatsu is now. On the run from both Runon and Chayd, Tatsu and Yudai’s only hope for survival is to disappear into the wilds. However, when the siphon’s deadly curse returns, they have no choice but to travel into the desert kingdom of Joesar in search of a cure.

Battling the unforgiving elements of the sands, Tatsu starts to realize that the path towards destroying the siphon may claim Yudai’s life. Time is running out as Nota’s fury—and the siphon’s hunger—begin to spiral wildly beyond their control.

As their options slowly fall away, the only thing Tatsu and Yudai can count on is each other.

Buy Links

The Mage Heir on Amazon

Book One (The Life Siphon) on Amazon

Read an Excerpt

Tatsu didn’t mind sleeping under the leaves, but Yudai’s agitation seemed to grow as the sky darkened. He paced back and forth between two ancient tree trunks with his hands clasped behind his back, over and over, until the stars came out. 

“You’re going to have to sleep eventually,” Tatsu pointed out, voice mild, once the moon was high overhead. It earned him a growl in reply. “Please just sit down.” 

“This clearing will be dead by morning,” Yudai snapped. When he turned to retrace his steps again, Tatsu could see the twist of his fingers clenched together in tight fists. 

“You can’t do anything about it, so there’s no point in blaming yourself. It’s probably just making the whole thing worse.” 

The look Yudai threw him was dubious at best, but evidently, the possibility was difficult to ignore. Yudai eventually settled himself down between two patches of yellow-green weeds, and he ran his finger over his lip a few times before his eyes flickered up towards Tatsu. “Distract me.” 

“You could ask nicely,” Tatsu said. 

One corner of Yudai’s mouth quirked upward. “I could,” he agreed, and said nothing more. 

“Did you know that my mother had other children?” 

Yudai blinked and sat back, face slackening. “Good distraction."

About Kathryn Sommerlot

Kathryn didn't major in creative writing, but never stopped believing. She survives on books, strong coffee, craft beer, puppies, and the Oxford comma. She currently lives in Japan with her husband and teaches high school English to shape the next generation of young minds. She also comma splices like it's going out of style.

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Giveaway

Giveaway for 5 eBook copies of “The Mage Heir” to celebrate the release day.

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The Immortal Queen Tsubame: Awakening by H.D. Strozier

The Immortal Queen Tsubame

This book contains violence and explicit sexual situations.

The magical world wants nothing to do with MaLeila Samara. The first reason is she’s a powerful no name sorceress with no magical ties who inherited the magical legacy of the most powerful western sorcerers to live, Claude Thorne. The second reason is because she had the audacity to claim the right while having kinky hair and chocolate colored skin.

So MaLeila gave the magical world the proverbial fuck you, fought off the sorcerers and sorceress who sought to see her killed for the bragging rights and lives in relative content with her two companions, both former slaves to Claude. Bastet—the powerful sorceress with an affinity for yang magic who introduced her to the magical world; and Devdan, the brooding sorcerer with an affinity for yin magic who tried to kill her when they first met but who MaLeila now goes back and forth between hating and wanting to fall in bed with.

They’re admittedly co-dependent, fiercely protective of each other while at the same time resentful, though they’re more than willing to mostly ignore the latter until the Magic Council sends Marcel Brant to help them unravel The Immortal Queen Tsubame, the newest threat to the order and secrecy of the magical world. But Marcel’s more interested in admittedly having sex with MaLeila than finding Tsubame and because of his influence, for the first time since learning it existed, MaLeila wants to know all that magical world has to offer much to Bastet and Devdan’s chagrin. Exploring the magical world also means that MaLeila, Bastet, and Devdan have to deal with the mistrust and resentment in their bond and the dark past that forced them together before she was even born. And Tsubame is more than happy to use it to her advantage to drive them apart and destroy the only real threat that can stop her from wreaking havoc on the world.

Read an excerpt:

Nothing decent was ever happening in the streets between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. MaLeila remembered her mother always telling her brother when he used to plead with the woman to let him stay out past midnight with the rest of his friends. And the woman had been right. MaLeila knew that first hand.

But unfortunately, being out at those indecent hours seemed to be an occupational hazard for being a sorceress. Or at least it was for MaLeila ever since she became a sorceress, because she was pretty sure other sorceress didn’t have to worry about the Magic Council turning a blind eye to deranged magic users just because they didn’t like her. Regardless, it was better for her to track down the rogue magic users at night after school hours and work than have them directly interfering with the two tomorrow.

“I have to at least give the lady a little credit. She doesn’t want to drain my soul or magical energy to make herself stronger or even kill me. She wants to preserve me in suspended animation to look at me for the rest of my life because I’m pretty. At least that’s new,” MaLeila said to the man in front of her over the loud music of the rave, her arms draped over his shoulders as much as they could be seeing as he was over a foot taller than her 5’ 2”.

“You actually sound excited about the prospect,” he said in a dry tone.

“At least the goal isn’t to kill me or eat my soul or drain my aura so it’s like I never existed and I can’t haunt people or be reincarnated or whatever happens to a sorceress after they die a natural death. At the very least if she does that, someone might discover me in a thousand years and I’ll wake up to a brand new world to explore,” MaLeila said with a shrug hands absently playing with his thick wavy hair. For now, it was just past his shoulders. But in a few months, it would certainly be down his back again.

She didn’t need the flashing lights of the rave to illuminate his golden pecan colored face to know that he was glowering back at her own milk chocolate colored face, both for the comment and for playing with his hair.

Finally he said, “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

MaLeila rolled her eyes and said, “Always so serious Devdan.”

“You’re too nonchalant about your life.”

MaLeila shrugged and said, “Laugh to keep from crying, Dev.”

“Neither one changes anything.”

“You know that from firsthand experience?” MaLeila asked soberly, locking her brown eyes with his grey ones. If he wasn’t forced to stand there with her, if he wasn’t forced to have to blend in with the crowd with her while they waited, MaLeila wouldn’t have asked. But regardless of what Devdan wanted to do, he was cornered at the moment.

He didn’t reply only tensed up just so slightly and pulled her closer as they both sensed the aura of the sorceress that for all intents and purposes wanted to make her decoration for her home. Neither one was sure where she was, but they knew she wouldn’t make her move until they were distracted, until their guard was let down, like the hunter (albeit hunter of human beings) that she was.

“You should go ahead and kiss me right now,” MaLeila whispered, standing on her tiptoes so her face was closer to his.

He did. His lips pressed to hers. If she were a couple of years younger and hadn’t had the experience of having a boyfriend, MaLeila might have been excited about them kissing. But whenever they did this, kissed in the middle of a crowded, pretending to be lost in each other, it was what they called it. Pretend. Mechanical, always aware of their surroundings, not at all focused on the sensations of the kiss if there were any. In essence, there was nothing pleasurable about it.

MaLeila sensed the sorceress get closer and it was then that she opened herself up to her ethereal sight, the sight that didn’t need her physical eyes and that let her see the world that co-existed yet transcended the physical. Essentially she saw “the magic in everything and everyone” so to speak, where everything was dark but illuminated by lights that represented magic, auras, and ethereal connections between those auras.

Devdan pulled his lips away slightly and muttered, “She’s behind you.”

“We have to wait for Bastet.”

“She better hurry up.”

“She’s watching her too. She will be. You know that.”

Just after MaLeila spoke, the lights brightened in the room until there were quick blinding flashes of light. It did a few things for them. The first thing Bastet’s magical light show did was totally distract the rave party goers. It was the reason they led the sorceress chasing MaLeila there in the first place. Everyone was either too drunk, high, distracted by the trick of the lights or all three to notice magic happening. So unless they were aware magic existed, they wouldn’t notice the magic or they’d notice and think it was an illusion. The second thing the light show did was disturb and disrupt the magic of the deranged sorceress. They had deduced before that her magical talents, similarly to Devdan’s, were derived from yin. But the sorceress’ powers weren’t as broad and varied as Devdan’s, and her strength while exacerbated by the magic present at night, was diminished by powerful light that was akin to that of the slightly unfiltered sun. In essence, Bastet’s yang magic.

With the sorceress’ magic diminished and everyone distracted, MaLeila pulled away from Devdan, turned on her heel and summoned her ankh shaped gold plated platinum staff to her right hand. While still using her ethereal vision she undid and redid the magical seams of distance and space to open up a portal to a light filled dimension beneath the sorceress’ feet. It instantly began to suck her in, the event heavily camouflaged by Bastet’s ever brighter and now blinding light show.

In a last desperate attempt to win, the sorceress used the remains of the magic that hadn’t been diminished by the lights to try to put her in the suspended sleep she was infamous for according to her entry in the International Registry of Magic Practitioners. If the woman were at her full strength, she would have no doubt put MaLeila into an instant sleep that would have put her in a state of suspended animation. As it was, MaLeila did start to feel woozy, her body light as though she might float into the air and never come down.

Devdan intervened by manipulating the shadows so that they formed a transparent barrier around MaLeila, protecting her from the sorceress’ efforts against her. The sorceress began to let out a scream, but by that time she’d been sucked all the way into the portal and MaLeila made quick work of repairing the seams of distance and space until the portal was gone and the other dimension was separated from their world once again.

Available on Amazon

About H.D. Strozier

After a year of working in the insurance business, H.D. Strozier thought it was about time she made her passion, writing, her full time job. She generally writes New Adult Fantasy Romances, and every now and then a sexy romantic one-shot. When she’s not writing or doing anything that has something to do with writing (almost never), she’s playing Pokémon, watching anime, reading manga, and other things that portray her as the big nerd she really is.

Follow her on Twitter: @Holly_Dae_