Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Fey (The Witches of Doyle Book 5) by Kirsten Weiss

Fey
(The Witches of Doyle Book 5)

by  Kirsten Weiss

Genre: cozy witch mystery

Publisher: Misterio Press

Date of Publication: October 28, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-944767-34-1

ASIN: B07GBHMJZZ

Number of pages: 192

Word Count: 61,000

Cover Artist: Dar Albert

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This witch will do anything for a normal life with the man she loves. But when you’re on fairy patrol, normal is relative.

Witch Jayce Bonheim has packed away her candles, crystals and cauldrons. With her boyfriend recovering from a hex, she’s determined to build a sane and magic-free life for them both.

But when a horde of troublemaking gnomes invades the small town of Doyle, it’s up to Jayce and her magical sisters to send them packing.

After the gnomes lead Jayce to a murdered employee from her own café, she’s plunged into an investigation that lands her in the sheriff’s crosshairs. And Jayce must catch a killer before the sheriff’s brewing witch hunt nets a very real witch.

Fey is book 5 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels. Buy Fey and start reading this quirky witch mystery today!

Spells included at the back of the book.

Amazon      Kobo      iBooks      Nook

Book Trailer:

About the Author:

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Paranormal Museum, and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like 
steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might 
be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter here.

Feel free to follow her on Twitter @KirstenWeiss or Bookbub, get in touch on Facebook, post a picture of this book to Instagram and tag her @kirstenweissauthor, or send her an email. She’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Author Interview:

Q: What kind of supernatural research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

A: It depends on the book. But I believe that especially when I’m writing some magical, basing the magic on real, historical systems makes the stories seem more “real.” So, I’ll usually research whatever magical system my heroine works in (e.g. shamanism, earth witchery, or alchemy) as well as the mythology of whatever other characters she encounters. It’s a lot of fun!

Q: What haunted pilgrimages have you gone on?

A: Recently, I went on a ghost hunt in Gettysburg, PA. It’s been on my bucket list, because it’s supposed to be one of the most haunted parts of America. We got to play with EMF detectors and other ghost hunting equipment. I’m not sure if we encountered any ghosts, but we did encounter a lot of Gettysburg teens. Apparently playing with Ouija boards at the local ghost sites is the thing to do.

Q: Do you hide any magical secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

A: Mercury is the archetype of communication and business, so I always insert his name in my books somewhere as a nod to him

Q: Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

A: I actually have written under one. In my Witches of Doyle cozy mysteries, one of my witches, Karin Bonheim, writes paranormal romance (PNR). I thought it would be fun to write some PNR novellas as Karin, and weave her story in between the chapter. These novellas are The Witches of Doyle In-Betweens.

Q: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

A: My sister, Allyson Charles, writes romance (she’s super funny), and she introduced me to her gang of fellow romance writers. They’ve really helped me kick up the romance in my mysteries several notches. I’m indebted to them on several levels.

Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

A: A little of both! My Witches of Doyle series is connected to my Wits End cozy mysteries. They all take place in Doyle, and characters make cameos in each others’ books. And of course, there are those paranormal romances I mentioned under the Karin Bonheim name – some of my Wits’ End characters show up there as well.

Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

A: Too many! I’ve been rolling out a new book every month since June, and the last title in this publishing frenzy, The Gargoyle Chronicles, will publish in November. And Fey, Book 5 from The Witches of Doyle, is out October 28th. I’m also working on books four and five in my Pie Town cozy mystery series. The third book in that series, Pie Hard, will launch in January, 2019. And I’ve got the first book in a new Tea and Tarot series which will probably publish in early 2019 and is called Steeped in Murder. And then there’s book 4 in my Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series, Chocolate a’la Murder. That’s coming out in March, 2019.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Fighter of Aldea by Kira Weston

The Fighter of Aldea 

by 

Kira Weston 

Genres: 

Young Adult, Fantasy

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It’s the year 2216, and ever since Lydia Humsworth was little, she’s heard stories about electricity that used to light up skylines and planes that soared through the sky like birds. There were also stories about The Shift, which plunged the world into darkness nearly two hundred years ago and gave some people magical abilities. These people came to call themselves sorcerers.

Now, in the small village of Aldea, sixteen-year-old Lydia is training to be a Fighter in hopes of one day protecting her village. Her best friend, Daniel, spends his days working long hard hours on the farm. Humans and sorcerers have always seemed to coincide peacefully, but when Leonardo Kinch–a deranged sorcerer who blames humans for the death of his family–starts a war against humans, nothing is as they believed.

​

When war rages across the country, Lydia and Daniel must do everything they can to stop the war and stay alive, or risk the human race falling into extinction.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Excerpt:

DANIEL

I’ve never seen her look so crushed. 

When she speaks, she sounds a bit detached. “Where is my mom?” 

“She went to Albindale with some of the other Seamstresses to get fabric early this morning, so no one has been able to notify her. They’re expected to be back in a couple of hours.” 

“And Lucas?”

“He’s still passed out on your couch as far as I know.” Lydia doesn’t respond. A silence grows between us. Eventually, I pull her into a hug, which I’ve been aching to do for hours. “I was so scared that something happened to you. I thought I’d lost my best friend.”

Lydia hugs me back even tighter and rests her chin on my shoulder. She starts to cry, softly at first, but it quickly grows so intense that she can barely get breaths in. It breaks my heart. I feel so hopeless. I wish I could do something, anything to make her feel better. But the fact is, I’m even less knowledgeable in sorcery than the doctor is.The best thing I can do for her right now is to just be here. To be her friend.

So we stay like this for a long time until she is all cried out. When she pulls away, she’s calmer again. Sad, tired...but calm.

“Can you talk about something?” she asks after a while. 

“Like what?” 

“Anything,” she says softly. 

My first thought is to ask her about last night, but I know she probably asked me to talk because she wants something to take her mind off everything. So I decide not to bring it up and find something else. I’ll let her decide when she’s ready to talk about it.

I take a deep breath and say,“I see that Roy is in the room next to you.” 

“Yeah?” she asks.“How is he doing?” 

“He has a pretty bad concussion and a big purple bruise on his face in the shape of a hoof. The color suits him.” 

A small smile finds its way onto her face and she lets out a quiet chuckle.The sight fills me with warmth. I thought it might be a while before I saw her smile again. I didn’t realize it would make me so happy to see her happy, though.

“You know, I heard we’re expected to get twenty inches of rain over the next month. Can you believe that?” I say, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Really? But we’ve already gotten so much.” 

“That’s what I heard,” I say with a shrug.“I guess the drought is over.” 

“I’ll say.” She sounds less distant than earlier, which I take as a good sign. 

The door of her room creaks open behind us. Lydia turns her head toward the sound. “Who’s there?” There’s a weariness to her voice; she’s probably still a bit paranoid.

“It’s Phoenix. I came as soon as I heard.” He quietly closes the door behind him.

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About the Author:

Kira Weston writes Young Adult fiction, often day-dreaming the what-ifs of magic and science fiction, and how they might affect the world. Her debut novel, The Fighter of Aldea, comes out October 15th, 2018. Kira grew up in Las Vegas, NV under the hot sun and the distant lights of the famous Las Vegas Strip, and now resides in Colorado, which is much cooler—most of the time.

Kira currently works in retail, but hopes to put her main focus on storytelling in the near future, whether it be through books, movies, or something in between. When she’s not writing, she spends her time befriending cats, hoping for rain, drinking mochas, and listening to music.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Author Interview:

The Fighter of Aldea takes place in the future, but feels like it’s in the past. How did you come up with that setting?

I’m a big fan of science fiction, which usually takes place in the future, but course I’m also a big fan of fantasy, which usually takes place in the past or in a world that feels similar to ours in the medieval ages. When I was writing TFoA, I thought it would be a lot of fun to pull from both. What if it took place in the future, but felt like the past? If modern day society lost power, how would that effect the human race and our future? What if magic, instead of being a lore of the past, was the evolution of our future? The concept was very intriguing to me, and it ended up being one of the biggest foundations for the story, which I think added so much depth to the world and its history.

Why did you choose to become a writer?

I’m not sure I chose to be a writer as much as writing chose me. I wrote stories and scripts off and on throughout my childhood, not really labeling myself as a writer, but rather just doing something that I enjoyed. Some were short stories or beginnings of novels I never finished, others were short screenplays that I wrote with the intention of filming with my friends. I started writing more seriously in my teens, and nowadays, if I’m not writing, I’m usually thinking about my stories or listening to a story playlist or watching a tv show that inspires me with the world they’ve created. I love collaborating and exploring stories that ask what-if’s that could change how we see the world and how the world works, while learning about myself and the world as I go. I hope to explore a lot of stories in the future, whether it be through novels or film format.

What is your favorite part about being a writer?

It's pretty amazing how you can create a world and people out of your head. It's like creating something out of nothing, which is generally considered impossible. So, in a way, writers accomplish the impossible, they make... magic. And this thing that you and only you can create can bring laughter and tears to those you share it with. It can even change someone's life or give them a new outlook on something. It's pretty amazing what writers can do, and there's so much beauty in it, too. And if you're able to bring down your walls and write from your heart, the feeling of expressing yourself and the relief that it brings is like no other. So... Maybe it's a combination of all those reasons as to why I write. I will probably find new reasons for many years to come as I learn more about writing and more about myself and about life, but for now, I think that may be why I write.

Why YA?

I wasn’t a huge reader growing up. I read The Magic Tree House series when I was little, and got into Warriors when I was a bit older, but when I stumbled onto YA I was hooked. YA opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t discovered in books before. It was the first time I read first person and duel-narrative, first trilogy, first romance. I love the stories that can be told through teenagers eyes, old enough that they can take on some intense things on their own (probably for the first time), but young enough that they’re not quite an adult either. It’s the age when someone’s life starts to open up to all kinds of new possibilities, so why not through in some fantastical possibilities too?

Without giving away spoilers, what was your favorite part of writing The Fighter of Aldea?

The whole process of writing the first draft of TFoA was so much fun. I didn’t have any kind of outline and I wasn’t entirely sure where I was taking it, but I just let myself have fun with it and the story flowed easier than anything I’ve ever written. Now that it’s finally finished, after many rounds of editing and polishing, there are definitely some parts that are my favorites.

Lydia has this sort of sarcastic humor that’s always a blast to write, and I’m a sucker for any gushy or sweet moments that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But I always come back to Chapter 31, because there are so many elements that I love, there’s a lot of raw emotion and the events that unfold bring us to a twist that I hope readers will love as much as I do!

What’s next?

The second book of The Fighter of Aldea trilogy! It’s called The Sorcerer of Vantana, and I don’t have a set release date yet, but the first draft is written and I’m looking forward to diving into those edits! I’m really excited to release TSoV out into the world, and after you read The Fighter of Aldea, I hope you are too!

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Cover Reveal: Piper Prince (Forbidden Forest #2) by Amber Argyle

Piper Prince 

(Forbidden Forest #2)

Amber Argyle 

Publication date: 

April 2019

Genres: 

Fantasy, Young Adult

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All magic is light. If that light be darkened, shadow and punishment come.

Long ago, a curse fell upon the land—a curse of forgetting and wraiths, a curse that ensured no daughters were born to the pied pipers in over three centuries. The pipers were all that stood between the humanity and utter destruction, so they did the only thing they could: they stole the daughters of the nearby kingdom with their hypnotizing melodies. With the sons born from those unions, they continued to defend against the wraiths and fight the curse, even though they were slowly losing.

Larkin was one of those daughters. Stolen by Denan and married against her will, she found herself falling in love with the very man who had taken everything from her, the man who had made her a princess. Together, they discovered that she was the first woman in three centuries to possess the magic of the pipers, and therefore, the only person capable of breaking the ancient curse.

But breaking the curse means unraveling the very past the curse is intent on keeping secret. The answer lies buried in the crypts of the Black Druids, men who consider Larkin a traitor they’ll kill on sight. Embedded in the intrigues of their court, she unearths a dark conspiracy destined to hasten the destructive power of the curse—a conspiracy aimed at destroying her piper prince.

Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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Sequel to:

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Author Bio:

Bestselling author Amber Argyle writes young-adult fantasies where the main characters save the world (with varying degrees of success) and fall in love (with the enemy). Her award-winning books have been translated into numerous languages and praised by such authors as NYT bestsellers David Farland and Jennifer A. Nielsen.

Amber grew up on a cattle ranch and spent her formative years in the rodeo circuit and on the basketball court. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year-old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less-crazy larger people. She's fluent in all forms of sarcasm, loves hiking and traveling, and believes spiders should be relegated to horror novels where they belong.

To receive her starter library of four free books, simply click here, tell her where to send it.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Book Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Encouragement Letters by Shanna Spence

THE ENCOURAGEMENT

LETTERS

by

SHANNA SPENCE

  Sub-genre: Middle Grade / Historical Fiction

Publisher: Book Liftoff

Date of Publication: November 22, 2017

Number of Pages: 180

Scroll down for the giveaway! 

WILLIAM CROMWELL, at age eleven, knew what it was like living with new changes. In 1865, Manchester, England a new textile factory moved into town and after a tragedy that befell him and his mum, they struggled to live. With so many things going on in his young life he wanted to be the encouragement that his father was to him.

As everything changes along with terrible hardships, just maybe the hope he gives to the growing town will find its way to Will…

PRAISE FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT LETTERS: 

This was such an uplifting wholesome book! It was so nice to read something positive about a time when people were so willing to step in and help someone in need without expecting anything in return! I couldn’t put it down!-- 5 Stars, Kindle verified purchase reviewer

Excellent read!! This story speaks to people in all walks of life. It is encouraging, sweet, and funny at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone needing to see what it means to “treat others as you want to be treated." -- 5 Stars, Kindle verified purchase reviewer

A very inspiring book from a great new author! -- 5 Stars, Kindle verified purchase reviewer

A charming tale of a simpler time. Yet, the message is ageless. I congratulate Ms. Spence on this her first effort and look forward to more entertaining reads from her in the future.-- 5 Stars, Kindle reviewer

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

When I read the synopsis for The Encouragement Letters by Shanna Spence, I was intrigued. The cover also drew my attention. I lived in England for over 6 years which is another reason I wanted to read this book. I love all things England! When I got the opportunity to review it, I jumped at the chance!

I found the pacing to be perfect in The Encouragement Letters. This is a middle grade read, and Miss Spence sets the pacing perfectly for that age group. Never once did I feel like the book was too fast or too slow for young readers. I also feel the length of the book was perfect for the age group it targets.

I enjoyed the plot of The Encouragement Letters very much. It was interesting to read about Will's struggles and how he was overcoming them. I loved reading about how kind everyone was to each other. It was as if everyone was one big family. Everyone would help each other out, and that was very encouraging. It was interesting and uplifting to read about Will overcoming his challenges and not becoming a victim of circumstance even when that would have been the easiest thing to do. Reading about how Will was trying to lift everyone up in hard times with his encouragement letters truly was heartwarming. There are no plot twists in this book, but it doesn't need plot twists as it's not that kind of book. All of my questions were answered in the book. There are no cliff hangers whatsoever which was great.

The world building was done very well. Although written in third person, The Encouragement Letters is told through the eyes of 11 year old Will. I feel that Shanna Spence did a fantastic job making it seem as if a real 11 year old is telling the story. Miss Spence also does a great job making you feel as if you are involved with everything going on. Her use of language is profound. A few of the characters' accents were written exactly as they speak. I loved this! This made it that much more realistic. I also loved the Yorkshire dialect guide at the beginning of the book. Shanna Spence does a great job educating and making her readers feel like they are experiencing the Industrial Revolution in England first hand.

I loved every character in The Encouragement Letters. They all felt very real and fleshed out. Will was such a sweet boy as I mentioned earlier. I admired his work ethic and how empathetic he was even at such a young age. I loved all the shop workers and how caring they were towards Will always giving him extra food, scraps of leather, or whatever they had left over. Mary Beth was a character who also stood out to me. I enjoyed when she was mentioned. Maybe it's because I felt like I could relate to her. Like all of the characters in The Encouragement Letters, she had a strong work ethic and was so kind to Will. I thought it was cute how Will seemed to have a bit of a crush on her.

As this is a middle grade read, there aren't many trigger warnings. There is talk of death (Will's father had passed away a year prior when the novel starts) as well as sickness (Will's mother is sick throughout the book, and Will looks after her. There's one scene of violence (Will gets punched in the face), but it is not very graphic and is described in an age appropriate manner.

Overall, The Encouragement Letters is a very inspiring and uplifting novel. The characters are all so kind and have great work ethics, and the book is somewhat educational with describing how life was like during the Industrial Revolution in England. I would definitely recommend The Encouragement Letters by Shanna Spence to those 9+ who need some encouragement or who just love reading uplifting novels. Actually, I'd just recommend this to every and all people who are 9 years and older! This book gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me!

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(Thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of this title for a review on a blog tour I am doing in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)

Shanna Spence is a wife, mother, and registered nurse of over twenty years. She has written poetry since the age of thirteen and always dreamed of writing books. Raised in a small East Texas town, she pursued a career of nursing in Dallas, Texas but eventually went back to East Texas to settle down and raise a family.

Now she finally has found the time to fulfill her dream of writing stories that will hopefully bring out the imagination in others -- as well as inspiration. She is currently living in Longview, Texas. 

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1st Prize:
Signed Copy + Bookmark + $10 Amazon Gift Card
2 Runners-Up: eBook Copy
October 10-19, 2018

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

10/10/18	Notable Quotable	Momma on the Rocks
10/11/18	Review	Hall Ways Blog
10/12/18	Excerpt	Max Knight
10/13/18	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
10/14/18	Author Video	The Page Unbound
10/15/18	Character Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/16/18	Review	All the Ups and Downs
10/17/18	Author Interview	That's What She's Reading
10/18/18	Review	Reading by Moonlight
10/19/18	Review	Missus Gonzo

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Release Blitz: Love Reclaimed (Kings Grove Book 4) by Delancey Stewart

Title: Love Reclaimed
Series: Kings Grove #4

Author: Delancey Stewart

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women's Fiction

Release Date: October 15, 2018

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Cameron Turner is cursed. He’s lost almost everyone he’s ever loved, and he knows better than to try again. If the universe intends for him to be alone, then that’s exactly what he’ll do, keeping to himself in his quiet Kings Grove cabin.

Harper Lyles was born in the tiny mountain town of Kings Grove, and she never planned to go back. But when her life is turned upside down and she has no choice, she vows to make the best of it. For six short months at least, and then she’s on to bigger and better things.

When Cameron rents the empty house next door to Harper, both their plans begin to change. Harper’s energy and tenacious happiness make Cameron wonder if he was really meant to be alone after all. And Cameron’s dark brooding appeal has Harper wondering if maybe Kings Grove isn’t so bad after all.

The fourth book in the Kings Grove series is a tale of redemption and hope, featuring edge-of-your-seat suspense, Stewart’s trademark humor, and…puppies. 

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links:

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

Also Available:

$3.99 for a limited time

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

Coming Soon:

Releasing December 3, 2018

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

About the Author:

Delancey Stewart is an award-winning author who writes romantic fiction with humor and heart.

Stewart has lived on both coasts, in big cities and small towns. She's been a pharmaceutical rep, a personal trainer and a wineseller.

A wife and the mother of two small boys, her current job titles include pirate captain, monster hunter, Lego assembler and story reader. She tackles all these efforts at her current home outside Washington D.C.

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