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Love is in the Air ~ Win 2 Ebooks!

  February 3, 2016 - 1:00 am |
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We are thrilled to be taking part in the Romance is in the Air blog hop this week!

In honor of Valentine’s Day we’re giving away two of our books featuring love and romance. Scroll down to find the entry form. Also be sure to visit the other great blogs participating in the hop (all the way at the bottom)

"Life's Unexpected Adventures Anthology Volume One" by Joanne RawsonLife’s Unexpected Adventures Anthology
Volume Two

by Joanne Rawson

Always Mr. Wrong
Clare Darby is feeling restless, but can’t quite put her finger on why. Her life is in order, so what is the problem? When her daughter asks what she really wants for Christmas how can Clare tell her all she wants is to get laid. All her life she has fallen for Mr. Wrong. Will she ever find Mr. Right?

Zoe North
Zoe North walked down the aisle, aware that all eyes were on her. She knew she should be savouring this moment, yet all she could focus on was the man at the altar the man that, in a few minutes from now, would be promising to spend the rest of his life with her. As the vicar starts the wedding ceremony, Zoe recalls her turbulent, two-year relationship with Dale Kennedy, literally, falling head over heels but not in love, when they first meet.

A night dancing at a salsa, club leads to more than she bargained for. An ultimatum that could change Zoe’s life forever and a honeymoon she will never forget.

A witty, spicy, story of love, friendship and never expecting the inevitable.

Coming Home for Christmas
After her husband’s death, Sophie and her young daughter return to her family in Derbyshire. The Ferguson’s seem like a perfect family until you scratch the surface. With so many emotional baggage, and only nine weeks to Christmas, can Sophie bring them altogether for the perfect Christmas she dreams of?

Thomas, the gorgeous, moody decorator, is a man with his own agenda that doesn’t seem to include Sophie. Even in his paint-smeared tee shirt, faded jeans and scuffed boots, he is immodestly masculine, handsome and sizzling hot. But when his eyes reflect the pain she knows so well, Sophie cannot help but wonder if there is another side to the cold exterior.

Thomas finds his heart opening to this beautiful, wounded woman from his past. A passion smoulders as they work together in the months before Christmas. But he has been hurt before and hesitates to stoke the fire between them.

Will the magic of the holidays heal a family and bring two lost souls together?

Can’t wait? Buy it now!

Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
Smashwords
PRINT

AND / OR

Add it to your Goodreads Shelf!

Second Act by Rhonda StrehlowSeparate Lives

The Horton Auction Series #1

by Rhonda Strehlow

Auctioneer Honor Horton is able to channel the past lives of her clients. Now working with Dr. Carson Ankerson, she catches glimpses of his past relationship with his best friend’s wife, Rachel.

However, getting entangled in Dr. Ankerson story may pose a threat to Honor’s own future when she finds herself in bed with her client. Is it because of the rift with her boyfriend, Dustin, or is she channeling Rachel? Will Honor and Dustin be able to survive the havoc their indiscretions wreaked on their relationship?

Can’t wait? Buy it now!

Amazon Kindle
Smashwords
Nook
PRINT

AND / OR

Add it to your Goodreads Shelf!

Enter to win a copy of BOTH books here!

Books Release || March 5, 2015

  March 5, 2015 - 12:34 am |
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Melange Books Releases March 5, 2015

Winners to the big giveaway will be contacted soon!

Until then, check out these great new books from erotica author Jaden Sinclair.

Untamed Beast 

A Shifter Novel (13)

by Jaden Sinclair

Enemy—turned lover—turned mate?

Thorn has always been a loner. He likes it that way. Likes what he does for his race and has no regrets about anything. He’s never looked back once he’s put something behind him, yet one thing from his past just won’t let him go. The night he was taken and used. That one night seemed to change him, but for the good or bad he doesn’t know. Now face to face with one of his demons he fights with the urge to not only protect but to mate.

Katrina Scotts never expected her life to take the turn it did. Also never thought that her mother would turn on her the way she did or that she’d be once more in the hands of the animal she was forced to use one night. Now surrounded with shifters she discovers secrets, discovers loyalty, and what it means to be accepted for who you are, not for where you came from or your past.

BUY THE BOOK

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Amazon
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Solar Seductions 

by Jaden Sinclair

Zane Dill had given up on ever finding love and the perfect woman. He never thought that by helping his friends he’d stumble upon her, or that she would be the daughter of the man bent on destroying all that Pluto has to offer. Now his one and only goal in life is to protect the woman who has his heart. To keep her safe, to love and cherish her to the end of his days.

Kalisha Sedgwick has a big secret that, if divulged, will change the lives of the Deity, a society that wants nothing more than to take what Pluto has to offer and give nothing back. Keeping this secret is one of the most important things to Kalisha—that is until she wakes up and comes face to face with Zane.

Instant attraction hits, yet she is fearful for him. She’s seen what her father has done in the past, been in his path when his rage is at the max. But in Zane’s arms, Kalisha feels protected and safe for the first time ever, and she’s just as willing to do everything she can in her power to stay that way, forever.

BUY THE BOOK

PRINT
Amazon
Smashwords

New Years Giveaway Extravaganza!

  December 31, 2014 - 4:55 pm |
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2015NYGSorry for the email that went out early. Funny thing about time is that there’s an AM and a PM! Turns out I’d set the post to go live at 9 AM instead of PM!

Regardless, our subscribers who saw that oops this morning know what’s coming – our Melange New Years Giveaway Extravaganza!

I am so excited for this. We’ve done giveaways in the past here and there, but nothing like this. We’ve got ebooks, we’ve got ARC’s, we’ve got autographed print books AND one lucky winner will walk away with a brand spankin’ new Kindle Fire HD6 AND a $25 Amazon Gift Card to stock it full of books! How awesome is that? Even if you already have an e-reader, you know what great gifts they make.

Instead of posting all of the giveaway sign up forms here on the blog, I’ve opted to list them on the Melange website to avoid the wonky formatting that sometimes happens with the blog posts.

To enter, go HERE: https://melange-books.com/2015NYGiveaway.html
And for the blog comments entries, come back and leave a post here!

NOTE: There are a LOT of giveaways on that link above! Please let the page fully load all of the giveaways before entering. Click the link, go check your Facebook or Twitter, then check back!

A “Within Reach” Interview with Jill Bisker + Giveaway

  June 23, 2014 - 2:20 pm | ,
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The talented Jody Vitek took some time out of her busy writing schedule to interview fellow talented author Jill Bisker about her shot story “Within Reach.”

 

Within Reach is a very moving and touching story about Emma and the relationship she has with her mother who is suffering with dementia. When Emma finds a special box her father carved with a seashell from her childhood inside, something happens and questions arise that she wants to ask her mother. Questions go unasked and when a small agate replaces the shell, she questions her own sanity.

Within Reach is a short, fast, fulfilling story I recommend everyone reads. The ending will have you looking within yourself.

JODY: I’d like to say hello to everyone and thank you for joining us. Jill, can you share a little about yourself? Where you live? Are you married? Do you have children?

JILL: I live in Stillwater, Minnesota.  I am just celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband, George.  I have a 21 year old son named Nathan and a 13 year old cat named Senora.

JODY: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

JILL: Yes, but it is only in the last few years that I was able to believe in myself enough to allow anyone else to read my stories.

JODY: When did you start writing?

JILL: I remember writing stories as soon as I was old enough to write.  I would staple pieces of paper together and make story books.  My mother used to tease me that I couldn’t finish a story because I was so intent on writing the dedication page.  It made me laugh a little to write the dedication page to her.

JODY: You write many different genres and I wondered if you write multiple stories at one time, within these multiple genres, at different times of the hour, day, week, month or when the mood strikes? How do you decide what to work on?

JILL: I have a lot of stories in production at a time.  I am outlining, writing and editing all at the same time.  I have many projects in various stages of completion.  My husband edits my work and helps with story continuity.  Outlining can take some time but when I am ready to write then I write 6 – 8 hours a day until a story is done.  I decide on a word count that I have to get to, usually 1500 – 2000, and I work until I get there.  As far as what to write, I find a story will often ‘demand’ to be told, whether that’s what I had planned or not.  It also helps me to rotate amongst different projects because after a first draft, it’s good to step away from it for a while so that I can return to it with fresh eyes at a later date.  So I typically have a few stories percolating in my mind, am actively writing one, and have one or two in a holding pattern waiting for the next revision.

JODY: You acknowledge your mother, Marlys, in the acknowledgments. Will you share how close to home this story is to you and your mother? If at all.

JILL: I wrote this story when I was helping my mother through the last stages of chronic illness, dementia and leukemia.  I simplified elements in the story just to keep the flow moving.   Some of the elements in the story are things that really happened.  All of the feelings and emotions are genuine.  In our family’s real story – I come from a Yours, Mine and Ours family – my father is living and I have many siblings, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.  We were all deeply affected by my mother’s struggle with dementia.  A portion of the proceeds from this story will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org.

JODY: Was it difficult to write at times?

JILL: It was actually cathartic to write.  I could focus my feelings into the piece, and it gave me a way to express those feelings and share my experience with others.

JODY: What are you working on now?

JILL: I will be starting edits on my paranormal novel that is coming out in June. (NOTE: “Finding The Way Back” was released from Melange on June 19, 2014.)  I just finished a first draft of the next story in the series and I am on the second draft of a fantasy novel.  I am outlining 3 other stories as well.

JODY: Where do you see your writing career in five years?

JILL:  I hope to continue to be able to bring new stories to life.  Who wouldn’t love a movie deal?  😉 Honestly, as long as I’m able touch others with my writing in some way, I will feel successful.

JODY: My own writer’s curiosity has to ask a few questions: Are you plotter or pantser or both? Organized working area or a mess? Do you have a designated work area? Critique group and/or beta readers?

JILL: I am a firm believer in plotting.  I have many different ways that I outline.  Each story seems to come to me in a different way.  I ask my characters a lot of questions before I even start writing so I know them very well.  I know how they act and what motivates them as well as where I want them to go in the story – how I want them to evolve.  I am very organized, I can’t work in upheaval very well.  I have a vintage vanity I use as a desk and a vintage table in the room to work on outlines.  I don’t let anyone read anything until it’s finished and then I have beta readers.  I tried critique groups but it hasn’t worked for me.  I have found that I have to write in a way that’s true to who I am and what I believe in, and if it’s good enough then hopefully it will find an audience.

 

 About Jill Bisker

Jill Bisker lives in Stillwater, MN with her husband and a calico cat named Senora. She believes in empowering women to be strong enough to protect themselves, while still soft enough to be loving and compassionate. Her work includes paranormal mystery and traditional high fantasy, as well as contemporary and humorous fantasy and an everyday living blog. Her novella Within Reach is her first publication with Melange. Once a dedicated stay at home Mom, Jill now writes full-time.

Website: www.jillbisker.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjillbisker
Blog: http://www.unaccompaniedjaunt.blogspot.com
Melange:  https://melange-books.com/authors/jillbisker/index.html

About Jody Vitek

Born and raised in Minnesota, Jody has remained close to home living with her husband of twenty plus years, three children and a cat named Holly. Growing up, she enjoyed reading V.C. Andrews’ the Dollanganger series, starting with Flowers in the Attic, S.E. Hinton, and Stephen King to name a few.

She has traveled throughout the United States, to the Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. Between watching soccer games, scrapbooking and being the COO of the Vitek household, she writes contemporary romances.

Visit and contact Jody at: www.jodyvitek.com
And on Melange: https://melange-books.com/authors/jodyvitek/index.html

GIVEAWAY

Want to get your hands on a FREE e-book copy of “Within Reach”? Simply leave a comment below and you’re entered to win!

A winner will be chosen on or soon after June 30, 2014.

A “Craving Vengeance” Interview With Valerie J. Clarizio + Giveaway

  June 1, 2014 - 8:22 am | , ,
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A little mystery, a dash of romance, add in a sexy detective and you have the Nick Spinelli mystery series by Valerie J. Clarizio.

Shelley R. Pickens, author of the upcoming YA thriller “The Haunting of Secrets”, took the time to sit down and grill fellow author Valerie J. Clarizio about the second book in her Spinelli series, “Craving Vengence.”

First, here’s a little about the book:

Nick Spinelli’s normal life as a homicide detective has been catapulted into a whirlwind of chaotic holiday adventures ever since he met the beautiful Shannon O’Hara.

Nick had hoped to spend his first Valentine’s Day with Shannon in a traditional manner, starting with a nice dinner out on the town and then perhaps a long warm adventurous night in her arms. His plans quickly change when cupid is found murdered in a back alley. The investigation becomes more and more inconceivable, as Spinelli discovers that Shannon is linked to the victim. When another cupid turns up dead, and it is discovered that Shannon knows him as well, Spinelli is motivated to go undercover as a singing valentine dressed as cupid, complete with wings and a quiver of arrows. How many other cupids are at risk? Is Spinelli on the killer’s list as well? The stress ignited by the day’s events causes sparks to fly between Spinelli and Shannon as he struggles to piece it all together and stop the string of slayings.

Shelley– So please tell us a little about yourself – how did you come to be a writer?

Valerie– This will sound a bit odd but I never read for pleasure until about six years ago. I had just completed my Masters in Business while holding a full-time and part-time job and suddenly had so much time on my hands I didn’t know what to do with myself. A good friend of mine handed me a Janet Evanovich book, from her Stephanie Plum series, and simply said, “Here, read this.” I said, “No thanks, I don’t read.” She put the book in my hands anyway and not only did I read that book, I read every book Evanovich wrote as well as every JA Konrath book I could get my hands on. I logged over 50 books read within that year.

I woke up one morning remembering the quirky dream I’d had and I thought to myself that Evanovich could make that dream into an awesome book. The more I thought about it I thought to heck with Evanovich, I’ll write the book myself. Hence, Nick Spinelli was born.

 

Shelley– So we start with murders on the most romantic day of the year! What made you choose Valentine’s Day for the setting of your story?

Valerie– Well, I’d already screwed up Spinelli and Shannon’s Christmas with murder and mayhem in Covert Exposure (book #1 in the series), so I thought that I may as well mess up their Valentine’s Day as well to see exactly how tough and in love they are. What a perfect day for testing love’s strength, don’t you think?

 

Shelley– Have you ever had a Valentine’s Day that didn’t quite go as expected like Nick and Shannon?

Valerie– Can’t say I did, and nor do I ever want to. I just want to take my heart-shaped box of chocolates and indulge.

Shelley– Nick Spinelli is one hot cop. What was your inspiration when you created him?

Valerie– When I started the series, I fully intended that Shannon would be the main focus, but as my fingers hit the keyboard Spinelli overtook everything, and told me how it was going to be. Now here’s my typical disclaimer – I work at City Hall and no matter how much some of the Police Officers think they are Nick Spinelli, they are NOT! I’d love to have just one Nick Spinelli on our force.

 

Shelley– Do you have to do a lot of crime research/police procedure for your books?

Valerie– Seeing as I’m fortunate enough to work at City Hall, I have plenty of easily available resources at my fingertips. The Firefighters lend a hand sometimes as well. Also, my brother is a Sheriff’s Deputy.

 

Shelley- In the book Detective Walker is an older married man who tries to help Nick through some of his relationship problems. Do you have a person like that whom you go to when things are rough?

Valerie– Oh yes, I have a great little circle of friends who are always there for me when I need them.

 

Shelley– Do you personally relate to any of your characters in this series?

Valerie– I like to think I’m more like Detective Walker. The down-to-earth, plain, supportive, brains behind the operation type.

 

Shelley– You left the book with quite a cliffhanger! So what can we expect from the next Spinelli adventure?

Valerie– I have a feeling that St. Patrick’s Day is going to test the strength of both Spinelli and Shannon. Only this time their adventure may take them out of Milwaukee and to ………

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About Valerie J. Clarizio

Valerie Clarizio lives in beautiful Door County Wisconsin with her husband and extremely spoiled cat. She loves to read, write, and spend time at her cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She’s lived her life surrounded by men, three brothers, a husband, and a male Siamese cat who required his own instruction manual. Keeping up with all the men in her life has turned her into a successful hunter and fisherwoman.

She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and works as a Finance Director. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

Twitter: @VClarizio
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/val.clarizio
Blog:http://valclarizio.wordpress.com

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About Shelley R. Pickens

Shelley Pickens is a Spanish teacher by day and a novelist by night. She’s been in love with everything paranormal since she can remember. After years of teaching high school students, she decided to take her firsthand knowledge of young adults and apply it to her passion for creative writing and fantasy.  When not teaching or writing, Shelley likes to spend time with her husband and two beautiful children in Atlanta, Ga.  Her escape from reality is her love of complex thriller and science fiction TV series like Supernatural and Sleepy Hollow.  In her spare time she is an avid watcher of little league baseball.  THE HAUNTING OF SECRETS is her debut novel.

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GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win a free e-book copy of “Craving Vengeance” leave a comment below and let us know who your favorite fictional detective is. If you don’t have a favorite, that’s OK! Any comment will do.

Melange Book Releases || April 17, 2014 + Giveaway

  April 17, 2014 - 12:54 am | ,
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2014-04-17There’s still time to enter to win the $10 Amazon gift card! Scroll to the bottom to enter!

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“Unexpected Blind Date”
by Joanne Rawson

If any of Grace Worthing’s friends dared to suggest she should go on a blind date, her answer would have been, “Blind dates are so tacky; they are definitely for the desperate.” She was so over men! After her fifth Sex on the Beach cocktail she told friends she would never have sex again, let alone have sex on a beach. Then, somewhere between her second and third tequila slammer, Grace found herself, agreeing to meet Adrian. Little did she know how interesting and unexpected her blind date would be.

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“The Belialish Incident”
by D. B. Crawford

Vince Bocca, a Boston restaurateur and formerly a part-time white collar crime sleuth, is thrown back into the game when a bank president asks him to find the more than two million dollars a senior bank employee, Mark Overdale, embezzled. Overdale confessed that he spent the money gambling, but the banker is convinced Overdale is not a gambler and that he has hidden the money so he can enjoy it when he is released from prison.

Setting out to unearth the missing money, clues take Bocca from the penitentiary where Overdale is doing time to the casinos of Atlantic City and a New York auction house. Working with Overall’s neurotic wife, Bocca suspects the bank’s money was used to buy two original paintings by Paul Gauguin from a private collector. However, before Bocca can piece it all together, someone tries to kill the art dealer handling the transaction. As the police look for the would-be killer, Bocca uncovers Overall’s accomplice. But is she also working for someone else?

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FLIPSPACE
“Astraeus Event”
Missions 1-3
by John Steiner

FLIGHT OF THE MOCKINGBIRD
Flipspace 1

Training for the ISS Mockingbird, Colonel Sumitra Ramachandra and Major Lamarr Fitch find that they’re being deployed before certification. The ISS Astraeus, an International Space Organization vessel fails to transmit its latest exploration report in the Gliese 667 System twenty-two light-years away. Colonel Ramachandra learns that the Mockingbird she commands was built for more than intra-solar operation. Three people with complicated and enigmatic backgrounds are added to her crew roster just before launch.

BRANCHING OUT
Flipspace 2

The ISS Mockingbird is ordered to Kepler 22 to check up on a re-search outpost set up by the Astraeus. Colonel Ramachandra and her crew discover on the planet, Kepler 22B a form of life that doesn’t need ships to travel through space. Also present is a base established by Remote Space Conglomerated Industries. Their operations put profit before the concerns of the indigenous life. An unauthorized distress call originates from the RSCI base. Colonel Rama must risk breaching their air defenses to comply with international conventions and save lives.

SOL-SIDE UP
Flipspace 3

On completion of two missions, the crew of the Mockingbird returns to Earth for Grav Leave. Not everyone welcomes them back as intrepid explorers and peacekeepers. Colonel Ramachandra becomes the target of a kidnapping plot, and the abductors’ motives aren’t clear. Major Lamarr Fitch struggles with the responsibilities of filling in. He must organize the ship’s crew to get Colonel Rama back. Captain Malcolm O’Connell confronts his past and the legacy of being a reincarnated Xerces Protocol patient.

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Giveaway

Don’t forget there is still time to enter to win the $10 Amazon giftcard!

Simply sign up to receive updates from our Young Adult blog, Fire and Ice. Be sure to CONFIRM your email subscription or your entry won’t count.

Melange Book Releases || April 10, 2014 + Giveaway

  April 10, 2014 - 12:34 am | ,
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2014-04-10~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Loves, Myths and Monsters

by JoAnne Myers

Welcome To Anna
Little does 17 year old Zoe, realize, but the Chupracabra followed her to Ohio from South America. What happens next is a series of chilling mysteries, and unsuspecting friendships and love.

The Hunter’s Bride
When all game warden Daren Abram, had to worry about was which lucky lady to woo, he comes to the realization that his town is being stalked by the reincarnation of the town’s legend.

Moon People
For teenage mermaid Constance, coming to the quaint seaside town of Willowick, is heavenly, until she falls for mortal boy Drake. For the town to survive, Constance is forced to choose between her kind and the boy and town she loves.

The Pack
When young Lycan Sonny Red Blanket, a Shawnee Indian falls for mortal girl Drenda Way, he must save her from his fellow Lycan’s and stop a werewolf uprising.

The Bidding
Apiologist 34-year-old Duncan McPherson goes to Circleville, Ohio, to investigate a series of mysterious bee attacks. What is uncovered proves to be more dark and sinister then anyone imaged.

The Agreement
Incarcerated in the abandoned Roseville jail, is the last thing rich college student and speeder Brice Conrad, needs. With an “agreement” between the town and a permanent demonic “guest”, only the unfortunate ones know the truth, but do not live to tell.

For The Love Of Ginnie
Handsome bachelor and Scientist Alex Anderson from the thirtieth century, returns to the Civil War with time serum to save his beloved Ginnie Wade from a snipers bullet, while finding a roller coaster ride of joy and perils.

Is It Only A Myth?
When 32-year-old Vinton County Sheriff, James “Jim” Connors, discovers he has a Mothman hunting in his county, he stops at nothing to save his citizens.

The Proposition
The rough and ready cowboy John Queenie gets the shock of his life, when the ad to break a “wild filly” turns out to be a fiery Quaker girl named Tess. This is a story proving love conquers all.

The House On Shady Lane
A seemingly loving family turns out to be serial killers in 1873.

Love’s Curse
When an Egypt love curse scroll is stolen from a Dean’s office, persons begin dying in bizarre and grisly ways, with the college’s mascot a Viking King statue jokingly blamed for it.

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A Burning Hope

by Mathias G. B. Colwell

Grim and isolated, The Fortress sits upon its island. It is not nearly as impenetrable as the Ruling Council would like. With its walls of wood and stone, and its high watchtowers scanning the dismal swamp, it is the last line of defense for the humans against a dark and dangerous world. The only other protection for mankind are the Slayers, a magic-infused fighting force sent into the murky waters outside the city to hunt the denizens of the swamp.

However, there is a sinister element to the magic used to compel the Slayers into their combat partnerships. The dirty underbelly of society, the poor, the destitute, and most of all the criminals are forced to undergo the Binding and daily face death. They are an army of slaves.

A Burning Hope is the tale of one man defying his own desperate circumstances, as for the first time in his life he dares to hope and dream. It is the story of a Slayer named Maeze and his fight to regain control of his destiny and live the life of freedom he desires.

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Silk Slippers and Tutus

A Matt Murphy Mystery – Book Three

by H. Paul Doucette

Being a Private Detective in Greenwich Village has its ups and downs. Sometimes a case comes through the door that sends you into the world behind the facade and into the shadows where the darker side of human nature resides, even a world one thinks of as the epitome of beauty.

There are fewer areas of art where such beauty is as wondrously presented than in the world of ballet. Or, at least, one would think so.

New York is famous for many things including for being a center of culture, so when a young dancer from Montreal is given an opportunity to debut in a new ballet choreographed by a brilliant rising star, she happily accepts. However, a shadow follows her from Montreal to the Big Apple.

Murphy is approached by a dance studio owner who has been chosen to open a ballet with this young ballerina as the principal dancer. It seems that her studio has been experiencing a number of ‘odd’ accidents and she is concerned that there may be something a bit more sinister going on.

As Murphy looks into these accidents, he slowly enters into the darker side to this world. A world of egos, jealousies, rivalries, sexual encounters, embittered betrayals and revenge.

To complicate his life even more, his friend Crazy Pete is brutally attacked and he goes after the ones responsible.

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Prince of Dreams

by Megan Hussey

Teacher Juditha Collins finds herself short one prince for a Renaissance fair. While reading a book about that time period, she releases gorgeous Prince Valentin. She has broken the curse that bound him to its pages. He offers his body and all the pleasure he can bring her.

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Wyngate Manor

by June Bradley

Adrienne Wyngate is jilted on her wedding day. She leaves her Island home and returns three years later where she meets Tyler Prescott, a land developer who she believes is more interested in her ancestral home than her. He believes the tragedies she has suffered through the years are not accidents but, murder.

 

 

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Giveaway

Don’t forget there is still time to enter to win the $10 Amazon giftcard!

Simply sign up to receive updates from our Young Adult blog, Fire and Ice. Be sure to CONFIRM your email subscription or your entry won’t count.

Book Releases || March 25, 2014 + Giveaway

  March 25, 2014 - 4:54 am | ,
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Seasons of Love and War

Book One

by Brenda Ashworth Barry

SEASONS OF LOVE AND WAR is a historical family saga and epic love story. Childhood sweethearts Beth Ann Rose and Kaylob Shawn O’Brien just want to get married and pursue their dream careers, but the Vietnam War changes everything when Kaylob is drafted into the Army and declared dead. Beth Ann has a complete emotional melt down and starts to have visions of him in the jungles of Vietnam. Is he alive or has she completely lost her mind?

 

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Lost Paradise

Promise Me – Book 8

by Tara Fox Hall

While the vampire Devlin rejoices at news of his impending progeny with Sar, werecougar Theo braces for more challenges to his Ranked title, content that after Sarelle has the dhamphir child Devlin will be out of their lives forever. Yet when The Lust reappears, Sar’s world again turns upside down as old hatreds make themselves known, resulting in a steamy affair with the weresnake Lash, a new friendship with the werecoyote Serena, and the severing of Sar from the last remains of her old human life in favor of a new Paradise with Devlin.

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Thunder on the Veldt

by Daphne Olivier

When Melinda Bellingham’s father dies leaving her penniless, she has no option but to say goodbye to Jack Cartwright, the Australian digger she loves, and head for Ladysmith where a relative has offered her a home. With the Boer War imminent, Jack abandons his claim on the Witwatersrand goldfield and joins the Imperial Light Horse regiment.

Jack is posted to Dundee. He survives the battle of Talana but Melinda is devastated to find his name listed among those missing after the battle at Nicholson’s Nek.

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The Blind Vampire Hunter

by Tim Forder

Jack Poisner is legally blind; growing up in a world not yet familiar with the concept of legal blindness, he learns how to fight to survive his peers, the education system and more. Eventually, happily married with a family of his own and living well with his visual disadvantages, life throws him an overripe pumpkin — when he wakes up one morning and discovers, he is suddenly, totally blind!

As he is adjusting to his new life of visual darkness, a new and much greater darkness enters his life; a boarder, a vampire, that only he can “see”, has come to live within the safety of his home, in easy reach of his family and himself.

A vampire hunter is born — The Blind Vampire Hunter.

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Reluctant Heat 

A Shifter Novel #11

by Jaden Sinclair

One kiss changed everything…

Fox Laswell has always thought of Lindsey Kimberlin as a sister, but after he kisses her one night that thought quickly flies right out the door. Now he sees a woman before him—a woman that he wants and needs. He always thought he would mate to another shifter, yet Mother Nature it seems have other plans for him.

Lindsey never thought her life would take the turn it did. With her father gone, someone harassing her, and always short of money, that kiss changed more than just a friendship, it changed her life.

The fairy tale of a shifter was no more. Standing before her is a man she’s known most of her life. Mated and not sure where she stands in this new life, she has more to deal with than just being mated to a friend when her harasser refuses to let her go.

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An Interview with Author Daphne Olivier + Giveaway

  March 4, 2014 - 6:45 am | ,
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For today’s Q & A I’m happy to welcome John Steiner, author of multiple Sci-Fi books including “Fire Alive”, “Squad V”, “Flipspace: Flight of the Mockingbird” and “Flipspace: Branching out.”

John is here today interviewing Daphne Olivier. She is the author of the upcoming “Thunder on the Veldt,” but John will be talking to her today about her 2013 mystery/sci-fi release, “Pegasus Project.”

About “Pegasus Project”:

When Jack Randal lands a job with Bells Biological Research Centre, he sets off for the remote South African farm, unaware of the dangers lurking behind the high, electrified fence. It doesn’t take long for him to uncover a top-secret project. When a fellow scientist dies under mysterious circumstances, Jack zeros in on the Pegasus Project. Tension mounts as he probes the dark secret surrounding the genetically modified bio-fuel, and the time comes when he must decide whether to risk his life in order to prevent a global catastrophe.

John: The subject of Pegasus Project deals with GMOs, but the story hails from a long tradition of noir mysteries. What prompted that aspect of the story?

Daphne: I’ve spent a good deal of my life on a farm so agriculture was a natural choice for a theme. A high-security GMO research farm was the perfect setting. All I needed was a protagonist to step into danger and risk his life to prevent a global catastrophe. Bingo—The Pegasus Project was born!

John: A hero’s foibles and a villain’s virtues can be as compelling in a story as the plot itself. The actor, Stephen Lang, who plays Colonel Quaritch in the movie Avatar, describes the villain he plays as, “Half a step away from being a hero.” Yet the main antagonist’s redeeming attribute in Pegasus Project, that of wanting to address climate change is itself marred by his desire to prove himself to the memory of a father who thought he’d amount to nothing. Tell us more about how you devised this character and why.

Daphne: Most of my characters start off as carbon copies of people I know. But pretty soon a strange thing happens— they take on a life of their own. And when I ‘got into the antagonist’s head’ I discovered that few men set out to do evil. Most times their actions are the result of circumstances combined with a flaw in their character. That’s what I wanted to portray with Brandt.

John: Certain action scenes and the many research projects in the novel strike me as an interesting mix of Dr. Moreau and a scheme that James Bond would be dispatched to stop, all with the background feel of the movie of District 9. What did you base the Pegasus 694 research program on, and the actions taken in the story to maintain its secrecy?

Daphne: Some from my research, some from my imagination and some from talking to a friend who worked on a similar research farm in a remote part of South Africa.

John: You live in South Africa, where the story takes place, so the regulations governing GMOs differ from those of the FDA and EPA. Do you think that program like Pegasus 694 or the other practices portrayed in the novel could happen?

Daphne: I most certainly do—not only in South Africa, but anywhere in the world. In my opinion, the danger of GMO is not the fact that they are genetically modified (most GMOs in use today are beneficial) but the possibility that the research may fall into the wrong hands. If that happens, the result may be worse than the scenario painted in my novel.

John: If given a choice of research projects in any company, what scientific challenge would you tackle?

Daphne: Medicine. I trained as a nurse so my choice would be some aspect of medical research.

John: Your other works include The Way It Was, The Kennaway Woman and Rock-A-bye Baby in the Having My Baby anthology. The first reminds me of a Bruce Hornsby song title about people facing hard times and discrimination in hiring in America. Pegasus Project seems like a sharp break from those genres and closer to science fiction, which I enjoy most. Is this the start of a new tract in your writing?

Daphne: Not at all. I read and write in a wide range of genre. When not working on a novel, I write science fiction. Most of my stories have appeared in sci-fi magazines. Maybe, just maybe, my next novel will be a SF… or a thriller… or historical fiction… There are so many ideas going around in my head, it’s difficult to settle on one.

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About Daphne Olivier

From an early age Daphne Olivier read everything she could lay hands on—biography, fantasy, historical fiction, thriller, mythology, science fiction and the classics. Her novels reflect this wide interest for she has written in several different genre—thriller, science fiction, young adult and historical fiction—all set in South Africa. She lives in a small South African town with her husband and their two dogs.

Blog: www.daphneolivierdotnet.wordpress.com

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About John Steiner

John Steiner earned his Associate of Biology at Salt Lake Community College, where he is currently working as a tutor in math and chemistry. He exercises an avid interest in history, science, philosophy, mythology, martial arts as well as military tactics and technology.

Melange: https://melange-books.com/authors/johnsteiner/index.html
Website: www.walkingotherworlds.com

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Giveaway

Leave a comment on the blog and enter to win a free ebook copy of “The Pegasus Project.”

Winner will be chosen on March 11, 2014.

An Interview with Author Walt Trizna + Giveaway

  March 2, 2014 - 11:05 pm | ,
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Jill Bisker, author of “Within Reach” and the upcoming “Finding the Way Back” stopped by to have a chat with fellow Melange author, Walt Trizna, author of “New Moon Rising” and the new sci-fi novella “Elmo’s Sojourn.”

First, a little about “Elmo’s Sojourn.”

Elmo, a retired scientist, travels through a wormhole to the planet Roth where he helps combat an alien invasion which is menacing the planet.

JILL: Please tell me a little about yourself – Where you come from? What led you to writing?

WALT: I was born and raised in Newark, NJ, but since then lived in the Midwest, LA, Miami and now in Pennsylvania.

I’ve always been an avid reader, feel naked if there is not a book close by.  I began writing poetry in college and pursued that for about thirty years while I pursued a career in science. About 14 years ago I began writing fiction.

 

JILL: What books and authors influenced your career?

WALT: I’ve read a great deal of science fiction by Arthur C. Clark, Asimov, Ray Bradbury among a host of others.

For horror I’ve read H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King and Algernon Blackwood.

 

JILL: Your story, Elmo’s Sojourn, is a space jumping sci-fi story.  Do you write other genres?

WALT: I also write horror and the occasional poem.

 

JILL: How did you come up with the premise of your story?

WALT: I belong to a writers group, The Wordwrights, and one of the members writes children’s books.  She told us she had to write a story beginning with someone yelling that they have a problem.  Couple that with a Far Side cartoon where a wife is looking from a door down into a cellar.  In the cellar is her husband with the head of a fly.  She’s yelling, “Lunch.  Are you still a fly?”

With that in mind I had intended to write a story, Cellar Science, but enjoyed the story so much that I continued and the result was the novella, Elmo’s Sojourn.

 

JILL: Your time machine seemed very well thought out – is it based on something in theoretical science.

WALT: The time machine is a product of my imagination.

While I was in college, there was a guy in the dorm who built a tesla coil.  You could pull something like a quarter million volts to your finger, but since the amperage was low, you survived.  I had to get that thing into a story.

 

JILL: How do you personally relate to your main character in your story?

WALT: I was a scientist for 34 years, but a biologist not a physicist.  I love science and the opportunity it gives you to discover something new, when all the parts of a puzzle suddenly come together.  I share the wonder Elmo has for science.

 

JILL: How challenging was it to build your alien landscapes and creatures?

WALT: I have a very active imagination so it was really quite easy.  But the creatures changed along the way.  The first creature that comes through Elmo’s machine was going to be the dominant creature on Roth, but of course that changed.  Then Valmid was going to be a sinister being and that changed.  Since I needed some conflict, Gylex came into being and I could just picture what it looked like.

 

JILL: What theme do you want to convey to your readers?

WALT: I think, as with most science fiction, I want to create adventure and the wonder of the unknown.

 

JILL: This would make a great series – have you considered writing the next adventure?

WALT: Glad you asked this one, it’s already written.  Elmo’s Invention is a prequel to Elmo’s Sojourn.  In Elmo’s Invention, Elmo is working at Los Alamos and here sets out to build a time machine using an old iron lung, but things do not go as planned.

This novella is longer than Elmo’s Sojourn and still needs a lot of editing, and then out it goes.  I’m sure there will be other stories fermenting in my brain, but they have yet come to the surface.

 

JILL: What are you working on now?

WALT: Currently, I’m doing a great deal of editing.  I have two novels written but are in need of a rewrite.

The Beast Awaits is the most complete.  It deals with a monster created through stem cell research.  It escapes into the Everglades and its destruction leads to enhanced global warming.  How’s that for ‘hot button’ issues?

Sweet Depression is a novel which is a cross between the work of James Patterson and Robin Cook, a very sinister thriller set in a pharmaceutical company.

 

JILL: In your point of view, what is the most difficult part of the writing life?

WALT: Imagining story ideas I find to be the easiest part.  The writing can be difficult and the editing is, I find, even more difficult.  But the part of writing I find the most difficult is trying to get the work published.  I agonize over writing query letters.

 

JILL: Do you outline your stories before you sit down to write?

WALT: For short stories, I mull over the plot before I put pen to paper.  I write all my first drafts by hand.  So when I begin writing the story, it’s already fully formed in my mind.

For novels I use an outline but keep it fluid.  In a steno pad, for each novel, I form an outline to include scenes and dialog when the characters start talking.

 

JILL: What plans do you have for your writing going into the future?

WALT: If I can publish Sweet Depression I have plans to write at least one sequel.

I’ve also published a short story, Martian Rebirth, which I want to develop into a novel.

And of course, my brain keeps on cranking out short story ideas.

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 About Walt Trizna:

Walt Trizna, a scientist for thirty-four years, is now a full-time writer of horror and science fiction. He has published more than twenty stories, both online and in print. Walt lives in West Chester, PA with his wife, Joni.

Find Walt at Melange: https://melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Blog: http://www.walttriznastories.wordpress.com

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About Jill Bisker:

Jill Bisker lives in Stillwater, MN with her husband and a calico cat named Senora. She believes in empowering women to be strong enough to protect themselves, while still soft enough to be loving and compassionate. Her work includes paranormal mystery and traditional high fantasy, as well as contemporary and humorous fantasy and an everyday living blog. Her novella Within Reach is her first publication with Melange. Once a dedicated stay at home Mom, Jill now writes full-time.

Website: www.jillbisker.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjillbisker
Blog: http://www.unaccompaniedjaunt.blogspot.com

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GIVEAWAY:

Leave a comment below and enter to win a free ebook copy of “Elmo’s Sojourn.”

Winner will be chosen on March 10, 2014.