Books Release || March 12, 2015 || Romance & Mystery

2015-03-12We’re still working on getting all of the winners in our big giveaway confirmed. No prizes have been sent out yet, so hang tight! We’re working hard on getting everything organized. Thanks again for everyone who entered and shared. We appreciate all of our followers!

If you missed the announcement before, we have a new reader panel where you simply fill out a form, answer some questions, and hopefully get chosen to receive free ebooks from us in exchange for a review and helping spread the word about new books and authors! If you’re interested go check it out HERE!

And now, on to the latest releases from Melange Books!


Crazed Reckoning"Crazed Reckoning" by Valerie J. Clarizio

A Nick Spinelli Mystery (#3)

by Valerie J. Clarizio

After experiencing a murderous Christmas and Valentine’s Day with love interest Shannon O’Hara, Detective Nick Spinelli assumed Saint Patrick’s Day couldn’t be any worse.

He was wrong.

While out on a geocaching adventure in Door County, Shannon and her friend Anna find more than a clue in the cache box. When Shannon disappears, Spinelli is sent racing to find her. Amidst the chaos of an unruly Irish celebration, and a decades-old Irish family feud, he must rescue her from the hands of a madman.

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Also check out the rest of the Nick Spinelli series – both on sale on Amazon and Smashwords!


 

"Love and Laughter" - Glenn ParkhurstLove and Laughter

 by Glenn Oliver Parkhurst

Love and Laughter
Our heart and head battle each other for control in matters of love. These three characters are no different with their internal struggles. This sometimes funny, sometimes sad story about star-crossed lovers shows the mental war that is the integral part of love.

Hot Babe, Cold Snow
The lure of a beautiful woman will cause a man to do almost anything even if it leads to injury and even death for himself or others. Hurtling uncontrollably down a slippery slope is one way to prove his awesome manhood, or is it?

Hereafter Kiss
What happens to people in that space between alive and dead? Love? Maybe. But murder, retribution, and sorrow can exist. The characters in this story are in-between life and death and continue their existence only by taking the last breath from the living or the half dead. But there is one who does it not for survival, but for fun and payback.

Chartreuse
There is a woman for every man and a man for every woman. Well-meaning Chartreuse is a bumbling shy man that has not mustered the courage to pursue the girl of his dreams. The whole town knows the attraction of these two misfits and waits for the disaster when they finally surrender their shyness. This humorous story will bring a smile to your heart.

Ghost of a Chance
This story leads us through the partitions that separate the world of the living from the final destination of the dead. Love between the living and the dead shouldn’t be possible but that doesn’t stop Ron from falling for a ghost. But with love comes danger. Can Ron find a way to save his love from both the living and dead?

Stealing the Spotlight
The first kiss is the most important kiss of all. It sets the tone of the entire relationship. It is an act that is burned into the memory of the couple that shares it. Sometimes, even the most well prepared plan to steal that kiss can go terribly wrong, also leaving a lasting impression.

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

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.