FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT: #KYAuthor @LaramieBriscoe & her #HeavenHillMC #Series #Indie

Awesome fellow Kentucky Independent Writer, Laramie Briscoe recently released her first book, Meant to Be. With the release of Out of Darkness- BOOK 2 in the series, Meant to Be is currently FREE, so go on and get it and get hooked!! I know I'm looking forward to some down time so I can get started on them too.

MEANT TO BE Book 1 in the Heaven Hill Series
(CURRENTLY FREE on AMAZON! Click image above to find both books.)

Single mother.
Laid off factory worker.
Drug runner for the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club.

When Denise Cunningham is served with foreclosure papers on her birthday it’s the last straw in a long line of bad luck. Sitting and crying about things has never been how she solved her problems, but this time she decides to do just that. A phone call interrupts her pity party and changes the course of her life forever.

Loyal brother.
Grease monkey mechanic.
Vice President of the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club.

William Walker Jr., known as Liam to his club, needs a new recruit that is just naïve enough and desperate enough to do what he asks without question. When Denise Cunningham lands in his lap, he decides to hire her - not because he wants to, because he has to.

Neither are comfortable in their new roles, but he needs help and she can’t stand to lose anything else.

As bullets fly and a local Bowling Green, KY reporter works to bring the club down, Liam and Denise find themselves getting closer to one another. When the stakes get high and outside forces try to keep them away from each other, they have to decide if they really are meant to be.

OUT OF DARKNESS Book 2 in the Heaven Hill Series
NOW AVAILABLE!

Ex-News reporter.
Rape survivor.
Former enemy of the Heaven Hill MC.

Meredith Rager’s life completely changed the night she was attacked by an unknown person. Once a vibrant force that threatened everything about Heaven Hill, she is now under their care. The only place she feels safe is inside their compound. When she decides to take back the part of her life that her rapist took away, she discovers secrets that once again could tear the club apart.

Orphan.
Formidable force of nature.
Loved member of the Heaven Hill MC.

Tyler Blackfoot came into the world a John Doe. An orphan from the moment that he took his first breath, the only thing anyone knew was his Native American heritage. For most of his life, he’s been alone – except for the club that has taken him in as their own. When he rescued Meredith, a protective side of his personality came out that he never knew he had. Protecting her means everything – even when he discovers danger might be closer than either of them thought possible.

Together, the two of them are trying to make a life for themselves. Against everything they have, they’re hoping to see the light that will lead them out of darkness.

HEART OF MERCY~ #author @CCMarksWrites #NewRelease #dystopian #YA

Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when things can’t possibly get worse, they spin completely out of control.

With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, a monster of a human being. Forfeiting the safety of the community, they leave and begin the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place Charlie knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the assumption Mercy will be a place of protection could be the most dangerous risk of all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nearly a year ago, I had Young Adult author, C.C. Marks by for a Tuesdays with Taryn Q&A and talked a little bit about Mercy and Edge of Mercy, her Intro and 1st novel in her young adult dystopian series. Well, she has recently released the 2nd book, HEART OF MERCY and I've already started reading it.

Doesn't she have GORGEOUS new covers???

I absolutely LOVED the story thus far and I'm eager to get back with Charlie, Zeke and her baby sister Star as they journey out of the community and toward the city of Mercy, where Charlie hopes to find safety and sanctuary for herself and her sister.

If you love young adult futuristic romance and adventure, this is definitely one to check out! 

 Click below on image to go to C.C. Marks' Author Page

Thursdays with Taryn Welcome @LaramieBriscoe NEW #RELEASE #KYAUTHOR #Indie #BowlingGreen

(Click image above to check it out on Amazon!)

Please check out MEANT TO BE- the debut Book One in fellow Kentucky author Laramie Briscoe's new Heaven Hill Series!

Blurb:
Single mother.
Laid off factory worker.
Drug runner for the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club.

When Denise Cunningham is served with foreclosure papers on her birthday it’s the last straw in a long line of bad luck. Sitting and crying about things has never been how she solved her problems, but this time she decides to do just that. A phone call interrupts her pity party and changes the course of her life forever.

Loyal brother.
Grease monkey mechanic.
Vice President of the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club.

William Walker Jr., known as Liam to his club, needs a new recruit that is just naïve enough and desperate enough to do what he asks without question. When Denise Cunningham lands in his lap, he decides to hire her - not because he wants to, because he has to.

Neither are comfortable in their new roles, but he needs help and she can’t stand to lose anything else.

As bullets fly and a local Bowling Green, KY reporter works to bring the club down, Liam and Denise find themselves getting closer to one another. When the stakes get high and outside forces try to keep them away from each other, they have to decide if they really are meant to be.

Find out more about Laramie here-

BLOG

FACEBOOK PAGE

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ Sure you don't want to stay? #excerpt #SnippitSundays

She still intended to go with him to Indiana, but she gave serious thought to taking a day off. Truth was, weekends were hers and she intended to spend the entire weekend sorting out the confusion that engulfed her.

After gathering her paperwork and purse, Derrek walked with her out to the car.

She tossed her things across the driver’s side to the passenger seat. When she turned back, Derrek was upon her, his arms encircling her waist as he pulled her close and kissed her in the darkness.

Her body came to life beneath his touch, the tender caresses sparkling over her flesh and along every nerve ending. Jasmine melted into him, forgetting herself for the moment.

As Derrek pulled back, he whispered near her ear.

“Sure you don’t want to stay?”

Taryn's Snippit Sundays~ You aren't going to stick around?

Jasmine crossed the room and leaned against the doorjamb, waiting for Derrek to finish hanging one of the shelves, arms crossed over her chest, prepared to shoot down any request that she stick around a little longer.

“I’ve got to get home and get some rest.”

“You aren’t going to stick around?” Derrek’s eyes pleaded.

“I would, but I need to check on Twinkle and I have a few things around the apartment that need doing. Laundry, dishes, et cetera.”

She waved her hand as if to say blah, blah, blah.

“All right, I’ll see you out.” Derrek’s words deflated and she felt bad about it, but after the last few days, she needed a break from his constant companionship.

Too many things had gone on between them in the past couple of days and she needed time alone, time to think. She certainly couldn’t do that if she continued to hang out with him after hours, knowing the time spent together in their down time was like water and sunlight on a precious little flower. It was growing affection and attachments she wasn’t sure they needed.

[Cover Reveal] Am I "The Next Big Thing?" #bloghop #workinprogress #authors

There are the books everyone has heard about: Twilight, Hunger Games, Fifty Shades of Gray. But what about all those books written by people you’ve never heard of? Some of them are treasures, just waiting to be found, and that’s what this blog hop is all about: the books you might not have heard about, but that you might end up loving.

This blog hop is like a game of tag. One author posts and tags five other authors who link back to their website the next week and tag five new authors. If you follow the blog hop long enough, you’re bound to find some books you’ll love! Maybe you’ll even discover a book that ends up being the next big thing.

I was tagged by Jennifer Madden. You can learn more about her book Embattled Love on her website.

This blog hop includes ten questions to help you learn more about an author’s current work in progress, so here’s a little info about my current project and

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

I'm also revealing the cover!
(Cover by Tracy Stewart of All About the Cover)

1: What is the working title of your book? Love By Design, Book one in the Love By Series

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Love By Design originally started as a single stand alone book idea in 2006 or 20007 when I was brainstorming ideas. I'm not sure where I got the idea, other than knowing that it felt like a rom-com type story with a clumsy interior designer fighting her attraction to a playboy actor who hires her to decorate his fixer-upper.

3: What genre does your book fall under? Contemporary romance with a touch of humor, but I like to believe that all my stories aren't just romance novels, but Life stories with heart. Their pasts aren't always spotless and sometimes it comes back to haunt them. Sometimes it's just a matter of the hardships they face that get them to their Happily-Ever-Afters.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? When I was writing LBD I envisioned Matthew McConaughey as Derrek Martin and Sandra Bullock as Jasmine Galloway.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Jasmine Galloway's had it up to here with wannabe actors, so when Hollywood's current blockbuster playboy seeks out her business to decorate his new home, he manages to gets under her skin and put his own designs on her heart.

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I plan to self-publish the Love By series in the next few months and follow it with the 2nd series, Pryce of Love, which centers around four of five brothers (the 5th brother is the hero in the 4th book in the Love By series)

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Approximately a month or so of self-imposed "NaNo-like" determination and reckless abandon. I didn't write this one for NaNoWriMo, but I did set myself to the standard 50K/30 days. I still have more editing to do though before I put it out there. (plot holes, grammar, etc)

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I'm honestly not sure. There are so many wonderful contemporary authors out there but I'm not sure who I could compare my own stories to. As I said before, it does, for me have a very rom-com movie feel to it though.

9: Who or What inspired you to write this book? The characters themselves. As the ideas for the story (as well as the other sisters) started to take shape, Jasmine and Derrek began to really come to life for me and I just had to get their story written. Sometimes they would interrupt my sleep, or my attempts at sleep, trying to tell me about what was going to happen next. (not as bad as Jasmine's sister Juniper, who insisted her story be the 2nd one, though I'd originally planned to write Blossom's 2nd. Juni would NOT shut up.)

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I took a "virtual plane ride" because I spent a LOT of time studying airplane flights, time zone changes and what certain bookings would be like and actually "plotted" out what a trip from LAX to Indianapolis would be, including layovers, and driving distance for Derrek and Jasmine's trip to Derrek's childhood home in Smalltown, Indiana to pick up his sister and pack furniture to move to California in a U-haul while writing this. I've never actually been on a plane. Not sure I ever will, but it was fun to pretend! :)

Here is a list of authors who will be joining the hop for week 27 on December 24th. I hope you’ll visit their blogs next week and learn more about their books. Maybe one of them will become your new favorite author!
(I don't have anyone yet, but if you want to be listed, you don't have to do it during the holidays- you can pick up Week 27 afterward, if it would be more convenient! Just email or leave a comment and let me know!) 

1 Teresa Reasor is also participating in The Next Big Thing over on her blog, where she's talking about her current work-in-progress, Breaking Away, the 3rd book in her Seal Team Heartbreakers Series. Go check out her answers about what she's working on!

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#Tuesdays with Taryn with Abigail Keam @AbigailKeam

Tuesdays with Taryn

Abigail Keam

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

Jim Chee mysteries by Tony Hillerman

The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

St James version of the Bible

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Poems by Emily Dickerson

Anything by Edgar Allen Poe

Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

I have read nothing in the past ten years that have influenced me like these magnificent works. 

What book do you read over and over again?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Gilda with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford

2)      Music- The early Sun recordings

3)      Decadent Dessert- My mother’s devil food chocolate cake with marshmallow icing

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?  Native Americans sold American and English captives to the French as slaves. 

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

The Kentucky River by Thomas Clark

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie? Oh dear!  Most people suggest Kathy Bates but I always think of Julianne Moore. 

Death by Bourbon Blurb (click image below for Amazon Kindle or Print)

Life takes a dramatic turn for Josiah when she witnesses a death at an engagement party for guess who . . . Matt. Matt? Yes, Matt.

Charming socialite Addison DeWitt falls into a fit after taking a sip of brandy. That would be upsetting enough, but Josiah is sure it is murder. However, no will believe her except for Lady Elsmere and Meriah Caldwell, the famous mystery writer. The three of them conspire to bring the murderer to justice. It turns out the suspect is always three steps ahead.

To make matters worse, Josiah’s daughter, Asa, decides to move to London, Franklin leaves town and Jake starts singing a different turn. Josiah doubts her ability to meet the future alone. Maybe it’s time to sell the Butterfly and move to Florida with the rest of the old folks.Biography

Ms. Keam is an award-winning author of the Josiah Reynolds mysteries, which are set in the Bluegrass.
“Death By A HoneyBee” won a Gold Medal Award from Reader's Favorite in 2010. 
“Death By Drowning”, her second novel, also won a Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery Sleuth in 2011. 
Both books were listed as finalists on USA Book News “Best Book List 2011”.
“Death By Bridle” was released spring of 2012.
“Death By Bourbon” will be released October 1st , 2012.
The Josiah Reynolds mystery books have been described a “quirky, funny and clever.”

Josiah Reynolds is a middle-aged beekeeper, who sells honey at the local farmers’ market in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. She lives in an iconic house, called the Butterfly, on the palisades of the Kentucky River.

Reviews of the Josiah Reynolds mysteries can be read on Ms. Keam’s website, www.abigailkeam.com 
Born and bred in Kentucky, Abigail graduated with Distinction from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Middle Eastern Civilization. She then went into private business and kept bees as a hobby. 

Ms. Keam has won sixteen honey awards at the Kentucky State Fair and was the first recipient of the Barbara Horn Award, given to those scoring a perfect 100 for a beekeeping-related entry at the Kentucky State Fair. In 2004, Ms. Keam traveled to South Africa to study beekeeping in Africa.  

Miss Abigail is a member of the Bluegrass Beekeepers Association, the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association, the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and the National Society of Arts and Letters. She is a past board member of the Lexington Farmers' Market and Women in Agriculture boards. Also past president of the Friends of the Lexington Farmers' Market, Lexington Rape Crisis Center and the Lexington Art League.

She lives in Fayette County along the Kentucky River in a metal house along with her husband and various critters. 

 Abigail's books can also be found at

Barnes & Noble

Abigail's Website

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