Guest: CHRYS FEY #NewRelease FROZEN CRIMES #Giveaway #thriller

 I am so happy to present my longtime friend (who I met through Insecure Writers Support Group), Chrys Fey. She writes the most exciting thrillers involving major disasters. I love her previous books, so I'm thrilled to see this new story.

Here's Chrys to share some tips about surviving a blizzard.

15 Blizzard Safety Tips by Chrys Fey:

1. If you don’t have a generator, have enough chopped firewood to last for several days. Make sure the generator is in a well-ventilated area, not in your garage.

2. In case the pipes freeze, have plenty of water. Stock up on bottled water, fill jugs, clean out trash cans and fill those, plug bath tubs and sinks and fill those, as well.

3. Salt the driveway and sidewalk before the storm hits, and have extra bags of salt on hand for after the storm leaves. Salt melts snow and ice.

4. Bags of sand could come in handy, too. Sand on top of ice prevents you from slipping because it provides traction.

5. Have a snow blower and snow shovels on hand to dig you out.

6. Check the house for drafts/cracks/leaks. Fix any cracks you find around doors and windows with caulk.

7. Hang thick quilts over windows to help contain the cold. If you feel it is necessary, board up the windows on the outside with plywood.

8. If your house is two story, move the mattress downstairs and make up the couch for beds so everyone can stay warm near the fireplace when the power goes out.

9. Stock up on canned goods and non-perishable foods. Make sure you have plenty of fruits and veggies, both fresh and canned. Don’t forget hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting if you have a fireplace. :)

10. Candles, batteries, electric lanterns, flashlights, a wind-up radio, and thermal blankets, are all good things to have on hand.

11. Layers of clothing and blankets are a must. Have scarves, mittens, wool socks, sweaters, turtlenecks, fleece lined snow pants, snow boots, and jackets ready.

12. During the blizzard, stay inside at all times and away from the windows. Heavy snow and ice can bring down trees and powerlines.

13. Keep busy with boardgames, coloring books, card games, books, charades, dominos, and old-fashioned games like marbles and jacks.

14. Move around to get your blood circulating. When your blood circulates, your heart pumps faster and your body warms up.

15. When it’s time to dig out, pace yourself. Wear warm clothing and don’t stay outside for long periods of time to prevent hypothermia.

 

QUESTION: What blizzard safety tips do you have to add?

When disasters strike around every corner, is it possible to have a happily-ever-after?

  

BLURB: Beth and Donovan are expecting their first child. Life couldn’t get any better…until a stalker makes his presence known. This person sends disturbing messages and unsettling items, but it isn’t long before his menacing goes too far.

Hoping for a peaceful Christmas, Donovan takes Beth to Michigan. Days into their trip, a winter storm named Nemesis moves in with the goal of burying the state. Snowdrifts surround their house, and the temperature drops below freezing.

Except, the storm isn’t the only nemesis they must face. Everyone’s lives are at stake—especially that of their unborn child. Will they survive, or will they become a frozen crime?

BUY LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes

 

EXCERPT:

The crunch of the shovel pounding into the snow and ice filled his ears. It was all he could hear. The rest of the street was silent beneath its wintry blanket. Breathing was difficult with the icy air clogging his lungs. His nose burned. His throat was dry and on fire. But he ignored it, focusing on his task.

Crack, crack, crack.

He jabbed the shovel into a hunk of snow. On the third hit, it shattered into several pieces. He scooped them up and flung them to the side. He surveyed what remained. There was one big ball in the middle of the path that needed to be dealt with next. He moved over to it and struck it. That one impact had it severing in two. He was about to hit it again when something crashed into the back of his head.

Explosions of white light danced over his vision. Pain enveloped his skull. The shovel slipped from his fingers. Blackness cloaked his mind, coaxing him into its depths.

Beth. Her name was a whisper in his head, as if his thoughts were being sucked into a wormhole.

His legs collapsed under his weight.

Cold. It seeped into him, consuming him. And then his consciousness fled down that same void that ate his thoughts.

 

***HUGE DISASTER CRIMES GIVEAWAY*** 

 

 

Prizes: 4 eBooks (Disaster Crimes 1-4: Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, Tsunami Crimes, Flaming Crimes) + Girl Boss Magnets (4), Inflatable Cup Holder (1), Adventure Fuel To-Go Cups (2), Anchor Fashion Scarf (1), Mermaid Nail Clippers (2), Citrus and Sea Salt Scented Candle (1), Snowflake Handmade Bookmark (1), Insulated Cooler Bag (1)

 

Eligibility: International

Number of Winners: One

Giveaway Ends: October 30, 2020 12:00am Eastern Standard Time

LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/76132e0221/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

***FREE EXCLUSIVE EBOOK***

 

 

To get the exclusive prequel to the Disaster Crimes series, sign up for Chrys’ newsletter. By signing up, you agree to receive Chrys Fey’s newsletter. After you confirm subscription, you will receive an email (so check your inbox and spam folder) with directions on where to snag your eBook copy of THE CRIME BEFORE THE STORM.

Click here to sign up and get The Crime Before the Storm FREE!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com

Author Links:

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

 

 

Guest: Shannon Lawrence's New Release & #GiveAway

I'm excited to welcome Shannon Lawrence today. I know Shannon through the Insecure Writers Support Group. While I don't read creepy horror stories (you know me, the original scaredy cat), for those of you who enjoy horror, Shannon's book sounds deliciously scary. I'm so happy to support her.

Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations
by Shannon Lawrence

Release Date: March 15, 2018

Horror short story collection

A collection of frights, from the psychological to the monstrous. These tales are a reminder of how much we have to fear: A creature lurking in the blue, sludgy depths of a rest area toilet; a friendly neighbor with a dark secret hidden in his basement; a woman with nothing more to lose hellbent on vengeance; a hike gone terribly wrong for three friends; a man cursed to clean up the bodies left behind by an inhuman force. These and other stories prowl the pages of this short story collection.

On Sound Advice

Diane asked me to write something about one of the stories in this collection. I thought it would be fun to discuss the short story "Sound Advice," about a family traveling through Navajo lands at night, who run into a creature determined to get to them inside their car.

Because I wrote snippets about what inspired the stories at the end of the collection, let's talk about Joe Ravenshadow, a secondary character in "Sound Advice." Throughout this family's ordeal, Ravenshadow is a creepy side note, a DJ playing eerie songs and talking about the skinwalker, which is a no-no. You never give voice to skinwalkers. I hope I chose songs that are easily recognizable to most readers. Songs like Bad Moon Rising and Little Red Riding Hood. Songs most of us enjoy, but also songs that can be frightening when heard at just the right moment.

Not sure what skinwalkers are? They're a Navajo "myth," a witch or medicine man with great power, who has killed someone close to them, a family member, in order to gain the power of skinwalking. By day, they may walk among their fellow tribal members, but by night they walk on all fours. They can turn into any animal, but often choose the coyote, a sly nocturnal animal.

Skinwalkers try to lure their victims out by banging on walls and even imitating the sound of a crying infant, preying on those who would show concern that a baby is in danger.

Excerpt

From Sound Advice:

"They both sat, listening. There it was again: the sound of an infant crying. Only, there was no way there could be a baby out there. There wasn't anything out there, save plant life, rocks, and some strange creature that appeared to be messing with them. Bill reached over and clicked the door lock button."

Buy the Book

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Also available from Apple and other countries through Amazon

About the Author

A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes mostly fantasy and horror. Her stories can be found in magazines and anthologies, including Space and Time Magazine, Dark Moon Digest, and Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things. When she's not writing, she's hiking the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there's always a place to hide a body or birth a monster.

Social Media Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | 

Smashwords Author Page

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MASON'S MISSING by Teresa Burrell #mystery #giveaway

Mason’s Missing (A Tuper Mystery – Book 1)
by Teresa Burrell
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Print Length: 249 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon

Tuper is helping find five-year-old Mason, who was presumably taken by his father. But when Mason’s father is found unconscious, Mason has disappeared again.

In an impossible search during a bitterly cold Montana blizzard, old cowboy Tuper and his hacker friend Lana’s quest blurs into one of insanity and murder. As wounded Tuper fights to stay alive in the bitter cold, Lana searches cyberspace and finds someone is working hard to ensure certain secrets remain secret — especially Mason’s true identity.

From the Author:

This was a fun book to write. Tuper, a character from THE ADVOCATE’S FELONY, was a reader favorite. I received many emails asking for “more Tuper.” So I decided to give him his own series. Tuper is an aging cowboy who lives in Montana and seems to know everyone in the state. His interests include three things: guns, gambling, and women. People seek his services because he knows how to get things done.

Tuper reluctantly receives help from a very unlikely partner — a young woman who is more than proficient on a computer. They are polar opposites, but they both bring a unique skill set to the table.

Follow Along

Tuesday, October 3rd
Mello & June
HBS Author's Spotlight
Lora Lee
M.J. Schiller, Romance Author
Books, Dreams, Life
Novel Reads Cafe
Diane Burton: adventure & romance
Loren E. Pryce
What Readers Want

Read an Excerpt

About Teresa Burrell

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads

Teresa Burrell is the author of the award-winning Advocate Series as well as two children’s books. Her readers rave about The Advocate Series with the majority especially fond of her PI, JP Torn. Her main character, Sabre Orin Brown (her initials are S.O.B. – but she is not) is a dedicated child advocate, who can’t seem to stay out of trouble herself.

Teresa was born in Minnesota where she lived the first five years of her life on a farm with her eight siblings. For the next five years she and her family traveled to California to get away from the harsh winters, but each spring they returned to the small midwestern town. Eventually, they stayed in southern California where she graduated from high school and college. After obtaining her teaching credential Teresa enjoyed a satisfying career in the classroom. She has taught children of all ages with diverse backgrounds and special needs. After creating an after-school program that kept kids off the street, she received a community service award.

Teresa has dedicated her life to helping children and their families in both the courtroom and the classroom. After twelve years of teaching, she entered the University of San Diego where she earned her Juris Doctorate degree. As an attorney in San Diego, Burrell maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents. Burrell has received several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families.

Now in semi-retirement in California, Teresa continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases. She is the author of The Advocate Series which now contains eight novels, The Advocate, The Advocate’s Betrayal, The Advocate’s Conviction, The Advocate’s Dilemma, The Advocate’s Ex Parte, The Advocate’s Felony, The Advocate’s Geocache, and The Advocate’s Homicides. The Advocate’s Felony received the San Diego Best Mystery Award, and five of the books have received the International Readers’ Favorite Award.

Teresa has recently written two children’s books, along with illustrator, Zack Settle, called Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost and Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost Meets a Bully. This series is designed to entertain as well as help children deal with problems they confront on a daily basis.

Her newest novel is MASON’S MISSING, the first in the Tuper Mystery Series. This book stars Tuper, a character from book 6 of The Advocate Series. Tuper was a fan-favorite when he first appeared in THE ADVOCATE’S FELONY.

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Jonathon Stone Mystery Short Story Summer by James Moushon @jimhbs

You all know I love mysteries. (I'd better since I write them. lol) James Moushon is not only a mystery writer, but he's super helpful promoting authors. So I'm happy to help James let everyone know about his mystery short story summer. Operation Asian Tiger looks so good I had to pick it up. I mean, 99 cents is quite a deal. Check out this series.

JUST RELEASED for only 99 cents: Buy From Amazon

Operation Asian Tiger - A Jonathon Stone Mystery Short Story

Chuck Chun joins Jonathon Stone in a mundane assignment in Singapore. The dull surveillance op quickly turns from boring to the search for terrorists and the solution of an international tragedy. The Royal Malaysian Police are going in the wrong direction as Jonathon uses the vast resources of the CIA to zero in on the truth.

AS THE SUMMER COMES TO AN END AND FALL IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, THERE IS MORE JONATHON STONE COMING.

James Moushon is a Mystery writer and a published writer in the electronic document field.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars.

In 2003, Moushon changed his focus to ebooks and their development.

He is the author of the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels. He has published three books: Black Mountain Secrets, Game of Fire, The Cajun Ghost, a collection of short stories called: Operation Alpha Dog all featuring Jonathon Stone.

A Jonathon Stone Mystery Short Story Summer is being released as we speak:

Operation No Sanctuary (June 2017), Operation Camp Navajo (July 2017), and Operation Asian Tiger (August 2017). All featuring CIA Agent Jonathon Stone.

He has spent the majority of his adult life developing computer systems and thinking about writing mysteries.

Website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer

FOLLOW JAMES

 Twitter   Facebook   Goodreads   Pinterest   Linked IN

 Google +   YouTube

BLOGS

 HBS Author’s Spotlight

 HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

 eBook Author’s Corner

Helping Authors with Book Industry Blogs

eBook Author’s Corner

HBS Author’s Spotlight

HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Novels and Short Stories: Jonathon Stone Mysteries

Black Mountain Secrets

Game of Fire

The Cajun Ghost

Operation Alpha Dog - Collection

Operation No Sanctuary 

BURIED SECRETS by Elizabeth Meyette Blog Tour

It’s a (Ghostly) Mystery

Remember the line from the movie Sixth Sense, “I see dead people?” Well, Jesse Graham, my protagonist in both The Cavanaugh House and Buried Secrets, is a ghost-empath. She shares the emotions of dead people. While some psychics and those who are highly perceptive can “see dead people,” others may sense a spirit who has passed over through smell, touch, or sound. Jesse, senses the presence of a spirit through shared emotion, and, in the course of doing so, she solves mysteries.

In Buried Secrets, Jesse’s first encounter with the Weeping Woman, the ghost of a Seneca Indian woman, is on a dark rain-swept road when she fears she’s just hit and killed someone. She senses that she’s being watched, and is overcome with inexplicable rage and sorrow. She recognizes the presence of a spirit—and wants no part of it. She’s been there once already.

In The Cavanaugh House, Jesse first hears a sound that indicates Helen Cavanaugh’s presence in the house. The “scritch, scritch, scritch” sound is not readily definable. Initially, I used “scratch, scratch, scratch,” but “scratch” connotes something different for each reader. I wanted a sound that was raspy, soft, and eerie, but held no specific meaning. Once Helen had established her presence through sound, she began to affect Jesse emotionally.

Helen’s emotions were the antithesis of the raging fury of the Weeping Woman in Buried Secrets. This ghost assaulted Jesse, filling Jesse with her anger and thirst for revenge—and resolution. Jesse’s encounters with the Weeping Woman sometimes led to physical injury, even the threat of death.

Surrounded by her friends including Joe Riley, who is capturing her heart, Jesse learns to accept her role in bringing peace to ghosts who hold keys to mysteries.

Blurb

When Jesse Graham almost runs over a “body” in the road one night, she is plunged into a labyrinth of secrets, lies and murder. All Jesse wants is a simple life teaching at St. Bart’s… and a chance at love with Joe Riley. She realizes that plan has been thwarted when puzzling occurrences at St. Bartholomew Academy for Girls get increasingly dangerous. The danger doesn’t just spring from the ghost who haunts the grounds of St. Bart’s, but from a sinister presence that is not ghostly at all. As she digs into the mystery, threats on her life and the life of her student escalate.

Which danger threatens her life the most? The ghost haunting her student or the secrets buried in the school?

Buried Secrets

Sequel to The Cavanaugh House

By Elizabeth Meyette

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Genre: Mystery | Thriller | Suspense | Romance

Published by: Boris Publishing

Release Date: October 3, 2016

Length: 324 Pages

Excerpt

Jesse Graham squinted through the windshield wipers at the rain-swept road ahead of her. In her twenty-eight years, she had never liked being out in a thunderstorm, and this one was a doozy.

“NASA plans to put a man on the moon next year, but nobody can invent windshield wipers that work in a downpour,” she grumbled.

She hadn’t meant to work until after sunset, but she’d obsessed with putting up creative bulletin boards and adding final touches to the course guides to be ready for the first day of school tomorrow. Though she had taught in Rochester for five years, no doubt her obsession stemmed from the fact that she was the newest faculty member at St. Bartholomew Academy for Girls.

Adjusting to the late-summer darkness was hard enough, but add this thunderstorm and visibility was nil. At least upstate New York didn’t suffer through tornadoes or hurricanes. She gripped the wheel, concentrating on avoiding the deep ditch carved out along the shoulder.

A flash of lightning revealed a shape sprawled in the middle of the road ahead. She leaned forward, as if that would help her see if it was a deer someone hit and left to die. Another bolt of lightning illuminated the shape again, revealing blonde hair spread out on the wet pavement. In a moment of clarity—at least she could always count on that oddity in the midst of panic—she knew it was not a deer. Downshifting, she slammed on the brakes, her 1965 Volkswagen Beetle skidding sideways. She broke out in prickles of sweat as her car thudded against the form and halted.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” she cried out.

She was pinned to her seat. Her legs shook, then her whole body. She fumbled for the door handle, unable to find it at first. Finally, she grasped it, threw open the door, and scrambled out onto the road. The sky strobed as a lightning bolt slammed into a nearby tree. Her nose stung with the acrid smell of sulfur. Her knees buckled, but she recovered, stumbling toward the immobile form. Slowing her pace, she neared the cloth-draped figure, afraid it might leap up and attack her. Afraid it might not move at all.

Have I just killed someone?

Trembling, she dropped to her knees beside the form. Bile rose in her throat at the sight of long, blonde hair streaming out from beneath the gray wool blanket that covered the shape. Pulling the blanket back, she gasped. A blonde wig was perched atop a dummy fashioned from burlap stuffed with hay. What the…? Slowly, she realized what she was looking at. She breathed with relief. But her relief was short-lived.

Son of a bitch. This prank could have sent someone flipping end over end. Storms weren’t known to improve traction.

“Who the hell would pull a rotten trick like this?”

She looked around—was the perpetrator standing just off in the trees beside the road? Rain spattered against her hair. As she brushed the clinging ringlets from her eyes, she pulled up the hood of her nylon poncho. Heart pounding, she leaned back on her heels, inhaling deeply to still her trembling. Hot breath escaped through her flared nostrils. Grabbing the dummy, she wrapped the blanket around it and lugged it to the car.

About Elizabeth Meyette

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest

Author, blogger and believer in dreams-come-true, Elizabeth Meyette fell in love with books as a child when her sister read her Goldilocks and the Three Bears. “She had me at ‘Once upon a time…’” Elizabeth confesses. Writing her first book on a dare, she kept Love’s Destiny on her closet shelf for more years than she would like to admit while she taught English and Journalism. Finally she retired early in order to pursue her passion: writing. A friend says she’s not retired, she’s “refired.”

Readers wanted more of the story of Jonathan Brentwood and Emily Wentworth, so Elizabeth got to work on Love’s Spirit. While she loved writing the two historical romances, her muse, Boris, started whispering in her ear characters and plot for The Cavanaugh House. That book was conceived on a trip to upstate New York to visit her family. The Cavanaugh House was a number one paranormal bestseller on Amazon for weeks until Stephen King bumped it to number two. Readers wanted more of Jesse Graham, so Boris nudged Elizabeth to pen a sequel to The Cavanaugh House, Buried Secrets.

Elizabeth has also written several children’s books that she hopes to publish in the near future. Her poetry has appeared in various anthologies.

A native of upstate New York, Elizabeth now lives in Michigan with her husband Richard. They have an agreement that she cannot cook on writing days after he endured burnt broccoli and dry chicken. Fortunately, Rich is an excellent cook.

The Giveaway

Two $50 Amazon Gift Cards!

a Rafflecopter giveaway