S.L. Wallace Brings Us Dante's Day Off

At the desk today, I once again pound my head on the desk for letting this post get away from me. It was my intention to bring S.L. Wallace’s new story, Dante's Day Off to you before now. 

If the name is familiar, it's because this wonderful author has visited with us before. For a look at that post, which includes several of her books, jump over to this page. 

Let's get a closer look at S.L. Wallace's new story, shall we?

In early July 2013, the following news article made headlines: "Possibility of First Head Transplant Fraught with Ethical and Medical Dilemmas." Are head transplants really in our near future, and what will that mean for mankind? Dante Marando understands that the human body is fragile. With recent medical advances, he's certain scientists will soon be able to keep healthy people alive for longer stretches of time, and he is determined to be a part of history in the making. Is Dante interested in helping mankind thrive, or is he only looking out for himself?

                                   

S.L. Wallace is an upper elementary Montessori teacher and lifelong writer who is a descendant of the famous William Wallace. Like him, she believes in freedom and independence. Unlike him, she fights her battles with the pen. S.L. has a quirky family and prefers quirky friends. If you see her out and about, she is likely looking for some fun.

                          

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To purchase your copy of Dante's Day Off, check it out on Amazon at HERE. 

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Rough Hewn II: ESCAPE Cover Reveal

I can't tell you all how excited I am to finally share this book with you. And, the cover is fantastic. Rebbekah White captured the story in teeny-tiny pixels and fitted them together to come up with this wonderful cover that represents Jim and Carolyn Breckenship.

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The Book

Rough Hewn II: Escape picks up the lives of Kilmservy Village's most well-known citizens almost two hundred years after the village was settled by the Stuttshire and Breckenship families.

Life has changed a lot in the small mountain village since Oliver Stuttshire, Yule Breckenship and their families made the journey from the shores of North Carolina to the mountains of Tennessee. Some things never change, though. Good people tend to pass on their way of life to their children and grandchildren. All of whom go out into the world and try to make it better in their own way. The same can be said for people who are not so good. Those with evil in their hearts pass on that evil to the young ones. And if they are not strong enough to fight it, these children mimic the behaviors they've learned at home.

Some say it's in the blood; that evil passes from generation to generation. In the case of the Breckenship blood line, it seems to be true. Each new generation of Breckenship men seem more monstrous than those who have gone before. If it's true that evil endures in the blood and is passed on, than this family is the epitome of such evil. And, Jim Breckenship is the worst of the lot.

Jim's wife, Carolyn, learns too late that whispers of her husband's crimes are more than rumors. She must reconcile within herself the reasons she stays in the house with a monster. Additionally, she must alter her escape plan as Jim's actions grow more abhorrent by the day, nay, the hour. Will she escape in time to save herself and her secret, or has she waited too long?

The Cover

Now, as promised, the cover for Escape.

I'd like to thank Rebbekah White of Advantage Marketing for You and Master Koda Select Publishing for a job well done on this cover. You've truly captured Jim in all his 'glory'.

Book Launch Party

I'd like to invite everyone to the online book launch for Escape on Facebook. There will be games with prizes awarded, authors, readers, and friends. I'd love to have you stop by. The date is November 8 and the time is 3:00 PM CST. Please join us while we celebrate another release from Master Koda Select Publishing. The link for the party is here.

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It's always good to see you. Thank you for stopping by the desk today. 

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WOW Wednesday - Vickie Johnstone Visits the Desk

It's WOW Wednesday again. It's hard to believe another week has  already come and gone. Where does the time go?

We are lucky to have Vickie Johnstone with us at the desk today. She has written something a little (okay, a lot) different this go round. I do so love to read an author who steps out into different genres. And, with her new release, I Dream of Zombies, Vickie has certainly done that! You might say she has dived head first into a new genre with this horror tale.

If you are a lover of horror stories, this vivid story will not let you down. Wipe out of your mind all the zombie tales you've seen on late night television and read in countless novels and horror magazines, because this story is well thought out, well written and will leave you wondering when her next horror tale will be released. So, without further ado, I introduce to you, Vickie Johnstone's newest book.

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A zombie novel set in London over six weeks in 2013, with a strong female lead character.

Did I mention the book cover? It's, to die for...

It starts with a dream and then the nightmare takes over.

It all begins on a summer’s day with the media reporting with some hilarity that people are dreaming of the dead coming to life, but those who have dreamt them are convinced they are a warning of things to come. Marla takes it all with a pinch of salt until she experiences the nightmares herself. Cue paranoia and disbelief until reality shows its new face.

All over London there are incidences of people becoming sick and aggressive. As the attacks mount, the media is forced to take the matter seriously, but what is causing it? Is it a virus, and is it natural or man-made, and is the government responsible?

Marla, her sister, Ellen, and friend Tommy find themselves fighting for their survival as their sense of reality is smashed. Will the army and police maintain control or will the country find itself in lockdown, isolated from the outside world?



And as an extra special treat, here's an excerpt from 'I Dream of Zombies'.

"A sickening sense of dread ravages him as fear drifts over the surface of his skin like fingers, icy cold and unrelenting. He turns again and sprints towards the exit, his pace becoming increasingly slower as if something is pushing him back. Yet still he finds himself in the exact same position, his feet rooted to the spot, his arms sweeping, useless. His hair blows in the breath that the creature now turns on him, sickening in its putrid scent of death and putrefaction. There is not a word he can think of to describe this thing in front of him. Fear creeps, regardless. Twisting, crawling, the maggots swarm across its bloodied face as it opens its mouth wider. Something rips. The yawn seems to swallow him whole into this darkness of despair as a jagged, ripping pain overwhelms him; the sharp teeth chafing, gnawing at his neck, seeking to pierce the jugular vein within. From far off in the distance comes the ripple of laughter."

You can purchase the book at Amazon in the UK and US.

AmazonUS     AmazonUK 

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Hi, I live in London and have a thing about fluffy cats. I work as a freelance layout sub-editor on business magazines and editor/proofreader on books. I love reading, writing, films, the sea, art, animals, nature, rock music, Milky Bar and travelling. I have self-published 14 books.

I also edit indie books for a living, so you might see other books alongside mine in the UK bookshop when you do a search. The only ones I've written bear the author's name of Vickie Johnstone or V Johnstone. I edited the others.

Vickie Johnstone has an impressive list of titles on Amazon. 

Titles published in 2011:

• Kaleidoscope (March) - 119 poems, divided by chapter themes;
• Travelling Light - a free book of 38 poems;
• Kiwi in Cat City - the first in a series about a magical cat and her human pals (April);
• Kiwi and the Missing Magic (June);
• Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (October).

Titles published in 2012:

• Day of the Living Pizza - a comedy horror for ages 10 up (May)
• Life's Rhythms - a collection of 316 haiku (June)
• 3 Heads and a Tail - a romantic comedy with walkies, written for NaNoWriMo (June)
• Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle (August)
• Day of the Pesky Shadow - book 2 in the Smarts & Dewdrop Mysteries series (October)
• Kiwi in the Realm of Ra (November)
• Kiwi's Christmas Tail (December)

Titles published in 2013:

• The Sea Inside - Cerulean Songs, book 1
• I Dream of Zombies - book 1

The Kiwi books have illustrations by Nikki McBroom.

Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle was a finalist in the children's books category of the National Indie Excellence Book Awards 2013.

Connecting with Vickie is as easy as clicking the links below.

AmazonUS authorpage

AmazonUK bookpage

Blog 

Twitter 

Website 

Goodreads

Facebook Author Page

Facebook  Kiwi in Cat City

Facebook  Kaleidoscope Poetry

Facebook  Vickie Johnstone Editing

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Thank y'all for dropping in today. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about Vickie Johnstone and her books. Feel free to leave a comment for her below. And, if you read I Dream of Zombies, don't forget to jump on over to Amazon and leave a review. Even a couple of sentences can make an authors day. 

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End of the Rainbow - Not Hardly

No, there’s no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. But, I have finally found the spot where the beams of color meet the ground. You might say I’m looking down from cloud nine at the end of the rainbow but that, too, would be a wrong assumption. You’ll notice from my wordiness here that I am a rambler, I’m certain I've mentioned that before. My publisher and editor have each noted that very thing. Thank heavens for them as they have saved me from my verbose self!

What’s my point? I have exciting news to share. My paranormal short story, Ziggy Returns, will be available on Amazon tomorrow. It’s the first piece of fiction I've had published. I’m lucky that I found the perfect publisher to handle my crazy style. To be an author with Master Koda Select Publishing means so much to me because Kim Mutch Emerson and her entire team worked with me, as they do with all their authors, to bring out the best of my Ziggy tale.

I am anxious about it going live, as most first time authors are, I imagine. Excited, yet, apprehensive that it will be out of the shadows of my hard drive and sitting under the lights at Amazon where anyone with a mind to can pick it up and read it.

I’m blessed to have the support of close family and friends who have pushed me along this journey. Now that I can see the end of the rainbow, it’s only the beginning…surely, there is another rainbow with a pot of imaginary gold to be found!

Thank you to my publisher, Kim Mutch Emerson at Master Koda Select Publishing. My editors, Arlene O’Neil & DeEtte Beckstead Anderton are absolute dreams come true and I’d love to chain either of them to the leg of my desk where I’d keep them forever. Just don’t tell them I said that!

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If you've a mind to, please have a look at Amazon tomorrow for Ziggy Returns: A Short Tale. 

I’d love to hear what you think of the story.

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