FRIDAY STIR FRY - New Release!

I am thrilled to host a very talented author today and a friend, Lisa Medley. She has a new book out and of course it is about strange things. Her other books include reapers, ghosts, and space cowboys, so why not throw in a handsome Sasquatch. Enjoy this preview and I hope you will visit her links.

 



 

No one's ever captured a Sasquatch. 
Until now. 

Sasquatches have roamed the Pacific Northwest for centuries, hiding in the wilds of the northern territories and protected by the Lummi nation. 

When Seattle author Ethan Lane’s secret is exposed after a first date with Ruby Parsons goes wonderfully right, then horribly wrong, he’s faced with betraying his clan or losing his only chance at true love and a normal life.

Excerpt:

“Ruby! It’s him!”

Ruby Parsons peered around her iPad at her roommate Claire, who bounced excitedly on the opposite end of the couch. “And who would he be?”

“Listen to this Daveslist “Near Misses” ad:

H.P. Lovecraft: Stand-Up Comedian – m4w (Annex Theater) - Seattle

Tuesday night, after the show, you and I flirted while in line for the bathroom. We agreed that even if the staff had to clean up a blood sacrifice, the place was still nicer than the streets below.

You smiled at me as you took off, but there was no chance for me to get your name.

Buy you a drink sometime? We might as well enjoy ourselves before Cthulhu rises…”

Ruby scrambled across the couch and stuffed herself into the crack between Claire and the cushioned back for a look at the ad.

“It’s Cthulhu! Your Lovecraftian lobster,” Claire said, handing over the iPad for her to see.

“You have got to quit watching Friends reruns.” Ruby read the ad. Her heart hammered in her chest, and a blush of heat covered her face and neck. It was him. Too many exact details not to be. Still. A classified ad? In “Near Misses”? It was so…seedy. Wasn’t it? What kind of people posted ads like that, or worse…responded to them? “Listen, I met the guy for like thirty seconds in line for the bathroom.”

“And then reread The Call of Cthulhu even though you practically have the thing memorized and went on and on and on about him and his hipster beardedness for weeks. Weeks!” Claire snatched her iPad out of Ruby’s hands then launched off the couch and into the swinging papasan chair. She began typing furiously on the tablet.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked, concerned.

“Answering him, of course.”

Book Links: 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Seattle-Lisa-Medley-ebook/dp/B01KH7LBP8

Smart URL Amazon http://smarturl.it/shiftedinseattle

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/658503

KOBO https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/shifted-in-seattle

iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shifted-in-seattle/id1144596984

NOOK http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shifted-in-seattle-lisa-medley/1124391849

 

 

About the Author: 

Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them because monsters need love too.

She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig. 

She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.

Social Media Links

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lisamedleyauthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/lisamedley

Website http://lisa-medley.com

Lisa Medley Newsletter http://eepurl.com/9Zhcz

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7824406.Lisa_Medley

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LisaMedley/posts

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Medley/e/B00I66M24M/

Newsletter http://eepurl.com/9Zhcz

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Author Spotlight

I'm pleased to highlight my good writer friend Lisa Medley. Her new offering, Haunt My Heart is now available.  Don't you just love the cover! This is on my 'to be read list' and I can't wait. I love a good ghost story and Lisa is a very talented author.  Enjoy this excerpt and be sure and visit her links.

eISBN-13:  978-0-9908856-0-3

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1Bx3fzQ

Print: http://amzn.to/1Bwuriotion

Blurb:

A Civil War soldier dies to save his men. Can he find true love to live again?

Sarah Knight has a job she’s good at, a quirky BFF, and a boyfriend who’s bad for her. When Sarah unearths a Civil War artifact on a ghost hunt at Chatham Manor, she brings home more than a souvenir

Lieutenant James “Tanner” Dawson fought for the Union, working as a supernatural liaison for his Major General in a secret Masonic offset called the Brothers of Peril. When he’s hexed by a witch, he learns the only way to save his men is to die himself. But death is not the end. Awakening 150 years later, he knows if he wants to be corporeal again, he has to find true love to break the hex—a task no easier in 21st century than it was in the 19th.

Excerpt from Chapter One:

 “Hurry up, Sarah. We’re going to miss the ghost!”

Sarah Knight rolled her eyes in the cold December darkness, but trotted after Ellie’s bouncing flashlight beam. Sarah’s heels crunched through the frozen topsoil as she crossed the lawn, and she worried about the damage being done to her only pair of sensible work shoes. Ellie had failed to mention this would be on an outdoor excursion.

Ellie had been dragging her out on girls’ nights against her better judgment since they graduated from college. Last month, they’d gone to a mixed martial arts fight, complete with blood, screaming and more than one missing tooth. And that had been the spectators.

Ellie had a strange idea of fun. It was only in the car on the way over that Sarah had learned tonight’s adventure would be a ghost hunt.

Sarah and Ellie caught up to the tour group as the leader, a tall dark-haired man in his mid-forties, wrapped up his ghost-hunting protocol explanation. She’d missed the rules. Ellie wouldn’t care about missing that part. She hated following the rules, but Sarah was a little miffed. If she was going ghost hunting, she wanted to know exactly what the boundaries were.

“Great,” Sarah whispered. “We missed the rules.”

“At least we didn’t miss the ghost,” Ellie pointed out. “And they haven’t doled out the equipment yet.” Ellie’s mouth split into a mischievous smile, and she angled up closer to the group leader.

“Again, my name is Allen if you have any questions during the tour. Since we have such a large group tonight, we’ll split into two teams. Carla will take this half.” Allen sliced an imaginary line through the group of twenty or so ghost-hunters. “And the rest of you will go with me.”

Relieved she and Ellie were on the same side of the line, Sarah snuggled up closer to her friend and surveyed the rest of their team. A middle-aged couple, a grandmotherly woman, and a group of ten sorority girls—exactly the type of girls she’d avoided in college—made up Team Allen. The girls sported matching Greek-lettered sweatshirts, scarves and mittens and tittered incessantly. Sarah was fairly sure their chance of seeing a ghost with this group was nil. Fine with her. Ellie was the one who went for the paranormal stuff.

“We’ll walk the path where the Lady in White has typically been spotted. Carla’s team will cover the grounds around the house,” Allen said. He nodded to Carla, and she gave him a little salute, then led her team around to the side of the building. Allen’s group stayed put in the doorway.

“First, I’ll need a couple of volunteers,” Allen announced.

Ellie’s hand shot up before Sarah could register what was happening. “We’ll do it.”

Classic Ellie, leaping before she looked. She didn’t even know what she was volunteering for. It could be anything. If Allen wanted virgins to sacrifice, however, he was out of luck.

Allen pulled two little handheld meter devices out of his messenger bag. His brows lowered a bit as he studied Ellie, cast his eyes around the group, then settled back to her. Ellie’s enthusiasm won out and Allen handed one device to her and the other to Sarah.

“This is the Anomaly Detector,” Allen said with all the reverence of presenting the sword Excalibur. “It measures EMP and temperature. If these lights change, it’s your job to let us know. I’ll be taking photos and interacting with the ghost, trying to draw her out. I can’t keep my eyes on all of the devices at once. Can you manage this?”

“Absolutely,” Ellie squealed.

Sarah resisted rolling her eyes again. She accepted the detector and did her best to reduce her scowl.

“It’s okay to be skeptical,” Allen said. “It makes it all the more exciting when we convert you to a believer.” His smile warmed and Sarah realized he was actually handsome. Old, but handsome. What an otherwise normal and attractive man—who was way old enough to know better—was doing leading a bunch of ghost hunters, she had no idea. People were strange. She supposed she’d have to include herself in that judgment, considering she now held a ghost detector.

 Lisa Medley writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance about monsters in love, because monsters need love too. Look for Reap& Repent (Bk 1) and Reap & Redeem (Bk 2) of The Reaping Series, available now. A lover of beasties of all sorts, she has a farm full of them in her SW MO home including:  one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees and a guinea pig. Not so in love with the guinea pig. She can do ten pushups IN A ROW and may or may not have a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times. Just. In. Case.

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Google+ | Amazon Author Page 

FRIDAY STIR FRY - A Day Late

http://www.freeimages.com

Sorry, this is a day late, but as they say, better late than never. I have no excuse except maybe turkey day hangover. I am dedicating this post to promoting author friends of mine and their books. I hope you'll take the time to visit their web sites and spread the love. You may find a new favorite. Please support local authors by reading and reviewing.

First up is a very prolific writer - Allison Merritt. She writes anything from steampunk to paranormal to historical romances. I've read several of her books and enjoyed them very much. And her blog is a hoot. Check it out and follow her links to her books.
http://havenovelwilledit.blogspot.com/

Next up is Lisa Medley. She writes about demons, reapers and ghosts. All with the element of romance. I've read the first in her reaper series and liked it very much. And she takes pictures of graveyards. (I love graveyards)
 http://lisa-medley.com/

If you like romantic comedies, my next friend is right up your alley. She makes me laugh every time we talk. T. Sue Versteeg can also write a fantastic thriller. She also collaborates with best selling author Gemma Halliday. Here is the link to her web site.
http://tsueversteeg.com/

And last but not least is Tierney James. She writes thrillers about espionage and terrorists. I've read An Unlikely Hero and it is a real page turner. Also, she interviewed me on her blog last week. Check it out here.
http://ptierneyjames.blogspot.com/

That's it for now. In a few weeks I'll highlight more of my talented friends. I'm very lucky to know these people. I hope you will pay a visit to their pages.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Today I am excited to bring you a debut author who is also a friend of mine. Not only is she smart and funny but her writing voice is captivating.
First a little about her, then a fun interview and a excerpt from her book. And don't miss the links at the end for more info and where to purchase a copy.

Lisa Medley writes reapers. The grim kind. Her urban fantasy romance, Reap & Repent is available now in a Harlequin E Box Set with three other Harlequin debut authors. A lover of beasties of all sorts, she has a farm full of them in her SW MO home including:  one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees and a guinea pig. Not so in love with the guinea pig. She can do ten pushups IN A ROW and may or may not have a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times. Just. In. Case.

Reap & Repent Blurb:

Deacon Walker is a burned out loner, whose two hundred years as a reaper have left him empty inside. But when he meets Ruth Scott, a gorgeous shut-in with unusual gifts, he’s forced to set his career complacency aside to train her for a destiny she never knew existed. Soon the two will face the ultimate test: a battle against demons determined to destroy humanity, one soul at a time.

 

What draws you to paranormal stories?

 

I have always loved monsters. I think it all started with Scooby Doo back in the day and eventually graduated to the King of monsters, Stephen King. I drew the line at Clive Barker. I like monsters with at least the chance at redemption. When I discovered there was an entire genre devoted to monsters in love called paranormal romance…I was hooked!

Keyboard or paper and pen?

Reap & Repent was mostly written in a notebook until I got a little netbook. Now it’s all keyboard. Occasionally I’ll take notes in my phone or in notebooks still if the muse inspires me while I’m away from my computer. I have to write things down when they come to me, ha!

Do you ever experience writer's block and if so what do you do about it?

I’ve been a little stuck a few times but not really blocked. The only thing that really blocks me is making time to write. I read some great advice from fantasy author Terry Prachett who said when he’s stuck he’ll ask himself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen for this person?” Then he’ll do that to his character. Works for me! I’ve been unintentionally doing this since book one. It’s a terrific way to get yourself unstuck.

Which is easier for you: beginning, middle or end?

I’m a starter for sure, but I’ve found if you start strong often the momentum will carry you. The more I transition from pantser to plotter, the easier the transition from beginning to middle to end becomes. Wandering the back roads is fun, but things move along much more smoothly when you have a map.

Do you have a muse and if so what is his/her name?

My muse’s name is CHOCOLATE. I summon him/her often.

One marketing tip?

I’m still learning, but what I’m trying to do is to reach out and make connections via social media. I don’t friend or follow everyone, but if they look even mildly interesting, I add them to me realm of influence. You never know who might give you that little push that will take you viral. I focus on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. You just can’t do it all.

Do you go out of your way to kill bugs or do you run and hide?

Oh I’ll stomp a spider or bug no problem. It’s the snakes that send me running. I can face about anything except a snake. I’m not so fond of mice either.

Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning or do you not see the point?

I LIKE having my bed made. I do not make it very often. Mostly I make it when I know someone is coming over.

What one thing would surprise people about you? 

I keep bees. Or more, I have a beehive and they hang around and make me honey when they feel like it. I used to really try to ‘work’ them. That only led to disaster. Like a squashed Queen. Finally I learned to leave them alone and let nature find a way. I’ve lost the colony a couple of times and had to start over, but mostly they do better without me.

Prologue from Reap & Repent:

           What does a guy have to do around here to get some service? Deacon Walker marveled as he glared at the undulating queue of grotesque reapers in front of him. 

For all that’s holy, move the hell along already.

It had been a long week, and it wasn’t over yet. He needed to make at least one more pass through the hospital circuit before he could call it a day. He could already feel the tug of a freshly departed soul. Again. People were dropping like flies lately.

 

He massaged his brow, trying to soothe his exhausted patience as the line inched forward at a snail’s pace. 

He was worn thin. Over the past few weeks, three demon soul poachers had popped up in his fair city of Meridian like poisonous mushrooms after a hard rain. While it wasn’t unheard of for one to slip out from Hell every now and then, three was a nightmare.

When it got topside, a demon’s M.O. was to steal a human body, poach a few souls from the dead and dying, and then make its merry way back to Hell, taking its host’s soul along for the ride. The only way to save the souls a poacher was carrying was to behead the host with a scythe. Not a pretty thing to do, but the poor suckers were too far gone by then to survive anyway. No human could withstand the pressures of being ridden by a demon. And it was worth it to save a handful of souls, not to mention inconveniencing the demon.

           Deacon refused to lose any souls from his territory. At all.
 
           So far the score was Deacon, 3. Demons, 0.
 

As a reaper, carrying souls to Purgatory for judgment was his job and he wasn’t about to cede his territory to poachers who used up their hosts like they were disposable Tupperware. So now, in addition to his normal day job, he also had to keep an eye out for more demon invaders.

While demons burned through most human hosts in a matter of days, some in a matter of hours, they had discovered long ago that under the right circumstances they could ride a reaper. Of course, they couldn’t just worm their way in like they did with humans—they had to be invited. But once a deal was struck? They were in.

 

And reapers? Yeah, they could hang on for decades inside a reaper. Deacon knew that fact firsthand.

           His stomach twisted at the thought, but he shook it off, looking ahead with a heavy sigh.

Seriously, this line? Still. Not. Moving?

 

God, he needed a freakin’ vacation. Extended. He dragged a hand through his hair in frustration as his mind flipped through postcard-esque locations of reapings past. He snarled at the thought of New Orleans in summer. He would definitely want to go someplace cool—cool as in frigid, not hip. He was sick of the heat, and it was only the beginning of summer in the semitropical Midwest.

           
            Come to think of it, he was sick of a lot of things.

This place was high on the list. It was as hot as…well, Hell actually. Or at least what he imagined Hell to be, although he’d never actually been there. Thank God.

 

Steam rose from random cracks in the stone floor of the underground station, veiling the place in a humid sulfur stench.  

He pushed forward, finally making his way to the front to deposit his cargo of souls. He didn’t bother chatting. In. Out. Move on. It was a motto that served him well. 

Mission completed, he hustled through the crowd, forgoing the bar-side frivolity of some of the more socially inclined reapers and their small talk about their glory days in the field or—even better—the missteps of the newest reapers. Newbies often tested their limits to humorous if not disastrous effect at least once in their early careers. That was exactly why new reapers had mentors or at least worked in teams. From all the laughter, he could tell that the stories were good ones. It didn’t tempt him.

He slapped his palm against the black granite monolith and flashed out of Purgatory to what he prayed was his last stop of the day.

  BUY LINKS: Reap & Repent is available March 3, 2014 in a Harlequin E Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Box Set with the works of three other amazing new Harlequin authors! Reap & Repent will be available for single-title release June 2, 2014.

      AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1gF6Q98

   B&N: http://bit.ly/1gz4x7M

KOBO: http://bit.ly/1cSZBam

ITUNES: http://bit.ly/1njOngj

HARLEQUIN: http://bit.ly/1gf0Cbs

 Follow Me on Social Media here:

Lisa Medley, Author Blog

Facebook 

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

Pinterest