FREE #epicfantasy THE PRINCE’S MAN by Deborah Jay

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 13 Comments

While Marcia enjoys a holiday break with her family, I’m taking the opportunity to hijack The Write Stuff for a little shameless self-promotion.

For the first (and possibly only) time, book 1 (ebook) in my highly rated Five Kingdoms epic fantasy series is available at all outlets for

***FREE***

Blurb:

Rustam Chalice, gigolo and spy, loves his lifestyle just the way it is, so when the kingdom he serves is threatened from within, he leaps into action. Only trouble is, his spy master teams him up with an untouchable, beautiful, aristocratic assassin who despises him.

Plunged into a desperate journey over the mountains, the mismatched pair struggle to survive deadly wildlife, the machinations of a spiteful god – and each other.

Think James Bond meets Lord of the Rings – a sweeping tale of spies and deadly politics, inter-species mistrust and magic phobia, spiced with a pinch of romance.

Click on the cover to be taken to your choice of retailer, which now also includes SMASHWORDS, where books 2, 3 &4 are also on sale with 25% off!

Bargain!

And even better, if you are a Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscriber, the ENTIRE SET is now available to read for ***FREE***

Please help yourself and see why others are saying such things as:

★★★★★ “Please note, that it is advisable to start this book when you have a block of time to dedicate to it. Starting an hour before needing to leave the house will make you late, I should know”

★★★★★ “It starts off hitting the ground running with action, but carries the reader along easily.”

★★★★★ “Jay paints a vivid world, that we are treated to in this dangerous adventure that tests our heroes to every limit. Including having them question everything they had ever taken for granted.”

★★★★★ “Adventure, heartache, murder, horses, mayhem, elves; the list gallops on, bursting with action in this well written novel set in a completely believable world. Attention grabbing story and underlying layers of detail make it a ‘can’t put downer’.”

★★★★★ “I enjoyed this greatly. It is indicative of a good read if you immediately search for the next book in the series.”

And The Winner IS ……

October 17, 2020 / Marcia / 15 Comments

Good Morning Everybody! Yesterday, our Special Guest was Sue Coletta, with a wonderfully creepy excerpt from her newest book, Pretty Evil New England.

(If you missed that great post, you can check it out here.)

Sue offered a free copy of her new paperback to anyone I chose from the folks who stopped by to comment, and this morning, I drew a name from a hat to see who that would be. (Well, actually I drew it from a plastic storage container, but don’t tell Craig Boyack that. He’s very partial to hats! Especially magic ones. 😀 ) So now we have our winner.

CONGRATULATIONS, JAN SIKES!

Jan, if you will email me with your mailing information, I will make all the necessary arrangements to have your copy of Pretty Evil New England winging its way to you as soon as possible.

HAPPY READING!

BUY Pretty Evil New England here:

Amazon (all countries, Kindle & paperback)
Barnes & Noble (NOOK & paperback)
Books-A-Million (ebook & paperback)
IndieBound (paperback)
BookShop (paperback pre-order sale)
Globe Pequot
Rowman & Littlefield

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to Our Quiz, and the Name of Our Winner!

March 6, 2020 / Marcia / 10 Comments

Sorry to be so late announcing our winners today. Lost internet reception for a bit, but all is well again, and yes, submissions for #FirstLineFriday are officially closed. My thanks to all who emailed me with their guesses. Today, we have one winner: Priscilla Bettis. Congratulations, Priscilla, and I hope you enjoy your prize.

And now, here’s the answer to today’s quiz:

“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.” is the opening line from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The novella was written by Stevenson in 1886, and has been adapted for film and stage many times over the years.

Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alternate personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character and is a good friend of main protagonist Gabriel John Utterson. Jekyll is a kind and respected English doctor who has repressed evil urges inside of him. In an attempt to hide this, he develops a type of serum that he believes will effectively mask his dark side. Instead, Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, the physical and mental manifestation of his evil personality. This process happens more regularly until Jekyll becomes unable to control when the transformations occur.

AMAZON BLURB

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde. It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often called “split personality,” referred to in psychiatry as dissociative identity disorder, where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality. In this case, there are two personalities within Dr. Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil. The novella’s impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next.

A classic that continues to be referenced today, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will forever be locked in literary history.

Buy The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde HERE

That wraps it up for this week, folks. Thanks so much for taking part, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for another #FirstLineFriday quiz next week. See you then!

#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – #FreeBook – Cusp of Night by Mae Clair

February 25, 2020February 23, 2020 / Marcia / 51 Comments

Today, our featured author is Mae Clair, and she’s sharing a review of Cusp of Night, her the first book in her wonderful Hode’s Hill series. And guess what?

Cusp of Night is FREE today only!

REVIEW:

Excellent 1st in series… crosses genres, great tone and setting
5 Stars ~ L. Carmichael

This book was a wonderful surprise. I expected it to be well-written and interesting, but it fully captivated my attention. I read a third before bed last night and finished the rest this morning. It is the kind of book that keeps your mind wandering and processing, as there are genealogical puzzles, explored beliefs on mysticism and psychic powers, and a bit of romance and historical points of interest. Clair has woven a tightly knit mystery with spiderweb stories that beckon to come together… and come together they do!

As a story, it was complex yet methodically told. I enjoyed figuring out all the connections, discovering who was telling the truth and who lied to protect a secret. When the major bombshells dropped, I was surprised. I figured out a few but not all. That’s a good sign, an author who can distract you with a few smaller revelations to grenade-toss the bigger one. In terms of writing style, it’s quite strong and blended well. All Clair’s descriptions transport you to the scene, whether it’s lighting gas lamps in 1900 or viewing a modern seance with Ouija boards.

One of my favorite aspects of this book lurks within the tone… it is dark and chilling yet comforting. Quite an uncommon balance, and it helped drive the story forward. As we learn what happened in the past, visiting murder scenes and journal entries, a murky and gloomy tone accompanies us. Ethereal and spooky in a non-traditional manner… how was this monster created? Why do only some people have blue skin? Who is good and who is evil?

The end comes quickly, and it leaves a hint of what might come next in the second book in the series. I found a new author I really enjoyed reading… and highly recommend her to you.

BLURB:

Recently settled in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania, Maya Sinclair is enthralled by the town’s folklore, especially the legend about a centuries-old monster. A devil-like creature with uncanny abilities responsible for several horrific murders, the Fiend has evolved into the stuff of urban myth. But the past lives again when Maya witnesses an assault during the annual “Fiend Fest.” The victim is developer Leland Hode, patriarch of the town’s most powerful family, and he was attacked by someone dressed like the Fiend.

Compelled to discover who is behind the attack and why, Maya uncovers a shortlist of enemies of the Hode clan. The mystery deepens when she finds the journal of a late nineteenth-century spiritualist who once lived in Maya’s house–a woman whose ghost may still linger.

Known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s Hill due to a genetic condition, Lucinda Glass vanished without a trace and was believed to be one of the Fiend’s tragic victims. The disappearance of a young couple, combined with more sightings of the monster, trigger Maya to join forces with Leland’s son Collin. But the closer she gets to unearthing the truth, the closer she comes to a hidden world of twisted secrets, insanity, and evil that refuses to die . . .

Don’t Miss Out!

TODAY ONLY! GRAB YOUR FREE COPY AT THIS UNIVERSAL LINK

Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:

#FirstLineFriday #GiveawayContest #FreeDownloads

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 / Marcia / 18 Comments

Welcome once again to #FirstLineFriday, a little quiz designed to help us appreciate some of the best opening lines in literary history. From the classics of long ago to the latest best-sellers, everything is fair game.

As always, the rules are simple:

Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at 4:00pm, with the title and authorof the correct book.
Do not reply here on the blog.Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
Submissions end at 4:00 P.M. EST, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
Winners who live in the U.S.may request a free download of any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF file of the same books, since, sadly, Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! (Hopefully, this one will be a bit easier for many of you.) Here’s today’s opening line:

“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.”

Remember, email answers only, please. Thanks! And now off I go to await your guesses.

#FirstLineFriday #Giveaway #FreeDownloads

January 3, 2020December 30, 2019 / Marcia / 17 Comments

It’s been a long time, but finally, our #FirstLineFriday quiz is back! I’m going to be very, very interested in seeing who gets this one, as I’m pretty sure every one of you has heard of this book, though many may not have actually read it. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

As always, the rules are simple:

Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book.
Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books, since Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

Now, without further ado, here is your first #FirstLineFriday quiz of 2020:

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

Remember, email answers only. I’ll be on the alert for your guesses. Good luck, everybody!

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to Today’s Quiz.

September 27, 2019 / Marcia / 22 Comments

For two weeks in a row, our list of winners for our #FirstLineFriday quiz is very short. Like, none. 😦 I’m really sorry no one guessed this one. I hate it when I can’t give away any books. But there’s always next time, and besides, you did get to take a look at a pretty darn intriguing first line. Hopefully, this quiz has you thinking about how to start your next book.

Since I’ve not read this one myself, though I’ve always meant to, I don’t have any pithy comments about the book, but I do have some interesting info to share below. But first, the answer you’ve been wracking your brains over.

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” is the opening line of 1967’s The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

Buy The Outsiders HERE

Interesting (and INSPIRING) Tidbits for you:

Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel but did most of the work when she was 16 and a junior in high school. She was just 18 when the book was published. The 1983 movie starred a veritable cornucopia of young (at the time) Hollywood talent:

C. Thomas Howell
Matt Dillon
Ralph Macchio
Patrick Swayze
Rob Lowe
Diane Lane
Emilio Estevez
Tom Cruise
Leif Garrett

BLURB:

50 years of an iconic classic! This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging.

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he’s got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.

The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton’s classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.

“The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world.” —The New York Times

“Taut with tension, filled with drama.” —The Chicago Tribune

“[A] classic coming-of-age book.” —Philadelphia Daily News

A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book
A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Winner of the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award

I have a suspicion that while you may or may not have read the book, many of you have probably seen this movie. It is still being shown on various film channels to this day.

So there you have it for this week. And a HEADS UP: I am planning to devote next week to finishing my current WIP, so I won’t be running my usual weekly features, but it will all return the following week. So, no #FirstLineFriday on October 4, but if the bridge don’t go, an’ the creek don’t rise, as they say down here, it will be back on October 11 with a new teaser for you. See you then!

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest #FreeEBookDownloads

September 27, 2019September 27, 2019 / Marcia / 7 Comments

Can’t believe it’s Friday again and time for you to dig down deep into your memories to see if you can pull up the correct title for today’s opening line. I’m making no predictions of any sort about this one, since my track record in that regard has been less than stellar. But I hope you enjoy seeing another first line that made the top 100 lists several times. And I also hope this time, some of you guess correctly. Please take a look at the rules, then email me if you think you’ve got it. Feel free to take a guess.

As always, the rules are simple:

Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book.
Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books, since Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

Now, without further ado, here is your #FirstLineFriday quiz of the week:

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”

You can probably tell from this line that the book was NOT written in the 1800s. Other than that, I’m not going to divulge any clues. But good luck, everybody. I’d love to give away some books this week! 🙂

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest – #FreeEBook Downloads

September 20, 2019September 15, 2019 / Marcia / 19 Comments

It’s that time again, folks, so grab your thinking caps! Our #FirstLineFriday quiz is here, again. This time around, I’m not going to make a single prediction (out loud) about whether this will prove to be an easy one, or very, very difficult. I’ll just judge by how fast the correct answers arrive in my Inbox.

As always, the rules are simple:

Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book.
Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books, since Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

Now, without further ado, here is your #FirstLineFriday quiz of the week:

“It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.”

I’ll be on the alert for your emailed guesses. Good luck, everybody!

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest – #FreeBooks

September 13, 2019September 5, 2019 / Marcia / 11 Comments

After taking a slight break for a hurricane, we’re back with another #FirstLineFriday quiz. I really do believe this one will be the easiest one to date, so get your answers in quickly in order to win!

The rules are simple:

Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book.
Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books.