Cover Reveal - Where Will You Hide?

I am so excited! The new cover for Where Will You Hide? is here! This cover grabbed me the first time I saw it. Something about the look on his face and his blue eyes reminded me of Reinn. This book is the second one in my Díon series, and I’m hoping to have the third one out this summer!

Reinn Gunnarson had heard rumors about a blood thirsty draugr terrorizing the surrounding villages. When it took his nephew, he had no choice but to gather some men and follow the creature to its lair knowing they would never return. Mortally wounded, Reinn faced death with visions of his new life in Valhalla only to awaken later to find the gods had cursed him to the same fate as the creature he had fought so hard to destroy. As a draugr, Reinn could not return to his village. To keep the humans safe, he isolated himself inside the creature’s castle. This had worked well for over 1000 years until one rainy night when Kylee Shanon, a stubborn, foul mouthed woman knocked on his door looking for help, unaware of the danger she was in.

After escaping Raith Macrae and his team in San Francisco, Christopher Collins set up shop in a new location in Europe. A mistake by his men led to the discovery of a legendary draugr. Collins had heard the stories of how the draugrs were hunted to extinction by the Díon because it was too dangerous to allow even one to exist; but if he could control it, he could use it to kill Raith and bring Mari Lucas back to his side where she belonged.

When Reinn is forced to carry out Collins’s plan, an odd twist of fate gives Raith the chance to catch Collins while keeping Mari and his team safe. To do this; he will have to trust Reinn, a draugr. The type of creature Raith had been created to kill.

Seeing Ghosts by James Garcia, Jr.

Love having my friend James Garcia, Jr. here on my blog. I can’t wait to read his latest release Seeing Ghosts, a paranormal romance. This was supposed to be a cover reveal, but I was surprised to see that it was already out! So I already bought my copy.

Here’s Jimmy to tell you more about Seeing Ghosts.

So, you ask, how in the world could a guy who started reading and writing horror fiction end up writing a romance? Well, it is a paranormal romance, so it really isn’t that big of a leap…

Truth be told, although I grew up reading The Amityville Horror and early works by Clive Barker and Mr. King, and watching films like The Thing, Poltergeist and the original Friday the 13^th films, my tastes have evolved with age. Now in my 40’s I find myself more comfortable with horror suspense than horror gore. If it’s splatter or torture porn, I’m really not interested. As one may excuse language and nudity when it’s necessary for the plot, I feel the same about violence. There’s certain rough aspects to The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs or more recently Let Me In, but the stories are so good that they work on every level.

Though I grew up with horror fiction and heavy metal music, my teenage years and a real lack of dating brought me to face issues of the heart. Even though my wife and I have been together now for twenty five years, I still remember those teenage years where every sad song seemed to be about me. Perhaps one might suggest that there is still a small part of me that wonders if love can be forever, and whether I might yet find myself alone once more? Only God knows. We have a wonderful life together, yet there’s still a part of me in touch with those feelings of love and loss.

My favorite novel is not scary in the least: Beach Music by Pat Conroy. It is a work of genius. It is not paranormal, and I never wanted to read it; however, a sister in law of mine coerced me into picking it up. All these years later I have yet to put it down, reading it or at least parts of it periodically over that time. It is great drama and has a bit of everything in it. I will go to my grave a happy man if I’m considered half as good a writer as Mr. Conroy. Couple this with the fact that I’m most comfortable with a romantic comedy on my television, and you will now begin to understand how it came about that I ended up writing Seeing Ghosts.

I always hoped to write a haunted house story before my writing days were finished, but I did not want to rush it. I had seen too many films or books begin with so much promise, but fall flat in the end. This is not to say that I have written the greatest haunted house story in the history of mankind. But I do think I have come up with something that is very special – it certainly is to me.

And I hope it is for you as well. You’ll have to let me know.

As I say over at my blog, we’ll talk soon.  

Book Synopsis:

Paul Herrera finds himself bequeathed a mysterious old house near the California central coast by a deceased aunt he never knew. The woman who shows it to him is the spitting image of his wife, taken from him three years before in a senseless car accident which also took his unborn son. While he deals with the ghosts of a past he cannot let go, there are new ghosts Paul must deal with - alone for the week in the expansive two-story house that he will soon discover holds many secrets. Eventually, he will see that he is surrounded by ghosts as he struggles to hold onto the only thing that he has left in this world - his sanity.

Get Seeing Ghosts on Amazon!

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IRS Abuse of Power - A Personal Story

I have shared some information about my family here, but mostly good news or funny stories. I rarely air my problems on my blog, but I think what is going on in my life right now is something that needs to be shared because it effects everyone in the United States. I'm writing this blog because I am absolutely desperate.

Many of you may have read the abuse of power stories lately concerning the Internal Revenue Service. The personal story I am about to tell you is incredibly frightening. Here is my story...

I talked about my father's illness in my blog about my book dedication to him. He has a terminal genetic illness for which there is no treatment and no cure, and we are not likely to see one before he succumbs to this disease. It's like a combination of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. There is a mutant protein that is destroying his brain cells.

He moved in with us about nine years ago while he could still take care of himself and was mostly independent with the idea that when he needed more care, he would move. Not long after he arrived, we were able to get disability benefits for him since he had no income. He was forced to retire because he could no longer perform his job due to the progression of his disease.

When he started having symptoms, he made some bad business decisions including refusing to pay his taxes one year. We knew that was an issue when he moved in, so we started trying to help him with the IRS issue. As soon as he started receiving disability benefits, the IRS immediately put a levy on it and started taking about $300 a  month. I told dad that he would just have to cope with the loss of funds while we were trying to deal with the IRS.

What we didn't know is that the IRS did not want to deal with us. Now that they had a way to get to dad, they refused to help us unless we could write them a check for what he owed, which none of us could afford, including dad.

We called and called the IRS and time and time again got no cooperation from them to help resolve the issue. We finally just thought he would have to put up with losing the $300 they were taking. But the IRS was not done. About a year after they started withholding money, they upped the amount they were taking to 70%.

I panicked. Now dad couldn't even afford to pay his bills, and he started to become a financial burden on our family. I didn't see how it could be legal to take 70% of anyone's income, much less a disabled person with a terminal disease. I looked it up and found that the IRS does indeed have the right to do this. I was stunned, How did they expect people to live? I tried calling the IRS again to explain dad's illness and his need for care and medication, but it fell on deaf ears.

We hired a CPA, but the IRS kept running her around in circles too and wouldn't provide her with the paperwork she needed. Now we have had to hire another accountant and even consulted a lawyer, but they have both said that we may go through all of the IRS hoops, and still be right where we are.

The problem is that dad's condition has deteriorated to the point where it is no longer safe for him to live with us. He needs more care than we can provide, but we can't afford it. He can't go up our stairs, and we don't have a full bathroom downstairs, so I have to take him the gym to shower. We are hoping the new CPA will be able to help us get this matter resolved.

But all that isn't the scary part. We recently received a letter from Social Security saying that the levy had been removed and the IRS was no longer going to take 70% of his funds. We were cautiously optimistic that maybe the statute of limitations had passed and they could no longer take dad's money.

Nope. What we found out is that they put a levy on his bank account instead. You see, they are limited to 70% of his income; however, once his disability funds are directly deposited into his bank account, then that is considered an asset, and the IRS can take 100% of your assets including any money you have in the bank. Again, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. I am absolutely stunned that a terminally ill person in this country can be left absolutely penniless and unable to afford the medical care they need.

I am absolutely heartsick. This last year has been so hard on my family having to deal with dad, and it has been hard on him too. Now even the few hundred dollars he was getting a month to live on is gone, and we can't afford to move him into the assisted living home we had set up to care for him.

We have appealed to his bank and Social Security, and both of them said they were helpless to change anything. We have pleaded with the CPA to rush dad's case through, so we can file all the necessary paperwork the lawyer will need to try to stop the IRS, but at this point, I'm not very hopeful.

Even more scary, I had dad's accounts connected to mine, so that I could monitor his activity to make sure he didn't spend too much, and I have occasionally had to transfer money into his account to cover overdrafts. As a result, I found out that the IRS could take every cent of mine as well claiming that his funds were part of mine, and it would be up to me to try to prove them wrong while I had no money to hire a lawyer. I had to rush dad to the bank to make sure all of our connections to his account was severed.

As a side note, the IRS tried to bully me into turning on my father. They sent me threatening letters, and then they sent a letter saying that I had made a mistake on my taxes, and that I owed them a large sum of money. I had made a mistake, but in my favor, and they actually owed me money. My one small victory in all of this.

I knew they had powers that extended beyond what should be legal, moral or ethical, but I had no idea what they were capable of and allowed to do to Americans under the law. I know they follow things on the internet and even posting this blog makes me uncomfortable, but people need to know. This is the United States, and I shouldn't be afraid of the government because I'm talking about the IRS. Something needs to change...

Book Sale - Shadows of the Realm by Dionne Lister

Love book sales! Here's another one. Shadows of the Realm, an epic YA fantasy by Dionne Lister, is on sale for $1.99 through the end of this week, but don’t wait! The buy links are at the end of this blog. I’m not a big fantasy reader, but I loved this book, and I’m currently reading the second one in the series, A Time of Darkness.

Book synopsis:
Bronwyn and Blayke are two strangers being drawn into the same war. Their world is facing invasion from the Third Realm. While they move unknowingly toward each other, they are watched, hunted, and sabotaged. When the Dragon God interferes, it seems their world, Talia, will succumb to the threat. Can they learn enough of the tricks of the Realms before it’s too late, or will everything they love be destroyed?

The young Realmists’ journey pushes them away from all they’ve known, to walk in the shadows towards Vellonia, city of dragons, where an even darker shadow awaits.

Get a copy of Shadows of the Realm on

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Stepping Outside of My Writing Comfort Zone

“Stepping outside of your comfort zone,” I heard that phrase a lot growing up. It what people say to challenge others to try something they wouldn’t normally do in order to learn and grow. For me, applying that to writing involves putting on paper stories my brain comes up with even if I’m not comfortable with them to learn and grow. It’s being honest with myself and putting my stories out there, letting the readers judge for themselves, no matter how uncomfortable I might be.

Now that’s not to say I’m going to publish garbage I don’t like, but stories that stretch my imagination into areas that may be dark, exploring the uglier side of humanity. Recently, I did just that. I wrote something that was completely unlike anything I’ve written before. Basement Games is a serial killer short story that had been rattling around in my head for awhile, but I didn’t want to write it. It was dark and used words I wasn’t comfortable writing. But the characters wouldn’t leave me alone, so I wrote it, intending to keep it to myself because it was dark, ugly and downright creepy.

I told a few trusted friends who offered to read it, but I was hesitant. I finally relented, and they were kind enough to encourage me to publish it, and to let the readers know that it was not my usual HEA romance story.

There is a lot of advice out there to stick to a certain genre or closely related genres, so that readers know what to expect from you. There are a few writers out there who like to mix it up, so I decided to take a chance and publish Basement Games.

Excerpt:

Hiding behind a VPN, he could mask his IP address and no one could find him. It was harder to hide on the Internet these days, but not impossible for someone who knew what he was doing. And John knew what he was doing.

The ding of the microwave pulled his thoughts back to the tiny kitchen. He pulled the steaming tortilla-filled goodness out onto a paper plate, grabbed a cold beer, and headed to his room.

He smiled as he fired up his computer and connected to the VPN. After he knew his IP address could not be traced, he signed on to his favorite dating site where all his little piggies went to market.

You can get a copy of Basement Games on

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Book Sale - Society of Sinners by Charity Parkerson

I’m always happy to have Charity Parkerson on my blog. Her book Society of Sinners is on sale right now for $0.99! I love this series, and this is the first book, so if you enjoy the paranormal genre with hot romance, grab a copy before the price goes back up.

Blurb:

“Evil lives in the dark. We instinctively know this as children.”

Nestled high in the mountains…

The quiet community of Jackson Station is where everyone knows your name and…species?

Vampires have existed since almost the beginning of time, but not in the way we have been led to believe. These were not men cursed by the devil, but warriors blessed by God to have great strength, agility, and eternal life.

Eternal life came at a price, the price of human blood. Some chose to live within their own society; The Society of Sinners.

This is the first in Charity Parkerson’s new sinners series introducing a paranormal world filled with vampires, werewolves, changeling, and God’s greatest warrior.

Teaser:

He was cloaked from head to toe in black, with black leather gloves covering both hands. His odd hair color of black, blonde, and red stood out starkly against the absence of color in his clothing. A pair of dark shades covered his eyes, hiding his true identity, but Mika was no fool; that was a trap she wouldn’t fall for again.

There was a matching chair to one side of his that was separated only by a small round table. She fancied it was something an old married couple would do, kicking back in recliners next to each other at the end of a long day. She threw herself down wearily in the chair next to him.

“Hello, Dimitri, it has been awhile.”

“You do not seem surprised to see me.”

“Well, I heard you were kicking up trouble again.”

“Are they mad about the dog?” he asked, incredulous. “Gabe’s a tough guy; he would’ve survived it.”

“I’m not going to lie. Gabe is pretty pissed, but I think it has more to do with the other shit you’ve done over the years. Now I hear you can change into anything,” she added. “You’re getting better. It used to only be other people.”

“Dimitri shrugged with indifference. “What do the plan?”

Mika shrugged as well. “To trap you and run some tests on your blood. I don’t know what they plan after that. You’ll probably be judged for you crimes.”

A low chuckle sounded from deep within his chest. “How do they intend to trap me?” He thought for a moment, then added, “Perhaps they think to wait until I turn into a bird, and the they’ll put me in a cage. Then I shall turn into a lion just to watch their faces as the cage is destroyed underneath my weight.” He laughed at his on description.

Mika leaned back in her chair, crossing her feet at the ankles, matching Dimitri’s pose.

“I do not know,” she answered tiredly.

He turned his head to watch her, his expression hidden from her behind his dark glasses. They simply stared at one another for a moment before he whispered, “Perhaps they think you will convince me to turn myself in if only you ask.”

“Do you break my heart on purpose?” she asked, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. “By looking at me with his face and talking to me using his voice?”

He looked away before answering. “Yes,” then after a moment , he whispered, “No.”

He pushed from his chair and moved to stand over her. Using his foot, he kicked her chair closed while pulling her to her feet. He wrapped her in his embrace, and she went willingly, feeling her heart crack open anew at the feel of Dominic’s body against hers, even though mentally she knew it was only an illusion. He lowered his head to hers, giving her the chance to say “no,” but when the words never came, he brushed her lips with his own. Her tears fell unchecked between them, but, undeterred, he deepened the kiss while searching for the hem of her shirt with his fingertips. He pulled away only long enough to tug her shirt over her head, then returned to her mouth. She kissed him back just as fiercely, trying desperately to cling to the dream on Dominic. Her bra fell away beneath his fingers and his hot tongue moved from her lips to her breast. He sucked lightly, drawing her pebbled nipple in between his teeth. A moan escaped from her chest as he moved back up to her neck, and she felt his sharp teeth scratch against her sin. She tugged his hair with both hands, pulling him away. “If there is a shred of love in your heart for me, you will not do this to me while wearing his face.”

Before her eyes, his features transformed back to those of Dimitri’s and he looked at her from his own familiar face. Reaching up, she removed his sunglasses, revealing his light-blue eyes. His dark-red hair was similar to hers in coloration, and a light smattering on freckles across his nose left him with a look of innocence that caused women to flock to him over the ages. He looked like a boy of nineteen instead of a man who had lived for centuries.

“That’s better,” she breathed, drawing him close to her in a kiss so hot he was left panting.

Get your copy of Society of Sinners at:

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Dreamwalker (Faerie Dreams: Book One) by M.G. Chester

Love new books, especially when they are written by one of my fave authors. Check out the latest book by M.G. Chester, Dreamwalker (Faerie Dreams: Book One). This was just supposed to be a cover reveal, but I found out that it’s turning into a surprise early release!

If there’s one thing thirteen year old Kate loves, it’s a good book.  Her new favorite series, Quallen’s Quest, follows the Faerie prince in the land of Kallaryn as he goes from one adventure to another.  When Kate awakens in Prince Quallen’s secret cave, she’s sure she’s dreaming.  Events unfold and adventure follows as Quallen promises to help her get back.  Is she really in Kallaryn and if that’s the case, will she ever be able to get back home?

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eFestival of Words Awards - I've Been Nominated!

The other day I was going through my Facebook news feed and saw my friend Dionne Lister’s book, Shadows of the Realm, had been nominated in the YA category of the 2013 eFestival of Words Awards. This is the second annual “Best of the Independent eBook Awards.”  Finalists in each category will be chosen by the volunteer staff and then voting will be open to public. The winners will be announced during their virtual book fair scheduled for August 23-25.

Dionne also mentioned several other people who had been nominated, including me. I was completely surprised. I started going through the long list of nominees and categories, and I didn’t see my books in any of them. I was starting to think she had been mistaken when I ran across the special awards towards the bottom. I found Where Will You Run? had been nominated for The Harvey Award for the Book We Most Want to See Made into a Movie! I could not have picked a better category. I have been told by many readers that the Dion series would make great movies or even a cable television series. And I’m in the same category as I, Zombie by Hugh Howey!  That’s crazy!

It was really great to see some of my other friends being nominated as well. I was going to mention them, but the list kept growing. They are all incredibly talented, and I am honored to be included. I will keep everyone updated when it comes time to vote. It's a great opportunity for readers to get involved and vote for their favorite indie books!

New Cover Reveal - Where Will You Run?

Some of you may know that I have been working on new covers for my Díon books.  I wanted to wait until I had both covers in hand and then do a big reveal for both.

However, I woke up this morning and found out some awesome news! Where Will You Run?, my first Díon book, has been nominated for The Harvey Award for the Book We Most Want to See Made into a Movie on the 2013 eFestival of Words Awards! I will write another blog with the details of this amazing honor soon.

In the meantime, I really want to put my best foot forward for the nominee process, so I am revealing the new cover for Where Will You Run? early. I really appreciate all the support I have received during this process!