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Author Sign Ups Now Open for the 2022 Haunted Halloween Spooktacular

6/27/2022

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Halloween is coming. The stores are starting to put out Halloween decor. 

That means it is time to start planning your Halloween season promotions.

October is a hot sales time for paranormal romance, urban fantasy, horror, paranormal erotica, and cozy mysteries with paranormal elements.

Bewitching Book Tours is offering a fun Halloween Themed Book Tour option open to all authors who have a book featuring supernatural characters, terrifying tales, haunted homes, wicked or wonderful witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, and more.

This is a Halloween tour option, not a group event where your book could get lost in the crowd of other books.

This special tour package offers authors individual tours combined with the cross-promotion of an overall Halloween event, a group Rafflecopter, and a group Facebook party. 

Yes, each author receives their own Halloween-themed tour during Bewitching Book Tours’ Haunted Halloween Spooktacular from October 3-31




Each participating author will receive:

* 1 Month Halloween Theme Virtual Book Tour (retail value $145)

* Custom Tour Banner and Instagram Graphic

* Professional Media Kit and Social Media Script with Custom Hashtags

* Option to Offer Review Copies

* Group Rafflecopter for Cross Promo

* Time Slot in Multi-Author Halloween Facebook Party

* Inclusion in the Trick or Treat for Books Event



This is Bewitching Book Tours' 7th Annual Halloween Spooktacular. 

To participate you’ll need to provide details for one book you wish to promote including a high-resolution jpeg of your cover and an excerpt. 

You’ll also need to provide 2 Halloween theme guest blogs (which can be recipes, music playlists, costume ideas or DIY tutorials, etc- anything Halloween-related), short Halloween flash fiction story, or a Halloween poem. 

For the Facebook Party, you’ll need quizzes, games, and a few small prizes for your author party block (ebooks, $5 gift cards, etc).

The early bird fee for this promotion is $99 per author for one book. If you wish to promote additional books, each additional book is $75.

This event has a limited number of spaces available. 

Payment is required at time of sign up to reserve your space.


Sign Up Here: https://forms.gle/EqJhixVWbJHPrPBN8

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Fun in the Sun - Special Summer Book Promotion Package

6/12/2022

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The Fun in the Sun Summer Book Promotion Package includes 5 days of social media promotion and a one-week virtual book tour for ONLY $75. 

The normal retail value of these two combined packages is $100. 

You save $25 with this package. 

But hurry to sign up it's only available until June 25

Sign up with code: SUMMERFUN to get your discount

This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts, sales or special offers.

Sign up here: http://goo.gl/dNgqXv





Social Media Package 2 (Normal Price $45)
  •   5 days of social media promotion on all Bewitching Book Tours social media networks 
  •   Promotion on Bewitching Book Tours Blog
  •   Newsletter Blast
  •   Creation of 1 graphic teaser

Bewitched Book Blitz Tour (Normal Price $55.00)

  • Posting on 10 stops or more which will include - tour banner, your book info, guest blogs, interviews, excerpts, and fun tidbits (character profiles, music playlists, etc or whatever other materials you would like to provide)
  • A custom media kit featuring the book cover, blurb, buy links, short excerpt, author bio and photo. We can also include review snippets if provided by the author. 
  • Custom tour graphics including a button, banner and Facebook header.
  • Two tour spotlight pages at the Bewitching Book Tours blog (one invitation tour page announcing the upcoming tour and one final tour page with schedule) 
  • Distribution to our mailing list of tour hosts
  • Daily promotion throughout the Bewitching social media outlets including multiple Facebook pages and accounts, Twitter, Tumblr, MeWe, LinkedIn
  • Giveaway coordination. We utilize Rafflecopter so you can offer one prize package or several. Winners are chosen and sent to you at the end of the tour.

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Bewitching Book Tours Summer's Almost Here Sale

4/29/2022

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Bewitching Book Tours Summer's Almost Here

15% Off Any Virtual Tour Package

Use code: SUMMER2022

This discount expires May 15

Sign up here: http://goo.gl/dNgqXv

Cannot be combined with any other special pricing or sales. Cannot be used for previously scheduled tours.

#Sales #VirtualTourSale #ShopSmall #BookTours #TourSale #AuthorPromotion #BookPromotion #BookSales #BookPromo #DistractWithBooks #NeedAGoodBook #BookPromo #BooksUniteUs #SummerReading #BeachReads 


 

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Now On Tour Ice Floe by Melissa Birling  #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids

4/14/2022

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April 14 Sadie’s Spotlight (Interview)
http://sadiesspotlight.com/

April 15 I Smell Sheep (Guest Blog)
http://www.ismellsheep.com/

April 18 Midnight Musings with Bertena
https://midnightmusingswithbertena.blogspot.com/

April 19 Paranormalists (Guest Blog)
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/

April 20 Roxanne’s Realm 
http://www.roxannerhoads.com/

April 21 The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom (Guest Blog)
http://creativelygreen.blogspot.com/

April 22 Jazzy Book Reviews
http://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/

April 25 Sapphyria's Books
https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/

April 26 Liliyana Shadowlyn
https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ 

April 27 Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
http://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.com/

April 28 The Book Junkie Reads (Interview)
https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blogspot.com/

April 29 Lisa’s World of Books
http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/

April 29 Triquetra Reviews
http://www.triquetrareviews.blogspot.com 

May 2 Supernatural Central (Interview)
http://supernaturalcentral.blogspot.com

May 3 Fang-tastic Books 
http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

May 4 JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder (Interview)
https://jbbookworms.blogspot.com

May 5 Bewitching Book Tours
https://bewitchingbooktours.tumblr.com/

May 6 Westveil Publishing 
https://www.westveilpublishing.com

May 9 Buffy's Ramblings (Guest Blog)
https://buffykennedy.com/

May 10 Booklikes
http://roxannerhoads.booklikes.com/

May 11 The Fantasy Princess
https://thefantasyprincess.blogspot.com/ 

May 11 OgitchidaKwe's Book Blog
http://ogitchidabookblog.blogspot.com

May 12 The Pimpettes FB
https://www.facebook.com/bookpimpettes/

Ice Floe
Ice Floe Series 
Book One
Melissa Birling

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR 
Publisher: Purpance Publishing
Date of Publication: April 28, 2022
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Thea Magerand

Tagline: Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.

Book Description:

Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.

When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.

Amazon      Goodreads


About the Author:

Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.

The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.

Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.

https://melissabirling.com/

https://www.instagram.com/melissabirling/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaBirling/



Sample the Novel for Free at 
www.icefloeseries.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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And the Votes are In.....

1/17/2022

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Thank you for all the votes!

Bewitching Book Tours won first place for Best Promotional Firms, Sites, and Resources

https://www.critters.org/predpoll/final_tally_promotions.ht


 

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Join Us Monday for the Book Release Party for Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican Live On Facebook

1/14/2022

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Book Release Party for Blood and Fire by Kim Mullican

Live on Facebook Monday, January 17, 2022 

7 PM – 9 PM EST

https://www.facebook.com/events/893488958027346/



Blood and Fire
Alpha and Omega
Book One
Kim Mullican

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  Syn Publishing
Date of Publication: 01/17/2022
ISBN: 978-1-942632-39-9
ASIN:  B09NN4GLTZ
Number of pages: 160
Word Count: 62k
Cover Artist: Get Covers

Book Description: 

I am Maia Delacroix and I hunt people and relics. My life does not lack excitement or danger. I have it in spades.

Then the Mageri surprised me with an orphan...yes, an orphan. I can’t even keep a house plant alive, let alone a kid. It turns out that I’m her only living relative, and even though we’ve never met, I’m her only hope. Great. Can I feed her after midnight? What does she eat? I have no idea what I’m doing.

They tell me this little witchling will need care for a few years until she comes of age. The bizarre fire leaking out of Elaina’s hands is a pretty good indicator that she is no witch.

Then the coven comes—they want her back. Necromancers show up, turning my vampire friends into enemies. If that isn’t bad enough, I have a demon problem now too. 

Join me, and see if we can make it out alive!

Amazon
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Voting Closes January 14 for the 24th Annual Critters Readers' Poll

1/13/2022

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Bewitching Book Tours was nominated for the best book promotion business in the  24th Annual Critters Readers' Poll 

Thank you to everyone who has voted and left such wonderful comments!

If you haven't voted yet now is your last chance as voting closes January 14

https://critters.org/predpoll/promotions.shtml 





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Playlist- Beyond Atlantis: An Epic of The Ancient Americas by Lucius Beauchamp

11/23/2021

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Beyond Atlantis: An Epic of The Ancient Americas
Lucius Beauchamp

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
ISBN: Paperback 978-0-6488929-0-8  
ISBN: E-book 978-0-6488929-1-5
ASIN: 0648892905 
ASIN: B01I4OMBVY
Number of pages: 448
Word Count: 158,240 
Cover Artist: Flametree Creative

Tagline: Greater Atlantis, where The Guardian Tribe roam

Book Description: 

10,000 years ago, ancient Atlantian Tribes of magicians flourished in the lower Americas and along the Mississippi. 

Galen, an Atlantian magician priest is locked in a relentless power struggle with an envious sorceress who blackmails, lies, and manipulates. A prince of the blood, Galen is determined that nothing will stop his becoming an Archpriest.

Eten, blackest witch and high priestess sees angels and seeks a forbidden treasure. She finds Galen’s curse of having a soulmate particularly helpful. 

Half a millennia ago the Island of Atlantis sank off the Biminis, the 13th Tribe was held responsible for the demise of Atlantis. The surviving Atlantians stripped the 13th of all technology and exiled them. 

Vengeful, the 13th Tribe wishes to return but the 13th’s warlocks fear crossing into Greater Older Atlantis. They do not dare set foot on the Guardian-protected land. The great Guardian Tribe possess a formidable circle of psychics who roam North America keeping constant vigil to keep Greater Older Atlantis safe for all Atlantians. 

Amazon


About the Author:

The author was inspired to write this book because, like Plato, the author believes Atlantis existed. Interpreting Plato's description of the location of Atlantis, backed up by Edgar Cayce's readings, Lucius feels that the Island of Atlantis was off the Biminis. Therefore, for the author, the Continent of Atlantis (Greater Older Atlantis) was North America, USA. Writing this epic has been Lucius Beauchamp’s means of creating a world in which people can escape from the travails and the, at times, seeming randomness of living for a while. A place where readers can take their ease and be refreshed by imbibing this layered adventure as they would a well-deserved drink at the end of the day.

Lucius writing and research skills were enhanced while obtaining a 4-year Degree in Psychology at the prestigious University of Western Australia. This degree included intensive English studies. Lucius attributes much of his understanding of writing to his time at the University of Western Australia. 

In life the author has followed the maxim that what goes around, comes around. Therefore, he does regular simple volunteering that assists inner-city people who are in crisis and/or temporarily homeless. Earlier in life Lucius did Hospice volunteering, which he feels gave a solid grounding, a balance to his life.

To this same desire for balance, especially in Covid times, the author has turned his backyard into a veritable bird sanctuary. Currently, three birdbaths, tall native shrubs and native trees bring in all the local small birds. Lucius has watched fledglings wander the garden in the first weeks out of the nest and an occasional wind-battered adult shelter daily among the honey-blossoms until well. The author set each of the two shallow and one medium-deep birdbaths at a slope, as he’s observed that smaller birds love to strut around a shallow end before diving into the deep end of their swimming pools. Kookaburras are discouraged from hunting geckos in the backyard, it upsets the little birds, though they’re welcome to bathe and drink. The birds, the Spring bobtail lizards and a type of small marsupial that arrives at tree-berry harvest time aren’t bothered by the Beauchamp family dog or cat, as they have a twilight curfew and or bells.

Other than birdwatching, a main interest of Lucius is building a collection of retro, vintage and, infrequently, antique Matchbox Cars. Crossword puzzles, Lucius saves for lazy Sunday afternoons. Some Lucius’ viewing preferences are the Star Trek movies and series, plus Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy series and the Smiley’s People series.    
   
Lucius’ wish list is as follows: To tread the USA Appalachian Trail for as long as his legs hold out. To spend two months in Maine one Fall, hiking and just watching the festival of color until the leaves turn then drop. To walk the week-long trek to Machu Pichu. To fish one of the great North American rivers. To take a long sojourn on a paddle steamer down the Mississippi River.     

The author has included many descriptions of mushrooms in his book, several of them poisonous and many varieties that are difficult to differentiate from look-a-like poisonous fungi. Knowing how many people on seeing a mushroom in the wild will be tempted to pick it, Lucius has included a Warning Note at the bottom of the Acknowledgements Page, in the E-book and in the print version.

The author and partner are equal joint-owners and equal co-publishers of Beyond Atlantis: An Epic Of The Ancient Americas.

Lucius’ heartfelt thanks go to author Dave Luckett who originally critiqued Beyond Atlantis: An Epic Of The Ancient Americas and then tutored Lucius, on a weekly basis, for several months.

Further the author’s profound thanks go to Professor Van Iken, who Lucius was fortunate enough to have critique Beyond Atlantis: An Epic of The Ancient Americas, after it had been redrafted following intensive workshops with Dave. Professor Iken then very generously critiqued the book a second time, once Lucius finished an almost-final draft.
Lastly, the author’s greatest thanks go to his partner for all the patience, advice, editing, critiquing, for improving the story’s momentum and for story/scene/dialogue assistance. Together Lucius and his partner created the book’s first short name and then together added the longer version of the name. It was Lucius’ partner who discovered the book’s hook, that is, who found the book’s current first two paragraphs which Lucius had buried further within the chapter.


https://www.amazon.com/LUCIUS-BEAUCHAMP/e/B01J54XHHO/





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Exclusive Excerpt Untamed Isles by Aaron Hodges

10/25/2021

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Untamed Isles: The Path Awakens
Untamed Isles 
Book One
Aaron Hodges

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Aaron Hodges
Date of Publication: 26th October
ISBN: 978-1-99-101803-8
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 105,000
Cover Artist: Nikko Marie 

Book Description:

On a still and peaceful night, the world shook, and light split the sky asunder.
The seas parted, an island rose.

And beneath the earth, an ancient power stirred.

Zachary Sicario thought he’d finally turned his back on the underworld. For ten years he was content with his cottage in the highlands of Riogachd. But a master thief never truly retires. When Zach is struck down by a wasting illness, he is left with two options: accept his fate, or return to his criminal past in search of a cure.
It isn’t a difficult decision.

With rumours of a mysterious island circulating the kingdom, Zach goes in search of old contacts. They speak of strange lights and disappearing ships, of treasure and riches promised for the first to reach its distant shores. Zach has little interest in trinkets—but there’s another tale, one that whispers of the power to change a man’s fate.

With a secret expedition departing in the coming days, Zach decides to roll the dice. But he’s not the only one interested in magic. His competition are warriors and thieves, noblemen and assassins, all in their prime. And Zach is far from the man he once was.

Can the master thief beat the odds one last time?

Amazon     Goodreads


Chapter 2- Exclusive Excerpt

Logan Kaine was puffing hard by the time he arrived at the port. A flurry of sound greeted him as he stumbled to a stop. Sailors shouted from the docks and wooden wheels rumbled across the bricked streets, loud enough to drown out the thundering of his heart in his ears.

Bending in two, he struggled to recover his breath, and choked as the unpleasant combination of rotting fish and tar assailed his senses. Eyes watering from the stench and the morning chill, he forced himself to straighten. Thankfully, the passersby had not noticed his destress, concealed as he was in the shadows of an alleyway. Even so, Logan’s father had taught him to be better composed.

A gentleman must always maintain his poise, the oft-repeated words were a mantra to him by now.

Doubly so for those of us of new bloodlines.

Logan straightened and puffed out his chest. He took a moment to straighten his woollen overcoat before allowing his hand to fall to the cavalry sabre he wore on his belt. His father’s weapon, the same one he’d used in the Battle for the North, when the king’s forces had quilled an uprising amongst the rebel clans. For his father’s heroics that day, their family had been awarded land and invited into ranks of the gentry class.

Logan could only hope to one day live up to that legacy.

Stealing the blade from his father’s mantle probably wasn’t the best of starts, but at least it was a start. As his father was so fond of saying, true men seized their own opportunities in life. And the Old Gods knew, Logan had waited long enough for an opportunity to prove himself.

The tall buildings that lined the harbour cast long shadows across the street, the winter sun still hidden behind their bricked exteriors. Studying the wagons and occasional motorcoach parked along the docks, he finally spotted the one belonging to the Kaine family. A man in an overcoat that fit far more comfortably than Logan’s own stepped from the vehicle.

Logan ducked back into the alley as his brother’s gaze swept the street. Had Dustin noticed his pursuit? Surely not—Logan hadn’t even been following most of the way. He’d lost the motorcoach in the busy streets of Leith and been forced to cut through the back alleys to arrive here in time. Unless…

Reaching into his pocket, Logan toyed with the brass token he’d taken from the packet of documents in Dustin’s desk. Had his brother noticed its absence? According to the papers that had accompanied the token, it would grant its holder passage on an expedition set to depart today. Unless Logan was mistaken, that meant Dustin would be turned away from the ship sitting at the docks below.

And Logan would be able to board in his brother’s stead.

His heart quickened at the thought. Dustin would be angry at the subterfuge. But Logan hoped he might also earn his brother’s respect with this escapade.

Afterall, whether he was fighting off pirates in the

Northern Sea or winning commendations for his work with the highland clans, Dustin Kaine was as much a hero as their father.

And Logan was tired of living in their shadow.

Glancing out from the alley, he saw his brother leave the coach and head down the steps to the docks. A line had already formed beside the giant steamboat with ‘The Rising Tide’ painted on its side, the other voyagers obviously eager to set off. Two muscled sailors stood beside the steamer, checking each passenger’s token before waving them past; Dustin would be in for a shock when he discovered his own missing.

Logan slipped from the shadows as his brother joined the queue. He strode across the street, doing his best to blend with the crowd as he searched for a better vantage point.

Finding a dock that neighboured the steamer, Logan settled on a half-sunken fishing ship. Like many of the vessels in port when the great storm had struck, its hull was cracked open like an egg and half its deck was submerged in the waters of the harbour. Even three months later, the clean-up continued across much of the kingdom. Those vessels deemed irredeemable had been left to rot while efforts were focused on better prospects.

Clambering onto the section of boat still above the waterline, Logan looked across at Dustin’s vessel. The steamer dwarfed the fishing ship, its twin smokestacks stretching to the height of the terraced townhouses lining the shore. Black smoke was already puffing from both chimneys as the crew stoked the engines. The great wheels powered by those engines were still, but even these loomed over the other ships in port.

A shout carried across the waters, drawing Logan’s attention back to the passengers waiting to board the ocean liner. A woman stood before the pair of sailors, gesturing wildly in their faces. Logan couldn’t pick out her words on the wind, but the reaction of the guards was all the interpretation he needed. While one remained at his post, the second caught the woman around the waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

A high-pitched shriek echoed from the nearby buildings as the woman was sent flying, followed by a splash as her unexpected dunk disturbed the calm waters. There was a moment’s silence as all eyes in the harbour turned to where the woman had disappeared, before she finally surfaced, coughing and spluttering.

“Guess she didn’t have her ticket,” Logan murmured, a smile tugging at his lips as he saw Dustin approaching the front of the line. He reached into his pocket and drew out the token, running it between his fingers in anticipation.

At twenty years of age, he should have had the chance to prove himself long ago.

The line of passengers kept their eyes carefully averted from the woman as she dragged herself onto a neighbouring dock. Closer now to where Logan hid, he could see this was not a woman of class. Far from than the lavish gowns of the aristocracy—or even landed gentry such as his family—she wore a pair of men’s pants and tunic, with a dagger on her hip.

Logan frowned as she stalked past his hiding place. Those on the docks with his brother looked to be a rougher crowd as well, their clothing tattered and hair unkempt. Most carried knives or sabres, even the odd pistol, but they certainly weren’t soldiers. Doubt touched Logan then. The papers on his brother’s desk had said little about the expedition itself. He’d assumed it was another voyage into the highlands, where Dustin had spent much of the past few years.

It must be, he reassured himself. They’re probably highlanders themselves, returning north with his brother.

He rested a hand on the pommel of his father’s sabre, but it did little to calm his nerves.

On the other dock, Dustin finally reached the front of the queue. The guards barred his path while he searched the satchel hanging over his shoulder, presumably for his papers and token. Even from a dozen yards away, Logan could read the confusion on his brother’s face. Despite his doubts, he found himself grinning again. Surely if he could outmanoeuvre his famed brother, he could survive a little expedition in the north.

Finally, Dustin looked up from the satchel and spread his hands. The guards exchanged a look before advancing on him. Dustin didn’t even try to avoid them. His voice rang out as they grabbed him.

“Cordelia Leif!”

The name froze the pair of guards in place. After a moment’s hesitation, they released Dustin and stepped back, doubt now etched across their meaty faces. The elder of the Kaine brothers only folded his arms, one finger tapping at his elbow.

No, no, no…

Logan’s heart was suddenly thundering. Surely Dustin couldn’t sweet-talk his way out of this one.

A woman appeared at the railings of the steamship. Dressed in a woollen trench coat with a sabre on one hip, revolver on the other, she looked more the part of pirate than sailor. The tricorn hat holding her greying locks in place only served to enhance the image.

Her gaze lingered on Dustin. He stared back, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, before finally she waved a hand in a curt gesture. Immediately, the guards snapped to attention and stepped aside. Nodding his thanks, Dustin strode up the ramp onto the steamship.

Logan slumped to the wooden boards of the broken fishing ship. So much for outsmarting his brother. Just as he always had, Dustin was one step ahead. Cordelia was obviously the captain of the vessel; he must have arranged passage with her personally. Typical.

The token rang like a bell as it slipped from Logan’s fingers and struck the deck. He watched it spin, before finally settling against the wooden boards. He wanted to hurl it into the harbour, but he hesitated, glancing back at the ship. Dustin was just disappearing down a stairwell beneath the deck.

Maybe…

The guards didn’t appear to have a list of passengers, only the tokens. If Logan boarded while his brother was below, no one would be the wiser that he didn’t belong. And if he avoided his brother’s notice until they were out to sea…well, by then it would be too late to turn back.

His heart thrummed to the beat of the distant steam engine as he plucked the token off the deck. Leaping back to the docks, Logan set off at a run. The passengers waiting on the opposite berth had dwindled to a trickle now, the last of them moving quickly to present their tokens and board. Pounding up the steps to the street, Logan darted along to the next set of stairs.

Only there did he slow, taking the chance to compose himself again. Straightening his overcoat, he squared his shoulders and set his jaw. He would need to be convincing if he wanted to pull this off. Ahead, the twin chimneys of The Rising Tide puffed black smoke as the great paddle wheel began to turn.

You can do this.

He lifted a foot, only for a dark cloaked man to push past him.

“Sorry, kid,” a voice called back as the stranger thumped down the wooden steps. “In a bit of a rush!”

Thrown off-balance, Logan scowled after the man, before the sounding of a horn snapped him back to his more pressing concern. Men and women dressed in the tatty clothing of sailors raced about the steamship, readying ropes and raising the mainsail that would complement the power of the steam wheel.

It looked as though the ship would be departing any second. Cursing, Logan abandoned all pretence of dignity and raced down the dock. Ahead, the dark-cloaked man produced his token with a flourish. The guards paused only long enough to inspect the metal disk before waving the stranger aboard. They were about to follow, when the sound of Logan’s approach must have caught the attention of one.

He turned back as Logan stumbled up.

“Got a…token…for one.” His chest was heaving and he barely managed to get out the words.

The guard who’d lingered raised an eyebrow as Logan presented his token.

“Little young aren’t you lad?” Even so, he reached out and took the coin.

Logan noticed two of the fingers from his right hand were missing.

Logan nodded his thanks but did not respond to the question. He was used to people questioning his age. Unlike his father and elder brother, he didn’t have the muscular physique of a born warrior. Seven hells, he barely had a beard. He was relieved when the man waved him aboard.

Only as he stepped onto the metal ramp and felt the harsh vibrations of the steam engine beneath his feet did Logan’s earlier reservations come rushing back.

Suddenly his heart was racing and needles were prickling his scalp. What was he doing? He wasn’t a hero like his brother or father. He didn’t even know how to use the blade he wore at his waist. He had no place on this expedition, not with dubious sailors who threw women into the harbour, nor the passengers and their knives and swords and guns.

“You coming aboard, kid? Don’t know about you, but I’m fairly eager to see the back of this city.”

The voice had come from above. Logan’s head jerked up and found the dark-cloaked man from earlier leaning against the iron railings. He wore a condescending smile on his lips as he waved for Logan to hurry up.

Logan’s stomach twisted itself into a knot. Three times in as many minutes now he’d been called a kid, or worse. That was how everyone had viewed him his entire life. Dustin, his father, even this stranger, they all saw him as a child.

It rankled. Logan might lack the natural charm of his brother, might not possess the strength of their father, but he was a man grown. Flashing the man a glare, he continued the rest of the way up the ramp and boarded The Rising Tide.

It was past time Logan chose his own path.

About the Author:

Aaron Hodges was born in 1989 in the small town of Whakatane, New Zealand. He studied for five years at the University of Auckland, completing a Bachelors of Science in Biology and Geography, and a Masters of Environmental Engineering. After working as an environmental consultant for two years, he grew tired of office work and decided to quit his job in 2014 and see the world. One year later, he published his first novel - Stormwielder - while in Guatemala. Since then, he has honed his skills while travelling through parts of SE Asia, India, North and South America, Turkey and Europe, and now has over a dozen works to his name. Today, his adventures continue...

https://aaronhodgesauthor.com/

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https://www.facebook.com/aaronhodgesauthor

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That Magic Mischief by Susanna Allen Exclusive Excerpt #PNR

10/25/2021

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That Magic Mischief 
Susanna Allen

Genre: Paranormal contemporary romance
Publisher: Ally Press 
Date of Publication: October 01, 2021
ISBN Print: 978-1-953290-12-0 
ISBN eBook: 978-1-953290-13-7 
ASIN: B09G97RGZF
Number of pages: 326 pages
Word Count: 82,000
Cover Artist: Tamara DeStefano

Tagline: A heartbroken amateur witch is in over her head after casting a spell that  actually works—will the handsome Irish artist she fancies come to her rescue?

Book Description: 

What was the point of being a witch if Annabelle Walsh couldn’t manage a spell to fix her broken heart? As a dedicated dabbler in all things esoteric, she figured she could speed up her healing process when she’s dumped out of the blue by her boyfriend... but nothing’s working.

An idle wander into an unfamiliar new age shop adds the bit of magic in her life that she’d been looking for: an interfering, mischievous Pooka called Callie who’s determined to turn Annabelle’s life around— mostly by turning it upside down.

Suddenly, Annabelle’s too busy to brood, and her writing career begins to take off; in fact, it’s during a brainstorming session for an off-off-off-off Broadway theatre production that she meets tall, dark, and handsome Jamie Flynn, an Irishman in New York who seems to be keen at first sight, if not in love quite yet. As Annabelle gets her life back on track, she starts to see the difference between a real life, a real career, and a real man… and all it took was a little magic mischief.

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BEWITCHING Exclusive Excerpt | 860 words

Wilson stood in the doorway, Tom Ford trench coat belted at his waist, the correct length of pinstriped trouser on view, trousers whose cuffs draped the precisely correct amount atop polished Prada’s. He was buttoned up against what she assumed was the spring chill but could also have been against whatever strange strain of virus he presumed was breeding out in the Brooklyn hinterlands. His dark brown hair was slicked back as usual, and his leather briefcase was gripped in his right hand, left hand free for retrieving his cell phone in case the office should call. The office always called. He was clean-shaven, his boyish face expressionless, tense around the eyes, but otherwise remote.

         This didn’t bode well.

         Hands covered in dirt, Annabelle went to him, stopped herself, and washed her hands in the sink.

         “Have you seen Fern? She’s growing like gangbusters. Who would have guessed? Although I guess your run-of-the-mill forest floor gets only slightly less light than my living room does, so there you go. Doesn’t she look great?” Annabelle charged out of the bathroom and put Fern back in place, fussing a bit with her fronds before turning to face Wilson. They stood in silence.

         Silence being a relative term: Annabelle could hear her heart beating in her ears.

         “Aren’t you going to kiss me?” Was that her voice? That thready little squeak?

         “I. I don’t know.” He leaned forward and put his copy of her keys on the dining room table, and then retreated a few more inches.

         “What’s. Going. On. Please.” She was choking.

         “Annie. I. I’m not in love with you anymore. I think you love me more than I love you.”

         Yikes. “Have you met somebody new?”

         “Annie. Let’s stay calm—”

         “What about the trip to Ireland in June?”

         From the front pocket of his briefcase he extracted a manila envelope.

         “Proof of cancellation is in here, I took the hit on that. There are a few letter-sized envelopes with your share of receipts from the last two years. You may need them for tax purposes. Also the journal that you used when you stayed at the apartment—which I didn’t inspect, needless to say, and a few pictures that I thought you’d prefer to dispose of as you wished.”

         Frickin’ banker. She could feel an enormous rage beginning to boil, a feeling that was going to be bigger than her, bigger than him, bigger than Brooklyn if she opened her mouth. Whatever this dark whirling mass of emotion was, there was no way it was going to make it past the lump in her throat. She could say nothing. She could do nothing. She was barely there at all.

         He continued to stand, holding out the envelope. She couldn’t look him in the eye, and so looked at it. How could their whole relationship fit into an 8 1/2 by 11 container?

         He put the envelope down on the table. “I’d like your set of my keys, please.”

         In a daze, she went into her bedroom, and dug through her purse. Her purse was as supremely ordered as the rest of her life, yet she couldn’t seem to focus on finding… oh, that’s where the nail clippers had gone. She brought them to the gym with her when she went to the sauna last week and forgot to put them back in the medicine chest. She’d go do that now.

         She stopped short in the doorway and it was like she didn’t recognize her own front room. There was a man standing there, a man who last night on the phone, told her he loved her. Now he was telling her he did not. One statement was true, one was a lie. One was a lie for only these past few minutes, one was a lie for a much longer time.

         Keys.

         She went back to her bag, rummaged, found them. Out the window, she saw Maria Grazia trying to hide behind one of the impossibly thin trees that lined Union Street. Thank God. MG was here.

         She floated somewhere outside herself as she handed Wilson the key ring with the small clay heart that dangled from the chain. Shifting his briefcase under his arm, he removed the keys from the ring, and put the heart on the table. Who said he had no sense of the symbolic? No flair for the dramatic?

         “I hope that we can still be friends.”

         Annabelle’s spirit snapped back to attention and a laugh—strangled, but still a laugh—squeezed out of her throat.

         “I doubt it.”

         They stood and looked at each other. Or rather, Annabelle looked at him, this sudden stranger, and Wilson looked for his permission to leave. Annabelle turned away, he turned the knob, and the door snapped shut.

         She stood, numb, the silence in her head shattered by the sound of the building door slamming shut, the ringing in her ears growing into an insistent buzz, a buzz that was actually the doorbell, rung not by Wilson who immediately changed his mind, but by Maria Grazia rushing in to help sweep up.


About the Author:

Susanna is a graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communication Design and counts The Village Voice, New York Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly as past design experiences. Born in New Jersey, she moved to Ireland for twelve months—in 1998. She is the author of the Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde series, published by Sourcebooks: A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing, an Amazon Editor’s Best Book of the Month, is available now; A Most Unusual Duke debuts in December 2021.

Writing as Susan Conley, she is the author of Drama Queen and The Fidelity Project, both published by Headline UK; Many Brave Fools: A Story of Addiction, Dysfunction, Codependency…and Horses is available from Trafalgar Square Books. Susanna is living her life by the three Rs—reading, writing, and horseback riding—and can generally be found on her sofa with her e-reader, gazing out a window and thinking about made-up people, or cantering around in circles. She loves every minute of it.

https://www.susannaallenwriter.com

https://twitter.com/susannaawriter 

https://www.instagram.com/susannaawriter/  

https://www.facebook.com/Susanna-Allen-104736772001426
 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20487105.Susanna_Allen




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