Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Goddess Fish Presents: Dos Angeles by Michael O'Hara

DOS ANGELES
by Michael O'Hara
Leave a comment and enter! to win GC below


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GENRE:
Mystery

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BLURB:

Dos Angeles, the first in a franchise of mysteries featuring Paco Moran, puts the multicultural thirty-something ex-LAPD homicide detective turned reluctant private eye on the trail of a beautiful young Latina on the run with ten million dollars in cash. Half Anglo and half Mexican, Moran is a transitional character equally at home working in Beverly Hills or blue collar Boyle Heights, the tough East Los Angeles neighborhood where he was raised by a single mom. In his debut case Paco quickly learns he will be the fall guy if he doesn't track down the young immigrant who allegedly stole a small fortune from a sleazy Hollywood producer secretly laundering money for a notorious drug cartel. Paco's frantic search takes him on a roller-coaster ride through a shadowy place he calls Dos Angeles a city within the city and a virtual country unto itself.

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Excerpt:


Shining her light through the opening she saw what appeared to be a fully equipped home office. It had a desk with a computer, a printer, a multi-line phone system and custom-built shelving holding an array of accordion files and cardboard storage boxes. On entering she found an illuminated light switch she quickly turned on.

With the room now brightly lit by a series of overhead spots, the first thing she noticed was one of the storage boxes had fallen off a shelf and it was lying face down on the carpeted floor. Alongside it was a banded stack of dollar bills. Turning over the box Maria was shocked to see it was filled with more wrapped bundles of cash. But the bills weren’t ones—they were all hundred dollar Benjamins.

Almost tripping in her haste to see what was in the other boxes, she took another down, placed it on the floor and quickly removed its fitted lid. It, too, was filled with packets of hundred dollar bills. Like a pirate sifting through a chest of precious Spanish doubloons, she quickly determined there was close to a hundred thousand dollars in just that one box.

It had to be a sign, she told herself. She had suffered and endured so much over the last two months. There had been days when she didn’t know if she even had the inner strength to carry on. Now—with this amazing stroke of good fortune—she finally had some hope again.

But first she would have to get all of the money out of the house.

And once she did… where in the world would she go?

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:




Emmy nominee Michael O’Hara-- who has written and produced some of the highest-rated television movies and miniseries in recent memory – is adding author to his resume with the August, 2015 the publication of his first novel,  Dos Angeles.

The book, featuring a bilingual and bicultural private eye named Paco Moran, centers around Moran’s desperate search for a beautiful young Latina immigrant who stole ten million dollars from the mob. In a pre-publication review American Book Award winner Peter Quinn said: Paco Moran’s debut in Michael O'Hara's Dos Angeles is fast-paced, finely crafted, and full of surprises. It's noir fiction for the 21st century, a helluva ride from the first page to last. Here's hoping O'Hara brings Paco back very soon. I can't wait!

A former award-winning journalist and NBC Vice President of Media Relations, O’Hara made an auspicious debut as a writer/producer with “Those She Left Behind,” a critically acclaimed family drama that continues to be the highest-rated TV movie (25.1/38 share) on any network in over twenty years. It starred Gary Cole and Colleen Dewhurst (who won an Emmy Award for her performance). That success was followed by the widely praised NBC movie “She Said No” which won an American Women in Radio & Television Award for Best Television Dramatic Special.

O’Hara next wrote and executive produced “Switched at Birth,” the blockbuster NBC miniseries that earned an Emmy nomination as Best Dramatic Special and remains the highest rated (22 rating/33 share) miniseries on network television since its initial telecast over two decades ago. He was also the writer and executive producer of “Murder in the Heartland,” a celebrated ABC miniseries which garnered a Casting Society of America Award and two Emmy nominations. Right after that he created and executive produced the first of 22 “Moment of Truth” movies for NBC, establishing one of the most successful film franchises in TV history.

O’Hara also wrote “She Woke Up Pregnant,” the pilot for ABC’s ‘Crimes of Passion’ franchise. It scored an impressive 13.4 rating and 21 share, making it the highest-rated ABC movie of the year. He went on to write “One Hot Summer Night,” another ‘Crimes of Passion’ thriller that was ABC’s highest-rated Thursday night movie of the season. Other producing credits include two CBS projects: “Twilight Zone – Rod Serling’s Lost Classics” and “A Child’s Wish,” which was filmed in the Oval Office and featured a cameo appearance by then President Bill Clinton. In addition he wrote and executive produced NBC’s “In His Life: The John Lennon Story” and “1st to Die,” a two-part NBC miniseries based on the best-selling novel by James Patterson.

Overall O’Hara has produced four miniseries and 33 Movies of the Week. Besides his Emmy nomination, other honors include: a Christopher Award (“A Child’s Wish”); a Prism Award (“The Accident”); a Humanitas Award nomination (“Heart of a Child”); a National Easter Seal Society Award (“To Walk Again”); an International Health & Medical Film Award (“Heart of a Child”); and the Media Award from The National Council on Problem Gambling (“Playing to Win.”)

Michael-ohara.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14203330.Michael_O_Hara

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dos-Angeles/1143487899001779
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Saturday, September 26, 2015

Is the Pope Legit? Not According to Malachy


Google "Pope" and "Anti-Christ" for fun.  Thousands of articles come up in regards to Pope Francis.  Many believe he is the anti-Christ, or at least the False Prophet mentioned in Revelation.  His negative remarks about capitalism and strange interest in global warming seem to trump talking about the Christian beheadings in the Middle East.  He has made many comments that strongly align with New World Order.  He also seems to be a fan of merging religions in the name of peace.  Last year he opened the Vatican door to Muslim prayers.  Was the Left Behind series really a modern day prophecy?
Pope Francis has been under scrutiny since elected Pope in March of 2013.  The circumstances were extraordinary. His predecessor, Pope Benedict, resigned from this post, making Benedict the first pope to resign in 600 years.  Many conspiracies state Pope Benedict could not take the deception of the Vatican Bank or mounting pedophilia scandals, but who knows the real reason. There was a tell-all butler in some of these stories, but he has disappeared from the headlines.

Before Pope Francis was even the Pope, many were suspicious because of an ancient prophecy.  Malachy, a 12th century Irish bishop who was later declared St. Malachy, predicted Peter the Roman would be the last pope before The End of the World.  Pope Francis's father was Peter of Pietro and was from Italy before the family moved to Argentina.  
For the last 900 years Malachy batted a thousand in terms of pope predictions.  He had a vision on his way to Rome that enabled him to name every pope, 112 total, who would rule until Pope #113 also known as the last pope before The End.

It's only natural for Doomsday preachers to place a microscope on Pope Francis.  This pope adds plenty of ammunition to conspiracy theory.  Some of the liberal/out-of-the-Catholic-box examples the new pope has done and said are as follows:
1) The Pope stated that Catholics are too "obsessed" with abortion and gay marriage.
2) The Pope sympathizes with Communism and Socialism.
3) The Pope appears to condone a one-world religion-Chrislam. (Conference at Vatican last November as an example when he opened the door for Muslim prayers and Jewish leaders)
4) The pope recently stated that animals go to heaven despite backing that up with scripture.
5) The Pope stated that evolution theory does not conflict with Bible.
6) The Pope has a political agenda involving global warming.
That's quite a list for a pope who has been in power for less than two years.  
???????  Leave a comment!


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Movie Review: Black Mass


Johnny Depp's new movie Black Mass is about the real-life gangster James Whitey Bulger of Boston's Southie neighborhood.  Once again, Depp transforms himself into one of the most notorious psychopaths of modern day.  The film picks up from the time Bulger was a small-time hood in the 1970's who quickly rises to Boston's top kingpin by the mid-80's through the help of a neighborhood friend/FBI agent John Connelly.  
The real Whitey
The FBI agent approaches John's brother, Massachusetts State Senator, to feel him out about recruiting Whitey as an FBI informant.  According to the movie, the brother is not interested in Whitey's hood business.  Connelly eventually goes straight to Whitey and convinces him to "inform" on the Italian mob who currently run most of Boston's illegal activities.  With the FBI's protection, Whitey takes out his competition, becoming Boston's modern day Al Capone.  The shit hits the fan.  Spoiler Alert: Everyone turns, Whitey runs and gets caught 15 years later, and, with exception to Whitey, Connelly gets the longest prison sentence (40 years) without even committing a drug deal or murder.
My Review: I was particularly interested in seeing this movie.  My daughter Isabella and I volunteered for Chicago's Literary Fest a few years ago.  Isabella got assigned to the writers' conference room as an usher.  She got to meet the authors of Black Mass and learn about Whitey all afternoon.  We both loved the movie.
Isabella didn't even realize it was Johnny Depp until the end.  He was ugly, creepy, depressing, and chilling.  I wouldn't be surprised if he gets nominated for an Oscar.
The other actors were just as talented.  Joel Edgarton (Tom in Great Gatsby) was especially amazing as John Connelly, the FBI agent who gets caught up in the excitement of the gangster life.
As good as the movie was, I still had questions.  Did John Connelly ever get money from Whitey?  There were a few scenes in which his wife asked about his expensive clothes and he made mention of their expensive house, but the rest is unclear.  Also, outside of Whitey telling the FBI where the Italian mob's headquarters were, I was not sure what other information Whitey ever gave the FBI for their protection against arrests.  Seemed like Whitey received much, much more than he ever gave from the informant relationship.  I also wondered how deep Whitey was in with the IRA.  In the movie there was a brief scene in which Whitey bought them some weapons and maybe a boat.  
I wished this movie was longer with more details.  Overall, it was worth the 9-10 bucks to go see on the big screen if you like mobster movies, but it didn't come close to Goodfellas or Casino.  4/5 Stars



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Goddes Fish Book Tours Present: The Necromancer's Gambit by Nicolas Wilson

The Necromancer's Gambit
by Nicolas Wilson


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BLURB:

Knight, the sheriff of a local magical government known as "the Gambit," is called to recover a mutilated body, tainted with magic and dumped at a popular haunt. When the corpse is identified as a close associate of the Gambit, it threatens the safety of the community he protects, and those he cares about most. As the fragile peace amongst the city's magic-wielding factions disintegrates, Knight must track down a cadre of murderers before his friends are picked off, one by one- with each death used to strengthen the spells cast against the Gambit.


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Excerpt:


“Tell me honestly, what do you think we’re going to find?”

“Statistically, the safe money would go on Castle getting involved with the wrong woman- one of the two reasons people usually kill each other. The other’s ambition, but there’s no percentage in killing Castle; if this is the opening for something larger, I can't even imagine what the game is.”

“So the all-points response is…”

“Precaution. If we really thought the gambit was under assault, we’d have marshaled our forces and stormed the cabin with every mage who takes our calls. But that also means riding out here in a caravan of VW buses that reek of skunk weed- and burning a lot of good will if it's a false alarm. So you coming out of the car?”

She hesitates for a moment, then gets out. A “V” of Canadian geese flies overhead. “Too bad you suck at divination,” she says. “Maybe they’d be able to tell us if we’re about to die.”

I start toward the house, hating every crunch of gravel under my feet because they make me louder, and make it harder to listen for something amiss. “I dated an augur once; she was flighty.”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Nicolas Wilson is a published journalist, graphic novelist, and novelist. He lives in the rainy wastes of Portland, Oregon with his wife, four cats and a dog.

Nic's work spans a variety of genres, from political thriller to science fiction and urban fantasy. He has several novels currently available, and many more due for release in the next year. Nic's stories are characterized by his eye for the absurd, the off-color, and the bombastic.

For information on Nic's books, and behind-the-scenes looks at his writing, visit nicolaswilson.com.

Website: www.nicolaswilson.com   
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/u20RL 

Buy links for The Necromancer’s Gambit

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Nicolas Wilson will be awarding a swag package with a pendant and bookmarks (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a swag package with a pendant and bookmarks (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host.



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Monday, September 14, 2015

Goddess Fish Presents: Picture Me, A Mystery

PICTURE ME, A MYSTERY
by Amy Schisler
Leave a comment for chance to win $25 GC!


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GENRE:  mystery

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BLURB:
Melissa Grant has escaped the clutches of death, not once, not twice, but three times. While she considers this to be divine intervention, her assailant is sure that her luck will run out, and the authorities are suspicious that Melissa isn’t as innocent as she seems. Implicated in the murders of two of her closest friends, and running from both a hit man and the law, Melissa does what is thought to be impossible in the 21st Century – she disappears. Julie Lawson has no family, no friends, and no past. She spends her days photographing the country and her nights tossing and turning as nightmares plague her sleep. While passing through the town of St. Brendan, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Julie finds some things she hasn’t had in a very long time – a home, friends, and love. For the first time in two years, Julie can see her future, but she can attain it only by surviving a predator from her past. Eric West has a past of his own that he is trying to forget. His return to his hometown keeps his demons away until he meets Julie, and she stirs up emotions in him that he hasn’t felt in a long time. As he slowly begins to let go of this past, Eric tries to break down the walls that Julie has so tightly built around herself. Gaining her trust one small act at a time, and hiring the best investigator in DC to dig for answers, Eric opens the Pandora’s Box to Julie’s past which threatens all of their futures.

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Excerpt:



With her heart beating wildly, under the cover of the loud music, she tiptoed toward the bedroom window where the fire escape was.  Praying that the man would not turn toward the bedroom, she quietly raised the window while holding her breath and praying it wouldn’t make a sound.  Not daring to look back, she dropped herself onto the landing, sucking in frigid air and almost choking as her feet hit the icy metal. 

Melissa flew down the fire escape slipping and sliding on the smooth, glassy coating.  Her bare foot slipped out from under her on the last step sending her reeling back onto the stairs and hitting her head.  Looking up, she saw the masked man lean out of the window above her. 

Melissa had no time to even check her head for blood as she wrenched herself from the sidewalk and ran for her life. 



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Amy MacWilliams Schisler, of Bozman, has been writing all of her life for fun and as a freelance writer.  A graduate of University of Maryland College Park with a Masters of Library and Information Science, Amy has resided in Talbot County for 21 years.  She was employed as a school library media specialist at White Marsh Elementary and Chapel District Elementary and a reference librarian at Chesapeake College.  For the past eight years, she has operated her own computer tutoring service working primarily with senior citizens while spending as much time as possible writing. Amy was a contributing editor for the reference series Best Books For Libraries 2004 Edition and is included in Who’s Who Among American Women.

Schisler’s first children’s book, Crabbing With Granddad, is an autobiographical work about spending a day harvesting the Maryland Blue Crab and is available in local stores and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as well as on Amazon.  Sarah Book Publishing released Schisler’s novel, A Place to Call Home, in August of 2014.  A revised second edition was released in March 2015. 

Picture Me, A Mystery was released on August 17, 2015.  The book follows the plight of a young woman as she journeys across the country assuming one identity after another in order to stay alive.  When she lands in a small port town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and meets the man of her dreams, she lets her guard down and puts her heart and her life in danger.

            A former librarian and teacher, Amy now lives in Bozman, Maryland with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs where she is very involved in her local community.  Amy is the leader of Girl Scout Troop 453, Director of Summer Roundup Girl Scout Camp, and active in her family’s church and school.

contact@amyschislerauthor.com
http://amyschislerauthor.com
http://amyschisler.wordpress.com
http://facebook.com/amyschislerauthor
https://www.goodreads.com/amyschisler
Twitter @AmySchislerAuth
Instagram: amyschisler

Amy has been featured on:
OmniMystery News
Noisetrade.com
Southern Maryland News
Tea at Trianon Blog

Amy’s newest book is available on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Me-Mystery-Amy-Schisler/dp/0692497862/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1439668864&sr=8-1&keywords=Picture+Me+Schisler




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Friday, September 11, 2015

Goddess Fish Presents: HellKat by Robyn Roze

HELLKAT
by Robyn Roze

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Leave a comment for chance to win GC!
.99 through September 15th

GENRE: Romance/Mystery/Suspense

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BLURB:

Kat James likes her men in suits, not cowboy boots. Is it time for a different kind of man?

Saddle up for a story filled with passion, mystery, unrequited love, and family drama. Can Tucker Williams prove he's the best man for Kat? Or will an old-flame win her back?

It won't matter, if Kat doesn't survive her family’s dangerous secret.

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Excerpt:


“You don’t remember seein’ me that day before I talked to you at the bar, do you?” Kat thought about it and then shook her head. “I didn’t think so.” Tucker scratched along his jaw, and sighed.

“Well, I saw you. I saw you up the street, runnin’ and dodgin’ people.” He smiled at the memory. “I still don’t understand how you women run in heels.” He shook his head in disbelief, and maybe even a little awe. “Your legs, I noticed immediately. Your umbrella lifted up a few times and I saw your face, stopped my heart for a beat or two. Then I saw where you were headed, knew right then I had to get to the door before you did. Had to find a way to get your attention.” His eyes dropped. “But it didn’t work. You looked right past me, like I wasn’t even there. I heard your name when you checked in, and then I knew I had a decision to make.” He looked down at the coffee mug squeezed between his large hands.

“We can argue all night about me not comin’ clean on who I was. But the truth, for me, is once I knew you didn’t recognize my name, didn’t know I was the one you were waiting for, I decided then and there to be Tucker Williams—the man, not the pompous venture capitalist.” He paused, searched for recognition. She rewarded him with the hint of a grin at the echo of her own words. “I wanted a chance, Kat. I wanted you. I wanted you to flirt with me the way you did that pretty boy behind the bar.”

He chewed at the inside of his cheek and waited. Kat glanced down at her lap, attempted to hide her smile.

“I’m not the sorta guy you usually go for, am I?”

“Not even close.”

“So why did you, Kat?”

(HellKat by Robyn Roze, copyright 2015)


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Robyn Roze lives amongst the cornfields of the Midwest and telecommutes as an accountant. Writing was a childhood dream of Robyn’s. She won creative writing awards as a girl and teachers encouraged her to pursue a writing career. But pragmatism won out, and she boxed the dream away on the maybe-someday shelf.

Maybe-someday came for Robyn in 2013 when she published the Keeper Series, a new adult romantic suspense story. Then she shifted gears and decided to pen a novel with a much more mature cast—Chain of Title was born, her bestselling title. Readers have been loud in their demand for a sequel, and Robyn is currently working on the next chapter of Shayna and Sean's love story. And her latest book, HellKat, released in June 2015. All of Robyn’s stories contain one key element that her readers love: a strong, independent heroine.

When she’s not spending time with her fictional families, she loves to spend time with her real one: her high school sweetheart, their two moody teenagers, and a pampered rescue mutt.

HellKat Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/HellKat-Robyn-Roze-ebook/dp/B00ZB80IYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439691942&sr=8-1&keywords=hellkat

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Robyn-Roze/e/B00AZXCT5G/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Website: http://www.robynroze.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robynrozeauthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/robynroze


Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobynRozeAuthor

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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Goddess Fish Presents: The Extraordinary Days Series by Polly Becks

THE EXTRAORDINARY DAYS SERIES
by Polly Becks


GENRE:  Romance/Mystery/Thriller

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BLURB:
A percentage of the sales of this book will be donated to Children's International, a not-for-profit organization very close to the author's family's  heart. Past books in the series have benefited The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, Tuesday's Children [a 9/11 charity], and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.


In the late spring of 1991, a flood and fire of historic proportions tore through the pretty resort town of Obergrande, New York, in the central region of the Adirondack mountains.

The twin disasters destroyed a large part of the east side of the town that bordered the Hudson River and Lake Obergrande.

In the aftermath, a new dam was built, and that damaged part of the town “drowned,” covered by the new, larger lake.

During that terrible flood, five kindergarten girls were trapped in their drowning school, huddled together as the water rose higher, rescued just in the nick of time. The nightmare bonded them, and three others like them, to each other for life.

These are their stories.

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Excerpt:

For the fourth time already that morning, a polite but urgent knock sounded on the inner door of Grace Fuller’s small office, deep in the central hallway of the Obergrande Community Church.
            Grace, a petite young woman with ivory skin and cinnamon-brown hair styled in a neat, chin-length bob, rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.
“Yes, Dad?”
           
The door opened partway, and Reverend Benjamin Fuller, the pastor of the church, popped his head in, a sheepish expression on his face.
           
“Er, Gracie, I’m sorry to bother you yet again, but I was hoping you might take this next client. And thanks for all the others you’ve been gracious enough to help me with this morning.”
           
Grace sighed again. “Dad, I have my own appointment schedule today, and it’s full.” A nervous expression came over her face. “Are you not feeling well?”
           
The pastor cleared his throat.
           
“I’m fine, honey. I, well, I just thought this lady’s counseling needs might be better served by your talents.”
           
Grace sat back in her chair and crossed her hands over her stomach.
           
“Oh, really? I believe that you and I have done the same coursework and had the same training in the pastoral counseling areas in the course of being ordained, Dad. And you’ve been doing it a heck of a lot longer. What makes you think my ‘talents’ would be more useful for her than your own?”
           
Behind his glasses, Pastor Fuller’s face went red to the roots of his gray hair.
           
“Er, well, she says she has issues in the bedroom—and questions about them.”
           
Grace snickered in spite of herself. “And? So what?”
           
“Come on, Grace, don’t make me beg.”
           
Grace threw her hands up in exasperation.
           
“Dad, you’ve been married for thirty-one years. I would like to go on record as assuring you that I have never had ‘bedroom issues’ because no man has ever actually broached the sanctity of my bedroom—pretty pathetic, given that I live with my parents and I’m turning twenty-eight next week.”
           
“Grace—”
           
“All right,” Grace conceded, noting that her father looked much more upset than she would have ever imagined, and not wanting him to stay in that state. His recent heart attack had been a minor one, but worrisome enough for her to have given up her youth pastor position in Pennsylvania to come and help him out in Obergrande, where he had been pastor of the Community Church for thirty years.

She watched as her father smiled in relief and left the room via the interior door.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Polly Becks has been making her living writing for more than twenty years, as well as working as an editor, curriculum developer, and teaching secondary-school Spanish. She has more than 350 books to her credit, mostly educational materials, as well as professionally published fiction in both the adult and YA market in a variety of genres, plus more than 30 Children’s books. She is excited about exploring the digital literature frontier and is honored to be the launch series for GMLTJoseph, LLC. - See more at: http://www.pollybecks.com/author/#sthash.pEZ6f3xO.dpuf

http://www.pollybecks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PollyBecks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PollyBecks
Buy Polly’s books: http://www.amazon.com/Polly-Becks/e/B00QDYJ72Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1433266673&sr=8-1
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

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Review of Universal Studios and Fright Night

Last October, I went to Universal Studios (Hollywood) and Fright Night with my two young adult daughters. Below is a summary and review of t...