Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Are Angels Aliens or Vice Versa?

5 More Days for The Best Seller Giveway on Goodreads


Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Best Seller by Dina Rae

The Best Seller

by Dina Rae

Giveaway ends July 31, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway


Are Angels Really Aliens or Vice Versa?  By Dina Rae


As a Christian and a believer in extraterrestrials, I wanted to write a novel about some kind of divine or intellectual race of beings who help humans evolve.  Are angels and aliens one in the same? 
We’ve all heard about UFO sightings, alien abductions, burnt crop fields, and cattle mutilations.  Roswell, New Mexico. and Area 54 are the meccas of American X-files.  Bright discs are seen everywhere around the world.  What does the Bible have to say about extra-terrestrials?  Were things so different three thousand years ago?  Or are we just using a different vernacular?
Anyone who has ever picked up the Bible knows the story of Noah and the ark.  God chose him and his family because they were ‘pure’ (Genesis).  The question is pure heart or pure bloodline?  Angels mated with women back in those days, producing a half breed called nephilim.  These beings were described as giants with superhuman powers.  Could the nephilim be an old version of modern day aliens of a mixed race or even early attempts at genetic modification?  Was Noah and his family the last ‘humans’ left of the human race?
Angels and aliens are always described as glowing with light.  Ezekiel, an Old Testament prophet, vividly describes a spaceship in his book.  Ezekiel 1:16: “The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.”  Many Ancient Alien theorists use this passage as documentation of Ezekiel witnessing a spacecraft landing on earth.  The description of the wheel is definitely futuristic.
Enoch’s writings about angels were controversial enough to be edited out of the Bible.  More of his writings were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  He regularly communicated with angels and ascended up to Heaven to speak with God on behalf of their shortcomings.  Possible abduction?  Genesis 5:24 clearly states that Enoch “walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
Did angels or aliens come to Earth to show mankind technology and weapons?  One of the Bible’s biggest examples of this, at least according to Ancient Alien Theory, is Lot’s wife.  Genesis 19:26 says, “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”  Lot and his family were warned not to look back.  We know now that nuclear blasts leave salt.  There are large salt contents all over the Dead Sea to suggest that there was once an ancient nuclear explosion.
In the Bible these beings appear to prophets, kings, and every day people.  In modern day many geniuses such as Tesla and Da Vinci claim that brilliant ideas just popped into their heads.  Some alien believers call these moments of greatness part of the Akashic record.
Whatever you believe, angels or aliens were definitely here thousands of years ago.  Our history books only tell us bits and parts of our past.  The Best Seller, my new sci-fi novel, uses ancient alien theory, New World Order, Nazi conspiracies, and aliens to weave an entertaining tale that will leave you wondering about our collective past.



The Best Seller (Solstice Publishing, May 31st, 2016)
When Maya Smock writes her first novel, everything seems to go her way. Her book practically writes itself. She marries her gorgeous agent. Her name is on all of the best seller lists. Billionaire author Jay McCallister takes an interest in her meteoric rise to fame and invites her into his world of alien-believing celebrities. Her life changes forever when he tells her that they were both created inside of a laboratory. These authors are embedding an alien genetic code within the pages of their novels that originated from Nazi Germany because…
The time has come. They are here.
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQER8wJmaf8
@HalooftheDamned


Sunday, July 24, 2016

Rennes le Chateau: A Conspiracy Landmark

Rennes le Chateau, a mysterious castle in southern France, is one of the most fascinating and ominous places in the world.  It has passed the ultimate litmus test-Ancient Aliens mentioned this place on a few episodes.  The castle inspired me to write this post.
Berenger Sauniere, the priest in charge of the castle-parish, is at the center of the chateau's conspiracies.  Sauniere ran the chateau from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  After finding parchments during a renovation, he became fabulously wealthy.  Many wondered if he found something valuable within the chateau. The structure is loaded with many secret rooms and tunnels.  There is a nearby graveyard as well.
Sauniere
The priest got in trouble with his higher-ups for taking money from masses that he did not perform.  He was ordered to hand over his personal ledger which he refused.  The priest was essentially fired.  I think they call it "suspended".  Sauniere spent much, much more than any priest could have afforded from his salary and supposed coffer booty.  His housekeeper who was accused of grave robbing along with Sauniere claimed she knew a secret that would make one rich.  She carried her secret to the grave, but before dying, she had a stroke that left her speechless before telling anyone the reason for Sauniere's wealth. 
Some conspiracies speculate that Sauniere found one of the Knights of Templar treasure.  Others believe he found the treasure of Blanche of Castille.  Then there is the treasure of the Cathars, the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and on and on it goes.  But the hidden treasure is only one of the strange things about Rennes le Chateau.  This conspiracy influenced some of the content in the famous best seller Holy Blood, Holy Grail which in turn influenced Dan Brown in his Da Vinci Code. 
Fountain inside Rennes le Chateau
But there is more, much more, the kind of stuff that sci-fi writers live for.  Some believe that Sauniere was a Rosicrucian, another secret society that doesn't get as much hype as the Freemasons.  He supposedly liked to travel back and forth between the Rennes le Chateau and the city of Girona.  He liked a tower in Girona that was used as a model for the tower he had built at the Rennes le Chateau.  Once the tower at Rennes le Chateau was completed, many wondered if both towers caused some kind of vibration or a portal of sorts made for time travel.  Some even believe that Sauniere had been through the portal, leaving many clues for others to find.  The area has long been connected to UFO sightings and alien abductions.  This is definitely on my bucket list for upcoming vacations!
Going to try to use this for my next book!  Like history and legends, give The Best Seller a try!
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Seller-Dina-Rae-ebook/dp/B01G2AKGMS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469401329&sr=8-1&keywords=dina+rae#nav-subnav


Friday, July 22, 2016

Book Review: Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Brilliance is a thriller with a dash of sci-fi and a whole lotta political intrigue.  The main story line sets the country up into two factions-the gifted and the normal.  Gifted people are NOT those who excel in calculus and physics.  They are brilliant, hence the title, with almost supernatural powers.  For example, the main character Nick Cooper, can zero in on one's body language and determine exactly what he/she will do.  His daughter can organize just about anything into intricate patterns.  The richest man in the world who bought the state of Wyoming can figure out algorithms within the stock market and make tons of money.  There are no limits to what the gifted can learn let alone do.
These gifted types are identified and then put in a special school where they are pitted against each other.  The friction is intentionally part of the government's curriculum.  Big brother is really threatened.  If they all get along, then everyone else would be screwed.  The world still allows the gifted to work with the normals at many jobs such as government agencies which is where Nick Cooper comes in.  He is an a DAR agent.  This agency is like Homeland Security.  He and his colleagues are on a mission to catch a terrorist, John Smith.  Smith has been the patsy for several bombings.  He has a following of other gifted people who want him to overthrow the government.  He is connected to the richest man in the world who owns Wyoming, a place where the gifted can leave the regular world and be with their own kind.
Without giving too much away, Cooper soon learns he has been played.

My Review: This story touches on so many themes of paranoia within the government.  Is art imitating life or life imitating art?  The American media and politicians are constantly pumping up citizens to tear each other apart instead of trying to get along.  Not to get too political, but I think we all know specifically what I'm talking about.  Sakey uses the differences between humans instead of the commonalities for his novel.  Are we threatened of groups of people with too much power?  Whether it's intellect, money, or power, I think he's more than fair in pointing this out.  It's human nature to want to keep what you believe is yours.  The government could easily get toppled by a handful of people who are smarter, more talented, and more creative if they all managed to unite.  Without spoiling anything, the end of the book is left open.  Will Nick Cooper blow the lid off of corruption in anger or will he wait until the time is right?  Will he bury the government's secrets in the name of peace?  Will he and Shannon wind up a couple?  Will he get back together with his wife?  So many questions!  I loved this book and will eventually get around to buying the next installment.  Sakey writes with clarity, a sense of humor, and suspense.  The characters were believable and likable.  I loved the settings, especially China Town in Chicago.  It has always been one of my favorite places to visit.  I loved how he separated the country into two groups of people.  The gifted were treated like the Jews under Hitler's rule.  Great stuff, Marcus!  5 out of 5 Stars.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Free of Malice Tour

My Favorite Character in Free of Malice


I was recently asked who was my favorite character in my book, “Free of Malice.” Some folks thought it would be Laura, the protagonist, but it’s actually the criminal defense attorney, Thomas Bennett.

Do we love him or hate him? Do we trust him or suspect him? And why is he doing pro-bono work for a journalist – what’s in it for him? At one point, Laura says, “he sounded sincere, but there was this little nagging voice inside of me—aren’t most psychopaths also charmers?”

My editor, Jan Risher, may have said it best, “This book is not a traditional whodunit. The author pulled off a tough balance of having me both suspect yet somehow root for the lead male character.”

My best friend from college, Thomas Barnette (not a psychopath, by the way), was my inspiration for the lawyer character. He and I met our first day at Georgia Tech – we were both lost trying to find the civil engineering building - and we’ve been friends ever since. We make an odd pair, I’ll admit – he’s a black, gay, Christian guy and I’m a white, straight, Jewish gal, but we have that kind of connection where I’ll be thinking about him and the phone will ring.

We were so focused on our studies at school that I didn’t really learn about Thomas’ creative side until after we graduated. One day he popped a CD into the player in his car and asked what I thought. The singer reminded me of a cross between Lionel Richie and Seal and I really liked it. When Thomas said it was him, I didn’t believe him at first. He actually had to start singing in the car to convince me.

From that point on we talked a lot about him cutting a full CD. He already had quite a few of the songs, many of which he wrote, but there were a also some covers. So, one day I pulled out my computer and started tallying up the work ahead of him to finish the CD – the mixing, mastering, photos, production, etc. and came to a number. The next day, I kid you not, I received a check in the mail for some deferred salary for nearly the exact number. I took it as a divine sign and we were off to producing his debut album.

In my book, the Thomas character takes Laura to hear him sing at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta. At that point, you can pull out your QR reader or go to my website, www.freeofmalice.com/music-let-me-breathe.htm, and hear the first song from his album, "Let Me Breathe." I thought it would be an added treat for the reader to get to hear Thomas’ voice, plus he sang at my launch party and we are doing a few joint events around town to promote the book and the CD. 

Who knew when our paths crossed that first day of college that we would have such an enduring friendship, and that we’d find a way to blend our creativity and support one another. So, my favorite character – that’s easy – was based on one of my favorite people.

 Free of Malice
by Liz Lazarus

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GENRE: Suspense / Thriller

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BLURB:

Laura Holland awakes in the middle of the night to see a stranger standing in her bedroom doorway. She manages to defend herself from the would-be rapist, though he threatens to return as he retreats. Traumatized with recurring nightmares, Laura seeks therapy and is exposed to a unique treatment called EMDR. She also seeks self-protection— buying a gun against the wishes of her husband. When Laura learns she could have gone to prison had she shot her fleeing assailant, she decides to write a hypothetical legal case using the details of that night. She enlists the help of criminal defense lawyer, Thomas Bennett, who proves to be well versed in the justice system but has an uncanny resemblance to her attacker. As the two work together to develop the story, Laura's discomfort escalates particularly when Thomas seems to know more about that night than he should. Reality and fiction soon merge as her real life drama begins to mirror the fiction she's trying to create.

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Excerpt:

Run. Run faster. As much as I strained my legs to move, they were immobile, like I was waist deep in quicksand.

Why can’t I move?

I tried to scream for help but my mouth was full, like it was stuffed with cotton—no sound would escape.

I felt something clutching my shoulder. No, it was someone. He was pushing me forward and then yanking me back. I tried to jerk away but he had a tight grip, like a vice.

I have to break free.

The tugging got harder, more forceful. He was calling my name— over and over. He knew my name.

“Laura, Laura.”

I jolted awake—my husband’s hand still on my shoulder.

“Honey, wake up. You’re having another bad dream.”

Slowly, I turned over in bed and looked at him—his dark brown eyes were fixated on me. I could see them clearly as the light from the bathroom brightened our bedroom.

For a month now, we had slept with this light on.

I could see the small wrinkle on his forehead. I loved that wrinkle though wished he didn’t have good reason to be so concerned. I was enduring the nightmares, but he had to deal with my tossing and mumbling in terror.

I remember when we first met—ten years ago in chemistry lab at Georgia Tech. He had walked up to me with those warm eyes and a charming, confident smile and asked, “Want to be partners?”

Two years later he took me to Stone Mountain Park, rented a small rowboat and, in the moonlight, he pulled out a diamond ring and asked me again, “Want to be partners?”

Life had seemed just about perfect.

Until now.


   

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Liz Lazarus is the author of Free of Malice, a psychological, legal thriller loosely based on her personal experience and a series of ‘what if’ questions that trace the after effects of a foiled attack; a woman healing, and grappling with the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.

She was born in Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a Managing Director at a strategic planning consulting firm in addition to being an author.

Free of Malice is her debut novel, set in Atlanta, and supplemented by extensive research with both therapists and criminal defense attorneys. She currently lives in Brookhaven, GA, with her fiancé, Richard, and their very spoiled orange tabby, Buckwheat.



Available On:
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Sword of Shadows Book Tour



Sword of Shadows
by Karin Rita Gastreich


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GENRE:  Dark Fantasy

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BLURB:


Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.

Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.

Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.

"War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst." -Publishers Weekly

This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN.

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Excerpt:

Mechnes strode to the table where a soldier had left Renate’s head. He took his time unwrapping the bundle, exposing Renate’s matted tresses, the ragged edge of severed flesh, the face—oh, Renate’s face! Stiff, gray, and lifeless. Never again would she laugh, drink wine, cast a spell, or heal a friend.

Adiana’s stomach clenched, and she fought the surge of bile in her throat.

Calm, she told herself. I must remain calm.

Just as Renate had, just like Eolyn would, without as much as a change in the rhythm of her breath.

“Who is this woman?” Mechnes’s voice hit Adiana like a spear.

“It is…” Adiana’s throat tightened. “Was Maga Eolyn.”

Mechnes grunted as he studied the gruesome package. “And who are you?”

“My name is Adiana.”

“You are this woman’s scullery maid?”

Adiana swallowed. She had learned how to lie during her youth in Selkynsen, after her parents were killed and she fled to the piers. Lies must be presented on a bed of truth, or they lose their seductive power. “No, I am not a servant. I am a musician from Selkynsen. Maga Eolyn brought me to Moehn to teach music to her students.”

“Music?” Amusement broke on Mechnes’s face. He seemed genuinely surprised. “What use do magas have for music?”

“Music is also magic, according to the traditions of Moisehén. Eolyn says…used to say that it’s a form of Primitive Magic, the oldest and most sacred of all.”

“So you are a maga?”

“No.” The thought came, terrible and unbidden, that now she would never be. “I only play music.”

“Then Maga Eolyn was trying to protect you by saying you were a scullery maid? How curious.” Mechnes draped one end of the bloodied cloth over Renate’s disfigured face. “I can assure you a musician will find a much better place among the Syrnte than a scullery maid.”

“I don’t intend to find a place among the Syrnte.” Adiana’s breath stalled under the look he gave her. “What I mean is, my home is here, in Moisehén, not with the Syrnte.”

“It’s all one kingdom now. Or perhaps better stated, will be soon.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Twitter: @EolynChronicles

Purchase link for SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB: https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shadows-Silver-Web-Book-ebook/dp/B01G5L1GEG/

Purchase link for EOLYN, Book One of THE SILVER WEB: http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn-Silver-Web-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01B8F4G50/

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Karin will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Angel Ramon Stops By: The Thousand Years War Tour

The Thousand Years War 

By Angel Ramon

Four people in Brooklyn N.Y. who know little about each other and backgrounds that could not be any more different. A normal winter day for these four regular joes will turn into a full-fledged adventure that will determine the fate of the Earth with one twist. That twist is that there is a virtual world that looks, smells and feels like Earth and whatever happens in this virtual world happens on Earth. A great evil has decided to use this world for it’s purpose to take over Earth for himself. These four regular joes will turn from normal everyday joes into Earth’s only hope as they try to prevent an alien race called the gloobas from taking over the world using virtual reality as a weapon. Get ready for an action packed adventure where the enemies are not human and watch our heroes explore a virtual world that will break the rules of nature and science. Little do our heroes know they will fight in a war that was once fought over one thousand years ago and the time has come again for the war to commence once again between good and evil. These four distinctive people (Angel, Maria, Dayvon and Luis) will have to put aside their differences as they will travel to places including New York, Hollywood, The Arctic Core and even outer space. To raise the stakes even higher our heroes will only have 10 days to reverse the effects of the virtual world to Earth otherwise the world may not survive or be under alien rule. Is this what World War 3 has in store for the people on Earth. Is Earth due for another dark age similiar to the fall of the Roman Empire? If our heroes fail Earth will fall and nobody will know why or how. Prepare for an adventure where anything can happen will happen!

Authors Bio.

Hello my name is Angel Ramon and I am twenty-five years old and have a long writing career ahead of me this book is only one of many I plan to write. In fact this book is just the first in the Thousand Years War series that I’m writing. I own a business in Puerto Rico where I fix computers, help people with their resumes and I even do websites. I even give advice to other writers I’m working with a fellow aspiring author with his ideas and editing his work. The Thousand Years War has already been published to Ebook reader publishers and even though this is my very first book but I’ve always been a bookworm. I have a certificate or participation from VSA arts for a short story I wrote for them back in High School. I have always been an avid writer since junior high School. I enjoy science fiction to the point that I’m hooked on it. Right now I’m in a complicated relationship so I’m kinda open for relationships but I rather spend my time on my writing career. I was born and raised in Brooklyn New York but decided to move to my home country of my father Puerto Rico. On the side or my day job is running a home business where I fix computers, do business cards and posters, help people with resumes and doing websites check out my website http://www.angelscomputernetwork.com. I love writing and by the way I have my own Facebook page promoting my book. Hobbies include computer repair, going to the beach, going on risky trips and I’m a huge New York Yankees baseball fan. I’m also a big New York Giants football fan.

Framed: The Second Book in the Thousand Years War Series

After entering a virtual replica of Earth, where anything that happened in the vitual world happened on Earth, Angel gets a chance to live a normal life again. Many months after the events of the first book, Angel and Maria are now married and enjoying their lives together. Angel sells off his computer repair business in exchange for a NYPD uniform and a chance to be a lieutenant in the force. Things get even better for Angel, as his brother Robert comes over to NY for a visit. However Robert wants to stay in NY for good. Angel gets his brother into the force through his uncle Carlos who happens to be a captain of the NYPD. Angel and Robert decide to go out and celebrate but Angel gets an emergency call to investigate a construction site. What should be a normal case for Lieutenant Angel is anything but normal. A dead body is found at a construction site where competing businesses were gunning for each other for a contract for the site. A dead body is found in the construction site, but it is the body that grabs Angel’s attention. The dead body turns out to be that of Angel’s brother. Angel is angered by the idea of his brother getting killed, he goes after the man he believes that committed the murder. Long story short Angel uncover that the construction site is a front for a much bigger operation. As Angel makes the discovery, he is framed for the murder of respected police commissioner Frank Kelly, Angel goes from being a hero to being a felon on the run. A surveillance camera clearly shows “Angel” committing the murder, but Angel was with friends that fateful night. Angel has a suspicion that the person who committed the murder was cloned to look exactly like Angel. Angel would be correct the virtual world has once again been tampered with, now with the ability to create clones of individuals using their DNA. Angel is sent to prison just like in the first book. Angel must break out of prison and find a way into the virtual world to reverse time before his good name is ruined. However as Angel will find out this conspiracy stems from more than just wanting to kill off the police commissioner. All of a sudden plutoninum becomes a rather hot commodity, especially in the black market. Kidnapped kids are not being found, over 100 kids have been kidnapped and never been found. Finally mayoral elections are taking place this year just adding gasoline to the fire. Angel will uncover a conspiracy that will not only put NYC in danger, but also his reputation and more importantly his family’s name. The enemy is one that has a clear agenda and clearly wants to ruin Angel’s life if not destroy everything he has worked for. The question is who is the enemy? Is it the gloobas themselves launching a sneak attack or is the enemy much closer to Angel and someone he claims as an ally? What do plutonium, dirty politics and a virtual world have in common? You’ll just have to find out, in the story of the century! Where no stone will be left unturned!
Links:

Angel's new book is on my TBR list!  He has a New World Order subplot!

Friday, July 15, 2016

Goddess Fish Presents: Shea McMaster's Her Unexpected Affair

Her Unexpected Affair
by Shea McMaster



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 Rafflecopter Below!  Leave a comment!
GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

This was a detour worth taking . . .

For as long as she can remember, Meilin Wu has had her life mapped out, and she's well down her chosen path--which had no warning signs about a tall, golden Brit who would bowl her over the night before her arranged marriage . . .

Drew Robinson has nearly finished his formal education and is ready to face the world when he meets Meilin, an exquisite beauty with Chinese ancestry. He doesn't mind she's ten years older, and the fact she knows Mandarin only makes her that much more a perfect fit for his upcoming adventures in China. He just has to get her to dump her fiancé and convince her that a trip in
China will only enhance her established design business.

Easy for a guy who's known for seeing sunshine wherever he goes. Right?


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Excerpt:



A stab of jealousy knifed Meilin in the heart. Other people found grand passion, and here she was about to commit the rest of her days to a union with a man who failed to inspire the rush of heat she’d experienced by just shaking Drew’s hand. Insane. She didn’t know these people well enough to envy them so fiercely. And yet, that emotion was a thousand times stronger than any emotion she’d ever felt for Shan.

It confused her.

And when confused, she turned to small talk. “I detect more than a little pluminess in your accent, sir, but none in your sister’s. I’m guessing you were raised in England? Father and mother both British?”

“Good ear, not that it’s hard to decipher. I did the whole boarding school with proper elocution thing while Courtney was raised here in California as wild and free as a bird.”

“How very interesting. Are you to the manor born?” She did her best to say it in a British accent. Not that she’d had much practice, but who didn’t love a good BBC program from time to time?

Drew laughed. “No fancy titles in our branch, but we do have the biggest house in the district. My father likes to pretend he’s a lord of some sort at Christmas.”

The notion wasn’t foreign to Meilin.

Junlei arrived with the second round of drinks for her table and turned to Jack’s party to take their orders.

Her own father, directly descended from minor nobility turned laborer in California, liked to do the same. The reminders of how the family had started high born, fell to the lowest depths of society, then rose to the upper ranks were drummed into them all, chapter and verse at each large gathering. Come to think of it, at almost any gathering, large or small. The ancestors were well revered.

“Tell me about yourself,” Drew said. “Jack has told us nothing about you.”

Before she could open her mouth to politely turn the conversation again, Jack leaned across the table in order to be heard. “She’s an interior designer. One of the best in the city. Possibly in all California if not the west coast. Big time bigwig woman.”

Frowning at Jack did no good. She always let her work do her bragging for her, never did she need to toot her own horn. The wave of girls, fluttering like butterflies, returned to their table, relieving her from answering.

“Jack, what a surprise.”

“Hey, cousin.”

“Jack, you mangy dog, what are you doing here? Spying on Meilin’s last night out? We should kick you out of here.”

“Not while he has friends here.” Sunchu, one of her few remaining single friends, leaned over from the far side of the table to extend her hand to Drew. “And who might you be, tall, golden, and handsome?” Drew stood and exchanged handshakes all around as the entire group of five women settled at the table. Sure, they included Courtney, but Drew had ninety-nine percent of their attention. And why not? Exactly as Sunchu had said, he was tall, golden, and very handsome. Not only did he have a perfect tan, but he smelled good too. Not one whiff of heavily scented aftershave teased Meilin’s nose. He was as fresh as a forest. Clean water and towering pines came to mind. Maybe a hint of citrus, possibly lime, but his scent was light and refreshing. She’d have to find out what he used.

What in the hell was she doing sniffing him up like that? No, she would not ask him what scent he wore. Especially because his proximity made her pulse thrum wildly in her veins. His thigh brushed against hers and she swallowed a gasp, as the contact acted like a raindrop landing on a smooth lake, sending ripples of goosebumps down her leg and up her body.

It took only a second to drain her first drink, set it down, and reach for the second. This was all she needed. A short, intense attraction to a foreigner on the eve of her engagement. Sort of like a very short-term foreign exchange. Surprised at her comparison to a semester abroad, she laughed to herself.

Not happening. Not now, not ever.

And then he had to ask, “Would you like to dance?”





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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Shea McMaster lives for traditional romance. Born in New Orleans, raised in California, Shea got moved to Alaska in 1977, where she attended high school before running back to California to get her English degree from Mills College. Alas, once back home she met and fell in love with her own forever true hero, a born and raised Alaska man. Since then she’s had a love-hate relationship with America’s largest state.

With her one and only son half way through college, and mostly out of the house, Shea is fortunate to spend her days engaged in daydreaming and turning those dreams into romantic novels and novellas featuring damsels in distress rescued by their own brains and hunky heroes. She also writes under the steamy romances under the name Morgan O’Reilly.

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/29498
http://sheamcmaster.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shea-McMaster/240251469328338

Buy Links:

Amazonkindle, http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=9781601838209
Apple, http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781601838209
 Google, https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781601838209&c=books
Kobo, http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781601838209
Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781601838209
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE


The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Vimanas: Myth or Ancient UFOs?

Ancient Hindu writings are filled with text and drawings of vimanas or, as we call them today, UFOs.  Vimana is a Sanskrit word that means traversing.  Ancient vimanas are described as floating palaces several stories high or an elaborate chariot driven by a god or gods.  Over the past few years, vimanas have made a comeback.  Apparently these vehicles are much more than legend. 
In 2012 eight U.S. soldiers discovered a five thousand year old vimana in a cave in Afghanistan.  The soldiers disappeared.  Some reports claimed that they were caught in a time well (an electro-magnetic radiation-gravity field famously proven by Einstein in the Philadelphia Experiment) after trying to extract the vimana from the cave.  An energy field supposedly protected the ancient vehicle.  The discovery was downplayed in the mainstream media.  Supposedly high ranking world leaders such as Obama, David Cameron, and Angela Merkel flew into Afghanistan to witness the odd artifact.  Rumors circulated that the U.S. and Afghan soldiers who guarded the cave were drugged and then the vimana was stolen.

An interesting tidbit found written inside of the cave's wall named Zoroaster, the founder of the Zoroastrianism, as the vimana's rightful owner.  Little was known about this obscure figure, but Zoroaster was supposedly a magician, and an astrologer and credited with finding several major religions.  He lived around 500-600 B.C.  
If this vimana really does exist, then ancient texts from all over the world need another look by the so-called scholars who have been dismissing ancient legends, myths, and Biblical stories as mere allegories and ways of explaining the world.  Could our history books be wrong?  Leave a comment!
By the way, there is a discovery of a UFO in my new novel, The Best Seller, that takes place in Roswell, New Mexico.  Check it out!
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Seller-Dina-Rae-ebook/dp/B01G2AKGMS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468463120&sr=8-1&keywords=dina+rae





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...