Saturday, November 30, 2019

VBT Presents: Write a Book That Doesn't Suck



Non-Fiction
Date Published:  Hardcover November 30th

Your Book Might Suck…

But it doesn’t have to.

You are an awesome writer with an incredible fiction story the world needs to experience. But your book… well, it kind of sucks. So let’s fix that.

Setting your novel apart from the rest is a choice.

Fiction is more than a character doing stuff in a place you’ve invented. There are rules to magic and seasons to setting and double meanings to words, and a cadence to sentence structure if you want to write a book that doesn’t suck.

I guarantee you will find tricks and treats you’ve never heard or read before in any other writing book. If not, let me know and I’ll refund your money. But if I’m right, and my book helps you to write a novel that doesn’t suck, then I’m asking you, in return to leave a positive review. That’s fair, isn’t it?

Ready to get started? Great! There are questions with space to answer at the end of each chapter to help you along your journey. I’m super excited for you and wish you all the luck in writing your novel!



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About the Author

Jaimie Engle writes fantasy thrillers for teens and tweens. Her anti-bullying message has reached tens of thousands of students throughout the US, and her books have hit #1 on the Amazon New Release List.  Before publishing her first novel, Jaimie danced at the Aloha Bowl halftime show, was an alien on Sea Quest, and modeled bikinis for Reef Brazil. When not writing books, screenplays, and comics, Jaimie can be found cosplaying at comic conventions. Learn more at www.theWRITEengle.com.


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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

VBT Presents: The Prophets and the Executioner


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Book One, The Awakening
Supernatural Thriller
Date Published April 2019
Publisher: Page Publishing

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With war ravaging their planets and destroying their once-peaceful existence, they fled their homes in search of a new beginning.

Arriving on earth over ten thousand years ago, they brought with them the secret science of immortality, the wisdom of once living in perfect harmony, and the knowledge needed to recreate a utopia like the one they had just destroyed. What they didn’t expect was to arrive on a planet that was far direr than the one they had just left and that it would be thousands of years before earth would be ready for the knowledge they brought with them, if ever at all.

In 2011, Steven Di Carlo, unknowingly living his ninth existence as an executioner, was about to be awakened to his purpose on earth by remembering his many past lives. Along with his prophets Michael and Samuel, they would continue their enormous task of protecting the Book of Wisdom known as the KHoKeM, the very science of an everlasting life. Rumors of its existence had some referring to the KHoKeM as the Holy Grail while others searched in vain for the ever-elusive fountain of youth. December 12, 2012, feared as the day of the apocalypse, was in fact be the date targeted for the retrieval of the KHoKeM. September 9, 2019, would be the day its secrets are to be revealed to the human race. Will the people of earth be ready for this knowledge? Will the prophets and the executioner decide that humanity is still too barbaric and choose to leave the science hidden for another thousand years, or will the path and all its wisdom forever be destroyed by the evil inside us all? The journey begins with book 1 of this new trilogy by Frank Franco.



Keep an eye for Book Two in December 2019

The Prophets and The Executioner "The Darkness"



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About the Author

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Frank Franco is a 63-year-old proud father of two wonderful children; the grandfather of five amazing grand children aged 2 to 11 and has been married to his wife Lina, for the past 42 years.

Born in Amato, Italy in 1955, he immigrated to Vancouver Canada at the age of 4 and has lived there ever since.

Although Frank is not an accomplished writer, I would definitely call him an accomplished story teller. He began writing The Prophets and the Executioner in 2008, mostly writing on Saturday mornings and while on vacations. Writing a novel was a bucket list item he always dreamed of completing and after numerous re-writes, and the story taking control of the writer, one novel turned in to three and thus a trilogy was created and the adventures of Steven DiCarlo (The Executioner) and Samuel Stewart (his Prophet) took him on quite an amazing ride.

This trilogy, The Prophets and the Executioner is lightly based on the author’s beliefs and personal experiences of something existing beyond this world. A somewhat mystical connection guiding us through life and then welcoming us home when we die. Although purely fiction, The Prophets and the Executioner explores why we are here, where we came from and what comes next.

With no formal education as a writer, the intention was to complete the novel, print a few copies and hand them out to family and friends and cross that one off the bucket list. But coming from a newspaper background and having writers and editors as friends, he was encouraged by them to pursue publishing his story. Now that book one and two are complete and book three has been started, he thought, why not!



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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Conman by Mike Murphy


Sports Fiction (Baseball)
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Date Published: November 11, 2019

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Conor Nash has lived his life with a single purpose—to pitch in the Major Leagues. He’s been released from professional baseball contracts ten times over a sixteen-year career, but he’s overcome every obstacle to finally reach The Show when he’s a decade too old.

As he faces the specter of injury-forced retirement, he becomes a man neither he nor his wife recognizes. During his career, Conor avoided the trap of alcohol and drugs because his drug was baseball. And what can an addict do when he realizes he will never get that high again?

Conor climbs treacherous Camelback Mountain, drinks a bottle of Champagne, recalls people and events, and seeks an answer. Who is Conor Nash if he can’t pitch?

The Conman is based on the Life of Keith Comstock. Keith pitched professionally for sixteen years, including Major League time with The Seattle Mariners, the San Diego Padres, the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins. Following his retirement in 1992, Keith has held minor league coaching and managing positions with several organizations.  For the past decade he has served as the rehabilitation instructor for the Texas Rangers.

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About the Author


Mike Murphey is a native of eastern New Mexico and spent almost thirty years as an award-winning newspaper journalist in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. Following his retirement from the newspaper business, he and his wife Nancy entered in a seventeen-year partnership with the late Dave Henderson, all-star centerfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. Their company produced the A’s and Mariners adult baseball Fantasy Camps. They also have a partnership with the Roy Hobbs adult baseball organization in Fort Myers, Florida. Mike loves fiction, cats, baseball and sailing. He splits his time between Spokane, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona, where he enjoys life as a writer and old-man baseball player.



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Monday, November 25, 2019

VBT Presents: Enigma Dragon by Breakfield and Burkey


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TechnoThriller
Book 9 in The Enigma Series
Date Published:
September 2017 (Paperback and eBook)
Jun 10 2019 (Audio Formats on Audible and iTunes)
Publisher: ICABOD Press

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Mike and Marge control ePETRO, an oil shipping business with offices in London and New York, but they don't have the same business goals in mind. Marge intends to sell the North Koreans uranium in addition to oil obtained illegally from the government sanctioned Middle East. But Mike may have other plans, mainly, keeping the profits of these sales for himself.

Then there is the shadowy Steven Christopher, who oversees the information runners who are charged with staying off the grid, is working several angles behind the scenes. Steven is the only one trusted by both Marge and Mike, but why?

Do the vast amounts of information and technology available hold humans’ hostage? Do analog communications sidestep your vulnerability in a digital world?

As Juan and Julie Rodríguez send their operatives, Ernesto, Tyler, Summit, Mercedes, Brayson, and George out across the globe to track down these foot soldiers also known as Analog Information Mules, they'll discover the horrible potential treats, and learn about each other along the way.

Julie heads to London to fill the gap undercover inside ePetro, when she finds herself in the center of all the trouble. When Julie disappears, Juan drops everything to find her.

Even with all their information gathering sources and machinery, the R-Group fears she is lost.

Award winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, take readers on a new techno thriller adventure with their 9th book in The Enigma Series. The Enigma Dragon is chilling journey across four continents, and twelve cities that uncovers terrifying possibilities of what is to become of our world if the CATS team cannot defeat our enemies.



What are Readers saying

Kirkus “Astute prose and an unwavering pace energized by first-rate characters and subplots.”

“The action could be considered exciting and visceral, but the antagonists are the selling points for this book, lifting the plot out of multiple perspectives and scene-shifting (the action takes place across four continents).”

“Any lover of thrillers or techno-thrillers will enjoy this book a lot.”

“The clever ingenuity in this book astounds me (the holy man... so quickly creative!)”


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About the Authors

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Breakfield – A renowned technology solutions architect with 25+ years of experience in security, hybrid data/telecom environments, unified communications, enjoys leveraging his professional skills in creating these contemporary TechnoThriller stories. He likes studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges everywhere he can. Charles’ love of wine tastings, cooking, and Harley riding has found ways into The Enigma Series. He is convinced that being a part of his father’s military career in various outposts, has positively contributed to his many characters and the various character perspectives he brings into the series. He has accepted the challenge to try to teach Burkey humor and has added this to the stories in an unexpected manner.

Burkey – A renowned customer experience, business architect optimizes customer solutions on their technology foundation. She has been a featured speaker, subject matter expert, interviewer, instructor, and author of technology documents, as well as co-author of The Enigma Series. It was revealed a few years ago that writing fiction is a lot more fun than white papers or documentation and Rox took it to heart. As a child she helped to lead the other kids with exciting new adventures built on make believe characters. As a Girl Scout until high school she also contributed to the community in the Head Start program. Rox enjoys family, learning, listening to people, any kind of travel, outdoors, sewing, cooking, and imagining the possibilities.

Breakfield & Burkey – Combine their professional expertise, knowledge of the world from both business and personal travels, many characters whom have crossed their paths are a part of the series character universe. They find it interesting to use the aspects of technology people are actually incorporating into their daily lives and make it one aspect a primary theme for each story. Breakfield & Burkey claim this is a perfect way to create stories that pit the cyber good guys versus the cyber bad guys. The books in this award-winning series can be thoroughly enjoyed alone or in sequence.

You can invite them to talk about their stories in private or public book readings. Burkey also enjoys interviewing authors through the Indie Beacon/iHeart Radio programs with dates of interviews showing inside the calendar page of their website www.EnigmaSeries.com. Followers can see them at various book fairs, book Stores, Comic Book events, libraries and other fun venues.




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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

VBT Presents: Water Viper by RJ Blain



Jesse Alexander, #1
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing
Date Published: May 11, 2017

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During Starfall, magic flooded the Earth and destroyed most technology while humans developed strange new powers. As the scion of a male-dominated clan, Jesse should have risen to become a hero.

One disastrous choice ruins her hopes for the future.

To forget about her life as an assassin, she heads to the dying coasts of Florida. Unfortunately, a chance encounter with a Starfall stone and the Siberian tiger shifter after it thrusts her into the limelight. Escaping Nate’s sights is only the beginning of her woes.

When two dangerous Starfall stones are stolen, it’s up to Jesse to recover them. Should she fail, she’ll only be the first to succumb to the rogue stones’ powers.



About the Author

RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.


Saturday, November 2, 2019

VBT Presents: Black and Blue by Andra Douglas


Fiction
Date Published: July 2019
Publisher:  BookBaby

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Have you ever wanted to do something that everyone said was impossible? Then you’ll love BLACK & BLUE. Loosely based on the author’s own life, this coming-of-age novel will inspire you to pursue your dreams.

For as long as she can remember, “Toady” wanted nothing more than to play football.  But for Toady, the love of football is bittersweet – because Toady’s given name is Christine. She’s a girl, and girls “can’t” play football. Despite her exceptional abilities, she watches bitterly as the boys play on the high school team and win scholarships.  Reluctantly, she gives up her football dreams and moves to New York City – where she finds that life is full of surprises. Christine hears about a group of women playing flag football, and she joins their game. The players are so good that before long, they’re invited to become part of a professional women’s tackle league.

For Christine, this is the chance she’s always dreamed of. Not only does she play football, but she raises enough money to become the team’s owner. But that’s when the real challenges begin. Does Christine have the guts and the stamina to spite the odds? BLACK & BLUE will leave readers cheering as Christine doubles down to fight for her dreams and for the women who want nothing more than to play their favorite sport. If you loved Bend It Like Beckham or A League of Their Own, you’ll adore BLACK & BLUE.



About the Author

ANDRA DOUGLAS is a native of central Florida and a graduate of Florida State University and Pratt Institute.  A national champion athlete in rugby and women's tackle football, she was the owner of the New York Sharks Women's Pro Football team for nineteen years and is the founder of the Fins Up! Foundation for Female Athletes, a non-profit to benefit at-risk teens.  In addition to her love of football, Andra is a professional artist and served as a Vice President/Creative Director at Time Warner for many years. Today, she lives with her parrot, 'Pie' in New York’s Greenwich Village where she creates mixed-media artwork.  To learn more, visit: www.andradouglasart.com.

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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...