Repost.Us

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

ERMAHGERD! The Nightlife London is only #99Cents! #Vampires #Werewolves! #ASMSG


Urban Fantasy Erotic Romance

ON SALE FOR $.99!

The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy


Vampires Aaron and Michelle prowl the dark, gritty, strip clubs and back alleys of London on the hunt for Michael Jamison, the man who stole Michelle's blood and left her for dead. To assist them, Aaron's new master, Urvashi, calls in favors from her friends, Russian mercenary werewolves.

Wolves Katya and Ivan, hunters adept at killing rogue vampires, set aside their animosity for Aaron and Michelle to stop Jamison from murdering another woman – he already has one bloodless victim lying in the morgue.

Jamison, ex-special forces, feels his enemies closing in, but he won't go down without a fight – and like Aaron and Michelle, he also has powerful friends.

Experience the violent, sensual underbelly of Nightlife London, as Aaron and Michelle mix up a wicked blend of sex, chaos, mayhem, and vengeance.

Find out what happens in the fourth novel of The Nightlife Series – bite into your copy today!

 

BUY IT NOW FOR $.99! Normally $4.99

Would you like a FREE Nightlife Novel,
just for subscribing to Travis Luedke’s mailing list?

There it is >>>>

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Anyone up for a beer bath in Prague? Reblogged via @vicdougherty #Czech #Beer #Baddassary #ASMSG



Reblogged via Victoria Dougherty:
 
http://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/colds-first-annual-virtual-pub-crawl-thru-prague/

Cold’s First Annual Virtual Pub Crawl Thru Prague

prague vole beer gut
Allow me to be presumptuous. I’m assuming that since you follow Cold, you love – or at least appreciate on some level – a great beer or five.
Back in the day when I was a Prague-dweller, beer-drinking wasn’t just for weekends or evenings. You could drink beer any time at all and with absolutely no social repercussions! My boss had a large cardboard box (I mean it could have fit three Barbie Dreamhouses fully assembled) next to his desk and it was piled high with empty beer bottles. In fact, I once sauntered into work around 9:00 am (or thereabouts) and was immediately assaulted by four drunkish colleagues – in addition to said boss – who proceeded to hold me down, lift up my skirt and spank me with a willow branch. I remember thinking during this whole surreal episode, “If this happened to me in America, I’d be rich.”
Men could be seen having a beer for breakfast and no one even blinked.
prague vole pouring beer
Would you like one of these with your coffee and pancakes, sir?
So, in honor of my Prague glory days, I thought I’d take myself and any willing Cold reader on little pub crawl through Prague. I’ll drag you to some of my favorite pubs and beer gardens – even some places I’ve never visited personally, but came highly recommended by Czech friends. I’ll wax nostalgic about wonderful hell-holes that have long-since closed. Communist slop-houses with dirty tablecloths, surly waiters (I’ve been told to “blow myself” for asking for a refill – no joke), food that gives a new Webster definition to the word “greasy,” emphysema inducing air, and great stories with even greater cheap beer.
I’ll even introduce you to where I first met my husband, and you’ll see why we’ve lasted so long.
Ah, so where do we begin? Being that it’s spring, I think we must begin outside, while we’re still sober enough to enjoy a good view.
prague letna view
Behold the Letna Park Beer Garden – hands-down my favorite spot to down a brewsky in Prague. Not only does it offer some of the most beautiful views of the city, but boasts a refreshingly un-diverse menu of traditional Czech food – like this goulash for instance.
prague goulash
They serve Gambrinus beer – at least they used to. It’s a beer named after the King of Flanders for his mythical brewing abilities. In truth, who cares? Because any beer you drink in Prague will be better than the sad, watered-down carbonated glug you’re used to drinking on most nights – even your self-respecting microbrews.
Moving along, once you’ve watched the sunset from Letna, you might be in the mood for something more…cultivated. A nod to Prague’s illustrious past, perhaps. In this case I’ve got two suggestions for you. The first is for the purist. For that, I recommend trekking on over to U Fleku, which is no less than a national landmark. U Fleku is, I believe, the only brewery in Eastern Europe that has been brewing beer for 500 years straight. They started brewing only a few years after Columbus discovered America, in fact, so they’re pretty damned good at it. The food is meh, but it hardly matters. The atmosphere is straight out of the 15th century – and there’s even a beer garden.
prague u fleku
And for something less historical and more posed, but really no less enchanting, you can try any number of medieval “themed” bars. Don’t get turned off by that description. They’re more often than not located in centuries-old buildings and decorated in a style that is totally organic to the Dark Ages. So it’s not like going to a Old World version of TGI Fridays. And the beer, no matter what, will be outstanding. Here’s an example:
prague medieval tavern
What’s great about Prague is that even what you might think would turn out to be a cheesy theme bar can have more magic than any place you’ve ever chugged a pint. The pub where my husband and I met, for instance, was and is still called Molly Malone’s. And yes, in addition to Czech varieties, they do serve Irish beer. But that’s where the similarities end. Molly’s sits in a centuries old building and becomes a fire-lit Pilsner fairy-land once the sun goes down.
This is Molly’s on the outside. I’m blushing.
prague molly malones exterior
For more traditional Czech pub encounters, you still have plenty of options – even if the pubs of yesteryear aren’t quite the dime-a-dozen they used to be. Most of them offer lace curtains, vole (the Czech version of “good ole boys”), families, bad hygiene, ladies who will happily show you a good time, accordion music, beer cheese (you don’t want to know) and no non-smoking section. I love them, but they’re not for everybody.
prague accordion
prague vole
My favorite Czech pub food is Smazeny Syr – or a breaded and deep fried block of cheese served with french fries and copious dollops of mayonnaise. Pardon me while I have my heart-attack.
prague smazeny syr
Don’t know where I can find a beer bath, but Czech this out anyway (bad, I know). Doesn’t it make you want to move there?
prague beer bath 2
And finally, but downright at the top of my list are the pubs of the bygone era – that magnificent time when communism was already kaput, and everyone was free to think, speak, do whatever the bejeezus they wanted to do, but the whole place was still trapped in a time warp anywhere between 1951 and 1968. It was when pubs and restaurants like Deminka and Slovansky Dum had yet to be privatized and still offered great, uber-cheap (as in a few cents) beer, awful food, and a staff that was chronically lazy, rude, utterly classless, smelly and could be counted on for absolutely nothing – except to bring you a fantastic beer.
At Deminka, a waiter actually slapped my head when I dared to pick up the menu off the table. “What would it look like if we let everyone touch it?” he demanded. When I asked for french fries in place of dumplings with my pork, I was told that “Only an idiot would ask for that. Everyone knows it doesn’t go together.”
Sadly, I could find no pictures of those establishments. You’ll have to use your imagination.
But know, that now matter what, at the end of the night you’ll always end up looking like this:
prague pass-out

Czech out Victoria Dougherty:

Victoria Dougherty Bio

author photo
Victoria Dougherty has for nearly twenty years distinguished herself as a master storyteller, writing fiction, drama, speeches, essays, and television news segments/video scripts.

In Prague, Ms. Dougherty co-founded the acclaimed Black Box Theater, translating, producing and acting to sold-out audiences in several Czech plays – from Vaclav Havel’s riveting “Protest” to the unintentionally hilarious communist propaganda play “Karhan’s Men.” Black Box Theater was profiled in feature articles in USA Today, International Herald Tribune, and numerous European publications.
Currently, Ms. Dougherty lives with her family in Charlottesville, VA, and has recently completed a series of thematically linked Cold War spy thrillers. She is represented by Josh Getzler of Hannigan Salky & Getzler.

Czech out Vic's new release: THE BONE CHURCH


Monday, April 28, 2014

THE SPOILS OF ALLSVEIL by @Stephonavich ~ #99Cent New Release! #Fantasy #Romance #ASMSG


Stephanie McKibben, Author - A Dirty Blog
New Release: The Spoils of Allsveil
Picture
Available on Kindle for 99¢ this week only‼

Murder. Marriage. Forgiveness. The kingdom of Allsveil is the chessboard, and the royals are the pieces.
Two noble families meet in a whirlwind of battle, conquest, hate, and passion.

When a neighboring army conquers her home, Princess Alexia is forced to marry her father’s murderer, Darrin, the new king's young prince. While Alexia grapples with revenge and flirtation, finding her own strength in the process, the new king, Goththor, seeks forgiveness from his queen and from himself. Two generations learn that the game of chess is nothing compared to the game of love and forgiveness...

Play chess with a princess...get your copy today!

This, dear reader, is a story for you. Yes, I craft all my stories for you, but this one is special. I can only attribute it's creation to the suggestions of my readers. I have no memory of where the story came from, what it's origins are or how the whole thing came to be. Only that I wanted a "Taming of the Shrew" type story. It's working title was "Princess Bitch, Thee I Wed" but, I somehow don't think some distributors would appreciate the name--even if that title did better in testing. 

This story tells the tale of two characters from their point of view--Princess Alexia and King Goththor. In the process of this story, I started another that began as a short story some of you beta read for me. The consensus was "YES, make this a full length story" and it will be a continuation of the FAMILY not the characters. Without giving away spoilers it will be about Princess Alexia's grandson. 

But the real part I wanted to tell you about was this is at a I love my readers price of 99¢ for one week from today (Friday April 25th, 2014). So I suggest you play chess with a princess and get your copy today!! Happy reading!! 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

THE SHEPHERD returns, a new cover art poll! #CoverWhore #YA #Paranormal #ASMSG


Its me again, playing around with my cover art. Will it ever end? Probably not. 

Cast your vote now for the new face of THE SHEPHERD


Skate punks, kleptomaniacs, clairvoyant visions and reincarnation...

THE SHEPHERD is unlike any other Young Adult novel you have ever read.

Mike Evans here. Sixteen year old skate punk squatting in a white-trash trailer park with my loser drunk Dad. Seems I lost most of my friends when Dad lost our home in foreclosure. Only Anita stuck by me. Worse, I keep having strange clairvoyant visions of things that always come true.

Then I almost ran over Nadia in my Geo. A passing truck finished the job – left a crumpled heap of skin and bone on the road. I fixed her. Me.

Now this fourteen year old girl won’t leave me alone. I sorta let her sneak in my window when she needs a place to crash.

I have a double life: daytime at school, Anita, skating, and then my nights with Nadia. She's my secret friend, gives me money and listens to my problems when nobody else will.

My world is spinning out of control. Old friends have turned enemy, my grisly visions of death won’t quit, and Anita’s intentions make my head spin. Even with all that, I’ve got bigger stuff to worry about.

Nadia’s hiding something.

˃˃˃ "I could not put this book down. All I keep thinking about is what could possibly happen next. I felt as if I was back in high school with them!"

˃˃˃ "It's almost a love triangle of epic proportions or so you think....Travis blew me away with this book, I never saw what was coming."

˃˃˃ "Amazing, I loved Mike and Anita. The characters that I didn't feel could redeem themselves did in ways I never thought possible. I loved the ending and so not what I thought would happen. I love the element of surprise."

Sharp, witty, dark and gritty, The Shepherd is a must read YA paranormal thriller. Get your copy now!




Saturday, April 19, 2014

THE MAEBOWN ~ Epic conclusion to THE WEALD FAE JOURNALS by @WealdFaeJournal #Fantasy #ASMSG



An Epic Conclusion to an Epic Series!

THE MAEBOWN (Weald Fae Journals #4)




"The Weald is at War!"

Now a Maebown, and pitted against a swelling number of Fae siding with Ozara and the Alliance, Maggie is in more danger than ever—so is everything and everyone she cares about. The Alliance is on the move, forcing the original clans across the globe to choose between the enemy they know—Ozara—and an eighteen-year-old human they do not trust.

As the Alliance unleashes its insidious plans, creating havoc the world over, Maggie builds a coalition—the last, best chance to defeat Ozara—but the young Maebown must overcome centuries of distrust the original clans’ harbor for one another. Lines are drawn, sides are chosen, allegiances are galvanized, and friends are lost. Maggie returns to the Weald to force a final showdown.

THE MAEBOWN is the final book in the four-part epic fantasy series, Weald Fae Journals.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CHRISTOPHER SHIELDS

Christopher Shields
College Professor and Author
CHRISTOPHER SHIELDS is a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas.  Known in the halls of the university as Dr. Shields, he prefers to go by Chris when anywhere else.  His students love him, and seek his guidance often.  It is for that, and his unique ability to shape and guide the futures of many students, that he considers his academic position his “calling.”
A lifelong resident of Northwest Arkansas, he spent his childhood in the small town of Prairie Grove.  Upon entering the University of Arkansas, he relocated to Fayetteville where he has resided ever since.  Over the years, Chris has acquired a BA degree in Criminal Justice, a MA degree  in Sociology, a JD of Law degree, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy.  Also the author of many nonfiction works, he published his first academic book on prosecutorial and defense strategies in domestic terrorism trials–his research specialization.
Throughout his college career, Chris was active in the University of Arkansas’ Best of Sight and Sound–the Razorback Band.  An avid Saxaphone player, he has enjoyed playing both in the band and in jam sessions for over 20 years.  He got a little rusty for a bit, but works in as much practice and jam time as his teaching and writing schedule afford.
Chris devotes his days to academia, but at night he turns on the desk lamp and creates a new world–a world full of immortal beings, world altering struggles, clandestine romantic involvements, elaborate conspiracies, powerful family and friendship bonds, and superpower struggles that may very well shake the pillars of humankind.
Through his work, The Weald Fae Journals, Chris hopes to open up the vivid and engaging world of the Fae as he perceives them, and at the same time draw greater correlations and lessons from their interactions and characteristics.  He hopes that readers will enjoy experiencing the journey as much as he enjoys crafting and telling it.  Please feel free to email him, or post comments anywhere on the site that interests you.  Happy Reading.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Take a tour of THE BONE CHURCH with @VicDougherty #Espionage #Thriller #ASMSG

REBLOGGED via Victoria Dougherty:

http://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/the-bone-church-real-and-imagined/


The Bone Church: Real and Imagined

bone church exteriorThe Ossuary at Sedlec – or Bone Church of Kutna Hora as it’s more commonly known – is a relatively plain church from the exterior. At least as far as Old World European standards go. It sits about an hour outside of Prague in the Czech Republic, and last time I was there, some ten years ago, it was still a dingy mustard color on the outside.
In fairness, most ossuaries are just church basements filled with neatly piled up human bones, so there typically isn’t anything out of the ordinary about the actual structure it’s housed in. There’s no electrically powered Grim Reaper standing with a scythe a chuckling a deep MWAAHHAAHAAA, the way there is at any self-respecting haunted house.
In fact, the only feature that advertised that there just might be more than meets the eye to The Bone Church of Kutna Hora was the skull and crossbones spiked at the top of its spire – right where you’d usually see a crucifix.
Otherwise, the place just sat there like Boris Karloff without make-up.
bone head
When I visited on a gloomy October day in 2004, dragging my 20 month-old son and a prehistoric digital camera with me, I thought I would have to muscle my way through a throng of tourists.
But we were alone there.
Suitably, the only sounds we could hear were my own boot heels clicking on the stone tiles as we entered the foyer, the wheels of my son’s dilapidated MacLaren stroller and the whistle of a fall wind – the kind that blows tufts of dead leaves in a swirl. Some of those, mostly a fresh cluster of fiery orange oaks, blew with us into the Bone Church. A young man, very pale and black haired with a warm smile and crooked teeth, greeted us.
It should have been eerie, but it was exquisite.
A short staircase – also stone – led us down into the chamber, where an enormous chandelier lorded over the place. It was fashioned entirely of human bone – utilizing every bone in the human body, the young man told us in his hushed, churchy voice. The skulls would have held candles, I suppose, but the chandelier was unlit. In fact, the only light in the Bone Church came from the outside through a few kidney-shaped Gothic windows.
There were urns made primarily of femurs, a bone Coat of Arms belonging to the Schwarzenberg family, an endless garland (skull-vertebrae-vertebrae-knee cap, skull-tibia-skull-tibia) strung loosely along the trim like it was Christmas and several pyramids constructed of bones – ones that sat in iron-barred enclaves like slayed prisoners.bone church chandelier
My son and I stood there absorbing the sheer magnitude of death around us. People who’d died of flu, arsenic poisoning, small pox, swords thrust into their rib cage, a heart-attack, a mallet to the temple, infection, childbirth, trampling, a broken heart.
The bones of some 30,000 Christians beautified this stark, chapel-like holy chamber – prominent and presumably pious Christians who had been promised burial in the Church of All Saints cemetery. But due to a string of plagues and wars, had found themselves without a place to land after they blew their last breath.
bone church 6
It occurred to me this strange permanent installation of sacred art – the devil’s art, some called it – was actually a clever solution to a very sensitive dilemma. Church teachings, after all, forbade cremation. And the poor souls who had counted on burial in the Church of All Saints holy cemetery had paid considerable tithes to earn their way into some kind of dignified and noble entombment.
And what could be more noble than the care and inspired vision required to create such a communal, yet deeply personal way to honor the departed? To me, it was the ultimate expression of both grief and hope.
cherub bone church
My little son – and my first and most tender reminder of my own mortality – was getting restless and hungry, so I snapped a couple of pictures and we left.
But The Bone Church stayed with me and made its way into a story I’d begun writing.
The Bone Church: A Novel is now available on Amazon:
BoneChurch_border

Sunday, April 13, 2014

BOOK BLOGGERS >> Join THE SPICE BOX Tour! 16 #Erotic #Romance Novels in ONE!


16 of the hottest full-length erotic romance novels have come together in ONE BOX SET!



BLOGGERS SIGN UP NOW FOR THE SPICE BOX TOUR & GIVEAWAY!

Book Blast :  June 29 - July 13, 2014 
Spice Box (Sixteen Steamy Stories)
Variety is the SPICE of life.  So be prepared to jump into the sensual sexiness of SPICE BOX.  What's your Spice?
Various Romantic Sultry Genres 18+
Organized by Literati Author Services, Inc.



Thursday, April 10, 2014

Vote for the cover art of NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO! #UrbanFantasy #Erotica #ASMSG


THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO is calling for your vote!


BLURB

All she wanted was to escape the police. All he wanted was to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.

She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn't know from who. She only knew she wasn't safe. 

EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can't explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police and the Feds. Well, the hot sex might have something to do with it. 

Adrian soon learns she is much more than a damsel in distress, and he’s stuck with her.

It isn't long before the past she cannot remember begins to catch up with them both…

THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO is a non-stop thrill ride through the shadowy borderworld of drug cartel politics and vampires--and sex.


Do you like this cover art poll?  Want to hire a talented cover artist?  Give ALCHEMY BOOK COVERS a try:





Monday, April 7, 2014

A little something different for The Nightlife Series ... a MAN on the cover? #Smexy #Paranormal #Erotica #ASMSG

If both her hands are occupied,
then what is that I feel behind me....
A

The Nightlife Series is going to SAN ANTONIO for a bit of madness and mayhem, Mexican cartel style. This time, I decided to do something a little bit different for the cover art ... A MAN.

Confession time, yes, I did sleep with your sister,
but, I didn't enjoy it, honest.
B

So, my cover artist is diligently working to put together covers from these MALE images. Well, the ladies have been saying, why don't you have any MEN on your covers? Cause I'm a guy, and I like to see half-naked badass vampire chicks. Duh.

Hey, I got this itch, just a little lower,
won't you scratch it?
C

So, I had to do this one for the ladies. So, tell me, which of these manly manflesh images would you like to see on the cover of NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO? (Coming May 2014)


Leave a comment, let me know what you think, A, B, or C?

:)

Friday, April 4, 2014

The Absolutely True Diary of Real-Time Book Censorship (Reblogged) #YA #CensorshipSucks #ASMSG



Surfing through Digital Book World's newsletter - which I do every morning - I came across this fascinating article about censorship in progress, happening right this moment, with a certain controversial Young Adult novel. Why would this matter to me?  I also happen to have written a somewhat controversial Young Adult novel.

Here's the original article I snagged: http://bookriot.com/2014/04/03/absolutely-true-diary-real-time-book-censorship/

The Absolutely True Diary of Real-Time Book Censorship

   
Another day, another attempted book banning.
In February 2014, a grandparent in Meridian, Idaho filed a formal complaint with the school district against including Sherman Alexie’s multiple-award winning YA novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in curriculum being taught to sophomores in a public high school. (The grandparent apparently took issue with the “cursing and sexual references” in Alexie’s highly acclaimed story about the life of a modern Native American teen.)
The complaint led to a public meeting of the school board on April 1st to discuss the issue and ultimately vote on whether or not to keep the book, which has been on “hold” since February, as part of the school’s supplemental curriculum.
This is not the first time Alexie’s work has been on the chopping block (you can read just a couple of examples here and here), and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but it IS the first time I saw with my very own eyes this kind of book censorship unfold in real time – thanks to a librarian on Twitter who believes in the power of public discourse.
Gretchen Caserotti, a public library director in Meridian, attended the meeting and tweeted the proceedings as they occurred. The result is (in my opinion) a fascinating and chilling snapshot of the decisions that go into the attempted banning of a book and an important exhibition of the kinds of problems that librarians, teachers, and others face when fighting censorship.
My thanks to Gretchen for allowing me to compile and post her tweets about the meeting. Here they are in order (I also suggest that you view her timeline from that night for yourself for the most complete picture possible):

About Rita Meade

Rita Meade is a public librarian in Brooklyn, NY. She blogs about the more interesting parts of her job at ScrewyDecimal.com, and she can be found on Twitter @ScrewyDecimal.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

SNOW BLOOD: Adventures of a Vampire Dog! #YA #Vampire #Fantasy #ASMSG





Join the dark world of Brogio, the first vampire! 

Follow Snow Blood, an epic story of the first vampire as told through the eyes of his kindred dog! Follow along with a weekly episode for the next six weeks starting March 3rd, 2014!

Every Tuesday until April 18th, a new episode of Snow Blood will be available for purchase. Follow the story of Snow Blood, a vampire dog!

Episode 5: Battle

The sinister plot to destroy Brogio and Snow Blood comes to a crescendo as they fight the wrath of the gods intent on destroying them. The cards are finally being unfolded, and the game of shadows surrounding the scheme is finally being revealed, bit by bit. Artemis is faced with Apollo's jealousy concerning Selene, and Kane, Brogio and Snow Blood are the pawns in their godly dispute. It's no longer time for lies, mischief and subterfuges it's time for war.




Episode 4: Rebellion

To protect Selene, Brogio leaves Kane and Snow Blood to guard the love-of-his-life. While his master endeavors to lead the Gods astray, Snow Blood searches for a way for the two lovers to remain together. In his search, Snow Blood displays true sacrifice and unconditional love for both Brogio and Selene.





Episode 3: Selene

Has the love of Brogio’s life been sent back to him to answer his prayers or be a part of his destruction? In the process of finding out, Brogio and Snow Blood must face the deadly enemy, Corso.





Episode 2: Discovery

While coping with his new life as a vampire, Snow Blood tries to help Brogio discover who is behind the sinister plot to destroy them both. Meet Kane, the scoundrel first son of Brogio.





Episode 1: Transformation

When Brogio must turn Snow, a beautiful white husky, in order to save the dog, a series of events are unleashed that reveal a sinister plot against the father of all vampires. As life and true death experiences bond the master vampire and his newly transformed vampire canine together, they unravel a conspiracy that when resolved may return Selene, the love of Brogio’s life, back to him and set him free from the lonely existence that has plagued him for thousands of years!

LIMITED TIME OFFER--Get the first Episode of SNOW BLOOD FREE!


Repost.Us