Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Excerpt: BOARDROOM ASSASSIN by R.L. Hare


Title: Boardroom Assassin

Author: R.L. Hare 

Genre: Psychological Thriller


Excerpt from Chapter 4 – Trigger Point

 

     This wasn’t the first time that Rick had let his mind escape into this fantasy world. With the endless monotony and boredom of his corporate lifestyle, Rick had been thinking more and more about his fantasy of committing the perfect murder. He was sure that everyone had thought about it from time to time, but he had thought about it so much lately that he was convinced that he could do it and get away with it. He was also convinced that this could be something that added to the excitement that his life was so sorely missing! His fantasy had escalated past the point of a normal person having abnormal thoughts. He had taken it to another level and had begun to form the basic outline of a plan in his mind. But it was not until this very minute that he finally decided that he was going to go through with it. I’m going to do it, he decided, I just need to formalize a plan.

     Oh sure, the rough sketches are there. First, it needs to be in a different city, one that he knows well but that he visits infrequently. That’s not difficult to come by, what with his travel schedule. Second, he needs to plant evidence to send the investigation off in random directions. He’d read enough novels and seen enough episodes of CSI to have more than just a basic understanding of forensic science and to understand the patterns that killers tend to follow. Collecting various pieces of evidence to plant at the scene was something that he would start doing immediately. Little bits and specs of trace evidence that he could use to throw the investigators off the track. Some carpet fibers from a rental car. He’d seen a movie once where the killer had planted a baboon's hair at the scene. Perhaps he’d visit a zoo and pick up some hairs from various species, or perhaps capture some cat hair off of Debbie’s blouse, after all, it was always covered in it. Yes, he would spend a month or two capturing and cataloging trace evidence as if he were a crime scene investigator himself, placing it into small plastic bags and meticulously labeling every bit of it. He’d make sure that the trace he left at a scene was from no fewer than 4 different cities throughout the country.



 

"Boardroom Assassin takes an old concept - the perfect crime - and gives it an intriguing twist through the creation of a unique character in Rick Frown." - Readers' Favorite



Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Boardroom-Assassin-R-L-Hare-ebook/dp/B0FF3N5SQ4/

Monday, July 7, 2025

Blog Tour: MAD SEASON: ELLES GARITY'S STORY by Gregory Armstrong

 


MAD SEASON: ELLES GARITY'S STORY

Gregory Armstrong

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GENRE
:  Literary Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Fifteen years ago, Elles Garity’s world came crashing down, in more ways than one. Now in her mid-twenties, long since removed from the small island town that she grew up in and never dealing with the pain of her loss, life is calling her back home. In the affirmant of recent unfortunate events Elles finds herself at a turning point once more. This time though, she’ll be forced to confront both her unresolved grief and the people and places she left behind. It won’t be easy. Along the way Elles will learn the truth behind a new friend’s dark connection to her tragic past and be the last to uncover unthinkable family secrets that will unravel everything she ever knew about the family she thought she lost.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Now, I was questioning all of it. I didn’t deal with things well. I didn’t allow anyone to help me deal with things. My life, the road I was on, the lane I had shifted into when I took the wheel, to put it quite figuratively, looked dark and dismal. I was solely responsible for switching my life into cruise control before ever giving myself a chance to learn to drive the damn car.

 

All these things ran through my head. I didn’t speak to Loyal about any of it. Where would I start? How could she possibly understand my position? Not that I gave her a fighting chance. Time sort of stood still as I sat there frozen, empty. I started this. I made this mess. I had no fucking clue how to fix it. I closed my eyes for a while, and when I opened them, it hit me like a slap to the head. The answer was staring me in the face. Where it all went wrong is where it needed to begin again.

 

“Grace, I’m worried about you.”

 

She had never said those words to me before. Ironic, though, how it came across, how I took it—her spotting the wreckage and expressing concern to the very person who was entangled in the heap. Out of upheaval, I took solace in a clouded idea to uproot myself once more. I emerged partially from my funk, oddly enough,

 

with a wayward smile and slightly brighter outlook. I turned to Loyal, sincere. “Everyone must think I’m horrible.”

 


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, and a Connecticut native all my life, my family eventually moved to Norwich in 1977, where I grew up. I attended and graduated from Norwich Free Academy in 1991. It was there, in my final two years, where I acquired a passion for writing. At the time, the school provided a writing center, a classroom filled with computers, designated as a creative writing outlet for the students, and overseen by the now accomplished author Wally Lamb. Here, we were free to use our time working on our own projects, developing, learning, and sharpening our writing skills. Each class, we would gather in a circle to show and share our work with Mr. Lamb and the rest of the class by either reading or having our material read aloud, and hearing feedback from our peers.

 

Mr. Lamb’s writing center instilled a desire in me to one day write a book and become an author, just as he was doing, putting the final touches on his debut novel, She’s Come Undone. Unfortunately, for me, that is when that dream of mine became a struggle that would last decades. At the age of three, I contracted meningitis, which caused me to go completely blind and left me hospitalized for several weeks. Despite doctors believing my vision would never return, it did, slowly and to a certain degree, although my optic nerve had sustained too much damage and I was declared legally blind.

 

Growing up was a struggle. Socially, I was quiet, shy, uncomfortable knowing I was different from all of the other kids, because of my physical limitations and lack in self-confidence. Reading was also a challenge. Even though I soon got my first pair of glasses, which made my vision clearer, being able to see the print on a page was still a major issue. For those reasons, I have never been much of a reader, and how does someone who doesn’t read, who doesn’t study the art of literature through books, because it was a strenuous activity on my eyes, learn how to write?

 

The fact that I found myself stuck, without the necessary tools and unsure of my own talents and abilities to be a quality writer, all the other insecurities of my childhood at play, I gave it up for a time. My active imagination for storytelling did not. As I got older, and into my teenage years I started listening to more music to fill a void. The more I listened, the more I began to broaden my tastes in artists, groups and genres, and the more I heard stories in the songs. Music, along with television and movies, were combining to strengthen my inspiration to be an aspiring author.

 

One such movie, which mirrored many of my own self-imposed hurdles, was Eddie and the Cruisers. The character of Eddie Wilson, lead singer of a fictional rock and roll band, was consumed by the notion that his music was never good enough, that if they were going to be a band, they had to be great, if they were going to release an album, it had to be great as well. I had obviously grown-up learning and hearing about the great authors and novelists of all time, the great classic books. I had always put that pressure on myself, the same way Eddie Wilson did. I was convinced that I didn’t know how to write, and even if I did, would it be good enough? I had been told, taught by teachers and others, that there were rules to the writing game, including creating a story outline, character development, a whole assortment of proper steps to follow and processes before the writing even began.

 

Over the years, I started a novel a time or two, hating it, and giving up again. I met my future wife, got married, started a family, and quit my average job to become a stay-at-home dad. Through all of it, thirty-plus years, that ever-present need to write gnawing at me, the urge still there, my vivid imagination still running wild—I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had to let that creativity out and give it a real and focused purpose. With the rough idea of a plot in mind, I sat down at the computer and finally let all of those insecurities go. With a shot of determination and a relaxed mind, I slowly but surely discovered my own writing style, and found my storytelling voice. To hell with all the rules, the unrealistic expectations I placed upon myself, the result—a deeply, emotionally charged story of tragedy, personal reflection, and redemption, that is Mad Season.

 

https://gregoryarmstrongbooks.com

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561749654997

 

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GIVEAWAY 

Gregory Armstrong will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


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Book Blast: THEIRS UNTIL ALWAYS by Mae K Knight



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Mae K. Knight will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Adam:

Men like me don’t get happy endings.
When my demons talk to me, I talk back.
I heeded their call when they demanded my parents’ death.
I even listened when they ordered my own.
And they nearly won.
Until her.
One night changed my life. Then I lost it all. I lost her.
Now, I’ll do anything to get my sunshine back.
But can a sinner like me be willing to share after learning I’m not the only one craving her light?

Jordyn:

When a man shows you his red flags, run.
But running from Adam is easier said than done.
When he re-enters my life, my world implodes with the secrets he’s keeping.
Can I forgive him and learn to live in his shadows? To be the light he thinks I am?
Or will his darkness consume me?

Abel:

Witnessing your twin nearly die, hardens something in you.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Adam breathing.
As kids, he’d protected me, even though that was my job as the older brother.
Now, it’s my turn to protect him.
You can run little sunshine, but you won’t get far.
If Jordyn’s what my brother needs to keep his demons at bay, then I’ll claim her for us.
She’ll be ours, always.


Read an Excerpt

I hum a tune under my breath, slightly dancing in place as I move forward in the line, wiggling my body back and forth.

Caffeine makes me happy.

And I enjoy the excuse to get out of the house, to feel like an actual human being instead of a robot answering calls and dealing with insurance prior authorization claims—my work-from-home job. It pays decently, but I still pinch pennies, and these little treats are worth every dime.

For mental health.

Nodding to myself in agreement, I smile when it’s my turn at the counter, spitting out my order by memory alone without needing to look at the menu. I’m reaching down for my purse when a familiar pair of tattooed fingers enter my line of sight, tapping a card to the terminal before I’ve a chance to grasp my wallet.

Whirling around, I gape up at Adam, soaking in the sharp angles of his face, piercing aqua eyes, and aristocratic nose. Metal glints in the light, a piercing on the edge of his bottom lip and three hoops through the upper helix of his left ear, leaving the right undecorated.

I’ve missed him so much I could kiss him.

I don’t, though, blinking and taking a step back upon realizing we’re holding up the line.

He places a hand on my hip, guiding me away from the counter to the area where completed orders get placed. Stunned, I let him.

“W-what are you doing here?” I mumble then mentally say fuck it, reaching a hand out to grasp his bicep.

About the Author Mae K. Knight is a self-published author based in Louisiana, who enjoys writing “trauma boys” as her readers coined them, BIPOC FMCs that look like her and fast, smutty stories that leave you craving for more. When not writing, she’s reading monster romances penned by her fellow indie authors, studying for her nursing degree, or lifting heavy weights in the gym to feel like a bad bitch on a competition platform.

If you want to read more of her work, check out her website: https://maeknight.carrd.co, buy signed paperbacks directly from her: https://mackandmae.shop or go directly to her Amazon page for her KU titles: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mae-K.-Knight/author/B0D3674KWR. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560507610143
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49729390.Mae_K_Knight
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@maek.knight
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maek_knight

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Saturday, July 5, 2025

Review: MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER: MY BOYFRIEND BITES by Dan Jolley

 


So, we get kind of a Twilight moment here. Vanessa falls down an elevator shaft and gets saved by a devilishly handsome stranger. And he even catches the elevator before it falls on her. Wow!

 

Illustrations were good, but some of the text was a little too much to read.

 

One night, Vanessa follows the guy home and discovers his secret: he’s a vampire.

 

Can Vanessa turn into Buffy when a horde of vampires start chasing her? Or will her sweet Angel save her again? Will Vanessa continue her destiny?

 

Cool fight scenes! A good story with monster hunters!

 

 

Rating: 4 stars

Review: MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER: HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT by Robin Mayhall

 


The illustrations were cool, but it was kind of chaotic with that football game in the beginning. This one is kind of slow and it takes a while to get into the story.

 

In this one, Serena’s big football BF has got a temper. Talk about scary! The guy was so possessive and jealous, and he would freak out at the drop of a hat. Of course, everyone thinks he’s great because he’s a big, bad football player. Caught between 2 guys with different personalities…but they’re both the same guy. Looks like we got a Jekyll and Hyde thing going.

 

The panels were a little chaotic and tiny, but this was a pretty good read.

 

Rating: 3 stars