Slipping Into a Thriller with Patricia Gussin’s Novel: After the Fall

16 February 2015

Does your occupation define you? For many, what they do is a part of who they are. So, when Dr. Laura Nelson slips on the ice crushing her wrist and hand, her days as a surgeon are over.

Extraordinary events push Laura into the path of a killer. But in the beginning it all just looks like bad luck and bad timing, but a good job, when she recovers and accepts the job as VP at a pharmaceutical company.
But the dominoes have been put in place. A madman working for the FDA, whose lover, Adawia, is one of the top scientists on a breakthrough project, knows Adawia will be forced to return to the Middle East and an arranged marriage as soon as the FDA approved the drug. So he devises a way to keep the drug from getting approval. But the drug is too good to keep pushing back and too much money is involved. The bodies start to pile up and now the murderer sees Laura as the last domino keeping him from what he wants.
The story clips along at a good pace. I had not read the previous Dr. Laura Nelson novels (this is #5) but I didn’t feel like I needed to go back to know what was going on. The story is pretty straight forward, you just don’t know where the killer is going to look next for a victim.
The characters are strong and the relationship between Laura and her love interest, Tim, is solid and interesting. She has some secrets of her own and they’re pretty big. You feel for her right away. You can tell she loved her job and losing it was a big blow for her. But, she’s strong and that’s good because things just get worse and she has to handle a lot of different balls in the air while staying safe and dealing with relationship issues.
The villain is worth note as well. I love that he is complex. You almost agree with him sometimes and that’s just scary. I love it when a villain is so sure they are doing the right thing and you can even understand their logic. Great villain!
After the Fall is suspenseful, well written, well researched with great characters. It is truly edge-of-your-seat reading!
You can find out more about the author and book at her website http://www.patriciagussin.com/.

Going FULL TILT with thriller writer Rick Mofina on Reader’s Entertainment Radio

Readers Entertainment

13 February 2015

From crime reporter to best selling author Rick Mofina puts his past in front of him taking his real life experience and giving real life to his fictional characters. Celebrating the release of his newest novel, Full Tilt, the second of the Kate Page series, we invited Rick to talk to us about the new book, series, what it’s like to write a strong female character and where this new series is going.

Rick gives us insight to his previous life as a crime reporter and how he uses that to add realism to his novels. We get a sense of his love and commitment to his Kate Page character and we talk to him about being a storyteller.

Listen in by clicking on the book cover for Full Tilt!

Before the Book by Guest Blogger K.S. Jones

Readers Entertainment

12 February 2015

With my debut novel, Shadow of the Hawk, now available, I can’t help but think back on life before the book.

Most writers, or artists of any variety, must work a “day job.” It often requires years and years (and years) of perfecting one’s art before anyone takes notice of it. And once it’s finished, that’s the goal – to get someone to take notice. It is only when our art garners attention that the story becomes real to anyone other than the writer. If you’ve ever read a great novel, or perhaps written one, you know that although a story is strong and worthy, it must find its audience before given any merit. The search for value can be long and arduous, and more often than not, requires money along the way for simple things like food and bills.

To be employed at an income producing job while simultaneously writing a novel is interesting, to say the least. Many times, those closest to the writer may not even know about the book, yet it affects everyone—customers, clientele, vendors, bosses, and co-workers.

So to all those folks who worked alongside me for so many years, I want to apologize. Were there days when it seemed I wasn’t paying attention? Did I need to say, “I’m sorry, would you repeat that, please?” Or did I walk past without a greeting? I promise, it wasn’t your fault. While you were with me—so were the characters from my book. And they’re loud, emotional, sometimes obnoxious, and often demanding. Many times, I found myself focusing on you with an undeniably blank and stony stare. If so, it was probably the day twelve-year-old Cora materialized right before my eyes in a 1932 classroom, shouting, “We ain’t got the pox!” She caught me completely off guard. Sometimes I laughed at the most inopportune times, not because what you were saying was funny, but because feisty Cora loudly proclaimed, “I ain’t gonna spit indoors!” as if she possessed the fine manners of a debutante.

Sometimes my teary eyes hinted at an unexplained sadness. With Sooze, I watched a man die, his eyes turning a magnificent crystalline blue. Yet on another day, eerie shadows crept into my vision. Through the dry mist, I saw Sooze. She was watching her Mama and Daddy, and it seemed they stood somewhere between life and death. Maybe it was the dark before dawn, but it seemed I could almost see through them. Daddy moved in flickered steps while Mama’s cry sounded miles away. As I watched, a smoky haze formed as if a gray veil had fallen over the room. I knew I was watching something extraordinary.

During the writing of this novel, I lived and breathed in two different worlds. You existed in my real world, but Sooze, Cora, Henry and all the others were there, too. It’s just that I was the only one able to see and hear them.

For all you forgave, I am grateful.

BIO

My home is located in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas where the hawks soar and the Axis and whitetail deer still believe they own the land. It is here that I live with my husband of 35+ years and our two beautiful dogs: Libby Loo, a feisty mix of magnificence, and Red Bleu, our incredibly smart Aussie!

Shadow of the Hawk is my debut novel which is scheduled for release in February 2015. It is a YA Depression-era novel whose research has spanned a lifetime. It is now complete (and wonderful!) and has recently found a home with Astraea Press. Currently, I am working on three other novels–two MG and one New Adult.

Most recently, my story Deadlines won the 2014 Short Story Contest in SOUTHERN WRITERS MAGAZINE. Previously, Southern Writers published my article called Partners in Print and DIG Magazine, a Cobblestone publication, published my children’s article titled Let’s Raise Bison!

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Special Event: Reader’s Entertainment Radio Presents: Patricia Gussin

Readers Entertainment

11 February 2015

It was such a pleasure speaking with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Patricia Gussin this evening. It was a lot of fun, very informative, and the time went way too quickly! A board certified Family Medicine physician. Patricia Gussin has practiced medicine and has directed medical research in her role as worldwide vice president for a leading healthcare company. She is the former chairman of the board of The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, a past president of the Drug Information Association, and has served on numerous university advisory boards. She grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, studied medicine in Detroit, practiced medicine in Philadelphia, and now splits her time between Longboat Key, Florida, East Hampton, New York, and New Zealand. This subject matter expert, has parlayed her successful career in medicine into a second career as a highly acclaimed, and Bestselling Author of Medical Thrillers. In her latest novel, Dr. Laura Nelson is back in After the Fall, the final installment in the Laura Nelson series.

Book Blurb

A tragic accident ends Laura Nelson’s career as a surgeon. After accepting a position as Vice President for Research in a large pharmaceutical company, Laura works to finalize the imminent approval of the company’s groundbreaking new drug. But Jake Harter, a malicious Food and Drug Administration employee, cannot let that happen. He is obsessed with Adawia Abdul, the beautiful Iraqi scientist who discovered the drug. As soon as the drug is approved, Adawia will collect a substantial bonus and reluctantly return to replace her dying father, the lead scientist in Saddam Hussein’s bio-weapon program. As Hussein’s henchmen apply brutal pressure to assure Dr. Abdul’s speedy return to Iraq, Harter uses his influence to stall the drug’s approval. If Laura gets in his way, he will eliminate her as he has her predecessor and his own wife.

Click on the image above to listen to the podcast!

Connect with Patricia Gussin on Social Media:

www.patriciagussin.com

www.facebook.com/patricia.gussin

www.twitter.com/@patriciagussin

Great Thriller Fiction!

Author Marie Ferrarella Celebrates Milestone with 250th Book!

Readers Entertainment

11 February 2015

Author Marie Ferrarella has reached a writing achievement that few authors ever attain – releasing her 250th novel. She is the first Harlequin to achieve this milestone.

Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, is celebrating the release of the 250th title by USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella, one of its most prolific and most popular writers. Carrying His Secret, part of the popular Adair Affairs miniseries, created by the novelist ranked #5 on Entertainment Weekly’s Top 10 Romance Authors, is published under the Harlequin Romantic Suspense line.

“Marie is the first author to have 250 titles published by Harlequin,” said Craig Swinwood, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin. “Few writers in the world can lay claim to such a remarkable achievement and few publishers have the opportunity to share in such success. The creativity, commitment, discipline and passion Marie has invested in creating these novels are without peer. We regard this accomplishment with immense pride and are delighted to be a part of it.”

The award-winning author and longtime Southern California resident was born in West Germany to Polish parents and arrived in the United States at age four. She began writing at age 11 and received her master’s degree in Shakespearean Comedy from Queens College, New York. Marie published her first book with Harlequin in 1983. Harlequin released Tried and True, in its Silhouette Desire line in December 1983, under the pseudonym Marie Nicole. She left the pen name behind for her 17th title and has been credited under her own name ever since.

Harlequin has sold 22 million copies of Marie Ferrarella titles. Her novels have been translated into 25 languages and sold in 40 countries. She has won a RITA® Award—the highest award of distinction in romance fiction—and received an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award.

Over 32 years publishing her work, and with eight more titles currently scheduled for release in 2015, Harlequin has issued an average of more than 8 Marie Ferrarella titles per year. “After 14 years and approximately 125 books together, I can easily testify to Marie Ferrarella’s devotion to the romance genre and her overall excellence as a person,” said Patience Bloom, Senior Editor, Harlequin Romantic Suspense. “There is much to admire about Marie—but one thing in particular that inspires me is that while she may have a hundred things to do, she is still writing. Very little stops her from getting down to the craft and business of writing romance. And so, 250 books and 30-plus years later, Marie still brings joy to her characters and her readers…and her editor.” When asked about what motivates her to write, Marie declares “bills,” before cracking up and and saying making people laugh and crediting her encouraging editors. And, despite so many books published and so much success, she doesn’t take anything for granted. “Every single sale is exciting to me. I’m still surprised when someone tells me they read one of my books.” As for how the beloved author plans on celebrating the release of her 250th novel for Harlequin – “By writing number 251 while grinning ear to ear.”

Introducing Marie Ferrarella’s 250th Novel – Carrying His Secret

USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella unearths more scintillating secrets of the Adair family in her 250th book!

When Elizabeth Shelton finds her boss murdered, her life is thrown into turmoil. But nothing shocks her more than learning she’s pregnant by the man’s son. She kept her attraction to mogul Whit Adair hidden for years before their one-night tryst—and now she must keep another secret…

When the killer targets her next, Whit goes from her one-time lover to her full-time bodyguard. Taking her to his ranch for safekeeping, Whit discovers the truth about the baby. He offers his protection, but Elizabeth wants more—his love. For his child and its mother, he’ll do anything—even take down a murderer…

Reader’s Entertainment got to ask the author a few questions on her milestone publishing moment:

1. How has the romance genre changed since your first book was published in 1981?

The heroines have gotten feistier and more independent. However, best of all (to me) is that I can now have multiple points of view. I love allowing readers to see what other people within a scene are thinking.

2. How do you keep the writing fresh?

I have no idea. I just start working on a story and somehow, it happens. I try to find a new angle, but there is honestly nothing new under the sun, so it’s just the words I decide to use that make it slightly different. I am as much in awe of the process as anyone. When I sit down to write, I usually say I’m off to “make magic” because that’s what it feels like when a scene comes together: magic.

3. Some of your latest books are romantic suspense. Do you prefer the suspense element? Will you be writing more American Romances?

I love whatever book I am working on at the moment. Best of all, I love “having written.” Writing is hard and there is always this fear that what you’re working on will fall flat. But once it’s actually on the screen, then I can play with it, rewrite it, change it, etc. I confess that I love romantic suspense most of all, however I also am grateful that I am included in Special Edition line-ups and that Harlequin American Romance wants me. I am having the time of my life, typing as fast as my fingers can go.

4. How are you celebrating???

I plan to celebrate #250 by writing #251 while grinning from ear to ear.

You can read an excerpt here. And you can get your own copy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Book Review for: Shadow of the Hawk by K.S. Jones

Readers Entertainment

11 February 2015

ShadowOfTheHawk_small — Click on the cover to hear the interview.

My initial reaction as I began to read Shadow of the Hawk was that the writing was fluid and graceful. The feel, mood and era all reminded me of John Steinbeck and I was hooked from the very start.

Sooze is a 16 year old girl growing up in the Great Depression. She has agreed to marry a man she does not love in order to save her family. She is mature for her age and you immediately feel for her. Her character is equal parts young lady and woman and the author does such a great job showing us that and giving us a reason to love her.

When her brother is betrayed by his friend and left accused of a crime he did not commit, Sooze has to make some tough decisions. The trial is actually quite exciting and reminiscent of John Grisham and his “A Time to Kill”.

The story brings us to the desperation of an era through the eyes of a young woman ready to sacrifice everything for her family. And when an unexpected turn of events make Sooze wonder if she should hope for love, the complications leave you on the edge of your seat!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well written tale with a layered main character. If you love Steinbeck or Grisham you will love this novel.

You can find out about the author youself at www.ksjones.com

Shadow of the Hawk: Brilliant, Poignant, Suspenseful

Readers Entertainment

10 February 2015

K.S. Jones’ writing is graceful and artistic. It’s fluid and organized in through and action. When I first started reading it I thought of my love for John Steinbeck and Grapes of Wrath. You get that feel of what the Great Depression was like and how families responded to it, and to each other. You feel the desperation and admire the courage and integrity of many of the people of that time.

This story is about a young girl in her teens who considers marrying a man for the advantage it would give her family who is struggling. You feel her acceptance of her situation, how mature it is, how well she’s accepted it, and how sad that something so important will be dictated by her circumstances.

Sooze Williams is an old soul packaged in the unspoken hope of youth during a trying era in American history. Added to her burden is a murder charge pinned to her beloved brother. It’s at this point I feel the novel begin to layer in the artful complexities of a John Grisham trial story.

Mostly it’s a human story. A character story. And you see the character’s soul laid bare by circumstances completely outside her control. And so it is that we are pulled into her life and all the turmoil and mystery that follow, waiting and wondering what will happen and how she will react to it.

Superb writing! Superb storytelling! K.S. Jones gives us a memorable read!

If you’re interested in the book trailer you can see it here- http://youtu.be/Rh3xLlp0-t0 You get a pretty good feel for it. The author’s website is http://ksjones.com/.

Sneak Peek: Barbecue and Bad News by Nancy Naigle

Readers Entertainment

10 February 2015

New, from bestselling author Nancy Naigle — Barbecue and Bad News

Welcome to Adams Grove…where the barbecue isn’t the only thing that sizzles.

Savannah Dey politely agreed to attend her ex-husband’s wedding, but she’d be grateful for any reason to get out of it…which is why the speeding ticket from the handsome sheriff of Adams Grove is both a surprise and a reprieve. With one quick call to her editor, the aspiring columnist finds herself with a new assignment and the perfect excuse to get closer to the man who pulled her over. Now, all she needs is a way to deal with all the bad memories the small town dredges up…

Sheriff Scott Calvin can’t forget the woman who set off his radar, but he’s determined to send Savannah on her way. He’s done making bad choices, and this beautiful city gal is sure to leave Adams Grove once she finishes her story. By the time she’s stirred up a hornet’s nest, he’s already falling for her. Will trouble bind them together, or will her secrets tear them apart?

Excerpt from Barbecue and Bad News

“What now?” Savannah pulled her gaze from the flashing blue lights in her rearview mirror back to the speedometer. “Seven over. Seriously?”

Traffic heading south out of DC had been a nightmare. Not that it was ever good, but today had been worse than normal. Or maybe it just seemed that way because she was headed where she didn’t want to go. She hadn’t been back to her hometown in . . . well, a long time . . . and that had been just fine by her. There wasn’t anything she needed back there. She’d been perfectly happy leaving all those memories back in Belles Corner. But when Aunt Cathy called out of the blue, hearing her voice—sounding like the old Aunt Cathy who used to be like a second mom to Savannah before everything went haywire in Belles Corner—had made it hard to say no to her request that she come back for the wedding.

If she was going to have to be there, she had every intention of making a good impression. There was no changing the past—or who her ex-husband was marrying—but the future was all hers. At least that was what Evelyn Biggens, her best friend and her boss at GetItNowNews.com, was always telling her.

Savannah had padded her travel time by two hours to compensate for the summer traffic. Once the interstate exits started getting farther and farther apart, the traffic had thinned out too, and she’d thought it was going to be smooth sailing all the way to Belles Corner, North Carolina.

Fat chance.

The hustle of the city might be miles behind her, but getting stopped for a ticket would eat up her head start, and that cop car behind her didn’t look like it was going to zip around her to nab one of the other cars that she’d been keeping pace with.

“Please keep going,” she said as she eased off to the shoulder.

No such luck.

What had seemed like a pretty sure plan this morning was suddenly at risk.

Traffic zipped past her southbound on I-95, all except that car with the bright blue blinking lights. He pulled to a stop right behind her.

“My lucky day,” she said with a groan. Savannah pressed the button to lower the window. She pasted her best wide-eyed I’m-not-pissed-off look on her face. Momma had said you catch more flies with honey, and that was a lesson she’d never forgotten. Lord knows, she got enough practice using this sweet expression at the office these days as she hid her real activity from everyone at GetItNowNews.

Only Evelyn and two others at the online paper knew she was the talent behind the witty, snarky, and at times downright shocking Advice from Van column on GetItNowNews. Speculation was that the person behind the column was a man. That had amused Savannah in the beginning, but she sure was tired of that gig now, even if it had garnered her an office, one of the few in cubicle world. It was small, but it came with one heck of a view, since it was just outside Evelyn’s office. It was no fun to get zero credit for the top-rated column, though. Since Van’s identity was kept on the down-low even from her coworkers, everyone assumed that Savannah was Evelyn’s assistant. At this rate, it might always look that way.

Who else would have such bad luck that an April Fool’s prank would end up with them in a two-year commitment? She should’ve known better than to go toe-to-toe with Evelyn. That woman was as savvy as they came, and Savannah knew she was lucky to be under her mentorship.

She still hadn’t figured out what exactly she would tell all those people back home in Belles Corner. Even if the gig wasn’t top secret and she could tell them about it, the people from her hometown wouldn’t be too impressed with her for writing that column.

Every kook and crazy across the nation had come out of the woodwork asking for advice on topics better left unmentioned. It was like their goal in life was to shock her, and since she’d started out as unshakable, she was getting a run for her money.

That’s what had her running late today. Her nine-to-five was always creeping into her private time and even weekends, and she was getting darned sick of it.

But as cranky as she was feeling, she had to admit that her mood just brightened a smidgen as she watched the officer approach her car. Probably about her age or not much older. Good-looking. Really good-looking. In fact, strangely familiar. She leaned out the window, then tugged her glasses off at just the moment he glanced down at her.

Sound innocent, get a warning, and get back on the road. “Good morning. Something wrong, officer?” Her lead foot had given her plenty of practice in this, and usually it worked.

“License and registration, please.”

So you’re going to be like that? Fine. “Yes, sir.” She smiled. He didn’t. She tugged the paperwork from the console and handed it his way.

“License?”

“Right.” She leaned toward the passenger seat and rummaged through her purse, coming up with everything but her driver’s license. She slipped a piece of gum from a pack and popped it into her mouth. “Gum?”

He didn’t look amused. “Do you have a license, ma’am?”

About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. She began her contemporary romance series, Adams Grove, while juggling a successful career in finance and life on a seventy-six-acre goat farm. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, cooking, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she now calls North Carolina home. Barbecue and Bad News is the sixth book in her popular Adams Grove series.

Print-Digital-Audio AMAZON BUY LINK – http://bit.ly/1xYJVhO
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NancyNaigleAuthor
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/nancynaigle
On Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nancynaigle/
On the www: www.NancyNaigle.com

Love stories from the crossroad of small town and suspense.

February Sneak Peek — Call Me Valentino

Readers Entertainment

10 February 2015

Call Me Valentino — One Hero, Different Worlds

Fall in love this Valentine’s Day as USA Today and Amazon Best Selling authors come together to bring you one sexy hero written in five different genres. Call Me Valentino uses the same hero set in five different worlds. Your new book boyfriend is a cowboy, an FBI agent, A Highland Laird, a real estate developer and even a vampire.

Which Valentino will be your favorite?

THE MATRON by Kirsten Osbourne

Since being widowed, Cassie Morgan had devoted her life to the orphans in the orphanage she’d managed. When a new church took over the orphanage and decided to turn it into a boys’ home, she was both frightened and unsure about how she would make things work for the girls. Being told she had to take fifteen young ladies all the way to Texas from New York didn’t make her feel better.

Valentino Hayes had spent his entire adult life searching for the younger brother he vaguely remembered. Just after finding a lead that would send him to Fort Worth, he was offered the job of driving a bus full of orphans to Texas. He jumped at the chance, knowing he needed to not only find his brother, but work while he was searching. He didn’t plan on Mrs. Morgan’s love for the children to turn his head. Could he convince her to travel with him? And how was he going to provide for a wife while he was still searching for his brother?

UNDERCOVERS by Jamie Lee Scott

When FBI agent Valentino “Vin” Jackson’s undercover sting operation goes bad, he teams up with Special Agent Ellis Boyd of the DEA, who has some special talents of her own, to take down a drug ring working for the Mexican cartels.

THE BRUTE AND THE BLOGGER by Olivia Gaines

Tino Boehner was up to his ears with Ebony Miller’s pot shots at him on her blog. Just as he was trying to figure out how to turn the tables, fate dumped her in his lap. Seizing the opportunity, he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse; come work by his side for a month. A month can be a lifetime, or just enough time to make a man want to change his brutish ways.

HIGHLANDER, THE ARCHER by Hildie McQueen

Highlander, The Archer: Valent swore an oath on his life to protect the McLeod clan after they rescued him as a foundling. However, after years of mistreatments at the Laird’s hands, he questions his obligation to uphold his promise. When a rival clan attacks and takes over her home, Ariana McLeod’s world is turned upside down. That she’s fallen in love with the handsome archer, Valent, is a complication and a blessing at once. Amidst battles, revelations and treachery, is it possible to expect their love to triumph?

THE VAMPIRE’S PENANCE by Jordan K. Rose

The chain of events set in motion when Rafe Valentino tries to stop his brother from making the stupidest decision of his life borders on deadly. Rafe goes from being one of the most terrifying creatures to walk the earth to requiring round the clock nursing care. As if being at death’s door isn’t enough, the senior member of The Vampire Guard has no choice but to reveal the heinous secret of his past in order to protect nurse Maddie Van Kool from throwing away her life on him.

Available at:
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
iBooks

Cowboy Week! Meet Harve Stewart

Readers Entertainment

6 February 2015

Harve Stewart
World Finals Qualifications: 6

Hometown: Stephenville, Texas
Twitter: @harvestewart

Bio: A former Texas High School Rodeo Association Champion, Harve rode his first bull at age 14 after watching a friend. He learned to ride from his father, Dee, who was a former bull rider and received further instruction from Murray and former PBR stars Adam and Gilbert Carrillo. When it comes time to relax, Harve might be found hanging with fellow PBR riders or maybe watching a comedic movie. If he weren’t a professional bull rider, Harve would have liked to be a football player. When he retires he will probably spend more time golfing and envisions himself owning a business of some sort. “Anything where I can be my own boss.” says Harve.

Harve will be the featured cowboy on Tina Leonard’s cover of — Family For the Bull Rider — releasing April 21st!

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