Rogue's Angels Present: Tales of Yosemite by Jonathan Williams

Please welcome Jonathan Williams author of Tales of Yosemite.

Jonathan Williams will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GCto a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Tales of Yosemite

by Jonathan Williams

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GENRE:   Fiction

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BLURB:

A land of vast beauty and constant change, Yosemite National Park never ceases to amaze and inspire its visitors. And fiction writer Jonathan Williams, an avid camper and fan, is no exception. In four charming short stories, he captures the Park’s diverse landscape and unique wilderness, using it as backdrop in all its glory to tell his tales.

“The Condor Suit” tells the story of Tim whose life-long dreams of flying prompts him to move to a small town in the foothills of the Sierra to pursue his quest: building a bird suit and flying into the Park. In “Dog Lake,” a young boy on a Yosemite camping trip falls into the lake and disappears, only to discover another world lurking beneath its surface, and the lake magically comes to life. “The Rescue” tells the story of a hiker, and the unusual relationship he forms with a bear and her cub in the park. And with “The Old Man in the Sierra,” visitors in Yosemite National Park encounter a strange man leaving them wondering if he is the Park’s notorious mystery man? Does he exist, or is he the stuff of everyone’s imagination, and simply part legend, part ghost?

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EXCERPTS:

Condor Suit:
"Tim was about twenty four miles into the flight and passing the main Park entrance when he noticed something strange.  His vision became clearer, and things became brighter."

Dog Lake:
"Nathan found himself in a large empty room surrounded by water.  He carefully touched one of the glass walls, and his fingerprints smeared."

The Rescue:
"Instinctively, I made as much noise as possible, and blew my whistle but the mountain lion continued toward me."

The Old Man and the Sierra:
"The Old Man stood drenched, his outback hat offering little protection. His eyes closed, he faced the gales, the rain striking his weathered face, and he opened his mouth to the downpour."

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jonathan Williams has worked in Information Technology for over twenty years. He has spent most of his career working in the Financial and Pharmaceutical \ Biotech sectors. He specializes in Database Management Systems.

www.facebook.com/jonathanwilliamsjw

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9794311.Jonathan_Williams

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29640460-tales-of-yosemite?from_search=true

https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yosemite-Jonathan-Williams/dp/0997286539

The book will be FREE during the tour.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jonathan Williams will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GCto a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2186

EDITING BY ANGELS

Editing by Angels

Rogue’s Angels would like to help make the publishing process a little bit easier. We offer editing, proofreading, and covers at a reasonable price. 

Rogues Angels have years of editing experience, starting in the 90’s. Please check out resumes at the Rogue’s Angels blog: http://roguesangels.blogspot.com

Editing plus proofreading rates are:

$150 for under 50K words

$250 for 50K to 100K words

$350 for over 100K words.

Covers price varies. Once a cover is used it will not be used again. Check out pre-made covers at:

http://www.designsbymsg.com/SpreeSpecials.html and http://www.designsbymsg.com/FastTrackForSale.html

For more information contact Christine Young ~ achristay@aol.com

RECENT COVERS:

The Editor Knows

Your Editor

This is your editor writing. I have a few issues I'd like to discuss with you. Please take notes; there will be a test.

I've been at this editing business for novels for fifteen years, for business purposes, over forty years. I'm good at what I do. With the explosion of self-publishing and those sites catering to such, my skills seem to be in jeopardy. Writers, anxious to get their amazing works on the internet and putting cash in their bank accounts, are bypassing the step of editing.

Most publishing houses, be they brick and mortar or e-print, use editors and copy editors or proofers for a very prudent reason. When you write anything, as the author, you have a tendency to overlook the mistakes you make. I know--I'm also an author. I can look at the same mistake four or five times and not see it.

To the point; if I, as your editor, tell you something you have written is in need of changing, whether it be grammatical or textual, I will give you the reason and hope you take the suggestion to heart. Please don't come back to me with, "Well, I've seen all kind of books that do the same."

That is the quickest way to ensure you don't get a second contract. I do a line edit for every manuscript I'm assigned. Every single line is read and considered. Don't 'dumb-down' your reader just because someone else does. It is the author's duty to write well and entertain.  

If you are not writing because you love and can't 'not' write, you're in the wrong business.

Sable Angel

FOREST RIDGE SERIES BOXED SET FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED BY ROSEMARY INDRA

Title: Forest Ridge Series Boxed Set

Author: Rosemary Indra

ISBN: 978-1-62420-261-2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 2

Buy at: Rogue Phoenix Press, Amazon,

BLURB

The Look of Love

Scott Denton always thinks of Penny Herrington as his best friend, a co-worker in the Forest Ridge Fire Department. She tricks him into helping her with the decorations for the Sweetheart Banquet. During their discussion about love and romance, Scott starts to notice Penny as a desirable woman.

When Penny hurts her ankle, Scott feels responsible and decides to move in with her. Spending time together, they share intimate discussions about love and marriage. Penny, a widow, feels guilty when her relationship with Scott becomes romantic. Devastated after a nasty divorce, Scott no longer believes in love and vows he’ll never remarry. He denies his feelings for Penny until he realizes only she can comfort him after he assist the fire department at a tragic car accident.

Rekindled Love

When Forest Ridge, Oregon is terrorized by an arsonist, Fire Chief Mitch Chambers vows to do whatever it takes to protect the community--even work with the woman who left him four years ago. Professional sketch artist Abby Denton, still loves Mitch and hopes to regain his trust and respect by working with him. However, she fears when he discovers the truth about their daughter, he will never forgive her. As they work together, Mitch once again falls in love with Abby, but this time he refuses to let her walk out of his life. Can they rekindle the love that burned between them and uncover the identity of the arsonist before he turns their dreams and the town to ashes?

Everlasting  Love

When Miranda Cummins borrows a friend’s cabin to finish writing her long overdue book, she’s surprised to find the one-room retreat already occupied by Kevin Mathews. Though she feels a spontaneous attraction for Kevin, Miranda has recently escaped a controlling husband and isn’t ready for a long-term relationship.

Unsatisfied with his occupation, Kevin is at a crossroads. Miranda understands and encourages him to look at the direction his life is going. Fired up by her encouragement, Kevin returns to Forest Ridge to resume his firefighting career.

When Miranda is threatened by her ex-husband, Kevin realizes he will do anything to protect her. Miranda has shown Kevin a new passion for life. Can he fan the flames of passion into an Everlasting Love?

EXCERPT

The pager on her waistband sounded a moment before Penny heard the city's alarm sound. Her sense of duty and the need to help others pulled her back into the station to answer the call. "One vehicle off the road-milepost two on Oak Knoll Road." Penny read her pager out loud.

Once she put on her turnouts, she jumped into the engine. That's why she was there. After years of working at the bank, she'd gone back to school and became a paramedic. She wanted to help others and make a difference. Joining the fire department was the best way to honor Jim's memory.

Scott got into the officer's seat in front of her. She wondered if she should get out. Catching her reflection in the window, she straightened her turnout and renewed her fortitude. They'd shared a few kisses. Nothing more. The passion his kiss ignited was best forgotten. If he was uncomfortable with the situation, he could get into the other vehicle.

She ignored the usual chatter in the engine cab as other firefighters joined them and they drove to the accident. A pickup truck rolled over in the ditch with one occupant was all she'd heard. She drew a deep breath trying to still her clamoring nerves. Until now, she'd ignored her growing awareness of Scott. For some reason tonight her defenses were lowered and she could no longer disregard her desire for him.

Once they stopped at the scene, Scott asked. "Penny, do you feel comfortable directing traffic?"

Without looking at him, she replied, "Yes." Then she grabbed a flashlight, fluorescent vest and stop sign from the side compartment and hurried to the back of the engine. Red lights flashed around her. She directed the rescue unit and ambulance to the accident a few yards up the road.

"Watch your backside," Scott yelled. Like always, he stood behind her, protecting her.

Guiding drivers wasn't her favorite job in the department, but traffic was light for the middle of the night. She couldn't believe how much time they'd spent in the storage room.

"How are you doing?" he asked a few minutes later.

Penny jumped at the sound of his voice beside her. "You startled me, I didn't hear you." She hadn't been able to get Scott off her mind since they left the station. Now she hesitated to look at him.

"I wanted a chance to talk to you alone." His voice held a serious tone; an I-want-to-clarify-any-misunderstanding-tone.

Red lights from the rescue unit continued their rhythmic flash around them. The colored illumination added a surreal appearance to the worry lines that marked Scott's face. He too appeared shaken by something. In the darkness she couldn't fully read his expression. With his brows lowered, he had a stern look of finality over his features. She guessed their kissing surprised him as much as it did her. Afraid she was losing her best friend, she breathed in deep. She knew and dreaded the subject he wanted to discuss with her.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I…"

"I understand it won't happen again," she said hurriedly. If only she could turn back the clock.

IT'S CHECK IN AND SHARE DAY

It's Check In Day.

Let's Make Fireworks

Time to pay the piper! How did you do? How much did you write? Did words explode on your WIP?

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

I'm trying to finish Sweet Surrender. I was hoping to have it finished by the end of February or beginning of March. Not sure that is going to happen. I just don't know how to end it. Ok now I'm thinking end of March.

How was your week? 

Rogue's Angels Present: Emerge Beyond Circles by John Geers

Please welcome John Geers author of Emerge Beyond Circles

John Geers will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC, a signed copy of the book, and a stuffed tiger (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Emerge Beyond Circles

by John Geers

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GENRE:   Fantasy

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing? I was inspired by other authors. We used to have a great locally owned book chain here in the Milwaukee area. They regularly had authors of all kinds do author talks. I went to dozens of them. Hearing the story of how a book was written was as fascinating to me as the book itself. It wasn’t long before I wanted to be part of that process.

2. How did you come up with your idea for your novel? The original nugget came in a dream. The other 98% came from careful consideration of what I wanted to include in my novel. It contains themes of love and loss from my own life. Then I included the elements of story that I love most. I constructed it in a way that I would love and I feel like I succeeded.

3. What expertise did you bring to your writing? Ha! Expertise? The only expertise I contain is hard work, perseverance, and a pretty good brain. My advice…don’t wait to be an expert to write anything.

4. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio? I am single…ladies? Beside that, I love to learn. A serious and energized curiosity lives inside me, just as it does for all authors.

5. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why? I would be Draconis. He is a Siberian tiger and companion to the main character. He is loyal and strong. I value that.

6. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book? I will tell you that this story explores the very origins of love and the struggle to obtain it. If you like stories that move along with big scenes and real characters, you will love my book.

One thing I love is the guiding tenet of the eternal Siberian coven, “For love to bloom, these three endure: sacrifice, perseverance and suffering. But the greatest of these is suffering.” A play on the well-known love verse from the Christian bible.

7. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing? I took a year of classes in a graduate creative writing program as a prestigious university. I learned what to do, “the rules”. It is valuable to learn the rules if for no other reason that it feels good when you break them. My novel breaks some rules but it is exactly the book I set out to write.

8. Do you outline your books or just start writing? I spent four months of daily work outlining this novel before I wrote the first word. That paid off because I had a complete understanding of my characters and the plot. Because I understood my characters so well and where they were headed, writing dialogue was much easier and more effective.

9. How do you maintain your creativity? The only way to maintain my creativity is to feed my curiosity. I read a lot. I watch a lot of documentaries. I travel a lot. I go outside a lot. I make careful observations of all these and they are the fuel for my creativity.

BLURB:

Two couples from Madison, with entwined destinies, both seeking love, are connected by a single element: the ancient Siberian witch, Thuban-Pol. Her magic will either be their savior or their ruin.

Thuban-Pol is the latest in a lineage of Siberian witches. Their eternal aim is to guide humanity to true love. Their guiding tenet, “For love to bloom, these three endure: sacrifice, perseverance and suffering. But the greatest of these is suffering.”

Since the dawn of humanity, they have summoned countless couples, inflicting suffering with the intention to grow true love. They have never succeeded…but now they have their best opportunity in two couples from Wisconsin.

If they succeed, love will finally bloom for all of humanity, if the suffering inflicted on these couples doesn't kill them first.

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EXCERPT:

Slivered gray wood covered the outside. Macabre scenes carved like tattoos stretched from ground to gutter and marched around each corner in a black parade.

Clint stepped close to the dark images and put a finger to one. "It's soft and squishy, like driveway tar in summer, but it doesn't stick to my skin. Weird." His finger went to his nose, and he said, "Interesting. Hey, sniff this stuff."

Lucy pushed her nose forward and sniffed the carving. "Yum, smells like…" she let the scent tumble around her brain, "like peppermint and something else I can't place, but definitely peppermint."

"Check out these carvings of animals," he said.

Real and imagined creatures prowled midst the gray slivers. Indigenous animals were well represented; the snowy owl, Arctic fox, caribou and ermine. Along with these were animals too strange to be from this age. Some warned. Others offered a wry smile of welcome. A serpent barred vicious fangs stained crimson, dripping pregnant bulbs of creamy poison. A grizzly bear smothered the head of a besieged she-wolf with one massive paw while tonguing the cheek of its pup. Wild caribou ran in stampede along the edge of a deep ravine, flirting with the abyss.

Woven among the animals were humans. Black eyes. Black bodies. Black forms. Black illuminated. A child held the face of its mother. A man raised a silver sword over the broken body of his slain foe. A son leaped into the arms of his father, reminiscent of the Prodigal Son, but on this wall, soaked in black, the anguish and joy were fresh. Sex was here too. Bodies engaged in all variety of forbidden acts, twisted and beautiful.

As the black parade marched on, frozen poses of pain pinched Lucy, forcing her tight against his chest once more.

A man groped the ground with orange coals where eyes once took in the world. A woman with a flapping tongue, split like the Serpent, hissed a song to the full blood moon. A young man pled for mercy, torn fingers lost in the gnashing teeth of his lover. A man pounded the ice above his head. A child wailed in the jaws of a terrible beast, eyes begging for a hero, a call for rescue swallowed by winter. A family huddled tight, defying flames that, in real life, would be their end. A woman slumped with blood and afterbirth at her feet, her ashen eyes stone, silence of mother and child scattered across eternity. A wrinkled face echoed hope, sealed behind tortured lips.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

John Geers drew inspiration to begin his debut novel from a dream he experienced.

Hours spent in the caffeinated air of his favorite coffeehouse proved to be the perfect place to complete Emerge Beyond Circles.

John is a middle school literacy educator, where he inspires and is inspired by the writers of tomorrow. He is the founder and facilitator of his school’s Creative Writing Club. He is also a columnist for the online magazine Elephant Journal.

He loves a good story, being on the water, and witty puns. He can be found hiking the wilderness, biking big hills, sipping dark coffee, and looking for a chair in the mall. 

LINKS:

WRITER WEBPAGE: http://bit.ly/2fSVGDL

TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2fWHdSf

GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2gSihzI

WRITER FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2glo25s

THUBAN-POL FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2gTcBTQ

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2hrV2NL

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

John Geers will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC, a signed copy of the book, and a stuffed tiger (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

"http://www.johngeers.com/index.php/giveaways/emerge-beyond-circles-goddessfish-giveaway/