Friday, November 27, 2015

Book Fun Friday Welcomes Lida Sideris




Welcome to Christmas Month at Book Fun Friday!
Hope you had a happy Turkey day and that your tummy doesn’t hurt like mine!
Today we welcome Lida Sideris with her quirky sometimes humorous murder mystery. Start your Christmas shopping early with a fun treat of Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters ….

Author Bio: Like her heroine, Lida worked as an entertainment
attorney for a film studio. Unlike her heroine, she was not blackmailed into investigating the suspicious death of a co-worker. She resides in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, their rescue shepherds, and a flock of uppity chickens.
Book Title: Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters (mystery)

Log Line: Fledgling lawyer uncloaks a murder disguised as a suicide.

Book Tag Line: She swore she’d never turn into her father. But that was before she ran over the body.

Book Blurb: Watch out Southern California! There's a new entertainment attorney in town and she's got game. Only problem is, it’s not the one she should be playing. Corrie Locke belongs behind a desk, not behind a Glock. She should be taking VIP calls, not nosing around a questionable suicide. Instead, she's hot on the trail of a murderer. Luckily, she's the daughter of a late, great private eye and she's inherited his love of sleuthing…and illegal weaponry. It doesn't help matters that her gene for caution is a recessive one. Corrie finds herself in the center of a murder case, unearthing suspects in shocking places. With a cold-blooded killer on the loose, Corrie will have to up her game, or die trying.

Book Excerpt:
I veered out of the parking lot and bounced onto the cavity-ridden dirt road. The mystery car appeared out of nowhere from beneath the tall pines, eclipsed by the darkness. Now it raced away somewhere ahead.
“Why didn’t we hear it start?” I asked James.
“It’s a hybrid.”
“We’re in a car chase with a Prius?” A car chase with a Porsche or Ferrari was respectable, but with a battery operated car? All bragging rights vanished.
I shifted into warp speed and surged downhill. Seconds later, we faced the hybrid’s rear bumper. The spot for the license plate sat empty.
“He’s not getting away,” I said.
The hybrid turned and launched up a hill, kicking up pebbles and a dusty haze. It fish-tailed and I nearly nipped it in the rear. I executed a sharp left and ran over something large. And lumpy.
“Stop,” James said.
I skidded to a halt, a cloud of dirt trapped in my headlights. The Prius escaped through an open gate and onto La Paz. My eyes cut to the rearview mirror. My tail-lights illuminated the road behind us in an eerie red glow. As I surveyed the scene, not a trace of saliva remained in my mouth.

Question for YOU Dear Reader: In the opening chapter, my heroine has a bad case of the nerves. What do you do to calm the jitters? Exercise? Listen to music? Dance? Bake a lemon meringue pie? (works every time J )

Contacts for Lida:

Twitter: @lidasideris


Sunday, November 8, 2015

Book Fun Friday Welcomes Sarina Rose



Blog Post: by Sarina Rose
Honor Veterans with Stories

            This week as we in the United States celebrate Veterans Day, we may be thinking about the veterans closest to us, about those men and women who served in the armed services. Whether they were men or women, we honor them maybe with a prayer, maybe with a wreath on their grave, maybe during a parade or maybe at the local VFW or American Legion Post.
            I will honor some veterans of World War II here by writing what I remember hearing or seeing. Perhaps that is so because I was born during that war. Many of those I knew lived and died in my lifetime. I have been told that my first cousin to come home from World War II and be my baptismal godfather. He never returned, but he lies buried in France. When I grew up, my father would take me to place a memorial wreath with his name on the red, white and blue ribbon at the monument inscribed with names of the fallen from our town.
            I have fond memories of the local members of VFW. They were my first living heroes. I remember their newspaper drives. Once a month they would drive a truck through the local streets on Sunday mornings collecting batches of old newspapers the townspeople had saved. This VFW was among the first to recycle. They had served in World War II and came home.
            My favorite uncles, Sammy and Charlie, also came home to their loving families. I have a formal picture  of  Uncle Charlie in uniform with a cigar. He sent it with a dollar bill for my birth or birthday.  I can still remember seeing Uncle Sammy and Aunt Florie’s wedding photo. They were married the day before Pearl Harbor. Uncle Sammy became a fireman after the war and Uncle Charlie became a tavern owner.
            My father was drafted into the Army after he and Mom were married. Her biggest journey ever was traveling by train from New Jersey to South Carolina to visit him. Miraculously he classified 4F and discharged for flat feet. He was a barber and stood on those feet many hours a day to support our family. His barber shop was around the corner from the VFW Post and he gave free haircuts to the veterans for many years.
            Many men and women who served our country and the Allie Command in World War II go unrecognized on Veterans Day. They are the mighty spies who crossed into enemy territory to assist the resistance movements, distributed propaganda, located enemy troops, and kept the commanders informed. Not being part of the regular military, most did not receive salaries or pensions. Many became enigmas. Many suffered from starvation, freezing temperatures, and torture. After WWII,  some returned to the United States to work for the CIA.
            I encourage you to remember those in your family that were lost to war. Read memoirs and search your family records for veterans of those days. Maybe your parents or grandparents have stories to tell. Ask them now, write down what they say now, and keep the pages safe for tomorrow.
            Tell us, who comes to mind for you and what do you remember or have heard about your veteran, be it from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq,  or any other conflict? Write your comments here as a memorial.

Bio:  Sarina Rose, born, educated and employed in New Jersey as a Spanish Teacher until moving to Florida where she began her writing career. She is a graduate of College of Saint Elizabeth, had four children, ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She lives with her husband, a Labradoodle and a Shih Tzu.

Website: www.Sarinaroseauthor.com   http://bit.ly/1WIYywC

Facebook: sarinaroseauthor   http://on.fb.me/1AzU2WG





The Relentless Brit – Vintage Romance
A tale of sex, romance, spies and espionage during World War II
Available at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/1EcXayW and your favorite bookseller
 E-book On Sale thru Nov.14, 2015
A tale of sex, romance, spies and espionage during World War II


Synopsis: The Relentless Brit
Marie Gentile is a widow sensing a change in her life is around the corner when a Charles Stanhope recruits her to become an undercover agent for the Allies. He falls in love soon after first sight. She has feeling, but are they love or lust. A serious relationship is beyond her. She still mourns her dead husband.

Excerpt: The Relentless Brit
When I looked up from the paper, I saw a blond, blue-eyed fellow come through the door. About a head taller than me with a smile as cute as one of those toy bears named for President Teddy Roosevelt. The guy wore a shabby oversized raincoat. The coat did not hinder him from walking. It just blocked my view. Yes, Gus left me a widow but still female and human. I could still admire what was underneath the raincoat. He smiled at me and dropped onto the seat in my booth. Oh my, was he a freeloader?
“Hey, please, a minute! Who invited you?” I pointed to the counter. “There’s plenty of room over there.” I looked into those deep blue eyes. Could he be someone I was investigating for Mario? No, he wasn’t. Something about his demeanor registered “interesting” to me. A thought about Gus registered “guilty”. This guy unnerved me and the hot coffee in my cup spilled onto my hand.
“Here, let me.” He grabbed a handful of paper napkins and wiped my hand and the table.
“Do I know you? Don’t touch me,” I said. Who was this stranger and what could he possibly want? I had to learn more. I was an investigator, wasn’t I? Even though I still mourned Gus, I wouldn’t mind time with another man. A movie? Dinner? That was harmless enough. Gus would understand, wouldn’t he? Only God knew that answer. The attraction I felt for this man twisted like a snake around my feeling for Gus.
“Sorry I upset you. Before you shout for help, Joann sent me. My name is Charles Stanhope.”
         I didn’t like pulling my hand away from his kind touch, but what would people say?



Next Release 2015: THE RELENTLESS ITALIAN – Vintage Romance
Will Sophie and Tony’s love survive  two careers, different continents, an ocean and three mothers?