False Connections
She’s ex-MI5.
MI5 wants her dead.
Who can she trust?
False Connections
by Steve Sheppard
Genre: Thriller, Action
“Thriller
addicts won’t be disappointed”
“Steve Sheppard has created another great character in Mel Milano.”
Three years ago, Mel Milano was an MI5 intelligence officer
with a promising career. Then, during a routine protection and surveillance
operation in Wales, things went drastically wrong and three people died,
including Mel’s partner and fiancé, Liam Webster.
Drummed out of the service on trumped-up charges by MI5 Deputy Director, Sarah
Brook, Mel lost her career, her self-respect, her confidence and her fiancé.
Nothing made sense.
Three years on, she is rebuilding her life, working for a private security
outfit.
But she’s never forgiven the way she was dumped by MI5. One day she’ll discover
the truth about Brook and what was really going on.
Now, though, it’s clear that Mel’s not the only one still holding a grudge.
Suddenly everybody seems to want her dead. But why?
On the run from MI5, is there anyone Mel
can trust to help her uncover the past?
‘Who exactly is Adam?’ I ask. ‘What’s this
about, Sarah? And what the hell are you doing here? You, specifically. The
Deputy Director doesn’t get her kitten heels dirty without reason. Timmy and
Stu are big boys. They could have checked I’m safely tucked up by themselves.
They didn’t need to bring their mum with them.’
Tim
glowers but Sarah laughs. ‘You’ve still got a tongue on you, Mel. I’ve missed
it. Old place hasn’t been the same since you left.’
‘Left?’
I say. ‘Pushed out, you mean. By you, as I recall.’ The memory of Liam’s death
and the trumped-up charges come back to me from where I’ve left them lying
dormant for three years. I was responsible for two deaths, one of them a
Russian under UK protection, the other my partner. Failing to call for support
as required. Lying to a superior officer, apparently. Insubordination. And,
finally, assault. OK, that last one was true, although if I’d really assaulted
Five’s security chief, he’d have collected a few bruises and not just a
slightly askew tie.
‘Leave
us, please, Tim,’ says Sarah. She’s stopped laughing. Tim looks annoyed; he may
think he’s more important than he is. Nevertheless, he rises and goes into the
kitchen. His socks are red. We wait while he noisily puts his shoes on and
leaves the house. He doesn’t quite slam the door behind him. It’s not a very
professional performance but I say nothing.
‘You
were never pushed out, Mel,’ starts Sarah. I’m about to remonstrate but she
holds up a hand. ‘You ask me why I’ve come all the way out here to the back of
beyond. This is why. You’re not going to like this but please bear with me
until I’ve finished.’ She pauses. ‘You’ve never left the service.’ I say
nothing. She’s asked me not to interrupt so I don’t. ‘Linden Harper is MI5. Was
MI5, sorry. His so-called independent bureau has in fact always been just one
of our little webs. As you have certainly discovered during the last two years,
you’ve benefitted from rather more elastic boundaries than you had working from
Thames House. Harper’s isn’t the only such offshoot. It suits us occasionally
to be able to employ less formal methods than governmental rules dictate. And
the paperwork is less scrutinised. That’s no bad thing, especially for me. I
have far too much paperwork these days.’ She looks briefly wistful, perhaps
remembering the more active days of her youth.
‘I
discovered Harper by myself,’ I say. ‘His was the fourth outfit I applied to.
He wasn’t easy to find. And I’d taken a year off first, as I imagine you know.’
‘You
may believe you found him but the truth is often more complicated than you
think. Nevertheless, however it happened, you were given a job. The other three
companies had turned you down, yes?’
‘Are
they Five too then?’
‘How
hard were they to find?’ Not hard at all was the answer. My expression
undoubtedly indicated my acknowledgement of that. ‘They’re all genuine.
Legitimate private contractors. One’s gone bust. Not unusual in the current
economic climate. I’m afraid the word was put around that you were, how can I
put this? Toxic. No one was going to employ you.’
‘Only
Harper.’ Despite myself, I’m smiling. ‘Devious old bastard.’
‘Him
or me?’
‘Both
of you.’ I remind myself that one devious old bastard is now dead. ‘So what
now?’
‘Old
boss, new boss, I’m afraid, my dear,’ she says, spreading her arms wide.
‘Welcome home.’
‘And
what if I say no.’
‘You
won’t. And not because you’re still toxic and your intelligence career would be
over if you did. You could get a job as a barmaid, I guess. You’re a
good-looking woman, after all, Mel, but you wouldn’t get to do the things you
like doing. Maybe on a raucous Friday night but it wouldn’t be the same.’
Steve
Sheppard was born and grew up in Surrey before moving to Buckinghamshire and
then to Oxfordshire, where he spent a quarter of a century living in an
idiosyncratic village that was the affectionate inspiration for his fourth
book, Lazytown. He now lives
in Hampshire. He spent forty years starting to write books but not finishing
them, until belatedly realising that the key is not to give up. The other thing
he has since learned is that he should have become a celebrity before writing a
book, as this would have made selling it much easier.
False Connections is Steve’s fifth book,
but the first one written as a straight thriller and not primarily as a comedy,
although it does contain humour. He hopes it will be the first of a series
featuring feisty, funny but flawed ex-MI5 agent, Mel Milano. He also has three
spy thrillers with laughs to his name, all published by Claret Press: A Very Important Teapot (2019),
set in Australia, Bored to Death in
the Baltics (2021), not set in Australia, and Poor Table Manners (2024), which takes place in Cape
Town. These feature an initially fairly
hapless hero, Dawson, and a considerably less hapless heroine, Lucy, together
with varied supporting casts, most of whom are not who they claim to be.
Steve’s fourth book is an out-and-out comedy-murder-mystery, Lazytown (2025).
Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok * Goodreads
,
Slapshot Summer
A jilted bride.
A
wrecked goalie.
An unexpected kiss that changes everything.
Slapshot Summer
A The Playmakers Series Novella
by G.K. Brady
Genre: Steamy Fake Dating Hockey Romance
A jilted bride. A
wrecked goalie. An unexpected kiss that changes everything.
I came here to reset.
After a season that pushed me to my limits, I needed sun, quiet, and
space—somewhere I could shut out the noise and get my head back under control.
Then Lexi Campbell sat beside me at the bar and asked for my help flirting with
another guy.
I said yes because it was supposed to be fake. A distraction. Something with
clear lines and no consequences. I’m good with pressure. I know how to stay
focused, how to hold my ground when everything’s coming at me fast.
What I didn’t expect was how easy it felt to want her.
One kiss blows past every boundary I set. Suddenly, I’m not playing defense
anymore—I’m all in, and I don’t know how to pull back. Lexi’s on a honeymoon
she’s taking alone, guarding a broken heart she pretends doesn’t still hurt.
I’m standing at my own crossroads, unsure where my future leads or if I’m ready
to risk wanting something real again.
It was supposed to be a fling. But wanting her is the one thing I can’t seem to
control.
For fans of fake dating, opposites
attract, and swoony NHL players who actually like to dance, Slapshot
Summer is a heartwarming romance with plenty of spice … and, of
course, a guaranteed HEA.
**PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally published as Sunsets,
Stick Saves, and a Honeymoon in the Love in Destiny Series. The content
has not changed. If you’ve read that version, then you’ve read this one as
well.**
An award-winning
writer of contemporary romance, she loves telling tales of the
less-than-perfect hero or heroine who transforms with each turn of a page. She
also writes historical fiction under the pen name Griffin Brady.
G.K. is a wife and
the proud mom of three grown sons. When she’s not writing, she might be
reading, traveling, drinking wine, listening to music, or gardening—sometimes
all at once! She currently resides in Colorado with her very patient husband.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Pinterest * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter the Slapshot Summer Giveaway Here
San Quentin Exodus
What happens when a literature teacher channels her inner
Nancy Drew to break an inmate out of America’s most famous prison?
San Quentin Exodus
by Bill Smoot
Genre: Historical Literary Fiction, Crime Drama
James, a still-water-runs-deep boy, struggles to navigate
the rough streets of Oakland, California, in the 80s. His only friend is a pit
bull he rescues from dog fighting. On the cusp of college, James commits a
crime that results in a prison term of thirty to life.
Allison, a young Indiana girl obsessed with Nancy Drew
novels, vows that her life’s mission will be to solve mysteries and help
people. Introverted yet daring, Allison moves to Berkeley to teach prep school
and volunteers as a tutor at San Quentin. She meets James when he is
approaching fifty, learns his story, and after his parole denial, channels
Nancy Drew to plan his improbable escape.
San Quentin Exodux is a braided novel about two people whose
lives cross in a quest to reset an ill-fated life. It is a story infused with
misfortune and pain, but also with hope and a fierce humanity.
“San Quentin Exodus, Bill Smoot’s deeply compelling
novel, introduces readers to the world of prison but really to the much bigger
world of his characters’ lives, inviting us to follow the trajectory of each as
it unfolds with surprise and mystery, love and loss. Like all good
literature, San Quentin Exodus ultimately asks us to reconsider
everything we believe—or think we believe. Smoot is the consummate storyteller:
restrained, wise, compassionate.”
—Lori Ostlund, author of Are You
Happy?
Amazon * Apple
* B&N
* Bookbub
* Goodreads
Prologue
Wings
In
one week Allison Anderson will commit her first felony: section 4550 of the
California Penal Code, helping someone escape from a state prison. Almost
everyone who knows her would be stunned with disbelief. For her, it’s the
ultimate realization of who she is.
One autumn evening six years ago, Allison entered San
Quentin Prison as a volunteer tutor. Walking across the prison grounds, she
gazed at the forty-foot walls, the spirals of razor-
wire,
and the imposing guard towers. She wondered how an inmate might escape. It was
her first time in a prison, and the question engaged her problem-solving mind.
She did not know
that
one day she would devise an escape plan. She did not know that she would put
that plan into action. At the time, it was just a thought experiment, a
challenge for a woman whose childhood heroine was Nancy Drew, girl sleuth.
Allison’s most vivid memory of entering the prison that
evening was the birds. When she and her group rounded the hospital building and
walked across the yard, she saw geese and gulls scratching the ground on the
baseball field. It was mere minutes before the October sun would set, and their
white feathers glowed like gold. A single goose stretched his neck, dipped his
thick body, and with a push from his feet and a flapping of his great wings, he
rose from the ground and glided across the field, then soared over the wall.
Other geese did the same, their necks piercing the air like arrows. Sea gulls
followed. The walls and guard towers were mere landmarks below them, like trees
or outcroppings of rock, obstacles they cleared with ease. They didn’t need an escape
plan. They had wings.
The
First Day and the Last
They
say that the two days of prison an inmate remembers most vividly are his first
and his last. Everything in between is a blur. James’ first day was 30 years
ago. His last—maybe—will be in one week. If Hemingway’s character could walk
away from war, James can declare his separate peace from prison. It’s time to
move on, regardless of what the parole board has ruled. It’s necessary. An
absolute must.
For society, James is a statistic, another Black man
languishing in prison, costing the state $75,000 a year. His escape—if it
succeeds—will save taxpayers money. For himself, it will be his personal
exodus, his promised land of another chance at life. If things go according to
plan, no one will know how he did it. He will just disappear, a man become a
ghost. Allison is a smart young lady, and he can’t find any flaws in her plan,
but he is haunted by that old saying: If it seems too good to be true, then it
probably is.
James is filled with yearning and fear. The greater danger
is not that he’ll get caught and have time added to his sentence—though that’s
a real possibility—but that the hope he’s allowed himself to feel will die.
That’s the greater risk. The loss of hope he could not bear.
He lies in his bunk, trying to conjure up positive images.
The thought of freedom makes his skin prickle. The shadows of the bars cross
his body, spill onto the concrete floor. He listens to the cell block tick with
sound, as if the walls are straining to breathe. He imagines a sea gull soaring
on the wind.
Bill Smoot grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, and attended
Purdue University where he was editor of the campus newspaper, The Purdue
Exponent. Fired as editor by the university president, he was reinstated after
protest from students and faculty. He went on to graduate school at
Northwestern University, where he received a PhD in philosophy. He has taught
for four decades at levels ranging from sixth grade to university students. He
currently teaches courses at Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin and the Osher
Institute for Lifelong Learning at UC-Berkeley. His essays and short stories
have such publications as Ninth Letter, Crab Creek Review. The Nation, Literary
Review, Crab Orchard Review, Western Humanities Review, Narrative, and
Salon.com. His the author of Conversations with Great Teachers and a novel,
Love: A Story. Mr. Smoot currently lives in Berkeley, California, with his dog
Artemis. His website is https://billsmoot.net
Enter the San Quentin Exodus Giveaway Here
Where Dragons Are Captured
How much would you wager to save a dragon?
Your safety, your friends, your people?
How about your life?
Where Dragons Are
Captured
Where Dragons Are Book 1
by Fran Zuid
Genre: Epic Grimdark Dragon Fantasy Adventure
How much would you
wager to save a dragon? Your safety, your friends, your people? How about your
life?
Skye, an alitur—elf as the small-minded humans would degrade her—is a gambler
hiding in the skin of her enemy to escape capture, her past and her true
identity.
However, her fragile safety shatters when she’s caught cheating. Thrown into
the corrupt world of gambling, where animals and creatures are pitted against
one another for sport, Skye witnesses something she thought long extinct:
dragons.
Determined to save and connect with the dragons, Skye is drawn into a web of
deceit, loyalty, and love, impelling her to face her past and reclaim her
heritage.
With unlikely allies, Skye must confront the soul-devouring priestesses and
their ruthless general, One-Eye-Nic, before the last dragons—and her own
soul—are lost forever.
This is an enthralling tale of lies, rebellion, and the price of freedom…
**NEW RELEASE!**
Amazon * Apple
* Kobo
* Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub
* Goodreads
The girl showed up with their tankards and a jug of homebrew.
The man’s attention went straight to her cleavage. The hairy man pinched her
behind for good measure before tipping her. Skye used the distraction to nick a
card from the pack, a prince, hiding it in her coat sleeve. She waited for the
girl to leave before dealing. The cards were soft, faded, and stained from
nights of gambling.
Skye watched the three players as they scrutinized their
cards. ‘Stupid’ smiled, Sid’s left eye twitched. The hairy man downed his
tankard of homebrew.
Skye looked at her cards, she had two of pawns and a prince.
On the table were a five and a seven of shields, a castle, and a three of
pawns. Skye wasn’t sure what ‘Stupid’ thought he had, but Skye was pretty sure
Sid had a castle, giving him the highest pair from the table.
Skye’s attention turned to the hairy man. The more she
watched him, the more he seemed a ‘Stupid’ and in that case, no threat to Skye.
He was only lucky with the previous hand.
Skye had the winning hand if she switched her two of pawns
for the prince in her sleeve. ‘Stupid’ started the bets, throwing half his coin
in, four silvers. Sid saw the bet and the hairy man added a silver.
She didn’t want to chase away Sid, so she also raised with
only a silver coin. Keep it modest,
keep it moving.
As the bets evened out around the table, Skye shifted her
weight slightly and slid one hand under the edge of her sleeve. A quiet motion,
a simple flick. She switched her cards—replacing a dud with a prince. Now she
had two.
But just as her fingertips closed over the edge of the second
card, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
Steel. Not touch. Not pressure. Just steel.
“That is enough. We know what you are,” a male voice said.
“Good call, Jim, you will get your reward. And you,” the man’s grip tightened
slightly, “Finn Skylar, just won yourself a meeting with the gambler’s guild.”
Her heart jumped. Breath caught halfway up her throat. The
hairy man had a smug cat-smile. He’d caught his mouse.
Her gut twisted. A setup. She should’ve seen it. Should’ve felt it. No wonder he was unreadable—he wasn’t here to play. He was here for her. Cold
flooded her limbs.
What did they know? That she was a
cheater? A woman? An alitur?
Or all three?
She relaxed her face into neutrality, but her mind raced.
Could she run? No. Not yet. Too many eyes, too close to the table. No one had
drawn steel, which meant they still wanted her alive—questioned, not killed.
Yet.
“What? You have nothing to say?” the hairy man–Jim–said. He
leaned over and took Skye’s tankard of homebrew and downed it. “Cheers.”
Skye didn’t answer. She reached down, slow and measured, and
picked her tricorne up off the floor. Her hat was just fabric—but it made her
feel armed. Steady. Like herself.
She rose to her feet.
“I don’t know what this guy told you,” Skye gestured towards
Jim, “but I didn’t cheat. I haven’t seen him before in my life.” She truly
hoped that was the only reason they were confronting her.
The house-muscle behind Skye chuckled, or that was what she
assumed the rumbling noise was.
“We have been watching, and you have an appointment with the
gambling guild.”
“No one told me,” Skye said with a shrug.
“I did. Just now.”
Skye looked over her shoulder at the house-muscle looming
over her. Tall. Broad shoulders. A scar cut down his right temple, hugging the
cheekbone like a crack in old stone. His stance was heavy, but not rooted. A
bit off balance. Good.
The short one would be slower, maybe better in a brawl, but
easy to outmaneuver. The tall one could be clumsy. The real problem was her
coat—it would get in the way if she had to move fast. If she had to fight.
But—
She ran through options. Surrender. Fight. Flee. None was
good. She shifted her weight, breath held shallow in her chest.
“Where is this meeting?” Skye asked.
“At the boss’s office, at the pits,” the tall one answered.
Skye scanned the room. No escape. Everyone watched. Waited.
Sid had crushed his cards in his hands. Only Jim kept drinking, he found his
entertainment for the night.
“I don’t go to the pits,” Skye said.
The tall one rumbled again from behind, “I don’t care, you
are going.”
The room inhaled.
Jim smirked at Skye and lifted his tankard off the table.
With a flick and a flash of her hand, a knife plunged into Jim’s eye.
Gasps.
The cup fell, and Jim followed.
Fran Zuid lives in a village on the outskirts of Cape Town,
South Africa, with two dogs and four parrots (her personal dragons, without the
fire-breathing part—which is a bonus). If she is not submerged in a creative
fantasy world, or playing old games, she is fiddling in her garden, sipping
wine at a vineyard or conquering a hiking trail somewhere—that is, if her
“dragons” allow it.
Where Dragons Are
Captured is her debut novel.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter the Where Dragons Are Captured Giveaway Here
The Cassie Black Trilogy
Work at a funeral home can be mundane.
Until you
accidentally start bringing the dead back to life.
The Undead Mr.
Tenpenny
The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 1
by Tammie Painter
Genre: Humorous Dark Fantasy Mystery
Work at a funeral
home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start bringing the dead back to
life.
“…a clever,
hilarious romp through a new magical universe” –Sarah
Angleton, author of Gentleman of Misfortune
Cassie Black works at a funeral home. She’s used to all
manner of dead bodies. What she’s not used to is them waking up. Which they
seem to be doing on a disturbingly regular basis lately.
Just when Cassie thinks she has the problem under control,
the recently deceased Busby Tenpenny insists he’s been murdered and claims
Cassie might be responsible thanks to a wicked brand of magic she’s been
exposed to. The only way for Cassie to get her life back to normal is to tame
her magic and uncover Mr. Tenpenny’s true killer.
Simple right?
Of course not. Because while Cassie works on getting her
newly acquired magic sorted, she’s blowing up kitchens, angering an entire
magical community, and discovering her past is more closely tied to Busby
Tenpenny than she could have ever imagined.
If you like comic
fantasy whodunits with plenty of wry humor, a cast of unforgettable characters,
a touch of paranormal mystery, and piles of pastries, you’ll find it hard to
pry yourself away from this first book of the Cassie Black Trilogy.
Note: While this book delivers a contemporary fantasy
tale with snarky giggles and a few hexes, it’s fairly clean with only an
itty-bitty bit of light cursing, one fight scene, and no hanky panky or sexual
situations.
The Cassie Black
“Trilogy” has now grown to a very un-trilogy-like six books that include…
- The
Undead Mr. Tenpenny (#1 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0) - The
Uncanny Raven Winston (#2 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0) - The
Untangled Cassie Black (#3 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0) - The
Unusual Mayor Marheart (#1 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0) - The
Unbearable Inspector Oberlin (#2 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0) - The
Unexpected Mr Hopkins (#3 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0)
What readers have
to say about the series so far…
- “Wow
and wow again! I absolutely loved this book! You get such a feel for the
characters and the story is so fast paced you don’t want to put it
down.” - “More,
please!” - “I
was unable to put this down when I started reading it. The author combines
humour with a fast paced murder mystery all packed into a funeral
home.” - “…suffused
with dark humor and witty dialogue…” - “Cassie
Black, won me over in the first book of this series, and she doesn’t
disappoint in this one!!!”
**On Sale for Only .99cents!**
Amazon * Author’s Site * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub
* Goodreads
READ A SAMPLE OF THE UNDEAD MR TENPENNY HERE:
https://read.bookfunnel.com/read/t2q4kh1ayg
The Uncanny Raven
Winston
The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 2
There’s nothing
like an evil wizard to ruin a perfectly good trip to London.
Ever have one of those weeks? You’ve taken an overdose of
magic, you’ve melted a twelve-year old girl, and Magic HQ has sent a letter
“requesting” you come by to discuss your magic control issues.
No? Just me, then?
I don’t want to go. I’ve got a boss in a wheelchair (my
fault), a zombie cat who demands his treats on schedule, and no interest in
sorting out the quirks of another magical community.
But when someone slips me information tying my parents’
disappearance to HQ, I can’t pack my bags quickly enough.
I’m soon destroying historical displays, befriending
befuddled ghosts, and focusing more on uncovering the truth about my past than
on learning how to rein in my magic. Which, considering what might happen if I
fail the test HQ has for me… Well, best not to think about that.
This second book of
the Cassie Black Trilogy squeezes you through a magic portal, lodges you in a
hidden corner of the Tower of London, and plunges you into a tale of mysterious
mishaps, peculiar ravens, and TV-binging trolls.
If you like
contemporary fantasy with unforgettable characters, snarky humor, and a touch
of paranormal mystery — or if you’ve ever wondered what those garden gnomes
are really up to — you’ll find it hard to pry yourself away from The
Uncanny Raven Winston.
The Cassie Black Trilogy is a fish-out-of-water tale that
takes you from the streets of Portland to the Tower of London. It’s got magic
and mystery, pastries and zombies, sentient gnomes and an evil wizard…because
there’s always an evil wizard, isn’t there?
**Get it On Sale at Smashwords discounted for the month of
July!**
Amazon * Author’s Site *
Kobo *
Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub
* Goodreads
The Untangled Cassie
Black
The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 3
Sometimes taking an
overdose of magic is the least of your problems.
Not only has Cassie Black just lost two people through a
magic portal, but her archenemy, the Mauvais, is threatening to destroy city
after city if Magic HeadQuarters doesn’t hand her over to him…. a proposal HQ
isn’t exactly saying no to.
As the Magic higher ups debate her fate, Cassie refuses to
sit by and watch the grass grow between the toes of the surveillance gnomes.
Biting back her life rule to never get involved, she knows the only way to stop
the Mauvais is to go after him herself.
Which is exactly what he wants. Because the instant Cassie
falls into his hands, the Mauvais will gain the unlimited power he’s always
craved.
So don’t get captured, right? Easy for you to say.
Trouble is, there’s a traitor within HQ who’s proving to be
more devious, more powerful, and with more tricks up the sleeve than anyone
could have ever guessed.
In this page-turning
conclusion of the Cassie Black Trilogy, the curses are flying, the pastries are
plentiful, the bookworms are slithering, and the magical batteries are charged
to capacity.
If you like contemporary fantasy filled with dark humor,
paranormal mystery, and a cast of unforgettably quirky characters, you’ll love
the twists and turns of this conclusion to the first Cassie Black Trilogy.
**Get it On Sale at Smashwords discounted for the month of
July!**
Amazon * Author’s Site
* Kobo
* Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub
* Goodreads
Author of humorous fantasy whodunits full of mythical
misfits and magical mishaps
Many moons ago I was a scientist in a neuroscience lab where I got to play with
brains and illegal drugs. Now, I take wickedly strong tea and turn it into
comic fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps that I
hope give you a giggle.
My tales run the gamut from the ever-expanding Cassie Black Trilogy with its
wryly humorous paranormal mysteries to the comical fantasy whodunits in The
Circus of Unusual Creatures, and from light-hearted novellas celebrating my
love of books to short fiction in which I really flex my myth-loving and
humor-craving muscles!
When I’m not creating worlds or killing off characters, I can be found
gardening, planning my next travel adventure, concocting some sort of mess in
the kitchen, or working as an unpaid servant to one very spoiled cat and some
very demanding squirrels.
Website * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon
* Goodreads
Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter The Cassie Black Trilogy Giveaway Here
The Hera-Zeta Chronicles
The only freedom of man is the freedom of thought.
That is
how human evolution is possible.
Evolution of a man is the development of power
and possibilities
which never develop by themselves.
The Hera-Zeta
Chronicles:
As Above So Below
by Zsa Zsa Tudos
Genre: SciFi Fantasy, Extraterrestrial Time Travel
Somewhere between galaxies, soul contracts, and the quiet
chaos of human emotion, the book casually decided to rearrange your entire
understanding of reality. Rude. Brilliant. Slightly illegal.
The Hera-Zeta Chronicles: As Above So Below doesn’t just tell
a story, it initiates the reader. There’s something deeply
precise about the way Zeta’s earthly path intertwines with Hera’s galactic
mission, like it is not just a fiction, but it is decoding something ancient
and quietly slipping it into the reader’s consciousness. The dynamic between
dimensions, the Alpha & Omega Council, the 12 Magi… it all feels expansive
without losing emotional gravity. And then it is anchored in something so
human: behaviour, struggle, longing, connection.
The story embraces millions of Earthly years in cosmic interrelations
emphasising the roles of earthlings in the Great Matrix and the cycle of
nature. It is not only a book but an initiation of the readers, that can truly
highjack their mind and clear misconceptions chiselled in by hundreds of years
of conscious brainwashing.
The 87 chapters introduce events of the multidimensional life of the heroes,
like the 1st generation Hera, a member of the Alpha&Omega Council, Hades’s
wife, and her earthly counterpart Zeta, whose mission is to push the knowledge
and help the Haya Sophia, the Magnum Opus, the Sefer Jezeera. Their steamy love
affair with Hades serves as a good example of passion and deep emotional
attachment.
There are no sharp divisions in the book. The story unfolds naturally, through
which a clear vision of the origin and the true nature of mankind is drawn,
providing allowance for the supernatural capabilities they all
possess and the responsibilities they all bear.
Touching upon the creation and the arrival of people on the planet, the book
introduces the effects of prominent astronomical events, migration, purpose,
the knowledge and the lack of it, through the picture that unfolds after
removing the man-made gap fillers, the stories and false events invented by the
groups in power.
With the help of astral travelling, souls go through star gateways, visit
far-away planets, learn and experience to support the one objective of life: to
raise their own vibration. With the interrelations of energies, it creates a
healthier environment below and adds to the frequency required by the above to
fit into the cycle.
However, as it was clearly stated by Antoine Saint-Exupery in his most
prominent book, The Little Prince, WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS HIDDEN. This concealed
treasure is always Knowledge. Nevertheless, there is a catch. One needs to have
enough to understand the lack of it.
Life is a jigsaw puzzle. However, the board is empty and there is no image to
help you with the design. The only certainty is the interrelations between the
pieces.
My strong desire is to help people understand their lives,
events and become knowledgeable enough to take responsibility for their words,
thoughts and deeds. It is a necessary step towards the Nirvana, called
Happiness.
All the wonders!
With
the chip in her hand, Zeta walked to the round table on the terrace. It was
already cleaned and the black ritual cover was laid out. There were few candles
to choose from and some frankincense was lit on the burner. There was a small,
washed and ironed white cotton cloth for the chip that Zoltan brought back from
his trip.
Zeta
decided upon 3 candles. One small white for the altar, one thick red for energy
and fire and the help of Hades and one thick blue for Uranus. She lit them and
invited the brothers to contribute to the ceremony.
The
small, turquoise, pebble-like recording device was lying there, waiting for the
expert touch.
“Wow,
I have no idea how to handle this one,” pondered Zeta. “Let’s be
logical. Looking at the aura it is organic. If organic, it behaves like one,
therefore cracking it open is not an option. The full moon would help,”
entered Zeta’s mind. “But it is still a week away. There is no time to wait.
I will try the frequencies.”
As she
said that few musical instruments were fetched and placed on the table.
“Logic
dictates that I should use the opposite frequency to irritate the mass to open
up. It is a high frequency energy. I will use deep sounds. The starting point
should be the A sound. For lower vibration, I need to go down by either 5 or 7
pitches to follow the structure of the universe. I go down an octave. This name
is confusing. There are 7 sounds between the two pitches, why is it called
octave then?
They
represent the 7 colours of the rainbow as the 7 natural colours, the 28 days
moon cycle, 7 days of the week and so on. On musical terms they count the
frame. Starts with A and finishes with A. So, the finishing A is the beginning
of another octave. It shows infinity just like the number 8. It could be. But
it is still confusing,”
ran a train of thought Zeta. “This African drum would do the trick,” she
said and hit the leather.
The
pebble moved and its colour started changing however, stopped a minute later.
“All
right. I might need to hit it 7 times in a certain rhythm, like the heartbeat
of the universe.”
After
the last beat the recording device started to show significant changes in its
energy field. A rainbow emerged slowly growing until it covered the table. “I
have to get ready to take notes,” ran Zeta for a notepad and pen.
When
the energy covered the whole terrace, it began to concentrate at a point few
steps away from her, until it formed an almost human-like being, who started to
talk in a warm and deep voice.
“Greetings
Hera. I am the messenger. My function is to deliver the message from the
Pleiadeans. Listen very carefully. You cannot rewind me, I am not capable of
answering questions that form in your mind while listening, and I cannot argue.
I exist
until I speak. After, I become the organic part of the device yet again. The
message is quite lengthy therefore you should make yourself comfortable,” it announced and paused for a minute.
Although Keta is an old planet, human life here is relatively young. In
all of our 5 planets we count humanoid times in the millions, while you are in
the early thousands. That is why souls coming down here still store memories of
our existence, our schools, some of them might have even lived among us.
The
structures of the planet and our physical appearance are almost identical.
However, there is a big difference in our ways of living, and consequently our
way of thinking. From now on, when I say: us, I mean the 3 planets living in
unity. These are: Mekhranat, Muskhat and Mughat. The other 2, Quilwan and
Nowtey walk different paths.
Following that thought, our planets are not visible from Keta. The
stars’ cluster you call Pleiades received its name from people who cherished
the Knowledge and noted everything within the interrelations of energies. These
people you refer to as the Greeks. Unfortunately, they succumbed to the blind
force of ignorance, similarly to the great majority of the planet, at one
stage. I will talk about it later.
Coming
back to the stars, as far as you are concerned, they are named after the
daughters of Atlas and Pleione. The 9 of them together show a close unity.
However, like other stars, these are not equipped to support humanoid life on
their surface. Here, you live in a solar system with a sun at the core, from
where you gain your energy, knowledge and fire. In our case it all comes from
the sisters, notably from Maia and Marope.
The
Haudi solar system, where Keta lives, is an old and wise organic energy mass.
The planets ooze wisdom, especially that of Keta. Knowledge was the main
objective when the decision for establishing a human life form here, was made.
Knowledge shouldn’t be wasted. Without Knowledge the Great Matrix falls apart.
The more the Knowledge the higher the resonance and stronger the Matrix. This
should be an important clue for Keteans. To understand the Matrix of the Universe
and their place within it.
Life is an extraordinary journey. It is full of challenges
and unsolved tasks that are put in front of us on the constantly moving and
changing road towards Nirvana, the place that today we refer to as Happiness.
In my journey, I visited 103 countries, lived in 7, on 4
continents. I learned about the interrelated micro- and macrocosm. I became a
REIKI Master-Healer, an Initiated Witch, an Orixa Shamanic Master, and a
Phoenix Initiated Educator to teach the ancient wisdom of Khem, the Royal Art
of Al Khemi.
Today, I have an established philosophy – I call AKIA – that
explores the interrelations between earthlings and nature, and Earth and the
universe. I have 12 books published and many faithful students. I am an
Intimacy & Family coach and help people to find their purpose. The joy of
seeing them succeed gives me the strength to find new adventures and learn from
new experiences.
I believe that learning is the only way to understand life
and the self within. This unique knowledge makes us or breaks us in the end.
I am British and living in London.
Website * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter The Hera-Zeta Chronicles Giveaway Here
A PROOF OF LOVE
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”
Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.
Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.
Read an Excerpt
Gram taught me to be independent, manage my anxieties, and have confidence in myself, showing me how to use my imagination to wiggle out of a jam or face the “grim crossroads” when confused or sad.
The first time I cried and lost it over a complicated computer problem, she said, “Be inventive, Katie! What can you do to calm down and think things through?”
We put our heads together to come up with ideas. Gram said she brewed herself a cup of tea when needing a break. Mom worked on crossword puzzles. Dad played solitaire. My one decadent delight was a FatBoy ice cream, and that’s how Gram and I hatched the plan of taking two ice cream sandwiches and hiding them under the frozen vegetables to create my private emergency stash.
“Close your eyes, breathe, take a bite, and replace the leftovers. No one will suspect anything. Our little secret. . .”
About the Author:
At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.
My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives.
My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.
After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)
Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.
Substack: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Facebook: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/MeridaJohns
Website: https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com
https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js
Interview With ….
What would we find under your bed?
Me to know, and no one to find out except the dog.
Who do you admire the most?
I admire women trailblazers who have dared to challenge norms to achieve their own autonomy and to promote equity and a more just world. Most of these women are not recognized as household names. But as a group, they could be represented by women who showed remarkable grit in pursuing a journey to achieve a flourishing life for themselves and others, such as Jane Addams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Florence Nightingale.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?
Background music is a must when I’m writing. When I’m not immersed in writing about a specific era, my go-to music is easy jazz.
Other times, I’ll play music appropriate to the era I’m writing about. For example, my novel Blackhorse Road was set in the mid-1960’s in Southern California, and I listened to a lot of the Four Seasons, the Beach Boys, Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, as well as folk music of the day like Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, and the list goes on. Two of the main characters in A Proof of Love, my latest novel, grew up in the 1960’s. In tavern scenes in the story, readers will find Ned Boomer cranking up the juke listening to the music inspiring me, such as “The Loco-Motion,” “Up on the Roof,” and “Twist and Shout.”
What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
I have a story that tugs at me to tell: about women who bucked social, religious, and cultural headwinds to embrace the modern woman’s age at the turn of the twentieth century. Inspired by family letters and diaries of women from the 1880s through the early 1920’s, my goal is to complete the first draft in 2026.
Besides finishing another novel, I plan to hone my craft through writing workshops and clinics, beginning with an online course through Stanford University Continuing Studies on close analytic reading, continuing with weekly online workshops with the Chicago-based OCWW (Off Campus Writers Workshop), and meeting twice a month with my critique group.
How long did it take you to write this book?
I began writing A Proof of Love in October 2021. After multiple drafts, a developmental edit, and four years of polishing, the manuscript was ready for copyediting in the fall of 2025. A frequent question I receive is “Why does the publication take so long?” Seeing a novel through to publication involves a series of steps. For A Proof of Love, I’ve written several drafts after submitting the manuscript to my critique group, my developmental editor, and my beta readers. Once I’ve reached a final draft, the manuscript is submitted for copyediting, which usually involves additional work and refining on my part. After the final draft, the process requires creating a book cover and a blurb, designing the book’s interior, registering the copyright, and performing technical tasks to prepare the manuscript for upload to software platforms for eBook and paperback creation.
A DUCHESS WITH A SECRET
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alix Nichols will be awarding a digital box set of her bestselling series The Darcy Brothers to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
For sixteen years, they’ve hated each other…
and craved each other.Widowed and betrayed, Eva Castellane will do anything to protect her daughter’s inheritance.
Standing in her way?
Alex Castellane—her late husband’s steely, magnetic half brother.
The man poised to take it all.
Her worst enemy.
Her forbidden temptation.Stuck together in the family castle, their legal fight spirals into war…
until a common threat forces a reluctant alliance.
Desire blurs the lines.
Chemistry sizzles.
Rules get broken.But as the verdict nears, one slip could unravel Eva’s explosive secret…
A Duchess with a Secret stands alone within the Montevor Royals Saga. It is a spicy contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance with forced proximity, family secrets, and a hard-won HEA.
Read an Excerpt
Alex
The air outside the basement at Mount Evor Secret Service feels colder than it did inside. It isn’t exactly chilly; just crisp enough to bite, which I welcome wholeheartedly. It clears my head.
“I’m going to walk to the hotel,” Eva says. “I need air.”
“I was about to say the same.”
She shoots me a look. “Please don’t. I don’t want to start thinking we have things in common.”
“What about the duchy?” I taunt.
“Of all the things we don’t have in common,” she quips, “the duchy is the one we don’t have in common the most.”
I smile despite myself. The pretty shell has some humor.
“May I walk beside you?” I ask.
“If you must,” she says after a beat. “But don’t think I’m warming to you.”
“Understood.”
We fall into step, heading toward the hotel located in the city’s historic center. She keeps her arms folded tight across her chest like a shield.
“I want you to know I will fight you with everything I’ve got. Dirty. No-holds-barred,” she warns. “My lawyer, Pauline, is very good at her job.”
I glance over. “So, this is your idea of small talk?”
“If you’d prefer silence…”
“No, this is delightful.”
We keep walking. Pombrio glows in the late-September dusk. The limestone facades catch the last golden rays and appear to be lit from within. Lined with old trees starting to turn, cobbled streets stretch ahead, winding gently. Cafés hum with end-of-day energy, clinking glasses, and low laughter. A faint whiff of woodsmoke rides the breeze.
I’d enjoy this stroll more if Eva weren’t so close. Her presence is magnetic and annoying in equal measures. Her perfume doesn’t help. It has none of the sugary sweetness most ladies favor. Instead, it’s seductive in a sharp, provocative way that’s so much her.
About the Author:
Alix Nichols is a caffeine addict, a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy. She pens sexy romantic comedies and romantasy. Her books have been described as “pure pleasure” (Kirkus Reviews) that “keep fans of romance hanging off the edge of their seat” (Romantic Times).
At the age of six, she released her first book. It featured highly creative spelling on a dozen pages stitched together and bound in velvet paper.
Decades later, she lives in France and still writes. Her spelling has improved (somewhat), she has become a Kindle Scout winner, Chanticleer First Place winner, USA Today bestseller, Book Riot’s Top 100 Must-Read International Romance author, and Amazon All-Star for being one of the 100 most-read authors in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/alixnichols
Website: http://www.alixnichols.com
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/alixnichols
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorAlixNichols
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alix-nichols
Newsletter Signup (and a free bundle!): http://bit.ly/alix-freebook
https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js
Q & A with Alix Nichols
Tell us about you as a person.
I’m a romance writer who lives in France and is mildly obsessed with coffee, castles, and happy
endings. I’m bilingual (French and English), which comes in handy when I’m switching between
writing in one language and chatting with readers in the other. I love creating characters who
are a bit messy, a bit stubborn, and who fall hard when they finally let their guard down. When
I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me in a café with a notebook or wandering around some
historic site, taking pictures and mentally filing away details for future books.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Colin Firth. I’ve been a huge fan of his Mr Darcy since the 1996 Pride and Prejudice miniseries
(yes, I’ve watched it more times than I care to admit). I’d love to spend a day with him just
chatting about literature, movies and British humor. I think he’d be surprisingly down-to-earth
and great company.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My latest release is A Duchess with a Secret, book 9 in the Montevor Royals series. I wanted to
write a romance between two slightly older characters who both carry emotional baggage and
have real responsibilities. Eva is a widow and mother who’s spent years putting everyone else
first, while Alex is her late husband’s half-brother — brilliant, logical, and not at all the charming
type she expected. When a surprise inheritance throws them together at the ancestral castle,
sparks fly (mostly the argumentative kind at first). It’s an enemies-to-lovers story with forced
proximity, family secrets, and plenty of tension in a gorgeous castle setting. I had a lot of fun
writing their reluctant journey from distrust to something much deeper.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their latest
book?
Show up as yourself, even if you write under a pen name. Regular, genuine posts on social
media work well, along with building an email list so you can talk directly to your readers. Don’t
be afraid to collaborate. Guest posts, blog tours, and newsletter swaps can introduce you to
new audiences. Most importantly, focus on the readers who already love your books; they’re your best advocates. A simple “thank you for reading” or behind-the-scenes peek can go a long way.
List 5 things on your bucket list.
1. Visit every major castle in France (I’ve made a good start, but there are still so many left!).
2. Write a full historical romance set in the Regency era.
3. Learn to speak decent Italian.
4. Go on a book tour around the world.
5. Spend a week in a remote cottage with no Wi-Fi and just write.
Any final thoughts?
Thank you so much for having me! Writing romance is such a joy, and I’m incredibly grateful to
the readers who keep coming back for more. If you enjoy stories with strong heroines, grumpy-
but-secretly-sweet heroes, and plenty of emotional payoff, I hope you’ll give A Duchess with a
Secret a try.
C.A. Milson 