Saturday, March 30, 2013

Book Spotlight : The Dream Jumper's Promise by author Kim Hornsby

Dear readers,

Today blog Wonderworld presents a special spotlight on the 4.5-5 stars recently released romantic suspense and thrilling novel titled THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE (The Dream Jumper Series) by the multi talented and best selling author Kim Hornsby. This novel has so far received 61 rave reviews out of which 39 are 5 stars and 16 are 4 stars!


From the author's desk : The Dream Jumper's Promise is nominated for Best Indie First Book by the readers associated with Indie Romance Convention. Please visit my blog to know more about this latest update - http://www.kimhornsby.blogspot.com/ 

 More about the book in this special feature!

 Book Spotlight



Ebook : THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE (The Dream Jumper Series)

Genre : Romance, Mystery, Suspense

Author : Kim Hornsby

Amazon Stores : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA4FAJC

 
Author website : http://www.kimhornsby.net/
 

Author's Twitter Handle :  @kimhornsby

Facebook Page :  www.facebook.com/kimhornsby1

Goodreads Page :  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17209575-necessary-detour 
 
Reviews : Multiple 4.5-5 stars - 61 reviews (39x5 stars , 16x4 stars)
 
Synopsis : Ten months after the presumed death of a missing surfer, Maui SCUBA shop owner, Tina Greene, still can't accept her husband Hank’s death. Without a body, her undying hope for his survival lives on.

Jamey Dunn, an old boyfriend, arrives on Maui from his tour of duty in Afghanistan where he’s a dream jumper for the military. Tina’s inconvenient feelings for him resurface and, even though he dives on her boat daily, she tries to avoid the man who betrayed her years before. Nightly dreams of diving with Hank haunt her and the edge between dreams and reality blur.

Sensing danger, Jamey stays close to the woman he’s always loved but Tina turns to Hank's best friend, Noble for comfort. Thinking he can help, Jamey offers to visit her dreams. Tina is distrustful and hesitant to let him into her subconscious mind, but relents. As the threesome come closer to solving the mystery of Hank’s disappearance, danger sets in to reveal that one person is flirting with insanity, one is a traitor, and one is an imposter.

Editorial Review (Amazon link) : "Fantastic mix of women's fiction light with a twist of magic/psychic without being heavy handed so the 2nd chance love story stays the main focus. The surprises at the end are worth the wait!" Christine M. Fairchild, Editor Devil, Author, An Eye for Danger

Chapter Excerpt

Jamey sensed Kristina was going to black out before her eyes took on that blank expression of nothingness. “Katie, get some water.” He grabbed her small frame in a loose hug and lowered her to the carpeted floor. Shit, what’s going on? He’d sensed something horribly melancholy about her when he turned around. Tragedy, sadness. Damn this clairvoyance. Pinching the inside of her thigh made her flinch. Her gorgeous chocolate-colored eyes fluttered open. “Kristina?” She smelled like gardenia flowers. He couldn’t help notice, this close.
“What?” Her voice was paper thin. She reached for the dog that had moved in to lick her face. “How long?”
“Ten seconds.” Jamey watched her scan the room. Her carotid pulse was strong.
“I felt something weird.” She turned her head to look at him and he leaned back to put a few more inches between them.
“Faint or hungry or…overjoyed to see me?” He attempted a smile but she didn’t notice. Already she was struggling to sit up. “Just lay there for a bit.”
“I’m okay now.”
He remembered how stubborn she was and helped her up, his arm under her elbow. Unsteadily, she reached for the counter. Her face had more color but hell, she still looked terrible. Deathly.
Katie ran into the room with a bottle of water. “Oh, my God, Tina. What happened? Should I phone 911?” She stopped short of hugging her boss.
Kristina grabbed the counter’s edge for support while he took the water bottle from Katie.   “Thanks, sweetie,” Jamey said, “but I think she has low blood sugar. Can you find fruit or a carb?”
“We have juice in the back fridge."
“That’ll do.” Jamey nodded, not taking his eyes from Kristina. He cracked the water bottle’s seal and handed it over.
Tina took a swig and set it down on the glass counter.
“Deep breaths,” he advised.
She exhaled and then looked into his face. “James Dunn.” It was a statement.
He remembered when they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. “Kristina Greene.” Her cap logo said ‘Tina and Hank’s Dive Shop.’ Ah yes, the husband.
“I go by Tina now."
She backed away and he didn’t blame her. The way he’d left things, he deserved a slap. Or a punch. “I’m surprised you’re still on the island.” She’d said she wouldn’t last long on Maui if her parents didn’t get off her back.
They shared a smile. Hers looked forced. His felt the same way.
She stepped behind the counter, putting distance between them. “I thought I’d seen the last of you.”
“That’s not why you fainted?” He needed her to say it wasn’t his fault.
“Here’s POG.” Katie rounded the corner, balancing an overfilled Dixie cup. She stood and watched Tina gulp the sugary pink juice.
“That did the trick, thanks, Katie."
Her eyes had lost the foggy look. “Maybe you need food,” Jamey said. He’d take her for breakfast if she’d let him.
“No thanks.” She pulled her hat further down her forehead.
His heart still raced at the sight of her again, his palms still clammy. Kristina. Wow. Definitely recognizable as the spunky dive instructor he’d fallen for ten years ago, she still had that turned-up nose, big brown eyes and a face that said ‘naughty girl next door.’ He realized that he was staring at her like she was a textbook and he had a test coming up. “You should see a doctor, just in case,” he said.
A smile didn’t accompany her chuckle. “Believe me, I will. Excuse me.” She turned and disappeared into the back room with the striped dog on her heels.

****
 


Monday, March 18, 2013

Special Spotlight : Leashed (Book 1) a romantic thriller by award winning author Zoe Dawson

Dear friends,

Today blog Wonderworld spotlights an exceptional romantic thriller with loads of romance, mystery and suspense in each of its pages - a page turner - LEASHED(Going to the Dogs) by the award winning, multi published, brilliant romance author Zoe Dawson.

For those who are a fan of romantic thrillers and mystery genres you can download LEASHED for Free from Amazon during March 18 through March 22. Yes, this book's free now and you can get your free copy at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JVSCO2

More on the book and author in this special edition- enjoy the chapter excerpt!!



     
 
Leashed (Going to the dogs)                      Author Zoe Dawson

Connect with author Zoe Dawson

Author website : http://www.zoedawson.com/
 
 
 
Follow the author on Twitter :  https://twitter.com/ZoeDawsonAuthor
 
 
Newsletter from the author : http://karenanders.us5.list-manage2.com 
 
Author Bio :  Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of Karen Anders, award winning, multi-published author. Her writing journey started with poetry and branched out into fiction. With a couple of college English courses under her belt, she penned a historical, then moved onto contemporary romance fiction.

She's launched the first book in her self-published Going to the Dogs Series.  Leashed begins the tails (pun intended) of four New York City dog professionals who meet at a dog park and become fast friends.  Out now, Groomed for Murder, Book #2

She is also publishing with Entangled Publishing and will have her debut novel out with them in 2013.  It's the first book of the six book The Misfit Squad Series of police procedurals, featuring a group of troubled homicide detectives who have landed in the "last chance" squad.  If they don't shape up, they're out.

Today, she is happy producing romantic suspense, romantic mystery, and soon paranormal and urban fantasy novels. The words feed her soul and the happily ever afters feed her heart
.
 
Book Spotlight 
 

 
Ebook : LEASHED (Going to the Dogs)

Author : Zoe Dawson

Genre : Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Reviews : multiple 4.7 - 5 stars
 
Amazon Stores : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JVSCO2  (Free Download March 18 - March 22)
 
Synopsis : And they call it puppy love!

When Jack falls head-over-paws for cute and cuddly Jill next door -- that creamy coat, those soft brown eyes, and, yowza, those long legs, he simply cannot help himself.  Bing, bang, boom, a few weeks later, Jack has some 'splaining to do when that cute female is with puppies.  Jack's going to be a father, trouble is his lady love's owner and his owner need a little shove into love.  Being a large and in-charge Great Dane, that's no problem for Jack.  With a little cooperation and a little matchmaking, some nudging, whining and puppy dog eyes, hopefully, everyone will live happily ever after together.

Chapter Excerpt from Leashed
Book #1
Going to the Dogs
By Zoe Dawson
(All rights reserved)

Chapter One

A woman’s laughter drifted into the hall as Callie Lassiter trudged home. She glared at Owen McKay’s door as she slipped her key into the lock of her trendy Tribeca loft. Sounded like Owen was having much more fun on his date than she’d had on hers.

Yep, another dating disaster. Okay, so not as much a disaster as a ho-hum snooze fest. With an inner sigh, she reflected on this evening’s dating fiasco. He was nice. Quite nice, but he might as well have been an amoeba, because she’d felt no attraction. None. When had dating become so…rote?

Since she decided a man with an edge was not an option. Yep, she was a bad boy junkie, but often addictive things were just plain not good for you. Like chocolate. Also not good for you. Still, Callie couldn’t help but feel let down.

The laughter tinkled again, sweet and clear. Envy twisted in her stomach and pressed against her chest. She threw his door another glare. She bet the woman Owen was entertaining looked like one of those high-fashion models she usually saw hanging on his arm in the New York Scoop photos she pretended not to notice. The guy was gorgeous; of course he would only date high-quality arm candy, never a girl-next-door type like Callie.

He also had to keep up appearances. As one of Manhattan’s players, he owned FLASH, a classy nightclub that everyone in the city considered the place to see and be seen. He was often reported to be with a different woman each week. But even his stylish clothes and expensive, hip haircut couldn’t disguise his true nature. And she’d learned the hard way that untamable, audacious, and daring meant Bad Boy with capital Bs.

At least there was one male eager to see her, one she could depend on, and who was always excited to greet her as she came through the door. And this enormous boy wasn’t at all boring.

Pushing the door open, she braced herself for her exuberant but well-trained Great Dane, Jack. He was right there to greet her, as always, and Callie kissed him on the bridge of his black and white nose.

She deposited her Judith Leiber vintage clutch on the hall table and gave her full attention to Jack.

He filled the doorway with his big body. Every time they did their welcome-home ritual, she was grateful for the first skill she had taught Jack—not to jump up. With a dog this large, it would be unpleasant, and could be dangerous to small children.

“Hi there, Jack! Who’s a good boy?” Callie cooed as she stroked Jack’s head and rubbed all over his silky fur. She wouldn’t be able to get past this cheerful, affectionate two hundred pound bundle of canine energy without first paying the entry fee of a big dose of love, which she did gladly.

She was having so much fun with Jack that she barely noticed a door open down the hall, followed by a brief conversation before the door closed and footsteps retreated toward the elevator.

Grabbing Jack’s leash, she clipped it to his collar, headed back out the door, and locked it behind them. She enjoyed their walks as much as he did, and did them as often as her busy business allowed. And since she was the boss and owner of Sit Happens, an obedience and dog training business on the Lower East Side, she could build her schedule to suit her needs, and Jack’s. “I had a really disappointing date,” Callie confided as they headed down the hall.

Jack’s ears pricked and he made a comforting sound. Then, prancing with excitement, he proceeded to get tangled in his leash. As Callie bent down to unravel him, she heard a most unwelcome voice behind her.

“Your Dane is big enough to be a pinto, and he has the right two-tone coloring.”

Callie’s bad boy meter shot up into the red zone. Owen McKay would have to mock her. There he stood in all his glory, just outside his loft door, his hip cocked and his intent eyes studying her. Naturally, Owen lived in the most modern and sleek of all the lofts her brother and his outrageously creative friends had produced. As if his clothes were a natural extension of his upscale residence, he had on a black crew neck sweater and a pair of sinfully tight black leather pants, accentuating narrow hips and hard, strong-looking thighs. His come-hither eyes traveled slowly over her, and she realized that she was staring and holding her breath.

Instructing herself to snap out of it, she mentally reiterated her vow never to get involved with another man who was dangerous, unpredictable, a rebel who didn’t care whose feelings got hurt. Callie firmly reminded herself why she had stopped dating selfish and emotionally unavailable men. She was the one who usually got hurt.

She straightened and stood for a moment in silent agony. Why did she become speechless every time she saw Owen? Thank God it only happened with him, or she’d be out of business in a week!

“His markings are referred to as Harlequin.” Oh, my God! Did that nonsense come out of her mouth in that stuffy, schoolmarmish-correcting-the-student-tone? She should find a comfortable and quiet spot to bang her head repeatedly against the wall. Hard.

He smiled as if he was indulging her. “I know.”

A big, dark muzzle pushed its way out of his half-open loft door. The big body came after, the dog’s tail wagging so hard her whole body shook.

“Ah, another Dane lover.” Then he probably wasn’t all bad. Maybe.

Owen reached inside the door and grabbed a leash, then closed and locked his door. “Yes, I am. I’m Owen McKay, by the way, and this is Jill.” He clipped the leash to the fawn-colored bitch’s collar. “Time for your walk, girl.”

“No way.”

He shot her a puzzled look.

“Meet Jack. And I’m Callie Lassiter,” she said with a grin.

Owen laughed, and it was like a rich, decadent dessert. Incredibly tempting and probably very bad for her.

At the moment she was distracted by Owen’s hot-fudge-sundae laugh, Jack made a totally unexpected, lightning move, all the while crooning a soft woofing noise deep in his throat. “Jack, heel!”

Jack merely jerked the leash out of her hand as he bolted for the pretty female.

Her dog’s completely uncharacteristic behavior left her speechless, and, for critical seconds, completely at a loss.

“Jack!”

Jill coyly sidestepped Jack as Callie zipped down the hall and caught her dog’s collar, but moving two hundred unwilling pounds was impossible. “Jack, sit!”

Incredibly, he ignored her again.

In the meantime, Jill danced around her master with Jack in hot pursuit. Jill’s leash wrapped around Owen, and then around Callie, at the same time that Jack’s loose leash got snagged around their ankles. In moments they were completely entangled with the dogs and with each other.

The clinging black crew neck shirt he wore felt soft under her fingers as she clutched him for balance. His pecs were thick and hard, his scent and physicality making her feel weak in the knees while her insides melted into a gooey mess.

This close, she could see that his irises were a vivid blue, shot with deep gold and rimmed in black. His eyes were intense and compelling, and she felt her interest in him deepen. Damn!

In spite of the canine commotion surrounding them, she could not shake off this man’s spell! At least she couldn’t until she felt the leashes tighten and yank her off-balance and into a tangled heap with Owen on top.

And then her brain seized up completely when one of those hard thighs pushed between her legs and that flat stomach came up against hers.

For a suspended moment she took in his gorgeous, masculine features backdropped by thick black hair that was mussed and sexy. His mouth was close to hers, lips pursed and so sensual. Her mouth tingled and ached with wondering what they would feel like against hers. Almost as though he also could feel the magnetic connection vibrating between her mouth and his, he angled his head toward her, his eyes on her lips.

 

 
 

Friday, March 8, 2013

Special Spotlight : Fiction Writing by author Karleene Morrow

Dear friends,

Today blog Wonderworld is going to feature a very special book on fiction writing skills for authors. This book talks about some extremely valuable suggestions and insights on how to write an interesting and successful fiction novel. The book is titled FICTION WRITING by author Karleene Morrow who is an ace fiction novel author and has quite a few award winning books to her credit. 

Her fiction novel DESTINIES was a semi-finalist in Kindle's Best Indie Books of 2012 and is in competition now in another major contest.
 

From the author's desk (about the book FICTION WRITING) : "This is a no-nonsense, easy-to-read book packed with the nitty-gritty of creative writing; a cut-to-the-chase work that will become your fiction writing bible."


More on the book and the author in this special edition!

                     
        
Fiction Writing - How to write your first novel           Author Karleene Morrow     

Connect with author Karleene Morrow



Follow the author on Twitter : https://twitter.com/KarleeneMorrow


Author Bio : KARLEENE MORROW is the author of the impressive historical fiction novel, DESTINIES. In that epic tale, Catherine seizes the crown of Russia and a thousand miles away a Rhineland boy’s life changes forever. Ms. Morrow holds a B.S. Honors degree, Sociology and an M.S. in Ed Psychology. She lives at the beach in the Pacific Northwest with her Pomeranian dogs, some of them champions, all of them beloved family companions.

Book Spotlight 


Ebook : FICTION WRITING :  How To Write Your First Novel

Author : Karleene Morrow

Genre : Non fiction,  Creative Writing Techniques

Reviews : multiple 5 stars

Amazon Store (Paperback) : http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-Writing-Write-First-Novel/dp/1480298859
Amazon Store (Kindle) : http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-Writing-Write-First-ebook/dp/B00ANXW1EW

Kobo bookstore :
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Fiction-Writing-How-Write-Your/book-IAJGWf3zYEmkXaQPfAlmXA/page1.html 

This book is also available at Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Sony EReader Store, Apple iTune store and many other online book stores!

Synopsis :
Wasting no words, the author quickly takes you to the Secrets of writing your first novel, Prologues, Beginning, Middles and Endings, Developing your Style, Writing Memorable characters, Suspense and Foreshadow, Ending your novel and Dealing with Writers Block. She also offers a few words on Rewriting and Publishing.

Chapter Excerpt 
  

Where to start? When a character appears in a novel, we, as writers, must get into that character’s head. We must become him, at least while he is on stage. If there are twenty characters then we’ll have to slip into the persona of each of them. Be the fiancée while she is in the scene, think like she does, speak as she would. Be the gardener. Be the neighbor. 

When creating the character in your reader’s eye, it will be tempting to write something like, “She was exceptionally tall for a woman, close to six feet. She was thin with long fingers and had red hair. Her eyes were hazel and more oval than round. She had a long slender nose and full lips. She was a cautious, non-trusting type.” Sad to say many writers fall into this easy method of describing a character. A better and more effective way is to flesh out the character as the storyline progresses. Have someone else notice or comment on her height. A waitress could stare at her red hair. The character’s own actions and dialogue can let us know that she does not trust people. Develop her as the story moves forward. 

Remind yourself, too, that less is more. Readers bring their own experiences to a novel. The writer can be minimal in his descriptions of a character. The reader will fill in what the writer leaves out and readers will visualize your story people. Interestingly, they won’t all see her the same.


NAMES

Give your characters tags and traits or at least give them to your major characters. We’ve briefly discussed giving your characters names and they’re all going to need one. Maybe not a shopkeeper referred to briefly in the book as ‘the shopkeeper,’ but the rest of them will. You may not know right off what name is right for a particular character even your protagonist. If you feel you have given him the wrong name, you can refer to him by his role or his temperament, such as “Don’t make it your business,” Grumpy said, or Protagonist said or Builder said. At some point you are either going to feel the right name, your character will tell you his name or you’ll go on a Google search looking for a name that will suit him.

While writing Destinies, I was well into the character of the ship captain’s daughter but she wasn’t moving along well for me. I figured out that she was wearing the wrong name. When I changed her name she came alive. After that, whenever she was in a scene, she spoke naturally, acted in accordance with who she was. She played her part and I became the scribe, capturing what she did and said.

If a difficult great-aunt is named Jennifer, she isn’t going to feel right to your readers and she won’t feel right to you, either. You probably won’t find her easy to write. But change her name to Hortense or even Cordelia  and watch her start to take on a life. A sweet, scatterbrained great-auntie named Gertie will most likely have you smiling as you allow her to play her part with hands that flutter around blue hair while she gives off the scents of talcum powder and old lace. 

A word of warning: avoid giving your people sound alike names. You don’t want your female characters to be named Betty, Barbara, Beth, Bonnie and Bernadette. If you read The Brothers Karamazov you probably remember, with agony, the challenge of keeping all the characters straight. Think carefully, too, before you tag your characters with names from highly read books, current or past. It’s difficult to give your characters personalities of their own if you use names like Hermione, Hamlet, Scarlet or Spock.



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