Welcoming Andrew Richardson: Switching Up The Genre, Ramping Up the Tension in The Door into War

This is one of the few stories Andrew Richardson has written that I had not read before it was published. The Door into War is a departure from his customary re telling of celtic legends, supernatural horror and erotic fiction. This science fiction, historical, time travel thriller bears his trademark style and is a fresh and innovative approach to genre blending. I was hooked by the end of the first few pages, and biting my cuticles until I finished. The characters were so real and well drawn, I was swept into the world he created. As always Andrew's stories are meticulously researched and executed.

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Archaeologist Rachel McKenzie expects the excavation of a World War One bunker to yield routine results – until she uncovers modern artifacts among a handful of skeletons in British uniforms. DNA testing provides evidence of a government scheme to address Britain’s shortage of soldiers in 1918 by abducting 21st century citizens and sending them back in time to fight the Germans. The authorities from both eras are desperate to keep ‘Operation Trench’ secret, and ruthlessly stamp down on anyone who might expose them.

Despite her scepticism about time travel, Rachel needs to persuade the public that ‘Operation Trench’ is much more than a conspiracy theory dreamed up by cranks. Battling against ever increasing odds to expose the plot, Rachel endangers herself and her colleagues as the government ruthlessly culls those they suspect are privy to their plan.

Can Rachel make the truth public before she and her colleagues become victims of the very scheme they are trying to stop? Or will those in power and take brutal revenge against her?

Excerpt:

Tyrone muttered. Rachel imagined him making a gesture at her back, and anger warmed her insides against the foetid damp. Her boot stubbed something. “Bugger.”

“What is it?”

Rachel aimed the beam. “An ammunition box, I think. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Too angry. She stepped over the box and concentrated on picking her way through the tunnel.

She pointed the flashlight at a tin, the top of which peered above the mud. ‘Abercrombie’s Cakes,’ the lid’s rusting letters said.

“A gift from home to keep up morale,” Tyrone said.

“Yeah, probably.” Rachel’s beam picked out bare concrete ahead. “Look, it turns a corner. Geophysics told us it goes round a bend. Here it is!” She drew a deep, silent mouthful of putrid air as she followed the tunnel. “It widens here.” She flicked the beam upward. “The ceiling’s higher, too.”

Tyrone grunted an acknowledgement.

Rachel swung the flashlight around the chamber’s right hand ceiling first. She aimed lower.

Rachel jerked back. Tyrone gasped.

-->

The skeleton’s empty sockets stared from between rotted blankets.

Andrew Richardson lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife, a rescue cat, and a son who occasionally pops home from university.   He is within easy reach of Stonehenge and other historical places whose regal solitude provides a clear mind for working out plot difficulties and story ideas.

Most of Andrew’s work falls squarely into the horror/fantasy genre, but he also enjoys writing some erotica so his characters can have some fun for a change instead of being scared out of their wits.  He has a dislike of laptops so adopts the old and quaint approach of typing with a desktop, which at least has a screen big enough to avoid the need to squint.

Andrew has a background in archaeology and has worked in several trenches.  It’s not really a surprise that most of his work reflects this interest and experience, even if it’s as peripheral as his characters living the university lifestyle.

When he’s not writing or working as a science administrator Andrew follows Aldershot Town Football Club and takes long walks over rugged countryside.

Andrew has had nine novels or novellas published (one forthcoming), as well as several short stories.  The majority include some element of Celtic myth.

Welcoming Stacy Hoff, Author of Jockeying with You

I've wanted a horse all my life, but living in New York City makes that dream rather impractical (and expensive). But I love a yearly trip to Belmont Park for their Breakfast at Belmont glimpse at the jockeys taking the thoroughbreds on their morning training runs. Then you get a trolley ride through the stables and a chance to stand in a starting gate. Okay, so I've been a sucker for horse stories since devouring Walter Farley's Black Stallion series and Whitman Classics Westerns.

Stacy Hoff has a new release which I can't wait to read.

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Jake Carter is on a mission—to prove his family wrong. He may have bought a troubled horse, but he’s hired Ryder Hannon, a “horse whisperer,” to get his horse back on track. She’s more than just a trainer to him, she’s the woman he’s been looking for.

Ryder Hannon, a thoroughbred horse trainer, has a big problem—fighting her fear of racing again. Her emotional scars run deeper than her physical ones. But her romantic feelings towards handsome, uber-rich, stable owner Jake Carter is a bigger problem.  Is Jake truly in love with her or is he using her to get back at his smug family?

When Jake’s jockey gets injured, he wants Ryder to race. He knows deep down she wants to live up to her family’s legacy. So why does she keep fighting him—and her destiny—so hard?

Excerpt:

Jake felt his eyebrow arch up. “Dr. Doolittle, I presume?”
A slow smile spread across her lips.
“How far have you gotten with Handsome?”
“He’ll let me ride him now.”
Jake’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “My God, Ryder, you’re amazing,” he exclaimed. With a shake of his head and a hard cough he corrected himself. “I mean, your results with him are amazing.”
Ryder’s grin was now Cheshire cat sized. “Thanks for both compliments.”
Damn. She couldn’t let my mistake go.
Then it hit him. His comment was a slip, but was it really a mistake? Her beautiful face, which had been beaming with pride now had a shy aspect that was even more endearing. She bore a schoolgirl’s blush and averted her eyes from him as she busied herself petting Handsome’s nose.
If only she could stroke me the same way. Though somewhere lower down than my nose. He tensed at the thought. Focus, Jake, damn it! This is business. “Show me,” he said.
 She blinked. “Show you what?”
“Show me Handsome Dancer can be ridden. I want you to ride him for me.”
“Now? He’s already had his exercise for today. I don’t want to tire him out.”
Handsome’s head batted her shoulder with a determination that was comical.
“You know,” Jake quipped, “if he actually understands you then you really are Dr. Doolittle.”
“I’m sure he just wanted me to give him an apple.” She wiped a stray blond bang from her hot forehead and looked the horse in one of his eyes. “What are you saying, babycakes? That you want to go on a short ride with me?”
Yes, yes, I do. Jake cleared his throat and gave her a tight smile. “Go ahead, you two. Impress me.”
A few minutes later, he was outside the training track, his hands casually resting on the guardrail while he waited for the show to begin.
Soon, Ryder and Handsome entered the track. He heard her cluck her tongue at the horse, and then watched her lightly kick Handsome’s rear. The horse took off around the track in a fast gallop. The horse’s flight was fluid and astoundingly fast for what was supposed to be an easy go-around. She was doing more than merely riding Handsome Dancer. She was a part of him. One cohesive whole.
Thinking the demo was about to end, he had almost turned around to head back when something caught the corner of his eye. It was a flash of color, a fast burst of brown. What the . . . ? Whipping his head around to the source, he stared open-mouthed at the sight. Handsome Dancer was bolting down a stretch of training track at a speed unheard of for a newbie horse. Or maybe any horse. In all of Jake’s experiences, he doubted he had seen a horse move that fast when not performing in an actual race.


Welcome, Stacy!  
Tell us a little about yourself and your writing 

All of my books are contemporary romance. Within that general category, however, I jump around quite a bit. My DESIRE series (DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES and DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC) are action/adventure. LAWFULLY YOURS has a women’s fiction feel. My new release, JOCKEYING FOR YOU, is sports romance.

Do you write full time? 

No, I work full-time as an attorney, specializing on contracts. (Explains why I need a creative outlet, doesn’t it?)

What are your writing inspirations?

I wish I knew. I get inspiration from the oddest things!

How did you come to write this story?

I was challenged at a writer’s conference to come up with a plot line where the external action of the story coincides with the internal (emotional) character arc of the protagonist.

Is this book part of a series?

So far, it’s a stand-alone. Although you never know. DESIRE IN THE EVERGALDES started out a stand-alone, and I later decided to whip up its sequel, DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC

What project will you be working on next?

My upcoming “Building Love” series should be a lot of fun because it’s steeped in family drama, secrets and lies. Each book is set in the construction industry. After book 1, BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS, comes out, BUILDING LOVE IN THE CARIBBEAN will follow. 

One surprising or interesting fact about yourself. 

I am an artist, having been trained by New York City’s “Fame” School.

Congratulations on the release of Jockeying With You and good luck with your new projects!

Contact or Connect with Stacy:

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/2clOJK3 

Amazon author’s page: https://www.amazon.com/Stacy-Hoff/e/B00NN0HCW8 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorStacyHoff 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff 

Also by Stacy Hoff:

 Stacy Hoff is a contemporary romance author, as well as an attorney. She has practiced law for two decades, primarily handling contracts. Romance novels have always been her secret passion. She writes her romantic stories until the wee hours of the night. Stacy lives in New England with her husband and two boys. 

JOCKEYING FOR YOU will be her fourth novel. Her other novels are: DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES (DESIRE series, book 1), DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC (DESIRE series book 2), and LAWFULLY YOURS. Her upcoming series, BUILDING LOVE, will have book 1, BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS, out soon. 

Hell's Kitties Are Here!

I'm joining in a blog hop with the other authors featured in Hell's Kitties: And Other Beastly Beasts.    The anthology, edited by April Grey, was released yesterday.

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Welcome to Amy Grech, who contributed the story entitled Bruised and Battered Nevermore

What was your inspiration for your story in Hell’s Kitties?

The atmospheric writing of Edgar Allan Poe, especially his narrative poem “The Raven” inspired my tale, “Bruised and Battered Nevermore”. They both feature ravens, albeit my story takes place in modern day New York City…

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m writing a crime story based on actual events that took place in my neighborhood of Park Slope. A couple of years ago, young women walking home at night during the wee hours of the night were being robbed by young Hispanic man brandishing a pistol. The Police eventually apprehended the treacherous thug.  he young woman in my story has a gun permit and she’s packing heat, a hot pink, leopard print Conceal and Carry Glock she uses to one-up her attacker.

What is the scariest or funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

When I was a little girl gowning up on Long Island, I was enjoying summertime with my friends on a real scorcher of a day, so we were sucking on ice cubes while running around. I choked on mine and blacked out. My friend’s mother had to perform the Heimlich maneuver. To this day, I have an aversion to ice cubes.

Why did you become a writer?

I grew up reading Stephen King’s novels—I got hooked at the age of 13—and started writing seriously in high school. I studied English/Creative Writing at Ithaca College in Update New York.  I started selling my stories to small press magazines while I was still in school—14850 Magazine was my first. 

When I first started writing, rejections didn’t discourage me, especially since I started getting personal responses from Editors early on; their encouragement motivated me find my unique voice and hone my craft, creating complex characters capable of anything.

Amy Grech has sold over 100 stories to various anthologies and magazines including: Apex Magazine, Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled, Dead Harvest, Detectives of the Fantastic, Volume II, Expiration Date, Fear on Demand, Fright Mare, Funeral Party 2, Inhuman Magazine, Needle Magazine, Reel Dark, Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine, Space & Time, Tales from The Lake Vol. 3, The Horror Within, Under the Bed, and many others. New Pulp Press recently published her book of noir stories, Rage and Redemption in Alphabet City.

She has a story forthcoming in Creepy Campfire Quarterly. Amy is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association who lives in Brooklyn. Visit her website: http://www.crimsonscreams.com.  Follow Amy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/amy_grech.

Welcome Back Gail Ingis: Announcing A Reception for Indigo Sky and Her Coney Island Art Show

Congratulations, Gail!

Indigo Sky is an enthralling glimpse of what life was like for women in the 1860s. My heart was breaking for Leila, and it was beating for Rork, who not only recognized her independent streak but admired it. And for those like me who prefer to hold a book in their hands, Indigo Sky is now out in print with Soulmate Publishing. It's also out on Audible and Gail is offering a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Leave her a message right here.

It's based on the events in the life of Albert Bierstadt, nineteenth-century Hudson River artist, his painting, The Domes of Yosemite, and his travels with a friend from New York to Yosemite, and the romance that ensued between him and his friend’s wife.

In a whirlwind romance, a lovely New York socialite marries a fêted, debonair author. But beneath the charm is a cheating husband addicted to hasheesh. Her dream marriage turns sour and the simplicity of her life runs amok when a handsome stranger, her husband’s business partner, threatens her staunch loyalty to her wayward husband. When she faces the ugly truth about her marriage, her need to finalize her divorce sends her on mad chase across the wilds of nineteenth century America with a handsome stranger—she learns hard lessons of murder, kidnapping and more that almost destroy her.

Excerpt

Dawn finally broke, and Leila sat listlessly on the pallet. Would today be the day she was raped? Death was preferable.

Little Star peeked through the doorway and crooked her finger. “Come.”

Leila crawled out and blinked against the strong light. Rising stiffly, she stretched, enjoying the sun on her face. She smiled at children laughing and playing between the tipis.

A group of women waited for her. “You bathe.”

Bathe? Leila almost laughed with relief.

The women led her silently to a copse of trees. A stream gurgled over rocks. They stripped her clothes off, urged her into a deep pool and washed her with a chunk of herb scented soap.

She reveled in the cold water until an elder hustled her out, drying her with scraps of soft hide.

Stony faced, the elder worried her gums and mumbled something rubbing herb oils on Leila’s body. Deep crevices on her face sagged in a perpetual expression of discontent. The elder peered over Leila, her small black eyes glittered with malice. She rattled off in an angry tirade.

One of the young women giggled behind slim fingers.

Leila glanced from one to the other. “What did she say?”

Little Star arrived with a hide garment over her arm and handed it to the elder. “She say you white like chicken fat, and don’t know why Red Arrow want you.”

The truth dawned on Leila. This was the moment she’d dreaded. She backed away holding up her palms. “N—no!”

Snarling, the elder grabbed Leila and issued brief instructions. The other women hastily pulled the buckskin dress over her head. Beads and feathers decorated the soft garment. Had circumstances been different, the dress would have delighted Leila. The women took her arms and led her back to the lodge.

Red Arrow stood in the center of a clearing between the tipis, hands behind his back, black eyes impassive.

Leila’s heart pounded and she hung back. The women shoved her and she fell to her knees at the warrior’s feet. “I—I will not be your woman—your whore.” She took his callused hand. “Please, I have a husband.”

He shook her off. “You obey.”

“I can’t—won’t!”

Red Arrow looked at Hook Nose. The leader nodded at a group of warriors. They stepped forward and hauled Leila up, dragging her from the clearing.

She twisted around. “What are they going to do to me?” She cried.

For you viewing pleasure, here’s the Indigo Sky trailer;

Indigo Sky_07_11_15 – Small

Gail is also an artist, and the curator of exhibition at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion M

 Having spent her youth dallying in Coney Island, her new Coney Island exhibit features images from her 2010, 2011, and 2014 photographs. The legendary Brooklyn attraction  is near and dear to my heart since, like Gail, a trip to Coney Island brings back many happy memories of when life was simple and you got your thrills on a roller coaster, not the subway. 

The deadline is fast approaching to RSVP for the reception.

Gail Ingis writes historical romance, loves history, and romance, of course. Her weekly blog frequently contains historical content. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Gail’s early days began and ended with writing, drawing and music. Her inspiration to write came from books gifted to her by an aunt. But life had other ideas.

After graduating from the New York School of Interior Design with a BFA in Interior Architecture and Design and with master’s studies in Architecture and Design Criticism at The New School (Parsons), she worked in interior design and architecture, and founded a school, the Interior Design Institute. Twice asked by publishers to write a textbook, her efforts were thwarted by a heavy schedule.

She resides in Connecticut with her scientist-writer husband. She and her husband love to travel and do ballroom dancing, a recent commitment. Gail is working on another historic romance about cowboys, wranglers and ranches.